WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.399 Hello everybody, and welcome to our brand new episode of 2 00:00:02.480 --> 00:00:05.599 Second Take Cinema, coming at you from the Glorious Impala 3 00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:07.000 Film's headquarters. 4 00:00:06.559 --> 00:00:09.439 In sunny South End on Sea. I'm your host Jamie Evans, 5 00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:12.000 joined as always by Rory Jocelyn, and I am to 6 00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:17.160 the Power of three and today we continue Listener Request Month. 7 00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:21.359 This request coming from listener Tierra, who requested the nineteen 8 00:00:21.480 --> 00:00:26.679 ninety seven independent sci fi movie Cube. Tierra Va kindly 9 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:29.879 sent us a audio clip explaining why she wants us 10 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:32.960 to look at this movie, so I'm going to edit 11 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:34.159 that in right here. 12 00:00:35.079 --> 00:00:39.200 Hello, Jamie and Rory, this is Tira Tank coming at 13 00:00:39.240 --> 00:00:44.920 you from the frozen tundra of central Wisconsin, and this 14 00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:49.119 is my submission for Second Take Cinema. I decided on 15 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:54.000 the film Cube, directed by Vincenzo Natali, one of my 16 00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:57.799 favorite directors of all time, if not my favorite director 17 00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:01.359 of all time. I saw this for the first time 18 00:01:01.560 --> 00:01:04.920 when I was living in Japan, and at the time 19 00:01:06.079 --> 00:01:11.519 we were watching through Stargate Atlantis and Star Trek Deep 20 00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:15.920 Space nine. So I was really into David Hewlett and 21 00:01:16.040 --> 00:01:18.920 Nicole de Boor as actors, and I was really thrilled 22 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:23.959 that they were part of the Cube cast. I can't 23 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:27.200 say enough about this film. It I loved it back 24 00:01:27.239 --> 00:01:31.760 then and there was so much more to absorb as 25 00:01:31.799 --> 00:01:37.599 an adult. Yeah, I'm just gonna let you guys sit 26 00:01:37.640 --> 00:01:40.560 back and enjoy this one. It was made for a 27 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:45.040 measly budget of seven hundred dollars seven hundred thousand dollars Canadian. 28 00:01:46.519 --> 00:01:50.560 They built one Cube set and a half to shoot 29 00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:57.680 this entire film in using very clever camera and lighting tricks, 30 00:01:57.719 --> 00:02:02.200 and I just love the writing and acting in the 31 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:11.080 psychological downfall that these characters go through. So yeah, enjoy. 32 00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:14.800 Well, Tierra, you asked, and we are happy to comply. 33 00:02:15.280 --> 00:03:17.319 It's time for a second take on Cube. Cube is 34 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:20.680 a nineteen ninety seven Canadian science fiction horror movie directed 35 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:24.159 and co written by Vincenzo Natali. It was made for 36 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:28.039 a budget of seven hundred thousand dollars Canadian, as Tierra 37 00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:31.240 can'tly told us, and it made nine million dollars at 38 00:03:31.319 --> 00:03:34.599 the box office in its home country of Canada. The 39 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:38.280 film was actually a commercial failure, only staying in Canadian 40 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:41.599 theaters for a handful of days. However, it did better 41 00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:47.120 in other markets, including France. The rest of America and Japan. 42 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:50.560 Over on Rotten Tomatoes, it has a sixty three percent 43 00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:55.360 approval rating, with the website's critical consensus reading Cube sometimes 44 00:03:55.360 --> 00:03:58.759 struggles with where to take its intriguing premise, but gripping 45 00:03:58.840 --> 00:04:02.520 pace and an impressive intelligence make it hard to turn away. 46 00:04:03.039 --> 00:04:06.199 Bob Graham of the San Francisco Chronicle was highly critical. 47 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:10.479 If writer director Vincenzo Natalie, storyboard artist for Keanu Reeves 48 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:14.520 Johnny Namonic, were as comfortable with dialogue and dramatizing characters 49 00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:17.160 as he is with imagers, this first feature of his 50 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:21.160 might have worked better. Nick Schaeger from Slant Magazine rated 51 00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:23.920 the film three out of five stars, noting that its 52 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:28.160 intriguing premise and initially chilling mood were undone by threadbare 53 00:04:28.240 --> 00:04:33.000 characterizations and lack of a satisfying explanation for the Cube's existence. 54 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:37.120 He concluded the film winds up going nowhere fast. Anita 55 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:40.000 Gates of The New York Times was more positive, saying 56 00:04:40.040 --> 00:04:43.759 the story proofs surprisingly gripping in the best Twilight Zone tradition. 57 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:46.959 The ensemble cast does an outstanding job on the cinematic 58 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:49.800 equivalent of a bare stage. Everyone has his or her 59 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:53.160 own theory about who is behind this peculiar imprisonment. The 60 00:04:53.199 --> 00:04:57.759 weakness in Cube is the dialogue, which sometimes turns remarkably trite. 61 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:01.279 The strength is in the film's understated but real tension. 62 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:05.519 Vincenzo Natari, the film's fledgling director and co writer, has 63 00:05:05.560 --> 00:05:09.680 delivered in an allegory two about futility, about the necessity 64 00:05:09.720 --> 00:05:13.240 and certain betrayal of trust, about human beings who do not, 65 00:05:13.399 --> 00:05:17.079 for a second have the luxury of doing nothing. Bloody 66 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:20.680 Disgusting gave a positive review, saying shoddy acting in a 67 00:05:20.680 --> 00:05:24.079 semi week script can't hold this movie back. It's simply 68 00:05:24.120 --> 00:05:27.040 too good a premise and too well directed to let 69 00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:31.399 minor hindrancers derail its creepy premise. And Lastly, Kim Newman 70 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:34.800 from Empire Online gave the film four out of five stars, 71 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:38.120 writing too many low budget sci fi films try for 72 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:41.439 epic scope and fail. This one concentrates on making the 73 00:05:41.480 --> 00:05:45.879 best of what it's got and does it well. So Rory, 74 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:48.480 how do you ever seen Cube before today? 75 00:05:49.040 --> 00:05:52.199 No? But uh, I've always been interested in it. 76 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:53.959 I actually have a copy of Cube two and have 77 00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:56.279 never watched it because I've never been able to get 78 00:05:56.279 --> 00:05:59.399 a copy of Cube, so I don't want to watch 79 00:05:59.399 --> 00:06:02.360 a second one and maybe spoil the first one for myself. 80 00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:04.759 I don't know, didn't know if they'd connect or anything 81 00:06:04.839 --> 00:06:08.279 like that. So yeah, I'll be able to watch that 82 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:11.360 now thanks to this. What I will say is about 83 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:14.800 what the last reviewer said from Empire, where they said 84 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:17.759 a lot of sci fi features try and go too 85 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:20.959 big in scope when they've got very little budget. I 86 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:23.040 hate to constantly bring this back, but on our sister 87 00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:27.639 show VGMP, we did Doom Annihilation and we had that 88 00:06:27.800 --> 00:06:29.759 that was the one that kind of did the opposite 89 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:32.199 of this. So whereas this had little budget so it 90 00:06:32.360 --> 00:06:36.040 confined itself to a small space, Doom Annihilation tried to 91 00:06:36.040 --> 00:06:38.319 do way too much with the budget it had, which 92 00:06:38.360 --> 00:06:41.240 was bigger than budget than this, but still not enough 93 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:43.839 for the scope it tried to do. So it's interesting 94 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:46.160 to get the two polar opposites where I kind of 95 00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:49.680 had a very similar vibe from this. I respect it 96 00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:52.120 because it goes hard for what it tries to do 97 00:06:52.199 --> 00:06:56.920 on the minimal budget it's got. So it's just interesting 98 00:06:56.959 --> 00:06:59.279 to see that a reviewer picked up on that. Where 99 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:01.639 you have the two opposit's, you have the indie movie 100 00:07:01.639 --> 00:07:03.720 that tries to go too hard on tiny budget, and 101 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:06.079 you got the indie movie that understands its budget's too small, 102 00:07:06.120 --> 00:07:09.399 so it really reduces down and in this case, it 103 00:07:09.439 --> 00:07:12.279 basically pairs it down to just a cube, which is 104 00:07:12.360 --> 00:07:15.319 very interesting. I had seen this once before. 105 00:07:15.720 --> 00:07:18.240 I wanted to see it for a very long time, 106 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:20.279 and it was just one of those films that I 107 00:07:20.360 --> 00:07:23.560 never got around to. And then a couple of years ago, 108 00:07:24.480 --> 00:07:28.879 me and my partner we did a Halloween night thing 109 00:07:29.399 --> 00:07:32.240 and one of the films that she showed me was 110 00:07:32.279 --> 00:07:35.040 this one, which I was very grateful to finally get 111 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:36.040 a chance to see. 112 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:37.319 A really good way. 113 00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:39.399 To see it was getting to experience it with her. 114 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:44.040 And it's a little different to what I had pictured 115 00:07:44.079 --> 00:07:47.240 in my head because I hadn't realized how low. 116 00:07:47.040 --> 00:07:49.000 Budget it was when I heard about it. 117 00:07:49.319 --> 00:07:52.839 The film has, if I may start the conversation, the 118 00:07:52.879 --> 00:07:56.160 film has a very indie feel. And what I mean 119 00:07:56.199 --> 00:08:00.480 by that is when you see enough low budget in films, 120 00:08:00.519 --> 00:08:03.399 and I've seen quite a few just from going to 121 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:09.600 film festivals and knowing indie filmmakers, and I enjoy watching 122 00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:14.279 indie projects. There's a certain feel that they all have 123 00:08:15.079 --> 00:08:20.279 in common. It's a lack of polish that separates them 124 00:08:20.279 --> 00:08:21.680 from Hollywood movies. 125 00:08:21.839 --> 00:08:23.319 It's lacking gloss. 126 00:08:23.079 --> 00:08:28.720 That can sometimes work in the film's favor and sometimes 127 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:30.319 can work against it. 128 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:32.720 It's why horrors generally do better when they're not big. 129 00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:35.720 Budget, because the lack of gloss is what makes the 130 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:36.600 horror work better. 131 00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:39.519 Yeah, horror films that look too nice and clean don't 132 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:42.840 work cube, I don't deny. 133 00:08:43.159 --> 00:08:45.440 The reviewer pointed. 134 00:08:45.080 --> 00:08:47.559 Out that the acting is quite shoddy in some places, 135 00:08:47.919 --> 00:08:52.039 the writing is very ham fisted in some places, and 136 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:55.759 yet the film is enjoyable. This is the second time 137 00:08:55.799 --> 00:09:00.480 I've seen it. I wasn't bored, I was gripped. I 138 00:09:00.679 --> 00:09:04.720 wasn't checking my watch, which you know yourself, Rory. I 139 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:07.600 have been known to do that sometimes, is sit watching 140 00:09:07.639 --> 00:09:09.840 a film being like, oh, come on, how far through 141 00:09:09.879 --> 00:09:10.679 this are we now? 142 00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:15.320 But what did you think? Like first impressions of the film. So, 143 00:09:15.440 --> 00:09:18.279 my overall first impressions of the film, having never seen 144 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:25.279 it before, is that it is actually very good. I 145 00:09:25.320 --> 00:09:27.080 hate the fact that we have to say this because 146 00:09:27.080 --> 00:09:29.679 you shouldn't have to, but it is an indie film 147 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:32.159 realistically in terms of its budget level, So you have 148 00:09:32.200 --> 00:09:34.879 to accommodate for that. When you watch it, and a 149 00:09:34.919 --> 00:09:37.120 lot of audiences don't. They'll sit there and go, well, 150 00:09:37.159 --> 00:09:38.919 this doesn't look like it's got as much budget as 151 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:42.440 Man Versus was it Man of Steel? And it was like, no, 152 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:49.000 because it doesn't. But this is better, not even in 153 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:51.919 the same ball park of quality. This is way better. 154 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:56.360 The sets look good. They don't look great. There is 155 00:09:56.840 --> 00:09:58.519 you could tell a little bit that some of the 156 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:02.840 metal quote unquote is would certainly in the door mechanisms. 157 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:06.039 But you know what, for the budget you got, it 158 00:10:06.200 --> 00:10:08.159 still looked great, and you can only really tell on 159 00:10:08.200 --> 00:10:09.519 certain extreme close ups. 160 00:10:10.039 --> 00:10:12.480 The metal parts that are metal look really good. 161 00:10:13.159 --> 00:10:16.279 I never quite understood how those plastic buttons were sharp 162 00:10:16.360 --> 00:10:19.159 enough to scratch into the metal constantly, especially after they've 163 00:10:19.159 --> 00:10:19.840 been sucking them. 164 00:10:19.720 --> 00:10:20.200 All the time. 165 00:10:20.279 --> 00:10:21.200 Yeah, that was a bit odd. 166 00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:24.360 It's like, these are the sharpest fucking buttons I've ever seen. 167 00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:30.840 But overall, it is difficult because they have they've done 168 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:32.679 what you I don't know if you've done this game. 169 00:10:32.759 --> 00:10:34.559 You probably have, but I've done it. In trying to 170 00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:38.960 write certain films, you limit your scope because you know 171 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:43.279 you can't afford the scope. They've clearly done that. The 172 00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:46.039 difficulty with that is when you have to limit the scope. 173 00:10:46.399 --> 00:10:47.960 They've done it in a very brilliant way in terms 174 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.279 of its setting, in terms of you know where best 175 00:10:50.279 --> 00:10:53.440 to spend the money. The difficulty, ads the reviews have said, 176 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:58.039 is you tend to write yourself into a corner for 177 00:10:58.120 --> 00:11:00.000 lack of a I'm not trying to be a pub there. 178 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:01.879 It's a cube, but you kind of write yourself into 179 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:05.480 a corner with the character development, because now all you 180 00:11:05.519 --> 00:11:08.360 have is the characters, which is why you ended up 181 00:11:08.360 --> 00:11:10.440 with some of those reviewers who probably expected a little 182 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:14.919 bit more of a gorefest getting disappointed when you saw 183 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:18.919 two really cool deaths. The deaths by the Cube are amazing, 184 00:11:19.519 --> 00:11:21.600 and then the rest of it is they're kind of 185 00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:23.399 killed by each other in I guess, sort of a 186 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:27.919 commentary about how humanity will devour itself if left in 187 00:11:28.200 --> 00:11:32.559 a cube. The question is, I don't know what I 188 00:11:32.600 --> 00:11:36.879 could have done differently with this to improve that. I 189 00:11:36.879 --> 00:11:40.799 think people saying the acting is terrible are overblowing it. 190 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:45.000 It's not high quality in terms of you can tell 191 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:49.279 their TV actors not film actors. But again, you're looking 192 00:11:49.320 --> 00:11:52.559 at this budget, you're not gonna get some of the 193 00:11:52.600 --> 00:11:56.080 best actors of all time come into something that has less, 194 00:11:56.320 --> 00:11:58.480 doesn't even have a million dollar budget. Even if you 195 00:11:58.519 --> 00:12:00.720 double the budget, you wouldn't get to a million dollars 196 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:03.960 because it was three hundred and fifty thousand doubled to 197 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:07.840 seven hundred thousand, seven hundred thousand when you count in 198 00:12:07.879 --> 00:12:11.000 all of the deferred payments there, right, So even with that, 199 00:12:11.159 --> 00:12:13.000 or even if they had spent the whole lot in 200 00:12:13.039 --> 00:12:15.600 one chunk, you still wouldn't have hit a million dollars. 201 00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:19.639 You're not getting top celebs for that. So I can 202 00:12:19.720 --> 00:12:22.600 understand people being disappointed if they're coming in expecting celebrities, 203 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:26.120 if they're expecting a continuous gore fest. But I will 204 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:29.000 give you this, the plot can be quite smart. The 205 00:12:29.039 --> 00:12:31.320 stuff with the mathematics really really intrigued me. 206 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:35.480 The film front loads its two best death sequences right 207 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:37.960 near the beginning of the movie, which is the smart 208 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:40.600 thing to do when you don't have a lot of 209 00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:42.919 budget and you need to hook people in straight away. 210 00:12:43.240 --> 00:12:47.279 The opening is fantastic. It would obviously be repeated years 211 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:49.919 later by the film ghost Ship that does the exact 212 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:51.480 same thing, where it has. 213 00:12:51.159 --> 00:12:55.000 A cold open of people. This time. The only difference 214 00:12:55.000 --> 00:12:57.320 is it's multiple people and. 215 00:12:57.159 --> 00:12:59.960 It's just a single cheese wire that goes across if 216 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:02.279 I remember right, but same thing. 217 00:13:02.279 --> 00:13:03.600 It bisects everybody. 218 00:13:04.159 --> 00:13:07.679 They've clearly, they clearly spent a good chunk of change 219 00:13:08.080 --> 00:13:12.279 on that sequence, knowing that it's very important to hook 220 00:13:12.360 --> 00:13:13.919 the audience in early. 221 00:13:14.120 --> 00:13:17.159 You're selling it, you're shop this is the story. 222 00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:21.120 Once you've got those two death sequences in, and this 223 00:13:21.120 --> 00:13:22.759 is why it becomes a double edged sword. You've done 224 00:13:22.759 --> 00:13:25.679 the right thing because you've hooked the horror fans, but 225 00:13:25.720 --> 00:13:26.399 you've also. 226 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:28.759 Kind of done the wrong thing because you then don't 227 00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:31.440 pay that off later. Yeah, you're basically going, Okay, you've 228 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:31.759 had that. 229 00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:35.759 Now, now deal with a completely different film, and hopefully 230 00:13:35.799 --> 00:13:39.320 that worked for people, which obviously it did for some people. 231 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:44.440 There is the acting is when I looked at the 232 00:13:44.440 --> 00:13:46.919 production of this movie, and basically because the budget was solo, 233 00:13:47.039 --> 00:13:50.840 the actors basically had very very little prep time. So 234 00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:54.879 that probably explains why there's a handful of line readings 235 00:13:54.919 --> 00:13:58.759 in this that are bad, Like they're just bad, they're 236 00:13:58.799 --> 00:14:00.720 over the top and ham fisted. 237 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:04.679 But script as well though, because there's certain points where 238 00:14:05.039 --> 00:14:07.960 a situation will just suddenly escalate. Yes, and I've been 239 00:14:07.960 --> 00:14:10.000 added in and it's like, okay, you pay that off later, 240 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:12.559 but the escalation felt too sharp. 241 00:14:12.759 --> 00:14:14.799 Yes, That's what I was also going to say, was 242 00:14:14.840 --> 00:14:19.200 that when I said earlier about there's a certain indie feel, 243 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:22.159 the script is where that indie feel comes in the 244 00:14:22.200 --> 00:14:25.960 most because and again I'm not saying it's a bad script, 245 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:29.840 but I've noticed from a lot of indie films I watch, 246 00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:32.720 I know I've made the I know I've made this 247 00:14:32.840 --> 00:14:38.360 mistake myself. We're making indie films, there is a focus 248 00:14:38.480 --> 00:14:42.759 on well, I need my film to be saying something, 249 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:48.720 sometimes to the detriment of pacing an escalation and things 250 00:14:48.759 --> 00:14:51.759 like that. So the film kind of has this ham 251 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:59.120 fisted commentary on nialism. And so, for example, there's a 252 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:03.759 line I wrote when they all start arguing and it's 253 00:15:03.879 --> 00:15:08.240 Worth and Quentin are having this argument, and Quentin's down 254 00:15:08.279 --> 00:15:11.679 on Worth because Worth's kind of just not doing anything 255 00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:15.559 and he's every time it gave up immediately, didn't Hey, Yeah, 256 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:19.679 And Quentin says to him, not all of us have 257 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:23.759 the luxury of nehialism. Worth responds, not all of us 258 00:15:23.799 --> 00:15:28.080 are conceited enough to play hero. You then get another 259 00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:32.960 bit later on where they're talking about the banality of 260 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:38.639 evil and how this no system. It's just a self 261 00:15:38.679 --> 00:15:42.080 perpetuating Sorry, there's no one in charge. 262 00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:44.799 Of the system. It's a self perpetuating system. 263 00:15:44.919 --> 00:15:45.639 Well it was. 264 00:15:45.919 --> 00:15:48.919 There's the suggestion that it's kind of the system has 265 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:51.960 been made almost by accident, by someone had some idea 266 00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:55.879 somewhere and they've probably left the project god knows how 267 00:15:55.879 --> 00:15:58.879 long ago, but it's just been perpetuated by red tape, 268 00:15:58.919 --> 00:16:01.840 with little people getting little bits of a project, and 269 00:16:01.879 --> 00:16:05.639 it just ended up building itself because. 270 00:16:04.720 --> 00:16:08.080 We can't we can't ever point out that the system 271 00:16:08.159 --> 00:16:10.679 doesn't work, because when you point out the system doesn't work, 272 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:14.759 the whole system collapses. That's all good stuff to have 273 00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:19.080 in the film, but it's done in a heavyhanded way 274 00:16:19.480 --> 00:16:22.679 that I recognize from indie style writing. 275 00:16:22.879 --> 00:16:23.039 Yeah. 276 00:16:23.120 --> 00:16:26.399 Yeah, there's bits where character ramp so I know you 277 00:16:26.440 --> 00:16:28.360 were going to probably mention this later, but there's a 278 00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:36.519 bit where Quentin is challenged by Holloway, and she's Holloway 279 00:16:36.600 --> 00:16:39.519 is basically a conspiracy theory nut job in a weird way, 280 00:16:40.080 --> 00:16:42.679 as and Quentin is the man of the law. You know, 281 00:16:42.759 --> 00:16:44.960 our police officer, I have to do the things so 282 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:50.000 that all you guys are basically safe. And during this exchange, 283 00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:53.440 she's arguing that he's part of the system. She brings 284 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:56.639 up a sore point where his wife left him with 285 00:16:56.759 --> 00:17:00.440 his three kids, and then just randomly just throws in 286 00:17:00.440 --> 00:17:03.559 there because you like to fuck little girls, and You're like, 287 00:17:04.839 --> 00:17:07.559 there's no build up to miss step. 288 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:09.079 Yeah, and the way it's thrown out there. 289 00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:11.400 Quentin's then basically takes that to Hartley's just like, oh 290 00:17:11.440 --> 00:17:13.640 my god, Like it's almost like he's been rumbled that 291 00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:16.279 he likes young women. And you're like, but there is 292 00:17:16.359 --> 00:17:17.400 no precursor. 293 00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:21.000 Now later on there is later on he gets quite rapet, yes, 294 00:17:21.559 --> 00:17:22.440 towards the colder ball. 295 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:26.440 Yeah, but there was no build to it, unless I misstep. 296 00:17:26.599 --> 00:17:29.880 I think that line was thrown in there to make 297 00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:32.400 the ending make sense, but it didn't make sense where 298 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:33.720 they put the explanation. 299 00:17:34.079 --> 00:17:35.079 But also, I'm going to. 300 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:38.839 Be can I just you didn't need it, because quite honestly, 301 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:41.039 if they hadn't, if they cut the line and they 302 00:17:41.079 --> 00:17:42.880 hadn't done it, and it got to the end and 303 00:17:42.920 --> 00:17:45.680 he started being rape you and the colder ball I 304 00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:48.240 still would have understood. It felt a bit like they 305 00:17:48.240 --> 00:17:50.400 didn't quite trust the audience to know why this guy 306 00:17:50.440 --> 00:17:54.160 suddenly was getting primal, But you could see it in 307 00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:54.480 him here. 308 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:56.119 It was performance was giving that. 309 00:17:56.279 --> 00:17:59.160 Yeah, I was already getting the conflict with her calling 310 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:02.519 him a Nazi because he's obviously, as you say, he's 311 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:09.400 representing the authority, the system as it currently exists. Worth 312 00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:15.240 obviously represents nialism, and Holloway obviously is this conspiracy that 313 00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:21.960 recognizes that the people in authority are manipulating everybody else. 314 00:18:23.480 --> 00:18:25.400 But then you have an interesting. 315 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:31.240 Dynamic between her and Quentin where she takes good care 316 00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:33.960 of Kazan, so Kazan turns up. 317 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:37.119 Yeah, he's clearly got learning disabilities of some kind, and 318 00:18:37.359 --> 00:18:40.240 she's very much the one who's looking after him, helps 319 00:18:40.279 --> 00:18:42.480 him get through the room where they have to be quiet. 320 00:18:42.880 --> 00:18:46.440 She knows how to soothe him because he when he 321 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:51.920 gets overloaded, he's got these physical tics and audible ticks, 322 00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:55.440 and when he's in a panic and they just get extreme, 323 00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:57.240 she's the kind of the one that's able to calm 324 00:18:57.279 --> 00:18:57.640 it down. 325 00:18:57.759 --> 00:18:59.960 And you get this bit, and I'll tell you something, 326 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:03.599 it was it's weird watching this movie now in twenty 327 00:19:03.640 --> 00:19:06.599 twenty six because of the current political state of the world, 328 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:11.200 and I've spent a lot of time on social media 329 00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:12.160 in the last couple of weeks. 330 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:14.319 I know, yeah, I don't usually. 331 00:19:14.119 --> 00:19:16.960 Spend that much time on social media. And then for 332 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:18.599 the last couple of weeks, I've been in a position 333 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:20.920 to spend a bit of time on social media and 334 00:19:21.240 --> 00:19:23.839 it's not been a good experience, let me tell you that. 335 00:19:25.039 --> 00:19:30.279 But this film feels even though it's you know, twenty 336 00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:37.400 thirty years old, nearly ninety seven, Jesus nearly thirty years old, 337 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:41.759 it feels bang on because you've got Quentin, Like you said, 338 00:19:41.799 --> 00:19:45.839 he's a cop. He's very sort of take charge, very 339 00:19:46.440 --> 00:19:49.640 you know, at first, you're looking at as he's the 340 00:19:49.640 --> 00:19:50.480 hero of the film. 341 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:53.839 Yeah, he would be. Yeah, sorry, in your traditional narrative, 342 00:19:53.880 --> 00:19:55.279 he would be your hero character. 343 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:56.880 Yeah, he's very much like, we've got to do this, 344 00:19:56.920 --> 00:19:58.000 We've got to do that, We've got to do this. 345 00:19:58.279 --> 00:20:00.200 And then what you start to see is whenever his 346 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:02.200 authorities questioned, he doesn't like that. 347 00:20:02.519 --> 00:20:08.960 Yeah, he's practical, but he's also quiet self absorbed. You 348 00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:10.680 then have Holloway. 349 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:16.519 Holloway's looking after this neurodivergent gentleman. And you get this 350 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:18.440 bit where Quentin turns. 351 00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:27.519 Around and basically says, people like you are ruining but basically, 352 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:31.880 looking after this man is ruining our chances of survival, 353 00:20:32.400 --> 00:20:36.920 it's ruining the group, and you only. 354 00:20:36.759 --> 00:20:41.119 Care about him because you have nothing else going on 355 00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:41.920 in your life. 356 00:20:41.960 --> 00:20:44.759 And he says a bunch of sexist bollocks, which, to 357 00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:48.000 be fair, I've just I think he says at one point, I've. 358 00:20:47.799 --> 00:20:50.519 Just realized it's her line about him liking young girls 359 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:52.559 after that, because that might be the thing that tips 360 00:20:52.640 --> 00:20:54.839 her off and dried up. 361 00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:56.200 Yeah, Oh that's it. 362 00:20:57.200 --> 00:21:00.599 And she's not that old either, No, she's she's really not. 363 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:05.720 And he says a bunch of sexist stuff. And that 364 00:21:05.880 --> 00:21:08.599 is something I have seen on social media in the 365 00:21:08.680 --> 00:21:11.039 last couple of weeks that has really brought me down. 366 00:21:11.599 --> 00:21:14.640 Is there are literally people arguing at the moment on 367 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:20.160 social media that empathy is weakness and that the thing 368 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:25.640 destroying society is that we're looking after the less capable. 369 00:21:25.240 --> 00:21:29.000 And that's disgusting. Yeah, And I think the other thing 370 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:31.440 as well that connects with Quentin in that sense is 371 00:21:31.480 --> 00:21:36.240 that usually that mentality comes from people that call themselves 372 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:41.680 as scientifically disproven theorem that they are alpha males, And 373 00:21:42.119 --> 00:21:44.599 he definitely has that alpha male thing where it's like, 374 00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:48.200 I'm practical, you know, of course I like the younger ladies. 375 00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:52.000 Of course there's this empathy is a problem, blah blah blah. 376 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:55.480 But when he's actually it doesn't take very much Like 377 00:21:55.559 --> 00:21:57.519 as much as he thinks he's the most solid guy 378 00:21:57.519 --> 00:22:00.920 in the group, it doesn't actually take very much challenge 379 00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:03.720 for him to immediately break no. And Holloway calls him 380 00:22:03.720 --> 00:22:06.119 on that because she says, no, wonder your wife left 381 00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:09.960 you with all that bottled upanga and it is. It's 382 00:22:09.960 --> 00:22:12.759 this fury that's just been bottled up from all these 383 00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:15.599 imagined slights over the years. 384 00:22:16.079 --> 00:22:17.519 He can't seem to get over himself. 385 00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:22.160 Yeah, what's really interesting and it's a sensitive topic. Quentin's 386 00:22:22.160 --> 00:22:24.200 the only black member. 387 00:22:23.880 --> 00:22:27.279 Of the cast. Yes, and I'm thinking this is accidental, 388 00:22:27.319 --> 00:22:28.559 But I think I know what you're gonna say. 389 00:22:28.599 --> 00:22:31.400 No, No, I think it is accidental as well. I think 390 00:22:31.440 --> 00:22:35.079 they've I literally think they've cast well. I read about it. 391 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:37.039 They just cast him because he was the best guy 392 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:39.640 in the audition and he does well. But it's interesting 393 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:43.039 because I feel like nowadays, you wouldn't have that be 394 00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:45.680 the black character. You would definitely have that be a 395 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:52.079 white guy because of the A, the racism problem in 396 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:56.680 the police. But b it just reinforces the narrative of 397 00:22:56.720 --> 00:23:01.319 all these angry white men who've got all the predominantly 398 00:23:01.359 --> 00:23:03.759 white I'm not saying it's all white, but all these 399 00:23:03.799 --> 00:23:06.119 imagined slights on them, where they're like, oh, well, women 400 00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:08.240 have got the right to vote now, and that's affected 401 00:23:08.359 --> 00:23:09.680