Ikiru / Mossburn Island Blended Malt Scotch

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In 1952, director Akira Kurosawa
and star Takashi Shimura gave

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the world a poignant drama about
a man whose death sentence

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brings him to life.
In 2023 we returned to Scotland

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to try a heavily peated blended
malt.

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The film is Akiru.
The whiskey is Moss Byrne

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Island, and we'll review them
both.

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This is the.
Film and Whiskey Podcast.

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Welcome to the Film and Whiskey
Podcast, where each week we

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review a classic movie and a
glass of whiskey.

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I'm Bob Book.
I'm Brad G and Brad.

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Finally, perhaps mercifully, we
are finishing out our Akira

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Kurosawa miniseries with 1950
Two's Ikiru, which translates

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roughly to To Live Brad.
This has been a true roller

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coaster of emotions for you and
I throughout these five weeks.

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Yeah, it's been very hard on me
specifically.

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I know that, like, my heart was
so anticipatory towards this,

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this, you know, little segment
of five films.

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And Bob, I I feel like you've
just been cool as a cucumber.

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Nothing's bothered you about
anything that I've said.

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You know, I I practice
mindfulness and deep breathing

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and I I just, I make it through.
Yeah, I'm proud of you, man.

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I do love it when we say stuff
like it's been really hard on us

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because our job is literally to
watch movies and then talk about

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what we watched.
Like, it's this is not difficult

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work, folks.
But you know, movies are one of

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those things.
And I know that I'm saying

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something incredibly obvious
here, but.

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It's not until you really butt
heads with somebody over a movie

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that you either really liked or
really disliked that you realize

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just how much of your emotions
can be tied up in something, you

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know?
The other day we're recording

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this Week and a Half before it
comes out.

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My wife went to go see Barbie, a
movie that I had seen a week

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prior to her seeing it.
She went out with her sisters,

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loved it, came home and told me
all about it.

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And I wanted to be supportive
and I wanted to be nice.

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But she knew that I did not like
Barbie very much, a movie I was

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very much looking forward to.
And we were so at odds that I

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started to kind of pick up that
little bit of defensiveness in

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her voice when she was like, you
know, I hear all your

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criticisms, but and it just kind
of left like a dot, dot, dot.

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And I knew that behind that dot
dot dot was just like.

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But you're a man, so I'm not
listening to your opinion on

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this.
So I might employ that one

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today, Brad.
I might just pull out.

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Like, yeah, well, you're just a
man.

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So I'm not listening to your
opinion on Ikiru.

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Yes, Clearly the delineating
factor between your opinion and

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mine is that I am a man, Bob.
I speak for the women of the

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world, Brad.
That's what.

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That's what they come to this
podcast for.

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That's funny, because there's
barely any women in this film.

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That's.
That's true.

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It's pretty pretty much a
recurring theme in Kurosawa.

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Well anyway, Brad, I have
stacked the deck today,

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hopefully in my favor because we
brought on a guest, a guest that

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had free reign to pick any movie
he wanted to talk about this

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season and he picked Ikiru.
So something tells me that he at

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least likes this movie.
Here's the thing, Bob.

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You you call him a guest.
At this point, this man is

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basically family.
He is a brother.

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This man is a legend in the film
and whiskey world.

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He sure is.
This guy has given us our our

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first platform on the Internet
to talk about whiskey.

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He's been hooking us up left and
right, meeting folks in the

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whiskey world.
We're talking about Zach

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Johnston, Spirits editor for Up
Rocks.

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Zach, how are you doing today?
I am doing very well and I'm

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very flattered for all those
words.

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My face is red blushing.
Thank you.

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Underneath that absolutely regal
looking beard, just gorgeous

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beard.
I mean, seriously, the shape on

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that thing.
Yeah, it's it's coming to its

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own recently and I'm I'm I'm
liking where it is and I'm

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trying to figure out how to keep
it here without it going all

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lake.
Back country Bushy.

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Well Zach, before I get myself
into any more hot water talking

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about Barbie and or the women of
the world, I want to throw over

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to you.
Why did you pick Ikiru?

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Of all the movies on the list
for the season, and even among

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the Kurosawa films, what was it
about this film that stuck out

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to you as something you wanted
to discuss?

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I think that like at its core
this is a film that has a has a

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massive resonance.
I mean, you know, Rush Mom 7

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Samurai are like obviously
resonant in you know, different

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ways, but this has a sort of a
sly resonance coming into.

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You know, that sort of awakening
that a protagonist gets in a

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film or a book or a TV show,
like where they, like, tried to

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do that last one good thing.
And it's a little more subtle

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than say, you know, send the
samurai to Hateful 8 or with

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Star Wars in between.
It's more like, you know, it

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brings in the ingenue character
that became what was already

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popular in Hollywood but became
even more popular.

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You know, the young girl kind of
creating the awakening for an

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old dying man.
But also this is, it's such a

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story that goes beyond Kurosal
because I think a lot of people

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like, oh, Kurosal did this,
Kurosal did that and blah, blah,

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blah.
He's the progenator of all this

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stuff.
And this film is, you know, it's

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an adaptation of, a book of, an
adaptation of.

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And like he's doing things that
are very obvious in, like

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already in Soviet and German, in
American cinema from the 20s.

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And it it feels more like a
midpoint for Kurosal, where he's

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reflecting a bit more than.
Maybe doing breaking new ground

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and it feels, I mean Kevin, of
course, the story about someone

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reflecting on his life, it makes
sense for him to be a little

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more reflective in his artistry,
but it just isn't to me.

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It's an outlier from the others
in such a distinct way.

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For sure, especially coming in
the middle of the run that he

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was having, right?
So like Rashomon comes out in

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1950.
He makes an adaptation of a

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Dostoevsky novel in 1951, The
Idiot.

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And then this movie comes out
and then and then after this

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one, even though this was a huge
success and a big, big hit, he's

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like, all right, I'm going to go
back to that samurai well and

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then he makes 7 samurai and that
kind of sets him on his path for

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the next 6-7 years.
But you know, Brad and I have

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been watching these movies kind
of grouped into the samurai and

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swordplay epics and then the
more modern ones.

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And it's easy to do that because
he's operating in two completely

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different realms of
storytelling.

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But within his filmography, it
really does kind of feel like

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one samurai movie to one modern
movie back and forth for a

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really long time.
And it's just a fascinating

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filmography.
Yeah.

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And also this is for me very
interesting place in like the

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timeline of Japan and his life.
It's 1952.

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So that's the year that the
United States ends the

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occupation of mainland, I guess
the main islands of Japan, and

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just go back to Okinawa.
And so there's this huge

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transfer of power in the
bureaucracy of, you know, the

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Japanese people getting their
country back, so to speak,

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after, you know, seven years of
occupation.

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There's a lot of, you know, a
lot of those things hinted

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throughouts like we'll get into
when we talk about the film, but

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you know, like when they're
walking through the alley of

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prostitutes, I mean, that's a.
Direct Line to something that

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was created for American GIS.
You know, the way that there's

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different reactions to it from
the artists and the bureaucrat

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and the people and etcetera.
And it's sort of a it's a

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fascinating sort of time
capsule, I think as well.

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Brad, before we move into Brad
explains and start talking about

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this movie in earnest.
I have been to the theater to

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see the movie Oppenheimer three
times since it came out.

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I was not intimating spending 9
hours watching Oppenheimer, but

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here we are.
I do think it is one of

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Christopher Nolan's very best
films.

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I think it could be called a
masterpiece.

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And with Nolan on the brain so
much lately, for me, I really

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can't think of a better time to
be doing these Kurosawa movies

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because so much of Kurosawa's,
especially the 1950s films that

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we've been watching have kind of
a fractured time frame and

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narrative, like chronology.
And it really is reminiscent of

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the four or five Nolan films we
watched earlier this season.

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Like Memento really does owe a
debt of gratitude to movies like

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this and to Rashomon.
And I guess what I'm what I'd

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like to hear you talk about
having now seen all five of

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these movies.
Brad, what do you make of that

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sort of narrative decision?
And I mean especially coming

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what like 50-60 years before
somebody like Nolan, do you see

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it as kind of pioneering in the
way that it's done?

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I I'm not sure if I could say
it's pioneering just in the

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sense that I don't know film
history well enough to know if

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this was a common style before
Kurosawa or or you know if if as

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you were saying, Zach, other
places in the world we're doing

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things similar to this.
So I I don't know if it's

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pioneering.
At the very least it's way

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earlier.
I think you kind of have to just

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think like, all right, what
other movies from 1952 have we

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watched on this podcast?
Or like, they're about to know?

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And then you kind of do realize
this.

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This stands out for sure, yeah.
I mean, I think about Double

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Indemnity.
You know, it's not a ton of time

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travel, but it is a mod, you
know, a present day person

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narrating the downfall of this,
you know, investigator.

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And yeah, I think there's a
place where this has happened in

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cinema, but he definitely uses
it to its full effect in his

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films.
Yeah.

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And I mean a lot of this stuff
is, you know, seen it earlier in

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Russian cinema and German cinema
in the 20s, but also Soviet

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cinema in the late 40s and early
50s.

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You know, Tarkovsky and Bond,
Ratchuk and you know, all those

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guys were doing similar stuff as
well.

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And it's sort of.
I mean, you could argue

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Casablanca has a fracture
timeline because they keep going

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back and forth between
Casablanca and so.

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But it's interesting.
Like, I think we also forget

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that he was just a filmmaker
with peers.

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You know, he was going to watch
Soviet films and German films

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and you know, he was just as
susceptible to them as Spielberg

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and Nolan and Scorsese.
And you know, all those guys are

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to him.
Absolutely.

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I mean we, I think we made that
point in our episode about Ron

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talking about just how much like
German Expressionism is in that

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movie.
It like I didn't expect to watch

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a movie set in feudal Japan and
be thinking about like the

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Cabinet of Doctor Calagari, but
it's it's right there in the

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text of the movie and Tarkovsky
to to your point.

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So you know at this point we're
just talking past Brad because I

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don't know if any of these names
mean anything to Brad.

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So let's put the spotlight.
Well, I mean, it's how many, how

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many Tarkovsky films have we
talked about Brad like?

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I'm not holding it against you.
I'm just saying we've got a long

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way to go in catching up on
world cinema after after the

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season where we watched
Secondhand Lions, you know?

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Yeah.
How about this guy's go and

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watch all like 11 hours of
Sergey on Ratchooks war in

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peace.
Yeah.

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Rewatch the Napoleon trailer
with Ridley Scott.

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Oh, it's like shot for shot,
man.

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There are literally exacts of
the same shots.

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From the 60s, in Soviet cinema,
in that movie or in that?

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Brad, what are your thoughts?
I'm watching an 11 hour movie.

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I was about to say 11 hours.
That is those minus.

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Clap that snap.
Just a snap.

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00:12:01,580 --> 00:12:07,100
Yeah, if you wanted to do an
entire, like, we can have 32

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episodes on that one movie.
Sure, yeah.

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Let's do a whole season on War
and Peace.

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I want to do a Patreon bonus
episode where it's just our like

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DVD commentary on the on
watching these 11 hours straight

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through that.
Could that could be a good

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Patreon goal If we got X amount
of Patreons we watch War and

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00:12:26,180 --> 00:12:30,540
Peace.
Saw that film in the cinema on a

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00:12:30,540 --> 00:12:35,300
70 millimeter projection with
5.9 surround sound and we had

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00:12:35,620 --> 00:12:40,330
three breaks and it was.
One of the most enlightening and

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00:12:40,330 --> 00:12:43,090
beautiful cinema cinematic
experiences of my life, I will

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00:12:43,090 --> 00:12:44,410
say.
Good for you man.

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I mean, like God bless, go in
peace.

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But but I don't.
I don't know if even I could sit

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00:12:49,090 --> 00:12:51,730
through an 11 hour movie long
breaks.

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So there you go.
All right, Brad, it is time for

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us to talk about this movie,
Ikiru.

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And to do that, we need to throw
over to our first segment, which

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00:12:59,110 --> 00:13:01,950
we call, Brad explains.
Brad's going to give us the

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00:13:01,950 --> 00:13:05,550
movie plots with only 60 seconds
ticking on the clock, so let's

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00:13:05,550 --> 00:13:08,870
go ahead and do your take with
this little segment that we

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call.
Brad explains.

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Brad Explains is the part of the
podcast where Brad breaks down

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00:13:13,550 --> 00:13:16,910
the plot of the movie that he
has just seen, often for the

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00:13:16,910 --> 00:13:20,510
first time.
This is one of Brad's first time

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00:13:20,510 --> 00:13:22,790
watches, as all the Kurosawa
films are.

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Brad, you have 60 seconds on the
clock to spoil the heck out of

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00:13:27,420 --> 00:13:29,980
this movie.
I think you can do it because

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00:13:29,980 --> 00:13:33,020
it's a it's a pretty simple
tale, but we shall see.

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00:13:33,060 --> 00:13:35,820
Brad, Are you ready?
I think I am, Robert.

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00:13:36,060 --> 00:13:41,020
And Go Akiru is a film about
Kanji.

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Watanabe, who is a lifelong
bureaucrat who has worked in the

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00:13:46,020 --> 00:13:50,820
public affairs division for 30
plus years, is now the head of

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the division and he finds out
that he has stomach cancer and

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00:13:54,580 --> 00:13:57,780
is going to die soon.
In a search for the meaning of

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life, he meets a drunken author
who takes him out for a night on

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00:14:02,180 --> 00:14:05,540
the town finds that it does not
bring him any meaning or

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00:14:05,540 --> 00:14:09,780
happiness, but rather an intense
and profound sadness by the end

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00:14:09,780 --> 00:14:14,580
of the evening.
He then tries to become close

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00:14:14,580 --> 00:14:19,080
friends with a young girl who
has a vibrant life, realizes

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00:14:19,080 --> 00:14:23,120
that he cannot vampirically suck
the life out of her and into

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00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:27,120
himself, and finally realizes
that the meaning of life is to

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00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:29,760
build something beautiful for
others.

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00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:32,720
So he throws himself in, back
into his work as a public

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00:14:32,720 --> 00:14:39,320
servant and has a park built for
a local area of whatever I I

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00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:40,640
guess I don't know what city
they're in, Bob.

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00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:45,120
He has a yeah, he has a park
built and it covers up a sewage

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00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:49,150
problem and he's pretty awesome.
The End.

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00:14:49,870 --> 00:14:52,670
The End.
Ikiru baby Ikiru.

265
00:14:52,990 --> 00:14:54,790
They should have called the
movie Ikiru Baby.

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00:14:54,790 --> 00:14:59,110
It would have been a lot edgier.
You know Ikiru comma baby.

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00:15:00,870 --> 00:15:02,830
All right, let's dive into
talking about the movie.

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And I think the place that I
want to start is the start of

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the film itself, because the
movie opens.

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00:15:09,090 --> 00:15:12,610
In a way that none of our
Kurosawa films have opened with

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00:15:12,690 --> 00:15:16,610
a narrator and the narrator is
doing voiceover over a picture

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00:15:16,610 --> 00:15:19,890
of an X-ray and it looks real
bad right from the get go.

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00:15:19,890 --> 00:15:22,730
You I don't know how to read an
X-ray very well Brad, but that

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00:15:22,730 --> 00:15:26,820
one did not look good bro.
The opening of this is like the

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00:15:26,820 --> 00:15:31,060
saddest alternate universe
version of It's a Wonderful.

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00:15:31,220 --> 00:15:32,900
That's exactly what I wanted to
say.

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00:15:32,940 --> 00:15:35,220
Yeah.
I think this movie reminds me of

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00:15:35,220 --> 00:15:40,060
two American films, and I have
no idea to what extent Kurosawa

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00:15:40,060 --> 00:15:42,220
did or did not take inspiration
from these films.

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00:15:42,220 --> 00:15:48,140
But it really is like the more
grounded Japanese version of

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00:15:48,140 --> 00:15:52,340
It's a Wonderful Life, where you
are immediately thrust upon with

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00:15:52,340 --> 00:15:56,420
this kind of objective.
You know, God's eye narrator,

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00:15:56,420 --> 00:15:59,980
who is just commenting on the
fact that, hey, our narrator

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00:15:59,980 --> 00:16:03,700
will soon be dead And here is
his stomach cancer growing in

285
00:16:03,700 --> 00:16:07,060
his stomach.
And you know, it cuts to a shot

286
00:16:07,060 --> 00:16:11,060
of our protagonist working at
his desk looking miserable.

287
00:16:11,060 --> 00:16:13,900
And he just he really just
roasts him, man.

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00:16:13,940 --> 00:16:15,940
He goes in on him.
He's like, this guy has been

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00:16:15,940 --> 00:16:17,700
dead for 20 years.
Look at him.

290
00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:22,360
And I wish that that Takashi
Shimura had a chance to like

291
00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:26,120
rebut the charges against him,
but honestly, they're pretty

292
00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:29,840
factual.
Yeah, it's it's a really brutal

293
00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:31,840
opening.
And I I think that's what I like

294
00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:37,680
most about this film is that
Kurosawa has absolutely no mercy

295
00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:42,480
for any of his characters.
Like he is brutally honest about

296
00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:45,730
them and shows them exactly as
they are.

297
00:16:45,770 --> 00:16:50,770
And by the end of the film you
see a a calm, peaceful happiness

298
00:16:50,770 --> 00:16:55,090
on his face and it's earned.
And and so I think that like his

299
00:16:55,170 --> 00:16:59,610
honesty as a director at the
start of the film helps you as

300
00:16:59,610 --> 00:17:02,930
the audience believe that
something really happened by the

301
00:17:02,930 --> 00:17:05,810
end of the film.
He He does lighten the load

302
00:17:05,810 --> 00:17:07,010
though.
Like it starts off heavily

303
00:17:07,010 --> 00:17:10,849
because this is a a dramedy
because it it starts off heavy,

304
00:17:10,849 --> 00:17:12,849
but then it goes right into a
comedic montage.

305
00:17:13,380 --> 00:17:18,020
That lasts for like 5 minutes,
you know, like them going around

306
00:17:18,020 --> 00:17:21,420
their office and everything like
go to the sanitation office, no.

307
00:17:21,420 --> 00:17:23,380
Go to the parks office.
No you gotta go to the mayor No

308
00:17:23,380 --> 00:17:26,740
the mayor's cuz and it's
straight up comedic like it is a

309
00:17:27,579 --> 00:17:31,820
it's cut comedicly, the music's
comedic and you know all the way

310
00:17:31,820 --> 00:17:36,140
to the point of the Councilman
who's just like he's laughing

311
00:17:36,140 --> 00:17:39,450
and how ridiculous it is.
You know, and it's so he does

312
00:17:39,450 --> 00:17:42,370
have the balance right away
telling you that it's like, yes,

313
00:17:42,370 --> 00:17:46,370
it's heavy, but also it's not
going to only be heavy, right?

314
00:17:46,730 --> 00:17:50,450
A little bit of fun with this.
I really love how he's able to

315
00:17:50,450 --> 00:17:54,410
find the balance between making
the main thing the main thing,

316
00:17:54,410 --> 00:17:57,250
which is the story of this man
and his kind of redemptive arc.

317
00:17:57,830 --> 00:18:02,550
But this secondary concept of
just absolutely skewering the

318
00:18:02,870 --> 00:18:06,470
like the idea of the German
bureaucracy and or German the

319
00:18:06,470 --> 00:18:09,870
Japanese bureaucracy and the red
tape that you have to cut

320
00:18:09,870 --> 00:18:13,150
through to get anything done.
And I love that, you know, every

321
00:18:13,150 --> 00:18:15,830
once in a while he's like, it is
time for me to remind the

322
00:18:15,830 --> 00:18:17,950
audience of how much I hate this
whole process.

323
00:18:17,950 --> 00:18:19,670
And it does.
It launches it.

324
00:18:19,710 --> 00:18:25,330
It's never, I mean like it.
It is pointed, but it never

325
00:18:25,330 --> 00:18:28,370
feels mean spirited.
And I think that to your point,

326
00:18:28,370 --> 00:18:30,810
Brad, the script does a really
good job of letting those

327
00:18:30,810 --> 00:18:34,010
characters, these powerful
people, kind of condemn

328
00:18:34,010 --> 00:18:36,170
themselves through their actions
and words.

329
00:18:36,490 --> 00:18:40,090
And he doesn't have to tell you
these are the bad guys.

330
00:18:40,090 --> 00:18:43,490
We don't like them.
It's just the the fact that they

331
00:18:43,490 --> 00:18:47,930
are so wrapped up in their work
and the processes of their work

332
00:18:47,970 --> 00:18:52,350
over against helping people not
live in sewage well.

333
00:18:52,350 --> 00:18:54,750
And the fascinating thing is
like, I I feel like this movie

334
00:18:54,750 --> 00:18:59,150
has so many, like, mirror
images.

335
00:18:59,550 --> 00:19:03,790
So, like the people in the city
are living with sewage flowing

336
00:19:03,790 --> 00:19:05,990
out, you know, right next to
their houses.

337
00:19:06,430 --> 00:19:10,830
And yet the sewage within the
the City Hall is the paperwork,

338
00:19:11,430 --> 00:19:13,310
right?
Like there's just paperwork

339
00:19:13,630 --> 00:19:17,870
flowing out of every single
corner of every single office,

340
00:19:17,870 --> 00:19:20,590
to the point where everyone is
buried in it.

341
00:19:20,590 --> 00:19:24,570
Like, you know, one of the final
scenes of the movie is the man

342
00:19:24,570 --> 00:19:28,250
trying to stand up the way
Watanabe does, and yet he sits

343
00:19:28,250 --> 00:19:30,530
back down and then literally
disappears.

344
00:19:30,530 --> 00:19:34,290
Behind into his paper, Brad, I
have a question for you and it

345
00:19:34,290 --> 00:19:36,170
is.
It is maybe the first and last

346
00:19:36,170 --> 00:19:38,530
sewage related question I'll
ever ask you on film and

347
00:19:38,530 --> 00:19:41,770
whiskey.
You just watched the Oscar

348
00:19:41,770 --> 00:19:44,410
winner Parasite for the first
time in the last month.

349
00:19:45,100 --> 00:19:46,900
I did.
What does it feel like to be

350
00:19:46,900 --> 00:19:51,900
exposed to so much sewage in
such a short amount of time in

351
00:19:51,900 --> 00:19:56,860
your movie watching career, man?
And all of it from Asian cinema.

352
00:19:58,940 --> 00:20:04,580
I think that parasite is a
fascinating film and the scene

353
00:20:04,580 --> 00:20:06,660
where she is smoking a
cigarette.

354
00:20:08,150 --> 00:20:10,990
And I guess that's a more more
modern film, so I won't spoil

355
00:20:10,990 --> 00:20:13,270
it.
We only we only spoil films that

356
00:20:13,270 --> 00:20:16,870
we're actually talking about Bob
when she's smoking that

357
00:20:16,870 --> 00:20:20,110
cigarette.
Man, it is like chefs kiss

358
00:20:20,110 --> 00:20:23,790
perfection.
The the correct answer to how

359
00:20:23,790 --> 00:20:28,710
does all the sewage feel?
Was yeah, yeah, I set you up

360
00:20:28,710 --> 00:20:30,790
there man.
I don't swear on this podcast.

361
00:20:30,910 --> 00:20:35,350
Bob Sure, sure you don't.
Our patrons will say otherwise.

362
00:20:37,230 --> 00:20:38,830
All right, guys.
Let's talk a little bit about

363
00:20:38,830 --> 00:20:44,710
Takashi Shimura, because in our
first episode in this Kurosawa

364
00:20:44,710 --> 00:20:47,990
retrospective, I was really
pushing to Shiro Methune pretty

365
00:20:47,990 --> 00:20:50,790
hard.
And Brad made it clear very

366
00:20:50,790 --> 00:20:55,350
early on that he is not on, not
on that wavelength, but from the

367
00:20:55,350 --> 00:20:57,630
getgo.
We had Takashi Shimura showing

368
00:20:57,630 --> 00:21:01,110
up and I've said I think 3 or 4,
you know, weeks in a row now.

369
00:21:01,530 --> 00:21:04,290
He is Chris.
I was most frequent collaborator

370
00:21:04,570 --> 00:21:07,930
and I really love that he is
because he is so versatile.

371
00:21:08,450 --> 00:21:12,010
His role in Seven Samurai, we
went on and on Brad about how

372
00:21:12,010 --> 00:21:15,850
much of A badass they made him
into and this movie 2 years

373
00:21:15,850 --> 00:21:20,090
prior.
He is so meek and downtrodden

374
00:21:20,090 --> 00:21:24,810
and morose and kind of a boring
person for such a long stretch

375
00:21:24,810 --> 00:21:27,290
of the movie and I really feel
like.

376
00:21:27,660 --> 00:21:31,540
It is stretching Shimura as an
actor, but I think he just

377
00:21:31,620 --> 00:21:35,580
really nails this part, man.
And what I love most is that

378
00:21:35,580 --> 00:21:39,220
when he comes alive by the end
of the film, he doesn't do it in

379
00:21:39,220 --> 00:21:41,380
a way that Americans would
expect him to.

380
00:21:42,100 --> 00:21:45,900
Like, I was watching him in the
mayor's office or the deputy

381
00:21:45,900 --> 00:21:49,540
mayor and, you know, he turns
him down and then literally is

382
00:21:49,540 --> 00:21:52,140
like, yeah, let's just skip this
proposal.

383
00:21:52,140 --> 00:21:54,580
It's not that good.
And he sits down.

384
00:21:54,580 --> 00:21:56,620
He's like, so these geishas,
right?

385
00:21:57,610 --> 00:22:02,050
And like, you expect him, you
know, he's like come to life and

386
00:22:02,050 --> 00:22:03,690
he's going to fight for his
project.

387
00:22:03,690 --> 00:22:06,610
And you expect him like I
expected him to, like slam his

388
00:22:06,610 --> 00:22:10,930
fist on the desk and be like,
no, you will push this through.

389
00:22:11,650 --> 00:22:15,170
Yet he doesn't do that.
He looks him dead in the eyes

390
00:22:15,490 --> 00:22:17,490
like a puppy dog who's about to
die.

391
00:22:18,490 --> 00:22:20,810
And somehow that gets the job
done.

392
00:22:20,890 --> 00:22:25,190
And you're like, even in the
midst of him coming to life, he

393
00:22:25,190 --> 00:22:27,390
doesn't do it in the ways that
you expect.

394
00:22:27,790 --> 00:22:30,510
And yet there's a joy there as
he's getting things done.

395
00:22:30,510 --> 00:22:32,990
That is.
It's just so touching and

396
00:22:32,990 --> 00:22:37,150
meaningful, Bro.
Takashi here is one of the best

397
00:22:37,150 --> 00:22:40,510
performances we've ever seen on
the podcast. 100% man.

398
00:22:41,070 --> 00:22:45,190
Yeah, he is the only one of the
only reasons this film still

399
00:22:45,190 --> 00:22:50,470
works this far, many years from
it, in that the emotion he's

400
00:22:50,470 --> 00:22:53,470
able to portray and just like a
soft glance.

401
00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:58,200
Like and you can see through his
soul is incredible and also

402
00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:02,760
makes the film very, very
compelling because you can just

403
00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:07,120
you could almost watch it on you
and just watch him and just get

404
00:23:07,120 --> 00:23:11,040
the idea of what's going on.
Because he he does go through

405
00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:14,840
these wonderful things and in a
like not to skip around, but

406
00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:18,800
when he's like out with the girl
and she doesn't want to be out

407
00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:21,040
and he's sort of like he can't
even look at her and when he

408
00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:23,930
finally does.
You know, the realization that

409
00:23:23,930 --> 00:23:27,690
comes over his face and it's
sort of a, you know, wordless,

410
00:23:27,690 --> 00:23:31,730
wonderful moment.
But also, I wanted him to be in

411
00:23:31,730 --> 00:23:36,810
the film more, and he's not.
Yeah, let's talk about that.

412
00:23:36,850 --> 00:23:39,730
I mean, please finish your
point, Zach, but I think there's

413
00:23:39,730 --> 00:23:41,730
a there's a pretty big elephant
in the room in terms of the

414
00:23:41,730 --> 00:23:45,450
structure of this movie.
I think you bringing up It's

415
00:23:45,450 --> 00:23:47,810
Wonderful Life is a good
parallel because Capra straight

416
00:23:47,810 --> 00:23:50,640
up said that film is about.
You know, Americans coming home

417
00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,680
and not knowing who who they are
and rather killing themselves

418
00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:56,120
and being a shell of themselves.
And so it's that whole.

419
00:23:56,120 --> 00:24:00,360
Like who are we now?
And this film really, really

420
00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:04,000
sort of screams at who are we
now in that white?

421
00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:06,680
Like, I feel like with Shamura's
character, like why did we go

422
00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:08,440
through all this and we're
getting our country back if

423
00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:10,760
we're not going to do something
with our lives.

424
00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,440
Yeah, obviously that's.
Played through the Tolstoy

425
00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:16,120
story.
But it is that very much like,

426
00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:19,480
you know he he's been a shell of
a man this whole time and now

427
00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:21,080
it's time for him to stand up
and be a man.

428
00:24:21,080 --> 00:24:24,440
And you see that slowly, even
though the makeup is making him

429
00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:29,560
look more ill and sickly, he's
still, you know, he's just like

430
00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:33,480
standing more as like a full
person in each sort of

431
00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:36,680
successive scene as he becomes,
as he goes along, as a project.

432
00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:39,480
And but we don't really get to
see all that.

433
00:24:40,710 --> 00:24:43,190
Brad, One of the one of the
great joys that I've had on this

434
00:24:43,190 --> 00:24:47,550
podcast is being able to kind
of, you know, the meme of

435
00:24:47,590 --> 00:24:50,190
Charlie from It's Always Sunny
where he has like the conspiracy

436
00:24:50,190 --> 00:24:54,070
theory board behind him.
And then like all the to do that

437
00:24:54,070 --> 00:24:56,510
between filmmakers that I never
would have thought to connect

438
00:24:56,510 --> 00:24:59,590
the dots to before.
But you know, having just

439
00:24:59,590 --> 00:25:04,510
watched Unforgiven this season,
every time I think about

440
00:25:04,510 --> 00:25:05,910
Unforgiven, I think it's a
better movie.

441
00:25:06,070 --> 00:25:08,670
Like, I'm just really in love
with that movie now in a way I

442
00:25:08,670 --> 00:25:11,740
never was before.
But I keep thinking about that

443
00:25:11,740 --> 00:25:18,460
with Kurosawa and how you can't
really divorce a the the genres

444
00:25:18,460 --> 00:25:21,700
that he's working in, but be the
time period that he's working in

445
00:25:21,980 --> 00:25:24,220
with the actual stories you see
on screen.

446
00:25:24,700 --> 00:25:28,420
And I've been racking in my
brain, you know, over and over a

447
00:25:28,420 --> 00:25:30,660
movie like this.
It's really obvious and easy to

448
00:25:30,660 --> 00:25:32,820
see what he's trying to say
about the country that he's

449
00:25:32,820 --> 00:25:35,700
living in at this time.
But why does he keep going

450
00:25:35,700 --> 00:25:38,660
backwards to the samurai movies?
Why is he doing these

451
00:25:38,660 --> 00:25:40,940
Shakespearean adaptations?
What's he trying to say?

452
00:25:41,500 --> 00:25:44,380
And I really love, honestly, I
keep coming down in this place

453
00:25:44,380 --> 00:25:48,220
of I think he's really trying to
use his career to interrogate

454
00:25:48,340 --> 00:25:52,780
the question of what does it
mean to be Japanese, especially

455
00:25:52,780 --> 00:25:56,460
after World War 2.
Like what is, what is a Japanese

456
00:25:56,460 --> 00:25:57,700
person?
What is Japan?

457
00:25:58,300 --> 00:26:01,580
Kind of in the same way that
Americans really scrambled and

458
00:26:01,580 --> 00:26:04,500
struggled to identify what it
means to be an American in the

459
00:26:04,500 --> 00:26:08,100
wake of 9/11, I think that that
sort of traumatic event for the

460
00:26:08,100 --> 00:26:11,460
Japanese really did kind of
bring up these questions to

461
00:26:11,460 --> 00:26:14,540
wrestle with.
And in a lot of ways, it's

462
00:26:14,540 --> 00:26:17,540
similar to what we talked about
last season with David Lean and

463
00:26:17,540 --> 00:26:21,020
how he was constantly
interrogating the idea of sort

464
00:26:21,020 --> 00:26:24,980
of British propriety and like,
what is this BS that we all go

465
00:26:24,980 --> 00:26:27,490
through?
I think Kurosawa is doing

466
00:26:27,490 --> 00:26:30,330
something similar and you can
really see it in this movie.

467
00:26:31,330 --> 00:26:35,210
I agree, but I find it weird
because it didn't happen like

468
00:26:35,210 --> 00:26:38,250
that in Germany.
And I think part of that was

469
00:26:38,250 --> 00:26:41,250
like, why wasn't Lenny
Reifenshall given the chance to

470
00:26:41,250 --> 00:26:44,930
make movies like Kurosawa was
like, I thought that like, she

471
00:26:44,930 --> 00:26:47,890
was like only thing she got to
do was like underwater diving

472
00:26:47,890 --> 00:26:52,610
documentaries in the 70s and and
then have generations be like,

473
00:26:52,610 --> 00:26:55,290
well, it was the cinematographer
anyway, like all these men.

474
00:26:55,690 --> 00:26:57,210
Who were running the cameras,
Who were doing the work?

475
00:26:57,210 --> 00:27:00,490
It was like, well, she was still
making the films and it kind of

476
00:27:00,490 --> 00:27:02,210
baffles me.
And I think about that a lot in

477
00:27:02,210 --> 00:27:05,290
the way we look at like, Italy,
especially after the war, where

478
00:27:05,290 --> 00:27:08,450
like in the Last Crusade they're
in Venice and it's just like

479
00:27:08,450 --> 00:27:11,570
perfect postcard.
Venice in like 1938 was like,

480
00:27:12,010 --> 00:27:14,970
realize that was like
Mussolini's like focal point of

481
00:27:14,970 --> 00:27:18,850
fascism, right.
Venice was horrific in 1938.

482
00:27:19,290 --> 00:27:21,570
And it was sort of like we have
this idea and I think part of

483
00:27:21,570 --> 00:27:24,850
that is Kirasawa sort of, I
won't say getting away with, but

484
00:27:24,850 --> 00:27:27,750
like.
Being allowed to do what he did

485
00:27:28,350 --> 00:27:32,430
in Japan, even though he made
propaganda movies for the

486
00:27:32,430 --> 00:27:36,230
Empire, he was like full on, you
know, You know, Japanese

487
00:27:36,230 --> 00:27:39,390
stepping soldier making art and
propaganda.

488
00:27:44,830 --> 00:27:41,870
Interesting.
He still somehow got a pass and

489
00:27:41,870 --> 00:27:44,750
I can't find a good reason why
and it came to bother.

490
00:27:45,830 --> 00:27:47,750
So we should cancel him now, is
what you're saying?

491
00:27:48,150 --> 00:27:50,870
Oh well, this movie be cancelled
because it has an Ongenue in it,

492
00:27:51,350 --> 00:27:53,840
yeah.
Oh, Speaking of Speaking of the

493
00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:56,440
ingenue, before we get into the
conversation about the narrative

494
00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:59,720
structure of this movie, Brad,
have you seen the poster, the

495
00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:02,680
American poster for this movie
from 1952?

496
00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:07,880
I don't know if I want to Bob.
So it does not have Takashi

497
00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,280
Shimura on it at all.
There's like black and orange,

498
00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:15,160
and then there's just a gigantic
photo of one of the like

499
00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:19,320
strippers from the night out on
the town and it just says like.

500
00:28:19,740 --> 00:28:22,860
Ikiru to live like exclamation
point.

501
00:28:23,300 --> 00:28:25,940
And that's the only selling
point, is they're trying to make

502
00:28:25,940 --> 00:28:28,900
this movie look salacious and
scandalous.

503
00:28:29,820 --> 00:28:32,940
And I can only imagine Americans
going to see this movie in the

504
00:28:32,940 --> 00:28:36,460
theater being like, wait a
minute, I think I found it.

505
00:28:36,620 --> 00:28:38,940
Is it?
Is it like black on top and

506
00:28:39,220 --> 00:28:40,700
yellow on the?
Bottom Yes, Yeah.

507
00:28:40,860 --> 00:28:44,260
Yep, that's not a poster about
the movie I watched.

508
00:28:44,460 --> 00:28:46,620
Very interesting marketing
technique here.

509
00:28:47,650 --> 00:28:52,210
When you think about 1952
Americans with what we knew of

510
00:28:52,210 --> 00:28:56,330
Japanese culture having occupied
it, it probably is the most of

511
00:28:56,330 --> 00:28:59,570
what they knew.
Yeah, this is, this is a Don

512
00:28:59,570 --> 00:29:01,610
Draper classic right here, this
poster.

513
00:29:04,290 --> 00:29:05,930
All right.
I think, like I said, there is

514
00:29:05,930 --> 00:29:08,250
an elephant in the room about
the way this movie is

515
00:29:08,250 --> 00:29:10,050
structured.
And again, we've gotten into

516
00:29:10,050 --> 00:29:12,770
spoilers already, but they tell
you in the 1st 30 seconds of the

517
00:29:12,770 --> 00:29:14,610
movie that the protagonist is
going to die.

518
00:29:15,410 --> 00:29:19,250
And he dies midway through the
movie, I'd say about, you know,

519
00:29:19,250 --> 00:29:22,250
an hour and 20 minutes.
And so we get a full hour of the

520
00:29:22,250 --> 00:29:24,730
movie where the protagonist is
dead.

521
00:29:25,370 --> 00:29:31,250
And it is kind of a jarring and
shocking shift in tone and in

522
00:29:31,250 --> 00:29:34,930
narrative.
Because then from then on, the

523
00:29:34,930 --> 00:29:38,210
only times you see the
protagonist on screen are when

524
00:29:38,210 --> 00:29:42,610
someone is sharing a memory that
they have of him, and it becomes

525
00:29:43,010 --> 00:29:44,570
a really interesting kind of
like.

526
00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:48,280
Piercing together the final
months of his life because

527
00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:50,960
everyone is under the impression
that he did not know he had

528
00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:54,160
stomach cancer, even though we
as the audience know he did.

529
00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:57,600
And not only do they establish,
yes, he knew he had stomach

530
00:29:57,600 --> 00:30:01,680
cancer, but you finally get a
complete portrait of the man

531
00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:06,680
painted not by some omniscient
narrator, but by the people that

532
00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:10,040
needed most convincing all of
these bureaucrats that worked

533
00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:12,150
with him.
And I think it's a really

534
00:30:12,150 --> 00:30:15,190
interesting narrative choice.
And I guess I'll just open the

535
00:30:15,190 --> 00:30:17,910
floor up to you guys.
Did it work?

536
00:30:18,310 --> 00:30:22,590
And if it did, why or why not?
For me, I would.

537
00:30:22,870 --> 00:30:27,710
I prefer that part of the film
just because it's better paced.

538
00:30:28,550 --> 00:30:31,910
It's a lot funnier because
there's a lot of moments between

539
00:30:31,910 --> 00:30:33,710
those guys.
I mean the moment where.

540
00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:37,720
The the policeman comes in and
you see for the first time that

541
00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:40,760
the son and daughterinlaw have
been sitting there the entire

542
00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:42,080
time.
All these guys are getting

543
00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:44,960
wrong.
And arguing about who this guy

544
00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:51,080
was to literal comedic effect is
hilarious and meant to be like

545
00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:54,880
it's pace that way, edited that
way, and then of course followed

546
00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:58,440
by a somber moment.
But it was just for me, I feel.

547
00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:01,100
I mean.
This is sounds very, very sort

548
00:31:01,100 --> 00:31:02,700
of Monday morning
quarterbacking.

549
00:31:03,180 --> 00:31:05,140
But I feel like today that would
have been the movie.

550
00:31:05,420 --> 00:31:09,380
Like it would have been this
long sort of dramedy of, you

551
00:31:09,380 --> 00:31:12,580
know, office comedy of errors
where they're going back over

552
00:31:12,580 --> 00:31:15,020
this guy's life and you have the
sort of comedic element of them

553
00:31:15,020 --> 00:31:18,900
sitting around as, you know, 12
Funny Men and said 12 Angry men

554
00:31:19,660 --> 00:31:20,980
and.
The somber.

555
00:31:20,980 --> 00:31:23,300
Moments would be the flashbacks
with him and you, you know it

556
00:31:23,300 --> 00:31:27,260
would sort of like structure out
that way today and so it.

557
00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:28,480
Does.
I don't.

558
00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:30,680
And I can't imagine what it was
like back then where you're just

559
00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:32,480
like, well, that was a left
turn.

560
00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:36,280
I mean, honestly, it kind of
reminds me of Psycho, where you

561
00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:38,680
think you're going to follow
this protagonist and then 45

562
00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:43,160
minutes into the movie she gets
stabbed by an unknown force and

563
00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:45,040
you're just like, all right,
where we going now?

564
00:31:45,040 --> 00:31:46,600
Hitchcock.
Like it.

565
00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:49,840
It does feel there's a
completely different rhythm to

566
00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:53,040
the way the movie is cut.
It's much more like almost like

567
00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:56,080
a montage, like an hourlong
montage, because you're cutting

568
00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:59,430
back and forth between.
Fragments of people's memories

569
00:31:59,430 --> 00:32:02,390
and guys that are talking over
each other and cutting each

570
00:32:02,390 --> 00:32:04,950
other off.
I really did think that it it

571
00:32:04,950 --> 00:32:07,790
takes a left turn, but it worked
for me.

572
00:32:07,830 --> 00:32:10,830
Brad, how did it work for you?
Oh, I thought it was great.

573
00:32:10,990 --> 00:32:14,470
I I think that the movie needed
something to change it up at

574
00:32:14,470 --> 00:32:20,070
that point and it is jarring,
like I saw him, you know, the

575
00:32:20,070 --> 00:32:25,030
the narrator announces it's been
five months and now he is dead.

576
00:32:25,690 --> 00:32:27,970
And it shows the picture of him
at his wake.

577
00:32:28,530 --> 00:32:32,090
And I looked at the time.
I was like we got 50 minutes

578
00:32:32,090 --> 00:32:34,730
left.
I don't know what they're going

579
00:32:34,730 --> 00:32:38,490
to do.
And it literally it turned into

580
00:32:38,530 --> 00:32:40,650
I I told you guys this before we
started recording.

581
00:32:40,650 --> 00:32:47,330
It turns into a mashup of 12
Angry, 12 Drunk Angry Men and

582
00:32:47,570 --> 00:32:52,570
Parks and Rec and I I just.
I didn't know what to do with

583
00:32:52,570 --> 00:32:55,090
that.
But I enjoyed the hell out of

584
00:32:55,090 --> 00:32:57,300
it.
Yeah, I'm so glad that you guys

585
00:32:57,300 --> 00:33:01,100
both brought up 12 Angry Men,
because that was the 2nd movie

586
00:33:01,100 --> 00:33:03,500
that I noted.
And it really is 12 Angry Men,

587
00:33:03,500 --> 00:33:07,740
because there is one guy among
all of these bureaucrats at the

588
00:33:07,740 --> 00:33:11,580
wake that gets it, and even at
the end of it where they're all

589
00:33:11,620 --> 00:33:14,700
plastered and swearing to each
other like we're going to live

590
00:33:14,700 --> 00:33:17,780
better lives, man.
He's the only one that is just

591
00:33:17,780 --> 00:33:21,740
kind of silently looking at the
shrine and looking at this man's

592
00:33:21,740 --> 00:33:26,430
picture and taking it all in.
And if that doesn't scream 12

593
00:33:26,430 --> 00:33:28,350
Angry Men, like I don't know
what else does.

594
00:33:28,350 --> 00:33:30,870
So I'm really glad, Brad, that
you brought that up before we

595
00:33:30,870 --> 00:33:34,110
recorded cuz that was, I think
it was obviously wasn't an

596
00:33:34,110 --> 00:33:36,630
influence on this movie, but
there's a link between those

597
00:33:36,630 --> 00:33:37,990
two.
Oh for sure.

598
00:33:37,990 --> 00:33:41,870
Also I would I would argue the
acting of the whole cast cuz

599
00:33:41,870 --> 00:33:45,590
this is a massive cast is
fantastic, especially in that

600
00:33:45,590 --> 00:33:49,470
wake series set piece or
whatever you wanna call it.

601
00:33:49,930 --> 00:33:53,530
I guess it's a set piece because
the way they act, getting more

602
00:33:53,530 --> 00:33:55,970
and more progressively drunk is
so good.

603
00:33:56,130 --> 00:33:59,530
My wife just passed through the
room as I was like watching a

604
00:33:59,530 --> 00:34:01,570
later part of that scene and
she's like, well, they look like

605
00:34:01,570 --> 00:34:03,890
they're all wasted on whiskey
with that little head pop.

606
00:34:03,890 --> 00:34:08,810
They're doing like that subtle,
sort of like really, really well

607
00:34:08,810 --> 00:34:10,170
done.
Like it amazingly acted.

608
00:34:10,170 --> 00:34:12,330
And they're not even like
they're the supporting cast.

609
00:34:12,730 --> 00:34:15,050
And it's that's what makes it so
much more engaging, because you

610
00:34:15,050 --> 00:34:17,170
feel like you're kind of there
with them getting drunk,

611
00:34:17,610 --> 00:34:19,810
reminiscing and commiserating
and, you know, one up.

612
00:34:19,929 --> 00:34:24,730
Thing and it becomes a very
exciting, kind of fun movie.

613
00:34:24,730 --> 00:34:27,170
Even though it's awake.
Yeah.

614
00:34:27,489 --> 00:34:31,449
And even with that though, like
how many of us have been at a

615
00:34:31,610 --> 00:34:38,050
like a work party or something
work related where it's like our

616
00:34:38,050 --> 00:34:41,850
like their lives are so
meaningless that the only thing

617
00:34:41,850 --> 00:34:45,889
they can talk about is work.
Like like the entire time

618
00:34:45,889 --> 00:34:47,650
they're there, they don't talk
about anything else.

619
00:34:48,030 --> 00:34:50,870
If they're not talking about
work, there's just dead, awkward

620
00:34:50,870 --> 00:34:54,070
silence.
And I I think that Kurosawa used

621
00:34:54,070 --> 00:34:57,670
that in a way that just points
out how meaningless their lives

622
00:34:57,670 --> 00:35:01,070
are, because the only thing they
have to do is gossip about this

623
00:35:01,070 --> 00:35:03,230
dude who actually did something
at work.

624
00:35:03,910 --> 00:35:07,550
I mean, that's also a nice sort
of, I don't know, precursor

625
00:35:07,550 --> 00:35:11,110
testament to that, like Japanese
work, work ethic, where you see

626
00:35:11,110 --> 00:35:14,350
this in, like, even dreams of
sushi where he can't even talk

627
00:35:14,350 --> 00:35:16,830
to his son about anything but
work in real life.

628
00:35:17,220 --> 00:35:19,900
Yeah, well, and so it's this
sort of nice window into a

629
00:35:19,900 --> 00:35:22,740
completely different culture
that is.

630
00:35:22,940 --> 00:35:26,420
So again, it's it's it's
actually kind of fun to watch

631
00:35:26,420 --> 00:35:28,540
for a movie that is.
Very modeling well.

632
00:35:28,540 --> 00:35:30,860
And to your point that I think
that stretch of the movie is

633
00:35:30,860 --> 00:35:34,380
where the most Comic Relief
happens and it comes again at

634
00:35:34,380 --> 00:35:37,980
the expense of these guys being
really brainwashed into this

635
00:35:38,340 --> 00:35:41,660
bureaucratic way of life.
And I mean I would add the word

636
00:35:41,660 --> 00:35:43,860
Western too.
I think he is kind of skewering

637
00:35:43,860 --> 00:35:45,700
Western influence on Japan a
little bit.

638
00:35:46,250 --> 00:35:49,770
But what There's a one moment
that I really, really loved, and

639
00:35:49,770 --> 00:35:52,770
it's like it it's just like 12
angry men.

640
00:35:52,770 --> 00:35:55,450
It's building to this crescendo
where everyone's having a

641
00:35:55,450 --> 00:35:58,570
breakthrough and they're all
finally on the same page.

642
00:35:58,890 --> 00:36:01,890
And they're like, anyone who
would dare to take credit for

643
00:36:01,890 --> 00:36:06,130
this is, you know, Soandso.
And then the one guy's like,

644
00:36:06,330 --> 00:36:08,850
just say who you mean.
You mean the deputy mayor?

645
00:36:08,850 --> 00:36:11,170
And we all know it.
And then there's a beat and

646
00:36:11,170 --> 00:36:13,170
everyone's silent.
And then one guy's like.

647
00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:18,600
Well, that's going a little too
far and and they all pull back

648
00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:21,360
and get like they're almost
there and they just can't let

649
00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:24,360
themselves have that kind of
self actualization.

650
00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:28,160
It's really great.
Yeah, it's really like to me,

651
00:36:28,720 --> 00:36:31,120
like, I I don't again, I know
this is Monday morning

652
00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:34,680
quarterbacking, but like if I
was sitting there in a writers

653
00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:36,360
room would be like, why isn't
this the whole movie?

654
00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:40,610
Like this is 90 minutes of gold.
You know, we spun it out. 90

655
00:36:40,610 --> 00:36:41,490
minutes of gold.
We're done.

656
00:36:41,610 --> 00:36:43,210
Let's get out of here.
Lunch, you know.

657
00:36:46,090 --> 00:36:48,850
Alright guys, I think we have a
lot to say about this movie and

658
00:36:48,850 --> 00:36:51,210
I honestly kind of want to leave
it on a cliffhanger from what

659
00:36:51,210 --> 00:36:54,930
Zach said because I think it's
purposeful why Kurosawa did

660
00:36:55,130 --> 00:36:58,570
split this movie in half and
what the narrative says about

661
00:36:58,570 --> 00:37:01,290
it, but we'll get into that in
the back half of the episode.

662
00:37:01,610 --> 00:37:05,490
Brad, what do you say you and I
skedaddle on over here and try

663
00:37:05,490 --> 00:37:09,520
this Moss burn island?
Skedaddle.

664
00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:10,800
Huh.
We're going to skedaddle.

665
00:37:10,800 --> 00:37:13,520
Let's let's skedaddle on over
Bob.

666
00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:23,440
All right.
So today we are checking out

667
00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:28,120
Mossburn Island Blend Whiskey.
This is the second Mossburn

668
00:37:28,120 --> 00:37:30,280
we're doing after last week's
space side.

669
00:37:30,560 --> 00:37:34,600
This is a blended malt whiskey.
Brad, I will put you in the pop

670
00:37:34,600 --> 00:37:37,080
quiz chair.
What does it mean when a label

671
00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:40,610
says blended malt?
It has blended malt in it.

672
00:37:42,770 --> 00:37:48,570
False.
So single malt means that it is

673
00:37:48,570 --> 00:37:50,970
the product of 1 distillery,
That's the single.

674
00:37:51,050 --> 00:37:54,370
And the word malt means that it
is completely made-up of barley

675
00:37:54,370 --> 00:37:57,570
or malted barley.
This means the word blended

676
00:37:57,570 --> 00:37:59,890
means that it is a product of
many different distilleries.

677
00:37:59,890 --> 00:38:02,290
So they've sourced a whole bunch
of whiskey from a whole bunch of

678
00:38:02,290 --> 00:38:05,210
distilleries.
It says that it is from Isla and

679
00:38:05,210 --> 00:38:08,260
other Scottish islands.
And they have blended it

680
00:38:08,260 --> 00:38:15,140
together, but it is still 100%
malt whiskey, so it is a pretty

681
00:38:15,140 --> 00:38:17,540
inexpensive Scotch, all things
considered.

682
00:38:17,540 --> 00:38:19,180
But that's again because it's
not a single malt.

683
00:38:19,300 --> 00:38:20,860
So I'm pretty excited to dive
in.

684
00:38:20,860 --> 00:38:23,980
Man, I thought that Mosberg
space side was really nice, if

685
00:38:23,980 --> 00:38:25,420
not the best thing I've ever
tasted.

686
00:38:25,820 --> 00:38:29,380
This is 92 proof and it sits
right around the $40 mark.

687
00:38:29,460 --> 00:38:32,860
So let's dive in.
Brad, what do you say?

688
00:38:33,930 --> 00:38:37,330
Yeah, so the nose here is
really, really delicate.

689
00:38:37,810 --> 00:38:41,090
It has some honeycomb, some rose
petal.

690
00:38:41,370 --> 00:38:45,050
The barley comes through.
For me, it doesn't come across

691
00:38:45,050 --> 00:38:49,730
as like a heavily peated Scotch.
I I really like what's happening

692
00:38:49,730 --> 00:38:52,650
here on the nose and I give it a
7 1/2 out of 10.

693
00:38:52,930 --> 00:38:54,970
Yeah, I'm pretty much in the
same place as you.

694
00:38:54,970 --> 00:38:57,490
Like, I think the peat is
actually really prominent on

695
00:38:57,490 --> 00:38:59,570
this, not that it's heavily
peated.

696
00:38:59,960 --> 00:39:02,280
But that there's not really a
lot to compliment it here.

697
00:39:02,440 --> 00:39:05,120
And it kind of reminds me of, I
don't know if you're a martini

698
00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:07,960
drinker, Brad, but the The Dirty
martini where you put some

699
00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:12,080
olives and a little bit of the
olive brine in the martini, This

700
00:39:12,080 --> 00:39:16,160
has an almost briny, olivey
character to it.

701
00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:21,040
To go with that, Pete, honestly,
there's not a lot else, like I'm

702
00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:23,600
not picking up on the honey, I'm
not picking up on the sweeter

703
00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:25,560
notes.
There's really no floralness to

704
00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:27,560
this.
For me, it's just kind of like

705
00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:32,320
generic blended Scotch.
With olive brine and Pete.

706
00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:35,080
And so like, if that's your
thing, if you're into that sort

707
00:39:35,080 --> 00:39:38,240
of saline heavy palette, good
for you man.

708
00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:42,280
I'm going to give it A7 and hope
that I like it when we start

709
00:39:42,280 --> 00:39:44,720
drinking.
Yeah, I think that the palette

710
00:39:44,720 --> 00:39:50,560
here is nice, if not remarkable.
the Rose kind of stuck through.

711
00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:53,800
That's the main floral note that
I'm getting, that it turned into

712
00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:58,200
a little bit of a pear feel.
There's some grassiness to this

713
00:39:58,640 --> 00:40:01,720
and then, like as it got to the
back end of my tongue is when

714
00:40:01,720 --> 00:40:05,160
the peat really started to come
forward and make itself known,

715
00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:09,400
which I liked.
It's a solid Scotch, nothing to

716
00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:10,880
write home about, but pretty
good.

717
00:40:11,040 --> 00:40:13,080
It's a 7 out of 10 here on the
pallet.

718
00:40:13,440 --> 00:40:15,560
I think the first sip of this is
kind of a bear.

719
00:40:15,600 --> 00:40:17,280
Like I wasn't really expecting
that.

720
00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:22,360
It gets really, really herbal,
like strongly bitter herbs at

721
00:40:22,360 --> 00:40:25,080
the back for me before the smoke
comes in and then the smoke

722
00:40:25,080 --> 00:40:27,980
comes in.
So it's like herbal bitter smoke

723
00:40:27,980 --> 00:40:30,580
right at the end.
It kind of mellows out when you

724
00:40:30,580 --> 00:40:34,020
go to swallow.
But you're right, the the first

725
00:40:34,020 --> 00:40:38,300
notes you get a really nice,
very like heathery, honeyed

726
00:40:38,780 --> 00:40:40,660
floral.
I like it a lot.

727
00:40:40,660 --> 00:40:43,220
And then the back end just kind
of hits you out of nowhere.

728
00:40:43,580 --> 00:40:46,460
It, like I said it, it cools
off, it dies down a little bit,

729
00:40:46,460 --> 00:40:48,340
but that really doesn't happen
until the finish.

730
00:40:48,780 --> 00:40:52,260
So for me, I'm going to give it
A7 once again on the pallet

731
00:40:52,260 --> 00:40:56,700
because it's a little bit too
drastic of a change from the

732
00:40:56,700 --> 00:41:02,460
front of my palate to the back.
I think that on the finish is

733
00:41:02,460 --> 00:41:04,940
where this whiskey really starts
to stand out.

734
00:41:05,340 --> 00:41:07,340
It's got the barley coming
through.

735
00:41:07,340 --> 00:41:10,580
There's a really beautiful petey
smokiness to this.

736
00:41:10,860 --> 00:41:14,020
The pear sticks around and then
it kind of turns into a really

737
00:41:14,020 --> 00:41:16,940
nice black, peppery spice For
me.

738
00:41:17,420 --> 00:41:20,940
I really like the finish a lot.
It came up a notch from the nose

739
00:41:20,940 --> 00:41:23,460
in the palette.
I give it an 8 out of 10 here.

740
00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:26,680
I'm going to give it a 7 1/2.
I just think that overall I'm a

741
00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:28,360
little bit lower on this than
you are.

742
00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:32,640
It doesn't have the complexity
of a really great peeded Scotch.

743
00:41:32,640 --> 00:41:34,720
And again, I think it's because
they're blending a whole bunch

744
00:41:34,720 --> 00:41:36,840
of different products together
to make this.

745
00:41:37,240 --> 00:41:41,960
It's not bad by any stretch, but
it's kind of like one step up

746
00:41:41,960 --> 00:41:46,280
from the worst single malt peed
Scotch we've ever had.

747
00:41:46,720 --> 00:41:49,920
Like, I don't know that this is
necessarily rising above really

748
00:41:49,920 --> 00:41:52,520
good mixer for me.
You know what I mean?

749
00:41:52,930 --> 00:41:55,730
So I'm at a 7 1/2.
Not bad by any stretch, but

750
00:41:55,730 --> 00:41:57,450
definitely nothing to write home
about.

751
00:41:58,370 --> 00:42:00,010
Yeah.
And then we get into balance.

752
00:42:00,050 --> 00:42:03,330
I think this is a a finely
balanced whiskey.

753
00:42:03,330 --> 00:42:06,530
It's a 7 1/2 out of 10.
I I don't think that there's

754
00:42:06,530 --> 00:42:09,170
anything that stands out, but
there's nothing bad about it.

755
00:42:09,170 --> 00:42:10,890
So it's right in the middle
there.

756
00:42:11,490 --> 00:42:14,450
I have nothing to add.
It is a 7 1/2 for me as well.

757
00:42:14,650 --> 00:42:17,570
This might end up being one of
our shortest whiskey segments of

758
00:42:17,570 --> 00:42:19,850
all time.
Brad, it is fine.

759
00:42:19,850 --> 00:42:23,900
This is a very fine whiskey.
We are coming up on value.

760
00:42:23,900 --> 00:42:27,260
Like I said, I'm seeing it
online for around 45 U.S.

761
00:42:27,260 --> 00:42:31,100
dollars.
I got it once again in the last

762
00:42:31,100 --> 00:42:36,820
call section of the Ohio Liquor
Mart and I think it was right

763
00:42:36,820 --> 00:42:39,300
around 40 there as well.
So it seems to be pretty

764
00:42:39,300 --> 00:42:43,900
standard in the 40 to $50 range.
I think at that price this is an

765
00:42:43,980 --> 00:42:47,560
okay value.
I think I would recommend other

766
00:42:47,560 --> 00:42:49,400
things above this.
I don't know if they would be

767
00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:51,800
peeded is the thing.
I don't really know of many

768
00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:54,040
peeded scotches that are going
to be under 40.

769
00:42:54,440 --> 00:42:56,320
So it seems like this is kind of
right in line.

770
00:42:56,560 --> 00:42:59,320
I just don't think that it's
good enough to recommend over a

771
00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:03,200
better non peeded Scotch that
you could get for cheaper.

772
00:43:03,320 --> 00:43:05,240
I'm going to give it a six out
of 10 on value.

773
00:43:05,520 --> 00:43:08,320
Yeah, I'm kind of close to you.
I think it's a 7 out of 10.

774
00:43:08,680 --> 00:43:11,920
I think that you're getting a
really solid peed expression.

775
00:43:12,440 --> 00:43:16,520
That might not have anything
crazily complex, but for the

776
00:43:16,520 --> 00:43:20,720
price point it has really good
flavor and I think it's worth a

777
00:43:20,720 --> 00:43:22,720
bye Bob.
So yeah, seven out of 10 on the

778
00:43:22,720 --> 00:43:26,520
value.
I am coming to a 37 out of 50

779
00:43:26,520 --> 00:43:29,680
for my total.
I'm coming to a 35 out of 50,

780
00:43:29,680 --> 00:43:32,880
which is kind of our baseline
minimum for where we start

781
00:43:32,880 --> 00:43:36,800
recommending a whiskey.
We're coming to a 36 on average,

782
00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:40,610
or a 72 out of 100.
You said you think it's worth a

783
00:43:40,610 --> 00:43:42,570
buy.
Do you think it's worth paying

784
00:43:42,570 --> 00:43:46,010
for a pour at the bar, Brad?
I do, yeah.

785
00:43:46,010 --> 00:43:48,650
I think that this is a solid
Scotch.

786
00:43:48,650 --> 00:43:52,370
And I realized as I was scoring
this out, this is a Scotch.

787
00:43:52,370 --> 00:43:55,210
I'm genuinely kind of like, you
know, it's pretty good.

788
00:43:55,210 --> 00:43:58,530
I'm not totally sure on it.
And yet it's still coming to a

789
00:43:58,530 --> 00:44:01,890
37 out of 50.
Like if if I was saying all

790
00:44:01,890 --> 00:44:05,530
these exact same words about a
bourbon, it would be like a 27

791
00:44:05,530 --> 00:44:09,060
to 32 out of 50.
And I just, I just think that

792
00:44:09,060 --> 00:44:11,700
Scotch is delicious, Bob.
I I think that's all I wanted to

793
00:44:11,700 --> 00:44:14,140
say today.
I think that I'm kind of with

794
00:44:14,140 --> 00:44:17,860
you in that I gave it a 35, but
it feels like a very high 35.

795
00:44:18,700 --> 00:44:20,940
I don't know that I would
recommend buying or trying.

796
00:44:21,300 --> 00:44:23,860
And it's not that there's
anything wrong with this, it's

797
00:44:23,860 --> 00:44:25,180
just that I don't think you need
it.

798
00:44:25,540 --> 00:44:28,260
You know, you can find better
ones elsewhere for around the

799
00:44:28,260 --> 00:44:30,300
same price.
This doesn't need to be added to

800
00:44:30,300 --> 00:44:32,940
your collection.
I'm probably going to use it to

801
00:44:32,940 --> 00:44:36,640
experiment with making cocktails
with a peed whiskey, and I think

802
00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:40,000
it's really good for that.
But yeah, I'm gonna say no, I'm

803
00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:41,960
recommending it.
So we're a little bit divided on

804
00:44:41,960 --> 00:44:44,640
this one, Brad, even though our
scores are right in line with

805
00:44:44,640 --> 00:44:46,280
each other.
Yeah.

806
00:44:46,360 --> 00:44:49,040
And I'm curious to see where we
end up on Akiru.

807
00:44:49,040 --> 00:44:51,120
It feels like it's been good
vibes so far.

808
00:44:51,480 --> 00:44:52,720
Yeah.
Hopefully we're not divided on

809
00:44:52,720 --> 00:44:54,400
that one.
Let's get back into talking

810
00:44:54,400 --> 00:44:55,800
about that with Zach.
What do you say?

811
00:44:56,400 --> 00:45:03,110
Let's get to it.
All right, everybody.

812
00:45:03,110 --> 00:45:07,510
That was Mossburn Island.
A whiskey that was pretty good,

813
00:45:07,510 --> 00:45:08,430
Bob.
I was.

814
00:45:08,430 --> 00:45:10,070
I was decently impressed.
Pretty good.

815
00:45:10,070 --> 00:45:14,190
Bob is the name of my band and
also a description of this

816
00:45:14,190 --> 00:45:15,430
whiskey.
Is it?

817
00:45:19,390 --> 00:45:17,110
And I play them all pretty good.
Is it a one man band where you

818
00:45:17,110 --> 00:45:19,110
play like 7 different
instruments?

819
00:45:21,630 --> 00:45:23,710
Like, I'm not great at any of
that, but they're like, that was

820
00:45:23,710 --> 00:45:25,750
pretty good Bob.
That's pretty good, Bob.

821
00:45:26,650 --> 00:45:28,490
All right, man.
We are already getting off the

822
00:45:28,490 --> 00:45:30,850
rails.
It's time for our next segment,

823
00:45:30,850 --> 00:45:33,170
which we call 2 facts and a
falsehood.

824
00:45:33,450 --> 00:45:38,250
Brad is going to try to stumpy
ball 2.

825
00:45:38,410 --> 00:45:44,250
All right and what is wrong?
2 Facts and A Falsehood 2 Facts

826
00:45:44,250 --> 00:45:47,370
and A Falsehood is the part of
the podcast where Brad presents

827
00:45:47,370 --> 00:45:51,490
three items to me as fact about
the making of this movie, one of

828
00:45:51,490 --> 00:45:55,390
which is a complete lie and
fabrication, and I need to suss

829
00:45:55,390 --> 00:45:57,230
it out.
I need to figure out where Brad

830
00:45:57,230 --> 00:46:00,590
is trying to deceive me and I
have been doing an absolutely

831
00:46:00,590 --> 00:46:05,110
crummy job at that this season.
Yeah, you you suck, Bob.

832
00:46:05,670 --> 00:46:09,270
Brad will Will Bob get a call, a
friend or a lifeline on this

833
00:46:09,270 --> 00:46:11,270
round?
Well, I mean, we could go back

834
00:46:11,270 --> 00:46:16,230
to the Classic.
If you use Zach and lose, it's

835
00:46:16,230 --> 00:46:18,950
two losses.
If you use Zach and win, it's

836
00:46:18,950 --> 00:46:21,150
one win.
But if you go without Zach, Bob?

837
00:46:22,050 --> 00:46:25,130
I am willing to give you 2
victories.

838
00:46:25,570 --> 00:46:27,930
Here's the thing I I don't care
about that.

839
00:46:27,930 --> 00:46:31,610
I'm going to use Zach like I if
we're going down, we're going

840
00:46:31,610 --> 00:46:37,530
down together.
Like, all right, the decision

841
00:46:37,530 --> 00:46:40,770
has been made.
Bob will either be receiving one

842
00:46:40,770 --> 00:46:43,930
victory or two losses today.
Zach, if you give me two losses,

843
00:46:43,930 --> 00:46:46,130
you're not invited back anymore.
I don't.

844
00:46:46,330 --> 00:46:48,370
I don't care how many features I
get on up rocks.

845
00:46:48,370 --> 00:46:49,730
You're not coming on my show
anymore, man.

846
00:46:50,770 --> 00:46:52,530
The answer is Robin Williams and
Popeye.

847
00:46:54,570 --> 00:46:56,650
Obviously.
All right, Brad, hit me with

848
00:46:56,650 --> 00:47:00,610
your two facts and a falsehood.
Fact #1 The vertical arcade

849
00:47:00,610 --> 00:47:03,970
machines in this movie are
actual pachinko games.

850
00:47:04,330 --> 00:47:06,490
They can be used for
entertainment like pinball

851
00:47:06,490 --> 00:47:09,970
machines or for low level
gambling like slot machines.

852
00:47:10,210 --> 00:47:13,450
They originated around 1930 in
Nagoya.

853
00:47:13,990 --> 00:47:16,470
But the pachinko parlors were
closed during World War 2 and

854
00:47:16,470 --> 00:47:19,830
did not start to reopen until
1948.

855
00:47:20,390 --> 00:47:22,510
OK.
Fact #2.

856
00:47:22,510 --> 00:47:27,470
Kursawa's use of paper has gone
on record in this film as the

857
00:47:27,470 --> 00:47:31,630
most paper ever put in a film.
The Guinness Book Award Records

858
00:47:31,630 --> 00:47:35,550
confirmed that there are over
380,000 pieces of papers used

859
00:47:35,790 --> 00:47:39,270
throughout the various City Hall
offices during the movie.

860
00:47:40,690 --> 00:47:43,570
Fact #3.
The literal translation of Akira

861
00:47:43,570 --> 00:47:46,090
is, as we have already said, to
live.

862
00:47:46,490 --> 00:47:51,090
The script's original title was
Watanabe Kanji Noshu Guy, which

863
00:47:51,090 --> 00:47:53,570
translates to The Life of Kanji
Watanabe.

864
00:47:54,010 --> 00:47:57,730
But this was changed at director
Akira Kurosawa's suggestion,

865
00:47:57,730 --> 00:48:04,210
which Co writers Hideo Ogune and
Shinobu Hashimoto respectively

866
00:48:04,210 --> 00:48:08,810
supported and found pretentious.
All right, Zach, I'm going to

867
00:48:08,810 --> 00:48:13,960
tell you my my gut instinct is
to say that number two is the

868
00:48:13,960 --> 00:48:16,480
falsehood, and I will tell you
why.

869
00:48:17,560 --> 00:48:21,440
About a year ago, Brad made-up a
statement about the movie Heat,

870
00:48:21,840 --> 00:48:24,800
where he said that Heat had the
world record for the most

871
00:48:24,800 --> 00:48:29,680
bullets ever fired on screen.
And I said that sounds about

872
00:48:29,680 --> 00:48:32,040
right.
And I was absolutely wrong.

873
00:48:32,280 --> 00:48:33,680
And I.
Forgot about that, Bob.

874
00:48:33,680 --> 00:48:38,040
Yeah, so I am immediately
circling #2 anytime you're

875
00:48:38,040 --> 00:48:39,640
talking about world records
anymore.

876
00:48:40,330 --> 00:48:44,250
I'm suspicious, yeah.
And also you only see paper in

877
00:48:44,250 --> 00:48:47,650
that main like part of that main
office like 2 desks.

878
00:48:47,650 --> 00:48:50,410
Well and how would you verify
how many pieces of paper they're

879
00:48:50,410 --> 00:48:52,410
there like that?
Just it just seems like a Brad

880
00:48:52,410 --> 00:48:54,690
ISM to me.
Yeah, I feel like there's been

881
00:48:54,690 --> 00:48:58,130
scenes where people have like,
used newspaper, like read like

882
00:48:58,130 --> 00:49:00,170
newspapers and like the
newspaper factory.

883
00:49:00,530 --> 00:49:03,850
But I'm an idiot, Citizen Kane.
He's like stomping all over

884
00:49:03,850 --> 00:49:07,570
stacks of newspapers.
Yeah, yeah, that feels a little

885
00:49:07,570 --> 00:49:09,410
too wild, especially because the
first one like.

886
00:49:10,040 --> 00:49:12,280
That seems like right with like,
you know, like pinball machines

887
00:49:12,280 --> 00:49:15,840
getting banned in the 30s and
stuff like that all feels like

888
00:49:15,840 --> 00:49:19,480
the same sort of thing.
And then now the third feels

889
00:49:19,480 --> 00:49:21,840
right too.
Like I can see them messing

890
00:49:21,840 --> 00:49:24,840
around with the title and things
like that because that always

891
00:49:24,840 --> 00:49:28,840
happens.
I think the third one is a wild

892
00:49:28,840 --> 00:49:33,170
card because this movie was
based I believe on it might have

893
00:49:33,170 --> 00:49:34,850
been another Dostoevsky novel.
It was a.

894
00:49:34,850 --> 00:49:36,490
It was a Russian novel, like
the.

895
00:49:36,650 --> 00:49:37,810
It was a Tolstoy Okay.
Yeah.

896
00:49:37,810 --> 00:49:40,570
The death of Soandso.
I haven't read it, obviously.

897
00:49:41,250 --> 00:49:42,930
Thank you very much.
I am Brad.

898
00:49:43,090 --> 00:49:46,370
Actually called the death of
Kanji Watanabe.

899
00:49:47,050 --> 00:49:53,290
Strangely enough, if if I have
any glaring weakness in my world

900
00:49:53,290 --> 00:49:56,490
literature, I have read like
zero Russian literature.

901
00:49:56,490 --> 00:49:59,520
I remember like in college and
everybody was big into the

902
00:49:59,520 --> 00:50:03,440
brothers, Karmazov and and the
the theological implications of

903
00:50:03,440 --> 00:50:04,640
that.
And I was like, oh, that sounds

904
00:50:04,640 --> 00:50:06,080
great.
I'll read it immediately.

905
00:50:06,320 --> 00:50:09,240
I never read that book.
So I don't know anything about

906
00:50:09,240 --> 00:50:12,120
Tolstoy or Dostoevsky or or any
of the greats.

907
00:50:13,760 --> 00:50:16,840
I'm still gonna, I think I'm.
I'm pretty much camped out on

908
00:50:16,840 --> 00:50:18,720
two though, Zach, if I'm being
honest.

909
00:50:19,120 --> 00:50:21,520
Yeah, I'm gonna cosign on 2.
All right.

910
00:50:21,520 --> 00:50:25,160
Well, for two losses or one win,
Zach and I are locking in our

911
00:50:25,160 --> 00:50:27,160
final answer.
That number two is the

912
00:50:27,160 --> 00:50:31,430
falsehood.
Oh man, I I was hoping that the

913
00:50:31,510 --> 00:50:34,950
just asinine ridiculousness of
the statement would get you

914
00:50:34,950 --> 00:50:37,710
guys, but it did not.
You guys did it.

915
00:50:37,750 --> 00:50:41,070
Yeah, #2 is the falsehood.
Bob, I knew you weren't that

916
00:50:41,070 --> 00:50:43,110
creative.
As soon as I heard the world

917
00:50:43,110 --> 00:50:45,310
record thing, I was like he
forgot about heat.

918
00:50:45,310 --> 00:50:48,590
He tried this once already.
And succeeded.

919
00:50:49,190 --> 00:50:50,390
That's true.
You got me once I.

920
00:50:50,550 --> 00:50:52,470
Was just saying I didn't try it
once already.

921
00:50:54,130 --> 00:50:58,570
Well, okay, I am inching my way
back towards 500 Once again

922
00:50:58,570 --> 00:51:00,890
folks.
The the the points are made-up

923
00:51:01,010 --> 00:51:01,970
or what?
How's it go Brad?

924
00:51:01,970 --> 00:51:03,930
The the game's made-up, but the
points don't matter.

925
00:51:04,490 --> 00:51:06,290
Something like that, yeah.
They matter to Brad.

926
00:51:06,290 --> 00:51:08,250
They no longer matter to me
because I am.

927
00:51:08,410 --> 00:51:11,010
I've been mathematically
eliminated from the playoffs a

928
00:51:11,010 --> 00:51:11,690
long time ago.
Oh.

929
00:51:12,330 --> 00:51:14,060
Yeah.
I'm sure you have some listeners

930
00:51:14,060 --> 00:51:16,380
out there who are keeping like a
tabulated score.

931
00:51:17,460 --> 00:51:21,300
We need to give like a free
Patreon subscription to someone

932
00:51:21,340 --> 00:51:25,540
like if you don't have to pay us
if you keep tabs on how I'm

933
00:51:25,540 --> 00:51:26,940
doing it, 2 facts and a
falsehood.

934
00:51:27,180 --> 00:51:30,140
Yeah, just keep track of that
for us and then you're set.

935
00:51:30,180 --> 00:51:32,380
There you go.
We, we will cover your $7.00.

936
00:51:33,900 --> 00:51:36,140
All right, Let's jump into
talking about this movie some

937
00:51:36,140 --> 00:51:37,540
more.
Brad, where do you want to go

938
00:51:37,540 --> 00:51:41,310
from here?
I mean, I want to talk about the

939
00:51:41,430 --> 00:51:45,710
two scenes in which Shamura
sings his song.

940
00:51:47,910 --> 00:51:51,350
The first time he sings it.
I wept.

941
00:51:52,030 --> 00:51:56,830
I I like openly sitting in my
basement watching this film just

942
00:51:57,230 --> 00:52:00,430
was weeping.
And I'm like, this might be the

943
00:52:00,430 --> 00:52:05,630
saddest thing I've ever seen.
And and I've and I've watched

944
00:52:05,630 --> 00:52:10,030
Schindler's List.
So it is really affecting, I got

945
00:52:10,030 --> 00:52:11,910
to say.
And I, it got me at the end.

946
00:52:11,990 --> 00:52:14,190
And you know, we'll talk about
this in a little bit, but they

947
00:52:14,190 --> 00:52:17,670
remade this movie a year ago
with one of our favorite British

948
00:52:17,670 --> 00:52:20,430
actors, Bill Nighy.
He was nominated for an Oscar.

949
00:52:20,550 --> 00:52:23,950
We're actually going to watch
that movie and review it in a

950
00:52:23,950 --> 00:52:27,430
bonus episode that is only for
our Patreon patrons.

951
00:52:27,750 --> 00:52:29,950
So if you want to hear us talk
about that movie and compare and

952
00:52:29,950 --> 00:52:32,030
contrast, sign up for our
Patreon.

953
00:52:32,590 --> 00:52:34,030
Brad, I said all that to say
this.

954
00:52:34,380 --> 00:52:37,820
He sings in that movie too, and
it is a very similar melody.

955
00:52:37,860 --> 00:52:42,380
It's got that old like, Irish
lilt to it and man, oh man, if I

956
00:52:42,380 --> 00:52:44,780
was not a puddle of a man at the
end of that movie.

957
00:52:46,580 --> 00:52:49,340
Freaking Bill Nighy.
It's almost hard, like, to

958
00:52:49,340 --> 00:52:52,380
believe that someone wouldn't
cry on either case, You know

959
00:52:52,380 --> 00:52:56,380
what I mean?
It's getting old and sad in my

960
00:52:56,380 --> 00:52:57,620
old age.
But it was.

961
00:52:57,900 --> 00:53:00,420
It is so heart wrenching his
gravity.

962
00:53:01,130 --> 00:53:04,010
That Shimura has and naive as
well, but Shimura, especially in

963
00:53:04,010 --> 00:53:07,410
that first scene when it's just
it kind of comes out of nowhere

964
00:53:07,410 --> 00:53:10,450
as well.
Like cuz it's like well it's

965
00:53:10,570 --> 00:53:15,170
buttoning a section of the film,
but it really, I don't know it

966
00:53:15,170 --> 00:53:17,490
just cuts you right.
He cuts you right to your soul,

967
00:53:17,810 --> 00:53:19,690
yeah.
And despite the fact that he

968
00:53:19,690 --> 00:53:24,440
sounds like a dying bullfrog
when he sings, Yep, like it

969
00:53:24,440 --> 00:53:26,800
still gets you.
I think that is testament both

970
00:53:26,800 --> 00:53:28,880
to Shimura as an actor and to
Kurosawa.

971
00:53:28,880 --> 00:53:31,040
Like, it's a really well
directed scene for sure.

972
00:53:31,920 --> 00:53:34,680
Well, and let's talk for just a
minute here about the

973
00:53:34,760 --> 00:53:38,160
cinematography in this because
like Bob, you've spent, you

974
00:53:38,160 --> 00:53:40,880
know, four weeks now trying to
convince me that he's, you know,

975
00:53:40,880 --> 00:53:46,120
the greatest cinematographer
ever to live this movie.

976
00:53:46,880 --> 00:53:51,420
I get it like.
I I finally see it.

977
00:53:51,460 --> 00:53:55,780
I'm like, oh, some of the shots
in this film are gonna stick in

978
00:53:55,780 --> 00:53:59,900
my brain forever.
Like the the shot of him through

979
00:53:59,900 --> 00:54:02,780
the monkey bars.
Yeah, swinging, singing the

980
00:54:02,780 --> 00:54:06,160
song.
I like, come on, man.

981
00:54:06,160 --> 00:54:08,120
Yeah, it doesn't get any better
than that, honestly.

982
00:54:08,120 --> 00:54:12,040
For me, it was the way he used
closeups and like extreme

983
00:54:12,040 --> 00:54:16,040
closeups on people too.
The last scene that he has with

984
00:54:16,040 --> 00:54:18,600
his, like, young female
companion where she's calling

985
00:54:18,600 --> 00:54:22,320
him a creep and it keeps cutting
back to her looking kind of

986
00:54:22,320 --> 00:54:24,880
frightened because she doesn't
know why he's behaving so weird.

987
00:54:25,240 --> 00:54:28,720
And it gets closer and closer
until it's like a really extreme

988
00:54:28,720 --> 00:54:31,460
closeup on him.
And like, you don't even see the

989
00:54:31,460 --> 00:54:34,180
full brim of his, his hat,
because the screen is just

990
00:54:34,180 --> 00:54:38,620
filled with his big sad face.
And man, oh man, is it a big sad

991
00:54:38,620 --> 00:54:41,700
face.
And Curse Howard just uses those

992
00:54:41,700 --> 00:54:46,180
kind of images in such a
profound and really haunting

993
00:54:46,180 --> 00:54:50,580
way, honestly.
Yeah, it's sort of the, it does

994
00:54:50,580 --> 00:54:54,220
feel of its time still like you
know you see a lot of similar

995
00:54:54,220 --> 00:54:57,340
things like we talked about
before happening at the same

996
00:54:57,340 --> 00:55:01,170
time and but it was.
Very well executed and I think

997
00:55:01,250 --> 00:55:04,010
we touched on this before, but
like I can't.

998
00:55:04,130 --> 00:55:08,490
I it's really hard to put myself
back in 1952 where like I maybe

999
00:55:08,530 --> 00:55:11,290
saw a TV through a glass window
at a shopping department where I

1000
00:55:11,290 --> 00:55:14,530
watched like a minute of like
Dick Van Dyke.

1001
00:55:14,810 --> 00:55:17,930
And my only other media was like
going into a theater and seeing

1002
00:55:17,930 --> 00:55:20,130
this.
It must have been mind blowing.

1003
00:55:20,610 --> 00:55:25,090
Like to see a film as beautiful
as this as back then.

1004
00:55:26,250 --> 00:55:28,890
Well, yeah, I mean I I've talked
about this I think like every

1005
00:55:28,890 --> 00:55:32,090
week we've done Kurosawa.
But what really impresses me is

1006
00:55:32,090 --> 00:55:34,810
the way that he uses such
revolutionary editing

1007
00:55:34,810 --> 00:55:37,170
techniques.
Like not just the fact that we

1008
00:55:37,170 --> 00:55:41,170
keep going back in time, but the
fact that not every flashback

1009
00:55:41,170 --> 00:55:45,210
has this elaborate like dissolve
and sweeping orchestra.

1010
00:55:45,450 --> 00:55:48,770
You know, like in in Double
Indemnity, you get the shot of

1011
00:55:49,330 --> 00:55:52,050
Walter Neff speaking into that
recording device and he's like,

1012
00:55:52,050 --> 00:55:56,000
well, it all started back on
Sunset Blvd. or whatever, and it

1013
00:55:56,000 --> 00:55:59,120
fades back in time until you
know you're going back in time.

1014
00:55:59,440 --> 00:56:02,520
This movie is just like bang,
bang, bang, like we're back in

1015
00:56:02,520 --> 00:56:03,360
time now.
We're not.

1016
00:56:03,360 --> 00:56:04,560
We're back in time now, we're
not.

1017
00:56:04,560 --> 00:56:06,400
And it's just cutting on those
moments.

1018
00:56:07,160 --> 00:56:09,640
Eisenstein peering through, oh,
100%.

1019
00:56:09,640 --> 00:56:14,040
But it's also still 30 years
ahead of mainstream American

1020
00:56:14,040 --> 00:56:16,640
movies.
Like, for sure.

1021
00:56:16,640 --> 00:56:18,160
And.
And I think that's what really

1022
00:56:18,160 --> 00:56:19,960
makes it.
It's definitely of its time.

1023
00:56:20,320 --> 00:56:23,800
And I think that that's where a
lot of the power of this story

1024
00:56:23,800 --> 00:56:27,420
comes through, like the fact
that it is Post War Japan.

1025
00:56:27,980 --> 00:56:30,220
You can't separate that from the
movie itself.

1026
00:56:30,620 --> 00:56:34,020
But even though it's of its
time, it doesn't feel as old as

1027
00:56:34,020 --> 00:56:37,500
some movies I've seen from 1952.
Brad, this movie came out the

1028
00:56:37,500 --> 00:56:40,260
same year as The Quiet Man.
John Ford's The Quiet Man.

1029
00:56:40,660 --> 00:56:45,900
That movie feels at least 10
years older than this movie

1030
00:56:45,900 --> 00:56:47,820
feels, just in terms of the way
it's edited.

1031
00:56:48,420 --> 00:56:52,060
That's John Ford for you, Yeah.
Don't you talk about my quiet

1032
00:56:52,060 --> 00:56:54,380
man.
What's interesting is, well, not

1033
00:56:54,500 --> 00:56:57,240
to.
Get all too far in the weeds

1034
00:56:57,240 --> 00:57:00,640
here, but Hideo Gooney, who was
the screenwriter on this film,

1035
00:57:01,120 --> 00:57:04,080
like, you know, he, this was the
first film he made with

1036
00:57:04,080 --> 00:57:08,160
Kurosawa.
And so and according to lore,

1037
00:57:08,160 --> 00:57:11,240
when you look into the
background of this film, it was

1038
00:57:11,240 --> 00:57:14,600
his idea to do that sort of
like, no, let's kill him off in

1039
00:57:14,600 --> 00:57:16,240
the middle of the movie because
this is boring.

1040
00:57:16,520 --> 00:57:19,920
And then he structured the film
and wrote the film in that way.

1041
00:57:20,490 --> 00:57:24,370
And sort of that's was the kind
of genesis of him and Kurosawa

1042
00:57:24,370 --> 00:57:26,050
working together.
Because Kurosawa was like oh,

1043
00:57:26,050 --> 00:57:28,810
this guy's actually bringing
something to the table that's

1044
00:57:28,810 --> 00:57:30,570
going to, you know, make this
amazing.

1045
00:57:30,570 --> 00:57:32,730
Then of course they get 7
samurai together and throwing

1046
00:57:32,730 --> 00:57:34,810
blood and his fortress and etc
etc.

1047
00:57:35,250 --> 00:57:39,210
But you know, the I think you
power of editing, of course

1048
00:57:39,210 --> 00:57:42,330
cinematography, but the power of
actually having a good script to

1049
00:57:42,330 --> 00:57:46,370
begin with is powerful.
I still believe the script is a

1050
00:57:46,370 --> 00:57:48,360
little messy.
By today's standards.

1051
00:57:48,360 --> 00:57:50,640
But it worked then.
And I think it works for this

1052
00:57:50,640 --> 00:57:54,000
story because had this story
just been like, oh, we're just

1053
00:57:54,000 --> 00:57:57,240
going to watch this do die and
do this thing it we wouldn't be

1054
00:57:57,240 --> 00:58:00,640
talking about it right now.
I want to talk about the ending

1055
00:58:00,640 --> 00:58:03,360
of the movie because I think
that it's it's something that

1056
00:58:03,360 --> 00:58:06,240
Roger Ebert commented on when he
was writing about this movie in

1057
00:58:06,240 --> 00:58:10,640
his great movies book.
And he talked about how the fact

1058
00:58:10,640 --> 00:58:13,520
that the movie doesn't end in
the most sentimental possible

1059
00:58:13,520 --> 00:58:17,850
way that it ends kind of with
this the 12 Angry Men guys

1060
00:58:17,850 --> 00:58:22,330
defeat is it makes for a more
impactful ending.

1061
00:58:22,690 --> 00:58:25,410
And I agree with that.
It's still hopeful because at

1062
00:58:25,410 --> 00:58:28,010
the end of the day, even though
that guy gets shouted down by

1063
00:58:28,010 --> 00:58:33,170
those around him, he's still
carrying this lesson of Watanabe

1064
00:58:33,170 --> 00:58:35,610
with him.
He goes and looks over the park

1065
00:58:35,610 --> 00:58:37,730
that's been built.
He sees this memorial to this

1066
00:58:37,730 --> 00:58:40,770
guy's hard work, and you have
the hopefulness that he's going

1067
00:58:40,770 --> 00:58:44,150
to do the right thing.
But I think the fact that it

1068
00:58:44,150 --> 00:58:49,030
still is rooted in the real
world and isn't it doesn't go

1069
00:58:49,030 --> 00:58:51,270
for like the sappiest possible
ending.

1070
00:58:52,110 --> 00:58:54,350
I mean, at least in my opinion,
I think that makes the ending

1071
00:58:54,350 --> 00:58:56,390
even more powerful.
Brad, what did you think of the

1072
00:58:56,390 --> 00:58:59,870
very end of the film?
I think it's really meaningful.

1073
00:59:00,230 --> 00:59:05,910
I think that at the end of the
day this this is going to sound

1074
00:59:05,910 --> 00:59:09,990
really morose, I think at the
end of the day.

1075
00:59:10,620 --> 00:59:15,740
Our lives do not have a massive
impact and like that.

1076
00:59:15,820 --> 00:59:20,940
That sounds sad when I say it.
I think what I mean is we don't

1077
00:59:20,940 --> 00:59:25,500
have a massive impact in the way
that we think of the word

1078
00:59:25,500 --> 00:59:27,740
impact.
And it's easy to see this in

1079
00:59:27,740 --> 00:59:31,220
today's society, right?
Like there's been all these

1080
00:59:31,340 --> 00:59:35,500
research and, you know, surveys
done of like what teenagers want

1081
00:59:35,500 --> 00:59:37,780
to be when they grow up and they
want to be an influencer, right?

1082
00:59:38,810 --> 00:59:43,890
And there's there's just not a
chance that enough teenagers

1083
00:59:43,890 --> 00:59:46,970
will become influencers, that
it's it's really meaningful to

1084
00:59:46,970 --> 00:59:50,490
them, right.
And so when you, when you look

1085
00:59:50,490 --> 00:59:54,730
at that, we want to have this
big, massive, wide impact on a

1086
00:59:54,730 --> 00:59:57,890
huge amount of society and the
and the reality is none of us

1087
00:59:58,370 --> 01:00:03,170
will probably do that.
But what we can have is a deep

1088
01:00:03,170 --> 01:00:07,170
and lasting impact on a few
important people.

1089
01:00:07,990 --> 01:00:11,190
And at the end of the day, like,
he he weirdly doesn't really

1090
01:00:11,190 --> 01:00:13,950
have a huge impact on his son
and his daughterinlaw.

1091
01:00:14,510 --> 01:00:19,190
He has it on a guy that he
worked with that saw his change

1092
01:00:19,190 --> 01:00:22,430
in life and said, man, this was
meaningful.

1093
01:00:22,950 --> 01:00:25,870
I need to do something with my
life and that like that's kind

1094
01:00:25,870 --> 01:00:28,750
of a cool ending.
And I think it's a very honest

1095
01:00:28,750 --> 01:00:32,830
ending about how the human
experience actually works.

1096
01:00:33,640 --> 01:00:36,640
It's sort of like the the idea,
like, you know, true

1097
01:00:36,800 --> 01:00:39,960
philanthropy and charity is done
in the shadows, right?

1098
01:00:39,960 --> 01:00:41,920
You don't know yourself doing
it.

1099
01:00:41,920 --> 01:00:43,240
You don't boast that you're
doing it.

1100
01:00:43,600 --> 01:00:45,960
And that you know the last scene
of him looking over that play

1101
01:00:45,960 --> 01:00:50,120
park where the children are
unabashedly having a wonderful

1102
01:00:50,120 --> 01:00:54,560
time and having pure joy in,
they didn't have no idea who you

1103
01:00:54,560 --> 01:00:56,280
is or who built it.
It doesn't matter.

1104
01:00:56,680 --> 01:01:00,120
What matters is something's
there that brings people.

1105
01:01:00,750 --> 01:01:02,590
Pure joy.
And we know he did that.

1106
01:01:02,830 --> 01:01:06,590
And that's enough.
You know, yeah, I have a

1107
01:01:06,590 --> 01:01:09,390
question for you guys before we
move into let's make it a double

1108
01:01:09,390 --> 01:01:12,590
in final scores and it's the
most serious question I will ask

1109
01:01:12,590 --> 01:01:15,590
all day, my hottest take from
this movie.

1110
01:01:16,030 --> 01:01:17,950
You know, the American
healthcare system is kind of

1111
01:01:17,950 --> 01:01:19,390
messed up.
We don't, we don't have a very

1112
01:01:19,390 --> 01:01:21,510
good one.
I think I may have finally found

1113
01:01:21,510 --> 01:01:24,550
a worse healthcare system than
America's healthcare system, and

1114
01:01:24,550 --> 01:01:27,910
that is early universal
healthcare in Japan.

1115
01:01:28,350 --> 01:01:31,230
Where instead of telling you
your actual diagnosis, they just

1116
01:01:31,230 --> 01:01:33,030
tell you you're fine and then
you die.

1117
01:01:34,550 --> 01:01:37,510
And I guess my question to you
guys is, would you rather get

1118
01:01:37,510 --> 01:01:40,070
the diagnosis or would you
rather just be told you're fine

1119
01:01:40,070 --> 01:01:42,270
and then die?
Wow.

1120
01:01:46,350 --> 01:01:50,470
Like, is that actually not a bad
idea or is it the worst

1121
01:01:50,470 --> 01:01:53,830
healthcare ever?
I know what's the ladder?

1122
01:01:55,710 --> 01:01:59,120
I I I want if I'm gonna.
Get that diagnosis, I want to go

1123
01:01:59,120 --> 01:02:03,800
out swinging, at least, yeah.
You guys are both going down to

1124
01:02:03,800 --> 01:02:05,720
the red light district.
You're not going to.

1125
01:02:06,200 --> 01:02:10,400
I, fun fact, am not heading down
to the red light district.

1126
01:02:10,840 --> 01:02:13,560
Just waiting to make this clear
for the entire audience?

1127
01:02:14,000 --> 01:02:18,680
Yep.
Jesus was very, very down with

1128
01:02:18,840 --> 01:02:20,820
the.
The prostitutes and the

1129
01:02:20,820 --> 01:02:23,060
downtrodden and those.
Yeah, see Brad.

1130
01:02:24,740 --> 01:02:26,500
I'll go live with them for the
rest of my life.

1131
01:02:27,420 --> 01:02:30,220
There you go, Zach.
You you have fun with that.

1132
01:02:30,220 --> 01:02:32,340
My wife will enjoy my company
until.

1133
01:02:32,540 --> 01:02:37,500
The day I die.
I think it would more be I would

1134
01:02:37,540 --> 01:02:41,300
find a perfect beach in Thailand
and just watch the sunset as

1135
01:02:41,300 --> 01:02:42,820
many times as I could.
There you go.

1136
01:02:44,000 --> 01:02:47,760
Brad, this is the 4th movie from
the year 1952 that we've done on

1137
01:02:47,760 --> 01:02:50,600
the podcast.
So Ikiru the Quiet Man.

1138
01:02:50,600 --> 01:02:54,000
As I said, High Noon and Singing
in the Rain.

1139
01:02:54,440 --> 01:02:56,160
What a great year for movies
man.

1140
01:02:56,440 --> 01:02:58,920
Yeah, that's ooh, that's
interesting.

1141
01:02:59,400 --> 01:03:01,000
What?
What would be your ranking of

1142
01:03:01,000 --> 01:03:03,320
those four?
Oh gosh, I'm not going to do

1143
01:03:03,320 --> 01:03:06,080
that right now, but I will
suggest a fifth one because I

1144
01:03:06,080 --> 01:03:08,680
suggested it to you just a few
weeks ago after you told me you

1145
01:03:08,680 --> 01:03:11,820
watched the Bicycle Thieves.
I was like, you got to follow it

1146
01:03:11,820 --> 01:03:14,900
up with my favorite movie by
that director and the movie is

1147
01:03:14,900 --> 01:03:18,780
called Umberto D and that movie
also came out in 1952.

1148
01:03:18,820 --> 01:03:22,460
So like, just an absolutely
stacked year for great movies.

1149
01:03:23,170 --> 01:03:25,810
Yeah.
Is Umberto D just as like

1150
01:03:25,810 --> 01:03:28,730
positive and uplifting as as
Akiru?

1151
01:03:28,770 --> 01:03:32,770
It actually might be like the
perfect double feature for this

1152
01:03:32,770 --> 01:03:33,930
movie.
I'm not going to pick it for

1153
01:03:33,930 --> 01:03:37,210
let's make it a double, but it
is in post war Italy.

1154
01:03:37,210 --> 01:03:40,410
It is all about an old man who
has been completely left behind

1155
01:03:40,410 --> 01:03:43,930
by society and ignored by
everybody and it still finds a

1156
01:03:43,930 --> 01:03:47,690
way to end on like a really
positive, life affirming note.

1157
01:03:48,250 --> 01:03:51,210
And it's like these two
directors in two completely

1158
01:03:51,210 --> 01:03:53,970
different places on Earth
basically made the same movie in

1159
01:03:53,970 --> 01:03:55,250
the same year.
It's crazy.

1160
01:03:55,490 --> 01:03:58,050
It's like they went through the
same same kind of war.

1161
01:03:58,170 --> 01:04:00,210
Yeah.
Right, markedly.

1162
01:04:00,330 --> 01:04:02,730
Humberto T is about 80 minutes
flat.

1163
01:04:03,210 --> 01:04:06,210
That's true.
Let's go see Zach.

1164
01:04:06,210 --> 01:04:08,930
Now we're talking.
Now we're talking.

1165
01:04:09,050 --> 01:04:12,530
The 80 minute movie is truly
like God's gift to humanity.

1166
01:04:15,310 --> 01:04:18,390
It really is.
Alright guys, let's get into our

1167
01:04:18,390 --> 01:04:21,790
final segment of the day, which
we call, let's make it a double.

1168
01:04:21,950 --> 01:04:25,310
We're near the end of the
episode, so thanks listening to

1169
01:04:25,310 --> 01:04:28,150
the film and whiskey show.
Let's ever know the film with

1170
01:04:28,150 --> 01:04:29,550
this one, even if it's
struggling.

1171
01:04:29,550 --> 01:04:31,990
It's a final segment of the day.
Now let's make it a double.

1172
01:04:32,470 --> 01:04:35,230
Let's Make It a double is the
part of the podcast where we

1173
01:04:35,230 --> 01:04:38,390
pair a movie up with this one to
make the perfect double feature.

1174
01:04:39,030 --> 01:04:42,470
I'll go first because it's it's
not interesting or original in

1175
01:04:42,470 --> 01:04:44,480
any way.
Mine would be It's a Wonderful

1176
01:04:44,480 --> 01:04:46,200
Life.
I just think that structurally,

1177
01:04:46,200 --> 01:04:49,040
they're pretty similar.
It's Wonderful Life goes to some

1178
01:04:49,040 --> 01:04:52,320
really dark places, too, and it
has this interesting narrative

1179
01:04:52,320 --> 01:04:56,480
device of an outside observer
watching this person get to the

1180
01:04:56,480 --> 01:04:59,320
absolute brink.
And in It's a Wonderful Life, he

1181
01:04:59,320 --> 01:05:02,200
doesn't die.
But you're left with the same

1182
01:05:02,200 --> 01:05:03,760
message.
And it's a message that I was

1183
01:05:03,760 --> 01:05:06,840
continually thinking about at
the end of this movie, which is

1184
01:05:06,840 --> 01:05:11,200
no man is a failure who has
friends, and this guy was not

1185
01:05:11,200 --> 01:05:12,880
able to make a lot of friends in
life.

1186
01:05:13,350 --> 01:05:15,790
But in death he was and I I
just.

1187
01:05:15,910 --> 01:05:18,070
I think that they both make me
cry.

1188
01:05:18,470 --> 01:05:21,070
They both remind me of what
makes life worth living.

1189
01:05:21,190 --> 01:05:25,510
And so It's a Wonderful Life is
my pairing for me.

1190
01:05:25,750 --> 01:05:28,750
I I'm not going to pair it with
something older, Bob.

1191
01:05:29,390 --> 01:05:32,590
I'm actually going to pair it
with something as recently as

1192
01:05:32,590 --> 01:05:36,030
ten years ago.
I think that this movie would

1193
01:05:36,030 --> 01:05:41,070
pair well with the Kristen Wiig
and an ingenue role.

1194
01:05:41,770 --> 01:05:44,010
I'm going to pair it with The
Secret Life of Walter Mitty I.

1195
01:05:44,530 --> 01:05:46,210
Think you're going to say
bridesmaids for a minute?

1196
01:05:46,250 --> 01:05:49,050
I was bridesmaids.
It was like, wait a minute, that

1197
01:05:49,050 --> 01:05:50,730
is the film that this pairs
with.

1198
01:05:53,090 --> 01:05:57,170
No, I think that The Secret Life
of Walter Walter Mitty is like

1199
01:05:57,370 --> 01:06:04,850
if Kanji Watanabe had somebody
step into his life like 15 years

1200
01:06:04,850 --> 01:06:07,770
into his career rather than like
30 years in.

1201
01:06:08,230 --> 01:06:09,550
And I think it would make for a
fun pairing.

1202
01:06:09,550 --> 01:06:13,030
I think you should watch Secret
Life 1st and then this.

1203
01:06:13,030 --> 01:06:16,710
There's definitely a good flow
there.

1204
01:06:16,870 --> 01:06:19,350
But yeah, I think that could be
a fun pairing for an evening.

1205
01:06:19,510 --> 01:06:21,590
I like it.
All right, Zach, what are you

1206
01:06:21,590 --> 01:06:24,670
coming up with?
I'm gonna go somewhat modern as

1207
01:06:24,670 --> 01:06:29,990
well.
The film from 1999, The Matrix.

1208
01:06:31,350 --> 01:06:33,630
I might know where you're going.
I'm interested to see what you

1209
01:06:33,630 --> 01:06:36,630
say though.
Well, it's about a guy who has

1210
01:06:36,630 --> 01:06:40,080
a.
Procedure and kind of wakes up

1211
01:06:40,080 --> 01:06:44,840
to a life of banality in the
office that is so bureaucratic

1212
01:06:44,840 --> 01:06:49,800
that it's painfully numb and he
sort of doesn't give up on life

1213
01:06:49,800 --> 01:06:52,000
but starts living life for the
first time ever.

1214
01:06:52,800 --> 01:06:55,520
That's a little film called
Office Space, I was about to

1215
01:06:55,560 --> 01:06:57,480
say.
Are you talking office space?

1216
01:06:58,320 --> 01:07:02,120
Yes, because there's a lot of
similar themes to it.

1217
01:07:02,120 --> 01:07:05,360
Obviously you know the, it
doesn't have the ONS you knew

1218
01:07:05,360 --> 01:07:08,240
and the.
And the son who hates his

1219
01:07:08,280 --> 01:07:10,160
father.
But it has a lot of just that

1220
01:07:10,480 --> 01:07:14,520
hardcore bureaucracy and trying
to wake up to it and live a life

1221
01:07:14,600 --> 01:07:17,600
outside of it.
And you know it ends up being

1222
01:07:17,600 --> 01:07:20,320
about people getting away from
that life at the end.

1223
01:07:21,000 --> 01:07:23,920
Even if it's only Milton getting
away with the money and ending

1224
01:07:23,920 --> 01:07:27,760
up in the other tropics.
Rest are still there, at the

1225
01:07:27,840 --> 01:07:31,000
office, doing it at a new office
in the same drudgery, just like

1226
01:07:31,000 --> 01:07:34,160
in the Kiru and oh man.
It's.

1227
01:07:34,670 --> 01:07:39,750
Shockingly closely parallel beat
for Beat as a movie Zach.

1228
01:07:40,230 --> 01:07:43,390
How the cleanser at the end Oh
man, if there is.

1229
01:07:43,470 --> 01:07:49,070
If you solely rated comedies.
Based on how hard I've laughed,

1230
01:07:49,950 --> 01:07:53,230
Office Space might be a top
three comedy of all time.

1231
01:07:53,710 --> 01:07:57,790
And flat 85 minutes without
credits once again.

1232
01:07:57,790 --> 01:08:00,190
Look at you picking all the all
the short movies, man.

1233
01:08:01,110 --> 01:08:04,830
Talk about finding a moment in
time. 1999 is such a specific

1234
01:08:04,830 --> 01:08:08,430
moment in time that your
description of the movie before

1235
01:08:08,430 --> 01:08:10,950
you gave me the title could have
referred to at least three

1236
01:08:10,950 --> 01:08:14,030
different movies because I was
like, oh, this is also the plot

1237
01:08:14,030 --> 01:08:17,149
to the Matrix.
And then it is also the plot to

1238
01:08:17,149 --> 01:08:19,870
American Beauty, which I thought
you may be referring to.

1239
01:08:19,870 --> 01:08:22,310
And that's another movie where
you've got the main character

1240
01:08:22,590 --> 01:08:25,430
tells you in the 1st 30 seconds
that he is going to die and.

1241
01:08:25,890 --> 01:08:28,130
That you're just prepared for
it, the whole movie.

1242
01:08:28,130 --> 01:08:30,529
So Bob, that's that's where my
brain went to.

1243
01:08:30,569 --> 01:08:33,370
Yeah, for sure.
I think that we have like at

1244
01:08:33,370 --> 01:08:37,010
least five or six solid double
feature pairings for this movie.

1245
01:08:37,010 --> 01:08:39,130
Probably the most we've ever
come up with in one episode.

1246
01:08:39,130 --> 01:08:40,609
Brad.
Yeah, easily.

1247
01:08:41,410 --> 01:08:44,450
Although seems like we're very
disillusioned.

1248
01:08:44,450 --> 01:08:45,970
I was.
Going to say Akiru in the

1249
01:08:45,970 --> 01:08:50,370
matrix, maybe not a great double
feature, but like you know, you

1250
01:08:50,370 --> 01:08:52,890
could do worse I guess.
Yeah, you know the scene where

1251
01:08:52,890 --> 01:08:55,090
they shoot up the lobby.
It's just like him building a

1252
01:08:55,090 --> 01:09:01,170
park for kids.
The the American version.

1253
01:09:01,569 --> 01:09:07,130
Yeah, but no, it's sort of, you
know, this film, I think, you

1254
01:09:07,130 --> 01:09:09,569
know, I have issues with the
script and things like that.

1255
01:09:09,569 --> 01:09:13,930
But this film has, like what I
said at the beginning, so much

1256
01:09:13,930 --> 01:09:18,729
influence in just the subtlest
ways in our pop culture that,

1257
01:09:18,810 --> 01:09:21,450
you know, I I find it so much
more fascinating than.

1258
01:09:21,859 --> 01:09:26,500
Say the obviousness of Seven
Samurai or Rushmont in that you

1259
01:09:26,500 --> 01:09:29,819
can look at Office space, which
seems completely disconnected,

1260
01:09:30,180 --> 01:09:33,500
and find Curacao in it.
And that's what I think is

1261
01:09:33,500 --> 01:09:36,580
brilliant about him.
This movie reminded me of of so

1262
01:09:36,580 --> 01:09:38,260
many other films.
Obviously we've been talking

1263
01:09:38,260 --> 01:09:41,859
about it all day, but it really
does it.

1264
01:09:41,859 --> 01:09:46,580
It feels like the Japanese Frank
Capra to me, but less less

1265
01:09:46,580 --> 01:09:49,450
corny, less cheesy.
Although I I do think that Frank

1266
01:09:49,450 --> 01:09:51,770
Capra gets a really bad rap.
I think that his movies are

1267
01:09:51,770 --> 01:09:54,290
always, like, kind of crapped on
for being sentimental.

1268
01:09:54,730 --> 01:09:57,970
But it reminded me so much of
the ending of Mr. Smith Goes to

1269
01:09:57,970 --> 01:10:01,970
Washington as well, where this
guy has exerted all of his

1270
01:10:01,970 --> 01:10:04,490
energy into doing the right
thing and it still looks like

1271
01:10:04,490 --> 01:10:07,210
he's going to fail.
And the thing that ultimately

1272
01:10:07,210 --> 01:10:10,930
wins him the victory is that the
bad guy finds a twinge of

1273
01:10:10,930 --> 01:10:13,330
conscience and admits to what he
did wrong.

1274
01:10:13,840 --> 01:10:16,080
And I think that's the exact
same thing that happens in this

1275
01:10:16,080 --> 01:10:20,640
movie, Like this guy dies having
done all this stuff and no one

1276
01:10:20,640 --> 01:10:23,360
celebrates him.
And it's not until these guys

1277
01:10:23,360 --> 01:10:26,800
finally come to the end of
themselves and admit that their

1278
01:10:26,800 --> 01:10:29,680
egos got in the way and they did
nothing and their lives are

1279
01:10:29,680 --> 01:10:33,720
meaningless, that this guy
finally gets, you know, the

1280
01:10:33,880 --> 01:10:36,360
honor that he deserves.
And I don't know, man.

1281
01:10:36,360 --> 01:10:37,840
I think it's a really beautiful
movie.

1282
01:10:37,920 --> 01:10:42,490
And to segue into final scores.
I do think it dragged like quite

1283
01:10:42,490 --> 01:10:45,930
a bit in that first hour.
I really do think once again,

1284
01:10:45,930 --> 01:10:48,130
Brad, he could have trimmed 20
minutes off this movie and it

1285
01:10:48,130 --> 01:10:50,050
would have been much tighter and
a little bit better.

1286
01:10:50,650 --> 01:10:54,890
But it's so impactful at the end
that I can't give it less than a

1287
01:10:54,890 --> 01:10:57,010
nine out of 10 and that's where
I'm landing.

1288
01:10:58,330 --> 01:11:04,450
Bob, you have been waiting for
this for five straight weeks and

1289
01:11:04,450 --> 01:11:08,650
I'll finally give it to you.
This is a masterpiece.

1290
01:11:09,010 --> 01:11:15,180
Hey, we did it.
It took you what probably felt

1291
01:11:15,180 --> 01:11:21,940
like 10 weeks.
But like this movie makes sense

1292
01:11:21,940 --> 01:11:24,860
to me.
It it helps me make sense as to

1293
01:11:24,900 --> 01:11:28,420
the legend and lore of Kurosawa
films.

1294
01:11:29,260 --> 01:11:33,780
Like, this is a guy who
understands camera usage, who

1295
01:11:33,780 --> 01:11:40,020
understands script, who
understands the power of a of a

1296
01:11:40,060 --> 01:11:41,940
great actor.
I like.

1297
01:11:42,500 --> 01:11:46,060
I absolutely love this film.
I agree with you.

1298
01:11:46,060 --> 01:11:49,540
I think that you should cut 20
minutes off this film easily.

1299
01:11:50,660 --> 01:11:52,220
I'm still going to give it a 10
out of 10.

1300
01:11:52,780 --> 01:11:54,740
Wow.
I'm so happy.

1301
01:11:56,300 --> 01:11:58,820
Zach, I don't even, I don't even
want to know what your score is.

1302
01:11:58,820 --> 01:12:03,340
We're stopping right here.
Like, that's the end of the

1303
01:12:03,340 --> 01:12:04,780
show, guys.
It's all over.

1304
01:12:05,300 --> 01:12:06,900
That's it.
The podcast is over.

1305
01:12:07,340 --> 01:12:08,420
We've hit the peak.
It's.

1306
01:12:09,940 --> 01:12:12,420
It's a it's a true masterpiece.
Wow 10.

1307
01:12:12,420 --> 01:12:15,140
I can't.
I can't believe I was here for

1308
01:12:15,300 --> 01:12:18,340
this moment.
For a Brad G10, do you know how

1309
01:12:18,340 --> 01:12:22,300
rare this is?
Like, almost have a tear in my

1310
01:12:22,300 --> 01:12:27,380
eye, yeah.
We need to just play Takashi

1311
01:12:27,380 --> 01:12:30,740
Shimura singing underneath this
whole segment like to move

1312
01:12:30,740 --> 01:12:32,660
people to the appropriate
response here and.

1313
01:12:33,700 --> 01:12:35,340
Get sort of like, let us slowly
build.

1314
01:12:37,500 --> 01:12:42,460
That's incredible.
Like, yeah, I I looked at this

1315
01:12:42,460 --> 01:12:43,900
way.
I'll bring it back to whiskey.

1316
01:12:44,580 --> 01:12:47,820
It is that first hour and 40 is
overstuffed.

1317
01:12:47,940 --> 01:12:51,300
You could literally take the
ongen out entirely and the film

1318
01:12:51,300 --> 01:12:55,360
would still stand up.
With the exact same moments,

1319
01:12:56,720 --> 01:12:59,960
which is sort of like a cast
strength whiskey that you need

1320
01:12:59,960 --> 01:13:01,440
to put a rock in to calm it
down.

1321
01:13:01,480 --> 01:13:05,200
You know, like it's sort of,
it's some great whiskey.

1322
01:13:05,240 --> 01:13:08,640
You just and you still are going
to enjoy it and love it.

1323
01:13:08,720 --> 01:13:12,280
And so for me, because of that
though, I got a side a little

1324
01:13:12,280 --> 01:13:15,280
more with Bob and I'm going more
around the nine out of 10 than

1325
01:13:15,280 --> 01:13:19,800
the 10 out of 10 because I don't
know, it's just a little

1326
01:13:19,800 --> 01:13:22,260
overstuffed.
I'm OK with it, man.

1327
01:13:22,300 --> 01:13:25,300
A night when when you're when
your floor is a nine.

1328
01:13:25,460 --> 01:13:28,420
It's a pretty damn good movie.
Yeah, it's still an A movie.

1329
01:13:28,500 --> 01:13:31,540
Like this is.
A 100% recommend, you know, like

1330
01:13:31,540 --> 01:13:33,740
I will watch it again in my
life, you know, sort of thing.

1331
01:13:34,100 --> 01:13:37,380
For sure, guys, what a pleasant
experience.

1332
01:13:37,380 --> 01:13:41,060
I'm so happy that I'm not going
to bed angry again about Brad's

1333
01:13:41,060 --> 01:13:45,900
awful takes on Kurosawa.
We we can close the book on

1334
01:13:45,900 --> 01:13:49,660
Kurosawa and get into a director
that I have a really contentious

1335
01:13:49,660 --> 01:13:52,300
relationship with.
That's Stanley Kubrick.

1336
01:13:53,060 --> 01:13:58,540
We're kicking off Kubrick month
next week with perhaps his most

1337
01:13:58,540 --> 01:14:02,540
controversial and maybe divisive
movie, and that is 1980s horror

1338
01:14:02,540 --> 01:14:05,900
masterpiece The Shining.
Brad, have you ever seen The

1339
01:14:05,900 --> 01:14:06,660
Shining before?
Oh.

1340
01:14:09,620 --> 01:14:13,620
My God, weird movie.
Zach.

1341
01:14:13,620 --> 01:14:15,140
I'm sure you know this from
listening.

1342
01:14:15,140 --> 01:14:17,860
I just.
I stay away from horror films

1343
01:14:18,530 --> 01:14:23,650
and so I I've come around on a
lot of movies that are more

1344
01:14:23,650 --> 01:14:27,930
thriller than horror, like a
psycho or a Vertigo.

1345
01:14:28,850 --> 01:14:31,250
But man, traditional horror
films.

1346
01:14:31,930 --> 01:14:34,250
Not my, not my scene.
And I honestly don't know if

1347
01:14:34,250 --> 01:14:37,930
Shining fits into traditional
horror or more of a thriller,

1348
01:14:38,050 --> 01:14:42,210
but I'm kind of excited to see.
I'll leave you guys with this.

1349
01:14:42,450 --> 01:14:45,530
I've seen that film so many
times, I actually used to put it

1350
01:14:45,530 --> 01:14:49,670
on a night to fall asleep too.
Wow, you are a strange bird Zach

1351
01:14:49,670 --> 01:14:54,430
Johnston and speak.
Speaking of strange birds, I do

1352
01:14:54,430 --> 01:14:57,510
most of my interaction with you
now over on Instagram, but I

1353
01:14:57,510 --> 01:14:59,190
know that you have a Twitter
page.

1354
01:14:59,550 --> 01:15:02,950
Where else can people find you
if they want to start following

1355
01:15:02,950 --> 01:15:06,670
you and keeping up with the
myriad of content that you're

1356
01:15:06,670 --> 01:15:10,230
putting out there?
So yeah, ZTP Whiskey on

1357
01:15:10,230 --> 01:15:12,830
Instagram and threads.
I'm trying to found a.

1358
01:15:13,180 --> 01:15:17,540
See how Fritz goes, then go to
uprocks.com and you'll see My

1359
01:15:18,380 --> 01:15:20,060
Spirits Reviews.
Whiskey mostly.

1360
01:15:20,060 --> 01:15:24,980
But we just started a new site.
So if you go to Up Rocks and if

1361
01:15:24,980 --> 01:15:27,460
you look at the top, it used to
say music, film, culture, life,

1362
01:15:27,460 --> 01:15:30,380
sports, and video video.
Now it says music, film,

1363
01:15:30,380 --> 01:15:32,700
culture, life, sports, drinks
and videos.

1364
01:15:32,700 --> 01:15:36,300
So up rocks, click on drinks and
you'll see me there.

1365
01:15:36,460 --> 01:15:39,660
I would say, guys, if you don't
know this, Zach posts at least

1366
01:15:39,660 --> 01:15:43,690
seven articles a day.
He actually just wrote, wrote

1367
01:15:43,690 --> 01:15:47,090
and posted an entire article
while being on this episode.

1368
01:15:47,410 --> 01:15:49,930
It's it's fascinating what he
can do.

1369
01:15:50,370 --> 01:15:53,090
What we should be saying is that
he is Up Rocks Drinks.

1370
01:15:53,090 --> 01:15:56,810
That is, that is his legal name.
Up rocks drinks is Jack

1371
01:15:56,810 --> 01:15:59,050
Johnston.
Up Rocks Drinks Johnston.

1372
01:15:59,850 --> 01:16:02,890
Zach, we cannot thank you enough
for being here with us today.

1373
01:16:02,890 --> 01:16:05,050
Man, it is always a pleasure to
sit down and talk with you.

1374
01:16:05,730 --> 01:16:09,370
Thank you both and guys and
enjoy Kubrick cuz I'm gonna love

1375
01:16:09,370 --> 01:16:11,070
listening to it.
All right.

1376
01:16:11,070 --> 01:16:12,950
We'll be back with The Shining
next week.

1377
01:16:13,030 --> 01:16:16,430
But until then, I'm Bob Book.
I'm Brad G.

1378
01:16:16,910 --> 01:16:18,270
And we'll see you next time.