HAPPY HOUR FLIX is a podcast all about the movies you love and love to talk about. A nostalgic look at what we grew up watching and how they still impact us today.
In today's episode, hosts Steven Pierce and Matt Mundy sit down with the ever-clever and lover of all hidden gems of the 80's, and good friend Devon Schwab.
Buckle up because we're time-traveling to the Star League's final "frontier" of 80s, taking a closer look at the iconic film, THE LAST STARFIGHTER. As we reminisce about our favorite scenes - we'll be discussing creative decisions, and examining the challenges faced in creating the film's visual effects given the technology constraints of the time. It's a delightful and informative conversation that will make you see the movie through a completely new lens.
But first, a drink break from our friends over at MISGUIDED SPIRITS, a delightful concoction by Max Stampa-Brown, Food & Beverage Director for The Garret Group, which operates a number of awesome bars and restaurants in NYC. His out of this world "Planet Rogen" today was made over at Rocco's on 1 w. 3rd st, NYC
Follow along and be sure to make one yourself!
“Planet Rogen”
1oz MISGUIDED gin
.75oz lemon juice
1oz cherry caraway syrup
Prosecco
honeydew ball
*Hard shake these ingredients with ice and double strain into a coupe.
Fill the rest of the glass with Prosecco and garnish with a honeydew ball.
Serve
IG handles:
@thegarretgroup
@stampabrown
Back to the episode... Now, you might be wondering, what makes The Last Starfighter, a film from the 80s, relevant today? Well, this film is a treasure trove of storytelling that captures the essence of the American Dream. We're exploring the themes of escaping small town life and turning dreams into reality, and how these contribute to making the movie a timeless classic. From the unforgettable one-liners to the surprising elements that have become fan favorites over the years, we pull back the curtain and delve deep into this iconic film.
And just when you think we've covered it all, we'll hit you with a twist as we discuss The Last Starfighter's transformation into a musical and the infamous Christmas Special. We'll even venture into speculative territory as we discuss possible reboots or sequels. So, buckle up for an exciting journey that not only celebrates the magic of The Last Starfighter, but also the audacity of filmmakers who dared to dream big despite technological limitations. It's going to be a star-studded ride!
Hey all, a quick reminder, no matter where you are listening to us, if you could rate us and drop us a review on Apple Podcasts, we’d be so grateful - it really helps us spread the good vibes. Thank you!
HAPPY HOUR FLIX is produced by James Allerdyce and Lori Kay, and hosted by Steven Pierce and Matt Mundy.
Main Title is by Johnny Mineo.
Happy Hour Flix | Movies You Love
HAPPY HOUR FLIX is a podcast all about the movies you love and love to talk about. A nostalgic look at what we grew up watching and how they still impact us today.
In today's episode, hosts Steven Pierce and Matt Mundy sit down with the ever-clever and lover of all hidden gems of the 80's, and good friend Devon Schwab.
Buckle up because we're time-traveling to the Star League's final "frontier" of 80s, taking a closer look at the iconic film, THE LAST STARFIGHTER. As we reminisce about our favorite scenes - we'll be discussing creative decisions, and examining the challenges faced in creating the film's visual effects given the technology constraints of the time. It's a delightful and informative conversation that will make you see the movie through a completely new lens.
But first, a drink break from our friends over at MISGUIDED SPIRITS, a delightful concoction by Max Stampa-Brown, Food & Beverage Director for The Garret Group, which operates a number of awesome bars and restaurants in NYC. His out of this world "Planet Rogen" today was made over at Rocco's on 1 w. 3rd st, NYC
Follow along and be sure to make one yourself!
“Planet Rogen”
1oz MISGUIDED gin
.75oz lemon juice
1oz cherry caraway syrup
Prosecco
honeydew ball
*Hard shake these ingredients with ice and double strain into a coupe.
Fill the rest of the glass with Prosecco and garnish with a honeydew ball.
Serve
IG handles:
@thegarretgroup
@stampabrown
Back to the episode... Now, you might be wondering, what makes The Last Starfighter, a film from the 80s, relevant today? Well, this film is a treasure trove of storytelling that captures the essence of the American Dream. We're exploring the themes of escaping small town life and turning dreams into reality, and how these contribute to making the movie a timeless classic. From the unforgettable one-liners to the surprising elements that have become fan favorites over the years, we pull back the curtain and delve deep into this iconic film.
And just when you think we've covered it all, we'll hit you with a twist as we discuss The Last Starfighter's transformation into a musical and the infamous Christmas Special. We'll even venture into speculative territory as we discuss possible reboots or sequels. So, buckle up for an exciting journey that not only celebrates the magic of The Last Starfighter, but also the audacity of filmmakers who dared to dream big despite technological limitations. It's going to be a star-studded ride!
Hey all, a quick reminder, no matter where you are listening to us, if you could rate us and drop us a review on Apple Podcasts, we’d be so grateful - it really helps us spread the good vibes. Thank you!
HAPPY HOUR FLIX is produced by James Allerdyce and Lori Kay, and hosted by Steven Pierce and Matt Mundy.
Main Title is by Johnny Mineo.
Happy Hour Flix | Movies You Love
Most people think it's about space, but it's really the story of a young woman struggles dating a beta man. It's the last Starfighter. It's 1984, Gremlins, Blood, Simple, Ghostbusters, Nightmare on Elmstreak stop making sense. The Terminator, Muppets, Take Manhattan, the Neverending Story and the Karate Kid all come out this year. 1984 is one hell of a year for movies. It's a year for movies and this movie is a whole lot of fun. It's a year for movies and this movie is a whole lot of fun. It's a year for movies and this movie is a whole lot of fun.
Speaker 1:Why the last Starfighter?
Speaker 3:For nostalgia. That was the request.
Speaker 1:It's a year for movies, and this movie is a whole lot of fun Today. This was made by bartender Max. They have a few bars in the restaurant and they're stealing time with everything today.
Speaker 3:Today we're drinking the Planet Rogan.
Speaker 2:I never know any characters last night.
Speaker 3:Alex is the creator of the drinks last night.
Speaker 1:Alex is the creator of the drinks last night. He's the creator of the drinks last night.
Speaker 2:He's the creator of the drinks last night.
Speaker 1:Thanks again to everyone for joining us, thanks to everyone for joining us.
Speaker 2:Thanks to everyone for joining us.
Speaker 1:Thanks to everyone for joining us. Thanks to everyone for joining us. Thanks to everyone for joining us.
Speaker 2:Thanks to everyone for joining us. Thanks to everyone for joining us. Thanks to everyone for joining us.
Speaker 1:Thanks to everyone for joining us.
Speaker 2:Thanks to everyone for joining us.
Speaker 3:Thanks to everyone for joining us. Thanks to everyone for joining us, thanks to everyone for joining us.
Speaker 1:Thanks to everyone for joining us.
Speaker 2:Thanks to everyone for joining us.
Speaker 1:Thanks to everyone for joining us, thanks to everyone for joining us. Thanks to everyone for joining us. Thanks to everyone for joining us. Thanks to everyone for joining us.
Speaker 2:Thanks to everyone for joining us.
Speaker 1:Thanks to everyone for joining us.
Speaker 3:Thanks to everyone for joining us, you know, this week. I thought it was amazing. I was like I forgot how good those scenes look, yeah, and even the sound and everything like the movie is very well made, yeah, oh, a total, you know, like that was one thing I really took away from. It was just like I was kind of expecting it to be Kind of cheesy and bad. My memory was a little bit more, you know this is Rose-colored glasses yeah, and watching I was like it's really well made.
Speaker 3:You know, like just the very opening scenes that my second note was good animal work Because the dog and the cat coming out of the that cat, that dog is like laying upside down in the, in the timings, perfect of it.
Speaker 1:The cat coming out of the the mailbox.
Speaker 3:I was like these are all cool little details that take a lot of work.
Speaker 1:Yeah for sure. No, that was not an afterthought. That took a ton of plan.
Speaker 2:Yeah for sure. I feel like nothing. He definitely said that they wanted that opening to be like he was. Was it Nick Castle said like it was? Spielberg and George Lucas were so good at creating their own worlds and their own identity. He was like I wanted to have one, and that's like I mean. We saw it, it did we just talked about it the last five minutes the amazing identity that's immediately established here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean the movie. It feels to me Like this is Star Wars, but the performances are like that reminiscent of the Golden Age of television and musicals or whatever you know. I mean this is like performances from like the 40s. I mean Robert Preston, Robert Preston the moment he showed up. Oh yeah holy shit, I heard it on those. I didn't know anything who's in this, but I heard the arcade and I was like that's, that's, that's, that's, that's that's, that's.
Speaker 3:That's Harold Hill. Yeah, that's music, man.
Speaker 1:And then the whole scene in the first car is trouble, like he's like oh no, they got this and they got trouble oh yeah, what are you doing this? Oh my god, you know, like the con man act yeah, and then they got the, the, the partner also that's in the lizard man is what I keep columns. I don't know the actor's name or the characters Greg, greg, greg. Yeah, greg, awesome name. Yeah, all lizard man just like every. I've never heard so much performing. That's like just exhaling. He does like all the time.
Speaker 2:Oh he's laughing, oh my god.
Speaker 1:It's fabulous.
Speaker 2:Well, it's like you know they even In that. Well, first of all, that actor Scottish actor he Is he was so good with that mask you could tell that he had spent so much time like in the mirror trying to just Make faces and play with it and apparently that, or whatever his laugh, was supposed to be a horse. He was like wait.
Speaker 1:That's him trying to be a horse, yeah that's. I would call that not successful in terms of being a horse. Also. I mean, it is just such a broad performance, it's so broad, so, and so is Robert Preston's well, and they got him specifically for that.
Speaker 2:They were like we want this like golden age, you know, flim flam, snake oil salesman yeah and and then, apparently, like even the theme that we were just talking about him earlier, the theme that he built around centauri, was meant to be highly synthesized, like, like a like oh gosh, what did he call it? But it's that music that you normally hear in the market. And to let you know that it was a snake oil salesman coming in. And then he Just really compressed it and made it very Synthed and I was like, oh, so you just leaned into it because, sure enough, until he got to like one line where Alex is like I just, you know, I just want to be me, and he's like you know, if that's all you want to do, that's all you're ever gonna do, yeah yeah, yeah, until that moment he's every.
Speaker 2:He's just selling this.
Speaker 1:He's selling pride, he's selling this big thing where that, where that game setups outside like a kind of a not a mobile home, but it's like that.
Speaker 3:It's like a little restaurant that serves a general store.
Speaker 1:That, yeah, yeah you guys have a place like this, like where you oh yeah, in the 80s oh yeah, because I remember like three or four of these are reminding me so much of like one place where I grew up Down to like the picnic tables and a little. They were mustard bottles, but I remember like the little ketchup bottles.
Speaker 2:Oh, when we, yeah, and we had the little plastic Um cigarette trays.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah and they're all just like. It just reminded me so much of like places I knew it rang so authentic.
Speaker 1:But one thing that is totally fake and I'm calling it out the whole way this is not hold up at all is, in the opening sequence, that little kid wearing the alien helmet and whatever, and he's walking around and he's shooting the little the gun with the, the suction cups. Yeah, yeah, he's like God, for he's just shooting it and then leaving the fucking bullet wherever he shoots it. I mean that that's the thing about those guns. It's like Nerf guns. I love them, but you can't leave the bullets. She's right out. So he like shot two or three, like someone into someone's trailer and that was my favorite part.
Speaker 1:He didn't like go retrieve the thing. He just left it I was like what I gun is useless now it's the Legolas school of shooting arrows. You, just you know you have an endless supply of arrows. Legolas, once in a while had to pull one out of the skull of an orc or something that's true. Yeah that this kid is just leaving his arrows. All over is an endless supply of suction cup arrows and it is total nonsense. That is not how that shit works.
Speaker 2:So I do have a question, devin, do you know? There is an actor who I I'm not sure he made his film debut, but he is credited in this movie and yet not in like, really not in the movie.
Speaker 3:What I saw, I know, I know what you're talking about. He had lines. Apparently they were cut. Yeah but a young will Wheaton. That's right, yeah well.
Speaker 2:Wheaton is credited and he's listed is like Louis's friend and like you. See him one shot from the back.
Speaker 3:No you see him at the very end, but barely like he comes out with the people. But even when they're like panning from like group to group, as they're seeing.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's you know, we're kind of jumping to the end here but no, but I mean it's like it is kind of amazing that he's they knew. Keep him in the credits because he made it stand by me was the next thing he did.
Speaker 2:Wow, yeah yeah, so it's just like. And then, of course, what was it? I mean literally three years after this movie wrapped or Was exhibited was Star Trek? Yeah, you know, so it's. I mean it no time has passed, and like will freaking Wheaton? And he's just, he's not in the movie, but he's like right up front at the credits. Yeah, I love.
Speaker 1:That I mean you gotta know that will. Wheaton probably was heartbroken when they cut his character out of this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, yeah, so okay, okay, to go back to the beginning. What is this story about? All right, do it and. And you can either answer this Literally, or what do you think this movie is about? And Devin, I'm gonna come to you first.
Speaker 3:Um yeah, I would, I would. I don't really say. It's about what you the concrete idea of a kid plays a video game. He's really good at video game, he's kind of stuck in nowhere and that leads him to actually becoming a real star fighter pilot.
Speaker 1:Right, I mean, it's like it's that dream of I want to get out and experience bigger things. Right, like I want to be. I'm from small town America. I'm big dream, american dream. It's an American dream story, just in the kind of galactic.
Speaker 3:Yes, it's very Luke Skywalker. You know, like, yeah, like I'm stuck at home. Yeah, I'm trying to. I'm trying to go to a big college, not just crappy city college, Exactly which is also very funny, that was yeah, that cracked me up. I wrote down a note. I was like city college not good.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Damn OK, yes put your stamp on that Also.
Speaker 1:he was like hi so hard with his friends. This guy is definitely like the Dweeb of the community and honestly I'm going to say sort of rightly so. You don't like stand up like everybody, wait for go to the lake while I check the mail, Like I mean, that's just not like you could have done.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:You've been playing video games and shit for hours. You could have checked this any time. Everybody's here waiting on you. You're going with them now or you're out of the group, bro. That is how society works.
Speaker 3:Now some of those plot points are very generically written.
Speaker 2:I did love how you know. He was like, yeah, I can't go, I have to go help somebody with their, you know, air conditioning or whatever.
Speaker 1:And everybody was yelling at Alex yeah, air conditioning is working. My cables out, my whatever.
Speaker 3:17 driving off to the lake. Yeah, none of them can take the slack with this community.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then we'll go in 30 minutes instead of leaving this jerk. And then I love when he, when he does get the record, he's like so excited to tell his mom which I thought was so sweet Like if the whole town comes up, he like breaks the record. Oh dude, can we?
Speaker 1:talk about that for a minute. So Nick Castle I think it was him said that he wanted to be a trailer park or something so they could be a close knit community. But holy shit, they move around like straight up theater.
Speaker 2:Like you know like.
Speaker 1:It is like a whole group of people coming up here for him to break a video game record. Oh yeah all move as a single unit and it's just so funny Monorail monorail monorail, like when he breaks that record. There's just a whole group of people that just block out here and are like, yes, like he is. Just you know, he's just like destroyed the, the armada of the enemy, or something.
Speaker 2:Oh, it was the most important thing that had been done in that town and I think like there was like an old woman like cheering on drinking a beer.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, yes, she had, she had her priorities it interrupted her beer drinking and she was like I'm going to go cheer on this team.
Speaker 1:Can we talk about I know I'm jumping way ahead here- All right, but the ending of this movie, because we were talking about what the movie's about. He goes away.
Speaker 2:Wait, I didn't tell you what I thought the movie was. Oh, what's, what do you think? I mean, I think the movie, I mean, I actually do agree, I think the movie is about that. I think the movie is that I it's that childhood dream of what, what if what I'm doing is real, you know you know and like even was it war games with Matthew Broderick? It's like he was. I mean, that was real you know, right, and.
Speaker 2:but I just remember my a gut reaction when I first saw this years ago and then rewatching it, was it stayed the same. It was like, oh, this is that dream of like if I, the biggest dream I could ever have, and it's done in the simplest way possible. What if that is? Real and I just there's just something so precious about that.
Speaker 1:I mean, didn't they do this, wrote this movie because you saw a kid in an arcade or something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, basically, yeah, exactly, that's a great point. I'd forgotten that he it was a spec script, it's a spec script and he got it in front of one of the producers, but or who became one of the producers? But, yes, the whole, the whole idea was he was in an arcade and was like what if the, the winnings were real? Right, you know his, his prize was oh, you are the master of this starship and it's like that's kind of awesome.
Speaker 1:So hilarious. I mean I literally wrote down the note because I didn't know what was coming in this movie. So you told me, devin, before we watched it, you're like the book Armada. Yeah, you're like it's they. They borrow heavily from this movie.
Speaker 1:So I was expecting it to kind of be in that world where they were like fighting an invasion or something or whatever. But then I was like, then I was like, oh, this car is based on a DeLorean, and then the next line is they're in space and then, holy shit, he's an alien. So, like when? When they did that reveal also what happened to the assistant. Can I ask that? Because we're in the car? And then my press oh God, what's his name? I just, I wait with the entire hill so it's a tarry.
Speaker 3:Yeah, sorry.
Speaker 1:When he's he's going there, he's given his whole diet tribe or flying to Saturn faster than the speed of light he's like. And that's my assistant, Don't worry about that. What the hell happened to the assist?
Speaker 3:That's before they got to space. Yeah, that's, that's the beta, that's the clone, that's the clone.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's how he calls him Gets to DNA.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it hurts him Then he gets out of the car, the beta.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And then they drive off alone while the beta sticks around.
Speaker 2:And then the reveal is John Carpenter got for. This is a full disclosure.
Speaker 1:I watched this movie in the morning while I was feeding my infant daughter and like, so there were a couple of moments, like scenes of this, where I missed some sections.
Speaker 2:Yes, and not long as the plot can be it like there are things like that, that it's like blinking you miss it, or feed your child and you miss it yeah absolutely, because they don't go back to it. There's no like.
Speaker 1:There's that one moment, I think, when they're talking in bed, when he like has that first conversation with beta and he's like remember when, I remember when we touched and that was oh my God and that's also in the middle of this movie they come back, he comes back in the middle of this movie. That is sort of the weird thing whenever you like, when you're not in it, when you're not like watching the movie and thinking back on it.
Speaker 2:it's the weirdest structure ever, yeah like every all the, it's not that no battles. Where's the hero's journey?
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's no there's no battles, there's no big action sequences really, there's only like one in the whole film. There are all these kind of scenes talking about it and kind of surrounding it and it's so, and then they come back and have this whole thing and it was one of the best moments of the movie, with Alex talking to his beta and the kid in the thing and like go to sleep, or I'm gonna tell mom about your playboys, because I was like. I was like you know there's an 80s movie because there's a tween in here with a stack of playboys.
Speaker 3:That was way too young to have that many playboys Way too many.
Speaker 1:It's one thing if he's like stealing one or like honey but he has a whole stack where he's like, oh no, where's Miss June? I was like, yeah, that was his line.
Speaker 3:It was like where's?
Speaker 2:June yeah, oh, dude. And then later when, when he wakes up and he like, sees him working on his head, and he's like was it, louis? You're having a terrible nightmare. Go back to sleep, dude. I loved that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, these are my favorite scenes and these, these, these scenes only seem to happen in like the 80s to 90s, where there's like a robot or somebody and they take their head off and then it's like an obvious, obvious, dummy. Like then when he takes his head off and puts it down on the table it is the most like wax head you've ever seen and then cut to him the actor with his head through a table, like they're my favorite scenes.
Speaker 2:They're really really good. Sorry, you were also going to say something about the end. Yeah, so jumping ahead.
Speaker 1:So we say that this is what this is about, right? So then we come back and he's now saved the universe, the gliding of spoiler and come back with a lizard man and he goes and finds his ex-girlfriend and he's like all right, come with me. What the fuck.
Speaker 3:Yeah, this, that was. That was when I noticed was worst boyfriend ever, Jesus Christ man.
Speaker 1:I was like, I literally was like there's no way they can come back from this. And in my head I was like I know she's, I know she's obviously going to end up going with them. I mean, but I mean my.
Speaker 2:God, I know.
Speaker 1:Like that is what a weird, weird situation. You put this character in this is a lose lose.
Speaker 2:And yet there's an interview with with her and she's like you know. And then when he asks Mags to go, it's so sweet and I was like that's not my take away.
Speaker 3:No, he's kind of treated her like shit. The entire, the entire movie. And it's like oh yeah, by the way, you should leave grandma.
Speaker 1:Also Mags is like I mean they wrote her to be. This girl is like straight going for it with the town nerd like the beta. The best scenes of this. There's an entire movie. I want to see the whole movie about the beta and Mags.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah. Because he had the best one-liners that are making me it's beta and me yeah.
Speaker 1:The best, I mean, oh my God, the best one-liners in this whole film. I wrote a couple of them down, like there's one in here. He's like I'm new to this gland thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that was a great.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I'm kind of new at this gland thing, that's. That was written down, someone said it and I love that it made it through.
Speaker 3:I wrote down beta Max is amazing. The camp scene is great.
Speaker 2:Yes, the camp scene.
Speaker 1:Do you want me to stick my tongue in your?
Speaker 3:ear some more what every says, that line is fabulous.
Speaker 2:Oh, my God, and you know, and she, I mean she, honestly, she went, for I love the two of them, they were great.
Speaker 3:I mean I have to admit it was so good at playing two different versions. It really was Two different characters.
Speaker 2:I wonder if it helped, though that hit like when they went back, so all the beta scenes were like add-ons. They did test screenings and people loved the. They loved the beta scene so much that they went ahead and wrote more.
Speaker 1:That's right. They feel more.
Speaker 2:And then, unfortunately, he had shaved his head. So he had to wear that terrible wig.
Speaker 3:I noticed that I assumed I, so I assumed that was the robot. No right, that's kind of what my takeaway was. I was like, oh, he's his. They did a. Really they intentionally made his hair look bad because it's a robot.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's hilarious.
Speaker 2:No, he was. He was sick and he had, and he had shaved his head I think for another movie, that is amazing.
Speaker 3:I was like and it works not to be an asshole to the actor, but I was like, oh, they're going for like a mannequin. He kind of look kind of what it looked like, because he can take his head off and, like talk to people. You know, I mean like. So I thought it was a legit creative decision.
Speaker 2:And yeah, Lance, we're taking nothing away from what you did, I mean in the fact he was cast.
Speaker 1:So this I mean, I read somewhere and I forget what the other movie was in. It was John Carpenter movie, but he was cast. Was it Halloween something? It?
Speaker 2:was yeah, there's yeah Halloween 2.
Speaker 1:Halloween 2. He was cast in that and he was cast in both these sort of as one package I'd read, but he kind of that they kind of happened at the same time because he got in and which is just sort of crazy to think about that you just got one and that's what he said in interviews like you land one, landed one movie and kind of landed both of them from that and what I mean, that's this guy's career. Like what else is this guy?
Speaker 2:Jaws the revenge. Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 1:Like I mean, but this is like. This is not again nothing. I think he does a very functional job in a very broad movie Like this. Is this baby's painting?
Speaker 2:Well, see, and that's what I like is like this is a broad movie and you get like the big you know, robert Preston, and like we've talked about here with Dan O'Harely, the place Greg, these big broad characters, and then this young Lance guest who is super serious about this role and plays it serious and like he's taking it like I mean he's coming at it like Ethan Hawke style, like he and it's and it works. Because I believe him, I want to root for him and it's. And even though it's this huge galactic story, at the end of the day it's told it's so small it's. It's one of the smallest intergalactic movies I've ever seen.
Speaker 2:Does that you know what I?
Speaker 3:mean I know absolutely. Which is funny because in my memory it was so big Right Like when the final scene happened. I remember that being taking hours to get there in my head you know? I mean, I thought there was so much more and I loved everything I saw, but I was just I mean, you know, talking about like nostalgia. My nostalgic reaction was like I remember this movie being so much more epic Because when you're a little kid and you're being exposed to this, you do see it, as there's an intergalactic alliance, everyone's at threat.
Speaker 3:Right Earth is at threat, these battles are huge. And then watching it, knowing what I know about production now and kind of being able to gauge some of this stuff, I'm like right, oh, they did do a lot with a little with this movie. They really did, they really did?
Speaker 1:I mean, can we talk a little bit about the villain here, right? Um sure, sure, yeah, sure why? I mean they did some really interesting, made some interesting choices, Like for instance, he's the son of the head of the Starfleet, or whatever.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:For that never really comes back or pays off at all. They just drop that in there, and that's what I think. And then they got that shot His enormous eyes. Actually, I thought it was like technically like wow, this is super impactful.
Speaker 2:Like it was cool. It was cool. It reminded me of like Wizard of Oz. Yeah, like yeah very 1984.
Speaker 1:It's like that, very much like this, and I wrote down I was like Jesus, the disembodied head of Billy Zane, cause he looks exactly like Billy Zane when he's the big head. His teeth are so white, they're just like singing out of the darkness here. And then he ends this whole thing and this is one of my big, big quibbles with the movie.
Speaker 2:It ends this whole thing with he says can't get through a talk without Steve having a quibble.
Speaker 1:Exactly right Now, here comes the quibble. He's like he says okay, after X happens, we are going to invade. Why the hell would you tell anyone when you're going to invade? That is just like such a stupid tactical move and I know this character is supposed to be an idiot, but I wrote down. I was like they have all this tech of space and ships but then don't have the knowledge of like the element of surprise. But then literally fast forward a little bit later and they're like element of surprise. Desert man is like and they will be surprised when we're here. And he literally even says like the element of the factor of surprise or something. I'm like, holy shit, you do know about this in this universe.
Speaker 2:But you've chosen not to.
Speaker 1:But you've chosen not to obey it. It just is from time to time and it is just hilarious yeah, it is very true and the best moment of the whole film. I'm just going to finish my little sub box here. About what is it, zerg?
Speaker 2:Oh, sir, sir.
Speaker 1:About sir. All right, he in the scenes, the other two guys and they're obviously like so over him. I don't get why they're following him in the first place. The code and it doesn't make any sense. But then he's standing there with a scepter and he's like you're right, it does take more than a scepter. And then he pops out a knife dick from the end of the scepter.
Speaker 2:Switchblade on the yeah exactly Like this.
Speaker 1:Like I wrote down I'm going to be this guy for Halloween. This is the best, the best prop, acting like ever.
Speaker 3:What's that? Scepter had enough points on it already. It's already. I don't like. When he was being escorted out, I thought, oh, he's going to use that as a weapon, right, and then they just kind of grab him and they take him away.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, my God.
Speaker 3:And you know, they send the one guard to guard him and he gets away.
Speaker 2:When they dragged him away it was like he thought he was off screen and they were. He was just going to hear his voice because you see him just kind of go like he's just limp.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he doesn't really fight back, dude, we're rolling on you. This is, this is your coverage.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like the rehearsal. It's like he thought this is his rehearsal.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So he's like this is his next time. I'll do it full out, guys. Cool. We're at we're moving on to a different reel.
Speaker 2:We've run out of film.
Speaker 1:I'm going to wave the knife phallus at you guys. Just you know we're going full, full on you know resistance.
Speaker 2:That thing had two like two sides that were like the size of, like the witch, king mace.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know it sort of it looks like. It looks like, yeah, something like a mace or whatever the hell they call it like a mall or whatever yeah.
Speaker 3:The surprise knife was like. It was like. It was like having a gun, and then I re-round it and watch it again.
Speaker 1:Yeah, another gun coming out, exactly.
Speaker 2:Which I want to see that prop. Like I want to see that prop. It's kind of like the and yeah, it makes me think of in Batman, when Joker pulls out this teeny little gun and takes down the bat wing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know yeah, and it's just like oh my God, it's the one thing. You know, just take it back. Take it back. He's like such a toothless villain.
Speaker 2:Like toothless.
Speaker 1:Why are people following him? Why is he the big bad guy?
Speaker 2:But then they're immediately like he's the son of the Kaloy Lord Commander.
Speaker 1:Sure, but then he took over the rebels or whatever. And then they also. Can we talk about this? They killed all right. They killed everybody, right. They blew, they wasted all the Starfighters. Yeah, and in this universe.
Speaker 2:Except one. Except the last one, the last Unicorn, the last Unicorn, the last one, and but also, lizard man survives Magically. Yes.
Speaker 1:And he's with the star. It's not like he's Han Solo, who's outside of the world, who's working in a mechanic shop on something that they're like no, your technology doesn't work for us, which I would argue is a better movie Like a little better version of this that.
Speaker 1:he's like the guy that's been disowned or disbarred from the thing and he's like you. You do too much risky technology and you put all their lives at stake and they've banned him to another place or another substation or something. No, he's like in the group, like he's like one of the main dudes.
Speaker 2:He's there. He's there at the broken down drive-in when they fly in. You remember like they fly in after it's been destroyed and you're like, oh man, it's just rubble in here.
Speaker 3:It's like an old town.
Speaker 2:And then here comes Greg going oh, I was waiting around for you, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I got the prototype ship, but then you go yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:And now they have the prototype ship, which also happens to be the most powerful ship. Question mark yeah, and they have the one. What is the? What is the special? Like command, the thing that has, like the, that has the Ghostbusters logo on it Best name ever of a deadly weapon.
Speaker 2:Yes, come on, come on, devin.
Speaker 3:The um don't hurt yourself.
Speaker 1:No, no, no.
Speaker 2:If, when you go to um, oh, when you order the awesome, it's the onion that's explodes. The bloomin, yeah, the bloomin. What? It's a bloomin onion. Right, it's a bloomin onion. Yeah, it's like an awesome blossom. Yeah, an awesome blossom. I don't know, I just made that up, but it's the death blossom.
Speaker 1:The death blossom. That's it, that's it, that's it, the DB.
Speaker 2:That was I was like, really this is the end of humanity, is the death blossom the death blossom. Take that up and higher and then they ran out of power.
Speaker 1:And uh so we jumped ahead and we're going to have to go back at some point but they ran out of power and then he starts like fiddling with you know, like McKenny's, like I'm going to fix this and I can like rewire it or whatever. And it's like and it pulls out like a little circuit board from an IBM. You know what I mean. Like he's. Like. Here's what I'm. Just once we put this floppy into the Apple 2e, you know what I mean We'll, we'll, we'll get power again.
Speaker 3:And then it makes R2D2 noises when it powers up.
Speaker 1:I didn't notice that. I didn't notice that. That's incredible. Yeah Little good.
Speaker 3:Like yeah, that's great.
Speaker 2:R2, r2, like what. It's a little known fact. The two people cut out of this movie were Wil Wheaton and R2D2.
Speaker 1:You guys are talking about the effects earlier and the effects being so strong and so good. One of the things that they talked about was this, like the first movie, I think. That revolved so many CG elements.
Speaker 2:Yes, like completely CG.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think everything except like the explosions of the characters were all CG.
Speaker 2:Yeah, jeff Oaken was their like visual effects artist who was also like from the studio, and so he had to kind of keep tabs and he would like report back and he's like I don't think we can do this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, and they were trying to convince them to do like practical, like you, stop motion at some point, right, yeah.
Speaker 2:And they were like nope, we're in.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I would say some things hold up better than others. Yeah, it's not a perfect track record. No, no, no.
Speaker 1:But they were like one of the things I read about it was it was so intense. Yeah, and they were like oh.
Speaker 2:I'm going to get the characters on this.
Speaker 1:Oh sure they would render Like there was one thing like, but whenever they are laying in wait, when they're laying in wait for the armada to pass them, right, yeah, there's like a shot. And I remember when I first saw it, before I read this, I was like, ooh, that shot is definitely doesn't look and they called it. He said it like looked like melted cheese or something terrible.
Speaker 1:But it's like when the there's one of those you know like places where they're hidden and they're like oh yeah, they're waiting for it to pass over them. Yeah, it looks really really really rough and they're, and it was apparently just it took so long to render that.
Speaker 1:That's what they got, because I mean I think back in these days they didn't have enough time, right, they were money to do it again. They couldn't do it again. That's what they got and I love, honestly, I love that they give makes me like the movie even a little bit more. That they're living that close to the edge, because it's all you know. When I think about animation now, you're thinking about like after effects or like flame or something where you're kind of clicking and using an interface. These people are like coding in, you know.
Speaker 2:DOS.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, but this is not you know. And then also the computer.
Speaker 2:And keep in mind we are still nine years away from Jurassic Park, Right yeah?
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely the computer processing power. Also, these are literally like you know. They'd be making these during the time of like Apple II, e's and stuff. Yeah, yeah, you know, like that would be the height of technology. I mean, the consumer level of this is Oregon Trail. Yeah, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Well, and even the Nintendo had, I think had only just come out in Japan, Like I mean it's a brand new release in 84. Comes out in the US in 85. So I mean, like that kind of processing power was not. It's kind of insane to think about, like the polygons that they had to use and like even one thing I was reading about, like it was just that ship, the gunner ship was like a free render, you know. Like it's like how much processing power that took Right, and I can tell the visual effects artist was like going back to the studio that we don't have enough money and we don't have enough time. Literally, there's no way this can process fast enough.
Speaker 1:Right yeah, man, I'm terrified, I mean honestly, I'm terrified.
Speaker 2:I'm terrified.
Speaker 1:I'm like wait, like considering all of that, like the effects are fun, they don't take, they're dated, but they don't take anything away from it. I don't really enjoy them, you know, I would argue that the effects in this are more satisfying than Tron.
Speaker 2:Yes. And they even brought in some of the team from Tron to do it, and I think you're right, because they learned what they did from Tron and, like they, did it better, and it does it ages better. I don't know, devon, where are we going to say?
Speaker 3:And then Tron is sort of famous for doing practical effects and then using computers to make it look computer-y Right.
Speaker 2:You know what?
Speaker 3:I mean, so that was kind of what Tron's whole thing is. They were faking that look.
Speaker 2:Faking computer stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Because you know they'd have people like dressed up and blocked, instead of actually generating computer images and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then this was legit.
Speaker 3:This was legit, like we're making a starship.
Speaker 2:I mean they had done 10, was it they'd spent $10 million in principal photography and $2 million on special effects.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, wow.
Speaker 2:Really.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean I don't know how much more, but I do know that that was like what they were. I mean, it was still like the furrow and then plus, plus, plus, but still how? Much, how much, how small?
Speaker 1:But how do they get the budget for this? I mean there's no, as far as an 80s movie goes, there's no big hole in this, to kind of pull I mean I mean 12, say it is just 12 million.
Speaker 2:Or say it's just 10. Honestly, it's cast like it's going to be a horror genre.
Speaker 1:Yeah, not a big family movie, exactly.
Speaker 2:Like this is not like You're bringing people from. Like you know that were huge 30 years ago.
Speaker 1:This is designed to compete with Nightmare on Elm Street, which did come out that year. Not designed to compete with you know like oh my God. Well, with Gremlins or ET or I was going to say you're going to counter as a third, closer counter as a third.
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly.
Speaker 1:It's like it's not that, like it's not a Spielberg level funding film, or maybe it is. I mean honestly hearing that I sort of think it is, and that's where you kind of start to see the difference between Right, that real. Because I will also say, when you really step back and think about it, it's kind of what I was saying earlier. There's a lot of action in here where it's like you know, like you think about Star Wars, there are these awesome fight sequences that have all these tension in it, like it's brilliant, and then there are battle sequences that exist. This doesn't really have the battle sequences, it just sort of has the scene surrounding them. It doesn't have.
Speaker 3:And then the battle sequences are two dudes in a small cockpit, right yeah, doing, you know, in in.
Speaker 1:It's almost more there's no stormtroopers.
Speaker 3:There's no Zero production elements outside of that, there is zero threat of them failing anytime they engage.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. Like I'm never concerned. The only time you're slightly concerned for them is when they say the best line in the whole damn movie All right, are we ready?
Speaker 2:All right Are you ready for this? Ready for this? The best line in the whole damn movie.
Speaker 1:Okay, here we go. Forget the guns. Ramming speed yes.
Speaker 2:I got to do have a second favorite one, which is the being pulled into the gravitation of the moon. What do we do?
Speaker 1:We die, that's the best line. Well, that's the follow up to it. Yeah, yeah, that's the way I mean. That's just we die. That's the same character.
Speaker 3:The same, yeah, with the little flap that goes over his eyes, yes, and he.
Speaker 1:oh, that's what. That's what makes that so perfect. What do we do? He's just like a little plastic. You know 3D glass lens flaps over one eye. It's like we die and that's the same again, same lens actually in Star Wars. Yeah, that's right. He does that same thing when he's like look who's the false.
Speaker 2:Yeah, anyway well, and it's so funny too to listen to Catherine Mary Stewart talk about at the end there, when she had to look up at the ship which I I'll just say the ship when it landed there, and so fun.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's, yeah, that part.
Speaker 2:I love that so much. And there you know, it's her talking about it not long after the movie was made and you realize, like one of the first instances an actor has been asked to look at the, you know the equivalent of you know the end of a tennis ball on a stick. Sure, you know and like, yeah, she had no idea, they had not seen any plans of what this would look like. She would like, literally, nick Castle was like it's a tall ship and it's and you're full of wonder.
Speaker 3:And that production is very common. Now back then.
Speaker 1:Right, no, exactly, she's one of the first yeah Well, I mean you did have like, I mean, when was the? I mean there were, there were things that existed like this, but it was very, very odd. I mean you had the whole like anchors away or whatever you know. You had like a where you know.
Speaker 2:Gene.
Speaker 1:Kelly's like dancing with Mighty Mouse or whatever. I don't think that I call it Mighty.
Speaker 2:Mouse, mighty Mouse, you mean Tom and Jerry.
Speaker 1:Tom Is that Tom and Jerry? Yeah, it's Tom and Jerry. It's not Tom and Jerry, it's anchors away.
Speaker 2:It's, it's Tom and Jerry All right Our audience way in. Oh, ok, it's him and one mouse.
Speaker 1:It's he and one mouse Like. So it's it has to be anyway. Whatever, it doesn't matter. I'm just saying that does exist, but yes, it is the anomaly. Yeah, it's Jerry, I got it. So I haven't seen anchors away in a long time.
Speaker 2:I did like where, but your point still remains, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's like it does exist, it's just not very common. It's not like a Marvel movie where literally every set they show up to as well. Just a big blue screen where? They're like all right, and I'm looking at what Right.
Speaker 2:Well, and it's like you know you'd come after in 77, you'd had. I mean actually this this is after. This is 84. So this is after Empire and return to Jeddah, yeah, and so, but so much of what was amazing about that was the use of practicals.
Speaker 3:And yeah, and it's still a bunch of dudes in white plastic-y armor, yeah, running around. You know there's not CG like the clone troopers in the later movies. Yeah, like that.
Speaker 2:And so this really was on that cutting edge. I mean, if, if indeed, this is the anchors away, because it's like we're going to try this with, you know, digital animation, and it led the way to, you know, 9, 10 years later, to do Jurassic Park, right and you know, and then to all the Marvel stuff and even, like I mean, shoot, we want to combine the two and a movie we all love, which is who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God.
Speaker 2:We have to do.
Speaker 1:Who.
Speaker 2:Framed yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it did happen. Yeah, yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:Especially as a Baby illusion story.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And one point to make, yeah.
Speaker 3:I was, like you know, even even today, saying it's like the effects compared to like Star Wars, the Starships. Like those Starships look real in the original Star Wars because, they're models. This is more Heck even in space falls. And so you're kind of are seeing a little bit of the fakingness of it, but the performance are so good. Yeah, it's so much fun, you don't care.
Speaker 2:Right, that's a hot yeah that pushes you past anything that's.
Speaker 1:This is one of those movies. When I sit outside here thinking about it, I it is less enjoyable in memory than it is in watching. You know what I mean. When you watch this movie, it is I'm all in. This is like a perfect turn this on at Thanksgiving, you know, christmas, passover, whatever your family event, this is a perfect turn it on for the family. It's the right amount of uncomfortable. It's the right amount of like stuff kind of going on.
Speaker 2:that's weird, but it's totally enjoyable the whole time and I think and I think too, if, if a movie that we love or say, or say that we have a good response to, depends on its graphical, like cutting edge apart, I don't think it's a good movie to begin with.
Speaker 2:Sure, you know, like in the reason I like think about one of the best of all time, which is King Kong. You know, and, like you, look back at that and it's like, of course, we know what's going on, we know how it happens and it doesn't look real.
Speaker 2:But people, when they saw it, they screamed and ran out of the theater yeah, and like, but the reason it holds up is not because of the graphics, it's because of, you know, because of that, all that work, all that work was underneath great work, and so the two work in tandem, you know, as opposed to if it's just one thing, if it's just about this, or if it's just about that, it's not going to be a good movie. To begin with, it might look beautiful, but it's not going to be a good movie. Does that make sense?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I could agree with that. Can we talk about Robert Preston again?
Speaker 2:Oh, I'd love to Because.
Speaker 1:I mean they were so excited to get him. I would say this is the craziest casting. I agree, I mean, holy crap, this guy like, I mean he's like bringing it the death scene. Oh baby, can we, can I drag an old like movie, like a famous like movie icon for a second? Because, holy shit, the death scene is downright hilarious.
Speaker 2:I do. I do wonder if they initially had that scripted outside the car and then they're like no, we got to keep him in the car. I mean it just is.
Speaker 1:It is so uncomfortable watching him try and play a scene where he's not in control, Like you know what.
Speaker 1:I mean when he's like giving over to other circumstances of the world and that's what like in the music man, that's what works so well, as the whole time. It is like him adapting the way he's got the world in the palm of his hands and he chooses to start to do something else because he recognizes as a whole another world here available, so it makes him an iconic performance. In this it is like he's literally shot and dying and which is one of the one of the hardest things to do as an actor to be comfortable watching as an audience and man. It is not comfortable. It is definitely a fast forward times to see.
Speaker 2:It is like you know, I got it. I got it.
Speaker 1:He's going down, but then they bring him back and I'm just like so happy and but you got to also think about that.
Speaker 2:Sorry, I'm going to go on and there we go, yeah, yeah, I know, this segment is called Stephen Rantz he do, do, do, do do Stephen Rantz, and so when he comes back, is it?
Speaker 1:he is an alien right.
Speaker 2:Centauri. The character is an alien.
Speaker 3:Yes, so he prefers his human form. He wipes his face off a couple of times, right.
Speaker 1:But he prefers his human form because every time he like, he comes back and he's like with Alex is like, and then he stays as a human, you know the whole time, even though he's surrounded by all these different species and human form is the music man, so why wouldn't he enjoy that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 1:It's also true, I mean he's got a bunch of guys. I got a trunk full of trombones.
Speaker 2:We got trouble in Planet Rylon, yeah, and you know it does make me think like the. Obviously you don't want to have him in that makeup because you're like I paid for it yeah exactly yeah. And then it made me think of all the the tropes of never putting down their visors, like whenever they put on their helmets and whatever, and even when the last Starfighters before they get all blown up. That scene is hilarious. When he steps on the squid, you know got when he steps on Zoig Berg.
Speaker 3:Yes, Zoig.
Speaker 2:Berg from Futurama.
Speaker 1:Well, I was going to ask you guys if you saw the camera that has to be based on that character.
Speaker 2:There's no way. It's not. That is a great point.
Speaker 1:There's zero chance You're telling me Matt Greening doesn't know the last Starfighter?
Speaker 2:Definitely, because he was obviously in school during that time.
Speaker 1:That 100 percent I was like that has to be, I literally wrote down in here somewhere is like holy shit. He stepped on Zoig Berg.
Speaker 2:And those they're putting on these helmets. And then, oh, did you notice the one time an actor puts down the visor of the helmet, it's Alex. When he debarks from the ship at the end, oh yeah. And then it's I don't know why they chose this take, but you have to, like, do the mathematics to be like OK, they did so many takes, this was the best one. And it's so full of his perspiration and exhalation just just covering the glit, he can't see a thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it totally made me think. I'm guessing they kind of wanted to do that so you couldn't see his face.
Speaker 2:I don't know, it's like frost the glass you know right, but he's just, it's just gross little perspiration and just like it's as if they ran out of there, didn't have the money for the spray.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean. And then they're like can you just breathe? Really, Somebody give him a cigarette in here to just breathe super hard. Let's fog this up. Yeah, it's a creative choice.
Speaker 2:It's a creative choice. You're young and there's no safety on set.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So again, Centauri does come back to Earth and he has a ton he's. They're playing kind of having their cake and eating it to a little bit. Ok, sometimes he comes back to Earth right at the very end of the film and he's like we're not knowing a lot about this planet. Centauri really does like he knows about Christopher Columbus.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, it's a good he knows about the.
Speaker 1:Wright brothers. But then he'll make like a simple little mistake that he's like oh, but I'm an alien and I don't know what the hell is going on here and I'm like OK, see that that that is my point.
Speaker 2:I think this is in the back to the future universe and it's only where he's traveled to with Doc. You know, maybe it's a Rick and Morty universe, but still Like like yeah that's a great point. His, his pop culture holes, if you will, yeah, but we're pretty, we're pretty massive. Oh, and I the. We haven't talked about him specifically, but it's Ron Cobb on this who did the. He was the production designer, okay, and we know him from Alien. He was like, oh really.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I mean it's, it's insane what his you know when, even when he came on to this, they were like we, he was already you know a huge thing. They're like we have to have this guy and he did most of the ships and whatnot and he was, I think, the concept artist with the other German artists that they use for alien. Yeah, of course they brought him back on for aliens, but it was. He was just known for those photo real effects. That's what he wanted to come on and it I just and I think was it Running man and the abyss, oh, and his big one, his big breakout, which was Conan the barbarian.
Speaker 1:Oh, no, yeah, yeah so.
Speaker 2:I mean the guys are friggin legend already in the 80s and I just, I just think that's great that they got him and I I love the scope of the production was amazing and those those scenes of when you first see the inside of the base.
Speaker 3:Yes, I'm like just how many Goddamn extras are in, except for a costume.
Speaker 1:They do that like in the beginning, but then and they get to the end like they all the get down to just the pilots and stuff. Oh yeah, the starfighters, then they cut to it and it's like seven guys and an empty chair, seven people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they didn't have a seat filler. Yeah, the one like one dude had to go to the bathroom and they had to roll and they'd ride a seat. So it's literally like I literally wrote that down.
Speaker 1:It's like when you first come in here like oh wow, this is impressive, and then they come back to it. They cut back to it halfway through the scene. You're like, ah, this is like the, this is somebody's like college class. You don't even like this is who they could assemble after home economics, yeah.
Speaker 3:I mean, like I kind of written down that like, yeah, like the alien effects were pretty good, good, great, until you saw the hitchhiker. Oh yeah, and then when he grabs and is like that was like, oh, that's, that's taking me.
Speaker 1:I look like I literally wrote this down here. I was like the assassin bugs, look like the ants from hunting. I shrunk the kid, terrified the hell out of me, so this like gave me a little residual fear you know what I mean. Like, I was like oh man, those look like ants, but that they do, 100% look like. They're.
Speaker 2:Exactly how much did you love, though, the Star Wars callback when he gets his arm shot off and it just falls down, I was like oh, that's a Star Wars.
Speaker 1:Oh, I didn't care, I didn't. Yeah, I didn't get, I don't know if they meant to.
Speaker 2:But it's literally like what's the easiest way to show somebody gets shot? You just take an arm and you know the alien arm and just kind of throw it down in front of it. It was great. I was like, oh, who shot first?
Speaker 1:I Definitely had the same thought whenever a centauri shot the, the, the, the, the, the assassin that was chasing the beta. Oh yeah, yeah yeah, yeah got shot the butters like oh look at my, whatever things dude, that was I mean I.
Speaker 2:can we just say I love Catherine, catherine, mary Stewart's or mags Reaction when he gets shot? She's like oh no, when the beta get shot.
Speaker 3:Yeah, when the baby is shot was great, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I freaking love that. And she, you know, like just this just nasty green goo being thrown on. She's like huh, that's terrible, we need to get you fixed.
Speaker 3:Beta was like, see, I told you, I was a beta, yeah. I told you he's actually in space and your boyfriend is.
Speaker 2:Alphabet bleed blood and I'm a row.
Speaker 3:I'm an inbound Vance robot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'll lick your gland, I'm telling you I love, the beta says he's not allowed to fight.
Speaker 3:And then he drives a truck and blows himself.
Speaker 2:Somebody else. Well, he, he got. It was a mixed transmission, he heard, he heard the code and say ramming speed.
Speaker 3:Maybe the green goo was his. You know a protocol for not being.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, so you guys mentioned, this film is very theatrical. Yes, yeah, okay, I have a little bit of surprise for you guys, because would you be surprised to hear that this movie was turned into a musical?
Speaker 3:I did read that. I did not.
Speaker 1:I had no clue in 2004 and I've got a couple of clips here if you'd like to hear some of the music. Okay, here we go. I'm gonna pull it up here and let's see if this will work here. Oh my gosh All right, here we go, you, you, you, you.
Speaker 2:So this oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:So this is like that's in a film musical festival back in 2004. Wow, so that's like the song that's playing when he's playing the video.
Speaker 2:Wait, this wasn't Nymph Festival, was it in New York?
Speaker 1:I think so. They say I found it online and it said it arrives at Broadway, but it's got to be Nymph.
Speaker 2:It's got to be Nymph Like New.
Speaker 1:York Music Theater Festival.
Speaker 2:It has to be.
Speaker 1:I mean even the way it's shot. I mean it's a very low budget sort of production, so it's sort of not fair. You can check it out and you absolutely should on Broadwaycom. It's pretty fantastic they have a whole interview. They have three you know partial musical numbers in there. Oh, I love it and it's very, very much worth taking the time to go listen.
Speaker 2:I'm totally going. I did just listening to it, though it did remind me of have you guys seen? And this is why Lucas stopped allowing this. But of course, everybody knows about the infamous Christmas special and of course, around that time you know it was Donnie and Marie were like the biggest thing on TV and they did like a big galactic song and they were each you know, luke and Leia, and then you had C3PO and R2D2. Come on and there are all these dancers around them and it's like going into space. Going into space, it's a space game.
Speaker 3:You know, and it's just like and so I can't help.
Speaker 2:But that's what I kind of just heard. But I obviously know that they're going in a different direction. But I was just like the Donnie and Marie stuff and I don't even know where to tell people to go for that. But just you know, go to Donnie and Marie and then I'm sending Donnie Marie Star Warscom Yep Exactly, and then delete your browser history.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there I mean one other thing. I saw, like the, the, the, like production designer at all. In the end, when they're all like clapping and they have the crowds and they're up on the platforms, the crowd, you can 100% see the unitards, like the folds of the unitards is very, very good, very, very good.
Speaker 1:So I mean overall. I mean I've got a couple of facts about this movie. I think a lot of them we've we've actually touched on. Okay, what do you get? But just a couple of things in case you didn't. So this apparently all visual effects, not practical effects, were made on a Cray XMP computer that mean anything to you guys.
Speaker 2:No, I was hoping you knew that.
Speaker 3:I was hoping you knew that. Nope, I was hoping they would. I'll look it up, I'll look, I'll look into it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so this looking up here, we also have a lot of oh, you already said this of the beta unit was like shot after, but the confirmed in 2020 is confirmed, the rights being secured. In a script is being written with Gary Witte claiming the film will be a combination. Is the reboot of the film. It's going to come out in a sequel. We honors the legacy he says in the film, but apparently we are due for another last starfighter.
Speaker 2:Oh, I'm in, I'm totally in.
Speaker 3:Oh, yeah, I have read, it's kind of been in production hell for a couple of years, I think they've been trying to.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know, I mean 2020,. I mean you start anything in 20.
Speaker 3:I mean, if you watch the ending of the movie, I was kind of like oh, there was a sequel planned immediately. Sure, yeah, because what's his name got away, yeah.
Speaker 2:And it was also about, like how Maggie realized that she made a terrible decision.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That is. That is the sequel she's like. Get me back to.
Speaker 1:Earth.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Go going back to Earth. Yeah, that's the last girl, and it was how Zord got his groove back.
Speaker 3:And a little Lewis has more playboys to acquire.
Speaker 2:Yep, exactly Where's Miss Rylan?
Speaker 1:So here's the question Having watched this again, start with Matt. Does this movie hold up for you?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Yeah, this holds up, and it's so much of the like. Appreciation is what holds up, the appreciation of what they wanted to do, what they did do and just the feeling that they wanted to evoke. That's what, that's what holds up for me, how about you, devin?
Speaker 1:Does the film hold up? For you, thousand percent? Yeah, yeah, definitely so for me, I'd never, seen it. This movie holds up. Like I said before, this is right down the middle bingo strike for a nostalgic movie. You can turn this baby on anytime anytime. Like this is when it's worth it. It is going to be worth the watch for sure, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Greg and his turtle helmet. It did look like they just took like a little, a little army helmet and then just stretched a mask around it.
Speaker 3:It did yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:It's like we we've got this leftover stuff from the Fantastic Four Right.
Speaker 1:Exactly. Oh man, all right, so anything we didn't touch on here, guys that you want to, we, we got to bring up and make sure we hit I know, for me it's the inconsistency of having the Playboys, and yet when the two, when his brother and Maggie kiss, he just yells Diarrhea.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, yeah, I absolutely was. Like in case you forget that you're in a movie shot in 1984. Diarrhea.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That. That to me is. I was like I had. I just had to get that out there. I love that moment.
Speaker 3:Devin. I wrote down. I forgot about this note, but best teens ever.
Speaker 1:Got it.
Speaker 3:From when the? No, from when the kids were beta. Alps is in the back of the truck and, as they're driving to the camp, like one dude leans out the back of the pickup to hit the driver. He's like man, turn this, tune up. He's like you got it. The music doesn't change, cut to them, you know. Like in the back, like telling stupid stories, right before she tells him to like laugh, yeah, and he starts laughing maniacally yeah, I'm telling you, there's an entire move Freedom.
Speaker 1:Rock man but man beta robot dates horny teenage girl is a movie.
Speaker 3:I'm a robot.
Speaker 2:The best character in. That's totally if this had had, like Anthony Michael Hall.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this would have been that movie. That's that movie, yeah absolutely.
Speaker 2:She was later in another style of that movie though, Catherine Mary Stewart, who was a soap star I think it was. Her next film was Weekend of Bernie's.
Speaker 1:No way.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Dudes. I mean, I had a flat, I had a blast. I'm so glad I watched this movie.
Speaker 3:I'm definitely this one, I'll turn on any time for sure Welcome.
Speaker 1:Devon, thanks for taking the time to come on and hang out. Man, it's always great to see you. Anytime. Yeah, hopefully we'll get to back together and get to do another one one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, let's do it before the sequel, so hell yeah, we got to do.
Speaker 1:We got to do it before the sequel. We got to bring Lorde Helmet in here because we're surrounded by assholes.