Our Top 10 Pixar Movies + Interview With Craig Gillespie

Jeff D LoweHost0:00

Hey, Project Big Screen listeners.

Jeff D LoweHost0:01

You can find us every Monday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.

Jeff D LoweHost0:05

Prime members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music

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Jeff D LoweHost1:14

All right, this episode of Project Big Screen, we have Pixar rankings because we're doing Toy Story 5, also the death of Robin Hood, and is Shrek 5 the most hated trailer ever released? It's been out for about a week now.

Jeff D LoweHost1:27

People loathe the Shrek 5 trailer, which they don't loathe Spider-Man, which we'll talk about as well.

Jeff D LoweHost1:33

All that and more coming up on Project Big Screen.

Jeff D LoweHost1:42

All right, Project Big Screen, episode 38.

Jeff D LoweHost1:45

Two more weeks left in June.

Jeff D LoweHost1:46

We're nearing a big, big, big July for movies.

Jeff D LoweHost1:51

But a big week this week as well.

Jeff D LoweHost1:53

A pretty big one.

Jeff D LoweHost1:53

A huge release.

Jeff D LoweHost1:54

Toy Story 5.

Jeff D LoweHost1:55

We're talking Death of Robin Hood as well.

Jeff D LoweHost1:58

A new Hugh Jackman movie.

Jeff D LoweHost2:00

Interesting one there.

Jeff D LoweHost2:02

And then we're doing our top 10 Pixar movies.

Jeff D LoweHost2:05

Obviously, pretty massive rankings here.

Jeff D LoweHost2:08

Where do things fall? Where do things land? But let's start out.

Jeff D LoweHost2:11

We have also a couple big trailers.

Jeff D LoweHost2:14

One trailer is one of the most downvoted trailers on YouTube I've ever seen.

Wait, really?

Jeff D LoweHost2:18

Big hate.

Jeff D LoweHost2:19

Big hate.

Jeff D LoweHost2:20

Like major-

Really?

Jeff D LoweHost2:21

Like turned off the comments hate.

The Marvel one.

Jeff D LoweHost2:26

No.

Oh.

Oh, oh, oh.

Jeff D LoweHost2:28

Shrek.

The other one.

Jeff D LoweHost2:29

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost2:30

No, no, no.

We talked about it last week too, but yeah.

I still need to get some things off my chest about that.

Jeff D LoweHost2:34

Oh, that's right, because you guys, I forgot we recorded midweek.

It was honestly-

Jeff D LoweHost2:39

But yeah, we lead with the reaction of Shrek 5 because since then the reaction has been out and it's bad.

Jeff D LoweHost2:42

It's really bad.

Mm-hmm.

Good.

Jeff D LoweHost2:45

People-

Good

Jeff D LoweHost2:46

... people ha- like are, are furious about the Shrek 5 trailer.

Yeah, you missed Clemmer said that, uh, Shrek's like the dumbest thing that ever came out in the animated world ever.

Like he-

Jeff D LoweHost2:54

Wow

...

he is a, shocker, tremendous Shrek hater.

Jeff D LoweHost2:57

Hmm.

He started doing his cartoon thing where he just like once he, once he wants to disrespect an animated movie, he just starts saying cartoon over and over again.

Jeff D LoweHost3:05

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's cartoons.

I don't watch cartoons.

Jeff D LoweHost3:08

Yeah.

It's really funny.

Jeff D LoweHost3:08

But meanwhile he'll like, he'll literally suck ET's like little brown cock that he rather...

Jeff D LoweHost3:12

But no, so many issues with the cartoon, but-

Which, Jeff-

Jeff D LoweHost3:15

... any kid's property that is live action is okay

... we did the Spielberg ranking too, and there was, I'm gonna guess, just an error on your, your end, uh, putting the list together.

You did not have ET on your list.

Where would it have been?

Jeff D LoweHost3:27

Was it not on there?

No. [laughs]

Jeff D LoweHost3:29

That might, that might have just not...

Jeff D LoweHost3:30

Yeah, I was doing it on a plane, so I think-

Yeah

Jeff D LoweHost3:33

... that might have been, might have been it.

Jeff D LoweHost3:35

Um, obviously the ET would have been like top three.

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost3:37

Okay.

I was gonna say like when Gooch said that-

Jeff D LoweHost3:38

I still think it landed pretty high though, so.

Yeah, once J- once, uh, Gooch said that I'm like there is no, there is actually no chance ET is not in Jeff's top five.

Jeff D LoweHost3:44

Yeah, I'm actually curious.

Jeff D LoweHost3:45

I can, we can, we can do, I can do an amendment on that list.

Jeff D LoweHost3:48

Um, I can tell you what it actually ended up being.

Jeff D LoweHost3:52

Uh-

It was still, it still was top five-

Jeff D LoweHost3:54

It was, uh-

...

in my ranking though

Jeff D LoweHost3:55

... no, it was like eight.

Okay.

Yeah, it definitely would have changed.

Jeff D LoweHost3:58

I can, I can, I can tell you where, I can tell you where it would have been, uh-

I think it would have been at like five.

If you had it like top three, I think it would have been-

Jeff D LoweHost4:04

Yeah

... five or four.

Jeff D LoweHost4:05

Yeah, because I had it at-

It would have bumped The BFG out of a spot

Jeff D LoweHost4:07

...

Jeff D LoweHost4:07

ET is three for me on, on, on his list.

Mm-hmm.

Jeff D LoweHost4:10

So, um, I guess I can, I can...

Jeff D LoweHost4:14

When, when we do our list, I'll do a...

Jeff D LoweHost4:15

You know what? I, we'll, we'll just, we'll just do, we'll just do it now.

Jeff D LoweHost4:17

We'll just do-

Yeah

Jeff D LoweHost4:18

... where, where, where would ET have landed had I had the, the proper vote? Um-

So it would have bumped The BFG down from the three spot at least, and then-

Jeff D LoweHost4:26

Yeah

...

I don't know where Tin Tin would have ended up, but-

Jeff D LoweHost4:28

Probably, uh, behind The Post at like seven.

Just behind The Post.

Jeff D LoweHost4:31

I mean-

Yeah

Jeff D LoweHost4:31

...

Jeff D LoweHost4:31

if you follow me on Letterboxd, you know I, I didn't, I would, I did not put Disclosure Day in my top 15.

Jeff D LoweHost4:39

And the more I think about Disclosure Day, last week was a mess w- uh, work travel-wise and stuff, so just g- things just kinda got all gummed up.

Jeff D LoweHost4:46

I did wanna talk about it, but the more I think about Disclosure Day, the more I dislike it.

That's kinda where we were.

Jeff D LoweHost4:51

It just, it just-

Yeah

Jeff D LoweHost4:52

...

Jeff D LoweHost4:52

it just falls apart.

Jeff D LoweHost4:53

It's...

Jeff D LoweHost4:54

The, here, here's my one comment on Disclosure Day, which I think is probably the worst thing you could ever say about a Steven Spielberg movie.

Jeff D LoweHost5:01

It, the best way to watch that movie is to turn your brain off, but that's like what you say about a Michael Bay movie.

Hmm.

Jeff D LoweHost5:09

And that's just like the scr- it's David Koepp.

Jeff D LoweHost5:10

The script's terrible.

Jeff D LoweHost5:11

It's a terrible script.

Jeff D LoweHost5:13

They, it's just, it was, it was a b- I still had fun with it, and there's some g- great stuff in it still too.

Jeff D LoweHost5:17

Emily Blunt, the action stuff, all that I, is, is, is great.

Jeff D LoweHost5:22

But it, uh, yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost5:24

Yeah, not, not, not, not, not my favorite.

Jeff D LoweHost5:27

Um [laughs] new top 10, um, on the Spielberg.

Jeff D LoweHost5:31

I'll, I'll, I'll mention it, uh, when we do our list later.

Jeff D LoweHost5:34

Uh, Toy Story 5, when Bonnie receives a Lily Pad tablet as a gift and becomes obsessed, Buzz, Woody, and Jessie, and the rest of the gang's jobs, we'll get to that part in a minute, become exponentially harder when they have to go head-to-head with the all-new threat to playtime.

Jeff D LoweHost5:49

ScreenTime is the villain.

Jeff D LoweHost5:50

Hour 42 minutes long.

Jeff D LoweHost5:51

Andrew Stanton directing.

Jeff D LoweHost5:52

He did Wall-E.

Jeff D LoweHost5:53

He did Nemo.

Jeff D LoweHost5:53

He did Finding Dory.

Jeff D LoweHost5:54

He also did two live action movies which were fucking stinkers.

Jeff D LoweHost5:57

John Carter, um, bad movie, but very recently, In the Blink of an Eye, a sci-fi movie with Kate McKinnon.

Hmm.

Jeff D LoweHost6:04

Dreadful movie Like, so bad

John Carter must die.

He just don't-

Jeff D LoweHost6:09

So John, John Carter could have been better.

Jeff D LoweHost6:10

John Carter also-- Part of John Carter's problem was the marketing was just a fucking disaster.

Jeff D LoweHost6:14

Now, I'm not saying it's a good movie, but, uh, there's a little bit of that there.

Jeff D LoweHost6:17

It definitely is hurt by its marketing, uh, and the fact that it bombed.

Jeff D LoweHost6:20

Uh, Tom Hanks back, Tim Allen back, Joan Cusack back.

Jeff D LoweHost6:23

Not even back, like a big-time main player, Joan Cusack as Jessie.

Jeff D LoweHost6:27

It's her movie.

Jeff D LoweHost6:28

Greta Lee plays Lily Pad, then the, the, the tablet.

Jeff D LoweHost6:32

Uh, Conan O'Brien has a big character.

Jeff D LoweHost6:35

Craig Robinson, Tony Hale, Bonnie Hunt, Kristen Schaal, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Keanu Reeves, Ernie Hudson, Jeff Garlin, Annie Potts.

Jeff D LoweHost6:42

List goes on and on.

Jeff D LoweHost6:43

Uh, three hundred and twelve million dollars worldwide.

Jeff D LoweHost6:46

Biggest opening for the franchise.

Jeff D LoweHost6:48

Not too shocked on that.

Jeff D LoweHost6:49

Uh, ninety-four, ninety-five percent spoiler on Tomatoes.

Jeff D LoweHost6:52

IMDb seven point seven.

Jeff D LoweHost6:53

Metacritic seventy-three.

Jeff D LoweHost6:54

Letterboxd three point eight.

Jeff D LoweHost6:56

Uh, Toy Story 5, what do you think, Ken Jack? Where do you have it?

Uh, I have it right now as an eighty-eight.

I think I liked it a lot more than I liked Toy Story 4, but it's still not on the same, I would say, playing field as the first three.

Uh, and I think that's something that we talk about a lot with Disney live action remakes, reboots, late sequels, anything like that, is that, like, we know as adults, right, like the primary goal is to make money.

So from, I think, our perspective, what I really want is to just buy into the illusion that, like, make me believe for a second that you have something to say.

Make me believe that for a second you're making this movie for some reason other than money, and that's it.

I want, like, you know, like the cipher in The Matrix, like ignorance is bliss.

Like that's what I want.

I want to buy into The Matrix, and I think this movie clears that bar because it has all the stuff that you expect out of Toy Story, which is like the visuals, good voice acting, solid kid jokes, and also some for adults, like a little bit of that infrared there, and it just...

it has something to say.

And I think that the messaging here with screen time doesn't come off too badly to me as like just old man yelling at sky, where it's like, "Things are different now.

Stuff, stuff doesn't work the same way." And it feels like the message is more about kids trying to find their tribe and how they find it, whether that be through screen time or whether that be through something else, and I like that messaging a lot.

So like is it better than the first three? No.

But I appreciate that it clearly had a lot more to say than Toy Story 4, which is a, a big step in my opinion.

So I'm at an eighty-eight.

Jeff D LoweHost8:19

Okay.

Jeff D LoweHost8:20

I actually liked it a little more than-- a little less than Toy Story 4.

Jeff D LoweHost8:24

Um, I gave Toy Story 4 a ninety.

Jeff D LoweHost8:25

I, I re-watched it.

Jeff D LoweHost8:26

I quite like Toy Story 4, and I like this too.

Jeff D LoweHost8:30

Um, I gave it an eighty-nine.

Jeff D LoweHost8:31

It's a, just a hair below it.

Jeff D LoweHost8:32

I think it's very enjoyable.

Jeff D LoweHost8:34

My biggest issue with it, and this is not a spoiler or anything, I'm just gonna give, I'm gonna give you the warning to people.

Jeff D LoweHost8:39

The, the, the side characters I just think have taken too much of a back seat in this franchise.

Jeff D LoweHost8:45

Um, now I do wonder how much of that is voice actors passing away.

Mm.

Jeff D LoweHost8:51

Um, the voice actors, I mean, from, from Don Rickles to Jim Varney, um, obviously they don't, they're not alive anymore.

Jeff D LoweHost8:59

So Mr.

Jeff D LoweHost8:59

Potato Head, Slinky, like...

Jeff D LoweHost9:01

And they were all there through Toy Story 3.

Jeff D LoweHost9:04

Jim Varney was not alive for Toy Story 3.

Jeff D LoweHost9:06

They did replace him.

Jeff D LoweHost9:07

Um, but obviously since then we've lost, um... [lips smack] Who else was lost in the voice cast? Um, oh, it's gonna drive me nuts.

Jeff D LoweHost9:16

Um, anyway, point being, I don't know if that's part of it.

Jeff D LoweHost9:22

Oh, Estelle Harris passed away, obviously.

Jeff D LoweHost9:23

Both Potato Heads.

Jeff D LoweHost9:25

So I don't know if that's a part of it.

Jeff D LoweHost9:26

But for me, it's like if you go back and you watch one and you watch two and you watch three, especially like two.

Jeff D LoweHost9:31

Like two's got the great stuff at Al's Toy Barn.

Jeff D LoweHost9:34

Uh, the, the side characters are such a big part of it, and I just think they take such a massive back seat in these movies, and it kinda takes away from it a little bit for me.

Jeff D LoweHost9:45

Um, but I like the story here.

Jeff D LoweHost9:47

I, I like the villain here.

Jeff D LoweHost9:48

I like how they do it.

Jeff D LoweHost9:49

Um, I think one and three...

Jeff D LoweHost9:52

Well, I, I mean one, two, and three are just a cut above the rest, um, by a pretty heavy margin.

Jeff D LoweHost9:57

Um, but I did enjoy this.

Jeff D LoweHost9:59

It, it's, it's enjoyable.

Jeff D LoweHost10:00

Um, but I j- I just wish maybe a little better, and I do think that's part of, I think, the side stuff.

Jeff D LoweHost10:08

I mean, Wallace Shawn's alive.

Jeff D LoweHost10:09

John Ratzenberger's alive.

Jeff D LoweHost10:10

Like there's still voice in the characters.

Jeff D LoweHost10:11

Like, uh, those, those characters are-- They just feel less of...

Jeff D LoweHost10:14

Like I...

Jeff D LoweHost10:14

I mean, I grew up, I'm a Toy Story kid.

Jeff D LoweHost10:16

I was f- I was four when the first one came out.

Jeff D LoweHost10:19

Like I, I don't know.

Jeff D LoweHost10:20

It's like it-- The, the gang was my thing, right? Like I liked Buzz and Woody, but like it was the whole gang.

Jeff D LoweHost10:24

Like that's, that's who I liked.

Jeff D LoweHost10:26

So that, that's, that's kind, that's kinda my big takeaway for...

Jeff D LoweHost10:28

As from the adult perspective.

Jeff D LoweHost10:30

In terms of like what they're trying to do, I think they did a great job.

Jeff D LoweHost10:32

So, um, that's where I have it, eighty-nine.

Yeah.

That would explain it 'cause my...

I think my biggest complaint coming out of the theater was this is all very com- like competently made.

Like excessively competently made.

Like I would go ahead and place your bets on this winning Best Animated Feature.

Like it, it really is just doesn't have a blemish anywhere.

But it's not that funny, and I, I think that is where the good jokes were almost, not exclusively coming from those side characters, but they played such a large role in like getting me to laugh.

Like we talked last week about I was doing a rewatch of the first two, like the Rip Torn stuff with the little green army men, so fucking funny.

Hilarious.

Jeff D LoweHost11:14

Right.

Like-

Jeff D LoweHost11:15

Everyone has passed away.

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost11:16

Yeah.

Everything on the side.

Jeff D LoweHost11:17

Yeah, yeah.

They, they-

Jeff D LoweHost11:18

Yeah, everything died, yeah

... provided such a jolt of comedy every time they were on screen, and you're right, they, they were pushed to the side here.

Although another side character in Jessie, who I guess maybe not side-side, but she got her time to shine here.

Um, but I thought this was extremely well done.

Um, Pixar flexed their just top of the line animation department at several points in ways that I don't think they've gotten to in the past few years, even since like, what was the last one? Uh, not Hoppers, but before that.

Um, who's-

Jeff D LoweHost11:49

Pre-Hoppers, like Elio or like...?

Uh, like Elemental, they, they got to do some stuff there.

Jeff D LoweHost11:55

Okay.

But this, like the, the Buzz, and we'll talk more spoilers.

But like the Buzz is the, the Buzz army side plot gave him a shot to, uh, really flex, and then the imagination sequences-

Jeff D LoweHost12:08

Yeah

... were fucking incredible.

Jeff D LoweHost12:09

I love that.

Jeff D LoweHost12:10

Yeah.

They were great.

Um-

Jeff D LoweHost12:11

Yeah, the Buzz, the Buzz in the water, obviously that's a, an homage It looked amazing-

Yeah

Jeff D LoweHost12:16

... with, with the, with the, with the neon light, with the light, with the glow-in-the-dark parts.

Jeff D LoweHost12:19

It wa- it was, that, that looked great.

Jeff D LoweHost12:20

I mean, it, the Toy Story does look amazing.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You can tell they have just their A-team on this.

Like, you really can.

Um, and I thought...

I was worried, uh, to Kinjak's point, I was worried going in 'cause there is just so much low-hanging fruit available for the tech bad, uh, storyline.

Yep.

And I thought they did a very good job of being nuanced on it, um, without completely, you know, giving themselves over to...

They could have easily gone extreme in one way or the, one way or the other.

They could have just been like, "Hey, we, kids should not be on these things.

Kids should not be playing with iPads or LilyPads or what have you." They didn't do that, and they also didn't say like, "No, these are actually good.

This is just, like, what kids play with these days, and the old toys are gone, and this is just part of life." No, they said like, "It has its place, but, you know, old toys do too." Uh, I really respected that.

Um, so I'm landing at an 85.

Uh, I, I was pleasantly, I wouldn't say surprised by this, but there were some fears going in that this could be a letdown 'cause it's the fifth movie in a franchise, and any time you get this deep, you gotta have those concerns.

But I thought they did a really good job.

A really, really good job.

Now, I, I would like to hear how, how kids are responding to it 'cause I...

It plays to kids, but like you said, Kinjak, it does have more adult stuff in it, uh, which has kind of been, been a Pixar trademark for about 10 years now.

Um, but I, I would like to hear, like, are kids loving this? Um, 'cause I haven't really heard about that yet.

Mm.

Jeff D LoweHost13:53

Seems like it.

Jeff D LoweHost13:54

I mean, it's getting very high audience marks.

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost13:56

So.

Kids in my audience loved it.

I'm sure I watched it the same way you did-

Yeah

... where it's just in a giant loaded theater full of little kids, and then just yourself as a 30, whenever year old in the back of the theater just like, "I am not a pedophile.

I am not a pedophile."

[laughs]

Like, I almost wanna, like, wear a shirt, like, that says it.

But they, all the kids in the theater were, they were having a raucous time.

So, I mean, I think in that, in that regard, almost hard to say it's not a success.

Yeah, I did the Sunday night showing in New York City, uh-

Smart

... which, uh, means that it was just a bunch of people getting high outside the theater and walking in.

[laughs] There were, there were no kids in my audience, let me put it that way.

Mm.

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost14:30

Yeah, it, it, I, I think we can get into spoilers here 'cause, I mean, I mean, how long are we gonna spend on this, this Toy Story? Um, but my...

Jeff D LoweHost14:38

Like, you ki- you kinda know what you're getting here, and I think they're gonna make another one, um, I would assume.

Jeff D LoweHost14:43

Um, I, it just doesn't hit as profound for me as the other four, honestly.

Jeff D LoweHost14:49

I think it's...

Jeff D LoweHost14:49

And I, it's by a hair compared to four, but then obviously with, with one through three, it's like, it just doesn't-

Mm

Jeff D LoweHost14:57

... hit that mark, um, that kinda leaves a lasting impact, which those three do, especially three, which is just otherworldly in terms of, like, storytelling for a fucking animated movie.

Jeff D LoweHost15:08

It is unbelievable.

Jeff D LoweHost15:09

Um, I mean, nominated for Best Picture.

Jeff D LoweHost15:11

So, yeah, I mean, I like the, I like where they go with it.

Jeff D LoweHost15:15

I like how they kinda wrap up, not wrap up Jessie's storyline, but kinda dive deeper into it, and there are some nice moments, like, there are some nice revelations.

Jeff D LoweHost15:23

I don't want to spoil her territory now, but her, you know, kinda digging up her old stuff-

Yeah

Jeff D LoweHost15:27

... and se- you know, going back to the old house, seeing that she did leave an impact on her owner.

Jeff D LoweHost15:32

Um, all that stuff is really nice.

Jeff D LoweHost15:34

Um, but I, I think...

Jeff D LoweHost15:36

You know, and even the ending is nice with, like, you know, making friends and, like, you know, the tablet.

Jeff D LoweHost15:39

And the tablet's not, by the way, a full villain.

Jeff D LoweHost15:42

Not, not-

No

Jeff D LoweHost15:43

... not a full on-

No, she's good

Jeff D LoweHost15:44

... th- th- th- th- this ain't, this tablet ain't Stinky Pete or, or Lotso.

Jeff D LoweHost15:48

Like, that-

Yeah

Jeff D LoweHost15:48

...

Jeff D LoweHost15:48

the, the, you can't do that when, when you're Disney and you got that Disney+ app on kids' tablets.

Jeff D LoweHost15:53

You gotta, you gotta-

Mm-hmm

Jeff D LoweHost15:53

... make the, the tablet somewhat of a redeemable character, right?

Very redeemable.

I mean, when [laughs] I...

This ma- this might make me a bad person, but, but when the tablet realizes, when Lily Pad realizes that she's caused harm to this, to poor Bonnie, and she throws herself, she kills herself.

Yeah.

She's like [laughs] she kills herself.

Yeah.

She jumps off the table and throws herself in the donation bin.

[laughs] That kind of made me laugh.

I was like, "Whoa, whoa."

Yeah.

That's, I think, a strength to it too, though.

It's like, it's a...

Even with the, the, the pad.

The pad wants what is best for Bonnie, right?

Yes.

And, like, even then with the parents, I think that's, like, the s- you get the whatever their view on it.

Because, like, if you're a parent and, like, you wanna get your kid something that helps them relate to other kids more 'cause you want your kid to have friends, that's the pad.

Even if you don't want them to have it, you would rather them be playing with, like, regular toys or being, like, more of a kid like you were growing up.

You wanna get them whatever it is that helps them relate to other children more.

And, like, that necessarily isn't necessarily what might not be best for them but is what helps them socially.

So I don't know.

It's weird.

It's a weird, it's cool, like, um, I think way that they approached it.

Jeff D LoweHost17:01

Yeah, I, I, I think, I, I think they did a very nice job.

Jeff D LoweHost17:04

I just, I, I...

Jeff D LoweHost17:05

But, like, they've also...

Jeff D LoweHost17:06

I mean, there is a point where it's like you, you have run out of things too.

Mm.

Jeff D LoweHost17:10

Like, you, you can't make too many more of these.

Jeff D LoweHost17:13

'Cause at what...

Jeff D LoweHost17:14

Like, what is...

Jeff D LoweHost17:15

I mean, I guess they've now hit the next trend, right? They've hit technology.

Jeff D LoweHost17:19

They split 'em up in the last one.

Jeff D LoweHost17:21

You know, the owner gets older in the one before that.

Jeff D LoweHost17:24

The one before that, you know, it's kind of about, like, identity and importance and, like, um, you know, like the lost toy thing and, um, you know, grappling with being a toy that's whatever, not loved.

Jeff D LoweHost17:34

And that's kind of what the first one is as well, just in a different way.

Jeff D LoweHost17:37

But it's like how many more of these? Like, like, what, what's the next step on Toy Story six? I don't know.

Yeah.

They do the Rose toy.

They go into Bonnie's mom's drawer to find those toys.

Jeff D LoweHost17:47

[laughs]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

No, no, they already have Buzz.

He's there.

Maybe they go to the museum now.

Jeff D LoweHost17:52

Oh, God.

I don't know.

So I, I don't know.

I don't, I don't know.

Um-

They're also called Buzz and Woody, the toys in the mom's drawer.

[laughs] Yeah.

Um, I liked it though.

Um, I enjoyed it.

Uh, one of the better Pixar in the last couple years obviously, and they do a very nice job with Toy Story.

And they obviously put in maximum, maximum everything to make sure that these don't stink, and they've released five, and none of them are even come close to stinking.

Mm-hmm.

So that does say something

Jeff D LoweHost18:20

something'Cause Pixar does have an issue with some sequels for sure.

Jeff D LoweHost18:25

That's for sure.

Jeff D LoweHost18:26

But we all did like Toy Story 5.

Jeff D LoweHost18:28

Uh, so check out Toy Story 5.

Jeff D LoweHost18:30

Worth a watch.

Jeff D LoweHost18:31

I would assume for most people ends up near the bottom of their lists, um, in terms of Toy Story movies, but probably middle of the road at worst with Pixar.

Jeff D LoweHost18:40

And we will have our full top 10 Pixar movies coming up in a little bit.

Jeff D LoweHost18:46

Uh, another movie we're gonna talk about, The Death of Robin Hood.

Jeff D LoweHost18:50

Interesting one here.

Jeff D LoweHost18:51

Um, grizzled take on Robin Hood.

Jeff D LoweHost18:55

Uh, grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder, Robin Hood finds himself gravely injured after a battle he thought would be his last.

Jeff D LoweHost19:04

In the hands of a mysterious woman, he's offered a chance at salvation.

Jeff D LoweHost19:08

Um, he's greatly troubled by a w- by and weary of his long history of murder and crime.

Jeff D LoweHost19:13

Um, a very dark Robin Hood movie.

Jeff D LoweHost19:15

Comes from A24.

Jeff D LoweHost19:17

Hugh Jackman, uh, Jodie Comer's in it, Bill Skarsgård as Little John.

Jeff D LoweHost19:21

Um, Murray Bartlett's in it.

Jeff D LoweHost19:24

Uh, not a strong weekend at the box office, kind of as I expected it to really bring in billions of dollars.

Jeff D LoweHost19:30

2.7 million domestic opening.

Jeff D LoweHost19:33

70%, 61% score on Tomatoes, not so totally shocked by that.

Jeff D LoweHost19:36

6.5 IMDb, 60 Metacritic.

Jeff D LoweHost19:38

Letterboxd 3.1.

Jeff D LoweHost19:39

Uh, Michael Sarnoski did this movie.

Jeff D LoweHost19:41

[lips smack] Um, also did Pig.

Jeff D LoweHost19:44

Excellent movie.

Jeff D LoweHost19:45

A Quiet Place: Day One as well.

Jeff D LoweHost19:47

Uh, Gooch, where do you have The Death of Robin Hood?

Uh, I'm landing at a 70 on this one.

Um, there will be an audience for this who will really eat it up just because we do not get, I think, enough movies set in this time period, the medieval stuff that's really well made.

I think like Eggers is like the only one really trying to do it at a high level like this, and Sarnoski kinda knocked it out of the park.

I really have become enamored with his style.

Uh [chuckles] we joked about it in our interview, but like the misty, like very dewy nature.

It's very atmospheric, and that's been like his trademark through these three movies.

And that kind of like anti-revenge storyline, which he brings across here too as well.

I thought it was another great Jackman performance.

It's not his best.

I think if you wanna compare it to Logan, which it's not a complete one-to-one, but there are similarities there.

I do think the Logan performance is just better.

Um-

Jeff D LoweHost20:41

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost20:41

It's profound

...

but he's really good here.

Jeff D LoweHost20:42

And there's, there's, there is a little bit of history to the Logan thing too-

For sure

Jeff D LoweHost20:44

... which is unfair to this, but like there's a buildup to that which-

Exactly

Jeff D LoweHost20:49

... again, it's unfair to compare, but like that exists in that movie and you kinda have to acknowledge that.

Yeah, but I, I did think this was really, really well done.

Uh, I think the story is very interesting in terms of kind of deconstructing the myths, um, that we love and like kind of how stories change over time and the things we idolize and how we change history, uh, in real time, uh, just to kinda fit what we want.

Really impressed by that, and I was really, really impressed by the first 30 to 45 minutes of this where there's quite a bit of action.

It does have a problem in the back two acts of this movie where it comes to a screeching halt, and I think it is just a little too slow, a little too dour, and it I think will have a tough time.

And the box office is reflecting that.

Will have a tough time-

Jeff D LoweHost21:42

Mm-hmm

... really grabbing an audience and creating really any kind of excitement about, about the movie.

Um, so I'm landing at a 70.

Um, I'm excited for what Sarnoski does best.

Jeff D LoweHost21:53

It's certainly niche.

Yeah.

It, it's, it's niche.

Um, I'm excited for what Sarnoski does next.

Uh, I think he has a much better movie in him than this.

Uh, but this is good.

This is a good movie.

Jeff D LoweHost22:05

Ken Jack, I know you quite liked it, right?

Yeah, I liked it a lot.

I landed on 87 for it.

Uh, and I think that like just visually that he really gets it, Sarnoski.

I mean, like in our interview we talked about him with it too.

They shot this in like a month in Ireland-

Jeff D LoweHost22:18

Yeah

... on, on film.

Uh, real locations, real fields, real mud, real glens with mist and shit flowing through, and I think you could feel that, and that's so often missing, uh, from, from movies, especially ones that like get like a good cast and like high A-list actors or whatever.

Uh, so stunning visually.

I think story-wise, uh, you mentioned a lot of it, Gooch, like his approach to the legend of Robin Hood and like how he dissects stuff like that and like how it changes and like even whatever history written by the victor, all that sort of thing, and how different peoples sort of appropriated the legend of Robin Hood and what he might have actually been.

Uh, but I liked it a lot, and I agree with you.

The first half of it is very action-heavy, much more similar to like the opening of something like The Northman, which I think it reminded me of in bits and pieces.

Um, and then the second half is something more like Valhalla Rising, which I also really like, which is more like meditative and more like surreal at points and more like let's really like, like sit in with this guy and like what he's feeling and all that.

And that I w- that I will totally understand is not everyone's cup of tea, and I would never fault anybody for watching this movie like, "I was really bored.

I didn't like it.

It's a snooze fest," blah, blah, blah, blah.

But like for me, I'm really l- like engrossed in that, and I really enjoy that.

Uh, so I like that.

I think Jackman was awesome, and like you guys were saying with the Logan comps, like definitely there's something there, but I also think his job in this movie is significantly harder than his job in Logan was because in Logan, like you're always rooting for Logan.

You're 100% on Logan's time for 100% of the movie.

You want Logan to succeed.

In the introduction of this movie, you are told right away Robin Hood sucks.

This guy is an asshole.

He's a murderer.

He's a thief.

He's a piece of shit.

You hate his fucking guts, and yet you still, throughout the course of the movie, flip to his side in wanting him to have that sort of resolution, which I think is a way harder job, uh, at least as performance-wise for an actor.

And, uh, Jodie Comer was awesome, great.

Obviously she's-- every period piece she's been in has been, at least in my opinion, a home run from her, uh, as a, from a performance standpoint.

And also like Bill Skarsgård was unrecognizable to me.

Jeff D LoweHost24:07

Yeah.

I did not realize that that was Bill Skarsgård at all.

I was-- I, I didn't know he was playing Little John, but like I remember we, we all saw it at, uh, the sc- the same screening, and like we left and we're like, "Where was Bill Skarsgård?" It's like, "Oh, that was him." Like didn't recognize him.

Obviously you're not supposed to recognize Murray Bartlett, but he was also transformative too.

And I think both of them gave really good performances in like limited screen time, especially Bartlett, who I think gives like a pretty, um, impressive, I would say, like monologue with him as he's like they're in that church or whatever.

Uh, so yeah, really impressed by them.

I think Sarnoski, this is like proof positive to me that he can hit in different genres too, and I was also impressed when we talked to him.

I think pretty smart guy.

guy.I'm a pretty smart guy.

So yeah, very excited to see whatever Out of Grewthew, uh, Gooch.

Very excited to see what he has next.

Jeff D LoweHost24:48

Yeah, I, I'm kinda with where, where Alan Gooch is.

Jeff D LoweHost24:51

I gave it a 71.

Jeff D LoweHost24:52

I enjoyed a good amount of this.

Jeff D LoweHost24:54

I liked how it kicked off.

Jeff D LoweHost24:55

The beginning is great.

Jeff D LoweHost24:56

I just kind...

Jeff D LoweHost24:57

There, there's a bit of a lack of keeping that energy throughout for me that I wish it kinda would've kept, and it, it didn't exactly land.

Jeff D LoweHost25:04

'Cause I li- I like-- I know what you're saying, Ken Jack.

Jeff D LoweHost25:06

I think that's, that's pretty evident with this, is that, like, you are supposed to fucking not like him, right? Like you, you, you, you are supposed to view him as this villain.

Jeff D LoweHost25:15

So it's not like this grizzled, like, L- Logan.

Jeff D LoweHost25:20

But there...

Jeff D LoweHost25:21

It, it just doesn't the rest of the way, like, I don't know, it just doesn't fully land or do anything profound for me or say anything.

Jeff D LoweHost25:28

I, I, I like it.

Jeff D LoweHost25:29

I like it, but I, I don't know, like, it, it almost...

Jeff D LoweHost25:32

Am I crazy for saying, like, it, it should've just kept that beginning of the movie energy throughout the whole thing? And I think, I think what they were trying to achieve would've landed more because, like, I thought in the beginning I'm like, "Oh, this guy's just gonna be..." And, and this is gonna be endless violence piece of shit from start to finish, and I'm gonna have to, like, take a fucking...

Jeff D LoweHost25:50

Take a knee when the movie's over.

Hmm.

I, I get the thought process, but also then, like, how do you land with him getting any redemption if, like, it's just full violence all the way through? Like, that works in, in Logan, right? Where that's where basically what it is.

You're full throttle violence throughout most of the movie, but you're on his side.

Like, he's rough around the edges, but you're on Logan's side for every second of that movie.

But you, you need, you need, I think, a slow down to a degree at least to, like, give...

Build some empathy with the character of Robin Hood.

At least...

Well, or at least that's what I felt while I was watching it.

Jeff D LoweHost26:21

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost26:21

I, I, I, I, I get what you're saying there.

Jeff D LoweHost26:23

It's, it's a huge, huge swing.

Jeff D LoweHost26:25

This, this movie is a, is a massive swing, and it's one of those ones that [lip smacks] shout out A24 for trying something with this, and it looks fantastic.

Jeff D LoweHost26:36

Um, but I, I don't know.

Jeff D LoweHost26:38

It's, it's almost like I, I think you almost had to...

Jeff D LoweHost26:42

It...

Jeff D LoweHost26:42

The way it sets it up, the way it postures from the beginning, like, it almost just had to stay, like, he's just the worst the whole way.

Jeff D LoweHost26:49

I don't know if that's maybe...

Jeff D LoweHost26:50

Maybe that doesn't work.

Jeff D LoweHost26:51

Maybe I'm nuts on that.

Jeff D LoweHost26:52

I don't know.

Hmm.

Jeff D LoweHost26:53

'Cause I still liked it.

Yeah.

I, I get what you're saying.

I, I think it's...

It'd be hard because then who's your antagonist? If, if he's just a bad way the whole way through, I guess who's your antagonist protagonist, right? I already know you want, like, the other Gooch side.

Jeff D LoweHost27:05

Would that have been interesting though if you go, like, full on, like, he is...

Jeff D LoweHost27:10

Like, you take the myth and you just flip it on its fucking head and he's just, like, this just absolute piece of shit, and there's another...

Jeff D LoweHost27:17

He's the antagonist the whole way through.

Hmm.

Jeff D LoweHost27:20

Is that too, is that too much of a swing?

See, I also like in, I guess this is kind of like a spoiler talk, but I also like, like, the flip with Jodie Comer's character.

Like, when they do the reveal for her backstory and everything like that.

Like, I thought, I thought that part was very, like, oh shit.

And, like, so you don't get something like that out of that movie, I guess, so I don't know.

Jeff D LoweHost27:38

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost27:38

I get, I get, I get, I get what you're saying there.

Jeff D LoweHost27:39

I guess that'd be my one, I guess, swing that just doesn't...

Jeff D LoweHost27:42

It's like, man, like, I, I, I'd be curious how that would've played because I could, I could very well be sitting here talking about it if they did that, where, like, you know, the movie ends with, like, t- the townspeople fucking slashing Robin Hood's throat because he's such a bad guy, right? Like, I guess, I guess you could do that, but then I could be sitting here saying, "Well, that was fucking stupid."

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost28:01

Like, that was like...

Jeff D LoweHost28:02

Like, that, that almost sounds like some, like, Zack Snyder, like, edge lord bullshit, right? Where like [laughs] maybe that's, maybe that's, like, maybe that's too stupid.

Jeff D LoweHost28:11

'Cause I, I...

Jeff D LoweHost28:12

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost28:12

I don't know.

Jeff D LoweHost28:13

May- may- maybe that's dope 'cause that, that's my big, like, that's the big thing that didn't work for me, I'd say.

Hmm.

I will say this is, this is the best Robin Hood movie in 25 years.

What...

When was the Costner one?

That was '90s, right? So early '90s, like, 30 years really.

30 years? Which is nuts for, like, a character that has been on movie screens for, I mean, since the dawn of movies.

Um-

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost28:39

Yeah, we've kinda hit a lull, right, of not a lot of Robin Hood stuff.

Yeah, the, the Eric Edgerton one-

I mean, I think that Taron-

Yeah.

Sucked

That Taron one killed it.

[laughs]

Yeah.

I think people were like, "Nope."

Jeff D LoweHost28:48

Yeah, you have the, the 2018 Taron Egerton one with Jamie Foxx, which is-

And Ridley Scott one.

Jeff D LoweHost28:55

Yeah, it's a bad...

Jeff D LoweHost28:56

And, uh, what's her face is in it.

Jeff D LoweHost28:57

Fucking, uh, y- uh-

Which one?

Jeff D LoweHost29:02

U2's daughter.

Jeff D LoweHost29:03

Bono's daughter-

Eve Hewson

Jeff D LoweHost29:04

... who was in Disclosure Day.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Jeff D LoweHost29:05

Eve Hewson, yeah, she's in it.

Jeff D LoweHost29:07

Um, who-

What a character, right?

Jeff D LoweHost29:13

Not great in Disclosure Day.

Jeff D LoweHost29:14

[laughs]

Dude, she was-

Jeff D LoweHost29:16

Not great in Disclosure Day.

She stunk.

She-

Um-

It's very hard to blame her 'cause the writing is not exactly helpful for her, but she was not good.

Jeff D LoweHost29:22

Yeah, I mean, the 2010 Ridley Scott one is-

Also not great.

Not great.

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost29:27

Horrible.

Jeff D LoweHost29:30

Te- terrible movie.

Jeff D LoweHost29:33

And then, yeah, I guess you go back to Prince of Thieves, right?

Yeah.

Prince of Thieves or honestly you could do Men in Tights if you wanna can technically consider that.

And I'm asking-

Jeff D LoweHost29:42

Yes, I would also-

... whether you consider that or not

Jeff D LoweHost29:43

...

Jeff D LoweHost29:43

if you really wanna rip something, I mean, Men in Tights is fantastic.

Yeah.

Or the animated, uh, the animated one too, also not bad.

Jeff D LoweHost29:50

I'm high on Men in Tights.

Jeff D LoweHost29:51

I know some people don't love Men in Tights, but I'm high on it.

Jeff D LoweHost29:53

I, I think it's a, a excellent movie.

Jeff D LoweHost29:56

But I, I, I love Mel Brooks stuff.

Jeff D LoweHost29:57

Yeah, there really haven't been a ton...

Jeff D LoweHost29:59

Wasn't, wasn't he in, was he in Snow White?

Who?

Jeff D LoweHost30:03

The live an- the live action Snow White.

Jeff D LoweHost30:05

Wasn't, like, his...

Jeff D LoweHost30:06

Wasn't that basically Robin Hood? Didn't they, like, basically-

Basically, yeah

Jeff D LoweHost30:09

... put him in that movie?

Eh, I don't know.

I think they did.

I didn't see that.

Jeff D LoweHost30:13

Yeah, I'm pretty sure, I'm pretty sure the, the new-

I boycotted it

Jeff D LoweHost30:17

...

Jeff D LoweHost30:17

the, like, the, the love interest character I'm pretty sure is, is, um, it's basically Robin Hood.

Okay.

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost30:26

I, I think, like, that's the thing though.

Jeff D LoweHost30:27

It's like what is, what is the, what is the, the cultural interest in Robin Hood in 2026?

Yeah.

I think it works 'cause he's, like, so class warfare based and, like, that is kind of the, the topic du jour right now.

Jeff D LoweHost30:41

Yeah.

Yeah.

I think, I think if you took it...

Obviously this is, like, going in the complete opposite.

Like, it's trying to run away from the-

the-The classic telling of Robin Hood.

But I do think like a classic telling of Robin Hood, if done right, would really work right now.

Yeah.

Really, really work.

Yeah.

It's gonna be s- like very pared down, I guess.

Like very simplified.

But I like this one a lot.

Jeff D LoweHost31:05

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost31:06

This is, this is...

Jeff D LoweHost31:06

It, it's a cool swing.

Jeff D LoweHost31:08

I didn't love it.

Jeff D LoweHost31:09

I, I li- I enjoyed it.

Jeff D LoweHost31:10

I didn't love it, love it.

Jeff D LoweHost31:11

Like I didn't walk out being like, "Yeah." And I actually kinda liked it more the more I thought about it.

Jeff D LoweHost31:15

Um, but I think Sarnowski's a, a really good director, and the, the look of this is, is also fantastic.

Jeff D LoweHost31:22

It does look great too.

Beautiful.

Jeff D LoweHost31:24

Um-

Beautiful, beautiful movie.

Jeff D LoweHost31:26

So, you know, I, I, I hope...

Jeff D LoweHost31:27

Look, again, like, you know, Pig is, Pig is something else.

Jeff D LoweHost31:31

Like, uh, Pig's an excellent movie that kinda got lost in the year it came out, and should have been nominated for more things.

Jeff D LoweHost31:38

It should have gotten more recognition.

Jeff D LoweHost31:40

And I know the people that have seen Pig quite like it.

Jeff D LoweHost31:42

Um, he also did the A Quiet Place movie, which is obviously a big time one for you, one for me type thing.

I think he, I think he literally said that.

[laughs] Like he was like-

Jeff D LoweHost31:53

Did he literally say that?

Yeah.

I think he like just came out and said it.

Jeff D LoweHost31:55

And that, that movie, that movie's really solid too.

Jeff D LoweHost31:57

Like I, I, I, I mean, honestly, I think I fucking like that movie more than this one.

Jeff D LoweHost32:00

Um, but this is like a swing and it's his thing, and he went for it.

Jeff D LoweHost32:05

And, and that's cool, and I'm excited to see what he does next.

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost32:07

Essentially.

No, he was very impressive when we talked to him.

Like I, I would place a future on him right now if I could.

Like he, he's got the juice as a writer and a director, for sure.

Jeff D LoweHost32:18

Yeah.

Jeff D LoweHost32:19

Like, like even though like story didn't fully work for me here, like I respect it and I see what he was going for, and I like that much, so.

Mm-hmm.

Jeff D LoweHost32:28

Yep.

Jeff D LoweHost32:28

Uh, check out Death of Robin Hood from A24, uh, in theaters now.

Jeff D LoweHost32:35

Definitely check it out.

Jeff D LoweHost32:35

You need to...

Jeff D LoweHost32:37

You know, go see, go see the Toy Story, go see the blockbusters.

Jeff D LoweHost32:39

But this is smaller movie, um, which deserves some more love.

Jeff D LoweHost32:43

'Cause yeah, that's, that's a director that should definitely be making more things.

Jeff D LoweHost32:47

Um, next week, Supergirl, which I know you guys talked to Craig Gillespie.

Mm-hmm.

Jeff D LoweHost32:54

Um, but Supergirl comes out next week.

Jeff D LoweHost32:55

You also have the, the apparently the last Jackass movie.

It should be.

Jeff D LoweHost33:00

So they say.

They're getting old.

Jeff D LoweHost33:01

And then Invite as well from Olivia Wilde.

Jeff D LoweHost33:03

So a big week, um, a big week next week, uh, in the theaters.

Jeff D LoweHost33:09

Potentially, we'll talk about Supergirl in a minute.

Jeff D LoweHost33:12

Uh-

Oh

Jeff D LoweHost33:13

...