The King of Comedy with Stavros Halkias

[00:00:01] [SPEAKER_08] Blank Check with

[00:00:21] [SPEAKER_07] I think it's that I look at my whole life and I see the awful things in my life and I turn it into a funny podcast. It just happens. But what about the opening quote? Was that strong enough?

[00:00:36] [SPEAKER_04] It's a pretty good De Niro in that you're not leaning too heavy on that because a lot of the De Niro stuff is right here. I was thinking a lot of like this. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. You know, the kind of, yeah.

[00:00:47] [SPEAKER_07] I think if anyone's trying to impersonate De Niro, this is the one to do because it is weirdly it's right at the center of everything. Yeah, and he's not yelling. No.

[00:00:54] [SPEAKER_04] It's just talking. He's equivocating all the time.

[00:00:56] [SPEAKER_07] It's understated enough that he's- We're all doing his hands. He has locked in all of the movie star moves at this point. Everything you would impersonate him doing is in this film in some way, but it's quiet.

[00:01:06] [SPEAKER_02] Well, that's the thing about De Niro versus Pacino. It's like Pacino was like overnight he became insane and like yelled at everything. You know what I mean? I mean, it really was like a- And you saw, maybe you saw traces of it, obviously. Like, heat is the absolute middle of that Venn diagram where he's still the man, but he's fucking going crazy.

[00:01:25] [SPEAKER_02] But that's so much later. Whereas you're right, this, this is like De Niro's over the top mannerisms. This is the seedling. And it slowly grew into a big forest of really over squinting and like frowning. You know what I mean? They start to figure out the tricks.

[00:01:42] [SPEAKER_04] And it's like, obviously, if he's just in the hands of some, you know, Bulgarian guy who's making a movie called like The Gun and The Guy. Whatever the De Niro movies are, right?

[00:01:54] [SPEAKER_07] I feel like you improvised Killer Gun recently, which was a good one.

[00:01:58] [SPEAKER_02] That's a fucking awesome one.

[00:01:59] [SPEAKER_07] Making a movie called Killer Gun.

[00:02:01] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. And by the way, I can't wait to buy that on DVD. You're buying that. I want to buy that on DVD.

[00:02:07] [SPEAKER_04] What's a disc this lower quality than DVD? Can we just have like, you know, DV or whatever? Like, DD?

[00:02:13] [SPEAKER_02] It's on a mini DV tape. I have to plug it into an old thing to, and then put those little yellow, red and white shits that you connect the fucking 64 with.

[00:02:22] [SPEAKER_06] But it is the thing, the guys-

[00:02:24] [SPEAKER_02] Shout those little red, yellow, white shits out. Red, yellow, white, bro. And one of them didn't even fucking matter. They didn't do anything. White or yellow didn't matter, I believe. Yeah, it didn't matter.

[00:02:32] [SPEAKER_07] It was right speaker versus left speaker, but on most TVs at that time- It was just the one built-in speakers. One cruddy speaker. Yeah, the one cat-o-ray.

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_02] Maybe audiophiles knew the difference, but me, I didn't give a fuck when I was playing No Mercy. I didn't give a fuck where the speaker came from.

[00:02:48] [SPEAKER_04] But my Super Nintendo didn't even have that. It just had the one plug, and you would like flip a switch to switch between like a video game and TV. I can't even remember this.

[00:02:59] [SPEAKER_02] I don't remember. I could have swore it had the- It might have had it. But I don't remember the Super Nintendo as much. That was more of, I don't- No, it had the red. It had the red. Well, I don't know. I don't know. Maybe some weird British shit you were playing. Might be some weird British shit, because I had a British Super Nintendo. The Queen's Atari or something. The Queen's Atari! The Queen's Atari. You get to practice having tea? No. The British Super Nintendo looks like the Japanese Super Nintendo. I got a couple, sorry. Oh. It's like Frogger, but you're evading your headmaster pedophile.

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_02] There you go. You have to walk, you're in like little schoolboy shorts and you have to run across the street.

[00:03:33] [SPEAKER_04] You're running across the street from a ruler.

[00:03:35] Yeah, yeah.

[00:03:37] [SPEAKER_04] I mean, I had to do- I never got hit with a ruler. I had to do lines, which I do feel like that's a British thing, but Americans do that sometimes. Lines? Yeah, where you write like Bart Simpson. Oh, sure. You know, like I promised to never talk in class or whatever. Would you do it at the chalkboard? No, you would do it in detention. Okay. Over and over again. Over and over again. And then there were like the modern woke teachers who were like, I think lines doesn't really teach you anything. And the older school teachers were like, okay, if you say so.

[00:04:05] [SPEAKER_02] I guess we'll hit him again. Because this was our compromise. We'll go back. We'll go back. You wouldn't let me put my hands on him anymore.

[00:04:12] [SPEAKER_03] What do you fucking want from me?

[00:04:14] [SPEAKER_07] I gotta say, good conceit to make it the chalkboard. If the Simpsons opened with Bart sitting at a desk and a piece of paper- It's not as cinematic at all. No, you need him to throw the chalk at it. Yeah. We wouldn't be 37 perfect seasons in 39? No. Whatever it is. 39?

[00:04:30] [SPEAKER_04] 39. It better not be hitting a round number soon because then they're going to like act like we care. They are absolutely within- They're going to be like our milestone 40th anniversary. I'm like checked out after the 10th, but okay. That will be really fun though. I guarantee you they're- 37.

[00:04:43] [SPEAKER_07] So they're within like 30 months of 40. Sure. Fuck dude, that's awesome. Right, right, right. Yeah, rules. That's crazy.

[00:04:50] [SPEAKER_02] Wait, you could get on The Simpsons. Maybe. That'd be fine. Of course.

[00:04:54] [SPEAKER_07] Have The Simpsons visited Baltimore yet?

[00:04:56] [SPEAKER_02] I feel like if they go to Baltimore- John Waters, actually one of the biggest, my introduction to John Waters- Yeah, it's a great episode. It was the- and by the way, that kinda, kinda started my whole- You could argue seeing Who Framed Roger Rabbit in that episode very quickly, generally quick succession, merged my entire personality. Cause like the- it's- it's the line that stuck with me even as a child was like, there's only two types of guys that wear Hawaiian shirts, gay guys and big fat party animals.

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_02] And like- Incredible line. Tattoo that on me, you know what I mean?

[00:05:29] [SPEAKER_04] Like- In my memory, haven't seen in a minute, a relatively enlightened episode, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like Homer's fully the joke. Won a GLAAD award. Totally, right.

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_07] It was like a big call out, like at the time, this is the best a comedy show has ever featured a gay character.

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_02] That was sort of the read at the time. Right. It was like, yeah, this doofus is friends with a gay guy. Right. And by the way, learning about camp kitschy shit.

[00:05:50] [SPEAKER_07] I was gonna say kitsch. I don't think I would've understood what kitsch was before that episode. And then you go, oh, this makes sense. This is why Pee Wee's Playhouse exists. Yes, bro. Exactly. Like the line between these things. Yeah.

[00:06:02] [SPEAKER_04] I just feel like back in the day, if your city was gonna make it on the map, the Simpsons should visit it. Or it should get an absolute ad. Remember when your city would get an absolute ad? No, like Absolute Vodka? Yeah, Absolute Vodka used to have all the magazine ads, right? Oh, shit. I used to like rip them out and put them in like a big folder. You're talking print. Yeah, print ads. And like, you know, name a city. I don't know. Like, they would do... Des Moines! No, they didn't. Like, Absolute San Francisco. Right. It was like surrounded by fog.

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_07] Whatever. Well, the New York episode that they had to ban for a while because Homer ran up the towers. Oh, that episode's so good though. With the crab...

[00:06:38] [SPEAKER_04] That has one of my favorite jokes. Oh, that's right. So the guy's like, he's like, you got any drinks? He's like, I got Mountain Dew and crab juice.

[00:06:43] [SPEAKER_03] And Homer's like, oh, give me a crab juice.

[00:06:47] [SPEAKER_07] So fucking fun. Crab collage? What is it? It's good. Crab kibosh. Um, our, our, our buddy, our buddy Mitch from Doughboys who we were just talking about off mic. He, there's the Simpsons go to Boston episode and they gave Mitch a line at Moe's in the beginning. Whoa. I didn't know that. I've, I've been very gradually trying to watch all of the Simpsons. Wow. It started as a lockdown thing when I was trying to not eat bullets. And then I was like, I'll knock down two seasons a year.

[00:07:16] [SPEAKER_07] When I like have a head cold. Yes. I'll knock out 10 episodes. Right. And so I, it's insane. How much fucking, how, what percentage of your day do you watch shit?

[00:07:24] [SPEAKER_02] I mean, I mean, it's absurd. I mean, you motherfuckers do a movie. It's absurd. It's like, it's absurd. Are you, do you, you should have VR goggles. You're the one guy who should have VR goggles. That's the only way you can live a regular life. Right. That's the only way you could have, you could go outside is if you're watching fucking movies while you see the sunlight.

[00:07:38] [SPEAKER_07] I don't understand how David watches stuff. Cause I'm like, well, I know how I do it. I don't have shit in my life. I don't have obligations. It's this. I, I watch stuff and I come here. I kind of just put a thing on.

[00:07:50] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah.

[00:07:50] [SPEAKER_07] Like no matter what, like for me, it's an intentional, this is an activity now. No, I don't do the background.

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_04] I have a mountain of discs that I will not watch. Yeah. I don't know why it's like someone keep arriving in my house and my money keeps going away. I'm not sure what's going on with that. Who knows? My children keep being like, we're hungry. And I'm like, shush. Your wallet gets skinnier. My vinegar syndromes are here. Uh, and so I'm always just like, I'll just watch the next disc. And it's like, but the next disc is like an Iranian movie from like 2001 about a guy who goes to prison. I'm like, well, I gotta watch it. That's what's next. It's the next fucking disc.

[00:08:25] [SPEAKER_05] But David, your consumption of then sports. I do love sports. You play video games. Not that much. You kind of stay on top of it a little bit. You love Iron Maiden. I do love Iron Maiden. Like I'm always so impressed with like how much you take in. I have no idea how you do it. You're saying that I'm like an idol.

[00:08:42] [SPEAKER_02] Cause I'm like, cause you watch cause your kids are crying and you're like, gotta check out some early Panahi. I mean, that's what I was doing.

[00:08:52] [SPEAKER_08] Early Panahi hits though.

[00:08:53] [SPEAKER_07] This is your, your bit about being like a fucking multitasking Ganesh where you have like one arm for each kid. Yeah. A video game controller. A book.

[00:09:03] [SPEAKER_04] I think I've said it now. Like video games. A record player. I don't play a lot of video games. Like I, I, that's the one that really had to fall off. Yeah. Once. I mean, maybe when the kids are old enough to care, like I'll do it more. Yeah. But I mean, it's great to have baseball on. Like that's what you're doing in the world.

[00:09:19] [SPEAKER_02] Sports to me is what you're describing where it's like, put on anything in the background. I don't have to, or like an old dude, honestly, Tubi is wonderful. Of course. I love not having to choose. What they, what they autoplay is shit you've never even thought about. Yeah.

[00:09:32] [SPEAKER_06] Yeah.

[00:09:32] [SPEAKER_02] And it's like, it's like, what the fuck? Where the fuck did Jack Nicholson play a werewolf? Yeah. All right. Wolf is awesome. Wolf is one of my favorite. It's so good. It's autoplay. I had to actually stop watching because the scares got me so much that I was like moving my broken, my very broken arm at the time. And I was like, just like, like fucking jumping back. I hurt my arm, but I'm seeing, I'm going to fucking get back and I watched all that jazz on to, you know what I'm saying?

[00:09:55] [SPEAKER_07] I mean, that shit's the best, is it not?

[00:09:57] [SPEAKER_02] And then it just autoplay some fucking wild shit.

[00:09:59] [SPEAKER_07] You know what else? All that jazz is like not legally streamable, but Tubi will serve it to you. It's been in a weird legal loophole. It's out of print on disc. And yet Tubi's like, we fucking got you.

[00:10:09] [SPEAKER_02] Tubi fucking rules, bro. I want to put a special on Tubi for real. If you're listening Tubi, listen, not this one coming on. This one's on Netflix, but you know, the one, uh, no, no, no. The, the, my next special. Oh, your next special. But after that, I'm going to the people. All right. I'm going to write the Tubi, but you, you got to make sure there's an ad break in the middle of a punchline. Absolutely. Completely disrupt the rhythms. It would actually be funny to put in fake ad breaks in a special that's on Tubi. That would be great. That would be great. Nobody steal that.

[00:10:38] [SPEAKER_02] Dibs, dibs, dibs, dibs, legal dibs, legal dibs.

[00:10:41] [SPEAKER_04] The most random fucking ad. Like, like I listen to Mets radio sometimes and like, there'll just be ads for like non-lethal guns. And I'm like, who approved this? Love non-lethal guns.

[00:10:52] [SPEAKER_03] Does anyone know about this? Do you want to shoot someone, but they won't die?

[00:10:56] [SPEAKER_02] I mean, that's the most Staten Island shit of all time. It's like, we're sort of fascist, but we don't want to kill the black teens. You're not going to stop me from pulling the trigger though. You can change what's coming out of the gun. That's the only negotiable part.

[00:11:08] [SPEAKER_04] Oh my God.

[00:11:09] [SPEAKER_02] Anyway, no, this was not, I had to buy the, I believe I, I don't think this is streamable anywhere. I have fucking bought, I myself, I'm a disc guy now. Yeah. I've caught it. I've caught it. I've caught the sickness. I've been here apartment. There's space. Yeah. Oh, you guys came when it was real. Like you got to come back. It was fucking beautiful.

[00:11:26] [SPEAKER_07] Now you sent it. You sent a picture. It was looking real nice. But I like, I like that you have this method that you were telling me started on the road of you pull into a Goodwill, a gas station. You're like, we got to pick what we're watching tonight from what's on sale. Back to the sort of like, right. This is the curation. The curation is being mandated by the what's available.

[00:11:47] [SPEAKER_02] You're not getting wifi on a fucking truck. And that's how you end up watching what women want. Hell yeah. When you're driving, when you're driving for fucking like, I don't even know where the fuck we went this, but we, we crushed that one. Honestly. I saw that in theaters. It's hilarious. Pretty good. It's pretty good. We covered it on this podcast. It's pretty good. I feel like it's, it's shockingly good.

[00:12:08] [SPEAKER_07] I mean, obviously, I mean, we aged well now.

[00:12:10] [SPEAKER_04] Are you with me that just Helen Hunt circa 2000, just a robo, babe, just like where you're just like, yeah, why, why wasn't this discussed daily? And so like Anna Karnikova or whatever, take on, like why wasn't Helen Hunt on the front page of whatever lab?

[00:12:24] [SPEAKER_02] We know why that's she's like, her, her like, uh, sort of sexual attractiveness comes from sort of being in control and she's older and hot. Like compared to like a young, a young tennis star. It's like, that's a, that's a late, that's like a, they don't let America has a real problem with not letting us want to jack off the older women. I think we're a pedophilic fucking country. You go to Europe. Oh yeah.

[00:12:50] [SPEAKER_02] It's that, there is a thing like, mate, now look, perhaps they got their problems there too, but there is a thing where it's like young guys want to fucking, you want to fuck the hot old, the hot older lady in your village. That's who you, that she's doing fucking, she's doing laundry with the fucking things.

[00:13:07] [SPEAKER_04] That's what every book is about.

[00:13:09] [SPEAKER_02] It's incredible. She bends over in her loose, you know, house skirt as a little boy, you see a little, you know, a little more titty than she was expecting to show. And that's the kind of shit that sustains you when you're 14 in a village with no running water. And that's who we should be. That's who young boys should want to jack off to. Okay. We should not be a pedophilic nation. And Helen Hunt should have been a sex symbol. Thanks for saying that.

[00:13:30] [SPEAKER_07] Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you. I think part of it is that I, you saying it was not respected or acknowledged enough at the time. I think Helen Hunt's contemporaries were like, yeah, that's Helen Hunt. She's sturdy. I think we were of the exact right generation to be like, fuck, that's a grownup. That is an adult woman. Like you saying she was older. It's like she wasn't old.

[00:13:50] [SPEAKER_02] She wasn't older, but I saw it when I was 12.

[00:13:52] [SPEAKER_07] It was that when we were like children, she was playing characters that didn't feel like they were 15. Yeah, exactly. Versus a lot of like big female movie stars were still playing characters that were so underdeveloped that they felt like children.

[00:14:05] [SPEAKER_02] Or even pretending to be eight years younger than they are. Totally.

[00:14:08] [SPEAKER_04] What if like my wife is like, okay, what are you? Come on. Let's have the conversation. The hall pass. And I'm like Helen Hunt now. Hunting season. Number one. Exactly.

[00:14:17] [SPEAKER_03] And she's like, okay. And I'm like, I'll keep going. Yeah. Caroline in the city.

[00:14:22] [SPEAKER_04] What's she up to?

[00:14:24] [SPEAKER_07] Oh, Caroline. Another good one. Yeah. I mean, more tyranny. That's a huge one. Ugh.

[00:14:29] [SPEAKER_04] Tyranny. Right. Get out of here.

[00:14:31] [SPEAKER_07] It's mostly musty TV. I'm realizing.

[00:14:33] [SPEAKER_02] I think that's actually what we're all coming to. Right. It's just not TV. We were all 13 when fucking that Thursday night lineup. That's our sexual awakening during that time. I mean, of course. It's very logical. We just weirdly jacked off to mad about you. And now we're like, why don't people talk about Helen Hunt so much?

[00:14:50] [SPEAKER_04] But like, wait. Yeah. No, wait. What did I just say, Griff? I just said, you said more tyranny than the affair. No, my whole problem with the affair. Right. Where he's like, I want to have an affair on me. Like more tyranny. So boring. I'm like, more tyranny. You got more tyranny at home. No need for an affair. My friend. You are set.

[00:15:07] [SPEAKER_02] First episode of news radio. Holy fuck. No, you should know more. I didn't. I didn't actually know then. I obviously don't worry. She cheats on him too.

[00:15:15] [SPEAKER_04] They all have. There's many affairs. They had to get like six seasons.

[00:15:18] [SPEAKER_07] And then like the later season, they like flash forward to the future. It's a weird show. It was a show about two couples and then like three of the four people quit. And it was like, the show's still on. That's awesome. What's it about now? I don't know. And you're like, he's starting new affairs. Cheating on whom? His wife and his mistress have both quit the show in protest. I think they got.

[00:15:40] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah, they got a little sick of it. I'm not familiar with the affair.

[00:15:43] [SPEAKER_04] That was one of my greatest, like the Bill Simmons when he was just like, watch the affair. If you're like 15 years married with your wife, that's just no roller coaster can like compare to just watching that show with your wife Sunday night.

[00:15:55] [SPEAKER_03] And just like, when do I make a joke? When do I try to deflate the tension? It was the funniest fucking review of a show ever.

[00:16:01] [SPEAKER_07] Now, did you feel that at all? Watching the affair? No, no. Stop rewatching this movie because I will say our producer Ben and Ben and I both used to do stand up have not in some years. He came in and was like, it poked wounds. It got in my body. The shoulders tensed up.

[00:16:19] [SPEAKER_05] I just have not interacted with guys like this in a long time. Totally.

[00:16:23] [SPEAKER_07] But they nailed it by the way. They nailed this guy so hard. And almost predicted it. As I said to Ben, it's crazy that this movie is before even the 90s comedy boom. I know. Where you're like, this guy multiplies by like 8,000. Oh yeah. At this moment, culturally, it was a little niche to care this much about being a comedian and not be funny. Totally. Versus the amount of people now who will like line up around the country to put their name in the Kill Tony bucket.

[00:16:52] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah, yeah. That's a great, I mean, what is Kill Tony if not- The Rupert Pumpkin marathon. Yeah, yeah. Every 10,000 Rupert Pumpkins. Yeah. You know, it's like, that's a great point. I mean, look, this, first of all, Scorsese in general, he's my guy. Like truly, I don't give a fuck if it's the most hack shit of all time. I just, and especially watching this because my approach to this was like, I, cause I've seen these, you know, I've seen his movies all over the place, right? I never looked at him in an academic way.

[00:17:19] [SPEAKER_02] Let's say I was, I approached this where I was like, I'm going to end, like, what if King of Comedy is the last movie he made? Like, I'm not going to watch After Hours. Oh, sure. I'm not going to, I'm going to, and I'm going to take these chronologically. Yeah. And I'm just going to get a vibe of like, you know, these in order, whatever. And watching those, it's fucking crazy how much he nailed, I mean, between Taxi Driver and King of Comedy, that's everybody on the fucking internet. He nailed both fucking guys.

[00:17:46] [SPEAKER_02] He nailed like incels and he, and he, and he nailed, um, parasocial relationships. And, and, and me watching this, I had a, I have an interesting relationship with the movie because the first time I saw it, I think I talked about this last time I was, I worked at one of the last blockbusters in existence. There was a, there's a liquor store now on O'Donnell street in Baltimore. Uh, right. It's great. Good liquor store too. But, and I, I basically got that job because that was my first, it was the truly, I was

[00:18:14] [SPEAKER_02] 19 and it was the summer where I was like, I think I want to do standup. I think I'm interested in like fucking movies acting a little more than I used to be. And so I would just get whatever. And I was like, I made a list of people that I had heard were good at moving, making movies. Right. Scorsese, the Coen's. Yeah. Spielberg, you know, everybody knows Spielberg actually. Uh, but it was like, it was like, you know, basically Scorsese, honestly, if I'm being honest, it was mostly Scorsese, the Coen's and then like just random fucking movies I heard were good. Right.

[00:18:43] [SPEAKER_02] Um, like, uh, like fucking platoon or whatever the fuck, you know what I mean? Like maybe I looked up, I don't know exactly how I went through it. Best pictures, but the only directors that I really keyed in on were Scorsese and the Coen's. You've now done both on this podcast. Yeah. Yeah. True. Yeah. Which is fucking awesome.

[00:19:00] [SPEAKER_04] So who should we do next?

[00:19:01] [SPEAKER_02] I don't know. I mean, you are, you guys did Michael Mann already. We did. To do the trifecta of the like, uh, just bro. Loud guys. Our age. I mean, Tarantino, obviously, if you haven't done him. We'll do it one day. Yeah.

[00:19:13] [SPEAKER_04] He makes movie 10. Yeah.

[00:19:15] [SPEAKER_07] Hey, challenge issues. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:19:18] [SPEAKER_02] It's as soon as you make that 10th picture or decide to get over yourself. Yeah, dude. Make, make as many. Yeah. It's anyway, that's a whole different conversation. But so I watched this movie out of context. No idea for who Scorsese is whatever. Um, and I'm also, I basically am Rupert pumpkin when I watch this movie. Cause I'm 19 about to start doing open mics. And I have this delusion of like, I'm the fucking man. I haven't done dick. Right.

[00:19:45] [SPEAKER_02] I'm fucking, I'm just like, I've never accomplished anything creatively. Right. I did an open mic at my dorm. So I watched this movie when I was 19 and I'm like, it was so funny coming back to it. Cause I dude, I didn't remember anything except him kidnapping the guy for stage time. And as Rupert pumpkin, I'm watching that being like, oh, he did fucking good. He's fucking kid. Like, oh, his jokes aren't so bad. He's, you know, he did. Okay. Like, and I completely miss the, like how pathetic this guy is.

[00:20:15] [SPEAKER_02] Like I, I completely forgot. Like in my memories, I didn't even remember the romantic sub, the weird romantic subplot.

[00:20:22] [SPEAKER_07] No, and the kidnapping comes late and it's less than half of the movie.

[00:20:25] [SPEAKER_02] It's barely, it's the, yeah, it's like 20 minutes.

[00:20:27] [SPEAKER_04] When I was, before I saw this movie, I thought the movie was like 10 minutes in, he kidnaps Jerry Lewis. That's what the movie's about. Like that's the entire plot of the movie.

[00:20:35] [SPEAKER_07] I have to say it. Go ahead. I had not watched this film again since tangling with one Richard T. Joker. Sure. I forgot. It's crazy how much they rip it off. It's 90%. No, no. And then it just overcomplicates and adds so much extra shit. Well, no, you're overdoing it. And a lot of taxi drivers.

[00:20:53] [SPEAKER_02] All it is is taxi driver. Taxi driver plus King Kong. Yeah. And that was the thing that. Yeah. That's what he did. That was his pitch. And by the way, awesome. Like, here's the thing. I don't, I, I, I was in the complete middle cause I feel like, you know, a lot of people hated the movie and a lot of people, I had friends who like both hated it. I believe you guys hated it. Did not like it. I didn't like it. I didn't like it. It's fine.

[00:21:12] [SPEAKER_04] It's kind of stuck with me in a weird way, but it no, but here's the thing.

[00:21:15] [SPEAKER_02] I'm more into following it though. But, but no, the people who act like it was a fucking masterpiece were out of their fucking minds. The people who you guys are like, it sucked, Nick. You're fucking stupid too. Mm-hmm. Because the movie was, here's what the shit is. And this thing, that's all Marvel and DC. This is what they should be. I had to watch Marvel dog shit of where it's like, what they're stealing is like Josh Whedon's bullshit. This is true. You know what I mean? And finally, a dumb bullshit comic book movie, which the shit I like. I love Scorsese.

[00:21:45] [SPEAKER_07] Shouldn't you try to rip off the good shit?

[00:21:46] [SPEAKER_02] Rip off the good shit. Yeah. Todd Phillips is the fuck. I think he's a great director. I like Todd Phillips a lot.

[00:21:51] [SPEAKER_07] I'm a big Todd Phillips defender and I struggle with the Joker movies, but otherwise I basically

[00:21:56] [SPEAKER_02] like all of his stuff. But the problem that everybody has with this and every fucking comic book movie is like, look, they're not fucking movies. All right. Let's just, I mean, Scorsese is so right about it. Scorsese nailed it. And by the way, I like them. Right. But don't fucking tell me the winter soldier is a fucking nine. That's three days. The condor part two. Yeah, that's the fuck out of here. That shit is. Yeah, it is for fucking babies. If you want, if you needed to teach a baby, what fucking three days of the condor is show him fucking winter soldier the same way.

[00:22:25] [SPEAKER_02] If you want to show a baby or an incredibly stoned 30 year old taxi driver plus king of comedy with some dumb Batman bullshit mixed in because that's the only way you can make a fucking movie. Great. Like, but, but that's all it is. I'll never watch it again. I saw it in theaters. Loved it. We'll never see it. Not love. I think that movie looks incredible.

[00:22:44] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah. I like it. There's like the craft in that movie.

[00:22:46] [SPEAKER_04] I think it looks good. You're halfway there. Truly. It's kind of the in your redo thing too, where people like I hate him and I'm like, his movies don't really work for me. They at least they look good. You know, like it's just something.

[00:22:57] [SPEAKER_07] I just think letting that. I mean, it's less about backhanding Joker more about what's so impressive about taxi driver and king of comedy is by letting the character graduate to being a literal super villain and also telegraphing that by the poster. That's the makeup. That's all of that takes you off the hook of why these movies were so hot button when they came out, where people saw a little too much of themselves. Yeah. And push back. Of course.

[00:23:23] [SPEAKER_07] Because they're not giving you the remove of, well, this is the guy who fights Batman.

[00:23:27] [SPEAKER_02] Right. That's a good point. I mean, yes, it neuters it the same way every fucking Marvel movie. It's like at the end of the day, no matter what they're building up. Oh, it's two fucking guys shooting lasers at each other. Or who gives a fuck. Shooting lasers at a hole in the sky. It's like, but that's the thing with those movies. It's like, and you're absolutely right. Yeah. I guess this probably didn't do well because after this he had to go make. It was a bomb.

[00:23:48] [SPEAKER_07] This movie was a bomb and was reviled. Awesome. People were angry about it.

[00:23:54] [SPEAKER_04] He's so good. I would say, I mean, there was some good reviews. It got some critics awards. It's not like it was completely critically reviled, but it didn't. It did not.

[00:24:02] [SPEAKER_07] Sure. Yeah. I wouldn't, I wouldn't say it was. He's got the famous story that he tells in the Mr. Scorsese documentary of, I think it was Isabella Rossellini called him and said she wanted a divorce. Last temptation of Christ had just fallen apart for the third time. It was New Year's Eve. Oh man. He's alone in an apartment. He turns on the TV and whatever local chuckle fucks go like. And the biggest bomb of the year, the king of comedy. That's our turkey for.

[00:24:29] [SPEAKER_04] So that was entertainment tonight. They called it the turkey or floppy of the year or whatever. But like, I think the high level reviews were good. The odd, it was one of those movies that tested so bad that like the studio was almost kind of amused. Right. Where they were like, oh, this isn't, there's nothing to be done. Like we showed this to Kansas City and got a zero. Yeah. Like it's over. We'll release it. It will make no money. Yeah.

[00:24:52] [SPEAKER_07] Scorsese was not on a box office run, but De Niro had become such a major star that they were like. Well, there's, there's a baseline base, like the floor for how poorly a De Niro movie can do is pretty high now.

[00:25:05] [SPEAKER_04] Right, right, right, right. And then this movie made hundreds of thousands of dollars. It made, now, now, now it made $2.5 million. Oh, okay. So, you know. But yeah, no, I mean, it's interesting De Niro. We'll talk about that. But like, right. It's like. He wanted to do this one too, which is interesting. Oh, this is a him movie.

[00:25:19] [SPEAKER_07] Marty didn't want to do it. Yeah. This was De Niro being like, please, please, please. I love this script. I want to play this guy.

[00:25:24] [SPEAKER_04] You know, it's like. He was awesome.

[00:25:26] [SPEAKER_07] He's incredible.

[00:25:26] [SPEAKER_04] At this point, Griff, I will say about De Niro. He's basically still the Mean Streets, Godfather, Raging Bull guy. Now, that's a good guy to be. He has two Oscars. He's got two Oscars. He also has the Deer Hunter, which was a gigantic hit. Yep. He has already made like 1900, Last Tycoon and New York, New York, which are all like big swings that don't work. Yeah. I like New York, New York. No, they're all good. I'm just saying like at the time, those were all movies that didn't connect. There are a couple flops. So he's not quite. Cause it's like after this.

[00:25:56] [SPEAKER_04] Midnight Run. No, that's not for, that's not for five years. So it's like, he's got a weird. It's like Once Upon a Time in America, which was like a mess on release. Anger though. I love that. He and you know, later, later iconic. The four, it's like a fucking four hour movie. It's so good. Yeah. If you watch the shortcut.

[00:26:16] [SPEAKER_03] If you watch what Leonie calls the compromise.

[00:26:19] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. That's literally what my mom, my mom showed me Godfathers one and two and Once Upon a Time in America. God bless your mom. I know. And completely out of nowhere, just the sweetest, like little Eastern European woman that'll bake anybody cookies. Loved mob movies. She's the reason I got into this shit.

[00:26:33] [SPEAKER_04] They're romantic. Yeah. They got a romance. But then it's like falling in love, Brazil, the mission, which was a sort of, you know, award success, but not a big hit. It's 87, 88 where then he suddenly is, I think just finally like, I think I should make fun movies. So he does like untouchables, Angel Heart, Midnight Run. We are no angels. Like he starts just like clearly picking stuff that's like a little more down the middle. He's not box office in full life. Who's this guy?

[00:27:01] [SPEAKER_02] He's playing motherfucking Lou Cypher and Angel Heart.

[00:27:03] Who is he? Who's this guy?

[00:27:05] [SPEAKER_04] Well, the movie's called Angel Heart. That movie's incredible, dude.

[00:27:07] [SPEAKER_07] Clearly, he must have the heart of an angel. Right.

[00:27:09] [SPEAKER_04] That's a movie I have not seen since I was a teenager. I don't remember it all.

[00:27:14] [SPEAKER_02] Bro, that's a nice throw it on in the background. I might throw that one on. You can miss half of it. But now Lisa Bonet, Lisa Bonet is fucking throwing 120 miles an hour out of control of how hot she is in that. And honestly, everybody's kind of a piece of ass. De Niro's got evil, scary, daddy devil shit. And then Mickey Rourkeson is like, you know. No, he's still hot. He's still hot. He hasn't done it all yet. The beginning of twink death is happening to him. You know what I mean? Like, he doesn't exactly blow up like most guys do. He does some other shit. But he's still...

[00:27:43] [SPEAKER_02] There's some fucking awesome sex scenes in that movie. Now, wait a second.

[00:27:46] [SPEAKER_07] I'm a little confused. David, you said he hasn't done it all yet. And you gestured to your face. By done it all, you mean several boxing matches. And that's the full extent of what he did, right?

[00:27:57] [SPEAKER_03] Is that what Rourke says?

[00:27:59] [SPEAKER_04] Much like where Michael Jackson was like, I got one little nose job and a little thing in my chin. That's it. Yeah.

[00:28:06] [SPEAKER_07] It's regular. The Rourke's line is like, I hate knives. I'd never let a knife touch me. Wow. The boxing matches fucked me up so much. I had to have a few medical reconstructive surgeries. Damn, dude. I've never elected to anything.

[00:28:20] [SPEAKER_02] That sucks. I mean, all these guys... First of all, what's the point of living in a misogynist society if you can't just... Like, look, it's not good. We're solid, by the way. But we're not going to change it in our... Let's work to change it in our lifetimes. And in the meantime, just don't... Just fucking age like shit. Who cares?

[00:28:39] [SPEAKER_04] The thing about Rourke that... Right, where you're like, okay, buddy.

[00:28:41] [SPEAKER_02] He would have been a handsome older guy.

[00:28:42] [SPEAKER_04] Of course. And it's just... You look at, you know, young Rourke, he's so incredibly strikingly handsome that you are like, wow. It's insane how hot he is. Motherfucker looks like Shrek.

[00:28:51] [SPEAKER_02] It's fucked up. Now, currently... The Taco Bell picture where he's picking up Taco Bell is sad, dude. And he's the man... Obviously, I think he's a great actor. But anyway, that De Niro run, that's fun as fuck. The Untouchables, Angel Heart... Yeah, he just starts being a little more fun.

[00:29:05] [SPEAKER_04] Midnight Run. Yeah, Midnight Run. And then we have fucking Goodfellas. Goodfellas. Awakenings. But even that's kind of like a crowd pleaser. That's a crowd pleaser. It's another nom for him. Yeah. Can I amend my statement? Backdraft Cape Fear. Yeah, I meant your statement.

[00:29:17] [SPEAKER_07] A lot of... Right, a lot of that backdrafty, untouchables, like I'll be elder statesman in the ensemble and getting paid $5 million to do four themes. Exactly. Right, right. I'm gonna amend my statement, which is... I have like a couple of divorces at this point. Yeah. And crush it and be good.

[00:29:32] [SPEAKER_04] Right.

[00:29:32] [SPEAKER_07] He is still married to Diane Abbott when he makes this movie. Let's take her... That is his wife... Take her a quick... ...who plays the woman he fantasizes about dating. Whoa, really? Yes. I think they're still married at this time.

[00:29:44] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah, they get divorced in 88. You know what? He's only been divorced once and his second wife, he actually never actually divorced and I think he now has a third. Grace Hightower? Grace Hightower is the second wife. Yeah, right. But they're not actually divorced.

[00:29:56] [SPEAKER_07] He has a new... He has a lover. Yes. A mother of a child, I believe. I think... I think the difference is that at this point in time, if you won two Oscars, your box office almost doesn't matter. I think the industry still valued that so much that if you had done that, he won two Oscars in like five years and everyone was like, you're Brando. You get to be a movie star forever.

[00:30:25] [SPEAKER_02] We'd love it if you can make hits, but... People made so many more movies back then too. Like now it's like you kind of... Every movie either makes or breaks people. Yes. People look at movie stars like stocks at this point. This is a great take. And back then it was like, you can make fucking four pieces of shit for fun. Yes. Instead of doing a play basically. It was artistic, you know what I mean?

[00:30:45] [SPEAKER_07] It was a little closer to doing standup where you're like, you're not going to kill every night.

[00:30:47] [SPEAKER_02] No, you got to try some shit out. And this is a... And what I love about this performance, I see why De Niro wants to do it. It's basically like he's doing the Roy G. Biv of anger.

[00:30:56] [SPEAKER_07] This is a great take.

[00:30:57] [SPEAKER_02] Where this is the most pathetic. It doesn't ever really explode. Is this guy actually shittier than Travis Biggle? A little bit. Or fucking Jake LaMotta or whatever. Because it took it quickly that motherfucker turns to... And obviously he's 36, whatever, he's older in life. But it's more low simmering. De Niro has done so much explosion that everything is under the... And by the way, he's pathetic. This guy's pathetic. When he's groveling, it's so good. When he tries to assert himself, when he's like, did Jerry... Is that coming from Jerry?

[00:31:27] [SPEAKER_02] Like a fucking... He's being such a dickhead there. It's like, I see why I want to do this. Because it sort of let him do the final version of angry guy. But this is the most pathetic, you know, dickless version of that.

[00:31:37] [SPEAKER_07] It also feels like to the point of us saying he's doing all the De Niro moves here, this isn't a transformative performance. He's growing out the hair to a stupid haircut and he's got the mustache. But it's not like he's doing something to really change his voice, his physicality, all of that. He put on a little weight. Yeah. But you know what I'm saying. But not like totally transformed. For a guy who had done a lot of big, big swing, I'm learning a totally different language kind of shit. You watch this and you're like, he got this guy in some primal way.

[00:32:07] [SPEAKER_07] I'm not saying... Fully, bro. There's necessarily even... And I couldn't identify what specific part of him he's relating to. But it's clear that he just read the script and was like, I know this fucking guy. I gotta play him. I know exactly who he is.

[00:32:21] [SPEAKER_02] I mean, dude, might it... Is the answer as simple as everyone who is successful at that level starts as Rupert Pumpkin? This is sort of my take. Is it like... Are Rupert Pumpkins like fucking baby sea turtles? And most of them don't make it to the fucking water. But the ones who do live for 200 fucking years. You know what I mean? Where it's like...

[00:32:41] Because...

[00:32:41] [SPEAKER_02] So going back to the original question, I bet you De Niro, when he was a young actor, was like, I'm gonna be the fucking man. By the way, which... And I think about that sometimes too, where it's like, the way I think and the way someone who I think is a real dog shit open mic... Like, my psyche... I was a 19-year-old who was horrible at comedy, who was like, I'm gonna be fucking famous. I'm the best fucking comic of all time. You sit on the couch, you watch other people do comedy,

[00:33:06] [SPEAKER_07] and you go like, I could fucking do that. That's easy. And you're delusional. I do that all the time. In my head, the simulation of it, I'm killing.

[00:33:14] [SPEAKER_02] Totally. And I want to say for the record, I was wrong. I'm not... I'm like... But you are an accomplished stand-up. But what I'm saying is...

[00:33:20] [SPEAKER_04] I know at the time you were not...

[00:33:22] [SPEAKER_07] I was wrong at the time.

[00:33:23] [SPEAKER_02] I wasn't ready.

[00:33:23] [SPEAKER_07] And I need... You're disabused and then you learn you have to do the work to get good. You're not naturally just a fucking genius.

[00:33:30] [SPEAKER_02] Yes. And the world tells you that fast, right? Really fast. I was 19. Shit didn't really start rolling for me until I was 30, right? So it's like, that was 11 years of just pure... Being broke as fuck, pure dog shit, whatever. But part of me is like, I did get... Like, I'm telling you, when I first watched it, I felt like fucking Rupert, right? I was like, I know this guy. And now it's like, you know, I'm obviously not as fucking famous as like... As, you know, a guy who hosts The Tonight Show. But it's like... And by the way, if they remade this today, they would be fucking kidnapping Nick Mullen.

[00:34:00] [SPEAKER_02] Like, watching this, it was like, these guys are like... Right. I understand. This type of guy would not actually care about Jimmy Cowan. He's a podcaster. Exactly. These are guys who love podcasters more than anything. So like, watching it now from the flip side, but I bet you that was part of it for De Niro, which is like, I think every artist who makes it has to be fucking delusional. Because the odds are crazy.

[00:34:20] [SPEAKER_04] Hey, I kidnapped Fallon and NBC's like, who cares? Okay. We'll just fucking run. We'll get one of the clones from the fucking... From the meat locker.

[00:34:27] [SPEAKER_02] One of his prestige clubs. Okay, you think this is the first time fucking Fallon... We've lost a Fallon? If King of Comedy... Motherfucker. He's always wandering into the pool outside Rockerville Center. Who cares? We got one of the backups. It's fine.

[00:34:41] [SPEAKER_07] The only way to defeat Jimmy Fallon is to lay a bunch of rings out on table corners. If they remade this movie tomorrow with Jimmy Fallon, it would be a quibi. Absolutely. Because NBC just goes like, oh, it's a shame to hear and hangs up the phone. Oh, okay.

[00:34:55] [SPEAKER_04] I guess we're gonna just never do The Tonight Show again. And actually, wow, we saved a lot of money. Guys, great news.

[00:35:02] [SPEAKER_07] He's all burned. It's about time. This is a blank check with Griffin. Yeah, thank you. I'm Griffin. I'm David. I'm David. It's a podcast about filmographies. Directors who have massive success early on in their careers. It's gonna be a short app.

[00:35:13] [SPEAKER_04] It's gonna be a short app. Last week, we did two four-hour reps. It was tough. Not this week, baby. It was a tough week. It was a tough week.

[00:35:19] [SPEAKER_07] It was a tough week. No, no, definitely not. This is a podcast about directors who are given, who experience a series of massive successes early on in their career, given a series of blank checks to make whatever crazy passion products they want. Sometimes those checks clear and sometimes they bounce. Baby. It's a miniseries on the films of Martin Scorsese. It is called Podcast Fellas, of course.

[00:35:38] [SPEAKER_02] Hell yeah.

[00:35:39] [SPEAKER_07] Today, we're talking about-

[00:35:40] [SPEAKER_02] I love being a podcast fella. That's what you are. King of comedy.

[00:35:43] [SPEAKER_07] King of comedy. His second bounce. Correct? Yeah.

[00:35:47] [SPEAKER_04] New York. New York, New York. Is the first big bounce. Yeah. These are the two big bounces. Yeah. And then, I mean, he doesn't really have another big bounce. Kinda. Bringing out the dead, I guess, would be the third. I like that one too. I love- It's a great movie. That's a fucking good masterpiece. I feel like that's the true third time that everyone's like, is he cooked? Is this kinda it for him? Yeah. Because Last Temptation obviously gets like swarmed with controversy, but- That's not really a bounce in the same way. No, I don't think so. It's a good movie. People respected it. Awesome.

[00:36:16] [SPEAKER_04] It's an audacious fucking swing. Yeah. Right, right.

[00:36:20] [SPEAKER_07] Our guest today, returning to the show, the combination of Rupert and Jerry. Kind of, yeah. Kind of. In our modern media landscape, they're sort of both. But that's what's happened. That's what's happened. Stavros Halkins.

[00:36:33] [SPEAKER_02] Hello. Thank you for having me. They kinda have Jerry Lewis glasses. I do. You do? Jerry Lewis was fucking incredible in this movie, too. He's so good. It's so cool to see him actually- Giving a shit for giving a dramatic performer. I mean, you know that's just his life, too, dude.

[00:36:43] [SPEAKER_07] Him actually, like- Do you know this famous story that he, when he signed on to do the movie, he said, the character's gotta be named Jerry. And Marty said, why? And he said, because if we film in real New York City, people are gonna shout out shit at me. And if my character's name is Jerry, we can use all of it. That is, that actually does rock. And Scorsese was like, what are you talking about? And then it was true. And then the first day they were filming, it was like, fuck you, Jerry Lewis! Get cancer!

[00:37:07] [SPEAKER_02] Well, the get cancer moment is- Awesome. A real moment, right? Based on something that actually happened. Yes.

[00:37:13] [SPEAKER_07] Correct.

[00:37:13] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. Yeah. No, that was- Yeah. Fame doesn't exist like that anymore. No, not at all.

[00:37:20] [SPEAKER_07] This is when there were 15 people. And if you ever were that famous-

[00:37:22] [SPEAKER_02] He was one of the five or six.

[00:37:24] [SPEAKER_07] You were gonna be that famous for the rest of your life.

[00:37:26] [SPEAKER_05] It was even kind of that era of when you could do one standup set and make your entire career for life. Right, just do that forever. Right, yes. Crazy.

[00:37:35] [SPEAKER_07] Totally crazy. Right. People would go on The Tonight Show, the one thing that could launch comedians- Yeah. And you go on the road. And the next morning, you're like, your milkman knows who you are, the male- Yeah, like everybody-

[00:37:45] [SPEAKER_05] You could book a tour, but then you could also get a sitcom. Immediately. Yeah. All these doors would just open up immediately. There was one gatekeeper.

[00:38:02] [SPEAKER_06] David?

[00:38:02] [SPEAKER_07] Yes. Can I do an impression for you? Please.

[00:38:05] [SPEAKER_06] Yeah, I'm the most annoying person in the world. Oh no. Do you know who that is?

[00:38:09] [SPEAKER_07] Who is it? Someone who likes bank fees.

[00:38:12] [SPEAKER_06] Just kidding. That person doesn't exist.

[00:38:15] [SPEAKER_04] Nobody really likes bank fees. Nobody likes bank fees. That's true.

[00:38:19] [SPEAKER_06] Why would you like them?

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[00:39:33] [SPEAKER_04] I have kind of no relationship to him, I will be honest.

[00:39:37] [SPEAKER_07] To Johnny Carson?

[00:39:38] [SPEAKER_04] No, no, Jerry Lewis. I mean, honestly, to Johnny Carson too, I guess. Johnny Carson was retired by the time I was a little kid.

[00:39:44] [SPEAKER_07] No relationship to Jerry Lewis? No. Not even the year that you were bartending in France?

[00:39:49] Yeah, right.

[00:39:51] [SPEAKER_04] Weirdly, I moved to France and got so into Jerry Lewis. Oh, one-year dalliance? And all the people just came up to the bar and were just like, do you know him? Do you know the original Latin Professor?

[00:40:01] [SPEAKER_02] I love that.

[00:40:02] [SPEAKER_04] I don't think I've ever seen a Jerry Lewis movie in full. You know, like any of his classic movies that play in France 24 hours a day. I don't think I've ever seen a special. I've never seen a stand-up set. A telethon. I've seen clips of him over the years. Like, I know who he is. Yeah, I mean, for me- Never seen like a Martin and Lewis movie, right? Like, or-

[00:40:20] [SPEAKER_02] I've never, to be honest, truly the only movie I ever watched fully was the original Latin Professor because I love, because I love the Eddie Murphy one so much. So you're like, let me check this out. So as a kid, I was like, that was kind of the budding comedy nerd shit I would do is like, where did this fucking come from? But you're also like, why isn't he fat? Where are the clumps? Yeah, I'm like, what the hell is this? What the- why is the- Hercules. Why aren't six of his family members farting around the dinner table? Right.

[00:40:42] [SPEAKER_07] His mom, dad, brother, and grandmother should all also be played by Eddie Murphy.

[00:40:47] [SPEAKER_02] Do you understand- The clumps is something- go ahead, Steph. What being a fat Greek child when the fat boy was called Hercules in the biggest comedy movie of the year. Shut up. How'd that go for you? You don't understand how much I heard Hercules, Hercules, for like five years. And by the way, it wasn't a- was like happy to lean out. I was that kind of fat kid where I was like kind of doing like- I was kind of doing like- I'll take it on the chin. I was overdoing it. I was doing-

[00:41:14] [SPEAKER_05] You were leaning into the stick.

[00:41:15] [SPEAKER_02] I was like, in ways that are like, you know, I was embarrassed. Demeaning. Yeah, demeaning. I was being a fat clown for the enjoyment of my third grade class. But everyone was- you were everyone's friends. But I figured it out. I figured out the formula where I could respect myself and still do this, but- Again, like, and you are wildly successful. We're doing okay. Yeah, yeah. But yes, and then I would- so I saw that shit. And then yeah, a couple- the telethon where he's old. Yes. And then I was like, this isn't the same guy. I knew about those. Well, that's how old you look up. You look so different.

[00:41:43] [SPEAKER_04] Well, like that was so- when I was right, when I was a kid, I'm like, who's Jerry Lewis? And it's like, well, he's this kind of serious, fucked up looking guy who does these telethons. And is famously an asshole to everyone.

[00:41:52] [SPEAKER_03] Right. And everyone, everyone, every single person in the world is like the worst motherfucker you'll

[00:41:56] [SPEAKER_04] ever meet in your life. Yeah. Okay. And you're like, but he was a really good comedian. I'm like, was it good? And then there's like a clip of him with glasses, like sideways going like, ooh. And I'm like, is this good? And they're like, no, but it's respected for some reason.

[00:42:11] [SPEAKER_02] But also the French love it and we make fun of them for that. That makes so much sense that the French love him. Yeah. But I mean, speaking of this, talking about the Simpsons again, probably our actual- The reason, the way we actually know Jerry Lewis is them stealing his essence for Professor whatever. Professor Frank. Yeah. Who is- That was the bit.

[00:42:28] [SPEAKER_07] Professor Frank is one of my 10 favorite comedians.

[00:42:30] [SPEAKER_04] Professor Frank is funny as hell.

[00:42:32] [SPEAKER_07] Maybe Jerry Lewis should have ripped him off. Yeah.

[00:42:36] [SPEAKER_03] Full circle.

[00:42:37] [SPEAKER_07] My Jerry Lewis thing has always been, I still struggle with him as a performer outside of this movie. But like, Jerry Lewis comedian has never been my cup of tea. I have tried to engage with the movies more. They are unbelievably well directed. Right. He was- And that's what the French people like. He directed his own movie. Yes.

[00:42:57] [SPEAKER_04] Really? So he was making those movies and he was, you know, he's kind of like-

[00:43:00] [SPEAKER_07] A lot of the Martin Lewis ones are Frank Tashlin and these other great early comedy directors. But like the Bellboy or whatever.

[00:43:06] [SPEAKER_04] Like the ones that people say are really good. That's all him.

[00:43:09] [SPEAKER_02] Huh. Yeah. So his destiny probably should have been director. A little bit. Like kind of a Mel Brooks thing. Like he was- Yeah. If Mel Brooks, because Mel Brooks kind of did the opposite where it's like writer, director and then he was like, you know what? Can I be the star? Now I'm the star. Right.

[00:43:23] [SPEAKER_04] Which was hilarious. It's like, come on Mel. The thing about Mel Brooks is everyone's like, he rocked. Great person to collaborate with. Yeah. Really smart. Whereas Jerry Lewis, everyone was like, what a nightmare. Like, so I think- I see. Yeah. Like why was he directing? Because he had to, because no one wanted to fucking deal with him. That was the big part of it.

[00:43:40] [SPEAKER_02] But he happened to be good at it. I'm simplifying.

[00:43:41] [SPEAKER_07] The big thing, and a lot of these guys like Scorsese revered him as a filmmaker, was a key part of him getting worked back into some of these things later in life. He invented video playback.

[00:43:53] Whoa.

[00:43:54] [SPEAKER_07] That's his crazy thing. So he needed to see how the bit looked. Exactly. That his, his filmmaking style was hyper visual art directed like a little proto Wes Anderson. And he's doing intense physical comedy. He was like, I need to make sure that the physical comedy is registering on camera and I need to make sure the frame is maintained. So he was the guy who invented, can we find the smallest camera we can, which I'm sure at that time was still 800 pounds. Right, right. Put it as close to the film camera lens as possible and have a live tapped feedback so

[00:44:24] [SPEAKER_07] I can watch it in real time and refine for a take. That's awesome. He invents that.

[00:44:28] [SPEAKER_02] That's sick.

[00:44:29] [SPEAKER_07] You know, he didn't engineer it himself, but he was like, we need something. Yeah. And so he gets a lot of credit for shit like that. And if you watch his movies, you do see a lot of his influence in a bunch of different ways.

[00:44:40] [SPEAKER_02] What's fascinating about the Wes Anderson-y shit you were just talking about is like, this movie looks, the sets are so well designed. It looks so incredible. It's clearly, it has such a specific sense of style, which to me is very futuristic. Like I think it's interesting when you watch a movie where they almost are like, what's our alternate version of the tonight show, whatever. This is the first time it's ever been creative. Yeah. And you could argue that they were-

[00:45:05] [SPEAKER_07] Rather than just doing a bad approximation, they're making choices.

[00:45:09] [SPEAKER_02] It's a choice. Yeah. He has his own vibe. Honestly, futuristic. Like it looks very futuristic in comparison to fucking Rupert who feels very old fashioned, which is an interesting thing about, again, going that it's hard not to watch all these movies and think about taxi driver, think about New York, New York, think about, especially when it's all De Niro. But it's like, Travis Bickle feels like, uh-oh, is this who's coming for us? Are these guys, this is the future?

[00:45:33] [SPEAKER_02] And this is like, this is kind of a loser in arrested development who's actually, his problem is that he's more, it's like he's drowning in nostalgia. He's not the new thing that's like, one, again, one is like a dangerous explosive whatever and the other one is like so pathetic he'll implode. And both are a type of young man that, you know, it's like, oh, we gotta fucking fix these guys' lives or they're fucked. He's doing like 50 street jokes with like a 70s look in the 80s.

[00:46:00] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah. It's a really fascinating choice. You know, he's like Sonny Bono doing like Henny Youngman.

[00:46:05] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which now is why now you watch him and you're like, he rocks. It's kind of funny. Yeah. And his style is cool and all that. Like, but that's only from now. This guy would have crushed it over the eight, you know? Yeah, he definitely would have.

[00:46:18] [SPEAKER_02] He would have been a regular on the special. Bro, if a guy that dressed like that came to over the eight, the over the eight mics, he would be a legend. How many guys do we know? Like, like, you know, there's so many open mic fucking legends that are this exact guy. But anyway, my point was just like the visual sense of style to me was like pretty strong. I mean, not to take anything away from Scorsese because he's a fucking genius. Like New York, New York. That's what I loved about it, too. It looked incredible. The thing to go sets was fascinating. And then even when they're on location, like that Harlem Jazz Club, that fucking mural,

[00:46:48] [SPEAKER_02] everything looks so one. And then, you know, at the end, all the musical numbers. But this was just a different. It's neon. It really feels like what they thought the future was going to be like. So I wonder if that's like an homage to, you know, Jerry, Jerry Lewis's film style. I don't know.

[00:47:04] [SPEAKER_04] The DP on this movie, Fred Shuler, it's the only time he worked with Marty. Hopefully, JJ will address this in the research. If not, I know what I'm doing.

[00:47:12] [SPEAKER_02] JJ, is he? Oh, yeah. Hold on. A researcher who's constantly in danger of getting fired. No, I know. I saw in the bathroom, his blanket was a little over his crate. I could see his eyes. So I want, I just, I put it down, obviously. Thank you. Thank you. As long as you didn't give him any. No, no, no, no. I kicked at him for, I kicked him for looking at me in the eyes. But I did see him when I, yeah, yeah, yeah. I didn't get there because my foot got caught in the cage. But I do think that, you know, the tip of my toe made contact with the bridge of his nose. So I think he understood what I was doing.

[00:47:42] [SPEAKER_07] I gotta say, your foot getting caught in the cage, that's our fault. And I'll apologize for that because we forgot to feed him earlier this morning.

[00:47:48] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah, wait a nice. Has anyone added water?

[00:47:50] [SPEAKER_07] We'll do it tomorrow. We'll do it tomorrow.

[00:47:52] [SPEAKER_04] Like, I mean, I'll Google it later, but like you can live without that for like a while. You're fine. Yeah, sure.

[00:47:56] [SPEAKER_07] Ben, can you just make a note tomorrow? Spray JJ with water and also we have some ads to do.

[00:48:03] [SPEAKER_04] And we'll just knock those out back to back. Got it. Shuler, I will say, did shoot Gloria. Cassavetes Gloria. Oh, sure. He has a couple, like, he shot Arthur. Oh, hell yeah. But he's a pretty new DP. So I don't know what the story will be on.

[00:48:18] [SPEAKER_07] You're right that it's a unique style. I, what I kept thinking watching it was, I was astounded by how much of the movie feels like a fantasy. That there is more of this film than Taxi Driver, which we've just watched really recently. These movies are fairly close together, but we're recording those episodes closer than even they were in years.

[00:48:39] [SPEAKER_02] But it's only, there's only two movies between them, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Raging Bull and New Yorker.

[00:48:44] [SPEAKER_07] This movie feels a little bit like him being frustrated with people misreading Taxi Driver and being like, I'm going to keep this thing in a real kind of suspended dream state. I'm going to make this guy fully pathetic. There's no accidentally cool part of him. Right, right, right. Even if you think he's funny, there's nothing kind of badass or heroic about this guy. Yes, yes. And there are more sequences that are demonstrably fantasy. No question. No gray area.

[00:49:12] [SPEAKER_07] And they cut back and forth between fantasy and reality in a very cool way. And the stuff that's real has that same sort of weird suspended tone. It does have that heightened air where you're like, this guy's whole life is unreal because he's not engaging with shit as a real person.

[00:49:26] [SPEAKER_04] But Griff, if this movie came out now, Twitter would be like, I didn't understand the scene where Jerry Lewis was nice to him.

[00:49:30] [SPEAKER_03] They would need a scene where you'd like see a thought bubble come out of his head. And then the scene plays out in the thought.

[00:49:37] [SPEAKER_04] Oh my fucking God. Like this is just what Twitter is, or whatever. Here are two big things. I'm beating up on a straw man.

[00:49:41] [SPEAKER_07] No, two things that jumped out to me in this movie that I thought were so good that wouldn't be the case today. One is that his trauma dump is literally the end of the movie, that we don't do the tragic backstory.

[00:49:52] [SPEAKER_04] Right, and it's part of his routine.

[00:49:53] [SPEAKER_07] That when the guy gets his fucking fulfillment of doing the act, the act is I need to turn my pain into comedy. And then he, in a perfect bit of characterization, does not know how to make it funny, but thinks joking about it will be what works for him. The second thing that's so good is he's not nearly as bad as most people would make him if they were making this movie today. There's a version of this where he's Joker style and you're just like, this is the least funny guy.

[00:50:22] [SPEAKER_07] He's bombing so hard on stage. No, he's all right. He's just so kind of, he doesn't have a voice. It's like Lights Camera Jackson. He doesn't have a point of view. He's mimicking the guys he's heard. Yeah, he's just mimicking, right. But you're like, he's got a, he's a pretty good mimic.

[00:50:35] [SPEAKER_06] And he's got the rhythms down.

[00:50:37] [SPEAKER_07] And he's got rhythm, exactly. He's got a metronome, yeah. But there's just nothing interesting about him. And even the feedback they give him is genuine, which is like, you're not not, you're not a bad performer. Maybe work on the material. Maybe find jokes that are a little more unique. And instead he's like, that sounds like too much work. I'm going to tape the shit out of Jerry Lewis.

[00:50:57] [SPEAKER_02] Yes, that point. And maybe we'll get into it more later. But the fact that, you know, he's not that bad, which by the way, it's a really good amount. Like that is what a fucking kind of good comic is like. Like the local reference, you're, you're a fucking, you're, he starts talking about his town in New Jersey for his first three jokes about Clifton. And you're, you're fucking, he's like, I'm going coast to coast. And it's, that's textbook. I remember that. It's like, you try your jokes about your home.

[00:51:25] [SPEAKER_02] You do your first road gig and you're talking about a hyper specific neighborhood and it kills in Baltimore and people in fucking, you know, Jersey. Like what the fuck are you talking about?

[00:51:34] [SPEAKER_07] To do like hometown jokes as if it's, I know what you're all thinking. Right. As if you're calling out the thing that people think when they see you walk on stage.

[00:51:42] [SPEAKER_05] And what's crazy too, is I grew up near Clifton in North Jersey. It's not that bad. That's what's even weird. That's as bad as he is a comedian. Yes. Yes.

[00:51:54] [SPEAKER_02] But that's what's classic about it. It doesn't matter. He's just plug and play, you know, for it in reality, he's probably a little too good, but that doesn't matter because I think they were like, I walk, I have for this movie. This movie is not trying to nail the verisimilitude of stand up. What it's about one specific guy. And what's interesting, I think it's both a critique on the entertainment industry. That's like, oh, look, you could do schlock bullshit. And as long as you're lucky, shit can be fine, which I think was really good.

[00:52:23] [SPEAKER_02] But also it shows you what this character actually gives a fuck about. And the second time around now, after having fucking worked, I mean, literally, I've watched this movie. I think it's like 17 years ago. Fuck, that's that's sucks.

[00:52:35] [SPEAKER_07] That sounds right. And like Ben and I just saw you sell out Madison Square Garden. No, it was Radio City. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Owned by the same people.

[00:52:43] [SPEAKER_02] I flipped the initials in my head. I would have. Hey, we're not there yet. But yes, I did sell out Radio City. Thank you for coming. Radio City is better than MSG. It's a better show. For comedy? Yeah. But it's, you know, you fucking sell an arena. That's fucking insane. It's amazing. It's just like, I've seen comedy in MSG. It makes no sense. It's not good. Yes.

[00:52:58] [SPEAKER_07] It's actually not good. And it's bad for the fans. Radio City also looks so nice. It's so fancy. I said to you, I was like the the contrast between what you're saying on stage. Absolutely. It's my whole life. And the sanctity of the venue is my whole life. You know what? Great suit. Thank you. I wore tux. You were looking great.

[00:53:15] [SPEAKER_02] I wore tux for the occasion. My dad took 87,000 photos. Shout out to the man. Pistol Pete. Pistol Pete's a man. But it's that. Over and over again, he actually gets treated with kindness. He doesn't deserve and pushed in the right creative direction. And if he was like, they're like, hey, you're actually not bad. Usually we fucking throw these tapes in the garbage, obviously. But it and look, maybe that's a choice.

[00:53:44] [SPEAKER_02] Obviously, Jerry's blowing them off. But they're at least being like, even if they're blowing them off, they are telling him the right thing.

[00:53:49] [SPEAKER_07] Could be good. You go people like that all the time who are like open mic freaks. And then three years later, you're like, you figured your thing out. And they're saying this guy could be. You know how many people say that about me? Yeah.

[00:54:00] [SPEAKER_02] That fat idiot from 20 years ago at the at high tops in Timonium sold out fucking Radio City. Yeah. But but and it shows you he doesn't give a fuck about the work at all. No. All he cares about is what is it going to take to, you know, and that ending monologue. So and the very end of the fucking movie shows that right. We're finally everyone's there to fucking talk to him. And it's just like he's fucking nervous. He's got nothing anyway. But that was I just want to talk about the making him kind of good.

[00:54:29] [SPEAKER_07] Big, big thing. I clocked this time. This guy doesn't do open mics. This guy doesn't do bringer shows. All this guy does is practice his material in his living room to a pre-recorded laugh track. Yes. Yeah. Which is insane. But he refuses to do the thing with the actual risk to refine his act.

[00:54:45] [SPEAKER_04] It is funny to do this podcast with comedians who are like, if he just put in the work where it's like most people watch this movie. This movie is about a psychopath. He could get a JFL. This guy could get JFL. They're like, I don't know. I know guys like this. I kind of was this guy. Yeah.

[00:54:57] [SPEAKER_05] What were you going to say, Ben? He's kind of doing a podcast. He's kind of doing a podcast.

[00:55:01] [SPEAKER_02] Well, and you know, like, he would be a good podcaster. He would actually. Yeah.

[00:55:04] [SPEAKER_04] You should get his wall in your podcast. Absolutely. It's great. Yeah. Right. I mean, one reason we're having Stavon obviously. Yeah. Is you did for a while have a late night set in your house. I did. Yes. I mean like.

[00:55:18] [SPEAKER_02] You know what's funny? There was a guy when the fucking crowd work craze is going insane. Yeah. Who literally bought velvet curtains and pretended he was doing crowd work. And he was, it was working. Like for TikTok or whatever. And then I was, and that's the moment where I was like, I have to stop doing this. I was like, this sucks so much dick. But yeah, there was a guy who literally was Rupert Pumpkin. Yeah. That's fucking. I wonder.

[00:55:38] [SPEAKER_07] In his defense, like Jay hasn't been on network in years. So like, what else is he going to do but buy curtains? Yeah. Trying to make that Jay Leno joke.

[00:55:46] [SPEAKER_08] Oh, Jay.

[00:55:46] [SPEAKER_04] Sure. Yeah. No, no. We know the only joke you can make about Jay Leno is that like, he's the mafia is going to kill him. Well, that or.

[00:55:53] [SPEAKER_08] Sure.

[00:55:53] [SPEAKER_02] I felt that amazing. Or like rolling in downhills. His model T like caught on fire. You know, like whatever, like the kerosene, his fucking car runs on, his antique car runs

[00:56:03] [SPEAKER_04] on exploded or whatever. Uh, opening, I'm opening the dossier. But one thing about the clumps, they were funny. Then society, I feel like fully rejected the clumps and was like, this is distasteful. Now we're back just to like the clumps are funny. Clumps three. Because now they've gone 360. The children of the clumps are now, we run the world. This is true. Right. And we're like, oh, FYI society. Clumps are good. Clumps are good. We're pro clumps. Yeah.

[00:56:25] [SPEAKER_07] We were talking about, you're, you're filming an Apatow movie right now. And the Apatow wave, we talked about this on a recent episode was largely a corrective to like nineties comedies that were big premise. Right. Heavy on fart humor. Like makeup characters and shit like that. Set pieces. And everyone was like, this is so broad. Can we make comedy smaller and joke based and whatever? And now everyone's like, can a guy just put on a silly wig? Absolutely.

[00:56:49] [SPEAKER_04] And do a voice. Dude. And play a guy with a thing. I just, I remember like seeing the trailer for the clumps running professor to with my mom in front of some other movie. And she just leaned over and she's like, I would rather die than see that movie. And I was like, I know.

[00:57:03] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah. And I'd already seen it. I was like, it's pretty good. Meanwhile, my father turned to me and was like, I will die if I can't go see that movie tomorrow. You're telling me he farts in space and it propels him.

[00:57:13] [SPEAKER_02] No, I'm ready. I'm ready for that. I need to, the things I want to check off of my career. Got to do an action movie. Yeah. I got killed in an awesome way already, which feels cool as fuck. Wait, what did you get killed? Begonia. Oh yeah.

[00:57:25] [SPEAKER_08] Yeah.

[00:57:26] [SPEAKER_04] You got a good ass death. I mean, everyone also spoiled this for Begonia. Like no one really makes it out of that one, but you had a good death.

[00:57:31] [SPEAKER_02] They made like a big rubber head, right?

[00:57:33] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. It was awesome.

[00:57:34] [SPEAKER_02] I got scanned and shit. Yeah. I want to do what you're talking about. I don't know what it is. The big broad, like nineties version of the thing. You need a Greek clumps. I need a clumps.

[00:57:43] [SPEAKER_04] Can't you just like my big fat Greek wedding plus the clumps. I like that. Can't you walk in somewhere and say that? We can figure something out.

[00:57:48] [SPEAKER_02] And just get $40 million. I'm ready.

[00:57:52] [SPEAKER_07] Can you be the first comedian to do a skinny suit comedy? Ooh, that's good. Where you wear a girdle and it's called my skinny little Greek wedding.

[00:57:59] [SPEAKER_02] And you're doing your parody of real thin people. I'm shallow. Some kind of shallow howl. Yeah. The girl looks at me as hot, but then I'm fat or something. You're still getting married. I still. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:58:12] [SPEAKER_04] Absolutely. But like, it is funny that she's like, I'm making my Greek movie now. She got Michael Constantine. Like he's Greek. Lainey Kazan. No, she's Jewish. Yeah. No, Kazan.

[00:58:24] [SPEAKER_02] That's what I'm trying. I'm like how. Kazan's, I know this because it's a great mark of shame that Lainey Kazan's a snitch. Sure. Even though he's one of the best. Lainey Kazan is Jewish, but is she Greek and Jewish?

[00:58:33] [SPEAKER_04] She's got some. Oh, that's a tough combo. She's got some Turkish and Russian roots. Ooh. She's kind of Anatolian. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's from the region. Fatone is Greek. Andrea Martin is Armenian, I think. Yeah.

[00:58:47] [SPEAKER_02] Fatone's Italian. This is a big part. Fatone's Italian. That was obviously a big part. Fatone's Italian. Fatone's Italian. The fuck am I talking about? That was actually a big point of contention for me because I was coming out of my boy band era. Now Gia Caridus is Greek. Yes. But she's not like that funny or anything. Great. She's funny enough.

[00:59:03] [SPEAKER_06] Robin Spitz, maiden name Swallows.

[00:59:05] Yeah.

[00:59:05] [SPEAKER_06] Spire Shagman.

[00:59:06] [SPEAKER_02] And Caridus means nuts. So her name is Gia Nuts. There you go. Yeah, it means, yeah, they're nuts. Yeah.

[00:59:12] [SPEAKER_04] And I'm just saying like, I feel like she didn't even tap all the Greeks. Like there's Greeks out there. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:59:17] [SPEAKER_02] Although for future ones, she went, she kind of went the complete other way and she hired like actual Greek actors. Oh, well, that's cool. There was like a Greek heartthrob that I knew from Greek TV that she made her love interest in the Greek movie.

[00:59:29] [SPEAKER_04] And I was like, respect. Did she fucking kill off Corbett or something? I never saw this.

[00:59:33] [SPEAKER_02] Maybe this is my life in Rue. No, that's right. She did that.

[00:59:35] [SPEAKER_07] But then she also made, I hate Valentine's Day, which was Corbett again, but not part of the Greek. No, that was just a separate character.

[00:59:42] [SPEAKER_02] Let's get the band back together.

[00:59:43] [SPEAKER_07] Can we just do not so that we don't disrespect our other friend of the podcast again? Fucking like three amigos, you, Galifianakis, Manzoukas.

[00:59:54] [SPEAKER_02] That was really funny when we couldn't go with Manzoukas. And you just call it like Opa or whatever. I would die to do that. That would be wrong. The three of you together immediately.

[01:00:03] [SPEAKER_04] I would love Galifianakis is like, leave me out of this. No chance. No chance.

[01:00:07] [SPEAKER_02] Imagine that poster. That's a great fucking poster.

[01:00:09] [SPEAKER_07] Who even cares what the premise is?

[01:00:11] [SPEAKER_02] Bro, we're taking, we're coming back. Alexander the Great, we're taking back all the land. So many eyes. And Constantinople is coming back. If me, Galifianakis and fucking, and our boy Manzoukas get on a three-hander, bro, the Ottoman, we're taking back the land the Ottoman Empire stole from us. The three of you in Toga's feeding each other grapes on the poster.

[01:00:32] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah, this is great. We're laughing.

[01:00:34] [SPEAKER_02] We are laughing. And I'd also, the one other thing I would like to do is like, be the, in a serious like spy thriller, be someone getting, falling for a honeypot operation. Oh yeah, that's always funny. That's so like, if you're making a sexy thriller where it's like, yeah, we talk business later right now, pleasure. You know what I mean? And then I get fucking, fucking, somebody chokes me, some hot girl.

[01:00:59] [SPEAKER_04] Right, like Tom Cruise is on the other side being like, all right, now I'll kill him now.

[01:01:02] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, get him.

[01:01:03] [SPEAKER_03] Move his head near the window. He has the best answer for this. Line up the shot. Line up the shot.

[01:01:09] [SPEAKER_07] But our shared buddy Gabrus, and I feel like he's even said it on this podcast, is like, my number one dream role, the thing I'd most want to do in a movie is play the guy who was sent to go undercover and has gotten a little too deep. Yeah. Oh yeah. They sent him to the tropical island and now he's too comfortable. He's gained 400 pounds. He's drinking all the time.

[01:01:30] [SPEAKER_02] Yes. I do. I don't want to, I have a, I have an idea called, uh, I might have to change the character's name, but fuck you, pussy Getty. I mean, this is money in the bank. The ponytail of justice. You cannot change this name. And it's spelled like spaghetti. So is this your Zoran? You know, Zohan? This is exactly, it's basic. And, and he was the world's greatest. He was the CIA's greatest assassin. Right. Right. And after he took down a left, he, he helped a fascist dictator take over.

[01:01:58] [SPEAKER_02] Basically they were going to nationalize oil. Right. And in the eighties, Reagan sends me in. Propped him up. I kill the fucking leftist leader. Right. But then, and I install a beautiful fascist dictator, but I fuck her so good she dies. And then the, and then the communists take over. I'm so ashamed of that. I go into the brush. They can't find me.

[01:02:17] [SPEAKER_04] And then kind of like a funny Costa Gavris. Yeah.

[01:02:20] [SPEAKER_02] It's basically like commando. It's my commando. Me Z. So then they come back. Yeah. Exactly. It's like, and so, and I don't know what the final mission is, what they need me to do. Maybe now it's to say, maybe they have to get me to like fix the 2020, uh, election. Yeah. Like I have to kill Biden or something.

[01:02:39] [SPEAKER_07] I'm trying to get Biden out of there. We're in there. Can you get the door quickly? Cause I think every studio executive is knocking at it.

[01:02:47] [SPEAKER_02] And I'm look, I'll, I'll, I'll budge on the name if I really have to.

[01:02:51] [SPEAKER_07] It doesn't have to be the title, but it can be the character name. We just might not be able to put it on a book.

[01:02:55] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. F U C C I O P U S S I G H E T T I. F U C O P U S G H E T. That's pretty good. And there's an anachronistic flashback where it's like Godfather II. Yeah. Even though it takes place in the eighties, like I'm a baby, you know, in like 1909 and the Italian slump. Anyway, there's a, I don't want to give, I think I've already said too much, but no one steal any of that. Don't steal. F U C O P U S G H E T. Don't steal it. Okay. That's mine.

[01:03:20] [SPEAKER_05] Please make a poster. Please.

[01:03:22] [SPEAKER_02] For us.

[01:03:23] [SPEAKER_05] Everyone make posters.

[01:03:24] [SPEAKER_02] We have like a proof of concept. If you know how to paint. Yeah. Yeah. Please do it in oil paint. Yeah.

[01:03:38] [SPEAKER_07] David. Yes. Did you know there's a new place where you, you specifically can let your nerdy freak

[01:03:45] [SPEAKER_04] flag fly? I did know that because it's a real digital town, video game town, and it's populated by some of the best freelance writers on the internet where you can read compelling editorials, reviews on the latest pop culture releases, get exclusive interviews with tastemakers.

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[01:06:33] [SPEAKER_04] All right. So here's the dossier, guys. I'm doing it. Paul D. Zimmerman. This movie is written by a film critic. He was the film critic for Newsweek in the late 60s and early 70s. But the whole time he wrote books. He wrote a book about the Mets, as JJ wants me to point out, in 1969.

[01:06:50] [SPEAKER_02] And this guy's stealing your whole fucking shit, dude.

[01:06:52] [SPEAKER_04] Called The Year of the Mets, The Lost, last place about the Mets, the amazing Mets who won the World Series in 69, obviously. He also was a writer on Sesame Street for a while in like the early years back when it was like Marxist propaganda or whatever. Right. He watched those early Sesame Street. They're so cool. Yeah. They were all. Yeah. Um, he says he was watching like, okay, a David Susskind show about autograph hunters. Okay. And like, you know, he was struck by like this, like TV segment he saw about auto autograph hunters.

[01:07:20] [SPEAKER_04] And one of them apparently said like, well, Barbara's hard to work with essentially meaning this autograph hunters like Barbara Streisand doesn't want me to bother her. And he translates into she's a little hard to work.

[01:07:32] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah. We're in the same industry and we're contemporary. Yeah. Yeah.

[01:07:35] [SPEAKER_04] Like the way he's using language to completely transform the experience he's having is very interesting to me. He also reads an article in Esquire about a guy who kept a diary of every single Carson show. He would write down things like Johnny disappointed me tonight. You know what I mean? Like it wasn't just like, here's who the guests were. It was like his review of every fucking night on Carson. So, uh, he writes this sort of idea as a novel at first and then turns it into a treatment

[01:08:04] [SPEAKER_04] that ends up in De Niro's hands. And what does De Niro say? He looks at the script and he goes, pretty good.

[01:08:11] [SPEAKER_07] Uh, pretty good. Not bad. Not bad. Pretty good.

[01:08:16] [SPEAKER_04] You, you pointing at the script and saying you, uh, Scorsese also says he got the screenplay it's not, it's a little, everyone's sort of forgotten the answers here. It doesn't really matter. But Scorsese basically thought the script was funny, but also that it was kind of like a one line gag and was kind of like, not that interested, but De Niro was obsessed with it and was like, I found pumpkin to be kind of like weirdly brave and have chutzpah. He does have initiative.

[01:08:45] [SPEAKER_04] I like the kind of single mindedness. Like he just like clearly relates to the character because he's kind of an obsessive person. Robert De Niro. Yeah. And you guys can probably tell by the way he like prepares for his role.

[01:08:58] [SPEAKER_07] His obsession has been applied to very heavy stuff where even while this is a heavy movie in ways, he's not playing a guy burdened with heaviness. Yeah. And like, just, I, it must be fucking exhausted to be De Niro and be like, the world is your oyster. You're a series of Herculean tasks. Right. Each of these movies is going to take fucking everything out of you.

[01:09:19] [SPEAKER_04] Buck Henry worked on the screenplay at one point, direct with Milos Forman, considered to direct it. Nobody really could decide on a good screenplay. JJ wants to disabuse people. There's no, it's on the Wikipedia page that Bob Fosse considered directing this movie. There's no source for that, that he could find. That seems like either a made up story or kind of like whatever. It feels like the kind of thing he would do. It kind of makes sense because star 80 is a little like this. Right. But why would he do both? Right. I don't know. Yeah. Right.

[01:09:47] [SPEAKER_04] With Andy Kaufman would have been the, is the star, is the made up idea there.

[01:09:52] [SPEAKER_07] That's an, that's a fun fantasy movie to consider.

[01:09:54] [SPEAKER_04] That's interesting. Milos eventually drops out. They have a new script at this point or whatever. They send it to Marty. Marty apparently is writing a script about a comedian with Jay Cox called Nightlife. That never amounted to anything, but De Niro just won't let it go. Scorsese is obsessedly, obsessively trying to get Last Temptation of Christ to happen, which is something obviously he keeps trying to do after New York, New York and Raging Bull and all this. And, you know, De Niro just kind of sells him on it.

[01:10:22] [SPEAKER_02] I think he just kind of like wore him down. I saw the, the special features. I got the DVD and, and Scorsese was talking about how he didn't get, cause he read it before Raging Bull and De Niro's famous and Scorsese is not really. And then he says once Raging Bull happens, but, and he's basically, Scorsese is so awesome. He's so like humble and guilty about doing anything good that like he really undersells it. But basically what he's saying is after I got fucking famous as shit,

[01:10:51] [SPEAKER_02] I understood this movie in a much different way. Um, which is cool. It's an interesting way. You know, it's interesting to think of him as like, there's nothing here. And then he makes it and he's like, Oh fuck. I get it.

[01:11:01] [SPEAKER_04] The Scorsese quote that relates to this is like in the period of the last three or four years, I've cut off a lot of people around me because usually they need something. They want something nice to be the center of attention, but it, you know, like, and what it's what Jerry Lewis calls zoo time essentially. Like, yeah, where it's just like, you're just around. Yes. Right.

[01:11:19] [SPEAKER_07] Um, the, the Mr. Scorsese doc, he talks a lot about this one and how kind of loathe he was to make it and how he was like hours late to set every day, couldn't make it through that. Everyone was like, is he, I mean, this is kind of the start of his, like, is he uninsurable kind of era? Fuck you. Where like, is this guy spiraling?

[01:11:39] [SPEAKER_02] He's so fucking cool. This is sort of the piece of his coke issues. Because he was doing cocaine and fucking a starlet.

[01:11:42] [SPEAKER_07] Yes. That's what he was doing. But also it's all crumbling. Like it's like, he's like.

[01:11:46] [SPEAKER_04] If I was dating Isabella Rossellini, I would feel insane every day. Right. I cannot. I would feel insane.

[01:11:50] [SPEAKER_07] But also like his heart's on the verge of exploding. Sure. Like everything's in chaos.

[01:11:54] [SPEAKER_02] And he's sort of like. I'm just like, I need that right now. I mean, I do have it. The heart thing. But where's Rossellini? Yeah. Watching all that jazz. And it's about a guy who works too hard and lets his vices kill him. I'm like, why am I watching this? I'm watching with a broken arm and a fucking thrown out back. Fucking a hundred pounds overweight. You're rewinding. On a hundred and fifty milligrams. Crunching tape. Yeah. It's like, I'm like, fuck, this is too much. But yes, I still do think that's cool. I did.

[01:12:23] [SPEAKER_02] I have to stop that because it's going to kill me. But hearing other guys that I respect almost kill themselves for their fucking, you know, move. That shit is cool to me.

[01:12:31] [SPEAKER_07] It's just interesting to me that this feels like a very tight focus movie in a lot of ways. And yet he's like, I basically it was like pulling teeth for me and not because I was pulling something so personal on myself. I just didn't want to do it. And when I watched it later, I was like, fuck, I didn't realize what I had. Yeah.

[01:12:48] [SPEAKER_04] You know, he found it in the edit. But like while making the movie. Yes, it was torturous for him.

[01:12:53] [SPEAKER_02] And it feels like they did find it because like I did like this more than New York, New York, New York, New York to me had awesome stuff that had some pacing. The early I think the second half is incredible. There's amazing things. There's amazing things. But this movie, you can feel the craft even five years later, how he's that much better of a fucking filmmaker. It's fucking anyway, I fucking love Scorsese so fucking much. Keep going. Sorry.

[01:13:15] [SPEAKER_07] You've been you. So you're watching everything up until this point. And then is your plan after this to keep watching? I know you had said on a recent Stavis World that you want to fill in the gaps of the non-gun ones.

[01:13:27] [SPEAKER_02] I think I think I don't know if I'll do because some of these movies mean so much to me that I can't. It's like too potent. Like, look, Casino and Goodfellas. I've watched 4000 times and it better fucking Spielberg better be doing those boys. That's all I'm saying. I better see some names that knock my socks off is all I'm saying. Might be Gabers. You fucking piece of shit. I didn't want to be I don't want to ask for Casino, but it or whatever. Look, I love Gabers.

[01:13:57] [SPEAKER_02] It's going to be so much. It might be Gabers. It's all in flux. Anyway, I get it. I get it. I get it. Whatever. Whatever. But I've seen those for but it's like a movie like After Hours. And honestly, I really love the ones he made when he's when it isn't like obviously the personal ones are incredible in there. They're sublime like it's next level and after hours to by the way that movie even when I was a kid I saw that one and I actually was like, well, this movie is better than Goodfellas.

[01:14:26] [SPEAKER_07] My personal favorite is just so my vibe.

[01:14:29] [SPEAKER_02] I also saw it at a time when I was 19 and I was in a shitty neighborhood and it's like, it wasn't like the mafia, but it's a girl in Baltimore in the, you know, two thousands like yeah fucking your friends were criminals. You know what I mean? Like it reminded me of that shit right feeling just a little bit scary. Yeah, a little bit. I was not living boys in the hood, but no, no, no, but things are just a little bit.

[01:14:50] [SPEAKER_07] You haven't quite figured them out.

[01:14:51] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. Yeah, I would sell weed, but I never got a gun pulled on me. You know what I mean? Like I had I had a weird handoff a couple times, but it wasn't like I was never in real danger because I was buying weed from my friend's brother. Right. If I was just some kid in a minivan, he would have robbed me. But because I played football with his brother, he gave me a nice deal. You know what I mean? Like so anyway, the ones that I kind of had to make to prove he could put in a movie on time. We were just a pro.

[01:15:17] [SPEAKER_02] I enjoy those on another level because it's like this guy is just so fucking good at filmmaking. Even when the story he's like, yeah, I have to do this to get to make the shit I want. Even when he's his soul isn't in them and he's doing them as a job, you almost get to appreciate just the filmmaking. Yep. Just the craft. Exactly. And paycheck gigs are better than anyone could ever do. It's fucking incredible. Yeah. And so I might skip some of the ones that really mattered to me like color money. I just it just for, you know, sentimental reasons.

[01:15:46] [SPEAKER_02] I love too much to just like what's the way you do it.

[01:15:49] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah. It is in the way that you do it. Yeah.

[01:15:52] [SPEAKER_02] Very true.

[01:15:54] [SPEAKER_04] Well, I mean, like, it's just in the way that we've recorded that episode. Yeah. Like we talk, you know, color money. You're just like, do I need to quit my job and be a lowlife who lives at pool halls? It's incredible. You know what I mean? Like, casino, you're like, I think I could run a casino. Absolutely. These movies are literally, the guy is like getting his head bashed in and I'm like, yeah,

[01:16:15] [SPEAKER_03] but I think I'd be good at it.

[01:16:16] [SPEAKER_07] Color money, the X factor, as we say in that episode is, what if I could be the most handsome piece of shit of all time? Right, right. What if I could suck and actually be really depressing and depressed, but have the best bone structure anyone's ever had?

[01:16:29] [SPEAKER_04] I just like to think about like Paul Newman's tax return in color money where they're like, money made playing pool this money made doing anything else negative $5 million. Selling brown liquor.

[01:16:40] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. Um, anyway. But yes, I'm going to keep going, I think. And just, I'm definitely filling in any blind spots, but I might, you know, do I, I'll probably end up watching casino and got, and they're all so watchable.

[01:16:52] [SPEAKER_07] But yeah, this is such a joy to, to do even already.

[01:16:56] [SPEAKER_04] Watch these movies. Um, but okay. All right. King of comedy. Wait, let me go back to this. Regency movie, Regency Enterprises, of course. Regency is the production company. I want to point out, uh, founded by Arnon Milchan, the former Israeli intelligence operative who's turned his business dealings in the aerospace, chemical and electronics industries into a movie career. I'm sure that guy was so normal. And it's only gotten more normal.

[01:17:21] [SPEAKER_07] Uh, someone who continues to, uh, haunt the film industry at large. Yeah. Yeah. I bet he's posting really cool stuff. Yeah. I bet, I bet.

[01:17:29] [SPEAKER_04] I bet he's got some awesome opinion. And his face isn't haunting in the slightest. Uh, but this is the first Regency movie. It gets picked up by Fox, uh, after it gets made. So De Niro obviously starts prepping for this. What does he do? Autograph Hunter and Hunter start coming up to him. And he just starts like asking them a million questions to the point that they get freaked out. Right? Like he starts to try and like, you know, behave this way. Uh, at one point, wait, the guy who's waiting. Oh, right.

[01:17:59] [SPEAKER_04] Autograph country comes up. Hunter, Hunter. I keep saying Hunter. This is terrible. Uh, is waiting for him with his wife. De Niro is basically like, can I come to dinner at your house? Wow. And like, they end up doing that. And, and like, you know, they get more freaked out than him. Of course.

[01:18:15] [SPEAKER_02] Uh, that awesome story about Pattinson letting a stalker in and she just left. You know that one?

[01:18:20] No.

[01:18:20] [SPEAKER_02] It's incredible. Like, yeah, there's some story. I don't know if it's real. I just saw it on Twitter, but it was like, but it seems to make sense with how Robert Pattinson is as a guy. Like some girl who was obsessed with Twilight, like broke into his house. He's like, all right, we can hang out. And then she's like, this guy is fucking weird. She thought she was going to suck Edward's dick or whatever the fuck. And it's actually just some fucking strange British guy. Who's like, hello. God knows what in his house.

[01:18:43] [SPEAKER_07] Let me practice my voices. Yeah. There was, um, I, I just rewatched a Larry Sanders episode. That's really good. I think that's a good one. I think that's a good one. I think that's a good one.

[01:19:11] [SPEAKER_04] Um, so all right. Sandra Bernhard had been in Cheech and Hot Chong's nice dreams as a girl nut.

[01:19:17] [SPEAKER_07] She wrote on the Richard Pryor, like the, the network TV show.

[01:19:21] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. Like she was a big, uh, she read for it. Like, it's like, it's like, you know, like they just kind of like founder.

[01:19:27] [SPEAKER_07] Well, she's an incredibly striking onscreen presence. It's, it's one of the great like casting finds where you're just like, who possibly could have done this better?

[01:19:36] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. A hundred percent. No, she's perfect. Um, and, uh, yeah, like, you know, like she just read for it. And obviously they were kind of obsessed with her. And because she was, I think she's just odd at that point. Like she was like, I didn't know how to dress or behave. I'd never been around famous people that much. Like I was just this sort of weirdo hanging out at like the comedy store and stuff.

[01:19:57] [SPEAKER_07] She was like a white Jewish woman who mostly wrote for black comedians. Uh, right. It existed in this very kind of unusual space at a time where there are very few female comedians. How old was she? She's pretty young too. She's like 25, I think. That's fucking nuts. And, but like Paul Mooney, like, you know, she was Paul Mooney's protege.

[01:20:14] [SPEAKER_04] Right. Yeah.

[01:20:15] [SPEAKER_02] That's fucking insane.

[01:20:16] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. And she was just like, once De Niro is in that geek outfit, like everything is just natural with us. Like the way I'm kind of just like poking at him, he doesn't have this shield on of like being a hot movie star.

[01:20:29] [SPEAKER_07] And we could just like be crazy at each other. It looks incredible. They dialed it in so right where it doesn't become too much, but it does just, you're right, completely disarm him. Fully.

[01:20:39] [SPEAKER_02] And even a little bit lets you understand how people are being nice to him. Like when he's in those, even when he's in that, in the like office, he is a guy who until the third time is in a suit, has good manners, just seems like a guy who really cares about his craft. And, but it's like, so it does make, it, it fits. Everything fits the character. Cause that's, he's both a fucking lunatic that dress like that. But also it's the kind of thing that a different lunatics disguise gets you kicked out of that office immediately.

[01:21:08] [SPEAKER_02] But it sort of makes sense how he's in a suit. People give him a little, you know, a little respect.

[01:21:12] [SPEAKER_07] And because he doesn't have the coiled anger thing that's usually De Niro's like stock and trade, you kind of look at him and go at worse. Is this guy a little slow? Yes, exactly. So people are overly gentle with him because they're kind of worried.

[01:21:26] [SPEAKER_04] Dick Cavett was who Zimmerman imagined when he wrote it. Obviously he wrote the thing initially, like, you know, 10 years earlier or whatever. He was so intellectual in Midwestern. That's wrong. Of course they want Carson. Like that is their white whale. They're like, could we actually convince Carson to do this? And Carson's like one take is enough for me. Like, I just don't want to make a movie. Like, no, thank you. I mean, the whole thing with Carson, right? Is that like, as he goes on in the years, he's like, can I do less and less? And I just sit here and it's just easier. Right.

[01:21:56] [SPEAKER_04] I want a vacation half a year. Right.

[01:21:58] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. It's the best. He's a guy who, I think not accidentally, but it's like, I don't think he goes into being a talk show host in the 40s or whatever the fuck thinking he's going to be the voice of America, comedic America. He's a presenter that gets this foisted onto him. And he looks at it as a job. He's like, and he's like old fashioned. He's like, I'm not telling you how much I make. It's very interesting that he's the, what everything is based off of. He's the art arch type. When from then on, it's people that have been doing standup.

[01:22:28] [SPEAKER_02] You know, it's a completely different way to get to that job. And I wonder if it makes you honestly worse at it. I wonder if like standups aren't that good at, at, you know, if somebody who just wanted to be a presenter hosted a tonight show, would that be better now? I mean, those shows are probably just cooked.

[01:22:43] [SPEAKER_07] But anyway, I, that's just, I mean, Letterman always talks about that where he's like, I hated doing standup. I didn't want to do standup. There was no pathway to being a talk show host without proving that unless you were like an intellectual genius. Right. You know, right. You were supposed to be a man of letters. Right. You're either a reporter who can become a little more light entertainment or you have to be a comedian who becomes good at interviewing.

[01:23:05] [SPEAKER_04] One of my favorite Krusty jokes is like when the old, you watch like an old episode and it's like him interviewing the head of the AFL CIO. And it's like black and white. He has a cigarette. The best. So fucking funny. Krusty's so good. Krusty's my favorite. Yeah. That's the best one. Honeydew's the money melon. No, that's. Yeah, that's, that's correct. He says it to Moe. Right. Who's my other favorite character? Yeah. Moe is my favorite. There is nothing funnier than Krusty being anguished to me.

[01:23:29] [SPEAKER_08] Like, I was like, ah, God.

[01:23:31] [SPEAKER_07] Like it's just, that's. I use this a lot in George Lucas talk show conversations. When we're doing planning, not even on stage, but when we're like planning or booking dates with Connor and Patrick is the sort of Krusty zero to 100. I'm ruined. The notion that you've accidentally blown your entire fortune on one comedic decision. Of course. I think is the funniest shit in the world. Yeah.

[01:23:53] [SPEAKER_04] He's the man. He's so good. He's a great character. So Carson says no, to be clear. All right. Sinatra is their next choice. Another great choice. Like that is also crazy thing. No.

[01:24:03] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah.

[01:24:03] [SPEAKER_04] They ask like Joey Bishop and fucking Sammy Davis, Jr. Dean Martin is. Well, this is how they get to Jerry, right? They're like, right. Jerry Lewis. They also considered Orson Welles, which is crazy to think about. They eventually are kind of like, he's not showbiz enough, but that is a whole other movie. Different movie. Yeah.

[01:24:22] [SPEAKER_02] Completely different movie.

[01:24:23] [SPEAKER_04] The thing about Jerry Lewis is, is like, you can't imagine anyone else. Like sure with Carson, like that's interesting movie. It's a different movie. You need someone who's as mean as Jerry Lewis. Yes. Fucking feel. Yes.

[01:24:32] [SPEAKER_02] Yes. And, and that, and yes, that's the, I mean, both him and, and Bernhardt. It's like, it's this, this is another thing I love about movies where it's like, they just cast. They cast the person. Yes. Right. Like he's that fucking guy.

[01:24:46] [SPEAKER_04] De Niro is in this character. He's, you know, everyone else is just kind of like, they did five minutes of work. That's just what they're like.

[01:24:53] [SPEAKER_07] This one is arguably maybe. Which is not, there's nothing wrong with that.

[01:24:56] [SPEAKER_02] An incredible performance because of that. Like his whole, his whole life is the sum, the sum of his whole life goes into this performance.

[01:25:04] [SPEAKER_07] I was going to say, is this the movie that really is the big inspiration for the modern kind of safety street casting school of thought. Yeah, sure. Sure. One major movie star. Right. To transform themselves and play against type. Everyone else is some weirdo. Everyone else you cast to basically play who they are or you cast them for their innate energy. Right. That's a good point. Yeah. And then after this, it's like, you know, the supporting cast of Goodfellas starts to be people who also fit into that. Sure. Sure.

[01:25:35] [SPEAKER_07] But this is the one where it's like one established movie star. Yeah. Yeah. They even let it by the thing.

[01:25:40] [SPEAKER_02] And in the very beginning, it's like that, that fat guy with the weird curly hair, like they don't even show his whole face, but it's like, that's clearly a real guy. That's clearly a real fucking, and they could have maybe done more of that. But yes, that's a good point that this feels like the first time you get that really. Well, who knows? Maybe other people did it, but. Fuck them.

[01:25:58] [SPEAKER_07] I mean, in New York, New York, he had New York play itself and New York is kind of like a character.

[01:26:02] [SPEAKER_02] Oh, that's an interesting concept. Isn't that the city I've been working on a second.

[01:26:07] [SPEAKER_07] I mean, the city is a character, but it's a location. No, no, no. But it's kind of both. And in fact, in this specific instance, it's a city so nice they named it twice. Wow. So that's a whole other element. Put it not above the title. Make it the title.

[01:26:20] [SPEAKER_02] Oh. You know what I'm saying? Oh, yes, yes, yes. There's something. That's an interesting concept. Yeah. More people should think about that. Thank you. Making the location a character.

[01:26:30] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. Yeah. Wow. So, Jerry Lewis, he obviously, of course, says he's like, he was the fucking guy. Like, cause he's the epitome of like a Vegas guy. You know what I mean? Like with this tension of like, he's a philanthropist. He's does good. But then there's just something where you're like, I feel like if this guy's tired and he lets his guard down, he'll be so mean to me. There's a sinister edge for sure.

[01:26:56] [SPEAKER_04] And Scorsese, like you were saying, Griff also is like, he is also like in this tradition of like Buster Keaton or Jacques Tati or whoever, like these sort of like auteur comedians who make movies. And Lewis said, you know, I was playing Lake Tahoe. It was a great show. Scorsese calls him and says... What gig is this?

[01:27:14] [SPEAKER_02] I'd love to get to... Yeah, you should go to Lake Tahoe. I'm playing the Reno... When does this come out? Who do you call?

[01:27:20] [SPEAKER_04] And he says, I'll go anywhere in the world for you, Marty. Awesome. I mean, this is what Jerry Lewis says. And then he said, Glavin.

[01:27:27] And...

[01:27:28] [SPEAKER_04] Ladies! Scorsese's like, I really learned about being a pro from him. Which is basically just kind of like being an asshole, right? Where it's like, Marty's just like, you know, the way he would kind of like move through crowds. The way he would kind of be like, I need to be done at a certain time. Sure, yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? Have real boundaries. I think about that. Mulaney tells that story. I think it's on Birbiglia's podcast. Oh no, he makes Birbiglia tell it. It's like Birbiglia's mom. The Sinatra story. Right. It's unbelievable.

[01:27:57] [SPEAKER_04] He saw Sinatra and was so excited.

[01:28:00] [SPEAKER_03] And then they're all like crowding around me. It's just on. Get out of here! The way you pigs! And just like push it. I believe it's you fat pigs. And they all are still like, legend! The greatest there ever was!

[01:28:14] [SPEAKER_07] Shit in my mouth, Frank! I am a fat pig! He's yelling at his biggest fans and they only love him more.

[01:28:20] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's awesome.

[01:28:22] [SPEAKER_04] You know, but basically Scorsese, I mean he sort of talks around it, but he's basically like the guy's a consummate professional, but this is what he's like and he's skirting this kind of like, you know, nasty energy the whole time. And of course, yes, the woman who screams you should get cancer that actually happened to him.

[01:28:40] [SPEAKER_02] That's awesome. And that, the beauty of this performance is every time he looks at Rupert, every, before every line of dialogue he has, he's deciding whether he should let this fucking guy have it or not. Yes.

[01:28:56] [SPEAKER_04] Every single time.

[01:28:58] [SPEAKER_02] He's being polite or whatever.

[01:29:00] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. Frosty, but like not, right. But you know that he could just be like, listen, you piece of shit. Yeah. Like, you know, like he could do it.

[01:29:08] [SPEAKER_02] He probably could destroy him to a point where it's like, even if he was a physical threat, you could make that man melt like a puddle if you wanted to. And he's considering it every single fucking time. Because for him, it's like a sport. He would actually enjoy doing it.

[01:29:20] [SPEAKER_07] And I think that's what he wants to do. I think there are two calculations in his mind. One is sometimes you're surprised by who gets successful. Am I going to regret it if I shit on this guy now? Right. When the elevator goes the other direction. And then the second thing is, I think there's probably some part of him, like you said, that's like, I remember having to be this delusional in order to get my career started. I want to think I didn't look as lame as this guy.

[01:29:45] [SPEAKER_02] But, and they kind of get the hustle. And they have a bit of a meet cute where it's sort of, you sort of give him- The first meeting is not so bad. Right. You could even convince yourself that like, this kid fucking pushed some lunatics out of the, and look, should he have gotten in my car? No. No. But it's, it's already, you could tell the calculations. It's like, this is already a weird situation. Let's just get the fuck out of here. And it took chutzpah. It did. You would respect that to some degree. And again, in a suit, polite, nervous. Like I could, this did break just right for him.

[01:30:14] [SPEAKER_02] The thing that's crazy is no way do they drop him off at his house. No, no, no, no. No way do they drop him off at his house. But, but you know, for the movie, it's a movie.

[01:30:23] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. And I guess it's sort of back when enough that it does feel like back in those days, you didn't live in a gated community if you're famous. I don't know. I don't know.

[01:30:31] [SPEAKER_05] Well, I was looking up when John Lennon was assassinated. It was 1980. Yes. And that does feel like maybe this moment. Yeah. That's a good point. That's a really good point. There's real fear if you're a celebrity of like, that I could be attacked or hurt by someone who's obsessed with me.

[01:30:47] [SPEAKER_07] By the way, I think that's a big reason behind the negative response to this movie and the kind of hostility it was met with where, you know, that's a great point that happens. And people point back to taxi driver and then it's like, Oh, Marty's coming out with a new movie about an obsessive fan. Yeah. The fuck is this guy doing? Is he like breeding psychopaths? Interesting.

[01:31:08] [SPEAKER_04] Okay. So Marty has pneumonia while he's mixing raging bull. He wants to do last temptation of Christ. De Niro is like, let's just do this. We can do it fast. We can do it in New York. Yeah. Like it won't take a long time to shoot it. Right. There was a director strike looming. And basically like, as long as you started, it was going to be okay. But like, you know, like they had to start. And so he's like, I wasn't really feeling ready. I was like coughing and like, you know, writhing on the floor, but we did it.

[01:31:38] [SPEAKER_04] And the thing Scorsese says is like, it's funny. He's like, Michael Curtis, Sam Fuller, Ida Lupino. Those guys could make a movie in four weeks. I just can't do that. It takes a really long time. It's just not possible for me.

[01:31:52] [SPEAKER_07] And he was like reshooting scenes multiple times. Right. He was like, we have four scenes in a day. I'm going to spend three days on one scene. Yeah. Damn.

[01:32:00] [SPEAKER_04] Shuler. Okay. Okay. JJ is not fired because he does note. It's the only Scorsese film that he shoots. But, and Scorsese partly blames the slowness on him. The film took 20 weeks to shoot. Damn. For that movie? That's crazy. Marvel movies shooting like three weeks. Right. Yeah. And he says like, maybe a faster cameraman would have got me moving more. But he's like, but fundamentally, it's my responsibility. Well, there are some. And they're shooting in New York, which I think is annoying. Like, you know.

[01:32:29] [SPEAKER_04] But a five month shoot for this film is a lot.

[01:32:32] [SPEAKER_02] Seems a bit much. I mean, in terms of the really, really striking visuals. It's a lot of it is set deck. They shot a million feet. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[01:32:40] [SPEAKER_07] And pretty isolated. Not many characters. Yeah.

[01:32:43] [SPEAKER_02] In controlled environments. And I will say the most kind of DP, the one, the one shot, the one setup that really feels like the DP was fucking putting his dick out was like the, when they're at her apartment, it's candles everywhere. That shit looks like fucking.

[01:32:58] [SPEAKER_07] Going Barry Lyndon mode.

[01:32:59] [SPEAKER_02] Barry Lyndon. That shit looks like Barry Lyndon. Ben's favorite.

[01:33:01] [SPEAKER_07] Ben's best friend.

[01:33:02] [SPEAKER_02] Everything else. Oh, Barry Lyndon fucking rules, dude. It's an Irish scoundrel. I fucking love that movie. It's my shit. I just bought a, I just bought a. I believe I called him an Irish liar. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You did. Yeah. And I appreciated that. That shit fucking. But it's just interesting because I didn't feel like the cinematography was like.

[01:33:20] [SPEAKER_07] No. That stood out. It's not like a showy movie. The camera doesn't move. Like that though. Some people are very slow and meticulous in a way that doesn't even register in the final detail of the image. Right. They're just kind of obsessive. Yeah. And it sounds like that's. Sometimes those people are helpful for a director who otherwise would be inclined to rush through things too much. Sure, sure, sure. It sounds like teaming someone like that up with Scorsese is a recipe for disaster. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think he's usually better with someone who works pretty fast because what Scorsese wants

[01:33:49] [SPEAKER_07] to do is collect a lot of material. He wants to try a bunch of shit. He doesn't want to wait a long time for things to be set up.

[01:33:56] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. Interesting. This is Thelma Schoonmaker's only her third film with Marty. So this is early in their kind of new collaboration. Is Raging Bull the first? I believe so, right? Yeah. No, it's the second. Isn't the whole thing it's like she comes on to try to save New York, New York? No, it's like she did. Who's that knocking at my door? Right. And then she goes on and then she reunites with him with Raging Bull and that's they're together forever. So she, you know, that's so fucking awesome.

[01:34:27] [SPEAKER_02] And everyone now we're at the point where people give editors their credit, but it's like I fucking love Scorsese so much, but it's like that all that means you also love Schoonmaker so much. You know what I mean?

[01:34:38] [SPEAKER_07] 50% kind of.

[01:34:40] [SPEAKER_02] So important.

[01:34:41] [SPEAKER_07] The language that he settles into from from Raging Bull on is really a collaboration between the two. It's beautiful, dude.

[01:34:48] [SPEAKER_02] And it's like that's the kind of shit that's the thing I've liked about making movies, whatever is like it is collaborative again. Yeah. Where's like stand up. You're all by your fucking self. It's so fucking cool. It's like people don't think about how important like a camera like the camera op is, bro. And it's like, I don't know. See, it's just it's just especially the way those movies are edited. Yeah. You really can't do it with a different editor. You know what I mean? It would take such a learning curve to figure it out.

[01:35:15] [SPEAKER_07] You know what I think about all the time? And I think this job still exists. It's just very different now with technology. But the specific role of the focus puller. Yeah, dude. It's crazy. Whose job traditionally was they go like, OK, so in this shot, we're starting on his face and we need to rack focus over there. Right. You eyeball it. Sully style. You do the math and you go, OK, so on this line.

[01:35:37] [SPEAKER_04] Focus pullers are talked about with total reverence. Totally.

[01:35:39] [SPEAKER_07] But it's like one guy who's just got one control of one dial and is all about timing. Yeah, dude. And like if the actor takes a step forward from where they were in blocking, you're just sort of like adjust in real time. And then we're not going to know immediately until they print the film and see if you nailed it or not. Like in video, it's totally different.

[01:35:59] [SPEAKER_02] You know? That's fucking insane. That is crazy.

[01:36:02] [SPEAKER_07] For film, you had to eyeball it and pray that you got it right. Yeah, that rocks. That rocks. That's cool. That's how it's for me. That's what filmmaking is all about. And you're just like when that guy nails it, he's a hero. Yeah. And when he botches it, everyone is like, fuck, it doesn't matter what we all did right. It's out of focus. Yeah. Right.

[01:36:20] [SPEAKER_04] So, I don't know. It just feels like this movie is a fucking pain in the ass to make. Everyone was just tired and exhausted. Scorsese says they shot a whole Jerry Langford monologue and decided not to use it because he's kind of like, I don't want you to have an opinion on his comedy. Like, you need to know that Pupkin's obsessed with him. If you think he's funny or not funny, it kind of starts to mess with the movie. Like, that's not really what the movie is about.

[01:36:44] [SPEAKER_02] It's not about.

[01:36:44] [SPEAKER_04] He has that one joke right to start where he's like, you know, thanks for waking up or, you know, where he ribs the sidekick. And that's kind of it. You really don't see him ever being funny again.

[01:36:53] [SPEAKER_02] And it's all aura. It's all. It's all. He's the fucking man. Yeah.

[01:36:57] [SPEAKER_07] Which is what you hire Jerry Lewis from is this guy carries himself like he's a legend. That's all you need to know. And the world reacts to him that way.

[01:37:04] [SPEAKER_02] And by the way, to give him credit, because we were saying like, oh, he's just being himself. The fantasy scenes. That's some real. He's got to do some real acting there. You know what I mean? Like, no, he's good. And my favorite scene that with the dream sequence where it's he's in the office and he's like, you know, Gene. Some people are lucky if genius strikes them once. It's like it's going to strike you more than you know what I mean? When he's just sucking him off and he's like, and they do that.

[01:37:29] [SPEAKER_02] The physical choke where you're like, oh, they let Jerry do his thing for a second. And you're like, that's the funniest fucking thing in the movie where he's like choking De Niro back and it goes on way too long. It's edited. It's edited kind of like a fucking Tim and Eric sketch, actually, where it's like he's choking for four straight fucking seconds. And it's his head goes back and forth. It's really shaking his head around like a cartoon character.

[01:37:53] [SPEAKER_07] You also get the sense it was a genuine dream came come true for De Niro like De Niro. You know, every year, Tribeca De Niro's like which of my movies is experiencing an anniversary that ends with a five or a zero. Right. Yeah. And he did several for this and he'd always do it with Jerry Lewis and De Niro so famous famously taciturn at all these things. You can watch the videos of the like king of comedy 30 years later. Look back things. De Niro's just laughing the entire time.

[01:38:21] [SPEAKER_07] He clearly thinks Jerry Lewis is the funniest guy in the world. This was his childhood hero. He's like choke me. Yeah. Spit in my mouth. Yeah.

[01:38:29] [SPEAKER_02] Well, dude, tell me I'm pretty. The clip of him and Don Rickles where it's like he's just shitting on him for not knowing his lines. The greatest. It's incredible. Honestly, no joke. I saw that. I was like, oh, I think I can have a career. I was like, I can do it. It's like it's like it's like first of all, De Niro doesn't know his fucking lines. Then they just brought in a guy who can just shit off. If you're good at roasting, even the most famous movie stars in the world will respect that. And it's like and honestly, they've kind of brought me in.

[01:38:57] [SPEAKER_02] I mean, Tony, they brought me in straight up to make fun of the. I can't wait.

[01:39:00] [SPEAKER_07] David has seen it now. I'm so jealous.

[01:39:03] [SPEAKER_02] I'm so jealous. Anyway, yeah.

[01:39:04] [SPEAKER_07] You texted like Sims. I got one question for you. And it was an invisible text of I assume did my roast make it into this. There's one bit. Did this bit make it into this.

[01:39:12] [SPEAKER_02] There's one really stupid bit I really wanted. And you know, we'll you'll have to see the movie out this summer at some point.

[01:39:18] [SPEAKER_04] I think it will have just come out. Sorry. Is that right? I believe so. This move. This episode's coming out September 20th. The movie's out, baby. Yeah. The movie's been out. Yeah.

[01:39:26] [SPEAKER_02] Shit. There might be. Hey, I might have a Netflix special coming out soon. Wait a second. I don't know yet. Actually, I'll tell you guys. I'll give it. Hey, my special is coming out now. And then we'll put it right there. Ben's voice just comes in September 11th. Weird.

[01:39:43] [SPEAKER_03] Yeah. We requested it. You're not going to forget it.

[01:39:45] [SPEAKER_04] You'll never forget it. Netflix is like it's a Tuesday and you're like, I don't care. Yeah. King of comedy. Let's talk about it. So, yeah, I don't know.

[01:39:54] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. Let's let's find. Let's turn the mics on. Ben, let's go. Okay, cool. We're done warming up. Do you have a quote?

[01:40:00] [SPEAKER_07] You ready? Yeah.

[01:40:01] Okay, cool.

[01:40:02] [SPEAKER_07] We have a studio that's just a cutout of Ben and we practice podcasting to him. Black and white Ben Hosley.

[01:40:09] [SPEAKER_04] You know that meme. Which meme? I don't mind it. It's like listening to... This is what listening to podcasts is like. Oh, yes, of course.

[01:40:18] [SPEAKER_02] The guy laughing along.

[01:40:20] [SPEAKER_04] This. Like a guy with a poster. Oh, yes. This is what it's like to listen to a podcast. Yeah. Like, you know.

[01:40:26] [SPEAKER_07] Of course.

[01:40:26] [SPEAKER_04] We're as famous as Jerry Lewis.

[01:40:28] [SPEAKER_07] That's what's important. If you're listening to this right now and you feel attacked, of course not you. Not you. You're the good one. We love you. You're the one we're talking to. Well, hold on. Are you a Patreon subscriber? Well, yeah. Actually. That's true.

[01:40:39] [SPEAKER_03] Are you in the $10 tier? Because then I really love you.

[01:40:42] [SPEAKER_07] You're not going to be one of these freeloaders getting by off the ads, are you?

[01:40:56] [SPEAKER_06] David?

[01:40:57] [SPEAKER_07] Yes. Red alert. Uh-oh. There's been an outbreak. Biohazard. Of a new Patreon series. Yeah. It's contagious. Oh, that's so true. It's been cooked up in the lab for your pleasure. From the fine folks at the Umbrella Corporation, we are covering Resident Evil. The film franchise.

[01:41:21] [SPEAKER_04] Yes. We've got the first franchise. Six movies. Yes. That beautiful second franchise. How many? Six? Seven? It's got the one movie. Oh, it's got the one. We'll be covering all of them on Patreon doing commentaries on, yes, the Resident Evil, Apocalypse, Extinction, Afterlife, Retribution, the final chapter. Welcome to Raccoon City.

[01:41:40] [SPEAKER_07] This is an exciting time. Zach Craig, your friend of the podcast, has a new Resident Evil coming out. We thought this was a good opportunity to revisit the history of Resident Evil movies.

[01:41:49] [SPEAKER_04] Why not? Why not? Why can't we? Why can't we? We can. Check in for that August 1st. Mm-hmm. And it's gonna be running all the way through November 1st.

[01:42:00] [SPEAKER_07] Followed by your March Madness winner. Dracula. Dr. Acula himself. That's so fun. So that's great. That's great. Thank you. Thank you so much.

[01:42:21] [SPEAKER_04] So the film starts with, starts with Jerry, right? Mm-hmm. The first thing is Jerry.

[01:42:28] [SPEAKER_02] The credits are the credits of the late night show.

[01:42:30] [SPEAKER_04] Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then we're with Rupert getting into the car with him. Mm-hmm. And Sandra Bernhardt going crazy trying to get the autograph. Yeah. God bless her. She's so good. She rocks. What was she? Oh, she was just in Severance. She's still just also in Marty Supreme. Yeah, she was in Marty Supreme. Well, she was amazing in Marty Supreme. That was great. She was great. She's just like such a versatile actor.

[01:42:51] [SPEAKER_07] I saw Marty Supreme with my dad. I know. And her name comes up in the credits and he goes, where was Sandra Bernhardt in that? And I was like, she played kind of like the Sandra Bernhardt character. What the fuck do you mean? Who do you think she played?

[01:43:05] [SPEAKER_04] Uh, but there's, I mean, the Fran Drescher, like there's so many people in Marty Supreme. It is a little overwhelming. I know. Guess what?

[01:43:11] [SPEAKER_07] She was the woman standing next to Fran Drescher also complaining. She was meaner Fran Drescher. Yes. With her entire career. Her entire career.

[01:43:21] [SPEAKER_04] Right. Where she's like, can I get a sitcom? And they're like, what if Fran Drescher made you Marty in a scary way instead of in

[01:43:28] [SPEAKER_02] a regular way? Right. That's basically Sandra Bernhardt.

[01:43:33] [SPEAKER_04] Now, I'm sort of freaked out by Rupert immediately. Yeah. Like, it's like, I don't think the movie's hiding the ball at all.

[01:43:38] [SPEAKER_07] There's something uncanny about him. Yes. That's what's different is we talked about with Taxi Driver that part of what's interesting in that movie is you can ignore the red flags with him for a little bit. You understand why people give him a chance. Yeah. Rupert, everything just feels off.

[01:43:54] [SPEAKER_04] But like, at the same time, I never really think Rupert's gonna kill anyone. Yeah. He's not dangerous in that way, but he is unsettling.

[01:44:01] [SPEAKER_02] He's unsettling. But again, he's so pathetic. And it's also, again, you can see, even though we see him for who he is through the movie does that, you also understand how in doses you could be convinced this is just a harmless guy who's a little, maybe a little slow, but even maybe not. Maybe just kind of a weird, nice guy who really wants it. You know what I mean? But yes, very quickly we see him because they show him in the scrum with the rest.

[01:44:31] [SPEAKER_02] He clearly knows these people. He's clearly one of the autograph seekers.

[01:44:34] [SPEAKER_07] But acts like he's above them. Yeah. Sort of, they look to him like a ringleader. He wants to think that he's not at their tier because of course, he's going to make it. Right. He is going to cross over.

[01:44:43] [SPEAKER_02] Hasn't done a goddamn thing. No. Didn't do a fucking mic. Like all he's done is like just practice the cardboard cutouts.

[01:44:49] [SPEAKER_07] It's so important that this is a, I could do that guy and not a guy who's actually failing with real stakes and trying to do comedy.

[01:44:55] [SPEAKER_05] But he has been immersed in it seemingly every day. He studies the blade. Like he goes home to his mother's house and he goes into his room. His mother, of course, played by Catherine. And just fucking talks to himself. Yes.

[01:45:07] [SPEAKER_02] And by the way, he's like, what his mom calls him. Yeah. Is the, that's the best acting De Niro's ever done. He's channeled just an annoyed 12 year old. He's like, eh, he's so pathetic and such a little bitch in that moment. I'm like, fuck this guy's, you know what? This De Niro guy's good, man. Um, uh, but yeah, yeah. And then he is unsettling for sure.

[01:45:29] [SPEAKER_07] But you're right. I mean, the movie really just like a rocket. It's like the opening is the monologue. Then it's him having the brief moment with him, uh, trying to get his attention, going to the car, free frame credits. Oh boy. And then it goes to another night of them waiting outside, Sandra Bernhardt and him getting in the backseat. And then that's like 10 minutes in, he goes to the restaurant with Jerry.

[01:45:51] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah.

[01:45:51] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah.

[01:45:52] [SPEAKER_02] Or he imagines. Imagines going to the restaurant with Jerry. Which by the way, that, I think that's the moment where they're just like, hey, and if you're, didn't get it. Yeah. This guy's an insane piece of shit. Right. Because where. You're doing it so early. Yeah. Well, which I like because there is a reading of him that's like, yeah, even if he has that conversation and it's his big break and oh fuck. And then what we see him imagining is working on his craft, doing shows. Like, he's like, this is what I love.

[01:46:21] [SPEAKER_02] What he imagines instantly is the guy who just half did him a favor groveling. He doesn't even imagine like in a mansion with chicks getting fucked up. What he's doing this for.

[01:46:34] [SPEAKER_04] It's true.

[01:46:34] [SPEAKER_02] Like you'll be doing me a favor is every is respect. And he can't imagine more respect than the guy he respects the most begging him. He's dreaming of big timing and he's dreaming of big time. He's dreaming of becoming a piece of shit. Yeah. The thing you're like, you try so hard not to become a fucking guy forget, you know, acts like he's fucking Hollywood. Like if you're a good person, you should, you know, fight against it. He's like, I can't wait to big time. The guy who got me my hero.

[01:47:01] [SPEAKER_07] Yes.

[01:47:01] [SPEAKER_02] Are you fucking kidding me? That's it's that to me is the moment you're like, oh, he is a piece of shit.

[01:47:07] [SPEAKER_04] He talks about how Jerry had like a big break where he was a guest host. Right. Like he like and he's like, I remember when I watched that and that was he clearly thinks like that's what will happen. I'll do one gig. I'll do one appearance on his show and I'll explode. Like it'll be just this exact same thing. He has no obvious real notion of what Jerry's life is, which is funny because it's like now the obsessive fan might know everything about him.

[01:47:32] [SPEAKER_04] And instead he has more just like an idea of like what he is as a famous guy or whatever.

[01:47:37] [SPEAKER_07] We should also talk about this for half a second because it is almost a novel concept at this point in time. But you were saying this that Johnny Carson didn't love working and every year would take more and more weeks off and they would have guest hosts and they would have people under contract where like Jay Leno is guaranteed 10 weeks of the show per year. And there were many of them in rotation. And part of that was seen as like Johnny's laziness and part of it was seen as a generosity of giving other people a shot. And letters. Totally. Right.

[01:48:06] [SPEAKER_07] And then Joan Rivers took a rival show and he like never talked to her again. Jay was the most popular and most successful guest host. But Letterman obviously had the slot after and Leno ended up getting the show because they threatened him with. He's going to go to another network unless you give him the tonight show. Right. He's going to gazump you. And when Leno took over, he was like, I'm never fucking taking a day off because that's how I beat Carson. I'm not letting snakes in. What a fucking piece of shit. He's the guy who. That's funny.

[01:48:34] [SPEAKER_02] He got you know, he was the. He also did it for scale, right? Like everybody. That was his nut. Everybody. Yeah, exactly. He doesn't spend that money.

[01:48:42] [SPEAKER_04] The tour money.

[01:48:43] [SPEAKER_02] No, it's fucking crazy. Like at that at the trial period, everybody else. There's a story where I think it was in the Shandling documentary or somewhere like that where Shandling was one of these guys, too. That's why. And we got the better version of this. Like Larry Sanders.

[01:48:55] [SPEAKER_07] I don't want to do a talk show. I want to do a show about a talk show.

[01:48:58] [SPEAKER_02] Awesome.

[01:48:58] [SPEAKER_07] By the way, the greatest show.

[01:48:59] [SPEAKER_02] But yeah, everybody else like, hey, like we're going to negotiate with the network. We're all in. We feel like, you know, we're basically doing Johnny's job for him. Right. We should get paid. Not we should get paid real money. Five or six big ones. Leto was like, nah, fuck it. I'm doing it for scale. I'm a fucking company, man. And that's a fucking dick. And just made it a countdown clock.

[01:49:18] [SPEAKER_07] It was like you have like 15 minutes to like decide before I run off and become competition. But but this is part of his fantasy is like, well, that's how Jerry got this. Yeah. And I could get big the same way. And I wanted to get the exact line because it's the moment for me that is so definitional of what a piece of shit he wants to imagine being is that he goes like the exact line is I'll do anything for you. Just please don't make me do six weeks.

[01:49:49] [SPEAKER_07] Right. That I'll give you anything, but don't ask me to do six weeks. I can't take over the show for six weeks and that he plays it with such exasperation. It's not even he's dreaming of a brush off of being like, I don't know. Six weeks is a long time. He's like six weeks said kill me, Jerry, please. What other favor can I do for you? Yeah. Not hosting the show that I currently dream about hosting. He's past the dream. He's dreaming about being past.

[01:50:13] [SPEAKER_02] He even dream one time hosting.

[01:50:15] [SPEAKER_05] No, no, no. He jumps fucking off. He's dreaming of having the same shitty mustache and haircut. But everyone loves the worst. Isn't going anywhere. The worst suits of all time dialed in.

[01:50:27] [SPEAKER_07] But but also like while this conversation is happening, the Sardi's caricature artist is there. Oh, yeah.

[01:50:33] [SPEAKER_04] And he made you bigger. Yeah. Which I think is really funny in his dream. He's still like getting cocked a little bit. He's a little petty. Yeah.

[01:50:40] [SPEAKER_07] But this is all like 15 minutes of the movie.

[01:50:43] [SPEAKER_02] It's so fast. You're straight to it. And then he goes right from there. He shows you that the operating the the what's important to him. The like number one big time my hero number to go to engage in a romantic relationship with the symbolic woman, the woman I loved when I was fucking 16 and I was too much of a coward.

[01:51:07] [SPEAKER_02] Now I'm using the cred of having a conversation with Jerry Langford to now I immediately need to turn this into a again symbolic relationship.

[01:51:18] [SPEAKER_07] If I can convince her that I'm a big deal, I closed the loop like that's what it is. It's that he never got over the fact that she wouldn't, you know, that she wouldn't give him the time of day or didn't see him that way or that he never had the courage or whatever it is. He is still suck on man. I wish I had dated her when I was 16. Which by the way. I wish I had kissed her one time.

[01:51:37] [SPEAKER_02] Which by the way, another thing they nail about everyone that wants to be a stand up comedian. Yes. It's like if I had gotten pussy in high school, I'm probably a lawyer in Baltimore right now. You know what I mean? Like truly it's like, it's like you're just trying. Everyone is just looking. This is the one thing you can do for attention from beautiful girls. But what's interesting about him is, and I think they make a very explicit point of saying this, like, look, she doesn't even remember him. She's clearly her life's not going good because she agrees to go out with him. Yeah. And she she even is not having a good time.

[01:52:06] [SPEAKER_02] And then at the very end, she's like, well, I guess you're entitled to come up for some coffee, which is like, look, I'll suck you off. Just leave me alone. And he doesn't want to. He's like how he's almost like offended that because this is not about that to him. No.

[01:52:19] [SPEAKER_07] No. And he also doesn't want pity. It's like, no, him. The only thing he wants is for her to be impressed by him. And in the same way, it's like he would fantasize about being like, come on, I'm tired. We've already fucked five times today. Right, right. Yeah. Yes. He'll leapfrog to that over dreaming of sleeping with her. But it's not because it's about his king and queen.

[01:52:40] [SPEAKER_02] Yes, it's about it's proof of the girl, the specific girl. It's like he's just trying to be cool for high school. You made something of yourself. I mean, look at the not to jump. We can go chronologically, but jump ahead to the. Jump ahead. Nothing.

[01:52:53] [SPEAKER_04] There's not a lot of plot until he gets to his house. Like the first half of the movie is relatively disconnected. Yeah. It's mostly just his fantasy.

[01:53:01] [SPEAKER_07] But it goes to drop off the tape. It flows for sure. Right. That scene that's so uncomfortable where he just keeps being like, well, we'll get back to you. Right. And he's like, so about what time do you think? Yeah. I can just wait here. I don't have anywhere to be. I like this chair.

[01:53:13] [SPEAKER_04] The first half of the movie is him getting brushed off largely not even by Jerry. And kind of polite. A little bit. Very polite.

[01:53:20] [SPEAKER_02] For the for the context. Considering. Incredibly polite.

[01:53:24] [SPEAKER_04] Right. And then like, I feel like it kicks into the second act once he goes to Jerry's house and Jerry has to kind of like, you know, remove him more like, you know, has to humiliate him essentially.

[01:53:36] [SPEAKER_05] I just was going to say, because I don't want to skip over it when he is having the dream sequence. The next moment or next scene is showing Jerry at home. Right. How sad his fucking life is pathetic. That's a great point. And I think that is a really I didn't pick up on that.

[01:53:54] [SPEAKER_02] That's a great point.

[01:53:55] [SPEAKER_05] When I first saw this movie as a younger man, but now really recognize like this guy has achieved the dream and he is sad and lonely. I think a fucking like sandwich in his like palatial home with his staff. He's not. Yeah.

[01:54:11] [SPEAKER_07] A lot of that feels like Johnny Carson commentary, who was famously a very antisocial guy, like just didn't like talk to people. Right. Didn't have friends and show business outside of the show, was divorced many, many times. Yeah. And was just kind of like a quiet to himself alcoholic.

[01:54:27] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah.

[01:54:27] [SPEAKER_07] And that was like basically known. Like he would make jokes on air about like another big divorce settlement. That's awesome. And then seem like the most personable guy in the world on television.

[01:54:39] [SPEAKER_04] The joke that I think about with Carson, I think it's George Axelrod was he was basically like if people had like red lights in the middle of their heads, then Johnny would be really social. Like if he if essentially like if there's a camera on, that's when he's like that. Right. Right. Just couldn't operate. And there wasn't a guy when when people weren't around.

[01:54:54] [SPEAKER_07] And that was the problem with every one of his marriages.

[01:54:56] [SPEAKER_02] Oh, yeah. He'd be a great Twitch streamer. It sounds like Johnny Carson, dude, you needed a camera going live. Could you imagine? That would be awesome. Dude, 20 hours of a trash stream. That sounds pretty fun. Yeah. That's a great point, though, Ben. And then, yeah, like the funny thing about the house to when he visits his house, too, is like. He's going off of a conversation he had. That's when he's the most insane because everything else is rooted in some sliver of

[01:55:23] [SPEAKER_02] reality, but the invitation to his house happens fully in a dream sequence. Yes. Fully. Right. There is no even hinting at it and any other point. And that's the point where you're like, oh, this guy's fucking a loon because he's been tossed out of the fucking at that point had been tossed out. Yeah. Right. He had been he had been goaded into going back up there by Sandra Bernhardt.

[01:55:45] [SPEAKER_07] And I think he's already gotten the call back from the talent person. Oh, he's been rejected. He's been tossed out. Right. But also, once again, like work harder on your material. He's had every chance. Yeah. It's not excuse me, sir. Lose this number. She takes the time to call him back. What? Again, just so funny. We think you guys are just like I mean, he's close.

[01:56:03] [SPEAKER_05] He's close. He is. He's kind of crazy. His persistence.

[01:56:07] [SPEAKER_02] Like he actually really has this moment. You should have put it in the you put that persistence in hitting Mike. I mean, this is pathetic. But like, yeah, I'm like, dude, I'm literally a like in everything but comedy in comedy. I am a fucking like pull yourself up by your bootstraps Republican in light. You know, I am the exact opposite of my political stance where I'm like they say no, they say I ain't fucking promise to you, you motherfucker. Go out and work. Go hit. Go bomb for five fucking years straight. And like he has every opportunity to do that.

[01:56:37] [SPEAKER_02] And he just does not. But yes, I do. I cannot help it, David. But like see this motherfucker and be like, come on, bro. Also, genuinely, like just try it. Try it. Try it twice. You fucking prick.

[01:56:48] [SPEAKER_07] But when we're saying that he's close, I think like this guy could very easily have a career as like a host. He could be a middle on the road. Absolutely. He could like headline in small markets. He would, if he stuck with it, eventually get on at least a handful of late night slots because it was a smaller industry. And if you had a good enough five minutes, eventually you'd get it. Would he get a sitcom ever? No. Would he ever become a giant star? I don't think so. Here's the thing. Who knows? Because who knows?

[01:57:16] [SPEAKER_02] The thing, number one predicting, predicting factor in somebody being successful in show business is that they are a sociopath. This is true. That is the number one. Unfortunately. Absolutely predictive thing. That's what, it's like, not even that I respect him as an artist, but it's like, bro, you have the insanity needed and the drive. It's like, how many shitty fucking people do we know that just like, like I know people have like spreadsheets of fucking journalists to like pretend they're friends with.

[01:57:43] [SPEAKER_02] I know people who have like, you know, know when some, you know, when they're being, you know, they're friends with agents. It's like, yeah, you're an agent. You don't even work with is at your fucking birthday party. Right. Get the fuck out of here.

[01:57:54] [SPEAKER_07] Some of those people like, I don't know if you find this as well, but I think some of those people, a lot of those people, in fact, once they get not even fame, but like whatever kind of brass ring they're going for, I want a headline here. I want to get a TV spot. I want to get this festival, whatever it is. There's a feeling of, oh fuck, this doesn't complete me. And I don't know how to sustain the hustle anymore. I thought this would all sort of fall into place. But there is that like that.

[01:58:24] [SPEAKER_07] There are people you meet where you're like one way or another, that guy's going to figure something out because this guy's not going to quit until he gets some sense of completion in him.

[01:58:33] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. And it's not a meritocracy at all.

[01:58:35] [SPEAKER_07] No, no guys just fucking grind and wear everyone down.

[01:58:40] [SPEAKER_02] And he sort of did that. Yeah, he sort of does. If he was even kind of good at stand up.

[01:58:44] [SPEAKER_07] This is what's crazy. He's close to being the successful kind of psycho. Yeah. And he takes a step over the line and can't go backwards. He's the king of mics. He's the king of mics.

[01:58:52] [SPEAKER_05] Because if you just show up to enough mics all the fucking time, you would just get booked on those shows. Because they have slots to fill. And then that's your stepping stone to get on the bigger kind of show and to eventually get into like doing clubs because you get past. Uh huh. I mean, no, there's a way to do it. And it doesn't, you don't even have to be funny necessarily.

[01:59:11] [SPEAKER_07] The persistence sometimes is all you need. Just sort of professional enough, which he is. He does an impression of a professional comedian. It's like a comedy adjacent enough that like audiences in clubs who aren't comedy fans would feel comforted by what he's doing. If he could just have like 20% better joke writing.

[01:59:31] [SPEAKER_02] But, but, but also he's definitely not a guy who ever will look inward at all. And that's really the, that's his limiting factor for sure is like, he just cannot, he cannot look within at even for one second. No.

[01:59:45] [SPEAKER_07] And even at the end when he fantasizes about doing this big, you know, kind of tell all about his life, he doesn't know where the joke is. Exactly. He just thinks saying like my dad used to beat me will like make people cheer.

[01:59:58] [SPEAKER_02] Which is another hallmark of open micers attempting. Yes. How many open micers are like, all right, man, we don't need to hear about your mom getting cancer, bro. You're not, you're not, you don't have the, the, the like tools. I'm going to scare them with dark shit. You're like, everyone tries to do that. Yeah. Right after that TIG special that Louie put up. Oh, that fucked everything up. You know how many fucking open mics start getting real confessional? It's like, shut the fuck up.

[02:00:20] [SPEAKER_04] I believe it because the whole story was like, she didn't even plan on doing it. Yeah. Just went up there. Right.

[02:00:26] [SPEAKER_02] And you almost stayed home. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Fuck. That was a menace on mics, man. And I, yeah, as an open miker at the time who just didn't do anything. I was like, I just watched it, but it was like, fuck, this is brutal. And I tried some of that shit about my family and guess what? It wasn't funny for another 10 years. Right. You know, like now, and even now it's like, fuck, I'm not gonna be able to write about the fucked up shit going on now for another five years.

[02:00:48] [SPEAKER_04] So you're, you're our, there's like someone with a big rolling pin. Yeah. Someone else is smashing a plane. You're looking at pictures of around. I'm trying to talk about this sensitively. I don't know what your family is.

[02:00:57] [SPEAKER_07] Um, you, you talked about this, your hour you did at Radio City that will be out. Maybe on Netflix. Perhaps. On.

[02:01:04] [SPEAKER_01] Now.

[02:01:06] [SPEAKER_02] But you. January 6th. You, you, you. Yeah. I requested that date.

[02:01:10] [SPEAKER_07] Storm the servers and watch Dabby's new specials. Let's end this woke bullshit. Stop the steal. Three body problem can no longer command the view counts. Um, I, uh, I, I, there was stuff in your hour where you were sort of like tiptoeing around heavier family stuff. And then you'd sort of say like, that's for next year. Yeah. That's for the next special. There's too much going on right now. And it's one of those things, which isn't to say that you, you won't someday be able

[02:01:37] [SPEAKER_07] to like harness this stuff, you know, or that you couldn't do it tomorrow if you wanted to. But I was like, when it just drops as like a stealth bomb of you just making this offhand comment that hints at something a lot heavier. It's so much funnier than when the person comes up and tries to do the Tignataro where it's like for 40 minutes, I'm going to open my soul. And you're like, you got to be so precise and you got to be going through such a specific set of circumstances that are actually unique to call, hold everyone's attention on that.

[02:02:06] [SPEAKER_05] You also have to be a human being with like an actual personality that has like real life

[02:02:11] [SPEAKER_02] experience.

[02:02:12] [SPEAKER_07] Maturity.

[02:02:13] [SPEAKER_02] Big rolling pin. Big rolling pin. I was wrong. Absolutely. Well, I will say with jokes, just like movies, it's like you want there to be much more that you don't get to. Right? You want it to be so layered. Like the best move, like the shit that has stirs up a fandom, like Lord of the Rings or some shit like that, where it's like you see a little bit, but then people are like, yo, what the fuck are those horse guys up to? And then you start, I mean, who am I talking to? Star Wars. You know what I mean? How many fucking novels they wrote based on that shit.

[02:02:42] [SPEAKER_02] And stand up is not as deep an art form as filmmaking at all. But you still want people to want, you want some more depth.

[02:02:50] [SPEAKER_07] Some jokes are Boba Fett's. Some jokes are you with control of the situation, acting like you're telling them slightly more than you wanted to when in reality, you're telling them way less so much more to it.

[02:03:01] [SPEAKER_02] That's actually fucked up, but not funny.

[02:03:02] [SPEAKER_07] Right.

[02:03:03] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah.

[02:03:03] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah.

[02:03:04] [SPEAKER_04] But anyway, what else happens in this movie after he gets kicked out of the house? I mean, that's when they go into ransom mode. I mean, I feel like he sort of triangulates with Sandra Bernhardt. Right. It's kind of like, he's like, okay, me being polite and sort of nagging people will not work out. I tried the traditional sneaking into a man's car.

[02:03:21] [SPEAKER_02] Right, right, right, right, right, right. I tried to pay my dues. Right, right, right. Yeah. I've tried to pay my dues. Show up at his home. Executive producer directly three times. Yes. And then sneak into his house with a, you know.

[02:03:32] [SPEAKER_07] And then sneak into his house with a, you know. Unfortunately, there's no other option.

[02:03:35] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. And I feel like Bernhardt is the, what, the nuclear bomb that he kind of knows, like, her energy will be useful to me. Yeah. Right. He's not like her friend.

[02:03:45] [SPEAKER_02] And all these late night hosts have these things.

[02:03:48] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. Well, like they are connected by him.

[02:03:50] [SPEAKER_02] Their relationship is, can we talk about this for a second? Because it's like, I watched it again to be like, am I, the first time I'm like, is there any sexual tension? There's not. He's not a very sexual character. He's asexual. That's the point. He is a completely asexual character.

[02:04:03] [SPEAKER_04] He doesn't really have any desires. Other than respect from his high school. He's not even like, I'll be rich and I'll play golf.

[02:04:10] [SPEAKER_07] He just wants to be on TV. He wants to be on TV. He, I think even more specifically than that, wants like everyone he went to high school with to see him on television and go, wow, I used to bully that kid.

[02:04:22] [SPEAKER_02] But he's the man.

[02:04:23] [SPEAKER_07] And look at him now. Yeah.

[02:04:24] [SPEAKER_02] He just imagines that moment. And that's the, the kind of the beauty of this movie is that it is not about anything but symbols. Like this, this is, this is a, you know, we talk about, we, you know, at the beginning we joked about it being like him inventing parasocial relationships, but this is at a time and you said it David where it's like, now people actually know way more about everyone. This is at a time where parasocial relationship, you actually had to completely invent it. These people are not, you, what is an opaque person. You don't know anything about it.

[02:04:53] [SPEAKER_02] I mean, Sandra Bernhardt is like, you know, clear some, I'm guessing some rich girl who like her parents were, you know, whatever. For some reason she's a rich girl who this person and this is her way of acting out.

[02:05:04] [SPEAKER_07] Well, that's the Harley Quinn character in Joker Falia, duh. Oh, hell yeah. But it does feel like it's a similar backstory.

[02:05:10] [SPEAKER_02] I will say I have not seen. Oh, you didn't want to see that? I did not. I started watching some of it. I basically watched enough on a plane so I could take a picture of Tim Dillon and be like, LOL and send and text it to him. That's all. That's all I did it for. But like, yes, it's she, it's all symbols or ideas. He, they don't know this guy at all. And for him too, it's like, he wants nothing but the symbolic, like, yes, everyone was wrong. I'm the fucking man.

[02:05:37] [SPEAKER_02] I mean, the wedding, his literal principle is like, this is the officiant. Right.

[02:05:43] [SPEAKER_04] The most authoritative person you can think of.

[02:05:47] [SPEAKER_02] That's crazy. He's a child.

[02:05:49] [SPEAKER_04] It's interesting. It's like when he does his set, he doesn't do any like political humor. Right. He doesn't like make fun of Jimmy Carter. Part of that is that in a movie you can't do topical humor. I understand.

[02:05:59] [SPEAKER_07] But it does still become characterization. But it does feel like, right.

[02:06:02] [SPEAKER_04] Like it's like, no, this guy doesn't even know about that.

[02:06:04] [SPEAKER_07] No. It's not like really something he gets. He's in one track exclusively. Right. I also think it's like you talking about the parasocial. I thought for a second, Stavi, you were raising your hand to make a point. And then I realized you were doing arm exercises.

[02:06:16] [SPEAKER_02] I was just doing arm exercises for my broken arm.

[02:06:17] [SPEAKER_07] My PT told me to do them. I was going to say that it, there has been an extensive history. It's scaled down now that our culture is less monolithic. But these talk show hosts having really extreme stalkers and people who are convinced delusionally that they are in a relationship with this person. And like Letterman had several who were very high profile. I believe Johnny Carson, several as well. Leno maybe had zero. But you're right.

[02:06:47] [SPEAKER_07] It was like much more of an invented backstory. And part of it was in a world where you're not getting that kind of intimacy from things like podcasts or YouTubers or fucking whatever. People were like the closest thing. I fall asleep with Johnny every night. Every night. With me, he does monologues to me. This feels like the most consistent relationship in my life. That makes a lot of sense. And people you would hear always would like in court say like, well, he was, we were talking all the time.

[02:07:15] [SPEAKER_07] And they were like, you were having conversations with him. And they'd be like, well, he would wear a blue tie to signal something to me. Like truly, it would be stuff like that. And when he does this with his ear, that's him saying I love you.

[02:07:28] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. I mean, yeah, absolutely. That's again, Marty on top of it because, yeah, you're right. This is the closest to a fucking podcaster you get because they're there every day and they're not acting. No, right. You're just talking. I mean, they obviously are to some degree, but you don't know that as somebody watching. That's what you just a guy.

[02:07:45] [SPEAKER_07] It's the trick is he's just really interested in people.

[02:07:48] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. And so, yeah, Bernhardt basically goats him into fucking storming. Then he goes to the house, which was a hilarious scene where Jerry's finally like, fuck, you're a fucking piece of shit. You know, Hitler made a mistake to you compared to Hitler. Yeah.

[02:08:03] [SPEAKER_07] Um, it's also funny that it's like her fantasy basically is just to like sexually dominate him. It's not even she's so undeterred by him, not only being uninterested in her, but being hostile against her. It's just like I just want to fucking rule you.

[02:08:19] [SPEAKER_02] Well, that makes sense. Right. He's a powerful older guy, especially if she means something to her parents. He's like a father figure. Right.

[02:08:25] [SPEAKER_04] He's probably been around long enough that right. It's like he represents something nostalgic and in that creepy way for her. Yes. Well, I mean, we're all just talking around like the word like daddy issues or whatever. But yeah, sure. For sure. She's like, um, she's so good. Now this is something that I've been like calling for Oscar. Yeah. Did she get critics award? She got the National Society and she got a BAFTA nom. This movie was weirdly loved by the BAFTAs. Interesting. It got like seven BAFTA noms. Nothing else. Okay. Best jokes, Rupert Pumpkin.

[02:08:55] [SPEAKER_04] No, it's like the whole cast got nominated. Like the BAFTA. I mean, maybe it's the Jerry Lewis effect. Yeah. Europe. But like, it was like best director, best actor De Niro, best supporting actor Lewis, like, you know, a one best screenplay and like zero Oscar noms. Right. Oh yeah. Cause it was a bomb. It was a big bomb. Yeah.

[02:09:11] [SPEAKER_02] The moment where she's holding the gun and she's like, can I, can I please have a second here? Like that was the, I mean, I thought she was good and had an incredible presence. Most of it, but that scene, I was like, holy fuck. That's incredible.

[02:09:25] [SPEAKER_07] She feels genuinely dangerous and it's fascinating because- Much more so than Rupert. That's the thing. And then 10 years into a career where you're like, I know what Robert De Niro movies deliver. I'm watching this guy who seems a little quiet and introverted, but he might explode at any moment. And in this, he never pops and she's the one popping and she won't fucking stop.

[02:09:43] [SPEAKER_05] Even when he first kidnaps Jerry and he gets out of the car, he drops the fucking gun.

[02:09:48] [SPEAKER_02] His look is incredible by the way. I try.

[02:09:50] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah. Like sort of, yeah, his dress down look. Yeah. I did immediately think I, this might be my Halloween costume this year.

[02:09:57] [SPEAKER_02] It will, people would be like, are you doing a shitty, uh, uh, Tony Clifton? Yeah. I mean so many, like the big glasses, it's like kind of Leo from, uh, one battle.

[02:10:05] [SPEAKER_07] And then the weird fedora, like everything about it is just so funny. And then the series of signs that he translates into being cue cards. That's what I was going to say.

[02:10:13] [SPEAKER_05] Don't walk around with a cue card that says I have a gun.

[02:10:15] [SPEAKER_07] I replicated one for the photo for this episode and I will throw it out. Good. I will walk into our closest place.

[02:10:24] [SPEAKER_05] I just want to protect you guys.

[02:10:25] [SPEAKER_02] Thank you. Did I tell you guys, did I tell you a story about like, cause I had a fake gun on Begonia. Oh yeah. And the difference between England cause we shot most of it in England. We shot the exteriors here, uh, that, so I had a fake gun and you know, I've gotten fake guns for shit. And usually they fought, they're like BB guns, whatever. This was a fully plastic gun. Right. And I, so I was like, Oh funny. And I just take it out of the gun. I start fucking pointing at people's heads. I'm like, I pointed to a PA said, I'm like, give me a fucking peanut butter jelly. I'm going to kill you.

[02:10:52] [SPEAKER_02] And the, the armorer was like, ah, he's like, Oh my God, what are you doing? And I was like, bro, it's a fucking plastic gun. And he's like, no, we cannot have that. It's like the gun safe. I guess this makes sense.

[02:11:04] [SPEAKER_03] But I feel like he's like my larger job to make sure that no one ever fucking does that. Whatever. Right. Like it's like rule number one. We don't pretend to shoot.

[02:11:18] [SPEAKER_07] The whole rust issue was being like, this is a fake gun. Why would I hesitate to pull the trigger? Well, also, isn't it like a hundred year old gun? No, I know. That was a perfect storm. But like those guys job is to be so intense about everything to correct for the one in eight million times that the worst fucking possible thing happened.

[02:11:37] [SPEAKER_02] It is funny. But he was just being a real Ben about the gun stuff. That's all I'm saying. Fucking whiner. Big Ben. The disciplinarian. Yeah.

[02:11:49] [SPEAKER_08] Big Ben.

[02:11:51] [SPEAKER_02] One last thing. Well, when he's getting kicked out, I want to I want to highlight how funny the shot of him running back and forth. Although when it's locked on the hallway door and you see room and then the camera file and he runs past the camera and it follows him to the fucking that was like, holy fuck. That's an incredible because the to go seamlessly from a hilarious slapstick like him running back and forth Looney Tunes bit to then doing I guess I don't know fucking they just follow him through. It was so fucking awesome.

[02:12:21] [SPEAKER_02] And just I mean, that was that was shot. That's another thing where it's like if that's the, you know, cinematographer, that's fucking awesome.

[02:12:27] [SPEAKER_07] It does feel like Scorsese, Hitchcock and Spielberg are like the three big Western. They actually know how to use camera moves to evoke emotions 100% of the time in a way that feels supernatural because it was like dread and tension and Spielberg. It's like, you know, wonder and awe and excitement. And Scorsese is the king of using camera moments to make you just feel really fucking weird. Totally.

[02:12:55] [SPEAKER_07] You know, just like, oh, what is this weird mood?

[02:12:58] [SPEAKER_02] Because it went from really funny to like now frantic, which is kind of probably what it you felt like what it would feel like if a fucking lunatic was running through your office. Like who the fuck is that kind of powdered blue tuxedo knocking over the Doritos? And then and then and then it becomes like, oh, wait, is this guy a fucking lunatic? Anyway, I just wanted to point out that one camera before we move into the move on to the like kidnapping portion.

[02:13:18] [SPEAKER_07] But yeah, basically, they they have this the phone call with the cue cards where he just negotiates that he's going to be the guy that the guest is going to be bumped that he's going to get his shot. And then he just leaves him with Sandra Bernhardt. And this is all like, let's see, they get into the back of the car over an hour into the move.

[02:13:40] [SPEAKER_04] It's like an hour 50 minute movie. It's not a long movie. It's one of his shortest.

[02:13:44] [SPEAKER_07] It's an hour. They get him in the car. They're on the phone like when he when Sandra Bernhardt is with him for the first time. It's an hour and 20 minutes. Okay, he's in the studio around the same time. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then the movie at this point is just like Sandra Bernhardt's going off and going off. He's all taped up and De Niro. Yeah. And his tape suit is so funny.

[02:14:04] [SPEAKER_02] Again, some just as pure slapstick cuts. There's so many funny cuts and like how he'd be like him mad is such a funny laugh.

[02:14:12] [SPEAKER_07] So much more tape than you think there would be. So much more tape than necessary. He looks like a full fucking mommy. Yeah. Hold on. Let me see.

[02:14:18] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. Anyway, sorry. I took a couple notes, but. Hey, we love notes. No. Anyway, you should have kept a cast. I just think you guard scene is so funny.

[02:14:25] [SPEAKER_04] I know you don't have a cast anywhere and then you could have written the notes on your cast.

[02:14:28] [SPEAKER_02] I should have. No, you're right.

[02:14:29] [SPEAKER_07] You know what? Speaking of open mics, I do want to call out my favorite weirdo open mic guy I ever saw. Like one of those like one time open mic wonders was a guy who looked like an IT guy in his 40s who said he had taken the Metro North in to do the show. He called it a show. It was a pure open mic. And his bit was that he was doing like his version of Letterman top 10 lists. It was like the top 10 websites on the Internet. Or I think it was top 100.

[02:14:59] [SPEAKER_07] Sure. And the bit was that he kept being like numbers 83 to 70. Porn.

[02:15:04] Okay.

[02:15:05] [SPEAKER_07] But but for some inexplicable reason, he's wearing like a shirt and tie and slacks. And he chose to pull his tie up and act like he was reading the notes off the back of his tie. I like there were no notes on the back of his tie. It's a choice. He had planned to bring a piece of paper with him. Didn't have it and was like, what makes the next? Oh, of course. Tie notes.

[02:15:28] [SPEAKER_02] And he just really wanted to nail the cue card.

[02:15:30] [SPEAKER_07] Truly like note card. But my buddy Sam Rogal and I just always talk about that guy where we're like, we genuinely laughed about as hard as that guy as we've ever laughed at any professional comedian.

[02:15:38] [SPEAKER_02] I mean, I remember one of the first open mics. This is how long I'm doing stand up was it was Hillary Clinton was running against Barack Obama. And there was an old guy. And we the thing that stays in my is just an old guy was doing fine. You know, not not bombing, not killing. And then he just like it was around the time of the Iowa caucus. He was just like, Hillary. Yeah, I'm sure they did really good at the cock ass. It was like, what are you saying? She got like, what are you even?

[02:16:07] [SPEAKER_02] But he said, yeah, Hillary did real well at the cock ass. And he just kept saying caucuses cock ass.

[02:16:13] [SPEAKER_07] Like, right. Is this pointed? Is there any commentary here? Do you just hear caucus on TV and think that's funny? It sounds like cock and ass.

[02:16:21] [SPEAKER_02] And that's where the joke begins and ends. There was he didn't even particularly seem like a guy who hates Hillary Clinton. Like he wasn't like a weird Republican, whatever it was. I think it was just pure right down the middle misogyny where it's like, oh, there's a woman running cock and ass. You know, maybe they fuck her in the ass, whatever. Never forgotten. Dude, I know exactly what that guy looks like. He's an old guy. He is like kind of that fucking brown gray hair aviators on his wearing a sweater. It's literally seared into my mind. Do you have one been like a classic open mic?

[02:16:50] [SPEAKER_05] I'm thinking of and I wonder if this is a guy that crossed either of your past. Do you remember Ron? He was an older guy. Oh, yeah. He had a pony ponytail. And his whole shtick. I'm so old already. He always went at the end of the show. Ron was an Eastfield guy, right? Yes. I remember him vividly. And I worked at the Creek briefly. He was always there. Yup, yup, yup, yup. And never saw Ron. He would be at every show. And yet, everyone was so annoyed with him because he was terrible that he was always last.

[02:17:18] [SPEAKER_05] And it would be like a fucking bucket show or whatever.

[02:17:22] [SPEAKER_02] And last in an open mic is like, last in a real show you're headlining. That's good. Last in an open mic is everyone's left. Yes.

[02:17:27] [SPEAKER_07] It also means like you're going on after three hours and Ron would act like he was headlining. Ron would take to the stage with the energy of here to close it out.

[02:17:34] [SPEAKER_05] But what I'm saying, it was a bucket show where it was randomly your name would get picked. Yeah. And yet he was always that last one, right?

[02:17:42] [SPEAKER_02] They would pick up Ron and be like, not Ron.

[02:17:44] [SPEAKER_07] They would tape a rock to Ron's slip in the bucket so that it would always be at the bottom.

[02:17:48] [SPEAKER_02] Look, those, those mics were always rigged. You know what I mean? Those mics were like fucking, you know. But then he would go up there. I had the votes. I had the votes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[02:17:56] [SPEAKER_05] He would go up there and just mostly do eating pussy jokes.

[02:18:00] [SPEAKER_03] Of course. Pretty good.

[02:18:02] [SPEAKER_05] Ron awoke.

[02:18:03] [SPEAKER_03] Sounds pretty good. A thoughtful lover. You fucking, uh. It's like this is a 55 year old man. Yeah. Uncle June thumbs up. Yeah.

[02:18:13] [SPEAKER_05] Yeah.

[02:18:14] [SPEAKER_03] And then he sees people sing him. He's like. No, no, no, no, no.

[02:18:18] [SPEAKER_04] Sorry. Uncle June eats box. Shout out to Ron, dude. That's awesome. Yeah, Ron. I just always think of when Ricky Gervais did his stupid special where he got to talk to his rock, CK and. And Seinfeld. I know what you're gonna say. And he brings up the guy who says sitting on a cock cause I'm gay. It's CK brings him up. Right. And Ricky Gervais is like, oh, that sucks. And the rest of them are like, nah, it's pretty funny. He's terrible when I think about it every day.

[02:18:39] [SPEAKER_07] He does the Otis Ray and like the Otis Redding and they get into the logic and they're just like the implication that he has to do it. Because he's gay.

[02:18:47] [SPEAKER_02] The wording of. Yeah. Sitting on a cock cause I'm gay. Awesome. Yeah. And by the way, I mean, listen, what is CK if not sitting on a cock cause I'm gay 1,000 times. Sitting on a cock cause I'm gay launched a million podcasts. I'll still slip into that. I am, you know, maybe, maybe they fucking went back and time traveled and watched me in an open mic. Yeah.

[02:19:07] [SPEAKER_03] You're gonna turn out to be the looper.

[02:19:12] [SPEAKER_04] Oh my God. All right. So they, they tie him up.

[02:19:15] [SPEAKER_07] They, uh, yeah, I don't know. No, it goes straight to basically right. Sandra Bernhardt driving him insane. And, uh, Rupert getting, getting ready. Tony Randall. Very funny. Yes. The guest host. Tony Randall kind of just like. Did I have to say that? Yeah.

[02:19:30] [SPEAKER_03] Doing exactly what he's supposed to do.

[02:19:32] [SPEAKER_07] He's really. And Scorsese giving him the, the jokes. Yeah. Um, I do. I mean, this is a classic talk about like it's sort of approach to street casting. This is a movie that has like four different end of special appearance by blank as themselves. Yeah. Yeah. In the opening credits, but you have Joyce brothers, you have, uh, Victor Borg. Uh, you have, uh, Tony Randall who's such a good, like sub in. Perfect.

[02:19:57] [SPEAKER_02] Um, and that guy that doesn't exist by the way. Like, yeah, these guys are just hosts on a bench. Yeah. It's just not a job that exists. No. Presenter host. Entertainment has just gone in such a different direction.

[02:20:07] [SPEAKER_07] And a guy like Tony Randall who's like not a comedian. He's an actor, but he's a very skilled comedic actor. He doesn't have like a standup act, but these guys know reliably. Mm-hmm. He's one of the best guests. Pros. If people drop out, always get Tony Randall on panel. And he can read a cue card. Like he'll, he'll fill in. It's fine. He doesn't want to do this, but he'll do it.

[02:20:26] [SPEAKER_05] There are presenters, but they're really now like on TikTok and YouTube.

[02:20:30] [SPEAKER_02] Well, yeah. I mean, I do think some of it is a, yes. TikTokers have become, which is a real bad thing. I mean, some of them are really good, but some of them are fucking dog shit at it. Um, uh, yes, I think that. And also like it becomes a, it's kind of seen now as like, all right, if you can't get into act, like I remember I was offered a couple, a couple things and my agent was like, we don't want people to think of you as a host. You know what I mean? And they're like, so now I think it's seen as a lower track.

[02:21:00] [SPEAKER_02] Sure. Whereas at the time, I think it was like, that's the job you want.

[02:21:03] [SPEAKER_04] Of course. Cause it's like you run the coolest club in the world. Right?

[02:21:07] [SPEAKER_02] Like it's like, yeah. And I would love to, I mean, when you guys were talking about the six week, like, I don't want to, these, these shows seem like a fucking nightmare. I don't, I don't ever want to be never ending, but I would love to do a week. That would be fucking awesome. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like that would be fun. I'm a little, well, I don't know if I should say this on mic.

[02:21:24] [SPEAKER_07] I don't know if it's a thing you can't talk about. Uh, but I'm a little surprised you haven't gotten the ass to do these types of things yet, but it feels like that's more about these jobs disappearing. No, no, no, no.

[02:21:34] [SPEAKER_02] I think it's just about them disappearing. Yeah. I mean, I would love to do them and like, yeah. Call Byron Allen. Call Byron.

[02:21:40] [SPEAKER_05] It's time to get unleashed. Wait, have you done Byron Allen?

[02:21:43] [SPEAKER_02] No, I think, I think, yeah. I don't know if I'm going to get unleashed yet. I'm scared to get fully unleashed. Right, right. Because this is me leashed. Lord knows what'll happen. If I'm fully unleashed on Byron Allen's comics unleashed, bro, you know, I'm a different guy.

[02:21:55] [SPEAKER_07] He might, it might be the first time he leashes a comic. He might go actually.

[02:21:59] [SPEAKER_02] Leash him up. He's talking about eating pussy in Israel too much. Oh God. No, I mean, but those jobs are just like, you do it more like for, it's so funny because I loved Seth, doing Seth Meyers was so awesome. And he's the man, he's, he's great at it. And it felt more like, whoa, this is, this is just like, it almost felt like fantasy camp. Like, whereas like, I would love to do those shows and it is an opportunity to be funny,

[02:22:28] [SPEAKER_02] but it's like, yeah, they just don't exist the way they used to.

[02:22:30] [SPEAKER_07] They're so strange now.

[02:22:31] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. And it is. We've, we're on the thing that replaced them. Like we're, we're talking on it right now. And now Seth has one of these.

[02:22:39] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure Colbert will soon announce that he has one of these or whatever.

[02:22:43] [SPEAKER_07] Our buddy Connor Ratliff said a year or two ago, he was like, I had the legitimate thought of which ends first, the tonight show or blank check. And I was like, Connor, the fuck are you talking about? And a year later, I was like, it might be a photo finish. Yeah. I'm not going anywhere.

[02:22:58] [SPEAKER_03] And I don't really get it with that.

[02:22:59] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. Yeah. Oh man. I had to like cover the last week of the late show. Cause the Atlantic cares. Right. And like, I was, I, you know, it's like, I, you know, I grew up with Stephen Colbert. I love Stephen Colbert. I don't watch the late show. You see a clip or whatever. No. Yeah. But so I had to kind of like dial back into it and he's kind of like peering into the past. It's weird. Like, you know, just like that format. It's not bad. No, like there's a lab for some good stuff. I think Seth is good. I don't know.

[02:23:26] [SPEAKER_07] When's the last time I watched a full episode of Seth Meyers? I don't. I watch good. But I watch a lot more.

[02:23:31] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. I mean, I watched Fallon every night.

[02:23:33] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah. Of course. Yeah. You don't watch that. They feed it. You don't watch Jimmy. They feed it into your veins. Yeah. Right. And then it comes out of your balls.

[02:23:44] [SPEAKER_02] But it was the weird thing of Colbert when he had that show. I remember being really excited cause I loved Colbert and I love the Colbert report. And I was like, oh, this guy is an interest. He's this. He's a, he's a, he's done an interesting show. There's some of the best satire. He's going to do something different. Right. And instead, no, he more fit to the old fashioned form. He kind of neutered, in my opinion, kind of neutered himself to the same problem that I think, I mean, they never let the Conan show fucking breathe for a second.

[02:24:10] [SPEAKER_02] But part of me is just like, I love, like, I want masturbating, like bring the masturbating bear to fucking 11, baby. You know what I'm saying? It's about time. They would have, I mean, Conan definitely would have figured it out.

[02:24:20] [SPEAKER_05] Conan was the best. For me, it was when Corden went.

[02:24:24] [SPEAKER_02] Right.

[02:24:24] [SPEAKER_04] I mean, we had to talk you off the ledge.

[02:24:26] [SPEAKER_05] That was when I was like, this is over.

[02:24:27] [SPEAKER_04] I mean, you were on the top of Blank Check headquarters going like, it's over. You were holding a big rock. You were going to jump.

[02:24:33] [SPEAKER_07] Ben, Corden was never going to last that long. He was always challenging the powers that be. Yeah, that's true.

[02:24:38] [SPEAKER_04] Right.

[02:24:39] [SPEAKER_02] He spoke too much truth on that show.

[02:24:41] [SPEAKER_07] He was so fucking wild.

[02:24:42] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. You couldn't put it, talk about somebody who couldn't be, who was unleashed. Talk about someone who didn't give a shit. Yeah.

[02:24:48] [SPEAKER_07] Who was just like, I'm doing what I think is funny and I don't care what anyone else

[02:24:52] [SPEAKER_02] thinks. I have no ulterior motives taking this job. It has nothing to do with trying to break into America. No, I'm not trying to book other gigs.

[02:25:00] [SPEAKER_07] I'm not just desperate to play a mouse in Girl Boss Cinderella.

[02:25:05] [SPEAKER_02] That's when, that's really when late night died. Oh, did he play the fat mouse? Gus is Gus?

[02:25:10] [SPEAKER_04] They changed the name, right? No, the funny, yeah, he's Gus. Yeah, he's Gus.

[02:25:14] [SPEAKER_02] Are you fucking kidding me?

[02:25:15] [SPEAKER_04] Don't worry, it was in Bad Girl Boss Cinderella. You'll get to play Gus. I want to play Gus, dude. You'll play Gus. In a better one.

[02:25:21] [SPEAKER_07] It's fine. They just announced a Wicked Stepsisters only movie. I bet you could be Gus Gus in that. Yeah, Akita is doing that. Yeah, Akita Schaefer's doing that.

[02:25:29] [SPEAKER_02] Oh, really? Yeah, you should look into that. Honestly, I'm going to try, dude. Who's got Gus? Gus, no joke. That fat little mouse was, again, I'll throw that into Roger Rabbit and Hercules. Hercules. That fat little mouse, so big for me.

[02:25:44] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. I love him. It's like how Emily Ishida talks about how Nia Nyum from Star Wars was Asian to her.

[02:25:50] [SPEAKER_03] Even though, obviously he's an alien. But she was like, there were just no Asian characters. So I was like, he is Asian. And she was empowered by it.

[02:25:58] [SPEAKER_04] She was like, I exist in this universe. It's fucking awesome. And you're just like, you see Gus and you're like, this is me. I fucking love this guy. Yeah.

[02:26:04] [SPEAKER_02] He's clearly my personality. My daughter loves Gus.

[02:26:06] [SPEAKER_04] That movie is, my daughter loves that movie so much. Really? The original? Oh, yeah. Is that her favorite of like the classics? I guess so. Because what are the others? Like Peter Pan. That was one I put on where it has like the woke Disney thing at the front where we're like, we're sorry about this movie. And you're like, oh, Jesus, who cares? Then you watch Peter Pan and you're like, damn. Racist as hell.

[02:26:26] [SPEAKER_02] The Native American shit's out of control.

[02:26:29] [SPEAKER_04] I see. But like, so she never really cared about that. What are the other classics? She's never seen like Pinocchio. Pinocchio Dumbo. Pinocchio Dumbo. I've never shown a Dumbo because that'll fuck her up. Snow White terrified her and she refuses to watch it.

[02:26:41] [SPEAKER_07] Bambi, you're not gonna show her. Which one? Bambi.

[02:26:45] [SPEAKER_03] Song of the South, I showed her that but I was like, this one- She loves it. Right, just absorb the information. Right. This one is news. This is school.

[02:26:53] You're right.

[02:26:54] [SPEAKER_03] Yeah.

[02:26:55] [SPEAKER_02] How fucked up would it be, dude? I like buy a bootleg VHS. She's just vibing with racist shit. She has no context for it. You're just like, what? Does my DNA contain a super racist? We've heard this before. It just makes sense. Such things should be.

[02:27:14] [SPEAKER_07] We've talked about this before, but like, it'll come up in the box office game that Song of the South was re-released in theaters in like 1989. Oh. Where we're like, they were keeping in circulation so much later. Brutal. By the time we're like growing up unconscious, they're like, we don't put this out on video. No. They never gave it that permanent. And yet, like they were showing Zippity Doodah all the time. Zippity Doodah never went away. The kids say they don't know what that's from.

[02:27:37] [SPEAKER_04] And they're like, don't worry.

[02:27:38] [SPEAKER_07] Don't matter.

[02:27:40] [SPEAKER_04] But we would see the scene.

[02:27:42] [SPEAKER_07] It would be like Uncle Reema's scene. No, I love Zippity Doodah. Yeah, of course. Everyone loves it. It's a big hit.

[02:27:46] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah.

[02:27:47] [SPEAKER_07] When Zippity Doodah comes in the club. The little birds. Yeah. Yeah.

[02:27:51] [SPEAKER_02] It's like a blue bird on his shoulder. It's back that ass up and Zippity Doodah. The two must get on the dance floors for. Zippity Doodah feet, Fat Joe.

[02:28:03] [SPEAKER_07] That's what the 90s were kids. I'm sorry. You might not like it, but.

[02:28:09] [SPEAKER_04] So, he does his monologue. Do we want it? We've talked about it already, but like do we. Yeah. Like I said.

[02:28:14] [SPEAKER_07] It's like an incredible sustained performance.

[02:28:15] [SPEAKER_04] I think it's incredible because it's right. It's just kind of funny and regular enough. Whereas that's one thing I don't like about Joker. Oh yeah. It's brutal. He just sucks. Yes. And you're just like, yeah, right. I got it. I got it. The Joker has to follow.

[02:28:32] [SPEAKER_02] My friend Samorel.

[02:28:33] [SPEAKER_07] Better than following the Joker. Yeah. That'd be tough to win the room back after Joker gets up.

[02:28:38] [SPEAKER_04] Right.

[02:28:38] [SPEAKER_05] Ben, what were you going to say? He performs in a way where you can tell he's practiced it in the mirror and taped himself and listened to himself a million times. It's kind of no perfect. Right. Yeah. Where it's so honed, but again, has never done it in front of anyone ever before.

[02:28:58] [SPEAKER_02] I will say like, yes, watching that. I mean, obviously we all know De Niro is the best, one of the best actors of all time, but. Being in movies. The way that he, and they said that he did that in one take too, which is incredible, right?

[02:29:11] [SPEAKER_07] Like there are no cuts in the sequence. It goes on. Yeah. Yeah.

[02:29:13] [SPEAKER_02] They did it. They filmed it like you film a real standup set. And the fact that yes, not only is he doing that, but his rhythm, he does this insane thing where his rhythm is just a little off from the audience, which is like what a guy who doesn't really know how perform, like you can nitpick, like, would this guy even be this good? You can nitpick like, oh, would they even be this nice to him? But in terms of like somebody performing real standup, then that's the best I've seen probably

[02:29:42] [SPEAKER_02] other than, you know, funny people. But that's so clearly a real standup show that they handle it a different way and that's done well, but they're really doing standup. He's acting like he's doing standup. And like, you know, again, before I rewatched it, I thought it was way more of a standup movie because I watched it when I was 19 when that's all I was thinking about. And I was planning to just sort of watch every standup movie. Like I was going to watch Punchline with Tom Hanks. I was going to watch Lenny.

[02:30:09] [SPEAKER_02] I was going to watch all this just to see how people did it, but ended up not really being that much of a standup movie. But, but I was shocked at how like, you know, no disrespect to fucking our boy, Will Arnett, who I thought that, I thought that movie was fun, but like, that's not what standups like. We discussed and everyone was happy with everything. I didn't, I didn't, I haven't listened. Sorry, but you should listen now. I will now that I've seen that movie.

[02:30:34] [SPEAKER_04] It's mostly Griff being like open mic doesn't work that way, which is fair.

[02:30:38] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah, it does not. That is a hard part with that movie. But I was able to, I've fucked with Cooper enough where I was able to suspend. I love Cooper. And there's some weird balls. Yeah, balls. He crushes his balls. Yeah.

[02:30:49] [SPEAKER_04] But anyway, what if Cooper's like, I'm bringing back balls.

[02:30:52] [SPEAKER_02] Give me the balls spinoff, bro. This is balls. Yeah, this is balls. I love that. What like this is for me? Are these balls on? I do think to your point. Tap a guy's nutsack a little bit. I think to your point. Are these balls on?

[02:31:05] [SPEAKER_07] It's very key that we see Jerry who's escaped. He's pulling the tape off his shoe. He's walking by the electronics store.

[02:31:12] [SPEAKER_02] Which by the way, I was watching that. I'm like, the whole scene. I'm like, this is crazy. This woman's lunatic. Then she just takes her clothes off. I'm like, I think I'd probably fuck her if I was Jerry. She raises some interesting points. I think I probably would. You could be like-

[02:31:25] [SPEAKER_04] I don't have a sense of Jerry's sexuality either. No. He's probably divorced like 10 times. Yeah.

[02:31:30] [SPEAKER_02] He's just so over it at this point.

[02:31:32] [SPEAKER_04] Yes. I mean, that's the thing about Carson though, is like, he'd always get divorced for infidelity. And you're like, so Carson was fucking? Yeah. For sure. He's a drunk pussy hound.

[02:31:41] [SPEAKER_07] Right. But also he was like emotionally distant. Right. It felt like Carson was in a series of anomalisas where the second he actually got to know someone- They just turned into a blank person to him. Right. He couldn't talk to them anymore. Yeah.

[02:31:51] [SPEAKER_02] No, but I think at that moment it's like, come on. Yeah. He's gonna be like, why don't you cut a hole in the tape? Whatever you do from here, that's up to you.

[02:32:00] [SPEAKER_07] But hey, cut a hole in the tape. Maybe cut the nipples out as well. No, you see him walking by the electronics store. He's pulling the tape off his shoe and there's the grid of TVs. And like, notably the sound is off. He can't hear it. And he's just seeing it. And they cut to Jerry Lewis and the amount of contempt on his face. Yes. And it's not just this guy fucking kidnapped me. You can see that what he's angry about is if the sound is off, he looks like a real comedian. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[02:32:29] [SPEAKER_07] He's actually practiced his moves so much that he looks right in front of that curtain. He's got the right gestures. And it's just him seething at what is the very end of the routine, which you don't get to hear. It's the first time you cut out of the unbroken take of just De Niro doing it all straight to camera. It's pan across the electronics store, cut to Jerry walking by, he sees it, and it looks like he wants to punch through the fucking window. And he hates that. He can kind of see what the movie is about to reveal when it cuts ahead.

[02:32:59] [SPEAKER_07] He becomes this weird kind of folk hero. It's sort of like, it actually doesn't matter what he's saying. It doesn't matter whether or not this is funny. He looks kind of right on camera. A moment has been created that has some kind of stickiness to it. And Jerry knows TV enough to know that's happening and be like, fucking shit.

[02:33:16] [SPEAKER_02] And what does that say about everything he's poured his fucking life into? Yes. He's the reason he's fucking alone in this beautiful apartment is this thing that a fucking lunatic could fake. Exactly. Was his life a fucking waste?

[02:33:28] [SPEAKER_07] He understands how to do something that is so delicate and so ephemeral and so rare that that justifies his life. Yeah. And this guy could commit crimes. He could do 85% of it. Right. And people are rooting for him in a way. No one's saying, hey, Rupert, go get cancer.

[02:33:42] [SPEAKER_05] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. And this is what's so scary about the era of going viral. People now commit crimes on social media to get clout. Yes. It is so like actually normal now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's just an everyday thing that you hear about. It's a type of guy you can be. Yeah, yeah. No, it's really fucking scary how prescient this film is. Totally. It is right this very moment.

[02:34:07] [SPEAKER_07] This is that era where Scorsese keeps making these movies where people are like, is this socially irresponsible? To be right. And 10 years later, everyone's like, man, dude nailed it with that one. Yeah. He was giving us a warning shot. Totally. He was not creating anything. He was commenting on a thing he saw and none of us knew how bad it was going to get.

[02:34:25] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. Another nice thing about the walkout too is like just some extra filmmaking. There's so much tension where you're like, you don't know when it is and you don't, they recorded it, but are they going to air it? But part of you is like, oh fuck, is he going to? Because now they've tricked you into rooting for Rupert. Right. Now you're like, fuck, I want this to go on there. Even though I, again, I misremembered so much shit from the movie for the first time I saw it that I'm like, oh wait, does he, does it actually never air or whatever? You know what I mean? Like, is it ambiguous if it happened? Right. Right.

[02:34:54] [SPEAKER_02] Is it one of those, it's like the taxi driver.

[02:34:56] [SPEAKER_04] It's taxi driver-esque of him being, but like, no, you kind of want this. It feels real.

[02:35:00] [SPEAKER_02] I think more stuff is fake earlier in the film. Oh, yes. But this one's real. Yeah.

[02:35:05] [SPEAKER_07] That's how I feel. He's clearly hallucinating. The People magazine cover being the very private world of Rupert Pumpkin is so funny where they're sort of admitting like, well, now the public's fascinated by him, but what is there? There's no guy here. You know, what are you going to say? He stays at home and talks to cardboard Liza? Yeah. He just wants to live in the TV. It's a very private world that Rupert lives in.

[02:35:27] [SPEAKER_02] Ma! He's so, yeah, he's so fucking awesome.

[02:35:30] [SPEAKER_07] But then, yeah, it works. He gets to...

[02:35:32] [SPEAKER_04] That just always is funny.

[02:35:34] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah.

[02:35:34] [SPEAKER_04] To me, things that are always funny. Someone throws something by mistake and then you hear a cat make a noise. That's always funny. Yeah, that's really good. Or like plates smashing. A clatter and then a cat? Yeah. Dynamite. Someone's like doing something really serious and then the mom's like, hey, do you want

[02:35:49] [SPEAKER_03] anything? Shut up, mom!

[02:35:50] [SPEAKER_02] Always funny.

[02:35:51] [SPEAKER_04] That's just always going to make me laugh.

[02:35:53] [SPEAKER_02] Come on. Come on. I'm hitting the nuts.

[02:35:55] [SPEAKER_07] The nuts! I was going to say, I won't get into specifics, but there was a project I worked on in which there was a producer who fancied himself an expert in comedy who had no background in comedy and was a blowhard and he would constantly come in and pitch. Can't we get a little person in here to punch the lead actor in the nuts?

[02:36:11] [SPEAKER_02] Hold on a second. He just kept being there's nothing funnier in the world. You're the director in the show and you're like, let us talk. The guy has an awesome idea.

[02:36:17] [SPEAKER_07] Big guy. Big guy. In the frame. Little person walks in. He doesn't even have to lower his fist. It's eye level.

[02:36:25] [SPEAKER_03] Yeah, I understand. Nothing funnier in the world than that.

[02:36:28] [SPEAKER_07] You know what? I don't know, man.

[02:36:31] [SPEAKER_04] This is what I'm saying about the clubs coming back. Yeah, yeah. Where I'm like, we're kind of just getting back there.

[02:36:36] [SPEAKER_07] If they announce tomorrow Eddie Murphy to return for Sherman.

[02:36:41] [SPEAKER_04] Uh, yeah. Sure. Sign me up. Or Clumps Legacy or whatever it's called. But the problem is it would be like, it's a prime original. You're like, yes. Yeah. And now he's gonna film the whole thing like in his car. He's just not gonna care.

[02:36:53] [SPEAKER_07] I mean, Eddie is obviously one of my favorite movie stars of all time. He's the best. Yeah. I now end up only watching his movies on airplanes and just going like, literally, what do we have to do to get him to make a movie for theaters again? Do we have to like pull a Rupert pumpkin on Eddie Murphy and be like, dude, it's okay to like wait and pick a good script. Well, do you think for him it was like as soon as he didn't win for Dreamgirls, he's

[02:37:13] [SPEAKER_02] like, all right, fuck this.

[02:37:14] [SPEAKER_07] I think that fucked him up. And then, you know, he kind of soft retires for close to 10 years there. He really pulls back. And then Dolomite, I think he wanted the same kind of like second wave. Which is a good movie, but it wasn't. But it wasn't. It wasn't incredible. It wasn't incredible. It wasn't incredible in it.

[02:37:30] [SPEAKER_04] It wasn't incredible in it. What's the, you know. The lifetime achievement. Right. Right. Uncut gems.

[02:37:33] [SPEAKER_07] And I think what happened was he didn't get the Oscar nomination and Netflix rolled out the fucking red carpet for him and he was like, this streaming shit's great. I had fucking 10 years of Hollywood loving to make fun of my movies bombing. Now none of this shit matters. And he's just done like three Netflix movies, three Hulu movies, three Amazon movies. Yeah. It's just that he does.

[02:37:53] [SPEAKER_02] Tough stuff. He's the man.

[02:37:55] [SPEAKER_07] I'm with you.

[02:37:56] [SPEAKER_02] I do want, I think he still has one. I think he still has a basketball. He just needs to try.

[02:38:02] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah. Even that documentary, which felt like half ass.

[02:38:05] [SPEAKER_04] It's just like, we suck Eddie Murphy's dick for two hours. The documentary was still like him talking.

[02:38:09] [SPEAKER_07] It's just interesting. What it was clearly meant to be was there were all those stories that Netflix had made a big deal for him to come back to stand up. And the documentary starts in 2019 around the time of Dolomite coming out. So he was going to do a stand up. And it's him prepping to do stand up. And then the pandemic hits and he's like, I don't feel it anymore. And they keep filming him thinking that he'll get the bug and he doesn't. And then they were like, let's just cut this into a thing about how everyone's like, it'd be cool if Eddie ever did stand up again.

[02:38:35] [SPEAKER_02] That's so fucking tough.

[02:38:36] [SPEAKER_07] But there are interview clips in that where you're just like, this is the most charismatic performer. He's incredibly good. He can turn it on in a millisecond and he's fast.

[02:38:44] [SPEAKER_02] I would love if you work with like a fucking like a real deal director.

[02:38:47] [SPEAKER_07] That's the shit you want to see. He and Spike Lee are always like tempting us with the like, there was the Marion Barry one that got floated. Holy fuck, that would be incredible. Would have been unbelievable.

[02:38:57] [SPEAKER_02] Holy fuck, that's an awesome movie. I mean, it would be very interesting. Would break culture? I would be incredible, bro. It'd be incredible. With the scene where he's fucking, they elect him after he smoked crack, after he gets out of jail for crack. Yeah.

[02:39:08] [SPEAKER_07] He's still alive. Marion Barry, I think he passed away.

[02:39:10] [SPEAKER_04] Did he lose? Did we lose Marion? Yeah, he left us. RIP. RIP to you, Marion. All right. This film, like I said, tested horribly, was released February 18th, 1983. Not a release date that shows a lot of confidence. Day before my birthday. That's true.

[02:39:25] [SPEAKER_02] Week before my birthday. Hey!

[02:39:27] [SPEAKER_04] Made about 2.5.

[02:39:30] [SPEAKER_02] There we go.

[02:39:31] [SPEAKER_04] Okay. A couple of Pisces. Yeah, baby.

[02:39:34] [SPEAKER_07] I'm technically a cusp. I dip a toe in that Aquarius pool. The water's fine, brother. Come on in.

[02:39:43] [SPEAKER_04] Oh, right. Yeah, you're an Aquarius. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Gross 2.5 million on a budget of 19. So big flop. Damn. Scorsese's like, I think it might be De Niro's best performance. He's incredible. I, you know, and Zerriman's basically like, I think people just didn't know whether or not they should laugh. It's not a comforting movie. Like it's not giving you kind of like the sort of cues you might need if you're like feeling kind of confused by it. I think the movie rocks.

[02:40:14] [SPEAKER_04] Like, you know, that's great. It's so incredible.

[02:40:16] [SPEAKER_02] I mean, it's so trite to say ahead of its time, but it's like a movie like this right now. This, I mean, look, this is what people, people would just call this a straight up comedy. Now they wouldn't, they wouldn't, they wouldn't fucking, you know, say, oh, it's which genre is it? This is, and to me it is, there's some fucking hilarious part. This is a comedy to me. Um, and yet fully, fully ahead of its time.

[02:40:40] [SPEAKER_04] Um, it then goes to Cam in that sort of classic way of like, you know, it's already come out in America, but back then. The reputation. Yeah. Uh, Sergio Leone takes him backstage and is like, it's your most mature film. Scorsese's like, I don't actually even know if that meant he liked it, but I sort of just took the compliment anyway. That's a classic.

[02:40:58] [SPEAKER_02] You looked great up there, man. Yeah. When you didn't like your boy's performance, like, bro, that is your most mature movie.

[02:41:04] [SPEAKER_04] Uh, Brando really liked it and like invited De Niro out to the island. Yes. And you know, the Moreau Island, the island.

[02:41:16] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah.

[02:41:17] [SPEAKER_04] Oh, fuck. And Marty went with him and he was like, I figured he wanted to talk about some project or whatever. We got there. We were there for five days. He never showed up.

[02:41:29] [SPEAKER_08] What? Perfect.

[02:41:30] [SPEAKER_02] That's awesome.

[02:41:31] [SPEAKER_04] And Marty's like, I fucking hate, you know, like I'm an urban person. I did not want to be on vacation. Like I didn't want to be on the beach. Uh, and you know, at some point, like, you know, someone's like, I don't know if you walk around, you might find him. And then after five days, he finally shows up or something. And, uh, yeah, I don't know. That's just a hilarious story. That's fucking hilarious. Steven Trask, the guy who wrote Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the show, at one point tried

[02:42:00] [SPEAKER_04] to turn this into like a Broadway or off-Broadway show. He wrote the music.

[02:42:04] [SPEAKER_02] I think that would work.

[02:42:05] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah. Yeah. I think that would really work. I agree with that. He wrote the lyrics. Right. Uh, yeah, you know, didn't happen. And, uh, I feel like you said, it's like everyone sort of thinks of it fondly.

[02:42:19] [SPEAKER_07] It's become, I feel like the cool favorite Scorsese pick. It's the very kind of like the one you don't know. It's the one if you don't want to pick the obvious one. You think so? You know which one is actually my favorite? I think After Hours is that.

[02:42:30] [SPEAKER_04] After Hours has been that a little bit.

[02:42:31] [SPEAKER_02] I think After Hours is rising more now. Oh yeah. I think that's After Hours. I think King of Comedy still, like, look, I love the movie. I wouldn't say it's my fucking, that's insane. No, it's not my favorite. It's your favorite. Yeah. But it's a fucking incredible movie. One thing I was just thinking about. Yeah. You know what I'd love to see? What? I would love to see De Niro from Copland yell at De Niro from King of Comedy. They have similar looks. You blew it! Like they've used it. You blew it! It looks like his older brother. It's like his older brother yelling at him. I would love to see that. That would be fucking awesome.

[02:43:01] [SPEAKER_02] That's his, like, gold wash.

[02:43:03] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah. Color of money movie. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a mashup sequel of Copland and King of Comedy.

[02:43:08] [SPEAKER_02] Absolutely. Where he plays both characters. He's de-aged, plays young Rupert Pumpkin. The Pumpkins.

[02:43:14] [SPEAKER_07] Oh, that's good. Let's play the box office game, I guess. Please. Okay, so this opens to number one.

[02:43:19] [SPEAKER_02] You guys don't have any other thoughts? Come on. You know, Ben, anything? No, I'm kidding. Comedy great. So glad it's legal again.

[02:43:25] [SPEAKER_05] Oh yeah, we're at... Clocking about 2.40. That's it? Should we go on a tangent? That's 2.40.

[02:43:29] [SPEAKER_02] We can get to three. Come on, let's... We'll do it with the box office game. Number one at the box office, David.

[02:43:34] [SPEAKER_04] It is a big hit of 1982. I mean, that makes sense because it's February 1983. So, you know, we got holdovers. Comedy. Gigantic, gigantic fucking hit. It's not...

[02:43:47] [SPEAKER_07] Ghostbusters. It's a Tootsie? No, Tootsie. It's Tootsie.

[02:43:50] [SPEAKER_04] It's Tootsie. Been out for three months at this point or whatever. We've talked about Tootsie plenty in the box office game and maybe one day we'll do Sidney Pollard. Maybe there's a lot of boring ass movies. A lot of boring... Really? He's got a lot of boring ones in there. Tracy Letts could do like half of them. He could. And maybe we take off.

[02:44:07] [SPEAKER_03] Yeah, you know what? Tracy, you do it.

[02:44:09] [SPEAKER_04] I'm not saying he likes boring movies. It's just like the 70s and 80s. It's just his milieu. How about that? Yeah. Number two, another comedy. Action comedy. Just, you know, a foundation... We were just talking about the star. It's 80... 48 Hours. 48 Hours. You had it. Just like the foundational buddy comedy. It is. It is the one. Yeah, but you know, people are gonna hate this.

[02:44:31] [SPEAKER_02] Does not... I don't think it holds up.

[02:44:33] [SPEAKER_07] See, I love it and I think... I like it. There's four awesome scenes. I like the Eddie stuff.

[02:44:37] [SPEAKER_02] Everyone thinks the scene in the bar. Yes, that scene's incredible. Yeah. And that's the scene that shows us what Eddie can do. Obviously, as he comes out of this, it makes so much sense and there's bang. But it's like, I rewatched it being like, ooh, ooh, ooh, can't wait.

[02:44:49] [SPEAKER_07] See, this is why I'm surprised you don't like him more. Because I think it's gotten an unbelievable premise. It's great premise. I remember watching it for the first time and realizing what the movie was actually about. Not just, oh, a cop clears a criminal for 48 hours to help him solve a case. The movie's about, this guy now has to accompany a cop everywhere, but he's got 48 hours to get laid. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the fact that every scene ends with Nolte being like, let's get out of here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And Murphy's like, I was a minute away from sealing the deal.

[02:45:17] [SPEAKER_02] And by the way, if Nolte... It's funny to me every time. It's awesome. Yeah, yeah. If he's a real bro, he lets him get sucked off quick so that he can then focus on the crime.

[02:45:24] [SPEAKER_06] I got no time for fellatio.

[02:45:26] [SPEAKER_02] And that's just bad leadership on Nolte's part, if I'm being honest. I got a crime to come in. I got to solve the crime, not let you get brain.

[02:45:36] Number brain.

[02:45:37] [SPEAKER_02] You promise him one on the back end too. You let him smash immediately and you prompt like, once we catch the guy, you get the fuck twice.

[02:45:43] [SPEAKER_08] Right, once the factory trade's over.

[02:45:46] [SPEAKER_04] Number three, the box office is a crazy fucking movie that I own on DVD. Okay. On DVD or Blu-ray? Blu-ray. Okay. Blu-ray or 4K? I think I have a blue. You want me to check my database? Yeah, I'm just curious what level of commitment you have to this movie.

[02:46:03] [SPEAKER_02] I was going to start a database for the bus DVDs. Hell yes. It's gotten unruly. You should do a letterbox list. Yeah.

[02:46:08] [SPEAKER_07] That's what you should do because you should let other people lock into the canon. That's true. Yeah, that's a good point.

[02:46:13] [SPEAKER_04] Um, just to check, I'm pretty sure it's a Blu-ray, but that's probably because that's the highest level. Okay. Yeah, it's a Blu-ray.

[02:46:19] [SPEAKER_07] It's Durant. You own it on Blu-ray.

[02:46:20] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah, I bought it when I was doing my Haunted House series that I curated myself. Okay. This is actually a Haunted Person movie.

[02:46:27] [SPEAKER_07] Is this an 83 or an 82 Holdover? 82 Holdover. Haunted Person.

[02:46:31] [SPEAKER_04] Oh no, you know what? It's an 83 release in America. It's an 83.

[02:46:36] [SPEAKER_07] Uh, it's a foreign film.

[02:46:38] [SPEAKER_04] No, no, no, no. It's a really trashy American movie. It's got a really compelling female lead performance that's very good, but it's like a movie that is incredibly like nasty and uncomfortable.

[02:46:52] [SPEAKER_07] And thus... It's not like Demonoid, is it?

[02:46:54] [SPEAKER_04] I don't know.

[02:46:55] [SPEAKER_07] That's a big video archives movie. Yeah. Okay, so it's a possessed woman movie? Sort of.

[02:47:01] [SPEAKER_04] It's a woman being... That's a good movie. It's a great movie. Attacked by like a poltergeist.

[02:47:07] [SPEAKER_07] It's a woman being... Poltergeist? It's not a poltergeist. It's not like deadly...

[02:47:12] [SPEAKER_04] Words you've said? Not Deadly Friends. No.

[02:47:15] [SPEAKER_07] That's... A woman attacked by computer?

[02:47:17] [SPEAKER_04] Deadly Friend is a boy has a robot and then puts the robot into his dead friend's brain and she throws basketballs through people's heads. Oh, cool. Really normal movie. All right, I'm gonna... All right, I'll tell you the stars of this movie and this is... You know that you know movies definitely not gonna be trashy with these stars. Barbara Hershey and Ron Silver. They're great by the way. It's a good movie. Is it a one word title? Two words. I'll tell ya. It's the entity. Oh, sure. It's the movie where Barbara Hershey is being raped by a poltergeist. Holy shit. That's tough stuff. Exactly. And it's...

[02:47:46] [SPEAKER_04] The thing about it is it's actually good. Okay. The movie is actually about how no one believes her.

[02:47:51] [SPEAKER_06] Oh, Jean-Luc Godard directed it?

[02:47:53] [SPEAKER_04] I'm gonna second... The director of Superman for... Okay. ...but other better movies too. Yeah, yeah. Um... But, yeah. No, it's about how no one believes her and Hershey is really good. and Ron Silver is like the one guy who believes or he's like a weird, you know, ghost detective doctor guy or whatever. But it's a fucked up insane movie. It's kind of like Hollow Man. I mean, I like Hollow Man. That's what I'm saying. This is kind of like interesting but also it's so nasty and maybe doesn't quite have his hands around all the

[02:48:23] [SPEAKER_04] difficult topic matter here.

[02:48:25] [SPEAKER_07] But it's not uninteresting. They should let Verhoeven finish his dark universe today. They should let 80-year-old dark Verhoeven monster universe. All of the monsters are sexual predators. Is that what he wanted to do? No, I'm just saying it should have happened. He did one. He did what if Invisible Man was really, really horny. Gotcha. Which I would argue is part of the larger, you were talking about Wolf earlier, but the Sony Hot Monsters Who Fuck, which was an unofficial franchise that starts with Bram Stoker's Dracula, goes to

[02:48:55] [SPEAKER_07] Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, but then just goes modern, horny Wolf and Hollow Man. And they never got to Creature. That's sort of what I guess Del Toro's correcting with Shape of Water.

[02:49:08] [SPEAKER_02] With everything he's ever made. Yes. I mean, What if the monster fuck? Shout out to him, dude. It's awesome to just be like, what if a fucked up looking guy got pussy? Every movie is that. When you're a fat guy who makes movies. But maybe he's handsome from a certain point of view. But she considers him actually more handsome than regular guys. Respect, bro. Like I said, that's why I started doing stand-up. So you could be casting

[02:49:34] [SPEAKER_04] Guillermo. I think you and Guillermo would get along. Absolutely. I want to make that happen. I fucking love that guy. Matt was Matt.

[02:49:40] [SPEAKER_02] You like building model kits? I didn't know he lives in fucking Toronto, apparently.

[02:49:43] [SPEAKER_04] Oh, because he does a lot of time.

[02:49:45] [SPEAKER_02] Production. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

[02:49:47] [SPEAKER_04] Okay, that was number four? That was number three. Number four is the Best Picture winner of 1982. So that would have been Gandhi? Yep.

[02:49:54] [SPEAKER_02] That's correct. Oh, yeah. Get an Indian guy. Apply a little layer to him, though, still. I love how they still were like, let's hit Kingsley with a little spray tan. A little. Just a little. Let's hit him with a little bronzer. Which is a funny move to be like, look, he is Indian.

[02:50:08] [SPEAKER_07] Right. But we're gonna give him

[02:50:10] [SPEAKER_02] a little spritz. People aren't gonna be happy

[02:50:13] [SPEAKER_07] unless he really looks like a cartoon character.

[02:50:15] [SPEAKER_02] It's not fucking what's-his-face playing Genghis Khan, but it's still, you know, pretty funny. That is so insane that John Wayne did that movie. It's awesome that in between being like, we shouldn't do this, they're like, why don't we just get a guy who technically is, but fucking really amp it up a little bit. Turn up the dial. That was Hollywood being woke. That was Hollywood being woke back then,

[02:50:34] [SPEAKER_04] where they were like, relax, we didn't. You know, hire fucking John Wayne. So relax.

[02:50:39] [SPEAKER_07] But we brought out a bunch of crayons.

[02:50:42] [SPEAKER_04] Number five is a movie with the same title as a CBS TV show in the 2000s. It is a drama about a missing kid. It is basically like Eton Pat's the movie. Like, it's not about Eton Pat's exactly. Who's the boy who was, who disappeared in New York in the 70s.

[02:51:00] [SPEAKER_06] It's the same title as a CBS. Like when I was a kid,

[02:51:02] [SPEAKER_04] like my family was basically like Eton Pat's and Eric Clapton's kid. They were like, no, don't talk to strangers and hold my hand on the street and don't you walk out of any windows like on any tall buildings. Like those are the two kid stories that were like burned into my parents' brains. 2000s or 2010s? 2000s or... 2000s. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like a procedural? CSI Miami. Yeah. The movie's called CSI Miami. No, it was a CBS procedural about missing persons. Oh, missing... What was it called?

[02:51:32] [SPEAKER_04] Oh, three years. It ran for years. Without a Trace? Without a Trace. Without a Trace. And that is this movie, Stanley R. Jaffe's Without a Trace. Okay. Who, it stars Kate Nelligan and Judd Hirsch. I think it's, I don't know. I mean, one of these movies where you're like, who the fuck would want to see this? What is this about? This kid's missing. I'm Judd Hirsch,

[02:51:50] [SPEAKER_06] the kid's missing.

[02:51:52] [SPEAKER_07] Where's that kid at?

[02:51:53] [SPEAKER_04] We gotta find him. He sounds not that

[02:51:55] [SPEAKER_07] stressed out, I'll say.

[02:51:56] [SPEAKER_02] I'm a little suspicious.

[02:51:59] [SPEAKER_07] That's his attitude though. It's just always lightly stressed out. It is true. Where's my cab? I wanna drive my cab.

[02:52:03] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah, no matter if it's like life or death or he's just like, you know, on the way to meet a friend for lunch. He has the same vibe.

[02:52:09] [SPEAKER_04] I'm never fully calm but I'm never too stressed out. I mean, it's just the part of Independence Day where he goes, John Lennon, nice guy, someone shot him. And I just wanted someone else to be like,

[02:52:17] what the fuck?

[02:52:18] [SPEAKER_04] Who is this fucking guy? I know.

[02:52:20] [SPEAKER_03] There are aliens. Yeah.

[02:52:21] [SPEAKER_07] Why is he here? Also, Hirsch is like 15 days older than Goldblum and they're like, look at this ancient old Jewish. Yeah, yeah. He's like seven years

[02:52:30] [SPEAKER_03] or something. They give him like a silver tan spray on the hair.

[02:52:33] [SPEAKER_04] Aliens in this economy? Yeah. That movie, it's just the Roland Emmerich thing where he's like, I love America. Yeah. There's an old Jewish man. Gotta get it. Yeah. He has the wisdom.

[02:52:43] [SPEAKER_07] It's my favorite thing. I was, I gotta tell you, talking about ordering discs, my finger was hovering over that 2012 4K UHD the other night. I was like, do I need this on the shelf and is there a steal is what I was asking myself.

[02:52:56] [SPEAKER_02] I'm with you. That's a, that's a, such a foundational, that's now that's a bus movie to its core. That's a bus movie. Hell. Oh, we actually did watch it on the bus this, this, this go around. Banger.

[02:53:06] [SPEAKER_07] Banger. When you talk about like 90s Grisham being like drugs to you, that's like any Roland Emmerich movie where humanity has to band together to defeat a thing. They do band together.

[02:53:17] [SPEAKER_02] What else? Give me the other ones. Day After Tomorrow I rewatched recently

[02:53:20] [SPEAKER_07] slapped so hard. Maybe best American film of all time. Rewatch Godzilla also recently bought the 4K steelbook. Kind of fun. All of them are half the worst film I've ever seen.

[02:53:30] [SPEAKER_04] Half the best movie I've ever seen. Godzilla's got enough stuff that I can never quite dismiss it. Here's what we know.

[02:53:36] [SPEAKER_06] He's 8, a thousand feet tall. He breathes fire. He's got electric scales and he's pregnant.

[02:53:44] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah, maybe it's not the best. Godzilla is a mama. All I remember is the P. Diddy Kashmir song. Oh yeah.

[02:53:52] [SPEAKER_03] That's all I remember from Godfather. That was track one on the fucking... Or I'm sorry,

[02:53:55] [SPEAKER_02] Godfather from... Yeah, I'm like, Godfather.

[02:54:00] [SPEAKER_05] Come with me. I got the real life shit from front to back. Right? Keep going? Where... I can't remember the rest. I don't know. That also has the wallflowers...

[02:54:10] [SPEAKER_02] the part. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know who... That's what seared into my memory because I never saw the movie as a kid but they played the video all the time. And he's standing in the middle of Times Square

[02:54:18] [SPEAKER_07] inviting Godzilla to come face him. He's wearing a big white shirt face to face to Godzilla. Godzilla leans down to make eye contact with Puffy. He was...

[02:54:28] [SPEAKER_04] The whole thing with Puff Daddy was like, even as a kid, I was like, he's not a good rapper. No, he's actually speaking once every 45 seconds. I know, but even as a kid, I knew that. You can tell, yeah.

[02:54:37] [SPEAKER_02] That is true.

[02:54:38] [SPEAKER_04] It was partly that also, as a kid, I'm just fucking watching MTV and I do get to see Busta Rhymes or whatever.

[02:54:44] [SPEAKER_02] Quite a good rapper. Biggie, anytime... Biggie's incredible. Anytime, yeah, Puffy was on any track, it was like, these lines have clearly been written for him. But you know. But meanwhile,

[02:54:57] [SPEAKER_07] CJ Khaled, his ears are burning and he's going like, wait a second, what if I did this but said less? What if I did this with less effort? Which were respectable somehow.

[02:55:05] [SPEAKER_04] Yeah, yeah. But like, Busta Rhymes, it just felt like somebody had snuck on to MTV. Those things are insane. Those videos are insane. All right. So that's the top five. Number six is Sophie's Choice. Number seven, you know, good.

[02:55:18] [SPEAKER_07] I don't know,

[02:55:19] [SPEAKER_04] whatever. Roland Emmerich directed that one too. Yeah, sure. Number seven is The Verdict, actually incredible. One of the best.

[02:55:24] [SPEAKER_02] Oh, manger and a half, bro.

[02:55:26] [SPEAKER_04] Number eight is Let's Spend the Night Together, which is the Stones concert movie like of, that's directed by Hal Ashby. Oh. Of like kind of their 80s, you know, kind of getting it all together. I don't know. Number nine is E.T., which has obviously just been out for like six months. Quite successful. And number 10 is The Dark Crystal. A Griffin movie. Ooh, I love The Dark Crystal. Quite a Griffin movie.

[02:55:47] [SPEAKER_07] We will hopefully cover someday on this podcast. Yeah, sure. I'll take that.

[02:55:51] [SPEAKER_04] I can do it one day. Yeah. Like I said, I'm going to string up a hammock. Yeah. I'll just take a big old nap. Once in a while, I'll be like, I like the puppets.

[02:56:00] [SPEAKER_02] You got to be engaged. You got to be locked in. David Bowie, just the most clearly pedophiles ever played.

[02:56:07] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah, that's Labyrinth. But that character, I mean, that is a movie about Dark Crystal is a really complicated one with all puppets. That's a fucking good one, dude. It's beautiful.

[02:56:16] [SPEAKER_02] That's a great movie. The Skeksis?

[02:56:18] Yeah.

[02:56:18] [SPEAKER_02] I like that one.

[02:56:19] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah.

[02:56:20] [SPEAKER_02] Right. It's got like people puppets. Yeah.

[02:56:22] [SPEAKER_04] Kind of. I know they're like aliens, but they have like faces. They have faces. Yeah, but there's no human beings in the whole movie. No, but I'm saying like, no, I'm saying the puppets kind of look a little more like people and say. They're like Brian Crouch fairy people. Yeah. Rather than like, they're fucking monsters and muppets. You know what the fuck you're saying, Griffin.

[02:56:38] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah, I don't know what I'm saying. Stop being obtuse, you little fuck. If that's how you're reacting to me, then like, you just might not want me talking on those episodes.

[02:56:45] [SPEAKER_03] Okay,

[02:56:45] [SPEAKER_06] never mind. I'm chill. Say anything you want.

[02:56:50] [SPEAKER_03] I'm light. actually what that is, is right. It's like John Fuck, the famous puppet designer. And I'm like,

[02:56:56] [SPEAKER_02] who cares?

[02:56:56] [SPEAKER_07] You've got to show respect to Agra.

[02:56:58] [SPEAKER_02] Oh man, this motherfucker's going to have like an hour on the toys from that shit. Well, it was mostly a canceled toy line. They didn't put it out in stores. Maybe we'll just have a bed.

[02:57:07] [SPEAKER_03] They were reproduced in the 2010s. Forget a hammock, just a full bed. Four poster bed with like netting, you know, so I could just like withdraw. I collected them,

[02:57:14] [SPEAKER_07] but it was quite expensive. It was hard. It was a hard collection, a hard set to pull together.

[02:57:19] [SPEAKER_02] Any King of Comedy action figures?

[02:57:20] [SPEAKER_07] No. You know what? I bought, I think I put it next to the Blu-ray player. I found what I think is the only Scorsese action figure that exists, which is a Rupert Pumpkin. Fuck yes. Done as if there was like, a Travis Bickle. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Yes, it's a Travis Bickle, but done as if it was like a 70s Star Wars style.

[02:57:38] [SPEAKER_04] They never made like, I don't know, the Hugo toy or something.

[02:57:41] [SPEAKER_07] I don't know. They're like Goodfellas Funko Pops now that look like dog shit.

[02:57:45] [SPEAKER_04] Who's this for? Me.

[02:57:48] Mm-hmm.

[02:57:49] [SPEAKER_07] And who else? Collectors.

[02:57:51] [SPEAKER_03] Fans of cinema. You're saying like commercially who is this for? The answer is who fucking knows.

[02:57:56] [SPEAKER_07] American cinema. Yeah. Yeah.

[02:57:58] [SPEAKER_04] All right.

[02:58:00] [SPEAKER_02] Stavi. Yes. Thank you, boys. You got a show. I have. It's often on Netflix at some point. Yeah. Yeah. My special. I mean, Tony's been out. Tony will be in theaters now. Tony is in theaters right now. Tires is out.

[02:58:11] [SPEAKER_04] Tires season two.

[02:58:12] [SPEAKER_02] Season three. Three. Tires is out. And now, and I'm pretty sure, by now I have at least announced when the special, sorry everybody, I broke my arm. My special was supposed to come out in July. I broke my arm. Now I'm doing the special in July. You're doing it Sully style. You should have done it in July. Exactly.

[02:58:28] Yeah. Yeah.

[02:58:29] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. Yeah. And now I'm fucking, uh, you're picking up the piece and I'm at some point. I think I have a Netflix special either now or hopefully within two weeks. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Uncle Stav. Check it out. Oh yeah. Actually. It's a great hour. Thank you, man. You did. Yes.

[02:58:44] [SPEAKER_04] I appreciate you guys coming out to see it. And just, I, we already talked about this privately, but just for the, for the pod, Ben Daris, who you worked with on Tony. The man. Is that cool.

[02:58:52] [SPEAKER_02] He's so much, he's even better than you think he's going to be. Important. He's not a dick. He was the nicest mother. He was nice as shit. Talked to everybody, like hung out with everybody. We all had fucking luck. Cause he's playing kind of an aloof guy in the movie. So he could be aloof. Yeah, no, he's the man. He's so fucking cool. And like truly a theater nerd, like being that much of a piece of ass who doesn't need to do anything to have an awesome life. He, he's like, obviously, you know, he,

[02:59:21] [SPEAKER_02] it's helped how good looking he was helped him, but it's like, he's so about the crap. Like this motherfucker, like he went to like, um, a seminar on making clothes for like theater and like made his own clothes for, he has a, in Spain, he has his, what he does when he's off time. He has a theater. I know. That he does theater at in Malaga where he like, he's from, he just brought a theater there. And just because he likes live theater and his hometown, he was the fucking man. He was so fucking cool.

[02:59:48] [SPEAKER_07] Is this like potentially his color of money moment?

[02:59:50] [SPEAKER_04] Dude, I think he rocks in the movie so hard. I want him to get like, you know, obviously he's been Oscar nominated,

[02:59:55] [SPEAKER_07] but it took a while. And then there was that sort of like, have we been underappreciating him for so long?

[03:00:00] [SPEAKER_04] Obviously it's a small movie. Like it's going, it's, it's a small scale story, blah, blah, blah. Like I have no idea how it'll go over. I hope it does well. But like he rocks, obviously.

[03:00:08] [SPEAKER_02] Well now I don't know what you're talking about. You know, it's September. It's, it's number, it's been number one at the box. right,

[03:00:13] [SPEAKER_04] right, right.

[03:00:14] [SPEAKER_02] It went on an obsession. It's doing Michael numbers.

[03:00:18] [SPEAKER_04] Everyone's bringing like lobster claws to the screening.

[03:00:21] [SPEAKER_02] Matt's dad helped him direct it.

[03:00:26] [SPEAKER_03] That was the funniest thing to me. I was like, oh yeah, well this movie was ghost directed. I'm like, oh yeah, the DGA, they love it when other people direct movies. Famously so chill about that. Yeah, they love that. People are such fucking haters,

[03:00:38] [SPEAKER_02] man. Get off these kids' dicks,

[03:00:40] [SPEAKER_07] bro. They truly are haters. I'm also like, I think that movie is good and is very well directed and will be hyper topical by the time this episode comes out.

[03:00:47] [SPEAKER_02] Well now,

[03:00:48] [SPEAKER_04] they're also saying it about the back rooms as well,

[03:00:50] [SPEAKER_07] which I'm sure has been a huge hit by now. But that movie absolutely feels like it was made by a 26 year old. I think that's a lot of its value. In a good way. In a cool way. You never see movies directed by 26 year olds who just are good at the technical side of it.

[03:01:02] [SPEAKER_04] Griffin, I think the corpse of Irvin Kershner ghost right there. I don't even know what people think is happening. Yeah.

[03:01:08] [SPEAKER_02] I just, I honestly think there is a moment right now where a lot of people in our generation, we got our asses fucked truly. This is true. Like a lot of people had no. The cock ass. Like cock ass. Yes. Like the Iowa caucuses. But like, it's a tough generation to like, you know, nine 11. It's tough out there. Right into like recession as soon as you're out of college.

[03:01:29] [SPEAKER_07] My mom apologized to me once. She was like, I really kind of botched the timing of having you, didn't I? I mean, you sort of gotten all of it at the business end.

[03:01:37] [SPEAKER_02] We, we, we, we're the few that kind of, we're on the life raft.

[03:01:40] [SPEAKER_07] We somehow.

[03:01:41] [SPEAKER_02] The podcasting life raft off the Titanic of being a fucking millennial. Yes. Uh, but I think a lot of people who are like, you know, who we got the rug pulled out from under us, what we thought. And then these kids never grew up thinking traditional success was an option. So they did their own shit. And I think there's a lot of fucking haters who are like, uh, a 22 year old can't do a 20. You can't do this. I'm 40 and a fucking loser. How did a 20 year old do this shit? I think that's a lot of it.

[03:02:09] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah. Also a lot of it too, it was like, these fucking kids like had to spend like high school and college over zoom. Right.

[03:02:15] [SPEAKER_02] Right. Right. Yeah. And got like blender. Cause he didn't, cause he couldn't see his fucking friends. We took away everything.

[03:02:21] [SPEAKER_04] I interviewed him. That's literally what happened. Yeah. I mean, and when in the interview, he said that, yeah. So when my first year of high school was COVID and I immediately, of course, then you kill yourself. And now we're actually podcasting with the ghost of David. But then my, right. My ghost appeared. It was like, Oh, that's interesting. By the way, keep talking. But it's like,

[03:02:38] [SPEAKER_07] how did they get so good? So young. It's like, I don't know, society collapsed and the technology was readily available. What do you mean? Yeah.

[03:02:44] [SPEAKER_02] I'm excited for this shit. I like to, I think it's a good, it's awesome. It's like, we should more old motherfuckers should, I love, it's like the new Hollywood. We finally replicated it where it's like,

[03:02:54] [SPEAKER_07] the inmates are taking over the asylum. People have learned how to make this shit outside of the normal systems. And now the studios are just giving them money and saying, we don't know. Yeah.

[03:03:02] [SPEAKER_02] We don't get why this is working,

[03:03:03] [SPEAKER_07] but go do it. Christ. We needed this.

[03:03:06] [SPEAKER_02] Let them give us five. Let them give a lot of different people, 5 million bucks to make a movie. That I would love to see that.

[03:03:11] [SPEAKER_04] That's the big note on this episode. It's another three hour episode. Hell yeah. I live in hell. It's great.

[03:03:17] [SPEAKER_02] We're letting you off easy. Although I guess with ads, you guys are, it's, you guys are, yeah. I mean, David's very lucky. This is not casino. This is, I could have honestly done, I literally would have done any, I think I would have done any movie, but I think I would have.

[03:03:30] [SPEAKER_07] You said you were very open and we just immediately felt like, it makes perfect sense knowing that, that you were busy. It was like, this was the right time to slot it in. And it was great. You, you said, I'm glad you texted us and said, I'm glad that what will certainly be the peak moment of my fame is cresting with you guys covering my favorite directors. So that we, I can convince you guys to have me on the show. And we were like, we're glad that us covering the biggest directors is cresting with your

[03:03:58] [SPEAKER_07] interest so that we can book you.

[03:04:00] [SPEAKER_02] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[03:04:01] [SPEAKER_07] We both feel like somehow we've tricked the other.

[03:04:03] [SPEAKER_02] I just love, dude, I truly love, like I never get to talk about movies in a, don't be funny necessarily first and foremost way. Not with elders. No. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We talk about all the time, but I just, I fucking love doing movie podcasts. Cause I, this is what I have sort of, you know, obviously stand up as I'll never stop doing it. But the last, the last like five years of my life, I've really thought very, I'm starting to think very deeply about movies and it's, I have a blast talking about them. I will do, if people fall out,

[03:04:32] [SPEAKER_02] I'll do every score say this could be, it could be a half-stabby series. With Griffin, David and Stavros as far as I'm concerned during Scorsese. That sounds great. It sounds great. It's a good backup. You could be the guest host. You could be the Gary Shandling, the Leno.

[03:04:46] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah.

[03:04:47] [SPEAKER_02] How fucked with, like if Dave, if there's an emergency and David can't be here, it's just an eight hour episode. Don't give him the idea.

[03:04:53] [SPEAKER_07] Don't give him the idea. Thank you for being here. Thank you all for listening. Please remember to rate, review, subscribe. Next up in Scorsese is after hours. After hours. Can't fucking wait.

[03:05:03] [SPEAKER_02] My favorite. It's really fucking good, man.

[03:05:05] [SPEAKER_05] And as always, well, wait, we should shout out our Patreon. Okay. Right now, uh, we are in the midst of doing Resident Evil. Mm-hmm. We're doing the Resident Evil movies. And just a day after this drops, we will be releasing it, uh, uh, Resident Evil afterlife. Ah, yes. The afterlife. It's a great one.

[03:05:28] [SPEAKER_07] Um, so sign up for that. Uh, obviously covering a lot of Scorsese stuff over on Patreon as well. The docs. Patreon.com. look at this.

[03:05:35] [SPEAKER_02] I actually ignored a call from Martin Scorsese. I was supposed to be on the other end of a phone call with for the movie. Wow. Interesting. So this, this, this, this is how much I respect the podcast. I am harming my career. Yeah. Yeah. They were filming a scene. I mean, look, they should have fucking told me earlier. They should have. Then 10 minutes before.

[03:05:56] [SPEAKER_07] Don't they know it may be cut this?

[03:05:57] [SPEAKER_08] Yeah.

[03:05:59] [SPEAKER_07] Yeah. we will cut that or bleep it out and keep in the laugh because the laugh was good. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, and as always, I think we can all agree. Rupert Pumpkin was this close to getting. It was this close, man. Just hit a couple of mics,

[03:06:30] [SPEAKER_05] Rupert. This show is mixed and edited by AJ McKeon and Alan Smithy. Research by JJ Birch. Our theme song is by Lane Montgomery and the Great American Novel with additional music by Alex Mitchell. Artwork by Joe Bowen, Ollie Moss, and Pat Reynolds. Our production assistant is Minnick. Special thanks to David Cho, Jordan Fish, and Nate Patterson for their production help. Head over to blankcheckpod.com for links to all of the real nerdy shit. Join our Patreon, Blank Check Special Features,

[03:06:59] [SPEAKER_05] for exclusive franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us on social at blankcheckpod. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Checkbook, on Substack. This podcast is created and produced by Blank Check Productions.