THE HOLDOVERS PODCAST
GOLDEN GLOBE WINNER
Oscar nominated for four 2024 Acadamy Awards
Now Streaming On Demand on Peacock.
Get ready to embark on a journey as we delve into the heart of a movie that takes place in the 1970s, "The Holdovers." Together we'll dissect the film and find out why it's more than just a period piece. We've got the inside scoop straight from writer and producer David Hemingson and director Alexander Payne "THE DESCENDANTS, SIDEWAYS". We'll hear tales of overcoming creative hurdles, organic character development, and the formation of an unexpected bond between a grumpy professor, a troubled teen, and a single mother set during a Christmas vacation in Massachusetts.
Venture into the world of Dominic Sessa as we examine his transition from theater to film. We'll discuss the unique challenges he faced and learn about the audition process. There's also an inside look at a car scene - one filled with banter and an intense focus on character development. Join us as we explore the metamorphosis of Paul Giamatti's "CINDERELLA MAN, BILLIONS" acting prowess and how he seamlessly slips into his characters.
Finally, we'll take a look at the theme of quiet heroism and sacrifice for the greater good that the film portrays. We'll talk about the impact of director Alexander Payne and how he brought out the best in his actors. Prepare for an in-depth look at the unique elements of "The Holdovers," and don't forget - we'll be rounding off with a review of the movie. So, stay tuned and join our global audience. We promise it's going to be a memorable ride into the world of "The Holdovers".
THE HOLDOVERS PODCAST
GOLDEN GLOBE WINNER
Oscar nominated for four 2024 Acadamy Awards
Now Streaming On Demand on Peacock.
Get ready to embark on a journey as we delve into the heart of a movie that takes place in the 1970s, "The Holdovers." Together we'll dissect the film and find out why it's more than just a period piece. We've got the inside scoop straight from writer and producer David Hemingson and director Alexander Payne "THE DESCENDANTS, SIDEWAYS". We'll hear tales of overcoming creative hurdles, organic character development, and the formation of an unexpected bond between a grumpy professor, a troubled teen, and a single mother set during a Christmas vacation in Massachusetts.
Venture into the world of Dominic Sessa as we examine his transition from theater to film. We'll discuss the unique challenges he faced and learn about the audition process. There's also an inside look at a car scene - one filled with banter and an intense focus on character development. Join us as we explore the metamorphosis of Paul Giamatti's "CINDERELLA MAN, BILLIONS" acting prowess and how he seamlessly slips into his characters.
Finally, we'll take a look at the theme of quiet heroism and sacrifice for the greater good that the film portrays. We'll talk about the impact of director Alexander Payne and how he brought out the best in his actors. Prepare for an in-depth look at the unique elements of "The Holdovers," and don't forget - we'll be rounding off with a review of the movie. So, stay tuned and join our global audience. We promise it's going to be a memorable ride into the world of "The Holdovers".
Because we now have the Cinema Judge Music. Hello, hello, hello and welcome to Cinema Judge. To all my regulars out there, welcome back. If you're new to the show, welcome aboard. Now approaching the bench, today we have the film the Holdovers, which stars Paul Giamatti, divine Joy Randolph and newcomer Dominic Cessa. Now let me tell you briefly about this movie, or here's a tagline, I should say A cranky history teacher at a remote prep school is forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a troubled student who has no place else to go. But here's the fun thing about this movie. Before I play the trailer. This takes place in 1970, but what makes this movie really unique is they shoot it as if it was 1970. Even the trailer has elements of that, because you'll hear this great voice over in the middle of it and it just sings 1970 films and everything that that comes with if you're familiar with that era. Here it is the trailer for the Holdovers Whistling.
Speaker 2:Sir, I don't understand. That's glaringly apparent. I can't fail this class. Oh, don't say yourself short, Mr Coats. I truly believe that you can.
Speaker 3:Every year at Barton Academy, students, faculty and staff depart the campus for a two-week winter break, but there are always an unfortunate few who have nowhere to go for the holidays. They're known as the Holdovers.
Speaker 4:Mr Handel. Hello Mary, I had you got stuck with babysitting duty this year. How'd you manage that? You know?
Speaker 5:he used to be a student, right? Yeah, that's why he knows how to inflict maximum pain on them. I thought all the Nazis were hiding in Argentina. Stifle it Tully.
Speaker 2:You just earned yourself a detention, sir. He here with you is already one big detention. Son of a bitch, that's another detention. Do you think I want to be babysitting you? No, I was praying your mother would pick up the phone or your father would arrive in a helicopter or a flying saucer to take you on my father's dead.
Speaker 7:You don't tell a boy that's been left behind at Christmas that nobody wants him. What's?
Speaker 4:wrong with you?
Speaker 2:There's nobody here. Okay, you stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours.
Speaker 5:Let me sleep in the sun. Most of the kids dislike you pretty much, hate you Teachers. Do you know that right?
Speaker 2:I find the world a bitter and complicated place, and it seems to feel the same way about me. I think you and I have this in common.
Speaker 5:I don't think I've ever had a real family Christmas like this before. Thank you, mary, you're welcome.
Speaker 2:History is not simply the study of the past. It is an explanation of the present.
Speaker 5:See, when you say it that way throwing some pornography it's a lot easier to understand.
Speaker 2:I'd like to propose a toast to my two unlikely companions. Angus, are you trying to look down my shirt? No, yes, you're gonna get me fired. This is your Rubicon. Do not cross the Rubicon. The Holdovers.
Speaker 1:I mean that voiceover from that guy who does that for that trailer, tip top, 100%, nails it. He captured the sound, the voice, the tone, everything of 1970s voiceover for trailers. When I first heard that trailer I was just like, oh my goodness, I haven't heard of this movie. When was this movie made? Because at first I just kind of saw it up to the side, I wasn't really paying attention who was in it, and I'm like, wow, I don't remember this movie at all, but that's how good of a job they did in putting this in 1970s it. Just on a personal level, I just love that kind of thing. And also, in the middle of that trailer you heard a song. It was by the band Badfinger from 1970 album no Dice. The song is called no Matter what and if you're a music lover like I am, they have some wonderful hits. The band itself has a very tragic story and I'll leave that up to you to research if you choose to. But what I liked about the placement of the song because often in trailers they put songs in there but that song maybe wasn't even made yet during that era this one was because the album came out in 1970, this takes place in 1970. So I was really impressed that they nailed it. They didn't try to make a song that was already like brand new and inserted in there Just one of those cool little tidbits that makes a movie a little bit more authentic, that they really paid attention.
Speaker 1:Now this movie is directed by Alexander Payne. He has directed incredible work, written wonderful things just off the top of my head, just so you know he did the 2004 film Sideways, the 2011 film, the Descendants, and another one that I just loved. It doesn't get a lot of love, but it was fantastic. Check out the 1999 film, election with Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick. Oh, it was just wonderful. Just check it out one day if you have time.
Speaker 1:And, as you guys know, I love hearing how movies come about and coming up. Next we're going to hear from the writer and producer, david Hemmingsen, and then Alexander Payne, the director, and they both talk about the genesis of this story and it is so awesome. So she from here, the writer, talk about it. But then also when you hear the director, his honesty about what kind of movie he wanted to make and then he's watched other ones and then he received a script that was supposed to be a TV show and his honesty of like ah, I said I don't have the experience I don't have, I didn't want to research it. You know I'm summarizing, but the honesty that he talks about, and just the idea of this, is how movies are get made up and how it happens. So that's what's coming up next.
Speaker 8:Alexander read a pilot that I wrote about four years ago. That was set in a prep school in 1980. And he kind of called me up out of the blue and, having read it, it was like I love this pilot and I was like incredibly flattered because he's like a personal hero of mine, Brilliant director. So I was like blown away. And then he said, you know, but I don't really do TV, but I have this feature I want to do that's set in that world in 1970. I said okay, sure, and I said what is this? Well, basically I really want to do this sort of optically challenged kind of odiferous professor that gets stuck at a prep school over Christmas break 1970 to 71, with a group of students, one of whom has sort of been stranded by his family was definitely in, and this relationship kind of evolves over the course of the movie and so that was sort of the genesis of the whole thing.
Speaker 6:I've been an admirer of school movies. You know, loneliness of the long distance, runner and if and Peter Weir's movie. And I had seen a companion of those films of somewhat under known French film by a great director but from 1935 or 36, called Mayor loose by Marcel Panoll, and it dealt, it had that same basic premise. I saw that 10 or 12 years ago and it never left me. I thought you know, that's a pretty good premise for a film, and but I personally didn't have the wherewithal to right. Well, actually I didn't have the, the life experience of a private school and so forth. I'm from Omaha, nor did I have really the discipline to go research it.
Speaker 6:But a pilot came my way, set in a prep school, and it was a very fine pilot, and I called up the writer and said I thank you for sending me this wonderful script. I don't want to read it. Would you consider taking on an idea of mine? And so it was David Hemmingson. That's how David Hemmingson, the fine screenwriter, came into my life. So typically I've written my own scripts, and certainly I was involved in rewriting this one and conceiving it. But David Hemmingson really did an outstanding job writing it. That's what attracted me to it.
Speaker 1:I just love his honesty. It just cracks me up Now. Up next we have a slew of interviews okay, maybe not a slew, but there's a few of them and I'm just going to let them talk, because that's what you're here for. But I'll just tell you who's coming up, because first we're gonna hear from the writer and he's going to talk about the style of Alexander Payne, the director, and giving him ideas, not necessarily directions, just give him an idea and boom, that's it. And how he describes it. His conversation with the director is hilarious and that's how I see sometimes Hollywood in my mind. How do these guys interact, how do they bounce back ideas and how he talks about that. It's just hilarious.
Speaker 1:And then we're going to hear from the director, alexander Payne. He needs to talk about the story and some of the characters, because there's a lot going on here. There's not a lot of characters, but what's going on can sometimes be heavy and light and funny and that's the sign of a great writer and director walking that line of getting to the heart of the matter, getting into these characters, personal, everything, but yet not be overwhelming, because it's still. You want to have people enjoy it and have fun, but not just overwhelm with too much emotion. So we're going to hear the director talk about some of those elements of what each character is going through in their life, and then we're going to hear from this writer also talking about the story. And then we're going to hear from a newcomer this guy, he's gonna, he has chops, and it's amazing that they found this guy. He was just acting in I don't know if it's a high school player, college play, they might say later on just a young man he's never been in a movie before Dominic Cessa Cessa, who plays Angus Tully, the young man who's forced to stay with him for a couple weeks when the school everybody else goes on Christmas break and he talks about the story a little bit there too.
Speaker 1:And immediately after that we have a clip. In this clip we have the insanely talented Paul Giamante. He's he's a teacher, he's handing out all the test scores and they're all pretty hideous and every single class is like, oh man, come on, and his delivery. He's just a master at delivering dialogue, his tone, his pace, everything about Giamante. He knows how to deliver that kind of character. And he has a conversation with one of the students and you probably already heard this part in the trailer, where he's like I can't fail. He's oh, I think you can. It's just again that delivery is just perfect. So that's what's coming up next.
Speaker 8:He's a brilliant, brilliant director and I kind of feel like I went to film school on Alexander's back and that, like you know, he would make these references.
Speaker 8:He'd want something kind of tonally or visually, or he kind of want a narrative moment that, as opposed to try to unpack it verbally, he'd just be like John Garfield, you know, all right, michael Curtis, point of no return, 1950, midpoint forward, click like what? Hello, and I'd have to figure out. Oh, okay, he wants sort of tonally, this kind of, this kind of thing. You know, he wants to be able to, to evoke certain moods, and I think for him it's got to be the organic evolution of the characters over the course of the narrative. And so I think the reason he doesn't get specific in terms of distinct turns he wants is because he wants me to find it and then for him to reflect upon it. I mean, that was our, that's been our working relationship and I hope to God it continues for many, many decades to come, because I would kill the work with him again. I think he's a brilliant guy.
Speaker 6:Christmas break is upon us and every year there's a number of boys with nowhere to go. You know, the kids from foreign countries and the ones with divorced parents and stuff like that. And this year there's a boy. He's a junior and kind of a troublemaker, kind of troubled, damaged and troubled, but a smart kid underneath and his mother calls him last minute to say she's widowed, has been widowed, she's just remarried, she has just remarried and they want to use this Christmas vacation as their honeymoon. You understand, don't you? Darling? Stanley's been working so hard.
Speaker 6:The teacher selected this year to stay behind with the boys is a very, very disliked, curmudgeonly ancient history teacher, paul Giamatti. Through a kind of deos ex machina script device, all the other boys find somewhere else to go at some point and it's down to just this teacher played by Paul Giamatti and this boy and the head cook at the school. She's a single mom and her son attended this very same school on a charity scholarship but did not have the wherewithal to go to college and has just been killed in Vietnam. So this movie is about the adventures of these three kind of shipwrecked people during a very snowy two weeks in Massachusetts in 1970.
Speaker 8:The story of the holdovers is this A optically challenged kind of a diverse professor, the least popular member of the faculty right, gets stuck actually he's being punished gets stuck holding over at Barton Academy over Christmas because he failed a rather high octane, high profile student who's dad just in doubt of the gym, and so as punishment and as penance he is stuck holding over with the kids who can't go home, and they're kind of a motley crew of kids who can't return for various reasons, one of whom is Angus Tully, who gets held over at the last minute.
Speaker 5:Brief summary of the holdovers would be that potentially opens with this teacher, Paul Hanum, who is, as it states in the script, virtually universally disliked by students and faculty, and he's been given the responsibility to watch these holdovers over break. Who are the kids that don't have anywhere to go over Christmas break and have to stay at school, and unfortunately my character, Angus Tully, finds himself as one of the holdovers. His mom blows him off for Christmas break and all of these kids end up hooking up with Smith's dad and they all go on a skiing trip and Angus' parents are unreachable, can't get assigned permission slip to go on the trip. So now he's stuck with Mr Hanum and the Cook, Mary, and it's just from that point on it kind of just becomes a learning story. These three people who come from very different worlds, very different experiences, create a special bond, a familial bond, and it brings them together in ways that I don't think anyone really would expect on a surface level, just looking at these people.
Speaker 2:I can tell by your faces that many of you are shocked at the outcome. I, on the other hand, am not, because I have had the misfortune of teaching you this semester, and even with my ocular limitations, I witness firsthand your glazed, uncomprehending expressions, Sir, I don't understand. That's glaringly apparent. No, it's. I can't fail this class. Oh, don't say yourself short, Mr Coates. I truly believe that you can.
Speaker 1:I'm supposed to go to Cornell Unlikely. Now this film is just loaded with talent, some big hitters. And imagine this You're a young person and you've never done a film before and here you are thrown into fire, pit, okay, and go Working with a great director, paul, everybody like that. That must be insane. And up next we're gonna hear from Dominic talking about the challenges between film and theater and it's really cool to see how he digs into this, because theater is a totally different animal compared to film and it's really interesting to get somebody's perspective from the first time on the set and how we had to deal with that and juggle all these things. That would be incredibly stressful. But this guy looks like he's nailed it and it's gonna be very interesting to see where he goes. And then we're gonna hear from the director and the writer. First the director talks with Dominic and then the writer. But I really liked what the director says about. The real story is here, where is he gonna go in the future? And hearing from somebody like that, on this level, on the director, all the stuff that he's done, say, imagine that here you are, you're young, you're also. This director says, oh my, wow, I might have a future and he thinks I'm gonna do better things down the line. I mean, wouldn't that just give an ego boost? An ego boost, I'll be like shit, wow, no pressure, no pressure. He just thinks I'm gonna be doing good things.
Speaker 1:And then we're gonna go back to Dominic and he's in type with the whole auditioning process and I just love this interview, just the process that he had to go to. And at first he's thinking, oh okay, you know whatever, I'm probably not gonna get this anyway. But then it keeps going. It's this behind the scenes stuff I could gobble up and listen to all day. That's one of the reasons I love doing this kind of show. I could hear how that happened, how long did it take and what he was going through.
Speaker 1:That's the stuff. That's the reality TV I wanna watch. Hey, whatever you wanna watch, I'll show it to you. All those other stuff that's all fine and good, but me, as a film lover, film geek, that's what I wanna see. I wanna see more of that, the process. And then we're gonna have a clip. We're gonna have Paul and Dominic in a car and this is banter that they share back and forth, just sharing something like one negative thing about each other. Could you imagine you're sitting in the car doing his scene with him. I mean, come on, no stress, no stress, you got this. And then after that clip, we're gonna hear from Dominic and he explains working with Paul is kind of like a masterclass in how he approached each scene and how it's different from the theater. And again, getting this behind the scenes about an actor going down this path of between theater and now a film, it's really cool.
Speaker 5:The biggest challenge for me working on a film for the first time would be the turnaround on notes. Personally, because I've done a lot of live theater, it's all I've done before is the shows at my school and we have after school two, three hour rehearsals and you receive your notes at the end and you can kind of you have your journal and you can go back to your room and internalize them and think about them for the next rehearsal or the show, whatever's coming. But in this it's really a matter of coming in knowing your lines and not really knowing, maybe having an idea of how the scene may pan out, but not having the clarity that you might have in a theater setting. So yeah, I mean, that's the hardest part for me Really doing this the first time is doing something, receiving a note and then, okay, roll and go. So yeah for me, but I think it's, I think I've adjusted pretty well to it and obviously I have a lot of people around me who have been helping me prepare for that sort of thing.
Speaker 6:He had never been in front of a camera before. He was an actor and a star in the drama department and everybody knew that and I still had to audition him a few times to be sure and to make sure that his skills on stage could be reigned in in a way, or altered, modified, whatever the word is to become a cinema actor. You know, a film actor, but he took it like a duck to water and it's the real movie from this film I think would be a documentary about what's gonna happen to Dominic Cessa after this movie comes out.
Speaker 8:He's, this kid's amazing. I mean, you know, I've never seen an actor I think he's only done, I think, plays it. You know, in high school he's done a lot of stuff because he's a massively gifted kid, but I've never seen an actor who is more naturally available. You know, and in the moment and present, like you know, he's allowing us to see a lot of stuff that most people spend a lifetime hiding. You know, he's letting you see the vulnerabilities, letting you see some of the anger. He's letting you see some of the disconnects.
Speaker 5:You know I went in for my first audition and, um, I was pretty relaxed because I wasn't expecting much out of it. They called me back later that day and I did some more reading. Eventually, alexander came to my school to come meet me and auditioned with him For the next two months. It was a lot of just touch and go email, zoom calls and all that stuff. By the time I had my last audition I didn't know it was my last audition. I thought it was going to be do that two weeks later for the next one. But we sat there and it was me, paul and Alexander on a Zoom call. We just read the whole script through. Paul would read the parts that in a scene where I was in but he wasn't in, I would read parts for him in other scenes. By the end it was yeah, I got the role. That day. It was really surreal and exciting. Didn't really know what to think or what to expect, but it was nice. I wonder you're afraid of women?
Speaker 2:I am not afraid of women, Sorry there shouldn't have said anything.
Speaker 5:Dr Gertler says I don't always give consideration to my audience.
Speaker 2:And who is Dr Gertler, my shrink? Has Dr Gertler ever tried a good swift kick in the ass? Okay, now your turn. Go ahead, tell me something about me, something negative, something negative about you. Sure, just one thing, just one.
Speaker 5:It's incredible, it's like working with Paul is a masterclass, but, again, in the same way that Alexander has really given me a lot of freedom in my creative process, the questions I ask him are less of how do you act this and more so how do you deal with this. My questions come, I think, after the scene more so than they do before the scene, dealing with those things. What do you do when it's five hours later, after you shot a scene, and it's like, oh, I could have done it this way, I could have done it that way. There's no particular set of advice that he's giving me, but just getting an insight to how he deals with those things. He's been there at that point Him just sort of describing how he's changed and developed from those moments and how it's actually a useful tool to look back at things and grow as an actor from looking back at things and not being satisfied with what you did in the past.
Speaker 1:As you already clearly know, this movie is just class, class, class. Talented top to bottom. And also starring in this film we have the incredibly talented Divine Joy Randolph. What an incredible talent and a comic that just brings light to the room. And I love hearing what directors talk about having a comedic actor in a film playing a somewhat of a dramatic role. But what they inherently have in them, what they bring to the set in their characters, because you don't want that character that's so heavy handed, that it's just it's mothering, and that's the key sometimes of getting a very talented comic to bring that levity. Not maybe every scene, but they have those nuances that they can just sprinkle in there to add a little something to that character. And we're going to hear the director, Alexander Payne, talk about that. He's going to talk about Divine, her as a person and actor, what she brings to this role and her character. And then we're going to hear from Dominic Cessa, who plays the young man who's also stuck there with them for those couple of weeks, talking about him as a new, new person on in that world of acting and film, what joy she brings to that, that whole environment, because he could be there and he could hear out in the distance and she, just when they're doing scenes, doing things up, switching it up, and it gave him the confidence going in that when I move forward I could try to do that too, Because every actor does it differently. Some actors go you tell me what to say and I'll say it and I won't divert from there at all, and some directors won't let you do that. But he talks about how she was doing that. It's just reassuring, I bet, as an actor going okay, okay, I can be cool. This is how it is, I'm in good hands with such a great actress in front of me.
Speaker 1:And then we're going to hear from Devine and she's going to talk about all the different characters and what issues they have and what they bring to this film and not straying too far away from that. After her we're going to hear from the writer, David Hemingston, also talking about the characters. And then we're going to circle back to Devine, and I love hearing her talk about working with Paul, because we all know the man's a legend, so hearing somebody like that talk about a fellow actor is just wonderful. And then we're going to have a scene with both of them in it where they're discussing, all right, just what's going to happen during these couple of weeks off, into that little dance between these characters. Because you know he's not a very good people person, but she's very out there and just very honest. He's like, oh hey, I look forward to meals and she's like, no, no, no, no. Whatever's in there is in there. It's just. I just love that, the dance of the characters. So that's what's coming up.
Speaker 6:Her character. Mary Lamb is the character's name A grieving mother who's lost her son within this last year. So I have noted from previous films I have made that I like to get actors with good comic chops to play dramatic characters, because then the character won't easily descend into drear. Comic actors have a sense of rhythm and can kind of keep things aloft without cheapening the emotions, on the contrary. And so I had seen Divide Joy Randolph and enjoyed her immensely in Dola Mite is my Name, which, by the way, is a fine motion picture. So she was among the actors I met for that part, either to have a meeting or to read for it, and I just kind of fell in love with her.
Speaker 5:To find she. Yeah, she means she just makes me laugh every day, Like on set. It's the loudest voice on set, the craziest voice on set. When you hear someone like screaming profanity across the room, you know it's coming from Divide's mouth and you can't help. But just, she just brings a really special energy, I think, to my acting in particular. I think being in a scene with her. She's very chill, doesn't carry herself very seriously and you know it helps me because she has all this crazy freedom that she likes to portray in the way she tries things, adding sentences, random sentences, saying things in crazy ways, just because and as a young actor who's not done this a lot, it definitely gives me a lot of confidence to, you know, go out there and just throw everything out there that I possibly can, and that's definitely something she does every day that I work with her.
Speaker 7:We're just seeing two, three individuals which I wonder, if they weren't under these circumstances, if they would have had the opportunity to really get to know one another and to be an unpredicted vessel of support for one another. And I think what's beautiful about that is in this movie. In a way it transcends ageism, racism, gender, and that these three individuals, due to the loss and pain that they have, it's like sometimes when you've hit rock bottom, you're open to anything to seek relief wherever you can.
Speaker 8:It's so much fun to watch because they have their own sort of dry rhythm and it kind of mirrors the thing that evolves on screen, which is the characters. Are these two people who are so? Their lives are fraught for different reasons, you know, and their histories are weighted with different problems and tragedies, you know, and I think together they're able to share some of that pain and transcendent laugh about it. And it's remarkable to watch it evolve on screen these two very different people who find common ground but also give each other no quarter, which is the best part.
Speaker 7:It's wonderful working with Paul Giamatti. He has such character as a human being, but also with what he brings to the table. And he's so great because sometimes you know, when you work with actors, those who you really revere for being so talented can be very serious sometimes and stuffy. And what is so amazing and I think speaks even more to his talent is that he's able to snap in and out of the characters very seamless. But I love, right before they say action, I'll peek a look and you'll see him just like morph and fall into place into his character.
Speaker 4:I had you guys stuck with babysitting duty this year. How'd you manage that?
Speaker 2:Oh, I don't know. I suppose I failed someone who richly deserved it.
Speaker 4:The.
Speaker 2:Ozz Good Kid.
Speaker 4:Yeah, he was a real asshole. Rich and popular combination around here.
Speaker 2:It's a plague, and you, you'll be here too.
Speaker 4:I'll buy my lonesome. My little sister, peggy, and her husband invited me to go visit them at Roxbury, but I feel like it's too soon, like Curtis will think that I'm abandoning him. You know, this is the last place that my baby and I were together, not including the bus station.
Speaker 2:Well, I look forward to your fine cooking. Oh no, no, don't do that.
Speaker 4:All we've got is whatever's in that walk-in. No new deliveries till January.
Speaker 1:Now, like we talked about earlier, this movie takes in 1970. And it looks like it's 1970. Everything about this feels like 1970. And I love this next interview with the director. He talks about how he got into that zone, how he was trying to say I need to pretend I'm in that time to make this feel like this and I really enjoy this interview, finding out well, how do you get in that zone. And then we're going to hear some people talk about Alexander Payne.
Speaker 1:We're going to hear first from the writer, the Dominic, and then Divine Joy, all just singing the praises of the incredibly talented Alexander Payne and what he brings to the set and everything, just his quality and what they've learned from him. That's really kind of cool too, when you listen to some of these interviews, what they're going to bring in future projects, because sometimes obviously not everybody you work with in life are like oh man, you changed my life. Now I can do this differently. We're not always that lucky, but when you hear some of these interviews talking about what he instilled in them and how they can move forward. And then we're going to hear from the writer and I love this interview. He talks about the themes and why this movie is pretty much for him, really important to have out there now. Talks about sacrifice and a whole bunch of other things. He says much better. So this was this is a check it out.
Speaker 6:I hope we achieved a convincing sense of period 1970. I know what I did was I just pretended I was making a film. Then I wasn't thinking, oh, I'm here and I mean you can't avoid it. But as much as I could, I was actually really tricking myself into being a director.
Speaker 8:then we're so, so blessed. I mean Alexander can cast. I mean he topped the bottom. The actors in this show are amazing. I love my whole, I love all those kids. Those kids are all amazing, you know, and and funny and genuine and real. I mean I think reality is sort of one of the hallmarks of an Alexander Payne movie, you know. It just feels real and it's heightened and he takes you on a journey and there's a fun narrative. I mean you have a good time, and I think that's one of his imperatives. Like he wants people to be entertained. But he wants people to be entertained by the, by the human comedy, by the reality of it, by, you know, by the landscape of people's souls. Like he wants you to take that journey, you know, and that's kind of what we do in this movie, I think.
Speaker 5:Being in a film with Alexander and you know, working on one of his movies. It's incredible working with him personally, you know having the director, who's you know, sitting right there at the camera and sitting right next to you and comes up to you after every take and is in your ear. You can feel his presence and it's comforting in that sense. But I think I don't know outside of that, he just attracts a lot of professionalism to his, to his movies and his work. I think just him being a part of it, everyone around him sort of his, you know, extra professional and his extra hard at work and is really on top of it and more so excited about working on it because of the type of person he is.
Speaker 7:He has a really beautiful spirit and enjoys, loves this, and it's clear that this is what part of what his purpose here is on Earth to do in the telling of stories. So it's, it's really wonderful to be around that and hopefully taking that energy and taking that on to my next project, and that you know mean crew members, having experienced this, will then go on to their next projects right and knowing that there's a certain way in which you can tell stories and handle yourself in the professional setting and it doesn't have to be done with tension and stress and angst, and I think sometimes there's the misnomenclature that that's the only way to make great art, like under the pressure cooker, and I'm experiencing something completely different. So it's really wonderful.
Speaker 8:I think this is an important story to tell now because in some respects all bets are off. I think that my generation grew up understanding, or at least believing, that there were certain mile markers that you had to hit and if you hit those mile markers your life would go a certain way and that society would go a certain way, and that you could trust in democracy and that you could trust in integrity and you could trust in all these things, that these institutions would never fail, that they would never falter, that they would always be here for us. You know, and that's been profoundly challenged and things have been destabilized, you know, and I feel like the idea that someone can step up and make a difference in a kid's life, like Paul does for Angus, you know, and basically, in some respects burned down everything he ever thought, you know he would, everything he ever wanted, everything, his entire life is predicated on the idea that he's a Barton man, you know, and he says in the film he's like you know, barton means everything to me, it's my life, and yet he sacrifices that life at Barton for this kid, just to give this kid a second shot. You know, and it's that sort of altruism, that sort of integrity, that sort of maturity, that sort of courage to sacrifice, that I think we need to talk about and we need to see. You know what I'm saying right now.
Speaker 8:I feel like the one thing that is at the center, is sort of the core theme of the movie, for me at least, is heroism, like quiet heroism, you know, because the foundation of the relationship between Angus and Paul kind of goes back to my uncle, earl, and myself, and we used to call him hero when I was growing up because he's a guy who just like would show up and do the thing, just be present, you know, with me and just sort of like give me this wisdom and give me this sort of tough love and give me this sort of like hard-bitten, world-weary genius that would just kind of fall out of him. That was like profane and lyrical and honest and like genuine and epic at the same time. You know, and I feel like that's what I wanted to install in the Paul character and I think it, I hope it comes out, I think it does, I think Paul Gimari is a brilliant job doing it, just like you know, the heroism of Mary, I think, is really consequential, you know, in the sacrifice that she made and sort of lingering the lurking anger that she must feel, I mean the massive yawning injustice that has been perpetrated on her and her son. You know, and you know, and still she finds the compassion to reach out to Angus when he needs her. You know.
Speaker 1:I love hearing writers talk about their process and what went into a story, because sometimes you go to a movie, it's just you know you're in and out, but what they put in it and what they take out of it, what they bring to the table for their personal lives, and that's what I like. I love hearing about this stuff. That's another reason I love doing this show, because not every movie is a blockbuster, and that's what I like to find those little gems that you might not have ever considered to see, and maybe you won't see this in a theater, but I always think to myself you might see this or hear this now and you might think, well, when it comes out on demand or on whatever device you use or watch stuff on, maybe you'll give this a shot, because these little slivers of movies that are pretty darn original. It takes place in the 70s, it's just an intimate story. It's both drama and comedy and the director, the actors, just solid through and through. Because, like I always say, any movie is somebody's favorite movie and I really hope you enjoyed our in depth look at the holdovers, because I'm not here to yell, scream, complain about Hollywood. I don't do any of that stuff. There's too much noise out there. I'm just a guy who gives you the evidence to jury and you make up your own mind. I will never tell you not to see a movie. I might tell you I love a movie, but I'll never tell you not to see it, because we all walk different paths. Who am I to tell you not to see something? Because we all want the same thing an enjoyable movie experience. Because I want to spend our hard of money wisely. But maybe, just maybe, a movie like this could come out and you might tell yourself this is worth seeing, because this might not last a long time in the theaters. It might. I mean, who am I to say? I don't know? But keep it in the back of your mind if this is something that intrigues you.
Speaker 1:Now, if you guys have any ways to improve the show, I'm always up for suggestions. So you can always get a hold of me, cinema Judge at Hotmailcom, or you can find me on YouTube. You can find me on Instagram, you can find me on the meta universe Pinterest, tumblr, hive, mastered On. I'm on most platforms, so feel free just to let me know how I could improve. Be constructive, like I said, because I can't grow if I don't know. That's what I want to do.
Speaker 1:I want to bring you the best product possible so you can just escape for a little bit. Give you that little movie oasis, away from all that stuff, a place where you can just sit down and listen about a movie, and I try my best to keep the outside world away, but every once in a while it sips in here. So sometimes I fail on that, because some things are too important, not to mention Because I don't know when you're listening to this, you might be listening to this two years from now, it might be the next day, but I want you to feel like you just plop yourself down and I'm not going to make some real weird reference or something like when did what was that all about? I want you to feel like this is the first time it's being played and you're the first one to listen to it. That's my overall feel in my mind is what I'm trying to do with each episode, because I love hearing how you listen to the show, whether you're listening to it at home, driving your car, at work, on break and again, I don't know what platform you might be listening to. I mean, I have.
Speaker 1:I'm amazed at all the people on YouTube who who respond and reply to the show and watch. That blows me away. So to all you out there who do it there, I truly appreciate talking to you guys and sharing this and hopefully that you enjoy this as much as I do. But this is the part of the show where I give a shout out to everybody not everybody, but a lot of people who listen to last show. It's just my way of thanking you for taking time out of your busy life, which I know you have To listen to this show and maybe learn about a movie. So wherever, whenever or whatever you're doing, this is for you and I am amazed. Everybody around the world who take time. This truly does blow my mind.
Speaker 1:All people from the United States, germany, philippines, minneapolis, minnesota, north Rhine, westphalia, new York, new York, st Paul, minnesota, raleigh, north Carolina, champlain, minnesota, stillwater, minnesota, lakeville, minnesota, uly, florida, new Preg, minnesota, frankfurt, am, hesse, cousin City, metro Manila, just to name a few. To every solitary one of you, when I see that pop up saying that you listened, it blows my mind and I do do a happy dance. I know I say it every time, but I assure you it does not go unappreciated. And this week's Bourbon Showdown goes all too. Jeremy from Homeworks, let me tell you, ladies and gentlemen, my pipes in my house so old, so ancient. He came in here, explained it all and did what he does like I'm just incredible kindness in professionalism. So, jeremy, cheers Now, if you guys want to watch the TV version of this, they're on demand to watch whenever you want, 24 hours a day.
Speaker 1:Usually these episodes are up for a few months before they get dropped off. But if you want to watch these interviews and watch the film clips, go to BITLY slash Cinema Judge, bitly slash Cinema Judge. And here's the deal on that you won't see or hear me at all. The only reason you hear me on this is because obviously you can't see the show. But on there it's strictly show, it's interviews and everything else. No interruptions from me, because that is my happy place when I'm doing the TV version. I don't have to worry about this because I'm not stumbling around or anything. I crank my tunes and I just dive into an episode trying to find the best flow possible.
Speaker 1:And when I was doing this episode I was able to go back to my old routine because lately, in the last few years. My situations, or where I do it, sometimes vary, but I'm always listening to tunes somewhere. But I was almost back to the classic, classic way that I really love it and it was just awesome, sitting in here in the basement, had myself a few cocktails and just cranking the tunes. And a dear, dear friend of mine was at a Queen concert they had. They were playing in town so she was texting me pictures and video and it's like, oh, I just love Queen. That inspired me.
Speaker 1:So then I put on the Platinum collection the greatest hits, one, two and three, come on, queen Outstanding. The songs are epic and just operatic. And what I liked about Freddie back in the day he can make sometimes the most just to say fun song so important like an opera. It's like the song Flash. It's, you know, just a goofy song from that movie back in the day. When Freddie sings it he sounds so sincere but not in a stupid way. He's just like, yeah, you go, freddie, you own it. But their songs are emotional, they're fun, they're the musicianship that everybody has in there, from Brian Mann guitar, the whole band, and I know the new version is fine too. But I'm more connected to the classic Queen, and that's what I was listening to when I was making this, and it was truly a great night.
Speaker 1:It took me way too long to do the episode because, like I said, I was jamming. I had moments where I was doing the you know, air guitar, air drums. It was a great night. So that's what I was listening to when I was making this TV show, before it became this said podcast. Well, that is it. So wait, 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. Thanks for listening to the Cinema Judge.