The Running Man(1987) - In A Nutshell

Marc: 00:00:12

Hello and welcome to Movies in a Nutshell. With me, Marc Farquhar, myself, Darren Horn.

Paul: 00:00:17

And I, Paul Day.

Marc: 00:00:18

We help you spend less time browsing and more time watching.

Darren: 00:00:21

If you've seen the movie, we'll reveal what you might have missed.

Paul: 00:00:23

If you haven't, we'll give you a quick spoiler free breakdown.

Marc: 00:00:26

We've got behind the scenes trivia, including Paul's facts of the day, host ratings.

Darren: 00:00:29

And a legend league table, plus your.

Paul: 00:00:32

Chance to choose a movie.

Marc: 00:00:33

tlemen. This time Running Man: 1987

This is the nutshell, part one, where we will break the movie down spoiler free to help you decide if Running man is your kind of movie. So let's begin. I'm going to go to you, Paul. What's Running man really about? Your choice.

Paul: 00:00:54

It is my choice. I've always wanted to watch the Running man because it's. Arnie.

Darren: 00:00:58

You hadn't seen this before?

Paul: 00:00:59

I hadn't seen this before. That's why I picked it.

Marc: 00:01:02

Is this like a third movie we've found recently I've seen and you haven't?

Paul: 00:01:05

Well, the thing about me, I've seen some films too many times and other films that I should have seen not and never.

Darren: 00:01:12

That makes sense.

Paul: 00:01:13

a post apocalyptic future of: 2017

that point, because this was: 1987

Basically, there's a game show again. This is a bit like the Long Walk. It's a bit like the Hunger Games. I know I'm naming things before we even start, but it's a bit.

It's also written by Stephen King, isn't it? The original, yes.

Darren: 00:01:43

And the pseudonym. Richard Bachman.

Paul: 00:01:45

Yep, that's what was throwing me.

Marc: 00:01:47

That's loosely based off that novel. Not really.

Darren: 00:01:49

Yes, very, very different.

Paul: 00:01:50

Very loosely based on. To keep the public in line, they're distracted with this Big Brother esque sort of TV show called the Running Man.

It's basically the gladiator thing of the arena.

Darren: 00:02:01

Apparently that was the pitch for American Gladiators. They were like, it's Running man, but without the violence.

Marc: 00:02:06

Just imagine like. Like a gladiator but in the 80s.

Darren: 00:02:09

Very 80s. But this is also about sedating the masses with entertainment.

Marc: 00:02:13

It's distracting them as well.

Darren: 00:02:15

Yeah. Roman Coliseum. Give the people what they want. It's the same.

Paul: 00:02:19

Not entertained. Yeah, this. Yeah, yeah. The Russell Crow and Bill Hicks has.

Darren: 00:02:24

This whole rant where he used to say, you go to sleep, America. Here's some more American gladiators. Just go to sleep, Go to go to sleep. And it's like. It's basically sedating the population.

Paul: 00:02:33

Yeah. Watch some mindless tv, particularly if it's violent.

Darren: 00:02:36

And there's prizes, prizes to be won.

Marc: 00:02:38

Yeah, a lot of prizes. So I had dystopian action thriller.

Paul: 00:02:42

Yeah, that's a good description. You got a Meets the Fugitive meets Total Recall slash Mad Max.

Marc: 00:02:48

Oh, I had Gladiator meets Hunger Games.

Paul: 00:02:51

Oh, that's good. That's better. Yeah.

Marc: 00:02:52

Yeah.

Darren: 00:02:52

He's better at it than you.

Paul: 00:02:53

Yeah. I never said I was good at this.

Marc: 00:02:57

I haven't even seen Hunger Games.

Paul: 00:02:58

This ain't my section. Oh, come on. It's a bit fugitivey as well. Yeah.

Marc: 00:03:04

I'd say it's brutal satire with over the top 80s spectacle and added shoulder pads.

Paul: 00:03:11

There's definitely a lot of 80s over the top.

Darren: 00:03:13

s? And it was saying,: 2017

Paul: 00:03:20

Well, if you think about people's obsession with Big Brother tv, especially when that.

Darren: 00:03:23

But not just that. They're in a world where it's illegal to protest. Right. And they're protesting over food.

Marc: 00:03:29

That was a bit in a long walk, wasn't it? Because his dad got killed for. What was he doing?

Darren: 00:03:34

Oh, he was. No, he had books that you weren't allowed to read.

Marc: 00:03:37

Similar thing on the band.

Paul: 00:03:38

Yeah. This was because they're not allowed certain music and things, things like that, aren't they? So.

So are we getting to that now with the Internet crackdown and everything else? Is this pretty much where we're going to have we finally made it to this dystopian future?

Marc: 00:03:49

sets the term. So it says by: 2017

Darren: 00:03:56

Oh, no, no, no, no, no. That's not how you say the quote, Mark. Do better.

Marc: 00:04:00

By: 2017

Television is controlled by the state and a Sadistic game show called the Running man has become the most popular program in history.

Darren: 00:04:17

We're not far off this. Like there's wars over oil. We remember when petrol was what, like 50p a liter or gallon, whatever it was.

I can remember the petrol stations having to be adapted so they could fit in. The fee being more than one, like a three digit number.

Marc: 00:04:32

I remember the, the protests and the people blocking off the exits to the.

Darren: 00:04:37

Wow, that wasn't that long ago. And now it's way above that price. It was like, how did it get so expensive? Like food.

I was doing a shop the other day and halfway through I started to put things back in, back on the shelf. Because I was like, I can't actually afford these three quid for a box of Malteser. How is souped two quid a tin? I mean, what, what's going on?

Paul: 00:04:56

I, I put it all back on the shelf.

If it's too much for my outer principle, even if I can afford it and there's money in the pocket to pay for it, I'm like, I am not paying that for a tin of beans.

Marc: 00:05:04

But the, that statement and everything we've said so far is very long walk esque. It's a similar sort of reason why they're doing that. There was parts of it that were for entertainment as well.

Paul: 00:05:12

And George Orwell's: 1984

Darren: 00:05:18

Now it'll be. I think we've mentioned this before as well. It's Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, which is where. But it's not dystopian, it's. It's utopian.

But everyone's drugged so they can deal with it, deal with life.

Paul: 00:05:30

So there's lots of cheering for the gladiators to fight each other. Yeah, Barney's in the mix.

Marc: 00:05:34

Yeah.

Paul: 00:05:35

Lots of 80s humor. Tongue in cheek. 80s humor. And that sort of hints of a.

Marc: 00:05:41

Squid game as well.

Paul: 00:05:42

Oh, yeah, yeah. That's a good call.

Darren: 00:05:43

And it's kind of a cartoon at the same time. It's cartoon violence.

Marc: 00:05:46

Yes, it's very over the top. Yeah. It's quintessential 80s action.

Paul: 00:05:50

And we spoke about this, I think, when we mentioned it the other week, about it being sort of around the same time as Predator.

Darren: 00:05:56

In fact, they would, they would kind of come out the same year and then they had to have a meeting.

Paul: 00:05:59

That's.

Darren: 00:06:00

Yeah.

Marc: 00:06:00

Too much Arnie for one year.

Darren: 00:06:01

Yeah, yeah. The universe Would collapse. And then it's written by Stephen d', Souza, who wrote Die Hard but also wrote Hudson Hawk.

Paul: 00:06:09

I was gonna say the one was a connection.

Marc: 00:06:11

Always a connection.

Paul: 00:06:13

We like to get them in. We like to get them in.

Darren: 00:06:15

And Stephen King obviously wrote A Long Walk as well.

Paul: 00:06:17

Well, I saw the poster when I was doing my Facts of the Day stuff and the poster was quite cool. It was very much around. There's this game show where it's life or death and this time Arnold's going into it or something along them lines.

I was like, yeah, that's pretty. Pretty 80s selling as well, isn't it? What's it gonna happen with Arnold in the mix of this? But that's pretty much it in a show.

Dystopian bit of Fugitive, bit of Total.

Darren: 00:06:41

Recall, bit of Friday night beer and.

Paul: 00:06:43

Popcorn movie and a Harold Faltermeier soundtrack. Who's Harold Faltermeier? He's the man who did Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop. So you're very much in your quintessential.

Darren: 00:06:52

80S, beautiful 80s music.

Paul: 00:06:55

There you go.

Darren: 00:06:55

It's a soothing, solid lullaby for me.

Marc: 00:06:58

Everything you would want. I think that sums it up perfectly. Let's move into part two, which is the unboxing.

Darren: 00:07:04

Do it.

Marc: 00:07:09

So in part two, the unboxing, we are in spoiler territory.

So if we've piqued your interest and you haven't seen Running man, but you feel like now you want to go watch it, I would go do so now, then come back because from this point forward there will be spoilers. So in part two, we have what did you miss? Where we will highlight things you may have missed, even if you've seen it many times.

Paul has his facts of the day. We round off with Hate it or Rate it where we all give a rating out of 10 and the combined score goes into our legend league. So let's go to.

What did you miss? I'm going to go to you, Darren.

Darren: 00:07:36

I think on the whole it's. It's kind of quite surface level, but I think as time has gone on, it's easy to see how prophetic this was about how we have just.

The situation we've got has just increased more and more and more.

And we went through this period in the kind of recent history where we get to the point where we're doing I'm a celebrity, get me out of here, and we're just getting people to do disgusting things for our entertainment.

Marc: 00:07:58

Yeah.

Darren: 00:07:58

Or we're getting people on Big Brother putting wine bottles into their vaginas Vote.

Paul: 00:08:02

For who you want to do something stupid.

Darren: 00:08:05

Yeah.

Paul: 00:08:05

And everyone rings up and says, I want that person to do this stupid thing.

Darren: 00:08:08

And then we've got things like Jackass and all the spin offs of that where guys are doing just heinous crap to each other just to get likes. And I've got tick tockers and social medias doing just insanely stupid stuff for the attention. So. And it kind of. And there was some.

There was a lot of.

I think there were some Japanese game shows which had gone a bit much further than us, I suppose, where it was about humiliating people or causing people pain. And we're kind of there, you know, we're kind of heading into that direction.

Paul: 00:08:34

That used to be sort of in the 90s, the Japanese programs, we thought they were extreme, but like you said, we're pretty much calm now. And you go, well, that's kind of what we're doing.

Darren: 00:08:43

And then what's going on in the real world, like we were saying earlier, is very apt. This idea that you can't protest now that people are struggling for food and it's. The media is manufactured, that the media lies.

And we're seeing that like firsthand.

Paul: 00:08:56

Although the AI, you know, where they do the reconstruction, I suppose that's where we're up to with AI now. Yeah, well, yeah, that could probably recreate someone and go, oh, there's Arnie fighting someone.

Darren: 00:09:06

But one of the things I like about it though is, and it tends to happen quite a bit with army films, is how multicultural and ethnically diverse it can be. So we've obviously got Arnold Snagger, who's an immigrant to the USA and went on to become a governor, which is amazing success story.

Then he's supported by Maria Conchita Alonzo, who I think was in Predator 2. Predator 2. I'm sure she's been other stuff as well, but it's. But that's kind of interesting because she's.

Paul: 00:09:31

A singer as well. I read somewhere when I was going through.

Darren: 00:09:32

Oh, that's cool.

Paul: 00:09:33

Yeah.

Darren: 00:09:33

And I'm assuming she's Latino or something like that. My geography of South America is not great. We also got Yafit Koto, I was gonna say friend of the show, but if only. I think he's passed away.

But he was in. We talked about him in Alien because he's the guy who looks like he's gonna box the alien.

And we think he might win because he's got so much powerful presence. And then you mentioned that James Bond movie sometimes doesn't Let Die. Yeah, yeah, yeah, totally. So he's in it. You've got Jim Brown as the fire guy.

Yeah, I can't remember his name. So.

Paul: 00:10:03

Fireball.

Darren: 00:10:03

Fireball. That's it. So I just think all that's kind of just cool, kind of fun. Everyone gets some kind of representation.

And you've got the white kind of nerdy guy as the representation of white nerdy guys. Why. Why are we making eye contact? What's going on here?

Paul: 00:10:16

That does feel like you're looking at me.

Darren: 00:10:17

Well, because you sit opposite me.

Paul: 00:10:19

I'm wearing my glasses right now. You call him a nerdy guy just because you're not wearing your glasses right now.

Darren: 00:10:25

I've got them.

Paul: 00:10:25

I know.

Darren: 00:10:26

So, yeah, I think that's kind of the main things I kind of got from. It really does. It's scarily apt.

And I think there's a great line, I think Arnie says it, where it says the truth doesn't seem to be too popular these days. I'm like, wow, that's. That's exactly where we are right now.

To the point where, I mean, you can go digging into this about how, like, someone would be like, oh, my uncle's in. In the CIA in like the 70s. And he said, just don't watch any TV. You're being programmed. You're being programmed.

And now I just think the goal is to make it so you don't know what's true and what's false. I'm there now. I have no clue.

Marc: 00:11:00

What's the difference is now we have things like this where people are having conversations outside of the media where you couldn't do that years ago. There's social media, there's no podcasts, which.

Darren: 00:11:09

Is why Joe Rogan's got some flaws. But he's an in, seems to be an independent.

Marc: 00:11:14

Well, he is because he'll have the left on, he'll have the right on. He'll get shit for both, but he doesn't care because he just wants to talk to people.

Paul: 00:11:19

Is this why they're tracking, Cracking down on that? Because they don't like it at the top that there's all these other voices.

Marc: 00:11:27

You can't crack and they can't crack down on. On.

Paul: 00:11:29

Can't stop the signal? Mal Serenity. I know, I know, I know. You know that even us talking about.

Marc: 00:11:36

Highlighting, it never used to happen. There was no public way for, like, us to say something like this and people to hear it.

It was only the mainstream media was the only message it was getting out to Anybody. It's easier to brainwash or to program people there.

Paul: 00:11:47

What I mean, though, is it going to get to the point where. A bit like in this film where music's banned and books are banned in that other film. Well, are they going to get it where.

This is locked down because Darren said something really shocking.

Darren: 00:11:57

Just a matter of time.

Paul: 00:11:59

He's been cancelled again.

Darren: 00:12:00

Also, I like the whole $6 for a can of soda. I think we've paid. I've been in places where I paid six quid for a soda.

Paul: 00:12:05

I think I paid about £3.50 for a J2O the other day. It took me a few days to get over that.

Marc: 00:12:12

Tiny as well, aren't they?

Paul: 00:12:13

Right?

Darren: 00:12:13

Six quid. I could see you paying in like a premium concert. How much were they when you went to Taylor Swift?

Marc: 00:12:20

He doesn't care. Wanting to tell us. Yeah, just. Just a. Shut up and take my money.

Darren: 00:12:24

Yeah.

Paul: 00:12:25

Beautiful blur of. I'll take all the merchandise I can. Was the drinks. I don't know. I don't think I drunk that day. I. They could have stored it.

Stared in wonder at the entire.

Marc: 00:12:36

Paul went and bought a Taylor Swift credit card just for the.

Darren: 00:12:39

Yeah, exactly.

Marc: 00:12:39

Yes.

Paul: 00:12:40

They should make those. Taylor. If you're listening, I'd probably get one.

Darren: 00:12:44

Start the bank of Taylor parts of this.

Marc: 00:12:46

Had the video game vibes for me.

Darren: 00:12:47

Yeah.

Marc: 00:12:48

Select your character. Round one Fight.

Darren: 00:12:50

Well, you know, I think it might come up in the facts of the day, so I apologize. But Sub Zero obviously went on to become a Mortal Kombat character and there was a running man game, but it was trash.

Yeah, But I think it also inspired loads. Like if you. Do you remember the game. I can't remember what I had it on. There's one called Smash tv.

Marc: 00:13:07

Yes.

Darren: 00:13:07

That definitely had running man vibes. It was top down, as a lot.

Marc: 00:13:10

Of the games were back then.

Paul: 00:13:11

There's about a billion facts for this film, so if you've got any, just shout them out.

Marc: 00:13:15

Also, Mick Fleetwood. What the fuck? I had so many questions.

Paul: 00:13:18

And he's called Mick.

Marc: 00:13:19

I was like, what the hell? Like, when did he do. I didn't know he did any acting. I hadn't. I was completely blown away.

Darren: 00:13:25

Yeah. I hope he did it because he liked the. Because he's a bit of a rebel, isn't he?

Marc: 00:13:28

No, he leads. Yeah, yeah. He leads the resistance. Yeah.

Darren: 00:13:31

But I mean, in real life he was a bit. I suppose so critical of the establishment. So I hope he did it.

Marc: 00:13:36

Maybe just like the idea of it. Has he Been in anything else?

Paul: 00:13:38

Well, I read one of the facts was he put in the Star Trek reference. That was him. Because he loves Star Trek, but apparently he got his dream come true. And he was in an episode of Star Trek, the Next Generation.

Marc: 00:13:48

Was he? Oh, wow. Okay.

Paul: 00:13:49

Apparently, yeah.

Marc: 00:13:50

I was like. It took me a second. He looks. He looks and sounds awfully like Mick Fleetwood. I was like looking at, oh, my God, it is him.

Paul: 00:13:55

Well, I'd done the thing where I saw him in the credits, Big Fleetwood. And I'm like, okay, that'll be interesting when he pops up. And then there he is. I'll just pop that out. That's not a good impression either.

Marc: 00:14:05

What was the other thing? The dance sequence when they come out.

Darren: 00:14:08

Oh, my. Abdul, no. Oh, it was.

Marc: 00:14:11

Yeah. But the whole thing was a complete Thriller rip off.

Darren: 00:14:13

No, I thought that two things on this one is Thriller is obviously superb. I've also seen the director of that, which was John Landis. John Landis talk about that. And he's like, we rehearsed that so much.

Those dances are within like half a centimeter of each other when they jump.

Paul: 00:14:30

Kenny Ortega or someone. Sure. The guy, the choreographer is called Kenny Ortega.

Darren: 00:14:35

Yeah. So then I'm watching these girls dance and I'm like, that is phenomenal. I haven't seen dancing that good outside of Thriller.

Marc: 00:14:42

Yeah. And a lot of the moves were the same. The choreographer was probably wrapped up. But the music is very Thriller. Even the music sounds like.

Darren: 00:14:50

Yes.

Marc: 00:14:51

It's got the same. It's in the same key. It's got the same key sound tone to it.

Darren: 00:14:55

When did Thriller come out?

Paul: 00:14:56

Oh, what was this? Just before, maybe. But it's almost like the Strictly. I was thinking it's like what everyone's watching on a Saturday at the moment, isn't it?

The Strictly Come Dancing. Big, glamorous, glitzy, sparkly entertainment distraction for the public.

Darren: 00:15:09

And it used to be the way things were when we had just terrestrial tv. Like the streets would be quiet when there was something huge on TV because everyone, every household would be watching it.

We don't really get that anymore because we can pick and choose what we watch and when we watch it.

Marc: 00:15:21

83. So it was before that.

Paul: 00:15:22

Oh, okay. Way before.

Darren: 00:15:23

The closest thing we had was kind of Game of Thrones. I suppose that's the last kind of culturally relevant TV show that everyone would be talking about. Not everyone, but the bulk.

Marc: 00:15:32

I wasn't. I know everybody else around me was. I was like, okay.

Paul: 00:15:36

I was a few seasons behind. But I caught Up. And then I was on it.

I was just going to say, just when it can't get more 80s, it gets to the end credits and then they're like a power ballad. A power ballad kiss. And I was like, yeah, because if you're going to go 80s, you got to go full 80s. You got to have a power ballad over the credits.

Darren: 00:15:53

But even that, even with the kiss as well, that's a. That's a mixed race kiss. This is the 80s. We didn't really get that much kind of stuff. Yeah, I'm here for it.

Paul: 00:16:01

Arnie's beard. Shout out to Annie's beard.

Darren: 00:16:04

This is honestly, this is the theme of so many movies that I think we watch that it's basically grow a beard. Get some stubble.

Marc: 00:16:10

Yeah.

Paul: 00:16:11

Sit on a bench, change it up.

Darren: 00:16:12

Yeah, exactly like it is the way do it. I think you should grow a beer pool.

Paul: 00:16:17

Do you think?

Darren: 00:16:18

Yeah, for sure.

Paul: 00:16:18

I just shaved this morning.

Darren: 00:16:19

Paul's having a midlife crisis and one every week. Yeah, he does. And my solution is to grow a beard.

Paul: 00:16:25

It worked for Annie.

Marc: 00:16:25

I'd like to see you with a beard.

Darren: 00:16:26

I would. Okay. So listeners messaging on the show. That's movies in a nutshell dot com.

You can find all the ways to communicate with us should Paul grow a beard.

Paul: 00:16:36

I'm not giving into your demands.

Darren: 00:16:37

Yeah, you are. You're a dancing monkey.

Paul: 00:16:39

I'm not some running man TV show you can control with your votes.

Marc: 00:16:43

Wait till some beautiful woman messages in the back. Okay, I'll do it. Yeah.

Darren: 00:16:46

Now, Taylor Swift, if you're listening.

Marc: 00:16:47

Yeah, I think about it.

Darren: 00:16:51

Is she on cameo?

Paul: 00:16:53

I think she's too busy for that. Just to guess.

Darren: 00:16:55

Okay. We can get Jay from the in between us to do it though.

Paul: 00:16:58

Okay.

Marc: 00:16:59

I'm not going to be the stalkers names. What was some of the Buzzsaw. Yeah, Dynamo.

Paul: 00:17:04

What was Buzzsaw? Had to split.

Darren: 00:17:06

Yeah, he did.

Marc: 00:17:07

I wrote that one.

Darren: 00:17:07

Captain Freedom.

Marc: 00:17:09

They come up comic book. The classic comic.

Darren: 00:17:11

Yeah.

Marc: 00:17:11

Like dynamic America is obsessed with spectacle.

Darren: 00:17:14

Sub Zero, now plain Zero.

Paul: 00:17:17

And then of course, you had Captain Freedom's very corny workout video in the background. That was very Mr. Motivatory as well. Mr. Motivator used to do a morning TV show. It was camp and it was quite camp. Yeah. Just.

Just for those of you listeners out there who were like, what the hell are they on about? Because I just realized we're of a certain age.

Darren: 00:17:39

So is that audience.

Paul: 00:17:40

There's my crisis kicking in again. Back in the day, in the day when Mr. Movie was on TV.

And the Big Breakfast was on Channel 4, which is literally what I was talking about before we went live. But.

Marc: 00:17:52

Yeah. Anything else?

Paul: 00:17:53

No, I think the only thing was just the idea of surveillance. Big Brother. And the difference from the Long walk from obviously he was watching that recently was this time we very much saw the audience reaction.

And it gave me Truman show vibes.

Marc: 00:18:04

Huge part of it was, yeah, it.

Paul: 00:18:05

Was like the Truman show, where you kept coming back to the audience. And then he's even interviewing the audience as the games are going on, isn't he? Like, who's gonna win? And then all the bets turn to Arnie.

Marc: 00:18:14

Until some. Until one of the stalkers dies. Yeah. Then all better off. What just happened?

Paul: 00:18:19

And then they're all betting on Arnie.

Marc: 00:18:21

Yes.

Darren: 00:18:21

Like, I do like that Betty White kind of wannabe. I feel like they wanted Betty White. She's like, he's Ben Richards. He's one mean all right lush. Yeah.

Everyone's just sheep in this movie because everyone's like, yeah, 10 bucks on Richards because she said it.

Marc: 00:18:37

They just don't really care, do they? Just. Just go with whatever someone says. Easily led.

Paul: 00:18:40

The only other thing I was going to say is the shoot, which is really cool and quite intense for the effects of them days, I suppose.

Marc: 00:18:46

The shoot.

Paul: 00:18:46

What do you mean by, like, the thing they go down the chute.

Marc: 00:18:48

Oh, that.

Paul: 00:18:48

Yeah, I like that.

Marc: 00:18:49

Yeah, that was good.

Paul: 00:18:50

And I thought, how have they done this? Is this miniatures or. You know, there's not gonna be a CGI knock around in 87. So.

Marc: 00:18:56

Did they actually build that?

Paul: 00:18:57

Did they build it? I don't know. It looked quite practical.

Marc: 00:18:59

I thought it was gonna be in your facts of the day.

Paul: 00:19:01

It might be. I don't want to give them away. I didn't see that as a fact, but I did think that was quite a cool effect for the day.

Marc: 00:19:07

And then I still thought, I like it. When they sent the present it down at the end.

Paul: 00:19:10

Yeah, it's like, fuck, he went right through the board again. If you're thinking this is slightly 80s, it is.

Marc: 00:19:17

It's quintessential.

Paul: 00:19:18

Quintessential 80s. If they can do it over the top in this film, they pretty much do.

Marc: 00:19:23

It's got the shoulder pads to prove it just.

Darren: 00:19:24

It is weird how for futuristic film, it just. It still stays 80s. Even when, like, it feels like the game show audience are there for a different show and they're just.

They just went into, like, the Price is Right or something.

Marc: 00:19:37

It was like, if they've been successful it might have looked like a 90s show.

Darren: 00:19:40

Yeah.

Marc: 00:19:40

In the 80s, but it just looked 80s. Yeah. It's just full of the time. What was. What made it look like it was the future. Probably the shoot maybe.

Paul: 00:19:48

And the outfits. The spandex. Is that what we meant?

Marc: 00:19:51

You had lights written down. Was it the lights?

Darren: 00:19:52

Yeah, the lights were awesome.

Marc: 00:19:53

Darren had a note, lights written down. He doesn't know what it means.

Paul: 00:19:56

I wrote. I wrote something about the lighting of it where sometimes there's some really not. Well, just like very creatively lit. But then I found.

So it'd be like blue tones or red tones and it'd be all quite.

Marc: 00:20:07

Oh, yeah.

Paul: 00:20:07

Because I've got an Ambilight tv. So if there's a real red tone or something, obviously the lights hit the Highly recommend them. But yeah, I was thinking, yeah, it's really good.

But then I was always a bit disappointed when it went into the fight scenes that all of that sort of went out the window and it was just kind of multicolor again. I thought maybe they could have done one of the scenes like in a blue or something with light going on. But yeah, there were some nice shots.

Marc: 00:20:30

I thought. Let's move on to Paul's facts of the day. Okay.

Paul: 00:20:35

There was millions of them. We've half mentioned a few of them. But let's whip through some of the other ones.

Marc: 00:20:41

Usually these last few episodes you've started with, did you know there's something that we'd already spoiled.

Paul: 00:20:46

Did you know Paula Abdul did that? Oh, yeah, we did that, man. No.

When Rob Cohen purchased the rights to the Richard Bachman novel, he wondered why the rights were so expensive given that Batman was not a very well known operating writer. But of course, spoiler alert, we'd already told you he was actually a pseudonym for Stephen King.

Darren: 00:21:05

And Stephen King got told off by his publisher because he was just writing too many stories. And he was like, fuck you, I'll write him under a different name. Then eventually the media were like, hang.

Marc: 00:21:14

On, there's a certain style to this.

Paul: 00:21:18

What's going on? Many people who work with Richard Dawson on the game. So Richard Dawson, obviously the baddie in this Killian, he used.

He did a bit of acting, but he mainly was famous for hosting game shows on American.

Darren: 00:21:31

Was it Family Feud?

Paul: 00:21:32

Yeah.

So many people who actually worked with Richard Dawson on the game show Family Feud said that in real life, Dawson was more like his character Damon Killian in his handling of underlings.

Darren: 00:21:44

Wow.

Paul: 00:21:44

So maybe there wasn't much acting going on.

Darren: 00:21:47

He was great On. On the big screen. Like he. He worked, he made his transition. Well, he was very believable.

Paul: 00:21:52

One of the other facts, which I haven't got in front of me, but I read it before, was Burt Reynolds was looking at possibly playing that part, but he wanted his name next to Arnold's. Oh, and I don't think they were going to give him.

Darren: 00:22:02

They got really insecure as he got older.

Paul: 00:22:04

s I know is from King Kong in: 1970

Darren: 00:22:12

Yes. The one with the blonde actress lady whose name I forget.

Paul: 00:22:15

I want to say Fay.

Darren: 00:22:16

Right, yeah, that sounds right.

Paul: 00:22:18

Oh, is that the name of the character?

Darren: 00:22:19

No, I don't think that's why actually, Ben, who's the 60s version. Whatever.

Paul: 00:22:22

Oh, yeah, it's not the original. This is the 76 version with the helicopter.

Darren: 00:22:25

Oh, that's. No, this one. I mean.

Paul: 00:22:26

Yeah, okay, cool.

Darren: 00:22:27

Glad we got that sorted.

Paul: 00:22:29

Thanks for sticking with us on that one.

Darren: 00:22:31

The TriStar logo kicked in and I was like, Ah, TriStar. I'm young again. I was like, what the fuck happened to tristar?

Marc: 00:22:37

They look like bought out, but they just got gobbled up by a bigger company.

Darren: 00:22:40

y they were still going until: 2024

Marc: 00:22:46

No, that's not with wings.

Darren: 00:22:50

Yeah.

Paul: 00:22:51

Slush. I particularly like this fact because this is what we were debating before.

It's hinted that Mick Fleetwood is playing himself in the movie, because in the film the resistance leader's name is Mick, which we said. He's British.

And when Mick meets Richards to remove his explosive collar from around his neck, he says to him, you're one of the cops who locked up all my friends, burned my songs. So is Mick Fleetwood actually playing? Mick Fleetwood?

Darren: 00:23:15

Could be Interesting.

Paul: 00:23:16

That's a good inception if that's the case. Although Arnie and Richard Dawson on screen are enemies, in real life, they were actually lifelong friends. Oh, that's nice.

Darren: 00:23:26

He sounds like a dick. So less nice. Choose better friends.

Paul: 00:23:30

No. Schwarzenegger wears a World Gym sweatshirt in the scene after he escapes from the prison. World's Gym CEO was Schwarzenegger at the time.

Marc: 00:23:39

Bit of self promotion there.

Paul: 00:23:40

Bit of self promotion? Why not?

Marc: 00:23:42

We managed to get that in.

Paul: 00:23:43

Many of the dancers were Laker Girls because they were friends with Paula Abdul. Oh, you like Jesse Venturi Facts, don't you?

Marc: 00:23:49

Yeah, me too.

Paul: 00:23:50

John McTiernan initially kept Jesse Ventura out of any close up shots with Arnie in Predator. Because Ventura is a men's size 6, 5 and almost 300 pounds.

And the director didn't want Schwarzenegger to look small in comparison when they were doing Predator.

Darren: 00:24:03

Right.

Paul: 00:24:04

Which is evident when you watch the fight scene in this one. Because Ventura dwarfs watch.

Darren: 00:24:09

Nice. That's cool.

Marc: 00:24:10

Doesn't happen very often.

Paul: 00:24:11

No, exactly. So when they were filming Predator, they kind of changed around. Have any of you ever seen V?

Darren: 00:24:16

Yeah, I know of it.

Paul: 00:24:17

The old one I've seen.

Marc: 00:24:18

Yeah, I've seen. I watched it for a while. Yeah.

Paul: 00:24:20

ce in V the final battle from: 1984

red and yellow LED lights. In: 1987

Yeah, it makes you put it into the thing of. Yeah, they're still figuring out the technology back then, and here they are in the future and they didn't even have blue LEDs.

Now we've got fake Morgan Freeman going, hello, I'm not Morgan Freeman with anything. You just wanted me to do that impression again, Right.

Darren: 00:25:07

Never again.

Paul: 00:25:08

Just love it so much. I feel like even if it was accurate, it'd be saying that anyway.

Darren: 00:25:12

Morgan Freeman's a hard one to do. I think only Trevor Noah can do it.

Paul: 00:25:16

And this is the most obvious fact, which is, of course.

Marc: 00:25:18

Oh, he said he'd leave us with one and he would get another one. A bonus one.

Paul: 00:25:21

I know. Well, it's an obvious one in the sense that he says, I'll be back in it.

So I don't think that was the original line, but I'll be back became his signature line. So they threw it in. They threw it in. There you go.

Marc: 00:25:33

Okay. Thank you very much, Paul. And we move on to hate it or rate it. I'm gonna go to Paul first, because it was your choice.

Paul: 00:25:42

Yeah. So I've never seen it. Didn't know what to expect. It's not quite what I expected, but then it's everything I expected at the same time.

Darren: 00:25:48

Okay.

Paul: 00:25:49

It took me a while to adapt to the eight seasoners for some reason.

Marc: 00:25:52

80Sness.

Paul: 00:25:53

I don't know why I was like, it's a bit cheesy. And I'm like, yeah, come on, Paul, embrace it. Embrace it. Then I did embrace it. And when. Enjoyed it.

Darren: 00:26:01

When did it get cheesy for you?

Paul: 00:26:02

It was just this, when it was starting off.

Marc: 00:26:05

I think 80s in general is gonna.

Paul: 00:26:07

I know it is.

Marc: 00:26:08

Especially when it's trying to be over the top.

Paul: 00:26:09

I felt like it's one of them that if I'd have seen in the 80s when I was a kid, it'd.

Marc: 00:26:14

Just be like, have that memory of it.

Paul: 00:26:15

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You'd just be like a lot of the other films. I really love this one. Obviously I've never seen.

So it's like, whoa, okay, I forgot how 80s this is, considering its futuristic 80s. But now I did enjoy it.

I'm interested now to see what the new Running man with Edgar Wright is going to be like with obviously the new technology and how they're going to. They're going to try and make it gritty and realistic or are they going to keep the cartoon vibe of it all?

Darren: 00:26:37

I hope it's critical of the current state of the world. I think if Running man can do it in the 80s and we've got so much stuff and so much more awareness now, if it's not making a statement, then this.

Filmmakers are cowards.

Marc: 00:26:50

Yeah.

Paul: 00:26:50

Because this is obviously what a lot of this is. In amongst the action and the explosions and everything else, there is this commentary of.

This satire of where the world's heading and just desperation.

Marc: 00:27:00

Because as Minecraft proved, you can just create something as a cash grab.

Darren: 00:27:04

Yeah, yeah.

Marc: 00:27:05

It can have all the references of something in it, gets a nod to it, but it doesn't really do anything. It's just a rehash and they'll just buy. Whereas you could actually be clever and thought provoking or update it or.

Darren: 00:27:14

But I'm not sure. Edgar Wright doesn't really have a history of doing that.

Paul: 00:27:18

No.

Darren: 00:27:18

Doesn't really get political or really say anything, so.

Paul: 00:27:22

Be interesting to see. I was thinking about that one when I was watching this one.

Darren: 00:27:25

The.

Paul: 00:27:26

I enjoyed all the dancing bit, the Harold Faltermeier, all that in the mix. Is it going to be my favorite one? Possibly not, because I've got the nostalgia link to it. This is where I've.

I made a note about nostalgia, how powerful nostalgia is. So if you saw this when you were 13 and it was just, oh, my God, that's amazing. It sticks with you, doesn't it?

So when you watch it again, I mean, sometimes you guys have done the opposite and said, I used to love this But I don't anymore. I tend to find. If I used to love it, I still love it. Don't have this with this one.

Marc: 00:27:53

Just because you're a child still.

Paul: 00:27:54

Yeah.

Marc: 00:27:56

Which is the best way to be, I guess.

Paul: 00:27:58

I try and look at everything through a child's eyes, you know, through a new view of, you know, find the.

Marc: 00:28:03

Positive things to hold up.

Paul: 00:28:05

Yeah. Yeah. So it's a fun bit of 80s. How did you call it? Quintessential 80s. And that's what this is. And once I got used to the style of it.

Because there's a bit of RoboCop in there, isn't there? Where the. In RoboCop, it cuts away, doesn't it? And it's like, buy that for a dollar.

Darren: 00:28:20

It's almost like, I'll buy that for a dollar.

Paul: 00:28:22

There's a bit of that in there. That's very good. I keep building up your impressions. You keep knocking mine down. Knocking them down. So I enjoyed it. Is it my favorite? Possibly not.

I feel like if I watched it again, now I know what to expect from it. And the level of kind of cheesy ness it gets to. I think the 80s song kicking at the end really boosted it for me. I was like, I like that.

Happy ending. Gets the girl. 80s rock soundtrack kicks in. I'm like, okay, I'm loving all that. And I am fond of said love interest as well.

I thought she was really good in Predator too. I liked her in that. I'm going to give it a 6.7. Yeah.

Marc: 00:29:01

Cool. I enjoyed it. I haven't seen it for a long time. I think I'd only seen it once all the way through. I thought it's in bits and bobs of it. It was fun.

It's. It's fun. Yeah, it's. Yeah, it is a bit of Darren doesn't like the world, but it was a bit cheesy. It was. It was. I think it knew what it knew it was.

It wasn't trying to be.

Paul: 00:29:16

Yeah. It's kind of tongue in cheek, I wrote. Yeah.

Marc: 00:29:18

But in the same time, there was a serious aspect to it. The way it was portraying society at the time, which I kind of liked. I just. For me, Ani, I just never felt Annie was ever going to be in danger.

There was never. Just quite predictable. There was no real surprises in this movie.

Paul: 00:29:31

That's why you go and see it, I suppose, back in the day. And that's what the poster was almost telling you, wasn't it? Yeah, the poster's telling you. Well, Arnie's going against it now, so.

Marc: 00:29:38

And I had to knock a point off for him saying, I'll be back. He cannot say that line in any of the movie that I don't know about you. Did it annoy anybody when he said that?

Paul: 00:29:44

I thought it was a bit too self referential but I was like, I'll go with it. I see what they did there.

Marc: 00:29:49

Oh, the. Did anyone pick up the fact that when they were showing the audience when they framed him for the murder, the footage was based.

They were basically showing them the crowd, the movie.

Darren: 00:29:58

Yeah. It wasn't.

Marc: 00:29:59

It should have been security footage from inside the camera. They were actually showing all the different shots of the. It remind me of Spaceballs.

You know, when they get Spaceballs movie, I watch the movie to find out where they were. But like you had all the shots outside the building inside.

Paul: 00:30:10

The way my brain processed that was well, clearly they've got movie cameras in all of the helicopters. Drones as entertainment.

Marc: 00:30:17

So it fell apart a bit for me there. I was like, wait a minute. If it was been some grainy footage from inside the helicopter or even if.

Paul: 00:30:22

They put like a green.

Marc: 00:30:23

Yeah, something. But it was like we watching a scene in the movie here. So I didn't like that. But yeah, generally I like the movie.

Paul: 00:30:30

I meant to say I hated the audience.

Marc: 00:30:32

Oh, they were.

Paul: 00:30:33

The audience were pissing me off at one point where like, yeah, more death and then. Oh, no, sure, yeah.

Marc: 00:30:39

But when a stalker died it was. I know, but then it shouldn't change their mind again.

Paul: 00:30:42

And I thought, well, that's typical audiences. But they were pissing me off. Yeah.

Marc: 00:30:46

So yeah, it's not. It's not one of my favorite 80s movies. It never's, never going to be. So I'm going to give it a solid 7.1.

Paul: 00:30:52

Cool.

Darren: 00:30:53

What would you die? I love the politics of it. I love. There's a bit where they're like, I won't fire on civilians wanting food.

And it reminds me of that whole idea that just following orders is not a defense. And we just have that. I mean obviously we have it globally with what's happening in.

In Gaza right now, but we have it in this country now with our police arresting people who've got no right to be arrested. And we're just looking at them being like. I mean the videos have seen even of like friends of friends. I'm just like, what the fuck are you doing?

What? This is your job. You're going to go home and be like, yeah, I kept out street safe. From this girl wearing a Palestinian or stop the war in Gaza.

I support Palestine action or whatever and this whole narrative around them. Honestly, I could go on around, but I will try not to.

So I love the fact it was highlighting that and highlighting the fact that we are just overly manipulated by media. We don't know what the truth is. It's kind of depressing in that way. I don't think they needed the romance.

I think Arnie struggles a lot with any romantic storyline.

Marc: 00:31:50

I can't really think, like a token thing to just put in, like a formula. What's the formula? This movie. I has to have a low interest.

Darren: 00:31:56

Yeah. Like he's not gay. It's basically that kind of fear. Which they do in the Expendables really badly. With Cordelia. What's her name?

Paul: 00:32:06

Cordelia Chase.

Darren: 00:32:07

Yeah, but what's the actual. Yeah. And they're like, oh, Jason Statham's. This is his ex girlfriend. He's got a girlfriend. So him and Sylvester Stallone aren't banging, so why not?

That would be great if they were. Yeah. And the same thing. The thing I liked about Predator is they don't do that. Like he doesn't hook up with her because there's no reason to.

And this is the same. I mean, they barely know each other.

Paul: 00:32:25

Oh, come on. They have some banter. I'm just a sucker.

Marc: 00:32:29

Clearly there's no hint of. Yeah, they could have easily done that because it's supposed to be a male and a female.

Darren: 00:32:33

He didn't need to get the girl. And so that was a little bit kind of clunky.

Marc: 00:32:37

Why couldn't they have just been good friends at the end of it?

Darren: 00:32:39

Yeah.

Marc: 00:32:39

Oh, come on.

Paul: 00:32:40

Rock soundtrack I know.

Marc: 00:32:41

80S because of how they met. It was a bit tumultuous. She. She. She shopped him in, then realized he'd been framed. They could have just been walked out of that.

Good friends went for a drink just because they're male and female. There has to be a love interest.

Paul: 00:32:52

Yeah. I do see what you're saying.

Marc: 00:32:53

Yeah.

Paul: 00:32:54

The like, tick that box. There we go. Romance is in it.

Darren: 00:32:56

But yeah, other than that. I had a ball. I freaking loved so much of it.

Paul: 00:33:03

We finally picked a film.

Darren: 00:33:04

I was giggling so much and it moved so quick. Like it's. It's got the kind of John Carpenter s opening. It felt like Escape from New York or something like that. And it was like.

Like you were doing like in the world. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I was like, okay. I mean, this is where we're Going. Then it opens with what, the helicopter footage. And that's just lush.

And was totally. I won't do that. Unarmed civilians.

Marc: 00:33:25

Ah.

Darren: 00:33:26

So I'll go on.

Marc: 00:33:27

He goes, excited. When I see Arnie that.

Paul: 00:33:30

Yeah, that pulled me in, actually, because I've never seen it. So I'm like, oh, okay, that's a good start.

Marc: 00:33:34

I like this.

Darren: 00:33:35

And then it's like. Then they're in the prison and it's like, there's no skipping, there's no trial.

It's like, now we're in the prison and we're all already at the point where we're trying to escape. And it's like, everyone's going to get their heads blown off. Okay, I'm even more in now.

Marc: 00:33:46

Keep going to the good bits.

Darren: 00:33:47

Yeah, yeah, exactly. It is. It's like.

Paul: 00:33:48

Do you know what's good about it, though? That. That pace is. If that was a TV show now on Netflix, it'd probably take three episodes to explain, oh, there's.

There's a wall and your head blows off. And they did it in, like three minutes. Don't go over there.

Darren: 00:34:03

So it's like helicopter prison. And then they're on the streets and they've met the rebels and now they're working through there.

Now we see what's going on behind the scenes with the game show. Now they're in the studio, now they're in the game. And I was just like, oh, my God, I'm. I'm holding on and just watching the crap out of this.

And then it is just funny, like. And sometimes unintentionally, because it's kind of low budget, they reuse some, like, pictures, shots of the audience cheering exactly the.

Marc: 00:34:26

Same way we use the movie because they couldn't have security cameras.

Darren: 00:34:29

Yeah, yeah, we use a movie.

Paul: 00:34:30

I picked up on some dubbing things where it was like, yeah, they're not mouthing what's actually coming out.

Darren: 00:34:35

But, yeah, this Dynamo looks like he's singing and there's nothing thing.

Paul: 00:34:39

That was the bit I was like, what?

Darren: 00:34:42

Yeah, yeah. And then she makes it.

Marc: 00:34:44

Love it even more.

Darren: 00:34:45

Stolen footage from King Kong to flesh. I'm just like, what?

Marc: 00:34:49

Cobbled together this.

Darren: 00:34:51

And then there's like a lot of the. Like, it's like, oh, the stalkers are these badasses. Dynamo goes up a hill and rolls over. It's amazing.

Like, everyone's just killed in a bit of a way.

Marc: 00:35:04

Who's the electricity guy?

Darren: 00:35:05

That's Dynamo.

Paul: 00:35:06

She just.

Marc: 00:35:06

She just chokes a bit of water on him.

Darren: 00:35:08

She does he? Oh, my God. That was amazing. And then chainsaw just gets split. It's just like. It's a redneck with a chainsaw. This is amazing. See what?

Paul: 00:35:17

See, when I said it wasn't quite what I expected, I thought it'd be. I think I'd seen the trailer to the new running man, where obviously he's around the world.

Darren: 00:35:24

Yeah.

Paul: 00:35:24

So I figured that was the same in this. So when they were just like, in these weird. They shoot down the shoot and then the kind of there and there's crowds.

I'm like, so where are they again?

Darren: 00:35:34

Yeah, yeah, sure.

Paul: 00:35:35

So that wasn't what I expected. It's like, oh, they're literally just going to battle it out like gladiators.

Darren: 00:35:39

Totally. But, yeah, but it was fun. The music has held it together for me. I thought it was amazing.

The rebels are overcoming it and, like, pulling down the signal. That was all cool. Also, people like, we can talk about Arnie being a hero. It's these two, like, sidekicks. Like, they were just like, no.

He's like, they're reluctant here. He's like, I don't want to do this. They're like, no. Like, we don't have your strength, your power, your presence, but we've got to get the signal.

We've got to. We've got to end this. And they just think we're going to need so many people like that to kind of stand up and. And fight in whatever way they can.

Even if the way we fight on a daily basis right now, it's just being kind to those around us and being kind to the people in our bubble. If that's all we can do, then let's do that. It's great that it was people like the rebels overcoming extreme odds, which I always love.

But the fact is, also led by, like, an immigrant is just kind of fuck you to everyone who's racist. So, yeah, I giggled a lot and. And I've seen it many, many times and it just landed this time.

Paul: 00:36:35

Oh, that's good to know.

Marc: 00:36:36

Good.

Darren: 00:36:36

I reckon I'm gonna give it an 8.5. Like, I had a ball, but I can see. I can see what's wrong with it. And it did, actually.

Probably when it got to the show, it kind of lagged a little bit for me. Like, the run up to the show was lush. Then there was a lot of just walking around in the dark, talking about signals.

Paul: 00:36:53

Yeah, there is that. Before the actual gladiator.

Darren: 00:36:56

Yeah, exactly.

Marc: 00:36:57

Let's see where it lands in the Legend League. Okay. That puts it into 13th.

Darren: 00:37:03

That's not bad.

Marc: 00:37:04

41.

Darren: 00:37:05

Where was Predator?

Marc: 00:37:06

Predator was that must have been up there. 12th.

Paul: 00:37:09

Oh, holy crap.

Marc: 00:37:10

Predator got 23.8 and Running man got 22.7.

Darren: 00:37:15

Holy crap, that's so interesting.

Marc: 00:37:17

So we liked Predator like one point actually more.

Darren: 00:37:20

But I think I like to predict running around a bit more than Predator, didn't I?

Marc: 00:37:24

Oh, you didn't?

Darren: 00:37:25

Yeah.

Marc: 00:37:25

You didn't give Predators higher score, but we liked it more as well than we did like this. So overall we combined liked it more.

Darren: 00:37:31

Yeah.

Paul: 00:37:31

Yeah, Totally interesting. They're next to each other.

Marc: 00:37:33

If you want to have a look at the Legend League, head to movies in a nutshell.com or the links will be in our show notes. You can check out the full league. We're now 41 movies.

Darren: 00:37:40

Yeah. Crazy.

Marc: 00:37:41

Which means 41 weeks. Which means 41 episodes.

Paul: 00:37:45

Wow.

Marc: 00:37:45

Plus a bonus episode.

Paul: 00:37:46

We are on a roll.

Darren: 00:37:47

Yeah. Do us a favor. Go through all 41 episodes that you've watched of ours.

Choose your favorite, and please share on social media and be like, hey, guys, I've just found this amazing podcast that no one someone listens to. So please tune in, give them some support, help them get to 100.

Paul: 00:38:00

And if you want to join the fan club, please do.

Darren: 00:38:03

Yeah. And if you're interested in merch with a T shirt with my face on, let us know.

Paul: 00:38:09

We're only going to supply T shirts with Darren's face on.

Marc: 00:38:11

Actually, if you go to, there'll be a link for the. To the Legend League in here. There is a thing at the bottom where you can comment on. On it if you want to.

Paul: 00:38:18

Oh, there you go.

Marc: 00:38:18

It's linked to social media, so you can do. Do all fancy stuff like that.

Paul: 00:38:22

It's like it's all there ready for them.

Marc: 00:38:23

Oh, it's amazing. Right, okay, let's move on to part three, which is the listener lounge.

Okay, so in part three, we have the lobby where we share your comments, your questions and your messages. Then we ask our question of the week and we finish by revealing next week's movie.

So Andy Minette, one of my friends, who is from here, from Cumbria, but he's now working as a teacher in Ukraine.

Darren: 00:38:48

How does that happen?

Marc: 00:38:49

He's. He left the country years ago to go to Asia to be a teacher. Then that one. Then he left to go to a different country.

Then he met a girl, I think, and he ended up in different country.

Darren: 00:38:58

Honestly, the places you can end up if you meet a girl.

Marc: 00:39:01

But that. Then he's ended up just. He loved Ukraine. He's a primary school teacher there, teaches.

Paul: 00:39:07

English and he really likes Secret Window. Right?

Marc: 00:39:09

He recommends Secret Window every single episode.

Paul: 00:39:12

That's the man.

Darren: 00:39:14

It's gonna die if you hate it. I might give it a one just to annoy him.

Marc: 00:39:20

But yeah, Andy has messaged and he has got a thought and a question. So let's, let's hear it now, guys.

Speaker D: 00:39:25

Andy here from Penrith, currently in Ukraine.

Recently I was asked by a journalist writing an article about whether I had examples of either Russians or Ukrainians being intentionally patrolled, portrayed in positive or negative lights in movies or TV shows. And that got me thinking.

And one of the examples I gave was that I knew in the Emmeline Paris TV show, the Ukrainian government complained to Netflix as one of the characters was Ukrainian living abroad and she was a thief or a picture pocket, I can't remember. And they complain and tried to get this scene cut.

You know, I also remember in the, the Euro Trip movie where Slovakia was portrayed as a, I don't know, hellhole and just overall Eastern Europe, Europe was made to look like Third World's scary looking place now.

Yeah, I mean, I, you know, I've always thought long before any war started here with Russia, that Russians have always been portrayed in all TV shows and movies as bad guys, enemies, gangsters and things like that.

And I just wondered if you thought that often movies are used for propaganda purposes, how often that is the case, you know, and how often films really do stereotype or try to paint people or places in specific ways for their own agenda or maybe hidden agenda. Let me know what you think about this one. Appreciate it.

Marc: 00:41:08

Thanks, Andy. My first thing when he said about Russians, snatch, Sneaky Russian. Boris the Blade, he's Russian. Any thoughts, gentlemen?

Darren: 00:41:18

Yeah, that's exactly right. We know that. I mean, it peaked in the 80s with the Russian kind of propaganda. Obviously the peak of 80s Russian Russian propaganda with love.

Now, I was going to go Rocky.

Marc: 00:41:29

4, Rocky 4, is that.

Darren: 00:41:31

Who's the Russian Drago Lundgren, who's apparently a very, very intelligent guy in real life. So, yeah, we had a ton of kind of Russian as the bad guys. And that was pretty, pretty common, I think then in the 90s.

And this is just off the top of my head, it felt like we just went Eastern European bad guys. And then you could get British actors doing a random nondescript Eastern European voice.

And so, you know, whether it's Alan Rickman in like Die Hard or whatever it is, anything like that. And so, yeah, it is and then in terms of, like, propaganda or is it on purpose?

If you want the American military to be in your film, you're going to have to give them the script and they're going to vet it and they're going to make some changes, and they are basically going to use it as a recruitment drive and as a propaganda. In Top Gun originally, that was the Russians are up again. Yeah, It's Russian mix. So Top Gun going after the mix.

The military were heavily involved in that.

Paul: 00:42:21

Chinese mix or my mix. I might be thinking that Tomorrow never dies. They were mixed, weren't they?

Darren: 00:42:27

I got. Think it was Russian. Maybe I was one, but it would still be.

Paul: 00:42:30

Yeah, yeah, same. What we're talking about.

Darren: 00:42:32

What I liked about Maverick is they don't do that. It's just a generic. But again, generic what? Middle Eastern or the Eastern European? Like, no one's. They're not pointing any finger.

So everyone will go to the cinema in those countries, but they're at the same time, the subtext is there. So, yeah, there's always going to be a negative element of that, and it's going to be negative representation.

And we're going to go by these stereotypes. Like. Like you say Boris the Blade, or even down to. Even if it's not intentional.

Even down to what is one of the predator movies when all these different killers get dropped onto a. Like an alien planet and there's like a geeky guy and there's like a Japanese guy. The Japanese guy, I think is triads. And then.

So he's on an alien planet and he randomly finds a samurai sword and also happens to know how to use it, which is just like. Again, it's a stereotype. It's generalization, whatever. Also. But also, all Japanese people are triads. It's. So, yeah, it's. It's.

There's two parts of it. Yeah. First the Russians and then random Eastern Europeans were the bad guys, and we went through more kind of Middle Eastern.

It's always going to be an element of the military being involved and stereotypes and stuff for ease of storytelling.

Marc: 00:43:37

Thanks, Andy. Okay, so if you want to get in touch with us, you can email us. Hello@moviesinnuts.com if you've got something to say, you can leave us a voicemail.

If you head over to movies in a nutshell.com, you can quickly just leave a button there. Voicemail opens up the record on your phone. Boom, it gets through to us, and we'll read them out on the show. Question of the week.

Darren: 00:43:56

Give us A good example of representation of a country that you see Shan by Hollywood. So give us a good example of German representation, Russian representation. Japanese representation would be good.

Marc: 00:44:06

Yeah. That we might even know about. Cool. I like that One example of good representation from traditionally bad.

Darren: 00:44:12

I think Japan does okay, though. Like, Last Samurai is kind of cool, but again, it's always kind of Samurai.

Marc: 00:44:18

Interesting. Yeah. If you guys, you listen at home, you know your movies, you know your stuff, have a think, let us know. You can email us hello.com messages.

The links to our socials are in the show notes, so you can send us a message and we'll read them out next week. That takes us on to next week's movie, which is.

Darren: 00:44:36

I was listening to Choice.

Marc: 00:44:37

Listen to Choice.

Paul: 00:44:38

You said that very excitingly, though.

Darren: 00:44:40

Yeah. Because you two choose lame movies and.

Paul: 00:44:43

Then you just like the one I chose. Literally just like the one I chose until now.

Darren: 00:44:48

It was. Yeah, exactly. Well, you chose something that wasn't a romantic comedy, so I appreciate it.

Paul: 00:44:52

I know I'll get it back there next time.

Darren: 00:44:54

Don't worry. How much did I get? What's in your last one? Crazy Stupid Love.

Marc: 00:44:57

Yeah.

Darren: 00:44:57

What I give that you hated it. This movie.

Paul: 00:45:01

You hate pretty much everything I pick. Even the ones that you say, oh, I like that film. And I think I'll pick that because Darren likes it. You then don't like it. Yeah, that's true.

You're very tricky.

Darren: 00:45:10

I'm a conundrum.

Paul: 00:45:11

I clearly just need to pick films that I've never seen because then it's just potluck, whether you like it or not.

Marc: 00:45:15

So we had a record amount.

Darren: 00:45:17

How many?

Marc: 00:45:18

27.

Darren: 00:45:19

All 27 listeners voted.

Marc: 00:45:21

But I said listeners.

Darren: 00:45:24

I did.

Marc: 00:45:24

Oh, we did. But two of them were void because they're not available, including the subscription. So technically it's 25. But we are 27.

Paul: 00:45:31

Damn you. Streaming.

Marc: 00:45:32

We're reading out anyway, and I'll tell you which one. So first off was Philip Williams recommended Time Bandit for the third time in a row. He really wants us to watch that movie.

Darren: 00:45:40

That's cool.

Marc: 00:45:40

Second Wars, A Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Recommended by Joel Robertson. Yeah. Yeah. Currently available on Disney. Plus a Knight's Tale flick.

Paul: 00:45:50

Sugden Heath Ledger.

Marc: 00:45:52

Not available anywhere to watch.

Paul: 00:45:53

Love that film.

Marc: 00:45:54

Fourth was the Holiday recommended by Magda Seneca.

Darren: 00:45:58

I'd be cool Near Christmas.

Paul: 00:45:59

As in a rom com.

Marc: 00:46:00

It's on. Yeah. I don't know. I've not seen it.

Darren: 00:46:02

It is a one.

Paul: 00:46:02

You've not seen the Holidays.

Darren: 00:46:03

It's a great Christmas movie.

Marc: 00:46:04

I'm not massively into my rom coms.

Paul: 00:46:06

Throw that in.

Marc: 00:46:07

That is on now tv. Number five was lucky. Number seven.

Darren: 00:46:11

Oh, yeah.

Paul: 00:46:12

Not seen them.

Marc: 00:46:12

That was recommended by Robert Martindale. That's not available on a streaming service either. Not included in a subscription. Anyway. Number six was the Godfather, which I have not seen.

Recommended by Elliot Lowry. Larry.

Paul: 00:46:23

Larry McLaury.

Marc: 00:46:25

And that is available on Netflix, prime and Paramount plus everywhere. Number seven was the Prestige. Joe Lamb.

Darren: 00:46:33

Oh, yeah.

Marc: 00:46:33

For the multiple. Multiple times. He really wants Chris Nolan.

Paul: 00:46:36

Chris Nolan. Christian Bale. You jump them. Good choice.

Marc: 00:46:38

. Nosferatu: 2024

Darren: 00:46:41

Oh, I haven't seen that. I want to see that.

Marc: 00:46:42

Which is on Prime. That was recommended by someone you know. Genesee D. Oh, yeah. Is it Jennifer someone?

Paul: 00:46:46

Yeah, that's my sister in law.

Marc: 00:46:47

There you go. Cool.

Paul: 00:46:48

Hello, Shout out.

Marc: 00:46:49

Oh, there's a third one that was unavailable. Penrith Aikido Club have messaged in again.

Darren: 00:46:53

Nice.

Marc: 00:46:54

They've recommended Serenity. I have not available anywhere.

Paul: 00:46:58

What?

Marc: 00:46:59

It's available, but you have to pay extra.

Paul: 00:47:01

See, streaming sucks. Just saying.

Marc: 00:47:04

Number 10 was Kill Bill. Recommended. My friend of the show, Kieran.

Darren: 00:47:07

Still, I think that's coming back out, isn't it? It's coming back to cinema. Or something's happening.

Paul: 00:47:11

Well, it might be another 25th anniversary.

Marc: 00:47:14

That is on Netflix currently. Number 11 was Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Again, the first movie that's had more than one vote.

Darren: 00:47:21

That's a weird movie to get two votes in the same week. That's not that. That's not a mainstream movie.

Marc: 00:47:25

s. Okay, here we go. Triangle: 2009

Darren: 00:47:32

No idea.

Marc: 00:47:33

Ollie Cake. Don't. Recommended for the multiple. He definitely wants to watch that. I'm not aware of that movie either.

Paul: 00:47:37

One day.

Marc: 00:47:38

But it's on Prime. It's on Plex as well.

Paul: 00:47:40

Today could be the day.

Marc: 00:47:41

13 was the green Book.

Darren: 00:47:44

I freaking love that movie.

Marc: 00:47:45

By Hannah Wood.

Paul: 00:47:46

No idea.

Marc: 00:47:47

That is on Prime. And no, that's not. Yeah, it's not just on Prime. 14 was Sharknado.

Darren: 00:47:53

I don't think I've seen it.

Marc: 00:47:54

I've not seen that.

Paul: 00:47:55

Aware of it. Not seen it.

Marc: 00:47:56

is lady in White Lady: 1988

Darren: 00:48:10

Nope. Neither.

Marc: 00:48:11

Recommended by other friend of the show, Matt McSorley. Oh, that is on Prime.

Paul: 00:48:16

Might be a horror Then if It's.

Darren: 00:48:17

Matt number 16 feels like this type of thing. I would kill in Witcher 3.

Marc: 00:48:21

but I haven't. It's the Crow,: 1994

Darren: 00:48:27

Thank God. I do not want to watch that remake again.

Paul: 00:48:30

Have you seen the remake? I couldn't bring myself to watch it.

Marc: 00:48:32

Didn't have that is on prime and that was Recommended by Poppy M48.

Paul: 00:48:36

Thanks, Poppy.

Marc: 00:48:37

17. Hobbs and Shaw.

Paul: 00:48:39

Oh, spin off from The Furious.

Marc: 00:48:40

Yeah.: 2019

Paul: 00:48:45

He likes his Fast and Furious.

Marc: 00:48:46

He does. That's on Netflix. 18 is El Conde.

Darren: 00:48:50

I have no idea what that is.

Marc: 00:48:51

2023, recommended by the local celebrity, Tati Tim.

Darren: 00:48:56

Oh, nice. Right? Okay, so Tati Tim needs to get a franchise going and he needs to do another one in Carlisle so I can have lunch.

Marc: 00:49:04

Next time you're down, Darren, I'll buy you one.

Paul: 00:49:06

Thanks, Tim.

Marc: 00:49:07

. The Martian,: 2015

Darren: 00:49:13

That's a phenomenal movie. I watched that a few months ago. Cried like a baby.

Marc: 00:49:16

was Rango.: 2000

Darren: 00:49:27

Johnny Depp doing a voice of a lizard.

Marc: 00:49:29

There you go. Matt Adamson recommended that and that is on Sky TV.

Paul: 00:49:33

I haven't seen that one yet.

Marc: 00:49:34

21. The film I have seen Full Metal Jacket.

Darren: 00:49:38

Oh, yeah.

Marc: 00:49:38

Cool. You see that?

Darren: 00:49:39

Yeah, Many times.

Paul: 00:49:40

Not seen that. Okay, that's on my list.

Marc: 00:49:42

1987.

Paul: 00:49:43

Stuff I should have probably watched, but haven't.

Marc: 00:49:44

Yeah. That is Danny. That was recommended by Danny Roberts and that is on Netflix.

Darren: 00:49:48

It's a weird movie. It's two movies. It's. It's like two very different.

Marc: 00:49:51

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Paul: 00:49:53

Okay.

Marc: 00:49:54

We'll probably do that at some point on the show.

Paul: 00:49:56

Yeah, I'd like to see it.

Marc: 00:49:57

22. Flight of the Navigator.

Darren: 00:49:59

Oh, cuteness.

Marc: 00:50:00

Once again, recommended by my wife. The Mrs. My wife has never listened to a single minute of this podcast.

Darren: 00:50:07

I did veto her. What?

Marc: 00:50:09

Every time.

Paul: 00:50:09

Take her off that wheel as a vote.

Marc: 00:50:11

She gets a movie in, we'll let her off.

Darren: 00:50:13

Will she even watch the one if she gets chosen?

Marc: 00:50:15

Yeah, she would listen.

Darren: 00:50:16

Okay.

Marc: 00:50:17

23. What we do in the Shadows, recommended by Mav.

Darren: 00:50:20

That's a movie.

Marc: 00:50:21

Yeah,: 2014

Paul: 00:50:21

It spun off the TV show. But I've seen the movie.

Darren: 00:50:24

Right.

Marc: 00:50:25

I'm not Aware of that. It is on ITVX and it's on that Rakuten TV app.

Darren: 00:50:30

Oh, yeah, Another one.

Paul: 00:50:31

It's some.

Darren: 00:50:31

They used to be play.

Marc: 00:50:33

A Nightmare Before Christmas: 1993

Darren: 00:50:42

Freaking phenomenal.

Marc: 00:50:43

There you go.

Paul: 00:50:44

Henry Selick. Produced by Tim Burton.

Darren: 00:50:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Marc: 00:50:48

Everyone thinks it's a Tim Burton film.

Paul: 00:50:49

Yeah, that's on Disney.

Marc: 00:50:51

Plus number 25, LA Confidential.

Darren: 00:50:54

That's a great movie. Great cast.

Marc: 00:50:55

I've seen that. I know of it, but I've seen it. That's right. A good friend of mine, Sam Bradford. And that is on prime and Disney.

Darren: 00:51:00

How many good friends you got? You've got too many friends for men our age. They're supposed to have two. I thought it was you too.

Marc: 00:51:09

Some of them are just a friend of the show. Not necessarily a friend of mine.

Darren: 00:51:11

All right.

Marc: 00:51:12

. The platform.: 2019

Darren: 00:51:14

Oh, that's cute. That's. No, no, it isn't. I'm thinking of the station. Oh, the platform. That's a horror about levels.

Paul: 00:51:21

I think I'm thinking about the terminal with food, which is Tom Hanks.

Marc: 00:51:23

The terminal's good.

Paul: 00:51:24

That's probably nothing like the platform, by the sounds of that.

Marc: 00:51:27

Eat Dubai.

Paul: 00:51:28

Oh, very good.

Marc: 00:51:29

That was recommended by Rob Hancock. Came to the cinema with us.

Paul: 00:51:32

Thanks.

Marc: 00:51:32

Who's now a friend of the show.

Darren: 00:51:34

And a friend of me. So I've got three friends now.

Marc: 00:51:35

finally we have the Hangover: 2009

He's gone for the Hangover, not the Secret Window.

Paul: 00:51:44

He's finally given up. What is going on? Does that mean it's not in the spin?

Marc: 00:51:48

He's lost the spin.

Darren: 00:51:49

He's lost his spin.

Marc: 00:51:49

So just put it in anyway until it gets chosen.

Paul: 00:51:53

Throw it in traditional. But the Hangover, that's a classic comedy.

Marc: 00:51:57

Here we go. We're starting to get too many to read out like that. Took some time.

Paul: 00:52:01

That's another hour of the Shogun.

Marc: 00:52:02

We are way past an hour now. Okay, here we go.

Darren: 00:52:08

Such a cool thing.

Marc: 00:52:13

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

Paul: 00:52:15

Well, there you go.

Marc: 00:52:15

I wonder if that's because it had two choices.

Paul: 00:52:18

Maybe stop spinning.

Marc: 00:52:20

Stop spinning.

Darren: 00:52:21

That was so almost Godfather. I was like.

Marc: 00:52:23

It was very close. That last click just clicks it into. Well, there we go. Next week's movie is Walter Mitty and it is. What's it on?

Paul: 00:52:32

You said Disney plus it's on Disney plus.

Marc: 00:52:34

There we go. Okay, I'm looking forward to that. I've not seen it. No, I don't really know anything about it, so I'm looking forward to it.

Paul: 00:52:39

Feel like I saw a trailer, but I only know that Ben still is in it. That's about it.

Marc: 00:52:42

You've seen it done, haven't you?

Darren: 00:52:44

Yes.

Marc: 00:52:44

Cool.

Darren: 00:52:45

Only once. I just remember a skateboard.

Paul: 00:52:50

Is this important?

Darren: 00:52:51

No idea.

Paul: 00:52:51

Okay, we'll find out.

Marc: 00:52:52

There we go. That's next week's movie. So thanks for listening, guys. If you want to get in touch with us here, you can email us.

Hello atmoviesin nutshells.com links to our social media accounts are in the show notes so you can send us a message. You can send us a voicemail by going to our website. There's a link there if you want to send us a message. Want to ask a question? Anything.

You got any feedback? Just want to say hi. We will read the best ones out on the show.

If you watch any good movies, if you've got any requests, we will add it to the next one for November, which is fast approaching. So, yeah, thanks for listening. This episode is officially over. This is Mark saying goodbye.

Darren: 00:53:24

Darren saying goodbye for now.

Paul: 00:53:26

I had the shirt for it but you fucked it up.

Darren: 00:53:28

Thanks.

Marc: 00:53:29

Did we now.