THE CREATOR PODCAST
Now streaming online on demand on Hulu.
Ready to hop in the time machine and travel to a near-future world where AI robots are the key to winning a war? That's exactly where we're headed today, with our in-depth discussion of the new movie The Creator. Look under the hood of director Gareth Edwards' "ROGUE ONE: A STAR AWRS STORY" mind as we dissect his method for orchestrating authentic, heart-stopping action sequences. We even have an exclusive interview with Edwards himself, revealing how the idea for the film was conceived.
What does it mean to be human in a world teetering on the brink of war? In The Creator, star John David Washington "TENET, BLACKKLANSMAN" grapples with this very question. We'll reveal how his character's belief system is put to the test and the unexpected relationship he forms with young actress, Madeleine Yuna Voyles. Plus, we'll hear insights directly from Washington and Edwards about the film's themes, characters, and the intriguing world they've brought to life. Listen in to hear how the cast and crew navigate this complex narrative and bring the film's potent themes of empathy, self-preservation, and obligation to life.
As we wrap up, we'll dive headfirst into the film's emotional impact, examining how these themes resonate within the context of the story. We also share a little info on the Deep Purple song featured in the movie. Finally, we want to extend our sincere appreciation to you, our listeners. We hope this exploration of The Creator has inspired you to not only watch the film but also to reflect on its powerful themes. So, buckle up and join us on this incredible cinematic journey.
THE CREATOR PODCAST
Now streaming online on demand on Hulu.
Ready to hop in the time machine and travel to a near-future world where AI robots are the key to winning a war? That's exactly where we're headed today, with our in-depth discussion of the new movie The Creator. Look under the hood of director Gareth Edwards' "ROGUE ONE: A STAR AWRS STORY" mind as we dissect his method for orchestrating authentic, heart-stopping action sequences. We even have an exclusive interview with Edwards himself, revealing how the idea for the film was conceived.
What does it mean to be human in a world teetering on the brink of war? In The Creator, star John David Washington "TENET, BLACKKLANSMAN" grapples with this very question. We'll reveal how his character's belief system is put to the test and the unexpected relationship he forms with young actress, Madeleine Yuna Voyles. Plus, we'll hear insights directly from Washington and Edwards about the film's themes, characters, and the intriguing world they've brought to life. Listen in to hear how the cast and crew navigate this complex narrative and bring the film's potent themes of empathy, self-preservation, and obligation to life.
As we wrap up, we'll dive headfirst into the film's emotional impact, examining how these themes resonate within the context of the story. We also share a little info on the Deep Purple song featured in the movie. Finally, we want to extend our sincere appreciation to you, our listeners. We hope this exploration of The Creator has inspired you to not only watch the film but also to reflect on its powerful themes. So, buckle up and join us on this incredible cinematic journey.
Because we now have the Cinema Judge.
Speaker 2:Hello, hello, hello and welcome to the Cinema Judge. To all my loyal listeners, welcome back and if you're new to the show, welcome aboard. Now, approaching the bench, today we have the new film the Creator, and it's directed by Gareth Edwards, who did Rogue One, a Star Wars Story, and if you remember that movie, that was one of the best ones that was put out in recent years. The Creator stars John David Washington. Now here's a story to nutshell. Against the backdrop of a war between humans and robots with artificial intelligence, a former soldier finds the secret weapon a robot in the form of a young child. Here's a trailer for the Creator.
Speaker 3:When the war started, they protected me. They better care of me than humans would have.
Speaker 4:And our people, maya, it's just programming.
Speaker 2:Ten years ago today, the artificial intelligence created to protect us detonated a nuclear warhead in Los Angeles.
Speaker 5:Every time. This is a fight for our very existence.
Speaker 3:Sergeant Taylor, we are this close to winning the war, but the AI are developing a super weapon. Retrieve it or they win.
Speaker 1:Did you locate the weapon? Yeah, it's just a key Are you going to heaven?
Speaker 4:No, you gotta be a good person to go to heaven.
Speaker 3:So we're the same. We can't go to heaven cause we're not good and I'm not a person.
Speaker 4:Do you have anything to do with the thing that's? She looks like a little girl now, but she's growing. Whoever has that kid wins the war.
Speaker 3:Besides, you want that. What do you want, sweetie? For robots to be free? Oh, we don't have that in the fridge. How about ice cream? What a concept.
Speaker 2:Gareth Edwards has an incredible creative mind and his action sequences are just top notch well choreographed and it feels authentic, even something on this level of AI and all these crazy stuff. His stuff feels grounded, it feels real. It doesn't feel blue screened up, not saying that they don't use anything. He's able to do stuff on the cheap Cause. This movie would have costed a lot of money. You're gonna hear some really cool interviews from him later About how he saved money. You're like oh, I would think it would have been the other way around.
Speaker 2:And another reason I'm doing this show today, for whatever reason, this movie hasn't had complete. It hasn't found its traction yet. It didn't really find an audience. And I'm wondering to myself is that because AI is so fresh in our minds right now? It's so delicate? They're not delicate, but it's just. It's right there, happening in front of us and we don't know what to do with it. Some people are taken too far, you know cause. Easily, like all these other movies in the past, we could see how technology can be used poorly. So I don't know what it may be and I know the story takes a very different turn than a lot of people might think. And I don't know. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.
Speaker 2:I would love to hear your input on this if you've seen this film, because I've talked to some people and they felt, oh God, I don't know what to do with it. And they felt, oh God, I didn't expect this, I didn't expect that. But it's an incredible idea. It was so enthralling. When I first saw the trailer for this, you know, months and months and months ago, I'm like whoa, he's done it again. This looks just insane. So, coming up first, we have an interview with the director, and these are one of my favorite kind of interviews. Now, if you're a regular of the show, you know I love hearing how somebody came up with the idea. In this interview he talks about that and it's just like so cool, thanks for sharing. A lot of times you're like all right, how did he come up with this idea or anything like that? And he just explains it in this interview and I just love it. Check it out.
Speaker 6:Essentially, I just finished Star Wars and I needed a break and I wasn't expecting to be thinking about the next film at all. And we ended up with my girlfriend driving to visit her family across America and she lives in Iowa, so it's like a four day trip through like amazing landscapes, and I put some music on and I was just looking out the window and we were passing all this like farmland and tall grass fields, and then there was this like factory in the middle of nowhere and I remember having like a Japanese logo or something and I just thought I wonder what they're building in there. And then in my head I was like you know, because I love science fiction, I was like, ah, maybe it's robots or something you know. Obviously it wasn't. But I started thinking what, if? What if you were a robot built in a factory and you'd never be able to do that and you'd never. You know, you were born in this room and this factory line.
Speaker 6:And then you, for some reason, something happened and you stepped outside for the first time and you saw the grass and the sky. Like what would you think you know was going on? What was? What would you think of the world? And I thought it was a really nice little moment, like a scene from a movie, but not any movie I would ever make, and so I kind of threw it away and then, and then suddenly had another idea, like, oh, I know what could be happening, maybe the robot escaped because of this reason. And suddenly all these ideas started forming and very quickly the idea for the movie came together. And normally it would take, you know, it can take months, if not years, to figure out film, and it came by the time we got to her parents' house I had the whole movie kind of pretty, you know simply worked out in my head and and it that's very rare and so I was like, oh, maybe there's something in this, like maybe this is maybe that I could, you know, should pursue this for my next film.
Speaker 2:I mean, come on, how cool is that Getting in the mind of a writer director how it came to him what he was doing at the time. He just pictured the guy driving down the road listening to tunes, hanging off his girlfriend, and then he sees that moment. Well, pa, I just whatever, for whatever reason. Guys, maybe you're the same way. If you're a movie geek like I am, I'm pretty sure you find that fascinating. Because what, what if he would have not been looking at that moment, not been looking at that barren or talking to his girlfriend, or whatever he could have been doing? But that one moment has changed our cinematic history, and I know it sounds over the top, but if that hadn't happened, this movie wouldn't have happened. And I love how quickly it happened too. How he says well, usually it takes a long time to have it gestate and form, but no time he got to the destination he had it all mapped out, and that's just so interesting to me.
Speaker 2:Now coming up next, we have a feature read for you If you're new to the show. This is what a feature read is. The studio is they send me a pre-packaged little commercial for lack of a better word talking about one certain subject, whether it be the production, the vision, whatever it may be that they want to specialize on that moment. This next, or this first one, I should say, is about the director's vision and you're going to hear from the director and cast members and people involved in this film.
Speaker 2:Here's the thing If you want to watch these interviews and watch these feature-ets, well, a lot of these shows that I do are on demand to watch whenever you want, and you can see these interviews, see the scenes, see the actors, and you don't see or hear me at all guys, it's just strictly show. I'm just here as your tour guide because you can't see it. But if you want to watch the TV version of this, go to bitly slash cinema judge, bitly slash cinema judge there. Then you can watch this whole show on demand whenever you want. So this first feature read like I said, talks about the director's vision.
Speaker 6:My favorite cinema is very visually driven. It's not like a play, it's like a dream, it's just a pure emotion. This film's a mounting part of movies. I grew up loving Vietnam movie mixed with robotic sci-fi. They've come for the child.
Speaker 4:Gareth has this ability to inject compassion in a sci-fi genre that usually leans on spectacle and danger.
Speaker 5:Gareth Edwards. He is a visionary. These characters are all relatable and you fall in love with them. It's like, oh my God, sign me up. I want to be a part of this.
Speaker 4:What jumped out was the magical realism that he was able to execute, the depth and the emotion that he was able to capture in every frame. They're my family. They're not people, maya.
Speaker 1:They're not real. You and I are real. This is real.
Speaker 3:Can cut can. The film deals with a lot of big themes like what does it mean to be human, what does it mean to be alive? And can love transcend those divides and boundaries?
Speaker 6:You're my friend. Should we embrace it? Should we destroy it? Everyone ready, ready.
Speaker 5:And action. Gareth shoots in a way that a lot of actors love, because he doesn't like to cut.
Speaker 4:Keep going. I love that process where we do these rounds or just takes.
Speaker 3:He operates the camera himself. He knows what he wants.
Speaker 4:Gareth is not afraid to try anything, anything goes.
Speaker 6:We really went for broke. It's just a really insane, rich visual journey that I hope affects people in the way that I was affected when cinema blew my mind as a kid.
Speaker 2:He definitely had a vision and he saw it all the way through. Now, when you're a director, you are in control of a lot of things and some things you're not in control of. But what he wanted in his next interview again, it's one of those perfect interviews where you take a deep dive into all aspects of even the cameras that you wanted to use in the lenses, and he talks about that in his next one. And I just sat there and aw listening to him Because if you're like me, seeing some of those Cinescope films ones with super wide vistas and all those great shots they don't use that a lot anymore because now they have a new technology and all those other jazz. But every once in a while directors will no, I want it this way and they use those old cameras and or lenses from the 1970s and then they put them on today's cameras and it just enhances the image and that's what we go to movies for. I know, like me growing up, you just looked at the screen when it was a giant Vistas and just, I know I said Vistas before, but you know what I'm saying it just felt you were there and that's what his commitment was to this film. This is what he wanted, and that's sometimes when you get disappointed if a movie goes in and out of an theater that quick because you'd miss that opportunity to see it in the in the giantness of it all.
Speaker 2:But hearing him talk about the aspect ratio, that stuff I just I could eat up all day long hearing about the passion of the director, what he wanted and what he achieved, and trying to get that past the studios go, come on. Other people have done it. I prove myself with Rogue One, let me do this. So that interview is coming up next and I think you're really going to enjoy it. Then, immediately after that, we're going to go to another featurette. In this featurette you're going to hear from the director, john David Washington, and Madeline who plays Alfie, and also Alison Janie and more. They talk about the connection that those two had and you're also going to hear from them talk about that connection. I just love hearing about that how actors connect, bond and are able to work together despite age differences and all those other variables, but what brings them together and makes it just feel natural?
Speaker 6:I spent like there was. The last film I did was Star Wars Rogue One film, and I kind of spent seven years waiting for the, basically waiting for a film that could go on the big screen. I didn't want to do no offense, no, I love TV and stuff, but I didn't want to do something for TV. I wanted to. You know, I grew up loving cinema and one of the things that happened when we made this film is we used these 1970s cinema lenses that you know gave the film the look of films from the 70s and 80s.
Speaker 6:And when you put them on the modern camera, a strange thing happens that never used to happen before, which is you. It basically doubles the width of the aspect ratio it's called of the film, and so you end up with this really wide screen like super, like vista vision type movie, and we begged the studio please let us release it in this like crazy wide format. And they were like no, you can't, because you know films, no one releases in movies like that. And so we looked and there was a president like president Quentin Tarantino had done hateful eight in 276 to one, which is that crazy wide format, and like films like Ben Her before that. And so they let us release it in 276. And so that's like ultra kind of ultra wide screen and so you've got to go see it on the biggest screen you can find Like it's a very immersive film.
Speaker 6:The countries we shot in eight different countries that had incredible vistas. It's designed for the big screen. There's so many details, you know, science fiction, futuristic, crazy, random things that are in this movie. Yeah, it's not. It was never made for your phone or even TV. It's like you've got to go to the cinema and see this.
Speaker 5:Did you locate the weapon? Yeah, describe it.
Speaker 1:It's a kid.
Speaker 6:John David's character is supposed to destroy this weapon, but it happens to be in the form of a six year old child.
Speaker 1:Hey, hey, what's up.
Speaker 3:It's just, my name is not bought. My name is Alfie Remember.
Speaker 6:Usually robots in movies are all cold, but with Alfie we keep the humanity in. It forces John David's character to start questioning everything he thought about.
Speaker 3:AI Are you going to have an accident.
Speaker 4:No, You've got to be a good person and go to hell. It's hard to make a decision empathy or self preservation.
Speaker 1:What do you want, sweetie?
Speaker 3:Oh, lots to be free. We don't have that in the fridge. How about ice cream?
Speaker 6:It was so good for the movie that Madeline JD bonded.
Speaker 4:Maddie forces me to be honest Where's my wife. Tell me where I've got to go.
Speaker 6:Where is my wife? They were inseparable.
Speaker 4:She's extremely talented and fearless.
Speaker 3:They're coming to get me.
Speaker 4:Trust me, I'm getting you out of this. Maddie is a special human being To be able to emote the way she does, to be able to bring such life into this character. It was amazing Action.
Speaker 1:I have to help. There's nothing we can do. I have to help Alfie. We've got to go.
Speaker 6:They convey so much, it just looks, just feels really unique.
Speaker 5:You know what you have to do. I can't do that. It's not what you want, huh.
Speaker 4:You have to help her.
Speaker 2:With sci-fi films, they're putting that unique little spot where you could tackle so many issues, so many themes, concepts, but still have it be entertaining and not have it maybe be force-fed to you or make it feel like you're being force-fed. You can just watch it cheerfully, for the entertainment value and up. Next we're going to hear first from John David Washington about the theme of this film. You might wonder where have I seen him before? Whoa, the guy is so talented. He was in the recent Tenant film from 2020, black Clansman 2018. And also in Amsterdam in 2022. This guy is incredible. I can't wait. I mean already. Look what he's piling up, look at the directors he's working with. What he's just going to keep doing and doing, and doing. I'm just going to stand back and aww, because this guy, he's got chops and I just I truly look forward to everything that he's going to do in the future Because, as you well know, if you're a movie fan, like I am, you know he has what it takes and he's proven it already. Can't wait to see what he does. So he's in talk about the themes of this movie and what attracted him to it, and then we're going to hear from the director and he talks about that whole concept of not force feeding it a message.
Speaker 2:A lot of times when you're making a film, you might not even know what it truly truly is really about. Until you get into it You're like, oh okay, that's what it's all about. And when he hit a director, talk. He gives solid interviews. It's just he gives you that peak behind that curtain, because you don't always get that from a director or other people. They might go no, you know, I don't. I don't want to talk about how I made this film or all these other things. He's so open and just brings us all in. Because you're like I feel a part of this now Because if you've listened to this show before, that's the movie I wanted or the TV show I want to see one day. You know how the reality TV is like the big bomb these days, or it's been for many years.
Speaker 2:I want to see that one from concept to writing, to selling it to the studios, going to your agent, all that stuff from beginning to end. And I know there's too many things involved that can't make it happen. But as a film lover's dream to get that behind his scenes footage of oh, here's a director, he starts writing it and some might say that'd be boring to watch. Not for me, not if you're a movie lover, like I. Am watching it happen every step of the way. You know, oh man, I didn't like that throws away that page or deletes. I suppose you do now. Anyway, I went on a ramp there, I'll reel it back in and we'll go back to the show here. So first John David Washington and then Gareth Edwards, the director.
Speaker 4:For me, some of the themes were I think there's a line in the film that how can you love something that's not alive? You know, and you know, is choice love more powerful than programmed love? Or, you know, obligated love, you know, and some of those themes that really really struck a chord with me and how you know interesting and the reality of you know political, how political and divisive you know anthropomorphic, you know society can be and that's what that's what this, I think, themes are very evident in this film.
Speaker 6:I don't like films that preach at the audience. I think everyone who watches a movie where you're being force fed, you know some sort of message too much. You kind of reject it. And so when you write a movie, if you sit down and go, okay, I'm going to make a film about prejudice, you're going to make a terrible movie, and so what you do is you find something that interests you, and I've.
Speaker 6:The thing I found really interesting is this idea that you can save humanity. Or you have to do like AI is taking over the world, or you have to do to save humanity is kill this top breakthrough AI, this super AI that is going to the first thing, an only thing that can surpass humankind. The problem is it's in the form of a six year old child, and I really liked that dilemma of could you kill a kid to save the world, and that that was the original premise. And as you start writing it, you know about halfway through making a film you start to realize what the movie is really about, like what the hidden meaning is, and science fiction is always a metaphor for you know, probably one of the best genres to have, as because everything's really a metaphor for something else.
Speaker 6:And in our movie, ai and robots were kind of representing people who are different to you, like the other people that you we often see as the enemy, and the idea of like, how would you feel if you were AI?
Speaker 6:And in a way you probably feel like a slave to humans and that we were the bad guys. And so I wanted to create a story that kind of threw a hero into that world and made them question all their preconceptions. And I think that's what science fiction is best at it usually takes something you know this in from the real world and just twists it upside down and then suddenly everything you thought you believed you start to not be so sure of. And I think the best kind of science fiction that's got like meat on the bone, like that is you know, as much as it's fun to watch spaceships and explosions and robots, if there's not some sort of meaning, some deeper meaning at the heart of it, then it's all kind of pointless. And and I know the films I've carried through the years that I grew up loving had this kind of significant, you know message at the heart of them, that that you kind of keep in your pocket even when you're an adult.
Speaker 2:We have another feature yet coming up, kind of in the vein of those last two interviews, talking about theme concepts, friend or foe, those elements that are involved in this film. So first we're gonna hear from Gemma Chan, who plays Maya, and then Charmaine Chan, who plays who's a visual visual effects supervisor, jim Spencer, a producer, john David Washington, in the incredibly talented Alison Janney. I mean, look at her body of work, come on, it's an, it's incredible.
Speaker 6:I digress Onward and action as we were making the creator. Ai has gotten better and better, and it feels like we're at that tipping point now, and this movie questions what does that look like 50 years from now, when AI is more embedded as part of society?
Speaker 3:This is a fight for our very existence. Let's move, move, move.
Speaker 5:Did you locate the weapon?
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's here, it's a key.
Speaker 3:I think Garret's really clever in how he built this world. Everything feels very organic and very grounded.
Speaker 6:The way we wanted to approach AI in this film was as naturalistic as possible, whether it be the simulants or our robots.
Speaker 5:We found a really lovely balance being able to show the tech but also show that they think for themselves. They have feelings. I do one with the drill.
Speaker 6:It was massively ambitious, but Garret's directed with an absolute vision.
Speaker 4:This film will challenge what you believe is hard to know. All sides of beyond.
Speaker 3:They've come for me, alfie.
Speaker 5:I don't think anyone's ever seen anything like this.
Speaker 3:She built it it deals with. What does it mean to be human, what does it mean to be alive and can love kind of transcend those?
Speaker 6:divides. Those ideas are at the heart of this film, and it's not an easy thing to answer. Command confirmed. It's been a pleasure to serve you Launch.
Speaker 2:Alright, you might be asking yourself what is this movie truly about? Up next, we're gonna hear from the director and he's in a delve a little bit more into Joshua, his voyage and how he wrote him and why he put him in situations, and I look again a little peek behind the curtain on writing and character development. But then after that he goes into what really happened in this situation. There was a rumored Attack by AI, that they attacked us and all of them. They went out of control, but that maybe wasn't quite true and he talks about that. So if you want to know more about what this is actually actually about, he talks about it more in depth in this next interview and I'll just let him throw it out on that.
Speaker 2:And then we're gonna go to a clip and in this clip we have a group of these people Discussing this young girl and she has to go out on this quest, and they're sitting in this little town that's just tin roughs dust, this muddy and filthy.
Speaker 2:It feels like this is not a dig or anything, but it feels like it looks like a third world country for someone, where they have no electricity, all that you. It's just filthy and feels icky. And they're talking about this girl and as they're talking they have a shot where they're looking up at the sky, and up at the sky is this giant spaceship. Essentially, she has to get up there and they're discussing Well, does she even know what's going on? And in the background you'll hear laughing kids, you know giggling, and that young girl is out there playing with the quote I'm doing air quotes here real children and she's interacting with them and the scene opens up with dialogue that's you might not be able to understand. The first line I'd say is the child will save us. And they talk about this going on and then it ends with no, she is innocent. So that's kind of like the what's going on here.
Speaker 6:There's a sort of journey that Joshua goes on in the film. It's a journey you don't want to go on, do I mean? Like he's sort of like you know, in a movie, in a story, what you do is you take your character. Usually you chuck them into a situation they just don't want to be in. Like everything, every bone in their body won't resist Going on that journey. But it's the journey they need to go on, to become a better person, you know, or to turn up to fix themselves and so Like.
Speaker 6:Going into making the film, it was like this is going to be hard. The film is set in the near future, right where the world is divided into, like East and West. What has happened is a terrible Catastrophe happened that got blamed on AI, and so in the West they completely banned artificial intelligence Like, completely got rid of it from every product. But in Asia there was no such problem and they carried on developing it until they became near human, like and they embraced them like fully as equals. And so America essentially at war with Asia trying to defeat AI.
Speaker 3:She can stop it. She's not ready yet. The range of her powers are still going, but if we can get her up there, maybe she kept destroyed.
Speaker 1:How could anyone survive that?
Speaker 3:she won't, but it will turn the tide of the war. Does she even know what she's been created for, on a job I didn't know?
Speaker 2:Now there's a lot going on in this movie, if you choose to look into it up. Next we're gonna have a couple interviews back to back and I'm just gonna let them Talk out, because that's what you're here for. I'm dim, but I'm not that dim. You're here for the interviews. First we're gonna hear from the director. He's talked a little bit more about Joshua in his journey. And then we're gonna hear from Allison Janney and she too, talks a little bit more about the story from her point of view.
Speaker 2:But I love that interview. She talks and she's like wow, this is the director's vision and I'm just happy to be part of that. All the stuff that she's done. She still sounds so human. I know it sounds weird, but sometimes when you have people talking about stuff like yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm doing this film, whatever. But you just hear her passion. You know she doesn't take anything just for a cash grab. She takes something because she believes in it and that's what sets an actor Apart from a great actor if you take something you're passionate about, it shows in the film.
Speaker 2:And then we're gonna hear from John David Washington, who plays Joshua, and he talks a little bit about working with Allison, and I love this interview man, just hearing him and I don't know if I should say ah, but just how impressed he was working with her and he describes a scene that she did and I'm not gonna ruin it here, I'll let him share it how he feels about it. It just it, just like, yeah, I heard that interview, like that's solid man, way to way to go. And after we hear him talk about Allison, we're gonna hear from Allison talking a little bit more in depth about her character and then, immediately after that, we have a clip for you, and in this clip Joshua is inside this little shack and one of his partners, or cold, cold guys, is injured in the Subject that they have to get. The little child is at a table just kind of doing stuff, and Allison's on the phone, who plays a colonel, going, hey, where's this? There's this little thing that we got to get here. Come on, step up, bring it out to me.
Speaker 2:He's well, no, so-and-so, can't move. She says I don't know what you're saying, come on, just just kill it. And he's like I can't do that. And there's that little banter back and forth and then eventually some sirens happen, cars pull up helicopters and they pull guns on Allison, who's a colonel, and she just puts her hands up. So that's a scene in a nutshell. Pretty much bring the weapon. If you can't bring it out, kill it.
Speaker 6:John David Washington plays the character called Joshua, and they need Joshua to go back to help them Find this weapon and destroy it. And Sort of the big reveal early in the movie is that this weapon just happens to be in the form of a six-year-old child.
Speaker 5:And so through the journey of the movie, it forces Joshua, john David's character, to start questioning everything he thought about AI and what's real, what isn't, and it's very timely in that sense it is a futuristic movie, post nuclear disaster, about a War that ensues between the east and the west, and it pits man against machine and it's a story of love and acceptance and it's a beautiful Vision of gareth edwards, the director who conceived of this movie, and it's his vision and he is a visionary. He is an extraordinary director and this is his story and he he's been living with this for years and and I feel so Privileged to be asked to be a part of it.
Speaker 4:But everything we were finding was was fun to find together, because we thoroughly enjoyed each other's company and everybody was so good. I mean Allison, she didn't take once where she just started crying and I was out of nowhere and it was just like she's shown so much emotion that she was just then. She was trying to mask the emotion and just being. It was just so many different choices she was making. I couldn't believe it what I was seeing.
Speaker 5:I get to play this Colonel, colonel Jean Howell, and Jean is definitely a One. Her mission is to destroy all Machines, all artificial intelligence, because she sees them as as being evil, and if we don't kill them, they will kill us All. Right, listen to me. Did you locate the weapon?
Speaker 1:Describe it it's a kid. It's a kid. They make it into some kind of kid. That's the weapon.
Speaker 5:I can't reach you. You have to bring it to me.
Speaker 1:You understand now ship we can't move, he's, he's not looking good at all.
Speaker 5:Then you know what you have to do kill it.
Speaker 1:What look, colonel I.
Speaker 2:Now I don't know if you remember earlier in the show I talked about, you're gonna hear some cool interviews from the director and cast members Talk about location in the director wanting to do it that way up.
Speaker 2:Next we're gonna hear from Allison and I love this interview. She talks about she received these special she looks way in it better but pictures of where they want to shoot it. Then they have an overlay of what he wants to do to it and how just intoxicating that was for her to be part of something like this, where he truly cares about being hands-on in a real location, not a green screen or anything like that, and how much she was a sign me up and just hearing you say that I was like man, you're awesome anyway. But then you hear some my dad about her passion say, yes, I want to go somewhere. I don't want to be sitting in a warehouse looking at a tennis ball pretending I get, pretending like it's something, and that's again when you're an actor you want to act, you want to do it. Be that, feel the moment. So I admire her just being enthused by looking at this stuff, saying I want to be part of this too. And then we have an insanely awesome interview with the director and he talks about how he saved money by going to Locations and when I first heard it's like a what whoa, whoa pump. That breaks my man. But how he explains it. Obviously he saved money doing it, taking a small bit of crew all around the world. Listen to that interview. It is just. I love it. It's like man, this guy, he's smart, he's no dummy, he knows how to get the job done and done right.
Speaker 2:And then we're gonna have a clip for you. Now in this clip we have Joshua. He's in a barn, he's sitting in a pickup truck and the child is right there and she they don't want to get into the truck. He's like come on, let's do this, let's have fun. That goes back and forth for a smidgen and then you hear army people running from outside. There's a bunch of robots running and they have guns and they they start shooting inside this barn. He's like whoa, whoa, let's go, let's go, come on.
Speaker 2:And then something goes chop, chop, chop, chop, chop. Oh, there's a grenade. Well, in there with them they have a dog. So this dog just saunters up there, grabs it in his mouth, runs it out there, drops it basically right on top of this hill where the robots are below, and it rolls down there and boom and explodes and and that explosion starts off the radio or starts up the truck. And if you listen very closely, the song playing in the background is from deep purple. The song is child in time, just a little side nugget in case you care about that, but it's just so cool the songs they choose to play in movies like this. Here. This takes place way in the future, but hey, let's throw in a deep purple song, but the song fits, you know, child in time kind of situation.
Speaker 5:So that's just a little side thing for those who want to know what songs played in the background what's so unique about it is that he, instead of filming everything in a, you know, in a studio with a green screen, we are in this beautiful country, thailand, and we're shooting in these really exotic places and and he will add to that, add His touch and all the special effects on top of these beautiful locations that we're shooting in and and and I think that's a really smart way to do it you have to go to the movie theater and watch this beautiful work of art, because it is a work of art I. It's one of the reasons why I did this movie. I was sent they call them pre-vis pre-vis is right where I got to see the visual, the like. They had sent me a Shot of an actual location and then what they laid over on top of that to create Gareth's world, and I was so blown away by that I thought, oh, my god, sign me up, I want to be a part of this.
Speaker 6:We I really didn't want to do this movie in a studio against green screen. So we we managed to talk the studio into letting us go to, you know, into the real world to shoot real locations, went to eight different countries. We went to Nepal, cambodia, tokyo, indonesia, vietnam, thailand and and Shot in all these like the basically the best locations in the world. We found that if you could make the crew small enough, then the cost of flying anywhere in the world becomes cheaper Than building a set, you know, against green screen or something. So suddenly we were allowed to go wherever we wanted and it was kind of amazing.
Speaker 6:The biggest problem was it with all the traveling. We traveled 10,000 miles. It was kind of exhausting as well and and it was six months of filming and it was just like far too long to make a movie with. But every time we stood somewhere and we're on like the beaches of Thailand or some paddy fields like in Indonesia, you get so excited about what you're seeing and how beautiful it looks like. All that Exhaustion just goes away. And we also were doing it.
Speaker 6:You know, as we started planning the movie, the pandemic came along and it was like, oh no, here we go, we're not gonna be able to make this film now and, and like everybody in the world, you know, this terrible thing happened in. A year and a half went by, but then we were the first people into these countries after the the rules changed and we could go and go and go over there and film, and the great thing about that is there was no tourists. So we ended up in all these amazing locations and we were kind of the first ones in. So Life was carrying on. People were really happy to see, you know, you know Westerners again and tourists, you know, but people, you know, stop wearing masks and and we're like happy to be out and kids playing in the street. And so we were.
Speaker 6:We found, we thought it was really like it was very important to me that that as a Hollywood film, we didn't come into these villages and Environments and like block off the street and push all these people out, like the best thing about these locations are all the faces and All the crazy randomness, like the little, you know, farm animals and livestock that just run across the street in the middle of a shot and things like this. And so so we we got very small and the crew hid out the way, and it allowed us to film with all these amazing actors in these real locations but kind of, keep life, keep the village life and the real world Flowing through. And then we added, like with industrialite magic, we managed to add all the science fiction on top and I think the result is, you know, you get much more rich, believable, like random world that you don't really see in Big, epic, sci-fi Hollywood films Come on, come on, let's see them get in the car.
Speaker 1:Hey, it'll be fun. Like cartoons will be be fun. Okay, so, like a game hide and seek, I'll drive fast. Oh right, let's go Right. Come on, this is hella fun. This is why don't you want to get in the car. It's a lot of fun in the day, I See.
Speaker 2:We here to sit, my judge? We're not here to talk about movies, we're here to educate you on music and so many more things. So it's just because I love music, in case you are unaware of who deep purple is, in what songs they've made, because sometimes you might not have never heard of them. Well, let me just briefly educate you on us name off a couple of their tunes that are legendary in the music world Smoke on the water, which almost everybody's heard. If you haven't, that's like one of their major ones. Highway star hush, perfect strangers, woman from Tokyo knock it on your back door, just to name a few. These guys are just great, bad, just great band have tons of tunes. So if I take a deep dive, a little deep purple, meander away. I think you won't be disappointed.
Speaker 2:And up next you're in here from the director and he's gonna pretty much just say in his mind this movie's a fairy tale and he talks a little bit briefly about that. But then we have a clip for you. In this clip we have Joshua. He has the child in this little boat. It looks like Vietnam kind of that. Looks like the setting. He's in this boat and they says we got to go. Well, this little village that the child is in is being attacked. And the child is like we got to do something here, we got to help. He's like no, we got to go. Josh was like we got, we got to go. Well, the child says now, have none of that child gets out of the boat and starts running on the stock to the village area. And Then Josh was like, oh, come on. So he dives in the water and tries to swim the shore and while this is happening, there's this nice, he shoots so well, the director has this attack again. It looks like somewhat like a Vietnam movie, being attacked with Like AI stuff, with high tech stuff, like that lasers. So you kind of add the future with you know our modern warfare, if you will. So, during this attack, there's, there's the resistance and they're trying to stop all these giant ships that are coming into their area.
Speaker 2:Well, it's one guy grabs like a sticky bomb it's not a sticky bomb, but think of about it that way he turns it on or and he throws it in a stick to this machine, like he's like okay, I got this, he's gonna hit the boom button. Well, he gets, he gets, he gets shot down. And while this all happening to, they occasionally show this little monkey. That's kind of just sitting there watching it happen. And then the monkey walks up to this device and pushes the button. Boom, there goes that, that machine, but that's, that's so.
Speaker 2:There's not a lot of dialogue in this one, but it just kind of shows you what the actions like, how he Creates a scene. And this might have nothing to do with this, might be a complete stretch of my part, but when they show an animal like that during the war Activities, it reminds me of a thin red line, the Terence Malick film. We've never seen it. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant film I, the thin red line. It came out the same time as Saving Private Ryan, but this is on. It's a tone is wildly different. During that movie they showed a lot of nature during the destruction and Maybe I don't know if that was this little nod to Terrence Malick, because brilliant filmmaker again, I might be way off base and wasting your time even mentioning this, but that's what I was thinking when I saw the monkey and the nature kind of deal.
Speaker 6:Anyway, Onward we go. It's really a fairy tale Like. On one end you can read into or think a lot, you know you can. It raises a lot of questions about technology and AI and you know what's really going on with that. But on the other the other side of things it's also a fairy tale like about kind of a reluctant father who, through circumstance, is forced to help a child.
Speaker 3:They've come for me have to help.
Speaker 1:There's nothing we can do. I have to help Alpha. We gotta go, alley, keep it up. It's my duty. Mildelow, mildelow, mildelow, mildelow, mildelow, mildelow.
Speaker 3:Mildelow, mildelow.
Speaker 2:Ah, what do you think of them apples? Now, this is, like I said, a very complicated movie with. It goes different ways that you might not expect and in that vein, we're gonna hear from John David Washington talking about that and that's what kind of intrigued him about this film. And, like I said earlier, I've talked to a few people and they were like whoa, okay, it went a different direction, but I get why. So it'd be interesting what you guys think. Do you feel like it was the proper direction or would you want it to go another way?
Speaker 2:And I'm not gonna say what goes on or anything like that, but that's just kind of a little intrigue of, maybe, why this one isn't finding its fan base or whatever it's not. You know, it's unfortunate sometimes. That's why I really wanted to do this episode, because I did the TV version of this many, many weeks ago. But when I was doing it I had a ton of shows that were coming out and I put other ones a priority before this one doing a podcast, because not every show I do TV version turns into a podcast. All depends on how long the movie's out, or we don't self-ight that. So I didn't do this podcast until right now, even though the TV version was done a while ago. So I'd love to get your input and your thoughts on this movie. How do you feel they handled all the different roles different characters play and all that kind of jazz?
Speaker 2:And then we're gonna hear from the director and again the guy just keeps giving us just choice interviews. He talks about going to movies as a kid, what his anticipations were then and how he goes about making a movie now and he really wanted to really affect people, not just give them an action film, just all that. He wanted to give you emotion because you're feeling, make you think if you choose to. He says great. He says my goal on this one is to make 40-year-old men cry, and he talks about the screening that he gave to the executives or whatever of this film. So it's so fun to hear these kind of interviews. It's a complicated world.
Speaker 4:I think we're just seeing man's creation and artificial intelligence at its peak, and it might surprise you what we're used to seeing in movies like this. It might surprise you what you will see in this film. It's not like any other, so that's the best way I could describe it. It's a beautiful blend of atmosphere, traditional, these beautiful locations, exotic locations, with what mankind has developed.
Speaker 6:I feel like the ultimate goal of any filmmaker is let's be honest, it's like if you can make people tear up or cry when they watch a movie, there's no bigger accolade than that. And I remember as a kid going to CET excited about seeing an alien, maybe in a spaceship or something, and got sucked into this relationship that made me like, bore my eyes out, and it still makes me cry now as an adult watching it. And so that was the high benchmark of trying want to do something science fiction and robots and all this but the ultimate goal is to take the audience on this journey, where they might come in with preconceptions about the kind of film they're going to see and what they think of AI and all that technology. But they get sucked in and there's this problem. There's this kid you can win the war, you can save the world, just kill this kid. That's all you've got to do. But the kid seems quite real.
Speaker 6:I kind of like the kid. You kind of really struggle. You struggle with this relationship and how to, and you kind of you want to take the audience on that journey too, where they don't know what to do either, and I think the biggest reaction we've had from the film that people weren't expecting is. I took the movie up to all the visual effects artists that were working on the film. I showed them like a rough cut of the movie and then the lights went up and everyone looked round. They're all 40-year-old men like me, and they turn round and they all had bloodshot eyes and they were like, oh, I wasn't expecting that and that was probably the highest compliment I could have got is that we managed to make grown men cry and so yeah. So it was kind of like it was always part of the plan if we could pull it off.
Speaker 2:So what do you guys think? Is this something that you'd want to see? Like I said just a little bit ago, I wanted to do this show because sometimes movies don't get the representation they deserve. Because movies come in and out of theaters so lickety-split Sometimes you don't get to really a chance to hear about something. And that's what this show is all about. We want to give you an in-depth look at as many movies as possible, a different variety of movies, because any movie is somebody's favorite movie.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to sit here and tell you don't see a movie. I'm not going to say any of that stuff. I'm not going to cry, whine about Hollywood. That's not what we do here. This is a place in a movie, oasis, a place where you come and hear about a movie, because movies like this might be that little gem that you would have never thought of seeing, even if you can't see it in the theater now. Maybe when it comes out on demand or ready to be owned or whatever you want to do, it might be enough to pique your interest to say I want to see what this guy created. What would this movie really about? Because that's what we're about sharing movies with you Just to get away from it all, because it's a noisy world out there. I'm not here to create more noise. I just want to learn about movies, just like you do, because we all want to spend our hard-earned money wisely. Because I want the same thing an enjoyable movie experience, because, like I always say, any movie is somebody's favorite movie. Well, I really hope you enjoyed our in-depth look at the Creator.
Speaker 2:If you guys have any questions, comments, concerns any way to improve this show, I'm always open to suggestions, because I can't grow if I don't know. I'm just sitting here in the basement talking to myself. You need to let me know how I can improve this show. Obviously, be constructive. You know. No need to be mean, because in my own head I know how bad I can be. How can I grow? What can I do better? What do you want? More of less of All that stuff?
Speaker 2:You can always reach me at cinemajudgeathotmailcom or if you want to go to YouTube, you can go there too. I'm there. Leave me a message. I love when people leave me messages anywhere From there to Instagram. It's the cinema judge Threads, pinterest, tumblr, hive Mastered On Tiktok. I throw stuff on Tiktok sometimes, too, leaving a lot of times, little short videos too, from the show itself. So if you're into that, I'm on Tiktok.
Speaker 2:Just look up Cinema Judge, and if you're into the meta universe thing, go to the horizon worlds. I'm always hanging out there late at night talking movies, having a blast with people. I shouldn't say sorry, not all the time, but I'm there often. This is a great place to unwind. We talk movies, we talk whatever. Feel free to look me up Cinema Judge if you're ever in the meta world, or go to horizon worlds, because I love hearing how you listen to this show, especially all you people from all over the world. I don't care if you're down the block or another place around the world.
Speaker 2:Some people listen to this when they're driving to work, sitting at home, lounging. They use it as a nightlight. When they play it throughout the night, it doesn't matter. You might be listening two years from now or just two days from now. I always like to say no matter what, wherever, whenever or whatever you're doing, this is for you.
Speaker 2:This is where I give a shout out to as many people as I can who listened to the last episode. You might say to yourself buddy, buddy, buddy. What's the deal? You didn't mention me. I watched one of your old episodes. That's something possible to track. So that's what I do. I name off as many as I possibly can as a thank you to you Because you've taken time out of your life to listen to this show. I can't tell you how moved that makes me, because you could be doing a bazillion different things, but you take time out of your life to listen here as we talk movies. That's outstanding. I can't thank you enough. And I do do a happy dance. You might think, yeah, whatever wise guy I don't know. When I open that up, I say wow, somebody listened to from wherever I'm like yes, and I do a little boogie, woogie in the chair. It's sad and pathetic, but I do it because I'm just stoked that you take time out of your life. To all my listeners in the United States, canada. You guys unbelievable Thanks for listening to the show, sharing it with your friends, whatever you're doing, all you guys listening from Canada, my hats go off to you. And same thing with Germany. You guys are there every week just listening. I can't thank you guys enough.
Speaker 2:Brazil, australia, ireland, philippines, india, minneapolis, minnesota, tulsa, oklahoma, stillwater, minnesota, toronto, ontario, st Paul, minnesota, fernandina Beach, florida, thank you so much. Weiman Nagar, mahashtra, m-a-h-a-r-a-s-h-t-r-a in something Brandenburg, metro Manila, frankfurt, amin Hesse I know I get that one wrong, but you guys always show up. So thank you so much. Dublin, lester, miramar Beach, florida, south Haven, michigan, clovis, new Mexico, salo, cheska, minnesota, los Angeles, california, council Bluffs, iowa, north Vancouver, british Columbia, brooklyn, new York and Melbourne, victoria. To every solitary one of you, thank you so very much.
Speaker 2:And this week's Bourbon and Shuttle goes out to Jana. Thanks so much for taking care of me. As last minute notice, I had to go get an inspection. Guys, I'm going to have surgery soon on my hip. I got to get a new hip. This woman, so talented, kind, just top notch. So to you, jana, you really, really made my day and I appreciate your hard work in getting me in such quick notice. Cheers.
Speaker 2:Now, this is the point where I usually give you the tunes I listened to when I was making a TV version which becomes this Well, like I said earlier to be, I'm always totally honest. I do the podcast always the day of the second I get done. I throw it on the air. I don't do something in advance. There's nothing wrong with that. I just wanted to feel now and in the moment. So when I did the TV version of this, I don't even remember what I was listening to.
Speaker 2:But just as a little side note, what I listened to just today in my head as I've been running errands just get prepared for the show, I was listening to the newest Rolling Stones album. Wow, I, this one feels classic stones. You feel the bluesy, you feel the rock, you feel even some of the seventies. I won't say disco, but there's a song that has that rhythm, that feel of some of those cool seventies tunes that they had and even a little bit of country blues. They have it all. Lady Gaga performs on one of the songs.
Speaker 2:For me this is really diving back into the core of the Rolling Stones. In the name of the new album is Hackney Diamonds. Even if you've never listened to Stone 24 or think, oh man, it's always the same, I think you'd give them another shot. But this album really feels like they're dialed in. You know they have their issues behind them all. Whatever, I just feel this is a pretty darn good album. So if you're into the Stones, strongly suggest Hackney Diamonds.
Speaker 2:And just as a side side side note before we venture onward a lot of times I talk about shows I've been watching or movies or whatever. It is what I've been really diving and plowing through lately. Hulu is now airing the entire series of Moonlighting Bruce Willis, sibyl Shepard. I love that show. When it was out originally, it was the dialogue, the acting, just pitch perfect, the tone of that show, incredible. So if you've never watched Moonlighting, you think what is this? If you like Bruce Willis, sibyl Shepard, you will love this show and it's on Hulu. So check out Moonlighting, you will not be disappointed. Well, that is it. My glass awaits. I'm thirsty, so cheers to you and to the movies. So until next time, be well, be good. And I'm gone. I'm Jeff takes listening to the Cinema Judge.