Episode 107: The Naked Gun Trilogy (with Nick Rogers)

[00:00:19] Speaker A: Hello, everyone, and welcome to Odd Trilogies with Logan and Andy. I'm Logan Silwash. [00:00:23] Speaker B: And I'm Andy Carr. [00:00:24] Speaker A: And Odd. Odd Trilogies, we take a trio of films, whether tied by cast and crew, thematic elements, or even just. And we discussed the good, the bad and the weird surrounding them. And if you're here for Katsi, well, let me give you a little explanation. Sorry. Well, here's the thing. We are excited to talk about today's episode, especially because of the guest that's involved with our topic of today. But when we were doing our Fantastic Four episode, I think in our brains, we realized we were going from mostly shitty Fantastic Four films. And the first thing we thought is, holy fuck, we're doing Katsi next. A big, huge shift. And thankfully, honestly, I'm glad that in between, that is a nice little Leslie Nielsen, you know, hot dog in this bun. That is the last month, few months of these episodes. [00:01:16] Speaker B: Right. [00:01:16] Speaker A: But, but yeah, before we get to Katsi, this month, we are starting in honor of the new Naked Gun film starring Liam Neeson. We are doing the original the Naked Gun from the Files of police squad from 1988, the naked gun two and a half colon, the smell of fear from 1991, and then dropping the naked gun 33 and a third colon, the final insult. We truly, I would say one of the goofiest things we've done on the show in a hot second, which I'm glad because, yeah, I mean, again, after doing of the last year or so, just every so often being like, all right, let's do this trilogy. And again, a lot of those are also what I pitch to you, Right? Sure, sure. And to go into this being like, well, one, we're just surprised that we're even talking about this. But not only that, we're also a bit surprised that we have such a great guest today to talk to us about. Today we have someone who hopes that this episode is as long as his Kevin Costner episode, but we're hoping it's not going to be as long. Nick, introduce yourselves. [00:02:32] Speaker C: Well, thanks for having me. My name is Nick Rogers. I'm from Midwest Film Journal. For those longtime listeners of ODD Trilogies, you may remember my appearance on the Kevin Costner Odd Trilogies, the directorial efforts of Kevin Costner. Yeah. Where we. [00:02:53] Speaker B: Last summer. [00:02:54] Speaker C: Last summer. Yeah, A little bit over a year ago. [00:02:58] Speaker A: Since then, we've all seen Horizon Part 2, 3 and 4. Because you didn't see it. It's all out. It's all out. If you haven't seen if you're not lucky enough. [00:03:10] Speaker C: God, we don't want to spoil any of it for you, but it's nine more hours of stuff. [00:03:16] Speaker A: But don't worry, after the first four hours, you'll get. You'll get to something you saw in the trailer once. [00:03:22] Speaker C: What a mess. [00:03:25] Speaker A: We can literally spend the next 30 minutes talking about how the last time we were all together on this podcast, we were kind of excited and hoping that something comes out of Horizon. [00:03:34] Speaker B: Right. [00:03:34] Speaker A: And now we don't even know if we'll ever get part two this year. [00:03:38] Speaker C: Well, something did come. Something did come out of Horizon. A lot of lawsuits against Kevin Costner and production coming in, so. [00:03:48] Speaker A: And threatening to lose all of his children's homes just so he could fund another one. But let's. Let's go talk less about Coster, more about an icon, just on the same level as him, who is, of course, the man, the myth, the Drebben, Leslie Nielsen himself. Because what's so crazy about the Naked Gun trilogy is. Is that this is basically a trilogy that was almost, not really a full decade, but Most of the 80s in the making to kind of make this happen. [00:04:20] Speaker B: Right. [00:04:21] Speaker A: Because for most people who maybe don't know, because, you know, if you are in our generations, you might be right on the cusp at the end of Naked Gun. And you might assume that Leslie Nielsen's whole career was just gaffes and goofs because he has so many films under his belt. Not all great of spoof and comedy stuff. Right all the way up until his passing, right around right after, I think, superhero movie or just like, you know, in the 2000s. [00:04:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:04:49] Speaker A: Which is a skip. [00:04:52] Speaker B: I owned that movie on dvd. [00:04:55] Speaker A: I've only seen it, but I know he's the Uncle Ben of the story. [00:04:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:05:02] Speaker A: But Leslie Nielsen, at the very earliest in his career, was a serious dramatic actor. [00:05:08] Speaker B: Right. [00:05:09] Speaker A: That has this turn in his career in the early 80s from a film that, if you're watching, if you're listening to this trilogy episode and you have not seen Airplane, I would recommend pausing and then go and see an airplane and then come back to this, because it's insane to think that one, like a single film that is such a black sheep at the time of his career, ultimately just resurrects a career that was doing really well, like, fine enough, I guess, and into stardom in a vastly different avenue and genre. [00:05:45] Speaker C: Yeah. If you want to see a more unintentionally humorous but different side of Leslie Nielsen, I recommend a movie called Grizzly. [00:05:59] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [00:06:00] Speaker C: He Is in grizzly. [00:06:02] Speaker B: I think Adam was telling. Our friend. Adam was telling me about that because. [00:06:06] Speaker A: He'S not in two, right? He's not in two because two is the one with Charlie Sheen. It's like the lost one that. [00:06:15] Speaker C: No, I take that back. It's not grizzly. [00:06:18] Speaker B: It is Day of the Animals. [00:06:20] Speaker C: Day of the Animals, yes. [00:06:22] Speaker B: Our friend Adam LeClaire was telling me about that. [00:06:25] Speaker A: I watched clips of that with Adam, and it was wild. [00:06:29] Speaker C: My apologies for screwing that up, because I watched them pretty much back to back when I watch them. And yes, in Day of the Animals, Leslie Nielsen becomes, like, the de facto leader of this, you know, group of people that are trying to survive, like, this animal apocalypse. And he's. It is. If you only know him from Naked Gun, to watch it is. Is just a delight because he's psychotic and, like, bellowing at the top of his lungs. [00:06:56] Speaker A: It's crazy. In a film about just crazed animals, he becomes the crazed animal antagonist at a certain point. [00:07:06] Speaker B: The first image that pops up when you search for this movie is Leslie Nielsen, shirtless, standing in the rain, soaked in blood. He's chiseled. Oh, yeah, A makeshift spear. [00:07:16] Speaker A: Truly could have been. If the Predator films hadn't dropped off, he could have been in Predator. [00:07:21] Speaker C: Right? [00:07:22] Speaker A: He would have been great. He would have been wonderful. [00:07:24] Speaker B: He could have run Schwarzenegger out of town. [00:07:28] Speaker A: No, but I mean, Nielsen being, of course, one of the heavy hitters and one of the biggest players with the Naked Gun trilogy. But it's also on top of that is Zaz, which is the Zuckers and Abrams, who basically reinvent Nielsen just out of this fun idea of taking a very serious actor and making him say the goofiest, dumbest shit that you can think of in an airplane disaster film with, you know, having. Gosh, it has been so long since I've seen Airplane in full. I think the last time I saw a clip of Airplane was the I speak jive scene. I have seen it in full and forever. Like, of course, there's the Kareem part of it. Have you ever seen a grown man naked? [00:08:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:08:12] Speaker A: Like all these, like, all these serious actors on top of this very silly premise that Nielsen is just the. Like, he is the star anytime he pops on screen. Just of his. His delivery. And it's. What's his most iconic line from that? Even Family Guy, I think, jokes about it. [00:08:31] Speaker C: It's. Surely you can't be serious. I am serious, and don't call me Shirley. [00:08:37] Speaker A: And there's also. I want you to know that. Good luck. We're all counting on you. [00:08:40] Speaker C: Right. [00:08:41] Speaker A: It comes back in later, keeps repeating it. Yeah. So the Zuckers, who at the time are interested in spoofing, I believe, a show called M Squad. It's like a police. [00:08:52] Speaker B: Yeah, M Squad and a number of other police procedurals from, like, kind of that era. And before which actually they've cited, gosh, what was it called? Show that Leslie Nielsen was actually on the New Breed, which was a cop procedural. [00:09:12] Speaker A: That does sound like a cop procedural. [00:09:14] Speaker B: Which they have cited in the past as, you know, an inspiration for Police Squad. [00:09:19] Speaker A: Yes. Because again, in case you also don't know this, the Naked Gun trilogy is technically a sequel to a television show that ran for six episodes. And I believe if you look on IMDb, it says the last two episodes had like a four month gap between the first four. [00:09:36] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And it was basically removed from the schedule after four episodes. And then they threw it out over the summer. [00:09:44] Speaker A: Because Abrams and the Zuckers wanted to make what ultimately would become the Naked Gun in a way. But they couldn't, they couldn't find the. [00:09:52] Speaker B: They wanted to make a movie and they couldn't get that kind of backing secured. So one of their friends, I think a producer, managed to get them a proof of concept. [00:10:05] Speaker A: Six episodes that are genuinely still hilarious today. [00:10:10] Speaker C: Yes. [00:10:10] Speaker A: If you've seen, if you've, if you think, oh, I've seen a Naked Gun film, and you think the line, I'm a locksmith and I'm a locksmith is from those movies. It's from Police Squad. I mean, a lot of Naked Gun. [00:10:22] Speaker B: Gags from Naked Gun are straight out. [00:10:27] Speaker A: But yeah, so the Zuckers do like a proof of concept with Police Squad for six episodes. It runs for six episodes in 1982. And the Zuckers and Abrams go on to do other things. I believe in between. Top Secret is one of those films, which is a film I do. Really. I need to rewatch Top Secret because I love Val Kilmer for my money. Fucking silly. [00:10:49] Speaker C: For my money. Top Secret is the best zaz movie. [00:10:55] Speaker A: I mean, I would not, I, I would not debate you on that. Just because it's like the dedication to the Spy and also just the, the surf, like the Beach Boys. It's kind of parody of it. [00:11:06] Speaker C: Yeah, they're ski chewing while surfing. Yeah, it's his first movie. [00:11:11] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:11:13] Speaker A: And he just, he nails it. It's also, it's hilarious how like, Val is also. Can be very funny. And at the time, as his first film, like there's this. How much have you seen a Top Secret, Andy? [00:11:25] Speaker B: I haven't seen a Top secret. [00:11:27] Speaker A: Okay. There's literally a seed where he basically tells a bunch of bicycles to go away like they're horses and they all just go away by themselves. Like there's. That's. It's, it's. It is the Zucker's. It's like it's the Zucker stuff that you're used to. But that's what they did in between Police Squad and Naked Gun as they do Top Secret. They have another film in between that apparently it's not Dangerous Animals. [00:11:50] Speaker C: Ruthless People. [00:11:51] Speaker B: That would be the Jai Courtney film. [00:11:52] Speaker A: Yes. [00:11:54] Speaker B: Ruthless People. Yeah. [00:11:56] Speaker A: Ruthless People. Thank you. See, dangerous, Ruthless People are animals. Like metaphorical. Yeah, absolutely. But in between that, they do other films and at a certain point they. Because at the same time, while they couldn't get funding for like a Naked Gun would end up being a Naked Gun, they also were kind of like, there's something about the plot that doesn't work yet for them. And I believe one of the aspects that they found while they were writing the Naked Gun was like the love interest aspect or like a triangle. And like adding more than just cops into the cop story. Because Police Squad, I mean, of course has non cops because they're clearly solving crimes every single episode, but like having consistent side characters that are not a part of the squad and ultimately find it in Priscilla Presley's Jane Spencer. [00:12:49] Speaker B: Yeah, well, and it's. It's interesting to note that the kind of adding in other things because it's kind of interesting to think about how Police Squad was sort of, I guess, their consolation project because they really wanted to make a movie that was going to parody police TV shows for the most part. And it's just interesting to see how like, Police Squad is very much like holds to that template of like, this is your weekly CBS cop show spoof to the nines and the movies, the Naked Gun movies, like you said, they have to reach for other stuff to stuff in there because doing strictly a police procedural format just wouldn't probably work at feature length. [00:13:41] Speaker A: They basically, each film kind of has to a degree, a All the President's Men. This goes to the top. [00:13:49] Speaker B: Like massive conspiracy. [00:13:53] Speaker A: And I will give the trilogy, you know, this, like, each conspiracy and like, big plot is different. Like they hit the same beats. But I'm glad that it's not the same thing going into, like, it's not the Queen again in the second film or like. [00:14:07] Speaker C: Right. [00:14:08] Speaker A: Because they had the big premise in the first film is that the Queen of England is coming to LA and she's gonna be at a baseball game and they believe that there's someone trying to escape, assassinate her. The second film is a gala. Gosh, what kind of gala is. It's with the President. [00:14:26] Speaker B: It's all the energy. [00:14:27] Speaker C: It's the energy. Big oil and gas. And they're trying to foil what will be a clean energy policy announcement. [00:14:35] Speaker B: Right. [00:14:37] Speaker A: And three is the Academy Awards ultimately ends up being the Academy Awards. They hold off on it until the very end. [00:14:45] Speaker B: It's the climax. Yeah. [00:14:48] Speaker A: Which. [00:14:49] Speaker B: Well, before we jump into any of them individually, I just want to ask you, Nick, kind of what your. [00:14:56] Speaker A: Oh, yes. [00:14:56] Speaker B: When I, when I first asked you or kind of mentioned these, this trilogy to you, you seemed, you know, like you kind of jumped and got excited about it. So I kind of wanted to know what your history was with these movies or with Police Squad. [00:15:08] Speaker C: Sure. So, I mean, I remember, so Top Secret came out when I was five, so I didn't see it in the theater, but I had seen Airplane in the interim somewhere in there. You know, I'm sure I had rented it and it was on TV quite a bit. And I loved Top Secret when I finally rented it, even though I was probably like 6 or 7 and didn't even get half of the jokes in it. But yeah, such is the beauty of these movies is that, you know, there's stuff that, that a six to nine year old kid could, you know, easily get and laugh at, you know, as they're watching these things. But, you know, they need an adult to explain some of the jokes to them and maybe those adults would or would not want to do it. So by the time the Naked Gun came out, I actually saw, I saw all three of the Naked Gun movies in a theater. So I was nine when the Naked Gun came out. But I mean, I'm the youngest of four boys and my parents, you know, a shout out to them because by the time I came around they were like, yeah, we're not really policing movies anymore. You know, you can, you can watch whatever you want for the most part, with the exception of Wild at Heart, which there was a big blow up where my mom like stormed back. [00:16:31] Speaker A: Honestly, good on them. [00:16:33] Speaker C: My mom like stormed back into the video store like, you know, making a big stink about it. This is embarrassing. But you know, PG13 movie, you know, 1988, I had seen Airplane and Top Secret over and over and over again. So yeah, I was really looking forward to the Naked Gun. I Mean, even as a kid. And I just. For that to also have lasted kind of into my teen years. I mean, I wasn't yet driving when 33 and a third came out. But I remember, you know, like, a bunch of my high school friends and I went to see it, you know, so it was like only a six year stretch, but it was just kind of like grade school, middle school, high school. It, like hit right at that. Kind of nice. [00:17:21] Speaker B: You grew up with. [00:17:22] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. [00:17:23] Speaker A: You're saying that Leslie Nielsen, Frank Drebin was your surrogate father? [00:17:28] Speaker C: Sure. Yes. [00:17:30] Speaker A: Yes. [00:17:31] Speaker C: He had no problem with me watching Wild at Heart, is what I'm saying. [00:17:35] Speaker A: In fact, he showed you Lost Highway. [00:17:38] Speaker C: Right. So I think, too, these were the sorts of movies that I was young enough that it kind of instilled a little bit of a curiosity in me that when I went to see it, there was stuff that adults were laughing at that I didn't get. Or I was like, maybe I was laughing because they were laughing and I sort of, you know, mentally clocked away, like, oh, well, I want to look up like, you know, what is this? Or, like, ask my parents about it. So in a way, what I love about those three movies in particular now, this also dates them because there are a lot of jokes in them that are incredibly specific to the eras when they were released that, you know, a lot of audiences today will just. They'll see a portrait of a guy on a wall of Michael Dukakis and be like, yeah, okay, that's a guy on a wall. [00:18:33] Speaker A: That's who that is. That literally was me. I was like, wait a minute. That's so funny, because I have no. [00:18:38] Speaker C: Idea who that is. When it's. The gag is in Two and a Half, I believe, and they go to Frank Goes to a Jazz Club, and the woman is singing this incredibly depressing torch song. And everyone there is sad and every. The wall is of a disaster like the Titanic or the Hindenburg. And then it pans, right then it pans to Michael Dukakis, who, for those. Who. For those listening who don't know, Michael Dukakis was the failed presidential candidate in 1988 of the Democratic Party. So in a movie where George Bush factors into it also. So I think what's cool, again, to go back to that is like, I just. I loved those movies as it made me, I think, you know, as silly as they are, they're memorable to me because they made me want to, like, learn more about the joke. Right? To, you know, and to go back and watch them re watch them learning more about that. I think all of the Zazz movies are. Are great in that way. And I think that that's why they endure for a lot of generations, because there's a lot of kids that could go back and watch Airplane and Top Secret now and find a lot of stuff funny. And, you know, 10 years from now, if they, you know, rewatch it, a whole raft of that movie is going to be funny in a different way. So, yeah, so, yeah, that's, that's why I was excited to talk about these, because it's also not the sort of thing. And I realize we'll talk about the, the, you know, the newer movie later, but it's also just not the sort of thing I ever thought there would be more of in a way that, you know, would appeal to me so deeply. I guess so. [00:20:21] Speaker A: Well, I think it perfectly. It makes sense that with the new one coming out at this time, when we're recording, it's out already. But like, of course, the new one basically seems to exist because of Seth MacFarlane and a big presence in the front because MacFarlane has always screamed. Someone who has always been a cultivator of the classics in different ways, whether it's like, his connection with Sinatra at this point and just how, like, how many Family Guy episodes just had musical sequences that just had, like, Stewie and Brian animated over it. And it is like, it is. You have to have someone who has enough pool that is willing to put a little bit of their status on the line to a degree to be like, it's time to bring back the Leslie Nielsen goofball trilogy that, like, hasn't been touched since 94. [00:21:20] Speaker C: Right. [00:21:20] Speaker A: And. And it's crazy, too, because I feel like it is. This is, I think, a perfect time for something like this because it is just, it is the kind of when, when these movies are firing at all cylinders. Like, the reason, like, my favorite of these three is usually the one where I feel like the jokes per minute hit the hardest or the variety is there in a way where it's like, because I know I've seen this, I've seen. I saw one before a while ago. I think I've seen one two or three times. And I never saw two and a half or 33 and a third. I had seen clips, didn't realize how many clips of 33 and a third I saw until watching it. The Academy Award, like, head smack is something that I've seen iconically through Twitter and social media for years, and I did not know it was from the finale of 33 and third. But, like, there's just. It's the type of humor where it's like, we're in an age where you think you can't just be simple and still be funny without having to, like, have it be meta or have it be overthought. And it is the type of film where Leslie Nielsen will show up, show his badge in 18,000 cards will come out of his badge, and then he'll shove it back in and not address it and be like, that's funny. I. That is just, on an objective level, I think, pretty funny. Like, I think it's just, like. It's just silly stuff that, like, that's the baseline. Then you get to, like, the Dukakis things where, like, I think these movies work. I think these films are even funnier now because of the dated references. Because you're like, I can tell they really loved that Duke, now that you've told me who Dukakis isn't reminded me. It's like, I bet they fucking loved putting that picture up. Just setting that whole scenario up. Or like, of course, go for it. [00:23:08] Speaker C: No, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. [00:23:10] Speaker A: No, it's just like, it's. There's so many, like, the variety of gags. Like, I think there are people who probably have seen bits of the movie and been like, this is too silly. I don't know if I could handle this much silly, this much time. And it's like, well, the silly is so varied. Like, it is just like. It's not. It is like a Three Stooges bit. And then a nice beaver thinks I stuffed it myself. And then just like, my name's Frank Drebin. Oh, cool. So we have the same name or something like that. It's like this whole kind of thing where it's just like, the gags. There are so many gags a minute, and they're not the same gag over and over and over, which. There are so many comedy films that just. You like that joke. It's gonna get beaten into the. Immediately. And it's funny. I mean. Yeah. [00:23:58] Speaker C: The other thing, I think in tandem with that, Logan and I didn't know this, I saw there was an interview with Leslie Nielsen that's on the Blu Ray for the Police Squad series where he talks about. And I. It's. It's. At some point, I don't know if it was in press for Naked Gun or if it was for one of the sequels, but he. He says one of the. One of the best Things. I think it must have been one of the sequels, because he references something that I think is in the first movie. He. He says, you know, there. There's no meanness to the gags that Frank has with other people. Like, he's, you know, he talks. He references the joke where he's looking into a microscope and he says, you know, he's like. He says, I can't. I can't see anything. And George Kennedy as Ed is like, use your open eye, Frank. And he's. He's not. He doesn't. He doesn't treat him like an asshole. He's like. He's just like, use your open eye, Frank. And, you know, he's like, everything is just in service of, like, you know, a joke that is funny and can be edgy, but is not at the expense of someone's dignity or intelligence necessarily, you know. Oh, yeah, and that was a really interesting point, and it was interesting to rewatch the movies with that in mind. I mean, obviously, there's. There's stuff that's, you know, envelope pushing in these movies. Well, sure, you know. Yes, but the moments where Frank or someone is overly aggressive, you know, or, you know, physically aggressive to someone or cruel to someone, like, the joke tends to be on him. Like the bit in Two and a Half with the birthmark, you know, stuff like that. [00:25:44] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:25:45] Speaker C: So I just thought that that was interesting, too. And it gets at. I think, why this comedy still works is that, yeah, there's stuff that they probably wouldn't do or maybe they don't do, you know, in the new one. Who knows? But they. I don't think people would look back at this and think, like, you know, oh, man, that's too much. That's too much now. [00:26:10] Speaker B: Right. [00:26:10] Speaker C: You know, because it's not mean in that way. And so that was really interesting to rewatch them this time, knowing that and thinking about that. And it was something I had never really mulled over when watching them until I saw that interview. So I just thought that that was also interesting. [00:26:26] Speaker A: Yeah, it's. It's. It is the type of thing where Frank Drebin as a character is genuinely, when you take the Nielsen performance out of it, is a man who likes any excuse to kill someone, loves touching his gun, is a misogynist most of the time. [00:26:46] Speaker C: Right. [00:26:46] Speaker A: And is just downright oblivious to everything around him. And he sounds like the worst person in the world until you get Leslie Nielsen playing him. He. He constantly. It's even the worst jokes in these three films. He always has the Face of, like, he is rebooting his brain between each joke and then going back to square one. And that just is enough for me. [00:27:11] Speaker B: I mean, from. Yeah. Scene to scene, or even within a single scene, it'll like. It's like the. The stupid stick will get passed and like, okay, Frank's the idiot for this scene, and then he hands it to somebody else, and then they're the idiot, and he knows what's going on. And then he gets the stick handed back to him and he drops another joke that reveals his stupidity. [00:27:32] Speaker A: Really, the strength of these films, too, is the fact that while they knew that Nielsen could just read and deliver the silliest, goofiest lines to a camera without smirking, you have to have a cast of characters around him that can do the same thing, but not exactly like Nielsen. And I gotta say. And we will get to the OJ of it all, because it's hard not to talk about these fucking movies without talking about the fact that all three of these films. Third or fourth billing, is O.J. simpson with 33 and a third, I believe, coming out months before the trial. [00:28:09] Speaker C: Yes. Yeah. Well, months before he was arrested, the arrest announced. [00:28:16] Speaker A: And then it's just like the fact that George Kennedy, I think, is just an absolute delight in all three of these movies. And I think one of the faults of 33 and the third is like, kind of benching Kennedy and Simpson for a lot of that. Because, again, even though he becomes a future murderer, OJ Simpson's really fucking funny in these movies. Even in the first movie, when he's in a bed for the majority of it. [00:28:42] Speaker B: Well, and ironically, obviously, this couldn't have been planned in advance, but, like, there is also a catharsis to it because he is one of the few characters, consistent characters, where, like, a lot of the fun is at his physical expense. You know, he endures a lot. Nordberg endures a lot of physical punishment in these movies. [00:29:03] Speaker C: If there were anything where people would be like, yeah, it'd be hard to watch. Now it's O.J. simpson, and I get it. But to your point, Andy, you can enjoy watching his body absorb the utmost punishment in each of these. [00:29:15] Speaker A: But it's also shocking, too, because I feel like a lot of people. And again, possible murderer. Let me make that clear. Maybe there might still be out there. I should make that clear. [00:29:27] Speaker C: We'll get the legal team to. On what we can and can't say. [00:29:31] Speaker A: But I think I remember when I was growing up, I think I caught two and a half on TV once. Because I swear I remember a shot of Nielsen, Kennedy and Simpson being like, wait a second. One of these three feels out of place here. And it's not Leslie Nielsen. Why is OJ in this movie? And then when I rewatched one for this, I have to say, like, one of Adam's favorite bits, and it made me laugh, too, is when Nordberg gets shot a thousand times. It's when he falls into the wet paint door and goes, oh, no. It's like, O.J. it is. I think this is weirdly if these are the type this trilogy could be. If someone only knows OJ because of the trial and for being a football player. Like, he has genuine talent on screen in a way that is shocking. Two and a Half has more of him. It has one of the best bits in the middle of the film when he gets stuck under the car, right? He goes all the way to Detroit. Why is Norberg a Detroit? It is just like, it gets to a point where I feel like they almost knew, like, the Zuckers knew that a certain point, if it's all Nielsen, it might get a little stale. So every now and again, they'll sprinkle in a little NORBERG Silliness with Drebin. 1. I think one of my favorite bits in the first film is when Frank is trying to sneak into, like, the. The Dinner where the queen first shows up and he pretends to, like, pat someone down. And he. And, like, as he's trying to check their pockets, he accidentally checks George Kennedy's pockets and goes, look, he's got a picture of your wife. And then George Kennedy starts fighting the strange and then just walks away. And it's just like. It's bits like that where, like, it just commits and has a team that is willing to go silly with Nielsen with. While also still staying serious line delivery. And I think that's what goes stronger. Like, it stays strong throughout the series until you get to a point where it's like 33. And the third is mainly a Nielsen situation for the most part. Both Kennedy and Simpson are basically just on the sidelines until the end. And then at the end, there's even a part where they can't even get out of their car for, like, five to 10 minutes where they get there. [00:31:55] Speaker C: Well, what's interesting, too, is that. And I, you know, I mean, I surely knew this, but I had probably sort of memory. Hold this. The first one is the only one that has both sucker brothers and Jim Abrams working on it, because by the time the second one, by the Time the second one came out. So Jim Abrams had left and did Hot Shots, which came out, if I remember correctly, the same year as Naked Gun 2 and a half hotshots, which is also very funny, but is spoofing Top Gun. [00:32:33] Speaker A: Yeah. A film that I've never actually fully seen. I've only seen two. I've only seen Part two. [00:32:38] Speaker C: Yeah, they're both good. Yeah. And so then. So that's. Jim Abrams is working on that after the Naked Gun. And then Jerry Zucker had. I mean, talk about a complete 180. Had directed Ghost Ghost the previous summer, which is a. You know, which. The Naked Gun 2 1/2 then spoofs, perhaps lovingly among friends that are not working on the movie. [00:33:03] Speaker A: Yeah. That's when I realized where it was, timeline wise. I knew at a certain point, David commits to the spoof line all the way into, like, present day. Because David's still alive, I believe, Right? [00:33:16] Speaker C: Yeah, I believe so. I believe so. [00:33:18] Speaker A: Well, Jerry tries to do the more serious route, and Ghost is that through line. [00:33:25] Speaker C: And then the third one. So Peter Siegel, who did. Went on to do Tommy Boy, directed. [00:33:34] Speaker A: Oh, wow. [00:33:35] Speaker C: Directed 33 and a third. And I believe David Zucker maybe is a co writer, I think, on 33 and a third, but did not direct it. So what's really interesting is that they have you know, sort of increasingly less influence over the two sequels, which. [00:34:00] Speaker A: I. [00:34:01] Speaker C: Think they get progressively less funny at a cumulative level. But for there to still be so many things that hit. So one of them, at least one of them worked on each of the movies. But I think it's just interesting that only one of them has all three, which is how you sort of identify the sequels anyway, you know, as being, you know, being zaz movies, even though they're technically not. [00:34:26] Speaker A: Yeah, well, even. I mean, Two and a Half. Not saying that this is in, like, inherently felt in the movie, but there is an energy of, like, when I saw the Ghost spoof, I realized, like, there's probably a chance that when they did the original, they clearly weren't expecting to, like, do two more films. [00:34:43] Speaker C: Sure. [00:34:44] Speaker A: Especially, like. And Jerry clearly doesn't want to keep doing Naked Gun and goes on and does another thing vastly different in his career. And David just being like, well, you know, never thought I would be able to get to do the first one. They're asking, do another one. Like, let's just commit and do more jokes. And they do the second one, and then they're like, hey, that still made money. You want to do three and it's no surprise that they're like, I will produce. We'll produce it. You know, we'll help. And it's also funny, too, because it's like, maybe if your list, like, if you might have had this question in your head, listeners that, like, we really haven't said much about the plot of these three films besides the. The whole conspiracies. And that's because each one of these films follow these same exact beats and they don't care about narrative. Narrative does not matter in these three movies. [00:35:32] Speaker C: Right? [00:35:33] Speaker A: What? It's the gags that get us in between that is really the. [00:35:36] Speaker B: It's all in service of the bit. [00:35:38] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:35:39] Speaker A: And sometimes. Yeah. And at some point, like, there's not a single person I could think of who would expect the finale of the Naked Gun to be the original film to be, oh, they're at a, like, Dodgers game. They're. They're at like a baseball game. And then like, the same with 2 and 3. Like, there's just like, you just have to be along for the ride because to be honest, when you get to 33 in the third, that's when you're like, they probably couldn't have done another thing where the plot really doesn't matter. And Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley are, like, on odds with each other. Like, it's. They could get away with it for, I think, a total of two sequels. And it's even funnier in 33 and the third. That film basically ends with Priscilla Presley being like, I'm sorry, I have opinions. You should have always been a cop is basically what she comes down to. And again, Priscilla Presley, I think, is a lovable dynamic against Nielsen. And the fact that she's willing to wear a full body condom for their sex scene is the funniest shit in the world. And is willing to just be like, yeah, this is Elvis's ex wife. This is. This is Elvis's wife. [00:36:47] Speaker C: And that's like. It's interesting. Like, you bring her up, I mean, you know, and kind of folding her presence in it with O.J. simpson is also. At the time, it was such weird casting. It was not as if. Oh, I believe that it was not as if Priscilla Presley had some, you know, had some storied career going into this. Like, she wasn't coming out, you know, I mean, you know, in movies, it was like she was Elvis's wife, you know, so it's like here you have this big comedy movie with Leslie Nielsen, a former professional football player and, you know, commercial pitch man, and Elvis's wife and Khan. Right. Like, you know, and Oscar winner George Kennedy. Like, it was just, it's just like the weirdest assemblage of people. [00:37:38] Speaker A: So I do have a question about though, how old were you for 33 and a third when you saw that? [00:37:42] Speaker C: So I was 43. 14 when. So I turned 15 later that summer, but I was 14 when it, when it opened. Yeah. [00:37:52] Speaker A: So as a fifth. So as a 15 year old was Anna Nicole Smith. Did that feel that like, that made sense? [00:37:57] Speaker C: Oh yeah. [00:37:58] Speaker A: I mean, that made more sense than O.J. and Priscilla did. [00:38:01] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. I mean, well, at the time it's like, you know, of course, every 14 year old boy knows who Anna Nicole Smith is at that time. [00:38:08] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. That's why, I mean, it's just so funny to think. [00:38:10] Speaker C: And what I had read and what I thought was kind of interesting was I guess they had talked to Pamela Anderson about appearing in that role in that movie and she, you know, I don't know if she turned it down or couldn't make it work with scheduling and you know, obviously now she's in the new version. But yeah, I mean, that was, you know, you know, maybe that was like clout chasing too hard, you know, for a franchise that had sort of prided itself on weird casting rather than, you know, du jour casting, you know, but. And I would say probably, if there's any gag in any of the three that I think people would probably look and say, like, no, exactly what you said. It's what they do with Anna Nicole Smith's character in the Final Insult. [00:39:05] Speaker A: I think, I think it's the worst joke, I think in the three of them. It really is also like a weird joke because they put a lot of time into the fact that it's also weird that it's like, like Frank is. Frank is a. Frank is a. He is definitely just. He loves Jane and like clearly Will, like in the second film is like not pushing any kind of love interest. He just wants to be with Jane. They're the love of each other's lives. And it's like 33 and the third is just like since it's Ana Nicole Smith, like he just completely forgets about Jane at times. And it's very weird because it's like at the end of that movie supposed to be like they're back together and it's like five minutes ago you're about to just have sex with Anna Nicole Smith. And then something genuinely the most 90s dated thing, I think in every, like the joke and again, that joke is not a negative 1 out of 10 solely because of Leslie Nielsen's face. [00:40:02] Speaker C: Right. [00:40:03] Speaker A: Because of how he sells. [00:40:04] Speaker C: I mean, it was. It was also the second movie that year that was, like, openly spoofing the Crying Game because Ace Ventura does the same thing. [00:40:13] Speaker A: That's true. The Crying Game. God, that's right. [00:40:16] Speaker C: I mean, I had come out, like, weeks before the final insult, so. [00:40:23] Speaker A: God. [00:40:24] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. [00:40:25] Speaker A: So the 90s, no issues. [00:40:26] Speaker C: That's the one. That's, like, the one thing, frankly, I think that you could look at in. In either of them and say, like, oh, no. Well, okay. They did say it was the final insult. So. [00:40:42] Speaker A: It'S. It's interesting because it's like. I mean, it might not be the same for Andy, but, like, I think for us it was, like, when it came to spoof movies that came to head, I think, like, it was Austin Powers and Scary Movie growing up. [00:40:55] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:56] Speaker A: Like, I saw. I remember seeing Austin Powers Gold Member in theaters. [00:41:01] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:41:01] Speaker A: And, like, I remember seeing Spy who Shagged Me in the original one on constant rotation on television. And just Scary Movie one is in the. Was up is in the back of my head. I know it's not from Scary Movie, but Scary Movie just beat that ad to death in that movie. And it's funny to think to the Scary Movie is also my introduction to. I know what you did last summer, because I did not realize that that was that whole film spooked in that, too. And growing up and being like, you know, my parents being like, hey, have you ever hear Spaceballs? Here's Blazing Saddles is one of my favorite. [00:41:42] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [00:41:42] Speaker A: Like, comedies of all time. Like, that's Mel Brooks. And that is a film that is meant to just do the worst shit possible because it's making fun of that era and spoofing like, the good old days of the Old west, as if it was a good old days for everybody. And then young. Young Frankenstein. And literally, like, I watched Airplane a lot with my. My grandpa was really into it. My dad liked it a lot. But, like, we never really watched Naked Gun, which I think is surprising because, like, these movies just scream. Like, this is just simple fun. This is dumb fun. Like, it is. Like, I could understand if you are not in the mood for, like, the dumbest fun possible, then this might just be, like, okay, I can't. I'm not in the headspace for Leslie Nielsen to just squash OJ Like a sandwich in his own bed and just. And talk about how he's not fully dead in front of his wife constantly. [00:42:41] Speaker C: Right. [00:42:42] Speaker A: And then it is, because I remember the first time watching this in years was like in college. And yes, I was, I was a little inebriated and loving it a lot. But I remember another friend who's inebriated was just being like, this is just. Every gag is just exactly what you think it is. And I'm like, I know. That's what's so funny. [00:43:03] Speaker B: I mean, they're very like, straightforward movies, you know, they're not like, trying to weave comedic threads between a plot that actually, you know, is terribly engaging or character arcs, you know, and that's something that I appreciate about them, just because I don't. We don't get a lot of movies like that anymore, if any, where it's just kind of, you know, comedy above all. And then, you know, if we can come up with a story that makes sense. Great, right? [00:43:36] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:43:38] Speaker B: Anymore, it's, it's all, you know, we get a lot of personality based comedies where it's just like, okay, here's two guys you like and they're in a funny situation. [00:43:46] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. And I think it's one of those things where, like, there have been. I think it's been a while because again, I can't. When I think of comedy films now, it's all over the place in terms of, like, what would be considered, like, clearly fans of the ZAZ formula or just like, ZAZ in general without it feeling like, you know, the Lonely island crew clearly is into that goofy shit because of course, pop star MacGruber, yeah, hot rod. Like, those have energy of, like, clearly when it comes to comedy, they like the goofy, nonsensical, the easiest joke, but also committing to that easy joke, which makes it funnier, which makes sense, of course, that Akiva, who is a part of Lonely island, is directing the new Naked Gun. And so, like, it's just really, it's. It's one of those things where, like, I think there are times where you watch movies, where you watch movies for the pot or even newer movies that feel just kind of at a time where I feel like I'm black and white and I have a stogie in my hand and I have a transatlantic accent. And I go, they don't make movies like these these days. [00:44:54] Speaker B: Right, right. [00:44:54] Speaker A: And like, with these, it's like we are hilariously. Can't say that anymore because we're getting a new one. But, like, it genuinely does for, like the longest time. It's like, you don't really like it now. Feels like we might Be getting more of these just because, like, hilariously, another thing that people might not know is David Zuckerberg took over Scary Movie, right. At a certain point, it went the Wayans brothers in one and two, and then the Zucker three and four, five, no one cares about, but apparently six, the Wayans are coming back. So, like, the ebb and flow of it being like the Wayans brothers and then like, you know, the comedy legend and then to go back to the way ins and like, spoofs might find a way to get back into it, but, like, it is like. [00:45:41] Speaker B: Well, I do think also more broadly, we're seeing maybe a resurgence of kind of like the sketch forward style of comedy. I mean, the fact that Tim Robinson got made a feature film this year and his character is basically just him, the same guy he plays in all of his. I think you should leave sketches. [00:46:01] Speaker C: Right. [00:46:02] Speaker B: You know, maybe an indicator. [00:46:05] Speaker A: His line about, there's a new Marvel. [00:46:06] Speaker B: Movie, there's a new Marvel out. I heard it's insane. [00:46:09] Speaker A: It's just so like, he's such an asshole. And I love it. It's like, Yeah, I think it's like television has definitely kept the silliness alive by committing to the bit. You know, I think. I think both Tim Robinson and Nathan Fielder are great examples of this in vastly different ways. I'd even say Joe Pera, to a degree, is the committing to the. To a specific bit. And it's. It just was. It's. This was a nice breath of fresh air to just, like, remember a time where you could have a whole bit about someone trying to bribe another person for, like, information, and they're just constantly backing, putting the same $20 bill back and forth of each other, and then the scene just ends. Like, of course, like my favorite personal gags. Because again, I think, yes, we will talk about specific things from all three of these, but I think all three of them strongest, like, have their strongest points equally. I just love the gags that are just like, you know, in one, there's the gag where they're walking into the office and there's a random pillar and, like, George Kennedy and the scientist character. Is he in Police Squad? Yeah, that actor. [00:47:19] Speaker C: He is, yeah. [00:47:20] Speaker A: Like. Oh, yeah, they both go through the door and Drebin goes around the wall. [00:47:25] Speaker C: Yeah. And that's. That's a Police Squad also, like, that's. [00:47:28] Speaker A: A. Yeah, I remember that from Police Squad. And it's just like the amount of times little bits like that. My favorite bit in Two and a Half is the grappling hook. It's so the dog silent. He just shoots a grappling hook and completely whiffs it and says nothing and then just shoots it again and gets it perfectly and at least to the dog and whatnot. Like, I guess. Yeah, that's a good conversation. Like, what is your favorite bits, both you. In terms of these films? Like, because I know a lot of the bits are very similar to one another because we have the amount of times we have a different iteration of Sex Frank. Maybe later. Like, stuff like that. There's a lot of different iterations. [00:48:13] Speaker B: But cigarette. The cigarette joke all over Police Squad and these movies. [00:48:18] Speaker A: Yeah, but like, yeah, like Nick, Andy, what do you. What are like ones that come to mind? [00:48:24] Speaker C: I'll let. I'll let Andy go because I feel like, well, no, I don't want to steal. Like, I should go last. Like, it's. [00:48:30] Speaker A: Yeah, you're the guest, Nick. You can do anything. [00:48:33] Speaker B: I might, I might just give you carte blanche here because I honestly, when I, When I first started, when I started watching the first. I watched the first Naked Gun and then I started Police Squad, I was like, okay, I'll. I'll watch these along. I'll watch this show alongside the trilogy. Because I had not seen any of Police Squad prior to this. And kind of immediately upon watching Police Squad, I regretted not like taking notes of which jokes were in which entries because I was like, at a certain point, I really enjoy all three of these movies. I think we've already made the point that despite kind of doing the same thing over and over again, they successfully bring new laughs to the table and all that. But they are all of these. Every episode of Police Squad and every Naked Gun film all kind of the same thing over again. And so a lot of the jokes have blurred together for me. [00:49:29] Speaker C: Yeah, that's fair. That's fair. [00:49:31] Speaker B: So, yeah, I would struggle to come up with a favorite. Although I do love the. I love the Nordberg car dragging into or two and a half. And the entire just the first date montage in the first film is like an all time comedy segment for me. Yeah. [00:49:56] Speaker C: Yes. [00:49:57] Speaker A: And then they have the MTV like call sign end where that shows who sang the Naked Gun soundtrack. [00:50:05] Speaker C: Right. So well. So I would say my favorites. So the first one. So see, that's why I let you go first, because I could have picked something from the first date montage. But the thing that still makes me laugh is when the main villain of the first movie is dispatched, he falls to what is presumed to be his death and everyone's horrified, and it's like, well, maybe he's okay. Well, then he gets run over by a car, and then he gets run over by a steamroller, and then he's flattened. And then a marching band playing Louie Louie starts. And I just remember, like, every time I see that movie, when the marching band comes in, it's just. It's so ridiculously funny to me. So that's my favorite from the first one. I'm gonna jump to the third one because my all time favorite joke out of any of the movies is in the second one. But the third one, my favorite joke is the Academy Awards. It's the bomb. When they announced the best picture and the producers of the movie that was a flop leap to their feet because they think they've won, because they realize that the bomb is in the envelope for best picture, and so they think that their movie has won. And then. Do we need to. I'm getting the little things. [00:51:27] Speaker B: Yeah, let's pause and start a call. [00:51:31] Speaker A: Keep the recording going. [00:51:32] Speaker C: Y. I will do that. Cool. [00:52:10] Speaker A: All right, There we go. [00:52:14] Speaker B: All right. All right. [00:52:16] Speaker A: I can segue you back into that, Nick, if you want me to, because I have a response to that. Yeah, yeah, there I'll go. Three, two, one. God. It's just the Academy Award bit in the third film. It was so funny watching that. Being like, this is genuinely. I. My favorite bit in three is definitely the Frank's retirement sign that says 4,000 dead, 732 wounded. Yeah. But it's funny to think that the Academy Award bit is something we're watching. I was like, God, I could see a modern day naked gun making fun of the, like the Academy Awards in a la la land mood lighting sense. But you can't do that now because that actually happened. [00:52:55] Speaker C: Right, right. [00:52:57] Speaker A: It's much funnier that that happened in a non comedic sense. Yeah, that in. But that's your favorite bit in three. [00:53:05] Speaker C: Yes, my favorite bit in three. So my favorite bit in two and a half. And honestly, my favorite bit in the whole thing is when they're. They need to evacuate the summit, the Clean Energy Summit, because there is another bomb that is about to go off and everyone is asleep because they're listening to the preeminent energy scientist of his era going through his slides. And everyone, literally everyone in the room is asleep. And so George Kennedy and O.J. simpson run in and they're like, we need to. We need to get everybody out of here. And so they're freaking out because they're like, oh, my God. Everybody's asleep and nobody's waking up. So George Kennedy randomly pulls this book out of his pocket and hands it to the scientist. He goes, here, read this. And it's a smut novel. And so he just starts reading this random passage about foreplay. And they cut to people in the crowd, and they're kind of stirring from their slumber. They kind of slowly start to wake up. And the guy, the scientist, he's like. He thrust his purple warrior into her quivering mound of love pudding. And then everybody is awake. But then they show him kind of do a ooh. And he starts turning the pages. I mean, when you're 12, that's the perfect joke. But I mean, it's just like. It's the thing that I remember the most, I think, about any Naked Gun movie is how funny funny that bit is. Because it's just so random, like pulling the book out of his pocket. Like, they've done nothing to set that up, I don't think. Unless, okay, maybe. Does he grab it from the adult store earlier on? He's got the chainsaw dildo thing. Like, maybe he. Maybe he grabs it from that, but they don't. [00:55:07] Speaker A: We got your suck blaster 9000. Yeah, it's. Oh, my gosh, there's that, that, that. The summit also has that one bit where they're like, he's the one who did it. [00:55:21] Speaker C: Right? [00:55:22] Speaker B: They all jump up and they hold their wives hostage. [00:55:25] Speaker C: No, that guy, I think, yeah. [00:55:28] Speaker A: Two and a Half definitely has one of the funniest running gags. Or just like commitment to a running gag where the. The main villain gets killed by a tiny blues. [00:55:37] Speaker C: That's another great fish. [00:55:38] Speaker A: Just. He survives the fall and then the tiger just eats him on the street. [00:55:43] Speaker C: Robert Goulet's face, like, his facial expression when he like, he like pops up. It's like he's on a spring and he's like. He like. He like straightens his tie and then immediately gets killed by the lion. It's so. It's just. [00:55:57] Speaker B: Well, and he's. He's also, if I'm remembering right, one of the throwaway murder cameos in Police Squad. [00:56:05] Speaker C: Yes. So every episode of Police Squad's opening credits feature that week's guest star, who is always in incredibly famous person, who is murdered before they're murdered in the. [00:56:15] Speaker B: Scene that introduces them as the guest star. [00:56:19] Speaker A: Oh, my God. I think, man. [00:56:23] Speaker C: So those are my. Those are my three favorite bits. [00:56:25] Speaker A: Those are great. I mean, again, the bits are just even in three and 33 and a third. They're just. Even with that film, I feel like the jokes per minute is a little bit. There's a bit of a gap between jokes more and 33 and the third. I think the jokes. You still have the chastity belt in the shower, which is a fun little gag. The Shawshank Redemption, like digging the hole. [00:56:49] Speaker B: It's a fully like mined out hole with support beams and light bulbs. [00:56:54] Speaker C: Yeah, well that's a gig. They kind of recycle from Top Secret Andy. So you'll see there's a bit with that that's. That's kind of similar. Not entirely. [00:57:04] Speaker A: That's right. There's also. Because again, I completely understand Andy as someone who's usually who does a little bit too much homework for episodes. I have no shock that you have you watched another two hours of ZAZ content on top of like four and a half. You watch so much goofball shit that like no wonder it's all kind of bled together. Because I completely. Because it's been a long enough time that I hadn't seen Police Squad that I did. I didn't realize. Oh, of course they're recycling jokes until two and a half when they do one of my favorite parts from what I saw from Police God, which is the shootout behind trash cans where they're just right next to one another. They do that again in two and a half. Actually, I think we talked about it. You might remember Andy, I think you said. Or one of your favorite bits was the artillery bombardment build. [00:57:53] Speaker B: Yeah, maybe my two favorite bits in two and a half are Nordberg bits. One being the car dragon and the other being his gun building sequence where it starts out where he gets out his pistol and like starts, you know, adding little modules to it to make it into a rifle and then suddenly it's like a machine gun and then it's a traveling like anti artillery gun. It's just so good. [00:58:20] Speaker A: It's. Again, it's because to me I think 1 and 2 are on the same level for me personally, but I think two is my favorite. Just I think I laughed harder, more consistently. Even though I think the jokes of course, very similar jokes. But I also, I think the Energy Summit, as much as I think the baseball game is fun, the Energy Summit just has some good shit. Even if it's more random. Like the Chicago Bears showing up and beating the shit out of fucking Frank was so silly. But like just them wearing their Chicago Bears jackets help anybody just beat up this poor handicapped man. [00:58:56] Speaker C: I. I think that, I think the third act of of two and a half is. Is my favorite. Like, just overall, it's so good. [00:59:03] Speaker A: Yeah, you get like, just a nice mix of Kennedy and O.J. you get a nice mix of everyone who does a really good job. And it's the, the gags. It's when you think there might be a bit of a break, they just keep going. Like, yeah, the. The artillery gun is just like out of nowhere. [00:59:24] Speaker C: And you're just like, right. [00:59:25] Speaker A: You cannot anticipate. And also the fact that the film just ends because they unplug the nuke. [00:59:30] Speaker C: Right. He trips over the power cord. Nuclear bomb. [00:59:37] Speaker A: There's. There's so many gags, it's understandable to not remember all of them, but it's just like it was. This was. It was a fun time just to go through and be like, I wish more movies could do this and just be glad that we're even getting another one 30 plus years later. Like, how that will do that is something I'm very curious about. Especially because it's August, and August is always like a weird time in the summer. Like, you know, sometimes you'll get like. Like, Guardians did incredibly well in an August slot like a decade ago. But, like, then you'll just get like, oh, this will be a surefire hit. And then it just kind of whiffs and, you know, August and September kind of like that end of summer into fall Oscar season is always kind of a weird place for movies. So I'm glad at least it's getting released in theaters. I think it's absolutely kind of ridiculous that Paramount, which, again, glad it's getting a theatrical release, they're giving the Naked. Get him the actual release. But the fact that they put the Kendrick Lamar, Trey Parker, Matt Stone film. [01:00:38] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [01:00:38] Speaker A: On Paramount plus, because they didn't think it was going to make any money, I assume. [01:00:44] Speaker C: Well, I don't. [01:00:44] Speaker A: Or they're afraid it's going to be too political because it is very. The premise is phenomenal in that film, but clearly they're probably afraid that it's going to be maybe too woke or controversial. Frank Drebin, a man who would fight against Woke if he was still around. [01:01:02] Speaker B: Well, yeah, I just keep hearing that the new Naked Gun they made him woke. Our friend Mitch, who also contributes at Midwest Film Journal, was telling us that. But in the new one, he's a bumbling idiot instead of a badass cop. Nothing is sacred. [01:01:19] Speaker C: I guess the hashtag not my Drebin, right? Not my Frank. [01:01:24] Speaker A: God, I would feel like I'm in a fever Dream. If I saw Twitter actually care that much about Naked Gun in that kind of. [01:01:36] Speaker C: I think that's an aspect of the grift that anybody with a, with even half a brain could see through. But I wouldn't put it past someone from trying. We'll see. [01:01:46] Speaker A: Oh yeah. I mean it's. Again, it's be interesting too because I feel like there is a bit of a generational gap for the Naked Gun films because they're just, they're just so silly. And also the spoof film like hit a wall in the mid to late 2000s in a way that I think put so many people off in a way that is like. I think it's at a point now where you go like, why does the spoof movie meet the Spartans? That's right. [01:02:13] Speaker C: Yes. [01:02:14] Speaker A: It's Meet the Spartans. It's disaster. [01:02:16] Speaker C: Date movie, Epic movie. [01:02:19] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:02:19] Speaker A: Again. And there's. And then unfortunately there are people in our generation and younger who still kind of have soft spots for certain jokes in those movies. Those movies are not very good. [01:02:31] Speaker C: Wasn't there one called Vampires Suck also? That was a Twilight. [01:02:34] Speaker A: You would be so. You would be surprised how many people still defend Vampire Sucks just because it's like, we'll see. It's making fun of Twilight. You don't like Twilight? Don't you think he's like, no, that doesn't make it any better. [01:02:46] Speaker C: Right. [01:02:48] Speaker A: If it's not funny, like it's. It is. [01:02:50] Speaker B: Well, those, I mean that, that's the Freeberg and Seltzer. [01:02:53] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah. I've seen Date Movie and Epic Movie, but I have not seen any of their other stuff. Those two were enough for me. [01:03:02] Speaker B: I mean that particular brand or run of. Of spoof films that we're talking about right now just got so bogged down in like every joke has to be an explicit, like visually obvious reference to another movie that came out recently. [01:03:18] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:03:18] Speaker B: Or like in the last. You know, it's like there are no actual self contained gags in the movie where it's just characters being stupid. It's like all of it is. You know, here's Leonidas showing up to kick some guy into a hole. [01:03:32] Speaker A: Like, you know, or here's Kim Kardashian. [01:03:36] Speaker B: Or literally. [01:03:38] Speaker A: Yeah, it's before Ryan, Before Ryan Murphy. Put him. Put her in like television. [01:03:43] Speaker C: It's like the, it's like the insert character. I need you to distract Kangaroo. [01:03:52] Speaker A: Nick, you didn't see King Legacy this year in May. It came out this year. 2024. The King Dynasty. [01:04:00] Speaker C: I forgot all about it. I didn't see that. [01:04:02] Speaker A: He's come and gone. It's coming. Oh, man. Yeah, it's. I don't know. It is, it is kind of. It is nice just to go back to these movies. And even though the Anne Nicole Smith joke. [01:04:16] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:04:17] Speaker A: Is. Is very much made me go, oh, I don't like this. But I mean, I get it. It's 94. And now that you brought up the Crying Game of it all. [01:04:28] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean it's, it's more, it's more overt in Ace Ventura because they use the song from the movie. [01:04:34] Speaker B: You're right. [01:04:35] Speaker A: That's right. But. [01:04:36] Speaker C: But I mean those movies came out that and 33 and a third came out like seriously within weeks of each other. And so you had, you know, pretty much the same joke, you know, pretty much at the same point in each of the movies too, you know, in a large way. So. [01:04:52] Speaker A: Well, I'm glad you, you brought up a Marvel meme because I wanted to know if you felt like you were watching back. If you're a kid. Looking back, did you feel like you caught a reference when Pap Smear from the Naked Gun shows up in Pat shows up in 33 in the third. Because I had to be. I had to be reminded that he was. [01:05:11] Speaker B: And he's also a Police Squad character. [01:05:13] Speaker C: Yeah, of course he is. So. Yeah. I mean, when, when I went like, I remember like I had at that point I had seen the original Naked Gun, you know, probably 50 times. Right. Like between renting it and it being on cable and stuff. And. And yeah. So like when they said, you know, Pap Smear, I was like, oh, it's. And it's even the same guy, you know, And I'm sure, I'm sure I mentioned it and I'm sure my friends are like, what are you talking about? [01:05:39] Speaker A: Like, and you said, well, you see in the Police Squad lore. [01:05:42] Speaker C: Right. Yeah. Like I'm sure on the drive home from the movie theater I was like, okay, so here's the thing. [01:05:49] Speaker A: Yeah. And I will say while. Because I just remembered it while Police Squad Police. In the original Naked Gun my favorite iconic joke is of course nice beaver still. [01:05:58] Speaker C: Right. A recently headed stuff. [01:06:01] Speaker A: I really hope that the true. If they're gonna make a Naked Gun popcorn bucket and it's the fucking beaver, I will happily it is. So I'll be. I love it is. [01:06:11] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:06:12] Speaker A: That's what I want. [01:06:13] Speaker C: Oh yeah. [01:06:13] Speaker A: Yeah. They did. [01:06:15] Speaker B: Okay. [01:06:15] Speaker C: It's. [01:06:15] Speaker A: I don't think I was too scared to think it's true. [01:06:18] Speaker C: I don't think. I don't think it says, I recently had it stuffed. But it is a beaver and it is a popcorn vessel, as it makes me laugh that they call it now. And it does say, nice beaver. [01:06:27] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [01:06:28] Speaker A: Okay. [01:06:28] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:06:29] Speaker B: Wow. [01:06:30] Speaker A: We have, we have a friend that we love to death who is the one person that is obsessed with the popcorn vessels. [01:06:36] Speaker B: Yeah, she buys all of them. [01:06:37] Speaker A: She buys them. The last two that she bought, she bought the Jurassic World Rebirth one and she bought her. She bought Herbie from Fantastic Four. And the funniest thing is, is she always sends a picture of them with her sitting and uses her legs as like for length because it's like the way she's so like she'll have the giant fossilized leg and you can barely see your feet or that it's like with Herbie you can tell like how big he is because it covers her whole. [01:07:04] Speaker C: Like that's funny. [01:07:05] Speaker A: It's like. Jesus. That's insane. [01:07:06] Speaker B: Have you, Nick, have you seen the Jurassic World popcorn? [01:07:10] Speaker C: No. What is it? [01:07:11] Speaker A: You can't call it a bucket. It's not a bucket, right? [01:07:14] Speaker B: Yeah, it's. It looks like a chunk of mud that they pulled out of the ground that had a. Like a dinosaur footprint. [01:07:21] Speaker C: Okay. [01:07:22] Speaker B: So it's like. I mean it's, it's a, you know, like a charcuterie board sized thing. It's like the wide flat and just has a big indent in it for the popcorn. Dinosaur footprint. [01:07:34] Speaker A: And. [01:07:34] Speaker B: Yeah, you just lay your popcorn in there like a tray. [01:07:37] Speaker C: That seems like it would be incredibly messy. [01:07:41] Speaker A: It's. Yeah, it's as wide as like a human. Like an adult. [01:07:44] Speaker B: I think it would fill the recliner seats at amc. [01:07:48] Speaker A: Like, I didn't know that because that same person we went to like she had a birthday party and we went to it and she had that bucket there and she put it on like the fireplace. Because there's nowhere else to put something like that because it's like heavy. It's like kind of like a little bit got some heft to it. [01:08:06] Speaker C: I think the only paraphernalia like that that I have purchased was when Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice came out and they had the shrunken head. Drink. Drink dispenser. The cup. Yeah, I have, we have two of those. But yeah. [01:08:21] Speaker A: Nice. Yeah, I did popcorn and I did buy. In honor of the final reckoning, I got the, the suitcase. That is what you're supposed to put your popcorn in. [01:08:34] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [01:08:35] Speaker A: And you. And like the side of the suitcase. [01:08:37] Speaker C: Doesn'T have a drink? [01:08:38] Speaker A: No, that I wanted so bad. Apparently that's in other countries. [01:08:42] Speaker C: Oh wow. [01:08:43] Speaker A: They have that here. [01:08:45] Speaker B: If they scraps over here. [01:08:47] Speaker A: If I could have the syvestables keys and I could put it in a little popcorn bucket, that would have been great. But I just have a little, little suitcase that I ate popcorn out of and had to real how to figure out. I had to figure out how to even wash lights. I just was like, I don't know how you wash a suitcase that is supposed to be a popcorn. [01:09:06] Speaker C: These feel like hand washing scenarios. Like I don't think they. [01:09:10] Speaker A: Yeah, they are. They are. But it's still. [01:09:12] Speaker C: It's still weird, right? [01:09:14] Speaker A: You never realize how silly it is to clean a suitcase until you have to. After you put popcorn in it, fill. [01:09:19] Speaker B: It with greasy popcorn. Don't be too glum about not owning a popcorn vessel because I'm sure they'll come out with one for Horizon Part 2. [01:09:31] Speaker C: Oh, right. Yeah. I mean maybe I'll get the nice beaver one. We'll see if my local establishment has it. Yeah. [01:09:39] Speaker A: God, if it's amc, I hope it's was the biggest thing they could make of it. [01:09:44] Speaker C: Like. [01:09:47] Speaker B: I just want Haze Horizons 10 gallon hat popcorn. [01:09:51] Speaker A: Yeah, I want, I want it to be like an epoxy bowl that just has like a Kevin Costner autograph that he has clearly signed. But it's not even from Horizon. It's just like, you know, a picture from like I don't know, Builder of the. [01:10:07] Speaker C: It'd be just like. [01:10:08] Speaker A: It's something that you'd find at a con. [01:10:09] Speaker C: If you'd be funny if they picked like some incredibly esoteric thing from it. Like you know, like remember the house siege where they like survive by like sticking the. The, the stock of the gun, the gun barrel like through. [01:10:22] Speaker B: Right, right, right. [01:10:23] Speaker C: If it was just like some giant like gun stock popcorn. [01:10:28] Speaker A: Don't worry, mama. This is where I want to be. I'm going to be with daddy now. [01:10:32] Speaker C: Yeah, right. It all comes back to Horizon. [01:10:37] Speaker A: It always comes back to Hayes. [01:10:38] Speaker B: Horizon wouldn't stand Haze. [01:10:40] Speaker A: Horizon, I need you to stop Kang for me. [01:10:45] Speaker C: Maybe. [01:10:45] Speaker A: God, I hope maybe if they do. [01:10:47] Speaker C: A new Naked Gun too, they'll call it an American Saga Chapter two and three quarters or whatever they. [01:10:53] Speaker B: The Naked Gun in American Saga Part 2. [01:10:57] Speaker A: I really was like, I was thinking the other day what would just be a fun subtitle for like if the new one gets more films. I just think if you call it the next one it's funny. [01:11:07] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:11:07] Speaker A: Like if you just call it Naked Gun the Next one, or Naked on the Last One. That's, that's just easy. [01:11:13] Speaker B: Like, I mean, we were, we were talking about Ice Road Vengeance the other day. How I didn't even realize that was a sequel. [01:11:24] Speaker A: I really didn't know either when he. [01:11:26] Speaker B: Said, oh, it would have been hilarious if the new Naked Gun movie adopted one of Those like very 21st century sequel subtitles of Vengeance or Retribution or like, you know. Well, those are both Naked Gun Reloaded. [01:11:41] Speaker C: I mean, there's also a Liam Neeson movie called Retribution. Right, Just called Retribution. So I mean, okay, maybe that's the joke. Maybe each subtitle is just the name of a shitty Liam Neeson movie that he probably doesn't even remember that he made. [01:11:58] Speaker A: Nick, what are you talking about? He's never. He post taken. It's all been bangers. Yeah, it's all been bangers. He's not. What was the one he did with Matthew Modine that was really funny or like it looked really funny in the trailer. He could never leave us. [01:12:11] Speaker C: That was retribution. [01:12:12] Speaker A: Was that retribution? Oh, there it is. [01:12:15] Speaker B: That trailer had a hilarious edit in it which was like him saying like, that's my best friend. And then the next shot is him blowing up. [01:12:22] Speaker C: Right. [01:12:23] Speaker A: And I think, and I think I, I think I always remember that because I think Liam Neeson's son in that film, I believe is the kid with dreadlocks and Avatar Way of water. I can't remember. [01:12:31] Speaker C: I think you're right. [01:12:32] Speaker A: The Tarzan looking kids again. [01:12:35] Speaker B: Spider. [01:12:36] Speaker A: Spider. That's right. Spider with a Y. Because it's cooler. I mean, really, I'm going. We're gonna go see the Naked Gun just to see the Fire and Ash trailer. We could see Fantastic Four for it. But I really think it works better in front of naked. A gun. [01:12:55] Speaker B: We're not in Kansas anymore. [01:12:58] Speaker A: Well, Nick, thank you so much for joining us. [01:13:03] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. [01:13:04] Speaker A: Like, like, again, it's. It's one of those things where like we all three clearly had a really good time going through these films, especially going through like again with you and having the experience with them. And it's, it is films that I think like we could probably find more to talk about for like another 30 or so minutes. But like, it really is just like if you've never seen these movies, you should give them a watch. [01:13:27] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:13:27] Speaker A: Give at least the first one a try. And if you're into it, go to two. If there's. If it's too much for you after two and a half, then you can stop for a little bit, but, like, it's been a long time, I think, since we've seen a trilogy that is, like, in my opinion, pretty fairly consistent. [01:13:43] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:13:44] Speaker A: Like, I would say. I would say. [01:13:46] Speaker B: Or at least, like, never really, like, loses sight of the. The initial goal. [01:13:51] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:13:52] Speaker B: It keeps on. On the mission all the way through. [01:13:55] Speaker A: Yeah. Like, 33. And a third doesn't even end with, like, this will be the last Naked Gun film. It just ends with Leslie Nielsen thinking O.J. fucked his wife getting run out of the hospital. [01:14:07] Speaker C: Right. [01:14:07] Speaker A: And then it just goes right to credits. One of the best things about these movies, as much as they're fun, there is quite an economy in terms of runtime. There's some runtime economy here where it's like. [01:14:18] Speaker B: Well, all of them are under 90, right? [01:14:20] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, they are. Three is the shortest, I think, by, like, two minutes. [01:14:23] Speaker C: Well. And for people who are listening who haven't watched them, make sure that you do watch all of the end credits, because the end credits have jokes hidden. Hidden in the actual credits themselves. There's no additional scenes, but there are numbers, numerous really funny jokes hidden in the credits. [01:14:46] Speaker A: There's even, like, the. The bully from Pee Wee's Big Adventure is in the first film, and he has a single line, but in the credits, he is credited as the line guy. [01:14:58] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:14:58] Speaker A: There's so many of those credits. They're just like this woman that said one line. [01:15:02] Speaker C: It's that line. That line, Logan, is. Hey, that's Enrico Palazzo. [01:15:08] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah, I could remember who this. Who. The singer he was pretending to be. And then, like, I think after that is you killed him is like the. Is like the you killed him woman. [01:15:18] Speaker C: Right. I like that they list it instead of cast. It says people who acted in the movie. That. That always makes me laugh. [01:15:27] Speaker A: It's so silly. It's just. It's silly. It's fun. You can definitely find things nowadays that are as silly in different. In a more modern sense. But, like, it just. It very much feels. It's. It's nice to go back to what. It's just. We're making something super dumb intentionally and having a blast with it. And this is not the jackass type of dumb. [01:15:51] Speaker C: No. [01:15:51] Speaker A: This is the type of, like, slapstick physical gags, visual gags that I wish were in more comedies today. I would. I love a good visual gag. I know I was trying to get us out of this, but I just remembered the one visual gag where they put the police squad just on the door, but police is back or Squads backwards. So you can't read Squad. You read Squad backwards and police is forwards. It just, again, it just shows like the visual gags are very fun throughout. And if you're just looking for a good, a good laugh, you can't go. And you can't go wrong with a Naked Gun film. [01:16:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:16:35] Speaker A: Like it's, it's. They, they hit better than a scary movie. Like in terms of like their batting average. [01:16:42] Speaker B: I mean they've certainly aged better than most. [01:16:44] Speaker A: Yes. [01:16:45] Speaker B: The scary movie brand of parody film. [01:16:47] Speaker C: And I would. [01:16:48] Speaker A: Doesn't mean I'm not kind of excited for six just to see if the weigh ins could bring it back. [01:16:52] Speaker C: And I would say too, I mean, Leslie Nielsen did a lot of other parody movies, including some with some of the people that wrote on the sequels to Naked Gun that are. So if you get through Naked Gun and you're like, oh my God, Leslie Nielsen did a half dozen other parody movies. I should watch those. Don't watch those. They're not very good. Those are very much. Kind of started falling into the mode of the date movie epic movie where it's just name checking. I remember the low point of that for me. He did a movie called Wrongfully Accused that was just a spoof of the Fugitive. And it's literally just every possible drawn out gag that you could think of from the fugitive in an 80 minute movie. And it was just like, okay, he has to hang it up now. This is. It was like Liam Neeson like ten years after take. And it's like, okay, come on, come on. [01:17:56] Speaker B: 2001 a space travesty. [01:17:58] Speaker C: See the house. See, I didn't even see that one. I tapped out. I'm pretty sure I tapped out after Wrongfully Accused because by that point there was Spy Hard, which is not good. There was Dracula Dead and Loving it, which is not good. [01:18:11] Speaker A: See, that's the one I think of when I think of like the other spoof like Dracula Dead. [01:18:15] Speaker C: Loving it. A Repossessed. It was a, an Exorcist spoof with Linda Blair. Also bad, right? [01:18:23] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, if you want like. Yeah. I would also recommend if you've seen the Naked Gun films or haven't seen in a while and you want to see more of his other stuff, check out something before Airplane. Like it. Even if it's Day of the Animals. [01:18:34] Speaker C: It'S Day of the Animals is hilarious in its own way. [01:18:37] Speaker A: I'd also recommend like if you've never seen Creepshow, which is the Stephen King he plays. He's in one of the vignettes with Ted Danson. And he plays like a villain, basically. [01:18:49] Speaker C: Yeah. [01:18:49] Speaker A: And it commits to it really well. Like, he's. He's still got a little craze to him because he's supposed to be a crazy man, but, like, he's. He's good in that movie. I like him. And I like him in that. God. Ah, Creep show. If only they made a third one. I could probably force Andy to watch the creep. It's. I mean, no, I mean, we're already doing. I was thinking this. I don't know we've even said on the pod yet we're doing Toxic Avengers sequels at some point. So that's gonna be. I think I got flashbacks. [01:19:23] Speaker B: Speaking of doing sequel trilogies, this. Obviously, this isn't a sequels only trilogy, but this was a nice refresher from the Superman sequels trilogy. [01:19:32] Speaker A: Yes, absolutely. [01:19:33] Speaker B: In that going back to our point of keeping on brand, staying true to the mission, understanding all the way through to the end, not something that the Superman sequel. [01:19:45] Speaker A: I have to wonder, though, could Richard Pryor kill Frank Drebin? [01:19:49] Speaker B: Not a chance. He could kill Nordberg. He could kill Norberg for sure. [01:19:53] Speaker A: That would be. It is like Simpson vs. Pryor, and it's just like Naked Gun Logan. [01:20:00] Speaker C: Do you want me to. I feel like this could be like the odd trilogy's equivalent of Make a Wish. Do you want me to do, like a Make a wish for you? [01:20:12] Speaker B: Do it. [01:20:13] Speaker C: There is. There is a Creep Show 3. [01:20:16] Speaker A: Oh, are you talking about the God? [01:20:19] Speaker C: It's like. It's. It's like a direct to DVD. I don't know if it's entirely official. [01:20:26] Speaker B: 2006. [01:20:27] Speaker A: See, I knew of that one, but I think. I just never considered it because it has one. No Romero tie and no king that. [01:20:34] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, but. But if you. [01:20:36] Speaker A: It is there. [01:20:37] Speaker C: It's there. [01:20:38] Speaker A: It is there. [01:20:38] Speaker B: It exists. [01:20:39] Speaker A: It exists. I guess if we need a Halloween trilogy that we're just begging to do. [01:20:46] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean, you know, God knows how you'll feel about your decision after you watch Creepshow 3. But it is. It does exist. [01:20:54] Speaker A: If we do do that trilogy, if we decide if we're desperate enough to do that as a fun gag, will you join us for that? Having you say this, I'll do it. [01:21:02] Speaker C: I've seen Creepshow and Creepshow 2. I've not seen Creepshow 3, but I would join. Yes. I feel it's only. I feel it's only fair for perhaps planting the seed of ennui that would. That would kick in. [01:21:17] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:21:19] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:21:19] Speaker A: And then that would also lead me down a rabbit hole of do I even watch the Shudder original creep show stuff? [01:21:25] Speaker C: Yeah. Oh, well, Andy would watch that because he's doing extra credit on all this stuff. Like with. [01:21:32] Speaker A: Here's the thing. He's the one who makes fun of me for doing extra credit. Credit. So I. I watch. [01:21:37] Speaker B: I make fun of you for buying every movie that we watch. [01:21:41] Speaker A: I don't. I don't buy. [01:21:42] Speaker B: I know, I know. [01:21:43] Speaker A: I just bought the Richard Donner cut with Superman Returns. But I did not watch Superman Returns. I just had to buy it. There's no other way to get it. I did push you to watch Richard Donner cut. And I did watch Supergirl. Just. [01:21:54] Speaker B: Yes. [01:21:54] Speaker C: Oh. [01:21:55] Speaker A: Before we watched Superman. [01:21:56] Speaker C: I'm sorry. That Supergirl. [01:21:59] Speaker A: But here's the thing. I like Supergirl more than Superman 3. Personally. Even though Supergirl. [01:22:05] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, I can see. I can see that. [01:22:08] Speaker A: I don't think Richard Pryor could kill Supergirl. I feel like that's just. I think every Norton kills Supergirl. Well, anyway. [01:22:17] Speaker C: Too far. Too far, Andy. [01:22:19] Speaker B: Too far. [01:22:19] Speaker A: No, no, no, no. I don't know what. I don't know what you're talking about. If. If the kryptonite fits. But, Nick, before we sign off, is there anything you would like to talk about or push that you're doing recently? Are you about to do upcoming that you're really excited? [01:22:33] Speaker C: So we've had a really busy summer series over at Midwest Film Journal. We just did. We like to do kind of month long celebrations of people's birthdays and just kind of jump through their filmography. So in June, we just did Angelina Jolie for her 50th birthday. And then we're recording this in the doldrums of July. But throughout July, we've done a Willem Dafoe series for his 70th birthday, which your very own Andy Carr has contributed the closing essay on a Willem Dafoe project that is probably the most esoteric essay anyone has written about. A specific Willem Dafoe essay, inevitably. So I'm just gonna. I'm gonna throw that out there as the teaser to go to Midwest Film Journal. And the series is called Dafoe de Friend. And Andy closes it out with an essay that I'll also throw in that he thought that I was bullshitting him when I asked him. Well, yeah, so I don't want to spoil what it's about, but he. But he put it. He said he'd do it as a joke. I being the keeper of the sheet for these series, actually wrote it in earnest on the sheet. And then I reached out to him and he's like, well, wait a minute. He's like, I kind of put that on there as a joke. And then I'm like, but you should write it. And not only did he write it, but it turned out to be. I read it and I was like, this has to be the closer. This is great. This sums up the very cosmic essence of Willem Dafoe. [01:24:09] Speaker A: So I cannot wait to see what that is, because he hasn't told me anything about now. [01:24:14] Speaker C: You know. Yes. So. But. But yeah. So midwestfilmjournal.com is where you can find that. And then we, of course, have a whole slate of reviews of current films and classic films, and we have a lot of ongoing series. So just feel free to head over there, dive in and check it out. [01:24:33] Speaker A: Great. Yeah. [01:24:34] Speaker B: Again, Nick, thank you. [01:24:35] Speaker C: You're most welcome. Thank you for having me. It's always a blast. Hopefully it won't be another year. Or if it is, we'll have all three Horizons sequels. And we can do that odd trilogy. [01:24:50] Speaker A: No, if anything, the cl. If I. I say this in hopes that it comes out and soon, just out of nowhere, because it'd be the most Costner ever. But, like, would love to have you on if we ever talk About Horizon Part 2 in the near future. [01:25:05] Speaker C: Like, oh, yeah. [01:25:06] Speaker A: Especially now that we. Now that we're aware that one, that movie is finished and was shown in festivals before pulled, and two, it actually apparently has a lot of the things that promised that was not given in that first movie. So that would be fun to talk about. Hopefully not as long as the first saga, the first film, but. [01:25:24] Speaker B: And as a little closing note here, a little treat before Logan signs us off. I was not a believer. But, Nick, you are correct. We are going to end this episode right in Naked Gun runtime territory. [01:25:37] Speaker C: I said we could do it, and I believed we could. And you know what? We weren't watching a clock either. So that's just a two. Just a good, natural stopping point. [01:25:50] Speaker A: But yeah. So this episode, it's August 9th, correct? [01:25:54] Speaker B: Yep. [01:25:56] Speaker A: On August 23rd, we will be now finally covering the Katsi trilogy, which, again, is going to be. It was going to be quite a shift after the not so fantastic First Steps trilogy. It's definitely going to be a shift after the next Mega Gun trilogy. [01:26:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:26:13] Speaker A: But we're excited to talk about those films. Andy has already been hyping up the first one for me. Have you watched the other ones yet. [01:26:20] Speaker B: I've watched the. I watched the first two. I've not watched first two. [01:26:23] Speaker A: You've not thrown one. Okay. But, yeah, tune in August 23rd when we cover the Qatsi trilogy. And as always, I'm Logan Sowash. [01:26:32] Speaker B: And I'm Andy Carr. [01:26:34] Speaker A: Thank you so much for listening. Bye.