Ready Player One(2018) - A Race Against Reality

Marc: 00:00:00

The second her hand touches that, I love you.

Paul: 00:00:03

Yeah.

Yeah, that was it.

Darren: 00:00:04

We've all been there.

But you know, I'm just who I am and you've got to take me as I come.

It's like, no, you're kind of using that as a reason to be a dick.

That's different.

Marc: 00:00:25

Hello and welcome to Movies in a Nutshell with me, Mark Farquhar, myself, Darren.

Paul: 00:00:29

Horn, and I, Paul Day.

Marc: 00:00:30

Here's why you should tune in every week.

Darren: 00:00:32

We help you make better movie choices on films you haven't seen with quick spoiler free breakdowns to help you decide if they're your kind of movie.

Paul: 00:00:39

And we help you get more from the movies you have seen with things you missed and details you probably didn't know us.

Marc: 00:00:44

Plus, there's movie facts, trivia and behind the scenes stories.

Paul: 00:00:47

There's also your chance to choose the movie.

Marc: 00:00:49

So grab some popcorn and let's crack open this week's movie.

Okay.

Welcome back to the show this week.

Ready?

Player one.

Chosen by Mr. Paul Day.

Darren: 00:00:59

Excellent choice, Paul.

Well done.

I hope it holds up to my memory.

Marc: 00:01:03

Oh, no.

Darren: 00:01:04

If it doesn't, I will castrate you.

Marc: 00:01:06

And part one is the nutshell where we try and break this down for you in a simple terms without spoiling it.

So why did you choose this?

Paul: 00:01:12

I chose it because you said it's blockbuster month.

Marc: 00:01:15

I do remember this being everywhere when it came out.

Paul: 00:01:16

Well, I had about 10 choices in my head, as I often do when it comes to choosing it.

And I'm like, I don't want to let Darren down.

Darren: 00:01:22

You said it's about that, well, caring.

Marc: 00:01:25

About what people think, Max.

Paul: 00:01:27

Like it's blockbuster month and I still couldn't decide.

And then it was something you said, Darren, in the last episode where we, we ended up on a rabbit hole of like, oh, that was it.

We were on about rid Scott's worlds colliding like always.

Alien part of this world and is that world part of that world?

And then you said, I throw in Batman and throw in someone else and all of a sudden it was like, let's do Ready player one.

Because that is the ultimate pop culture.

Marc: 00:01:50

Spielberg.

Paul: 00:01:51

And it's Spielberg.

Marc: 00:01:52

He is Mr. Blockbuster sometimes.

Paul: 00:01:54

And I remember really enjoying this one.

I think I saw it twice at the cinema.

I enjoyed it that much.

Marc: 00:01:58

Wow.

I thought: 2018

Darren: 00:02:00

Yeah, I bet it was good at the cinema.

Paul: 00:02:02

Did you not see in the cinema?

Darren: 00:02:03

I don't think so.

Marc: 00:02:04

I saw it lockdown.

It was, you know, it was like everything you've got, you've got loads of time.

Paul: 00:02:08

Watch all these.

Marc: 00:02:08

I was like, okay, why not?

Paul: 00:02:10

Yeah, no, it's good in the cinema.

As you'd imagine, with all the kind of effects and stuff.

Marc: 00:02:13

It's a visual movie.

So we are in the nutshell.

Let's break this down.

What's the basic premise of this movie?

Paul: 00:02:18

I think I've got one for you.

Marc: 00:02:19

Oh, here he goes.

Paul: 00:02:20

But I have a feeling I saw.

Marc: 00:02:21

It on the back of the quick announcement as well.

Paul.

Dave has actually gone digital.

He hasn't.

He's sacked off the notepad.

Darren: 00:02:28

He's.

Marc: 00:02:28

He's got notes on his phone for this week.

Paul: 00:02:30

It might be one week only.

I'll see how this goes.

Marc: 00:02:32

Okay.

Paul: 00:02:33

If I'm fumbling for notes, you know.

Yeah, yeah.

So this is my meats, which I feel I stole off the back of the novel because it was in my head, which is like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets the Matrix.

Darren: 00:02:44

I saw someone else say Charlie in the Chocolate Factory and I was like, is it?

Paul: 00:02:48

Come on.

I will give you golden ticket.

Darren: 00:02:50

The Goonies meet Speed Racer.

Paul: 00:02:53

Nice.

Okay, overall, that is good.

Marc: 00:02:57

Well, let's start with that then.

Any of the movies it could be.

It has influences or can be compared to that you can think of.

Darren: 00:03:02

I think it's mainly those two.

It's.

It's plucky.

The teenagers join forces.

So kind of Goonies esque.

Paul: 00:03:08

I guess I'm gonna say hook, maybe.

Yeah, maybe because you kind of.

You're pulled into another world.

It's the plucky kids against the kind of.

Marc: 00:03:15

What is the genre of this?

What's it described as?

Science fiction, Adventure.

I saw someone.

I saw.

I saw written down.

I'm not saying I think that's what it's been described.

What would you.

What say you.

Darren: 00:03:27

I think it's just a.

Like a family adventure action story.

It's a Spielberg kind of classic, I guess.

Marc: 00:03:33

Is fantasy not a word that would be applied to this?

Paul: 00:03:35

It could be.

Darren: 00:03:36

I think it depends on what you mean by fantasy.

I think for me, fantasy tends to be sword and sorcery.

Marc: 00:03:43

Otherworldly, like a virtual world, I think.

Paul: 00:03:46

I think for a normie in inverted commas, you'd probably think of it more of a sci fi, wouldn't you?

Even though it's not sci fi per se.

Is it sci fi, I mean, or is it futuristic?

Futuristic?

Darren: 00:03:57

Well, my guy tends to be for sci fi.

Does it make you think about life, the universe and everything and.

I don't think this movie did, but it did make me think about our culture and our society.

Marc: 00:04:07

What is that?

What's the genre?

What's that?

How could we quantify that?

I like it when movies do do that.

Darren: 00:04:12

I think it's the same genre as Goonies.

It's just set a little bit in the future.

It's Goonies in the Future.

Paul: 00:04:18

Yeah.

Goonies vs Speed Racer was a good.

Darren: 00:04:20

Call, but instead of One Eyed Willie, it's James Halliday.

Marc: 00:04:24

There you go.

Paul: 00:04:25

Yeah, I'm seeing the comparisons more and more.

Marc: 00:04:27

Yeah.

Paul: 00:04:28

So we haven't said what it is in a show.

So we're in the future.

2045, Something like that.

Marc: 00:04:34

Yeah.

Paul: 00:04:35

Everyone's the.

The real world, so.

Crap.

Everyone's online.

Does this sound familiar?

Darren: 00:04:40

I know, right?

Except that online is now virtual reality.

And every single thing you can imagine is possible.

Paul: 00:04:46

Yes.

Darren: 00:04:48

So you're basically God.

You can do anything, be anyone, look.

Paul: 00:04:52

Anywhere you like, have anything into this program that say.

We would call it the Internet, they call it the Oasis and they plug into it.

Marc: 00:05:00

I mean, we've kind of got it now where like most people, kids spend all their time playing on games online.

But this is.

This, this is depicts, like everybody.

Adults, they're all just playing games.

Escape.

They're escaping their reality in a.

In a virtual world.

Darren: 00:05:12

Yeah, but reality sucks.

Yeah.

It's not just kids.

I play games all the time.

Paul: 00:05:16

I remember going swimming the other day and all the guys sat around the pool were angles, like different groups of them sat around and they were all just sat together in groups.

But then on the phones.

Darren: 00:05:27

Yeah, I would literally in breaks, I'll go back into my class and there might be four students, like waiting.

And it would just be on the phone, sat there looking down, and they're not happy, they're looking down, sad.

And I've told them this.

I've said, firstly, you know, that phone is.

Whatever you're looking at isn't making you happy.

And also looking down psychologically makes your thoughts tend to go more negative.

And if you look up, if you're going on a walk, always look up slightly because your thoughts will be more positive.

Marc: 00:05:50

And 15 years ago, they'd have been such a. Yeah, I was gonna say 10 years ago.

But even that's not long enough.

Paul: 00:05:55

No, no, it's very sad.

I just remember swimming past, thinking there's not one group, like chatting with each other and enjoying each other.

Darren: 00:06:02

I know, which is sad.

But also, you know, our parents are the same.

They'd be on the train just reading a newspaper, not talking to each other.

Marc: 00:06:10

Or reading a Book?

Paul: 00:06:11

I guess so, but maybe not to the same extent.

Marc: 00:06:13

So I don't know if this is classed as a spoiler, but the person who created this virtual world, which is called Oasis, Oasis, then dies and he sets a challenge for the people who are left.

For everyone who plays the.

Whoever is involved in the.

Paul: 00:06:24

It's a slight spoiler, but it happens in the first five minutes, so we'll let go.

Marc: 00:06:28

Yeah.

Darren: 00:06:28

So it's like wish fulfillment for geeks because it.

Then the puzzles are based on Halliday's passions and it's just like Paul and I merged together.

It's just.

It really is: 1980

Like, do you know what city or what state breakfast club was set in and what high school?

Marc: 00:06:47

There's lots of, like, retro, like, pop culture littered through this film.

So if you're ill, like, oh, so in our 40s, like, you'll be like, oh, there's that, there's that.

Darren: 00:06:54

They even mention Akira at one point, which we've got an episode on.

Paul: 00:06:57

You do.

Darren: 00:06:57

And Jurassic park kind of.

Paul: 00:07:00

You'll have heard us talk about Easter eggs before if you've heard this is littered with them.

This is littered with Easter eggs.

Marc: 00:07:05

It's got Easter eggs inside of Easter eggs, this one.

Paul: 00:07:07

But in the sense that the.

The story is about finding the Easter egg as well.

It's just one big Easter egg, really.

Marc: 00:07:13

But it focuses on these specific characters in.

Within that.

Within Their journey, the adventure.

So it's.

Paul: 00:07:17

And it's based off a book.

So for the people who sometimes like to read the book before they watch the film, there's a book out there.

I have read the book.

Darren: 00:07:24

Me too.

Yeah, I got it for Christmas.

Marc: 00:07:26

And it wasn't that long before the film was.

It was like: 2021

Yeah.

Paul: 00:07:30

Not long before.

Darren: 00:07:30

And someone said, oh, you like this?

It's got lots of references to stuff you like.

And I freaking loved it.

Marc: 00:07:35

So you both read the book before the movie came out?

Paul: 00:07:38

Yeah, no, I think I read the book after the movie.

Marc: 00:07:42

Oh.

Paul: 00:07:43

I think I read it after the movie.

So I hadn't heard of it.

My readings, legendary for sometimes taking me.

Marc: 00:07:48

Forever, suffer because they can't fit everything that was in the book because of time.

Darren: 00:07:51

Well, of course they're going to suffer, but they've just got to realize that they're a different entity.

You can't do a movie of a book.

You can do a movie inspired by a book.

Marc: 00:07:58

But you love the book.

Darren: 00:07:59

I loved it.

Yeah.

Marc: 00:08:00

We'll find out later if you enjoy the film.

Yeah, yeah.

Paul: 00:08:02

Because I can see why he made the changes that they made to make it more cinematic.

Marc: 00:08:06

Cinematic changes, yeah.

Darren: 00:08:07

Also, I'm sure the author was down maybe as a producer, but maybe as like a co writer.

Paul: 00:08:13

Yeah, I think he's screenwriter on it.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Marc: 00:08:16

That makes sense to get the writer in to sort of.

You want to keep their vision, but you want to like one of your vision if you're a director.

Paul: 00:08:22

Because he's written a sequel book that I haven't read because I enjoyed the first one.

Darren: 00:08:24

I've also heard it's not as good.

Marc: 00:08:27

They're gonna.

They're gonna make a movie.

What did you miss?

But they're gonna make a movie.

Ready, player two?

They are.

Okay.

Yeah.

Paul: 00:08:33

They're doing.

Marc: 00:08:33

It's in pre production.

No, it's not.

I think he's involved.

I think he's only a producer.

Paul: 00:08:39

Okay.

So, interestingly, because the.

The author, Ernest.

Ernest Klein.

Yeah, yeah.

He said it's kind of got two different prongs now because, like Darren said, the different entities.

So what happens in the sequel of the book is gonna differ from the sequel of the film just because some of the stuff does change a little bit.

But I can see exactly why Spielberg did the things he did to make it into the movie.

Marc: 00:09:02

It's a book.

Paul: 00:09:03

If you want to read that first.

I kind of don't think it matters which way you do it because you did it one way, I did it the other.

And I don't think it matters so much.

Marc: 00:09:10

Weirdly, some films this had bits of.

Reminded me of Wreck It Ralph and Tron Legacy.

Darren: 00:09:16

Yeah.

Marc: 00:09:16

Just bit parts of it obviously littered with other stuff.

Darren: 00:09:19

It's another one of those movies which, like Akira and Blade Runner should be playing in the background in a nightclub.

Marc: 00:09:25

I could see that.

Yeah.

Darren: 00:09:27

Because just for the visuals, it's just lush.

Marc: 00:09:29

Okay, thank you, gentlemen.

Let's move on to part two of the unboxing.

From this point forward, there will be spoilers as we move on.

So if you haven't seen it and you've decided that you think you should go and see it, then we recommend you do so before we continue, because there's going to be some spoilers.

So what did you miss?

As usual, I'm probably gonna go to Mr. Horn.

Darren: 00:09:48

I always hate it when it's this type of movie because I could easily probably just spend an hour listing all these directs, but I just think Easter eggs are a bullshit thing to me.

Marc: 00:09:56

Yeah, but we're expecting to go deeper than that.

Darren: 00:09:58

Oh, God.

Expectation Jesus.

Paul: 00:10:01

Well, this is an Easter eggy sort of film, isn't it?

Darren: 00:10:03

I know it is.

Marc: 00:10:04

I want to expect.

We only expect that because that's what you've done in the past.

Darren: 00:10:06

Yeah, I know.

I.

One thing I'm throwing back to you, and I meant to check this, but I don't know.

So one is.

It's really hard to talk about this without giving spoilers.

Paul: 00:10:17

No, we're okay now.

We're spoilers on.

All right.

Darren: 00:10:19

It's fine.

It's really easy to talk about this while giving spoilers.

Paul: 00:10:24

Oh, no.

He just spat his coffee.

Marc: 00:10:26

Right.

Darren: 00:10:29

So I don't like this thing where you cast, like a pretty girl and then you give her a tiny birthmark and then she's like, oh, I'm hideous.

It's like, it's bullshit and it really upsets me.

And what is that saying to kids with birthmarks?

Like, it's not even.

Marc: 00:10:45

They couldn't think of anything better to make them different.

Darren: 00:10:47

I've literally never met a guy who's been like, birthmark.

I could never.

Marc: 00:10:51

I know.

Darren: 00:10:52

Not a thing.

It's like freckles or something.

Just.

Anyway.

But the thing you may have missed, and I haven't checked it is I don't think her avatar has the birthmark.

But later on in the game, she.

In the film, she does.

Oh.

Paul: 00:11:05

So I think that the acceptance in the real world.

Yeah.

Darren: 00:11:10

Being like, hey, no, I'm not disappointed in meeting you.

I mean, you have to say that,.

Paul: 00:11:15

Don't you?

Assume.

Marc: 00:11:16

What passive.

Paul: 00:11:17

I was thinking and.

Darren: 00:11:18

But yeah.

So I'm curious.

I like, maybe if anyone else has watched it, like, let me know.

But I.

If that is true, that was a nice subtle nod to her being more.

But also I don't like the fact that she's now comfortable in her body because a boy said it was okay.

Paul: 00:11:33

It's in the book, though, isn't it?

I'm sure the birthmark is in the book as well.

Darren: 00:11:35

Yeah.

Paul: 00:11:36

Remember rightly?

Darren: 00:11:37

I'm sure it's.

I don't know if it was bigger than the book.

Paul: 00:11:40

In your head, maybe.

Marc: 00:11:41

Yeah.

Paul: 00:11:42

When you were reading it, who knows.

Marc: 00:11:44

If anyone did not.

Did you.

Are you saying you did see that or you're not sure?

Darren: 00:11:47

No, I meant to rewind and go back to it, but I thought about it like, near in the movie and then by the end of the move, I'd forgotten I was going to rewind it.

Marc: 00:11:53

I'm sure if someone Mega fan isn't this can tell us.

Paul: 00:11:56

They'll let us know There is a lot of.

A lot of narrative kind of given to you very quickly in the film in a very Spielberg way in the first bit of it all.

Yeah, it uses the voiceover.

Yeah.

It uses all the visuals of kind of montaging and getting through time, but that's quite a clever way of getting through world building of the book.

Darren: 00:12:17

Yeah, it was nice pacing as well.

Paul: 00:12:19

Yeah.

Because it kind of does zap along.

Because in the book.

This is what I was going to say.

So I was talking.

We're in spoiler zone.

So I can give a bit more away now and see if I've remembered this right, Darren, from last time I read it.

So if I remember rightly, in the book, it's not quite as simple as all this.

Three keys to get to the thing.

They have to get the keys and then they have to find the gates.

So there's quests for the keys and there's quests for the gates and there's about five keys.

Darren: 00:12:44

But they also.

They're on not just different planets, different solar systems, aren't they?

Yeah, there's a lot more traveling and.

Paul: 00:12:50

Some of the quests are things like they have to recreate war games.

So they have to.

They.

They get zapped into Matthew Broderick's character in War Games and they have to deliver the lines to War Games within.

Marc: 00:13:04

The one where the young lad hacks into the military.

Paul: 00:13:07

So you're thinking to yourself, yeah, this is quite cool to read because it's from his point of view in his head, and he's talking about, oh, God, I remember this scene in the arcade and what I've got to say.

But if you put that in movie form, it's just war games.

So you can see why they said, you know what, let's have a massive car chase with every car we can get.

Yeah, possible on the thing and have things moving and blowing up.

And, you know, because there's other bits from the book directly, like the DeLorean with the knight Rider thing and probably Akira's bike and stuff like that.

And then there's.

Probably had fun with like throwing the old Batmobile in there, see if people like that.

And putting King Kong and Godzilla and things.

So, yeah, there is these differences, but that was the main difference I remember from the books.

I read it for a while, where.

Where it's just.

There's more complexity around.

Marc: 00:13:51

Whereas this.

This probably didn't have.

The movie, didn't have time to.

Have to simplify, probably for time as a visual thing that makes more sense.

Paul: 00:13:58

There's three magical keys.

And every time you get a key, that's the next clue.

Clue, key.

You know, it kind of breaks the film into a beginning, middle and end structure almost as well.

So it kind of takes away from that bit in the book where it's like, okay, so I've got the key, now I need to get the gate.

And the gate's another challenge.

And in the book, there's so much.

You'll remember this, Darren.

The pop culture in the book is ridiculous, which is a nerd fest, which the film is.

But in the book, it's very much.

It just keeps going.

It's like in Battlestar Galactica.

Darren: 00:14:25

And it's like throwaway lines where it's not got nothing to do with the quest, like within.

It's not characters even doing a thing in the story.

Just in the background.

Marc: 00:14:32

Yeah, yeah.

Talking about the movie references in pop culture.

Then we'll go through if we've got any that you've noticed.

Obviously, the main ones are obvious, like the Back to the Future.

Because of the car.

Paul: 00:14:41

Yeah.

Marc: 00:14:41

Ferris Bueller's Day off.

The.

Is it.

What is it?

Ax.

The guy's workshop.

The guy has a big workshop.

Most of this smaller, lesser known ones are in his workshop in the background.

So there's the.

Well, you mentioned Monty Python's Holy Grail.

That's the Holy.

There.

The Holy Hand Grenade.

Darren: 00:14:58

Yeah, the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.

Marc: 00:15:00

Yes.

Yeah.

Zemeckis Cube.

Yeah.

But some people might not have.

Paul: 00:15:06

So Robert Zemeckis directed Back to the Future.

Marc: 00:15:09

He wrote it as well.

Paul: 00:15:10

Yeah, that's the Zemeckis Cube.

Zemecki's Cube.

And this is the deep cut.

You'll notice this.

So the person who did the music is Alan Silvestra, who did the music on Back to the Future.

So you'll notice at certain times there's lots of little nods to Back to Future score musical cues.

Marc: 00:15:28

Did you notice the DeLorean was also had the Knight Rider.

Oh, yeah.

Across the front.

Paul: 00:15:33

That was in the book as well.

Marc: 00:15:36

I was like, that's different.

Where do I know that from?

I was like, knight Rider.

Darren: 00:15:39

That's the Iron Giant.

There's like something about Mary Hair at some point.

Marc: 00:15:43

The Eagle 5 Winnebago from Spaceballs was in his workshop.

Paul: 00:15:46

Nice.

I saw the Serenity Ship from Firefly also.

Darren: 00:15:50

Is anyone pissed off that Artemis didn't offer to pay for fixing up the bike?

Marc: 00:15:55

Yeah, I was like, yeah, yeah.

Just like, thanks.

Darren: 00:15:58

Yeah.

Marc: 00:15:59

Nothing else?

Darren: 00:16:00

Yeah.

It took him 10 minutes.

But he's the Only person who could.

Marc: 00:16:02

Do it that quick you'd be otherwise.

Darren: 00:16:04

Yeah.

Marc: 00:16:05

There was the alien chest buster glove and the alien pulse rifle in there.

Paul: 00:16:09

That's right.

Marc: 00:16:10

Well says Than.

Paul: 00:16:11

I mean it's just thing.

Marc: 00:16:12

It's just there's so many.

Paul: 00:16:14

There's the.

The thing that the Orb of Thessalon is in is the box from Gremlins.

Darren: 00:16:18

There was Chucky.

Marc: 00:16:19

I didn't know.

I didn't notice that.

Paul: 00:16:21

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Marc: 00:16:22

It's been so long since I think Gremlins, to be fair.

Paul: 00:16:25

Well, it comes in like a little wooden box.

Mogwai.

Marc: 00:16:28

Yeah.

Paul: 00:16:28

Gizmo.

Marc: 00:16:29

I saw the film Christine.

Darren: 00:16:31

1983 Film that's about car.

Marc: 00:16:33

Stephen King.

Darren: 00:16:34

Yeah.

Marc: 00:16:35

Stephen King's possessed Plymouth appears in the opening race from it.

Darren: 00:16:38

Well, Christine should have won.

What the fuck?

Paul: 00:16:42

The turtles are in there somewhere fighting at the end.

Marc: 00:16:44

Yes.

Yeah.

Paul: 00:16:45

Halo.

Halo.

I don't play hello.

Marc: 00:16:47

But they all come in bobs in there.

Yeah, definitely the ace chemical sign in the background from the Joker.

Paul: 00:16:53

Yeah.

Marc: 00:16:53

This world was in.

In there as well.

Darren: 00:16:54

It's good.

It's a good world.

Marc: 00:16:55

Yeah.

Just looking even just part of that.

That's.

That's re watch territory that we have to go back and you're like, oh, I didn't see half of those.

Paul: 00:17:02

It is a geek fest of even.

Darren: 00:17:04

The fact they're set in Columbus, Ohio.

And I just.

I remember hearing Jesse Eisenberg in my head being like, oh, I live in Columbus, Ohio.

And I was like.

And I immediately thought it was a John Q's reference.

But that's not because I saw Amish Illinois.

Shermer, Illinois, I can't remember.

But I think Columbus, Ohio was Zombieland.

Paul: 00:17:22

Ah, maybe.

Darren: 00:17:23

Ah, but Zombieland would have come out afterwards.

Paul: 00:17:26

Yeah.

Marc: 00:17:27

There was the office Shining reference.

The whole scene in the oh, Cosmo.

Paul: 00:17:31

Lot of Shining stuff.

Darren: 00:17:33

Which is weird because it feels like that's a different target audience.

Marc: 00:17:36

Yes.

Who wouldn't like, maybe not.

That's a horror kind of thing, isn't it?

Paul: 00:17:40

And I confess I'd not seen the Shining.

Marc: 00:17:45

Yeah, I've seen some of it.

I've seen some of the classic scenes, but I've not seen it the full film.

Paul: 00:17:49

Well, I've watched it since, so it was interesting to watch it after watching this.

Marc: 00:17:54

Even though I haven't seen the movie.

I recognized as soon as it was the Shining reference.

I was like, I've seen that before.

Paul: 00:17:59

But then I can imagine if you had seen the Shining first, you'd be thinking the same as what the characters do at one Point, point.

Which is like, wait a minute, this didn't happen in the Shining.

Yeah, because it's a combination of.

Will they explain it in the film?

It's a combination of the Shining, but also Holiday's zombie game or something that.

Or one of his favorite zombie games.

So it's kind of a mesh of two things together.

So that was interesting watching the Shining after watching this because some of the scenes that they did recreate, they're in that exact same set.

And you think, oh, you know something,.

Darren: 00:18:29

You guys, I don't think you might have missed it, but you might not have thought it in these harsh terms.

All the guys are pricks.

They're childish, infantilized babies.

They.

It's kind of what's going on now.

There's those studies that suggest that 18 year olds now have the maturity of a 14 year old, like 15 years ago and January.

That's the study.

Marc: 00:18:48

Why is that?

Darren: 00:18:49

Okay, because they're not going out, they're not communicating, they're not developing, they're staying living with their parents longer.

I mean, you could argue that you don't have the money to move out or go traveling as much.

Marc: 00:19:01

Life skills.

Darren: 00:19:03

Yeah, like, I don't.

Like, I. I haven't heard a student ever say to me, oh, you're next year I'm just gonna go traveling around Southeast Asia.

Like we.

That was what we did.

You know, it's like.

Paul: 00:19:12

But I think he's meant to be quite childlike.

Darren: 00:19:14

And not just him, because he's a freaking baby.

And he's also very bland.

But I get that in the Spielberg kind of like, he's the heavy man.

He's like a young Tom Hanks, but also bland.

Artemis can do better.

Paul: 00:19:26

He's on his hero's journey, Darren.

Darren: 00:19:28

Yeah, he is.

But you know, and also he gets over his aunt dying faster than Luke Skywalker.

Paul: 00:19:34

Well, you gotta get on that quest.

You gotta keep going.

Marc: 00:19:37

Is that true?

Darren: 00:19:38

He's an orphan living with his aunt and uncle.

But anyway, his uncle is a baby.

Like the aunt literally is like, rick, go to your room.

Paul: 00:19:44

But that, that's not his uncle at all.

Darren: 00:19:46

That's just like a step uncle.

Paul: 00:19:47

Step uncle.

Darren: 00:19:48

Still a child.

Paul: 00:19:49

It's his latest.

Yeah, he's probably the most childish out of all.

Darren: 00:19:52

Then Sorrento's just a baby.

He's a dick.

I want all the toys and the money.

He's not thinking maturely at all.

Halliday is just a baby who can't talk to girls.

And it's like, I've Been scared all my life because I don't understand people.

Paul: 00:20:08

Yeah, I kind of relate with him.

Darren: 00:20:11

It's like, yeah, no.

And then you think, well H is a good character.

Turns out she's a girl.

So yeah, it was interesting watching it as a guy being like, huh, who, who's me in this movie?

Paul: 00:20:24

Oh, you were looking for you.

Darren: 00:20:25

I always look for me.

Paul: 00:20:27

I never think to look for me.

I'm watching them.

Darren: 00:20:29

I, I think you found yourself in this movie.

Paul: 00:20:33

I feel like I was all of them and none of them.

Marc: 00:20:36

Does anyone else think this could be like a scarily like predictive movie of like where we're headed?

Darren: 00:20:40

I think there's ev.

There's so much more data coming out that we live in the simulation right now and it makes more logical sense that we're in a simulation and our brains actually pull down consciousness from something else and it's like an antenna basically.

But yeah, there's a lot of evidence.

Marc: 00:20:59

But I was more thinking that like the society, the way it reflects society in the movie is reflecting of us now.

Paul: 00:21:05

The way everyone are on the phones just scrolling and scrolling and scrolling.

You'd only have to replace the phones for some kind of visor thing but replace the scrolling for some kind of virtual world.

Marc: 00:21:16

When the pizza got flowing by a drone, that guy.

We're just, we're getting more and more towards that.

Darren: 00:21:21

It's not not just that, it's just these loyalty centers as well.

It's modern day slavery.

It's like you're, you're paid enough to get by just.

But you've got to pay down your debt.

Marc: 00:21:30

They keep you trapped, they keep you just down below there.

Paul: 00:21:33

That bit.

Darren: 00:21:33

You could argue that student loans are that or getting a mortgage.

Is that like you've got to tightening.

Marc: 00:21:38

The screws on that as we.

As we go.

So keep people even the bread lines getting a bit higher and higher.

Darren: 00:21:42

And I was explaining this recently to students that when you're our age or you've got kids and you've got skin in the game, you can't go join a demonstration because if you get like if we got arrested, I know say for supporting Palestine, so that's.

Then you're supporting Palestine action.

Then you're arrested as a terrorist and you're charged.

And, and with being a terrorist I can't go back to being a teacher after that.

It's going to be hard to get a job so I can't do that.

So it's up to the young people to rebel and overthrow systems and it's interesting with this that the adults aren't fighting back, you know, that they're just.

And there's a really good line that I think really nails what you're saying, Mark.

something like, I was born in: 2027

Now people don't try and fix problems.

And then it was something like they just try to outlive them or ignore them.

Paul: 00:22:33

Yeah.

Just like that's kind of escape from them.

Marc: 00:22:35

Yeah.

Darren: 00:22:35

Where we are, it's just like, I can't, I can't.

Okay.

And everything that comes up in life, I'm like, I just don't have the bandwidth to deal with that.

Like, I know there's more slaves in existence now than at everpoint.

I know that your fast fashion is bad and there's minerals in my phone.

It's probably some kid in a third world country had to dig out the ground.

I just don't have the energy.

Marc: 00:22:56

Yeah.

Paul: 00:22:57

And.

And the bit did hit home for me where you're saying around when they're in them encampment things, because she explains it to her to Atmos when they put her in there.

It's like, you've got all this back pay to do.

Then we're going to charge you this bit, then we're going to charge you that bit.

It was just like, yeah, you're not ever going anywhere.

And it's almost like everything that's happening with us, with the fiscal drag and everything else and the petrol prices, it's like, yeah, you'll just be.

You'll probably just have enough, if that, to get your ass to work, to cover the cost, to get to work.

Darren: 00:23:27

But also we sedate ourselves.

Like, you know that a lot of people with almost no money, they're living in the equivalent of.

What would you describe them as?

Like shipping containers?

Paul: 00:23:37

Yeah.

Darren: 00:23:38

But these people will spend money on the stuff to sedate themselves.

So they'll get like Oasis kind of VR kits instead of trying to find a way out.

And I'm the same like, you know, single income household.

I've got a 65 inch TV.

Could I have spent that money, you know, investing in something or like learning about how finances work or paying off some debt?

It's like, no, it's.

I want a 65 inch TV.

Paul: 00:24:03

Yeah, damn right you do.

Marc: 00:24:04

Yeah.

Darren: 00:24:04

r is, I think we talked about: 1984

But Brave New World is a futuristic world where people take this drug called Soma that basically sedates them and make them.

Makes them happy.

And we're virgin on that world where we're going to use technology to escape.

So we're going to use.

We're going to game, basically, or, you know, watch tv, and then we're all going to be taking a drug to make us deal with this capitalist hellhole.

And already that, you know, the amount of people.

I mean, from what I can tell in the media, it's way worse in America with kids on, like, Adderall and antidepressants stuff.

But we've got loads of people on antidepressants in this country.

And now they're trialing all kinds of stuff from like MDMA to CAT to psychedelics to try and find something that.

And what's scary about it is big medical kind of companies, pharmacy companies are looking into it.

So they're looking for the magic pill to give us so that we're happy working 40, 50 hours a week.

Paul: 00:25:02

Yeah, see, I got two more and that's all I've got.

One is the slowness of the real world versus the speed of the Internet.

Like when they're in the Oasis and he has that moment where he's like, isn't it nice and peaceful out here?

Because it's just slower.

And I think that's what we're finding more and more, isn't it?

People are like, going, I need to get in the countryside.

I need to escape from screens.

And.

And just the speed of stuff.

And, you know, the amount of videos we get through when we're flicking and we don't even realize it.

It's terrifying, probably.

It's like, oh, Christ, yeah.

I've just been through 70 videos in the last 10 minutes but didn't realize it.

And then the one that made me laugh, and I always forget this bit because this is where we're at as well with advertising and try to watch stuff on Netflix with stuff pinging up every 10 minutes.

The ad space bit where Sorrento's like, we can just squeeze in enough adverts before inducing seizures.

Darren: 00:25:54

Yeah, 80 of the screen.

Marc: 00:25:56

Yeah.

Paul: 00:25:57

And it's like, we could get to 80 before seizures kick in.

So let's do that.

Darren: 00:26:01

That's like a Black Mirror episode as well, isn't it?

Paul: 00:26:03

Oh, I haven't seen a lot of Black Mirror.

Darren: 00:26:05

There's a bit you're in a room, but every single wall in your room is a TV screen.

And adverts will play unless you can pay to make them stop.

Marc: 00:26:12

Oh, wow.

Paul: 00:26:13

Okay.

I mean, that sounds a bit like my flat anyway, TVs in every room but no adverts because, you know, physical.

Marc: 00:26:20

So even even though this movie was set 22 years in the future from where it is, it was actually made eight years ago from now.

Paul: 00:26:29

I keep thinking it's only a couple years ago, but you're right, it's eight years.

Marc: 00:26:32

It's.

No, not eight years ago.

No, 27.

It was set 20.

2018.

So it was 20, 27 years in the future, but it was actually in reality made eight years ago.

I thought that, like I said, the depiction of where we were headed that much in the future is actually not that doesn't seem that far away.

Far away.

That was the thing that caught me.

I was like they said it's nearly 30 years in the future, but actually it doesn't feel that far away.

Darren: 00:26:51

Basically are there when we have games like that, the problem.

The only thing we don't have is those games merging.

But you.

But I've seen mods where.

I've seen Thomas the Tank Engine rock up in Skyrim.

Paul: 00:27:02

But the way these companies are buying each other out all the time.

Like Warner Brothers is trapped on this and Netflix is trapped on that.

Disney owns Fox.

So more and more it's going to be owned by one guy.

Darren: 00:27:12

But that's the annoying thing because they these kids also I think it's ridiculous of five kids now own the freaking Oasis.

Like they've got no skill deals in anything and then they shut it down for two days a week.

All that means is you have a competitor now coming out who's going to be the Tuesday and Thursday Oasis.

So that Sorrento guy or the company was it I I O I they're just going to launch a competitor.

It won't be as good.

But this they haven't got any competition on Tuesdays.

Paul: 00:27:37

Don't you be taking away the happy ending out of this.

Darren: 00:27:39

There's never a happy end.

Marc: 00:27:40

And also the last thing I'll say.

Darren: 00:27:41

Is if it's a happy ending, the story isn't finished.

Paul: 00:27:43

Oh.

Marc: 00:27:44

Oh, well, that's the way the way it ends does set up that.

The last thing I will say he is born next year.

Darren: 00:27:50

Nice.

And he is a good couch.

And this is.

We were chatting about this just before the the show started about worrying about what other people think.

But going back to the Hero's Journey thing, his whole thing is he has to follow his own path.

So when he's in the race, everyone else is going one way and it's like, dude, nobody, nobody is one going that way.

Like, you've got to forge your own path.

Then he goes backwards and then he wins.

So it's.

They're kind of thinking unconventionally.

Don't follow.

Don't follow the crowd.

You're not the crowd.

Your path is your path.

Paul: 00:28:20

Wise words, Darren.

Darren: 00:28:22

The hard thing is being quiet enough and being still enough and meditating enough to work out who you are.

Marc: 00:28:28

And then getting comfortable with that.

Darren: 00:28:30

And getting comfortable with that.

Yeah.

And not numbing yourself.

Paul: 00:28:33

It's like he's speaking to my soul right now.

Marc: 00:28:35

Wasting resources about things that you can't change or about other people who don't.

Don't matter.

Darren: 00:28:40

Yeah.

Paul: 00:28:41

Because I think that's what we do.

We become like this big antenna, like you say, for all the crap going on.

We take it all in, think it's all really important.

And in the grand scheme, as to a lot of it's.

Darren: 00:28:52

Well, the thing is, if you.

Marc: 00:28:53

If you.

Darren: 00:28:54

I saw this tip.

It was kind of a way to do it.

Social anxiety.

But it helps anyway.

But if you can just be quiet and be like, okay, this is me, and breathe.

And put your hand on your chest and be like, this is me.

Like my frequency, my energy, my vibration, whatever.

Then if you go into a different room or social setting and you start to feel different, you know, that's not you.

You've just kind of picked it up from someone else.

That makes sense.

Marc: 00:29:13

You're reading the room.

Darren: 00:29:14

Yeah.

And you're picking up just gunk noise.

So you should say, no, no.

Where am I?

Go back to yourself.

You know, the stoic philosophers say this.

No.

Is it, physician, know thyself.

You've got to know who you are.

And people often apply weirdly in real life.

Are playing an avatar.

You know, they're.

Paul: 00:29:31

They're.

Marc: 00:29:31

They get sucked into the environment they're in.

They try.

They become part of it.

They mimic it, but they lose themselves.

Darren: 00:29:36

And it is tough.

It's.

It's tough being like genuinely you without being rude, because I see a lot of people do that.

Well, I. I'm just who I am, and you've got to take me as I come.

I said, no.

You're kind of using that as a reason to be a dick.

That's different.

Marc: 00:29:51

There should always be a sense of respect or wherever you go in.

Darren: 00:29:55

Or humility, kindness.

Marc: 00:29:56

Yes.

Yeah, yeah.

Paul: 00:29:58

We need more of that.

And I think these themes are in that film in the sense of.

It's about being true to yourself and finding your path.

Like Aaron says there.

Marc: 00:30:06

And there's a lot of teamwork and camaraderie and all that and teamwork.

True friends.

Paul: 00:30:10

And at the start of it, don't forget, he's very much on his own.

He's like, no, no, I don't clan up.

I'm on my own.

I got my mate.

Marc: 00:30:15

That was his big thing.

I don't know.

Paul: 00:30:16

I don't clap.

I've got my mate.

But, you know, we don't clown up or anything.

And then as the film goes on, it becomes apparent that the only way they're going to beat is to climb up.

The corporation is to become a bit more of a team.

Darren: 00:30:27

But it's like death.

Like everyone faces death alone.

And yeah, he climbed up, but he still had to do the final bit.

His own.

Paul: 00:30:33

Yeah, true, but he was part of.

But the team were covering him in that sense.

So it's a bit more.

He had like the.

The COVID that he didn't have earlier.

Darren: 00:30:41

The.

My favorite scene is when he does the call out to all the clans.

Paul: 00:30:46

Yeah.

Darren: 00:30:47

But I remember that being so much more detailed in the book probably was because that whole scene when they're all gathering is way bigger, more epic.

Well, they're all.

They're all like flying through space and there's all these descriptions of different ships.

I'm sure he's got a really cool spaceship in, like, it.

Quite a really rare one.

And everyone's like, where the hell did you get that?

I think it's in a robot or something.

I can't remember what it was.

Paul: 00:31:09

Yeah.

Wasn't it like one of the Chinese.

Darren: 00:31:12

Yeah, something.

Paul: 00:31:12

I think it's the one that Shyto or Daito, one of them guys turns into.

Yeah, he changes into one, doesn't it?

So it might have been that one.

There is like a billion more references in the book, but you can see what Spielberg.

The licensing to get this stuff through must have been ridiculous to get, like, stuff through.

Darren: 00:31:30

There's also an element.

It.

Again, it's easy to speak for guys, but they call it what.

They call it zero in, out.

Is that what it is when you lose all your.

Yeah.

So are you gonna zero?

It's like basically, put your money where your mouth is.

Are you gonna zero out for the Oasis?

What does it mean to you?

And that was like being holding up a mirror to me.

I'm like, well, what.

What means something to me and what am I willing to go all out for?

And it kind of touches on what we were saying earlier, where we.

We get so comfortable in our life.

It's like that there's A movie called Network, where the guy's like, yeah, I need you to stand up.

Did you go your windows and open it and say, I'm mad as hell, I'm not going to take this anymore?

And he talks about, I think this was in the 70s.

And he's talking about how we just want to be left in our house and, like, just leave me alone in my living room.

Just.

Just whatever's going on now, that can happen, but leave me alone in my living room.

And I think we can easily get caught in that.

Just leave me alone.

Just let me.

Let me have a quiet life.

Paul: 00:32:27

Yeah, yeah.

Darren: 00:32:29

Whereas, you know, passive was calling everyone out.

He said, the time for a quiet life is over.

If you don't act, you're going to lose everything.

And maybe there's a lesson in that for all of us.

Marc: 00:32:39

Absolutely.

Okay, thank you, gentlemen.

Let's move on to Paul's spectacular Facts of the Day.

Paul: 00:32:45

I haven't got any.

Marc: 00:32:47

None, none.

Paul: 00:32:48

Move on.

Okay, let's.

Let's look through some facts.

In an interview, Steven Spielberg said that this was the third most difficult movie he has made in his career, behind George, Jaws and Saving Privateness.

Darren: 00:33:01

Shinder's List would have been up there.

Paul: 00:33:02

He's not saying that, but you're right.

Maybe it means technically, not emotionally.

Yeah, I think emotionally.

Schindler's must have been the hardest.

, the theme from the original: 1933

So there's going to be lots of little bits like that.

Darren: 00:33:20

It's really tough with its Kong because you're like, oh, there's Kong.

Paul: 00:33:23

Yeah, smashing stuff.

Darren: 00:33:24

I was playing Rampage the other day.

Paul: 00:33:26

Oh, classic from the past.

Darren: 00:33:27

Yeah, I know, right?

It doesn't hold up.

It's fun being Kong, though.

Paul: 00:33:32

Besides the obvious Bigfoot, DeLorean and Akira vehicles, other notable notables in the race were the Mach 5 speed racer.

Darren: 00:33:40

Yep.

Paul: 00:33:41

Batmobile.

Original one from Tim Burton.

No, I think it was tv.

The TV one was.

It went off the edge of the bridge.

18 Vans in the V8 interceptor.

Christine, you got that one.

The Pork Chop Express from Big Trouble.

Little China was in there, apparently, somewhere.

Darren: 00:33:58

Anyway, they had Herbie.

They would have won.

Marc: 00:34:00

Yeah.

Darren: 00:34:01

Probably would have beat Christine, actually.

Paul: 00:34:02

Of course, the Trans Am from Smoking the Bandit was in there somewhere.

Darren: 00:34:06

Well, that's the Bandit in it.

Otherwise it's nothing, obviously.

Paul: 00:34:10

And RV from Spaceballs, so.

Yeah, there's probably loads more as well.

The spell cast to use the Orb of Ossavox.

Darren: 00:34:18

That guy was A good character.

Paul: 00:34:19

Yeah.

What's he called?

Darren: 00:34:21

Irock.

Paul: 00:34:22

Irock, yeah.

And what you probably didn't catch is he's called iRock because that's like his username.

Darren: 00:34:27

Yeah.

Paul: 00:34:27

Which is a bit more apparent when you read the book.

Darren: 00:34:29

I'm gonna go do this because I rock.

Yeah.

Marc: 00:34:32

Yeah.

Paul: 00:34:32

My plan was better than your because I rock.

Marc: 00:34:36

But.

Paul: 00:34:37

But the spell cast to use the orb is from the movie Excalibur in modern Irish Gaelic.

Darren: 00:34:42

Great freaking movie.

Paul: 00:34:43

It's.

And then it says it.

Marc: 00:34:45

It.

Paul: 00:34:45

And I'm not going to try and read it because, you know, I'm like a try to pronounce anything.

But it means the breath of a serpent, the breath of death.

And life is a cunning device.

Marc: 00:34:55

Wow.

Paul: 00:34:56

There you go.

Around the 35 minute mark Halliday is shown on the COVID of Wild Wired magazines with a QR code.

And the code is readable and links to an accompanying article on Holiday.

Well, that was in July: 2018

I feel like sometimes with these QR codes and stuff though, they fall off because I've got the movie poster for any player one and it's got a really cool QR code with like the egg in the middle or the key.

And I just walked past it the other day.

That's a cool QR code, the way the other looks.

Marc: 00:35:24

Do you scan it?

Paul: 00:35:25

I scanned it, yeah.

It just went to like some movie generic site now, like it's all been moved on.

That's a shame.

That would have been cool if they kind of preserve the film stuff.

Parcel's belt in the Oasis has the Thundercats logo on it.

The belt itself is the same style as Han Solos.

This is the kind of level of nerd we're talking about here.

During filming, Spielberg donned a virtual reality headset and wandered the virtual sets with a virtual camera lying on the floor to check out camera angles and set up shots.

And he said, this is crazy because the technology is very much like what they used in Tintin.

I think, like Zemeckis did a few films with it, didn't he?

Like the Polar Express, things like that.

I think it was kind of that sort of technology where they could, but they pushed it.

So you had these virtual sets, obviously that you can walk through.

So it was cutting edge.

They spared no expense.

In the word of Richard Hammond, Spielberg is referenced along with some of his movies in Ernest's novel.

But Spielberg had stated that he would remove the references, although some of them, like the Tyrannosaurus rex and the alien ship from War of the World, to appear.

But in the book, there is a lot more Spielberg references in there, but he's obviously taken them out.

Not probably to break the illusion.

During the garage scene, you can see a copy of the ED 209 robot from robot.

That's it.

Yeah.

Boba Fett is at the bar where the dance number is being done.

You'd have to pause it, wouldn't you?

Marc: 00:36:56

So many.

Paul: 00:36:58

During the race sequence, the marquee of a theater can be seen.

It reads Schwarzenegger, Jack Slater 3, which is a nod to Schwarzenegger, which is also written by Zach Penn.

He wrote part of the screenplay on this one.

And according to Penn, the knob was unintentional and was included by Industrial Light and Magic effects staff as a suggestion by co writer Ernest Klein.

And Penn himself didn't know about it before the release of the first trailer.

Marc: 00:37:24

One more.

Paul: 00:37:25

When Ogden Morrow arrives, he claims that he flew in on a magic sleigh.

And that's because in the book, Morrow was described as resembling Santa Claus.

Yeah, there's about a billion more Easter egg.

A lot of these facts are Easter eggs because it's just also.

Darren: 00:37:39

Do you remember during the dance scene where they get attacked?

Paul: 00:37:43

Yep.

Darren: 00:37:44

In the book, doesn't like the arcade, the avatar of James Halliday appear and start killing all the bad guys.

Paul: 00:37:52

Two whilst until.

Darren: 00:37:53

Because literally I was watching the film expecting that scene to come up and it never came up.

Paul: 00:37:56

And I said, wait, quite possibly they made some different changes, didn't they?

Darren: 00:38:00

But I remember seeing that.

So I must have been deep in the book if I felt like I watched it.

Paul: 00:38:05

It is a good book.

Marc: 00:38:06

Cool.

Darren: 00:38:07

Those were good facts.

Paul: 00:38:07

There you go.

Marc: 00:38:08

Thank you very much, Paul.

That takes us into hate it or rate it.

And it is your choice, Paul.

So you're gonna go first.

Paul: 00:38:15

Okay.

I'm gonna keep it quick because we've already waffled on far too long.

I can imagine this could easily be seen as a CGI slop festival of just random stuff all thrown together.

However, I feel like Spielberg, being Spielberg and the storyteller he is, has managed to kind of craft this pacing and narrative with it where it gives you them big set pieces, but it doesn't, like, overdo it in the sense of it's got the CGI bits where you could feel a bit overwhelmed.

There's the big battle at the end, there's the car race, there's things like that.

But in between all that, I don't know if this will have been the case for you guys or not, but for me it's kind of like I did resonate with the characters, and I felt for Halliday being shy and being a genius on the thing, but not being able to ask out the girl and then the girl goes to the other guy.

I don't know why that hit me so much.

It's as if that's happened a billion times before.

But, you know, this kind of character at the heart of it.

I like the little twist with the curator being Ogden Morrow in disguise and him kind of giving him the extra life.

And, you know, I think the first time I watched it, I'd kind of forgot about that, which I think it's designed to be like.

There's a little scene where it's kind of a throwaway.

Here's your quarter, everything.

And then it comes back like, oh, how's he still going?

Oh, the quarter.

I like that.

Obviously.

No, that's happened now.

I've seen it a few times, but.

So I like that.

I. I know what you mean about him being a bit of a bland every day, but at the same time, it almost feels like it's very much by design.

So we can go on his hero's journey and he finds the girl and, yeah, he's a bit wet and pathetic and I love you, and he's only just met her and stuff, but at the same time, he's young and he's in love.

And there's kind of a sweetness in that as well.

Darren: 00:39:55

Isn't in love, he's just met a girl.

Paul: 00:39:57

Well, there's a sweetness in that as well.

Marc: 00:40:00

Confusing.

Darren: 00:40:00

Feeling horny for feeling in love.

She stroked his thigh.

I know it feels kind of funny.

When I used to climb the rope in gym.

Marc: 00:40:12

The second her hunter, she's like, I love you.

Paul: 00:40:14

Yeah, yeah, that was it.

Darren: 00:40:16

We've all been there.

But, you know.

Paul: 00:40:17

Yeah, it's quite sweet in that sense.

And I do like that end scene.

I know it's kind of open to whatever, but I like that idea.

Darren's absolutely right in reality, you know, the corporation's gonna go, oh, you're turning it down for a couple of days.

I'll screw that.

Let's book them in.

But I like the innocence of it.

Of like, yeah, we need a break from being online.

And it's nice that they're shutting it down.

And there's that lovely scene of them two kind of just in the chair, just enjoying each other's company without all.

Darren: 00:40:43

The crap, which is nice for them because they're in a relationship.

For the guy who isn't in the relationship.

Paul: 00:40:49

Yeah.

Darren: 00:40:50

He's now just like, oh, I've got nothing to do today.

Paul: 00:40:52

Yeah, he just sat there.

They should have cut to that as the final scene.

Just some guy like, yeah, well, this isn't it, but stop undercutting the Hollywood magic, damn it.

So, yeah, I really enjoy this one.

I think it's a fun.

It's the sort of thing I like to go to the movies for because it's escapism, but it's.

Marc: 00:41:09

Yeah.

Paul: 00:41:09

You know, it's good in cinema.

This good in the cinema.

It's good big screen experience sort of thing.

Sometimes I feel like.

Like maybe for Spielberg, especially, where he's normally very structured with his shots.

Like, especially if you look at Jurassic park, where it's like, you kind of see everything for him.

This is very Michael Bay when it starts to get into the battles.

Like, it's very quick cutting and stuff compared to what Spielberg maybe normally does, because he's very like, oh, there's that shot.

There's this shot.

Whereas this is quite frenetic.

Is that the word?

Darren: 00:41:36

Yeah.

Paul: 00:41:36

On the edit, which always takes me by surprise, I'm like, oh, Jesus.

A lot going on here.

Is that the turtles or.

They've gone again, you know, quite quick.

But having said all that, love it.

So I was gonna give it a nine, but I'm just gonna take a point off because of the 80s nostalgia vibe that it has.

I'm gonna give it an 8.9.

So it's like Taylor's: 1989

How did I link Ready Player One to Taylor Swift?

Just like that.

Marc: 00:42:04

8.9.

Paul: 00:42:05

Yeah.

No, I really enjoyed.

It's a fun film.

It's got its fours, it's got its words.

Oh, no, actually, give it nine.

Screw it.

Screw it.

Give it nine.

It's a fun film.

It's the sort of thing I like to call the cinema scene.

Interested to hear what you guys think, especially the horn section.

Marc: 00:42:20

I'll go next.

Yeah, I really enjoyed it.

I had.

Did see it in lockdown, but I don't think I must have been watching it, like, completely paying attention, because I had some bits of, like, I don't remember this.

Don't remember this, don't remember this.

But I remember the end, so.

But, yeah, I thought it was visually stunning.

Like, I was.

I was invested.

It was.

It kept the pace.

I didn't get bored.

I. I like the characters and obviously the pop culture and the.

The nostalgia was just.

It was just a journey.

Darren: 00:42:46

Yeah.

Marc: 00:42:46

And I just like the premise of it.

It Was.

It was quite.

It didn't make you think, like.

Like I said, it's so far.

So far in the future that it didn't feel so part of it didn't.

Especially when they went back to reality.

Paul: 00:42:56

Yeah.

Marc: 00:42:57

I was like, wow, this is grim.

So, yeah, I was impressed for Spielberg.

I thought.

I felt he's done really well.

Well, roll with us.

So I'm gonna give it a 7.3, Mr. Horn.

Darren: 00:43:06

Ah, okay.

That's interesting.

I think I've seen this a couple of times.

I think I've seen it fairly recently.

Paul: 00:43:13

Yeah.

Darren: 00:43:13

I mean, there's stuff wrong with it, I think.

I think the lead actor is kind of bland, but it's made up for the fact that they've got some serious heavyweights of acting, which you've talked about before.

The second Star wars gets Alec Guinness.

Paul: 00:43:27

Like, plugging in.

Rylance is always.

Yeah.

Darren: 00:43:29

Violence is.

I've seen him speak about the.

The like, craft of acting.

And he's a very serious actor.

Very well respected actor.

But also.

Is it Ben.

I can't read my own writing.

Ben Mendel.

Paul: 00:43:41

Oh, yeah, sorry.

Yeah.

Who's Nolan Sorrento?

Darren: 00:43:44

Isn't he also in.

Paul: 00:43:46

He's in Rogue One.

Darren: 00:43:47

Rogue One.

And then he's also in Andor.

Andor as well.

Yeah.

I think he also crops up in Mandalorian or Boba Fett.

Paul: 00:43:55

Yeah, I think.

I think so.

He's good at playing a buddy.

Darren: 00:43:58

Yeah.

He's absolutely the face of the.

Kind of the gray and stuff that take over everything.

Yeah.

I don't like the fact that Olivia could.

Like, Artemis is.

Oh, I've got a birthmark.

You're gonna find me hideous.

I just.

There's problematic stuff that I have issues.

Paul: 00:44:13

With, but what I was gonna say, there's one problematic one that I wanted to put in.

I forgot.

There's a laughable moment where one of the researcher people has an idea and she has the most obvious thinking moment ever.

And she looks up to the side, puts her hand on her chin and goes.

Marc: 00:44:30

Goes.

Darren: 00:44:31

I am thinking.

Paul: 00:44:33

Makes me laugh every time.

I don't know why, but.

Sorry, go on.

Darren: 00:44:36

Yeah, it's a bit.

Yeah, it's a bit.

And then there's the flaws.

Like when he's playing the Atari game at the end, where's everyone else?

Paul: 00:44:43

That's true.

Darren: 00:44:43

Just walk up and shoot him.

Marc: 00:44:46

Like.

Darren: 00:44:46

Yeah.

So the plot doesn't always make sense, but I had a ball watching it and I tend to.

Marc: 00:44:51

It's entertaining time.

Paul: 00:44:52

Yeah.

Darren: 00:44:53

It's just entertaining.

Spielberg doing what he does it's.

It doesn't necessarily have the gravitas of some of his films, but it's a.

It's a popcorn movie and it does.

Marc: 00:45:04

It's.

Darren: 00:45:05

Yeah.

I really, really enjoyed the book.

The book's bigger, has more going on.

I think that whole like rallying cries is handled much better but because it's just a little bit of a let down when it's like all the clans are coming.

It's just like a thousand people running across the field.

It's like with some cars mixed in.

I'm like, where's like ships?

Why hasn't someone brought a death a Star Destroyer and starts bombing it from the like the sky?

Paul: 00:45:29

I suppose there was only so much budget but you're right.

Darren: 00:45:31

How.

Paul: 00:45:31

How big could it get?

Yeah, you, you.

Darren: 00:45:33

It's like they can be anything, ride anything.

They talk about the millennium.

Where's the millennium?

Why are some X wings rocking up and attacking?

Paul: 00:45:40

But I checked.

Darren: 00:45:41

Where's Tremors?

Why aren't they going through the ground?

They're coming up from underneath like.

Paul: 00:45:45

But I was thinking about it.

I was like, oh, I wonder when Endgame was.

Yeah, spoiler friend game, cover your ears.

But there's a scene in Endgame.

I won't spoil it for the listeners if you haven't seen it.

You know what I'm talking about.

And it felt a bit like that.

And I'm like, oh, what came first?

But this came first before that kind of scene.

Darren: 00:46:02

So.

Yeah.

And I didn't necessarily think we.

We're not going to take it works as a great song for that scene.

I think there's other songs that would have done better but at the same time I like the young person rage.

Like we're gonna zero out, we're gonna fight and glow.

And I've said before that there's a programming of men that I feel like it's coming back, that our value is dying in glory.

And you know, we don't get the opportunity to die in glory in real life, but if we can die in glory in a man, all these people will know who they were and what they did on that day when they fought for the.

Oh, I'm getting tearful just thinking about it.

Paul: 00:46:37

Fought for the Oasis.

Darren: 00:46:38

We fought for the Oasis.

What happened?

I zeroed out in the battle for the Oasis and if you, if you're not in that battle, you're dead to everyone.

It's just like, where were you?

We could have done with you.

You know, we nearly lost.

It would have been great.

So as I'm talking the grade is kind of going, what did you give it?

You gave it 9.

Marc: 00:46:55

I gave it 7.3, I think.

Darren: 00:46:58

I think on a matchup or.

I think it's a nine.

Paul: 00:47:00

Nice.

Darren: 00:47:00

I think lovely bit of a drag factor mainly because I don't really like the main character.

Paul: 00:47:05

Yeah.

But there's a lot in there to enjoy if you're a film nerd, I suppose.

And the hero's journey is a big part of it.

Darren: 00:47:13

It's a really.

And honestly just the hardest thing is to follow your.

Your own path and to.

And to work out even what you want to do.

And I struggle with that.

I think where do I want to be in five years?

I've got no clue.

I'm kind of.

I'm out of ideas.

I keep seeing adverts for going to Australia and working on an oil rig.

Entry level jobs like a hundred Australian dollars or something.

Two weeks on, two weeks off.

What else am I going to do?

Paul: 00:47:34

Well, we might be on Jimmy Fallon by them.

Right.

Talking about movies.

Darren: 00:47:37

Jimmy Fallon.

Paul: 00:47:38

Well, I don't know.

I'll just pick the first talk show host in America I could think of.

Marc: 00:47:43

When we tour America.

Darren: 00:47:44

This is going.

Joe Rogan.

Paul: 00:47:44

Oh, there you go.

Marc: 00:47:45

There you go.

Yeah.

Darren: 00:47:46

What songs would write better over that scene?

Paul: 00:47:49

Yeah.

Quite like some of the others.

Marc: 00:47:50

I did like it.

But yeah, my first thought was this could.

This could be better.

Paul: 00:47:53

I think jump in the intro is a master stroke.

That keyboard from Jump is like.

Yeah, that's.

Darren: 00:47:58

Oh yeah, that's good.

Paul: 00:47:59

That was a good one.

So there's some audio cues that I think really work.

But.

Yeah.

What could be used.

Marc: 00:48:03

There's a song by Metallica called the Struggle Within.

It starts us with the military drums like to enter into.

Yeah, it's really cool.

I've used it on our social sometimes.

Darren: 00:48:14

Even Enter Sandman would be cool.

Marc: 00:48:16

Yeah.

Yeah.

As you.

That's used on sports a lot.

Entrance music for teams and people rage against a machine.

Darren: 00:48:22

That's what they needed.

There you.

Marc: 00:48:24

I won't do what you tell me.

I won't do what you tell me.

Darren: 00:48:27

Absolutely that.

And get that made.

Marc: 00:48:29

Someone listen how Please re edit that scene.

Even burn.

Burn.

Darren: 00:48:32

You're going to burn.

Rage is what you needed it.

That would have got it.

It.

Marc: 00:48:37

I've got it.

Let the parties hit the floor Let the bodies hit the floor.

Darren: 00:48:41

That would have been.

Marc: 00:48:41

Do you even know that is.

Paul: 00:48:42

I'm just thinking of the film classification board going that's now an 18.

Kids.

It's like oh no Yeah, I have it, though.

Marc: 00:48:50

Love it.

Darren: 00:48:50

Right?

Listening to Rage on the way home.

Marc: 00:48:52

Yep.

Agreed.

Anyway, so I've got the update, so that puts it in four.

No.

Where's it gone?

Where's it gone?

Yeah.

14Th place out of now what we are.

That's a long way down.

91.

Paul: 00:49:04

Wow.

And that's for two.

That's with two nines.

Marc: 00:49:07

Yeah.

25.3.

And it's just ahead of Withnail and I and All About Eve.

And it's just below the Matrix in Notting Hill.

Darren: 00:49:14

That's good company.

Paul: 00:49:15

Yeah.

Darren: 00:49:16

Is this.

We've done other Spielberg films, haven't we?

So in any of this, Jaws is above it.

Paul: 00:49:21

Jaws is.

Yeah.

Someone 28.5 stupidly voted Jurassic park as mid.

But let's not go into that.

Darren: 00:49:29

We also got at.

What was the alien one?

Paul: 00:49:32

Minority Report.

Darren: 00:49:33

No, there's one where Emily Blunt's like,.

Paul: 00:49:36

Oh, yeah, the Disclosure day one, isn't it?

That was Spielberg.

Darren: 00:49:39

Yeah.

That's lower down, I guess.

Marc: 00:49:40

Way lower down.

Yeah.

Cool.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, gentlemen.

Okay.

That's what we thought.

We'd love to know what you.

You think.

You guys think.

Listen to this.

Now send us in your ratings.

Send us an interview what you thought, and we'll read them out on the show.

What other episodes, what other movies are in?

Things in our back catalog would be a good check out.

Darren: 00:49:58

Swilber, go check out.

Was it Disclosure day?

Marc: 00:50:00

Disclosure day.

Paul: 00:50:01

Minority Report, I think.

Yeah.

Darren: 00:50:05

I think Star Wars.

We did New Hope, didn't we?

Paul: 00:50:07

Mm, yeah.

Marc: 00:50:08

Yeah.

Paul: 00:50:08

That's good call.

Darren: 00:50:09

Again, it's plucky heroes get into a little squad, go off on a hero's journey, solve quests, learn about themselves, and your aunt dies and no one cares.

Paul: 00:50:17

Poor Aunt Brew.

Darren: 00:50:18

I know.

Leia's whole planet gets annihilated.

Marc: 00:50:23

Yeah.

And she just gets on with it.

Darren: 00:50:24

And she's like, I'm sorry, Luke, are you feeling okay?

Paul: 00:50:28

That's true.

Marc: 00:50:29

Okay, thank you, gentlemen.

Let's move on to part three, the inbox.

So we've heard some messages since.

Since we last recorded.

Here's the first one, dear.

All just as an anecdote to the Mission Impossible episode.

I have really enjoyed all.

I really enjoyed all the Mission Impossible movies, apart from the second one, which is crap.

My personal connection is that I named my son Ethan after watching the film the day before he was born.

Paul: 00:50:56

Oh, cool.

Darren: 00:50:57

And then the second movie came out, and you're like, is it too late to change it?

Marc: 00:51:01

My wife and I had discussed names, and with having A surname of Walker.

And being a big fan of Star Wars, I wanted to call him our son Luke.

After watching Mission Impossible, we went with Ethan.

As a compromise, I gave him middle name as Luke.

So I did get the name of my son after two famous films I like.

And that is from Rob Walker.

Darren: 00:51:20

If he had a daughter, though.

That's sky, yeah?

Yes, in a heartbeat.

Oh, you know what, Skywalker, get the out of here.

Marc: 00:51:29

We shouldn't believe it.

Let me see some id.

Yeah, thanks for that, Rob.

Paul: 00:51:33

And yes, number two is seen as the least.

Marc: 00:51:36

I want to say I've not seen it.

Paul: 00:51:37

I feel like it gets a bit too much hate.

But, yeah, I can understand.

Marc: 00:51:40

Yeah.

Paul: 00:51:40

The position when people say two ship.

Marc: 00:51:42

And Helen Romanis was on the moments after this episode came out.

So I don't know how she managed to watch it, but I just watched.

Paul: 00:51:49

Smurfette is on it.

Marc: 00:51:49

Yeah, she was straight on it.

Yeah.

Yeah, Just watch Mission Impossible.

And I completely forgotten about Sky News presenter Bob Friend and a few others popping up in.

In movies at this time.

I looked after him once at an award ceremony dinner when I worked for the PR department at Sky Television.

Paul: 00:52:02

Cool.

Marc: 00:52:04

Then David Schneider from Alan Partridge and the Day Today popped up.

Darren: 00:52:07

Yeah, I remember that.

Took me out the movie.

Marc: 00:52:09

Yeah.

Darren: 00:52:09

I was like, wait, you're that comedy guy from tv.

Paul: 00:52:12

That's him.

Marc: 00:52:13

I haven't met him, but he's very funny to see him pop up.

So that's from Helen Romana.

Paul: 00:52:18

I saw Helen the other day and she particularly liked the fact that she's now the Smurfette of the group.

So, yes.

Shout out there.

Marc: 00:52:25

She champions the show.

If we had T shirts, she'd wear one.

Darren: 00:52:29

She keeps our inherent masculinity in check.

Marc: 00:52:31

Yes.

And long may she do that.

Darren: 00:52:33

Yes.

Paul: 00:52:34

What?

Marc: 00:52:36

There we go.

That was this week's inbox.

Okay, that takes us on to next week's movie when it is time to spin the wheel.

Paul: 00:52:45

Oh, yeah.

It's in the hands of the listeners.

Darren, how do you feel about that?

Because they may surprise you.

Darren: 00:52:53

Well, the philosopasta gals seem to have gone quiet, so.

Marc: 00:52:56

Yes.

We haven't had any entries like that for quite some time.

Paul: 00:53:00

That's a shame.

Marc: 00:53:01

I'll put the volume up on this.

Independence Day chosen by Joe Lamb, one of our Day One fans.

Joe Lamb.

Paul: 00:53:16

Thanks, Joe.

Darren: 00:53:17

We're gonna come up with the whole separate the art from the artist discussion again, aren't we?

Marc: 00:53:21

Yeah, probably you struggle with that.

I really don't.

Yeah, I really don't.

Don't care.

So, yeah, so that's Joe Lamb's now second entry because he had the prestige.

Paul: 00:53:31

Oh, yeah.

Marc: 00:53:31

Which he was his recommendation from day one.

Paul: 00:53:34

Yeah.

Marc: 00:53:35

18 Months.

And now he's had two within six months.

So there we go.

Paul: 00:53:38

Persistence pays off, kids.

Marc: 00:53:39

Yeah.

I'm guessing you guys are both very familiar with it.

Oh, yes, I think I've seen it.

I'll remember when I watch it.

Paul: 00:53:45

You think you've seen.

Marc: 00:53:46

I've definitely seen some of it.

Darren: 00:53:47

I don't know if that's crazy.

When it was at the cinema, I.

Marc: 00:53:50

Remember it was big box office.

It was a big deal.

Paul: 00:53:52

I definitely saw it twice at the same time.

Marc: 00:53:54

I'm looking forward to like properly sitting down and watching it.

So, yeah.

Next week's movie is Independence Day, chosen by Joe Lamb.

Thank you very much for listening to the show.

Wherever you're listening, around the world.

If you want to send us a message, you want to tell us any stories, ask any questions, anything, like just say hi, send us a message.

You can email us hello, Movies in a Nutshell dot com.

Or you can just send us a message on our socials and we'd love to hear from you.

That's it.

This episode is officially over.

This is Mark saying goodbye.

Darren: 00:54:20

This is Darren saying goodbye for now.

Paul: 00:54:22

It's Chucky.

Darren: 00:54:26

That sounds.

Marc: 00:54:27

I didn't even remember that.

Darren: 00:54:28

You're looking, looking at something that is having sex with Chucky.

It's like, is it the clown for me?