This Had Oscar Buzz - 223 – We Bought A Zoo

Episode Date: December 12, 2022

After the notorious failure of Elizabethtown, Cameron Crowe took a few years off and attempted to rebound with a warm-hearted family film, 2011’s We Bought A Zoo. The film starred Matt Damon in the very loose true story of a father struggling to raise his two children in the wake of his wife’s death, and finds the … Continue reading "223 – We Bought A Zoo"

Uh-oh, wrong house. No, the right house. I didn't get that! We want to talk to Marilyn Hacks. Welcome to your zoo This is what you want It's not what I want If the risk of stating the obvious

You're insane The sellers say You don't even need any special knowledge To run a zoo What you need is a lot of heart You are gonna love your new enclosure We need somebody who can take charge of this place Or else we and all these animals are gone

I'm trying to give the kids an authentic American experience Stop before Zebras get involved There's two zebras. There's a lion. There's 47 animal species. It'll never last. Hello and welcome to the This Had Oscar Press podcast, the only podcast that looks nine months pregnant, but is actually only six months pregnant.

Every week on This Had Oscar Buzz will 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 are here to perform the autopsy. I am your host, Chris Fyle, and I'm here, as always, with my otter enclosure. Go read. Uh, yes, as advertised, all otters are welcome, uh, in my enclosure, as they say. Uh, yeah, yeah. Your, your loving embrace. Chris.

I almost called you my peacock enclosure. I thought that was too much. I was re, listen, okay, first of all, can't do snakes in movies, period. Sure. So, like, I don't even want to talk about the snakes in this movie. Okay. But the peacocks that are just, like, roaming on the lawn with this little girl. Yes.

I feel like you might as well just throw her in the lion's den because peacocks are notoriously mean. Well, this is what I feel like. I feel like any time you hear about animals, especially ones that are, like, pretty, I feel like on a long enough timeline, you get to the point in the conversation where somebody's like, but they're notoriously aggressive. And like, I just feel like you get, like, they're all wild animals. And at some point, there was the point in the movie where there was the sign, and it was like, the zebras will bite your hand. Do not give them the opportunity to do so. And it's like, yeah, like all of these, like, beautiful animals or whatever, I imagine that, like, if you get up close to them, they're just going to, like, you know, go for your, go for your flesh and whatever. And are you a zoo, were you a zoo person?

This was what I wanted to sort of lead this way. We have a very popular zoo here, but not really. I don't really remember going to zoo. I can't remember the last time I've been to a zoo. We have some, like, very well-known ones here in New York City. I tried one time to organize a friend group trip to the Bronx Zoo that, like, did not work out. It doesn't work for just a group of adults. Too many children.

That's probably true. When I'm back in Buffalo, I think we want to do, like, a zoo day with my nephew. That will be fun to sort of, like, watch it, like, through his eyes. But, like... Yeah, through the eyes. of a child, it's fine. Yeah. But I'm also, like, I'm not, like, hippie-dippy, like, uh, like, you know, like, I,

I love, like, cats and dogs and stuff. And, like, I love, like, wildlife preservation, whatever, but I'm not. In theory, yes. What am I trying to say? I'm... In theory, I agree with all of that. Animals, great. I'm not super touchy-feely, but...

And yet, when I get to a zoo and I know that, like, good zoos take good care of animals. It bums me out still. I think it's because I watch that movie Buddy a lot as a child with Renee Russo, and she like sets Buddy Free. Well, yeah, we were the generation raised on like Free Willy and whatnot. So like we are definitely, where it's like do bad. Right. We don't want any animals in captivity. Where it's like really sea world bad. Ultimately, I never grew up with pets. So I'm like, I'm somewhat abnormal when it comes to the way I feel about animals, which is like, most sleek boils down to, like, good for them. Like, do you animals, do your thing? Brian fellas.

I don't care. Keep it away from me. I don't care. Like, if you feel like zoos are inhumane, okay, cool. Like, do your thing to liberate the animals then. Like, I don't care. Ultimately, if people want to keep it. them in captivity, sure, like, don't put me in danger. Don't have a, like, don't keep snakes

in the apartment next door to me, please, because, like, they'll get into the pipes and whatnot, and then all of a sudden there's a snake in my room. Like, don't encroach upon me with them, but, like, otherwise, like, I don't know, Tiger King, I think is weird. I think, like, if you're too- I was going to bring up Tiger King. This made me feel very Tiger King. Like, people shouldn't just have their own small zoo. That is something I may be thinking. Well, but at least these people, I mean, I guess Tiger King, too, right, that was open to the public and whatnot. I feel like, I don't think you could make we bought a zoo today.

Well, you shouldn't make we bought a zoo in any era. But, like, if you made it today, you would have to acknowledge... One should not simply buy a zoo. You would have to acknowledge that at the very least, like, the kind of person who usually buys a zoo is more of a Tiger King type than a, you know, sad dad, right? Like sad Matt Damon dad. That's the exception to the rule. Here's the other thing.

Listeners, we're talking about We bought a Zee. Oh, yeah. Well, listen. You saw, you clicked on it in your podcast app. It didn't say mystery film. It said, We bought a Zoom. You know. What if we did a mystery film one time?

Honestly, that would be cute. That'd be fun. Click for a mystery movie. Here's what I wanted to say, though, before we got into the meat of the thing too much. There's a scene in which Matt Damon goes into the Home Depot and, you know, Kim Whitley is the... Oh, I was so, Matt. I was like, give Kim Whitley more to do than play Home Depot employee. There was a moment at the end of the movie where she shows up at the zoo, and I had the faintest flicker of hope that, like, that's the romantic glimmer at the end of the movie, that, like, they, like, you know, make a date or whatever was just like, I'll take you out for coffee next week or something like that.

Because, like, they, unlike this movie's purported romance, have romantic chemistry. But anyway, I thought. But so he goes into the Home Depot, and Kim Whitley's there, and she's working there. And she's like, oh, I love that zoo. Are you going to open it soon? But all I could think of is, like, Matt Damon must smell like 12 kinds of animal shit walking into a home depot. And just like, if you make the decision to buy a zoo and to live at the zoo, you have sentenced you and your children to many things. But one of them is smelling like animal shit for the rest of your life, essentially.

And I don't want to live that life. I don't want to live, you know, as the guy who walks into Home Depot and everybody's like, oh, God, the zoo guy's here. I can't see them, but I can sure smell them. Well, I mean, the daughter, she's not even going to be, like, garden variety horse girl. Oh, yeah, she's going to be... She's going to grow up to be super, uber weirdo, peacock girl. Yeah. We talked about...

We did the zookeeper's wife, and because of the Holocaust of it all, we kind of avoided too many questions of, like, the practicalities of, like, running a zoo and keeping a zoo. Well, but they kill all the animals. Well, yeah. that does happen but you know the the horrors of war and all that whereas in this one it really just sort of makes you sit with the idea of this is one of those all-timer movies of like what would you do right put yourself in the position of this guy would you do this would you buy a zoo would you how would you do if you bought a zoo like that kind of thing and i think almost like 99% of people i imagine would come to the conclusion of like i would simply not buy a zoo is what i would do like that is

the simple solution to all of this. Yeah. Should we talk before we get into the movie about our upcoming mailbag episode? Mailbag. Hi, we're doing a mailbag. We are accepting answers through December 20th. You can email your mailbag questions to add Oscar Buzz at gmail.com. Or you can fill out the Google forum that we have both on our Tumblr page, and I will tweet it.

if the World Cup has not crashed Twitter. Oh, God, yeah. We also should say, should we talk about our schminstas shram at this point? Our schminsda-sm that we will hopefully have up and running by the time people listen to this? Yeah, absolutely. We have an Instagram. We figured, listen, the Titanic may be sinking, and there are not enough lifeboats for all of the people. people, and she's made of iron, I assure you she will. All of that is happening.

Sort of made us realize that, like, we don't have an Instagram page, do we? And, like, I have Instagram. I utilize Instagram mostly to just, like, keep up with other people. I don't post on Instagram very much, mostly because my appeal is a person is not visual. My appeal is more, I'm an idea z-word-y person, right? Anyway, but we figured it was a smart idea. to get on Instagram. We haven't done Mastodon yet. We're not at a point where we're going to do Discord yet. Who knows what the future will bring. But for right now, we have an Instagram page. Discord, I think, is for straight people. Is Discord for straight people? You see, you just say those things, Chris. And I don't know if there's any truth to that. It just sounds very, like, video game

dark web to me. I think Discord is one of those things where it is what you make of it. So I, I'm, I, but I don't know. I have, I don't have a whole other people making a homophobic space of it. I mean, I'm sure, but there are people making a homophobic space of a lot of things. So, um, you and I are making this podcast a homophobic space for each other. Yes, well, constantly, yes. Um, but anyway, what's our, what's our Instagram, uh, handle so people can find this. This had Oscar buzz. Listen, Twitter didn't have that for us. Twitter, uh, someone had already taken this had Oscar Buzz at Twitter for whatever reason. We had to sort of bastardize it for our handle there. But yes, this

had Oscar Buzz at Instagram. By the time you listen to this, we will have some stuff up. We'll have it looking pretty. We'll be posting. We'll hopefully have soft launched it at that point so we can figure out what type of things we're going to be doing there. I imagine similar things that we do on Twitter. We'll be teasing the new episodes. Maybe we'll figure out how to post audio snippets. Who knows? Who knows what the future will ring. But anyway, come

find us there. That way, if Twitter all goes away, we'll still have a place to gather. And yeah. All right. We bought a zoo. We bought a zoo. Picture. Cameron Crows, 2011. A movie that

I feel like exists in perpetuity as a punchline, but kind of always has. It is one of the all-time punchline titles. and it never escaped that velocity. You know what I mean?

I almost did a demented quiz, but we have a lot to get into in this episode for you. I'm still sad to lose whatever this demented quiz was going to be. I'm sorry, I threw my draft away, too. I was going to subject you to the Tyra Banks' Beyonce quiz. You have to guess the movie I'm talking about first. Say I said, instead of We bought a zoo, We took a poo. What is a movie where several people are pooping at once?

Oh, well, Triangle of Sadness. Triangle of Sadness wouldn't have been the answer, but bridesmaidsmates would have been the answer. Triangle of Sadness would be an answer. Like, you can't tell me that I would have been wrong. See, this would have been too chaotic. All right. Nobody, I think there's only that one dude who is actively taking a shit in that movie. No. Christopher.

There are multiple people. There's just poop flowing through that movie, but you don't see someone. It's got to come from somewhere. You see one guy taking a poop. It's got to come from. from somewhere, man. Like, it's, it doesn't just magically appear. We're going to fight about this offline.

We're going to fight about how many people. Just loading pretzel sticks into a boat, like, I got to get out of here. If you have seen Triangle Sadness, come to our new Instagram page and comment on how many people you think are pooing in that movie. Our scene depicted taking a shit in that movie. Listen, we can do with implied. Well, no, maybe implied because then if it's implied, then like, everybody in every movie is taking shit.

Instagram is going to ban us because they think that we're pop. Posting poop content. Oh, God, we're going to be put on poop lists. I don't like that. Okay. I don't want it. I don't want it. All right.

Wait, where did we get there? Oh, you're right. Your demented quiz. We'll do a different movie, and I'll come up with a Tyra Banks' Beyonce quiz for you. Sure. Okay. We bought a zoo 2011 sort of comes out during what I would call, and I say this as somebody who loves Warhorse and think it was the best movie of the best

picture nominees of 2011. I was going to say please give yourself 10 minutes to talk about War Horse. The December of mockishness feels like the moment where like David Edelstein had a three-way review of Warhorse,

extremely loud and incredibly close, and we bought a zoo, which all opened essentially like the same week, week and a half. And I was like, I imagine the editorial decision there was just like all three of these movies. are sort of going for the same general vibe. So just, like, knock all three of these out at once, please.

Well, it's not just, like, mockishness that there was a lot of in this season, which I've talked about before as being, like, one of my least favorite. There's a lot of movies, like, centered around or, you know, actually for families and children. Like, the movies you mentioned in the David Edelstein Review are, like, kids' movies in the Oscar race. There was also obviously Hugo, the descendants counts, where it's just like, okay, this is a lot of children. Yes, yes. And then you have, because this movie opened Christmas week and like, you're like, I think of it in the war horse of it all, but I'm also thinking of, like, it was a real kind of like total darkness or see the light and good in humanity. because girl with the dragon tattoo also opened.

Sure. So in the same multiplex, you can watch, you know, the goodness of man in Warhorse, and you can also see Rooney Mara kicking a dildo up of man's... Well, talk about the Cameron Crow of it all. This was his first movie in six years after Elizabeth Town, which we've also talked about. One of our most popular episodes.

Which we talked about with our friend Phil Iscove. and that movie was four years after Vanilla Sky. So, like, in the span of a decade, Cameron Crow has directed two features. He directed the Pearl Jam documentary, and I think there was another documentary in there. But in the span of a decade, he's made two movies, and both of them were flops. And he would go on to make a third flop in a row a few years later with Aloha, and hasn't

hasn't made it back to the to the big screen with his redemption movie yet. I still hold out hope for Cameron Crow. Okay, but here's the thing we're going to talk about with We bought a zoo. We bought a zoo wasn't a flop, though. It made $75 million. It made some money. It was...

It made money. But it was also a joke. But it's a... The movie is treated as a joke. But it's also, like, I don't know. The type of people who are going to make jokes about this movie, like, us and like you know other people like

we're not the target demo for this movie this is like it's kind of a almost past say type of like family movie but starring real people from the 90s except like the language is a little harsh in this movie like

you have people saying dick and asshole in this movie but like this is a family targeted movie it's the type of movie that even in 2011 didn't really exist all that much. I agree with your general premise that movies that like us, like assholes like us are snarky about are cynical bastards, right, are not necessarily, you can't necessarily throw them out of the culture because there are a lot of other people who could latch on to them. And this

movie did make a decent amount of money. But it's been over a decade since we bought a zoo. And I feel Like, if the, like, quote, like, lack of a better term, normy population were to have, was going to fixate on this and latch onto it, it would have happened by now. And we haven't seen that. I was a little surprised that it wasn't on Disney Plus for me to watch, considering it was a Fox movie. Yeah. But I don't know. Like, it seems like the type of thing that, like, Disney Plus could make now if they were concerned with anything that isn't IP, and it would do fine. And here's the thing.

I think this movie is fine. I don't think it's that bad. I thought I was going to maybe be that... You're going to be the person that hates the movie. I thought you were going to hate it more than I did. Because I don't have like dark, vicious feelings toward this movie, but I don't think it works at all at like many fundamental levels. And I think I struggle to find moments of relatable human interaction in this movie. Maybe we should get into the plot to screen.

then before we really get into the movie. I also, but I will also say, and I want to get into this, in comparison to the failures of Cameron Crow, I think that this movie is perfectly passable. Oh, I would watch Elizabeth Town any day before

I watched this movie again. That might be fair, but that rewatch of Elizabeth Town that we watch for this movie, I was like, oh, I can't defend this movie anymore when I used to defend it. I would definitely watch Elizabeth Town more than. this. I don't know. I can't wait until

we do an Aloha episode. We're going to have to we've got to complete the trilogy. I have also never seen Aloha. So we'll yeah. Listeners, we are here talking about we bought a zoo. We bought a zoo. Directed by Cameron Crow. We bought Zoo. Also written by Cameron Crow with Eileen Brosh McKenna. Great Eileen Brasch McKenna. We'll put

with in scare quotes because I'm pretty sure what happened was Eileen Brush McKenna wrote a script and Cameron Crowe rewrote it. Cameron Crowed, yes, yes. Based loosely, quite loosely on the memoir by Benjamin Me. Maybe my problems with the movie are the changes it makes from the adaptation because it's like, okay, so you're making some bullshit. Anyway, we'll get into it. Starring Matt Damon, our 10th Matt Damon, we will get into that.

Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Hayden, Church, Colin Ford, L. Fanning, our fifth L. Fanning, get ready, Ms. Fanning for your six-timers quiz soon. Patrick Fuget, Angus McFadion, in as many weeks. I know. I love when we do an accidental back-to-back. Well, this won't be back-to-back. Well, this isn't back-to-back, but it's close.

Right. As we're recording this, our La City of Zad episode publishes tomorrow, so it's feeling, like, it's, you know how, like, when they explain a wormhole and they put that, like, piece of paper there and they fold it so that two disparate points meet in the folded middle. That's what we're doing with Lost City of Zed. We didn't talk enough about him in our Zed episode too

and he's tremendous in our movie. We talked a little bit about it. He was, he's great in that movie. John Michael Higgins, Carla Gallo, J.B. Smooth, the aforementioned wonderful national institution that is Kim Whitley and Maggie Elizabeth Jones.

The movie opened wide December 23rd, 2011, also included in its box office mojo information. I forgot that this movie did a Thanksgiving weekend sneak preview. Oh. Remember sneak previews? That's what they're trying to sell Glass Onion as, essentially, is that, like, it's open in theaters for, like, a one-week preview. And it's like, no, you're just only running it for a week in theaters. I feel like, in order to get into AMC, like, they had to let.

AMC dictate like the verbiage of how they provided that. It was kind of wild seeing Bardo at a regal the other day and seeing Netflix trailers at the regal. Oh, they played Netflix trailers? I've legit never seen a Netflix trailer. There was a Glass Onion trailer, but there was also something that's exclusively, not exclusively streaming, but whatever, like not doing like a Bally Hood thing. theatrical. I can't remember it now. But yeah, there were a few Netflix trailers. It was real

interesting. Yeah. Oh, Pinocchio. It was a Pinocchio trailer. Pinocchio. Yeah. I'm excited to see Pinocchio. I am too. I watch Pinocchio. But yeah, remember in like the 90s when you would do, when there were legit regular sneak previews and it's like, you can pay to see the sneak preview of this and stay to watch this movie. That's already in theaters for free. We somehow, uh, I don't remember how. It's not like we had won a contest, but we had, I feel like we had, like, been selected somehow or, like, got somehow invited to a sneak preview screening of Angels in the Outfield when I was a kid. And that was awesome.

You felt definitely cool. We felt cool. I remember, I'm pretty sure my mom took us, and me and my brother and my sister, and we all went and saw Angels in the Outfield, and it was, like, sneak preview screening, and it was packed. And we were so excited to see it, and it was great, and Tony Danza and Christopher Lloyd, and it was wonderful. I loved it. Wait, who's the mom and angels in the outfield? Let me look this up really quickly. I don't know why I'm so curious about this, but I am.

Because someone, I imagine, played Joseph Gordon-Levitt's mom, and she was like, if it's like Lisa Ann Walter, I'm going to, like, flip shit, because, like, that's the perfect. She wouldn't be too young for that at that point, 1994. Oh, you know who it is? Patricia Heaton probably It's no And I believe He's maybe living in a foster home Because it's Brenda Fricker

Oh right Yes it is a foster home It's like it yeah Yes The great Brenda Fricker Yes wonderful Okay All right now we can move on

I have not prepared Now that we have Invoked Brenda Would you like to give a 60 second plot description Pause while I like touch my statue of Brenda Fricker on the shelf. Yeah, yes.

Yes, I have not prepared a 60-second plot description. I'm winging it, so we'll see how that goes. I have faith in you. Yeah, okay. All right, then your 60-second plot description for We Bada Zoo starts now. Yeah, Matt Damon plays Benjamin

who is a single father of two. His wife has somewhat recently died, and he's having trouble. When you have two kids when you're a single dad in a movie, one of them must hate you. And in this case, it's his teenage son Dylan, and he's having problems, he's shoplifting. And so Matt Damon decides to move the family to a new home, which coincidentally just has a zoo attached to it. So they've bought a zoo, and they are moving to a zoo, despite the

protestations of his brother, Thomas Staden Church. At the zoo, as a staff. 30 seconds. Sort of a skeleton staff of people, including Scarlett Johansson as the most unlikely zookeeper you ever did see. And they've got to get this zoo in the ship shape, or else John Michael Higgins as the inspector is going to shut him down and they work hard at it and there's a tiger who is sick who has to eventually be put down and Al Fanning has a romance with the sun. Ten seconds. And they eventually get it done and they get it and he, you know, comes into some extra money and they get the zoo working and then there's a rainy summer that almost threatens to ruin

it, but people climb over a downed tree, which is such a, like, their insurance does not cover that. They should not be allowing people to risk injury, climbing over it down. It covers mallings, but it doesn't cover. Also, this is a zoo, and I would imagine having a passable exit is a good idea in case of something going wrong at the zoo, and like, if something gets out and start stampeding, you're going to want people to have a passable exit route out of your zoo. Like, it's just a terrible all that work to get this place up to code and then if john michael higgins had just shown up on opening day or whatever and seen them having people climb over this down tree they would have been shut down get your act together matt damon jesus christ anyway um yeah once you get past

the setup it's just a lot of like got to make this zoo work once you get past every um you know The utter bombardment that this movie gives you of implausibilities, I think it's fine. I want to bring up, I closed this tab, and I shouldn't have, let me open it up again, because it was the Roger Ebert review of We Bought a Zoo, which he gave two and a half stars, which I think is about right. That's what I agree. But he mentions the Scarlet Johansson character as the head, this is where I'm quoting, as the head of the zoo's animal keepers, who seems adamantly unaware that she's in a script that requires her to sooner or later kiss the hero, which is, like, exactly right. Like, there is no, like, I had fooled myself.

He's her employer. I had fooled myself into thinking that, like, oh, I guess maybe they don't get together, because there really is, other than the fact that they are just in scenes together a lot, there really is no sense that things are moving towards a romantic connection between them, Unless you just subscribe to the idea that, like, it is required that if you have a movie in which Matt Damon and Scarletchohansson are both single, that they must end up in a romantic relationship at the end. And, like, literally, it just comes up. Just let her be a lesbian. Every time she mentions my girlfriends, I'm like, right? But, like, no, she means, like, my girlfriend. No, and then, like, at the end of the movie, like, literally at the 11th hour, she just comes in, she's like, I've had a crush on you this whole time.

I've decided to kiss you now. And now I'm going to kiss you. And it's, like, great to pay off this zero chemistry that you guys have had. I like Scarlett Johansson. I am a, I am an apologist. I tend to think, like, when people get really mad at the dumb shit, she says, I'm like, she's just being an actress, you guys, like, chill out. this is right before her like resurgence too and I thought that the Avengers is the next summer like yeah Avengers is the next year and then right after that she has under the skin she has Don John she has her and I thought it was more in the middle of that but it's no but the thing is I think it would have been much easier and much more believable for Scarlett Johansson to have played a tree in this movie than for her her to play zookeeper.

I just don't buy her in this role at all. And it's because it's Cameron Crow... But they give her a short haircut. They give her a short haircut. And because it's Cameron Crow, I think everybody's sort of on guard for her being in any way manic pixie-ish, and she's not that.

She's not. El Fanning is. Well, that thing makes even less sense than the other thing. We'll get into that. El Fanning is like walking around in this movie like literally asking questions like if you could only be if you could only have animals or people what would you choose if you had found out at the end of this movie that al fanning was a figment of the teenage

son's imagination i would have been like yes she's literally instagram girl making phrases with like light signs she has no uh in her life but so but the the scarlet johansen character get saddled with these sort of bursts of very monologuey emotion that she'll just sort of like blast out at Matt Damon. And it's like it feels very Cameron Crowish. And it's frustrating because as one of the world's foremost, almost famous fans, I think he does such a good job in that movie of first of all casting, which was a, you know, roller coaster because like crude up and Kate Hudson are both second choices for their roles and they end up being perfect. But also, like, he makes all of these character motivations, and maybe it's because he lived that story, more or less, all of those character motivations make sense, even when they are sort of pitched and sort of, you know, yelled at the screen or whatever. Everything in that makes sense. Nothing in, we bought a zoo.

I'll accept the concept that the premise that Matt Damon rebounding from the death of his wife and not knowing what to do with this teenage son who doesn't like him very much would decide to go and buy a zoo and do something big and different but like the thing at the very beginning of the movie where they try to sell him as this like adventure journalist and then everything with the Scarletch O'Hanson character like these characters just fundamentally to me don't feel like real people and

they, well at least Matt Damon's character is a real, a truly real person. Right, right. So that was a big part of why the movie didn't work for me

and maybe the fact that I'm not, I don't romanticize animals meant that, like, the rest of it wasn't going to be able to make up for all this other stuff either. I don't know. I mean, I'm willing... I think I'm willing to just kind of go with the mechanics of the movie in a way while also being able to pick it apart.

Yeah. But, like, I think it's ultimately, like, harmless and fine. And I'm not trying to be a backdoor snob by being, like, this is a movie for families, who cares? Right. Like, you know, in that way to say that, like, I think that, you know, who cares if those movies are good or not? That's not what I think. Right. But, like, I don't see this movie.

I see this movie as annoying in parts. I see it as never believable or real, but I don't see it as a failure in the way that, you know, Cameron Crow has made failures. Even like Vanilla Sky, which is like a grand, incredibly. It's a fascinating failure. It's such a good failure in that way, because it really gives you a lot to... Because it feels like a swing, right? It doesn't feel like, you know, some, like, the way that Elizabeth Town is like, oh, this is, this is like alien town. Um, right. You know, all of Vanilla Sky feel, all of its mishaps feel intentional. Yeah, I think that's right. And just don't work. Um, it'll be interesting. to view Aloha through that lens as well.

It's a zoo. Yay! Chris, we interrupt this zoo progress report. Everybody, hold on to your tiger cages and whatnot. We are breaking in to talk about the latest update in the

Vulture movie's fantasy league. The donkeys are running wild. The donkeys. The donkeys are running wild. That is true. As true today as it was in 2011. Bad time to be a donkey in a movie. Sure, except you're getting thus so much glamour.

Lots of red carpet opportunities. I would say for donkeys in Hollywood, it's never been a more exciting time. I feel like you are no more, no moment has the donkey been more castable than right now. I saw a tweet that was like actors on actors, E.O. and Jenny from Banshees have been a Sharon. Do you think somebody's going to greenlight a he-ha movie now just so that the donkey, the animated donkey from the he-ha logo, can get in on this action? Or, like, honestly, your spinoff movie for Winnie the Pooh, it's time. I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet. Starring Jenny.

I'm sure. Oh, so you're saying live action, Winnie the Pooh. Yeah, I'm sure that's probably the next thing that David Lowry is doing to make money from Disney. I mean, anyway, all this to say, donkeys did fine and we bought a zoo, probably. Donkeys did fine and we bought a zoo. Donkeys are cleaning up on the awards circuit. So this week's update on the Vulture Movies Fantasy League, which, by the way, I think last time I neglected to mention the URL, which is important. So it's moviegame.vulture.com.

From there, you can click on a link to the landing page where the rules are still there. All of the calendar of upcoming events are still there, but also you can check out the leaderboard, and you can do a little Control F on your team's name, and you can see where you stand in the current leaderboard of the Vulture Movies fantasy game, which is, I think, super exciting. I'm always checking where I am in relation to friends and colleagues, because how else do I measure my worth? So anyway, Chris, the thing I want to talk about this week on our little update is, We are now past New York Film Critics Circle, National Border of Review, and Los Angeles Film Critics Association, which announced, I would say earlier today, but that would misrepresent just how much of the day was taken up with Los Angeles film critics voting.

And from sunup to sundown, the critics were voting. They took a break for lunch and let everybody know about it, as always. My favorite part of the award season. Reporting from the tunnel under Ocean Avenue. Okay, what is that joke? I'm pretty sure it's a Lana Del Rey joke. I don't know if it's a Ciz joke because the Ciz album just dropped and I still haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. It makes perfect sense that I would not know about it then. Okay, I feel fine. I don't feel out of the loop anymore.

Thank you. So those are kind of the big three, National Society of Film Critics sort of rounds out that quartet, but they don't vote until January. Which is why a lot of their winners can feel. like, not reactionary, but maybe they won't pull the trigger for Kate Blanchett because everybody all season long has been giving it to Kate Blanchett, et cetera. Right. They will have, they're usually good for at least one acting award where it's like a breath of fresh air from the sort of sameness of award season. The death of Mr. Lazaruscu. Exactly. We'll get to them in January.

Which I think was actually L.A., but spiritually, you understand what I say. Spiritually, 100%. Yes. But I sort of did a little quick tallying up. absent box office points, because box office points, of course, are relative to when you signed up. Just considering awards points thus far, which have been independent spirit award nominations plus NBR, New York Critics, L.A. Critics. Our top ten point getters thus far, two, I would say that we're really expected. Everything Everywhere All at Once and Tar are like well ahead of the rest of the field for critics' awards points. at this point, everything everywhere all at once is at 170, TAR is at 165.

Now, TAR was significantly less expensive than everything everywhere all at once in the fantasy game. So, if you purchased TAR right now, you're getting better value. I would argue that everything everywhere all at once has a higher ceiling in award season in general, but TAR still holds the possibility of, you know, going very far. But I would say right now, TAR is doing what it needs to do in critics' awards season,

wouldn't you say? Yeah, I would agree. I'm not sure, quite so sure I agree that the ceiling is lower for TAR by the time of the end game of it. Maybe in terms of wins,

you could have... That's sort of what I'm saying. Well, also, I just feel like, I still feel like, come Oscars, everything everywhere all at once is probably looking at anywhere from seven to ten nominations.

And I think TAR is looking at anywhere from three to six. Right? I wouldn't be surprised if it lands like eight. Tar? Yes. I would love to do a bet with you on this, but let's do this later. Let's put a pin in that. I can't keep losing money to you this season.

Well, this is true. Any bet to you. Well, this is what we've talked, we talked in Toronto, remember, about we should do another bet to like replenish the waters after our two big bags. That's, or at least one of them is getting settled. Since my Michelle Williams bet, which I will win money on, but not this year. But not this year. Right.

So maybe we could do a bet on over under on nominations for TAR. Let's put a pin in that. Let's revisit that maybe next week. And if that's the case, then TAR becomes an even better value. But right now, they're doing what they need to do at the Critics Awards. That's what you bought TAR for. If you added tar to your roster, it's because you thought this was going to happen. It was going to clean up in critics' awards.

I want to talk about our third place film, though, which currently right now, in terms of awards points, is After Sun, which is doing so much better in awards season than I expected. I was basically expecting some best first film awards for Charlotte Wells, highly deserved. Which it's getting those. Which it's getting, but it's getting that plus some other. things. It feels like all of these critics' bodies are finding ways to give it an award. It got an editing award at Los Angeles Film Critics. It ended up on not just the best independent films top 10 at NBR, but actually like the overall best films top 10. And it's a really good value in the

pool. That's a $5 movie. If you picked up After Sun for $5, you are skipping all the way to the bank with these 85 points thus far. Like, that's really good. And it also means good possible things for down the road. Now, where I was really expecting after Sun to be a non-entity in the Oscar conversation, now it could get a couple nominations here or there. I think Paul Muscal now is probably in the thick of a best actor possible conversation right now. I would agree.

Which is exciting for me. Yeah. Because I love him in that movie. Yeah. I don't think it'll be a best picture nominee, but I think it's no worse off than like the top 15 right now. Do you know what I mean? If you're talking about possible Oscar, about possible best picture nominees, which is pretty rad. Like maybe a screenplay nominee.

This seems like the kind of movie that would get a screenplay nomination, you know, small, you know, widely loved by, you know, small but loyal good group of viewers. Or that editing nomination, like the Los Angeles critics gave it. Would love that. Would love that. Rounding out our top 10. Women talking,

currently 65 points. Banshees have been a share in 60. Banshees has been doing really well. I feel bad a little bit for Carrie Condon that she has thus far not gotten a major prize for best supporting actress. And in some ways, I look at that and I'm like,

is, would she have gotten one if Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson were not also getting prizes so that, like, critics' organizations were like, well, we can't give everything to Banshees of Inashire, and we can't also give them supporting actress. I thought she was some of the runner-up for some of the major ones. She won Boston today, but, you know, that's not one of that. Oh, she did win Boston. Not part of the fantasy game, but good, good to know. Exactly. Yeah. But otherwise, Banshees of Inasharon has been winning prizes. and all sorts of screenplay prizes, Colin Farrell prizes, Brendan Gleason prizes.

Some surprising ones in the 5 to 10 range. Emily the Criminal did very well at the Independent Spirit Awards, and then also showed up on the NBR list for independent film. The inspection has been showing up pretty well, also did well at the Independent Spirit Awards. Bones and All keeps finding ways to make an appearance. Top Gun Maverick, of course, the best picture winner at NBR helps

Goose, their 40 point total for awards. And then after Yang, which, you know, I don't, that's a very low ceiling movie. But 40 points by this point, you know, you didn't pay very much for it. Yeah, after Yang was a dollar movie, $2. I think it was a $2 movie. Yeah. So it's interesting. And what do you make of this top 10 awards points list? I think there's going to be a lot of changing in that over the next few weeks, I'm sure also the next week will bring both the Globes and the Critics' Choice. I'm sure it will be a very different leaderboard next week. Yeah, by the time you are listening to this, it is very possible that the Golden Globes and Critics Choice have both announced their award nominations, which will, yeah, like you said,

just a flood of points will be flying into a bunch of these movies and we'll see what the shakeup is. Who knows? Maybe After Sun will keep that number three spot. I want to give a shout out on the air here to our current, as we stand here on Sunday the 11th. Current first place team is NY Cinephile, still in first place for, I believe, our second week, roster of Black Panther Wakanda Forever, which I will say, Avatar has been getting a few critics prizes here and there. So I feel like with the expected box office that we... We all think it's going to get. That is probably going to prove to be the box office pick that succeeds better than Wakanda forever, just in terms of overall.

If you were flipping a coin between picking Black Panther Wakanda Forever or Avatar the Way of Water and you landed on Avatar, I think you probably got the right one, the better pick, the higher ceiling pick. I think it's a best-picture nomination is very much in the cards for that movie at this point, sort of reading the tea leaves. Would you agree? I agree. Anyway, but NYCinephile had Wakanda Forever, Tar, banshees of In a Sharon, after Sun, after Yang. All of those movies did well, we just mentioned. A love song, don't worry, darling, and X. I think we recited this list last week.

But anyway, congratulations on another week at the top of NYCine. Centophile, we'll see if it lasts through the Golden Globe nominations. Anything else you want to throw in before we return to the zoo? No, let's get back to the zoo. It's the zoo. Yay! And like I said, I generally really, really like and root for Cameron Crow. His brand, I think what a lot of people find very cheesy about Cameron Crow, I give a lot of leeway to.

And, like, the soundtrack in this movie, which I imagine would be a thing that annoyed you, is one of the things. It annoyed me a little bit, yeah. I have so much, I cut him so much slack for that, mostly because half of the needle drops, any needle drop that's from, like, before 1980. The Randy Newman needle drop is really good. It is, and I like that song, although that song, I think it's going to rain today. I always associate with beaches. Yes, I was going to say better in beaches. Yep.

But, like, all the Neil Young needle drops all are like, oh, this is a thing my dad would just be playing in the garage. You know what I mean? No, but also, it's like, it's like we get it. You like Neil Young. Like, with Cameron Crowe. Like, it's like, yes, you have five artists that you rely on. To me, I find it a little more annoying when he's like, white stripes man or whatever. And it's just like, okay.

Or Bonnie Bear. Yes, although we should mention that the soundtrack for this, the official soundtrack for this, is wall-to-wall sigaroos. Because the score was done by Jonesy. And I thought I'd remember that, like, Jonesy had gotten, like, a critic's choice or a glows. Some kind of precursor. Yeah, but he didn't. Interesting.

No nominations for Jonesy. Part of me, do we pronounce the J in that name because he's Scandinavian? I don't know. I've never heard it pronounced out loud before. I'm scared to say it. I think I've heard Jonesy, but I live in Ohio. I just like the idea that like this lead singer of this like ambient weird Scandinavian group has the same name as like a construction guy on the site or whatever. It's like, hey, Jonesy. Much like Boniver, it sounds like whales dying. I like Sigeroz a lot. Don't come after me. I like Bonifero. the sound drop that he that Cameron Crow utilizes when they sort of scale the tree in the in the road and they see everybody and it's uh I can't remember how that title is pronounced but anyway it's the big Sigero song that like is used in trailers a bunch and whatever um feels like Cameron Crow like back edited the whole movie to like get to that point and he's he's he's a director who, I imagine, plans for his needle drops in a very intentional way. So, like, that makes sense. There was a... I want to look up this guy's name, actually, because there's this YouTuber, not YouTuber, that sort of has a connotation that it's like a, you know, personality brand now. But there was this guy who used to do compilation videos on YouTube that I don't think he does

anymore. I think he stopped doing him in like 2014, 2015, or something like that. But as I look him up on YouTube, his name is Matt Shapiro, and he does, he would do these like year-end compilations of like the best, you know, movies of the year or whatever, which got me into like wanting to make, you know, those. And for 2008, he did that Sigero song, Happy Pola, I believe, is how we spell it. And always makes me, anytime I hear that, song now. I think of clips from like the Dark Night and Revolutionary Road and

you know, all the sort of like the best of 2008 or whatever. Anyway, that made me think of that and I wanted to shout out that guy. I don't know if he still makes videos or whatever, but they were very good and I like that. Move to a different platform beyond YouTube because people like Joe Reed call him a YouTuber. Well, I just

don't like the way that that sounds like vlogger. You know what I mean? Like I don't want to. I'm a nice person. I wouldn't call someone a vlogger. Anyway. Could be worse. You could call them a content creator. It's true.

Okay. So... I saw the bleakest thing ever. Uh-oh. And it was like meant as a Christmas gift for children. It was like content creation kit. And it was like... Literally on the box.

Content creation kit. And it was like a ring light. Like... No. Shit like that. A tripod. And I wanted to walk into the sea. This is what turns me into that Isabel Hubert gift from the roundtable.

Just, no. No. I don't know. Maybe Matt Damon, to establish a better relationship with his son needed to give him a content creator kit or a Tumblr page for his artwork. I will say, I tend to want to like the stuff. sullen teens in movies more than I do because I just feel like they are created for us to be frustrated with them and they are created for us to be like I would never be that shitty if I were a teen when like I am like enough of us probably were and had our moments you know what I

mean and it just also feels like a trope as I said in my 60 second plot where it's like oh a parent died one of the surviving children is going to be so hateful towards the surviving parent and it just the other one's going to be a weird angel basically yes yeah yeah um and like you just you get that trope all the time and i'm sure it's based in you know fact and and sound psychology and whatnot and all this sort of stuff but it's just like god we see it so often and i don't know know. This is why I end up defending the war of the world's kid. This is one of the reasons why I made us finally pull the trigger on this movie. The scene where it's just the sun and Matt Damon barking each other was making the rounds online. And I didn't even realize. I was like,

what are people making fun of here? And I watched the clip. And I didn't know what movie it was from. When was it making the rounds online? Like recently? I saw it a few weeks ago. Really? Wow. I didn't think anybody remembered anything about this movie besides the title. yeah it was just well you know how it is like online people like to decontextualize scenes of oh arguing and be like this is abuse this like my my forever i will never get less than furious about what twitter did to marriage story like genuinely i will get so mad okay but that started as like typical memeery where it's like you're not making fun of the thing you're just decontextualizing it to make a joke but then people decided

they were going to become armchair film critics for a movie they hadn't seen and decide that like this movie is trash because I don't understand um how emotions work and how things can ramp up to well but also decontextualizing that scene made people miss like you know six or seven punchlines that are happening in that scene yes yes it made yes it it but it was people who were sort of defiantly ill-informed who decide that they are going to now drag a movie and to sort of, like, reshape a movie, how a movie exists within the popular culture because of, like, for the lulls. You know what I mean, essentially? And I'm like, go find your own shit to, like, go find another Twitter. Go find another medium to, like, dabble in with your weird, you know, half-assed analysis of shit. Like, go find another pop star to, like, Stan. I don't care.

Like, get out of my, get out of my medium, get out of my fandom. It's so annoying to me. I find it so stupid. That brings it back to Scarlett Johansson, though, and I kind of want to bring it back to this relationship that the movie is absolutely adamant that they have. Because I feel like part of the issue is Johansson and Damon have two completely separate casting issues in this movie. Damon is that I think the movie needs him to be much more relatable and charming

than I think he is in a role like this I almost think Damon is more charming in like a more rascally or like a true grit or someone who has an edge to them like a goodwill hunting versus like this where it's just like he just has to be nice grieving dad

He needs to be relatable white male. And it's not, I mean, the character's not well written, so it's like you would feel bad for him. He's the least interesting person in most of the scenes that he's in. I agree. And then you have Scarlett Johansson who, like, has to be tasked with, like, make it seem like there is an interest of flirtation here. While being incredibly miscast.

And being, like, charming at that. And, like, she's good at that side of it. but never do you believe that she is, like, a zookeeper? And usually when you see these, like, animal handling scenes, it, like, everyone is doing the real grunt work, like Angus McFadion, you believe is going around with a dart gun. But then you see, like, Scarlet Johansson, holding a snake and smiling in the background.

And that's supposed to, you know. On the subject of Matt Damon, though, before we get away from that, this is our, he is our second actor ever to reach the 10 film threshold. And, and Merrill. Merrill did it when we did our Prairie Home Companion episode. I did a weird little E.W-based quiz for that. I wasn't fully satisfied with that as a, this is what we're going to do for all our 10-timers. Part of me feels like it'd be interesting if we did a different thing for every time we hit a 10-timer.

But here's what I've devised for this one. Is the first of all, the ten films that we have talked about with Matt Damon and them, starting with our fifth movie ever that we ever did, Courage Under Fire, Suburicon, the Majestic, in which he is a voiceover reading, narrating a letter, all the pretty horses, finding Forrester in which he has a cameo as a lawyer, the rainmaker, promised land, Gus Van Sant's Promise Land, Marguerette, downsizing and now we bought a zoo. So 10 movies, what I'm going to do, Chris, with you is I'm going to quiz you and see if you can name 10 actors who were in each of these movies. So for each movie, I want to see if you can get to 10 actors who were in them, okay? I do not think I can do this, but... I want to see how close you can get, though, and see which one, like, some of them you will be able to.

So I have to name a hundred actors. Sure. Yes. Okay. Courage under fire. Let's start with that. Can you name ten? Oh, no.

And now, of course, IMDB is giving me problems. But I can go to... No. No, it's fine. It's fine. It's back. Okay. Can you name me ten actors who were in courage under fire?

Denzel Washington. One. Meg Ryan. Yeah. does Matt Damon count No we can't let Matt Damon count That would be Um

Um Uh Saw this movie What four years ago Five years ago Whenever we started this Um It's like

Jelko Ivannick in that movie Yes, Jelko Ivannock, very good Um David Morse no wait give me a second because it feels

plausible it feels incredibly plausible that David Morris could be in this movie and then also let me know when you want to tag out

and go to the next one I may already I'm not seeing David let me just do a search no not David Morris okay so you want to tag out to the next one

yes the next one is going to be Suburbacon Suburicon, okay So Teeny, tiny Angel Baby Noah Jupe

Yep Julianne Moore Oscar Isaac Yep Who else is in that horrible movie Directed by George Clooney Not starring George Clooney Um, I don't think anyone else famous is in that movie that I would know their name.

Want to tag out? Tag out. All right. Your next film is The Majestic. Jim Carrey, Martin Landau. Beyond that, I have to tap out. Okay. There are definitely.

some others in there, but like... I don't remember anything from it. That's fine. Okay, the next one is going to be all the pretty horses. Penelope Cruz, Lucas Haas, um, not Ben Foster, but there is like a real Ben Foster type in there. Um...

A real Ben Foster type. It's such a, like, fascinating concept. Is David Morrison this movie? Wait, who are the two that you had said? Penelope Cruz and... Lucas Haas. I love... It's not Lucas Haas.

It's Lucas... No, but it's the other one. It's the Slingblade Kid. Yeah. The... What's his name? You're right with Lucas. Lucas...

I'll give you a partial credit. It's Lucas Black. Lucas Black. Yes. Put Lucas Black and Lewis Black. in a movie together. Watch the sparks fly. Let me know if you're ready to tag out.

Yeah, I got a tag out. Okay, so you got two in all the pretty horses. Finding Forrester. Sean Connery. He is the man now dog. He is the man now dog. Buster Rhymes, Anna Pac-Packwin, F. Murray, Abraham. I love that this is by far the best

you are doing is finding for us The other lead Why can't I remember his name? Because he was never in anything else That any He was never in anything else Um

Matt Damon Obviously Connery obviously Um F Murray Abraham's like the villain Who's like the friends Or the parent Or Wow

This is hard Okay tap out All right The Rainmaker. The Rainmaker. Claire Daines, Danny DeVito, John Voight. Ooh, who's the actress of a certain age in that movie? Indeed, who? There's a lot of people in this movie.

There's a lot of people in this movie, and I'm not going to get all of them. Said Danny DeVito, said Claire Dane, said... Void. Voight. There's more, like, legendary people in it, because it's Francis Ford Coppola. Yes. So it's, like, stacked. Is it Lois Smith?

It's not Lois Smith. It's not Lois Smith, but that's a good, yes. But it's a formerly, like, actress, a supporting actress winner from the decades or something. Yes. Yes. Yes. There is somebody who fits that bill. Yes. Who had won supporting actress before the Rainmaker.

Yes. Like Ava Marie Saint? You're in the ballpark. Oh, you're in the ballpark. I know. I will say, think of the movies that we have been watching to prepare for screen drafts. Got it. One that we've maybe done.

She won her Oscar for that movie? I don't know if she won it for that movie. Give me a second. It's not like Kim Hunter. It's not Kim Hunter. She won her Supporting Actress Oscar. No, but for a different Best Picture winner, actually. interestingly enough.

A different Best Picture winner than we're watching for screen drafts. So, again, not Aver-Marie Saint. Oh, man, this is hard, because I know that it's right there in that ballpark. Let me know when you want to move on to the next Matt Damon movie. We're going to come back to this, but yes, let's move on.

Okay. This is my favorite kind of quiz where we have to come back to things. I'm diabolical this way. Okay. Wait, where is this movie? It's going to be Promised Land. Let me just find an IMPD. Okay, Promised Land. Rosemary to Witt.

I love it. That's your first. Scoot McNary. Where there is a Scoot McNary, there must also be a Walton Goggins, so I must say Walton Goggins. Let me look. Let's see. Guggins. No, no Walton Goggins.

You're missing like... Casey Affleck. No. I don't think so. Really? Oh, John Krasinski. John Krasinski's the other headliner. Yeah, well, one of the other headliners.

You're missing a big one. The other one is like... Damon's Fixer or whatever. Somebody on Damon's team is like... Two-time, or three-time Oscar winner. Three-time Oscar winner. Yeah. All for acting?

Uh-huh. Oh. So someone older then? Yeah. Who has three acting Oscars that's not like Jack Nicholson? Oh, you're falling into the classic The Doctor was his mother, trap. Oh, so wait, what? Sometimes the person we're thinking of can be a woman.

Oh, I know. I'm sorry. But no, I was saying it's the person that works with Damon that is like his fixer. I was thinking that that was like a Casey Affleck type. It's Francis McDormann. It's Francis McDormand, yes. Um, but no, that's not who that is. There's, like, don't they have, like, a penultimate, like, argument scene in a parking lot. Yeah.

Between him and some actor. It's not Francis McDormand. I will, I will admit to not knowing. Francis McDormand, I don't remember being in much of that movie. They're, like, they're the two who, like, drive into town to try and convince the town. Yes, but I think she's mostly at the beginning of the movie. All right. I'm going to let you move on to one that I think you're going to be able to get ten.

Okay. And that is Marguerette. Okay, thank God Anna Paquin Jay Smith Cameron Jeannie Berlin Um

Mark Ruffalo Rosemary DeWitt Uh Kieran Culkin Um More people Jean Reno How many people are there

Seven You got seven Seven I need three more Um Alice and Janie Yep Um Which cut of the movie are we talking about?

I don't know, but Kenneth Launergan. I was going to say, whose movie are we talking about? And because it's Kenneth Lawnergan, who comes as a package deal. Indeed. I already said Ruffalo. But who else? Has been in multiple Kenneth Lonergan movies. Matt Taman.

but not. We're not talking about Matt Damon. Oh, Broderick, Broderick. Matthew Broderick. All right. Yeah. All right. You got 10. All right. Downsizing. This might not be the worst either.

Hong Chow, Christoph Waltz. Is Jean Renaud in this, too? No, but it's some other Euro actor that, of some renown. Not French. Donald and Champlin, Niecy Nash. Margot Martin. Laura Dern Kristen Wig

Who's in the first part of that movie? Neil Patrick Harris Nice Isn't there somebody else in that presentation, the scene with Laura Dern too? I don't know who the, it's not like

Stellan Scarsguard, but I think there's somebody like that. I don't think you're legally allowed to have Stellan Scarsgaard and Christoph Waltz in the same movie. Like, I feel like there's a singularity that maybe might happen if that occurred. No, there's a European actor who

like, isn't Jean Renaud, but like, maybe that's who Jean Renaud might have played instead. Almost certain they are German. That isn't Christoph Waltz. Right. But, like, is buddies with Christoph Waltz's character in the movie? Yeah, I know the role, and I can't.

Oh, Udo Kier! There you go. Yeah. All right, you're at nine. Very good. There's got to be one more. All right, while you think about that, give me as many as you can from We Bauda Zoo.

Angus McPathion, Scarlet-Johansson, Carla Gallo, Kim Whitley, Thomas Hayden Church Who else am I? L. Fanning. Patrick Fuget. Yep. Can the monkey at least count?

Sure. The monkey on Patrick Fuget's hat count. You know, that's a starring role. That's not just... He's in that movie more than Cameron Crow's mom. He gets laughs. Yeah. He gets laughs.

I don't think I can remember. anybody's name off the top of my head, even though I literally have a spreadsheet. We have an inspector. Oh, John Michael Higgins. Yep. And we have you're not going to remember the kids' names. Is there anybody else who has a name in this? Maybe not. Maybe you're right. No, who's the realtor?

Oh, J.B. Smooth. There you go. That's ten. All right. Now I'm just going to walk you through the rest of these, and then we'll be done with this 10-timers game that was maybe a little bit harder. than we thought but okay um where is all right courage under fire so you got denzil and meg ryan and somehow jelko ivonic you were missing um one of the other soldiers that he goes to interview who was played by um an actor who was one of the young guns kefer sutherland nope Charlie Sheen. Nope.

Emilio Estabas. Nope. Blue Diamond Phillips. Lou Diamond Phillips is really good in that movie. You have a guy who was in the Silence of the Lambs. Ted Levine. Nope. Scott Glenn.

There you go. I like that you went to that caliber of people, though, first. You've got someone who was in the Lord of the Rings in the titular fellowship. Sean Aston. John Aston, there you go. Who else can I get, who can you get from this? Were you a law and order person? No.

Okay. Then you're not going to get, it was Michael Moriarty. I watched the one episode of SVU that has Isabel Pair. All right. So we got you to six. So that's a respectable six. Suburicon, you got Julianne Moore, you got Sweet Baby Joup, you got Oscar Isaac. you didn't get

Who else can we grab from this cast? It's actually not a ton of... Oh, a voice in Inside Out, but not one of the like... Richard Kind. Yes, Richard Kind. Very good. I think that's the only one we're going to grab from that. So that's a respectable four.

The Majestic, you got Jim Carrey and Martin Landau and then ran for the hills. There's a lot of meat on that bone. So his love interest in that was on The Walking Dead. She had sort of a featured recurring role on the X-Files. You might not know her name. No. There's a character actor who is, Um, he's in like Wes Anderson movies, I guess.

He's sort of a persnickety sort. He's, uh, uh, I think he played a, in the realm of directors who create critics so that they can be dumped on in a movie. He, he. M. Knight-Sharmelon. Yeah, so who was, who was the, Bob Balaband. There you go. Bob Valaband. Um, there's an actor who was in multiple of these movies who, uh, who you missed both times.

who got an Oscar nomination in 2007 for being a nice old man. Hal Hal Holbrook. Hell Holbrook. Yes. There is somebody from Ailius. Did you watch Ailius? Victor Garber.

Nope, the other one. Matthew Vartan. No, the other older guy. No idea. Ron Rifkin. Got it. Anyone else? you can get in this cast.

So you got what? That's a respectable five, I think? All right. Sure. Sure. All right. Next movie. All the Pretty Horses.

So all the pretty horses, you've got Penelope Cruz and Lucas Black, not Haas. The other sort of Matt Damon's bestie in that movie was a child star in a Spielberg movie. Henry Thomas. Henry Thomas. you also have a playwright slash actor who

Tracy Letts no who was a Julia Roberts love interest in a movie we have done on this podcast Okay not Malkovich Um

Dougry Scott probably not written too many plays. No. What are you thinking of Doe Gray Scott and Julia Roberts from? Isn't that Mona Lisa Smart? Who's with the Mona Lisa Smart? Oh, the Wire guy, who's on the crown now.

Dominic West. Dominic West. No, playwright actor, he is also, speaking of Tracy Letts, is in Auguste-O-Sage County. Oh, Sam Shepard. Oh, right, right. Yeah, I wasn't even thinking in that age group, as many people have complained about that movie. Oh, and there's also, oh, interesting. All right, two interesting ones in very, very interesting roles. One is a very recent Oscar nominee who you seem to have a bit of a crush on, who is married to another Oscar nominee very recently, who how am I going to describe this guy to you?

Was on a couple very popular television shows of the last decade and a half. Recent Oscar nominee I have a crush on. Very recent Oscar nominee. As in like last year. Yeah. Last year. Who did I have a crush on last year? I think you just in general seem to be fond of, you seem to be somewhat sweet on this one. Oh, okay. But maybe not a full-blown crush on this person.

Famously married to another nominee last year. Oh, Jesse Plymonds. I do hope crush on Jesse Flemons. I know you do. And then also a Best Actor nominee from 2013. Best Actor 2013. That is... In a movie you hate. Oh. Nominated for a movie I hate. Yeah. And what movie are we talking about again? All the Pretty Horses. This guy plays judge in all the pre-horses. Oh, okay. So it's an older actor. Yeah.

2013. What won best picture in 2013? That's after Argo. That is 12 years of slave. Bruce Dern. Bruce Dern plays judge. Yes. All right.

So that's a respectable six. All right. Plow on our way through. Finding Forrester, you got Sean Connery, F. Murray, Abraham, Anna Paquin, and Buster Rhymes. the love interest from FlashDance If you remember his name I don't know Jennifer Beals from that movie

All right, his name is Michael Nouri The guy The kid is Rob Brown You were not going to get that Yes Yeah, I don't think there's too many other people Oh, there's the other guy in murder by numbers Who's not Ryan Gosling

Oh, Michael Pitt Michael Pitt, yeah And oh, the woman who interviews Tom Cruise in Magnolia Angela Bennett? Not Angela Bennett Oh, God, what's her name? I love her. Yeah, she's great.

She's great. Oh, that pisses me off, that is not right there. Yeah. It's April Grace. April Grace. All right, a respectable five for you there. All right, the rainmaker. So you got Danny DeVito, Claire Gaines, John Hoyt.

The Oscar winner won her Oscar for Mrs. Miniver. Teresa Russell. Teresa Wright. Teresa Wright. Who is in the best years of our lives. Yes. There's also a actress of, she wasn't quite a certain age at this point. She's playing older than she is in this movie.

one of the cast members from the Big Chill Mary Kay Place Mary Kay Place, yes an Oscar nominee from Was he nominated for married to the mob or was he just, I think he was nominated for married to the mob Harry Dean Stanton?

No No, it's not Harry Dean Stanton But like essentially looks like Harry Dean Stanton Oh God, what's his name? He was in Quantum League. Dean Stockwell. There you go. Oh, wait, sorry. I'm adding the story story movie. Oh, supporting actress nominee in the 2000s. She shows up for like one scene cameo. She's a narrator on a David Lynch sci-fi movie. Oh, Virginia Madsen. Virginia Madsen. Yes. best actor nominee from the late aughts who nearly won for a big comeback role

Mickey Rourke Mickey Rourke yes all right so you've got up to eight that's a that's a respectable eight oh oh oh um the star of a movie that's not unlike Bardo so like a directorial like this is my life movie yeah what's the like ultimate movie in that genre self-indulgent I mean it feels like when people compare it

they compare it to Roma oh I'm not I don't think Roma when I see that movie I don't think Romo when I see that movie but that's the reductive one that everyone uses who um very stylistically indulgent but like people love this movie Oscar winning director recent blank check subject oh kubrick nope a little less recent who was before kubrick oh uh fossey so uh all that jazz

someone was in all that jazz yeah shider roy shider all right oh i thought you said he was a nominee in the odds no that was uh mickey rourke we had moved on to the next person after that all right my brain is becoming mush from this question sorry well this is going to be a marathon for i don't think there's anybody left in promised land for you to get except for uh the star of bosh he's bosh on bosh oh bosh on bosh you don't know his that guy titus well over all right yeah um and then you got 10 from margaret who else is even left in downsizing you got really you got nine in downsizing i got nine in towns. That's pretty good. You were missing a Saturday Night Live cast member

who factored into the year's juiciest celebrity scandal. This year's juicest celebrity scandal. Oh, Sadecas. There you go. Ten for downsizing. And you got ten for we bought a zoo. That's a very, very convoluted quiz that we may not ever repeat again, but I'm glad that we did that because that was very fun. Happy ten timer to Matt Damon.

I want to talk about the phenomenon of Webaud A Zoo. I sort of looked up the vulture archive. They wrote so many articles about We bought a zoo, which makes so much sense in terms of like if you know the like the vulture aesthetic, which is like not quite like Twitter shit poster, but not not Twitter shit poster either. You know what I mean? And I say that as somebody who has happily written for Vulture and will continue to do stuff.

A love of shit posting. Just a lot of it. The one thing that they reminded me of is they went through the archives in that was they covered the momentary phenomenon in December of 2011 where there was a Twitter account called WeBaud a Zoo that was a chronicle, a sort of madcap chronicle of what the characters from WeBauda Zoo. a zoo might have been tweeting as they bought their zoo. And it's just insanity. But it comes from our good friend and former and I would say future podcast guest Bobby Finger and his podcasting partner, Lindsay Weber, back in the day, did the We bought a zoo Twitter account. And it was, you know, all this recent like Twitter elegy going on and remembrances about remember the things about Twitter that were good. I think one of them was the absolutely insane

We bought a zoo Twitter account that is still available if you go on Twitter at We bought a zoo The location is still listed as Elisubath Town in USA There's just some really good stuff There's just some really good stuff in there There's like multiple tweets that are just like We're trying to get some hay

There's a whole Ben Affleck interview There's a lot of stuff And it lasted for like a week And then it was done And it was That's all That's as long as those things should last It should either have been

Talking about a dead medium Those things should either last for a week Or they should last in perpetuity And you never know when a tweet is coming Like the fake Tilda Swinton account That existed for years To give you a little bit of context This was probably around the time

that I created this had oscarbuzz dot tumbler.com So like that was sort of the vibe in the ether at the time was just like real dumb shit

that like might exist as like a single service Twitter account or Tumblr and I'm glad I ultimately I think if I had done This Had Oscar Buzz as a Twitter account

I don't know if I had ever been made it to the point where we had done a podcast about it whereas like Tumblr was a little bit more permanent but we bought a zoo The people who don't understand when we are stupid definitely don't understand that era.

Right. But we bought a zoo existed exactly as it should have as a Twitter account for a week and a half. And the one tweet as I'm looking at it just says, in all caps, if you see a zebra who answers to Jason Bourne, do not shoot him. Give me a call or send me an email. We can figure this out. It's just great stuff. What a time.

What a time to be online. Yeah, so that was, if you're trying to get a sense of, like, how much respect did this movie garner in the public sphere that? It was about that. Very general area. Yeah. You mentioned that this. I feel like this is also going to be one of those people movies that we do, that people look askance, like, was there real buzz? And there was actually at the time. Yeah. Because this was one of the late season movies. It's a Christmas release. Yeah. Yeah. It's a Christmas release starring Matt Damon and directed by Cameron Crow. And as much as Cameron Crow had flopped with Elizabeth Town, he's still two movies removed from almost famous.

So, like... People also didn't realize that this was a movie targeting families until they saw it, too. Like, targeting families more than targeting awards until they saw it. Also... But, like, a lot of the on-paper stuff, like, the dead wife, the, et cetera, et cetera. A lot of Oscar buzz also tends to come from a cynical place, which is Oscar voters will go for that kind of schmaltz. They've done it before. You know what I mean?

I feel like every time they award something that has a degree of sap or schmaltz to it. And again, that same year, they nominated extremely loud and incredibly close for Best Picture. So, like, there is no—it's not wrong to anticipate that the Oscars could go for something that seems bad, but has, you know, an emotional appeal in some way. So, yeah. This was

an AARP M4G's nominee. And lost to Dark Days. Lost to Best Director Stephen Daltrey for extremely loud. Right. Cameron Crowe was a best director nominee at the M4G's this year, which

is truly something. All the things to nominate it for. It's truly like, you're a 50-year-old man. Yeah, congratulations. Actually, if you just look at the names of the directors, it's a formidable group. It's Stephen Daldry, who, like, gets shit on, but, like, he's the director of the hours.

At that point, he had never missed a best director nomination. And extremely loud got Best Picture and not Best Director, but continued that streak of essentially best picture or best director nomination for like four movies in a row. Was trash before or after extremely loud? After.

After. After. Daldry, George Clooney, Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick, Woody Allen. And like, three of those guys would be Oscar nominated that year. So, like, Clooney was for the Iads of March,

which, uh, flopperoo, which we can't do because I believe that got a screenplay nomination? Yes. Scorsese for Hugo. Hugo. I accidentally also put I'd some march in her. Iads of March on the brain.

Scorsese's Iads of March probably doesn't suck. Well, that's probably true. Clooney's Hugo probably does. Probably both. Terrence Malak for Tree of Life and Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris, which neither one of us cares for, but was a real. was a real crowd pleaser at the time. A moment in time.

Pretty much the last... No, he had movies after that the people... He had movies after that that I liked. So, you know... I don't even remember which ones are after that. Well, let's look it up real quick. Oh, Cafe Society, I think, is the last one that I ever saw. But I never saw the Joaquin Phoenix one.

I like Cafe Society. Well, I never saw any of the... Wait, hold on. Hold on. Let me bring it up. Because, like, there's probably, like, a good six months. movies after that. Wonder Wheel was after that, obviously. That was the one that was like horrible. Not Woody Harrelson. Idiot.

I'm interested to talk about, I don't want to get too much into previewing our screen drafts, but watching interiors for the first time was interesting. Okay, so after Midnight in Paris, to roam with love, which is bad.

Oh, Blue Jasmine, which only won Kate Blanchet and Oscar. uh was after that oh that was after that yeah magic in the moonlight which is bad irrational man which is bad that was his like emma stone period um i never saw the emmerstones cafe society which i liked a good bit which is that movie i didn't care for the movie but blake lively is good jesse ozenberg christin stewart steve carrell blake lively um Cheryl Lee is in that movie I don't remember Jeannie Berlin

Our good friend Jeannie Berlin is in that movie And then Wonder Wheel was after Cafe Society And then that was when No pun intended the wheels Came off the wagon for that Yeah So what else about

Goodall we bought as do Is there any of the cast members We haven't really delved into His mother does play Parrot Lady in this Every once in a while She would show up on screen I'd be like, is that his mom?

Because he'll let her cameo in things every once in a while, which is very sweet. Obviously, almost famous is in many ways. It's many things, but it's a love letter to his mom. I want to talk about the differences between the real-life story. Oh, yeah, go for it. I think maybe illustrate a little bit how this movie is bankrupt. Go for it. The movie makes it seem incredibly easy.

to just buy a zoo lending to all of the jokes in the inferred flippancy of the title it took them several years to buy this zoo over a time period where one assumes they were certified for like

animal care and all of that so it's just like the movie makes you think that like you can just buy a zoo where there's a staff you know that already cares for all of these animals etc blah blah blah maintains the facilities, but the house portion, you've got to fix that.

I think even more so, the wife had, the real life story she passed away while they had owned the zoo, not beforehand, which I think it's just like, I don't know. There's something about, well, if we're trying to make a heartwarming movie, well, we'll make this story be that, you know, everybody. he's already grieving and buying the zoo helps you solve your grief or something that feels so manipulative to me in a way that I'm more so inclined to like knock the movie for that than for any of the like cheesiness. You don't feel like it would have been equally or more manipulative to make the movie about the wife dying while they are trying to save the zoo. Maybe, but I feel like because they're trying to make a family movie, it's like, well, we can't have this death mid-movie, so to make money in the way that we want to make money, we have to make her already be dead. I don't know if that necessarily precludes. I feel like there's value in a weepy like that, but I get what you're saying.

I also feel like it's just a trope that now I'm sort of struggling to think of other examples, which I hate that. I hate when I can, like, clearly identify a trope, and people are like, well, what do you mean? What are their movies? And I'm like, I don't remember. But, like, the trope of, like, a grieving person needing to do something big to, like, shake things up, right? And this feels like one of those movies, for sure. And I feel like that kind of thing, I think that kind of thing appeals to somebody like Cameron Crow. It appeals to a lot of writers in Hollywood, which is this idea of what if,

somebody just changed their whole life on a whim? What if somebody just gave up everything that they were doing and decided to do something new? And there's a little bit of that in Secret Life of Walter Middy that see that appeal of just like, what if this like regular guy just like packed his bags and like set off, like a man called OVA sort of, you know, right? Like that kind of thing that we're getting, are we getting a man called Otto? It's supposed to come out in December, and I have seen... Limited release at Christmas, I think. We have seen nothing from it, right?

I don't think there's a trailer. I hated that original movie. I haven't seen a still. I'm sure a still exists. We do know that Riedel Wilson has written and performed a song for it that will be in the original song race. Well, there is our fifth nominee. And that is justification to get this movie released. I have been trying to think of, because I keep talking about what a great song race it'll be if it's Gaga and Taylor and Rihanna and LCD sound system. Rita.

And if Rita will. Wilson is the fifth, I am... Again, I do think Jasmine Sullivan will be in there, too. For which movie? Till. For Till. Well, best original song rarely goes the way we think it will. So there is a very good chance that Jay Ralph is waiting in the weeds with something.

With Diane Warren. And Scarlett Johansson. Ready to... Ready to pounce. Oh, okay. So I was going to mention this up top. This is our first episode we were recording in the era of Diane Warren has an Oscar now, because the Governor's Awards, as we were recording this, was last night. She accepted her award from Cher.

She came up to the stage too early, and she was so incredibly enthusiastic and excited about finally having an Oscar. You know how much I love somebody who really wants to have an Oscar, and seemingly nobody has. has wanted an Oscar more than Diane Warren has wanted an Oscar at this moment. And I was incredibly happy. She had that one quote that Kyle Buchanan tweeted out where she's like, I write songs as if they were songs that would be at my wedding, but I don't want to get married. I have no interest in waking up with anybody else in my bed or something like that.

But just Diane at a 10, I saw a photo this morning that she had either tweeted. or Instagrammed, of her waking up in bed with the Oscars statue next to her. And it's just like, that's the energy that I'm looking for here, people. I want you to want it. I want you to want cringy moments like Anne Hathaway saying it came true. That is the price I'm willing to pay for people being honest about the fact that they want a goddamn Oscar, because you know what, y'all fucking do. And I don't know, that was great.

I at least like if it's implied that they wanted it, like, you know, Jessica Chastain and her Oscar speech isn't like, I've wanted this since blah, blah, blah, but you can tell she wanted it. Right, yeah. I don't need you to, I don't need everybody to say it. Nobody needs to be cool. I need people to not pretend that they don't want it because you're liars. So yeah, so congratulations to Diane Warren for that. what else about we bought a zoo we've talked about

Angus McFadden who is just a drunken, vengeful bear of a man in this movie and seems quite delightful and a lot of this

a lot of the sort of like cast of characters in this feels very and I wonder it's probably intentional in some way. We're like, it's also a zoo of a staff, right? We're like, you have one, like, you know, one of every species, right? You have the, the plucky lady. Drunken Scott. Yeah, you have the drunken scott. You have the parrot lady. You have Patrick Fuget with his monkey. You have, like, underhanded Carla Gallo, who's, like, looking to, like, sabotage shit.

you've got El Fanning, who is maybe a ghost. You have Patrick Fugett's friend who isn't Dan Fogler, but could be like a Dan Fogler type, who is just sort of like roly-bole-y and wild-haired and just always there. It's a real menagerie of people in that regard. So, yeah. Which like... Not fully capitalized in the movie, because you could have this like a good. eccentric ensemble. That would be a lot of fun. And I wonder if, I always do this. I'm an idiot. I don't

know. I always am like, would this have been better as a TV show, or would this TV show be better as a movie? And, like, it's a disease that I have fallen into. That'd be an impossible television show. Do you know how expensive it would be to constantly have animals on a set of a TV show? It would be. But I always think of a movie that has an ensemble like that that isn't capitalized upon, and I'm like, this would work better in a television show, this kind of ensemble, at least. you would have time to sort of, like, give these people, you know, an episode here or there or whatever. Ultimately, I don't hate this movie, but I just really, I don't think it works. I'm glad that you found it more charming than I did, because, like, that's what it's there for.

It's there for people to find it charming. I found it so wildly inoffensive. Sure, yeah. Nothing to really get super bent out of shape about. Yeah, I agree. But, you know. I'd be interested to see, interested-ish to see

what Aline Broch-McKennah's version of this movie would have been before Cameron Crow rewrote it. Yeah. But. Because she, I mean, obviously we love her for things like Devil Wears Prada and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Exactly. Exactly.

Incredibly smart. Yeah. What's her thing coming up? She just announced a new project. project, and I forget what it is. I think she had already had something, and I think she and Rachel Bloom are also reuniting for something. I think that I had heard that.

I wonder if it's this thing. Well, she's writing and directing a movie with Reese Witherspoon called Your Place or Mine that, that is supposed to be released in February, two-lawful. distance best friends change each other's lives when she decides to pursue a lifelong dream and he volunteers to keep an eye on her teenage son. It's Reese Witherspoon. It's Steve Zahn. Rachel Bloom is in this. Ashton Coucher is in this. Jesse Williams is in this. Zoe Chow, who is rad. Tignitaro is in this. And hold on. Let me figure out when this is coming out because your place

or mine oh it's a oh it's in Netflix okay there we go I was like who's distributing this very this is probably also why if it's coming out in February

we haven't heard about it probably true but wishing her and Reese a ton of success because I do love them always it is a

a Hello Sunshine production, as I said. She... Oh, she had the story by credit on Cruella. I had forgotten about that. Yeah. Didn't that have a ton of screenwriter credits, though. Oh, yeah. Like, that had...

Let's see. At least three. Her story by credit was her and the team of Kelly Marcell and Steve, Zissis. And then the screenplay was credited to Dana Fox and Tony McNamara. So yeah, a lot of cooks in that kitchen.

Unsurprisingly. Anyway, we love Aline Broch McKenna. We wish her continued success and I will definitely be seeing that Reese Witherspoon movie no matter what. Indeed. Should we move on to the IMTV game? Yeah, let's do it.

Would you like to explain the IMTV game to our list? Yeah, let's do it. Every week under episodes with the IMDB game, where we challenge each other with an actor or actress and try and 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 mention that up front. After two wrong guesses, we get the remaining titles release years as a clue, and if that is not enough, it just becomes a free-for-all-all-of-hints. Fabulous. Sir, would you like to give or guess first? I will give first.

Mine, as I mentioned to you, before we started recording, is a little challenging for you. I went into Fast Times at Richmont High, which was Cameron Crow's first screenplay that was turned into a movie. In a small part, I believe, in that movie was one of the 80s sort of signature actors a little bit, a little bit. in a kind of what might have been kind of way was almost Marty McFly and Back to the Future. I am, of course, talking about Eric Stoltz. Eric Stoltz.

That's rough. Yeah. Is he in Barcelona? Is the Walt Zittman movie? With Stilman? With Stelman. My brain is much. He might be,

but I know he's in another Witt Stillman movie that is not also in his known for. I think he's in walking and talking. He's not in Barcelona. Or not walking and talking. Kicking and screaming. He's in kicking and screaming.

He's not in Barcelona. Neither one of those is on his known for. Got it. I'm just going to guess fast times at Richmond High. No, not that. All right. That's two wrong guesses. Your years are

1985, 1987, 1994, and 2004. 2004? Yeah, I don't remember. And, of course, no TV. Eric Stoltz is someone who I can't say

I've seen in a ton of things that I really remember him being in. His most well-known of these four, he had a very famous co-star who was somewhat famously snubbed for an Oscar nominee. Madonna. No, but you're on the right track.

Because I was thinking he's in some type of erotic drama like body of evidence, but that's DeFoe. Well, I would go away from that vibe, because that's not going to help you any. Okay, so not a movie like that. Okay, but someone like Madonna, the same year I'm pretty sure was Courtney Love. Courtney Love?

No. But, like, a pop, a musician, almost nominated for an Oscar? Yes. A female musician. Yes. Obviously not Cher. Why? Because she has an Oscar.

Oh, no, it's Cher because it's Mask. It's Mask. Yes. The 1985 one is Mask. Another one of these, he's in a small part, but in a very famous scene. Pulp Fiction Pulp Fiction 1994's Pulp Fiction Yes The other two

One of them There's 87 and 04 The 87 one Maybe you haven't seen it But it's one of those movies That was like Really It's a horror movie

No It's a romantic comedy Like a teen Romantic comedy Teen young people It's not some kind of wonderful It is some kind of wonderful Oh, okay.

Yeah. Eric Stoll. And then, O'Four. Mary Stewart, Masterson, Leah Thompson, written by John Hughes. They might not be teens in that. They might be in their 20s, but anyway, they're young. Hardick to Hardick, they stand. The 2004 one, I don't remember him being in this movie.

This is a movie with a very memorable title that didn't get good reviews, but I definitely saw it in a theater. The title refers to a sort of, not pseudos, scientific concept, but, like, pop, a little bit of, like, pop science that, like, sounds very, uh, um, sounds very interesting and, like, uh, has... I was initially going to guess Simone, um... No. Um... Pop science type of... I'm guessing this is a comedy. No, it's like a sci-fi, um, thriller.

Interesting. sci-fi thriller, not sci-fi, like, horror. It's sort of... It stops just shy of horror. There's, like, at least one horrific element to it. Um, what is the genre as listed by IMDB? It's not... Drama, sci-fi thriller.

Just shy of horror. So it's not, like, gory, but, like, the threat of gore. I feel like I know what the... I'm gonna know what this is, and it's like... It's not like a dark castle movie, but it's... like deep rising type of... It's not quite that. It's more poppy than that. It stars a very popular actor from the Oates

who almost always seemed like he was in over his head when he was cast in dramas. Philipy. No, but you're sort of on the right track. James Vanderbeek. No. But he did have a popular television show. That's sort of how he rose to famous television. Um, sort of a famously dumb screen persona.

Ryan Reynolds. No. Again, you're circling the parking lot here. Uh, uh, uh, notable for

Twitter in some way. Chris Evans, because he showed his penis. No. Early Twitter celebrity. Early celebrity to get on Twitter. Oh. That I'm not sure

will help me. I know I know I know what this... I know I know the movie. It's not going to be something I've never heard of. You've definitely heard of it. You've probably seen it. it. You've definitely heard of it. It refers to a concept

that is alluded to in Jurassic Park. Cloning. No. Dinosaurs. No. Genetics. No. A specific character

mentions this general scientific-ish concept. Evolution. No. Think of Jeff Goldblum's character specifically when he's trying to hit on Laura Dern

what's he talking to her about? Oh, I forget now. Oh, okay, well then that's not going to help you at all. Because I'm thinking of, like, man eats, dinosaur eats man. No, blah, blah, blah. No. Television star was in a comedy

that was famously dumb, but, like, also very successful. It was like super hot guy, married an older woman, early Twitter adopter, now is married to his co-star from the television show that made him famous. Uh, uh, uh, uh, one of those OC people? Nope, it's not Adam Brody, because he married late Meester, but they were not on the same show. no um who married an older woman married an older woman they got divorced then now he's married to the co-star from his television show unfortunately people are yelling at their uh their podcast mission i know people are probably upset with this is it like chad michael murray no um much more famous than Chad Michael Murray, was like an A-lister for at least a while, had a television show on MTV

that wasn't like a reality. Ashton Coucher. There you go. God. I have not seen many Ashton Coucher movies. I ruled that shit out. It's not, Dude Where's My Car? What's a sci-fi thriller starring Ashton Coucher about a like pop scientific concept?

Dude Where's My Car? No. Stop saying, dude, where's my car? That is not a sci-fi thriller, no matter how you want to define. I rejected Ashton Coucher movies as a concept, so maybe I have blocked this movie out. Not the title. Definitely not the title. He, like, travels through time. Time travel, Ashton Coucher. He's got, like, a somewhat ill-considered beard situation happening.

I really don't remember this. And maybe it's just my brain fog. I refuse to give you this title. You should know this. Who else is in it besides Eric Stoltz? One of the women from Varsity Blues. Allie Larder. Nope, the other one.

Damn it. Who is the other one? The other one. Who was also in her known for would be interesting, actually. Oh, she's also, she's not Anna Ferris in Just Friends. She's the other one in Just Friends. Right. Oh, Amy Smart. Yes, Amy Smart. If you get this from Amy Smart and not Ashton Coucher, I'm... Listen, I've probably seen more Amy Smart movies than I've seen I've seen. I'm sure you have. I'm sure you have. What's the tagline on this poster?

Change Everything is the tagline on this poster. What, like, time travel movie? It's like a caveman movie. No. Or time travel. No. He, like, travels throughout his life and changes things. Small, insignificant things that then lead to big, no.

Butterfly effect. Yes, for God's sake. I've never seen that movie. I literally almost like. started doing the like hand motion butterfly for you i've never seen that movie you've heard of it though it is a very memorable title okay i'm sorry i sorry listening sorry you don't remember eric stoltz as uh what is his character's name in this even he's like 20th build as like a teacher mr miller in uh in butterfly effect sorry to this man sorry to eric stoltz all right what do you have for me

All right, I have something significantly more easy for you. Okay. You mentioned we have also done a previous zoo-themed episode on The Zookeeper's Wife. I chose for you the star of the Zookeeper's Wife because I am a nice person. And I chose something easy for you today. I chose Jessica Chastick. Have we never done Jessica Chastain? Apparently not.

Wow. Okay. I imagine by now Eyes of Tammy Faye is there. incorrect whoa okay the help incorrect the help is there for everybody how is the help not there for her that's not there for jessica chastain there are uh once you have the years you're going to are they like three 2011s and then a 2012 is that like what it's no there's a 2012 two 2014s and a 2017 interstellar

interstellar interstellar a 2012 one more 2014 and what 2017 Is 2017 a zookeeper's wife? No Okay Um 2012 is If it's fucking lawless

I'm going to lose my fucking mind No it's zero dark 30 Um Yes correct for 2012 The other 2014 Is the Martian was 2015 Was it fucking Guillermo del Toro Crimson Peak?

No. Okay. That's 2015. Is it 2015? Okay. 2013 was like Eleanor Rigby and whatnot. I hope our listeners are yelling at you as much as they are. They yelled at me about the butterfly effect.

What's the other 2014 Jessica Chastain movie? Is it a most violent year? It is a most violent year. I was like, I'm not helping you. No, don't. We did a whole episode on it. 2017. This was very respectful.

Wait, Molly's game is 2017. Molly's game is 2017. Yeah, very good. Okay. I love Molly's game. That's it, right? That's the 2017? That's it.

You got it all. Okay, okay, okay. Sorry for giving you Eric Stoltz when you gave me just get Chessie. Two famous redheads, I will say. A nice little theme. Yeah. Yeah. Very gingery episode for my cult. That's our episode, though. If you want more, this had Oscar Buzz. You can check out the Tumblr at this had oscarbuzz.com. You should also follow us on Twitter at

at had underscore Oscar underscore Buzz. And now, Instagram at This Had Oscar Buzz. Yeah, we should add that to that. Yeah. Yeah. Also, be sure to send in your mailback questions. Once again, you can email us at Had Oscar Buzz at G. email.com, or you can fill out the Google form that we have on our Tumblr and on Twitter page. Joe, tell the listeners where they can find more of you specifically

on a solo venture. Don't find me on Instagram. Like, find this at Oscar Buzz on Instagram. Like, I'm not worth following an Instagram unless we're actual friends. If Twitter's still around, I'm on Twitter at Joe Reed, read-spelled REID. Find me on letterboxed. Joe Reed,

read-spelled REID there as well. I don't know what else I'm jumping to. I'll let you when I know, I might just diminish and go into the West and remain Galadriel, who knows. But yeah, that's where I'm at for now. And you can find me on Twitter and Letterbox at Crispy File. That's F-E-I-L. We would like to thank Kyle Cummings for his fantastic artwork and David Gonzalez and Gavin Media's for their technical guidance.

Please remember to rate, like, and review us on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Play Stitcher, wherever else you get your podcast. A five-star review in particular really helps us out with Apple Podcasts visibility. So, uh, climb over that fallen tree and, uh, fly a kite with a nice review. That's all for this week, and we hope you'll be back next week for more. We didn't talk about the flying the kites, and I literally was so upset. They all flew a bunch of kites after the fucking kites for no reason. It made no sense for the rest of the movie.

Free gifts. Free gifts on the reopening. Bye. You should I go? Can you shine?