Ted Demme - Blow

0:00 So Johnny Depp has ninety nine acting credits, and I think he's got two things in production now. In our seventh season we have covered two of them. Our limited nineteen eighty six series did Platoon. Okay, but that's an ensemble. It's an ensemble. But you know, I'm just I gotta be fair. Dep wasent it, and then a few seasons back we did the Hughes Brothers from Hell. Okay, Jack the Repper movie, which is with Heather Graham, which is just incredible. So let me ask you, what is your favorite Johnny Depp performance? And sub question, what do you think is one of his most underrated performances.

0:44 Okay, so favorite Johnny Depp performance is going to be is going to be Edward. I mean, he's just stellar in. That good Edwood. Now his underrated performance is Donnie Brasco. I showed my wife Donnie Brasco, she hadn't seen it for the first time, and I told her it was like, it's not only a good great performance by Puccino because it's not his typical gangster type of role. But I was like, this is depth showing that he can be a leading man and doing not so weird stuff. He can play straight, and when he plays straight, he's actually really good. He doesn't always have to be strange, and I think he's His performance in in Donny Brasco is great.

1:33 It's fantastic, It's it's a it's an amazing film. I was gonna say, my my favorite performance probably probably what he did on the witness stand with that defamation trial with uh Amber heard. He was awesome. I mean he was watched with his giant mug, his giant mud. Yeah, all jokes aside. I think I might be in between Donny Rasco and Sleepy Hollow because we grew up that Sleepy Hollow. You know, nikobob Crane is supposed to be this cowardly guy. But I loved how he was kind of like a new age detective in that. You know, there are people that are, you know, in their teens that don't know there was a Johnny Depp before Pirates of the Caribbean. And there was a lot of good movies and performances before Pirates of the Caribbean and afterwards, but you know, from the very beginning, I mean, look at him in Nightmare and Elm Street.

2:33 He I love that he gets his start like, like so many great actors and actresses, he gets a start on Elm Street and Nancy's Boyfriend. That was great. I think I think his his uh, if we're talking underrated performances, his role in Secret Window, which I was. Just thinking about that movie as as I was watching blow just because just going through all of his minds of this well, and I just thought of another one too. Okay, well, Secret Window. What what terrifies me is that I relate to him so much. And what's also terrifying is that I relate to his character so much. If you know, you know, like if you've seen Secret Window like I I, I'm rooting for him through that whole movie until the end, which we should do Secret Window at some point. What you said, you got another one?

3:27 What else are you thinking of it? I mean, they're all just kind of popping in mind right now. But a movie that I'm pretty sure you saw with me that should not work on paper, and it surprisingly does work. Don Juan DeMarco strange but loveable. How do you know he's not done one? I mean you got that should not have a Marlon Brando and Fade done away, three of the most difficult people to work with in the world, and they turn out this little movie that's really endearing. He's he's incredible, and it's for that reason. We're in a new month. This month, you know, we're having fun this this this year, this season, we're kind of doing we're celebrating the Anniverse, the twentieth and the twenty fifth anniversaries of movies two thousand and one, two thousand and six.

4:20 We're we're having like these theme months. We're gett we're kind of having some fun. Like last month we did we did nas Nascar and nights. You know, we talked about, you know, a lot of a lot of fun movies. But this month it's kind of a simple theme. It's it's Depp in Marsden, Johnny Depp, James Marsden. The it just worked out. That's the theme. So we're kicking things off with blow and we got some fun ones coming. But let's I want to talk about another Johnny Depp movie. Obviously, and you might I would say it's an underrated performance, it's an amazing performance. Let's talk about a film by Ted Demi, his two thousand and one biographical crime drama below. Hello, everybody, I'm Jeff Johnson. I'm Brad Kozo and this is a film by podcast. So this season Brad can be heard at the end of every month on our latest limited series, A Script By, which was created by hosted by Brad Kozo.

5:50 I'm loving I'm loving this, man. I'm having fun doing it. Every time I finish an episode, I get this kind of giddy feeling, you know, like, hey, you did it did pretty well, you know. I like the way it turned out. I think it's doing. Yeah, I'm I'm watching, I'm watching the analytics on. I'm seeing the downloads. Yeah, I'm getting getting better as I progress on and excited to get into uh next, well, this month's episode where we're. Gonna talk about that. Yeah, yeah you want to. Yeah, this movie prepares me kind of for it. Yeah. It's a kind of mood crime. Yeah. I gotta be honest with you, you know, because you've you've had some stellar stuff already. Last month, you did Get Out Jordan Peel's script for Get Out Ye with the Voice of Reason herself Amber Lewis. I loved it.

6:39 I thought I. Thought you guys that one was fun. If if if I thought you and Chuck needed like your own show. Now, I'm like, maybe maybe you know, maybe Amber needs to be like a recurring star and like you, you you bring out the best in everybody though, And I know Angel has done done an episode looking forward to look at it. I continue to look forward to to what you're doing. Well. Thanks shout out not just to Brad, but to all of our new subscribers on on YouTube. Uh kind of too many to mention right now, Brad, but uh, we are having a blast over there. We appreciate each and every one of you for for checking it out, for hitting that like button, for hitting the subscribe button, helping us grow. I also want to say hello to our newest Patreon member, Vicky Morse.

7:28 Brad we her and I go way back. It's been a while, but I was it was a pleasant surprise. I was on Patreon the other day and it's like, hey, new member, saw the name I just uh, I thought, well, I was really sweet of her, so so so Vicky. Yeah, Vicky, if you're listening to to this episode, welcome to the Patreon family. And uh we're happy to have you so. Brad, we've discussed Ted Demi before. We talked about the ref a couple seasons ago during Christmas. Uh, our good buddy Andy Frye, author Andy Frye. He joined us for our nineteen ninety six series we did Beautiful Girls and uh yeah, and now we got we got a new one. So we've talked about Ted Demi. H and it's not easy, like when we've covered directors a couple of times, it's it's kind of it's not easy to turn over new information.

8:23 So but I got I got three things here for you and I and I quote this one. I had to re. I had to mention this one again. Uh I did. I said this on the ref but it it's too good not to mention again. Ted Dimmy began his career as a production assistant on MTV kind of kind of works his way up. Ultimately, this is the guy that creates Yo MTV raps in Ted Dimmy, like, what what are we doing here? Like it's well that first time, come on, man, I love it. The first time I heard of Ted Demi is when he took ed Lover and Doctor Dre and made a little movie that is another underrated, funny and fun movie called Who's the Man?

9:12 Who's the Man? Lot lots of cameos in it. Lots of Ted Demi regulars, but of funny and a good you know, if you like films like like Running Scared or you know The Last Boy Scout, you know, a little action comedy stuff like that, it's you'll you'll love that movie. Yeah. Ted Demi was a big fan of foreign films and admittedly was heavily influenced by the films of Fellini and our guy Akira Kirasawa. Uh. Interesting. I just found that out tonight about Kirasawa, and what a coincidence. We pulled a we were running behind schedule last month, we were running behind, we pulled one from the vault. It was a Kira Kira. I was a rain of blood. No, sorry, thrown a blood. I think it's Lairer Yeah, uh thrown a blood. Uh. Brad Kozo uh co hosted episode. People are like a lot of a lot of feedback, Well, Brad's Brad's back Kirasawa. I was like, no, no, that's it's a classic. It's we we you know, had had to pull out.

10:19 But I try to get into some Fellini. That's that's one I've never gotten into. I I've dug into Curas. I'm gonna try some Fellini and I'll tell you what you you you you. Do that you let me know. I trust your opinion. I just I just seems it just seems pretentious. I don't know. I want to be wrong. Maybe I'm sure I'm wrong. But what's his what's his go to film? Eight and a half? Everyone talks and a half I know is one? Yeah, are you gonna start with that eight and a half? Probably? Yeah, Well we're not. This isn't the fleeing Felleni episode. This is the episode so uh one more thing uh ultimately uh. Before his untimely death, he was a proponent of legalizing marijuana, claiming, hey, if tequila is legal, then pot should be legal too.

11:09 Yeah. Sad that he did not live to see that. Yeah, like, but it happened. It happened now. On the making of Blow, he is quoted as saying, there are a lot of films that are drug dramas, and we didn't want to tell Scarface again, right, I don't. I don't think he did. I don't think this is Scarface. I don't think it's a rehash Brad a five word synopsis? Okay, what do you got? It's six? But the The one other word is like it, but it's it's kind of a filler word. It's the word in okay. But I think this let's see Bachelor's of marijuana, doctorate and cocaine. That is an amazing line from the movie, right I listeners, it is it's the extra.

11:56 Word in that that that makes it. I'll tell I'll tell you what you got you guys. You guys can comment if you're watching this on YouTube, if you're listening to it on Spotify, if you're just hit us up on social media, if you think it's okay for Brad to sneak in a sixth word Brad, if I let this happen, I will never hear the end of it. From Amber, Amber hates the five words synopsis. And if you open, if you crack the door open, then everyone else is just gonna kick it open. And I got like a seven word synopsis. It's a five word synopsis. I think you need like a one two breathing room. I don't know about that. It's that's you know, the point of the game is that you only get five words and you have to use all five all right, next time? I okay, So I'm gonna I'm gonna help you out here my five words synopsis. If someone wanted to know what is blow all about? Pot dealer upgrades with cocaine. Yeah, see five words? Yeah, Brad, Can I offer you my picks for what I would call the Drug Dealer Trilogy? Can we talk about this for a minute.

12:59 There could be so many there, there could be there could be. Yeah. I love made I love self made trilogies, so please please. I well, you know what I did, the uh the uh the Michael Mann. I call it the Palm Tree Trilogy. And people are like, I love the Palm Tree Trilogy. But you know, I was like, yeah, I created I I created the Palm Tree Trilogy. I came up with that. So I need I need a more clever name for this, because Drug Dealer Trilogy just sounds generic. But you know, I'm kind of on the fly here. Okay. I'm gonna give you a Scarface in nineteen eight three, Okay, New Jack City in nineteen ninety one. Okay, And and I want to say American gangster. But I think I'm doing blow if for no other reason, Cliff Curtis's cameo is Pablo Escobar on This is just awesome.

13:50 Mm hmm. So that that's the three. Like you would you challenge any of those like who what do you think should stay? What you gotta be with? You gotta be on board with Scarface. I mean uh, I mean none of them are wrong, no, no, wrong, no, I mean so many of them dealing with I mean, you just use cocaine or heroin, you can do well thoughts, but those are all really good. And blow is I mean, well we'll get into more. Blow is like the behind the scenes. Yeah, the more of this is how this is, how quick it can get it out of control? Well, I figure obviously Scarface is all about cocaine, you know. Yeah.

14:30 New Jack City is all about crack, and this movie, I mean at least half of this movie is all about marijuana. So I thought you get a portion of it. I didn't really watch. If you're gonna do the drug the Drug Dealer trilogy, you know, you got to have all the all the food groups. You gotta have coke, you gotta have crack, you gotta have marijuana. So it's just you know, I don't know. I mean there's there's there's some good ones, but that's my three. Drug Dealer trilogy. Uh name name, name name pending. I'll work on that. Let's take a quick break and then I know we got to talk about some of these casts members. I know we might have to talk about this soundtrack because you're a music guy and this soundtrack just kicks ass. But more on that when we get back. Welcome back. We are talking about Ted Demi's two thousand and one crime drama below.

15:27 Johnny Depp as George Young Brad. The performance is brilliant. I know I shouldn't like him, but he's charismatic, he's fun. I'm rooting for George the whole time. I'm scared for him when he meets Escobar. I'm sad for him when he loses his daughter. That's Emma Robert Roberts, like nine year old Emma Roberts making her film debut. I think, yeah, yeah, But and I'm happy for him when he makes his old man proud. Why are we rooting for this guy, Brad? He's a drugg because because the beginning, because of seeing his father work seven days a week, yeah you know, ten hours a day and still cannot make a den.

16:10 He's doing everything right, and he just he sees how his mother bullies his father and he just Rachel Griffiths, Oh, well, we were going to get into her. Yeah. But but that beginning of seeing he already knows that goes going legit is not the way to succeed. It just isn't, you know. And so he had to get out of there and go to California and try something. He was really young when he went there too. Absolutely he was yeah, this movie, Yeah, you talk about trying something, you know, you talk about being legit. Debt visited the real George in prison to prepare for the role.

16:55 Brad ted Demi also allows Depp to improvise a lot of his dialogue in this movie, and he's cribbing lines from Bob Dylan songs. He has the Jaws quote that he does. But I gotta be honest with you. And this one, this one flies under the radar. I know you caught it because you already mentioned ed Wood. I love the one he does the ad libby does when he's getting his luggage searched at the airport and the guard. Yeah, the guy pulls up the women's underwear. He's like, and he the line hard to break old habits, which is clearly a nod. It's a nod to him playing ed Wood. Here's a lot of nods in this movie to you know, Edward's well known for being a you know, wearing women's undergarments.

17:38 So I just thought it was fun. Yeah, not so, it's not so much fun. Penelope Cruz playing Mirtha, his wife. Yeah, she earns the Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Actress. Oh she does, he does. Coincidentally, this is her first I think this is her first, uh American film. It's her where she was the talk of the town. He was where was she? And she was doing Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise. It was just it was going to be the next thing, and then she just kind of stayed out of it. Well independent stuff.

18:20 When when's the last time you've seen Penelope Cruise anything? Yeah, exactly. I just I'm not I don't want to be cruel. Oh you know, I gotta be firm, but I want to be fair. I want to be fair, but I gotta be firm. I just I don't think she's got it. Mm hmm. I don't know. I just I wasn't really impressed with her in Vanilla Sky. I wasn't impressed with her in this No, and she you know, and maybe it's just the it's the maybe it's the crossover like when she's doing American film like you know, English films, because she's probably just she's probably dynamite, you know, And I don't know, I just it's not so much her performance is the character is just absolutely annoying.

19:05 Yeah, and then when you have an actor that you're not really a fan of playing that yeah, I mean, I guess the kind of big gass work. More's where you really really hate that character. Yeah, I'll tell you. I love Let's can we talk about ray Liota. So a little thing about that. I think he is great in this he is. But he's sweet. Think he was I think he was the wrong choice for this part. Okay, continue, I'm listening, And even ray Liota thought so as well, because he's only like five years older than Johnny Depp. Well, okay, so this is one of those situations like this movie what we started in what nineteen fifty five with young George.

19:50 Yeah, and then we were going to move through the sixties, the seventies, eighties, like we go right up until like you know, old George, who's in prison like two thous or whatever. So I get it, like you you you gotta you gotta apply some some some makeup, you gotta make, you gotta age people up. So maybe he's not the right choice, But do you have someone in mind? Like who? Who would have? Who? Do you? Who? Are you casting? And now he's been thinking about that all day and I couldn't think of it. But I feel just like maybe a bettercter, Richard Jenkins, I think could have. Pulled it off. Okay, but it there's nothing wrong with ray Leo's performance. Nothing wrong with performance, nothing at all. He's amazing.

20:33 Can I visual just kind of hips? Can I give you somebody? Give it now? Now in the flashbacks in nineteen fifty five, we're gonna have to do some makeup to make him look a little bit younger, right, Can I can I give you? Can I interest you in George Carlin? Sure that works for me. He has that look like that, you know, especially like when when Depp, like when George is like an adult and he's got the long hair, he's got the ponytail like Carlin could have. Carl, it's like that, Yeah, I'm proud of you. You know you're doing something I don't approve of, but I'm still proud of you. Like I right, I like I like Carlin as a father figure. Uh you know what was that? A Jersey girl did? The Kevin Smith movie? Where's he's been afflex Dad? Yeah he's great, he's great.

21:17 Yeah, all right with Kevin Smith a couple of times. Yeah, Leo Leoda is great. It's it's interesting, though, every can you think of, aside from this movie? Can you think of a Radiota performance where he doesn't have at least one scene where he's gonna yell at someone or or get upset or get angry and raise his voice every movie? I think it's required. It was required in his contract. I think so. I think he waived that in this contract because he's just a sweet guy. You know, he's he's proud of his son, no matter what his son does. He's Yeah, his wife is a bit of a handful and he tolerates it. You know. Yeah, he's good. I like it. I'll tell you who I love though.

21:59 Paul Rubin as Derek for real, he's really good in us. He's so fun to watch in this movie. Uh. This this, this role was intended for Dennis Leary who I don't know why he either he passes on it or Rubens is available and Demi decides to bump him, but he is. He is credited as a producer on the film. Still, But I think that's the Paul Rubins playing this this guy, this hairdresser who it's I don't know. He's like Hugh Hefner meets Frank, doctor Frankenfurter or something. I don't know.

22:39 He's crazy. He's so much fun to watch though. Yeah, I mean every time he yeah, every time he does show up, it's it's you get a little more insight into Paul Rubens the actor. Yeah, this is if anyone grew up in our timeline, you know, watching Pee Wee Herman, or if anyone like that was older or tolerated it and was like, ah, that guy's an idiot, you know he he he wasn't. Paul Ruman did so many amazing performances, and this is one of them. Like, there is not even a hint of Pee Wee Herman in this performance. He immerses himself in the role of this this just fun drug dealer. Who's who's got the he's got the fun parties, he's got he's he's got the girls, he's got everything that you want, and he's he's just fun. You know. He took some heat for for this role though really he upset a lot of people. He so, right before he signs on to do this movie, he had done an anti drug p s a as pee we end character as pee Wee Herman. You know you remember those you know, you know now you'd after school special now you know, want to grow on things. And yeah, so he's you know, lovable pee Wee Herman, you know kids character and hey, kids don't do drugs. And he then he's he's playing drug dealer in his next movie. So they were it's called acting. But you know, you know, people are you know, you know these groups are these these organizations as it were.

24:15 Uh okay, so this is a big cast. Uh we got Frank up Patente. This is her, like I think this is her film, her English film debut. You know, Run Run, Lola Run, and you know this is before the you know, she she enters the born identity Ethan subtlely that's where you know her from. Yeah, Ethan Suppley is amazing in this uh tony Ammadola Rachel Griffiths, who is just Rotten, Jordan Moloya, Cliff Curtis. I already mentioned Cliff Curtis playing Pablo Escobar. This guy's awesome and everything he does and Brad a blink and you will definitely miss it. Cameo from Bobcat Gulfwaite. No I knew it well.

24:59 I mean I'm just saying, like, you know, his name is. In the opening credits too, though. Yeah, well it's like, yeah, you're looking for him, but he doesn't look no like Bobcat. He doesn't sound like Bobcat. So it's you're kind of like, where where is he? And then yeah, I can't feel my face, you know, yeah, you know, you know he's there. Anyone you want to touch on real quick, any any of these actors and actresses you gotta you want to you want to call out. Rachel Griffith another one. This is where I just feel like this kind of hurt the movie is that she was another good actress, but wrong part she's she's clearly younger than Johnny Depp. I mean, yeah, I knew her from uh six feet under yep, you know, and this is two thousand and one, so it's prime six feet under and all of a sudden she's playing this like seventy year old. I mean, just an awful afful.

26:02 Well, Raleiota is in this movie, right obviously. Yeah, I think the problem that I have with her is that she's trying. I think she's trying too hard to beat Lorraine Brocco and Goodfellas. She's trying to do the accent, the accent and the you know, and I get it, like the hair's not that's that's makeup. That's that's work, the makeup. But I just feel like she was all wrong for it. I'm with you. Yeah, I don't know who. I don't know who I'm looking at in two thousand and one to play the mother, especially if if George Carlin's the dad and I don't know who's playing the mom. Can I could give you someone like Shirley McLain maybe at that point I think she'd work, right, Yeah, I don't know. So there's some good ones, there's some there's some choices out there. M let's not about the background.

26:49 There's not a lot. Like I know, there's a great director's commentary for this film that that they did, but uh, not a lot of not a lot of dirt to dig up when you're when you're searching this one. But there's some fun stuff here, Brad, we got that, Like, uh, what do you got? George? Yeah, like George Young, he liked, you know, Johnny's depth performance, but he still was like that was like still like the g rated version of what really happened a lot more, a lot more darker. I feel, Okay, I want to be respectful to the man, to the man's memory, but I kind of feel like George Young maybe embellishes, just just just a tad Yeah.

27:35 I mean he's almost like, uh, like if we if we're talking blood sport, like Frank Duke's like had this amazing life and did all these amazing things, and you know, we're only scratching at the surface. It's like, dude, you know, I get it, Like you you know, there's there's never been confirmed reports that he actually knew Pablo Escobar. You know, this is all we're relating on what he's saying, but I don't know. Uh. David McKenna and Nick Cassavetti's they adapt Bruce Porter's nineteen ninety three book titled Blow How a Small Town Boy Made one hundred Million with the Medean cocaine cartel and lost it All. I haven't read that, but yep, titles like that pissed me off. We don't need to. It's a book title, not don't don't write a paragraph, right, you know, I digress. Both the book and the film are obviously about real life drug trafficker George Young, Brad, you can't. It's hard to fake. Like when when we see people doing coke in movies, you know, yeah, you could, like nowadays they can do cgiom to make it look I mean, I get they're not doing that here, they're they're they're actually snorting milk powder.

28:51 Yeah. I mean, if you're from a different angle, you don't. You can just kind of push it, you know, with like a straw thing, just kind of push it out of the way and just doing that angle. But some of them, they I mean, you watch it like that was there now it's not. Now that's up your nose. Yeah, milk powder. I don't know how that feel. You're you're the actor. I don't know I've ever had to have an audition to snort something, but. Not never. Let it touch let us know ever, well, I mean, well, milk powder, Brad, I mean, you know, obviously. I don't think anything should be snorted up my nose. I agree, I agree. Uh, John Loquizamo offered an undisclosed role in the movie, has to turn it down because he has already cast in Mulin Rouge. Okay, yeah, that's currently working at who do you think Lookuazama's playing in this movie. It's because he's not playing Pablo. I think he's playing Diego, right, yeah, because that guy's great. But Luquizamo is not going to play Escobar. But he could play Diego I.

29:52 Think, yeah, or the now, Yeah, he'd have to play Diego. It has to be. Yeah, this is a fun one. Promotional materials. You know, when you go to the movies, there's always fun stuff. Sometimes you get like the playbills. Sometimes you get like the eleven by seventeen poster. Sometimes there's something a fun little takeaway. Uh Brad. There they're they're heavily criticized because they choose to pass out pocket sized mirrors, which allegedly promotes the cocaine use. You know, now about do those have like blow like the title like printed on the mirrors like them? Now be kind of cool. It's not gonna be like, oh, hey, let's all just bring it out of it's a novelty.

30:39 I gotta I gotta find I'm an I'll search eBay. But anyone out there, if you're listening to this, if you can find us, just even a picture, you know, send it to us, Email it to us because uh and you know, because we won't see this. We gotta and we'll share it. I'll tell you what, anyone that anyone, if you send me a photo like from this promotion old you know thing where it's the cocaine mirror, I will, you know, Brad, can we send them like a Can we send them a T shirt? All right? All right, yeah, all right, before and before I have to send out like fifty shirts like first three people. If I first three, first three, I open blow mirror, then I'm okay, you'll get it. You'll get a shirt.

31:20 Limit to the first three. We'll see what happens there. I don't know. I've never seen it, so I want to see it though. Brad sadly the real George Jones. He was released from prison in June on June second, twenty fourteen, but he had been suffering liver and kidney failure, so he passes Away on May fifth, twenty twenty one, he bought what was it five? You know, about five years ago he passes away. I was like, I like, I like movies like this where you see the real person at the end of the movie. Yeah, though you know they always do the photos. Yeah, very cool stuff. Let's take one more break, and when we come back, I know there's a scene we got to talk about.

32:05 All right, welcome back. We are talking blow Ted Demi's two thousand and one biographical crime drama starring Johnny Depp. So, Brad, I'll defer to you before you tell us, before you lay the scene out for us, I want to know why you chose the scene. Is it Is it a pivotal moment? Is it is it because there's a great performance, Is it good cinematography? Is it the way it was directed? Or the the fun one that people are enjoying about this season? Did the scene piss Amber Lewis off? So mine is kind of a I think it's going to be different from yours, at least this time. I think, Okay, it is the collage of I need more scenes, okay, where it just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger and as I think it's leading up. It all leads up to him trying to sell it to uh trying to get uh.

33:13 Derek to sell it. Yep, and he's like, it'll take me a year, three days, Yeah, thirty six three days. But it shows that they have something that they don't have control of because he's just every time I need more, it's too I need more. And the way uh Demi directs it, it's got it's got some Scorsese in it, you know, it's got a lot of good stuff that fits right for that type of genre. But I think that just tells you that he didn't just get into a new drug or a different drug. He's getting into a whole new world. And that scene, I think it is a good pivotal moment because. Yeah, well it's a it's a it's a major shift in the drug scene in America because this is the eighties at this point. Yeah, and cocaine is about to take over, you know, and that's bad. But we did get Miami Vice you know, for like most seasons because of it, you know, take they take the good with the bad, I guess.

34:12 Yeah, and and like the little fun stuff is that like them starting out in you know, Los Angeles and that, like they said, they go mostly actors, and you know, Holly Went hisself. He was responsible for probably a lot of those great independent sixties and seventies films getting made. Yeah, so you got to think about that. I mean, if he's living right there and stuff and that, I'm like, oh, man, can you he's probably next door to Millius, to Palma and I see those guys. Is it possible that we have George Young to think for for Cannon films, for globis all their whole their whole library, because like you know, some of those pitches are like ridiculous. Those movies. Yeah, we love them, we love them, but I you know, a lot of cocaine in the eighties. I yeah, I don't know. Yeah that scene, Uh anytime a director does like a repetition scene where we're just seeing the same thing play out repeatedly, but it's clearly it's different clothing, it's different, the movements are just different, and it builds that hole. This is this is getting it's getting too big, like you know, and it's just a simple scene of like you know, his buddy meeting uh Franka at the at the airport, terminal and they do the little the little exchange, you know, they the fake hug and then she hands in the money and he I need more, I need more, you know, George. Yeah, it's a great scene.

35:42 Brad. I like that one. We have what do you go? We Okay? So we have been simpatico, uh like two episodes, Uh, back to back with you know, Rocky and Miami Vice. We were both we both had the same one we got. We're going to differ this time. I want to talk. Uh. This is a this is a very I guess you could say it's it's I'm choosing this one for the direction, but it's also for the performance from Raleiota. Uh, George and his dad having a drink at the kitchen table. I'm great at what I do, Dad. Let me tell you something, George, you'd be great at anything anything. This is I love. This is one of my favorite Rayleiota moments because he should be furious. Could you imagine, like, think about our dads you know growing up Well, you know we've known each other our whole lives. You know, I know your dad, you know my dad. Could you imagine if one of us want to trouble.

36:42 You mean if one of us skipped our parole, Yeah, we skip out of parole. And our dads would be furious, Like I would be pretty yeah, But Raleiota is just, hey, I don't understand your life, but hey, you know you're happy. You're happy, right, And he's like, yeah, happy dad, And he he doesn't understand it, but he's approving of it. He's protective of it. And and and he gets it. He gets it. Yeah, I know. I he's probably like I wish I would have been known that the legit world was gonna kind of screw me over and I probably could have gone your way. He's he's kind of like if you think of like Spielberg's catch Me if you can, uh, yeah, walking playing that the guy did it right. He had his own business, he paid his dues, he was a good American, paid his taxes, and the system, the system screwed him over, right, And this is the same thing with with uh with Fred Fred Young. You know, he's and it's just it's sad, but it's also it's a heartfelt moment. I really love what raleio is doing here in that in that moment, Yes, he should be he should be. He's yeah, he was, He's great, Brad. Let's run the numbers. I'm gonna give you some ratings here, and I'm not surprised about these ratings.

38:10 Cinema score a grade of a minus mm HM, IMDb rating of seven point five out of ten. Okay, rotten Yeah, Rotten Tomatoes score of fifty six percent. I think that could have been a little I think that should be a little higher. I don't know about that. I think so hit. I think Rotten Tomatoes hit and missed though, just you know. Uh and then a a three point five out of five on letterboxed, so the overall favorable. Yeah yeah, but it opens it only opens at number three at the box office. I saw it in the theater. I yeah, I do. I don't know if we saw this one together or not, but I know, I know, yeah, that's right. You were you were, you were you, you were, you were George you You went out to La to yeah, fame about yourself, not to listeners, not to sell Brad was not going out there to sell weed. I are sure, you know. But the movie does gross eighty three million from a budget of thirty million. It's it's one of those movies. It's it's not a blockbuster, not a big hit, but it was successful.

39:14 Definitely the film. I enjoyed the film very much. I think the third act is a little slow. Can we talk about that for a second. Sure, Yeah, it's okay. I'm glad. I didn't want to pick on on the movie. So but you you you you brought it up. So if there's one thing the movie needs, it's a little bit, a little bit of work, whether it's pacing the adit. You know, I don't know that we need what it's a little over two hours. I don't know that we need two hours, and you should need you should need two and a half hours to tell like this man's entire life story. Yeah, but it it drags a little bit because it starts off right away.

39:55 Oh it's rock and roll from the beginning, right, I think, right up until like when he when he when he meets Mirtha and gets married. That's where the movie for me kind of starts to fizzle a little bit. Yeah, because then he's I mean, we're seeing the perhaps the tone of it of maybe DEMI wanted us to feel that kind of crash, you know that when the party is over a type of crash. I mean, if he did success, But I just feel like, obviously the best parts are like in the you know, the first three fourths of the movie. But still the scene where he gets arrested for the last time is still a pretty good scene. You know, it pushes a little further, but it's still a pretty good scene.

40:46 It is. I do like it. You're talking about the one with Wayne Grow. Yeah, when Wayne grow shows up and. Listen, that guy, if he shows up in your movie, it's your in trouble. You're done, You're in trouble. Or put a bullet in, like like d Niro didn't heat because something bad's gonna happen with with that guy. Uh. Here's here's my theory on why the pace, why why it doesn't work? The pacing is a little off. The movie works. Let me let me correct myself there. I think the issue with the pacing is ultimately this this movie. It's kind of like juxtaposed between telling the story between a father and son, yeah, and a father and daughter.

41:30 And I think we do an amazing job seeing the father son story the dynamic yeah, and the father daughter Like as the adult George, now he has the little Girl. I just feel like it's a little disjointed the storytelling there, mm hmm. And that's where I got the pacing issues, or my issues are with the pacing is the transition from let's tell the story between George and his father to George and his daughter. Right, and I think we could have we needed something there. I don't I don't know what it is, but yeah, but we needed Yeah, Okay, I'll tell you what we what we don't need. You don't need even one more amazing song on this soundtrack?

42:16 Can we can? We can? We can? We blow through this soundtrack real quick. They definitely uh spend a lot on the soundtrack. Well, okay, the movie. The movie opens with the Rolling Stones. Can't you hear me knocking? I immediately I'm like, I'm gonna I'm in a Denner. I'm I'm in a Scorsese movie. Yeah, I think it's there's got Like I think Mick and Keith probably have a some kind of stipulation like, yeah, you can you can use you can't you can't hear me knocking? But your movie has to be have like gangsters and drugs, and yeah. It's got to be a nod to and there's a lot it's got here. Well, okay, so I I got the I got the list, the soundtrack in front of me. M let's just talk about real quick. I'm gonna I'm gonna run through these real quick, and then you tell me what what is? Well, what doesn't stand out to you? Honestly? So we got can't you hear me Knocking by the Rolling Stones? Rumble by link Ray, which again, any any gang movie, any any fifties or sixties fight movie, anything like that. You got to hear Rumble. Rumble's awesome. I love Rumble? How about Strange brew by Cream? How about Black Betty by ram Jam, which is I remember the Black It's a banger, dude, it's a banger. Our our friend, our friend, Brandy Her and I we we love that that song. And anytime, anytime it's on the radio, she'll send me a little video or a little something like I'm watching this the other night and it comes up. I immediately just started

43:48 recording watching it, and I just I sent her the video. I was like, it's everywhere. It's awesome. Blinded by the Light by Manfred Man's Earth Band's right, never knew I love that song. I never knew who sung it, Manfred Man's Earth Band. Uh, we got to Keep it coming Love by Casey and the Sunshine Band has got Yellow moving through the seventies. Yeah, that Smell by Leonard skinnern which you gotta have that. How about All the Tired Horses by Bob Dylan. Yeah, it ain't me, It ain't me, babe. Uh can't you See by the Marshall Tucker Band, which is such a good song. And you got Push and Pull by uh nik A Costa. So find the weak song there, Brad, I challenge. I mean, the incredible soundtrack.

44:39 Creates, creates the mood for every every time they use it. It doesn't seem out of place. No, does it ever feel forced? No? No, I think I think that's a situation where they picked the right songs to help the scene, to help the story. Help you're putting every one in that mood of like here's the time. And like I said, it's also it's telling you with the music we're moving up because like I said, you got to go from the fifties to the sixties and the seventies. You know, it's like this is helping you move along so you don't have to say every time he's in a new place, this is nineteen seventy two. Not we don't need the title cards, right, Yeah, yeah, we need him a few times, but yeah, we don't need him constantly.

45:26 I agree with you. All Right, we're gonna take one last break and when we come back, well we'll wrap things up here, all right, Brad, Written by, directed by, or starring. Someone watches Blow, never seen it. They don't know Ted Demi's work, and they ask you, does this guy he does he got anything underrated? Anything? I need to check out? Uh, you know, did he? Did he write anything else? Did he direct anything else? Is he in anything else? What recommendation are you making for Ted? There's one that is very close to me, and uh it's it's actually a documentary that he was a huge part of called Decade under the Influence.

46:11 Oh yeah, you love that. I do. I love that documentary. And they even Francis Ford Copla because Demi died very shortly after this movie, and he died shortly after making that documentary. And Francis Ford Coppola does like a little shout out to Ted Demi in the thing. But if you want to know why Blow is directed the way it is. Watch Decade under the Influence and you will see his influences and what they you'll see all that kind of stuff in Blow. But yeah, if you are a fan of the films from like nineteen sixty eight to nineteen eighty, Ted Demi's A Decade under the Influence was one of the This Blow and this was one of the last things he did.

46:57 But I like a lot of his stuff. So I'm sure you're going to throw out one that's that was great too, because I've got like five listed here. Yeah, Okay, So I'm going to give you one. And again, We've talked about Ted Demi a couple times. This is a situation. I'd love to talk I'd love to talk about him another. I'd love to do another episode on him. I'm going to give you a film he directed, nineteen ninety nine's prison comedy Life Eddie Murphy. You've never seen it, Okay, I okay, So I actually I actually interviewed miguel A Nunez Junior last Fault Scarefest. Just a hilarious individual, amazing actor.

47:42 I first, you know, Friday thirteenth five. We all remember him in Friday thirteenth five and Return of Living Dead, but tore a Duty is where he really pulls out the dramatic stuff. But we got to do an interview with him at Scarefest, but off Mike, he shared some fun story about working on on the movie Life with Eddie Murphy. So I don't I'll say, but I'm not gonna I'm not gonna do it right now, but I gotta reach out to him. I got to see if he'll if he'll join us, because if so, we'll be looking at doing our fourth film by Ted DEMI. If I can get Miguel, if he's willing to come, come talk with us, because the guy is so fun to listen to. He's so fun to talk with, just a just a just a great guy. So Miguel, We're we're talking, We're looking for you, we're hoping to we're hoping to talk with you. Brad your recommendation, do you you want to?

48:34 People need to see Blow? Right? I think you need to see Blow and then you need to watch Narcos the Netflix. Have you never seen Narcos? Ah? No? Okay, So it took me a long time to get to it, and then once I think I started it, just like two years ago or a year ago they finished it, you will dull deeper into Pablo Escar, but starting off with Blow and getting that tease of where it comes from, how big Columbia their involvement in it was. So I mean I recommend seeing the film because you also see how how quick with like I said, like how quick the drug takes you when seeing how fast it it was selling and how big it was selling, and so yeah, I definitely think it's a good movie.

49:28 And Depth's performance is really good in it depth performance, like I said, Yeah, I mean we mentioned a bunch of those films. I think tonight I would love to watch another underrated performance from him is Once upon a Time in Mexico. Oh, part three of the trilogy. Yeah, I mean, just so it's it's another Depth performance that is. And I think because it kind of reminded me a little bit of Donnie Brasco, I think is why I liked this film. But yeah, I always liked this film. But yeah, I think I think, I think when I watched Donny Brasco, when I when we when we finish up here, Uh, listen, I love a good biopic. I love a good based on a true story pick. I love a good rise and fall of kind of story.

50:16 And that's the thing about about George Young in this, I mean, he's kind of like, he's kind of icarous. He had a great thing going. He could have he could have just sold pot and you know, in in California and he could have they could have lived like kings. But he just yeah, he flew too close to the sun. He wanted too much, too fast, and he couldn't handle it. And uh, you know. And that's another great scene that that's in the movie too, is how he learned more about the criminal organization by being in prison. Yeah. Yeah, I think the quote Dan Barry was in a prison, it was a crime school. I went in with a bachelors of marijuana, came out with a master's in cocaine. I think, Yeah, to paraphraser, you're you're you're a legal five point five I'm.

51:09 Going to do when we do another one, it's gonna be exactly five and perfect. Yeah. Yeah, I'll tell you, Like we could have talked about more scenes. But when he's in prison, like he's trying to get time off for teaching to get help help these guys get their g D Yeah, it's like, how about half the time I teach you about this George Washington guy. The other time the other half I teach you how to smuggle drugs And they're like, you don't know, he's you know, so I that's a fun that's a fun scene too. But yeah, fun movie, good movie. Kind of definitely a sad ending again, pacing might be a little bit off in the third act, a little bit of work needed in the third act, but overall, definitely worth the watch. You can rent this one on Prime.

51:55 Definitely physical media, you know, get the audio commentary because I don't know if there's a four K this one, but if there is, I'm gonna have to pick it up. Because how do you like it? Well, Brad, I don't know if you're going anywhere, because next time on a film by well, we talk about Ben Stiller's Zoolander. Which, oh man, we're doing a comedy too. Yeah, comedy. Well, I think we need a comedy after a heavy movie like this. But anyone listening and they're like, wait, I thought they said Johnny Depp and James Marsden movies, and Johnny Depp's not in zule He's not. But James Marsden is in Zoolander, and we're gonna talk about that one next week. So if you've seen it, how would you summarize it in exactly five Brad Kozo five words?

52:44 You can go to a film by podcast dot com to give us your answer. Email us at a film by podcast at gmail dot com. Hit us up on all the social media channels. We're on all of them. If we use your five word synopsis, if we mention it, we will definitely shout you out on the show. We'll send you some of a film by swag. We got you know, Brad, we still you know, we never we never sell any of our stuff. We passed it out at the conventions and uh, I know our Patreon members get it. But you know, there's the there's the stickers, and there's the T shirts. There's there's still I feel like they're almost like a clutters on them. Now we've got a couple of the color changing stadium cups still left the original the original logo. Yeah yeah, mine still changes color every time I put Sometimes.

53:28 I used my film by mug this morning when I have my coffee. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. We got the new coffee mugs. Yeah, yeah you can't. Yeah, well, yeah, I'll send you one. Okay, they're they're they're for they're they're there for for Patreon. Oh maybe I'll start to come up with some as B swag. Oh there you go. You're four episodes in. You're gonna make your own swag now, okay, right, maybe you know who you sound. You sound like George Young. You think you're you're a little too much, but a little too much, too fast is what I think, little too, a little too close. Uh, listeners, please, do you want us on social media? You can find us on YouTube, where our new show previously on is covering all of our favorite TV shows and yours. Uh, check that out, give us a like, give us a subscribe. Uh, you can find us on Instagram, Facebook. Right, we're still on X. I don't know who is still on X, but I mean we are there. If you're if you're an X person, just you know, hit me up, be like, hey, more more social media? You use X more? Yeah, well we'll try.

54:39 But listen, we love interacting with all of you guys, sharing opinions, uh, taking your request for future episodes, and of course debating great movies. I think that's gonna cover it bread. You've got that limited series. You're digging into some of Tentsil Towns most memorable screenplays. Who do you uh? I think at the top of the hour you I might have cut you off. You were talking about, uh, you want to tell us? You want to tell us again? What's what are we getting at the end of this month. We're just starting this month with Brad Kozo and Blow. But how are we going to end the month. We're gonna end the month with Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets him and martk. Martin was his co writer. It was tough to come up with the Scorsese one, but I wanted to do one that was maybe not as typical, but I think the script is gonna have a lot to learn from.

55:31 Okay, all right, I'll tell you I'm gonna put you on the spot here. You could say no, Okay, you don't have to. Well you've already said no. But now we've got a bunch of people listening, and we got people watching on YouTube. You know, Marty's gonna celebrate I think his eighty fourth birthday this November. Okay, he did do a movie that would fall in line with the two thousand and one, two thousand and six. Thing we got going here because he did do the Departed, right right, I think I think we need to do that. Maybe maybe do a special episode on Patron, you know, for Marty's birthday. Yeah, and anything Marty is gonna be awesome.

56:11 All right, all right, you heard you guys heard it, Brad. He just he just committed. So you don't hear him talking departed. Then you know you can give him five and a half words about why you're disappointed. But next time, yeah, you. Guys, before week ago, Yeah, I do want to say one thing about this episode. So I came on this episode last minute and Jeff falls, So I wanted to tell our list there's a little story is that. You know. He calls me and it says I need a I need a emergency kind of thing. And I'm in a crisis. Now. My wife is next to me on speakerphone and lovely gentle. Yeah, he's about to tell me, and I'm like, well, what is it? I mean, before even Jeff could say you know the title blow, She's like, oh, just do it.

57:03 It's said it's emergency. So I love I love her. She's so great. So last night as about It's around nine thirty or so, and I'm gonna say, I said, well, are you gonna you're gonna do with because I gotta watch I gotta watch blow is that? Do you want to watch it with me? And she goes, she goes, I kind of don't, she goes, but I do know that like an asshole, I did make you have to do this episode. So if you wanted me to stay down and watch it with you, I will. They're very good caught it that. She was like, I did tuck you into that didn't but I would have done it anyway. And it was it was, it was fun, it was perfect.

57:45 Brad. Brad is married to an absolutely incredible woman. Uh you you we've heard her the Lovely She's on the show Our Special Our Special correspondent for nineteen eighty six. She she did several episodes like she did Pretty with us, she did Wildcats with us, she did Back to School with us. I feel like, yeah, I think the thing was if if we were ever talking education or like children are going to school, any high school, any high school type of movie. Special correspondent Jennalen was was was with us, and yeah's she's amazing, So yeah, shout out, shout out to the lovely and talented Gennoalen and and shout out to all of you, all of you out there listening to the show, following us on social media, subscribing to the Patreon helping us thrive more than survive.

58:32 And definitely everyone that's finding us on YouTube and UH and getting us bigger there. We thank you and we'll see you next time.