THE BEEKEEPER PODCAST
Prepare to be swept away by the storm of vengeance and virtue as we take you into the heart of "The Beekeeper," where Jason Statham's transformative performance paints a tale of a retired operative's wrathful journey. Accompanied by the stellar cast of Jeremy Irons, Josh Hutcherson, and Phylicia Rashad, under the masterful direction of David Ayer, this episode of Cinema Judge offers an exclusive peek behind the curtain. We unravel the movie's intense narrative and its thematic exploration of personal vulnerability and scamming, complemented by interviews that shed light on the actors' profound connections to their characters.
Witness the dedication it takes to bring a dramatic action story to life, as we unpack the potent emotional undertones that resonate throughout "The Beekeeper." We discuss the cathartic allure of action films, the underdog's triumph, and characters Agent Verona & Agent Matt, played by Emmy Raver-Lampman & Bobby Naderi, whose onscreen partnership is as authentic as it is captivating. The meticulous planning behind the film's high-stakes sequences becomes apparent, revealing how the cast and crew's synergy elevates the storytelling. Moreover, the episode teases an upcoming director's interview and an unreleased clip that's bound to leave listeners clamoring for more.
THE BEEKEEPER PODCAST
Prepare to be swept away by the storm of vengeance and virtue as we take you into the heart of "The Beekeeper," where Jason Statham's transformative performance paints a tale of a retired operative's wrathful journey. Accompanied by the stellar cast of Jeremy Irons, Josh Hutcherson, and Phylicia Rashad, under the masterful direction of David Ayer, this episode of Cinema Judge offers an exclusive peek behind the curtain. We unravel the movie's intense narrative and its thematic exploration of personal vulnerability and scamming, complemented by interviews that shed light on the actors' profound connections to their characters.
Witness the dedication it takes to bring a dramatic action story to life, as we unpack the potent emotional undertones that resonate throughout "The Beekeeper." We discuss the cathartic allure of action films, the underdog's triumph, and characters Agent Verona & Agent Matt, played by Emmy Raver-Lampman & Bobby Naderi, whose onscreen partnership is as authentic as it is captivating. The meticulous planning behind the film's high-stakes sequences becomes apparent, revealing how the cast and crew's synergy elevates the storytelling. Moreover, the episode teases an upcoming director's interview and an unreleased clip that's bound to leave listeners clamoring for more.
Because we now have the Cinema Judge. Hello, hello, hello and welcome to the Cinema Judge. I hope my voice finds you well. To all my regular listeners out there, welcome back. If you're new to the show, welcome aboard. Now approaching a bench, today we have the film the Beekeeper. It stars Jason Statham, jeremy Irons, josh Hutresson and Felicia Rashad. Now, here's the lowdown, here's the tagline. One man's brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes as he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful secret group known as Beekeepers. It is directed by David Ayer. Here's a trailer for the Beekeeper.
Speaker 2:You're a blessing, mr Clay. This place was crab grass and weeds and you brought it back to life, mrs.
Speaker 3:Parker and I were friends. She was the only person that ever took care of me.
Speaker 2:I just got a message saying that there's a problem with my computer.
Speaker 4:Yes, ma'am, we got this.
Speaker 3:Yesterday she shot herself. This is private property. Do you know what they do here, Skyming the weakest in our society? Buddy, I'm count to three there. I did it for you. Now you're gonna burn this place to the ground. Will you stomp his?
Speaker 1:ass out.
Speaker 5:You're telling me one man did this. The only thing you know is he's a beekeeper.
Speaker 1:A beekeeper, a beekeeper.
Speaker 6:Well, that's not good. Beekeepers is a special program outside the chain of command I protect the hive.
Speaker 3:When the system is out of balance, I correct it.
Speaker 6:We have war for these things.
Speaker 3:Until they fail, then you have me.
Speaker 5:My fingers. They cut them off.
Speaker 1:Oh, fuck bro.
Speaker 3:Don't move. This is much bigger than a little fishing scam.
Speaker 6:The money's going all over the world To people in finance even government.
Speaker 3:You are a problem? Cut them right off. A problem. I figured I'd get the firefighter's break. Somebody detain this guy.
Speaker 5:We have to kill him before he kills his way to the top.
Speaker 6:Honey.
Speaker 4:It's flammable, oh no.
Speaker 1:You might be asking yourself what band is that playing? Well, that's 9 inch nails, head like a hole. In case you're scratching your head going, what is that song? Well, there it is 9 inch nails, head like a hole. Now listen to that trailer. You might have gleaned a little bit more about the story, but I'll give you a little bit more, a shorter version too.
Speaker 1:Jason Statham, a beekeeper he actually takes care of bees on his woman's property, played by Felicia Rashad, and she gets a phone call saying that her computer is all messed up. So she gives him access. Boom, they steal everything from her. She shoots herself and then he says I will not stand for this. So then, of course, he goes on his hunting spree, and nobody does this better than Statham. Jason Statham is just the king of action. There's nothing this guy can't do when it comes to action. It looks authentic. You get excited as he just pumps you up. It's just one of those kind of movies you grab the popcorn, you sit back and, under the incredible direction of David Ayer, it is just a blast. It's comedy, there's fun, there's drama and, of course, some serious butt kicking In David Ayer. He's done phenomenal films like End of Watch in 2012, sabotage, suicide Squad, the TV show Deputy Birds of Prey he's also a great producer just a list of films like Fury and On and On. The guy knows movies, he knows action.
Speaker 1:Now coming up next, I'm going to play you three featurettes, and the reason why is that it really sums up the movie. They talk about the story, they talk about the stunts, they talk about who are the beekeepers and at the end of the show, I'm going to give you a website in case you want to watch the TV version of this, so you get to see all the clips, see the interviews, because the studios, they send me these featurettes and they prepackage them into a minute or two little story about okay, we're talking about what's the basic story, who are these people? And there's interviews interspiced in between the scenes and on set footage, and I just figured. You don't need me interrupting between every featurett. Once you hear their voices, you're going to know who they are. So, for example, in this first featurett it's going to be David Iyer, the director, jason Statham, josh Hutchinson, back to Statham, and then Emmy Raver, lampton, and then the director, and back to Statham. So, just so you get those in your head, because that's the first featurett, it's just titled A Look Inside, and the second featurett is who are the beekeepers?
Speaker 1:And just another side note when some of these features are playing because they're isolated, some of them might have the same lines in them or same movie clip parts in a sense. So that's just, I just want to let you know. And then the final feature is about the stunts and you can hear from Jeremy Moranis. So that's a voice that you haven't heard yet, but I love hearing from people like that, because in press kits and all these other things you always hear from the stars and everybody else, which is great, but I love hearing from the specific parts that make up a movie. So that's the other voice you're going to hear in that third feature at Talking About the Stunts. Here they are.
Speaker 7:Jason's playing Adam Clay, who is a retired beekeeper.
Speaker 3:He's always like a super soldier that is there to protect society. We meet him living in the barn of a very sweet lady and she becomes a victim of cybercrime. Yesterday she shot herself. I need to take care of the hive.
Speaker 4:It's an epic vengeance story about one man's desire to bring justice.
Speaker 3:You aware this is a criminal outfit, honey. I'm counting to three. One, two, three. There I did it for you. Adam Clay is on his side of the law, which is the right side.
Speaker 4:Will you stomp his house out?
Speaker 6:Beekeepers is a special program. It's a side chain of command. Here's a man who is actually getting the job done. We have laws for these things.
Speaker 3:Until they fail, then you have me.
Speaker 7:It's Jason Statham, so we know the action's going to be incredible. He does this on Stunts and he's absolutely relentless.
Speaker 3:Once we set things in motion, we're off for a ride. This is much bigger than a little fishing scam. Come on, bro, don't move.
Speaker 5:You've disturbed a beekeeper.
Speaker 4:What I care if the guy keeps bees.
Speaker 7:Jesus the beekeepers. It's a very ancient organization.
Speaker 3:When society can't protect itself, the beekeepers recreate the equilibrium. A beekeeper, a beekeeper no.
Speaker 6:Oh, that's not good.
Speaker 5:No, it's not.
Speaker 6:It's an extremely classified program of mercenaries, assassins, you name it.
Speaker 2:Honey, I'm counting to three.
Speaker 3:One, two, three. There I did it for you. Adam Clay is a retired beekeeper. He's living in the garden of a very sweet lady, and she becomes a victim of cybercrime.
Speaker 7:This tragic thing happens and he starts to figure out why did this happen and who's behind it.
Speaker 3:He decides to take it all the way to the top, and everything is much bigger than we anticipated. These people, they're untouchable, nobody's untouchable.
Speaker 6:The people that he is acting out his revenge on are criminals and crooks.
Speaker 4:It's literally blowing open the doors and taking care of business.
Speaker 3:There's laws until the laws fail. And then you have Adam Clay.
Speaker 7:With the beekeeper. It was a lot of fun to choreograph the fight sequences.
Speaker 3:The collaboration on the action has been great. The stunt team that we have has been second to none. You know David surrounds himself with great talent and you're working with.
Speaker 7:Jeremy Moreno is my stunt coordinator. It was amazing to watch it develop and then to shoot these long takes of Jason going through all the choreo. We didn't double him in that.
Speaker 3:We're trying to keep things very real and very efficient. That's what Adam Clay does.
Speaker 7:He uses what's available in the environment. He may get a gun, take it apart and turn it into a stabbing weapon. It's a very physical, strenuous activity. We practice, and practice and practice. You just grind on the day.
Speaker 3:Something that would keep the action fans on the edge of their seats. These scumbags really get taken apart. Don't move.
Speaker 1:Now, that was a great appetizer. That gives you a brief synopsis. But now it's the meat and potatoes part. This is stuff that I just eat up because you really get to get a deep dive into this movie and how it's made, hearing from everybody, from Statham to the director, everybody. And first we're going to have Statham and the director. They both talk about the script and both of them I love Statham when he talks about he has this buddy. They've been trying to work together for a long time. They finally got it together. It's just cool that these connections are out there and people wanting to work with each other. Then they finally get that script. They're like, yeah, this is smoking. And same thing with the director. He talks about that, how the script kept him on his toes and if that could happen to him, he knows he could pull it off with us watching.
Speaker 1:And then we go back to Statham talking a little bit more about his character in the very beginning of the film. And then we're going to listen to Felicia Rashad, who plays Eloise Parker, the woman that has the beekeeper Statham on her land taking care of her bees, and she talks about the premise of this film, about all those people out there who take advantage of people through scams and everything like that. So she talks about the premise and then we're going to go do a clip and in this clip this is where things start to kick off. She's at her computer, she's talking on the phone with tech people who are supposed to be there to help her and they keep cutting back between her and this jerk in this environment, taking money or trying to convince her to say here we can help you, and she's hesitant and maybe I should do this, and it's just seeing how they manipulate people. And then, near the end of the thing, she realizes oh my goodness, I had been played.
Speaker 3:You know, I've got an old friend, kurt Wimmer, who's a writer that I've had many sort of connections with over the years, scripts that we nearly did, scripts that we didn't do. We haven't sort of done anything, and it was, you know, it was an opportune moment where we connected and he passed me something. He slipped it to me, he's just written it in the pandemic and literally it was a page turner for me and I was so excited I said we just got to do this and we'll team up and we'll make this happen very quickly. And you know the sort of gods aligned, we got David to come on board and Chris Long and Cedar Park and it became something very special. We took it to Cannes and the response was, you know, it was really good because you know, you sort of have a taste of your own.
Speaker 3:But this one, we felt that you know it had a universal appeal. It's a very, it's a very sort of a touching film, if you like. It's quite dark and it's a thriller and it has lots of things that can shock and keep, you know, the action fans on the edge of their seats, but it does have a very strong sort of a very strong sort of meaning about you know right and wrong. It's about you know people, people that are vulnerable, getting taken advantage of, and you know, adam Clay is a man that comes and sets those things and, of course, corrects those moments.
Speaker 7:So Kurt Skrip had that thing that's really important to a movie and its structure. It was really smartly laid out and I'm pretty good at guessing turns and twists and things like that as a writer. But what Kurt did in his writing is he got ahead of me and if he can get ahead of me, I know I can get ahead, I know we can get ahead of the audience. And also he has a great sense of fun. The script had this great sense of fun, this great, you know, cast of these very dynamic, very kind of interesting characters. He's flat, Everybody has a very unique perspective. So you know, that's something absolutely, you know, neat as a director, as a filmmaker, to have that definition and the characters. And it was just again like a lot of fun and a great opportunity for a lot of incredible action.
Speaker 3:We meet him. He's at the beginning of the film and you know he's a retired sort of guy that just connecting with something that he has a love for, which is, you know, making honey and you know removing the honey from the hives, and he has this very, you know sweet relationship with the honeybees and you know it's the parallel between his actual title of being a beekeeper, which we find out later on, what the real version of a beekeeper is when we come to this sort of governmental kind of special society.
Speaker 2:I agree with you. This is a very powerful premise in this film this scam issue and this film built around it, and the levels in which it is taking place within the film and the levels of people who are involved in it, knowingly or unknowingly. You know, when you look at it like that, I could say you could almost think it's a horror film because it's so horrible that it happens. Yeah, but it's. Yeah, it's a very deep premise, you know. I think I should call the bank.
Speaker 4:You know what, you're probably right, but there goes my job and there goes all your data.
Speaker 2:All my kids pictures around this computer. Okay, there you go. Boom, there is what I am talking about. Come on, let me get you. I love you, people, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you. Hello, hello, you still there. Uh-uh, oh, oh.
Speaker 1:Oh, in my mind, getting Felicia Rashad for this film is a giant get. It really gives it that authenticity, this Quality to it, because she doesn't do stuff that's just junk. She does something, that means something and coming up next, we're gonna hear about that, why she took this role, what attracted her to it. She talks about how something just happened to her mother, because this theme overall, everybody understands, everybody knows. These people are out there and they're highly skilled individuals and they could take advantage of any of us just by some simplest of ways or the most complex ways. It's a massive problem and we're gonna hear her talk about that. And then we're also here the director and In statham also talks about that, what the heart of this movie is, because we all understand this concept all too well. And then we're gonna hear from the director Talking about the stunt coordinator and everything that he does, and again, these are kind of interviews that are just fantastic to me. You get to hear the creation of it here, how, why they did this, or the beat, the mindset of the director of who he wants to do this, and Because that stuff there must be hours and hours of training and rehearsals, doing these scenes over and over again to make him feel fluid and non-stop. Because you know, yes, you can do a lot of stuff with editing, yes, but in this kind of movie, a lot of times it's a wide shot and they do it in one shot, or one seemingly shot, and that's not easy to do. You guys, they got to be on the ball. And if you talk to that stunt coordinator and what he's attempting to do, we're gonna have a clip for you.
Speaker 1:And in this clip, statham walks into the building that's in charge of all these crimes that's been happening. He walks in with these gasoline tanks or stumping everything all over, and in these schmucks with their suits walk up to him and say make them stop. And you know what's gonna happen next a serious ass whooping. And whenever these fight sequence happens. I love the sound effects. It just, it just harkens back to the quality. You can hear the punch, hear the body studying. I just love that kind of stuff. It's just. It makes you feel like you're there.
Speaker 2:What attracted me to this? Because that happened to my mother. That actually did happen to my mother and Fortunately, I was able to put a stop to it. Yes, there are all kinds of scams and and the people try to sound so friendly. When you call, you know they try to sound so friendly and they're so personal and so personable and they're just thieves. There are thieves, you know. So this is what attracted me to it, because I know that it's real.
Speaker 7:I know that this does happen to people and it happens every single day, unfortunately so, sadly, a really common thing that happens is a lot of seniors, a lot of people that are vulnerable, get targeted by these fishing scams and they can range from clicking on the wrong thing to a really sophisticated, sophisticated operation where people are really targeted and over several days can be Drained of everything they have, everything they work for, they can lose the deeds to their house because these scammers are so good at what they do and so precise. And it was interesting, as we crude up the movie, crew members would come on and and Everyone kind of had a story. Everyone had a story about someone they knew who had been scammed. Everybody had a story about something that almost happened to them or their mom or did happen, and it really opened my eyes to the scope of this problem and and it is nice to Be able to direct attention to something that people need to know about in a film they need to know about this the heart of this movie is.
Speaker 3:It's something that would translate to any country, any, any family, anywhere, any person that would have heard of something Of this nature. That you know, once we set things in motion, where you know we're off for a ride, you know it's uh, the, these scumbags Really get taken apart, and it's uh it's that the cause is so justified and I think everyone want everyone has a, an attachment to someone in their family that might have been, you know, prayed upon. Uh, we're getting conned in some way. It's out there and I think everyone in their life will have come across that in some way, whether it's within their immediate inner family, or or a friend or someone that has has been, um, you know, has been taken to the cleaners, as they say, and it's not good. So I think there's a social justice to it, that is, has a global appeal.
Speaker 7:Jeremy Marinas was my stunt coordinator, fight coordinator, just did a incredible job there because it's coming up with the grammar what? What does the movement look like? What are fights even look like? You know, are they cowboy brawls? Are they? Are the cowboy brawls? Are they more sophisticated?
Speaker 7:And we have very sophisticated kind of fluid action that develops and you know the process is Jeremy writes action, shoots it on video, we present it to Jason. Jason has his ideas and he's really smart and he really knows what he's capable of and want to make sure that that is showcased and they stunt Choreographies. Then we practice and practice and practice and then I figure out how to get a camera on it and then you just grind on the day. You know, shooting action I don't think people understand as there's a lot of repetition to it. It's a very physical, strenuous activity, even for the crew, but it's it's. It's a lot of fun and when you see those shots, those dailies come out and you know you're gonna take, you know a treasure trove back to editorial and create an amazing stunt sequence and it's just like being in the delivery room and watching something incredible come out.
Speaker 3:I'm a beekeeper. To protect the hive, sometimes I use fire to smoke out hornets.
Speaker 4:Film multi-million dollar operation. Okay, so you can't come up here, white nighting Will you stop his ass out, please. You.
Speaker 3:Feel really proud of yourself.
Speaker 1:You know, I don't know about you guys, but nothing is more satisfying when these Keyboard cowboys, these guys who think they're so tough behind the keyboard, get their butts handed to him to see him squirm and cry in their fancy little suits and then a real man comes in there and just beats the living tar out of him. That should the satisfaction is it. Is it sad that perhaps I feel like that? No, I don't think it is because these guys are worms, their bums or slime, and he puts them in their place. So I think it's just that incredible Fantasy kind of like when you watch those movies when Tarantino has those brutal attacks on Nazis. It's, it's the satisfaction we never got and now we get to see it in our little fantasies when these scum individuals just get their butts handed to him. So, yeah, we don't need to apologize for enjoying that, because that's what they deserve. And in these fight sequences, statham, he's not always using a gun per se. He might have a gun, but in this interview with David Iyer he talks about, he uses the environment around him, the character. He'll grab this, he'll grab that, he'll take it apart and use that as a weapon, kind of almost if you think about Jackie Chan in a lot of his movies. That's what he just does so masterfully. He'll grab this, grab that, use a chair, use this, whatever. That guy is a magician when it comes to action. So this character, in a sense, is a little bit like that and the director talks about that, and then we're gonna hear a little bit more from Statham talking a little bit more in depth about his relationship, his character's relationship, with Eloise, and he just decides I'm not gonna take this anymore, I'm gonna take this to them. And then we're gonna go back to the director and he talks about the hive, the main place where all these bums are working from, and it's just guarded by paramilitary group that are highly trained from that, who are now sanctioned or they're not sanctioned that's not the right word. They're mercenaries, that might be the right word, but they're heavily trained in that world. And then what Statham, statham's character, does to them just eats them up. It's just glorious.
Speaker 1:And speaking of that, we have a clip for you. In this clip there's not a lot of dialogue, so I'll try to walk you through this real quick. The military guys are chasing them around and they think he's went to this elevator, they think he's on top of it. So they go inside the elevator and just start unloading on it. Just you know all their machine guns shooting up there. And then they run out of bullets. And then you hear, are you done? And they're like, okay, we reload, reload. And then you hear a beep and then he blows the cable so it just shoots down. And these other guys who are running away from the elevator, they're still connected, so hence forward being. They followed it all the way down. So this is a great shot. But that's what that clip is.
Speaker 7:Yeah. So the idea you know we had an idea with Jason, something we really wanted to work with out of Kurtz Script that he isn't a gun guy per se, he's not running around with a weapon all the time, it's just a tool, one of many tools that he uses, and he may get a gun and take it apart and turn it into a stabbing weapon or a club. So it's kind of wild, you know, to see these things happen in the film. But a lot of work won in the sort of creating these moments and really getting that dexterity. In rehearsal. It was almost the idea that you know Beekeeper has hands like a magician. You know that he can do anything.
Speaker 3:We pick him up and he's. You know he's living in the garden of a very sweet lady that you know. They have these exchanges of pleasantries every day and they have a very sweet connection. It's almost like she's the mother he never had. You know, adam plays. We don't know too much about him, apart from the fact that no one ever took care of him, so we can fill in the gaps about his. You know his childhood and you know this lady is a significant thing for him in his life, that she has deep meaning and when she gets she becomes a victim of the cybercrime, of the scammers that take advantage, and he decides to get in front of that and take it all the way to the top. And as the movie escalates we get to understand that it's the. You know the. Everything is much bigger than we anticipated it to be.
Speaker 7:And one of the more interesting and funner scenes to shoot was on. You know the bad guys. Part of their scamming world is this place called Nine Star, which is kind of the mother hive of the scammers, and Jason goes in there and is being protected by this incredibly capable paramilitary force. And these guys are scary. I mean they have all this kit on and they have the latest weapons and training and everything and he does a pretty good job of showing them why a beekeeper is to be reckoned with.
Speaker 2:I.
Speaker 1:You're done. What a great line You're done. Now, casting for a movie is always insanely difficult. I can't imagine what these people go through trying to fit pieces together, because just because something might be great at this doesn't mean they'd be great at that. And, more importantly, you don't know how they're going to work together, because we all have heard, seen and felt nonchemistry. We can feel when things aren't always working and sometimes we can't. I mean, I was reading an article today about some actress who was talking about they couldn't work with these other people at all on set for this TV show. But you couldn't tell by watching the show. But years later, when they talk about it, you're like, oh okay, they were never in seen together. All three of them weren't on the same, whatever it was. But you're like, wow, these people are truly talented individuals. They could put their personal feelings about somebody completely away and shoot an honest scene that might they have to show emotion to. I mean, we all have had to work with people that we don't like and sometimes that's hard. Just even do that. But imagine trying to be serious or intimate or whatever it may be, with people you don't get along with. So casting is always imperative.
Speaker 1:And we're going to hear from the director talking about that and he talks about Josh Hutcherson that he needed him to find his character. But you know, the character is so vile. But that was just. I love hearing him talk about finding him and then talking about trying to create this character. And near the end of the interview to he talks about the great Jeremy Irons, having him part of this project. Again, that just sets that cherry on the top. You're like are you kidding me? That's incredible. And then we're going to hear from Josh Hutcherson and he talks about his character, but he doesn't necessarily want to play. I mean, it's great juicy to have a play a bad character, but you still got to find a way to relate to him, got to find out why he is.
Speaker 1:Because, like the interview before with the director, we all believe we're the star of our own movie. We go through life day to day. It's point of view. It's our point of view. We're the star of the movie. But everybody else thinks they're the star of the movie, their star of their movie.
Speaker 1:So he talks about finding a way to understand his character, because just playing evil isn't good enough. You need to find a reason why. And then we have a clip for you, and in this clip remember those scenes that we played a while ago where Jason Statham goes into the building, pours gasoline everybody and just all over and burns the place down and kicks the tarot of everybody. Well, the guy that is was in there has to make that phone call to Josh's character and he's like well, listen, this is what happened. We had a disgruntled customer and he explains what happened and Josh is on the other line of the other line going what are you talking about? So it's just that whole dynamic of this guy has to call him up and go, listen, there's been a slight problem.
Speaker 7:So part of the fun of filmmaking, I think the best part of his casting and that's what I really love is working with actors, and combining very different actors on camera can get you some amazing results. It's like the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The magic comes from gifted actors doing amazing things. So Josh Hutcherson plays Derek Danforth, who is I'm just going to say it kind of a dumpster fire of a human being. He's a bad guy we love to hate and, but he's a person and he comes from a childhood that maybe wasn't so great and he didn't get the love he needed. And you know, he he's sort of, is acting out in a sense to find his own way and navigate through the world, which doesn't justify what it does.
Speaker 7:But, as I like to say, everyone's the hero of his own movie and Derek definitely thinks he's the hero of this movie until he's told otherwise by Jason and Josh built this amazing character and we work together and collaborated to have this kind of larger than life character who, at the same time, is very grounded and does come from an honest place. And then you pair him up with a powerhouse, classic, traditional actor like Jeremy Irons and you have this. This clash is Jeremy is trying to wrangle and herd cats with this wild kid with no boundaries and no empathy, and it's like cleaning up after an elephant or a tornado, and you can see Jeremy playing that dilemma of what have I gotten myself into and how do I get myself?
Speaker 4:out. Derek's a wild man. I mean he's he's. He's so out there, you know. I think that when I first started talking with David about bringing Derek to life, we wanted to find a way to find the truth and find a way for me to empathize with him as as an actor playing this character, because he's so bad, he does a lot of really bad things, that that it's. You don't just want to be a bad guy without reasons. So I think, trying to build that out and understand that it comes from his upbringing, his insecurities, his addictions whether it's the money, power or substances and and kind of take it from there and it was. It was a roller coaster, it was. It was. It was really fun to embody. I was happy to finish because I didn't like how comfortable I felt being that guy, but I think all of us have a piece of Derek in us. What I'm in a meeting.
Speaker 5:You said hit me on voice if there's an emergency.
Speaker 4:Okay right Well uh it seems, we had a disgruntled customer. I just can't comprehend why you're bothering me. Just get in touch with the attorney and start shoving back.
Speaker 5:Well, yeah, I don't think that legal is gonna gonna help much.
Speaker 4:Okay, tell me what's going on right now. This dude just scrolls in Sam, we're stealing from people, and he just tears through all my security guys like tissue paper and um and what, and he burns the place to the ground. Yeah, the call center is gone. I'm standing here staring at a $30 million building that's. It's now a giant ashtray for people to get out. You're telling me that this will burn the entire building down and dropped four bodies, yet the son, exactly a disgruntled customer. Is it who did this? Give me a name right now.
Speaker 1:Now coming up. Next we're gonna hear from Josh talking a little bit more in depth about his character, because he's his character comes from already a family, a legacy, tons of dough, but he wanted to do something on his on his own, on his side, to say, hey, this is what I've done. And he really gets more a little bit in depth on that. And then we're gonna go back to casting. We're gonna talk to the director and he talks about trying to cast the two investigators investigating all the stuff that's going on. He talks about hiring Bobby Naderi and Emmy Lampman and just how so well they work together. And then we're gonna hear from Emmy and she talks about her character's need to really work with her agent, matt Wiley, her partner. But she also goes into depth about working with Bobby and how much fun she had and you get to sense it. You know when they're on screen together, how much they just work together and they jive. It's really fun to see.
Speaker 1:And then we're gonna hear from Bobby Naderi, who plays her partner, and he also goes into depth about how much joy it was working with Emmy. And then we're gonna play a clip for you and in this clip they're both talking at the desk. They're desk, they're desk, face each other and she's going on about all this stuff and he's just like yeah, yeah, yeah, you come in here, I'll hung over and you've accomplished more than any of us all in just this one day. But it's not really what they say. It's just the energy between them, real coworkers, people doing their thing. It's like a normal conversation. It's not like a conversation that has to be Important or make great waves for the plot. It's just two partners that have been working together for so long and it's just. It's. I don't know Something about. It feels so real. It doesn't feel contrived, it's just. These people are just working together.
Speaker 4:Derek is. He's an interesting spot because he comes from a lot of money. His family is like a titans of industry with shipping and old oil money, so he feels kind of untouchable in many ways and he's made most of his money legitimately through Crypto, nft and he's got a really fast, intelligent kind of a business mind. But he kind of has this dark secret on the side. That's his passion project, which is very evil, and that's when you know he runs these centers that basically rob older people of their life savings.
Speaker 4:And I talked with David a bit about why, like why does Derek do this? Like he has the money, he has power, why does he want this thing? And I think it kind of comes back to what we sort of landed on was he wants something that's his dirty little Secret that no one else can touch that and and operating outside the bounds of law, when his mom is, you know, the Commander-in-Chief, there's something that just gets that part of him going of wanting to be as powerful as possible. So he has this dark secret, nasty little little side side hustle that brings in a lot of money as well and ultimately it's his, his downfall.
Speaker 7:Emmys FBI partner in the film is Bobby Nadiri, who's who's a great actor. I love using him. He can just blend in any role and he becomes sort of this, a cynical, conscious voice about what are they doing. Why are they doing it? And, I think, because what they stumble across is so big and and so almost overwhelming that he gets a little scared by it. And Whereas Emmy is really trying to solve the murder of her mother and has that personal stake, bobby is such a great character. Where you know it's is. They're like a married couple. They have this great interaction. It's incredible banner and it's a lot of fun to watch their scenes together. But they are on the tail of something big and something scary.
Speaker 6:Verona Parker would be nothing without her partner Wiley, played by the one and only Bobby Nadiri, and it's been.
Speaker 6:It's been the best time we from.
Speaker 6:From day one, him and I just got on like a house on fire and you know we are in essentially every scene together and have to have, you know, this very close, intimate brother sister energy connection inside jokes that has to, you know, read, reach through the camera. And I Don't know how David did it. I'd never met Bobby before we started working on this. We never chemistry read together, but they cast both of us separately and from the moment that we met we just both knew that we were just gonna have the best time and we just make fun of each other all day and laugh and and and really just play off of each other every day at work and and Kind of tee up the joke for each other when you know, when it's time and and I just think it's Organically turned into this great friendship on and off camera. I'm feel so, so lucky to to have Been put in his orbit and get to know him as an actor, because I just I think he's an incredible actor and partner and, yeah, he's alright.
Speaker 5:Oh, emmy's wonderful. We, as soon as we had never met before. But as soon as we got to London and we met at the studio, it was instant. We had that chemistry and Super talented and very easy to work with, which has been amazing, because if if we didn't have that, it would be a Very different shoot. But I think David Knew me well enough and and and had met with Emmy, so he knew our energies. We're gonna work together, so it's been loads of fun.
Speaker 6:Okay, listen, remember our favorite burning building United data group. Guys who work there are hackers, conmen, fraudsters, etc, etc. I ran it Garnett. He's in the book. He is a known mob associate. He's missing, but I've got PD chasing me out. Okay, so I had some analysts run some and I think I'm starting to get the shape of the animal Dude. I think United data group is one of several call centers, so there's got to be like a central office that's controlling all of them. And that's what we got to find, while this could be like a billion dollar a year operation. Hello, did you hear a single word?
Speaker 5:I just said yeah, and I'm just thinking you come in here hung over on your day off and gain more yardage on this thing than the whole squad has in two years.
Speaker 6:Yeah, well, it was my family.
Speaker 1:Now you might be asking yourself I know, I know who Emmy is, I know who Bobby is. What have they been in? Emmy, she was in the Umbrella Academy in Central Park and Bobby, he was in under the shadow black summer in bright just name a few. These are two very talented people and they work really well together. And coming up next, when here from the director, he talks about why you should see this film and he really covers a lot in this interview, so it's really kind of cool. And then we have another clip for you.
Speaker 1:In this clip you might have seen the ending of this clip in the trailer, because in the trailer you see this guy being tied up to by his um seatbelt and then Jason Statham just runs the car over the ledge Into the water and you see this guy tailing behind it.
Speaker 1:Well, this is the build-up to that scene, or to that conclusion, where he's on the phone with Josh Hodgson's character and he's explaining to him hey man, there's this guy here, he cut off my fingers, he's talking about bees and Josh's character is like what, what do you mean? Talk about bees and the guys in the car? And then Statham's character comes up there. Just bam, you know, pelts him in the face and he gets him out of the car and he starts wrapping him or tying him up with the seatbelt before the car goes over the ledge. But even this little guy, this guy's character, he might be a big character, but there's that little party that feels bad for him. He really does a job of really selling the fear and like, well, what is this really happening? And that's what's important, not just kind of a scene where he just writes him off. But you, there's a itsy-bitty bit of pity for the poor guy.
Speaker 7:You'll see what I'm saying for audiences when they go and see this movie. It's really about going to the movies. It's it's about great acting, great action, cinematic visuals. It's it's about Intrigate characters that bounce off each other in fun ways. It's it's about being thrilled. It's about being scared for the hero and not being sure if he's gonna make it. And then he makes it. So I wanted to create a Jason Statham movie where he takes us on Not just an action journey, but an emotional journey. I wanted this to be like the, the action movies I grew up on that. When you watch them, there's something really satisfying about how they resolve. You feel like you've watched a movie. When those lights come on at the end Bleeding, what, what?
Speaker 4:are you bleeding? What do you mean bleeding?
Speaker 5:my, my fingers, I'm my right hand. He cut him off.
Speaker 2:Go go.
Speaker 4:He, who is he? Tell me who he is right now.
Speaker 5:I, I don't know the. Beekeeper makes honey and in the bee hives.
Speaker 4:He's so be hives. What's he saying about bees?
Speaker 5:I don't know. He said he was like protecting the hive or something. Oh man, oh.
Speaker 1:So what do you guys think? Does the beekeeper sound? Except you want to see. Have you seen it? What are your thoughts?
Speaker 1:In that I present this in a good way Because here's the deal. As most of you know, I'm never gonna tell you not to see a movie, because any movie is somebody's favorite movie. Who might have tell you what to see or what not to see? We all walk a different path. That's just barbaric to me. I just like to present the evidence to you. You're the jury.
Speaker 1:It's up to you to decide if you want to see a movie or not. Because there's so much noise out there, guys, I'm not here to add to it, I just want to create a movie oasis, a place we could come and learn about one movie, because for me, is finding that gem, because, yes, we all know about the blockbusters, we all know about the tentpole of movies which are wonderful, but every once, while there comes a, maybe a movie that you go, I would have never thought of seeing this movie. And that's what I want to do here get you knowledge here, interviews, here, scenes, whatever it may be, because that's all I care about is sharing movies with you, as I mentioned earlier in the show. If you want to watch a TV version of this and watch it on demand whenever you want, I'll give you that website. Bit dot L y slash Cinema judge. B I t dot L y slash Cinema judge. And here's the best part if you don't enjoy sitting listening me ramble and all that other stuff that is strictly interview shows, clips Featured you don't see or hear me at all, because I know a lot of you out there.
Speaker 1:A lot of people have known most of my life. They refuse to listen to the show. Hey, that's at least around us with me, but maybe sometimes they'll watch the TV version of it because they don't have to worry about hearing me talking or seeing me or Whatever it may be, whatever their reasons may be. But that's for you. Guys, if you want to watch these interviews, watch the stuff. Usually it's out there for a few months and then there you go. You could get the full Experience because I would love your feedback. Guys, I can't grow if I don't know. So if you ever have anything you want to say, whether it be a Cinema judge at hotmailcom, on YouTube, the cinema judge I love hearing from you and I'm on most platforms, from Instagram threads, tic-tac, also on the metaverse. If you ever in that world go to horizon worlds, look up Cinema Judge, because I love hearing about how you listen to the show or when you listen to the show, because some of you might be listening from two weeks from now, two days from now, two months from now, who knows, two years from now.
Speaker 1:I just want to create a little bubble, a bubble we could come in here and maybe not even realize it was recorded earlier or whatever. That's right. Try to keep the outside world out of this. A lot of times, every once, while I sneak in stuff that is happening currently. But that's not the general plan here. I like to keep it. We drop on on here and just listen to a movie and not be worried that, hey, man, this is recorded years ago.
Speaker 1:So many of you listen to this when you're driving to work, you're on break, sitting at home, you take long road trips, you hit play and listen to several episodes, or you do the same thing at night. We just hit play and let them roll through the night. Any listen is a good listen, the more the merrier. If you feel the need or want to, please share it with family or friends. Like I said, it can't hurt to have more people listening.
Speaker 1:Come up next, speaking of people who listen, I do a shout out. This shout out is for people who listen to the last episode, but don't think for one second if you listen to previous episodes. I don't care, because it blows my mind and it makes my day when I see somebody listen to a podcast from any time in the past. I just don't know. There's no way to track track that at all to find out who, what, when, where, how or what have you. I might see a number, but there's no way I could tell where you're from unless I took a screenshot like every couple seconds or whatever it may be. But don't think I don't care because I love it. So these shout outs are only for people who listen to the podcast on whatever device it is, because this shout out doesn't pertain to YouTube or anything like that. So you might be saying, hey, listen to YouTube, man. Why don't I get a shout out? It's just that's impossible to find out there. So these shout outs are for all of you guys who listen to the podcast on whatever platform you have, and I am so grateful for that. It just makes me smile and upset. In the past, I do do a happy dance in my chair when I see your city, state, country show up. I'm like, yes, somebody took time out of their life to listen. So this is for you, wherever you are, whenever or whatever you're doing, this shout out is for you.
Speaker 1:All my listeners from the United States, germany, you guys, so many of you from Germany, thank you so much for sharing Indonesia. Same thing with you. Also. France, you guys listening and sharing. Poland, portugal, ireland, minneapolis, minnesota, saint Paul, minnesota and man, I can't pronounce this one at all C-Z-E-M-L-E-W-O-P-O-M-O-R-S-K-I-E. I'm not disrespecting, I just grateful that you listened. Marcelle Bouches du Roan Okay, I know I did that wrong, but thank you so much. West Nusa oh man, t-e-n-g-g-e-r-a, thank you so much. North Rhine, westphalia, banding, west Java, lisbon, dresden, saxony, frankfurt, am, maine, hesse, you guys are always there. Thank you, dublin, lancaster. Thank you guys so much. Diamondhead, mississippi, greenville, indiana, beltsville, maryland, des Moines, iowa, orlando, florida, indianapolis, indiana, brooklyn, new York, portland, oregon, las Vegas, nevada, just to name a few. I couldn't name everybody, but to every solitary one of you who listened to this podcast, I salute you and I'm grateful. So thank you so much for your time In this week's Bourbon Showed Out goes out to Tristan at Cub Foods.
Speaker 1:Thanks, let me chat with you earlier today, talk movies, talk about the show. I hope your study and when it went well, so to you, tristan cheers. But now, coming up next, this is the part where I tell you what I was listening to when I was making the TV version which becomes this podcast. Because when I'm making the TV version I'm cranking tunes, sitting here editing, editing the show here in the basement. I'm all about myself just cranking tunes. But that's my happy place. Both my world's colliding. It's like my meditation, if you will.
Speaker 1:And this week I was like well, what am I in the mood for? Listen to Coldplay. I haven't listened in a while, and every once in a while I just get that urge, because Coldplay has so many albums, and some of them, the ones that I listened to during making of this, were Parachutes X and Y and a Rush of Blood to the Head All top notch albums. I just I could listen to those daily if I had to. But then I also threw on Billy Joel's greatest hits, volume 1 and 2. And of course that's just stellar. Come on, everything on that one is just like yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, perfect. The reason I listened to Billy Joel was he has a new single called Turn the Lights Back On and it is really well done in my opinion. It's him, the piano, maybe a cello too, I'm not too sure, but there's some great lyrics in there, great feel, great tone. It's like classic Billy Joel, like from the Stranger Days and albums of that era. It feels kind of like that. But that's why I listened to Billy Joel's greatest hits Volume 1 and 2, because that new single, give it a shot if you haven't listened to it yet.
Speaker 1:And one more thing I want to share just a couple guilty pleasures with you. You know, sometimes you've watched shows years and years ago and then they finally come on streaming. I've been hooked lately on two different shows. I've been going back and forth on One's on Hulu, it's Moonlighting. I mean, come on Moonlighting. Bruce Willis, sibyl Shepard, their banter, just outstanding. I remember watching it when it came out just as enjoyable now. But also then on Prime.
Speaker 1:I've been really hooked also on Northern Exposure, that cast look at that cast, guys Just loaded with stuff. But the show I mean it was funny, it was drama. But then there's almost like this mystical part of it and I remember when it came out it was like they went places not every show went and it's really hard to explain and you just have to watch it to understand it. But I'm a few seasons into it now again, because there's so much happening in that show. Things that they cover, things that they discuss might not be discussed today. So if you really want something that makes you just think but feel good at the same time, recheck out those Northern Exposure and Moonlighting both of them. I'm just, I'm just hooked in. Well, that is it. I'm thirsty, my glass awaits. So cheers to you Into the movies. So until next time, be well, be good, and I'm gone. I'm Jeff. Thanks for listening to the Cinema Judge.