Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace / Calumet 14 Year Single Rack Black Bourbon

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In 1999, director George Lucas
and star Liam Neeson gave the

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world a stunning new entry into
a Galaxy we all longed to return

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to.
And 10 years later everybody

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lost their crap and decided they
hated it, even though when it

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came out it had mixed to solid
reviews, even getting a 3 1/2

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stars from fame movie credited
Rodger Ebert.

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But I digress.
In 2024 we try a rare whiskey

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from a non distilling producer.
The film is Star Wars Episode

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One, The Phantom Menace.
The whiskey is Calumet 14 year

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Single Rack Black Label.
And we'll review them both.

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This is the Fill in 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.

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And I suppose it's that time,
Brad.

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Bob, I am so excited for this
episode.

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Can I can I ask one question,
Brad?

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You can ask as many questions as
you want, Bob.

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Why?
Why are you excited for this

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episode, Brad?
'Cause I love this movie,

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Robert.
Folks, today we are reluctantly,

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some of us are reluctantly
diving back into the world of

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Star Wars for the first of what
seems like, I don't know, eight

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more times this season, we are
dipping our toes in George

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Lucas's pool.
And folks, I don't know what

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temperature the water is, and it
seems to agree with Brad, but

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it's a little too a little too
cold for my taste.

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It's a beautiful like 104°
Jacuzzi.

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Just chilling.
Is that is that what you really

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wanted to just chill in a
Jacuzzi with George Lucas?

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Yes.
I would kill to do that, Bob.

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That would be so much fun.
Just have a beer with George

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Lucas.
Brad, I have been thinking about

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this episode for a minute now
because I watched this movie, I

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don't know, 5-6 days ago.
I've had a good long time to sit

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and reminisce and ruminate and.
When's the last time you watched

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it?
Five or six days ago.

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Before that.
I watched it during COVID.

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I I watched all the Star Wars
movies again during COVID

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because like with some of the
other classic films in in the

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American catalog, I don't like
them that much.

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And I keep thinking that you
know everyone likes these so

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it's got to be something wrong
with me and maybe that thing

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will will reverse itself
someday.

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And so I keep trying it's like
with 2001, I keep trying and

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alas Brad I am I am just
allergic to the the Star Wars.

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So I've been thinking about this
for a long time and I think Brad

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what I would like to do today
with your permission is I would

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like to reverse our rules today.
Not in terms of like I'm not

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going to do Brad explains or
anything like that.

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But I'm very aware that I talk a
lot, Brad, and I think that the

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the split of talking on our
podcast instead of being 5050,

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it's it's like 6535, like I talk
much more than you I.

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Think it's more like a 67?
Yeah, I was going to say 7030,

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but like you know, I I'm trying
to temper expectations a bit.

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I do that because I feel very
passionately about the movies we

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talk about and I frankly am not
that passionate about this

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movie.
Now I I will also say up front,

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I'm not coming into this as
begrudgingly as I thought I

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would.
I think there's a lot to like in

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this movie and I don't feel
antagonistic towards it.

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I also don't feel ambivalent
towards it, like I'm ready to

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talk about the movie.
I just, when I look at my list

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of notes, if I was leading the
discussion today, Brad, I think

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this episode would be about 35
minutes long, 'cause I just,

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it's one of those things that I
don't really know where to go

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with this.
And you as a guy who's super

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passionate about the movie, I
think can guide us through the

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film a lot better than I can.
So if if you're feeling up to

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it, and I'd like to kind of turn
this episode over to you to be

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our our guide, you can be our
Virgil guiding us through the

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layers of hell that is the
prequel trilogy.

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Here, here's the thing, Bob.
This is, this is going to blow

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your mind.
Why?

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Why?
We're ready for this role

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reversal.
I have a page of notes.

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A whole page.
And and that's a first.

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You did it, man.
You you wrote a one page

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document.
I did.

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Now when I say one page it is
like you know like the Amazon

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notepads that are that are like.
Like a 5 by 7.

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Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, sure.

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It's one of those.
Pages.

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I thought you were going to say
You typed it in like 18 point

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Comic Sans do.
You remember in college when

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like a professor would be like
you can have one note card of a

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cheap note card and people would
like print whatever, whatever

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they are like a 5 by 7 note card
and they would print in like

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size 6 font every fact from the
entire semester.

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Is that what you did here?
No.

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First off, I would walk into
those tests without a note card,

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because who has time to make a
cheat note card?

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Just be smart.
Come on.

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Secondly, I don't.
I don't need much preparation to

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defend a movie like this, but I
just was so excited to talk

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about it that I had to write
things down.

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You know what?
And like, again, I'm not going

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to be snarky with you about this
movie today.

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Yeah.
And I.

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Think I trust you, Bob.
Like, I think the the, the weird

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place I'm in is that I thought
that I was going to end up being

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in the Brad GI didn't really
care for this movie and so I'm

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going to like tank the audio and
I don't feel like that either.

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Like it's it's fine.
It's a fine movie with some

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really bad acting and some some
pretty bad special effects at

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points and also some really
great film making in some

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stretches too.
So like, I, you know, I don't

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feel any any worse about this
movie than I did talking about

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Independence Day or Armageddon
or any like, there are things to

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appreciate here for sure, but
you just have to lead me, your

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horse, to water to drink of
them.

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Hey, I'll, I'll lead you to the
waters I can't make you drink.

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And I'll say on my side of it,
Bob, like the the prequels are a

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step down from the originals for
me.

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Not a not a massive step down
just a just a small one.

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The the the sequels are a
massive step down, but we we've

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already gone over that and we'll
go over it at the end of the

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season.
I think that my stance on the

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prequels has always been that
they are incredibly fun.

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They're great film making.
The sound design is light years

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ahead of its time, as were the
originals.

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And the acting's not great.
And I like.

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I think the same thing could be
said for the originals, except

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for the fact that Harrison Ford
is just beyond incredible.

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I think Mark Hamill is great.
Carrie Fisher's great.

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Like, there's just so many great
actors and actresses in those

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films and you just don't quite
get that as often in the

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prequels.
But other than that, I I really

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love these movies.
I'm not going to sit here and

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say it is the greatest movie of
1999.

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Like, like there there are other
movies that were better movies

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in Star Wars Episode One.
But man, the mixture of

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revisiting this film as an adult
and appreciating how great of a

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film it is and having the
nostalgia attached just has me

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real jazzed.
Well, let's carry that jazz

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music and that jazz feeling into
our next segment, our first

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segment of the day, which we
call Brad explains.

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Brad's going to give us the
movie plots with only 60 seconds

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taken on the clock, so let's go
ahead and hear your take with

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this little segment that we
call.

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Brad explains.
Brad Explains is the part of the

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podcast where Brad breaks down
the plot of the movie that he

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has just seen.
This time I'm going to say this

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is your, I don't know, 32nd time
watching episode one.

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No.
See, here's the thing, Bob.

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You watch movies 30 times
legitimately.

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I've probably seen The Phantom
Menace 8 times, maybe 10.

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So like.
That is an extravagant number

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for you.
For.

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Yeah, not for me, Bob.
For the average person, anybody,

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any human being alive in
America, the most they've

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probably ever seen.
One movie is like 6 to 8 times.

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I'm going to disagree.
With you there, we don't need to

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get off on a tangent here.
I'm definitely if we're on the

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bell curve, Brad.
Like I'm definitely way far over

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on one.
End in the 99th plus bro.

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I I think especially for people
who grew up like we did in the

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era of Betamax, VHS or DVDs when
they were the primary way to

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watch movies, when people had
movies at home, they watched

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them a lot, dude.
And I think that you just grew

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up in a in a household that
didn't watch movies that often

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and so legitimately for you, 8
is a lot.

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But if you ask the average
person, what's your favorite

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movie of all time?
Or like how many times did you

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watch The Lion King on VHS when
you were a kid?

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Like 30 is on the low end for
some kids, man.

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You know what I mean?
Yeah, but does that really

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count?
Watching it 30 times when you're

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6 years old?
Is is that an actual view?

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I guess, I guess you can't love
things as a child, according to

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Brad.
All right.

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Dude unable to.
You have one minute on the clock

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to spoil this movie.
You should be able to do it

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because you've seen it, as we've
established 8 whole times.

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So Brad, the floor is yours,
man, and go.

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The Phantom Menace is a film
where the Trade Federation is

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controlled by Lord Palpatine of
the Sith and they invade the

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peaceful planet of Naboo.
Jedi's Qui Gon Jinn and Obi Wan

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Kenobi attempt to negotiate, but
are nearly killed in the

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process.
They rescue Queen Amidala of the

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Naboo and go on an adventure to
that detours onto the desert

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planet Tatooine.
There they find and free a slave

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boy named Anakin and have an
incredible pod race.

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They continue on their way to
the capital planet Croissant.

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There, Amidala pleads her case
before the Senate realizes it is

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pointless and flies back to
Naboo, enlisting aid from

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unexpected quarters to defeat
the Trade Federation.

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Did you write this down?
This sounds written.

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I did, yeah.
I was going to.

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Say that was that was so much
more eloquent than what we

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normally get and here's here's
how I know that is because

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usually you start I can hear you
collecting your thoughts.

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I can hear inside of your brain
because you always start with

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Armageddon is a film about such
and such and I always think it's

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so funny dude.
I just like We are on a podcast

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called Film and Whiskey, if
there is one, given it is that

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you watched a film.
We know, buddy.

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I still started with that.
That's true.

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I mean, I think you're just
honoring a time tested tradition

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at this point of.
Course I am.

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Yeah.
I mean, I will say this is one

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of those movies that either I
was going to give a really

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esoteric like 12 seconds or I
was going to hit the 67 second

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mark and get bogged down in the
details and I I wanted to strike

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a nice balance.
Now, is it because this movie is

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so bad that you had to affirm
that it is in fact a film?

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No, The Phantom Menace is, for
the record, a film.

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Fun fact, as you just said, I've
said that for every single movie

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we've ever reviewed.
So no, it's not the fact that

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it's quote UN quote a bad film.
All right, man, let's jump into

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talking about the movie, and I'm
going to hand it over to you.

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I'm going to sit back and rest
on my laurels here.

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I want us to, I want to talk
about the characters, Bob,

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because I I think that the
acting is not great on a lot of

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different levels accurate, I
think.

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I think that Ewan McGregor, Liam
Neeson are both stellar in their

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acting.
I think that Natalie Portman is

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like AB minus.
She's like pretty solid in

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certain points and then she
kneels down to to to boss Nas

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and goes, no I beg you and I'm
like George, couldn't we have

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taken like any other take of
that and put that in the film?

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But overall, I think Natalie
Portman is solid.

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Jake Lloyd is terrible.
Could could we just agree on

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00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,640
that and leave it, leave it be?
Yeah, we can agree on that.

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00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:04,520
I I truly, truly regret and and
abhor the treatment of him that

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00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:06,920
led to him having some mental
health issues and everything.

227
00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:10,520
Like don't don't give child
actors so much crap.

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00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:13,800
People like it's OK to admit now
with some distance.

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00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:17,080
Like, no, it's not good.
Yeah, but like, he's just a kid,

230
00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:17,800
man.
What do you want?

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00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:21,440
Yeah, yeah.
And at that point, it's George

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00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:25,040
Lucas for choosing him and maybe
even for, like, for directing.

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00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:27,360
Not.
Yeah, for directing him and not

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00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:31,200
giving him the right notes and
just the fact that, you know,

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00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:34,320
maybe you get a few days into it
and go, you know, this isn't

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00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:37,000
quite working out.
Yeah, like, let's, let's get. #2

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00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:39,400
and Haley Joel Osment off 6th
Sense and bring.

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00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:40,840
Him over here.
Oh dude.

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00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,040
Yeah, Brad, I think one of my
big not fears.

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00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:49,960
But as a noted non Star Wars
fan, and I don't consider myself

241
00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:54,560
a Star Wars hater, I'm just not
like this is just not my thing

242
00:13:54,560 --> 00:13:56,960
that grabs me and causes me to
nerd out.

243
00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:01,440
Not your cup of blue milk.
Yes, drunk out of clearly

244
00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:04,240
plastic glasses.
Like, where's the plastic

245
00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:06,120
production happening in this
universe?

246
00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:09,840
In every Star Wars movie?
It's like a Dollar Tree plastic

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00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:11,440
cup.
What are we doing here?

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00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:18,200
OK, anyway, not my cup of tea.
However, the prequels are always

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00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:21,520
really interesting to me because
I can never pin down with

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00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:24,120
somebody like you who grew up
with the prequels.

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00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:26,520
So this was like, these were
your Star Wars movies.

252
00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:29,760
You know, the the original
trilogy was kind of inherited,

253
00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:32,360
but these are the ones that came
out when you were of the right

254
00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:36,920
age to start watching Star Wars.
Well, here's the thing, though,

255
00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:40,920
about the originals.
It's not like my parents passed

256
00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:43,000
them down to me.
Like like one of my best friends

257
00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:47,520
in the world, Mike, he had like
his parents passed Star Wars

258
00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:50,400
down to him.
They love Star Wars, my parents.

259
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:53,280
It was just like VH s s that we
had.

260
00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:56,640
And when I was probably six or
seven I I started watching them

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00:14:56,640 --> 00:14:59,960
and I really liked them.
And then The Phantom Menace came

262
00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:02,280
out and I went and I remember
being scared of Darth Maul.

263
00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:07,560
And like I I liked it a lot and
and then the second one came

264
00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:09,680
out, I liked it a lot.
And then the third one came out

265
00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:12,240
and I skipped school and saw it
and it was really cool because I

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00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:15,160
was like what, 1516 at that
point.

267
00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:18,840
And it I think it was around
there that my fandom really

268
00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:21,080
cemented itself.
Because at that point I I'm

269
00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:25,120
playing Star Wars video games.
I'm reading Star Wars books from

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00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:28,040
the 80s and 90s that are just
incredible.

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00:15:28,040 --> 00:15:31,400
And I, you know, the movie is
coming out and and I think

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00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:34,600
that's kind of the era where it
really got cemented for me.

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00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:39,520
So my point was going to be I I
wonder how hard it is.

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00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:41,840
And I'm not accusing you of
anything, but like, I wonder how

275
00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:46,920
hard it is to separate the
prequels from the legacy of the

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00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:51,200
original trilogy or even from
the sort of like narrative, like

277
00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,440
shared narrative knowledge of
the original trilogy.

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00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:57,320
Like, we know who these people
are because we've watched the

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00:15:57,320 --> 00:15:58,720
other movies and these are
prequels.

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00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:02,280
And so every time there's like a
fan servicing thing of Qui Gon

281
00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:05,760
first being like now, now Obi
Wan Kenobi, and I can just hear

282
00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:09,680
an audience in 99 going like
he's the guy from the movie.

283
00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:14,440
You know what I mean?
Yes, exactly.

284
00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:19,440
I want to talk about this movie
as much as it is indebted to

285
00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:21,840
those other movies.
I want to talk about it in a

286
00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:27,760
vacuum because I think that this
is where Lucas's writing and

287
00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:30,440
directing really suffer
sometimes.

288
00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:34,040
I think he relies a lot on your
prior knowledge of these people.

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00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:35,960
And sometimes that's an OK thing
to do.

290
00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:38,520
You don't have to give tons of
back story because A this is the

291
00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:42,440
back story and and B like you
just make passing nods at

292
00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:44,040
certain characters and that's
fine.

293
00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:48,680
But I I'm wondering, Brad, like
do you, when you watch this

294
00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:53,320
movie, do you think of it as a
piece of a big hole or do you

295
00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:57,760
evaluate it solely on like if
this was the first Star Wars

296
00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:00,760
movie, would you think
differently about it?

297
00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:04,680
You know what I mean?
Yes, is the answer to your

298
00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:07,400
question.
Like, I like, 'cause I I think

299
00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:14,880
that when you take, especially
The Phantom Menace, like I think

300
00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:21,440
that there's two, sorry, 4
characters that we know from the

301
00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:25,000
later films.
There's Anakin, there's Obi Wan,

302
00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:30,000
there's C3PO, and there's R2D2.
Other than that, not a single

303
00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,120
character in this film.
As best as I know, Star Wars

304
00:17:33,120 --> 00:17:34,200
fans, you can come at me.
That's.

305
00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:35,040
Fine.
I mean the emperor.

306
00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:36,920
'S somebody else?
OK, sure.

307
00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:37,840
Yeah.
The Emperor.

308
00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:42,400
So 5 characters that are known
in the later films.

309
00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:45,880
Pretty much everybody else is
not a known character.

310
00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:49,640
And so I I think it's easy to
come into this and treat it in a

311
00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:53,720
vacuum to just say all right,
like what do we have just here

312
00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:57,200
in this film?
And that's where I I think you

313
00:17:57,200 --> 00:17:59,280
are off on the wrong foot
already, Bob.

314
00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:04,240
I think that the writing in this
film is great and not not

315
00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:08,000
necessarily the dialogue.
Like as you have informed me

316
00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:11,600
many times, like the script is
not just the dialogue, it's

317
00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:13,680
everything that goes into this
movie.

318
00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:18,520
I actually think that the story
here is really well done and the

319
00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:23,280
characters are are really
interesting and they they flesh

320
00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:25,920
each other out in really
fascinating ways.

321
00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:28,040
All right.
So I am going to disagree with

322
00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:30,320
you a little bit.
Yeah, man.

323
00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:33,440
It's so weird being not in the
driver's seat of how these

324
00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:35,880
conversations go.
Brad, I'm in the Brad G role

325
00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:36,800
today.
Yeah.

326
00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:40,360
So here's what I'm thinking
about the writing of this movie,

327
00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:42,920
like we've both established the
dialogue is not great.

328
00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:44,960
We'll get around to examples of
how it's not great.

329
00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,480
That's fine.
There are great moments though.

330
00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:49,800
Oh for sure, for sure, when Qui
Gon goes.

331
00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:53,160
The ability to speak does not
make one intelligent.

332
00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:57,520
It's it is one of the most
priceless lines I think I've

333
00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:00,800
ever heard in a movie.
When we did episode three, I

334
00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:05,040
think you were kind of shocked
by how much I appreciated the

335
00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:10,040
grand overarching narrative of
the the prequels.

336
00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:17,040
I think that like taken as one
huge meta story, it's really

337
00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:21,040
cool what George Lucas did here.
Yeah, I think that it also kind

338
00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:24,080
of when it doesn't work like I
think, you know, Episode one and

339
00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:26,560
Episode 2 are obviously weaker
films than Episode 3.

340
00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:30,480
And so to some extent it works
less well in both of those

341
00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:31,880
movies.
And I think that when it's not

342
00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:37,200
working as well, it's almost to
me like the story that these

343
00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:41,000
movies are telling is almost a
more compelling Wikipedia

344
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:44,720
article because you at least see
what the broad strokes that are

345
00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:47,720
being painted are.
And I think if this movie is the

346
00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:51,960
only thing you have to go on,
you don't have prior knowledge

347
00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:54,600
of the the, you know, the
original trilogy.

348
00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:58,880
I think this movie's kind of a
mess, like in terms of what the

349
00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:00,960
through line is.
Because you know, even if you

350
00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:03,680
look at the Wikipedia on this
movie, Lucas says that he's

351
00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:07,200
trying to tell 5 separate
narrative threads, but it's not

352
00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:08,480
that they're intertwined with
each other.

353
00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:12,160
They like are supposed to
logically flow from each other.

354
00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:16,120
And the big main overarching
thread of episode one, according

355
00:20:16,120 --> 00:20:20,040
to Lucas, is Palpatine's power
play here.

356
00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:24,680
Which is fine and which is good.
I just think that like if

357
00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:28,040
Palpatine is kind of the quote
UN quote main character here we

358
00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:31,000
need to see a little bit more of
his wheelings and dealings.

359
00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:36,400
I think you need to just like
abandoned the the ruse that we

360
00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,000
don't know that he is palpate
like they even to the end of the

361
00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:40,640
film they're still shrouding him
in shadow.

362
00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:45,400
Like we don't know it's the same
guy And the audience is one step

363
00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:49,560
ahead of where Lucas thinks the
audience is or or will allow the

364
00:20:49,560 --> 00:20:52,360
audience to go because he's like
I need to save that for the 2nd

365
00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:54,520
movie or the third movie or
whatever it might be.

366
00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:58,680
The characters themselves are
interesting characters, but the

367
00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:02,600
choices that he makes in terms
of who to develop and how much

368
00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:05,200
to develop each of those
characters, I think that the

369
00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:07,000
calculus is just a little bit
off here.

370
00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:15,080
It's it's hard for me to fault
Lucas for like narratively

371
00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:23,080
choosing not to reveal Palpatine
earlier like because he knew he

372
00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:27,040
was making multiple films like
like I'm With You and like let's

373
00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:29,800
evaluate this film on its own
merits.

374
00:21:30,360 --> 00:21:35,360
But part of its own merits are
that it was made to be part of a

375
00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:36,360
trilogy.
Sure.

376
00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:42,840
And and so I like for me I think
it's this is going to sound like

377
00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:47,520
a Marvel defense but like that's
kind of part of the appeal of

378
00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:52,120
the the prequel trilogy is that
you get to see this story

379
00:21:52,120 --> 00:21:57,320
through all three films And so
the the Palpatine of it all like

380
00:21:57,320 --> 00:22:02,280
pretty much everybody knew that
like that you know Palpatine,

381
00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:04,880
Sidious, they're they're all the
same person even as you're

382
00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:07,520
watching it.
And so I I think it's to me it

383
00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:12,560
makes it much more sinister of
an antagonist that like he is

384
00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:18,360
behind the scenes, he's showing
up in one form to the Trade

385
00:22:18,360 --> 00:22:22,480
Federation and showing up in a
different form to the Senate,

386
00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:27,120
and he is getting all of his
enemies to attack each other and

387
00:22:27,120 --> 00:22:30,120
weaken each other.
And then he doesn't come in and

388
00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:34,040
destroy them all.
He comes in as the hero to save

389
00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:36,080
them all.
And and again, like I I think

390
00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:38,960
that's a really great touch.
I think the the decision though

391
00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:43,240
to keep showing the, you know,
the Darth Sidious side of things

392
00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:47,920
as like a hooded figure who just
happens to have the same chin

393
00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:50,480
and mouth as this other guy that
has the same voice.

394
00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:56,200
Like have a scene where we see
him say like, OK, see you later,

395
00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:58,240
Amidala.
And then turn around and put his

396
00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:01,920
hood up and a hologram pops up
of the Trade Federation guys.

397
00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:06,920
And then you, you know, like we
know the reveal that Lucas

398
00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:09,480
doesn't actually show us.
And and I'm thinking of like,

399
00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,720
you know, Lord of the Rings in
in the Fellowship, the second

400
00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:15,320
you see Christopher Lee come on
screen, you're like that mother

401
00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:17,840
the bad guy.
Like look at him, do you know

402
00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:19,320
what I mean?
Like, even.

403
00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:22,280
But even before he gets revealed
as the bad guy, it's like, you

404
00:23:22,360 --> 00:23:26,200
know what's coming here, but you
still need that turn for the

405
00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:28,320
audience's sake, for the
character's sake.

406
00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:31,560
And even if he doesn't want to
reveal to the characters within

407
00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:33,560
the film that this is the bad
guy.

408
00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:36,520
I just, like, I just kept
wondering, like, why are you

409
00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:38,920
still doing this whole thing at
the end of the movie?

410
00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:42,000
Because we're we're we know
already, George.

411
00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:46,120
Yeah, but like, wouldn't that be
too much telling and not enough

412
00:23:46,120 --> 00:23:47,240
showing?
I mean it.

413
00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:50,000
They took him on in the first
movie and he lasted through

414
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:54,160
three movies, 2 1/2, you know
what I mean?

415
00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:59,560
Sure, but I don't know this.
This doesn't feel like a

416
00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:02,960
sticking point for me.
Like to me it's a I think that

417
00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:05,240
this is Lucas doing a great job
of show.

418
00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:07,920
Don't tell.
Like he shows you that he is the

419
00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:09,640
villain.
He doesn't tell you that he's

420
00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:12,320
the villain.
And like look at the character

421
00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:15,840
of Darth Maul.
Darth Maul is one of the best

422
00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:20,440
written characters in the entire
Star Wars universe because he is

423
00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,720
set up as the embodiment of
evil.

424
00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:26,920
Like, tell me you didn't see him
as a 10 year old child.

425
00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:30,040
Oh, he's you know.
That is a pure demon.

426
00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:32,120
Not like he is.
But here's the thing, man.

427
00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:37,600
Like the character design, the
makeup, the lighting, like all

428
00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:41,080
of the all of the film making
things that aren't on the page

429
00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:43,760
are what makes him a good
character, though, Like, 'cause

430
00:24:43,760 --> 00:24:45,720
as an adult, you go back and
watch this movie and you're

431
00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:48,760
like, oh, this dude's in the
movie for four minutes and 12

432
00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:51,600
seconds.
And like, yeah, and I feel kind

433
00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:54,360
of cheated out of what should
have been a character that

434
00:24:54,360 --> 00:24:58,680
lasted many films because he is
such an he looks different than

435
00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:01,960
any character I've ever seen in
Star Wars And he's like he

436
00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:05,400
sounds so intelligent and his
like he has the coolest

437
00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:08,560
lightsaber I've ever seen.
He is clearly the equal of these

438
00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:11,240
guys in terms of fighting with
the lightsabers.

439
00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:14,960
Like I don't think Lucas wrote a
great character here.

440
00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:18,160
Brad, I think he's, I think he's
the most underwritten of all

441
00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:21,040
characters in this movie.
But that's the beauty of the

442
00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:24,280
character.
He has all of those things, and

443
00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:29,680
he is a pawn insidious's game.
Like, like, that's the beauty of

444
00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:32,720
Darth Maul.
He represents everything that

445
00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:35,040
the Jedi fear.
He's terrifying.

446
00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,720
He's a demon.
He has incredible fighting

447
00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:39,680
capabilities.
He's manipulative.

448
00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:43,000
And then at the end of the film,
they ask, like, is he the master

449
00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:46,600
or is he The Apprentice?
And they don't know the answer

450
00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:51,040
to that question, but we do,
because Lucas has been showing

451
00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:56,200
us throughout that he is not the
Master and it but it sets up for

452
00:25:56,200 --> 00:26:00,760
the characters within the
universe this, this ambiguity

453
00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:04,920
that's really important to
understand why the Jedi do the

454
00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:06,920
things that they do.
You make a great point.

455
00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:09,560
I'm just saying, give me 12 more
minutes of him.

456
00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:13,240
I don't need him.
You know, even if you say, OK,

457
00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:14,880
I'm going to kill him at the end
of the first movie, though,

458
00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:17,400
cool.
But like, let's have two more

459
00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:19,240
fight scenes.
Like let's, you know, let's have

460
00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:22,080
three more lines of dialogue.
I want to know this guy a little

461
00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:25,280
bit before you often.
I I don't totally disagree with

462
00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:27,760
you.
I would I would love to see more

463
00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:31,440
Darth Maul fighting.
And like you know, Speaking of

464
00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:36,360
of fighting I I just saw Dune 2.
Fun, fun fact in theatre.

465
00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:39,000
You're welcome, Robert.
What a great theatre going

466
00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:42,760
experience Dune 2 was.
Yeah, I saw it in XD.

467
00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:46,600
I've I've been told that Dolby
is the way to go.

468
00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:51,280
So like XD is is Cinemark's
answer to IMAX.

469
00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:55,520
It is a floor to ceiling screen
and it is more widely available

470
00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:56,960
than IMAX and it's more
affordable.

471
00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:00,200
And so I am a huge proponent of
seeing stuff in XD.

472
00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:02,400
That's just an aside.
Sorry.

473
00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:06,640
Yes, totally, Which is it's OK
we we should do a bonus episode.

474
00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:10,400
Just talking about the specs of
like movie theaters, I'm sure it

475
00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:16,000
would get so many downloads.
I bring up Dune 2 to say that

476
00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,600
there's an incredible fight
scene near the end of the movie

477
00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:23,520
that I wish we had something
like that with Darth Maul.

478
00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:26,560
Like like the and not like an
extra 1.

479
00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:30,360
But I wish that the middle fight
scene when they're on Tatooine

480
00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:33,120
and Qui Gon fights him for like
30 seconds.

481
00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:36,040
I wish that one was a little
more developed.

482
00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:39,080
I think you could have spent a
little more time there and it

483
00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:42,360
would have established him even
more greatly as this threat.

484
00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:46,280
Yeah, totally agree, man.
And I realized that we we were

485
00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:48,640
supposed to be talking about the
characters in general.

486
00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:51,400
We probably should talk about
the performances that go along

487
00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:53,120
with the characters, because
otherwise I don't know that

488
00:27:53,120 --> 00:27:55,440
we'll ever get through the list
of characters.

489
00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:58,040
We've we've spent like 12
minutes talking about two

490
00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:00,080
characters, Brad, So I don't
know.

491
00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:01,960
You go ahead and introduce
whoever you want to talk about,

492
00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:03,360
and let's just work down the
list here.

493
00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:05,440
I want to talk about Jar Jar
Binks.

494
00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:10,920
Jar Jar Binks.
Ahmed Best another person who

495
00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:15,520
just got like true like like
Liam Neeson, talks about this in

496
00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:19,680
an interview where he's like I
spent, you know, however many

497
00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:22,720
days on set with him.
Liam Neeson literally called his

498
00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:26,280
agent and said I'm at Best is
the next Eddie Murphy.

499
00:28:26,560 --> 00:28:30,120
He is that funny and incredible
to be around and just an awesome

500
00:28:30,120 --> 00:28:33,200
guy.
And yeah, and Liam said he's

501
00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:37,000
like and I think his career kind
of got ruined because of Star

502
00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:41,280
Wars and how he was treated.
It absolutely did and and not OK

503
00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:45,400
Not OK.
Same deal though with with Jake

504
00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:50,960
Lloyd man Jar Jar Binks that I
will have none of the Jar Jar

505
00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:54,320
Binks revisionist history or or
reclamation project.

506
00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:56,080
He is as bad as advertised,
folks.

507
00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:57,760
Like, no, he's not the the.
Character.

508
00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:01,760
He literally is not.
The character is horrible.

509
00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:04,880
The writing is atrocious.
It is.

510
00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:11,160
It is like if I could find the
most annoying program for my 4

511
00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:15,240
year old on Netflix.
The writing for that and the

512
00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:20,280
repetitive idiotic nature of the
noises that come out of that

513
00:29:20,400 --> 00:29:24,400
thing's mouth pale in comparison
to Jar Jar Binks.

514
00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:27,320
Like it is.
It's like it is like nails on a

515
00:29:27,320 --> 00:29:29,400
chalkboard.
The and The thing is like I

516
00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:31,880
don't fault the guy at all.
I don't think the voice is very

517
00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:32,920
good.
It doesn't sound super

518
00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:37,280
convincing but Lucas trying to
do this weird like proto

519
00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:42,680
Jamaican Rastafarian thing
coupled with like a broken form

520
00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:46,800
of English coupled with like all
of the Gungans doing the like

521
00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:53,680
Brad, it's it's terrible.
And they they all go on 45

522
00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:56,080
seconds too long.
You are you of all people are

523
00:29:56,080 --> 00:29:59,360
attuned to when you think a
scene is going on too long.

524
00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:03,160
Every single time they interact
with the Gungans, Brad, it is

525
00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:09,200
excruciatingly, horribly paced.
That this is this is just a

526
00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:11,600
matter of preference, Bob,
'cause that that I think

527
00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:15,160
everything you just said is
objectively false.

528
00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:18,400
I don't.
I don't know that you that you

529
00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:22,040
can evaluate this film without
the lens of a guy that just

530
00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:23,640
loves everything.
Star Wars, dude.

531
00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:25,640
Like it?
No, see that?

532
00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:27,440
That's where I think you're
completely wrong.

533
00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:32,360
I I don't just view this as a
Star Wars fan watching this

534
00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:34,760
movie again.
And I I watched it maybe a year

535
00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:38,880
and a half ago.
So like watching it twice in the

536
00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:42,360
in the time of us doing this
podcast, I've been able to watch

537
00:30:42,360 --> 00:30:47,320
it with an objective lens.
And I look back on Jar Jar and I

538
00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:50,680
think that there are moments
with him that are not great,

539
00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:53,880
where he's annoying and
frustrating and silly.

540
00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:58,160
And the more time I spend with
him, the more I think that

541
00:30:58,400 --> 00:31:00,560
that's kind of the purpose of
the character.

542
00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:03,600
Well, it sure it is.
And I'm OK with that.

543
00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:06,160
Like the the whole the whole
thing.

544
00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:12,920
With the end of the Ryan
Johnson, one can't even think of

545
00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:14,960
the name of it right now.
It's called The Last Jedi.

546
00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:19,000
What a garbage movie.
The thing with The Last Jedi

547
00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:22,160
that a lot of people loved and
were pumped about was like, oh,

548
00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:25,120
he's reintroducing this idea
that anybody can be a Jedi and

549
00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:27,800
that anybody can have an impact
on the universe.

550
00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:32,240
And then they come, the same
people like you, They come and

551
00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:37,200
they all over Jar Jar.
And I'm like, the entire purpose

552
00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:42,720
of Jar Jar is to say that even
idiotic bumbling nobodies can

553
00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:46,240
have an impact.
When they have a good heart, and

554
00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:49,920
when they are kind to the world
around them, Brad, they can have

555
00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:54,080
an impact on the universe.
And without Jar Jar, you don't

556
00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:58,360
have any of the end of the film.
Like, like, listen, I'm not

557
00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:00,520
arguing with the function of the
character.

558
00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:01,840
Like, I know what he's there
for.

559
00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:03,120
I know what he's supposed to be
doing.

560
00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:08,200
He's his dialogue is awful, his
character is grading and they

561
00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:10,800
let his scenes run too long.
Like that has nothing to do

562
00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:12,840
with.
It's not that I misunderstand,

563
00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:15,000
and I know he's supposed to be
annoying, but you can still

564
00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:19,120
convey the the character's
annoyance with him without

565
00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:21,600
pulling your audience completely
out of the movie because of

566
00:32:21,600 --> 00:32:26,720
their own frustration with him.
Like, I'm not alone here on on

567
00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:29,880
thinking that Jar Jar is a
hindrance to the film.

568
00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:34,320
And I'm not alone in saying that
that's just not the case for a

569
00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:36,280
lot of people who watch this
movie.

570
00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:40,600
Sure I don't.
You said people like you Bob,

571
00:32:40,960 --> 00:32:44,600
praise The Last Jedi and then
shut on Jar Jar and and

572
00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:46,640
essentially because we don't
understand the function of Jar

573
00:32:46,640 --> 00:32:48,080
Jar.
First of all, this has nothing

574
00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:51,600
to do with The Last Jedi.
And also like I I get Jar Jar.

575
00:32:51,600 --> 00:32:55,120
I just I just don't think it's a
well executed character.

576
00:32:55,800 --> 00:32:57,560
I think it is.
Cool.

577
00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:00,440
But you don't have to say that.
Like, you don't have to say that

578
00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:02,680
I'm too dumb to understand it
because of that.

579
00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:06,480
Like, I I just, ah, man, we got
to work through some characters

580
00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:08,400
here because that now I'm
starting to get angry.

581
00:33:08,400 --> 00:33:14,480
I feel like I have been as
generous as possible with your

582
00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:16,560
take on this movie versus my
take on this movie.

583
00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:19,680
I would hope that you can be
equally generous when we get to

584
00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:21,600
some of the later Star Wars
films this season.

585
00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:24,440
Because brat, like, you know, I
just don't think it's a

586
00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:26,880
controversial statement to say,
like, yeah, I don't think Jar

587
00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:29,800
Jar works and I'm defending the
guy who played him because I

588
00:33:29,800 --> 00:33:31,720
think Lucas did a poor job
writing him.

589
00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:36,400
But like I I guess I can't.
I can't say that.

590
00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:40,480
I think that Jar Jar is a
character who has been pooped

591
00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:44,960
upon too much, and I will defend
him because I don't think he's

592
00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:47,680
the best character in this film,
but I don't think that he's the

593
00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:49,000
worst.
Let's do that.

594
00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:50,880
Who's the worst character in
this film for you, Jake?

595
00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:54,080
Anakin.
But as a character, not as a

596
00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:57,160
performance Like I'm talking
like the the writing of the

597
00:33:57,160 --> 00:33:59,600
character itself, the dialogue.
Within.

598
00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:01,920
Within the, yeah, within the
world of the movie.

599
00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:06,240
Like who is not fleshed out
enough who or who is like just

600
00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:09,880
an unnecessary character.
Like who's the worst at

601
00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:12,520
accomplishing what this story
wants it to accomplish?

602
00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:16,520
Oh, that that's an interesting
question.

603
00:34:16,679 --> 00:34:18,320
I've not thought about that
question before.

604
00:34:19,199 --> 00:34:21,159
All right.
So we've talked about Ahmed

605
00:34:21,159 --> 00:34:22,440
Best.
We talked about Jake Lloyd,

606
00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:24,600
Justice for both of them.
I I agree with you man.

607
00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:25,960
They have been crapped on too
much.

608
00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:28,639
I think it's fair.
And I think what I'm trying to

609
00:34:28,639 --> 00:34:32,320
say, Brad is like I I said this
with the first Star Wars.

610
00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:35,280
I don't think George Lucas is
good at directing actors because

611
00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:39,320
he's worked with some all time
great actors and almost without

612
00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:41,679
fail the worst performance
they've all ever turned in is

613
00:34:41,679 --> 00:34:43,840
when they were like performing
with George Lucas.

614
00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:47,360
And I think it says a heck of a
lot about the the charisma of

615
00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:50,880
Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher
in particular that like they did

616
00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:54,600
not fall victim to this.
Because even like Mace Windu in

617
00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:58,320
this movie though you could tell
the directions that he was

618
00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:03,520
getting from Lucas, he comes
across more, more as an hole

619
00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:06,680
than as like a a guy who knows
more than he's letting on.

620
00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:09,400
Where's, like, Yoda?
Still, Yoda's like, oh, this

621
00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:10,760
dude knows something, but he's
not.

622
00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:14,080
A Mace Windu is just kind of a
smiffy.

623
00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:18,360
And I think, like, how do you
mess up having Samuel L Jackson

624
00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:19,960
on set?
How do you mess up Natalie

625
00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:21,560
Portman?
Like it, You know?

626
00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:26,440
It's just it really surprises me
that more people didn't say, you

627
00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:28,960
know what, Maybe like some of
the problems we have with this

628
00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:32,160
movie rest on George Lucas's
shoulders and we shouldn't take

629
00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:34,720
it out on this 10 year old kid.
Sure.

630
00:35:35,240 --> 00:35:35,720
Yeah.
No.

631
00:35:35,720 --> 00:35:40,040
And Bob, I've, I've always said
to you that his weakest aspect

632
00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:44,680
of being a director is directing
actors for sure like like that.

633
00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:47,160
I I've always said that that's
his issue.

634
00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:52,640
I just think that the characters
he writes are not as poorly

635
00:35:52,640 --> 00:35:56,360
conceived or executed as people
think.

636
00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:59,240
I think sometimes the acting
isn't great, but the characters

637
00:35:59,240 --> 00:36:03,440
themselves I actually really
think are well done and there's

638
00:36:03,440 --> 00:36:09,960
a lot more, there's so much more
intent behind the characters and

639
00:36:09,960 --> 00:36:15,160
ability to advance the story
that I I just I I think Lucas is

640
00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:16,760
really good at writing
characters.

641
00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:19,880
You know what, I I will agree
with you that I I I think

642
00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:21,400
there's like a confluence of
things happening.

643
00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:24,000
I think it's the writing is kind
of poor for especially for the

644
00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:25,400
dialogue with some of these
characters.

645
00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:28,480
I think the direction is pretty
bad and it leads to bad

646
00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:30,800
performances.
And then the fourth thing is, I

647
00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:33,360
think sometimes this movie just
could use a little bit of

648
00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:36,240
tightening up in the edit and
it's not even like I'm not even

649
00:36:36,240 --> 00:36:38,080
advocating for a whole scenes to
be cut out.

650
00:36:38,440 --> 00:36:41,000
It's it's one of those movies
where we note sometimes Brad

651
00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:44,200
that like there's a two second
pause between the time that

652
00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:46,960
somebody finishes their line and
then they cut to the character.

653
00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:50,160
And then you watch the character
react and every line with

654
00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:53,880
Anakin's mom, whose name I
believe is Shmi, but they don't

655
00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:55,920
actually say her name.
Like I don't think at all in the

656
00:36:56,200 --> 00:37:00,240
movie, like Sis is not good in
this movie.

657
00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:03,560
And I think it's not even
necessarily because she's a bad

658
00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:05,800
actress, although I would not
say she's a great actress.

659
00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:09,000
I think it's because every time
Qui Gon says something to her,

660
00:37:09,240 --> 00:37:12,880
they cut to her and she mulls it
over for like 4 seconds and then

661
00:37:12,880 --> 00:37:14,960
she reacts and then she says her
line.

662
00:37:15,520 --> 00:37:21,640
Everything that happens before
the pod race on Tatooine is like

663
00:37:22,520 --> 00:37:24,160
it.
The movie slows down a lot,

664
00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:26,280
dude.
And I I think it's all these

665
00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:27,680
things happening at the same
time.

666
00:37:28,040 --> 00:37:31,440
But I really do think that Lucas
could have been bailed out a

667
00:37:31,440 --> 00:37:34,120
little bit if they just kind of
tightened up the edit a bit.

668
00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:37,840
Sure.
Yeah, there's definitely moments

669
00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:42,680
in the movie that drag.
I I think that to answer your

670
00:37:42,680 --> 00:37:46,120
question from before I would say
that Shmi is probably the poor

671
00:37:46,480 --> 00:37:50,880
the poorest written character
that they they don't flesh out

672
00:37:50,880 --> 00:37:55,880
her relationship with Anakin
enough and the there's not

673
00:37:55,880 --> 00:38:00,080
enough connection there like you
you need some time to establish

674
00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:03,680
that mother son relationship
that's so important and and

675
00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:06,800
there's moments like I I
actually think the the one scene

676
00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:11,120
where she kind of shines is when
she's telling Quagon about his

677
00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:16,400
birth and the the the chosen one
nature of it all the Messiah

678
00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:18,520
nature.
Like I think that that's

679
00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:20,800
actually a really solid scene
between the two of them.

680
00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:23,360
I agree.
And also some weird some weird

681
00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:24,960
chemistry going.
I was like, is Quagon?

682
00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:27,440
Oh dude, is Quagon getting some
some booty while he's on

683
00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:31,640
tattooing?
All I have to say is there is so

684
00:38:31,640 --> 00:38:34,800
much chemistry between her and
Liam Neeson.

685
00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:38,320
It's wild.
That's like, that's probably the

686
00:38:38,360 --> 00:38:41,600
thing that completely flew over
my head as a kid that now as an

687
00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:44,360
adult I'm like, oh man.
Oh, they were boating on this.

688
00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:49,240
Yeah, 100%, dude.
I mean, listen, it's like a no

689
00:38:49,240 --> 00:38:51,400
harm, no foul situation.
Like you're not getting her

690
00:38:51,400 --> 00:38:53,000
pregnant.
The Force gets her pregnant.

691
00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:58,240
You're good, man.
All right, Brad, I think we're,

692
00:38:58,240 --> 00:39:00,760
we're running a little long.
Do you want to come back and

693
00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:03,200
kind of finish out the main cast
and then go into the rest of our

694
00:39:03,200 --> 00:39:05,360
stuff, or do you want to knock
it out right now real quick?

695
00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:09,120
Let Let's knock out just a few
more.

696
00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:11,000
What are your issues with
Natalie Portman?

697
00:39:11,440 --> 00:39:14,120
Because I like her a lot in
this, There's moments she's not

698
00:39:14,120 --> 00:39:15,840
great.
I think Natalie Portman has

699
00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:18,280
grown into one of the best
actresses working today.

700
00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:20,080
I think she's been in some
incredible movies.

701
00:39:20,080 --> 00:39:23,680
She's an Oscar winner.
I just don't think she was very

702
00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:26,000
good as a kid.
And I just watched a movie for

703
00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:28,120
the first time about a month ago
that she was in called The

704
00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:31,600
Professional, which is it's an
IMDb Top 250.

705
00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:35,320
I just never seen it before.
It came out in like 94, I think

706
00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:38,400
95.
And Natalie Portman's like the

707
00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:41,800
star of this movie.
And I'm like, oh man, I expected

708
00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:44,520
her to be like grown up Natalie
Portman in terms of how good she

709
00:39:44,520 --> 00:39:47,400
is as a kid actress.
And she's just very much had the

710
00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:50,120
limitations of being a kid
actor.

711
00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:53,360
And that might just be me like
reading, reading expectations

712
00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:55,280
back on to her when she wasn't
as good.

713
00:39:55,920 --> 00:39:59,480
But this is, this is like that.
But then also to your point,

714
00:39:59,920 --> 00:40:02,720
let's deliver every line in the
most monotone way.

715
00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:06,440
And you know, and I just don't
understand like the the accent

716
00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:09,000
when she's Amidala, like what
what are we doing here?

717
00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:12,400
Like it's not explained.
And I think it takes away from

718
00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:16,840
when she's, when she's acting as
Padme, very naturalistic, really

719
00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:18,720
charming.
I loved it a lot.

720
00:40:19,120 --> 00:40:21,520
But as soon as she puts that
makeup back on, it's like, I do

721
00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:26,400
not care about you anymore.
Yeah, I I think that that's I

722
00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:28,760
can see what Lucas was going for
there.

723
00:40:29,320 --> 00:40:36,120
Like the the idea of a queen
being regal and measured and in

724
00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:40,680
control of her emotions and like
they very clearly lean into like

725
00:40:40,840 --> 00:40:46,360
like Japanese kind of kabuki
tropes of like the way she

726
00:40:46,360 --> 00:40:49,320
presents herself and her
costuming and things like that.

727
00:40:49,640 --> 00:40:54,280
And so I think that there is an
affect that is presented that

728
00:40:54,760 --> 00:40:58,160
that just doesn't totally work.
I think within the world of the

729
00:40:58,160 --> 00:41:01,600
movie it it works.
But I I would agree with you.

730
00:41:01,600 --> 00:41:06,480
It's honestly, it's not when she
has the makeup on like the very

731
00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:09,080
opening scene that she's in,
when she talks to the Trade

732
00:41:09,080 --> 00:41:11,680
Federation, she has that white
makeup with the red dots on the

733
00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:14,240
cheeks.
I actually think that the the

734
00:41:14,240 --> 00:41:17,880
demeanor and affect works really
well when she is in full

735
00:41:18,280 --> 00:41:21,840
regalia.
It's when she's the queen but

736
00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:26,160
she's not in full regalia that
that I'm kind of like, OK, like

737
00:41:26,160 --> 00:41:30,080
give me a little bit of emotion
like something and you know I'll

738
00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:32,440
go back to the line I said
before when she, like, bows and

739
00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:35,880
she's like, we are asking you,
no begging you.

740
00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:40,280
And I'm like, OK, honey, like,
sure, when you're talking to

741
00:41:40,320 --> 00:41:42,440
your enemies, the Trade
Federation don't show any

742
00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:44,680
emotion.
Totally makes sense when you're

743
00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:49,400
begging another military nation
to come to your aid.

744
00:41:49,680 --> 00:41:52,520
Like, give me, give me a little
something, just anything, right?

745
00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:56,960
And I think if I can steer us
into OK, I don't even think we

746
00:41:56,960 --> 00:41:59,400
need to talk about Ewan McGregor
because we have, we have talked

747
00:41:59,400 --> 00:42:00,560
about him before.
He's great.

748
00:42:00,760 --> 00:42:03,280
He is absolved of all wrongdoing
in this situation.

749
00:42:03,880 --> 00:42:07,960
Yes.
I'm I'm really disappointed in

750
00:42:07,960 --> 00:42:11,360
Qui Gon Jinn and and it it
breaks my heart to say it

751
00:42:11,360 --> 00:42:16,640
because from a character design
standpoint, there are very few

752
00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:21,680
people who have ever looked
cooler in Star Wars than Liam

753
00:42:21,680 --> 00:42:26,000
Neeson, as, like, he is the
prototype for like, I want to

754
00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:29,080
watch a movie about this Jedi,
'cause he just looks like a guy

755
00:42:29,080 --> 00:42:31,720
I want to learn more about.
And I think that's my thing is

756
00:42:31,720 --> 00:42:33,920
we don't actually learn much
about him.

757
00:42:34,240 --> 00:42:37,240
He's just like, he's he's the
guy that is the seasoned vet.

758
00:42:37,440 --> 00:42:38,880
He's like, he's kind of on his
way out.

759
00:42:38,880 --> 00:42:42,160
He's inching towards retirement
it seems like here and like you

760
00:42:42,160 --> 00:42:44,880
don't.
He's only really there to be,

761
00:42:44,880 --> 00:42:48,720
like, utilitarian, to serve the
plot, to spout some exposition

762
00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:52,640
and to, like, negotiate over,
you know, car parts for 1/2

763
00:42:52,640 --> 00:42:54,880
hour.
And like, I just wish we had

764
00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:57,600
more of what's going on inside
Qui Gon's head.

765
00:42:57,800 --> 00:43:00,760
I love that he wants to, he
wants to buck the trends and

766
00:43:00,760 --> 00:43:04,440
like, you know, resist the
orders of the jet, like the Jedi

767
00:43:04,440 --> 00:43:06,000
order.
Like, that's really cool.

768
00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:07,520
Why?
Why are you such a rebel?

769
00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:10,080
Tell me more about that.
And we just don't get it.

770
00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:12,120
And I think that's the most
frustrating thing about it.

771
00:43:13,160 --> 00:43:17,040
I I don't understand how your
brain works, Bob.

772
00:43:17,480 --> 00:43:18,960
You don't.
I mean, you think we get, you

773
00:43:18,960 --> 00:43:22,680
think we get enough fleshed out
about him to make his death at

774
00:43:22,680 --> 00:43:25,520
the end be, like, as impactful
as it could be?

775
00:43:26,640 --> 00:43:28,600
Yes.
OK, like, like, again, I'm not

776
00:43:28,600 --> 00:43:30,440
knocking the performance.
I'm not knocking the character

777
00:43:30,440 --> 00:43:32,120
design.
I just think he's underwritten.

778
00:43:36,080 --> 00:43:40,720
Is he underwritten?
Question tangential question.

779
00:43:40,920 --> 00:43:42,960
What would it take to make you
happy, Brad?

780
00:43:43,280 --> 00:43:46,880
Like, I feel like I'm giving you
a lot here and I'm like, here's

781
00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:49,080
my issue with this character.
I'm going to elucidate it as

782
00:43:49,080 --> 00:43:51,360
clearly as I can.
And then you're like, you're

783
00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:54,040
just crazy.
Like, I don't, I don't know,

784
00:43:54,040 --> 00:43:55,720
man.
Like, if you don't think he's

785
00:43:55,720 --> 00:43:59,000
underwritten, like, what's your
reasoning for thinking that he

786
00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:05,560
is in fact fully fleshed out?
I think I feel so flabbergasted

787
00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:10,520
by it is because I've never like
the idea of Qui Gon being

788
00:44:10,520 --> 00:44:14,320
underwritten is so far from my
consciousness.

789
00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:15,720
I've never even thought about
it.

790
00:44:18,040 --> 00:44:21,320
Like it's that just ridiculous
to me.

791
00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:28,360
I here's the thing with Qui Gon.
He is in a lot of ways the main

792
00:44:28,360 --> 00:44:31,680
character of this movie.
Like we spend most of the movie

793
00:44:31,680 --> 00:44:34,720
with him.
The like the majority of the

794
00:44:34,720 --> 00:44:38,440
film is learning how he thinks
about the world.

795
00:44:38,920 --> 00:44:44,520
And it's through him that we get
the lens of what we think Jedis

796
00:44:44,520 --> 00:44:48,480
ought to be like for the rest of
the Star Wars universe.

797
00:44:49,480 --> 00:44:54,080
Like he has the viewpoint that
the most important thing we do

798
00:44:54,080 --> 00:44:57,880
is listen to the Force and like
he says that constantly

799
00:44:57,880 --> 00:45:00,960
throughout the film.
And so I once again, I feel

800
00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:03,080
like.
I feel like you're asking for

801
00:45:03,080 --> 00:45:08,400
telling more than showing.
Like for me, Qui Gon Jin shows

802
00:45:08,400 --> 00:45:12,360
you what it means to be a Jedi.
All of the other Jedi in this

803
00:45:12,360 --> 00:45:15,200
film.
Samuel Jackson, Yoda.

804
00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:18,400
Kiadi Mundi Pocoon.
Not that I know all their names

805
00:45:18,400 --> 00:45:20,480
or anything.
I was going to say, are you just

806
00:45:20,480 --> 00:45:22,880
making up sounds now?
No.

807
00:45:24,120 --> 00:45:28,680
No.
So the the large skulled

808
00:45:28,720 --> 00:45:34,320
conehead Jedi is Ki Adi Mundi.
Sure, the one with the gas mask

809
00:45:34,320 --> 00:45:35,720
is PLO Coon.
OK.

810
00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:37,760
Yeah, of course.
Anyways.

811
00:45:37,760 --> 00:45:41,040
Stands to reason.
It stands to reason anyways.

812
00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:47,640
All of them show up where on
chorus and they're all wrapped

813
00:45:47,640 --> 00:45:51,160
up in the politics of the realm.
And Qui Gon is held up as this

814
00:45:51,160 --> 00:45:56,040
paragon of like he listens to
the Force and trusts it to do

815
00:45:56,040 --> 00:46:00,280
what what it needs to do.
And I and I think that that's

816
00:46:00,280 --> 00:46:06,360
like the beautiful thing about
Qui Gon And you know I'm going

817
00:46:06,360 --> 00:46:10,880
to take the movie out of the the
vacuum for a second to say like

818
00:46:11,080 --> 00:46:14,360
Duel of the Fates write the song
at the end of the film.

819
00:46:15,480 --> 00:46:19,440
It's about the fate of Anakin
Skywalker and the fate of the

820
00:46:19,440 --> 00:46:24,120
Force.
And the duel is will Qui Gon

821
00:46:24,120 --> 00:46:28,840
live or Will Qui Gon die?
Because if Qui Gon doesn't die,

822
00:46:28,840 --> 00:46:33,520
he goes on to mentor Anakin in
the ways of the force and

823
00:46:33,520 --> 00:46:36,800
possibly like doesn't become
Darth Vader.

824
00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:41,600
And so that I I think that's why
for me Qui Gon represents this

825
00:46:42,360 --> 00:46:48,400
super impactful character within
the universe that is incredibly

826
00:46:48,400 --> 00:46:53,000
well acted and I think well
written and I so I I guess I

827
00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:55,760
don't know is that a cogent
defense of why I.

828
00:46:56,240 --> 00:46:57,960
Think he's actually a?
Really well written character.

829
00:46:57,960 --> 00:47:00,320
I I think it is.
And I I do still think that

830
00:47:00,320 --> 00:47:06,160
sometimes you're confusing like
my displeasure with, you know,

831
00:47:06,160 --> 00:47:12,080
the lack of dialogue or the lack
of monologues that flesh out the

832
00:47:12,080 --> 00:47:16,160
characters backs, whatever, with
like an inability of me to see

833
00:47:16,160 --> 00:47:18,280
the function of the character.
Like, I think you're absolutely

834
00:47:18,280 --> 00:47:20,880
right.
Qui Gon sets the template for

835
00:47:20,880 --> 00:47:24,600
what a Jedi should be for the
rest of this prequel trilogy.

836
00:47:24,600 --> 00:47:27,200
And you're right, overarching
like Star Wars.

837
00:47:27,600 --> 00:47:33,440
I just wish that we got like,
you know, one scene of Obi Wan

838
00:47:33,440 --> 00:47:36,440
being like, hey man, like what's
what's driving?

839
00:47:36,440 --> 00:47:39,080
Why are you insisting on this
kid being the chosen one and him

840
00:47:39,080 --> 00:47:42,640
being like, you know, it, it
sends me back to what I was

841
00:47:42,640 --> 00:47:44,040
about.
Like just give me something that

842
00:47:44,040 --> 00:47:47,520
like, fleshes him out a little
bit, 'cause I want, I think it's

843
00:47:47,520 --> 00:47:50,800
the highest compliment for me to
say I want to spend more time

844
00:47:50,800 --> 00:47:53,040
with him.
And what pisses me off is that

845
00:47:53,040 --> 00:47:54,640
we don't, we don't get that
time.

846
00:47:54,640 --> 00:47:56,880
And I felt, I don't know, I just
didn't feel like it was.

847
00:47:57,120 --> 00:48:00,760
His story was completed before
the rug got pulled out from

848
00:48:00,760 --> 00:48:04,200
under us, both him and Darth
Maul give us, give us another

849
00:48:04,200 --> 00:48:06,760
half movie with them, kill them
in the middle of the second one.

850
00:48:06,760 --> 00:48:08,520
It'll be even more shocking, You
know what I mean?

851
00:48:09,320 --> 00:48:11,400
Sure.
Yeah.

852
00:48:11,600 --> 00:48:16,640
I, I, I I think that's the
beauty of the movie is you don't

853
00:48:16,640 --> 00:48:19,200
get everything you want.
I I don't know.

854
00:48:20,240 --> 00:48:21,360
I think we should.
I love.

855
00:48:21,800 --> 00:48:23,240
I think we should drink whiskey
too.

856
00:48:23,240 --> 00:48:25,000
We've been going for 45 minutes,
Bob.

857
00:48:26,040 --> 00:48:27,040
All right, let's get to it,
Brett.

858
00:48:33,320 --> 00:48:34,920
All right.
So today we are checking out

859
00:48:34,920 --> 00:48:39,080
Calumet Farm Single Rack Black
Bourbon Whiskey.

860
00:48:39,520 --> 00:48:42,720
This is a 14 year old product,
Brad, I think it's the first

861
00:48:42,720 --> 00:48:44,680
Calumet we've ever had on the
podcast.

862
00:48:44,680 --> 00:48:47,320
Is that right?
Yeah, as far as I know.

863
00:48:47,560 --> 00:48:49,120
But who knows?
I've drank a lot of whiskey.

864
00:48:50,400 --> 00:48:53,200
Yeah, so have I.
My friend, I keep seeing Calumet

865
00:48:53,200 --> 00:48:55,880
all over the place.
It is you know for the most part

866
00:48:55,880 --> 00:49:00,160
a premium brand and these like
12/14/15 sixteen year

867
00:49:00,160 --> 00:49:02,960
expressions that sit on the top
shelf would tell me that they

868
00:49:02,960 --> 00:49:06,880
are ultra premium.
Now because this is the first

869
00:49:06,880 --> 00:49:08,880
time we've had the brand on the
show, I'll I'll give a little

870
00:49:08,880 --> 00:49:11,960
bit of back story.
As far as I know Calumet is a

871
00:49:11,960 --> 00:49:15,040
non distilling producer so they
release whiskeys but they don't

872
00:49:15,040 --> 00:49:18,120
distill them themselves.
They partner with a distillery

873
00:49:18,120 --> 00:49:20,520
they say that is also in
Kentucky.

874
00:49:20,800 --> 00:49:23,280
It looks like it's it's called
Western Spirits.

875
00:49:23,680 --> 00:49:25,120
So they're sourcing this
whiskey.

876
00:49:26,360 --> 00:49:28,720
It's like super premium small
batch.

877
00:49:28,720 --> 00:49:31,040
I'm reading something right now
that says that this particular

878
00:49:31,040 --> 00:49:34,480
product is from a small batch of
only 19 barrels.

879
00:49:35,720 --> 00:49:39,880
So they're all from a single
center cut rack from.

880
00:49:40,000 --> 00:49:44,080
And this is a quote, Brad, from
the ideal maturation location

881
00:49:44,320 --> 00:49:46,520
and conditions inside the Rick
house, I mean.

882
00:49:47,080 --> 00:49:48,840
Obviously it's ideal, Bob.
What else would it be?

883
00:49:49,320 --> 00:49:52,840
We picked suboptimal conditions
for this limited release.

884
00:49:53,240 --> 00:49:55,480
Yeah, so they.
I love when people like ask

885
00:49:55,480 --> 00:49:58,040
directors or something like, you
know, what's a, what's one of

886
00:49:58,040 --> 00:50:00,480
your movies you made that you
didn't like?

887
00:50:00,480 --> 00:50:02,880
And it's like, dude, I like all
my movies.

888
00:50:02,880 --> 00:50:05,400
All my movies were cut from an
ideal condition.

889
00:50:05,400 --> 00:50:07,800
Every time they're like, was
Timothy Chalonet your first

890
00:50:07,800 --> 00:50:09,600
choice?
Like what are they going to say?

891
00:50:09,640 --> 00:50:12,360
Like, no, I wanted.
I wanted Tobey Maguire or

892
00:50:12,360 --> 00:50:14,720
something like no, like.
It's just it's the same thing in

893
00:50:14,720 --> 00:50:18,120
sports Like like, oh, the
quarterback, was he your first

894
00:50:18,120 --> 00:50:21,120
choice?
No, no, he was not sure wasn't.

895
00:50:21,240 --> 00:50:25,200
I hope he can go kick rocks.
OK, so 19 barrels all from the

896
00:50:25,200 --> 00:50:27,200
same rack in the same Rick
house.

897
00:50:27,200 --> 00:50:30,000
This is clocking in at 96.2
proof.

898
00:50:30,280 --> 00:50:34,320
I do not have mashbill, you
know, breakdowns here, Brad.

899
00:50:34,320 --> 00:50:36,200
So it could be weeded, it could
be high rye.

900
00:50:36,520 --> 00:50:37,800
I have no idea.
Yeah.

901
00:50:38,160 --> 00:50:42,320
This is 74% corn, 18% rye, 8%
malted bar.

902
00:50:42,320 --> 00:50:44,680
Oh thanks man.
So it is not weeded and it is

903
00:50:44,680 --> 00:50:47,520
high ish rye.
Yeah, let's dive in.

904
00:50:48,040 --> 00:50:51,360
Yeah, I as I got into the nose
on this, it's a decent nose.

905
00:50:51,480 --> 00:50:54,200
I got some orange zest, some
dark chocolate.

906
00:50:54,880 --> 00:50:59,280
The overarching note for me
though, or I should say the over

907
00:50:59,280 --> 00:51:06,440
oaking note, was oak.
There is so much oak on this,

908
00:51:06,440 --> 00:51:11,560
and I just I, I, I I am
repeating what the whiskey world

909
00:51:11,560 --> 00:51:15,440
has said for decades.
But the fact that bourbon has to

910
00:51:15,440 --> 00:51:20,160
be aged in new white oak,
American white oak barrels means

911
00:51:20,160 --> 00:51:24,560
that you can't go much past 10
to 12 years without it becoming

912
00:51:24,560 --> 00:51:26,840
wildly over oak.
And I'm going to say something,

913
00:51:26,880 --> 00:51:29,160
my own preference, Brad, through
the years.

914
00:51:29,520 --> 00:51:31,880
I sometimes think even 10 years
is too much.

915
00:51:32,160 --> 00:51:34,720
Like, yeah, especially if you're
drinking barrel strength

916
00:51:34,720 --> 00:51:38,720
whiskey, like if we get a good
Knob Creek 10 or 12, I think

917
00:51:38,720 --> 00:51:40,520
those are too oaky Most of the
time.

918
00:51:40,520 --> 00:51:43,080
I just do.
But so, like, you know, take

919
00:51:43,080 --> 00:51:45,360
your Pappy 23 and do whatever
you want with it.

920
00:51:45,360 --> 00:51:48,440
But like, that's too freaking
long in a barrel for bourbon.

921
00:51:48,440 --> 00:51:51,760
It just is.
Yeah, no, I I'm with you because

922
00:51:51,760 --> 00:51:56,120
this is a heavily oaked nose.
I'll give it a 7 1/2.

923
00:51:56,160 --> 00:51:59,920
I I think that there's some nice
stuff going on here, but I I'm

924
00:51:59,920 --> 00:52:01,240
worried I'll.
I'll just say that.

925
00:52:01,240 --> 00:52:03,520
Yeah, there's some really nice
baking spices under here.

926
00:52:03,520 --> 00:52:07,640
It's like baked apples a little
bit, but the oak is so heavy

927
00:52:07,920 --> 00:52:10,760
that it almost turns sour on the
nose.

928
00:52:10,760 --> 00:52:13,840
It's like it doesn't smell like
char or ash.

929
00:52:14,200 --> 00:52:17,040
It's just it's almost like that
toasted barrel thing that we

930
00:52:17,040 --> 00:52:19,520
don't like on a lot of toasted
barrel finishes.

931
00:52:19,520 --> 00:52:23,680
Brad, so I'm with you.
I'm gonna give it a 7 1/2 and I

932
00:52:23,680 --> 00:52:25,560
think the flavor is kind of a
similar story.

933
00:52:25,560 --> 00:52:29,920
Like it's a really, really solid
tasting whiskey that just has

934
00:52:29,960 --> 00:52:33,040
way too much oak that comes in
on the back part of the pallet

935
00:52:33,280 --> 00:52:36,160
and into the finish.
I I mean, I don't know.

936
00:52:36,160 --> 00:52:38,160
Where are you falling on the
pallet here?

937
00:52:39,440 --> 00:52:42,880
It's it's it's decent.
I'd give it a 7 out of 10.

938
00:52:42,880 --> 00:52:46,640
There's oak, the the char really
comes through for me.

939
00:52:47,320 --> 00:52:49,800
There's some vanilla notes.
I I almost felt like it was

940
00:52:49,800 --> 00:52:53,680
almost like a Sour Patch Kid
kind of vibe that I was getting.

941
00:52:53,680 --> 00:52:59,000
But there there's not enough
complexity for me.

942
00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:04,080
Like I can tell that it's a well
made whiskey, but it's not a

943
00:53:04,080 --> 00:53:06,080
very flavorful whiskey.
Yeah.

944
00:53:06,960 --> 00:53:10,680
And I I don't know if that's
like a a huge insult to say you

945
00:53:10,720 --> 00:53:13,320
you did a good job making it and
then there was no flavor.

946
00:53:13,960 --> 00:53:17,080
But that's kind of where I'm at.
The fact that it is a well made

947
00:53:17,080 --> 00:53:18,880
whiskey.
I'll still give it a 7 out of

948
00:53:18,880 --> 00:53:23,120
10.
I just, I just want more out of

949
00:53:23,120 --> 00:53:25,720
it.
It's an underwritten character.

950
00:53:25,760 --> 00:53:26,920
It is.
If I it is the.

951
00:53:27,160 --> 00:53:31,560
Quigon of whiskeys.
It looks really cool and I want

952
00:53:31,560 --> 00:53:34,760
to learn more about it, but damn
it, it under delivers, so it's.

953
00:53:34,760 --> 00:53:37,440
Just not enough there.
I I actually think that the

954
00:53:37,440 --> 00:53:40,480
flavor is a little bit better
than the nose, but then I think

955
00:53:40,480 --> 00:53:44,040
like OK I gave the nose a 7 1/2
Is this an 8 on the palate?

956
00:53:44,040 --> 00:53:45,800
And I don't think it is.
So I think I'm still going to

957
00:53:45,800 --> 00:53:48,440
give it a 7 1/2.
But like you know, dear

958
00:53:48,440 --> 00:53:50,600
listener, in your mind, I want
you to think of it as like a

959
00:53:50,960 --> 00:53:56,080
7.51, you know what I mean?
All right man, you give it a

960
00:53:56,120 --> 00:53:58,520
7.51 and the nose of 7.4.
Nine.

961
00:53:58,520 --> 00:53:59,160
There it is.
Yeah.

962
00:53:59,160 --> 00:54:02,040
It balances out perfectly.
We have brought balance to the

963
00:54:02,040 --> 00:54:04,000
force.
You were supposed to bring

964
00:54:04,000 --> 00:54:08,120
balance to the Force.
On the finish I'm I'm kind of

965
00:54:08,120 --> 00:54:11,200
surprised because there is that
oakiness but then it dissipates

966
00:54:11,200 --> 00:54:12,920
really quickly.
I think there's a there's a bit

967
00:54:12,920 --> 00:54:16,400
of a chest burn it drinks a
little bit hotter than 96 proof

968
00:54:16,400 --> 00:54:19,360
like I would have thought this
was in the like 104105 range.

969
00:54:20,200 --> 00:54:21,920
It's really nice.
It's a nice finish.

970
00:54:22,360 --> 00:54:25,160
I just again, if there's nothing
really distinctive about it and

971
00:54:25,160 --> 00:54:27,960
there's nothing that screams you
should pay triple digits for

972
00:54:27,960 --> 00:54:31,440
this.
So like, yeah, maybe the value

973
00:54:31,720 --> 00:54:34,200
or you know what will be the
value score is kind of tainting

974
00:54:34,200 --> 00:54:38,680
my my score's here a little bit,
but like this is fine.

975
00:54:38,680 --> 00:54:40,360
I'm going to give it a 6 1/2 on
the finish.

976
00:54:41,840 --> 00:54:44,920
Yeah, I I give it a six on the
finish it it falls off.

977
00:54:44,920 --> 00:54:48,080
It doesn't last as long as you
might think, but it is only in

978
00:54:48,080 --> 00:54:54,880
the 90s proof, I think 96 proof.
It's OK balance wise.

979
00:54:54,880 --> 00:54:58,640
I give it A7 like I I think what
they're trying to do here, they

980
00:54:58,640 --> 00:55:01,440
accomplish.
I'm just not super impressed

981
00:55:01,440 --> 00:55:04,760
with it.
Man, what a perfect pairing for

982
00:55:04,760 --> 00:55:06,200
the Star Wars prequels, I tell
you.

983
00:55:06,400 --> 00:55:09,320
What a terrible pairing for the
Star Wars prequels.

984
00:55:09,320 --> 00:55:10,720
All right.
I think we're pretty much in

985
00:55:10,720 --> 00:55:12,280
lockstep.
I'm going to give this A7 as

986
00:55:12,280 --> 00:55:14,360
well.
Why don't you take us to our

987
00:55:14,360 --> 00:55:17,600
value score, Brad, What will a
bottle of this cost you?

988
00:55:18,560 --> 00:55:22,760
Well, I mean at this point it's
on their own website, Bob.

989
00:55:23,960 --> 00:55:27,880
They have at the bottom of the
the stats sheet availability

990
00:55:27,880 --> 00:55:32,600
level and the availability level
of this is low slash rare.

991
00:55:35,280 --> 00:55:39,400
Technically it's an MSRPI
believe of $120.00.

992
00:55:40,760 --> 00:55:45,440
I would so I don't normally do
this Bob, but I'm going to do

993
00:55:45,440 --> 00:55:48,320
it.
I drank this Calumet earlier

994
00:55:48,320 --> 00:55:50,280
today.
Right now I am currently

995
00:55:50,280 --> 00:55:54,520
drinking a bottle of Barrel Rye
private release that we

996
00:55:54,520 --> 00:55:57,040
purchased at the Kentucky Berlin
Barrel.

997
00:55:57,640 --> 00:56:02,960
Yeah, I'll I'll just say this.
I think we paid like $85 for

998
00:56:02,960 --> 00:56:07,040
that bottle, $90.00.
I would pay $120.00 for that

999
00:56:07,040 --> 00:56:11,160
bottle.
I would never pay $120.00.

1000
00:56:11,240 --> 00:56:17,520
No, I gave it a 2 out of 10 to
be nice, but this is bad value

1001
00:56:17,520 --> 00:56:19,880
folks.
Listen, it's 14 years old.

1002
00:56:19,880 --> 00:56:23,600
It's 19 barrels.
This is like the absolute

1003
00:56:23,600 --> 00:56:28,880
minimum that this could possibly
cost is like 100 bucks, yes.

1004
00:56:28,880 --> 00:56:31,600
So I think they're overcharging
for it slightly.

1005
00:56:32,800 --> 00:56:36,520
I don't think that it's like
astronomically priced, but it is

1006
00:56:36,520 --> 00:56:38,720
not.
A whiskey that tastes like the

1007
00:56:38,720 --> 00:56:41,720
flavor of this whiskey is not
worth $120.00.

1008
00:56:41,720 --> 00:56:43,320
I'm going to be a little bit
kinder than Brad.

1009
00:56:43,320 --> 00:56:45,280
I'm going to give it a 4 1/2 on
the value.

1010
00:56:45,760 --> 00:56:48,080
But again, that's just because I
think it's like in the range

1011
00:56:48,080 --> 00:56:49,680
that it should be based on the
market.

1012
00:56:50,320 --> 00:56:53,800
Yeah, no, 100%.
Like I think Calumet is doing

1013
00:56:53,800 --> 00:56:59,000
really interesting things here,
like to make ultra select.

1014
00:56:59,240 --> 00:57:02,520
We're only taking 19 barrels and
figuring out what we can do with

1015
00:57:02,520 --> 00:57:05,320
them.
Like it's It's interesting the

1016
00:57:05,320 --> 00:57:07,800
juice is not worth triple
digits.

1017
00:57:08,520 --> 00:57:11,400
I'm coming to a 33 out of 50.
Brad, what are you at?

1018
00:57:12,080 --> 00:57:16,280
29.5. 29 Wow.
It's been a minute since we've

1019
00:57:16,280 --> 00:57:20,960
had one in the 20s, so we're
coming to just a 31.25 out of

1020
00:57:20,960 --> 00:57:22,760
50.
Folks, this is what we do here.

1021
00:57:22,880 --> 00:57:24,880
Like, you know, we're not here
to poo poo whiskeys.

1022
00:57:25,280 --> 00:57:28,760
But I feel very strongly Brad,
as a guy who has limited funds

1023
00:57:28,800 --> 00:57:31,960
and I I believe you do as well.
Otherwise you should have been

1024
00:57:31,960 --> 00:57:34,080
paying for a lot more throughout
the course of our friendship

1025
00:57:35,120 --> 00:57:37,800
that we have a responsibility to
tell people when we think

1026
00:57:37,800 --> 00:57:41,520
something is overpriced or just
not even overpriced but just not

1027
00:57:41,520 --> 00:57:44,920
worth the money in, in terms of
just pure flavor.

1028
00:57:45,240 --> 00:57:47,760
And I think this is one of
those, one of those times.

1029
00:57:47,800 --> 00:57:50,480
I'm I'm very grateful to our
friend Wes for sending us a

1030
00:57:50,480 --> 00:57:53,760
sample of this, but I I would
not purchase this for myself.

1031
00:57:53,760 --> 00:57:55,680
Brad.
Wes is incredible.

1032
00:57:55,680 --> 00:57:57,600
Bob, I have a very important
question for you.

1033
00:57:57,600 --> 00:58:02,080
Yes.
Was the $5 bag worth the value

1034
00:58:02,080 --> 00:58:03,200
that you got?
What?

1035
00:58:03,200 --> 00:58:04,800
What's the value score on that
bag?

1036
00:58:04,800 --> 00:58:08,880
The return on investment of just
the story itself was worth at

1037
00:58:08,880 --> 00:58:13,360
least ten $5 Taco Bell bags.
That's.

1038
00:58:13,440 --> 00:58:13,920
Good.
Thanks.

1039
00:58:13,960 --> 00:58:15,880
I appreciate that.
Yeah, let's get back into you

1040
00:58:15,880 --> 00:58:17,880
calling me an idiot for not
understanding Star.

1041
00:58:17,920 --> 00:58:19,920
Wars.
Maybe our friendship is

1042
00:58:19,920 --> 00:58:21,880
sellable.
Maybe.

1043
00:58:27,640 --> 00:58:31,280
All right, everybody.
That was Calumet 14 year single

1044
00:58:31,280 --> 00:58:34,840
rack Black.
A whiskey that I will give a

1045
00:58:34,840 --> 00:58:40,040
black mark to.
Here, here, here, here, here.

1046
00:58:40,800 --> 00:58:42,440
You know what?
I would not give a black mark to

1047
00:58:42,440 --> 00:58:43,600
Bob.
What's that, Brad?

1048
00:58:44,440 --> 00:58:48,600
Canada's favorite segment 2
Facts and a Falsehood.

1049
00:58:48,920 --> 00:58:55,440
Brad is going to try to stump
your ball. 2 All right and what

1050
00:58:55,480 --> 00:59:00,040
is wrong?
2 facts and a falsehood. 2 Facts

1051
00:59:00,040 --> 00:59:02,920
and A Falsehood is the part of
the podcast where Brad presents

1052
00:59:02,920 --> 00:59:06,520
me with three items as fact
about the making of this movie,

1053
00:59:06,560 --> 00:59:10,400
one of which is a complete lie,
and I have to suss out which one

1054
00:59:10,400 --> 00:59:12,440
that is.
I'm a little nervous today, man.

1055
00:59:12,440 --> 00:59:15,840
You know a lot about this movie,
so I think you could very easily

1056
00:59:16,000 --> 00:59:20,000
just make up some more words
about how, you know BLARF in the

1057
00:59:20,000 --> 00:59:22,600
Hut did a whole bunch of stuff.
And I I'm just going to think

1058
00:59:22,600 --> 00:59:26,280
that it's it's accurate.
I don't like, I thought about

1059
00:59:26,280 --> 00:59:29,120
just letting you have this one.
But I got screwed over by our

1060
00:59:29,120 --> 00:59:33,480
friend Noah Guttel last week who
saddled me with two losses on

1061
00:59:33,480 --> 00:59:35,760
Armageddon.
So I went from 8:00 and 2:00 to

1062
00:59:35,760 --> 00:59:38,080
8:00 and.
Four, just like that.

1063
00:59:38,080 --> 00:59:40,280
I'm in a precarious position
here, man.

1064
00:59:40,880 --> 00:59:45,440
Yeah, I'm glad for it.
All right, man, hit me with your

1065
00:59:45,440 --> 00:59:48,320
two facts and a falsehood.
Fact number one.

1066
00:59:48,320 --> 00:59:51,320
In an early version of Luke's
script for The Phantom Menace,

1067
00:59:51,320 --> 00:59:55,320
there was a subplot involving a
young Wookiee named Warka, who

1068
00:59:55,320 --> 00:59:57,840
was intended to be a companion
of the young Anakin Skywalker.

1069
00:59:57,840 --> 01:00:03,320
During his time on Tatooine.
However, he was dropped in favor

1070
01:00:03,320 --> 01:00:05,320
of the one and only Jar Jar
Binks.

1071
01:00:07,000 --> 01:00:11,600
Fact #2 according to Jake Lloyd.
There was a six hour cut of the

1072
01:00:11,600 --> 01:00:14,480
film that was screened for
several people before the film

1073
01:00:14,480 --> 01:00:18,200
was relieved, with those who saw
it proclaiming it to be mind

1074
01:00:18,200 --> 01:00:22,840
bogglingly good.
End Quote Fact #3.

1075
01:00:22,840 --> 01:00:26,560
Ewan McGregor once stated that
before filming began he and Liam

1076
01:00:26,560 --> 01:00:29,240
Neeson were taken to a private
room where two Lucasfilm

1077
01:00:29,240 --> 01:00:32,640
employees approached them with a
long locked wooden box.

1078
01:00:33,080 --> 01:00:37,480
When opened, they saw 20 various
lightsaber hilts, and that they

1079
01:00:37,480 --> 01:00:40,320
were allowed to choose one of
them to be their character's

1080
01:00:40,320 --> 01:00:43,720
official weapon for the movie.
I like how they received their

1081
01:00:43,720 --> 01:00:46,960
lightsabers as if they were like
in the Russian mob.

1082
01:00:47,000 --> 01:00:49,320
Like they got taken to a shady
backroom.

1083
01:00:49,840 --> 01:00:53,080
Some guy opened a briefcase.
Pick your weapon.

1084
01:00:54,240 --> 01:00:55,800
Oh man.
Choose it now.

1085
01:00:55,800 --> 01:01:02,040
Duh.
OK, I feel like #2 is true.

1086
01:01:02,200 --> 01:01:05,120
I just feel like George Lucas
really thought that he had made

1087
01:01:05,120 --> 01:01:07,720
the Great American film here.
It was like, you know what?

1088
01:01:08,320 --> 01:01:11,160
Let's do a six hour version
that's gonna bring him in.

1089
01:01:12,640 --> 01:01:16,600
So it's either what?
I would watch a six hour version

1090
01:01:16,600 --> 01:01:18,320
of this movie.
You know what, I might actually

1091
01:01:18,320 --> 01:01:21,480
watch a six hour version of this
movie too, 'cause I feel like it

1092
01:01:21,480 --> 01:01:24,440
certainly can't get any slower
than the slow parts of this

1093
01:01:24,440 --> 01:01:26,560
movie.
You you would probably get your

1094
01:01:26,680 --> 01:01:28,840
your hour and a half that I.
Want.

1095
01:01:28,840 --> 01:01:32,720
Yes, exactly.
So it's.

1096
01:01:32,760 --> 01:01:37,200
I was watching this with Haley
and I told her I was like, I

1097
01:01:37,200 --> 01:01:39,240
could watch like four or five
hours of this.

1098
01:01:40,760 --> 01:01:42,160
What does Haley think of this
movie?

1099
01:01:43,000 --> 01:01:46,880
Oh, she likes it a lot.
Fun fact, Haley really likes Jar

1100
01:01:46,880 --> 01:01:48,560
Jar.
She thinks that he is of.

1101
01:01:48,560 --> 01:01:51,520
Course she does.
Of course she likes Jar Jar.

1102
01:01:54,520 --> 01:01:57,720
Literally Everything that I
like, she thinks sucks.

1103
01:01:57,720 --> 01:01:59,840
And literally everything that
I'm like, that's not for me.

1104
01:02:00,000 --> 01:02:03,400
It it's for Haley.
We are the Yin and Yang, holding

1105
01:02:03,400 --> 01:02:06,880
the universe together.
Usually hyperbolic speech is

1106
01:02:06,880 --> 01:02:10,280
like obviously false, but it is
I.

1107
01:02:10,720 --> 01:02:15,240
Don't know for so far off.
Oh, man.

1108
01:02:15,240 --> 01:02:17,760
OK, so it's either one or three.
Three.

1109
01:02:17,760 --> 01:02:20,280
Sounds pretty true as well.
Remind me of what number one was

1110
01:02:20,280 --> 01:02:24,680
again.
That there was a a companion for

1111
01:02:24,680 --> 01:02:25,800
Anakin.
Called Wiki, Yeah.

1112
01:02:26,800 --> 01:02:28,880
Yeah, but it got dropped for jar
jar.

1113
01:02:32,200 --> 01:02:33,760
I don't know, man.
These are both really good.

1114
01:02:35,880 --> 01:02:38,560
I think 3 sounds true, so I'm
tempted to say one is the

1115
01:02:38,560 --> 01:02:44,760
falsehood, but I don't freaking
know, man.

1116
01:02:44,960 --> 01:02:46,960
Yeah, I'll just go with my gut.
I'm gonna say one is the

1117
01:02:46,960 --> 01:02:51,320
falsehood here.
Bob, you are on a streak of

1118
01:02:51,400 --> 01:02:53,600
trusting your gut.
Cause number one is the

1119
01:02:53,600 --> 01:02:54,440
falsehood.
Oh.

1120
01:02:54,440 --> 01:02:57,120
Hey, all right, cool.
I thought you were going to say

1121
01:02:57,120 --> 01:03:00,160
I'm on a streak of losing.
No, you're not.

1122
01:03:00,160 --> 01:03:02,960
You've been nailing it this this
season for two facts and a

1123
01:03:02,960 --> 01:03:04,880
falsehood.
Here's my here's my reasoning.

1124
01:03:05,440 --> 01:03:09,120
I figured that George Lucas was
so bought into Jar Jar Binks

1125
01:03:09,120 --> 01:03:11,800
that there could not have been
another version like from the

1126
01:03:11,800 --> 01:03:14,360
get go.
He was like, no, no, this is the

1127
01:03:14,360 --> 01:03:16,120
thing that works about this
movie.

1128
01:03:16,160 --> 01:03:20,200
Like we have to stick with it.
This is the one thing that makes

1129
01:03:20,200 --> 01:03:23,640
sense to me in this crazy messed
up universe.

1130
01:03:23,640 --> 01:03:26,440
Misa Love Jar Jar Binks.
Here.

1131
01:03:26,760 --> 01:03:29,920
Here's one thing I I will say
about Jar Jar.

1132
01:03:31,200 --> 01:03:35,960
I would encourage you to watch
George Lucas's interview where

1133
01:03:35,960 --> 01:03:42,320
he talks about the racism
complaints about Jar Jar because

1134
01:03:42,320 --> 01:03:44,960
frankly I I think it's
ridiculous and.

1135
01:03:44,960 --> 01:03:46,520
The racism complaint is
ridiculous.

1136
01:03:46,520 --> 01:03:47,760
Or.
Yes.

1137
01:03:47,760 --> 01:03:50,320
Oh, OK.
There's there's nothing about

1138
01:03:50,320 --> 01:03:55,440
the character that was meant to
be, or I think is racist about

1139
01:03:55,440 --> 01:03:59,120
it, but I'll leave that.
Let it be known we're taking a

1140
01:03:59,120 --> 01:04:02,080
principled stand here at film
and Whiskey Jar Jar Binks.

1141
01:04:02,160 --> 01:04:05,200
Not.
Racist, not racist character.

1142
01:04:05,680 --> 01:04:09,160
This episode has gone so much
differently that I would have

1143
01:04:09,160 --> 01:04:11,600
expected it to go.
This is my favorite episode

1144
01:04:11,600 --> 01:04:11,920
we've.
Ever.

1145
01:04:11,920 --> 01:04:15,760
I'm sure it is, man.
Talk about cone headed Jedi's

1146
01:04:15,760 --> 01:04:18,600
and stuff.
Can we talk about the pod race,

1147
01:04:18,760 --> 01:04:21,400
please, for the love of God?
OK, so this is what I was most

1148
01:04:21,400 --> 01:04:23,880
excited to talk to you about
because it is by far the best

1149
01:04:23,880 --> 01:04:25,320
piece of filmmaking in this
movie.

1150
01:04:25,600 --> 01:04:28,400
Everything builds to this and I
think it builds for even too

1151
01:04:28,400 --> 01:04:33,120
long, but it still pays off.
And my question to you, Brad G,

1152
01:04:33,120 --> 01:04:37,680
is now that you have seen in
full the film Ben Hur, does it

1153
01:04:37,680 --> 01:04:42,080
make you appreciate the pod race
more or does it make you feel a

1154
01:04:42,080 --> 01:04:45,960
little bit like I have now seen
how the sausage is made and I

1155
01:04:45,960 --> 01:04:49,120
can tell that Lucas kind of
ripped it off a bit here.

1156
01:04:49,320 --> 01:04:50,280
No.
OK.

1157
01:04:50,280 --> 01:04:55,640
I think that for a new era and a
new generation, this is the Ben

1158
01:04:55,640 --> 01:04:59,400
Hur race.
Like, like, yes, there are

1159
01:04:59,400 --> 01:05:04,000
there.
It's a very clear through line

1160
01:05:04,040 --> 01:05:09,360
from Ben Hur to The Phantom
Menace and I'm a OK with that.

1161
01:05:09,440 --> 01:05:13,760
Like like I I think that's part
of the fun of doing this podcast

1162
01:05:13,760 --> 01:05:17,880
is that now I can watch The
Phantom Menace and go oh oh Ben

1163
01:05:17,880 --> 01:05:20,080
Hur.
That one of the best race scenes

1164
01:05:20,080 --> 01:05:23,640
I've ever seen put to film.
Followed up by The Phantom

1165
01:05:23,640 --> 01:05:26,840
Menace 50 years later.
One of the best race scenes I've

1166
01:05:26,840 --> 01:05:29,360
seen put to film also on a
desert.

1167
01:05:29,360 --> 01:05:32,280
Also great sound design.
Great visuals.

1168
01:05:32,600 --> 01:05:36,000
I I'm here for it, man.
I thought it was excellent and I

1169
01:05:36,000 --> 01:05:39,640
also thought that it did the
best job of covering up how bad

1170
01:05:39,640 --> 01:05:43,960
some of the CGI is in in 1999
and we'll get into talking about

1171
01:05:44,040 --> 01:05:46,240
before we get out of here.
Brad, I do want to talk about

1172
01:05:46,240 --> 01:05:50,520
the CGI a little bit, but even
at this early stage of fully CG

1173
01:05:50,520 --> 01:05:53,960
characters, Lucas uses it to
great effect in this scene

1174
01:05:53,960 --> 01:05:58,440
because you can cover up shoddy
CGI if you make it fly by at

1175
01:05:58,440 --> 01:06:02,120
like 300 miles an hour.
And I think that that's really

1176
01:06:02,120 --> 01:06:05,120
like the key to the scene is
like you put a camera inside

1177
01:06:05,120 --> 01:06:07,400
the, you know, the cockpit,
whatever you want to call the

1178
01:06:07,400 --> 01:06:13,000
seat with Jake Lloyd.
And there's like minimal CG that

1179
01:06:13,000 --> 01:06:15,200
you focus on.
Like it's all there, but it's

1180
01:06:15,200 --> 01:06:18,280
whizzing by so fast that it's
like it looks, it looks like a

1181
01:06:18,280 --> 01:06:22,920
real environment.
And I think that it's like it is

1182
01:06:22,920 --> 01:06:26,680
so clearly defined like what the
geography of this racetrack is

1183
01:06:26,680 --> 01:06:29,360
that at a certain point you're
going to have the what are the

1184
01:06:29,360 --> 01:06:30,960
bandits called that shoot at
them.

1185
01:06:31,920 --> 01:06:34,000
The the Sand people.
Yes, yeah.

1186
01:06:34,160 --> 01:06:36,240
Like, you know, they're gonna
come around this curve, they're

1187
01:06:36,240 --> 01:06:37,960
gonna get shot at, they're gonna
go through this cave.

1188
01:06:37,960 --> 01:06:40,480
A guy's gonna hit this like,
stalagmite thing and blow up

1189
01:06:40,480 --> 01:06:43,080
like it's it's very clearly laid
out for you.

1190
01:06:43,520 --> 01:06:46,320
And there's character saying at
every point like this is how

1191
01:06:46,320 --> 01:06:49,120
many laps they have to go.
This is who's in what place in

1192
01:06:49,120 --> 01:06:52,040
the race.
The only complaint, Brad, that I

1193
01:06:52,040 --> 01:06:56,560
have with that whole sequence is
like I know that Jedi Knights

1194
01:06:56,560 --> 01:06:59,480
are like stoic people, but qui
gon my guy?

1195
01:06:59,720 --> 01:07:01,920
And Shmi can you just like cheer
a little?

1196
01:07:02,040 --> 01:07:05,960
Like I have never seen such
disinterested spectators at a

1197
01:07:05,960 --> 01:07:10,760
sporting event in my whole life.
I mean, I think that Qui Gon

1198
01:07:10,760 --> 01:07:13,640
should be disinterested.
That's who the Jedi are.

1199
01:07:13,920 --> 01:07:18,080
I think that Shmi does a decent
job of showing emotion.

1200
01:07:18,080 --> 01:07:20,600
Like, like, there's a few
moments where she kind of gasps

1201
01:07:20,600 --> 01:07:24,240
and grabs her mouth, and I can
easily see a world where a

1202
01:07:24,240 --> 01:07:26,720
mother isn't, like, weeping in
fear.

1203
01:07:26,720 --> 01:07:30,440
She's, like, shocked in fear.
But but I'm.

1204
01:07:30,440 --> 01:07:32,480
I'm with you.
She doesn't show much emotion.

1205
01:07:32,880 --> 01:07:35,000
Qui Gon's off the hook.
He he's not supposed to show

1206
01:07:35,000 --> 01:07:38,600
emotion.
Listen, Qui Gon is allowed to

1207
01:07:38,600 --> 01:07:42,000
bet some money on the side on
the Celtics to win the title and

1208
01:07:42,080 --> 01:07:44,400
stuff like like just let him say
a fan.

1209
01:07:44,440 --> 01:07:46,840
Of something?
Qui Gon was spending all of his

1210
01:07:46,840 --> 01:07:49,760
emotion on secret glances
between him and SH me.

1211
01:07:50,280 --> 01:07:52,040
Alright man, he didn't have any.
What's?

1212
01:07:52,040 --> 01:07:54,520
Going on underneath that robe.
That's my question.

1213
01:07:56,640 --> 01:07:58,360
All right, so we have we have
touched lightsaber.

1214
01:07:59,280 --> 01:07:59,560
Nope.
Nope.

1215
01:07:59,600 --> 01:08:00,840
Nope.
Nope, Nope, Nope, Nope.

1216
01:08:02,160 --> 01:08:05,800
We have touched on the pod race.
We need to talk in a little bit.

1217
01:08:05,800 --> 01:08:07,400
Go ahead.
Hold on, pod.

1218
01:08:07,400 --> 01:08:09,840
Race, Yeah.
The writing of the pod race is

1219
01:08:09,840 --> 01:08:11,680
incredible.
Yeah, I just said that.

1220
01:08:12,360 --> 01:08:16,000
No, but but even just like the
structure of it, right?

1221
01:08:16,279 --> 01:08:21,560
Lap #1, Anakin gets stuck and we
follow everybody else and learn

1222
01:08:21,880 --> 01:08:26,479
the dangers of the course.
Lap #2, we spend the whole time

1223
01:08:26,600 --> 01:08:31,279
between Sebulba destroying his
opponents and Anakin, you know,

1224
01:08:31,319 --> 01:08:35,279
showing off how skilled he is
and, you know, proving all the

1225
01:08:35,279 --> 01:08:37,359
things that were said about him,
that he's this great,

1226
01:08:39,120 --> 01:08:42,040
oppression, precocious pod
racer.

1227
01:08:42,520 --> 01:08:46,120
And then lap three is the
showdown, and it's just

1228
01:08:46,520 --> 01:08:49,319
incredible writing of an action
scene.

1229
01:08:49,840 --> 01:08:55,920
And I think that's that's George
Lucas for me like like he has

1230
01:08:55,920 --> 01:08:57,920
lots of flaws.
He has a lot of places where

1231
01:08:57,920 --> 01:09:02,120
he's like AC to AB Plus
director.

1232
01:09:02,600 --> 01:09:08,040
But his action sequences, I
think he is a legendary all time

1233
01:09:08,040 --> 01:09:12,240
Hall of Fame director and the
pod races that in this film.

1234
01:09:12,600 --> 01:09:15,000
For sure.
Like no notes on that man.

1235
01:09:16,359 --> 01:09:20,760
OK I do want to talk CGI for a
second because the I don't I

1236
01:09:20,760 --> 01:09:23,560
feel like I've said this, I'm I
am a nerd and I'm very weird and

1237
01:09:23,560 --> 01:09:26,760
I acknowledge this.
But like I feel like every

1238
01:09:26,760 --> 01:09:32,760
digital CGI house has their kind
of house style of like when

1239
01:09:32,760 --> 01:09:34,880
you're watching Lord of the
Rings like you know what works

1240
01:09:34,880 --> 01:09:37,560
really well from weta digital,
you know what they're good at.

1241
01:09:37,560 --> 01:09:42,640
Like the the the translucency of
the skin on Golem is like next

1242
01:09:42,640 --> 01:09:44,479
level stuff that no one else was
doing.

1243
01:09:44,680 --> 01:09:47,040
When you watch like Pixar, you
know what Pixar is really good

1244
01:09:47,040 --> 01:09:49,040
at?
Like even from the get go in

1245
01:09:49,040 --> 01:09:50,600
toy.
Story Piper Short.

1246
01:09:50,840 --> 01:09:54,160
Oh yeah, photo realistic.
But like, even even in the

1247
01:09:54,160 --> 01:09:56,920
original Toy Story where the
humans look horrifying, like

1248
01:09:57,240 --> 01:10:00,360
their ability to replicate
textures and wood grains and

1249
01:10:00,360 --> 01:10:01,840
things like that, it's it's next
level.

1250
01:10:02,520 --> 01:10:05,040
Industrial Light and magic.
There has always been something

1251
01:10:05,040 --> 01:10:09,320
weird to me about their CGI.
It never ever fully works for me

1252
01:10:09,880 --> 01:10:14,000
and like the the things just
seem rubbery and they don't seem

1253
01:10:14,000 --> 01:10:16,320
like they're actually like part
of the environment.

1254
01:10:16,320 --> 01:10:18,360
They feel like they're slapped
in front like they have a

1255
01:10:18,360 --> 01:10:21,480
completed shot and instead of
making the the thing seem like

1256
01:10:21,480 --> 01:10:23,840
it's a part of the depth of the
shot it just seems like they

1257
01:10:24,560 --> 01:10:26,960
held a puppet up in front of it
and like this doesn't.

1258
01:10:27,200 --> 01:10:31,200
It doesn't always work for me
but what I will say Brad in the

1259
01:10:31,200 --> 01:10:37,640
in favor of this movie is that
Lucas was doing a lot of on

1260
01:10:37,640 --> 01:10:43,000
location shooting and and you
know by episode 3 you've got

1261
01:10:43,000 --> 01:10:45,640
environments that are like it's
just a guy on a blue screen and

1262
01:10:45,640 --> 01:10:48,480
everything is CGI.
In this movie in particular,

1263
01:10:48,480 --> 01:10:50,840
especially like that final
battle scene where you've got

1264
01:10:50,840 --> 01:10:53,280
like the Droid army kind of
coming over the hill.

1265
01:10:53,640 --> 01:10:56,720
It's like, it sounds stupid to
be like, oh, that's a real hill,

1266
01:10:56,960 --> 01:11:02,120
but I love the way that the the
camera shots are designed to

1267
01:11:02,120 --> 01:11:06,000
take place in a real world
setting and then the CGI is

1268
01:11:06,000 --> 01:11:09,160
placed into that real world
setting instead of just we're

1269
01:11:09,160 --> 01:11:11,960
going to construct everything
inside of a computer.

1270
01:11:11,960 --> 01:11:14,440
Because I think this movie could
look a hell of a lot worse than

1271
01:11:14,440 --> 01:11:19,680
it does if George was using his
Episode 3 mindset here.

1272
01:11:20,440 --> 01:11:23,440
Sure.
I I mean, I'll say this about

1273
01:11:23,440 --> 01:11:27,120
the CGI.
What year did Shrek come out?

1274
01:11:27,120 --> 01:11:31,360
2001, 2002.
Tell me that this doesn't look

1275
01:11:31,360 --> 01:11:36,880
10 times better than Shrek CGI.
Like, yeah, although if you put

1276
01:11:36,880 --> 01:11:39,840
Shrek in this movie, he would
probably be a believable

1277
01:11:39,840 --> 01:11:42,400
character on on Naboo.
Shut up, Bob.

1278
01:11:43,880 --> 01:11:46,960
Get the heck out of here.
Here's here's the deal with the

1279
01:11:46,960 --> 01:11:51,200
CG I I think that the
advancement of technology has

1280
01:11:51,200 --> 01:11:56,960
done this movie no favors.
I think that in 1999 it looked

1281
01:11:56,960 --> 01:11:59,440
pretty solid.
I'm not going to say it was like

1282
01:11:59,440 --> 01:12:03,800
great, but I think it looked
pretty good in 99 and it

1283
01:12:03,800 --> 01:12:09,640
advanced the medium of CGI in in
important ways.

1284
01:12:09,840 --> 01:12:13,680
And I that I say that as
somebody who hates CG.

1285
01:12:13,680 --> 01:12:17,920
I I I think it's garbage.
I think in this movie it's OK.

1286
01:12:18,240 --> 01:12:21,240
I think in the second and third
film it gets kind of ridiculous.

1287
01:12:22,160 --> 01:12:24,680
And I think for the same reason
that you said like there's you

1288
01:12:24,680 --> 01:12:29,440
can still tell there's a tactile
nature to a lot of this movie

1289
01:12:29,840 --> 01:12:31,600
that's really beautiful.
And.

1290
01:12:31,600 --> 01:12:34,600
And I think that the other
reason I'm a kind of OK with the

1291
01:12:34,600 --> 01:12:39,920
CGI is that so many of the wide
shots of Naboo and Tatooine and

1292
01:12:39,920 --> 01:12:46,600
Coruscant are just gorgeous.
Like like they are immaculately

1293
01:12:46,600 --> 01:12:49,760
beautiful shots of these
planets.

1294
01:12:49,760 --> 01:12:54,520
And it and it sets up just this
really cool world that Lucas is

1295
01:12:54,520 --> 01:12:57,120
inhabiting with all these weird
creatures.

1296
01:12:57,760 --> 01:13:03,760
And I think that 4 KTVS and even
like Blu rays to a point.

1297
01:13:03,760 --> 01:13:09,040
Like they don't do the aging of
this film any favors.

1298
01:13:09,520 --> 01:13:12,320
I think that if you were
watching this on Avhs or an

1299
01:13:12,320 --> 01:13:16,320
early DVD in like 2001, I don't
think your complaints about the

1300
01:13:16,320 --> 01:13:20,400
CGI would be as pronounced.
All right, cool.

1301
01:13:21,000 --> 01:13:23,520
And that's not me saying that
you like you're wrong.

1302
01:13:23,520 --> 01:13:24,920
I I just think that.
No, no, no.

1303
01:13:24,920 --> 01:13:25,760
I'm with.
I'm with you, man.

1304
01:13:25,760 --> 01:13:29,920
Yeah, I mean, listen, Jurassic
Park looked years ahead of its

1305
01:13:29,920 --> 01:13:32,640
time on DVD and VHS, and now on
4K.

1306
01:13:32,640 --> 01:13:35,720
It's like, Oh yeah, like this is
starting to finally look old,

1307
01:13:35,720 --> 01:13:38,640
You know what I mean?
Yeah, yeah, 100%.

1308
01:13:38,640 --> 01:13:42,200
But also Jurassic.
And I'm saying this during a

1309
01:13:42,200 --> 01:13:45,800
Star Wars review, Bob, Jurassic
Park is a perfect.

1310
01:13:45,800 --> 01:13:48,320
It's a perfect movie.
It's so good.

1311
01:13:48,520 --> 01:13:51,480
All right, Brad, it is time for
us to get to our last segment of

1312
01:13:51,480 --> 01:13:54,120
the day, which we call.
Let's make it a double.

1313
01:13:54,320 --> 01:13:57,720
We're near the end of the
episodes of Things Listening to

1314
01:13:57,720 --> 01:14:00,520
the Film and Whiskey show.
Let's favor another film with

1315
01:14:00,520 --> 01:14:01,960
this one, even if it's
struggling.

1316
01:14:01,960 --> 01:14:04,520
It's a final segment of the day.
Now let's make it a double.

1317
01:14:04,840 --> 01:14:07,360
Let's make it a double is the
part of the podcast where we

1318
01:14:07,360 --> 01:14:10,640
pick a movie to pair up with
this one to make the perfect

1319
01:14:10,640 --> 01:14:12,800
double feature.
Brad, would you like to go first

1320
01:14:12,800 --> 01:14:17,920
or do you want me to go first?
Bob, of all the weeks, I I

1321
01:14:17,920 --> 01:14:20,600
literally didn't even know that
we did this segment.

1322
01:14:20,720 --> 01:14:24,680
Like that's how unprepared I am.
Well, it it's really funny that

1323
01:14:24,680 --> 01:14:28,920
you finally decided to go to a
movie and see Dune because I am

1324
01:14:28,920 --> 01:14:31,800
going to pair this movie with
the first Dune, not the second

1325
01:14:31,800 --> 01:14:32,920
one.
I think it would be unfair to

1326
01:14:32,920 --> 01:14:34,680
pair it with the second one
because I think the first Dune

1327
01:14:34,680 --> 01:14:38,160
is significantly more flawed
than Dune 2, agreed.

1328
01:14:38,440 --> 01:14:41,880
I just, you know, when I'm
thinking about world building

1329
01:14:41,880 --> 01:14:47,720
sci-fi epics that take place
mostly on sand, it really limits

1330
01:14:47,880 --> 01:14:50,760
my choices here.
But I think that you could do a

1331
01:14:50,760 --> 01:14:54,960
heck of a lot worse than looking
at what Lucas built in his.

1332
01:14:57,400 --> 01:14:58,440
And I don't mean this in a bad
way.

1333
01:14:58,440 --> 01:15:03,600
It's a very kid friendly,
ultimately optimistic, bright,

1334
01:15:04,280 --> 01:15:08,120
pretty happy movie versus like
what Denis Villeneuve is doing

1335
01:15:08,120 --> 01:15:11,280
with Dune, which is a huge
downer of a series.

1336
01:15:11,560 --> 01:15:14,080
Like do you know what I mean?
And I think it'd be like a fun

1337
01:15:14,080 --> 01:15:17,760
pairing in that, like you can
see what audiences wanted in

1338
01:15:17,760 --> 01:15:21,360
1999 and what they responded to
versus what they responded to in

1339
01:15:21,360 --> 01:15:23,600
2019 or whenever the hell Dune
came out.

1340
01:15:23,600 --> 01:15:27,640
So yeah, man, that's my pick.
Dune One and Star Wars One.

1341
01:15:28,480 --> 01:15:30,440
Yeah, I I think that's actually
a great pick, Bob.

1342
01:15:30,960 --> 01:15:36,360
I am gonna jump back about five
years from The Phantom Menace,

1343
01:15:36,760 --> 01:15:41,240
and I'm going to pick a movie
that I think thematically and

1344
01:15:41,240 --> 01:15:44,840
stylistically feels somewhat
similar in the sense of

1345
01:15:44,840 --> 01:15:47,640
adventure and fun that it
brings.

1346
01:15:47,960 --> 01:15:50,920
I'm going to pick 1994's
Stargate.

1347
01:15:52,400 --> 01:15:56,320
I think that that would be a
really, oh, such a fun movie.

1348
01:15:57,360 --> 01:16:01,600
I think it would be a really fun
evening of like 90s cinema to

1349
01:16:01,600 --> 01:16:04,560
just sit down and enjoy Stargate
and Star Wars.

1350
01:16:06,160 --> 01:16:09,720
Brad, I have AI have a quiz, a
pop quiz for you.

1351
01:16:10,920 --> 01:16:15,120
How many Oscars do you think
that Episode One was nominated

1352
01:16:15,120 --> 01:16:20,280
for?
Oh, I am going to guess.

1353
01:16:20,440 --> 01:16:22,480
Can I can I go like through a
few categories?

1354
01:16:22,480 --> 01:16:28,480
Sure.
Maybe this is a reach, maybe

1355
01:16:28,480 --> 01:16:31,320
best supporting actor for for
Liam Neeson.

1356
01:16:32,200 --> 01:16:34,400
Partially.
I guess that because Liam's like

1357
01:16:34,440 --> 01:16:39,560
established on the scene, I'm
guessing best visual effects,

1358
01:16:39,560 --> 01:16:42,000
best sound effects or sound
design.

1359
01:16:42,000 --> 01:16:43,120
Is it?
Is it sound design?

1360
01:16:43,480 --> 01:16:46,520
Yeah, they actually had two
categories for sound back then.

1361
01:16:46,520 --> 01:16:49,280
There was sound effects editing
and then there was just best

1362
01:16:49,280 --> 01:16:52,320
sound.
Oh, I would.

1363
01:16:52,360 --> 01:16:55,400
I would guess they'd be
nominated for both.

1364
01:16:55,400 --> 01:16:58,440
I don't know.
We'll say two thinking through

1365
01:16:58,440 --> 01:17:00,920
that.
I'm guessing like 4 to 6

1366
01:17:00,920 --> 01:17:06,960
something in that range. 33 And
it went over 3, Brad, because it

1367
01:17:06,960 --> 01:17:09,800
was going up against a little
movie that used the CGI

1368
01:17:09,800 --> 01:17:11,880
significantly better called The
Matrix.

1369
01:17:13,160 --> 01:17:16,680
The Matrix won for Best Visual
Effects, it won for Best Sound,

1370
01:17:16,680 --> 01:17:18,800
and it won for Best Sound
Effects Editing.

1371
01:17:18,800 --> 01:17:21,440
So it lost to the same movie in
all three categories.

1372
01:17:21,880 --> 01:17:27,640
See, I I will say a an avid 10
out of 10 love.

1373
01:17:27,640 --> 01:17:31,400
Like, I think that The Matrix
might be the best science

1374
01:17:31,400 --> 01:17:35,000
fiction movie of all time.
I I love that movie.

1375
01:17:35,000 --> 01:17:39,360
I don't actually qualify Star
Wars a science fiction, but

1376
01:17:39,360 --> 01:17:44,440
that's just me being a genreist.
I would say loving The Matrix.

1377
01:17:44,600 --> 01:17:48,480
I think that the sound design,
whatever the the more technical

1378
01:17:48,480 --> 01:17:52,760
version of sound is, I think
that I think that Star Wars is

1379
01:17:52,760 --> 01:17:57,840
better.
There's just so much beauty to

1380
01:17:57,840 --> 01:18:01,120
the sound design in this film.
Like even beyond the pod race,

1381
01:18:01,120 --> 01:18:03,440
which I think is a master class
in sound design.

1382
01:18:03,800 --> 01:18:08,960
There's just so many incredible
moments of of lightsabers and

1383
01:18:09,720 --> 01:18:14,400
the the sounds of the the
blasters on the ships.

1384
01:18:14,520 --> 01:18:17,680
Ah man, yeah, the sound design
in this is better than the

1385
01:18:17,680 --> 01:18:20,400
Matrix overall score.
Maybe not.

1386
01:18:20,560 --> 01:18:22,640
But how did you got to do all
the fates, Bob?

1387
01:18:24,520 --> 01:18:26,120
You do have Duel of the Fates,
Brad.

1388
01:18:26,120 --> 01:18:28,800
That's true. 99 What a year for
movies.

1389
01:18:28,800 --> 01:18:30,280
I'm going to run down a couple
here, Brad.

1390
01:18:30,360 --> 01:18:34,360
American Beauty wins Best
Picture, also competing in Best

1391
01:18:34,360 --> 01:18:35,640
Picture.
You've got The Cider House

1392
01:18:35,640 --> 01:18:39,760
Rules, Green Mile, The Insider
and The 6th Sense.

1393
01:18:40,120 --> 01:18:42,680
You've got movies such as Let's
go through some of these.

1394
01:18:43,040 --> 01:18:45,720
Hilary Swank wins her Oscar for
Boys Don't Cry.

1395
01:18:46,080 --> 01:18:48,760
Angelina Jolie wins Best
Supporting Actress for a Girl

1396
01:18:48,760 --> 01:18:51,480
Interrupted.
Being John Malkovich comes out

1397
01:18:51,480 --> 01:18:54,360
this year, Paul Thomas
Anderson's Magnolia.

1398
01:18:54,680 --> 01:18:58,480
You've got let's see what else
Disney comes out with Tarzan

1399
01:18:58,480 --> 01:19:00,640
this year.
It's just a really, really great

1400
01:19:00,640 --> 01:19:02,320
year.
Fight Club comes out this year.

1401
01:19:02,640 --> 01:19:03,920
What a great year for movies,
man.

1402
01:19:04,080 --> 01:19:05,760
Your your favorite film of the.
Year.

1403
01:19:05,760 --> 01:19:08,240
My favorite film.
You even have a a nomination

1404
01:19:08,240 --> 01:19:13,640
here for Best Makeup for the
second Austin Powers movie and a

1405
01:19:13,640 --> 01:19:16,720
Best Sound nomination for The
Mummy, which I freaking rock

1406
01:19:16,720 --> 01:19:22,080
with, man, I love The Mummy.
I have not seen any of the the

1407
01:19:22,080 --> 01:19:24,680
Austin Powers movies and I have
not seen The Mummy.

1408
01:19:24,680 --> 01:19:26,440
Oh man, not.
No wonder why you like this

1409
01:19:26,440 --> 01:19:30,160
movie so much.
Brad, we've got to expose you to

1410
01:19:30,160 --> 01:19:32,320
good cinema here.
Brad, it's time for final

1411
01:19:32,320 --> 01:19:34,200
scores.
I'm going to go first because

1412
01:19:34,200 --> 01:19:36,520
you're going to hate me.
I told you this the other day

1413
01:19:36,520 --> 01:19:38,360
though.
Like I told you, I was falling

1414
01:19:38,360 --> 01:19:41,360
somewhere between A5 and A6 on
this movie and it is an

1415
01:19:41,360 --> 01:19:44,960
infuriating movie to score
because I don't dislike it.

1416
01:19:45,800 --> 01:19:48,520
But there are just so many
stretches of this movie that I

1417
01:19:48,520 --> 01:19:53,440
think are just actively bad,
coupled with many sequences of

1418
01:19:53,440 --> 01:19:56,920
some of the best sci-fi and
action film making I have ever

1419
01:19:56,920 --> 01:20:01,520
seen and it just is is just
thrown together in a pot and

1420
01:20:01,520 --> 01:20:04,680
makes the most weird tasting
Stew I've ever encountered.

1421
01:20:05,560 --> 01:20:12,080
It's like man, I'm going to give
it AI want to say 5 1/2.

1422
01:20:12,080 --> 01:20:14,360
I'm not going to give it a 5
1/2, and the only reason why is

1423
01:20:14,360 --> 01:20:17,960
because we also gave.
Back to the Future five and A

1424
01:20:17,960 --> 01:20:21,640
halfs across the board.
And I don't want, I don't want

1425
01:20:21,640 --> 01:20:24,840
to insinuate that I like this
movie on the same level as that.

1426
01:20:24,840 --> 01:20:29,280
So I'm going to give it a six
out of 10, but no higher.

1427
01:20:31,600 --> 01:20:33,760
That's disappointing.
I think you gave the original

1428
01:20:33,760 --> 01:20:37,320
Star Wars like a 7 out of 10,
which is bonkers.

1429
01:20:38,520 --> 01:20:43,160
I'm at a nine out of 10 Bob.
I think that this film has so

1430
01:20:43,160 --> 01:20:47,840
much going for it.
There's so much charm if you

1431
01:20:47,840 --> 01:20:50,640
want to subscribe to like auteur
theory.

1432
01:20:50,800 --> 01:20:54,240
I think that Lucas is doing
exactly what he wants to do here

1433
01:20:54,240 --> 01:20:56,960
to set up the rest of the
series.

1434
01:20:56,960 --> 01:21:01,200
Like so many fans were
disappointed with The Phantom

1435
01:21:01,200 --> 01:21:05,320
Menace because it featured a
child, Anakin.

1436
01:21:05,840 --> 01:21:09,560
And I think that when you look
at the the series as a whole, it

1437
01:21:09,560 --> 01:21:14,320
it works beautifully because you
have that innocence and that

1438
01:21:14,320 --> 01:21:17,560
childlike nature stamped in your
memory.

1439
01:21:17,560 --> 01:21:22,080
Because who could ever forget
Jake Lloyd saying Yippee right

1440
01:21:22,080 --> 01:21:23,520
Like it's stamped in your
memory?

1441
01:21:23,560 --> 01:21:26,040
Pod racing.
Oh man.

1442
01:21:26,040 --> 01:21:28,280
I love it, Yeah, I love it.
I don't even care that he says

1443
01:21:28,280 --> 01:21:29,440
that.
I'm like, good for you, man.

1444
01:21:33,040 --> 01:21:37,160
I I think that overall, Lucas
did exactly what he wanted to

1445
01:21:37,160 --> 01:21:39,960
hear.
The sound design is incredible.

1446
01:21:39,960 --> 01:21:43,600
The the world's that you visit
are gorgeous and beautiful.

1447
01:21:44,120 --> 01:21:48,800
The the even just the the
introduction of the Gungans and

1448
01:21:48,800 --> 01:21:52,120
the Naboo is like every other
planet you've ever been to.

1449
01:21:52,120 --> 01:21:57,520
Is just like aliens and humans
coexisting and and you don't

1450
01:21:57,520 --> 01:22:01,720
really know, like are any of
these natives to the world or

1451
01:22:01,720 --> 01:22:05,080
are they just all transplants
like here for the first time you

1452
01:22:05,080 --> 01:22:08,480
get like, no, the Naboo are from
here and the Gungans are from

1453
01:22:08,480 --> 01:22:12,560
here and they've coexisted, you
know, very tenuously for

1454
01:22:12,560 --> 01:22:15,160
centuries and you feel that
history.

1455
01:22:16,000 --> 01:22:20,240
There's just so much going on
here that's just wonderful and

1456
01:22:20,240 --> 01:22:23,440
fun and I love it.
And it's a nine out of 10.

1457
01:22:23,680 --> 01:22:24,840
All right folks, there you have
it.

1458
01:22:25,040 --> 01:22:27,720
Brad has completely gone off the
rails and given this movie a

1459
01:22:27,720 --> 01:22:31,560
nine out of 10.
I'm giving it a six out of 10

1460
01:22:31,560 --> 01:22:34,160
and I really regret not giving
it the five and a half that it

1461
01:22:34,160 --> 01:22:37,360
deserved.
So we are coming to a 7.5 on

1462
01:22:37,360 --> 01:22:39,360
average, but we'd like to know
what you think.

1463
01:22:39,360 --> 01:22:43,600
Where are you landing on The
Phantom Menace 25 years after

1464
01:22:43,600 --> 01:22:46,360
its release?
You can let us know on all of

1465
01:22:46,360 --> 01:22:50,080
our social media platforms,
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,

1466
01:22:50,280 --> 01:22:53,120
Tiktok or YouTube at Film
Whiskey.

1467
01:22:54,160 --> 01:22:56,160
Or you can give us a follow on
Discord.

1468
01:22:56,160 --> 01:22:59,360
We are on there every single day
talking to you guys, the fans of

1469
01:22:59,360 --> 01:23:01,960
the Film and Whiskey Podcast.
So if you'd like to join the

1470
01:23:01,960 --> 01:23:04,600
conversation, you can find a
link at the end of every single

1471
01:23:04,600 --> 01:23:07,200
one of our show notes.
Next week Brad, a film that we

1472
01:23:07,200 --> 01:23:09,040
will be united in our hatred
for.

1473
01:23:09,040 --> 01:23:13,200
I'm predicting the truly God
awful Ron Howard film, How the

1474
01:23:13,200 --> 01:23:16,920
Grinch Stole Christmas.
We're watching this literally

1475
01:23:17,040 --> 01:23:20,160
the week of Easter, so we are
way off in our timing on this

1476
01:23:20,160 --> 01:23:25,080
one, but there's no time like
the present to review whatever

1477
01:23:25,080 --> 01:23:28,080
this is Brad, so join us next
week for that.

1478
01:23:28,080 --> 01:23:31,640
But until then, I'm Bob Book.
I'm Brad G.

1479
01:23:31,880 --> 01:23:33,280
And we'll see you next time.