Blank Check with Griffin & David - Critical Darlings: Bugonia And The (Oscar) Favourites with Marie Bardi-Salinas

Episode Date: February 5, 2026

Honey, we’re buzzing about Bugonia with Marie Bardi-Salinas! The movie surprised us with its appeal to Oscar voters, but maybe it shouldn’t have: Director Yorgos Lanthimos and star, frequent collaborator Emma Stone, have proven themselves Oscar favorites with strong showings from their past films, especially The Favourite and Poor Things.  We discuss the film, but first, a Sundance report from Richard before digging into Lanthimos and Stone’s history with the Oscars, and why this somewhat prickly, political movie succeeded with the Academy despite a relatively weak showing upon release. Then we discuss the movie itself, get into spoilers, the future of the Stone-Lanthimos collaboration, and finally discover whether or not Richard is an Andromedan. Sign up for Check Book, the Blank Check newsletter featuring even more “real nerdy shit” to feed your pop culture obsession. Dossier excerpts, film biz AND burger reports, and even more exclusive content you won’t want to miss out on. Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Facebook!  Buy some real nerdy merch Connect with other Blankies on our Reddit or Discord For anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Critical Darlings, a conversation about the award season conversation. One contender at a time. Please welcome to this stage, your hosts, Richard Lawson and Allison Wilmore. Well, thank you, as ever, to Marie Barthie for that lovely introduction. But actually, I can thank you in person, Marie Barthie, Salinas, because you're here with us. Thank you for joining us. I mean, I'm so honored. We're not going to make you do the actual intro live.

Oh, I was prepared to do it. Yeah, I was kind of looking forward to it. Outro. Welcome to Bagonia podcast. We're here, as always, with producer Ben back from Mexico. Hello. Hola. There you go.

That's hello in Spanish. I love it. I love it. Before we get into Bagonia, can I tell you guys a little bit about my trip to Utah? I would love to hear about your trip to Utah. I was just going to Utah to see, you know, my church is based there. You sing in the choir? Yeah.

It's a claim. It's more of a tabernacle, but yeah. But there happened to be a film festival. happening. Yeah, I went to Sundance for the better part of a week. It was the last one in Park City, Utah, before the festival moves entirely to Boulder, Colorado. And it was a weird week for that reason, but also

just the movies weren't very good. I heard. Yeah. So that was like a common thing. It wasn't just me, right? Like, that was kind of the common sentiment that people heard about it. Yeah. Although I wonder, I haven't been to Sundance in a couple years but I did feel in the years that I went, the hit to miss ratio is pretty lopsided. And look, I will allow for the potential that like that was always the case.

And we just sort of remember past Sundance with like the hindsight of like, oh, this was the good stuff and who cares about the bad stuff. It's just in the moment you're like, wow, there's a lot of bad stuff. But there was something particularly off about this year that made me, I just, again, I think I said it on a past episode, like I just felt, like I was watching a lot of Tribeca movies. Yeah. I mean, you know, we've talked about this a bit before,

but I think all of the financial and kind of professional incentives right now to make an independent film are pointing people towards making a particular type of film, which is usually like, you know, like give me an Apple TV show. Here is my audition for it. I saw two movies about a high school or middle school, I guess, staging a musical about something. Um, touchy. There was a one about a 9-11 musical and there was one about a school shooting musical.

Oh, wow. One was a comedy. The other, the school shooting one was kind of a comedy, but also kind of a drama called run amok. It was called. The other one was called The Musical. And it's about a teacher who gets angry at, because his ex-girlfriend, Gillian Jacobs, who it's required that she'd be in every Sunday movie, is dating Rob Lowe, who's the principal of the school where they both teach at. So to get revenge, he turns the production of West Side Story into a musical, original musical, what, 9-11? And that one is not a comedy?

That's a comedy. The comedy. Okay. The other one is the song? No. It's just like they're pretending they're rehearsing West Side Story whenever someone checks in on them. But in secret, they're, like, doing this whole thing. It is kind of funny at the end when they actually show the production to see these like middle school-age kids who were born in, what, 2012? or something.

Like one's wearing like big Bush ear, like George W. Bush ears. Another has like a bald cap while playing Rudy Giuliani. That's funny. But the rest of it just felt so obnoxiously

like Sundance. Like here's the kind of movie we make. We premiere here. We all remember Hamlet to a below Sundance classic that we talk about all the time that was also about

putting on an unlikely school musical. And how much did that one sell for? Oh, that was a huge sale. And then no one talked about it ever again. But what about Hamnet 2? Well, that's next year, I think. That's the Boulder surprise.

Can I ask, so is it weird that the big movie for Sundance this year was the premiere of the Charlie X-E-X movie, The Moment? Yeah, that felt sort of borderline. I mean, it's 824. I guess it was like independently produced, so like it counts as a Sundance movie. But it did feel like I went to the premiere of that because I had to review it for the Hollywood Reporter reporter. had to be at the first screening. And as I was walking into the building, there were all these people waiting in the rush line.

And there was some, like, I would assume, like, record label person or A24 person handing out brat hats to everyone waiting, like, these, you know, puke lime green beanies. And so they were all wearing them in the theater when they got in. It felt very branded in a way that I don't think is really, like, great for Sundance. Isn't that part of the movie, though? It's like the jokes about the branding. It is.

So they could claim the sort of like, well, we're just being ironic, but you're still doing it. I also feel like Sundance has mostly escaped the thing that has happened to a lot of other festivals, which is like they serve as a place to do like the kind of big world premiere and then it comes out immediately afterwards, right? Like these like movies that have distribution, it's just a way to get an extra boost, right? Like South by most of the big premieres like come out immediately afterwards, mostly on streaming. And like Toronto, a lot of the big performers. like come out soon after because they launch their award campaign. Sundance, you know, it's, it's been less like that. So it does feel a little. Yeah, I, I, there was a, there were a couple

years recently at Sundance where I sort of took a hardline, um, stance on it where I was like, I actually think nothing that has distribution should play here. Like, it should all be things for sale. There's no sense in like, well, certainly not Netflix premiere, which they used to do a lot. 824, even at this point is kind of like, well, you guys, you have a pretty big apparatus behind you. But, and then they bought, A-24 actually bought, like, the biggest sales title there, which was the Olivia Wilde movie, The Invite with her and Penelope Cruz and Seth Rogen and Edward Norton. And it's really well-made and well-acted. It feels maybe like more of a Toronto movie, to be honest.

But in that, like, it's bigger and it looks more like expensively made and all that. Oscarie? I think they're going to make a big play for the screenplay, is my guess. Did she write it? No, Will McCormick and Rashida Jones wrote it. Oh. Yeah. And then she just directed and stars it in.

She's really good in both jobs. But like I think the screenplay is clever enough. And it's the problem is it's adapted from a Spanish movie from a while ago that has already been adapted, I think, in like five other languages. But not English? But not English? This is the first English one. Yeah. So it's like, okay.

I mean, it would be an adapted screenplay. if it were to get one. But like, it might be tough to be like, they came up with this totally new original idea because it's really not. But it was weird that that was the highlight, was this Olivia Wilde directed movie star movie. Do you think that they're going to be, like, this time next year, are there other movies from the festival that you imagine us talking about in an awards context? Maybe. So there was a movie called Josephine that was, doesn't have distribution, it was in the dramatic competition. It won the jury prize. It won the on the audience award, which those two things don't often match,

the audience prize you'd think of something more crowd-pleasing, whatever. This is a really brutal movie about an eight-year-old girl who witnesses a very violent and very graphically depicted sexual assault at the start of the movie, and then about how she and her parents deal with her sort of traumatic, psychological fallout from that. The parents are played by Gemma Chan and Channing Tatum. Channing Tatum kind of is the bigger part of the two parents.

I think that whoever picks that movie up will definitely make a play for Channing Tatum. in supporting actor. I think, like, and there are other categories that movie could fit into, but I think that's the easiest

play. Do movies, if they're not received well, or even if they are and they get sold, do they, do people go and recut them? That's a good question.

I'm assuming yes, but I can't think of an instance when that has happened from Sundance. I know that there are definitely movies that have screened at,

like, can and then been cut for, like, the U.S. release or whatever, but, so it can happen. And I, I think that if your movie doesn't go over well at Sundance and you're like, shit, we were supposed to get sold here,

you could probably retool it and maybe take it to another festival or just try to like screen it for potential buyers. But it kind of does feel make or break and that a lot of movies exited the festival without really even any sales talk. Makes me a little bit nervous for the future of the festival. Maybe they're just holding it back for the Boulder premiere. That's what people kept saying.

They're like, next year in Boulder, it's going to be great. And we'll see. year in Boulder. In Boulder next year. So that's the depressing Sundance Report. And there was no snow. Did you go to the Arby's lounge? I didn't make it to the Arby's.

You know, I didn't make it to a single goddamn lounge the whole time. I'm so sorry. It turns out when you cover a film festival for a trade magazine, you're working the entire. I mean, you are, like, I was up late. I was up to like three in the morning writing, editing most nights. I didn't get to like make my own schedule to like allow me time to go to parties or dinners or anything like that. I just was like at the theater, back to my condo, back to the theater, back to my condo. I'm very grateful for the work.

It was really fun and a different kind of experience. But yeah, no Arby's Lounge, no Chase Sapphire lounge. I didn't get to throw my weight around with people with iPads at the door. None of it. Which is the reason you go to these things. Yeah, it is. It's also to see like people who have come up just to go to parties. Oh, yeah.

Usually from Los Angeles who do not know how to dress for going out and also being somewhere cold and usually are wearing something where you're like, oh, man, that looks uncomfortable. Really, really high heels on, well, usually icy streets, and the street on Main Street is very, it's a steep grade. It's a big hill. And I've seen many in L.A. Weekend Warrior fall down on Main Street. Can I just do a quick run-through about some of the greatest hits, since we're moving on to another era of Sundance, some of the biggest sales at Sundance. Because I feel like some of them, you're like, yes, obviously. That applies. And some of them you're like, what is that movie? Coda

sold for, I think a reported, it was like 20, 25 million. But that you have to adjust for Apple. That's like a million dollars for other companies. Exactly. So Apple was like, money's not real. But obviously, it worked out well for them. Yeah, in a weird year. They beat Netflix to a best picture win. Yeah. Fair play. A movie I liked

that other people don't. I get it. Yeah, but that went to Netflix and then we continue talking about it. a lot to this day. It finally corrected the record on Eldon Aaron Rank. Yeah. Flora and Sun. Another Apple movie. Do you remember what Flora and Sun is? That is with Eve Hewson, right? Yes.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I think that movie's cute. It is cute, right? But does it seem necessarily worth, I think it was like 20 million or something like that? Absolutely not. I mean, it's like it feels like the post-little Miss Sunshine sort of crowd-pleaser. movie that

by going straight to streaming defeats the purpose of that. What crowds is it pleasing? Yeah, exactly. Also, a lot of Apple original movies that go straight to streaming, people don't even know that they exist. Honestly, I don't know that I would know how to find them.

Yeah. Palm Springs. Okay. For like 17 million or so. Good movie. Yeah. That's a lot of money, though. Yeah, a lot of money.

And it just is one of those movies or you're like, I wish this could have like had a long time in theater. But it was also a COVID movie. Like, I remember there was a moment where a lot of people were watching it during lockdown. Yeah. So it did feel like there was some conversations. That's true.

And a movie about being stuck in a little. Right, exactly. It had a COVID-COVID aura. The Birth of a Nation. Oh, well, that's, you know. Yes. Who knows where? That was the first Sundance in the 1920s.

Yes. That's the one you're talking about. Yes. It was a shocking acquisition back then. Yeah. Yeah. You know, and 17 million back then. I remember filing a review of that movie and being like, well, this is going to be, this is the biggest thing here.

You know, just feeling like very like, I was here for when that movie premiered and then it all went. Yes. Terrible. I also forget that, like, Army Hammer is also in that movie. So, like, it continued to become, like, more firsts as the years went off. If some of the other toxicity had worn off, they were like, oh, here we go. Here's Army. Yeah.

I feel bad for, what's her name? Jennifer Nettles, the country singer who's been trying her hand in acting. She's in that and she's actually kind of good in it. So that's the only reason I was rooting for that movie, I guess, ultimately. All right, a few more. It's what's inside. It's sold to Netflix for $17 million. Oh, yeah.

That was kind of recently. Yeah. Right? Yeah. It was like a buzzy, like, midnighter, I guess. Yeah, it's a body swapping. It's a fun premise. Yeah.

Yeah, you can people at it like a weekend or way party they're like let's play this party game where we switch into each other's bodies yeah but then what happens if one of those bodies dies and so your body's dead but you're in the other person's body it's like it's kind of a grim but it but i think they could not netflix clearly was like this was a big thing at the festival it's going to be this like geisty thing on our platform it was not because word of mouth doesn't work the same way and i did see kind of people trying to find a big horror movie at sundance this year yeah and i just don't think there was i mean there was a movie called Leviticus that I really liked that was a sort of sad, gay Australian horror that's more

like contemplative than it is like scary, scary. And it did sell to neon for like $5 million, but like past that in terms of more crowd-pleasy, like fun horror, there just wasn't a movie. I think also you see something like together, right? Yeah. Like there was like clearly people were betting big on and I just don't feel like it really ended up drawing people in the same way when it actually got released. Was that Sundance? Yeah. Oh. It was like a It feels like a Southby. It does. And that's an interesting point, is that increasingly,

the more that Sundance, the market of it has to rely on, like, this, particularly the horror genre, it really does start to bleed into a South Byte, where you're like, okay, well, what's the distinction here beyond, like, ones in January, ones in March? And all of these movies seem to be from the last few years. Yeah. So it's clearly a sort of streamer. Well, it keeps going up. But, like, those prices, though, I feel like they also, like, streamers are the ones who

can pay that kind of money these days because they don't seem to be assuming they're going to make like the math is like so different but um yeah like you know your classic one is happy tex right was like a classic sundance acquisition um supposedly merrimax bought it for like they said oh no it was only 2.5 million but like it was supposedly 10 million and that was in the 90s yes and that was in 1999 so like there have been people paying a lot of money for movies that were basically basically never heard from again for a long time. There have been some really big paycheck about, like, but they were rare. Like Sundance Delirium, people are like, oh, it's like high altitudes and people go wild for this at this premiere. And people are like, I must have it. I'm going to stay up all night bidding on this thing.

The aforementioned Hamlet, too, was another pre-streaming big sale. Yes, yes. But the streamers definitely upped the price tags for a little bit. Like, there was a funny year or two where Jen Salky, who was the head of Amazon content for a while. while she went from TV to film. She kind of oversaw the whole division. And she had never, like, done Sundance before.

And so she just showed up with, like, you know, two cases full of cash. And if there was a movie that she even half, like, she'd be like, $10 million, $16 million. Like, she bought a movie called Britney runs a marathon for $16 million. She bought the Mindy Kaling movie Late Night with Emma Thompson. Like, I liked it and a lot of other people hated. I think that was, like, over $10 million and no one saw it.

Like, and then I think after two years, of her doing that. Amazon was like, okay, we're not going to send you to Sundance anymore. Yeah, and they kind of disappeared as a buyer, actually. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, that was, well, they also, I think they bought the big sick, I think, out of Sundance, and that was actually, like,

seemed like it worked out a bit more. But, yeah, this is, uh, it's a danger. It is a peril of Sundance is that things that play well there often, like, also comparatively than when they actually come out in the, to the, at sea level, they do not necessarily.

have audiences that are really like eager to be present for something significant and so they kind of gin themselves up into it's like you know when you see I saw Glenn Close came, we did Sunset Boulevard like she like did a revival of it like a few years ago not the most

reason one and she was 20, 30 years older than she was when she first played it she was also that much older than the character is supposed to be she was fine but the audience applauded basically every two seconds like almost like standing ovations

after every song, whatever. And I realized then, I was like, oh, they're not applauding for her. They're applauding for themselves for being here. And the more you think about that when you go to like Hugh Jackman and the music band, a terrible production that people were just like, well, I spent $700 to be here.

So, you know, and that's kind of the vibe at Sundance sometimes where it's like, it was a pain in the ass to get here. The tickets are, if you buy them, are not cheap. It's crazy expensive to stay there. I guess Boulder will alleviate that. So we better enjoy this. And it better feel like we are witnessing the birth of the new Little Miss Sunshine or whatever. And the filmmakers are there. Yeah. And so the filmmaking team, you know, cast, crew, whatever, are usually sitting in one portion of the house. And especially if it's a comedy, you know that a comedy's

not working well, if that's the only laughter you hear is coming from house left kind of toward the stage. because it's all the people who worked on it who were trying to get the room going. I saw a movie like that called Chasing Summer this year that that was the only place the laughter was coming from and I was like, oh, ooh, yeah. Yeah, or I mean, I remember seeing,

do you remember Kevin Smith's Red State? It was like Kevin Smith Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He was going to make this like horror movie that was like... Michael Parks, right? Yeah, and he, like, hyped it so much and he was like, I'm going to auction this off

in the room as soon as the movie's over. Yes. So then it was like this enormous pain to like get into this room to see this like extremely like kind of forgettable clumsy thriller. And then afterwards he's like, I'm going to auction it off to myself for one dollar. And then he was like kept the rights. And it was you were just like, I just fought my way into this room to watch this movie and then watch that happen. Yeah. Yeah. The second worst thing he's done after that tweet about his wife. No. Which we'll live on forever. Which we're not going to quote here. And history. Look it up, people.

Yeah. It includes the word brown. Just search Kevin Smith, quote, Brown. You'll get there. David? Yes. This episode is brought to you by Mooby. The Global Film Company that champions great cinema.

It champions it. Unlike the others. No. To cry it. Barbarian it. From iconic directors to emerging otters, there is always some. something new to discover with Mooby. Each and every film is hand selected so you can explore the best of cinema.

You can log on to Mooby and check out all the movies they got. You know, Art House, you know, cool indie stuff, foreign stuff. Okay, this is awesome. What? There's a movie star movie now streaming on Mooby in the U.S. covered on Blank Check soon. Well, I think that's the headline. Yeah.

Die My Love. Yes. You're going to need to watch it if you want to keep up with the show. True. True. I mean, I guess, you know, do what you want. You don't have to. but we recommend viewing the film.

Please view the film. Die My Love, Lynn Ramsey's film. Great film. It came out last year. It was a canon. It came out last fall in 2025. It's a visceral and uncompromising portrait of a woman engulfed by love and madness, starring Jennifer Lawrence, who was nominated for Golden Globe, Robert Pattinson.

It's kind of mostly those two. It's very heavy on the two of them. Yeah, some top shelf. Nolty? I was going to say, some seasoning of Nolte and Spacic. Like, dry. I age, let me tell you. Oh.

Yeah, you've got them in there. But yeah, it's a lot. It's a big showstopper movie for Jay Law. And R. Pats. Yeah. And then even R. Pats knows. He's playing Sack and Fittal. Sure.

But then there's like a... A lemon pepper dry rub of Nick Nolte. I love lemon pepper guys. I love Nick Nolty. I love Nick Nolty to look. It's Lynn Ramsey making her eagerly awaited filmmaking return. Obviously, that's why we're covering her on the pot. We've been waiting for her.

Yes. another movie, and it was on the short list for cinematography of the 90th Academy Awards. I didn't even know that. That's awesome. It's a passionate, complicated, destructive love story between two major stars in Lawrence and Pattinson, who'd never been together on screen before. I know. I guess that's not that surprising, but they are quite a pair. The Bat and the Cat.

K-A-T-N-I-S-S. Oh, Cat N-S. Yeah. The Bat and the Steak. Mystique, that is. Oh, sure. Yeah, it's an awesome movie. The Steak and the Freak, is that something he's played a lot of freaks?

Sure, sure. The spoiler alert for the episode, but I was a big fan of the film. I know you were. Yes. Have you seen it yet? I haven't seen it yet. I think you're going to like it a lot. It's also based on a book by Ariana Harwit.

Mm-hmm. Anyway, there's so much good stuff to watch on movie. There's also awesome. Look, if you're not a member, this is a perfect month to sign up in order to keep up with the show. To stream the best of cinema, you could try movie free for 30 days. at Mooby.com slash blinkcheck. That's M-U-B-I-com

slash blank check for a whole month of great cinema for free. Anyway, we're not here to talk about Sundance. Yes, anymore. We're here to talk about the bug on you.

Where did you guys see this movie? No one was in Venice. No. I saw this movie at the New York. They had like a New York premiere and it was at the Museum of Modern Art. And then they gave away free honey afterwards.

That did not affect my opinion, pro or con, but it was pretty good honey, I have to say. Like, I ate some on toast later. Shout out to bees. I know. Shout out to bees. They get a lot. They get talked up a lot rightfully in this movie. You know, they're work ethic and are easy to exploit, I guess, are the two big points.

I saw this at the night hawk around Prospect Park. And similarly, I ordered the colony collapse disorder pizza. Oh. Which was a hot honey sort of situation. Yeah, delicious. That sounds good. And also, I will say that, just, you know, disclaimer, that did not affect my enjoyment of the film, you know. Sure.

And we're professionals here. We're professionals. And, you know, I paid $21 for said pizza. But it was pretty good. Nighthawk does have better food than Alamo. 100%. Yeah. I don't like the experience necessarily as much at night.

talk, but that the food is better. I saw it in my house. I re-watched it. Same. Yeah. Yeah. It's just interesting that like, because of the short windows now, that like this movie that was like the hot ticket in Venice or New York, whatever, is all just like, oh, you

can just put it. It's just on your TV next to the Olympics, you know? Like, yeah. I think it held up, though, on streaming for me. I actually, like, I had been skewed towards down on it for at that first screening. And I liked it more on second. viewing, though it's not one of my favorite your ghost movies. I do

think we should talk about first, though. Your Ghost Lenthalus. The first movie of his I ever saw was Dogtooth. Same. An incredibly disturbing, amazing movie, but such an upsetting movie. I do know, I will not spoil what happens, but like it contains one of the most

uncomfortable scenes in my head from any memory, from any movie I can think of. Who would have guessed that Yorgos Lentemus would become an Oscar darling? I mean, not me. And I don't really know I don't understand how it happened.

Yeah, like, wasn't Dogtooth nominated for best It was international film? Yeah, at the time foreign language film still. Yeah, but like it, I looked this up because I was like, so it was nominated alongside Beautiful. Okay. Oh, sure. On Sundays, the, uh, another disturbing.

Yes, a very upsetting with some similarities. Yeah. Outside the Law and then in a better world, which is the Suzanne Beer film. That one. Right. Yes. But yeah, like, so that, I mean, that's like a solid slate of films there.

I remember when that got nominated. I was shocked. That was, what, early 2000s? It was a 2009 film? It was probably the last film in, like, conventional theatrical release I saw projected on film at Cinema Village. Oh, wow. Okay. As part of its run, which I was, I have, like, a sense memory of hearing the projector as I was sitting in the back.

Nice sound. Yeah. I mean, I think that's surprising, though. I had forgotten that that they nominated that because I would have thought that something like Dogtooth or his follow-up film Alps would have been like too weird too grim for the academy, you know, even even in that little category. But I guess, you know. Like, like, Dogtooth was a phenomenon. Like, definitely, I remember. But, like, in that, like, art film way, I feel like even I remember the New York Times review.

I think it was A.O. Scott who, like, mentions a bit like, the kids love, you know, like. Like, the Arthouse kids love this movie, this crazy movie. I mean, it was, like, it felt like something new in this very upsetting way. But, yeah, I don't know. I mean, like, the foreign language film, that's a different, more unpredictable category. Like, I feel like it sneaking into there is less weird than the fact that, like, in less than 10 years, the favorite would be getting 10 Oscar nominations, you know? Yeah, well, I guess when you add all of the trappings of a period piece, because then you get costumes and production design and all that. But then the lobster was his first English language movie

That was at Cannes in what the 2015 I think Yeah And that You know was a hit at Cannes and it had like Colin Farrell and Rachel Weiss And then sort of unknown Olivia Coleman At least unknown to Americans But it was enough of a hit that like

There was Oscar buzz behind it Maybe for performances but mostly for the screenplay Which did end up getting a nomination But it was the sole like nod for that movie But it was a sign that the academy was like getting a little bit more comfortable with his whole deal. Yeah. Yeah.

So like nothing. So foreign language film for dog tooth. Nothing for Alps. Yeah. Which is I feel like what people are not as like, we're not as in the Alps. I still haven't seen that one. Yeah. I've seen every other one of his movies, but I don't even know what it's about.

Yeah. It has some stuff in common with like Keneta, which was like his first, I think, like solo one. Yeah. But like, and then nothing for killing of a sacred deer. No. which is a very unfriendly movie Yes but then the favorite yes you're right It's like a period piece

It is about like some real characters Even though you're getting really off-kilter versions of them But it is still it is a weird movie Yeah I mean it's shot with like fish eye lenses Yeah And like it's sort of sapphic but kind of not It has a weird sort of non-ending in a way But I think that

The combination of Lanthamos is like aesthetic sort of choices, the sort of dark humor of the way he stages things, mixed with this more traditionally, you know, witty script by Tony McNamara, you know, respected British writer,

sort of was the perfect combination. And then, you know, McNamara worked on poor things with Lantamos, and you'd think, okay, so when Lantamos makes a movie with this guy, it's Oscar-friendly enough because it's, you know, a period piece, it's ornately designed. It has this kind of clever, almost like Tom Stoppardy dialogue, whatever.

But when he goes back and does one of his own little oddities, that's not going to fly with the Academy. Kinds of kindness would sort of bear that out. But then Bagonia is this weird combination of both, because it feels like he wrote it. He didn't write it. It was Will Tracy, right? Yeah.

Yeah. Who's like a succession guy. He made the menu. So it's not quite as witty as. like Tony McNamara or it's kind of pointed in a different direction, but it clearly had enough going for it that the Academy was like, well, you know, it's not kinds of kindness, so we'll give it, what, five on-scale nominations or whatever. Yeah. I, it's also, like, it's a present-day movie, but it does have this, like, this is going to be a bit about, like, how we live now, right?

Like, capital letters. And I feel like that must help as well, you know? Like, it is trying to be, like, in some ways, in addition to the premise, it is like an in-cell versus a girl boss, right? Like, it leans into conspiracy rabbit holes. When this movie came out, I was interested in it because I love the favorite. The favorite is one of my favorite Oscar movies. Favorite is one of your favorites? Yeah. I mean, in years.

It's like catnit for me. And I was really interested in this movie. And then it sort of felt like it came and went a little bit. And I don't think either of you brought it up in any of our earlier discussions about like, you know, best picture. It's a little surprising we're talking about it. This movie is so spiky and misanthropic and like maybe even a little bit mean. And I'm, I guess I'm just curious what happened in that lull between, you know, the sort of middling reception and then it's like popping up all over now. I would disagree with you slightly there about the tone of the movie.

I don't think it's that mean. I think that there's a lot of sensitivity and pathos, especially, like, with Emma Stone's character. Bagonia kind of fell into this pattern of a lot of the fall Venice movies kind of coming out in theaters and flopping a little bit, which I know, like, Davey. David Sims was like, oh, yeah, flop fall. But they're, you know, it definitely seemed to be part of a bigger pattern of these movies not connecting as much with audiences once they were released. And then that leading to a, like, okay, well, this isn't going to be much of a factor in the Oscar race, even if it is well liked by critics.

Yeah, I mean, it felt like, I think it was a question mark for me. And maybe I wouldn't have brought it up a couple months ago because of that. it didn't do so well and it was, I thought it was one of, Yorgos is one for me. You know, I thought like, it's not, this is not academy facing. But I think, honestly, the more that in Flop Fall, the more other movies kind of fell away, there was Begonia, a pretty good, really well-acted movie that had some relevant, you know, sort of critique of modern life or whatever, that, you know, that looked good. And I also think it helps that, like, they're kind of just, like,

on the Lantamost train now. Like the bar for entry for him is a lot lower than it is for other filmmakers. Yeah. I mean, I cannot still really wrap my head around why the Academy is like,

we love this. This is our guy. Like, why this particular guy. And I like Yorgos Lanthamas's films often a lot. But like, I will say it is interesting

to think about Bagonia succeeding where, say, like, Eddington did not. Yeah, because like, and I mean like, Eddington directed by Ariaster, who produced Bagonia,

they do cover a lot of the same territory. Emma Stone is in both of them, you know, but like Eddington, I think, was perceived as genuinely misanthropic. And it didn't give you kind of like much by way of like a softer edge character to hold on

to, right? Like the ending in particular is just like very like a bleakly joke, right? Yeah. Whereas Begonia does come around to, yes, like a slightly more mournful I would say. Like it also like I think it

leaves a lot of empathy for its main character, even as he is doing a lot of things that are monstrous, right? Like, it allows for a lot of, like, understanding that he has had a horrible life. And I think that maybe is a little friendlier than, like, the ways that, like, something like Eddington, while I think tackling a lot of the same divisions just, like, skewers all of its characters relentlessly, you know?

Yeah, I don't think that Bagonia is, like, making fun of these people as much as it's sort of sadly empathetic and we can get into that sort of more in the plot stuff but as far as like why the academy has embraced Lanthamos so much

I mean I think it's a facet of the academy changing you know different membership more non-American members that that does kind of change the pH balance of the whole voting body but I also think that on occasion the academy can just get kind of

hooked on a filmmaker, you know, and even one is sort of strange. Like, I think the closest analog, even though he makes very different films than Linthamas does, like, the kind of David O' Russell, madness of the late Otts into the 2010s, where, like, he did three movies, and it was the fighter, Silver Linings and American Hustle, right, like, kind of in the span of a few years, that, like, just got, like, bazillion Oscar nominations, like, Silver Lines Playbook got four acting nominations, right? Five? No, no, five, because it was De Niro, Jackie Weaver, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, or no. No, it was just four.

But it was in every... Julia Stiles wasn't nominated? Unfortunately, no. But it was not... I mean, that's its own feat to be nominated in every acting category. Yeah, and the fighter got Bail and Oscar. Melissa Leo and Oscar.

But anyway, like, he had this run of these three big movies. You know, American Hustle, which the New York Film Critic Circle awarded Best Film of the Year. Were you part of the Circle? No. No. I have so many questions. But for whatever reads,

there was just this run where the academy was like, well, if that guy makes a movie, like he's getting on the board, you know? And I don't think that's exactly what's happening with Lantamos because Lathmos does make other things that the academy does not pay attention to at all. But for whatever reason, I think, if I had to be kind of cynical about it,

I think that as a sort of collective consciousness, the Academy has decided that Lantthamos is their acceptable brand of cool. Like that's our pick for like, see, we're kind of already, It's funny to be like, as opposed to say like Wes Anderson. Yeah. It does get nominated for things on occasion, but not nearly as successfully, right?

Like, and as regularly as Lathemas has. And you're like, they both make movies that are like skewed in this extremely kind of like personal and distinctive direction. But like people, like the academy is just like, no. Like, is this too sealed off? I think that there's one major thing that Yorgos has going for his films that maybe someone like West doesn't is that. especially with his collaborations with Emma Stone, there is this sense that actors get to really play in a sandbox and they get to have these really

ballsy, fun, distinct performances where I think, I mean, I do, there are a lot of performances in West Anderson movies that I love, like, you know, Ray Fines and Grand Boot Pest Hotel. There is more of a, like, restraint in the style of those performances. And I think with your ghost, you have both the craft side of things where the films look incredible and interesting and distinctive with poor things, which we haven't mentioned, that did, you know, incredibly in a lot of below-the-line categories that year at the Oscars. But you also have the actor portion of it that feels unique. Yeah. And I do think that like, you know, we had said a couple of weeks.

ago that like the sort of trite and offensive perhaps adage about, you know, why young men don't win to the Oscars is because the Academy voters vote for the woman they want to sleep with and the man they want to be, you know. I also think with, like, there's some version of that with Lantamos where, you know, the acting branch is the biggest branch in the Academy. They're voting for a filmmaker they want to work with. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because it looks fun. Yeah. And I think when, like, even at that party, at that MoMA party, you could see people kind of like rushing Lathromos and being like, like, hey, like. The joke being that I did a Q&A with him for this movie back in the fall, and, like, he is not, like, a chatty guy.

No, no, he is someone who clearly does not love glad-handed and, like, working the room, and it is funny to be like, now you've got to do this all the time. I think there might be a reason why when he writes his own movies that his characters speak in a kind of flat, not-thex-wise way. Yeah, yeah. Because he himself is a little bit like that. So how much do we think, like, his collaboration, his ongoing regular, collaboration with Emma Stone is the reason that... Doesn't hurt. Yeah.

No. I mean, the Academy does seem to like these kinds of stories, right? Like the narrative of like people who are just like, they have this incredible artistic partnership. Even if it does, it feels like that doesn't, isn't necessarily great for you if you just get nominated so many times for like working with the same people, right? Like, it doesn't necessarily make you more inclined to win. I do have that question about Stone.

I mean, like, yeah, you think about like Diane Weist won two sporting actors Oscars. about almost a decade apart, both for Woody Allen movies. Think about like Marcia Mason back in the 70s, like two best actress nominations because she was in her husband, Neil Simon's films, you know? Like there are those sort of partnerships,

I mean, DiCaprio and Scorsese, obviously, that can be fruitful. But with Stone, I don't know how you guys felt, but I felt like when the nominations came out a couple weeks ago, when her name was kind of announced, people were sort of like, great, she's good in that movie.

But there was also kind of a grumble to it where people were like, ugh, again, like, can't she work with a different filmmaker? This feels very samey. She just won. And she, you know, like, Amanda Seifred could have taken her spot or any number of other actors. I worry that for

the Stone-Lanthamost thing, that it's starting to turn a little bit. Like, people are getting a little tired of it. I think it started turning the second she won for poor things. Yeah, yeah. Beating out Lily Gladstone, who had been vastly considered the kind of favorite to win. And you can see it on Stone's face.

Yeah. Where she's like, when she finally gets up to the stage, she's, like, happy because she just won a fucking Oscar. Right. But, like, yeah, when they call her name, there's this clear, like, oh, that wasn't supposed to happen. Right. And I feel like maybe even a flicker of, like, is the internet going to make me a villain? Right. We're doing it.

I think if you had asked me, like, 10 years ago, who would have been the closest millennial analog to Merrill Streep in terms of Oscar nominations? I don't know if I would have picked her. No. I think I would have, Jennifer Lawrence, I think, felt like she was in a zone for a while. And then also you have like Sersha Ronan, who is younger, but she's still like, get five nominations at this point. Yeah.

But I think the, like Emma Stone going from super bad to being, again, the millennial Meryl Streep in quotes, is something slightly unexpected. It is. Yeah. And I think the Lawrence of it all, I think you're right that she was probably the best candidate, but I think she had to remove herself from that. Like I think, I remember when she got nominated for Joy, a David or Russell movie that didn't perform quite as well otherwise. But like, I was like, that's, I think a terrible movie. And she's fine in it, but she's really miscast. But the Academy still nominated her for it. It's a very similar analog to, although I do think that Begonia is a better movie. Yeah, it is. Joy, with a better, more interesting. performance, but it's the third nomination. Yeah, right?

This is Emma's third your ghost nomination. Exactly. Yeah, and that's what Joy was for Lawrence. And I think that I remember when the year, in previous years when, you know, Lawrence obviously won for Silver Linings and then was nominated a year or two later for American Hustle, she was kind of saying publicly, I don't want to win this. Yeah. But it kind of looked like she was going to.

And I think that she was like, shit, shit, shit. If I win this, it's going to be really bad. I'm going to be, like, over-exposed. And then some of that she took with her, and that's why she, like, walked away from starring in movies for a while. Well, I think, and this is also, a lot of this was David O. Russell's fault. But, like, she kept getting cast of these women who are clearly, like, 10 to 15 years older, if not more than she was supposed to be, you know?

And you're, like, looking at this woman who is also at the same time playing a famous teenager on this franchise. And is, like, you know, playing, like, a widow or playing, like, a beleaguered, like, like single mom who invents a mop like yeah like these these things where you're like obviously you are like she's still like a baby face too you know and I could

I feel like there was this aspect of her just being like I need to seize control of this like seize it back by like taking a break but yeah like the fact that she kept getting nominated for these roles as well felt like it was like almost sealing her into this path yeah and I think that that can be kind of dangerous and I'm sure

that Stone feels differently about it because she has won twice and like you know, working in the Lantamos thing is not like working with David Russell. I mean, Jennifer Lawrence recently was like, I understand that other people have had hardships with him. She's been good to me, but I hear what other people are saying, because he's famously like a complete fucking monster. Stone seems to be in a much healthier creative partnership, certainly. And she's also, she's producing these movies now, so it feels more collaborative.

It feels not just like she is a muse or something like that. You know, like this is an ongoing creative partnership. she's being active in making these happen. I just sort of selfishly want to see her to work with other people. Yeah. I mean, she is. I mean, but like it's like Kruela, you know,

which I hate it. But like. Or if she, you know, she's in Eddington, but it's such a small part of it on. Yeah. And she's there to like help it get financed. You know, I feel like. Yeah.

I mean, it's worth pointing out though. Like this is a year of like a bunch of partnerships, right? Like you have Michael B. Jordan. He's been in a lot of Ryan Coogler movies. Have they worked together? Yeah, they have a few times. A few times. Renata Ryan's a.

has been three of Yoakim Treyer's movies. And then Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater. They just met. They just met. They actually met at the Golden Globes. Yeah, it was weird. You were like, how did you make that movie together? And they were like, oh, I'll resume. Well, Ethan was just talking in his favorite bar to his friend, E.B. White.

And the bar itself was really, really tall. It's that bar in Midtown that does that. It's weird. Historical, but like a weird choice. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, like, obviously there is a tradition of this and also obviously the Oscars do not mind it. But yeah, I do feel like, certainly just like looking at it from the outside and from a sense of the public.

Like, it's hard to get excited about Emma Stone getting nominated again for a role in this type of movie. Like, yeah, it does feel a bit like she's been working in a particular mode. She's gotten very comfortable with it. She is, I think, good at it. But it would be nice to see her do something different. Yeah, I don't think she's in danger of like. you know, Christoph Walt's winning two Oscars for essentially the same performance from the same director. I just, you know, by the way, I just saw the Lucas on Dracula.

Yeah, where he plays Van Helsing, but not called Van Helsing. And I'm like, is Crystal Waltz just playing himself in this movie? It's possible he doesn't know he's acting. Fully. I watched that movie and I was like, God, this is like the eighth time I've seen Christoph Waltz play Van Helsing. And then I looked at it. I was like, no, Richard, this is. But I just assumed he just like has that.

I guess because he's in Frankenstein, that kind of his work. confused me, I think. Is he the first actor in a long time to be in Frankenstein and Dracula, like, within months of each other? That's a good question. Yeah. Yeah, I guess he could win a prize for that. You could also argue that Mahershal Ali winning to, like,

near back-to-back supporting actor, you know, especially for the second one for Green Book, which people were like, we have nothing against him in that movie. But A, he's a lead, not supporting, and B, we don't like that movie. Well, the Academy certainly did. But, like, I think that that was harmful to his career, and I think it was

harmful to waltzes. I don't think Stone is quite in that same danger zone, but you do have a problem when nominations are, you know, read on the Thursday morning, and people groan a little bit when they hear your name. Even if they like you in the movie, I think she's wonderful in Bagonia. Rewatching it,

I was like, good God, like, she's so good. And yet even I was like, oh, okay, we've been here before. And I think that's a problem. David? Yes. I am so excited about this episode sponsor. Yes, me too. Might truly be the excited I've ever had for anything to sponsor this podcast.

Today's episode. We're excited to like sponsors that tell you how to like help your finances. Hey, easy. Okay, okay. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Easy. Today's episode of Blank Check is brought to you by Nirvana the band, the show, the movie.

Ruvana the band, the show, the movie. Marie's here too because everyone's so excited. Yeah. I love this movie. I mean, I love this band, this show, this movie. Yes. Important correction. This film is finally coming to theaters.

February 13th is the start of the theatrical rollout. Yeah. From our friends at Neon. Neons bringing it out. We have been waiting impatiently for other people to see this film. We saw this at South by Southwest. One of the best screenings of my life. Truly.

Truly, it was an unbelievable experience. Ben, you were there. Had a blast. And I had never seen or engaged with this show previously. Most of the group. Don't really need it. No. You don't need the context to enjoy.

Absolutely. I think you need to know, like, Like what Toronto is? Because you knew nothing other than us hyping you up for you. Well, this was the problem. And we should say it's a city in Canada. Yes. I went in.

You guys had just been like, it's the best thing ever. And not just you, other people. I can't believe how good. And I was like, this is so overhyped. And here's a great thing about David. Like, I'm walking in. Like, I felt mad about it. Where it was just like, they've primed it too much for me.

I like that you acknowledge this. Because sometimes if we tell you something's good, I see you go, like, put your fists up. Well, I'm just like, relax because I need to, I can't go. in with too much hype because that's not good for my critical experience of a movie. And then I thought it was better than the hype. This is the thing. This movie is truly a miracle. I think it is the funniest movie of the last 10 years easily.

And listeners of the show know, I am often bemoaning the state of the theatrical comedy. And this is a movie that provides the thing I've been longing for, which is you go see this with a crowd. It is just electric every five seconds rolling laughter. And the movie just builds and builds and builds. This is a movie from Matt Johnson. Yes. Director Blackberry, one of my favorite movies the last couple of years.

Him and Jay McHarel started as a web series, became a TV series, and now is a movie. But you don't need to know any of that. This works as a clean entry point. It's a movie about two friends who are obsessed with their band playing at one venue. They want to play at the Rivley. That's all you need to know about these guys. Before the lights went down at the South by Southwest screening, I believe you turned to me and said, what do I need to know?

And I said, all you need to know is they want to play the Rivoli. They got to play the Rivley. I've, you know, I've been to Toronto many times. Have you been to the Rivley? Never. I've stayed on Queen West, though, and I've certainly walked by the Rivoli many times. And I always be like, oh, yeah, the Rivley. There it's not Carnegie Hall.

No, it's the fucking bar. And you never see these guys. What do you mean? It's the most important music venue in Canada. You never see these guys practice their music. But all you know is that every episode starts with, here's the plan. Here's how we play the Rivley, right? We got to play the Rivley.

And this movie starts from there. explodes in unbelievable ways. I think this movie is truly like a magic trick beyond just how funny it is. And for how much it's caked in the deep lore of this Nirvana, the Bay in the show universe that's existed for 15 years, you can just go in knowing nothing and be blown away. And for a movie that seems kind of slapdash and roughly made from the start, it starts to pull off genuine like cinematic magic tricks where you cannot believe how this thing was made.

What was my letterbox review, Gryph? Did you see it? No, please tell me. L.O.L. How did they make this? Truly. That was how I thought. How did this get made? No, but I was also just like, how did they make this?

I don't get it. You don't understand how they're getting away with it legally. You don't understand how it was cleared for release. And there is a melding of scripted and non-scripted, them engaging with real people on the street where the line between what is planned and what is not boggles your brain. It was my favorite thing I saw all of 2025. And now it's coming out in 2026. Now, listen, I do have to do some talking points.

Do some talking points. Nirvana The Band, The Show, the movie is in theaters February 13th. Get tickets now. We must say this. Nirvana, the Band, The Show, the Movie. They're very clear that we have to say the title of this thing. A Verva The Band, the Show, the Movie. Why, it's a really simple, easy title.

Nirvana The Band, The Show, the Movie, it really is a kind of like going cold, expecting something fun. I don't think you need too much more than that. No. I know. it sounds unwieldy or whatever, but just like, I think you're going to have a pretty good time. If you trust

our opinion at all, take this recommendation. Don't look it up, go in, and I really, really doubt there is any chance you will be disappointed. In theaters, February 13th, get your tickets now. Get your tickets now. Never on the band, the show of the movie.

Should we talk? Are we going, yeah? Yeah, we want to be careful about spoilers, so I think this is where we'll put the heavy demarcation line down, right? Well, let's talk it first. And then we can go into, when we get into spoiler territory maybe. Okay. But yeah, I will say I remember seeing the movie that this is based on,

Save the Green Planet, that Korea felt, like, a long time ago. And I did not love it. I think because, like, Bagonia tries to grapple with this more, but, like, it has, it's kind of like that one big joke, right? Like one big, very mean joke. And it's like a funny one. But, yeah, it's not a ton to sustain a whole movie on. And I did feel like Bagonia does something to build off of that a bit with regard to, yes, like trying to be like how we live now, but also like giving Jesse Plumman's character a lot more pathos.

Yes, he's not like, when the movie started, I was like, okay, so he's a parody of, a dangerous parody of like in cells, but like terminally online people. And he that is in that character, but then like the script kind of, which I was surprised by because I thought that the, the man. you, which Will Tracy wrote was so broad and it's sort of like attempts at cultural social satire or whatever. I thought this was a lot more nuanced. Maybe that's the land of the most touch or something. But I also kind of embarrassingly like

because I am also very online, like I like hearing a character in a glossy movie say like, I've read that think piece in the New York Times. Wait, that's how I live horribly. You know? There's something kind of cathartic about that. Yeah. Well, especially when he's,

he holds his own against her when she tries to be like, you're just so, you're online poison, like the kind of the response that I also would have had. Yeah, you've been like, you've been spending way too much time on message boards. Like,

you've just poisoned yourself. And he's like, no. Like, like, sure, I've made this YouTube video in which I did show what your spaceship look like,

but also like, no, I understand what you're saying and I reject it. Like, uh, yeah, like, it does like kind of,

it doesn't go. as like immediately down, I think, an easier path than the way it could. Should we lay out the premise? Yes. Well, so Begonia is about, it's set in Fayette County, Georgia, I believe it is. But it is about a pharmaceutical CEO played by Emiston named Michelle Filler, who gets kidnapped by a warehouse worker named Teddy Gatz, who is also a full-time conspiracist, who is convinced that the world has been invaded by Andromedon aliens

who have been poisoning the planet and making everything worse and killing off the bees. Killing off the bees, causing colony collapse disorder, creating like poisons that have, among other things, put his mother in a coma. And basically he and his... He's enlisted his cousin Don, and they are going to save the world

by capturing and holding an Andromedon, hostage and demanding face to face with the emperor to... It's unclear why he thinks he has any leverage to kind of get them to go, but he wants to be the representative

of humanity and be like we can talk this through. And yes, when you watch it, you're like, oh, he is a delusional person who has just fixated on this what's like high profile woman and is now kidnapped

and is going to torture her. I have to say, rewatching it this week, amidst all of like these many thousands, some more Epstein file pages being released dubiously by the Department of Justice, whatever. And you're reading it and you're like, oh, Nome Chomsky is involved. Katie Couric complimented his lasagna.

I was kind of like, oh, the conspiracy theorists were right. Like, Pizza Gate is kind of real. Like, these people all know each other. They're all doing nefarious things. And so watching this movie, I was like kind of more sympathetic to the Plymouth character that I had been when I saw it in October. because I was like, I mean, like, is he that crazy for thinking that there's this secret network of things, entities pulling the strings? Because, like, we're kind of finding out more and more that there is.

There's also, like, a, you know, very distinct class imbalance between Michelle and Teddy and Don, where you have the, it's, you don't want to reduce it to, like, eat the rich, but that is kind of, if you boil it down to that, that you have, like, someone without societal power going, against, you know, the girl boss of all girl bosses. Yeah. And then that said girl boss not incorrectly necessarily tries to dismiss his conviction with like, well, you just see the internet got in your brain because you don't have the fortitude to like resist what it's trying to tell you.

Like there is a condescension there that I think you see play out in the real world. Like all these Trump voters are just sort of brainwashed by Facebook and Fox News. And it's like, yes, that is. partly true, but like a lot of them are thinking for themselves and they, they, they hear the, the other side and don't, you know, whatever. Right. I mean, there's a lot of reason to not have trust in a pharmaceutical company. What do you mean? I don't know. Well, that was the weird thing about COVID where you're like, thanks Pfizer. Why am I thinking about this? They're awful. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think also like Emma Stone is great at leaning into just how off-putting

that character is. I mean, I think my, I saw this movie with a friend. who told me she had like chills about the particular line where she's like, we've got a change in like corporate culture now. You're all free to live at 5.30 and go be with your friends or go with me with your families. Except, of course, you know, it's not compulsory and we still do have to meet quotas. And like we're still a business and, you know, let your conscience be your guide. You know, it's like such a great like, no, like we, you know, we support like work life balance, except like also you have to get your work done and also like maybe you shouldn't leave.

We also like meet her as she's. they're filming her speak about diversity in a corporate video, where she then complains about the overuse of the word diversity in the video. And, you know, she continues to use a lot of corporate jargon when she condescends to Teddy, like, you know, can we have a dialogue or, like, phrases like that that feel just so LinkedIn speak. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And there's a metaphor running through the entire film on both sides about,

Um, Teddy is a beekeeper and the movie opens with, you know, him taking care of the bees. But then when we first meet Emma Stone's character in her office, the office is stylized, like a hive. You can sort of, this movie shoots a lot from underneath the characters, like from below as we're sort of like gazing up at them, which is kind of a, I don't know, unsettling. But so we see like the ceiling of the office and it's got these weird sort of. of patterns, like industrial sort of feeling. And then the music, which is incredible in this, I think it got a best score nomination, the music in this is awesome and is like very bee-like.

It's like buzzing the entire time. It's really cool. Yeah. Though also has the like bursts of kind of like swelling heroic music, you know, like sometimes in very incongruous moments. Like the battle to be like who is the hero. Like both of these characters are like, I am the hero of this story.

Right. And you kind of, I think the movie does a good job of, like, keeping you very much on one side for a while and then allowing you to be like, wait, wait, hold on. Yeah. And the central question is like, is she an alien or not? Is sort of what you're feeling through the movie? I think that in those scenes where they're, you know, she's in the basement or at the dinner table and they're just having these, like, these dialogues, that's when the movie is, like, most electrifying. and it's because like, you know, the, it's really, I found it hard to sort of like, I kept waiting for the movie to kind of tip its hand and be like, oh, well, this is the person you're supposed to kind of agree with. And it just refuses to do that, which is kind of vexing. And I think that maybe one of the reasons why it didn't have like a huge commercial run is that like, not to like say that anyone who felt this way is not thinking hard enough or whatever. But like, it doesn't give you that sort of easy satisfaction that maybe. maybe one wants from a political movie sometimes.

I mean, you could say the same thing about Eddington. I mean, I remember when I did this Q&A, it was at the AMC and Lincoln Square on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. And so, you know, big, busy theater. It was packed because the people knew when they bought the ticket that there would be a Q&A with, like, Emma Stone and stuff.

And they seemed excited to see, like, these movie stars 10 feet away from them, but really kind of non-plused by the film. They were just, did not know how to sort of feel about it, like they weren't really like laughing at things people said during the Q&A because like I think they were just like I don't know what I just watched and and and I think that it makes it all the more surprising I guess that the Academy was like yep let's let's give it all those nominations because it doesn't offer any easy kind of at least initially yeah I do think one of my

favorite MS Stone bits in this movie is the scene the first time she like very obviously trying to placate Teddy like records a voice message. being like, yes, I am an alien. I would like to speak to my alien supervisors, you know, on behalf of this. And, like, as he's listening to it, she's doing this like, yes, yes, like smile. Like, this is what you want, right?

Like, this is what you want. It's so good. That's with the way she signs off, where she's like, okay, that's it. Thanks, bye. Yeah. Like, she is very funny in this movie. Like, I do think Jesse Plumman's is very good, too,

but, like, gets a lot less of the humor because his life is just, like, you know, so, right? And also he's doing a lot of things that are so awful. Shout out to how greasy. He is incredibly greasy. He looks terrible in a great way. Yeah, yeah.

Like, he looks like he has never washed his hair, like maybe in his whole life. Were you guys Friday Night Lights Watchers? The first season. I just think it's so funny because, like, that show, and I guess this has happened in the past with other series. But, like, that's a great show, at least minus the second season, which kind of goes off the rails. but you're watching it and there's like hunky, hunky Taylor Kitch

very cute Zach Guilford who plays Matt Sarison the sort of other football star, whatever and then Jesse Hillman's like the friend of the guy, you know? Oh, is he on the team? Is he not even on the team? I think he's like the manager or something.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like he's not a player. And it's just so funny to think like, oh, of those three young actors who are all about the same, age, you know, all breaking out at the same time, like, that Jesse Plymins would be the one to, like, have this, not just, like, good career, but, like, lauded, like, every cool filmmaker wants to work with him. And then Taylor Kitch did, like, John Carter. And that was the end of that. Yeah. Never seen it. Yeah. But, like, but he keeps proving why, you know, and I think in this movie, like, I remember before this came, once before this came out, like, some colleagues at my old job had seen it early for something. And they were like, oh, this is Plemons as Oscar. And then he didn't even get nominated. Because it was a crowded field. Yeah, I can't. When I rewatched the movie, I was like, oh, God, he's so good. I wish he got nominated.

But then I looked at the five in the category. And I'm like, I wouldn't replace anyone. Should we get into spoiler territory a little bit maybe? Yes. So listeners, if you have not seen Bologna yet, pause this. Go watch it. It's on Peacock. Also, you can watch the Olympics.

Peacock Olympic Zone. It's great. I recommend it. Come back and then we'll talk about spoilers. Hey, if you just want to skip the spoiler chat, then fast forward 11 minutes Yeah so I said earlier that like There's no definitive answers except there is

Eventually were you guys like How did you feel about the reveal that all of this was real Does that like politicize it in a different way for you or? I think that the bigger rugpole for me is not like I was like of course she's gonna be an alien like the movie like would have nowhere to go if it were if it were just like Like, she is just this woman who's being tortured and elected and has to run away. I feel like the bigger rugpole is when she's like, no, here's the actual history of humanity. And it's that like you, you know, like we felt bad.

We accidentally killed the dinosaurs. Like, whoops. Like we created like life in our image. It's very Scientology. Yes, it is. Or like, yeah, Scientology or like Prometheus, you know, where we're all like started by. these kind of like disco-looking guy, like alien guys who just came in seated life and then come back and, you know, I don't know what they want from us. They'll never make a third

Prometheus, you know, so even though they should, I love those movies. Anyway, but yeah, like, then to be like, you guys are like the kind of like misbegotten, like worst version of this and you keep getting worse and like, we tried to fix you, but we couldn't because like you're unfixable and you're the reason. Like, we didn't cause any of this problem. Like, like, all of these problems are because of you. Like, I think, like, that is, like, the bigger and, like, tougher, like, kind of, like, twist, um, in part because, yes, you have just watched, like, learned so much about this guy who's, like, mother, you know, was, like, a drug user who had, like, not been around for him as much, but he still loves. And then who, yeah, like,

then was, like, put into a coma by this treatment and, like, you know, and then the company was like, well, just for you, we'll pay for her treatment, you know, that we did for this thing that we did to her. Like he just like his whole life is just like you know essentially kind of like having any bit of stability pulled away. So then to have also his like grand theory that like someone else has been hurting the planet ripped away and to be like no this is all on you still. Yeah. Like that's it's tough. It's a tough moment. And the moment when we find out too that he's sort of a serial killer. That was the most surprising thing to me. And that that to me is what makes the character the hardest to like. because if he had, I guess, chosen just her and then been right about it,

it's a little easier to be on his side than he's, both of them have, you know, carve a path of destruction and death through this movie. And she even has that moment, right, which is like, how many were adromedants? It's like two. And he's like, okay, so you've killed a bunch of people. Yeah, just random people. And we don't really know much about his methodology of how he determined who was an indomident.

Right. He was kind of just abducting random people. Yes, yes, and keeping their parts and jars, yeah. Yeah, I mean, I think the thing about, like, it's humanity's fault, like, I think the obvious, and with the bees and everything, the obvious read here would be, like, oh, it's about the environment, it's about climate change, and I think that's definitely in there. But I think there's something else that's almost darker and sort of more philosophical, you know, that is really uncharitable to, like, not just, like, a certain faction of, let's say, Americans or whatever, or, or political. political side of things. It's really uncharitable to everybody. And that's another reason why it's sort of surprising if you zoom out that like this movie has found this kind of like mainstream Oscar friendly acclaim because like that's a really despairing sentiment in any year. In this year,

it's like especially bleak. Right. Like that like right, what she says is basically there's something fundamentally sick about humanity. Like it is like like like like just soul deep, right? An original sin that cannot be cured essentially. We tried. And it just can't be. Yeah. You're like you're you might as well just scrap it and start over. And the final sequence plays that out because everybody's dead, except for the animals get to live. Right. So the earth gets to continue, but without us. I do think there is something kind of like beautiful and unifying about the fact that all of humanity is wiped out at the same time.

Yeah. Like, I love how different all of the, you know, moments of people, you know, mass death. The mass death moment. You've got, you know, rich people on a yacht. We've got factory workers. We've got a couple having sex. We've got a classroom of children. All different countries all around the world.

We're all, there is a connection. Right. We all get unplugged at the same. And if we don't work to save the planet, like, you know, it's going to affect rich people. It's going to affect poor. I mean, there will be obviously economic differences in that. But, like, yeah, but ultimately we are headed in the same direction. So like the kind of counterbalance of that, though, is like Dawn, right?

Like the cousin who, as far as we know, is just like this sweet guy who has been pulled and is like not as oblivious as like I think he's initially presented as just kind of like this this Patsy who is getting pushed around by his cousin. And then like in that really just devastating scene where he dies, like he, you know, makes it clear he knows he does know what's going on and that he's like, I'm doing. this because I love Teddy. He's like the only person in my life. And like without him, I have nothing. Like this is obviously going in a direction where like nothing like I like Teddy is not going to be around anymore. So like just tell him I love him. Like it's so sad. But you're like this character is like, you know, effectively blameless in this like compared to everyone else we meet. And nevertheless, he suffers terribly and dies. It's been it's made clear in the movie right that he didn't know about the previous people. Right.

It's unclear, I think. Because I think when he's doing the electric shock thing on Emma Stone, and he says, it's not like the others. He says others. So I think that this is maybe the first one that he's been brought in on, which makes it even more tragic because he doesn't know that, like, he thinks he's just like helping his cousin with this kind of crazy thing, which, you know, is a violent thing. But he doesn't know what's preceded it, you know. Yeah. Yeah, he is kind of blameless. And so what does he represent in that? I don't know, but that scene was shocking.

Yeah. I did not see. That was one aspect of the movie I did not see coming at all. And again, very bleak, and I'm surprised that the Academy was like, sure. And not wicked. The one thing they have in common, notable knitwear, both movies. Oh, that's true. You know, someone, Rebecca, co-worker, pointed out that the sex cardigan and wicked for good is basically the alien knitwear at the end.

So, you know, like, why? What are they telling us about Elphabo? Yeah. And also, I'm just like, who is going to be bold and wear, chunky knitwear to the Oscars? This is the year. That, the way that that final scene or those few shots sort of create a whole world is really wonderful. Yeah, and that's, I think, in some, in some, you know, ways of looking at it, like, the weirdest that Lantamos has got.

Like, that's the most, like, far-flung. That's, like, full sci-fi, like, like, inventing. world. I mean, I guess poor things is kind of that a little bit, but like, but yeah, I think to see the movie like go that far into this kind of ridiculous abstraction, I think was

unexpected and fun. Yeah. Though, I mean, the expression on her face after she, you know, when she's about to pop the bubble, it is like, truly like, like, kind of like, mournful stricken, conflicted. Her hand has been forced. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And, yeah,

there is, even if it is, sort of, yes, the equivalent of being like, we're going to flush this fish down the toilet. Like, the kind of like the way it happens, just like the pop, like the ease of it, it still is something that clearly she is distressed by. Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of, there are a lot of layers to the movie, which I think if you like read like a little synopsis of it, it would seem pretty obvious. Like, oh, it's a satire of blank. But I think, yeah, it does add a lot of complicating kind of emotion and stuff like that. And the more that we talk about it, the more that, you know, rewatching it. I was like, I really like this.

movie. And yet, when I was doing my best movies of the year list, it didn't even pop into my head as a pop. So why is that? Like, it's a movie I really respect, and yet I'm not thrilled that it got Academy War nominations. I mean, maybe for the score or something like that, but the, you know, the best actress, whatever.

Why is it that I have this kind of block about, maybe it's just Bagonia, maybe it's his movies in general, where like, I appreciate them, but they don't sort of sink that extra layer in for whatever reason. You know, like, I loved the favorite. Like, I really I think the favorite is just a fully incredible movie.

I have loved some of his other movies. I don't know. I think that this one, maybe it is that feeling of like you feel like you're seeing very talented people do something you are at least somewhat familiar with. And I think, I don't know, maybe you start to take people for granted in that way.

Like, you know, even like Emma Stone, like we've pointed out, there was a sense of just like, oh, she's going to take a slot for this. But like, Emma Stone is doing like really interesting work. She's doing interesting work as a producer. She's doing interesting work. Like, she clearly has, like, she is seeking out.

Like, she has, like, she's working with Lanthamos because he has a singular voice that she really enjoys. And she, like, likes getting kind of, like, doing strange and, like, kind of daring roles. I mean, these are all things that you think should be rewarded for. But it does feel like we've seen it. Well, and it's been, so timeline-wise, so there's a big gap between the face. favorite and poor things. And then we've had three movies within this span of two years. And Stone has spoken about how Bella Baxter, her character and poor things, which was such

like a physical transformation. And, you know, it required a lot of technical work that, like, it's really sad in her. And she kind of, like, had a really hard time, like, saying goodbye to the character. And I could see if you're in that sort of mind space, you know, headspace being like, oh, the same guy wants me to do two more movies with him. sure. Like, it'll be kind of like Bella's still around or I'm still sort of in some vague version of that world. So it

does make sense. And then, you know, this like blotted filmmaker who you work well with is like, hey, do you want to play? Hey, by the way, it's secretly an alien. Like, that's fun. Why would you say that? They're going to shave your head. It's going to be yeah. Yeah. I think it's just like maybe it's just one of those things

or you're like, we've seen other movies that we've loved more from this specific combination of people even. And then it becomes easier to kind of Make this one for granted. David, yes. Happy New Year!

Yay. That was the little party horn. Yeah, it's February, but it's still the new year. I mean, I liked it. I'm not going to call it out. But with the new year comes a kind of time for reflection, right? Uh-huh. You think about the past year.

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It's funny, like, in terms of the Emistone producing things, like, I remember it was at Sundance a couple years ago where before, like, a lot of the bigger, like, or cooler movies there, there was this logo for like peach tree films or whatever. And I was like, what is that company? It seems to have arrived like overnight. And all of a sudden it's behind like all of the coolest movies here. And she, but I saw the TV glow was.

Exactly. Which is so cool. That's the year it was. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. And there's a part of me, though, that's like, okay, so she's producing all this really interesting, sometimes challenging stuff like TV glow.

And a real pain. Right. So why isn't she in some of this stuff? I don't know. I mean, I don't know. I mean, you know, like there's this part of me wants to be like, sure, she's using her movie stardom to get these things made. That's great.

She doesn't need to be in all of them if she can just get them made. But, like, yeah, I know. I would like to see her. I respect that she's not in. those movies. I think of like the worst version of that is like Brad Pitt and 12 years of slave. Where he solves slavery? Yes. But I'm just like okay you you know it's great that you got this movie made but you know you being in it. I'm rolling my eye especially at that the specific part at that point in the film I'm rolling my eyes a bit. Yeah it's it was a total

distraction and it could have been like some other great lesser known actor who would have sold it. Yeah. No, that's a good point that you could run the risk of it becoming vanity stuff. Yeah. I don't think that she would do that, but, like, it's, if she's all of a sudden just, like, only producing stuff that has a great lead role for a woman between 35 and 45, like, that might be a little funny. Yeah. I think that there, I don't know how intentional it is, but there is some weird stuff going on in Bagonia in terms of the actor's ages versus the character's age. They don't make a joke of it, right?

Where he's like, would you believe this is a 45-year-old woman? And she's like... So she's playing, like, 10 years older. Right. Jesse Plemons is playing Alicia Silverstone's child, but I don't think they're at hard. Right. And then Stavi, who is, I guess, a little younger than me,

or the same age. So, like, mid-30s is playing the babysitter of Jesse Plemons. Right. So it's like, there's a lot of them. That's true. But as long as they kind of acknowledge it, you know, I guess that, yeah. What do we think about Stabby being? So he's like, what, podcaster, right?

Is he, he, he's kind of with me? I will say this. Jesse Plymonds is a year older than Stavie. So, wait. Yes. So, so, yes, if you think about the, the kind of gap there too hard. Jesse, oh, okay. This make, Jesse Plemons is 37.

I guess because Kirsten Dunst is older than him, I assumed they were closer age. Yeah, she's like, she's a cradle rumber. I love them as a couple. I love how supportive she is of her man on Instagram. I think it's so romantic to get your first nominations together for the same movie. And for that one great scene. I mean, that's really what they both got nominated for, that amazing dance scene. But the stavi of it all, I saw some people say that because Lanthamos cast him.

So he's what? Kind of a dirtbag, lefty kind of got... Look up. Like cast a comedian. Yeah. Yeah. But like controversial. At least he was.

Less so. Less so than now. Other people also have emerged from that world. I just saw some people online which like whatever saying that like Lantamos casting him is a statement of Lantammos's politics. That he's kind of like an edge lord or whatever, blah, blah, blah. I don't know if I buy that. No, I don't see that. No, I think they're both Greek guys.

And Stavi has a very. interesting look. Yeah. And he's good in it. I like Stavi in it. Yeah, at that New York premiere, Yorgos was like, let me, I think said something to the effect of like,

let me put the extra, like extra Greek on it when pronouncing his name. So, uh, yes, there is, uh, well, he'll have to cast John Stamos next. Another Greek. And we had Stavi on a blank check. He was talking about working with Yorgos.

And like, they both have this thing in common where they both have like an art world side to them, but they also are bros. Like, your ghost was a professional basketball player in the Euro League. Okay. Which is really, you should look up his, like, basketball player. I don't know if you call him headshots or whatever, but I'm like, damn. His glossies. Yeah.

Yeah, he had a lot more hair back in the day. But, yeah, apparently he's like super, he's super into basketball still, which I think is really funny because that doesn't really come through. What if he makes a basketball movie? He should. Yeah, he should. He should remake the air up there. Oh, God. No, no one should remake that.

So Emma Stone's only announced upcoming films are a Cruella picture. Okay. And another untitled movie. Is this just her trying, is she just taking a break? Or she has kids, right? Young kids? Or at least one. One.

I don't know. I mean, I could imagine that after she won that second Oscar and she has another Kurella movie coming out, those two things are like pretty, like you're pretty exposed at that point, like that she might want to kind of like, kind of like Lawrence did in a less extreme way, like retreat a little bit to kind of make people miss you, you know? The fact that she had like poor things, kinds of kindness, this. So I think Korella was somewhere in there too. And then she also had the curse.

Right, of course, which she's great. Yeah. Yeah. Well, she and Yorgos do have another collaboration coming up this weekend. They did a Squarespace commercial for the Super Bowl. Oh, would they really? Yep. Wow. Okay. Got to pay those bells, I guess.

Uh-huh. And, yeah, Squarespace is definitely, they've already released, like, a poster for it, and it's, like, a new project from Emma Stone and Yorgo's Lantamos. And it's like, okay, well, I think we've kind of hit a logical endpoint to... Well, and if you get paid, you know, Super Bowl money commercial, salary, like, you don't need to work for a while, I guess. Did you see the Jurassic Park one? Oh, my God. What is going on with their faces?

It's really sacrilegious. It's some mix of, like, they, like, d-h them, right? But I don't even, I wonder if Sam Neal and Jeff Goldblum, like, were there at all. Or if it's a fake. Like, they look, like, totally AI generated. It's really sinister. This was directed by Tyco, YTT. Did I make that up?

Yes, it is. Yeah. Laura Derns still looks like a real person. We're like, they're getting all these. I mean, I know, like, you know, like, you know, Ridley Scott made the Apple commercial of all the years ago. But like this whole thing, like, a Yorgos ad, a Tyka ad, like, that's, we're getting really cynical, right? Like, that's, I don't like that.

It's yet to be like, oh, this is an autorist commercial, like, feels. Yeah, I mean, Wes Anderson has done some ads, though, remember? Was it, like, a... Oh, right? Well, he did a whole short film that was an ad, right? Yeah, Wes Anderson did, like, a whole bunch of Amex. Emacs, that's it. Yeah, yeah.

Spike Jones did the Ben Stiller and Benson Boone starring a super. Purple ad this year for like, I don't know. Instacart, I don't know. It feels there's a difference between doing an ad for like a lifestyley, like a perfume ad where you basically just get to do whatever you want and then just, you know, put a thing at it and doing something for like draft kings. I feel like it feels weirder also for it to be like part of how they tout the ad, you know? Yeah. Coming soon.

Right. This new ad commercial. Major filmmakers have always done commercials. It's just been kind of like a dirty little. secret that no one talks about. Like, especially if you're not someone who's like Chris Nolan level, how do you make money in between projects? You do commercials. So a lot of these guys have maintained their careers while doing these sorts of spots under the radar. I guess now with like the increasing like we no longer have this Gen X attitude where we're against selling out. It's not as

shameful anymore to put your name on something. Squarespace. In Space in particular, like last year their Super Bowl ad was just a rip off of Banshees of Inasharon starring Barry Kogan. I don't know if Martin McDonough directed it. And then the year before that, there was like a Scorsese ad that they did that he directed and starred in. Okay, so this is like a thing. So this is a thing that Squarespace has been doing. But, yeah, I guess they're being a lot more filmmaker forward in general. with advertising now, which is...

I always wondered, like, when Thin Red Line came out in 1998, that was, like, Terrence Malick's first film in, like, was it 20 years at that point? And then, like, he didn't work again for a while. Then he made a bunch of movies kind of in short succession, and now, you know, whatever. But I was like, how did he make his money?

Because he wasn't, like, teaching at University of Texas. He wasn't, like, on any sort of speaking circuit. I wonder if Terence Malik was secretly, like, directing McDonald's ads. He's had commercial representation for a while. I mean, the thing, I don't know if he was directing stuff in that period. Right. But it is kind of crazy that after Tree of Life came out, it seemed like every commercial,

especially for like fashion brands, were just Malick rip-off. So, like, Terry, get in there. Like, I think he did a Nike spot kind of recently within the past 10 years. And it's like... Okay. Well, yeah. Jonathan Glazer has done. A ton of ads.

Like, Glazer, John the Glazer, Spike Jones, Ridley Scott, David Fincher. Those guys all kind of started in that world and then made the transition to. Well, to music videos also. Yeah. And there's no real music video pipeline in the same way. I mean, there are some music video directors who kind of like break into feature now, but like it's just there's not. Do you remember, did you ever have those collections of, I think Palm released them, the directors? There's like Chris Cunningham.

David Fincher, Spike Jones. Those are so important to my becoming a film. That's like how I discovered Spike Jones. Yeah, yeah. Those are huge. Adaptation. It was like the music video work. And then also.

It was like video of it. It was DVDs. I've collected like the music videos that they did. They're called the director series. Yeah. Oh, that's cool. Yeah, they were formative for me. And also they were like very important to try and have on your shelf, you know.

Really beautifully designed. As an undergrad. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Very distinctive. Hype Williams in there, remember Hype Williams? No, he was, they were a little racist.

Yeah, it was, yeah. Although, in terms of their preferences. A lot of the hype Williams videos were just the same video, just with different people. Yeah, no, they're a really interesting run of, yeah, yeah. So we're going to cover the Lantamos ad on next week's episode. Right, that's going to be the entirety. We're going to do frame by frame. That's going to be a deep dive.

Before we close out, like, do we think that Bagonia has a chance of winning any of these things? No. Right? I don't think so. Yeah, I can't see a particular category of which it seems like it could win. And do we think that is Lanth... I mean, Lathamos has been nominated, you know, for heavily nominated for three films now, received two other nominations in the past, has not won anything.

Is he going to be one of those perennially appreciated but not rewarded kind of filmmakers? Because, like, I feel like his movies, you know, the favorite did win a big award. the obviously poor things won several, but like, I don't know if he himself as a writer or director will, like, get himself across the finish line.

I don't know. Hmm. Yeah, I feel like it will depend on the project. Like, if he does another project like the favorite, that feels both like him, but also slightly friendlier, you know,

that has, like, I can see that happening. Yeah. But yeah, I don't know. It's funny because he is, like, undeniably, like, seen as this distinctive directorial voice, right?

Yeah. But, like, not necessarily. necessarily in a way that makes them... I wonder if he ends up going the Wes Anderson route where he does a short film. And then... And then... Because that's how he wins. Yeah.

I mean, that's... Yeah, that could be... I mean, I think that there are plenty of examples in the past of, like, very distinct directors with a particular kind of style and cadence, you know, not winning. Like, Tarantino has never won best director. Scorsese didn't win it until the departed. Right.

You know, Malik is not one. You know, like, I, there are plenty of idiosyncratic directors who have won in the past, but I think for the most part, it tends to trend a little bit more like populists, you know, sort of accessible filmmaking. I guess Sean Dirk, or Sean Baker, rather, maybe complicates that a little bit, but he's an outlier. Richard, before we go. Yeah. Jakuz. Uh-oh. Uh-oh.

I'm in trouble. I believe you to be an Andromedon. Oh. Because this morning, I like to read your reviews before we come on. And so I searched for both. I guess neither of you actually did. I didn't have a job when this movie came out. And my coworker Bilga was the one who reviewed this for us at Venice.

Well, when I went to search, Richard Lawson, Bagonia, I came upon the famous site, findarticles.com. Oh, love it. You know we're a great place to find articles. Find articles. And with your byline, a piece, whose title spoils the movie. So I won't fully spoils the movie.

But there's your byline and it goes to a description that roughly fits your profile. You know, it says you're a culture critic who lives in New York. That's right. But it's not a picture of you. It's certainly not. I don't think it's a picture of anyone. I think that's a made-up picture. It also says that I'm an essayist known for his writing on film media and contemporary society.

So la de da me, fake me. Yeah, well, so unfortunately I am in Adramidant. I'm going to kill you all right now. No, this is AI, right? This is like just like an AI fake website that's created to like, so when all the many thousands of people who are searching for me, the real me, they're getting to, reacted this way instead. Yeah. I don't like that. Do you have one? I didn't have you looked. We got to get you one. It's got to get me out.

It feels great. Yeah, I'm sure it feels wonderful for them to just be funneling off your reputation. But there does some, seems something, I don't know, appropriate for this movie. Fully, that some alien other me has, like, written about this movie.

I looked up Richard Lawson's byline on the wonderful website, findarticles.com. And I write a lot about Nintendo Switch. I wrote glowingly about the news, what is it called, a skin for Fortnite. Oh. Of Chapel Rhone. Okay.

As I think her title was like Festival God or something like that. And that's the character she is. I think she's coming to Fortnite Festival. Oh, oh. How are you unclear on this? I wrote about it. I want to find the exact thing here because it's the, my opening is really great in my piece dated February the 4th at 105 a.m. So I keep burning the midnight oil.

I swore I'd never spend on a purely cosmetic item in a free-to-play game. I'm swearing. You said it many times before. Then Chapel Rhone arrived in Fortnite and my resolve evaporated faster than a victory crown and Storm Circle 5. We all understand what that means, right? Her icon released isn't just another crossover. It's the rare drop that nails artistry, identity, and in-game utility so well that even a hardline,

no spender like me, finally tapped the V-Bucks button. Wow. That's how I right. Wow. You often said that. Do its credit. Yeah.

Does know your guy. I don't tap the V-Bucks button. It's true. I haven't tapped one of those since high school. Yeah. Well, thanks, thanks other me. And dramatized me. And thank you for bringing it to my attention.

It's now my favorite website. This episode has been brought to by findarticles.com. If you need to find an article, try find articles. Next week we're going to be heading to, what, is it Switzerland? I actually, where does it? Is it Austria? That is a good question. It seems.

Yeah, we're talking, of course, about sinners, which takes place. No, we're talking about. It's a real twist, you know, that reveal. We're talking about Frankenstein, speaking Christoph Waltz. So please give that a watch and join us back here next week. Critical Darling's is a blank check production in association with Vulture. Hosted by Alison Wilmore and Richard Lawson. Produced by Benjamin Frisch. Executive produced by Griffin Newman and Neil Janowitz.

Video production and distribution by Anne Victoria Clark, Wolfgang Ruth and Jennifer Jean.