Transcript of 70mm’s Annihilation (2018) Episode.
SLIM Hey, it’s your old pal Slim and this is 70mm, a podcast for film lovers. Every Monday I sit down to talk about recently watched movies with my dear friend and artist, Danny Haas.
DANNY And that Toyota truck. Are you kidding me with that pickup he had? Mamma Mia! I wanted that.
SLIM And our own spiritual adviser, Protolexus.
PROTO How about we do a lo-fi sci-fi month with Danny making that T shirt he keeps talking about?
SLIM Leading ladies month Volume Two continues with my pick. Natalie Portman’s sci-fi movie, Annihilation. Was it right that this flopped at the box office? Or is this my new favorite science fiction movie? Let’s find out… right now.
[70mm theme song ramps up, plays alone, fades out]
SLIM Director Pins Series 2.
DANNY My gosh. Kick-off.
SLIM The time has come for the second set. As of recording when this episode drops Monday, if you’re listening to the same day, Series 2 will be available on VHSvillage.com as of 12pm Eastern. And we have quite a set designed by Danny, if I could be frank with you. Proto, have you seen this set? Just in one word, describe directors pin Series 2.
PROTO Wait did you say me or Danny?
SLIM I thought I said Proto but maybe not.
PROTO Oh my god, Danny take it away. [Slim laughs]
DANNY Describe my art?
SLIM So let me rattle off the directors.
DANNY Rattle them off.
SLIM Miyazaki.
DANNY King.
SLIM Spielberg, Bigelow, Ramsay. These are the directors in the set.
SLIM Proto, do you have any guesses as in Danny could top series one? Do you think he’s done it?
PROTO Yeah, yeah. It’s amazing, the Spielberg one — I mean, they’re all great — but the Spielberg one… I mean, it should go on his tombstone, honestly. [Slim laughs] Like it’s so ironic. The hat, the glasses. Like I could see that from 50 feet away and know it’s Spielberg. It’s amazing.
SLIM So as with series 1, you can get a special Letterboxd directors pin series two for 48 bucks for with all four directors. Look at those smug sunglasses on Spielberg, that son of a gun. Or you can get them as singles as a while supplies last for 14 bucks for each director. And those will be shipping out within a few weeks of your order while supplies last. So if you liked the first run of directors pins, we’re back again. We’re back at it.
DANNY And as always, thank you Letterboxd for partnering with us on these pens. I love you guys.
SLIM The Lynne one is my favorite one.
DANNY She came out great.
SLIM The hat. The vibe is very strong.
DANNY She’s got a great vibe anyway.
SLIM When are we going to do a Bigelow movie? Point Break?
DANNY I mean, god!
SLIM Can you commit to it right now, Danny?
DANNY Me? Yes! I’m committing right now to it! [Slim laughs] I’d love to do Point Break.
SLIM We still have Proto’s pick for leading ladies month at the end of this episode. Is there anything you want to tell us right now, Proto?
PROTO Right now?
DANNY He doesn’t know. He hasn’t decided.
PROTO I know some people are gonna be very happy. That’s all I’ll say.
DANNY Oh gosh.
SLIM Whoa.
DANNY Rise of Skywalker, incredible. [Slim & Proto laugh]
SLIM So there’s the pins, I’m excited we can finally get these in people’s hands. It’s been a fun journey. And I mean there’s whispers that there’s something else in the works. I’m not going to talk about anything else. But we should say hello to the new patrons this week also. Noel, Strudel, Evelyn, Daniel and Sarah all joined this week and our most recent episode just for supporters was Hot Fuzz, just went out to supporters as of this episode being out and about.
DANNY God bless.
SLIM Proto, did you watch any movies this week?
PROTO I did watch some movies. I finally got to watch Drive My Car.
DANNY Ohhhh yes.
SLIM Wooww.
PROTO You guys remember this movie? 2021. A lot of big talk about this movie people saying oh yes best movie of the year. Possibly couldn’t do what Parasite did win best in International Film and Best Picture. We all know the answer that, no. But I did say in my review, I think even if I didn’t think if it’s not necessarily my favorite movie of the of the year, I think it is the best movie that I saw. I think it’s the most unique, engaging, just different type of movies, something that I haven’t seen before. That was incredibly fascinating. There, there’s one scene early on in the movie that I just keep, I keep thinking about it. The scene if it’s not a spoiler, but it’s early on, where I can’t remember the main character’s name, but he comes back, because his flights canceled and he comes into the house. That whole scene I thought was incredible. Real I just keep thinking about and don’t even like that characters whole perspective and the way he relates to other people just really fascinating. And there’s so much like depth to it. But I don’t think it’s like a very accessible movie for everyone. Like, I don’t think like it’s a great movie, but it’s definitely not a movie for everybody. Like it’s definitely like a cinephile movie for sure. But that’s okay, too. So I really, I really enjoyed it. Even if it was three hours long.
SLIM How many days was that spread across for you? Was it one night?
PROTO No I watched it in two nights. Yeah, two nights. Classic two night movie.
SLIM You mentioned how you thought that might be the best movie or like your fav. I pulled up your stats for 2021, I was just curious to see what you rated five stars. Number one on your list Matrix Resurrections. 2021.
PROTO What a movie.
SLIM What an ep. What a friggin’ ep. Beatles: Get Back was also rated five stars. And finally, your only five star rated thing that was released in 2021. The Ninth Jedi.
DANNY Ohhh, Visions, baby.
PROTO That’s it. That’s it. Picture of the year, Visions. [Slim & Danny laugh] Actually, you want to hear something crazy that I just realized this week? Is that we are in now in April of 2022. And I have yet to rate a movie five stars.
SLIM Wuuut?
DANNY I respect that.
PROTO I was looking at my stats, I was like, wow, here we are.
SLIM Yeah, in terms of movies that were released this year, Batman is the highest for you.
PROTO I also watched to support our friends over at the BAT & SPIDER podcast, Chuck and Dale. They just hit their 100th episode. And then they did The Hitcher. Which is a movie I’ve never seen before. But of course I remember seeing seeing it in blockbuster, you know, seeing the cover for a long time, The Hitcher. You know people talk about it. I was prepared for a movie that was more of like a like a popular, or just known as like a cult classic, but a movie that isn’t actually that good. But I think it’s a really a great movie. I think the thing that it reminded me of is Terminator I don’t know if it’s like the single protagonist against this seemingly just like unbeatable, unstoppable force killer. But really fun movie. A lot of surprises. Things I wasn’t expecting. Just a really great flick. So, you know, I wasn’t expecting The Hitcher o be great, but I mean, Rutger Hauer. I mean, he he had it, as they say.
SLIM Sorry, I was gonna ask if I could quote your review and then I remember that Paul pointed out in Discord this week, an older app when I tried to read your Ninja Turtles movie review. [Slim laughs]
DANNY You were losing your mind.
SLIM Hold on, do I need to try to pull up this review? Well, your review for The Hitcher. C Thomas Howell wearing a pair of jeans during the first half that were an abomination. But other than that, acceptable. [Slim laughs]
PROTO He has like these really frumpy jeans on, just a bad look. But I guess it’s to do was a different time.
SLIM Your Ninja Turtles review is like iconic… [Slim laughs]
DANNY Oh no.
SLIM I can’t, I’m getting the giggles. [Slim laughs] I’ll link it in chat so people can read it. Oh, there you go. So people can read it for themselves. I’m not gonna be able to get through it. Danny, what did you watch this week?
DANNY I got it — [Slim laughs]
SLIM I just saw the line… [Slim cannot stop laughing]
DANNY Pause for editing. [Slim continues to laugh] Stupid ass.
SLIM The shredder line. Too much. Alright, continue. [Slim keeps laughing]
DANNY God. I was getting into wanting to watch some lo-fi sci-fi this week, and I checked a few lists on Letterboxd and I came across a movie called The Quiet Earth. You had watched that Slim. And it just was it was ready for me to view it was streaming on. I think canopy had it. I can’t remember where I watched it. It’s such a rad film. I gave it three and a half stars. The acting is quite terrible. And I will say this there’s there’s a few times where I enjoyed the main actor, but most of it’s kind of bad. What I do love about this film is they for whenever it was made in 1985 they do such a good job of displaying the last man on earth kind of situation. After whatever happened with the science, the whatever the science did to make people disappear. Yeah, Kevin just shared the poster amazing poster. I thought they did a really good job of making him feel isolated and alone in the city and big wide shots have an empty city in 1985 Looks really real and like they cleared out entire cities to film this guy kind of wandering through it and then the times that I did find them quite believable of his performance was when he started to kind of lose his mind being alone and isolated. And it was quite interesting. And I really enjoyed the ending of it. It was it was all good ride. But visually I love the Lo Fi tech when he’s in this little lab, the giant machines I mean it just looks incredible.
SLIM Yeah, the ending was probably my favorite part the whole movie. I thought that was really cool, really well done.
DANNY And that Toyota truck. Are you kidding me with that pickup he had? Mamma Mia. I wanted that.
SLIM Matthew in chat: “More prep for the 70mm road trip to New Zealand.” It was an independent local jawn.
DANNY Yeah, crazy.
PROTO We can drive there? [Slim & Danny laugh]
DANNY And then somewhere along the lines in our Discord, I believe villager Art was patting himself on the back for something he did. I don’t know. He shared the the GIF of breakfast club so I decided to watch The Breakfast Club this week, threw on my Criterion disk, and sat and watched one of the greatest films of all time. I love the Breakfast Club. I would love to do that film for us at some point. I don’t know when we’ll fit it in. But um, I just I just sit and get hypnotized by that film. I love it so much.
SLIM Iconic poster.
DANNY Iconic poster.
SLIM I mean, maybe top 10 posters of all time? Gotta be. Sheesh.
DANNY Anyway, so yeah, threw on my Criterion and watched The Breakfast Club late one night, thanks to a GIF that was shared in our village.
SLIM Imagine Danny poster-sized art for Breakfast Club episode?
DANNY I would love to do a Breakfast Club poster.
SLIM Molly Ringwald month. Ally Sheedy month.
PROTO How about we do a lo-fi sci-fi month with Danny making that t-shirt he keeps talking about?
DANNY I think on the poster and a lot of the photography of Breakfast Club was Annie Leibovitz, the photographer. If I’m not mistaken. Anyway, that was my week.
SLIM Big week. Big week.
DANNY A good week.
SLIM We’re rapidly running out of time. We gotta get to Annihilation. Just real quick. I do want to call out Swiss Army Man that I watched with Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe and show favorite Mary Elizabeth Winstead in this movie. This came out 2016 It was like one of those weird movies. I think that was like popping out but the same directors just did the one that’s, you know, super popular right now, Everything Everywhere All At Once. And so I figured I’d see what this movie was. And Paul Dano is on an island, kind of like stranded and Daniel Radcliffe’s corpse comes ashore. And he is like about to hang himself, but he sees him come ashore so he stops to like try to save him but he like finds out he’s dead and then he just like starts the corpse of Daniel Radcliffe starts farting And he sees this as like an opportunity won’t he wants stops he sees this as like as an opportunity to get off the island. So he rides Daniel Radcliffe’s farting corpse like a jetski off the island. And right at that moment, I was like, am I in love with this movie?
DANNY This is a real movie.
SLIM This is a real movie. So that’s all I’ll say about this movie. If that pitch sounds at all interesting to you, then you will love this movie.
PROTO It’s gotta be Daniel Radcliffe’s best movie. [Slim laughs]
SLIM He’s very good in it. He’s very good. The whole cast is very good. I was cracking up watching this movie. I loved it. So if you like their new movie, or vice versa, I think you’ll probably enjoy the other one. But we have to get into Annihilation. Right now. This is my pick for leading ladies month. Lots of reviews piping in this week. Some three stars. I won’t name anyone. Their name rhymes with Hannah in our Discord gave it three stars. But this is my pick for leading ladies month. Proto, what’s this movie about?
[music from Annihilation plays]
PROTO That’s a Kanye West rhyme. Rhymes with Hannah. Annihilation. Lena’s husband Kane never returned from a secret military operation. One year later, he mysteriously reappears but does not seem himself and falls into a coma. On the way to the hospital. They are intercepted and taken to area x a base on the border of a phenomenon called the shimmer. It is an expanding zone that little is known about and no one returns from after entering. Lina agrees to join the newest team venturing into the shimmer in search of answers. What they find defies reality and questions what they know about the world and themselves annihilation?
DANNY Slim, talk to us. Why was this your pick?
PROTO Tell us.
SLIM Why was this my pack? So I think I’d let I’ve talked about some movies that I wanted to do. But they were all kind of like five bangers. And this one I feel like was in the middle. Like when I was looking at everyone’s letterbox review there was it was kind of like all over the place. It wasn’t just like a big win. And I think it has to do with just the way the movie was written and shown and the finale just kind of like left people curious. So I thought it would make like a really fun discussion for us to talk about, like longer term thoughts on the movies. And I remember the last time I watched it, I think I bought an Apple Apple TV. And yeah, Sarah in chat says it seems like people rate it higher the more they see it. That’s I definitely notice it that this week in discord with all of our friends reviewing it. And I had this great experience watching it this earlier this year, or last year turned to my one on on 4k. And this time around, I actually was one of my arrow mentions but I watch on Roku. And I bought a while ago I bought one of those like Roku pro remotes that like lets you say hey, Roku, where’s my remote, and it beeps. But it also has an audio jack. So for this viewing, I plugged in my ex Xbox headset. And I was like blown away to the point where I was like, why don’t all movies force you to listen when you hear people saying Oh, you shouldn’t watch that at home. You got to see it in a theater. Watching friggin movie with headphones on and your life is about to change my friend. I thought it was incredible. Having just like, I mean those Xbox headsets that we have are pretty good. You know that you get like pretty good surround sound. But I heard everything the music was popping. We’ll get into it later. But the scene where that musical note hits in the cave. Like I was like levitating off my couch going sideways. It was it was insane. So I just want to call out if you have one of those remotes and they’re like 20 bucks on Amazon, by all means, do it. Proto, how many times you’ve seen this movie?
PROTO I’ve only seen it once before, but my history is, I read the book.
DANNY Ohhhh.
PROTO I guess probably like 10 years ago at this point. I’m not really sure when it came out. I don’t even remember why I read it, I think I was just looking for, you know, some kind of sci-fi story that was interesting. And I thought the book was good. I wasn’t really blown away by it. It’s actually a trilogy. I read the second one. And it was honestly one of the worst books I’ve ever read. So I didn’t continue.
SLIM I’ve heard that a lot. I hear that like, for most people that they liked the book, and then the second one was almost like an abomination.
PROTO Abomination is a good word for it. Yeah, like a complete waste of time. Like, unbelievable. [Slim laughs] But with this movie, so I saw Ex Machina, which came out in 2015. And I was like, okay, like, you know, who is this Alex Garland? Let’s, let’s put a pin on him. Let’s keep track of what he’s doing. So, um, you know, hearing that the book was going to be turned into a movie. I wasn’t necessarily that excited, other than knowing that Alex Garland was directing it. So that had me excited because I you know, I trust this guy, you know, he’s like, you know, really a, you know, a rising star in the Sci-Fi, Director category.
SLIM Do you remember way back when Halo, Microsoft was shopping the rights around for the Halo movie to studios and they totally blew it? But there was like a big story where Garland got paid a billion dollars to write a script for the Halo movie. I think the moment the first time I heard his name, but I think he also wrote 28 Days Later, Sunshine was mentioned in chat, The Beach among dread maybe too, so he’s this next movie is Men. I haven’t watched the trailer yet. But drink, I just mentioned I don’t watch trailer. Sorry, everybody. It’s a good truck. Danny, what about you? What’s your history?
DANNY My only history with this. Is you raving about watching it recent that 2021 I hadn’t seen it. It fell off my radar. I miss it in theaters. I don’t think I feel like there was no buzz around this film. And I don’t feel like anyone that I would have cared of their opinions when it was coming out. Saw it. If you know what I’m like, if any ones that I would consider that like sci fi and I don’t feel like they saw it or just didn’t talk about it. So when you talked about watching it, I was like, Well, I finally watched this thing. So your recommendation of watching it was the first time I watched it. And then this week. I watched it twice. And the making of.
SLIM Yeah, Jadakiss mentions how this was misunderstood by distributors. I remember this kind of just being like thrown into theaters with no fanfare. And then I think International District distribution it just went on Netflix outside of the US. That is some vivid memories I have interesting, had a very strange…
DANNY I kind of get it though this movie is. It’s a lot. Like if you’re going to this I don’t. Like if if I think about annihilation in the visuals. It’s like I’m thinking like, like interstellar kind of comes to mind with this kind of grand scheme of things. But following this movie is not easy. And so I feel like if you’re just showing up for a sci fi romp and you get to this film, you’re you’re may not like it. Like this is not your typical kind of shoot me off into space so I can discover and find alien somewhere type cinch.
PROTO Yeah, that’s funny you bring up Interstellar because I was thinking earlier, I feel like this movie could be in a trilogy with Interstellar. And then also, I think even more this movie reminds me of Arrival. Almost like emotional science fiction —
SLIM Oh my god, emotional science fiction month. [Slim & Proto laugh]
DANNY I’m sweating now.
SLIM So I chose it. So I guess I’m going first. I mean, my main note is is obviously the lighthouse. I don’t know if we want to get into it right now or we want to slow it down. Let’s talk about the last 25 minutes of this movie. Please, god.
DANNY Dig into the heart of it.
SLIM So like the shimmer, they’re finally they’re traveling to the to get to the lighthouse where they think this all kicked off and they finally get there. She gets there. She’s behind Ventris you know, the leader of her crew and she crawls into this hole and finds her in there. And she you know, says the name of the movie, she has this great line.
[clip of Annihilation plays]
SLIM She like gets subsumed and refracted into the shimmer. The shimmer is like refracting everything including DNA. So everything is effed up. And then that musical note hits Natalie Portman, is watching this happen in front of her. And that’s where, like full disclosure, I have, like a religious experience with this movie. Like when this starts happening, it’s insane from this point on, everything that happens in this moment is just so wild, audio wise, visually. And your interpretation of these scenes is like, I feel like I haven’t experienced this in a movie before, where like, you can have multiple interpretations of what happens after this moment, emotionally, storyline wise, and they’ll all be right.
DANNY I was about to say that. I feel like you can’t be wrong on how you kind of interpret this ending, even interpret what kind of is happening to the people and the themes that are like laced into the story. I mean, you talk about you know, cells replenishing each other and turning like the cancer type vibes or even you know, the destructive nature of people and how each of the females that have gone into this film are you know, dealing with like a destructive kind of life and and then to come out to see Natalie have her experience in like, even leading up to crawling down to the hole watching the footage of Oscars character, kill himself, but then be replaced by the alien. And there’s just, it’s so I mean, you’re so right. However you want to interpret this ending kind of feels like you’re not wrong.
PROTO I think the scene, the lighthouse scene. When I think of, there’s like a lot of sci-fi movies that you see that they promise a lot. And more often than not, they, they under deliver, or just don’t deliver at all, at the ending, or what they’re leading up to, or what they’re promising. If it’s visually or just like story wise, it’s not satisfying at the end, it’s like, oh, that was better, as a mystery, or just in my mind. It’s like, oh, I wish they didn’t try to show that thing where I wish I went a different way. This really is a movie where, like, it has this whole idea of like the shimmer, and we don’t know what it is. It’s a mystery. It’s unknown, like, what could it be? And as you’re watching this, to then get to the lighthouse and have such like a really, bizarre, otherworldly thing happened in that scene that’s so foreign and engaging and interesting, and symbolic in different ways. And just like, integrated into the story and the character, like it has such a such a good payoff. It’s, it’s, it’s so it’s so satisfying in terms of what what it was leading up to, like, it’s one of the few I think science fiction movies where I don’t feel disappointed at the end by by what I see. Because it is it works on a visual level as like, trying also, I mean, it doesn’t give you the answers really, that you’re looking at, but like you’re saying, like you can kind of come to your own terms about like, what this movie means or even like, what this thing was like, was it some kind of alien? Was it just like some kind of like biological reaction like there’s not a lot of explanation to it. And you’re and you’re left to determine it for yourself, but like what they give you is satisfying.
SLIM I think on this viewing or the the viewing that I had last year, I was really struck by like my interpretation of their own refraction in the shimmer like so everyone changes that like a certain point, something happens to them. And like Natalie’s refraction, is this other self manifested that is like, copying her every move and like in my view, her character, you know, has this affair. She makes like really bad decisions and then her manifestation is almost like her shame, and her grief and depression almost in this other version of her is just like suffocating her. And it won’t leave her and she has to face it at the end of this movie. And I was just so blown away by that in the film. Like, you could say that in with words in a drama or, you know, any other way. But there’s like person, there’s other worldly explanation or interpretation of, of her reaction to what she has done in her life. And it’s being refracted by this alien thing in a way that visually I’ve never experienced before. And it never says that, like I could. That’s just my view of it. And I feel like it’s just so like, invigorating to see that in a film. So like the last 30 minutes of this thing, especially with headphones on. You kidding me right now?
DANNY Also caught this time around the quick. It’s a quick line when there’s a you know, the shots of her having the affair. And then when Oscars character leaves fast, I didn’t catch the line. The first time I watched this of, did he did he? Did he know about the affair? And is that why he was pushed into this kind of mission? And is his reason for going on this Natalie’s fault. And I wonder if that part of her is the guilt. Not only the shame of that, but the guilt of the outcome of Oscar’s character as well manifesting in that alien, humanoid, black type figure.
SLIM I mean, let’s talk about, it’s still like within these characters, but I watched that making up too. And there was something in that making that I did not catch at all, in any of my three viewings. Oh, which was, you know, he goes through and talks about, they spent a lot of time on the bears scene, which, you know, full disclosure, I didn’t really like love. I mean, it was fine. The bears scene where they’re tied up by one of the characters because she’s going nuts because she’s starting to refract, and the this bear comes in. And Alex is talking about this bear scene. He’s like, you know, I want to talk about the scene, but I don’t want to get too deep into it. And he has like this weird explanation as to why. But he points out the house.
DANNY I didn’t catch it either until watching
SLIM Is their house, the house in the shimmer is their home. Oscar and Natalie. Oscar has a bear tattoo. So this bear is potentially a piece of Oscar being refracted and dealing with what has happened to him in their relationship. He’s despondent, he’s full of despair. He’s walking the grounds of the shimmer. I like shit my pants when they’re talking about the scene. No clue! When I was watching this, that was even possible. I even like felt like when I was gonna bring this up, like, am I an idiot for not catching his bear tattoo? And this is a bear? And the house! I was blown away. I had no freaking clue.
DANNY Yeah, and it’s crazy too, that’s the that’s the great thing about this film. You could watch it over and over again. And it’s just the layers of this film when they show the side by sides of it’s it’s the shot when Oscar comes home. When Natalie’s painting the room and he’s looking up the stairs is the shot we get when Natalie gets to the home and she’s looking up the stairs. She mimics Oscars coming into that house. And I I was the same slim when they started talking about the manifestation of the bear being Oscar. And I just it blew my mind and they showed his tattoo and I’m like, oh, it’s a bear on his chest!
SLIM I know right, like, idiot!
DANNY I’m so dumb! How did I miss this? But that that making of it was it’s what I wanted from this film. I wanted to see them, because it’s like, it’s 4k. I was worried about the gator. I was worried about the bear. I wasn’t worried about really much of the inner stuff but how much practical. The animatronic bear head is incredible. The gator launching it out of the river without the people knowing to get their genuine like scare of the women, that was incredible too. I mean it just, the work that went into this film, it’s just my cup of tea.
PROTO Not to to stay on this but does it go back to the lighthouse, one thing I liked or just thinking about the characters that that all got there is I remember at one point I think the Tessa Thompson’s character says to Lena before she leaves that, like you you want to go to the lighthouse and adventurous wants to face what’s there and you want to fight what’s there. And I think that is kind of how it plays out because Lina does fight it and it seems like venturous she gets there first. And I think she had already been like, like, consumed by it, because that party isn’t hers. That’s like the creature right? Because like she then like evaporates as if she was the thing. So like, where did she go is like she got there and she like gave herself up to it. But then also thinking of Oscar Isaac’s character, where like his reaction was, he saw the like the clone of himself fully formed, and then decided that I’m just going to kill myself. And you can take over. So like his and I think that might be played to the idea that he knew about the about her cheating on him. Because for him, I was like, I can’t go on with this life anymore. Like I you can this this other new version of me, who doesn’t have this memory, this pain, like you could go back? And you could live with Lena without knowing of like this pain that she has caused me. So I’ll give this up. So I thought that was really cool, just like the different reactions that they had to like getting to the lighthouse.
SLIM Is this my favorite science fiction? I ask you. [Danny laughs]
DANNY You know, it’s funny. That question was asked in our Discord by KK. And I responded right away… no. But after watching it twice this week, it’s back up there. I mean, it really is. I couldn’t get enough of this film.
DANNY And I know you didn’t watch the making-.of Do you want to know what was another practical effect? The intestines in the guy’s stomach rolling around.
SLIM I couldn’t believe that.
DANNY There was a lady behind a wall like.
SLIM Just pulling strings.
DANNY Pulling strings, so Oscar could actually put his hand in there and pull out the intestines. I’m just like, thank you for practical effects, because it still looks good and 4k. And that’s what I was like, man, they did a great job. Well, it’s it’s it’s real. It’s in camera.
SLIM I was shocked. I thought that was a bit when it came up in the making of. They showed people behind him. He had a prosthetic belly. It was crazy.
DANNY Ah, incredible stuff. And I’ll jump into my number one production of this film, the visuals, the the being in the forest one of my I think it’s it’s top tier one of my favorite shots in sci fi is the shot of the the soldiers body that has morphed onto the wall. It is absolutely incredible. The production like the artistry of you know, it’s it’s like it’s disturbing on one level, but also it’s it’s like beautiful, like, the body itself is you know, is this whatever refracting the colors the the jaws coming off his skull, but his rib cages there. But that purple and that yellow and the green. I’m just like, That’s like dream job situation, it feels like to be able to just create that stuff. And even to conceptualize some of the stuff in this film, watching the making of him just like jealous of this kind of work these people did. It’s, it’s incredible. And it feels like nothing was like, No, this isn’t gonna work. There’s some incredible ideas in this film, even down to just the bodies turning into flowers and the cells and the people standing there as is the bushes and kind of stuff. It’s just beautiful stuff. I mean, this film, as disturbing as so much of it is, it’s quite beautiful.
SLIM I liked how the paramedic, when she saw that. She’s like, what is this? Like, you need to wake up girl. You are effed! Look around you what’s happening.
PROTO I think the thing that’s impressive about this movie is the amount of restraint that is shown as well with just the visuals and what’s shown because even that seemed like that’s an incredible visual of the guy in the in the in the pool, and what happened to his body. And they could have had a scene where they show what happened because it’s kind of insane, like his legs are sitting there. But then like 10 feet off the ground is his head at but then his like jaw is disconnected from the top of his skull, like by a foot. And it’s like he’s like screaming so you have this impression that he was still alive when something like this was happening. And you know, you could have shown that and like that could have but but there’s like there’s so much that’s not shown in this and there’s so much like restraint that’s shown that I think adds to it of course like that, you know, they leave you wanting more from this like when I watch this like I’m thinking like I just wish there was an Another hour of them exploring write shimmer and finding stuff, you know, but the fact that they don’t is, is I think it’s great storytelling.
SLIM I mean, how great was it to when they wake up after their first night and piece together that it’s actually been, you know, several days at least, that they’ve been in the shimmer, but it hasn’t felt that way to them. So disorienting to feel that. Proto, what’s your number one?
PROTO My number one is really just a theme that kept coming back up and I didn’t really like catch this as much. I think watching it a second time. There’s just you just have a lot more to just contemplate what’s being said. But the one character I think it’s her name is Shepherd. There’s a scene where they are on the water after the gator attack, which is crazy, like this Gator, just tried to eat you all and you’re gonna go on these boats? Like, why are you going on the foot. But as she’s talking about what she lost, like she lost her daughter to I think she says leukemia. And she says…
[clip of Annihilation plays]
PROTO And there’s this whole theme of, of course change, and people being different, and you know, how you change over time. And, you know, being married, or this is something like me and Jenna talk about all the time of how you don’t feel like you’re married to the person who you were on your wedding day, you know, it’s like, yeah, we’ve been married for over 10 years. It’s like, I’m not the same person at all. And if Jenna, you know, met me who I am now on her wedding, she’d be like, Well, you’re not the same person. But of course, it’s it’s so hard to understand that because, you know, we live one moment at a time. So we, it’s just this one continuous thread of our life, though. So we feel like the same person, but we’re really like so vastly different throughout different stages of our lives. And that is such like a real thing. That feels like a science fiction concept. But of course, we don’t get to meet our past selves or our future selves to really experienced that. But that is really so true. I think, I guess the only real experience you could have like that as if you meet, you know, you. You have an old friend who you don’t see for, you know, 10 or 20 years, and just the ways that they’ve changed. And it’s like, shocking, but I just I love that theme that keeps coming up of just how they’ve changed based on what’s happened in their life.
SLIM Is this my favorite science fiction movie? [Slim & Danny laugh] Number two, for me is Natalie herself. We haven’t really talked about Natalie’s performance.
DANNY Our leading lady.
SLIM Our leading lady herself. I think she obviously she’s amazing in this movie. I mean, almost her first few scenes, when she is kind of like taken into like, quote unquote, custody. And she’s asking the right questions about who you are. Why am I here? What room is this? And she’s like, starting to piece together, potentially what might actually be happening to her based on her surroundings and the people she’s interacted with. Her in just in every scene, I mean, also when she she’d like mo’s down that Gator, when she slowly reveals to people that she’s, you know, a former soldier, and there’s so much not said from her. You know, like, she never really talks about the decision she’s made. Since he’s been gone or the affair. It’s almost like you’re left to interpret based on her unrelated actions in the movie, and I loved it. I loved everything about Natalie in this movie. I love, I mean, she’s such a career started that, you know, most people maybe have seen her in Leon at first, but Well, I mean, how many young child actors become accomplished adult actors? It’s gotta be such a small percentage, and she’s been in some incredible bangers. Black Swan anyone? Right, Proto?
PROTO Black Swan. Oh my god. Yeah, she really is. I love Natalie. She’s one of my favorite actresses. I love her in this, I think she just nails it. Put her in everything, okay? [Slim & Danny laugh]
DANNY Yeah, I agree. Natalie is incredible in this. I also think it’s an incredible supporting cast. Gina and Tessa, I honestly don’t remember the other girl’s name. She’s also really good. Not Jennifer. The one that gets eaten by the bear.
SLIM Gina, I think. Is that Gina Rodriguez?
DANNY Teva?
PROTO No, yeah, that’s her.
DANNY I think they’re incredible in this. It’s great to see like, it’s also they’re also dressed their military. Like it’s like, it feels like this easily could have been shoehorned into five dudes. It’s not meant like, if you can correct me I think they said in the movie that even in the book, they’re just referred to as their job titles. And you’re left to kind of just assume they’re men or women but so in this to make that kind of that they’re going to be women. I feel like it was a I mean, obviously it’s a gamble. But it’s it’s such a right choice. There’s so good in this film. I love the conversations that like you said in the boat, but also I love Tessa, when she is realizing the prism effects of what the light is doing when they’re in the, in the the field. And I had the I also I mean had the realization of when she starts having the leaves grow out of her arms. They’re growing out of where she cut herself and was she was self destructing as a person and her you know, her dark side like she was it was all grown from where she cut herself. So I just there’s so many layers in this. The women are incredible. And I just love Tessa.
SLIM Tessa come home. I wrote down his one line Oscar was talking about in his video.
[clip of Annihilation plays]
SLIM I can’t bear it. I thought that was so cool.
DANNY How about Oscar working on Star Wars and this at the same time and walking back and forth between the Pinewood Studios?
SLIM Oh, wow. Whose decision was it to give him that terrible accent? Why did he even need that accent?
DANNY I don’t know.
SLIM Whose turn is it? Danny, your number two.
DANNY Number two. I got to talk about the bear. I know you said you didn’t really care for it. But that scene is terrifying. But I think what makes it terrifying, is it mimicking the scream of the of Jeannie. Yeah, when it’s and I didn’t realize it, but it rips out the throat of her. When Natalie finds her. And that’s in the he makes the sound of her screaming. It’s not a bear roar. It is so unsettling to see that creature. I mean, the skull growing out of the side of its skull. It’s like decaying as a creature. It’s such a gnarly design. That’s what I feel like the word is that keeps coming back in my head for this movie. It’s just gnarly. Everything looks so gross and crazy. But that bear scene, It’s intense.
SLIM Yeah, I didn’t hate it. I just wasn’t it wasn’t like my favorite scene in the movie. The scream is nutty. Also the idea that they piece together that like maybe a piece of her, you know, like literally her her voice box has melded or refracted into the bear. And it’s almost like not just a mimic thing, but it’s like a piece literally a piece of her is living on in the bear.
PROTO Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it’s a wild idea that everything is refracting against itself. And then I think venturous has that like great line of just how, like, eventually everything will just be like, atomized to its smallest point and then there’ll be annihilation. It’s a crazy concept that you could do so much with in terms of just, yeah, I mean, just ideas. And then they explore that so well in some of the like, I love the scene where there’s like that it looks like a deer that has like a mimic deer where they almost it looks like they share the same mind because all their movements are exactly the same. Or if that’s you know, if the what happens in the lighthouse where it like completely replicates it. You know that somehow that happened to this deer and is able to just like live side by side with over version of itself. There’s only a lot of small moments like that. Even the lighting when they’re in the shimmer is like insane yeah this movie it’s like it’s just like a prism of color through all the trees. It’s really cool.
SLIM Visually, it’s visual feast in that forrest. I mean even when she goes down into the underside of the lighthouse the the lighting in that scene is why you’ll like I thought some of that would have been the art to like her walking down there with a gun or…
DANNY Telling you my problem with doing art for this I didn’t want to do such a boy literally seen for this film because the amazing shots are are too much.
PROTO Yeah in chat, Traynor said the alien ship interior it this movie does give me like Geiger vibes in some ways. Almost as if he had like a like a light side rather than just like always a dark side like you see with like the alien art. But it definitely gave me like Geiger vibes with a lot of like the design of this.
SLIM I mean even the surroundings of the lighthouse that were like you know popping up on the beach. And then when those things you know light on fire and have like this molten look, just like collapsing on the beach.
DANNY That last tree that falls is insane. I mean, Florida never looked so good.
PROTO How about the on the beach, there’s like for skeleton torsos, and then like 10 skulls. Does he talk about that at all in the documentary?
DANNY It’s just there. Love it.
SLIM I mean, like, like Danny said, Imagine being on that team putting all this stuff right there. I mean, this is the coolest gig ever.
DANNY No one said no to anybody wanting to make something in that film.
SLIM For comic nerds, in the documentary Jock appears, yeah, comic readers will know Jock, and also he’s done concept art for last Jedi and a host of other movies. But it was cool to see him also in the dock talking about being buddies with Alex Garland working together on movies. And seeing some of that concept art. But Alex Garland brings up Alan Moore Swamp Thing. Yeah. Pretty heartily. I think you know, he grew up in the UK and talks about Elon Moore’s impact on him growing up. And you know, we don’t talk about comics too much on here. But saga the Swamp Thing is top two all time greatest comic book that I’ve ever read. It’s the greatest love story ever told. So if you’re looking to get into comic books, you need to read Saga, the Swamp Thing and I mean, some of the stuff in here. If you liked Annihilation you’ll really love Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing. It’s quite a journey.
DANNY And he said the walking bush looking people were a direct reference to Swamp Thing.
SLIM Proto, what’s your… did we get Proto’s number two?
PROTO The score. I really enjoyed the score of this especially how it transitions. You know, it has mostly just acoustic guitar I think at the at the beginning of this until they really get to the lake lake house. It reminded me a lot of Nick Drake’s album Pink Moon, I don’t know if you guys have ever heard of that. But yeah, had very, very strong Nick Drake vibes from the score. But it’s kind of you know, it has like a it’s an interesting choice because it doesn’t necessarily fit with the content, but it gives a nice like, I think, I don’t know, like, I guess like a nice pairing with what you’re seeing. To me it worked worked really well.
SLIM I wrote this, that was actually one of my top three was with her I mean, there’s scenes where she’s looking back on her life and her decisions and then it cuts to the shimmer timeframe and she’s walking with the gun and you hear like an acoustic guitar playing. And I was so struck by that that you could have easily just assumed you would get some kind of funky Hans Zimmer thing.
DANNY Thank you. That’s what I was gonna say. Words out of my mouth. Respect the like percussion or, you know, women choral screaming in your ears every three seconds. I mean, the Hans Zimmer —
SLIM Bag pipes.
DANNY Yeah, I mean they easily could have done that. But they I feel like the acoustic guitar gives it some levity. I think it could be a much heavier darker film if they went full synth the whole time.
SLIM Yeah, yeah, yeah. My last note, and we went through most of everything that I had got. I think we might have just hit everything. We’ll just go to Danny, what’s your number three?
DANNY Well, let’s talk our thoughts on, I know we’ve talked lighthouse, but let’s talk our thoughts on the finale on on Natalie returning, the lighthouse burning down. Oscar coming out of a coma not going to die anymore but we know that the Oscar there apparently is the you know clone Oscar.
SLIM New Oscar.
DANNY And we see the shimmer in Natalie’s eye still. So what do you think? I mean, for me, I feel like it’s obviously not the club. I don’t think it’s clone Natalie. But it’s also not the same Natalie. I feel like her cells have all changed the shimmers and her and she’s a completely new person coming out of this. But how do you guys take the ending?
SLIM I think I mean, she does talk about how she tries to explain to the scientists that it wasn’t destroying everything it was making something new. Like she’s to view it as, you know, a positive thing where Natalie has put her past behind her but it’s still with her. You know, as it should be. She should be like aware of like all of her decisions that she’s made in her life but she can continue on with a second chance but I mean, I don’t really trust new asked her to be not a free loss because it seems pretty. He’s got no personality. It seems like a real dud. I don’t really know how to view the relationship moving forward.
DANNY Someone give him an acoustic guitar.
PROTO I liked it. Yeah, I guess I took it as you know, most people don’t get to get like those kinds of second chances. So I thought it was like Natalie’s character was given like this unique chance to start over with someone who she she really like you see that she regrets the mistakes that she’s made. And she wished he doesn’t do it. I mean, that’s like a powerful scene, I think when she’s in the bedroom with the guy she cheated on. And you can just like the thing she says, you know, about or like he says about her hating herself and just telling him to get out and you just see like she she regrets how she got here. And just the idea of like we you know, we make self destructive choices. And it seemed like Natalie was making others the part in the movie where she can see the the to want to turn back and leave. And Natalie convinces them to go to continue going on think saying like, that’s our best way out of here. But then it cuts to her telling the you know, the people back at Area X, that she was actually lying, she didn’t know but she thought that that’s what she wanted to do. So she was able to convince them of that. So it was like that that seemed like a self destructive choice that she was making to continue on where she probably knows that like I’m not going to make it out of here. And I don’t know if I want to make it out of here. But at the end of the day she kind of got what she didn’t expect where she gets out of there. And she gets her husband back in some some form.
SLIM How about Gina Rodriguez’s tattoo refracting onto Natalie that was pretty cool and it’s
DANNY on the body of the guy forming on the wall I didn’t notice that’s on that soldiers arm to on the wall why so let there’s so many layers deep does the rabbit hole
SLIM portal your number three
PROTO um, I think I’m in the same spot. I think we really covered everything it’s in some ways there’s like a lot in this movie. But when I think of like the scenes and the things to talk about, I wouldn’t say like I feel like we’ve hit everything. Yeah. That Sarah
SLIM has to do Gina for sure had the tattoo before going in. That’s I don’t know. We’re gonna have to do a rewatch on that
DANNY we have to rewatch it. Yeah, it’s worth it.
SLIM Honorable mench.
PROTO Honorable mention. My only honorable mention is Natalie Portman’s ears. I’m usually, I have a thing for earlobes connected or not connected. I just prefer the unconnected earlobe, aesthetically more pleasing. But Natalie has connected earlobes… I forget what that’s called. But hers are very beautiful.
DANNY It’s called attached.
PROTO Yeah, the attached. I really like hers. I Think they’re great. This Yeah, I had a great time watching this. It is a visual feast. It looks great in 4k. I’m at four stars for Annihilation.
SLIM Hmm, I will say I’ve never had a thought about it. lobes connected or otherwise before this moment I really opened open thine eyes
DANNY literally had this conversation or dinner table that tonight
SLIM what are the chances are not so weird? So I was at four and a half stars four stars last time I watched it. Five stars for annihilation. I had an incredible experience last 25 minutes this movie. They’re my favorite science fiction moment in a film and it’s going to be hard to talk to me or to DOP Paul just screenshotted me saying that I drilled on myself earlier today what did it what a what a film loved it. And again the discord kind of set it like you get more out of it. The more you watch and the last time we’re saying that on the show was for arrival. And I remember saying that I hate when people say that so I’m now going back on my own statements twice in the history of this podcast the first time it’s ever been done it’s great
DANNY to see what my and see what my star rating was before this.
SLIM I don’t know how to do that. Danny honorable mention mentions and final writing almost a
DANNY four and a half before this honorable mention. I was surprised neither of you brought up Oscars chest cavity, just like I saw that. I noticed there. Thank you. I knew you guys would get that Sam Neill chest cavity.
SLIM Sam Neill school chess, Kevin.
DANNY Yeah, I you know I like I said before KK brought up in chat. It’s just the best sci fi film I said no, but I’m wrong. I don’t think it’s it’s not my favorite. And I had to think is this better than a rival and to me it is because I don’t have to stomach Jeremy Renner in this film. So to me, this is definitely better than arrival. I’m at five stars. I can’t help it. Wow. I like this time better than my first time watching it. So
SLIM floating drugged out Homer dot GIF right I think that Homer GIF is from a music video that’s pretty catchy. Can anyone confirm what that GIF is from strings and it’s from a YouTube video that I watched before chat is beside themselves right now with these ratings we’ll have to see who won the veto she’s this week remember we talked about before illegal gambling in our Discord? We’re across state lines on the internet on
PROTO a federal level
SLIM the federal rallies cleared it for us this this year. Annihilation I’m so glad we’re able to talk about it and discover new things with it. documentary is insane highly recommended it’s not thank you it’s on YouTube thank you for I can’t remember who linked to the documentary was a you Danny or is it someone else?
DANNY I don’t know. Someone dropped it in one of the channels. It’s also in the live chat somewhere now but yes, it’s our 17 on YouTube. If you like the behind the scenes stuff, please watch it.
SLIM We have some emails to get to and you can send us those at 70 Mm pod@gmail.com Or just use the links on 70 Mm pod.com different virus catcher co host to the Senate odds podcast and there’s whispers that catch her you know might be on in a future episode. There was talk and an uncut episode in the past about the Zodiac Goodness gracious ever seen. Catch her rights? Oh, we this movie is the best murder bears interpretive dance and strange treat people not to mention wonderful book in performances from Oscar Isaac. I walked out of the theater convinced this is in my top five favorite sci fi films ever. Alex Garland forever. If 70 Mm, could only send in one host the lighthouse for an alien dance battle for the survival of the human race who’s getting in? And that’s with love catcher. I feel like if we have an opportunity for one of us three to connect with a higher being. There’s no competition and Pardo’s going in.
DANNY No competition.
SLIM It’s almost like I already speak about it. We would just nod to each other and pro would just walk in and maybe we’d see him in the future. I don’t know.
PROTO I’ve seen the way Slim operates in a graveyard past midnight.
DANNY Leaving a theater though that makes me mad that I didn’t get to see the Senate theater. I’m frustrated. I would love to see this on a big screen
SLIM for now. God that scene is so good when she says annihilation and she looks up and the lights come out of her body. Holy God.
DANNY Orbs around Natalie.
SLIM Cash mana. Joe has emailed in, we got an email from Joe, talk to us. Hello 70 mm slim pro Danny. So I’ve been listening to this podcast for a few months now and I cannot imagine my life without it. Oh, man. I’m sure it’s been mentioned in a previous email. But you all should be so proud of the space you’ve made here. From slim crying over a 4k restoration of Lawrence of Arabia, to protos Batman calls and bell of course, to Danny’s incredible art that we’ve been blessed with every single week and of course, the VHS village who’d have thought that there’ll be a space where no one judges your tastes and movies. I’m looking at you Twitter. I’ve been going through a difficult time as of late with my mental health and this podcast has honestly been a shining light in an absolute shitstorm so I thank you very much looking forward to the chat about annihilation this week. 15 stars question mark. I’m hoping one of these days I’ll be able to listen in live anyway Take it easy. Joe PS Slim. I hope you pre ordered the Bridge on the River Kwai for K steel bull. Joe I got a text on my wife that I’m not allowed to buy anything in the next 10 days. So hopefully in 10 days from now I’m preparing that bad boy. One of those lessons Joe let me tell you one more year in the shits urine shit stage your life. Manda wants me to go through our finances this weekend. You ever go through your finances with your wife? She prints out the expensive like literally your PNC Bank statements with like, sort of highlight things with a question mark. There’s no worst moment that I can think of right now
PROTO in 20 self destructive tendencies start to come out.
SLIM This is my I’m back in the shimmer.
DANNY You’re gonna refract.
SLIM Thanks, Joe. We have some VMs to get to. This is a popular film. But there was one I think that was just missed last week from Jasher Jasher I don’t think I played this one last week did I? Oh,
hey, 70 Mm. It’s JC here or Jason Miller in the discord. He says a little bit of a late voice message actually about last week’s the piano, which I have to admit didn’t blow me away. I definitely appreciated aspects of it. And it was cool to see something made here in New Zealand just to see the similar sites and hear the similar sounds. But I’m glad that the three of you loved it. And can we just take a second to talk about Danny’s artwork, then booster? Are you kidding me? Danny, you hit it out of the pocket. It’s crazy. Anyway, I randomly mentioned to my parents this past week that I saw the piano. And my mom told me that her dad My granddad actually helped out on the film. Apparently he created the buttons that we used on the jackets of the crew that bring ADA to New Zealand at the start of the movie. So he created and made these buttons and then his sister scrimshaw designs onto them, which was just was pretty awesome to find out and just a crazy connection. Yeah. Last week’s movie that I never knew that I had. I don’t actually think anyone in the family even watched the movie, you know, due to the infamous scenes of Harvey’s beer aspect. Grandma gave it a shot. Anyway, that’s all hope you enjoyed annihilation. It’s one of my absolute favorites. And just thank you all so much for being such great hosts and starting such an awesome community. I’ll see you later.
SLIM Thanks. Feel the love right now? Do you feel it proto?
PROTO I do.
SLIM Looks like he’s making a meme right now.
DANNY mulling over his pic right now.
SLIM He’s sweating it thank you so much for the VM. That was an amazing I imagine make it fun and out people connected to you in any way. It’s crazy. made anything minute on a film so right makes me sick. Kevin is linked to the Jash Jash zils podcast pod Zilla you actually got pod Zilla Jasher and Micah Drake watch through every Godzilla movie and share their thoughts on the insane kaiju madness.
DANNY Oh my I love that.
SLIM There was a period of time where James is hardcore into Godzilla movies.
A 70 millimeter crew. It’s not J to kiss. I’m currently sitting in the parking lot of my local AMC about to head into Sonic the Hedgehog two in Dolby cinema. Before that, I just wanted to say how excited I am to hear the episode on annihilation tonight. I watched it twice in the past week. It’s absolutely one of my favorite moves. Because I can say that with confidence now, I feel like it’s one of those rare movies that the more I watch it, the more I like and the more I want to come back to it. So really excited to hear the conversation on it tonight. One thing I wanted to point out from my last viewing that sent chills through pretty much every inch of my body were the lyrics in the song when Kane first comes back into the house. When he sees Lena for the first time, it says they are one person, they are two alone. They are three together, they are four or each other. A really beautiful moment in a movie that I think will grow to be one of the best examples of science fiction that we have. Hope you guys liked it super excited to hear the conversation and thank you for everything you do.
SLIM On the parking lot of movie theaters, this should be the new official location to leave the pod whereas the 824 book for annihilation you get all these crazy artists put together some 500 page book A 24 is gonna charge out the ass for that I can’t buy yet for another 10 days. Where’s this book in my life? Seriously,
PROTO man. Imagine like the concept art that,
DANNY you know, they didn’t use dosh to show it to in the making of a couple quick shots of them.
SLIM Paramount, please. Paramount. I know you’re listening. Can we make something happen here? Can Danny do the cover art at the very least? Another question I had, you know, Ventress had cancer. What happens when cancer is refracted the prism? You know, is there any kind of side effects that going on that getting spread around?
DANNY Donor? Now man, so many questions,
SLIM look into look inward can even speak? Let’s see we referenced KK earlier. Why not hear from VM?
Let’s hear from him. Hey, there, it’s kicker. It’s weird how movies managed to cross her path. It’s such perfect times. Saturday, March 31 2018. My daughter wasn’t even three months old yet. And my life was changing. I was staring down some impossible barrier. And I didn’t even know to what extent that little girl would come change my life. The only thing I knew was that the old man was dead. In some half formed thing was still taking his space, however slowly. So with a head full of parental existentialism, I headed out for a relaxing time at a local theater. Oh, as I’m sure you could have guessed, the showing of the night was annihilation Sonic two. It was the emptiest theater I’ve ever seen. Oh, a truly horrifying experience that I managed to share with only one other equally frightened man. And we exchanged hesitant looks throughout the entire runtime. Guys clone in retrospect, Annihilation is very obviously one step on the path that made me love movies. Nothing has ever come close to the pure lizard brain panic of the bear attack, or the unknown silent moments that I spent looking over a dreamy Austin once the night was done. So thank you 70 millimeter for leading my mind back to that time. Bye
SLIM bye. Thank you. Wow, get a lot of movie theater stories. Love it recently. This is in general to I feel like we’ve we’ve hit on something.
DANNY Yeah. Moments.
SLIM Yeah. Thank you. KK Did you apologize KK Yep.
DANNY I don’t know if I actually set up a cake. I’m sorry.
SLIM Sarah and Jad. Imagine being alone a theater watching annihilation and turning to look at yourself. Calling chocolate putting on my pants.
DANNY I should be able to get CEUs in theaters. I’m still mad about that. God.
SLIM Remember that tweet that went viral this week. But the person who saw Morbius and took the guide and accidentally had the flesh
DANNY LaShawn, excuse me, I had left my body.
SLIM What if we rent a movie theater? Listening, and we bring a Blu ray for annihilation was starting to happen. Let’s see we have another VM.
Hey, guys, it’s Paul. I just wanted to quickly leave this VM for annihilation. I remember when this movie came out and really not knowing anything about it’s with the exception that it was Alex Garland doing a another sci fi thriller but this time with Natalie Portman. So I was very interested and especially after seeing that poster art really piqued my interest but walking out of it however, I was completely blown away by just some of the visuals that I saw with the you know, the bear monster and the Mimic at the very end of the movie and kind of the, you know, the abstraction of the organism that she sees it, you know, In the in the bottom of the White House, it was all just like completely mesmerizing. And I love how the film kind of deals with, you know, the past trauma. You know, that’s kind of woven throughout the story. It’s really interesting, I think, I think maybe my favorite detail of the film is that when they’re questioned of like, what the organism looked like that nobody can describe what they saw, I just think that’s kind of a good detail that, you know, when Elaine has been questioned, you know, in the beginning and kind of the end of the film, you know, she can’t quite describe what they saw and everything was just a mystery. You know, you can only experience if you’re in the shimmer. So yeah, it’s just, it’s just great all around. So thanks for listening to my VM. Keep up the great work, guys for everything as do for the podcast. Quick shout out to the VHS village for all of those who are on our Discord. You guys all make up for a great community that love being part of and it’s truly special to me, so thank you to everyone there. Alright, guys, take care. Bye.
SLIM Paul’s first VM. Was he in a movie theater parking lot? Yes, no.
PROTO Did he bring his microphone?
SLIM You bring his Yeti microphone to the backseat? I was gonna say I agree, because I remember watching the end of the movie and she had no answer for his questions. What did it look like? It was a carbon bass. She literally could not answer those questions, just like Did he bother to or could not. So yeah, it’s a great point I can think of that.
DANNY I kept thinking about the Babadook. In this film to the way a traumatic story is told through horror. And this is like traumatic stories being told through sci fi. It’s a really interesting vein of storytelling that I’m definitely connected to.
SLIM Yeah, I had Babadook in my notes, I just didn’t say it, but I definitely felt the same way. I think that is it for the feedback this week. And now it’s time for the main the real main event. We’ve been waiting 78 minutes to hear Pardo’s pick for the leading lady’s mum. And he allegedly says some people are going to be very happy with this pick.
PROTO Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Geez, you want to hear something crazy? Yes. It’s been one year since we’ve done an animated movie. Oh, oh. Our last animated movie. That was a feature presentation was Iron Giant we did last April. That was the last and I just film
SLIM I just say I’m getting filled up right now. I’m getting very chilled up right now. Yeah,
PROTO I thought you would be the yeah the animated movie I mean there’s you know they’re saying I’m in chat Princess Mononoke okay, right Spirited Away Andy frozen please now
SLIM Danny from chat no one has said what I think part of might pick so far
PROTO there’s there’s a lot of movies but I thought that was just interesting I’m not picking anatomy Oh my someone else will have to someone else will have to
DANNY curve right
SLIM across gun
PROTO i There’s another cross that I have to bear because you know there was a request that was put in for for someone to make a sacrifice. No no you know Danny didn’t make the sacrifice. Slim was specifically called on Oh, and he refused Oh to to to make the sacrifice but it all it felt to me and it’s time it’s time for me to lay down my pick once again as I have done in the past. I expect you know no praise for this. I expect nothing in return. But this is just this is just what I want to do. So we got we got an email from our listener Sydney who said they were you know they struggle in the pig pens every day cleaning on that third job and Sydney if you’re there now listening this picks for you. I’m picking for leading ladies month Moonstruck
SLIM Holy Cow excuse. Field pick sin you just stood upright in pig shit Holy crap. Was this always on your mind? What’s what’s happening here?
PROTO This is for Sydney I’ve never seen Moonstruck I don’t even I mean I might hate Have you seen it’s, it’s I
SLIM washed it recently for the letterbox show but I have not revealed My family
DANNY and feel is there. My reveal is already I can’t get to the letterbox fast enough to delete my reveal.
SLIM I won’t look at it but I will say that this is streaming right now on HBO Max.
DANNY Yeah, this is incredible. Wow.
PROTO What a pair feeling it you know, it’s a good a good balance. Yes. You know we have we had the piano pretty serious movie annihilation, emotional sci fi. Now you know some levity with this. This is a rom com.
SLIM This is your first Nicolas Cage movie. I asked. Can anyone confirm whether or not we have not done a Nicolas Cage movie share? Nicolas Cage. Olympia Dukakis? Danny Aiello
DANNY off Danny in this film Mamma Mia
SLIM Norman Jewison who he’s directed a few hits Fiddler on the Roof the hurricane in the heat of the night. Jesus Christ Superstar
DANNY ever heard goodness
SLIM Wow, I’m excited talking about this movie with you to Sydney I hope I hope your days are just a little bit brighter right now thanks to our resident hero and spiritual advisor parallaxes
DANNY proto Christ himself right superstar
SLIM girl you posted he got a proto face deep saw Jesus in our mic like skin and time out and jet
DANNY 10 minutes
SLIM what an app what a journey we’re not quite done we’ve got Moonstruck and then another week after that after on struck proto also less just reminder the pins 12pm Eastern hours of release day Monday get in there get the set get the singles get whatever you want hop in there before they’re gone but proto any closing thoughts this week?
PROTO Any closing thoughts? I mean, watch annihilation if you haven’t seen it, it’s a good movie it’s great maybe some even say the best.
