The Director's Chair Network

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joined me on. And then next season I'm covering will be Terrence Malik and I'm sure Katie will come on to the Terrence
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Malik season. Well, I hope so. Yeah, you will. Yeah. Okay. Awesome.
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Well, we are going to open the time capsule from 1983. Ryan,
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this this is one of his earliest works. 83. Yeah. Yeah.
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And now I usually have this wheel that we spin,
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but since we've already covered, let's see, 1983, we've already covered several
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categories because Mr. mom came out in 1983 and also Vacation.
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So, what I'm going to do is I'm just going to give you some trivia questions from the categories that have not
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already been covered from those two movies. Okay. Okay. However you want to do it. I
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don't know how I'm going to do with my answers, but I'll have fun playing. You don't get to spin for your categories. I'm just going to give them
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to you. So this this one should be probably the easiest one. It's
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big screen time machine. Big screen time machine. Okay. So top five highest grossing films in
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the US for 1983. Oh boy. If I will give you clues, but do you
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have any? For sure. Well, I mean it's funny because I know when you have guests come on there some of them are fantastic about this sort of stuff. And I live
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this time like I was, you know, 8 years old in ' 83. So I should have some sort of idea. Yeah, but I do get a little bit lost. Did I see the movie in ' 83? So,
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it was already on VHS, which means it came out in ' 82 or even 81. 83, of course, was Well, it was Rocky 3,
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so I suspect Rocky 3. No, that was 82 in the theater. There you go. I probably saw it VHS in '
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83. Right. Right. Um, that was 82 and I've covered that film a couple times.
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Come on, Rocky nerd. I know. I know. So, Rocky four then was 85. I always remember that one because I
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should do the same with three because it f you know it was Rocky four but it came out 85. Rocky 3 came out. Okay, I should
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remember. Okay. Oh yeah, it's 83. Well, Rocky 2 was 83. Okay. Well, we have
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Temple of Doom was Let's see. This is horrible. I'm doing hor I'm doing horrible.
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Okay, help me out. Give me Give me some clues. You you'll get this for so the first number one which 1988 83 film directed
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by Richard Mark Hand okay I don't know that name okay continue continue
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concluded a groundbreaking space saga and became the highest grossing movie of that year
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oh Jedi yeah I didn't know he that was what was his name holy smokes I don't know the director is that crazy
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Richard Marand whoa mandela effect isn't that weird I know Lawrence Kasin directed part two
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and George did part three. Isn't that funny? I wouldn't I in a million years gun to my head I would never come up with that name who directed.
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Me neither. I've never even heard. So yeah, Return of the Jedi, of course. Of course. Yeah. Saw and I
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saw it in theaters. I was a kid and I saw theater. Oh yeah. And I remember hating the Ewoks even then. Yeah.
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I feel like I've remember knowing about the There was even like an Ewok cartoon
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and I was the only thing I feel like I did like. Oh no. Well, yeah. Okay.
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Now, we should genderify the things that we like and don't like, but an 8-year-old boy versus an 8-year-old girl might be a little bit different in their
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likes back then. I was two at this time, so I didn't. Anyway, um, so the 83 is hard for me
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cuz, you know, it was it seems like so long ago. It is a long time ago. Holy. Um, now the next one directed by James
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L. Brooks explores the complexities of a motheraughter relationship. won five
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Academy Awards including best picture.
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Oh, not no James Elbur. I know I know him very well. Oh. Oh. Oh. Okay. Terms of endearment.
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Yes. Yes. Yeah. Okay. All right. All right. Yeah. All right. Okay. Direct. This next
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one is directed by Adrien Lynn. Okay. But you you'll get it by the clue.
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Features a young woman aspiring to be a professional dancer known for iconic
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Yeah. Water splash dancing flash. Yeah, I love it. I love it. Yeah, it's a great song, by the way. That same
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song. It's a fun song. Super fun. Yeah, Flash. Yeah, I I haven't seen that in a long time. I'm
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going to have to give it a rewatch. I remember how risque it felt even as a young kid, like back then, how risque that movie seemed to feel
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that particular scene and especially nothing's really going on. Like you look at the music videos nowadays or whatever, it's like nothing sauce.
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Good point. Well, also in the early 80s, there was a movie about teens living in a town that
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they were prohibited from dancing cuz it's like the devil.
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Dirty dancing and foot loose should have had a crossover, some sort of universe crossover. Those two worlds were one one
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has that's all we do is grind on each other and those students try to go to the school where there's no dancing allowed conflict.
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They were in different decades, but that's okay. Dirty Dancing was set in the 60s.
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Oh, okay. Thanks, Katy Niger. Yeah, I have to ruin it. Um, okay. Okay, fine. In this universe, we
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corrected the timeline to these films. My fault. You know, I haven't seen Foo. Which one was early? Foo. Which one was
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early timeline? You said one was the 60s. Oh, Dirty Dancing was set in the 60s.
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Was it really? Yeah, it was set in the 60s. Holy smokes. I I know it came out in the 80s,
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but I didn't I don't even remember. Isn't that so funny that it when it came out it must have seemed like so long
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ago, the 60s. Yeah. Now it's been 40 years since that film came out. Anyways, it's like making a
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film today. It's Dirty Dancing Part Three, but it's set in the 2000s. You're like, great. Super exciting.
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Yeah. In sync. All right. All right. The fourth one is a comedy directed by John Landis. Two
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Oh, okay. Yeah. Do you know what it is? Keep going. Well, 80. Well, it's not.
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You said two, so it's not Ghostbusters. That was that Landis anyways. Oh, John Landis. Boy, sorry. It's got to be
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something like Beverly Hills Cop or socioeconomic backgrounds.
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Oh, trading places. Trading. Yeah. Become part of a bet to swap their lives. There you go. That was pretty good. I
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did it before you said swap. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Number five.
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Directed by John Bam, centers on a young computer wiz who
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unwittingly hacks into military supercomput. That's such a funny movie.
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I don't think I've seen it. I don't think I've seen war games. It's weird. It's a fascinating thought experiment of a film and it was so
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high-tech back then cuz this is when the 80s, you know, hacking was just almost science fiction, right? The idea of
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hacking was science fiction. I don't know if you ever seen Ender's Game. Mm- Okay. it. I can kind of see where the
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two If you've seen Enders Game and you know War Games, you can see how the two collide. I don't want to spoil anything for either films. I'll leave it at that.
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Yeah, War Games nearly triggering World War II, I guess. You know,
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isn't that funny? We're still waiting for that. You know what's I think, not to get political. World War II has been happening for 40 years, I think.
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It has. Yeah. Yep. All right. You did pretty good. Pretty good. Well, I I'll do fine with This is the
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thing with trivia. I'll do fine. This is perfect. I love this sort of trivia. Like, who's in the film? Let's talk about the film. But just remembering the
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box like gh I don't know. Yeah, it's all like a blur to me. The ' 80s. What came out in the 80s? Like what year?
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Which year was which? Yeah. So the next category is retro runway.
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So fashion. Oh boy. There's I'll try and pick some easy ones here.
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The first one's very easy in uh in neon.
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Which pop icon popularized the street urchin look?
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streeter. I You would have to tell me what that is. Characterized by lace gloves, layered necklaces, skirts worn over leggings.
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Madonna. Yeah. Also very Cindy Cindy Lopery. Oh, and City Loper, of course. Yes. Right. They both did it. They both did
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it. Yep. Was certainly did it the longest and craziest compared to
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Yeah. Let's see. Which one could you get? Um, fashion.
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Which former punk designer introduced the mini kiny in 1985? An abbreviated
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version of the Victorian kinoline influencing the puffball skirts trend of
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the mid 1980s. Ralph Lauren. It's a woman. Oh, I I have no idea. I really don't.
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Vivian Westwood. There's no way. Yeah, I I would have died again. Got in my head. I would have died again. Not in Jedi. I would have
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died. There's a few more that you would definitely not get. So, we'll go on to the next category.
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Well, I'm sorry. You should have had a female. I shouldn't say that, but let's be honest. Most men most men don't track fashion
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design names, I would say. Right. I don't have any guy. Well, there might
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be some said like Ralph Lauren or whatever one Wahberg, Kelvin Klein,
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but those are men's fashions, a lot of those, too. So, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Good point. Say what
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does anything come to mind? Popular sayings or catchphrases? Oh, I see.
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See 83. I mean, I know there was where's the beef, but I don't even know if that was that early. I think it was a little bit
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later. Vibrant array of slang terms and expressions. Boy, rad.
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Part of the culture. Iconic sayings. Give me one. Rad.
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Did I get it? Did I say rad? I said rad. Did you? Yeah. Okay, I did. Roll back. Roll back. Roll back
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the tape. I know. I missed things. Rad, short for radical term used to describe something
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cool or awesome. Y there's several. Um, gnarly used by surfers.
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Yeah, I thought that was later. Let's do this. You tell me the phrase and I'll tell you if I used it and went about. So, gnarly. I would I think we that was
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like maybe it's states side. It was earlier, but Canada that was a little bit later, late ' 80s, early 90s. And that that was the surfer culture for
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sure. That's gnarly, dude. Yeah. Well, a lot of things like uh skateboarders
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cuz I was I lived in the middle of the country in the US. So, it just takes longer for things probably to get to Canada and like the middle
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something some something. But I watched all American television though. That's what I mean. It was all American movies and television. So, if it was in the
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films, I would have seen it. But that's like Bill and Ted's typici
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fast times at Richmond High was early '8s. Oh, that's true. You know, it's like a lot of these sayings started early and
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then they lasted for a long time. Bodacious bikini. It's bodacious. I I remember hearing that. Yes. Yes. What
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else we got? Veg out to relax. Do nothing. Well, yeah, I've heard of course. Yeah,
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we used to say veg. I guess that seems like one that's never gone away. All I want to do is veg all weekend. So,
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but it started like the point is like that prior to that last that lasted.
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Okay. Totally tubular. Yes, another surf culture. A lot of these are like
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come from surfboard surfers or valley girl like gag me with a spoon. Take a chill pill.
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Chill pill for sure. Oh, no. We're not allowed to take by the way. Oh, you're not allowed. Oh, because it's
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like it's to indicate mental health. Yeah, like taking medication. Isn't that funny that that of all the ones we just
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talked about that one I forget where I heard we're like, "Oh, you're not really supposed to say anymore. Take a chill pill because somebody's acting too
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excitable or whatever because there's people that deal with those conditions that take medicine for it. But take chill pills.
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Take chill pill. Hey, I lie. Xanax, baby. Yeah. No [ __ ] I'll take a chill pill all day for sure, man. If off the record, cuz you
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know, I'm just saying in an alternate universe, Ryan, there you go. Role play alternate universe. Ryan, I think I
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would like Xanax. I think I would take it. If I had handlers, if I was like a celebrity or something, I think that might be my like I think I kind of run
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on mild anxiety in general. Like I run on it. I deal with it daily, but I'm not medicated. Like I just deal with it
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through jogging, diet, activities, but it's always on me if that makes sense.
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So yeah, it does. Yeah. I mean it does. Yeah. I I'm also an anxietyridden person. I'll take a Xanax. Yeah.
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The next one, Dars and Scandals maybe. Okay. Tamay Baker.
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I don't remember when that was. I think it was '86. I think it was a little bit later. '86 87. Okay. There was a Miss America
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controversy, which she was a man. Oh, wait. That's
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No, I won't say who does. I'll see if you can get it. But in September 1983, this Miss America made history by
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becoming the first African-American Miss America. However Oh, yeah. Vanessa Williams.
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Yeah. Yeah. And she pulls nude so they took Yeah. See, I remember that. Mhm.
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Not that I've ever Googled that, of course, but So, the nude photos weren't until 84,
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but she was crowned in ' 83 as the first African-Amean Miss America. And
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well, they were looking for something. They were just looking for something. Yeah. Oh, yeah. They they were taken before she was involved in the pageant.
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Okay. That's what I was going to ask if it was before or after. Okay. Um, so they were and apparently they were published without her consent in
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penthouse. Oh no. That's well gross. Number one, that's terri. You know, let's What model
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has it? Look, I'm not I'm not a prudent anyway. If a woman wants to take a nude or a man, of course, if people want to
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take nude photos of themselves, especially these professional, it's it wasn't smut. It was probably just like Marilyn Maro did it. A lot of these
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actors and actresses do those kind of sexy shoot, especially before they're something that they're just
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she was trying to make it, you know? Yeah, of course. Dude modeling is very
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and the irony now is you have actors and actresses just taking off their clothes willy-nilly anyways on TV
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and with their permission to consent. So the fact that she had hers sold to a magazine without consent is and that she
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gets punished for it. Isn't that amazing? Yep. Yep. It says um despite her objections, the Miss America
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organization pressured her to resign. Wow. And she did leading to Susette Charles
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assuming the title. How does Susette feel? I wonder I mean did she go yay I won or was it kind of
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like oh cool I guess I wonder which side she was on that I mean she was you know
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cuz you're a default it helps your career so you know I don't know but yeah so the incident sparked
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discussions on privacy consent and racial tensions so it did that I mean it could be worse
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at least it did some sort of sometimes out of these things does come discussion to the public so things are discussed
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but and I think Vanessa did okay with the rest of her life I I think she did fine, did she? Yeah.
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Like, yeah, she she's pretty famous now. She's probably 60.
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She must be She has a very unique look to her. Yeah, cuz she has colored eyes, right?
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Oh, yeah. I've seen her in movies and stuff like I've Yeah, she I know who she is. She's 62. Good job. But I've enjoyed her and stuff
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is what I'm saying. I just one of those names you're like, "Oh, of course." But then you're like, "Oh, yeah. I've seen her in lots of stuff." Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
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Done very well for you. She's fine. She's been busy in TV, theater. Boy, she's
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the last thing she has to worry about is not having that stupid crown, right? But I think that's where she got her start
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because of the Miss America pageant. Yeah. Oh, for sure. Yeah. I knew there was a show that I saw a lot of of her and she was great in
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Desperate Housewives. By the way, Desperate Housewives, Guilty Pleasure, I don't care. My wife watched that series. It is such a fantastic drama, comedy
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drama series. I love it. By the way, same. I remember that was it got a lot of award that Mark Cherry who uh created
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it didn't because they won a bunch of Emmys like their first year I want to say and it reinvigorated a lot of those
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actresses careers like all those actresses were kind of like they had kind of already gone by the wayside and
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then yeah great it's uh one of the few shows that we binged it on DVD and I didn't want it to
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end it was one of the few shows where I was legit like didn't feel burnt out it was that good yeah that's our housewife plug you got it here folks
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you Hot take. One of the most popular shows of this time. How dare you? How dare you say hot take
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sarcastically. All right. All right. Okay. Let's let's do a couple more questions from Fad Flashback like
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cultural phenomenons. Okay. Right. That were fads. Okay.
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Which fitness craze featuring high impact aerobics and neon colored workout gear exploded in popularity in ' 83
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thanks to celebrities like Jane Fonda Jazzer size or
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it's Yeah, like the answer is kind of dumb, but you're right. It's just like aerobics culture, workout culture. Well,
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Simmons did it and and even like on TV like a lot of sitcoms, they'd have episodes where the
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people would be in their workout gear and there'd be an episode. Yeah. The sweat bands on the wrists and stuff. Yeah.
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Leg warmers. Yeah. You want to hear the You want to hear the secret to losing weight, folks? And I'm not a professional. Want to hear the
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secret? Is this another hot take? Another hot take. Okay. Put this on. Yeah. You should have a new hot take
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moments with Ryan. Yeah. A a hot take. Calorie in, calorie out. Go figure. You know, if you store more
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in your body than you output, guess where guess what happens. Any any guesses? I couldn't I couldn't I don't know.
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Yeah. So, I It's just funny. All these years, all these fads, all these books is all you have to do, guys, is eat
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properly and do a little bit of exercise, calorie in, calorie out. And I'm not a professional. I'm just saying that would be my advice. But,
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right, you know, I mean, to your point, this is aerobics, you know.
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Sure. Absolutely. That's what I mean. It doesn't matter what you call it. exercise, skateboarding, biking, walking, like all
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these things are good. Yeah. Join us next week when we
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Oh my god. Okay. What 1983 fashion trend featured oversized, brightly colored
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clothing, chunky accessories, and eccentric hairstyles becoming a symbol of youth, rebellion, and
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self-expression. Like punk. It I don't think the descriptor here is
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very good. It's there's a certain here's an example of it and there's a
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name for what it is. Pastel colored suits, casual fashion inspired by a certain
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TV show. Yeah. Miami Vice. Yeah. It's like And it was called like the Miami Vice style like
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I never Well, you know, to be fair, that show was huge. I love that show. I watched that show and it was such a
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I probably didn't understand what I was watching because I was pretty young when I watched it, but it was just so cool to look at as a again as a young boy to see
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the cars and the woman and the setups and Don Johnson was just so cool. So swave.
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I am very aware of Miami Vice, but I don't know if I've seen an entire episode of it.
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Well, stand by folks if you come join the Michael Man season. will be covering the creator of Miami Vice and his film
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version of that on Michael Manice. Did he create the TV show? Yes. Oh, okay. I did not know that.
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Yeah. Yeah. That's totally his that's the stylings. Once you get to know him a little bit as a director, that's you can
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see how he would be the creator of that look. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Good point.
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Yeah. All right. There's a product phenomenon. 1983, a round piece of plastic with two
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handles became a craze that gripped the nation as children and adults alike challenged each other with its spinning
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tricks. What? Say the description again. Yeah, I don't know. Some of them maybe
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had handles, but they don't. A round piece of plastic spinning tricks.
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Oh, yo-yo. It was a revival of an earlier craze.
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What was this? What was the thing that you What was the round piece of plastic called?
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The hula hoop. Yeah, that's it. Oh, okay. Sorry. It was the h Yeah, the So, the answer is
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the hula hoop revival. Oh, sure. I do remember that doing that as a kid and it felt so great to be able
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to accomplish it. It was actually legit. I remember being young and like I'm doing it. I was always good at the hula hoop. Um
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Oh, wow. Yeah, but it there was like challenges, I guess. I remember skipping it. you skip. You'd
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use it depending on the size of the hula hoop that you skip through the hole. Yeah. Yeah. Jump rope through it. Um
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but yeah, I don't recall the challenge because I was two at this time, but I
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guess in the early ' 80s it was a cultural phenomenon to do like how long you could do it for probably
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that's probably must been time. How long you keep it up for keep it up for? That's that's my challenge now when I'm
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50. Okay, last one. Which personal
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watercraft trend gained widespread popularity symbolizing carefree summer fun and beach culture?
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Oh, what? Water gun fights or slip and slides or personal watercraft?
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Oh, jet skis. Yeah, jet skiis. Oh, is that is that when they came out?
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Okay, well that's fair. I guess they probably weren't Yeah, I guess they weren't a 70s thing. Yeah, fair enough. Yeah. Have you ever been on one?
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I have not been on a jet ski. I know. It's kind of wild. Have They're fun. They're fun. It's It's a
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fun It's a weird concept. You just go out and you go fast on the water and then you come back. It's a
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You don't really go anywhere. You just literally cuz it's like you usually rent them, right? So, you just kind of just Yeah.
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Well, and I think I confuse everybody who lives in like a along the water who maybe owns them. I I think I get them
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confused because there's seedos and jet. There's a lot of different versions of them. Sure. Yeah. A motorcycle and
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there's quads. And right. Don't you stand on some? Yeah, you can. Usually when I think of a jet
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ski, I know it says ski. I just think of the ones you do sit on and you just Yeah. Yeah. Like a motorcycle.
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Yeah. Right. Yeah. Okay. All right. Fun. That was fun. The '8s is fun. That's all this does for me.
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Time capsule. It just reminds me of how fun the 80s were. This is what this does. This is why it's so retro.
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Yeah. So, we've set the stage for the for this movie that I guarantee nobody has seen except for you and I now. So,
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Nate, let's get into Nate and Hayes. Uh-huh.
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This movie I was kind of surp I guess 83 was before there was PG-13. So, it was
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either PG Are we getting to that right away? Are we are we starting off that discussion right away? How do you want to get into that? We'll kind of introduce people to
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this movie first. So, it's rated PG and it came out November 18th, 1983, but I
25:53
have thoughts about its rating. Speaking of ratings, it's a 6.1, which is higher
26:00
than I would have thought for an unknown movie, but that's a fair rating. I think it's a cult following rating. I I would say
26:07
that's a fair rating. I I'd almost give it depends where you're looking at it. I know we're not quite
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giving a review yet, but we're talking about the rating. I would almost say it's a solid seven if you're going in at
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it with what the f am I watching, but I'm having a blast. Mhm. If that makes sense. I just ended up I I
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let myself go and I was just like because there was moments in the film, which we'll get to, of course, where I was like, I can't believe we're doing
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this. I can't believe this happened. So those for me as I was entertained. I
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wasn't bored. Yeah. I had no idea like zero
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expectation. I didn't know. No trailer. Did you watch a trailer or nothing? No, I had no idea. I didn't know. And
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then we we will get into it, but I was like, "Oh, it's supposed to be funny, you know." Oh. Oh, okay. Well, let's just keep
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going. Yeah, that Yeah. Hilarious. Well, because Yeah, cuz you cuz I'm
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like, "Oh, it's like a swashbuckling like, oh, we're set in the 1800s like ships and pirates." And so I thought,
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"Oh, it's going to be like more serious." But no, it's a comedy actually. No, wait, wait. Did Okay. Is it a
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comedy? because that's what they thought they were making or is it a calm because you were laughing? I smiled a few times. I did there was a
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few instances where I was like, "Oh, that's cute. That's funny. That's witty." But the genres listed on IMDb
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are swashbuckler, which I didn't know was a genre that that Yeah. Well, that's a fair that you think of Pirates of the Caribbean is
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is a very popular example of that. So, there you go. Swashbuckler, action, adventure, comedy,
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and romance. Yeah, I Well, sure. like Romance Stone.
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Well, a little romance in the stoneish type romance in that setting. But let me there's a quote here right
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here. It's on the Wikipedia. One of the people involved in the film, I think it was either the writer and or
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director, he he actually said that he was making a comedy. Mhm.
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And I'm like, it's like Indiana Jonesesque. Okay. So, here's the No, here's the
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comedy. I guess we have to get into it. There's no other way to describe the comedy.
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There is a lot of bloodshed in this film. Yeah. Yeah. Like a ton. Body count. And I don't mean body count
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sexually kids. I'm talking about old school '8s body count. Well, we said body count back in the 80s. Oh, right here. Here. He said the director
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Fernidad Fairfax. Mhm. He did some TV work. He said Fairfax
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described the film as a tongue and cheek adventure in the style of Butch Cassie and the Sundance Kid. quote, "I'm not
28:35
making Carry on Pirates or anything like that, but I think it'll be a very funny film. Very funny film. It is not funny
28:43
at all." And I don't mean that in a bad way. What I'm getting at is when they killed, they would smirk and glee at the
28:50
death the way Jason Vorhees does at Friday the 13th. Like the the death count in this film, that's the only
28:56
parts they laugh or jovial about is, "Oh, we just killed more people." It's a weird that that's the smirking. It's an
29:02
odd thing. They're only funny when it comes to Watch the film again. Every time they smirk or laugh or kind of
29:08
shrug their shoulders at the audience, it's after they it's after a kill or a nearkill. Yeah, but it's like a a wink and a nod
29:14
to us, you know? But okay, but like it's supposed to be it's it's it's it's so outlandishly ridiculous. That's
29:22
why it's funny. Like, but it's not even that outland. Okay, here's an outlandish for you know Kill Bill, right? And this is kind of off top. It's not. Think of the violence in
29:29
Kill Bill. Now, that's brutally violent, but that is over the top in the sense of remember the scene where Lucy Loo's
29:35
character runs across the table, chops off that that Japanese boss's head and the fountain of blood comes out. That's over
29:40
the top. It's so crazy over the even though it's bloody. It's so crazy over the top. It's obvious that it's over,
29:46
you know, it's so obvious that it's over the top. The heads don't do that. Bodies don't do that. Mhm. This was okay. When the character
29:53
Nathaniel and his beautiful bride were about to get married, this was the first time we're like, "Holy, where's this
29:58
film going?" other than the opening sequence which we can get get to as well but the preacher and his wife get shot in the head.
30:04
Well, it's Yeah, but I was like but I was like it started me. It startled me. I was like get blown
30:11
off. They're at a wedding they're at a wedding ceremony and they get they get
30:17
slaughtered. Yeah, but that's it's that it is meant to be hilarious comedy
30:23
meaning like it's ridiculous. Like it's so I I can't
30:29
It's absurd. The absurdity is the comedic element like and and you don't
30:36
know that that's what you're getting into. Same. I at first true I didn't know what I was getting in for
30:41
and like within the first five minutes I'm like oh wow so many people die and
30:47
like even in the the first scene when the it's like this tribe
30:53
the the woman head of the tribe and she just like accidentally shoots
30:59
some of her people and they're like oh that's hilarious. Okay, let's talk about so Tommy Lee
31:05
Jones character brings guns to this I don't know how else to say it so I don't mean anything disparaging here but a native tribe of this island and of
31:11
course the people in the film or the natives to the island talk the the like
31:16
me me strong you weak like that kind of language oh boy you know very 80s what else do you expect in the 80s that kind
31:22
of like the broken English from the natives so Tommy le he's going to exchange guns for money or gold or
31:29
whatever it is give them guns for their fighting and he's gonna get gold, but she double crosses him, takes the
31:34
weapons. But this is what I'm getting at. Hear me out. So his crew that we see, this is like a he gets caught and
31:40
we see the flashback story of him and his crew. So this is in the future of the film, so to speak, at the beginning of the film.
31:45
And what's crazy is the crew that we see at the beginning of the film who gets
31:51
slaughtered. They get slaughtered by the natives and he's running away from he escapes the
31:58
slaughter. But Tom Lake Jones character is laughing like he's chasing balloons
32:04
in a park, but his crew just got murdered. And I I I had a hard time connecting
32:10
where's this funny. I'm trying to connect the character of you. We could here's the thing. I didn't know this was
32:15
a flash forward or this was going to be because we go back and we see these characters that we see at the beginning
32:21
of this film. We actually get to see them with Tom Lee Jones and their and their relationships and their friends. So now we're seeing even more so, oh,
32:27
they actually were really friends with they had a familiar relationship as a crew. They were crew members. Mhm.
32:33
And then we see at the beginning of the film, those same are just slaughtered around Tom almost. Oh well. Oh well, I
32:38
guess I'll just get more crew and friends in my next adventure. I had a hard time connecting the humor in that
32:44
where he's he's laughing at his plate. People are murdered around him. He's running for his life and it's all just
32:51
fun and games. Well, I think the other people I don't think Tommy Lee Jones was laughing at their deaths, but he wasn't.
32:57
It It was clear that this wasn't like a serious not laughing at the That's what I mean. He wasn't laughing at their deaths, but his if you were running for your life
33:04
and saw your crew murdered, would you be chuckling at your plight that you're running away for your life? That's what
33:09
I'm getting at that. Well, he was Yeah, it's it was very like romancing the stone. Oh [ __ ] Oh,
33:14
there's ah crap. I got to you know. Yeah. But so again, I went in blind like you did. So, I had a hard time that
33:20
that's the one thing I do agree with Roger Eert where it was inconsistent in the sense of I didn't know where to put my movie cap.
33:27
Now, I enjoyed the film and the adventures and that's what Pirates did very well is that they picked a lane.
33:33
There is comedy and there is death, but it's but you always see it. The wink is
33:38
always there. With this one, it was it was so brutal at times where I I didn't get why was funny. And there's like
33:44
brutal violence where there was no humor. I didn't get it. I didn't get why that was funny. being impaled and like immediately the
33:52
first five minutes like tons of people die like in atrocious ways. Well, so okay, let's let's back up and
33:59
then come back to this. So you so you brought up Ferdinand Fairfax was the director. Yeah. What has he done?
34:05
Well, he's an English director nominated for two BAFTAs. He's mostly known for
34:11
like TV and TV movies. And so I haven't I don't know what Jeeves and Worooster
34:17
is, but that must be a British show or it was. And then Winston Churchill the
34:23
wilderness Years I think was like a maybe a miniseries or something. So he he was nominated for Baptist for those.
34:29
Um I feel like I've heard that name before, but I couldn't tell you anything else he's done.
34:34
Was that a rock band? And then the writers on this. So I think
34:42
this is the John Hughes connection. Yes. This is why we're covering it on RetroAde season 2. John Hughes. Lloyd
34:48
Phillips I think was the originator of the story. This Nathan Hayes story that
34:53
was then like repurposed and he was a producer of this film too. That's right. And he's South Afric.
35:01
Yeah. He must have wrote I don't know in what format this story was but it was
35:06
based on a story by Lloyd Phillips and he is he's more so a producer nowadays and he's South African. He also
35:14
produced 12 Monkeys, Man of Steel and Englorious Bastards. Wow. Okay. So that's notable projects
35:21
there, right? Yeah. David Odell. So then he and John Hughes kind of reworked that, created the screenplay. Um, so David
35:28
Odell, right, who he is, he won an Emmy for The Muppet Show, writing on The Muppet Show.
35:34
Oh, wow. That's the comedy. Yeah. And he also wrote The Dark Crystal and Masters of the Universe.
35:41
Dark Crystal is one of the scariest films I ever saw as a kid in the theater, but I don't think I've seen it.
35:46
So, he's big on Yeah, I'm looking at his writer credit. So, big on the Muppets. A big Muppet guy. Okay. And the Muppets can be pretty zany and
35:53
kind of weirdly violent in their own way, but puppet violence, right? So he also wrote Masters of the Universe.
35:58
Yeah. Tales of the Dark Side, but The Dark Crystal is Yeah, the movie was a great movie by the way. That's
36:05
I will have to add that to my list, too. So, and then John Hughes was the other writer here.
36:11
198 right away. Ask you right away. Where was the John Hughes in this film?
36:17
You know what I mean by that? Like, where was his touch? Where was it? Or where do you think? Cuz I I'm watching
36:22
this whole film and I'm not I want to be clear here. I'm not being critical of this film. I would watch this film again.
36:28
Yeah. Like same. It was a fun film. It's just I was I think I would have to watch it again now
36:34
that I know the tone, whatever the tone is. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I think here's my take on
36:40
where's the John Hughes in this. I think this is before he became the John Hughes that we know.
36:46
And so he's making his way building a name. So I don't I don't think there was
36:51
like a particular touch. I think he was just we're hiring you to do this this job to kind of rework the script.
36:57
The relationship stuff probably obviously the the the threeway triangle of the two men going for Sophie played
37:02
by Jenny Seagrove. I could see that being the case that sort of banter talk and that sort of stuff cuz there was
37:09
certainly a lot of especially by Tommy I would suspect John was probably part of the clever dialogue writing
37:15
cuz there's some witty stuff in there. Yeah, there's a lot of little things said, like remarks by characters that
37:23
could just be throwaway, but then you're like, "Oh, oh, that was funny." Or, "Oh, that was clever." Or, you know, and some
37:29
of it was meant to be funny, and I didn't really think it was that funny. Like the tropes about, oh, something
37:35
like throughout the movie, there are things they say about women. Oh, you can't trust a woman, even a dead one, or
37:41
you know, stuff like that. That's probably John Hughes. And here's here's another good line here. Ben Peas
37:47
says, "You should feel flattered, Missy. Not everyone gets offered to the gods." And then Sophie says, "Just the woman."
37:53
That's a great low line there. That's probably John Hugh. So those kind of lines I think Good point. Yeah.
37:58
Good point. Yeah. So you guys I'm ruining your show. I'm going No, no, no. That I like it's that's the
38:04
way that this is going to be because this movie I guarantee nobody's seen it. The description is a swashbuckling
38:11
adventure which takes place in the mid 1800s on the South Pacific Islands where bloody raids and battles were once the
38:19
rule of the day. Bloody indeed. And I got to say you So Tommy Lee Jones
38:25
is in this movie. I It took me a minute. I was like, "Oh, that's Tommy Lee
38:30
Jones." I am so not used to seeing a young almost handsome Tommy Lee Jones.
38:37
You think? Yeah, he's 36 in the film. Well, I recognize that's I don't know how you did, but I
38:43
recognized him right away. I mean, I did, but I was like, "Oh, I'm just so used to like he has hair and he's kind of
38:49
handsome." No, he looked great. He actually looked great. I mean, he's 36. He still looks
38:54
55. He cuz he looked 55 for 25 years, right? But he he was great. I mean, look, he's
39:00
a good actor. And what I liked about seeing him in this film because he does very serious roles. Of course, you think of No
39:06
Country or Old Men or a lot of us are the fugitive. He's always kind of playing a serious authoritative kind of
39:12
figure. That's his, you know, that's his bread and butter. That's fine. Every actor kind of has their niche that they
39:17
play in to play it safe. And seeing him in the early of his career where maybe he didn't even take himself
39:22
very seriously and he wasn't like worried about how he would look or sound. It was kind of fun to watch a
39:28
silly, put this way, the last time I saw Tommy Jones be silly was in the Batman
39:34
Batman and Robin film or Batman Forever film where he plays Twoface and that was not very good.
39:40
His character was annoying in that. Now, he he's a great actor, but he was annoying the way he portrayed it. And
39:46
maybe that's the direction and the script combined. I get it. But what I'm getting at is seeing him here in these
39:51
early his early career, you know, 40 odd years ago, seeing a young and yeah, I say he's
39:57
a handsome Tomy Jones and it was fun to see him energetic, fun, bouncing around,
40:02
doing his own stunts, and he could have easily been, and we're going to talk about this, Indiana Jones. He could have
40:08
easily done that. I think he could have done that role. That's how good I thought he was. I thought he was quite fun to watch, and he was the highlight
40:14
for me. Well, this was before he was able to do that maybe because he wasn't a big star at this time.
40:20
No, I think it was sort of an unknown. Yeah, I don't think he was like, "Oh, Tommy Jones is in that film. I got to see that."
40:25
Right. Yeah. So, he's the main character. He plays Captain Bully Hayes. Uh,
40:32
in real life, this is a real person. Yeah. Yeah. I couldn't believe that. um a ship captain called William Henry,
40:39
nicknamed Bully Hayes, who sailed in the South Pacific Seas during the mid 19th century until he was murdered in 1877.
40:49
We'll get to some trivia about that character a little bit later. But our other characters, the the second build
40:54
is Michael O'Keeffe, playing Nathaniel. He looks familiar.
41:00
Yep. Yep. The reason I know who he is is because he played Fred on Roseanne,
41:06
Jackie's husband. Oh, I didn't watch that show, but I'm But he's got one of those faces where like you've again, oh, I've seen that
41:12
face before in film and TV. He's most known. Yeah. So, he's Fred and and he's not an attractive man in
41:18
Roseanne, but this is again he's younger. Yeah, it's the I don't know why. No, if look, sorry.
41:25
I'm a teeth guy. I'm sorry. We all have our thing, right? Some people like feet, some people like butts. I'm If your
41:30
teeth are jacked up, it's hard. Yeah. Like like it's amazing how like if he
41:35
had his teeth straightened and fixed, he'd be like that much more handsome. It was I saw his
41:40
nice looking in this cuz he's young and Yeah. but his teeth were
41:46
messed up. You know, in the 80s I don't think everybody had perfect teeth. Like it was, you know,
41:51
I'm a teeth guy. I love it. I love when I see teeth fixed on TV shows and stuff. I love actors, actress. When I see
41:56
perfect teeth, good fix. Looks great. Yeah, I guess some people I'm like I
42:02
kind of like the imperfection as long as they're not like super jacked, you know, like um if there's like an imperfection
42:09
I Yes, it I like that he I like that he didn't get his teeth fixed. They don't have to be to but the fact
42:16
that I he comes to mind tells me something, right? Madonna the space between her teeth like
42:21
some That's fine. That's fine. That's fine. Look at Juel and Averil Lavine with that little I like that. That's fine. the
42:27
little their little pointers that they have. So, it doesn't have to be perfect in, you know.
42:32
Yeah. Anyways, look at me. I'm such a stupid. Well, I just noticed it. I The funny thing is
42:38
I thought he was a handsome guy, too. He's a good-looking guy, but then he opens his mouth like, "Oh, okay. That's that's a turnoff."
42:44
I kind of don't think I I think by the time he was in Roseanne, I think he must have gotten them
42:50
straightened because I don't recall ever noticing his teeth in Roseanne. But
42:55
he also he he's in a ton of stuff. He's kind of one of those guys. Did any Did you ever watch the show
43:01
Snaky Pete with Giovani Rabiesi? No, but I I heard it's good and it's a
43:07
religious show, right? So, no. No, it's not a religious show. Okay. Let me think of another one. I know what show you're talking about by
43:13
title, but I haven't seen it. I was thinking of something. Okay. Anyways, no, I haven't seen it. That's your question. He plays a detective Michael O'Keefe on
43:19
that show. Um, and then he was also in Homeland, the
43:24
Claire Danes show. Yes. That you know what? I don't know why I haven't seen that series cuz it falls into everything I love about TV. I
43:31
just it's it's on my forever growing queue and I know it's already old. Yeah, sort of. But I don't care. I'm going I
43:36
am going to watch it one day. You should. Claire Danes is just spectacular. Yeah, she's she's lovely. Yeah, she's
43:42
lovely. Yeah, but we talked about or I did I think I did that episode solo last season.
43:48
Michael O'Keeffe was in Three Wishes with Patrick sees. I listened to that but I forgot about
43:54
him in that for he played the adult version of Tom in Three Wishes. Oh yeah. Okay.
43:59
Yeah. And then Ben Peas, quite the character in this. He looks familiar.
44:05
He was the slave trader and he was like our antagonist in this movie, right? Played by Maxwell Fipps.
44:12
Max Fipps. He's Australian. Um, I didn't I didn't know him from any
44:19
Max, of course. Yeah, the Road Warrior. He played the Toad. That's right. He did look familiar and I
44:25
did sort of seen that movie recently. So, yeah, he did a lot of Australian stuff. Of course, he died fairly young, age 60.
44:31
Oh, really? In 2000. Yeah. There was a miniseries. Maybe this is a thing in Australia. The dismissal.
44:38
I I was unfamiliar to me, but he he's known for a lot of TV stuff and that
44:43
looks like it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, that's Ben Peas. And then we talked about there being a little bit of a love triangle.
44:49
Mhm. So, Nathaniel Nate is supposed to be marrying Sophie. They're going to be
44:55
missionaries on this island together and they're going to get married. Sophie is played by Jenny Seagrove. Did
45:01
you know her from anything, Ryan? No, but I was enamored. I as both of these men were.
45:08
Yeah. And I can totally see why. This is where it totally makes sense. I like I'm watching this as a Yeah. a straight guy, you know, watching this film. And of
45:14
course, I'm older than her character is in this film, but I'm putting myself with these characters, these men. I'm
45:20
like, "Yeah, I can see why you'd be enamored. She is she's gorgeous. She's lovely and she
45:25
she nailed the role." I hate to say sometimes that when they cast the love interest in these, especially these earlier films, the woman are sometimes
45:33
like throw throw away or written poorly or she was great. She acted tough. She was resilient. She was funny.
45:40
Even when she was about to be sacrificed, it wasn't over the top. I like Kate Capshaw and Temple Doom.
45:48
Yeah. Can we Can we talk about Temple of Doom for a second? Cuz I'm a huge Temple of Doom like fan.
45:53
So, there's two scenes in this film. One in particular where I was like, which one came out first?
46:00
Well, the answer. I know the answer. Okay. So, I'm sure most of your listeners have
46:05
seen Temple of Doom. Temple Doom has one of the best scenes in movie history, which I love. And now I'm feeling a little bit angry.
46:13
They took it from this movie. They took it from the I could I couldn't believe it. So Tommy Jones at the beginning of this film has a bridge
46:18
scene where he's being trapped by the locals. I'll say that of the island. He
46:24
escapes them folks by cutting the bridge and he flies down with the bridge. This
46:29
film was finished production when Temple Doom went into production by the same movie company. And Indiana Jones is the
46:36
exact same stunt or sequence in that film. Now, it's done very well. And Harrison Ford looks amazing. It's the
46:42
best Harrison Ford's ever looked on film is that sequence on the bridge. He is just the manliest man. Like, it's peak
46:48
man. Is that Harrison Ford on that bridge is peak man. I can't help it. I'm like, again, I'm a straight guy, but
46:56
every time I see him on that bridge, you can't help it. Oh man, that is peak manhood. Anyways, that sequence by the
47:02
same film company, Katie, they took it from Savage Islands or sorry, this was originally called Savage Islands from Nate and Hayes.
47:09
Nate and Hayes for the American audience. It's called Nate and Hayes, but it was made in New Zealand. Like,
47:15
it's a New Zealand company. And we'll talk a little bit more about that because because Paramount let it go
47:22
because it was so similar to the original Indiana Jones that they didn't
47:28
they had a feel but yeah it it was it's like saying Star Trek and Star Wars are
47:33
similar like it's silly that they did that. Poor Savage Islands because it was a it they just dumped it and this is why
47:40
this is why no one knows about this film. They dumped it. They like saying Romance the Stone is too much. That was the flavor of those
47:46
years. That's so it's not fair. That was the flavor in these early '80s films that they the kind of crocodile dundee.
47:52
There's a lot of examples of this swashbuckling in the jungle, whatever type adventures. And I I honestly I
48:00
think they dumped it to steal some of the ideas with the woman in peril, the sacrifice of the woman at the end.
48:06
Again, there was the same K cap was about to be sacrificed. All these adventures, Savage Islands is pre-temple
48:13
Doom. I think they stole this film. I'm I I it breaks my heart to say this. Well, I don't know Indiana Jones as well
48:21
as you do. I forget which what happened in which movie, you know. So, what was the original one? Laders of Raiders of
48:27
the Last Arc. Was that Razar? Yeah. It came out 81, I think. Don't quote me on that, folks. 80s.
48:32
I think some of the criticism that this movie got was that it was very it's I mean, it is in the same tone. Like, it's
48:37
a it's a style of movie, but that's the irony is Temple Doom came out after this. So the irony is Temple Doom
48:44
is this movie. So this movie didn't rip off Temple of Doom. It's the other way around. No Raiders. Raiders.
48:49
I I understand that, but there's the irony is it's nothing like Raiders. It's nothing at all like Raiders. It's more
48:55
like Temple. I think they buried this movie to make that narrative when it's not true. It's not like Raiders at all.
49:02
Well, I mean, just the general like adventure. Sparkling is true, but that's the whole point. Swashbuckling movies have always
49:08
existed. Raiders is a ripoff of other films before it. Very true. But yeah, I'm sorry. I'm actually defending this
49:14
film and I love Temple Doom, don't get me wrong. So, it being in New Zealand, so I'll get into that now, actually. So, the budget
49:20
for this was $12 million. That's $7.5 New Zealand dollars. Now, it only
49:26
grossed $2 million worldwide and I have some information. So, whilst it is true
49:31
that this film was not a box office success, it may be unfair to blame the public completely for it, for not going
49:38
to the movie. Right. That's right. Paramount Studios had agreed to bankroll this medium-budget project which was being filmed in New
49:45
Zealand. When the studio were presented with the final cut in the summer of 83, they were concerned at some of the
49:52
stylistic similarities with Raiders of the Lost Arc from 1981. That's a copout. I think I guarantee
49:57
you, look at me conspiracy hat on. I don't care. I don't care. This is why we do these shows. They knew Temple Doom
50:02
was coming. They wanted to borrow from this film. That's what I'm getting at. There's no similarities with it's a
50:09
different time piece. It's ocean water islands. All that stuff takes place in Temple of Doom. Not Raiders was a was in
50:16
the desert looking for a lost arc with the with the Nazis. Yeah. Well, it says
50:22
it says so that was a huge hit, right? Indiana Jones, like the original. Okay. So then during the summer of 1983,
50:28
Steven Spielberg was already in pre-production with Raiders sequel, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
50:34
that came out in 1984 with a so they were assuming this is going to be a temp
50:39
pole summer release for 84. Oh yeah. So not wanting to have two old-fashioned
50:44
swashbuckling adventure films released within a year of each other for fear of affecting the advertising, publicity,
50:51
and box office potential of the Spielberg film. So, they knew that was probably going to be a success. So, they didn't want to take away from that. Um,
50:59
and remember that Harrison Ford, hugely popular star by this point, whereas Tommy Lee Jones was practically unknown
51:06
at this time. Paramount decided to cut their losses and give this film only a
51:11
small relatively publicityfree release. Oh, you're driving me crazy. It's it's
51:17
contractual like like they had to because they're contracts, so they had to. So, it was released in the fall of
51:23
83 where it would go unnoticed, sandwiched between the likes of James Bond film Never Say Never Again, 1983,
51:30
and the Clint Eastwood thriller Sudden Impact, also 1983. The Indiana Jones film was subsequently released just over
51:37
half a year later, where it was unsurprisingly a huge hit, earning back
51:43
more than 10 times its budget. And guess what happened? Nobody said, "Hey, I saw this on Savage Islands.
51:51
That's my point. They were able to release this film, steal the bridge idea and the virgin sacrifice idea and all
51:56
that swashbuck and adventure that we've seen Temple of Doom. Then there's no one crying fowl that
52:03
this already happened in that unknown Tomy Jones film. It was actually kind of fun. Mhm. I'm sorry. I think they what what
52:09
happened was is Steven probably said, "You know what? I kind of like what they're doing here. I want to do it. I want to do it better. Bury this film."
52:16
Done. Period. I'm sorry. It's so convenient that they're like, "Oh, we don't want Why would they even consider
52:23
that Steven would be in some sort of trouble with this film? See, the guy was freaking Steven Spielberg in the 80s. ET
52:32
this Oh, we we don't want Nathan Hayes to to take away the box office of
52:37
Indie." No, they didn't want this film to do what exactly what I'm talking about. They say, "Hey, we just saw this
52:42
a year ago." Yeah. Yeah. I I think you're right on the money.
52:48
Breaks my heart to say it though. That's what I'm saying because I love Temple Doom. But now I'm like, "Oh." Cuz again, the mo I went in this movie blind and
52:54
the first thing I did, Katie, when I saw the bridge sequence, the first thing I did was pause the film and double check
53:00
the release date and there you go on the trivia was the very thing that you just read. I'm like, "Yes, Temple Doom." And
53:06
so I'm like, "Oh, isn't that convenient? Both by the same movie company." All my brain went together like a razor. Why
53:12
did this happen? Well, the easiest explanation is they didn't want they didn't want their temple movie, yes,
53:17
rightfully so, to be accused of plagiarism. The other thing I got a lot of vibes,
53:23
one of my favorite movies is Romancing the Stone, of course, which came out in what 85 maybe. And
53:30
there was a lot of similarities from this movie in Romancing Stone 2. Okay.
53:36
So, both came out the same year. Uh, Temple of Doom and Yeah. Yeah. So interesting because this this did
53:43
come out first. Um I wonder why though because it's known
53:49
as Savage Islands in New Zealand cuz So was basically released only in New Zealand and the US.
53:54
Yeah. On the other side of the world. Yeah. Those New Zealanders don't have uh you know they're not they're not going
54:00
to tell anyone in the US about this. And they didn't like we're only known about this now. Like it worked.
54:05
Yeah. This was buried. This was buried. But why did they change the name for the US audience? Savage Islands is better.
54:12
I think maybe even because the Well, I think even maybe them for political correctness to say savage.
54:19
I think it was savage wasn't used. It could be confused with cuz you don't say that about the inhabitants anymore. And
54:25
even though it might just mean the term, oh, it's brutal. It's a brutal island. I think when they titled it savage, I
54:30
think they're referring to the people, honestly, cuz this whole movie was based on the people that lived there and what they did. Well, what was the guy's name
54:36
or the the island they go with the king Pape? They're like, "Oh, you know, the
54:42
it has a reputation for being really they they are brutal people. They eat they eat humans." And there's some
54:48
scenes where like the those people are shown to lick their lips when they bring in the new people. Like they're getting
54:54
like salivating to eat them or something. Again, Temple Doom, you know, that creepiness. It's all there.
55:03
It's insane. And again, I it breaks my heart because Temple Doom is actually my favorite indie film. And now this is
55:08
this movie, Katie, shame on you. This movie has actually tarnished my
55:14
fandom of Temple just a little bit knowing that this is probably what happened. There's so much from it. It Temple of
55:19
Doom is my favorite Indiana Jones movie, too. Um, now that I'm thinking through and I loved all those tropes. Isn't that
55:25
the one where they eat like monkey brains and stuff? Yeah. Yeah. And the You know what I wish they done?
55:30
I wish they put K Capture on this film and put Jenny Seagrove in the indie film. Then you would have a perfect film.
55:37
Yeah. So K Cap is the one of the most annoying characters. But I get it. Stephen Steven married her later and I understand she
55:43
had big, you know, she had big she was very healthy. I think she was
55:50
Well, so that's why she was in it cuz were they dating or something or Yes, they got married either during the
55:55
filming or after it, but they fell in love. I think it was during the filming of it. I get it. So that's not why she was in
56:01
it then? Yeah, good question. I think they met on the set. I could be wrong.
56:08
Yeah. So there's a few other characters in this movie that you won't know their names because
56:14
Sorry, they met on the set. There you go. Did they Okay. Then they married in '91.
56:19
And then when did they get divorced? Oh, are they divorced now? I assume so. I guess I maybe not.
56:25
No, they've been married since ' 91. Really? Well, good for them. Look at that. Yeah. Yeah. I like it.
56:30
The rest the rest of the cast on Nate Hayes aka Savage Island.
56:36
It just Nateton Hayes isn't very descriptive. I don't I don't know. It just No, look, I like Don't get me wrong. I Sorry. I like Savage Island. That's a
56:43
great title. Sorry. Yes. Nate Hayes sounds like a You don't know what it is. It sounds like a sounds like a gay love
56:48
story. I thought I thought do honestly I thought, "Oh, this is going to be some sort of like independent art film about
56:53
Nate and Hayes. They're both married men or whatever, but they have a little trrist in the summer." I honestly had no
56:58
idea what this film just by the title alone. Same. The title gives you no indication what what kind of movie it is. But
57:04
getting back to Jenny Seagrove. Mhm. Yeah. Please. She's English and she's known she's
57:10
known for a TV miniseries called A Woman of Substance. But that's about it. And then everybody
57:16
else is either New Zealand actor, Australian actor, New Zealand actor, New Zealand actor,
57:22
right? And one American actor. And so Mr. Blake is another character.
57:27
He's played by Bruce Alpress. Grant Tilly plays Count von Writtenberg. That
57:33
was kind of a fun character, this German count. And they kept saying, "This is like the president. I'm a count." Oh,
57:39
Admiral. And he's like, "It's count. Whatever." I actually thought that was kind of funny. Like whatever.
57:44
He was the one that was that fought Tommy Lee at the very end. His character, they had the big fight at on the ship.
57:50
Yeah. Is that the one we're talking? Yeah. He's the older gentleman. It's kind of short. Short. Yeah.
57:56
Yeah. Which is interesting that I mean it's just weird that that was the final
58:02
fight for Tommy Jones character where he had a hard time with that older portly gentleman. That's the only thing that was weird about that. Like the guy
58:08
handled himself in a sword fight. Maybe he was just a good warrior back in the day and he he had one last harrah before he got
58:13
killed. Then Lewis Beck was the auctioneer and
58:19
then the king of Pape was quite the character. the big gi like super fat.
58:25
He was like a Simone job of the hut. Yeah. Yeah. So he's like
58:31
he's the one that they they offer up Sophie as sacrifice to as an offering to
58:37
this king. And he's played by a man named Prince Tui Tekk. Like that's this person's name
58:45
and he was a mayori singer and actor. That's who that man was. Yeah. Yeah. All fun. Again, every character
58:52
was fun and and uh colorful. This is again a fun
58:58
film, but it is not for kids, I don't think. I would you say an 8-year-old should watch
59:03
this film, for example, or nine-year-old? No, but again, this is before Well, so
59:08
in America, we're fine with violence as long as you don't show boobs. There's no boobs. I would have been fine
59:14
with Jenny having this robing scene. So, it's just like in America, we're so we're like, violence is fine. Violence is fine. Um because the PG-13
59:21
did not yet exist in 1983. I guess not. Yeah, this is a weird I
59:27
don't know what you'd rate this today. Probably 14. It would be PG-13. Probably PG-13 or whatever you guys have, but I
59:32
think we call it 14A in Canada. But yeah. Okay. Yeah, I mean it is I actually think like
59:37
the violence. Now granted, I think the tone of the violence is partially why they it's not meant to be taken so
59:44
seriously. There was times that there were just it was just violence. Yeah. Again, I love violence. I love I love a violent film.
59:51
It has nothing to do with that. But I didn't know where to put the You know, when you watch a film, like again, a
59:56
Quent Tarantino film, you kind of know where to put your brain. Okay, we're doing Tarantino. We know it's going to go somewhere. Like, I'm prepared. It's
1:00:02
going here. With this film, it's like, oh, we went there. Like, they just shot those two old people in the head at a wedding.
1:00:08
Like, hilarious. Speaking of those people, what was that character's name? The guy with the glasses on the island. What was that
1:00:15
dude's name? Moaka. Moaka was the character's name. He comes running to tell them that that that that Nate and
1:00:23
Sophie are there and turns out it's the reverend and his wife and that's the aunt and uncle of Nate and they're
1:00:29
coming to they're going to get married and they're going to be missionaries on this island and he comes to tell them that they're
1:00:35
there and he calls them big man God mama Jesus Christ. Like
1:00:41
there were little things like that that were so funny and they're like don't call us that. It's it's like blasphemous
1:00:48
or something. And you know what's even funnier? That same character we thought we'd see throughout the film gets brutally murdered in the opening segment of the
1:00:54
film. He gets shot in the back. Milwaukee gets his back. Yeah. He gets his like back blown out. Yeah. Yeah. He was like, "Oh, hey,
1:01:01
you're dead. That's you're like he was That's the thing." So, it's interesting they they kind of provided these
1:01:08
interesting and memorable characters just to have them later have their heads blown off. It's like whatever happened to did Rat Bag die? I
1:01:16
I thought he was kind of a fun character, too. Also, just the name Rat Bag. He was like this little little the
1:01:22
smaller. He was part of Tommy Lee Jones crew. Yeah. Oh, yeah. So, I think Okay, cuz we see the Flash the beginning of the film.
1:01:28
Him and his number two Tommy Jones character's number two guy played by
1:01:34
Is it Mr. Blake? Yeah, I think that's him. You know what famous scene he had? This is like
1:01:40
totally nerding out here. He had the famous scene in the Lord of the Rings the two towers where he was on the wall
1:01:47
of the the battle of Helm's Deep. He's a character named Eldor. And I was like, really? That's him? Very small role.
1:01:54
I think his his arrow goes off accidentally or something like that. Anyways, that's him again. New Zealand makes
1:02:01
sense. Lord of the Rings was filmed in New Zealand. But that being said, so Mr. Blake Yeah. So Mr. Blake and Ratbank. We never see
1:02:07
their deaths, but the gates close on them as they're surrounded by the savages surround these two characters.
1:02:14
And we see Tommy Jones chuckling as he runs away as his number two person, the
1:02:19
person he could, you know, worked with and and was his like co- captain, so to speak, and friend.
1:02:25
Yeah. He's about to be, you know, probably eaten or skewered and he's just running
1:02:31
away kind of chuckling. That's what I mean. like his we that's what even makes it more weird is we see the backstory of
1:02:36
how close they were and Tommy Jones made no indication that he was going to rescue them that he cared about them he
1:02:42
just chuckled as he's running away yeah there basically there's like three
1:02:48
people that matter in this movie Nate bully this should have been called Nate
1:02:54
and bully because they call him Bully the whole time they never call him Hayes that's what's weird yeah that's his last
1:02:59
name and Nathaniel's his first name so they got one character's name in the title is the first name and the other
1:03:04
character is their last name. So it should have been Yeah. Bully and Nate. Yeah. Yeah. Or Williamson and Hayes.
1:03:10
Yeah. Or Savage Islands. Or Savage Islands.
1:03:16
Yeah. Yeah. Or the or Sophie Nate and Hayes. I don't know. Anyways, um so
1:03:21
two men and a lady. The music was very Indiana Jonesesque as well, didn't you think? The music in
1:03:27
this. Yes. And guess who was a very famous composer? Yeah. Trevor Jones. And what did what
1:03:32
else did he compose Ryan? Alas Moagans. Yeah, which we which we covered on the
1:03:39
network the director's chair network for that's fant. Yeah, we did for the Edwick
1:03:44
season. Sorry for the Michael man. And that's fantastic cuz I I saw that I'm like wow early for him. He had done
1:03:53
just before that just five films. So it's fairly early in his career and
1:03:59
little did we know that he's going to create one of the greatest soundtracks of all time last weekend where he was nominated for Golden Globes and all that
1:04:06
good stuff. But yeah, he also did Yep. Cliffhanger and some funny like some other movies kind of
1:04:13
more in in this theme or tone. Labyrinth. Sure.
1:04:19
And Arachnophobia, right? Yeah. But then on the exact opposite end of that spectrum,
1:04:25
Mississippi Burning, you know, similar to like Last Feel Feb of the Year.
1:04:31
Yeah. Yeah. So, I guess I think I would need to give it a a rewatch cuz like I
1:04:37
literally had no idea what I was getting myself in for. And then I really did enjoy the way they did the setup though.
1:04:44
like the first five minutes of the movie is he's Tommy Lee Jones is like a gun
1:04:50
runner and he escapes death and but just when you think he gets away he meets
1:04:56
someone who's clearly like a friendmy or something when he meets peas we're like oh he clearly knows him and it's like
1:05:03
they're they're like on friendly terms but they also hate each other and he's arrested and put in jail and
1:05:10
for some reason a biographer or something is put in in his cell with him
1:05:16
to write a story. Well, that's the idea cuz he's a real person, right? So, you could argue if they're taking the real angle, this was a real person that is in history that
1:05:23
you have a historian saying, "Okay, well, here you are about to be hung for your crimes. Tell me about your life.
1:05:28
Tell me about your story." And Tom Jones goes into the old, well, the reason why I ended up here today is here we go. And
1:05:35
then we see again the crew that he has all these life and adventures with that we just saw killed. That's what I I took
1:05:41
this lit not that not that literally, but I I was really watching this. Oh, we're seeing those characters that we just saw slaughtered because I didn't
1:05:48
think we'd ever see them again. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, it was interesting to see these
1:05:53
characters that we just saw killed and or captured. Now we're seeing their life and adventure together. It's weird. So,
1:06:00
when you rewatch the film, rewatch the beginning. I'm almost curious to do it now just now that we know the characters
1:06:05
and what happens to them where he's so blasze about it. Blasze, that's a good word for it.
1:06:10
But because it took me a minute to realize that things were supposed to be funny because I again no idea what I was
1:06:17
getting in for. And we see these guys going through a rainforest, right?
1:06:23
And there's a snake. So it's sort of like the anti- Indiana Jones almost like cuz he's like, "Oh, you afraid of a
1:06:28
snake?" And he just picks it up um and throws it. He doesn't kill it or anything, but then rat bag, he goes and
1:06:36
kills it, puts it in his bag, and he's like, I'm gonna make a nice little bag later or something like. So, it's like
1:06:42
little things like that that I was like, wait, okay, is this supposed to be funny?
1:06:47
The way Indiana Jones is funny, that kind of humor. It's not a comedy, but there's like a the wink at the camera,
1:06:52
the smirk. Definitely. And when when Nate's character, so there's confusion. So this
1:06:58
peas comes to the island, shoots like immediately disrupts the wedding. And you see it happening because there's
1:07:04
cuts back and forth between. And so it's like very clear that they come and I was
1:07:09
not expecting for the immediate carnage. And I was like, the wedding. Yeah, that
1:07:14
is a wedding crasher. You're literally murdering. And then they start putting like chains
1:07:20
and shackles around the islanders and and it's like oh oh he is stealing them.
1:07:25
Oh yeah, there's a there's a by line or there's a sub subplot throughout the film about slavery. It's an anti-slavery
1:07:30
message throughout the film. Well, he is the slave trader those peas Ben Peas
1:07:36
and then there's a point where they go to an auction. They're clearly selling people but he's trying to get on the
1:07:42
good side of this German count. And he's like, "All like any decent country has
1:07:50
outlawed slavery by now. What are you doing?" He's, "No, no, no. They're not slaves. They're contract workers or
1:07:56
something like that." And then the wh house scene, it was a
1:08:01
bit all over the place, but it was once I realized that I was Yeah. No scene is boring though. No
1:08:07
scene is boring. Like every setup is kind of fun. It It Look, it doesn't quite make sense in this the way things segue to each
1:08:14
other. The way the fast traveling that the characters do. There's a lot of
1:08:22
I can see why it has a cult. This is a movie that has a cult following. These are the type of movies that have the cult following because when you kind of
1:08:28
let yourself just enjoy the film, there's a lot to enjoy, but it's not objectively it's not a good film in that
1:08:34
you like, oh, this is well put together. This all makes sense. The tone fits. It is discombobulated, but it's crazy
1:08:40
fun. It's I don't know how to explain it. I'm glad I got to see this and I really want to recommend to everyone. And I rented this on YouTube. How did
1:08:47
you watch it? I got it from my library. Oh, really? Okay. All right. I And I
1:08:53
wish the YouTube didn't it didn't have captions. That's the only bugged me. So, some of the accents are a little bit tough. So, I I do appreciate subtitles
1:08:59
for those types of things. But, did you watch those subtitles? Yeah. Mhm. Oh, darn it. Okay. Yeah. I know. So, I
1:09:05
rented it from YouTube and I went to the closed caption. It was grayed out. I'm like, "Oh, you got to be kidding me."
1:09:10
Yeah. I hate that cuz I Yeah, I'm same same. But yeah, I think another rewatch cuz
1:09:15
once I realized I was just supposed to go with it and right watch and listen for the humor and just
1:09:21
some of the quips and again I think it's when I say funny or humor, it's the
1:09:26
absurdity of it all. Absurd is that's a better word. It's absurd. It's absurd. You know, heads rolling out
1:09:32
of barrels and stuff. That's right. I forgot about the Yes, we
1:09:38
have a basket full of heads. And that's not enough for this king Pipe or
1:09:43
whatever his name was. That's I want more. I want more. And then they're like, "All right, well, we're going to sacrifice this woman."
1:09:50
And I will say the the entrance into that island when they go to the Pape
1:09:55
place was really cool. The way there's like a boat garage and then this
1:10:03
I don't even know how you describe the contraption. Yeah, it was really cool. I was saying to myself, this is where that
1:10:09
millions went. They really they didn't Yeah. It's not cheaply done. Like the ship that they're on, then they have that warship at the end.
1:10:15
I was like, I don't know how they built it. Where they got that thing from the warship that they built. I think it was just a fake warship cuz
1:10:21
it's kind of small, you know, it wasn't very big. But it's like they really they didn't cheap out on the movie. And it's
1:10:28
disappointing that it failed cuz I think it deserves a bigger I think it deserves a bigger audience. And we can blame Paramount for burying this film. Like at
1:10:34
the end of the day, this film was buried. It could have been easily a I don't think it would have blown up at
1:10:40
the box office, but I don't I think they could have made their money back for sure. It was also really beautiful.
1:10:47
I mean, obviously like Fiji and New Zealand. Have you been there before? I have not. Have you?
1:10:52
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Both New Zealand and Fiji. Yes. Wow. My sailing Yeah. When you sail, you get
1:10:59
to go to these places. Was you Did you sail on a ship like they had? Yeah. Yeah. a little battleship. Almost.
1:11:06
Almost. Another funny thing is there's all this carnage on the island. Nate then goes out on this rickety raft just out in the
1:11:13
ocean. I was like, where did he think he was going to somehow save Sophie on this rickety raft?
1:11:19
And of course, he gets he hits like a tiny little rock. Yeah, he set in the middle of some low
1:11:25
it's low enough tide. Either that was a very high seamount or very very low tide where he should
1:11:31
just walk back to the land. But I the idea is he's on this it's called a seam mount but it's poking out of the water because the tide was low enough that he
1:11:37
was able to wave to the Anyways. Yeah. Again I tried not to make sense of it is what it is. It's a like so but his his raft sinks
1:11:44
and no now he's stuck on this rock like there was no land anywhere. It's called the seam mount. It's called the seamount.
1:11:50
Okay. Okay. Thank you for if you're going to correct me on my foot loose timeline I'm going to correct you on this.
1:11:55
So he's stuck on the seamount but it's in the middle of the ocean. Like there's no land near. And then he sees the the
1:12:02
ship. So he's like, "Sweet. He can save me." And one of bullies, I think it was even rat bag, he's like
1:12:07
from their vantage point, it looks like he's walking on water. Yes. He's like, "Oh, he's like Jesus. He's walking on water."
1:12:13
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's those are funny moment. Granted, those are the funny moments.
1:12:19
Look, the movie is funny. I I get I get those moments are funny.
1:12:24
the the parts that just threw me off was when they were every time they were in a
1:12:29
battle, it was always a a smirk and a kind of shrug of the shoulders as they as they killed. There was this weird,
1:12:35
it's okay to kill. If you're in a battle, you're in a fight, you're going to kill people, but there was always kind of I just chopped his head off. I just, you
1:12:41
know, it's always like they stumbled upon the action, if that makes sense, and they're just like, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. A lot of these
1:12:49
movies kind of follows a similar vein. What did you think about the love
1:12:54
triangle in that immediately we see Sophie betray her fiance and she's like
1:13:00
super into bully like right away. Oh yeah, she's hot for bully and he's I
1:13:06
don't know. I guess I guess the way he looked at it was like he's going to be leaving on the ship and I'm moving the island and I'll let her have this fun.
1:13:12
And I guess to his credit he was not the jealous jealous type. He kind of let her fiance let his fiance flirt. I guess
1:13:19
he he was very clearly jealous. But then Oh, sure. I would be too. That's my
1:13:25
fianceé. But then she writes Bully a letter that Nate finds and but he he actually gives
1:13:34
Bully the letter. Mhm. And then that's when they have a conversation about who gets her and they
1:13:41
both want her and now they're like, "No, no, you can have her. No, no, you can have her. Hey, maybe we should let her
1:13:46
decide." Well, and that was actually say to their credit, they they acknowledged that, well, at the end of the day, it'll
1:13:52
be her decision. Yeah. I do like that she ended up with Nate. I think that was nice that she got she got
1:13:59
to have her little fun fantasy like with Bully, you know, but at the end of the day, she chose the more stable
1:14:04
relationship, which I actually appreciated. I wasn't sure. I kind of had a feeling. But what was cool is that obviously like
1:14:12
via these adventures, they all grew close and just as Bully is about to be hanged, we see the Reverend is now Nate
1:14:21
and Sophie's now part of the action and they save him. There's just action, by
1:14:26
the way. Spoiler. Yeah, he doesn't he doesn't get hung. You know what's funny is I watched the Cisco Neighbor review of this on
1:14:32
YouTube. They showed that scene
1:14:38
for their movie clip on that's the ending of the movie. They spoiled the movie.
1:14:43
Interesting. I know that's a big I didn't know that reveal was coming. Did you? No. Yeah, that's a fun reveal that the
1:14:50
reverend the spoiler spoiler spoiler folks. But I'm just saying cuz it was a fun spoiler. So I'm just saying it was
1:14:56
that Yeah. when the reverend who's going to hang Bully is now Nate. And that's
1:15:02
how cuz I was wondering how is he going to get out of I was legit. I don't know how he's going to get out of this. So I thought that was clever. And of course
1:15:07
Nate and Sophie are like they're religious missionaries but they're kind of like that swashbuckling.
1:15:12
They're they're gunfighters, gunslingers. I thought that was great. You could almost have a sequel of these three, you know. And this could
1:15:19
this could have been Indiana Jones. This could have been another trilogy. Well, Romance the Stone got a sequel.
1:15:25
Yeah. So yeah, it's it's too bad this kind of got Yeah, it's too bad it got side sidelined.
1:15:31
Agreed. Yeah, I mean it was fun. It was a fun It was a fun movie. I also
1:15:36
would recommend it. They did soften the character. So in real life,
1:15:41
of course, there was a there was a in 1970 a biography about him called Captain Billy
1:15:48
Hayes, Blackbird, and Biggamist. Frank Cloon stated that the real William Henry
1:15:53
Hayes was often described as a rogue, villain, cheat, swindler, barer,
1:15:58
buccaneer, biker, biggamist, freebter, polygamist, seducer, murderer, pirate, slave trader, robber, rapist, hooligan,
1:16:06
and bully. but was never convicted in any civil court of law for any serious
1:16:11
criminal offense. Well, so he's fine. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He's the P. He's the P. Diddy of his
1:16:16
time. He's fine. He's innocent. They were partners in real life. The the enemies in the movie, Peas, Ben Peas.
1:16:24
Yeah. And Bully. But in real life, those two characters were they were both like the
1:16:29
shitty Ben Peas character in real life, right? Um so they they softened it for this
1:16:34
movie. Yeah. Well, yeah. Yeah. Fair enough. So, it's not it's not a legit history.
1:16:41
Correct. Correct. Yeah. I I don't know. I I liked seeing a young Tommy Lee Jones
1:16:47
and I love Romancing the Stone and it felt like kind of similar to that. It's
1:16:52
not perfect, you know, but it's not perfect, but that's why I give a seven. Yeah, that's a good So, that's
1:16:58
your What are your That what are your closing thoughts on Okay, my closing thoughts are we've spoiled a lot, but because there's so
1:17:04
much in it and it's such an adventure, it's like us telling you that a Thanksgiving dinner and all the ingredients and how we enjoyed it and
1:17:11
what we got for dessert. I would still recommend you come join the meal, too. So, watch this movie. It's a fun adventure,
1:17:18
and I'd be curious what other people think of it. I I've never heard of this film before. In fact, when you gave me
1:17:25
like, "Oh, just a reminder, we're doing this in a couple weeks." Which I appreciated. Thank you, by the way. I was like, "Oh, yeah, Nathan. Hey, I'm
1:17:31
doing that film." And I again, I just put on YouTube rentals. I was like, "Oh,
1:17:37
it looks like he's wearing a pirate outfit or something." So, I'm like, "Okay, it's not a, you know, it's not a gay love story." And or it could have
1:17:43
been, I guess, but the point is I honestly thought it was going to be like a coming of age drama. Me, too. That's kind of what I thought,
1:17:49
too. But it's a at the end of the day, I don't like rating things, but it's a fun film. It's not a perfect film. It's a
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weird film, but that's what makes it a fun film because it's so not anything
1:18:01
you would see today. Something that belongs in the 80s, but in a good way. It is an 80s film, which I love. So, it
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fits in the 80s. I like that. I like it. It's a retro
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film through and through cuz the dialogue, the the some of the language, the tropes, it's all 80s. There's so
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much that was done in this film that would not be done today, which I love, you know, which I love. Yeah. I mean, hey, that's what we do
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here on Retrodeade. We We do stuff from the 80s and the '90s. So, you guys watch Nathan Hayes
1:18:31
report back what what did you think? But for our discussion on RetroAde, that is
1:18:37
it for Nathan Hayes. It's a wild ride, pirates, comedic adventure, and unexpected Tommy Lee Jones energy. And
1:18:44
if this episode scratched your adventure itch, please follow the show, leave a
1:18:49
review, or send me a message. And until next time, be kind. Rewind.