This Had Oscar Buzz - 218 – The Meddler (with Richard Lawson)

Episode Date: November 7, 2022

Vanity Fair’s chief critic Richard Lawson return to us this week to talk about a piece in a trend of films about aging women self-actualizing, Lorene Scafaria’s The Meddler. Starring Susan Sarandon as a widow ingratiating herself to her writer daughter (played by Rose Byrne) and her circle of friends, The Meddler provides a hilarious … Continue reading "218 – The Meddler (with Richard Lawson)"

Uh-oh, wrong house. No, the right house. I didn't get that! We want to talk to Marilyn Hacks. I'm from Canada. I'm from Canada water. New York for a few weeks. New York. I leave tomorrow. Tomorrow. If I go with you, I could be like your assistant. No.

Mirny, what are you doing here? He said you needed a babysitter. I brought bagels. Mom, don't talk to my friends. What you have to do is have him tip you upside down. That's what Joe and I did to conceive Lori. Well, I mean, let me know you gotten safe. Oh, and remind me to tell you what your therapist said. Do you maybe need a ride? I would kill my daughter if she died on a motorcycle. Oh, it's in the motorcycle. This is a Harley Davis. October, that makes you a Libra. Scales, justice. You should be a lawyer.

Maybe. And not married. That's so funny. My daughter's not married either. Hello, and welcome to the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast. The only podcast whispering menacingly at Julia Roberts in our utterly unbothered American accent. Every week on This Had Oscar Buzz, we'll be talking about a different movie that once upon a time had lofty Academy Award aspirations, but for some reason or another, it all went wrong. The Oscar Hopes died, and we're here to perform the autopsy.

I'm your host, Joe Reed. I'm here, as always, with my little Wetzel's pretzel, Chris File. Hello, Chris. Joe, I'm so glad you called. Have you heard the new Beyonce single? This is it. Anyway, I was just calling to play that for you. Phenomenal.

Beyonce gets so much play in this movie, more so than I remembered. There's more Beyonce and more The Grove in this movie that I remembered, and both of which I could not have been happier about. What a movie, like, totally dialed into my own personal, weird little Los Angeles that exists only in my mind and apparently for Marnie in this movie as well. It's maybe a good thing you don't have a daughter. This is maybe a very good thing I don't have a daughter. Before we get any farther into The Medler, though,

than that brief minute-long interlude, we want to introduce our guest because I cannot think about the medler without thinking of our guest this week. The world's foremost enthusiast about this movie and evangelizer, and with very good reason, a returning guest after episodes about Evening and Diana. We have finally invited him back to talk about a good movie. Chief Critic at Vanity Fair, Richard Lawson. Welcome back to this at Oscar Buzz. Hello.

Hello. Yeah, I didn't really think of it in those terms, but yes, this is finally a good movie that I get to talk to you guys about. I've completely forgotten that, you know, normally you only come on here to talk about trash. And both are trash. I mean, evening is in its way, trash. Yeah, like, yes, I enjoy talking about evening and even the experience of watching evening was not entirely unenjoyable. Diana's a different story. Diana was tough sledding, but, you know, we had Naomi's best interests in heart as we were talking about that one.

But you will have me back for... Next time you'll come on to talk about the Richard Daldry film titled Trash. Right. There you go. And then I can do Grace of Monaco. Yeah. Yeah. Really complete the set. Yeah, absolutely. But no, we are talking about the meddler. Richard, this one I... I think I reached out to you about Diana as well. We've only given you your own agency one time in this podcast, but you've been a very good sport about it. But I had a feeling you would not mind terribly if I looped you in to talk about the meddler, because, as I said, you are a champion of this movie, and I love you for it. So talk about why I chose you to talk

about the meddler. Yeah, because when it came out, or even before it was released, I was just like kind of a very vocal meddler stand. I saw it at Toronto in 2015. and it was one of those things where it was like there were like five of us in the audience at the press screen or something I mean probably a little more than that but like it just was sort of like not attended and sort of overlooked it was kind of Toronto filler

or whatever and I kind of expected it to be exactly that because I'd seen searching a friend seeking a friend for the end of the world and thought it was fine and then I went to see the movie and I came out of the theater onto King Street like or wherever it was like just on this incredible high. And I went home and I wrote this like rave review. And I think

I like DM'd Lorraine Scafaria or something. And yeah, and then it was like months and months and months until the movie came out in the spring of 2016. And so in that time, I sort of developed in my head like a crazed like adoration for it. That ended it with that year with me putting it at number one of the best movies of 2016 above moonlight. So I don't know if I would do that today, but, you know, that's where I would then. The thing that I love about that, though, and, you know, like, I love a idiosyncratic top 10 list. I don't, like, it's so much more fun when we get to the end of the year, and everybody's got a top 10 list, and everybody's got more or less the same, you know, 12-ish movies that

sort of show up on everybody's list, right? And a list that will, and even, like, the more esoteric ones, tend to be like, well, but I have to, like, do the right thing and, and put the movie at the top of the list that is sort of the consensus choice. And I really loved that you put the medler on there because, A, it needed somebody to champion it, because as a spring release for a small, little delicate, you know, comedy, it wasn't sort of a presence at the year end. And it, more than anything else, showed that, like, this is the kind of movie that can really, like, appeal to somebody in a really meaningful way. And I think that that is true of this movie. I also, like you, Richard, I saw it at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival. I looked up, I brought

out my little notebook, my little Tiff notebook, to remind me where or when in the festival I saw it. I saw it on the second Thursday. Wow. in the middle of a four-film day. It was a four-film day. I saw Spotlight, and then I saw the meddler, and then I went to the Princess of Wales and saw the Martian, and then I went back to the IMAX screen at Scotia Bank to see the Danish girl. Oh, my God.

It was a hell of a day. And it's one of those things where, like, I put the medler on my schedule because I was like, I'm going to want something enjoyable and sort of low stakes, and I'm such a Susan Sarandon fan. And so nobody was really talking about it, but I was like, this will be a nice little respite movie in between these big Oscar contenders. And to my eternal sort of regret, I walked out of that movie and I was like, that was a cute movie. And then I like rushed across, you know, six blocks to go see The Martian or whatever. And I didn't really, I didn't appreciate this movie for as good as it was until the second time I saw it, which wouldn't be.

until the next year when it was released. And at that point, then it, like, now I've seen it since, like, five more times. And every single time I watch it, it sort of, like, grows on me a little bit more and a little bit more. And then watching it this morning to talk about it on the podcast, I, like, confirmed to me that, like, oh, no, this is, like, one of, like, one of those movies that is actually really special to me. And I think it's not entirely, I'm not really really. out the fact that the first time I saw it, I had never been to the Grove, and now it is my favorite place in Los Angeles. Like, when I joke about that, I'm not really joking. Like,

I am entirely that basic. And, like, I really, everything she says about, like, it's like living on Main Street in Disneyland. And, like, it's, you know, who wouldn't want to, who wouldn't want, what I wrote it down to, it's like the very first thing she says, who wouldn't want to live in an outdoor mall. And I'm like, as horrible as that makes me sound, as a capitalist whatever, cuck, like, that's, that appeals to me. So, yeah, I mean, L.A. is a place where I feel uncomfortable pretty much everywhere. There's just something about that. And that going to the Grove or the Century City Mall, you're like, oh, like, you just kind of like relax because it's just sort of bland consumerism. It's not like, it's not particular to L.A. in any way other than

the outdoor. Los Angeles. Yes, and it's very comforting, and so I totally agree with Marnie on that. She's also just, like, the other thing that I realized researching to make this outline for the episode is it really had been over a decade since Susan Sarandon had been a lead in a movie of any kind, of any stripe. It had been back to, like, the early aughts, and even then it was like, shall we dance, where she's, like, co-lead with Richard Gear, but that's Richard Gears movie.

And, like, Moonlight Mile, where she's, like, a featured, like, she and Dustin Hoffman and Jake Gyllenhaal are, like, the three main characters, but, like, that's still mostly Jake Gyllenhaal's movie. But, like, Bangor Sisters really feels like the last time that she was the lead of a movie. Her, and that's, like, her... Well, and all the attention went to Goldie Hawn for that movie, too. Yeah, and that was Goldie's last movie until she made her comeback. So, like, there's, something was in the water for the Banger Sisters.

Can I tell you a story about that kind of data point? Yeah. So, a fan of the movie as I was, and particularly of Susan Saranus performance, I was eager to interview her during their press tour. Yeah. She was so nasty to me. And she said, have you even seen the movie? And I pointed to the poster behind her.

And I said, yeah, my quote is the second one on there. and whatever okay actors can be mean sometimes long day they're tired so two days later i did a onstage Q&A at the apple store in soho with lorene and uh some i think rose was there and susan sarandon and in the first row were a bunch of the saran fans who had shown up sure who follow her on twitter and look i i i mostly agree susan saran's politics i don't have any ill will towards her in any way except for the fact that she is not a nice person And my first question to her Was something along the lines of

This is your first lead role in a long time How does that feel? And boy, did that not go over well And she was horrible to me For the rest of the Q&A Every time I asked her a question She turned to the Saran fans And rolled her eyes

And they would laugh at me Oh my God! I don't ever want to do a Q&A This is why I turn those down Every time I get asked Like, I'm sorry And it was in an Apple store And then a day later

I told someone to that story And they said, well, did you get the free iPad. And I said, the what? And they said, oh, yeah, when you do those Q&As, they're supposed to give you an iPad. So I didn't even get the iPad. But my integrity holds that, like, I still, months later, put it as number one because I don't hold any grudges against Susan's Randon, even though. And I had a third encounter with her months later where she was, again, awful to me. Oh, wow. So it's consistent. She's not a nice person. No, she's a brilliant actor. But your point was entirely correct, though. Like, it probably doesn't feel great that that's the case.

like, is not your fault for bringing it up. Like, that is Hollywood's fault. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. Well, and also not to be super basic about this and reductive about what acting is, but to know that she's that degree of kind of an asshole and then watching this performance makes the performance all that more impressive. Yeah, because it's a purely likable character. And, like, a lot of that credit obviously goes to Lorraine Scafaria for writing such a, you know,

incredibly textured and nuanced and kind and generous sort of story. But someone who is so good that they are grading in their goodness, you know? Sure. Yeah. There's so many things I like about this story. And obviously, we'll get into it more once we get on the other side of the plot description. But I think one of the things just sort of throughout the movie is

this is not a movie, excuse me, this is not a movie that is seeking to have any kind of ironic satisfaction with how, with the kind of person that Marnie is. You sort of would expect in another comedy to have her be disillusioned or have her like some of these sort of like surrogate daughters that she adopts disappoint her in some way or have this, you know, bubble of a life that she's built in Los Angeles get punctured for her in kind of a nasty way. And that's not what this movie is. This is a movie about her sort of coming to a more, you know, balanced acceptance of, you know, this life that she's built for herself. But it never says that that life is bad or that she was foolish for doing any of the things that she does. And I feel like it's such a better movie than the more cynical version of this movie would have been. Well, yeah, because it's a deeply empathetic movie, you know, I think that Skavaria has said an interesting.

reviews that, like, she deliberately made Marnie the center and not Lori, you know, because she wanted you to be sort of like in her head and kind of have her be inescapable. And in that, I think, Skavaria, who, you know, this is somewhat based on her own life. Like, she, she sees past like, like, what Lori sees. And it's like, no, this is a person and I'm not going to punish her. And I'm going to write her very credibly. I think a worse version of this movie way over does the mom speak, you know, and, and kind of just doesn't get it right. But I think there are so many lines. in this movie that give you the shivers or give me the shivers because it's like, that's kind of how mom sound, like, or really is, really is how mom sound. And yeah, so I think that like underneath

the exterior, which seems to be a kind of lo-fi, you know, mid-festival movie with good performances, but otherwise kind of unremarkable, is actually something pretty rich and, um, and smart and thoughtful. Yeah, well, my notes that I made while I was watching the movie this morning are literally just like three pages and it's all just quoted dialogue from the movie because there's so many really, really great and cute or funny or appropriate sort of lines. I think it has one of my favorite punchlines of the past decade. Which is what? My daughter shot a pilot.

Yeah. She's in TSA talking to a security guard in an airport, like kind of somewhat dejectedly talking about her visit to New York to visit her daughter, and she has the slight double take as soon as the words out of her mouth of what shooting a pilot could possibly mean. Yeah. And I remember my

cacophonous echo laughing at this inappropriate joke. Well, and that joke is just sort of allowed to land and to sit for a second and there's no like follow up really to it. She's sort of like it cuts before it gets to like the untangling

of that moment. It's very funny. And it also pays off it also pays off that moment. earlier where Rose Burns like don't ever say pilot or what is it like there was like three things that's like deadline pilot don't say deadline right yeah if listeners revisit this movie or visit it for the first time because of our episode I feel like people will be surprised at how funny this movie is I'd forgotten how funny it is and I liked it when I first saw it if you have the stars add-on for Amazon Prime which I do you can watch it for free so highly recommend that you do that

Let's not waste any more time on. Let's get on to the plot description. But first, I will read off the stats for this movie. The Medlar from 2016, directed by and written by Lorraine Scafaria, starring Susan Sarandon, Roseburn, J.K. Simmons, Gerard Carmichael times two, Cecily Strong, Lucy Punch, Sarah Baker, Casey Wilson, Michael McKeene, Jason Ritter, adorable Jason Ritter, Amy Landecker, Billy. Magnuson doing Billy Magnuson things, and we love him for it. Do we think Billy Magnuson might be playing Bo Burnham? Oh, that's an interesting thought that I hadn't had until I watched this, or until you said that. Because Lorraine Scafariah and Bo Burnham were together before this movie was made, even. Interesting. As somebody who has met Billy Magnuson at a bar sort of late at night once,

He seems like he's also playing Billy Magnuson to a degree, which is like fine and good and lovely. But yeah, that's an interesting thought. Chris, I hadn't thought about that. Premiered at TIF, like we said, September 14th, 2015, then several months later played the Tribeca Film Festival inauspicious, as that may be, April 19th, 2016, and then was open and limited release that following weekend on April 22nd, 2016. Richard, we are going to ask you, as I pull out my phone, to give a 60-second plot description as best you can. Are you ready? I am.

All right, and begin. Anyway, Lori Minervini, sorry, let me take that again. Lori Minervini has checked out of her life, so her mother, Marnie, checks into it. She's moved from the old world, well, New York, to Los Angeles to be closer to her TV writer daughter with the money left to her by her late beloved husband, Joe. Lori's a depressed mess who can't get over her movie star X, but Marnie keeps nattering away at her anyway, as is her strategy for dealing with tough stuff. When she's not leaving her daughter rambling voicemails, Marnie gets close to Lori's friends, including a lesbian who wants to have a wedding. She drives a guy from the Apple store to and from his night school classes, and she meets cute with a chicken-loving and almost definitely Trumpy cop.

This is all, of course, a distraction from her grief, which she and Lori eventually come to terms with as Marnie navigates new romance, life discoveries, the sunny melancholy of L.A. and the profundity of Beyoncé's I was here. Boom, with 18 seconds to spare, Richard Lawson. Very good. So, yeah, a nice and succinct plot description for a movie that does not waste its time, I would say. Everything, all the meandering stuff in this movie ends up being incredibly satisfying, all those sort of small characters. I think it's incredibly well-cast. all of Lori's friends

who Marnie sort of gets involved in their lives Cessly Strong and Lucy Punch and Sarah Baker and Casey Wilson I think that's really good casting I love her and Gerard Carmichael together so much I think they make for such a fun pair Do you think being in the meddler is when Gerard Carmichael really realized he was gay? I mean if you make a movie with Susan Sarandon

and then well I guess Now all this other information. Either she, you know, scars you for life with her meanness, or she makes you realize that unequivocally, yes, you're gay and you've got to come out at some point. I'm sure she's lovely on sad. I think I just had her on bad days, but. A bad several days. Yeah, this is also, speaking of the cast, like the supporting cast, this is the movie, I think, where I started the sort of campaign in my head to be like, why isn't Sessley Strong in like many more things than she's in? She's such a good actor. funny, she's, like, good at this, we're serious stuff. She's, I don't know. She just has it all, and yet Schmigadoon is it? I mean, I don't really get it.

I know. I know. Hopefully, she seems, she's sort of still hanging on by that thread at Saturday Night Live in the way that, like, you can do now that, like, competing projects don't necessarily make you have to, like, leave that show. Like, now Keenan can, like, do a whole sitcom and still, you know, be on SNL, which I imagine is great for, you know, financial security and paychecks that keep coming in, but also, like, in terms of the way that people's careers tend to progress, it's a little bit sort of like the apron strings are still there for a lot of his cast members. But, like, she has, I think, I agree with you, Richard.

Like, she has tremendous talent, and there are a lot of really great things that hopefully... I think in this movie, she has one of the trickier subplots to pull off. because it's Marnie paying for not her daughter's basically renewal of vows so that she can have an actual wedding but spending, you know, five figures to do so. Right. But I do think Cessly Strong kind of grounds it in a way. Yeah.

That's really sweet. And again, like I remember the first time I watched it, I was really expecting that character specifically to turn out to be selfish or to like take advantage like some sort of like rom like whatever like light comedy version of Dogville where like everybody just sort of takes advantage

of this one kind woman's generosity or whatever but thankfully it never happened that way. Chris or Richard you bring up a salient point about J.K. Simmons' character which is that like when this movie, when I

first saw this movie it was still we were still a ways away from the specter of President Trump and watching it now you do get that feeling of just like oh he's really sweet he's really nice they make for such a nice couple oh but you know what probably

and he couldn't have just been a fake movie cop he couldn't have been I'm an extra who plays cops right that scene stresses me out more than it should the scene where she's walking through the set accidentally and she gives the dollar to the homeless

person and it turns out to be a movie set because they take her flowers and her sweater and I spent so much of that next like five minutes being like, I hope she gets her sweater back. She does get her sweater back. I think you see her carrying the sweater, but the flowers, I think, unfortunately, are gone. The flowers are gone forever. But that's, I mean, that's such a cute scene. Like, that's, there's so much of, I like that her L.A. is sort of a charmed L.A.

even while she's like getting her car stolen and, you know, more sort of like sit, not necessarily sitcomy stuff, but like the cop shows up just as like the bag of weed makes its presence known in the scene and that kind of thing. But there's just, I don't know, there's just a lot of really charming things that have. It makes you, yeah, I mean, it, L.A. is one of those places where It's like when my parents come visit me in New York, there are some moments, like, we went to Williamsburg once and I, like, turned around and there were like my mom and dad on Bedford Avenue. And I was like, nope, this is wrong that they should not be here. I mean, they're from, they live in, they lived in Boston for many years. They know cities. But like, it just felt like totally out of context. And I feel like L.A. would feel the same thing for like this nattering, you know, East Coast mom who like, doesn't really understand a lot of like present tense culture. And the idea of her just roaming around L.A., like that's a bit horrifying as like a child. of that person, but I like that in this movie, we see that, like, Marnie can carve out a pleasant enough way to live by being friendly, by being helpful. She's not throwing her money around to, like, buy people.

She's just like, I have it. It feels a little tainted or a lot tainted because I only have it because my husband died. So let me help you out. And I think that, you know, back to your point about the Cessley Strong character is, like, I kept waiting for that character to be like, at a certain point, be like, actually, you're really weird and you're smothering me get away. And I'm so glad that doesn't happen because, like, people are just sort of nice in this world. And I think that that gets, we don't give that enough credit in movies, I think.

Well, you also get Amy Landecker as the therapist in a couple of scenes, which we had just seen Amy Landecker in Beatrice at dinner, who's also, like, tremendous playing a very different character. But she has that one moment with the therapist where Amy Landekker's like, don't you think, you might be doing this because you feel guilty for having your husband's money. Don't you think you might be doing this to, like, create surrogate versions of your daughter and your husband? And it's one of those things where it's like, she's not wrong, but it also, like, again, doesn't puncture Marnie's life in a way that, like, sends her spiraling or whatever. Like, she's, her being made aware of that ultimately helps her sort of, you know, like I said,

like, you know, balance her. her life better by the end of the movie. But it's not like she decides to like, well, that's enough of that. That's enough of me, you know, spending my money on other people. That's enough of me helping other people out. I love that the last thing you see in the movie is her leaving that voicemail message being like, well, I'm watching. Oh, what's Cecily Strong's character's name in this again? I just turn this movie off a second ago. Whatever. Like, I'm watching their kid, you know, tomorrow. Like she's still doing all those things. She's still, you know, that essentially same person. but the therapist is still, you know, on target about that kind of stuff. Right. I mean, all this, but Marnie also isn't some wounded bird. You know, I don't think that this movie would qualify as, like, nice core. But I think it's a better movie and a funnier movie, and Marnie is more interesting because she can be cloying.

She can be too much. She can be annoying, but it's still, she can still also be a good person, and we can understand where that's coming from. But, like, there's definitely times where she oversteps it with her daughter or where, you know, she's doing something that's absurd for the sake of, you know, taking care of people. Are we just saying that this movie isn't nice core because it's good, though? No. And we tend to, like, just use that as a perjorda? No, because I think nice core is, like, furthering the plot by people being nice.

And, like, I feel like this is more so furthering the plot because Marnie is, like, learning something about herself and getting past a certain type of grief. And, like, I would argue a type of grief that we don't normally see, you know? Like, it's not about learning to, you know, move past the death of her husband or, you know, the, like, kind of, you know, garment-rending type of grief. But the type of grief that's like, okay, who am I now? Or, like, who am I going to be moving forward in the rest of my life? It also isn't like one moment that unlocks it for her, which I also like.

It's sort of a accumulation of things. Well, there's, I mean, I think about the nice core thing, like, I think the difference is it's not smarmy. You know, it's not, it's not sort of pointing toward its nicest. It's not, you know, it's not that buzz feedy kind of like, you know, that prompts Tom Skokka to write that essay on smearming. All the feels. Yeah. But I think, yeah, I think the scene with, with Lori on the floor. after the whole pregnancy test disaster

where she says, like, it's hard to look at you because someone's missing and I miss my dad. Half the room's not there. Yeah, and half the room's not there. Exactly. And it's like, this is what the movie's about. The movie is not about, like you said, Chris, it's not like her tearing at her clothing

and saying, my husband, my husband, these people miss their old life. You know, that's what it is. And it's sad and there's nothing to be done about it. And the movie, though, it's called the medler and it starts with this kind of contentious mother-daughter relationship. And that is a big part of the movie. The movie is not about making her not a meddler.

You know, it accepts her as who she is. She's going to be a little annoying sometimes or a lot annoying sometimes, and she's going to overstep and she's going to embarrass you or herself or whatever. But she's still a mostly good person, and she just needs some help, as does her daughter, kind of like, accepting the reality of the present tense. She's going to go watch that Jason Statham movie because she heard it's fabulous. It looks fabulous. I also love, it's such a small little thing.

I love that she drives around L.A. but doesn't like to take the freeways. Like, she's found a way to exist in L.A. as a driver just taking surface streets. I could, like, reminds me of my mother. Like, that's what my mother would do. So, like, I love that. The one time I rented a car in L.A., I had to drive to the airport, and the GPS was, like, putting me on the freeway. And I kept, like, not doing it so I could, like, trying to take side streets.

And eventually the GPS basically was like, Richard, you have to get on the freeway. And I white knuckled it. It was fine. But, like, I think that's such a fun little detail. Maybe more for, like, you know, it's an inside L. as is kind of the Grove stuff, but, like, it just, there's so many little, little points of information about her that just really, when you step back, it's such a full character, and I love that.

Yeah, yeah. We talked about the sort of the Susan Sarandonnevedal, this was her first lead role in Mennium Moon. Rose Byrne is at an interesting point in this movie. She, I think the Emmy nominations that she got for damages in 2009 and 2010 really helped legitimize her because like in her early part of her career like she's in really good movies like sunshine but like nobody really saw that at the time that really didn't become a thing until like it's sort of amassed a little bit of a cult the higher profile things she's in like Troy give you the sense that this is like not a very good actor sort of like taking

the roles that kind of come to her and she's in like 28 weeks later which feels like an unnecessary sequel and it's like her and Jeremy Renner and everybody was like and image and poots don't forget poots I'm sorry how could I how could I forget um but I think damages comes along and she's sort of like is able to go toe to toe with Glenn Close over the course of like many seasons and that really legitimizes her as a dramatic actress and then in the 2010 she's in bridesmaids in 2011 neighbors 2014 spy 2015 and i think those three movies really like on like the i mean it all happened with bridesmaids really like once you saw

bridesmaids you're just like oh she's super funny and she's been become become just a much more established comedic actress she's not like incredibly funny in the meddler she's much more like you know, the a little bit of like the heavy in this movie. But it's an interesting career point that like spy happens just before

a medler plays the festivals. I think the shame of it for her because I think she's one of the best actors of her generation. I think she's so good. Yeah. Is you watch a movie like, have you guys seen Juliet naked? Yes. With Ethan Hawk? Yeah. It's a

Nick Hornby adaptation. No one saw it. But it's a really good movie. And, oh, well, I mean, it's a good movie. She's great in it. And it's one of those star turns where you're like, okay, here we go. This is a leading film actress. But it happened in 2018 when that sort of thing completely went away. You know, it's like, so of course she has to be on TV now, you know, which is fine.

She's great on TV. But, like, I just think she kind of like, unfortunately she was like in the wrong era or something. Because I think if it was 20 years ago, she would be like a big, big, big movie star. Yeah. Do you either of you watch physical? I've not seen it. I watched the part of, I think I watched most of the, or half of the first season of physical, whatever, whatever batch of screeners I got from Apple, I, I thought she's incredibly impressive in it, in a show that is, like, it's a rigorous show, like, it's a tough and rigorous show, and it, like, is a really interesting take on that kind of a character, that kind of self-hating character, but it's so strongly. done that I'm like, this is really good.

I prefer to not watch this because it's intense. Like the degree of like her inner monologue in that movie is punishing and she's great at it. But it's also like, oh, this is maybe not what I'm going to choose to spend my time watching just because it's it's so intense. Did you watch it, Richard? No, no. That show, like many shows, it just feels. to TV. You know, I'm just like, that's just like content that's out there that I can't really tangle with, I guess. I did love her. Doesn't out that it's an Apple show. Right. I did love her on

Mrs. America as Gloria Steinem. I thought she was really, really good on that. In a, in a cast that, like, everybody was kind of, you know, throwing fastballs on that. Like, everybody was doing really, really well. And I thought she held up really, really strong. I mean, she can do American. She can be British. She can be Australian. She can do all this stuff. And, like, she could be in period. She could be in contemporary. She's done something. sci-fi. Like, she's done horror. Like, she's done comedy, obviously. Like, I don't, she's just very versatile. And, um, I think part of my, like, disappointment about, like, the idea of the show physical is like, well, now she's stuck doing that for how many, however long.

Yeah, exactly. I want to see her do, like, again, we're talking about things that mostly don't exist. I want to see her in, like, a Tamara Jenkins movie. I want to see her in a Cole Hall of Center movie. You know, that's where it feels like she would be doing her best stuff. She's already got another Apple TV Plus series on the way. It's her and Seth Rogen and Nick Stoller sort of getting the neighbors team back together again. It's called Platonic. I don't know a ton about it.

Do we want that as a TV show, though? It's an interesting question. I don't know. Like many Apple TV things, I'm sure, they've done a ton of stuff that I really, really like. But with the exception of very few things, with the exception of your Ted Lasso's and your severances, or whatever, they kind of exist on that little Apple Island that, you know, you can go visit,

but you don't really linger on it. I don't know. Anyway. Hey there, listeners, Vulture is bringing back the Vulture Movies Fantasy League. We talked about this a little bit last week. We're here to talk about it again. We're going to be talking about it every week up through the Academy Awards this year. Vulture kindly let me help design their movie fantasy.

League game this year. And if you are at all familiar with fantasy sports, the concept is going to be very similar. If you're not, don't worry. It's really easy to grasp how all of this is working. This launched on October 31st, so the game is live. You can select a team up through November 21st, so keep that date in mind. What we've done is we've gathered a list of the 2022 releases, ones that have already opened, ones that will open by the end of the year, and we've assigned them dollar values based on how well we think they will perform during award season and how well they will do with the box office if they haven't opened yet. To play, you'll have a budget of $100 fake dollars to put together a team of eight movies.

There is obviously going to be some strategy at play. You won't have enough money to just load your team up with all the big guns, so you'll need to mix and match between big ticket items and smaller diamonds in the rough. As Angela Bassett might say, Chris File, that's the job. That's the game. We should get Angela Bassett to do a drop. That would be fun for us. she's busy she's a little busy she might have a movie coming out she's got it she's you know what though

campaign trail right here we are that's a goal maybe for us for the future is to be a stop on the awards campaign trail for people shot that one away anyway uh once you've selected your team you can start to accrue points you must select a team as i said by november 21st to participate and i really want you all to participate so don't blow that deadline. The movies will score points based on a bunch of categories included but not limited to box office earnings, critics awards

prizes, precursors like the Golden Globes, the Independent Spirit Awards, Guild Awards, also the AARP movies for grownups awards. I was going to say the most important precursor award. This is how you know that I had a hand in this whole thing is that I was like, we need to make space for the M4Gs. The whole contest culminates on Oscar night, and whichever team has accumulated the most points wins.

What do you win besides bragging rights? And those are not inconsiderable. There are some prizes that have been provided by our friends at Roku. First place gets a TCL 55-inch 5 series Smart Roku TV. Second place gets a stream bar and a wireless-based bundle. That sounds rad. If you want to come play and you really should, just go to moviegame.vulture.com.

From there, you can click on a link to a landing page where you can get the complete rules, including all the ways you'll be able to earn points as well as the full list of available movies and their dollar values and then when you're ready you can draft your team once again what's the date we're keeping in mind November 21st don't wait too long

get to drafting Chris you and I without spoiling it because I don't want to reveal what our teams are yet until we've passed that November 21st date but we've each drafted our team and we have named our team We have. If you play fantasy sports, you know that the naming of the team can always be a way to inject some personality into the proceedings.

Chris, your team name in particular is a good one and is one that I feel like you got in on before anybody else could get it on. Well, I feel like I made perhaps the basic choice, but my team name is Lydia Tar Vivo. Sure. The Lydia Tar memeification is going along swimmingly, just in general. And I feel like this is a key component of that. The fill in the blank here, Vivo joke format is... I mean, like, she's a Grammy winner. She certainly has a YouTube Vivo page.

Everything that Kate Blanchett does to promote TAR, I automatically am like, yeah, but what if Lydia Tar was doing? What if Lydia Tar was on hot ones? What if Lydia Tar was doing a variety actors on actors? Like, what then, truly? Composers on composers. Lydia Tar and Danny Elfman, just across a table from each other. Mid her downfall, we actually found Lydia Tar's alt, actually.

Oh, no. It's at Petra's father. Oh, sorry, I got that wrong. It's actually at Petra's Fata. My team name is a little less on the cutting edge, but it is this head Oscar buzzer adjacent because it riffs off of a movie we've covered on this podcast. I am, of course, burn after reading, reading spelled like my own name. So I guess what I want to know from you, Chris, in this little bit of time before we're going to hop into our episode, what strategy or strategy, or strategy. strategies did you sort of take into picking your team? Because there are lots of ways to do this. And it's going to be, I'm writing my newsletter, my very first newsletter, that will go out as an update to everybody who has signed up for the game, another reason to sign up for the game. You get to hear me blather on once a week for all of Oscar season. There's a lot of ways to go about making your team. Because all these movies are priced differently, you have to make some judgment.

calls. And I'm very curious as to what your sort of, I don't know, what your thinking was, what your modus operandi was. That leaned more into expectation of points regarding award season points and not the box office points. However, I would caution listeners and game players who think that they might rely on a box office strategy, you can start accruing points right now. So if you want those Wakanda Forever opening weekend points. Get on that now. Get on it now. Yes.

I figured, you know, excluding Wakanda Forever and probably Avatar, you know, box office right now is so volatile that that felt even a little more foolhardy in trying to get points there versus, you know, trying to get the award season points. And then I tried to, you know, from there, uh, focusing on. Getting as many mid-tier dollar movies in there, you know, rather than, you know, spending my whole amount on one big player, I have a couple medium players and then spread it out from there. Well, if you, if our listeners, and if they've been following us, they sort of, they note a lot of this by now that Oscar season tends to pretty quickly narrow. into a handful of titles who end up getting the lion's share of awards and nominations, right? And so the way that the game is priced, you're not going to be able to get more than like

two or three of those. And even that, you have to really like, you know, be shifting. You're going to end up having to pick at least a few movies from the $5 bin, the $2 bin, the dollar bin. And there is where I find the game to be especially interesting is. What are you going for? Are you, because, like, there are ways to strategize that. There are ways you can be like, I'm going to go for something that I think is going to be a foreign language contender, and I'm going to be very limited in the range of points that this could get. But if it shows up...

But the return on investment will be huge. The return on investment is... And same thing with the animated features, I think. Is if you pick something that is going to maybe succeed in the animated category, You'll only have one category, basically, per precursor, to score in, but you could show up there every time. And you could get something for pretty cheap. I also have talked to people who have been like, I'm going for something that I think BAFTA is going to go for. I'm going for something that I think the Golden Globes' musical or comedy categories are going to go for.

I'm going to go for something that might clean up at the Indy Spirit Awards for a dollar. Like, why not? You know what I mean? I have one pick And again, I'll talk about this more Once I reveal my whole team I have one movie that is essentially Only picked because I'm taking a flyer on it

Getting an original song nomination And if it doesn't happen I know what this is It's going to be a useless pick But if it does Then, you know, there's some points to be had Listen, if I'm correctly guessing What that might be

Glove's comedy Yes yes um i'm making hand signals i'm making hand signals to chris so that their listeners cannot see okay so november 21st once again is the date i want everybody to remember but chris is right the sooner especially if you're going for box office the sooner you make your pick your team the sooner you can start accruing those points and you don't want to miss out if you're going to go for wakonda you don't want to miss out on those opening weekend points because those are everything so head on over once again movie game

vulture.com, come play with us. Come play with us. Gary's, come play with us. I have just, I just finished listening to the Blankjack episode on The Shining, so that is heavily on the mind. All right. Thank you so much. We will head on right now into our regularly scheduled episode on The Medlar. You will love it. And come join us in the Fantasy League. Bye, bye. Love you. I'm trying to look at seeing what else. Oh, another insidious movie coming down the pike. Why is she still doing those? Money, baby. Good good money. Vierremaiga is

now a professional, what, like, exorcist or whatever. Basically, yes. Because of the conjuring. You know, that's something I guess you could feel stuck in, but like, I'm sure it's so profitable because, like, Ethan Hawk kind of set the precedent with the purge, right, where it's like, you just get the back end. I mean, I don't know if they're still

doing back end deals, but like, he made like $40 million off that movie. So like, a lot of other actors were like, oh, maybe during Juliet naked, Ethan Hawk was like, no, stick with it. Keep doing it, I promise. And I'm just sort of like looking through her filmography since the meddler

and it's been like, yeah, like neighbors too, X-Men Apocalypse, another insidious movie. Like Juliet Naked is sort of like exists on a little bit of an island there. I feel like she's a performer that we've talked about that it's like she can go and do X-Men movies and have some like

really bad spots on her resume. and they haven't heard her career. And at this point, it's like, we probably need another spy or something like that to not feel like they've ultimately hurt her career. What did Paul Feig do this year

that I remember being like... That fucking Netflix school for witches or whatever. Oh, right. Right. Like, why are we doing... Like, why are we doing that? I don't know. She was also in that John Stewart movie

that I did not see, but everybody seemed to just super hate. Oh, my God. That's right. It could not have been less funny. Talk about Smarmy. That movie. Yes.

Yeah. It's just so didactic and like, see, you were wrong. Because John Stewart is still so obsessed with like the overlooked, you know, middle America, white people thing. And it's just like, it just plays into that. It's just like a lecture of a movie. And yeah, she's totally wasted. Two Peter Abbott movies in that span. Right.

Those were passion projects. Right. Yes. Well, she. you know, Peter Rabbit grew up in her neighborhood and she wanted to do justice to that character. Exactly.

Who else do we have in this movie to talk about? J.K. Simmons was just coming off of his Whiplash Oscar a year and a half or so before this movie. The push broom that died to gift him his mustache in this movie, I hope, get thanked in the special thanks.

He's part of it. the Swiffer family of products. That's right. This was also, though, the J.K. Summons of it all ties it into the trend that I want to talk about that was happening in this sort of mid-20 teens, which was... One of my favorite trends of my lifetime. Older lady finding herself often in a romance with Sam Elliott, but not exclusively. This was sort of your... I'll see you in my dreams, which is the one that I really, really loved with Blythe Danner.

totally like if you were not seeking out a movie from this particular genre like you probably didn't see it and she's wonderful in it grandma with lily tomlin was also 2015 hello my name is doris with sally field was 2016 it was a boom time for the phrase actress of a certain age i feel like i used that a lot around that time and um I liked them all. You know what I mean? Like I, I, I, that was a genre that spoke to me. While everybody else was getting, you know, superheroes and, uh, and whatnot. I mean, these are superhero movies. My, my, my, my, my Avengers end game was Blythe Anner and Lily Tomlin and, and Susan Sarandon and Sally Field shooting energy beams at each other across, uh, and they all had

their like little cadre of friends, too, is the other thing. It's like, Blythe Danner wasn't just Blythe Danner. she came along with, like, Ria Perlman in June Squib? Who was the... Conceivably, yes. Hello, my name is Doris has Tyne Daly. Grandma has... Well, that's one of the Sam Elliott's.

Marsha Gay Hardens, her daughter in that. Sure. Marsha Gay Hardin, who's working on a treadmill, basically? She has one of those standing desks that are also a treadmill. Yes. I think the medler is sort of head and shoulders above. All of those movies, much as I do love, I'll see you in my dreams. But, like, that was a moment in time in the span of what was probably 20 months.

You know what I mean? And has now been replaced by four old ladies do Wacky Thing X. They have a book club. They become cheerleaders. And those movies are getting worse and worse, to the point of, have either of you seen the Diane Keaton big rip-off kind of thing? I was just about to bring it up, but no, no, I haven't. The, what is it called? No, I mentioned it.

I joked about. Mac and Rita. Mac and Rita. Yeah. It is. Horrifying. I didn't know what that movie was about. So I was watching a screener at a friend's apartment.

And there's this young actress and she's acting completely insane. I was like, what is this actor doing? Why was she cast? I don't understand. And then the age up thing happens and it's like, oh my God, she was trying to do Diane Keaton. and then I felt immense pity for her because what an incredibly hard thing to do

to imitate to be a younger version of someone who would turn into Diane Keaton because of like a fortune teller spell or whatever it is like it's absolutely wild but that that movie has a funny supporting cast of older ladies like Loretta Devine, Amy Hill Lois Smith, Wendy Malick Yes I remember when that trailer first came out

I remember being like obsessed with who would get the with and who would get the end in that cast because like it was well and it was and Rita got the aunt max yes we're never going to get another first wives club we're just going to get more movies like that till the end of time uh palms is what palms is diane keaton jacky weaver jacky wever yeah yeah and if the medler had done better we could we could have we could have it was a great little movie that like no one i mean what to the point that I was, like, voting for Susan Sarandon in Best Actress at the New York Film Critic Circle. And the president, the chair that year, I won't name him.

He yelled because it's an anonymous vote. He was like, stop voting for fucking the metal. And I was like, see, you know, this is the, this is the, that's your problem. If you don't understand this. This is the violence inherent in the system. Well, I'm being repressed. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Man, I appreciate that you were, you were taking that bullet for the rest of it.

I really went all the way with this movie as far as I could anyway. I think the why it didn't end up getting Oscar success is pretty, well, after that story, now we understand. The gatekeepers of Big Hollywood were keeping her out. But like this, when you have that festival movie that sort of plays quietly and then doesn't open until the following April, you know, the fate is sort of sealed. Lost City of Z. That was another one. That was an April release after a fall festival premiere, and then it went nowhere. Which is too bad.

I, you know, some precursor stuff would have helped. It got one AARP Movies for Grownups Award. That's his crime. It should have gotten, what, six? 17. If any movie is poised to be like the Titanic of AARP M4G's, it is the medler. like what are this is a movie except that you're being pandered to maybe this was like the AARP M for G's being like like people like you know how gay guys are with Charlie Puth where

you're just like get away from me with your like being hot like I'm so offended by this or whatever shameless AARP bait yes exactly just uh old baiting um yeah I don't they got it was not that old baiting though is when we get thirst traps from mid-sized sedan. Not from Charlie Poof. M. Knight-Shammelon's old-bating sequel to M.N. Shemelan's old. Best Grown-up Love Story, which

I wanted to, I put the note in here in the document that I didn't want you guys to look this up in advance because I wanted to sort of spring this upon you. Often deranged category. What's that? Often deranged category. Very often deranged category. Let me find it now.

Okay, so the meddler, Susan Sarandon and J.K. Simmons, Best Grown-up Love Story, were nominated. They did not win. Nominated alongside Florence Foster Jenkins, Flo Fojo, Merrill Streep, and Hugh Grant. Okay. That's respectful. That's cute. Sure. Sure.

Fences, Viola Davis, and Dunzel, Washington, which fraught love story. Yeah. Not romantic, exactly. Stay together for the kids Right You know acclaimed movie Good movie Really great performances

Fourth non-winning The nominee Lainy Kazan and Michael Constantine In my Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 Oh yes Absolutely Which I'm just glad that You know

Nia was able to Gift those two legitimately great performers Listen, Michael Constantine is not going to be in my Big Fat Greek Wedding 3. The first time they acknowledge it because I will be there for my Big Fat Creek Wedding 3. I will be sobbing when

they give him his rest and peace moment. I think you mean my Big Fat 3 Wedding is how they're going to style it. Jesus Christ. Is that right? No. No, God, if only it would, no, I'm absolutely lying. But if anybody's listening... Well, because my Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is going to be a M. Thregan, Megan sequel, right?

Like, it's all part of the same universe. Famously, Megan was produced in the Greek Isles. And also by Rita Wilson. Yes. Modeled after Rita Wilson. Shelling up at home with, like, a present for Tom and just being like, look what I found. I think Chet's going to love it.

The winner for the year 2016, Best Grown Up Love Story in a film went to Margo Martindale and Richard Jenkins in John Krasinski's The Hollers. Oh, God. Isn't that like a dementia movie? No. I don't know if it's dementia.

It's like a Sundance. Marco Montendale is ailing of something. I saw this movie and I don't quite remember. It's like a Sundance Rambling Family Comedy. Again, Smarmy, it's such a bad movie. And it's so funny that, like, Krasinski with a quiet place was like, this is my first film as a director, and everyone's like, well, no, actually, there are a couple bad ones behind you, but, um, oh boy, I just, what are you, listen, AARP voters, you know I appreciate you and I love you, but sometimes y'all are off the reservation. That same year, though, as I scroll down one more category, which the Hollers is also nominated in best intergenerational film, which whatever, it did not win, it lost to 20th century women and rightfully so, because that is, what we call a quality win.

Very strange that they did not nominate Susan and best actress, though, if they're giving this best grown-up love story. Yes. All right. Who was nominated there? What is the best actress lineup? All right. I'll find it.

Uh-huh. Okay, I'll also say best time capsule went to Jackie, which... Hmm. I don't know what that means. Okay. All right. Honestly, the best actress list is tough to fuck with. There's obviously a couple weeks' spots.

here where Sarandon could have gone in. Annette Benning wins it for 20th century women. Correct. Great call. She also should have won the Oscar that year. I agree. Didn't happen. Isabel Hubert nominated for Elle. Great. Tilda Swinton nominated for a bigger splash.

Cool nomination. Rad. Merrill Streep nominated for Flofojo, which, of course. That makes a lot of sense. And then Sally Field got the old lady coming to turn. with things nomination for hello my name is Doris I think I put Susan in above those last

two and you know bump Merrill bump Sally whoever you want and then that's a really good category Tilda Switten that's a cool that is a cool nomination good for that she's especially for that movie in general to be recognized by AARP which is like half it's like two and a half hours most of which is just like people fucking or doing drugs in the Greek Isles, and then they're revealed to all be horrible people, and that's the movie. People telling Tilda not to speak because she'll damage her vocal cords, and every single time she tries to speak, I get so stressed out in that movie. Her and Matia Shonard's just rubbing mud over each other's naked bodies. It's a great movie.

It's really good movie. Yeah, the ARP voters are like, now this is a movie for grownups. Yeah, right. Go to bed kids. AARP voters are watching their screeners. That was a really great year for best actress in general, though. I thought the Oscar, we've talked about that Oscar category a ton of times, but Richard, I don't think we've talked about it with you. That was the year, Emma Stone wins. Natalie Portman is nominated for Jackie, Ruth Negga for Loving, Merrill's nominated, Huper is nominated, and who am I forgetting, Chris? The winner Emma Stone. Oh, is that Emma Stone? Okay. So, high-profile snubs, Annette Benning, for 20th Century Woman and Amy Adams for arrival.

Right, yeah. Richard, I remember you sort of called the Emma Stone thing pretty early that year. From Telluride. From Telluride. And a very astute call on that one. Where do you come down on that field for best action? That astute call, by the way, was completely undone this last year because I was convinced that Nicole Kidman was going to win for being the Ricardo's for like months. There was a minute, though, where it felt like a.

done deal. There on, on the podcast I do for work, Little Old Men, there are many, many instances, if you listen to that season of me being like, and Jessica Chastain, she'll just be happy to be nominated if she's nominated at all. I thought the same thing, though, Richard. Like, up until I was never convinced she was going to win up until they read her name at the Oscars. Even at that point, I was like, Penelope Cruz, maybe. Like, I just, like, I was, I thought there was going to be a big surprise, and I kind of refused to see that writing on the wall. But then the minute it happened, I was like, oh, right, that does make sense. You know, it's the academy.

But 2016, yeah, I mean, I think that just for like life work sake, I mean, Huper would be the one for me. And she's great in that movie, and it's a cool nomination that she got it. I know it, like, meant a lot to her. I think she kind of thought she could win, which I wish someone had taken her aside and been like, no, that's not. Won that golden globe, though. I know, but I think she put too much stock in that. Well, I mean, I'm sure she was second place, but she was definitely a distant second place. Emma Stone was just so undeniable.

Emma Stone was so much the overwhelming favorite that her envelopes just sort of overflowed to every other place on the stage. Right, right. It was like a Harry Potter thing where all of a sudden you open a cauldron, and it's just like envelopes with Emma Stone's name written on. It just come, like, surging out. Faye Dunaway was like, that Lala Land did my friend dirty, my friend Isabel dirty, so now I'm going to screw with them. Are you in, Warren? Oh, is she friends with Faye? They'd have to be friends, right? I'd have to imagine. Two mean old ladies. That's the Paramount Plus behind the scenes of the Godfather series that we need to, that we need to have, is Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty's plot to screw up the 2016 Oscars. That is, uh, that's the one I want to watch.

Um, Opaire, I mean, like, I could see why she might have thought that she, uh, had a chance at winning because she had, like, basically the full apparatus of Sony Pictures classics, ensuring that she got that nomination and, like, doing everything right by her, uh, the same distributor as the medler, which is like, of course, Susan didn't get nominated for this movie when, you know, it was all efforts towards Uperer getting that nomination. SPC is interesting because a lot of times they like really play things right, you know, like you think about what they did with the father like holding it so late. So it was like the freshest thing in people's minds. But then they kind of screwed up calling by your name. I think even though it did get a bunch of nominations and a big win. But like I think they didn't do well at the box office. Like I don't know. They're interesting. And I think that. Sony Pictures classics either vacillates between incredibly like full court press, aggressive and enthusiastic. and then, or else it's just like, hands off, we're doing the lease. Right. They do really well with stuff that they hold really late. Like, Amor is an example of that. El is an example of that.

This is why I think Living has a better shot for Bill Nye than people seem to think it does right now. I think he does have a very good shot. I think people are coming around on that, Chris. I mean, they, I think it could be even a little bit more than him, but we will see. They also, when they're playing to an older crowd, like, seem to really know how to go after that voter, I think, and, like, obviously how to maybe overcome there.

Was that strategy being completely wrong for that movie? Like, they waited, they sat on that movie for so long at that, like, by the time anybody got to see it, who wasn't a critic at a festival or whatever, it was such old hat. It was such old news. And the, the narrative was allowed to be low box office numbers. So, like, this appearance that the public had rejected it, when the truth of it was, the public hadn't had a chance to see it yet. That still frustrates me. That still makes me so mad.

Damn it. What else do we want to talk about? I like that after the meddler sort of didn't get everything that it could have and should have in awards. season, that, like, at least hustlers happened to sort of prove those of us who had liked the medler correct, that this is a really, you know, talented filmmaker who can really put something together and make it happen. Even though hustlers didn't get everything that could have come to that movie, awards-wise, as well, it was a moment in culture.

It's a movie that made $100 million. Fuck, yeah. I mean, Lorraine Scafaria, good director. And the medler and hustlers on the surface could not be movies that are any more different, but at the same time,

like, they're kind of stealthily interesting ensembles with, you know, these star performances at the center of them. They're both kind of about women who are pigeonholed into a small box, and the movie is about showing how they are much more than that.

Go with me here, though, Chris. Marnie is at the Grove in the evening. She's walked through a movie set that day and didn't get her sweater back this time. And it's a little chilly, and it's, you know, one of those, like, you know, Los Angeles evenings that's a little bit chillier than you think. And she's sort of like rubbing her, you know, arms because it's getting cold. And then off from sitting on one of those stone benches, just Ramona. with her fur, wide open, and says,

Marnie, come sit in my fur, you look cold. She's in the back of that Hummer or whatever when Gimmie Moore starts playing, and Ramona says, this is my shit right here. Marnie pipes up and says, ooh, put on the new Beyonce song. Yeah, the hustler's crossover with Medler needs to happen. And, okay, so...

Her follow-up needs to happen. You guys do know that Fiona Apple's criminal plays anytime Susan Saranden enters a room, right? That's in her rider. That was at her rider at the Apple store that they had to set something up. I love that it was a talk at the Apple store, though. Like, how perfectly appropriate for the method? If anyone's listening, I'm still totally willing to accept that iPad. I was going to say, I feel like, all right, let's get that hashtag a brew in.

Hashtag get Richard an iPad. But it has to be a 2016 version. Yes. Right. Yes. Exactly. You can't download any modern apps on it. It is not basically useful.

I try to put Discovery Plus on it and it explodes. What is Lorraine Scafaria working on now? I thought she was working on some type of horror movie, but then I thought that there was some TV show depressing. So I don't know if there's been a firm announcement, like something is shooting. but then again, Hustlers filmed in like 20 days or something, so... But like, once again, Hustler's $100 million movie and we can't get this director a follow-up, like, what's going on here? She did an episode of Succession. She did, the birthday party episode.

Yeah. And deadline is telling me... Or no, maybe this is old. I think it's old. Never mind. They said that she had like a TV movie or pilot or something, but I think. think that was a long time ago. That would make sense.

We've talked about this on recent episodes, how the sort of trajectory for a lot of these sort of promising directors and filmmakers in the 2010s has been promising film to a limited series on television pipeline. That feels like that's... Mario Heller's next movie is going to be for Hulu. It's depressing. I think that Lorene Schaeferia and Mario Heller

should do a grind house like Planet Terror. death-proof thing. Fuck. Yeah. A double feature? Absolutely. That's what I want to spend four hours doing in the theater next fall, please. Yeah, 100%.

Who are the directors that make the trailers that play between the movies for the Mario Hall of Center does one? Hall of Center does one. Tomara Jenkins does one. Chloe Zhao does some really like haunting one. Casey Lemons. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, exactly. Just put them all. just have, you know, let's give him some big, big work. Absolutely, absolutely. Oh, did you, I didn't realize, she wrote an episode of Ben and Kate, which I guess is the Lucy Punch connection for this. That's fun. That's good.

Okay. The era of Lucy Punch showing up in things and not being funny, I remember as being a very trying time for myself personally. Lucy Punch is like full star demerit for this movie. Wow. Wow, a take. Lucy Punch slams a joke to the point that it's never funny. This is just my minor soapbox.

I thought she was pretty funny in that baby shower scene. It's from a different movie. The way she plays it is from a different movie. I mean, she has a very sort of singular comedic energy. When's the last time she's been at something? She didn't confess, Fletch. Oh, I didn't see it. Yeah, I haven't seen it yet.

But people seem to really like it. She's obviously hilarious in cake, too, the Jennifer Anderson movie, which... Well, everybody in that movie is hilarious, is the thing. So, yeah. Did she peek with Into the Woods weirdly? Like, I mean, not that that movie was good, but, like, that's like a really big movie for her to have been in, right? Yeah. Yes, I think that's right.

Wait, I'm bringing her up on IMDB. What else lately? Confess Fletch. A TV series called Bloods that she was in 16 episodes of that I never heard of. An episode of the New Gossip Girl Didn't watch She plays someone's grandmother Yeah, I was going to say

It's that one 30 Rock episode Where Jenna Maroney's going out for a role And she's playing like somebody dying of old age Of natural causes, yeah Oh boy Did you watch The New Gossip Girl, Richard? Yeah, I had to review it. So I watched, like, the first four and wanted to claw my eyes out. And then I went back to it. That I weirdly went back to it and finished out

the whole season because I thought the, like, gay plant line was kind of sexy. That's, that's why. I've watched television for less, less honorable reasons. So that show is shockingly bad. I mean, but the thing about it is, the original wasn't good either. So I don't think. The original wasn't good. Yes. And I was just probably at an age that I was more attuned to that demographic and I was more forgiving of that. The thing about The New Gossip Girl, and I didn't watch any of it, but every single element of that shows publicity and social media presence and, like, the dialogue around that show, everything about it was the most annoying thing I've ever experienced. Except for the Gawker Recaps. Oh, no, I mean, oh, the new one I'm talking about.

Oh, the new one, oh, sorry. I thought you meant, like, the whole of Gossip Girl. No, no, no, no, no. Of course, the Gaka recaps of original Gossip Girl were stellar. Whatever happened to the guy who wrote those? Those were so good. He wrote something about a Montauk monster and was weirdly never seen again. He saw the meddler in Canada and went crazy.

He's been banging on the door of the Apple Store for like six years. It's really embarrassing. Yeah. what a time Gossip Girl Recaps Gossip Girl is one of those shows where you're just like

oh like 20 years ago right and it's just like no it ended like in what did it end in like 2012 like not that long ago oh yeah no it was

it was pretty recent like I had already like met you by the time that that ended like we were already like IRL friends that's so time is weird time's weird

time's weird you guys all right what else from this i'm gonna just like open up my little notebook and just like read off all the lines that i wrote down because it's all so good um oh here's one thing that i wrote down in my because i've found my tiff notebook from that year and so i read like what what were my notes and a lot of them were like literally the same thing i made the exact same note about um six bagels all salt which i found just just a tremendously funny touch because like i would have had the exact same reaction of like why would you get all salt salt bagels. Best bagel.

That's what she said. But I wrote down in my Tiff notes, insanely good-looking egg and toast, which I watched it again. And like, it looks good, but, like, talk about, like, festival stomach, like, talking at that point where I was, like, eight days deep

into a film festival, and I was just, like, good food. You have not eaten anything that is not a Tim Horton's breakfast sandwich. Right. There's a great... A bag of maltisers or something like that. There's a great little button to that montage of her making the toad in the hole or whatever it is, where she loved it.

It was so good. And then she catches herself being happy about something having to do with another man that isn't her husband. And it quick cuts to her like scrubbing the dishes, cleaning it up, kind of kind of getting rid of the moment that I think is just like, again, one of those things where like on closer inspection, the movie is like a lot more textured than it initially seems. it's really well observed it's one of those you know just incredibly so many good little small touches whether in dialogue or whether in you know little moments like that um when she meets michael mckeon's character and they both talk about how they were both uh from brooklyn and the one's like oh i grew up on like 48th and fifth by the church and she's like 43rd and seventh by the other church i thought that was very funny um amy landecker oh the The smash cut to her and Gerard Carmichael and as the two brothers, to them all having ice cream, was really funny to me, where she's just like, do you want to just go get ice cream? And then just like smash cut in her off of ice cream. That's very cute. Is this movie at all tainted by its Lisa Rinne connection? Because Harry Hamlin's in it? Oh, I didn't even think about that, you know? It's him, Laura San Giacomo, and Shiri Appleby, who were like the kids. cast in Laurie's show, which is really funny. I imagine for Lorraine Scafaria, too, like the triple deep levels of, like, people playing people, playing loved ones of hers has got to be very interesting and funny. Yeah, and Marnie's saying, you look just like him.

And he's like, what? Like, the character you're playing, you look just like him. Because it's like her husband, you know, I think. And it's just like, it's sweet. And then obviously, Lori is like, cantaloupe, can't stop talking to him. that was a payoff too where like she's because when she sits her down she's like in the safe word is candle up and all I'm thinking

it was just like in what way would that ever would like a safe word end up being applicable and then when it comes back in it's a really nice payoff there half the room's missing tremendous line oh the the fact that J.K. Simmons plays

dolly Parton's here you come again to the chickens. I was going to say dolly parton needle drop perfect I mean, also, like, a moment where I was like, oh, no, she's going to start crying because she's like, this was me and Joe's song or something. But the movie doesn't force that emotion ever, you know, which I think is so great. It's just like, it's just a pleasant moment that then, you know, kind of moves on. Yeah. Yeah.

It's just a really good movie. But he's definitely Trumpy. Yeah. No, I mean, you're not wrong. He's living in. Harley, kind of living in the country, cop. Like, it's like there's a lot of factors there. yeah unfortunately god all those chickens just you know to what to what end to what trump

and mahony says i don't vote joe always voted the scene with her and joe's family in new york is a really good scene too and that's a scene that is full of unspoken stuff and that's one of the like she never really has like a confrontation with them or like a like a moment where like Everybody's cards are on the table, but you know exactly what the vibe is. We're like, they all love her. She loves them, but there is this sort of unspoken thing where, like, they want him interred the way they want with like the quote from my way and the, you know, the burial plot where they can go visit. And they're sort of nudging her the one direction and she's using Lori as an excuse to put it off. And in the meantime, there's like that really cute story about the spaghetti.

and it's all just handled very delicately in a way that is very satisfying. But she realizes she can't go home again, you know? Like, it's gone in a lot of ways. And then, you know, it goes right to the airport where she's like, I live there now in Los Angeles, you know. The scenes of her in Manhattan where she looks like a tourist in Manhattan is such a great touch. And it's like, she doesn't hang a lantern on it, right? It's just like she's looking up at the buildings and whatnot in the way that like a tourist in New York City would. It's really, really clever.

Like, and she's like, I took a photo of daddy's old office or his old building or whatever, and you're just like, yeah, but it's like kind of haunted now and, you know, and then there's that really beautiful little scene of her crying on the plane, you know, because, and she's crying not because she's like, oh, I'm leaving my family or whatever, but she's crying because she knows that, like, it's gone in some ways. I mean, she'll have those people, but, like, her new life is in L.A., and, yeah, I think, I think that's subtly done and well done. Yeah.

Yeah, that's really good. Chris, what else do you have about the meddler? Apparently, Casey Wilson's house, or not Casey Wilson's house, but Cessly Strong's house in this movie is the nightmare on Elm Street House. Oh, shit. Okay. That's crazy. Poor Ronnie Blakely still got bottles of liquor hidden around the... Cessly Strong's just getting pulled through a little door window.

There was originally a scene where a bunch of school kids set Cessly Strong on fire. and then she decided to get the bench. Well, that's why she couldn't have the wedding the first time. That's how that got ruined she needed to have. Who plays her wife? I looked at the actress, and it wasn't anybody that I recognized. I thought it might be like a name that I recognized from like comedy or something like that, but it wasn't. Oh, I think she has been on, there's a really fun podcast with Paul F. Tompkins and Nicole Parker called Neighborhood Listen, where they basically, like,

stuff that's from, like, the next door app or whatever, but they, like, change it to be part of this fictional town. Oh. It's really funny. And I think Rebecca, or Becky Drysdale has been a guest on that and was very funny. She's like, I think she was on Big Gay Sketchco, it looks like. So, yeah, she's, that's what she does. Yeah.

Oh, very good. Again, just a really, just, you know, really good, deep cast in this. Also, the, the girl who plays Jason Ritter's new girlfriend in this, Megalynne Eschikun Wauke was in Witt Stillman's Damsels in distress in a role that I really, really liked her in. Good movie. Again, just like really good cast members sort of at the fringes of all of this. Oh, also, can we talk

about the scene where Michael McKeon's character drives her home from the, it was the wedding, right? And he moves into Kisser and then she employs the self-defense tactics or whatever on him. But like, the funny part of that is when she gets out of the car, she's running serpentine in a way that like... As if he was going to shoot her. As if he was like a sniper or something.

Yeah. Is this the only movie where Susan Saranid has punched Michael McKean and the dick? There must be others, right? No, Dead Man Walking begins with that. Right. It's in the opening credits. She's like, no, I understand violence. Well, that's what made her want to become a nun.

She had to like, that was her rock bottom. Exactly. It was punching Michael McKean in the dick. Yeah. So, yeah, this was the only movie where she did that and didn't get an Oscar for it, though. So that's the distinction. All right. Richard, do you have anything else you want to say about the medler before we move into the IMD game?

No, I think we've kind of covered it. I'm glad you guys. I mean, this did kind of have Oscar buzz, right? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean, just by nature of what it is. It was number one on Vanity Fair's top ten list, Richard. That makes something hasn't.

That sentence, by the way, is the last line of the meddler's Wikipedia page. I saw. I almost screen grabbed it and sent it to you, but I wanted to leave our conversation fresh for when we talked. Someone made a Wikipedia page for me for some reason. And I said that – because I had said, like, on a tweet, I was like, I want one of those Wikipedia pages where the last line is, he is openly gay. You know, those ones? Not the end of the personal section, but the very end of the whole thing.

The whole thing. And so someone put it in, which I was happy. people about. Oh, that's fantastic. Um, I'm just getting... Marnie's Wikipedia page would be, I don't know, personal life, uh, I don't know. I'm just imagining what, uh... The last one would be anyway. Anyway, um, Marnie is a noted member of the Beehive. Yes. I think Marnie would be more famous on TikTok than having like a bustling Wikipedia page. That's fair. That's fair. I want to end with me giving my five tips for visiting the Grove. One of them is go to the farmer's market and there's like a candy counter sort of right in the sort of center-ish of the farmer's market where you can get pretzels dipped in caramel, dipped in chocolate that are astounding. And you can like get a couple of them and then just like get a ticket to the movie at the movie theater and go see a movie and like afternoon well spent.

I did mention not to double on the pretzel thing, but there's the Wetzel's pretzel stand where you can just like get a nice little pretzel and have a seat and just sort of watch the world unfold around you. That's really good. There are some seats at the center of the fountain where like one of the restaurants, you can just like go and like get a cheap meal at the restaurant and then just like sit amid fountains happening around you. That's a great place. I didn't prepare a list, so now I'm stuck on three. But, like, you don't need to go to the cheesecake factory is maybe what I'm telling you. Just like, that's a hat on a hat, I feel like. Going to the cheesecake factory at the Grove feels unnecessary when you could just, like,

get something cheap at the farmer's market and just sit in, you know, in the middle of the hustle and the bustle of it all. And it's nice at Christmas time, right? Oh, my God. I went there last November when the Christmas decorations were up, and it was gorgeous. Like, legitimately, like, California Christmas time, like, beautifully idyllic. I loved it so, so much. So if anyone is in L.A. feeling that kind of particular L.A. unease and belays, just get over the Grove for a bit. Just go to the Grove. It's so good. It's so wonderful. All right. Chris, why don't you explain to our listeners what the IMDB game is?

All right. Every episode, we end with the IMDB game, where we challenge each other with an actor or actress to guess the top four titles that IMDB says they are most known for. If any of those titles are television, voice-only performances, or non-acting credits, we'll mention that up front. After two wrong guesses, we get the remaining titles release years as a clue, and if that's not enough, it just becomes a free-for-all of hints. Indeed. Richard, as our-

Unsolicited advice and, you know, salt bagels. Voice-mails, yes. Richard, as our guest, you get the option of whether you want to go first or go last, and also in which direction this little round robin will go in? Of a first. Why not? Get it out of the way. And I'll ask Chris. So the, obviously you mentioned that Jason Ritter is in this movie. So I thought about his life and his life partner. So I was wondering, Chris, if you could do Melanie Linsky. Oh, the best. Living legend, Melanie. And there is one TV.

is the television well I would think because of the amount of awards attention she's gotten it the SEO of that is going to bump up yellow jackets so I'll say yellow jackets incorrect oh no is it togetherness it is interesting um for movies um she won like a sundance prize for the intervention Is it the intervention? That's the one I didn't think you would get. And you did. Oh, okay, cool. It's a good movie. I liked it. Heavenly creatures.

But I'm a cheerleader? No. The movie you are looking for was out in 2009. Up in the air. Exactly. Well done. Very good. There we are.

Very good. All right. So, Chris, you give to me. Okay. I went into the Lorene Schaffari. filmography. I'm looking for, if not an actual mother in the movie. I am looking for a motherly type, and I pulled out a build as mother in Hustlers. Miss Mercedes Rule. Oh, my God. Fantastic. All right. Well, I imagine her Oscar win for the Fisher King is on there. Correct. No television.

No television. Is Hustlers on there? No. Okay. Is married to the mob on there? married to the mop is on there she's so funny and married to the mob um mercedes rule where are things going from there okay the problem is at some point she just sort of stops being in movies very much you said no television no television I think she had, like, theater success with it, and it did become a movie. So I'm going to, oh, no, wait, before I do that, I'm stupid. Big is got to be on there. Big is on there. Yeah, so you have one movie.

You have one more guest. So anyway, the one that I think it was the theater crossover for her, and I'm just going to guess, is Lost and Yonkers? Incorrect, though. Lost and Yonkers fully belongs there. We should do a Lost in Yonkers episode. We should. It is from the year 1987. Oh, so the year before big and married to the mob.

Is this a movie I know? Quite possibly. It's a name director. The movie star is a big star for the 80s in comedies and comedy-adjacent type of movies. Eddie Murphy? No. this director directed well it's probably not going to help you the director's Herbert Ross the lead actor who is very famous did TV and television became famous because of a franchise I actually don't like that much a film franchise yes in the 80s a comedy film

franchise in the 80s. Yes. Comedy and franchise. Oh, so not like Police Academy? No. No. Okay. Comedy and action? High concept, perhaps sci-fi comedy. Okay. More comedy than sci-fi, but sci-fi. Okay. Oh. Is this like a Dan Aykroyd?

Type? No. No. Think Younger at that time. Michael J. Fox. Michael J. Fox. Oh, back to the future. That's the franchise, but it's not Mercedes Rules.

It's a Michael J. Fox movie. It's a Michael J. Fox movie from 1987. Oh, God. There's a lot of like... Think Alex P. Keaton, like, what his kind of personality trait is it? Is it secret of my success? Is that what it's called? Secret of my success. Never seen it. Yeah. Yeah.

Okay. Interesting. I imagine she plays his mom, I guess. Something. I don't know. Um, interesting. Anyway, that spot should be lost in yonkers. Yes. All right. I agree. Or like, I mean, she wasn't a regular on Frazier, but like, she was on Frazier for like kind of a while. Last Action Hero. She's the mom and last action hero. There you go. Or hustlers. She's great in hustlers. Okay. Richard, I am giving to you, so an interesting tidbit about Lorene's Faria that I didn't bring up that I learned from her Wikipedia page is that during the Writers Guild Strike in 2007, 2008, she recorded an album, and one of the songs from that album was used on the soundtrack to the Drew Barrymore movie Whippet that I really love, that I always sort of ride for. One of the cast members of that movie is Oscar winner Marcia Gay Hardin, star of

of course, so help me Todd, the television series that is burning up the charts. Don't forget the new Patrick Harris show. She's on that too. Oh, God, that's right. Thank God you also had to watch that, Richard,

because I needed somebody to vent about that show with. One of my favorite things about being a weekly new episode of Survivor person is that it's also my catch-up of what is happening and so help me Todd, because I will inevitably get a so-help-me-taught up. I will catch the, I don't remember, it's not Survivor, because Survivor's right at 8, but when I was watching either, must have been Big Brother over the summer, I would catch the last, like, stinger for ghosts every week, and I would, uh, uh, that was my little catch up on ghosts.

It's a show that seems kind of cute. It is, it is fun. But speaking of the, so help me, Todd, when did Skylar Aston get, like, hot? You know what I mean? He looks really good. I feel like there's just a certain type of person that once they hit third. 35, 40, they are hot. Yeah.

I also feel like we are in a moment where, like, all of the Spring Awakening kids are now, like, you know how wine peaks at a time? All right. Easy there, Virginia Madsen. I was going to say. Right, I'm just going to throw in the Virginia Madsen speech from, from, and they look so fucking good, is the end of my speech for that for all the Spring Awakening guys. I don't know.

We're having a moment. Marcia Gay. Does that who I'm guessing? Yes, yeah, give me, give me, give me, let me, give me, uh, Marcia Gahardt. Oh, Pollock? Correct, Pollock, her Oscar win. Um, is there, there's no TV, right? You said? No.

Um, even though she's done a lot of it. All four slots are so healthy. If there was TV, I was going to say, um, oh, wait, she's on the morning show, right? Or is it, or is it, or is it the newsroom? Are she on bold? She plays the same character, essentially, on, like, the morning show, the newsroom, like, there's a ton of those shows where she's essentially like the

either the in-house lawyer or the in-house reporter and it's basically the same. How to get away with murder, I'm pretty sure if she's like that type of character too. I want to guess Meet Joe Black. Should be because

the fucking party that she throws in Meet Joe Black deserves to be recognized. But no, strike one. Okay. Sorry, the goddamn party, not the shit. Right. I bet it's not Flubber. It is not.

Mona Lisa Smile? No. Our very first the Saddustka Buzz episode. All right, so that's two strikes. Your missing movies are from, one of them is 2003. Two of them are from 2007. Hmm. 2003.

I'm so bad at years, is the problem. 2003 is the most sort of prominent of them in that she was a featured supporting role. She was Oscar nominated for it, and it was a big Oscar player that year. She was nominated for playing the wife of an actor who won an Oscar. Oh, she's in Return of the King, of course, right? Yeah, yeah. Yes. She's Treebeard's wife

In Return of the King Treebeard's wife Is a character Who will probably show up In The Rings of Power in season two Is what I'm going to guess That's my prediction I'm sorry

I'm so bad at this game It's very It's a movie that's out of your old stomping grounds adjacent And a best picture nominee It's set at Boiler room, Joe. Yes.

It's a movie starring Marsha Gay Hardin, set entirely in boiler room. In my stoppage. It's based on a novel. It won two Academy Awards for Acting. Both actors won for this movie.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Is it... Oh, no, it's not what I'm thinking of. Sorry, say more things. Sorry. Directed by I'll just say Clint Eastwood. Oh, right. It's, it's a million dollar baby. No. The other one. The other one. Oh, for Christ's sake, what it? Mystic River. Jesus. Sorry. All I can think of, all I can think is that and Laura Linney's, she's supposed to be from Boston by way of Mars, right? Like that accent is like so incoherent. Okay, geez, I should have gotten it. All right. So you're two 2007.

one of them is directed by one of the men who won an Oscar for Mystic River. Oh, boy. And one of them is based on a Stephen King story. 2007 directed by that. Would that be Cradle Rock? That's earlier. That's earlier. That's earlier.

But it's not Tim Robbins. Oh, oh, oh, dear. Directed by Sean Penn. You probably forget that Marsha Gay is in this movie Because there's a million famous people in this movie Oh, Into the Wild? Into the Wild. She plays his mother, right?

Right, I believe. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, Hal Holbrook plays his mom. Yes. He's his Earth mother, not his birth mother, but his Earth mother. Right, exactly. Your other Stephen King adaptation is also from 2007. I really liked it.

A lot of people thought the ending was way too bleak and harsh. Oh, oh, oh, the mist. The mist. That ending is so bleak. Jesus Christ. It's so bleak. It's incredibly bleak. She plays just an incredibly over-the-top character that I ate with a spoon. I thought it was so much fun to watch her.

We want the boy. Just chew every bit of scenery in that movie. Um, yes. All right. So good job, Richard. Oh, no. Terrible job. But, but, um, that's okay. I, I expected that. No, I'm saying good job remembering all the TV characters she played in the morning show and the newsroom. It's all named like Darcy O'Reilly or something. Like she's, you know, like. Rebecca Halliday is. Oh, there you go. That's even better. That's like, yeah. So unbelievably perfect. She's legitimately fantastic in, uh, that show, Trophy Wife.

that only lasted like a couple seasons. That was a good little show. It was a good little show. I've never heard of this show. Malin Ackerman, right? Yeah, Bradley Whitford marries Malin Ackerman, and he has two previous wives played by Marcia Gay Harden and Michaela Watkins.

They all have kids, and they all have this sort of like functional, dysfunctional family, and it's really good. Yeah. All right. Richard, as always, just an absolute treat and joy having you on this show.

Come back any time. You can do the selecting next time, even though I know you were more than happy to talk about this one. But thank you for coming on. I'm holding out for like when you guys start doing movies that got like one nomination, because I feel like I have a lot in that. We'll talk about it. We'll have a discussion. I'll see you in 2035.

I will say, for the first time since we've been doing this, We were going over, like, titles to plan for, and I was like, some of these years are whittling down in our options that we can do. We're going to end up just doing a lot more recent ones because, like, that's just sort of how it's... We have a lot to work with. I'm going to be on the Wikipedia for, like, a movie from, like, 2004, and the last entry will be, and the movie had Oscar buzz, and I'm going to look, and you guys edited that in there, so you could retroactively cover it. He's an open homosexual and has had Oscar buzz. Yes. Thank you so much for having me. It was really fun. What a movie. What a movie. What a great movie. You guys, check it out. Go visit The Grove. That is our episode. If you want more, This Had Oscar Buzz, you can check out the Tumblr at this had oscarbuzz.com. You should also follow our Twitter account at Had underscore Oscar underscore Buzz. Richard, where can the listeners find more from you on either the internet or social media, wherever you want to direct them to them?

Go to my Wikipedia package. I'm on Twitter at Rylos. Also Instagram. Why not plug that? It's just photos of sunsets, literally. And then I'm writing at VF.com and I have the podcast Little Old Men, the award season podcast. And then I also will be doing with my colleague Chris Murphy, we're covering the whole new season of the White Lotus on our still watching podcast. And I've seen the first five episodes and it's really good. Oh, I'm excited. I'm happy to hear you say that. Yeah, super excited for that. And let's get this man an iPad, shall we? Please. Please. Let's back get Richard an iPad. Chris, where can the listeners find you in your stuff?

You can find me on Twitter and letterbox at Chris V-File. That's F-E-I-L. I am on Twitter and letterboxed at Joe Reed, read-spelled, R-E-I-D. We would like to thank Kyle Cummings for his fantastic artwork and Dave Gonzalez and Gavin Mievious for their technical guidance. Please remember to rate, like, and review us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, wherever else you get podcasts. A five-star review in particular

really helps us out with Apple podcast visibility. So toast yourself a salt bagel and write up something nice about us and then return your mother's call. That's all for this week, but we hope you'll be back next week for more buzz.

That I gave my all with my best brought some one from happiness. Nothing's one a little better just because I was here. I was here I live