Backrooms and Exit 8: Liminality vs. Narrativity | #1067

20:13Adam Kempenaar:And I would say that that was mostly true for me. And that's the inventive what you're describing. That's the inventive camera work that I'm referring to. And in addition to what you're describing, how about just more subtly, sometimes the use of lenses that distort and that affect the shape of characters and the shape of rooms and the proximity of characters to each other or within certain spaces. And it takes things even like very innocuous conversations. They should be innocuous conversations. And it just makes them seem like everything in this movie, like something is off. It gives everything just an extra bit of eeriness.

20:59Adam Kempenaar:And that production design obviously giving us the back rooms themselves. And you can imagine the work that went into that. And it's all of those elements, the actual physical elements within the space and just concocting that. But it is those walls. It's the choices of color. It's also the sound design, Josh. It's that faint every time they enter. When they enter, it's the faint electronic hum. It's just that constantly a little bit annoying once you become aware of it. And yet in those sort of office-like spaces, it's just always there and it's always here.

21:43Josh Larsen:And you know what that ties to? I think what I was getting at about, you know, generationally why these resonate is you only hear that hum if you're in a space that's too empty. That doesn't have enough people in it. Exactly. And, and so I think it's capturing again, this, this, it, it's not only it's at once empty spaces and it's also a depopulation thing. And I know they go hand in hand and you're saying like, sure, but there's something eerie about just being an empty space. And there's also the existential angst about the, we have less human contact than ever now. And the younger generation absolutely has less, especially those who have our digital natives and went through the pandemic.

22:28Josh Larsen:I mean, like the amount of human contact that's been taken away from them. And so you, you make a movie like this, that is visualizing that with these empty spaces and literalizing it with the fact that there are, you know, not as many characters in the film. I, you know, it's, it's why it's why it's so disturbing. Adam, we always talk about the greatness of the theatrical experience and one of the elements. Yeah, sure. It's the sound, the big screen, all of that. But it's often we say being with a crowd, you know, you want to, you want to be with a group and experience it together, whether it's comedy or, or horror.

23:08Josh Larsen:I'm going to argue that if you're going to go see back rooms, you would get a better experience, a better match for that movie. If you see it as I did middle of the day, somewhere where it's very likely, ideally you're alone. I think I had maybe three people slightly scattered among a relatively big theater. And it just echoed the eeriness of being in a space that's meant to be populated. Oh, yes. Yes. It was kind of the perfect match. So if you're going to see back rooms, try to see it that way. With Regal Unlimited, you could also see it for free. Regal Unlimited is the all you can watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits.

23:49Josh Larsen:Right now, Regal is offering film spotting listeners endless movies for less. If you sign up for Regal Unlimited using code FILMSPOT26, you'll get 15 % off. Regal Unlimited is the only truly limitless movie subscription pass. You can see any standard 2D movie anytime. There are no blackout dates or restrictions. Also with Regal Unlimited, you won't just save money on tickets. You'll also save on snacks. Members get 10 % off all non-alcoholic concessions. Sign up now in the Regal app or at the link in our description and use code FILMSPOT26 to receive your discount.

24:32Hello? Hello?

24:39Adam Kempenaar:Anyone there? There's another way that Parsons here amplifies the existential dilemma of Clark, which is even just as subtle as the fact that we learn and it's not right away but we learn that there is a basement to this building the fact that clark's ottoman empire is already so large and expansive and we do not ever see a single customer right and then we catch that there that there are stairs and there's a banner and i can't remember what it says but it says something like even more deals downstairs and then you go downstairs and of course the downstairs is is just as large and there's all this old furniture so the fact that the business is such a failure that there's there's already no customers upstairs the basement has been shut off there's no reason for anybody to go downstairs it's another representation of how much of a failure he is as a business owner, that that space even exists down there.

25:50Adam Kempenaar:And that sign is like, he doesn't look at it, but when I see it as a viewer, I'm like, oh, that's, that's just another way that that's psychically taunting him every time he sees it, that there's even more space down there. And I want to mention another example of that camera work where I was Talking about the lenses or the choice to elide space. We get a quick nightmare flashback, I guess, or nightmare moment with Reitzva's character, Mary, where I think it's her and her mom. And the house that she grew up in is being demolished. And she's bending over looking at a handprint in the ground that's going to play a prominent role in the movie.

26:32Adam Kempenaar:and in the nightmare, a piece of heavy equipment, right? It's dropping stuff from the building. This crane is dropping stuff. The way that's shot, it looks like that equipment or the garbage that it's dropping, it looks like it's five feet away from them, right? That it's about to fall right on top of them. So those are the kinds of tricks that they're doing throughout. But this is where this movie is really effective, Josh, is in these kinds of choices. And what I was going to say is I was thinking about Stand By Me And the fact that we talked about that for its 40th anniversary, and we spent a lot of time talking about nostalgia and it took us back to the 80s.

27:08Adam Kempenaar:Well, now Back Rooms is taking us back to the 90s. And I do give Parsons a lot of credit for doing the opposite here, where for us, the experience, he's weaponizing nostalgia. he's yeah you know with with these spaces like you described these liminal spaces he is weaponizing them because the 90s setting at first i was like is this just going to be about he needs an excuse to have characters who don't have cell phones is this what this is about ultimately and then you realize okay yeah that's definitely a key part of it because you you can't have them potentially making phone calls from the back rooms and then have to explain or or have to explain why they can't make those phone calls.

27:51Adam Kempenaar:And that's more narrative gobbledygook. But also then they'd be shooting everything on an iPhone versus the hand camcorder. And that that completely changes the aesthetic. But it also works. I think it works for the characterizations, too. Right. Where Clark's I'll just say his chauvinism feels a little more appropriate to the 1990s. It still applies. Don't get me wrong but it it feels more appropriate even in this world the the the world outside to your point josh the way the way especially post-covid but even just how kids today coexist or play together or don't play together the world outside that is beckoning mary in her closed off environment kids playing the sound of kids playing which we don't young mary anymore the young mary Right.

28:43Adam Kempenaar:Who's like dying to go outside that that world largely doesn't really exist anymore. Right.

28:50Josh Larsen:And because she would have been, what would you guess? Like where she's a young girl is maybe late 70s, something like that. Yeah.

28:57Adam Kempenaar:And so, you know, early 80s and having her come of age in a time when kids have been out in the neighborhood really matters. But you mentioned those stores and I had a similar thought where those big box furniture stores were ubiquitous. And my first response when I saw it, seeing some of those images was I instantly felt like a kid. I was thinking about how much fun it would be to run around in those rooms. But then it was immediately followed by, but wait, no, those rooms are, they're too big. There's too much space. It is actually scary. You feel overwhelmed by it. And why are things out of place?

29:39Adam Kempenaar:Why are the chairs positioned the way they are? It did start to start to feel creepy, even though my first response was was like, oh, I used to love running around those stores when my mom went shopping, you know, or I was out with my parents as we were looking for a new couch or whatever. So there was a sense watching this movie that as you explore more, all of these rooms are these, and I'm not going to get into spoiler territory here, but all these rooms are the lost dreams of so many 90s families, which is why then it visually makes sense. The rooms start to then have some visual coherence as opposed to just Parsons trying to amp up the creepiness factor.

30:24Josh Larsen:Yeah. So you're getting OK. You're you're getting to the narrative there real quickly, since we've been praising the production design so much. Danny Vermette is production designer working, I'm sure, very closely with Parsons here. But yeah, it's incredible stuff. So the narrative, I, here's how I would say it without spoilers. And then I would like to dig into it with you if you're willing. Um, I like the narrative idea that they came up with to flesh this out into a story, the thematic idea, the concept. I like the concept. I'm not so sure about the execution, what they actually did with it, how it was revealed, and a few things along those lines.

31:10Josh Larsen:That is perhaps what's holding me back from being more enthusiastic about back rooms. But yeah, it would require spoilers to maybe talk about that a little bit more in detail. I don't know if you want to jump in or if there's more you want to say about the narrative that isn't spoilery.

31:24Adam Kempenaar:Well, I can sum up what ultimately going back to my first answer to your question. I think I can sum up without spoilers what is ultimately holding me back narratively that keeps me from fully embracing this film as impressed as I was with so much of the filmmaking. And what it is is that the movie does introduce an element of reality into this liminal space. It introduces something of an explanation for things. And I think once as a filmmaker, you have allowed us slash forced us to consider the construct rather than just sit in the creepiness. We can't help but try to make sense of it all. How this came to be.

32:21Adam Kempenaar:Who was involved? How are they involved? Why are they involved? And once we start thinking about that, then then we're not as immersed. The spell is broken. The spell is broken. And that's what happened to me. And I can understand on some level how. I think this is very clear and plain from the movie. And I don't think this is spoilers at all, or I wouldn't say it. I think that there is an element to the film where we can understand, like with a lot of horror films, there's a metaphorical element to the manifestation. And in this case, the manifestation of that horror is the back rooms, the space itself.

32:58Adam Kempenaar:But it seems for so long as if that the metaphor is what's sustaining the entire film. That's the construct. It's as if it's this representation of our psychological baggage, if you will. to then introduce that reality into the question. As you said, I do think it breaks that spell just enough that it broke the hold that the movie had on me. And I also think when I said earlier that I'm not quite sure what Renata Reinsva is even doing in the film, where I'm going with that, Josh, is that I do feel like, even though I can see how she connects to everything, believe me, the trope of the therapist who also has her own dark issues to navigate.

33:44Adam Kempenaar:Yeah. It felt very cliche to me and not revealing ultimately.

33:49Josh Larsen:And beyond that, it's very, and horror plays with this a lot. I don't draw a super hard line with this, but I do think that backstory demonizes mental illness for creepy factors in a way that, you know, you could have thought, I think it would have been wiser and fairer to come up with a different way. that was one of the things that held me back to you it's beautiful am i right all right spoilers sure let's do it so i i mean this this is something that's because of clues of what's in the back rooms that are related specifically to clark's store fairly early on i think as you were kind of just alluding to i think you know this seems to be an expression of clark's either he's fantasizing it or, you know, clearly there's a connection there.

34:41Josh Larsen:It's not just like this wouldn't be the same if it was in a different place. It's tied intimately to Clark, right? Yes. So I think what we essentially come to realize is that this movie in this world, the subconscious has broken into the physical world. And not only, however, in the case of Clark, because there's when Mark Duplass, who shows up as a scientist, talks to Mary at one point, very at the, at the end, you know, he says there are doors opening everywhere. And this, I think is why we get Mary's versions of back rooms increasingly as the movie goes on. I kind of love that idea. I think that's pretty cool.

35:29Josh Larsen:I hesitate to say this because I don't know that I want this and they're probably going to make these sequels, but it does open the idea of like, what does my back rooms look like? You could come up with any character throughout history and essentially, is this happening? What would their back rooms look like? Part of me is intrigued by that notion. And so I think as a concept and expanding this to feature length is smart. I particularly did not like how Clark, and I think this is tied to how good the performance was, as you described, Adam, like you come to really care for this guy. He's a jerk.

36:06Josh Larsen:He's made major mistakes. He's human. Yes. He's got a lot of, he's got a lot of work to do with Mary, but you still feel for him and that kitchen scene where he has at this point mary has entered the back rooms herself this is the fourth time we as viewers have visited it and it's through mary's perspective and he knocks her out ties her up at the chair and suddenly turns into like a texas chainsaw villain i well the whole scene is out of texas chainsaw massacre like it's what they're going for. It is an homage. It's what they're going for. Are there elements in it that are creepy? Yes. But to me, it was as if everything about Clark had been thrown out in the background.

36:50Josh Larsen:He became a homicidal mania. I mean, I just didn't understand, were these choices just to make it more explicit horror and get the horror rather than the thriller genre tag? Not that I'm clearly not opposed to that, but it just seemed like this was, it became a different movie in that dinner sequence and Clark's forgotten about entirely. That was enough for me. Again, overall quite positive on the movie, but that was enough for me to, you know, say it's not nearly something like Skinnamarink or as we'll talk about soon, Exit 8. I think Exit 8 handles this sort of genre better.

37:24Adam Kempenaar:We saw in the play acting scene in therapy that it didn't take a whole lot for Clark to go from zero to a hundred in terms of his hostility towards his ex-wife right so you didn't see the kitchen scene as just the back room in a shining-esque manner being a that clark it's it's manifesting who he really is and that's what he ultimately embraces right that like he says to her change. I don't have to change. I'm just going to be who I really am at my core, which is embracing my back room, embracing who I am really at my deepest, darkest moments. My id. Yes.

38:13Josh Larsen:Yeah. I mean, no, that makes logical sense. I think it was just, it just started to feel gimmicky like with a, you can eat them too. And it's like, what's the next thing we can like open the refrigerator and there's a, you know, there's his employee's head in there. That's never addressed again. It just felt beneath what we had been getting before, I guess.

38:34Adam Kempenaar:Yeah, I agree with you. And I also agree with you that that central idea, this manifestation, that the back rooms are this manifestation, as I was saying, of our subconscious, of our memories, perhaps our repressed memories, whatever it is we're hanging on to that doesn't or that we in some way cling to that doesn't allow us to move forward in our lives is really interesting. And there's a key moment, right? I think you were alluding to this where I think we do understand that Clark and we can we can infer this. I think that that kitchen is probably right. It's the kitchen where he has the confrontation.

39:18Adam Kempenaar:Yeah, I'm assuming. Yeah. Right. You have to assume that. And. And similarly, when Mary walks into the space, she's probably seeing things that remind her of her world. And that's definitely true. I think it's it's supposed to be clear when she she walks into one space and it's that suburban street. It's the first time we've seen it when she walks into that suburban street and she walks around wide eyed. she's been now in the back room for plenty of time there's no reason for her to be all of a sudden like what's this place she's reacting that way because it looks familiar to her so all all of these all of these worlds they're they're ever changing they they manifest out of whoever interacts with them in some way and that is interesting and then when that clashes for me when that starts to clash, not only with some of those choices like you're saying, which just aren't that interesting, but when that then clashes too much with talk of companies, corporations, and MRI machines that partially explain it or potentially, that's where I start to lose it, Josh.

40:36Josh Larsen:I can see that. But I think what I liked about it is, you know, I'm not a Stranger Things fanatic at all, but I did like the notion of, you know, this portal connecting and affecting the actual world. So I didn't mind that, as you say, this was manifesting actually physically in this showroom, in this furniture showroom. There's something kind of intriguing about that to me. And I think the reveal of that element was effective enough. And I think maybe it's because it's connected. It goes back to what I was saying about these sorts of movies in general and the angst they're tapping into. It's important, I think, that the physicality is made material to the world of the movie.

41:28Josh Larsen:and it doesn't remain in metaphor. I think there's something key about, you know, liminal horror, whatever you want to call it, that it actually does punch through. And we're just not watching horror as metaphor or metaphor as horror. You know, we're, we're watching in the movie that this is actually in the physical space of these people, because it's all about the eeriness of physical space. And so to bring it that much closer, um, I did find effective. I can understand the reservations though and it does get a little like talky explaining yeah you know the the the conversation between mary and yeah the duplass character well i will admit though that something

42:10Adam Kempenaar:that i've been circling since seeing the movie that is more interesting for me to consider and does it it alters my negative feelings a little bit or it softens my feelings a little bit the more I sit with this idea because you've heard me say this a little bit that it explains things a little too much and it still does don't get me wrong it's still it still does break the spell that that is still the perfect phrase and I don't think it's needed but watching it in the theater the way I interpreted it was and it's hard not to or it it leaves itself open for interpretation this way because it's very ambiguous is that I thought that the the people in the suits and the corporation they were responsible for this they may not be responsible intentionally but but somehow they they created this or it led to this and what what I'm latching on more to now is the idea that actually they're they're studying it they're just exactly I think they're trying to figure it out.

43:17Adam Kempenaar:Yeah. Yeah. And so that it is something that is just supernaturally opened itself up in the world. And they're just part of understanding.

43:25Josh Larsen:Kind of like an awesome X-Files episode, you know, in many ways. You could see this working very much as an X-Files episode, which I guess brings us back to the 90s. Yeah. That was in the 90s, right? Yeah. I suppose.

43:38Adam Kempenaar:Makes sense. I suppose that it does. Backrooms is currently playing in wide release. We would love to hear your thoughts on the movie. You can email us feedback at filmspotting.net. Let's take a moment, Josh, to thank our family members, including Family Plus member Jerry Leroy in Dallas and advisory board member Peter Ralston. He's in Annerly, which is a suburb of Brisbane, Australia. you. When our family members join, we invite them to answer a few questions. We like to get to know them a little bit better and share some of that information with our audience.

44:16Josh Larsen:Here's what Jerry told us. I've been a weekly listener since 2007 and am shamefully only now getting around to more directly supporting, other than purchasing a couple of t-shirts, this phenomenal podcast. Well, thanks for that, Jerry. Peter also wrote in, sometime during COVID, I got a tip-off from a filmmaking member of my extended family that there was a podcast out there with my name on it. He was right. The title 8 from 84 caught my eye during the first time browse of the episode list. I was all in after the Ghostbusters vs. Gremlins episode. Oh, that was a fun one.

44:50Adam Kempenaar:Yeah, going back to May 2020 for that one. With a review we got wrong, Jerry says, I'd like to turn this around a bit and mention that in the early days, it felt like there were more disagreements and dissent between Adam and Maddie and Adam and Josh. than there are now. I really don't favor one approach over the other, just an observation. Hmm.

45:10Josh Larsen:Would you, I mean, obviously I wasn't around for the early days, listened to quite a few of the episodes. Would you say that sounds right to you, Adam?

45:19Adam Kempenaar:I think what might be right is that with both Adam and Maddie and Adam and Josh, referring to myself in the third person, we probably disagreed more in the beginning and then over time somehow agreed with each other more. And I don't know what that says, because I do feel like we agree with each other more often now.

45:37Josh Larsen:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I would also this is just regarding us. Do wonder if it's like comfortability and not feeling like you necessarily have to argue as vociferously as you do at the beginning. Maybe that happened. Maybe that's happened with both pairings. Who knows?

45:58Adam Kempenaar:maybe so Peter says a favorite segment it's tough to pick an all-time favorite but I liked one of your more recent lists that got me thinking and that was the top five movie quotes in our lexicon yeah still one of my favorites that was one though with a guest Aisha Harris June 2025 episode 1017 and I am still constantly adding to that list just yesterday Josh as we're taping a colleague of mine in an email referenced one I always use, and that's the line from Blue Velvet. And there are a couple, but the line from Blue Velvet, I'll save it for off air because, or I won't say all of it because it's not family friendly, but let's say it involves Heineken and Pabst Blue Ribbon.

46:42Adam Kempenaar:And most people listening will know exactly what I would have to say to complete that line of Frank booths. And I immediately said, oh, yeah, that's one of them. That's one I constantly say. So I brought up the list. Sure enough, it was on there. It was an honorable mention. I didn't overlook it.

47:00Josh Larsen:Peter continues about that top five. This list had a cosmic impact on me when I heard Adam's autobiographical approach to this topic. I realized just how much of my own personal lexicon has been either consciously or subconsciously lifted from movies over the years. I'm now working hard to retire a few instinctive remarks to try and improve the lives of those I love. Like going to a Top Flight concert and when the light show starts up, I'm trying to stop saying the word laser in an over-enunciated Dr. Evil voice. Or if some important tasks around the house are slowing down or stopping, I'm now resisting the urge to say, do it, do it in the deep voice of Ben Stiller's undercover persona Mori from Starsky and Hutch.

47:42Adam Kempenaar:Come on, do it. Lay it on right here, do it. Do it.

47:47Josh Larsen:Yeah, I could see how that might get on family members' nerves after a little while.

47:52Adam Kempenaar:Movies they credit with becoming cinephiles. Jerry says, The Station Agent. It opened my eyes to the power of indie cinema. And Peter says, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I hope Peter had a chance to listen to the new Film Spotting podcast that dropped just this week on Monday. Movie Deathmatch, Close Encounters versus E.T. Anticipating Spielberg's upcoming Disclosure Day. I'm guessing Peter voted in the poll if he heard it and voted for Close Encounters, regardless of the case that Jen Cheney made. And she made a great case for E.T. But Margaret Weidekamp from the National Air and Space Museum, she's got a Ph.D.

48:29Adam Kempenaar:She made a pretty powerful case for Close Encounters as well. Peter, if you had a chance to listen or when you do, I'd love your feedback, considering you're such a fan of Close Encounters. So please do send us a note and I hope other listeners have had a chance or will have a chance to check out that show. It'll be appearing monthly the first Monday of every month is our plan.

48:50Josh Larsen:Yeah, about halfway through that episode. It is really fun. Chris Klemek doing a great job hosting and adjudicating there. So encourage the listeners to check out movie death match. And thank you to Peter and Jerry for being family members. If you would like to follow them on Letterboxd, Jerry is at it is the rabbit. Peter is patch Harrison. In addition to keeping us doing what we're doing, membership comes with perks. You can listen early and ad-free. You also get our weekly newsletter and exclusive opportunities like the FilmSpotting Family Discord and monthly bonus shows. We do have our May bonus show.

49:28Josh Larsen:It's out now. It's a new Hollywood draft. We did that with 1940s Madness winner Sam Thompson. How's that draft poll looking, Adam? How are the votes going?

49:39Adam Kempenaar:Well, last week with Roxanna during this segment, I said, people need to vote. Josh only has me by four. And now after more votes, you have me by five. So that didn't work in my favor. But there still needs to be more votes because I see the download numbers and I'm afraid I did discover this, Josh, that in Discord, some listeners brought it to my attention that even though I swear I put this link in the podcast description, it wasn't appearing. It is definitely there now. So if you haven't had a chance to look over the results, to vote for the winner of that draft, if you're a family member, just go to the podcast in Spotify, Apple, whatever podcast platform you use.

50:25Adam Kempenaar:And there's a link right there. It says who won. And it will take you to the page. It will take you to the poll. And I just wanted to make sure listeners knew that it was there. We have a family bonus content page.

50:37Josh Larsen:and we promise the poll will remain open until Adam wins.

50:42Adam Kempenaar:That's a good thought, actually. Okay, or another week or so. For as little as$5 a month, and that's discounted if you pay annually. You do get all those benefits. Filmspottingfamily.com is where you can learn more. You can also give us a rating if you like the show. We like five stars over on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify. Number one hits, millions of records sold, awards, sold-out tours. You think the Jonas Brothers are satisfied? Nope. It's podcast time. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Hey Jonas is available now and their first guest is a big one, Paul Rudd.

51:19Adam Kempenaar:You know, Steve Carell is a great singer. Can you tell you not to audition at The Office or something?

51:23Josh Larsen:I told him. Whoa. We were filming Anchorman. Clearly, I was the idiot. Thank God he didn't listen to me, right?

51:29Adam Kempenaar:Listen to Hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Happy Pride from the Outspoken Podcast Network. All month long and all year round, we're celebrating being loud, proud, and always original. It's me, Brandon Kyle Goodman, host of the podcast Tell Me Something Messy. Check out my show for unfiltered takes on dating, relationships, and adulting.

51:51Josh Larsen:The more you get comfortable with someone, the more their real self comes out, they're gonna be gross. What's the grossest thing about a man? Burping. Shut it down.

51:57Adam Kempenaar:Listen to High Key for the best pop culture takes and there are no girls on the internet for all your tech news. For your favorite celebrity kikis, check out Outlaws with T.S. Madison. Wait, so Luke was the son of Vader? And Vader was turned by RuPaul? Yeah, well, somebody turned him. Some old, old, old witch. Learn to love yourself unapologetically with BFF, Black Fat Fem, and start your day with intention with Waking Up With Ryan coming in July. Celebrate pride with the Outspoken Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Pride, and listen now.

52:35Adam Kempenaar:This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. The United States will not stand by and allow any power, however great, take over another country. From iHeart Podcasts, Saigon. Please allow me to introduce Joseph Sherman. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? I should stop talking so much.

52:56Josh Larsen:I like hearing you talk.

52:57Adam Kempenaar:One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam. I've taken a hit from Japanese ground fire. Do you read me? They're pouring petrol all over him. He's holding matches.

53:12Josh Larsen:I'm on a landmine. For freedom. Let's get out. Freedom for Vietnam. Run. Saigon, starring Kelly Marie Tran and Rob Benedict.

53:21Adam Kempenaar:Sting, here's madness. The world should hear about this.

53:24Josh Larsen:There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to burn out everything.

53:29Adam Kempenaar:Listen to Saigon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What did Black music, food, and culture teach us about who we were becoming? 2016 was sort of that last era of monoculture where we still consumed things in community. From Beyonce and Rihanna.

53:49Josh Larsen:Everybody wanted to be Beyonce. I don't think we'll ever see another Rihanna.

53:54Adam Kempenaar:to soul food, memory, identity, and the stories we carry through Black culture. What does it mean to be Black and eat in America? So we were this group of people who knew how to work the land, who knew how to live with the land. We make it do what it do. Therapy for Black Girls is bringing together the conversation shaping Black life right now. You will never make me feel bad for being a Black girl, for being a Black American girl, ever.

54:17Josh Larsen:Therapy for Black Girls is bringing it all to the mic.

54:19Adam Kempenaar:Listen to Therapy for Black Girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

54:29Adam Kempenaar:Exit. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Exit 8 came to theaters in limited release in April. It premiered back in May 2025 at Cannes as a midnight screening. The film is an adaptation of a 2023 video game called The Exit 8, which has players trying to escape a Japanese metro station. The only way to make it to Exit 8 and Freedom is to pay attention, something that is pretty difficult for most of us these days. If you discover an anomaly, you turn back. If you don't, you don't. Rules are pretty simple. Josh if you had to get stuck in the theater of one film indefinitely which one are you watching

55:20Josh Larsen:back rooms or exit eight oh gosh I mean it's it's exit eight no-brainer in both ways just taking your question literally like which space would I want to be in definitely exit eight um and yeah I think it's the better movie too I think there's something I don't want to say simpler or streamlined. I think it layers to go back to that narrativity question we talked about with back rooms. I think it layers just enough of a psych. It gives the movie just enough of a psychological profile to allow you to hang your hat on it, be more than a game, but it doesn't really depend on that or need to explain that.

56:06Josh Larsen:And this relates to the background of the main character. who we mostly follow. And that was enough for me to say, okay, there's more going on here than the gamification factor. Even though I found the gamification factor really fun, I should maybe try this video game. I might love it. And yeah, and I think the other thing I'd say quickly is it's funny. I wrote about this before seeing back rooms. And my first line is something like, how often does the production design, the star of a movie? Well, honestly, I think like In back rooms, the production design is more of the star of the movie, but it's incredible here the way they use the emptiness of this subway hallway.

56:49Josh Larsen:And there's really two or three that we mostly spend time in and suddenly adjust it, change it, use lighting to throw us off. It really is. I think the production design here as well really is the star. Hmm.

57:01Adam Kempenaar:I'm glad that you said that, though, about the game itself, because I live in a household full of gamers, people who not only like to play video games in the case of some of my family members, Josh, but if they're not video game players, they are. and sometimes it's both, but if they don't play video games, they love, you know, Wordle or any of those other New York Times games. I'm the only one that just doesn't partake in those types of activities. And yet watching this movie, I was having so much fun with Exit 8. It's the first time I can think of where I was watching a movie and I know there hasn't been that many, but I know we've reviewed, I've seen other movies that are inspired by video games.

57:45Adam Kempenaar:This is the first time I ever thought to myself, I want to get my hands on this. I actually want to play. Yeah, I could totally see that. And I think what Kawamura does here in terms of early on and at other key points, but not overdoing it, putting us in the point of view of the gamer, giving us that first person point of view. the movie begins with that for the most part yeah that's really effective but then also gives us the spectator mode i was so glad it didn't stick with that i know it is right and so i think he deploys it exactly how how he needed to here and this movie then for me to get to your point about narrativity or the narrative it it really is groundhog day meets the shining because i felt like from a narrative standpoint, it's a case where that little bit that you hang on to is you have a character who is dealing with some guilt.

58:50Adam Kempenaar:I think that's the overriding emotion that we can we can put on this main character who is played by I want to make sure I get the the name right. So it's Kazunari Ninomiya, who is a pop star. Apparently he was in Clint Eastwood's letters from Iwo Jima. He's just referred to here as the lost man. But there is an action or inaction from the beginning of the movie that is plaguing him. And then there's also a phone call that he gets that is leading to something else. And guilt is something that is mentioned verbally. So there's there's guilt that is leading to this dilemma that that forces him to to stay stuck in this space that made me think of The Shining.

59:38Adam Kempenaar:There is also, Josh, a moment where the tunnel, the subway tunnel, exit eight becomes overrun with water that made me think of, of course, the elevator sequence in the hallway from the lobby or whatever from The Shining. unfortunately that's maybe the one moment that doesn't quite work in Exudate and that's because it seemed to me anyway to be a moment clearly where CGI had to be employed for the water and you compare that to Kubrick of course not employing any type of computer generated effects and you know how how much more effective that is unfortunately it's not as effective here But I was thinking about The Shining.

1:00:24Adam Kempenaar:I was thinking about Groundhog Day as I was watching it and how inventive it is that these these two films are sort of mashed up and I'll emphasize sort of mashed up here in this movie. And I do think it's the perfect amount of narrative. We get just enough to understand the rules of this universe. The rules are very clearly established. Oh, yeah. As we as we mentioned, we understand the simplicity of it. And I think that that not only when we were talking about point of view, we know that occasionally we're going to be in that gamer. We're going to be that first person, the lost man's point of view.

1:00:58Adam Kempenaar:Often we're going to be the spectator. But it's effective because I think the concept itself is so effective because it forces us to be so engaged as a viewer. Right. We're trapped like this lost man. We know that the only way out is to look for clues. and and we are then part of the game and in fact i spent as i'm guessing most people do watching this film if you are bought in you spend the runtime trying to spot the anomalies even before the characters do right of course you're then just so actively scanning the frame it's a lot of fun

1:01:35Josh Larsen:and yeah i think it it could at once just be a metaphor as you describe for his headspace the lost man's headspace, or honestly, it could be actually happening to him, you know, but we don't have a back rooms explanation scene where someone is saying, yes, we've been monitoring, you know, why this has been happening on this subway level. And I think it works in that it balances that nicely where it could be just metaphor. It could be real. And as I said, I think it's, it's important if you're thinking about it as in this sub genre of horror, that it, that it is real actually. To the point about the lead performance here, I did not know that was Nino Mia's background.

1:02:18Josh Larsen:Makes sense because there's just a base level of charisma that he meets in every shot. And he doesn't, there's not a lot of people to talk to. So he doesn't talk a lot, but he somehow holds your interest. He captivates you really. And I think he brings a lot of humanity, exasperated humanity without overdoing it. You know, it's, it's kind of one of the dangers of a movie like this is, as you said, you're doing it as well along with him. You're looking for clues too. So one of the dangers of this is like, oh, why did he do that? Why is he acting this way? Why isn't he? And at least for maybe how my mind works, it works just the same way this characters did.

1:03:01Josh Larsen:And, you know, he makes mistakes, he makes bad decisions, but I never felt like he was a predetermined figure in a game. I felt like he was a real guy struggling with psychic weight while also trying to figure out how the heck to get out of this subway. And yeah, Ninomiya does just enough to make that register as human. He does.

1:03:26Adam Kempenaar:And the point you're making about whether it's metaphor, whether it's real, it functioning on exactly the level it needs to. And what I'm saying about us taking the place of this character the way we need to. The other aspect it gets right, I think, Josh, about horror or what it reflects that so many good horror movies do is that there's just enough of that allegory that we can read into it about what it's saying about society. It I'm not going to argue that it's going for profundity. It's this huge philosophical treatise. It's a fun horror movie. And yet you understand that when I say we're in it with this character, we're punished like this character for being like him, for being like all of the writers on that subway train at the beginning.

1:04:25Adam Kempenaar:for being mostly going about our lives oblivious, going about our lives probably more than we'd like to admit cowardly. The monotony and the tediousness that we accept of our daily lives, the lack of attention that we pay and, and the punishment then is being trapped in such a way that requires us to be aware of our surroundings. I think it works on that level too.

1:04:57Josh Larsen:Yeah, yeah. I think there's a lot going on on that level in the movie as well. Do you think, should we give this a golden brick nod since we're both pretty high on it? I mean, it is, I believe, the second feature from Kawamura. I think I have that right. And so, you know, maybe not a debut, but a relatively emerging filmmaker, is certainly new to us and also, you know, very inventive. There's definitely a vision we've got going on here. There's no doubt.

1:05:28Adam Kempenaar:I think the only potential concern is that if these facts are right, it has made over$43 million at the global box office. But Josh, here in the States, it's only made 3.7. So this isn't a movie that people are widely seeing. So let's at least earmark it. Okay. Let's at least earmark it for the golden brick. Because I think it definitely, it qualifies or it should qualify. It checks all the boxes. Otherwise, maybe we have to discuss a little bit more of the underseen part. But I have to imagine that a lot of our listeners right now weren't familiar with this movie until we mentioned it, until we just praised it as we did.

1:06:10And the last thing I want to say about it in terms of praise is that it does something well that you were saying back rooms does well.

1:06:19Adam Kempenaar:Is anytime you've got this repetition within these spaces, the biggest risk is that it becomes tedious as well. Right. That there's a Sisyphean nature of the challenge that then it's going to start to feel like, yeah, we're just pushing the boulder up the hill again and again. And I remember at exactly the point I started to feel or I felt the the same the same feudal anguish as the main character. Kawamura and his co-writer here, Kentaro Harasi. What do they do? They introduce a new perspective. They introduce new characters. They introduce new visual elements like they they knew exactly when that could happen.

1:07:02Adam Kempenaar:And they and they solve for it. Yeah.

1:07:04Josh Larsen:And the pacing of that, as you say, is is right. It's spot on spot on to carry you through what could have felt like a chore. Yeah.

1:07:14Adam Kempenaar:Exit eight currently available to rent on most platforms. Let us know if you do think it should get a golden brick nomination as well. We're going to we're going to put it there for now. Feedback at film spotting dot net. We also encourage you to go to filmspottingfest.com because that's where you will find information about Film Spotting Fest 2, Adam and Josh's bogus journey. I hope it's not.

1:07:42Josh Larsen:I was just thinking, wow, that took a negative turn. Although I guess Too Fast Too Film Spotting has negative connotations as well, doesn't it?

1:07:50Adam Kempenaar:For some of us anyway. June 27th. We are in June now, Josh. It's happening this month. That's right.

1:07:57Josh Larsen:Yep. Count down the days. It's right there on your refrigerator, your old school refrigerator calendar that has the whole month. We still have those. And I'm looking at it every day. I'm looking right at it.

1:08:10Adam Kempenaar:Yeah, we've got four movies over two venues in one weekend. And we keep doing this in order. Let's go backwards. The weekend closes with the Royal Tenenbaums at 25, 25th anniversary, 35 millimeter print with Michael Phillips. Now, here's some other good news. And I did reference this last week, but now I'm going to confirm it because plane tickets have been purchased. Wet Hot American Summer for its 25th anniversary, Saturday night at the Athenaeum, June 27th. Not only will Scott Tobias, who put this movie in his new cult canon, be there, but one of the stars of the movie, Marguerite Moreau, will be there.

1:08:49Adam Kempenaar:Yes. She's coming. Excellent. Yes. How about earlier that afternoon, the writer and director of a Golden Brick finalist. Talk about an intense little movie. Cretia. Trey Edward Schultz will be there to talk about Cretia. And then we're going backwards here. So to start off the fest Saturday morning. Cleo from five to seven with Agnes Varda, biographer and critic Carrie Rickey. It's it's a star studded affair.

1:09:19Josh Larsen:Why wouldn't you want to participate in this? I mean, come on. Get out there June 27, June 28. Join us for both days if you can. Or, I don't know, just Saturday. Maybe we'll see a Royal Tenenbaums, but it would be lovely to see you all weekend. I cannot wait. Tickets are on sale now. So, yeah, if you want to pick those up, go to filmspottingfest.com. For our family members, that presale and discount has been live. And so take advantage of that. And that also means family members, you get to be part of a meet and greet opportunity we'll be holding at the festival also. So really can't wait to to reunite with a lot of our film spotting family and friends at the festival.

1:10:02Adam Kempenaar:No more international meetups for you, Josh. Only only United States meetups. That's right.

1:10:08Josh Larsen:And going to end the meetup run with the biggest one of all, I hope. So, yeah, filmspottingfest.com. Can't wait to see you all there.

1:10:16Adam Kempenaar:The current film spotting poll asks you to choose the MVP supporting performance of Paul Rudd's storied career. We're looking ahead to our discussion of his new film, Power Ballad. So again, emphasis on supporting performances. The choices we gave them, Josh, were.

1:10:36Josh Larsen:Mr. Anderson and the Perks of Being a Wallflower, Cher's former stepbrother Josh in Clueless, Action News field reporter Brian Fantana in Anchorman, Seth Rogen's married friend Pete in Knocked Up, Makeout King Andy in Wet Hot American Summer, speaking of FilmSpottyFest2, and yes, you will have the option of Other.

1:10:59Adam Kempenaar:So I knew this would happen. As soon as I went on the record saying what I thought might happen, I, of course, would be invalidated. I usually have my finger on the pulse, or I like to think I do, of Film Spotting Nation. I added Pete from Knocked Up as a last-minute addition to the poll. Sam had initially left him out. And I also said that I thought it was a really good idea to make sure that we included Mr. Anderson in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I know that there's a lot of love for that movie and I thought it would do well well maybe there is a lot of love for that movie Josh but you know what the three movies that are vying for the top spot in this poll they're Anchorman and Clueless and Wet Hot American Summer

1:11:42Josh Larsen:and the Perks of Being a Wallflower and Knocked Up are way picking up the rear so I was okay yeah and I would I mean I would probably go that direction myself I really I think this is the first time I've been in the middle of the movie seeing this poll question, I really want to sit down with his filmography and look at some of those other supporting performances and see if I might lean other from these options. For me, it probably is. It probably is Anchorman.

1:12:11Adam Kempenaar:Yeah, that that is where I ultimately voted. You can still vote in that poll and leave a comment. We'll read some of that feedback and announce the results next week. The polls right there on the main page of filmspotting.net. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, Nick? Huge news. We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Yeah, a pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special.

1:12:44Josh Larsen:So how did we actually come up with the name Hey Jonas, guys?

1:12:48Adam Kempenaar:I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, hey, Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:13:23Adam Kempenaar:Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Happy Pride from the Outspoken Podcast Network. All month long and all year round, we're celebrating being loud, proud, and always original. It's me, Brandon Kyle Goodman, host of the podcast Tell Me Something Messy. Check out my show for unfiltered takes on dating, relationships, and adulting.

1:13:42Josh Larsen:The more you get comfortable with someone, the more their real self comes out. They're going to be gross. What's the grossest thing about a man? Burping. Shut it down.

1:13:48Adam Kempenaar:Listen to High Key for the best pop culture takes, and there are no girls on the internet for all your tech news. For your favorite celebrity kikis, check out Outlaws with T.S. Madison. Wait, so Luke was the son of Vader? And Vader was turned by RuPaul? Yeah, well, somebody's heard him. Some old, old, old witch. Learn to love yourself unapologetically with BFF, Black Fat Fem, and start your day with intention with Waking Up With Ryan coming in July. Celebrate Pride with the Outspoken Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Pride, and listen now.

1:14:25Adam Kempenaar:This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us. The United States will not stand by and allow any power, however great, take over another country. From iHeart Podcasts, Saigon. Please allow me to introduce Joseph Sherman. You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam? I should stop talking so much.

1:14:47Josh Larsen:I like hearing you talk.

1:14:48Adam Kempenaar:One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart. This is for Vietnam. I've taken a hit from Japanese ground fire. Do you read me? They're pouring petrol all over him. He's holding matches.

1:15:02Josh Larsen:I'm on a landmine! For freedom! Land, get out! Freedom from Vietnam! Run! Saigon, starring Kelly Marie Tran and Rob Benedict.

1:15:12Adam Kempenaar:Sting, here's madness. The world should hear about this. There's a fire coming to this country and it's going to burn out everything.

1:15:19Josh Larsen:Listen to Saigon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:15:25Adam Kempenaar:What did Black music, food, and culture teach us about who we were becoming?

1:15:30Josh Larsen:2016 was sort of that last era of monoculture where we still consumed things in community.

1:15:38Adam Kempenaar:From Beyonce and Rihanna.

1:15:40Josh Larsen:Everybody wanted to be Beyonce. I don't think we'll ever see another Rihanna.

1:15:44Adam Kempenaar:to soul food, memory, identity, and the stories we carry through Black culture. What does it mean to be Black and eat in America? So we were this group of people who knew how to work the land, who knew how to live with the land. We make it do what it do. Therapy for Black Girls is bringing together

1:16:00Josh Larsen:the conversation shaping Black life right now.

1:16:03Adam Kempenaar:You will never make me feel bad for being a Black girl, for being a Black American girl, ever.

1:16:07Josh Larsen:Therapy for Black Girls is bringing it all to the mic.

1:16:10Adam Kempenaar:Listen to Therapy for Black Girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:16:16Josh Larsen:Time now for Massacre Theater, where Adam and I perform a scene and you get a chance to win a film spotting prize. Last week, we massacred this scene.

1:16:25Adam Kempenaar:Our friends are out there. They need our help. They cannot fight this war on their own. War, yes. It affects us all. Tree, root, and twig. But you must understand, young hobbit, It takes a long time to say anything in all the end-ish. And we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say.

1:17:03Josh Larsen:Yeah, if my voice sounds scratchy right now, I think it's because I'm still recovering from that Massacre Theater performance. That clip was John Rhys-Davies and Dominic Monaghan in 2002's Lord of the Rings The Two Towers, written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Peter Jackson, directed by Jackson. That massacre was part of an episode that also included an interview with Tony Leung about his new film, Silent Friend. So, why that scene from The Two Towers?

1:17:32Adam Kempenaar:Here's Ed Savoy in Philly. He says, Dear Mary and Pippin, the low hanging branch of a joke would be to say that Josh's performance of Treebeard from The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers tying in with the tree talk and silent friend was wooden. But I'm above that. One could also joke on the wizard Saruman comparing to the wizard of the Kremlin. But that's too easy. No, I will instead muse on would I prefer Lord Summerisle, the name you subbed in for Saruman, to Vladimir Putin as a leader? I think the answer may be yes.

1:18:05Josh Larsen:Okay. Thank you, Ed. Here is Emily Anderson from St. Paul, Minnesota. This is the Entmoot scene in Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers. It's the middle of the night and the Ents have just finished saying good morning. Adam did a great job bringing C-3PO to Middle Earth. But Josh, what a phenomenal turn as Tree peered. I felt transported. Wow. I can only think of the obvious tie-in with your conversation about the importance of trees and having a tree best friend. Ents are tree shepherds and look very tree-like. I enjoy Madness well enough, but I'm always happy when Massacre Theater comes back. Thank you very much, Emily.

1:18:44Adam Kempenaar:And yeah, Lord Summerisle, in case you didn't catch it, a reference to The Wicker Man. We did think that mentioning Saruman might be too much of a giveaway. We'll close with this from Mark Friedman in Evanston. an all-timer performance by Josh's tree beard. Some of those syllables were drawn out so long, I felt that tree could have grown a new ring. Connection, of course, the wonderful discussion of the metaphysics of trees. Re silent friend. Bravo, Mark says, and indeed, Josh, bravo. I think in some universe, you are still performing that scene. Yes, very likely, in my sleep, possibly. reach into the pretty brimming film spotting hat a lot of people did recognize that scene and pick out this week's winner our winner is addison alley from salt lake city utah all right addison long time listener first time massacre theater winner you can email us feedback at filmspotting.net to claim your very own film spotting t-shirt tote bag or trial membership into the film spotting family.

1:19:49Josh Larsen:Would the detours so simple? Would the detours so simple? Would the detours so simple? Would the detours so simple? My dear boy, why do you say that? Why do you say twer? Will you say it like I said?

1:20:03Adam Kempenaar:All right, we're going to move on now to this week's edition of Massacre Theater. I think people will be able to come up with the connection. Actually, now that I say that out loud, I'm not sure that I even know the connection, Josh.

1:20:18Josh Larsen:I think I know what Sam's going for. It's yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah. We'll leave that there. It just clicked. I, um, I'm excited because you get to do a little bit of a yield and tish this time. It's actually somewhat. That's true.

1:20:35Adam Kempenaar:It's not the return of the King. No. Is Sam just trying to extend this segment or something? Okay. Now, in the script, we had once again changed a name. Yes. But I'm going to make an executive decision, and I'm changing it back. I don't see—this isn't like Saruman. It's not a dead giveaway. And I think why make it harder? I don't think it's going to make it that much easier to say this character's name. So let's just go with it as written.

1:21:02Josh Larsen:I think you're right, and it's your line, and I don't want to interfere with your process. Thank you. Yeah, it is definitely a process.

1:21:12Adam Kempenaar:I started off. You're going to give me the action. And action. Do you know that I don't even know your name or where you work? Yeah. Um, okay, how about this? If I can guess your name in three tries, you have to come have a drink with me tonight.

1:21:32Adam Kempenaar:Why not? Okay, you look like a...

1:22:02Adam Kempenaar:Uh, Maxine. Yeah. Who told you? Nobody told me. That just came out. Don't you think that, isn't that odd? So where do you live in stuff?

1:22:15Josh Larsen:I am dubious, but I don't Welsh. Okay. Meet me at the Stuck Pig. Seven o 'clock. If you're late, I walk. And scene. I don't have Cusack's breath control. I was going to say, you were almost running out of steam there, but you pulled through.

1:22:32Adam Kempenaar:impressive if you know what film we just massacred email the movie's title your name and location to feedback at filmspotting.net acting it's hard who knew the deadline is monday june 15th we'll select the winner randomly from all the correct entries and announce it in a couple of weeks josh that's

1:22:50Josh Larsen:our show if you want to connect with us on social media you can find adam and the show on instagram Facebook, Letterboxd, YouTube, and Blue Sky at FilmSpotting. Find me at LarsonOnFilm. We are independently produced and listeners supported. You can support the show by joining the FilmSpotting family at FilmSpottingFamily.com. You can listen early and ad-free. You'll also get monthly bonus episodes, a weekly newsletter, and access to the entire show archive. For show t-shirts and other merch, go to FilmSpotting.net slash shop.

1:23:20Adam Kempenaar:Out in limited release now, you can see Carolina Caroline. storyline starring samara weaving and kyle gulner as a young couple on the run from the law it's always young couples who are on the run from the law josh out in wide release masters of the universe he-man skeletor man at arms the gang is back josh did you play with masters of the universe

1:23:42Josh Larsen:characters i was i was early in uh on the show for sure and i think it was kind of right at that age where you're phasing out of the action figures, right? But I think I did. Was there a cat? Like a tiger he rides, right? Or something? Yes.

1:23:58Adam Kempenaar:Might have had the tiger. I'm blanking on the name. Jared Leto does not play the tiger, though you know he could. He is Skeletor, of course. Alison Brie is Evelyn. And Nicholas Galitzin, he's the hilariously dim quarterback in Bottoms. That's Sam editorializing. That's right. I do remember him as being quite funny. He is he man. So we also have a new scary movie. The first one came out in 2000. I remember writing a review of it. Then there were four sequels between 2001 and 2013. This is the fifth. But just to be clear, it is also called scary movie. So at some point you could just go back and call it the same thing as the original.

1:24:39Josh Larsen:Yeah, I think there's, I mean, I guess appropriately they're following in the Scream path here. That's what Scream did with their franchise too. So don't think I've seen all of those sequels, unfortunately.

1:24:52Adam Kempenaar:Yeah. Power Ballad is expanding wide. Next week here on Film Spotting, we will share with you our conversation about Akira Kurosawa's No Regrets for Our Youth. That's the third entry in our Dissident Cinema Marathon. Then on Tuesday, you'll get Film Spotting SVU. They're talking about the true crime doc, The Crash on Netflix, plus streaming recs, listener streaming requests, and a game hosted by producer Sam. Yes, we have brought, we've pulled producer Sam back in to the on-air podcasting game. Yeah. It's fun. You can look for that Tuesday in your feed. If you're a subscriber to the next picture show, Tuesday in your feed, you'll get their new pairing.

1:25:34Adam Kempenaar:How about this, Josh? Backrooms and 1979's Phantasm. And here's why. Because a teenage boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber known only as the Tall Man.

1:25:47Josh Larsen:Nice. Okay. This is perfect timing for me. Just saw back rooms, ready to dig into more conversation about it. Can't wait to hear what Next Picture Show has to say. Then on Friday, you will get our review of John Carney's Power Ballad and more. Film Spotting is produced by Golden Joe DeSoe and Sam Van Halgren. Without Sam and Golden Joe, this show wouldn't go. Our production assistant is Sophie Kempinar. Special thanks to everyone at WBEZ Chicago. More information is available at WBEZ.org. For Film Spotting, I'm Josh Larson.

1:26:20Adam Kempenaar:And I'm Adam Kempinar.

1:26:21Josh Larsen:Thanks for listening.

1:26:22Adam Kempenaar:This conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.

1:26:39Adam Kempenaar:Hey guys, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know. Tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.