The Sandra Bullock Movie Star Playbook and ‘Practical Magic 2.’ Plus: ‘Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger.’

21:59And so you see a lot that we did not get at Pasadena. And both guys just seemed a lot more emotionally present at those early shows than they were in... Well, I think that's also the crowds. Like, I think it's so smart of them to focus on Mexico City and Brazil because nobody loves rock music more than Mexico City and Brazil.

22:15Sean Fennessey:Yeah. They will die for it. And those crowds were on fire. Like, it was crazy. Yeah. But I feel like the second smart thing that this one of us smart, but what Oasis is about to me, like, and as someone who has spent months and months of my life researching Oasis is they are the people's princesses, right? They make broad music for everybody, anthemic music. And it's about broadness. And I think you saw in this documentary that it's really about what it is to just be a fan and love music. It wasn't so granular. It was just like, this is how moving music and bands can be. You're right. And it did capture that.

23:01Sean Fennessey:One of my favorite moments of the movie is when the British chap is outside when the announcement is made. And he's like, I got to get out me Fred Perry. You know, like that. And they're like, they're laughing at him. And he's like, I'm serious. I have to get it out. Like, this is a huge deal. And there is obviously a lot of national identity built up in there. And it is about interpersonal relationships and individual people's relationships to a certain kind of music. But it did give me like some of that nerdy music documentary stuff that I want. Like the exploration of some might say and like what that song was about and their Irish heritage and then playing, you know, talking about the Paul Kelly song, Old Triangle.

23:43Sean Fennessey:And, you know, that's like some old, some normal music documentary stuff. It isn't just about like rocking out at a concert. How great was that part? Like my roommate leaned over to me and we saw it together in Oasis jerseys and she was like Irish Zionism. And I was like, period. It was. Well, there's that great, is it the Liam quote where he's like, no, it's Noel. He's like, the Irish are the only race that can cry, laugh, fight, smoke, drink all at the same time. Also, I'm sorry. I said it before and I'll say it again. They should have let me smoke cigarettes in the screening of this Oasis documentary.

24:19Okay.

24:19Sean Fennessey:Did you try? No, but they should have let me. Would that be possible in the UK anywhere? Like in Manchester? Oh my God. You guys, billion dollar idea. Can someone open a smoking theater? I feel like that's not healthy for the screen and the speakers. All right. The tech nerd weighs in immediately. Okay. Such a well-blanket. I don't need to. I'm not really a part of the smoking revolution. I'm good. I'm trying to. Okay, then you don't have to come. You can go to the regular AMC IMX or whatever. Are you guys funding the smoke screen? Like, that's what it's called, obviously. The smoke screen. I'm open to investors.

24:52We're obviously getting sponsorship. Alan Richson, if you're listening, I would love to partner with you on the smoke screen, a new series of theaters where you can smoke cigarettes. Wait, can we just can we talk about the Noel and Liam of it all? Yeah, of course. Because it's so beautiful. It's really, really.

25:08Sean Fennessey:I was relieved that they both allowed themselves to be sincere about it. Right. Because I did worry a little bit. Yeah, but they both gave you enough, you know, like Liam, especially, you know, Liam is a fucking roller coaster, man. And Liam has had some troubles. like Liam in the post breakup things were a little dodgy there for a while he obviously is still like a beautiful person and like a one of one elite front man he is truly magical he's like pure id I've never experienced anything like him he's so important to me I'm so connected to him you have to try really hard to not care this much to not give a fuck Noel of course has not changed that much, I would say.

25:55Sean Fennessey:He's more or less the same person, which is like really somewhere between that very ordinary council estate, lower middle class kid and deep thinker, like music obsessed kid, like laying on the carpet in his bedroom, listening to every record ever and kind of figuring out like song structures. Yeah, he's, I mean, he's a genius. He's a genius. He's a songwriting genius. That's why Oasis is such a rich thing for something like this because they are the platonic ideal of a rock band, right? They have the two figures, which in many of the greatest rock bands exist. The figure that writes the songs and is sort of the musical genius, but they're kind of writing it about the front man who's living it out.

26:35It's very Mick and Keith, you know? Like this is - Invert, but inverted. That's inverted, yeah, exactly. And they're brothers also. And they're brothers, so it's like biblical. Like also in the strain of like the Jesus and Mary chain, there's like many, you know, brother bickering, but like you're tied together by blood and DNA. Yeah, the kinks are like this. Yeah, yeah. The kinks, exactly. And it's like, it's myth, you know? They're a rock and roll myth. Yeah.

26:57Sean Fennessey:It honestly was sad to me that they were not communicating and not in touch. And so even if they, well, to me the single most like chills moment of the movie for me is because I didn't go to the shows when they're in Cardiff at the first show and they walk on stage. And first of all, fucking in the bushes is an absolute banger, which I always love from standing on the shoulder of giants. So that being their like walkout music. Shoulders. And then, what did I say? No, you said it, but I just love to point out that it's standing on the shoulder. One shoulder of giants. Oh, standing on the shoulder of giants, right.

27:26Not shoulders.

27:27Sean Fennessey:And Liam grabs Noel's hand and raises his hand in the air. And they walk out together holding hands. And I was like, oh my God, this is so great. I had no idea that that happened. I never saw that photo or I didn't know that that's how they did it. Oh, they did it every show. Right. I mean, they showed that in the film and that kind of became their. But was like, was that planned? Did they discuss that? Is that something Liam did? you know at last minute I don't know and Noel's kind of narrating it and he's like he showed up late I was so nervous he's just asking about the catering I don't even know what's going on and then he built it up to seem and who knows we weren't there but they built it to seem like he had no idea what Liam was going to be like you know yes a friend was at a Q &A in London over the weekend with uh Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern and the footage that you see of rehearsals where Liam shows up doesn't say anything and leaves was apparently true throughout rehearsals And so they had no idea until the tour started of whether like the reconciliation like was real until that moment.

28:23No one knew we were all it was a poly market. We're like, is this if you take it to like the third show? Are you going to go? We talked about this at the time.

28:30Sean Fennessey:Like, would they make it to the Rose Bowl for sure? I will say someone did know, though, that they had to show the Adidas bag front facing. So someone was paying attention to a few things and that's OK. Yeah, it was really beautiful. And I also like that they show, especially near the end of the film, the progression and how clearly they got closer. You know, like their embrace at the end of the show and Liam would walk off and they would hug and they would kiss. Yeah. You know, it seemed like they like they mended something over time by playing together. I think it's really cool that like this documentary doesn't over explain our handhold.

29:04So it's rewarding if you're like a me, for example, who like knows the minutia of every historical detail and background. But I think it's just as rewarding if you just kind of like three Oasis songs. Which I thought was really cool. But like, for example, like, I think part of what's so special about you seeing them come together and you seeing Noel shift towards Liam is that Liam never sounded this good. Yeah. Actually, literally never. But definitely like, I saw them in like 2004 or 2005. Did not. His voice never. And he clearly has like doubled down and recommitted himself. He said, I'm not smoking.

29:38You know, they have the straws. The straws, I think, are for vocal warm-ups.

29:41Sean Fennessey:Did he say he was also not drinking during the whole tour? I would. that's I thought he said that maybe I think he did but then and then he talks about you know when they they do a clever thing they sat down for one joint interview and they don't really show them together in frame until the very end of the documentary the pullback yeah and you're just like aww it was so good and then there's that bit where Liam is talking about having all their kids on tour and he's like the kids are having such a great night and I'm like they had never met but he was saying that basically the kids were partying and he's he's not he's too old and then Noel's just sitting there giggling it's wonderful yeah it's really it's a really really good example of a movie like this movies like this can go terribly wrong they can be very like authorized and phony seeming and this is like a genuine document that I think accurately shows the relationship the fans have to this band the movie I think this is very self-serving for the band but I also think it is true I mean it came out two days before the new tour no no of course but I mean specifically this point which is that they go out of their way to say that a lot of families have, parents have given this band to their kids.

30:48Yeah, because of the crowds were so young.

30:49Sean Fennessey:Because there's a lot of kids there. And he's like, you know, I think it's Noel is kind of looking out at the crowd and seeing like all these like teens and 20-somethings. And he's like, this is so strange. I feel like the crowds weren't even that young when we were playing in the 90s and 2000s. So yeah, now I have to go see them in 2027. Yeah, we're going to like seven shows. I want to go to Glasgow. That's what I want. I haven't been to Scotland in 10 years. I'll come with you to Glasgow. When is that? Yes, I'm going to go to Nebraska. to Glasgow to Cannes. Yeah. You guys are perfect. You'll be right over there.

31:16Yes. Yes, Sean. Yes. Glasgow's right out. Two days after my birthday so we can celebrate. You have some other things you have to do in Europe? I do. That's fine. French skincare purchase.

31:26Sean Fennessey:No, I have to go see Tracy Letts performing Death of a Sailor. Are we not invited? Yeah, we're not invited. Yes. We spent time in Venice with Tracy last year. That's true. Tracy sent me a text message or two. I feel like I could be on that list. You think Tracy wants to go see Oasis? Yes. Probably not. I actually wonder, Tracy, what is your relationship to Oasis? Let us know. Do you like Oasis? Yeah, we can just do a whole swing because once you're over there, you know? Also, not to get back on my mean music biopic guy podium, which is where I live. Aren't you so fucking glad that they didn't try to make a biopic?

32:01Sean Fennessey:I wouldn't rule it out in the future. Yeah. Because this now has a happy ending. Imagine Liam Gallagher is like a ray of light captured through a prism of a rainbow. what person could him they've tried I mean there's been little characters that are supposed to be Liam what movie did we watch where they portrayed him it was a very bad film was the Alan McGee movie yes it was creation stories also my favorite Alan McGee thought that I couldn't stop thinking about every time Bonehead was on screen is like when he first met Oasis and Bonehead was already bald which is why they called him Bonehead and he goes can we not get him a hat any closing thoughts on this movie it made about a million dollars you know I think it's a It's a for fans document for sure.

32:42Sean Fennessey:And it's a very British document as well. And for old people. Well, there's a lot of that, but there were young people. I think Oasis is so enduring for many reasons, but also it's like we don't make big rock bands like this anymore. One other thing that I really enjoyed about it was you get Champagne Supernova, you know, you get Wonderwall, you get Don't Look Back in Anger, you know, you get Rock and Roll Star. And they did them in the order that they were played at the show. Oh, is that true? Yes. Oh, that's cool. Which is really cool. But they also gave you like... the master plan and some might say and talk tonight.

33:13Sean Fennessey:Acquiesse. You know, Acquiesse. The Acquiesse, see, that was the thing. We need each other. After the Cardiff show, I guess it was like the Oasis account just released the first 30 seconds of them playing Acquiesse and I was like, fuck. Like, how am I not going to this? How was I not there? some of us were sitting at home. And that's the other thing. The band sounds so good. Some of us were sitting at home on a random guy's live stream who live streamed the entire Cardiff show. Oh, really? And I was glued. That's right. He just, and I was sitting there the whole time, just sitting at home watching it.

33:41Sean Fennessey:That's commitment from him and you. He's a real one. And I appreciate his service. I don't know if there's an elegant segue to Practical Magic 2. Well. I guess it's about aging. I guess it's about the 90s. Passing things down. The 90s being back. Sisters, brothers. That's right. I mean, in 1998, when Practical Magic came out, Oasis, more or less, the peak of their powers, right? Things from the 90s that didn't age as well. Yeah. For 200. Before we talk about Practical Magic 2, let's talk about Practical Magic because confession time, I'd never seen the movie until five days ago. And I don't know why.

34:14Sean Fennessey:I think I just missed it. Perhaps it's because it was a female-centered story and I was 15 when it came out. But I don't think so. I love supernatural stuff and horror and all that. So I love women. Love Sandy. Sure. It wasn't a thing when it was released. Yes, it kind of bombed. Yeah, it was not and it was not widely celebrated. And so it has allegedly become this. It was a big thing for me in high school, like on like rental. You didn't see it in theaters. Yeah. No. But I've watched it every year since it. No kidding. Oh yeah. It's like my fall special treat like October rolls around. I have like a deep relationship with the first movie.

34:52Interesting. Okay. I'm so glad you're here. Yeah. It's well I think. Okay. Look. Is it Citizen Kane? No. However, it is this like, like I always think about like Nancy Meyers houses and you know, You talk about them. Sure. Yeah. This house in Practical Magic 1 is my Nancy. That's like my perfect house. It's like so. Basically, the entire film is like sensory porn. Like it's so lived in. It's so warm. The like beautiful coastal environment. I think it was Whidbey Island. It's maybe filmed on. You feel like you can feel the crisp of the fall air. It feels like you just put a sweater on for the first time and you're about to have a hot mug of tea.

35:36and read your book. It just feels, watching it feels like that. Your husband's about to be hit by a truck.

35:41Sean Fennessey:Sure. This is said by an LA kid also. So like, what do you know about that? Exactly. I'm even more impoverished wanting and needing it. So you yearned for that thing that you could not get. Yeah, and we do get it. As you sit here on September 14th in 85 degree heat. As you guys know, you've lived here long enough. It will come in January. Yes. That's when winter starts. Late November, the best time in Los Angeles in my opinion. But the other thing about this movie, and again, it's a little clumsy, but I feel like The metaphor, which this is important because I think when we talk about the sequel, it's like you ruined it.

36:13But like the metaphor of the curse, which preclude, which supposedly precludes these women in this bloodline from having love and maintaining it is really like a metaphor about that you to have love, you risk pain and you cannot avoid risking vulnerability and pain just because it might be taken away from you. And in the first movie, it's actually quite unclear if the curse is even real. That's the whole point, you know? Like, it's like that you have to put your heart on the line. And it's kind of a beautiful—again, it's simple, but it's like, it's a lovely thing. And also then what helps you when you do feel that pain?

36:54Community, sisterhood, like, literal, like, women coming together to like— For midnight margaritas. For midnight margaritas and like a broom circle or whatever. And it's pretty beautiful, you know? And then I don't know what happened. Are you big into witch stuff? Yes, I love it. Oh, my God. I do herbalism. Right. I love to cast a spell here and there. Believe in manifestation. This is the other half of your California coming out. I don't have the woo-woo of it all. That's okay. I rewatched the first one. I had definitely seen it at some point on VHS, like a sleepover type thing, but didn't stay with me.

37:27And again, I'm not a witch person. I found the first one very hard to follow from a plot point. But I told you I would explain it to you. but when you were Yassi and I saw Practical Magic 2 together we went to lunch then we went to a 1pm Friday afternoon screening it was a it was a beautiful afternoon of sisterhood yeah exactly but you

37:48Sean Fennessey:well I didn't get a call it was women with a Y because you already had tickets I did already have tickets I saw this with my wife but you said that it made a lot of sense it does I don't really understand what's going on there's some generational the original film the original film there are lots of different generations and we're doing some time shifting you know and going back and forth I mean I get it now was spurned by the man who impregnated her and thus she attempted to cast a spell that binds her entire bloodline from ever you know having the fate that she had because these men will die who knows again who knows if it works right there are yeah there's a few holes like why are they still named Owens who knows do they have any boy children We don't know.

38:33That's not important. Yeah.

38:35Sean Fennessey:Wait till the plot holes of Practical Magic 2 come in. Exactly. What's important is that the star power and charisma of Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock in 1998 is unmatched. Yeah. That's like, that's what I wanted to talk to you guys about because I was like, you couldn't even make this movie now because who would be in it? I don't know who's a movie star anymore. They're like 31 years old. You could. Yeah. You could. It would be Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh and I think they do great. Those are the two names that I gave her. Because that's not a movie. I don't know. I mean, I think it's the kind of movie I would like to see them make.

39:10Sean Fennessey:This is based on a novel. Griffin Dunn directed the original. And, you know, having not seen the movie before, I was a little bit bewildered by it. But I also understood exactly what you just said, which is like, this is a girl's sleepover movie. And that's a total, that's a genre of film, right? And it's like, it's very important. It's like, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is another one of those movies. Like, you saw it when you were 13, you watched it with your girlfriends. You had a great time. And it doesn't really matter if it's like True Beverly Hills. It doesn't matter if the movie's like good.

39:37Sean Fennessey:Boys have movies like this too. But it is, it's silly, but it is still funny. It's charming. And it can be meaningful too. Yeah. And it's warm. It's not practical magic too. No. Yeah. No. And I understood the appeal of the first movie. I watched it with Eileen at home. Yeah. And I was like, I see at 44. this is maybe not exactly aimed at me but who doesn't like Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman obviously Aiden Quinn honey yeah Aiden Quinn is fine hot I mean he's not he's not doing that much Gorn Wiesenich is fine Diane Wiesen and Sokka Channing love them they're great perfect young Evan Rachel Wood yes not returning in this film we'll talk about that momentarily I think it's an interesting artifact of its time there are a great many 90s movies like this that we talk about on the show all the time.

40:29Sean Fennessey:I can't think of a single time this movie's ever come out in almost 10 years on this show. Yeah, because it's not one of my movies. And the other thing that you pointed out is that it starts your quote unquote spooky season and your fall season. And you don't like spooky stuff. Well, you know, if I'm observing that, it's by watching Gilmore Girls, you know, which is... To me, it's the same. You've nailed it. It's kind of the same feeling as Gilmore Girls, except with a supernatural element. Yes. And I think it's like Gilmore Girls started right around the same time. But, you know, fall, leaves, tea.

41:01New England quality. Fable knit sweater. You know, and that's about a mother and a daughter. But it's kind of, it's like girl spooky season, essentially. And your spooky season goes in a different direction. I want it being ripped out, finally. This is more like what's Hocus Pocus in this genre. Even like a better movie, and I love it, but Witches of Eastwick. You know, there's a whole, like, yeah.

41:22Sean Fennessey:I thought about an hour into this movie, I literally turned to Eileen and I was like, we have Witches of Eastwick at home. Like I, you know, that's a much more interesting spin on the story. Yeah, it's a more serious movie. But, you know, obviously the movie is beloved and much like something like The Devil Wears Prada, ripe for revival, right? A movie that people have a lot, a huge relationship to. Or is it? Or is it? I think they could have done it better. Well, so this movie was a cult favorite because it was not a box office success, but it was clearly a blockbuster home run. and people have been renting this movie for years and years, watching it on cable.

42:00Sean Fennessey:And so they revive it. And it is based, again, on another novel by Alice Hoffman. So it's not as though they just rendered it from her cloth. The other novel by Alice Hoffman was written way after the film. Right. Success. Right. Naturally. Yes, but you get the sense that that story was finished. Right. The completion of the book and the novel was supposed to be the end of something. And then they revived it. And then you sort of were like, but what if? Much like The Devil Wears Prada, too. Right. So this new film, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are back. Diane Weast and Stockard Channing are back.

42:34Sean Fennessey:Joining the cast as Sandra Bullock's character's daughters are Joey King and Maisie Williams. Lee Pace is here and Jolene Arduanya from Blue Beetle is here. Oh, right. And in this movie, right off the bat, we learn that Sally has been widowed again. I guess Aidan Quinn's character has died at the beginning of this movie. Because of the curse. because of the curse. How long did he have? I didn't clock the dates on the headstone. The kids were the same age. It looked like it was like a year or something. Okay. Right? So because of this death, she hides her magical past from her daughters who then grow up to become a college student and a doctor.

43:12Sean Fennessey:A med student? A med student, okay. I was trying to... Yeah, she's like a resident and then... Joey King is in college. That also didn't totally make sense to me because Joey King's character is older than Maisie. Hold on, hold on, hold on. We have to get into all that. This is actually very important to me. For an hour in the movie, I was like, what is happening? How does this make sense? So obviously Sandra Bullock's character, Sally, is shielding her kids from this news, this information that they're witches and that they have this power and that they're subject to this curse. Eventually, of course, Joey King's character has a boyfriend and she falls in love.

43:50Sean Fennessey:That leads to him being imperiled. After he's imperiled, she has to go save him, which leads to the sisters going off to try to save her. Magic starts happening. Practical magic too. Sort of. There's a nefarious fellow, as there was in the first film, who wants their powers. And then we learn a little bit more about the family curse. Practical magic devotee. What did you think? I went in with such an open heart. My heart was wide open. I was like, I'm ready to love this. I had a beautiful lunch with Amanda. I was like, got cozy in my seat. And I tried. I was like, you know, one punch landed, another punch landed.

44:28I was like, no, no, keep your heart open. And then at some point I finally turned to Amanda and I was like, was this written by AI? And unfortunately, some of the dialogue is so bad and so wooden and so not funny. Mm-hmm. I just, and again, then we can get into, you know, Amanda's science corner of why none of these plot points make sense. Also, you're just, I don't know, other science is really applicable here. Really crying. Chronology and time. Yeah. And the great, you know, the mystic. It's the same story, but no one's had any character growth. Nicole Kidman's character, Jillian, is just relegated to being like an appendage.

45:11She is a sidekick, very much. She's the manic pixie dream girl. We don't learn anything about what she's been doing. She's really more centered in the original film.

45:17Sean Fennessey:Even though Sandra Bullock's character gets the kind of romantic storyline in the first film, it really feels like Nicole Kidman's driving the action. Yeah, she drives the action. They both kind of equally have these concurrent plot lines. But here she's just there to be drunk and silly, and you get no information about what she's been doing for the past decade or so except hoeing, apparently. Which, you know, that's okay. She's laughing out loud. She can't commit because of the curse. negative that's fine go off sis but Maisie Williams character she's on screen for four minutes I don't even know why she was in the film um I'm just I was like kind of flabbergasted also it felt like it was four hours long I don't I'm not trying to be negative because I really wanted to love it Sandra Bullock is still so charming and lovely and I like was like you're holding this movie on your back and also sort of wasted can we just enter into the record that you did start crying at the end I am an emotionally three times I did cry I actually cried maybe one other time.

46:14Okay. A bad thing can still move me. I'm still, I'm still, my heart is open and I'm sensitive.

46:19Sean Fennessey:It was me and Masters of the Universe. And not to, spoiler, can we spoil yet? Not yet. Okay. Well, I'll say why I cried. I'm not sure there's anybody listening who's like, I really need to be shielded from Practical Magic 2 spoilers, but nevertheless. Yeah. What did you think? I felt nothing. And I think I got some to-do lists done. I learned. Did you nap? No, I did turn to you three minutes in because I was still a little bit jet lagged and I was like, this could be real dangerous. And we were at a theater with the reclining seats and I was like, you know, you might have to explain it. But I didn't, I stayed awake.

46:50I would say that the absurd music cues kept me engaged. I listen, the, well, it wasn't quite a Grey's Anatomy style cover of And So It Goes because it wasn't breathy. It was more like a kind of cabaret singer. Yeah. But no, it was, it was the fade into me cover that made me laugh. I like guffon. Yeah. That was bizarre. It was incredible.

47:16Sean Fennessey:Bizarre. But like the Torch song version of And So It Goes was quite amusing. Quite expensive music, to be honest. We had some Olivia Rodrigo, right? Sure. We had Way and Slide by Fleetwood Mac. Yes. Yeah. That's when I turned to Yassi for my classic. I did the music. I just feel like they could have spent that budget on a better writer. Well, three people worked on this song, including Akiva Schaefer. or Keith Goldsman excuse me yeah very accomplished writer I like to believe that he was overridden because I believe in him my instinct is that Kelly Marcelle is responsible for the final version of the screenplay Kelly Marcelle best friend of Tom Hardy yeah of course author of the Venom screenplay yeah she also wrote Saving Mr.

48:03Sean Fennessey:Banks yeah the Tom Hanks film yeah that's Gantz yeah this is one of the worst movies of the year I thought it was horrible. It's really hard for me. You guys, this is really painful for me. It was not good. And I realize I'm not the prime directive here for this film. I am, though, and I still. And it was a difficult conversation with Eileen afterwards because she clearly was moved. I was still moved. If the movie is two hours and ten minutes, it felt like it was nine hours. It's four hours long. So here's the thing. I don't disagree with you. It's harmless, right? So that's okay. It's harmless.

48:39And the ways in which it's bad are not interesting, but they are more to my interests than other bad movies we've seen this year. Like Supergirl is one of the worst movies of the year. But I was like, I don't care about any of this. And I don't want to be looking at these things. I spend a lot of time marveling at the various post-production choices in this movie. That's a polite way of putting it. Take away the plot that is crazy. Yeah, and everybody's got something different. They erased all of the warmth and charm of the visual of the first one. You couldn't even make it. How would you describe that?

49:17Well, the house they made of CGI, I guess. No, they didn't. They rebuilt it again. They somehow made it look like CGI. Yeah, and I'm sure that the cinematography and the light was insane.

49:29Sean Fennessey:These are two huge stars in their early 60s. and the way that historically actresses are lit and shot when they're into this phase and I will say this Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock are beautiful and they look extraordinary for their age but they look extraordinary for any age yes but there's some real like Elizabeth Taylor in the 1970s stuff going on where it's like Vaseline on the lens where you're like what am I am I looking at a cloud like the visual dynamics of the movie are horrible for that reason I think and clearly like an inconsistent yeah and it changes every time exactly and you can tell depending on like the scene or what they're applying in post.

50:05By the way, I just want to say, like, let's keep looking into those filters for me. You know, like I'm not above it. Jack, slap that Vaseline all over the lens for me. I'm fine with it. But like that actually was something that I spent a lot of time and I was intellectually engaged with it in the way that I'm not intellectually engaged with like the backstory of Lobo or whatever his name is, you know? So that doesn't make it good. In fact, it is quite bad. But I was just kind of like, oh, okay. And now I'm going to spend some time thinking about this. The production designer is Tom Burton, but I misread it and thought it was Tim Burton.

50:37I was having a stroke. That'd be a weird job for him to take. It would have looked way better. And then I was kind of like Googling under my bag, trying to clarify the situation. That's how I found out there was an Architectural Digest feature where they did rebuild the set. But in England. Yeah. Yes. Not in Whidbey Island. Yassi and I were also talking about, because the first Practical Magic, they built the house and then tore it down. And we were kind of wondering about, so when you build an entire house, but just for a movie, like, do you have to build it to code? Or is it, you know, or do you have to then tear it down afterwards because it doesn't have like the right safety and plumbing?

51:20I think it probably needs to be a code. So it's just a living house. Yeah. Then why build it down? Why tear it down?

51:30Sean Fennessey:So they tore it down after they shot in Practical Magic 2? They tore it down after they... This is what we've heard. I don't know if it's 100 % true. I'm not sure. It's not really that important to me. You know this film? But these are the things I'm thinking about while watching this bad movie. What I was thinking about was the casting. Well, sure. Yeah. Listen. Well, I don't have anything against Joey King and Antonio Williams. Maisie Williams. Maisie Williams, sorry. Her name, her thing was, her name, character name is Antonia. I apologies. But I was like, okay, again, I'm just thinking like the star power of, like, you could have maybe tried to match that a bit.

52:06And they're lovely. They're, you know, cute girls and good actresses. But I was like, oh, it would have been nice if it was just a little, something a little more. I mean, I don't have a word for it.

52:19Sean Fennessey:The movie is a little low rent, you know? It is. It's just not really, it doesn't, it seems like a very cozy movie star vehicle for two, two big stars who are reviving an older product. I mean, Suzanne Beer is the director, you know, Danish filmmaker who's made a lot of really well-liked movies over the years, has not made a ton of Hollywood movies, but she did direct Bird Box. And I, yeah, yeah. And obviously a huge, huge hit in 2018 for Sandra Bullock on Netflix, but not a good movie at all. and so obviously there's some trust there for Sandra Bullock bringing her in on this movie but I just I think hold hold this is important I need you guys to help me understand this and if you want to just hand wave it and say it's not a big deal that's okay but you know in the original film which was made in 1998 Evan Rachel Wood and the other young actress are 10, 11, 12 the daughters Yossi was dramatically whispering about this throughout the film so keep going so that film came out 28 years ago.

53:21Yeah, yeah, yeah.

53:22Sean Fennessey:And the daughters in this film are 20 and 24, maybe? I think presumably the story was written. So did this movie take place in 2007? Yeah, because that's when the book was written. They're also, they don't really have smart, no, they do have smartphones. But they don't tell us that, right? They do, right? Because they're FaceTiming. Yes, that's right. They're FaceTiming from the guy in the coma. We're just supposed to, we're just supposed to. that one of Nicole's eyebrows did. I don't know how to, just the one eyebrow. Just the one. I don't know how to I just say this delicately but I believe that the characters of the sisters are meant to be 20 years younger than their age.

54:00Which is

54:01Sean Fennessey:I think I can I can accept intellectually but is so distracting in the first 30 minutes of the movie if you've just watched the original. Because you're like I know how long ago this movie was made. It would have been I guess like what difference would it have made if the daughters were in their 30s? I don't think any difference. Maybe they fell in love for the first time in their 30s. Well, I was expecting to see Evan Rachel Wood. Yeah, she wasn't asked. So I heard. But I'm like, Evan Rachel Wood is a talented actress. And she was in the original. It's, I guess, the generous thing to say is that it's hard.

54:33These parts are nothing parts. And so, and you have to be still supporting to... But Joey King is quite famous. She's a very successful actor. Sure. I think the ungenerous thing to say is that the younger the actresses are, the younger every actress seems. I get it. and that's what we're going for.

54:50Sean Fennessey:And of course, they are entitled to make whatever movie they want. I just found it distracting. I was literally confused by it. I really feel I would have I would have swallowed anything if the writing was better. Yeah. That's a good point. The charm of the first one is that Sandra Bullock is so funny and Nicole Kidman is so funny and they have these they had pretty good dialogue. Like again, it's not Citizen Kane but the jokes land. They're funny. You know, this, there was like, did you notice this? that there was like so much stuttering that was played as comedy. It was just Sandra Bullock stuttering.

55:23Yes. And I was like, is this funny? I don't, you know, and she did her best. She's funny. I love her. I would lay down my life for Sandra Bullock, one of my favorite actresses of all time. And I was just like, you deserved better. Well, yeah, she doesn't have any comedy. There's not a lot of comedy in this movie is the problem. They try. Well, but even, you know, it's fairly grim. It's like the boyfriend is in a coma and everybody's died. And we have to, you know, fly across the country to across the world. And then to undo some spells. Yeah. Hot. Amazing. What movie are you in? We're in a different movie.

56:05Sean Fennessey:What movie was he in? I don't know. He was good, but it was just I was like, I don't know. He's meant to be some candy for you guys. Yeah. For the customer. They only give you quite literally half a second of Lee Pace doing Lime and the Coconut. It's true. We wanted more. And he does a little shimmy and they cut away. And I was like, what is happening? I sat through two hours and eight minutes of this film. And you're just giving me. You don't even get. The hips don't go to both sides. You only get one half. It was a good answer, too. It was electric. The whole movie came to life. At least the director's cut of Lee Pace doing the entire Lime and the Coconut hip shimmy.

56:42I thought the guy that played the bad guy was actually quite good I'm gonna say

56:48Sean Fennessey:you know what he had a little to work with and he put his whole ass into it and I thought it was good I would say I struggled with his motivation not totally sure what he was trying to accomplish like I got it but I don't think I got it he wanted magic back and this is a note that I have for both Practical Magic and Practical Magic 2 That actor's name is Sully McCloud, by the way. That's the most British name of all time. There's no magic. No one's doing any magic. I mean, there's a gross CGI third act mess at the end, which is very similar to all Marvel movies. I was like, really, guys? This is what you did with this?

57:28You know, they remove the demon from Lee Pace when they first come. But like, they're not... First of all, there is no practical magic. Like, you don't see them living their life like doing fun magic things in order to just make life seem better because they're, you know, it's beautiful, but also they have magic. Like they still use a blender for margaritas. Oh, can we talk about the product placement in this? Okay, so the Ninja. Yeah, so it's a great product, honestly. Okay. We'll take your word for it. Makes margaritas and stuff. Yeah, yeah, sure. Which they didn't use. American Airlines prominently featured as the airline that gets them from wherever they are to.

58:07Sean Fennessey:Yes, although not shot in an airport, very clearly shot in like a janitor's closet with one sign that just said American Airlines on it. And there was one more. What was it? Where we were just laughing and helping each other. Was it a beverage or something or like a food? I can't totally remember. Here's the thing. You have to find your movie. I don't begrudge you. Again, Oasis movie. I've never seen so much Adidas in my life. All good. That's fine. Sure. I accept that in most mainstream studio movies. But also, I just, why do you need a blender to make a margarita if you're a witch? Well, they did it with their hands.

58:39Well, sure. But they're just like, all they're doing is turning it on. How would you do it? Explain it to us. Well, I think that you should be able to just mix it with, I think you should, your magic should include the blade. I understand. As a witch. I understand. Otherwise, what's the point of being a witch? You should just be able to go like this and then a margarita shows up. And then it's like shaken. There wasn't a huge blender product that you could buy at the theater that was for a soda. and I was almost tempted at the AMC. Oh, that was the water bottle?

59:09Sean Fennessey:How do you take your margarita? I like a spicy with a salt rim. And classic or do you like some mango maybe, some blood orange, strawberry? No. What about you? On the rocks at home state at 4 p.m. on a weekend. Very nice. Great. Not blended, not iced. No, I don't like a frozen. I mean, it's fine, but it's sort of like the head rush to, the intended head rush versus the frozen head rush. ratio is off in a frozen margarita for me. Got it. Got it. Okay. This episode is brought to you by Born in Roma fragrances by Valentino Beauty, the iconic fragrance duo. Donna Born in Roma Eau de Parfum is a feminine fragrance featuring juicy black currant, central jasmine, woody cashmere, and warm vanilla.

59:55Its masculine counterpart, Romo Born in Roma Eau de Toilette, has notes of fresh violet leaf, aromatic sage, green vetiver, spicy ginger, and mineral salt. Shop at macy's.com. This episode is brought to you by NOS Energy. Every ounce of dirt, sweat, and gears, every checkered flag and trophy raised, every lap, every race, every hard-fought place. They're all jammed inside every can of NOS Energy. High-performance energy for burning the midnight oil in the garage and pedal-to-the-metal human horsepower for the streets. Go ahead, crack open a can of NOS Energy and get after it. This episode is brought to you by Paramount Plus.

1:00:35On September 18th, prepare for Uncivil War. Mobland, the hit crime series from the underworld of Guy Ritchie, returns to Paramount Plus. The Harrigans are back and their empire is spiraling into chaos from the inside out. As power plays, fractured loyalties, and reckless decisions collide, Fixer Harry is left to clean up the fallout. Don't miss Mobland starring Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, and Helen Mirren. Let Chaos Reign, September 18th on Paramount+.

1:01:01Sean Fennessey:Well, this has been instructive. This movie was tabbed to be one of the big hits of the fall. And it was tracking as high as$46 million on its opening weekend. And it made$30 million. And that's a very big disappointment. I would say not generally for a movie that only made like$40 million like 30 years ago, but based on the expectations around this movie, which continues this year-long cold streak that Warner Brothers is currently doing. dealing with. Yeah. Should they hire us to consult? Well, they had this amazing 2025 and now they kind of pushed all their movies that weren't going to work into 2026 and now they're not working.

1:01:40Sean Fennessey:Now Digger comes out in two weeks and then we get Dune. Do you know anyone who's seen it? Digger? No. Yeah. I spoke to one person at Telluride who knew one person who'd seen it. Okay. Any word of mouth from that? Yeah, they said it was great which means absolutely nothing. But that was a frequent topic of conversation in Telluride was, do you know anyone who's seen this movie? And there was great debate over the weekend or this past week on whether or not it was a musical and then Variety came out and confirmed that it is not a musical. Yeah, though, as people online said, they would say that.

1:02:15Sean Fennessey:Guillermo del Toro also said it was not a musical and he has close friends with Ina Ritsu. What's the better case scenario if it is or isn't? I really don't know at this point. If it's a musical, that's an absolute torpedo to your life. That's the worst thing that's ever happened to you. But maybe it's so... I would be into it. Maybe it's so bad that it is actually what saves it. Yeah, I don't think it's going to be amusing. Okay, I don't think so either. That's not my impression. Are you excited about Digger? Yeah. Okay. I like that kind of thing. How would you describe that kind of thing? Yeah, what is that kind of thing?

1:02:41Like, bizarro, like, insane. Okay. The cat stuff was amusing to me in the trailer. Here's, I have two theories on the Practical Magic 2 underperforming, quote unquote. Okay, number one is I think that it's, you know, it was a cult classic in its time and it means a lot to Yassi, but it's not on the Devil Wears Prada 2 level of popularity. So just like the built-in style of the audience.

1:03:05Sean Fennessey:Devil Wears Prada was a huge hit when it came out. Exactly. And it's like a four quadrant. You know, everybody loves it. And then number two is a little bit of the Matt Bellamy theory of the press tour taking over the box office receipts where Nicole and Sandra were everywhere. And it was a delight. And it was all over my Instagram. and I think it was this, the target audience of this movie was Instagram moms. I mean, let's see, the trailers were the Cat in the Hat, Hexed, the M. Night Shyamalan, Nicholas Sparks movie. I leaned over to Amanda and I was like, why are there so many children's movies being advertised?

1:03:39She was like, did moms come see this? And then a commercial for Hermes Lipstick. So, you know, but I do think that all the people that they hoped would go see this movie just watched Sandra and Nicole being completely delightful for the past two or three weeks. Yeah. And were like, okay, I'll catch it on streaming like I did the original. So. Also, I think it came out too early. Not that it was. I have a lot of thoughts about this. But I do feel like, I mean, it's, it's an October film.

1:04:05Sean Fennessey:You're right. However, this Friday's Resident Evil comes out, which I think is the most anticipated horror movie of the year. And it's going to be September 18th. And I think it's right on time. I think it's going to run shit for two or three weeks. But they're trading, Practical Magic is trading on your nostalgia and love for Gilmore Girls Fall type situations. Well, we're in LA though. Also moms are dealing with back to school, you know, like we just can't really. What does that mean? I don't know. It's a little too early. We're still getting back in the groove of things. I feel like. You guys found the time, you know.

1:04:38Well, sure. I am a single mother of two animals and I did make it work, you guys. Exactly.

1:04:43Sean Fennessey:I don't know. I was with many moms over the weekend at a school event. And I would say in a group of seven women, six of them had seen this movie. So it did reach its intended audience. I think maybe is its intended audience not as big as they had hoped it would be? Eileen is the only other mom I know that has seen this movie. I'm really sorry for the pink pussy hat to come right onto my head right now, but do you think that it's at all possible that they just do not try as hard when they're making films for women? No, no. I think men get a movie like this every week. There's like tons of junky, revived, reboot stuff that comes out all the time for men.

1:05:21Sean Fennessey:And some of it is that they just... I just said Masters of the Universe. You know what I mean? Like we do this all the time. Oh my God. I'm so excited for Street Fighter. I am too. The trailer like knocked my socks off. Well, that's great. It's banger. It's so Ari. I was sitting with Bree and she's younger and I was like, Guile. I was like, Honda. Yeah, Honda. And she was like, how do you know every... Because I was like, I played this every day of my life. Do you know the ritual of naming some dudes? Are you familiar with that idea where guys will just sit around in a basement just naming old baseball players as a way to feel connected without actually talking about their feelings?

1:05:51It also happens with the Cincinnati Reds on this podcast.

1:05:53Sean Fennessey:Yeah, Chris and I do it all the time. It's the most naming some dudes of video game trailers where it's just like, they're just showing you everything you remember specifically about the game and being like, don't you want this? Don't you want to have this exact experience? Don't you want to hear the sonic cue from the game? Zangief? I was like, oh, let's go. They're all there. It's all seen. They're all there. Sorry, that was a diversion. Digression. That movie, I think, is operating in a similar fashion to this movie, which is hoping that if they jingle the keys of your youthful indiscretion, hey Oasis don't look back and anger did it too this all feeds back into my theory about millennials in power that it's like we waited a long ass time and there's enough decision makers in their 40s who are like you know what matters my childhood yeah and that's what a lot of this stuff is pushing towards it's a lot of it like you know what I remember 1998 how can I get 1998 on screen did they remake the craft they did remake the craft not very successfully missed that one another fall classic can I just say one last thing about Oasis is because I feel remiss that I didn't mention it.

1:06:54Of course. One of the best and most emotional parts was the Stone Roses bit where it very cleverly showed their origins and what made them start a band and then because Gary Manny Moonfeld, may he rest in peace, died during the tour and it was so emotional them dealing with that and I wore my shirt and I just realized I didn't even bring it up and I would be remiss if we didn't celebrate the Stone Roses and Gary Manny Moonfeld on this podcast.

1:07:19Sean Fennessey:Thank you for sharing that. You're welcome. Let's talk about Sandra Bullock. Okay. Sandra Bullock indisputably one of the 20 biggest movie stars of the last 30 years she's so good is she one of the 10 biggest movie stars of the last 30 years it's a conversation yeah and yet as I pondered this episode and I thought about a Hall of Fame I found it would be really hard for us to achieve the goal of the Hall of Fame episode is it because so many of her films are women's interests no it's because So many of them are not good. Yeah. This is a miscongeniality erasure. That's subjective. Well, it's also the good ones end.

1:08:00Miscongeniality is 2000. I'm looking right now and I think like... The Lake House?

1:08:05Sean Fennessey:What are your favorite 21st century Sandra Bullock movies? I looked at your list and I'm going to keep it so real with you. I've only seen one of these films. Well, the list that I made is just films that she's made in the last 10 years. Or in the last eight years. She's made two, four, six movies. Those six movies are Ocean's 8, Bird Box, The Unforgivable, The Lost City, Bullet Train, and now Practical Magic 2. Now, she's raising a family. She's got gobs of money. She can do whatever she wants. She had a partner that was very ill and that she had to care for. She, I'm not trying to tell her how to live her life.

1:08:42Sean Fennessey:She gave us speed. She gave us while you were sleeping. She gave us many movies that people really like. Actually, the proposal was good. I don't care for the proposal but many people do it was a huge I enjoyed it it was Ryan Reynolds when he was still like in his Ryan Reynolds bag you know and she was great listen gravity is excellent gravity and the heat in 2013 I think is kind of like her second apex right where she goes back to the absolute top of Hollywood and in a way you get the sense that she was kind of like okay like I did it like I absolutely scaled the mountain now I want to have a little bit of my life back which is very understandable but it's a dodgy filmography.

1:09:21Sean Fennessey:Two Weeks Notice was good. What's that? Two Weeks Notice was good. Two Weeks Notice is like a classic. And if Donald Trump were not a cameo at the end, then it would be like, it would be rom-com hall of fame. Did we put it in the canon? I don't think we did. I don't think we did. It's really good. But I think that was us not being honest because it's really good. Okay, sorry, I'm done with that. What do you think? What do you, what do you, you said she's one of your favorites. Right. What is it about her that you like so much? I think, I actually wanted to ask you guys, since you're so knowledgeable about working actresses and movie stars and stuff, she just has like this every woman quality, this girl next door charm, humor, but also luminous, beautiful, oozing charisma.

1:10:07But you don't feel intimidated by her. It's just like, she's such a package. And I'm like racking my brain to be like, who's a comp? maybe Jennifer Warrow?

1:10:19Sean Fennessey:It's because she's also does the... Oh, a contemporary comp? A contemporary comp. Yeah, like a gal. Basically, I'm trying to be like, do they make this kind of actress anymore? She's not on the level, but the best part and maybe only good part of One Night Only is Monica Barbaro. And she has, like, super, super beautiful, but in, like, a very winning and, like, sort of relatable, not threatening sort of way. I haven't seen that, so I've only seen her in the Bob Dylan movie. She was great. Yeah, she's good in. So that's like the closest comp, but Monica Bovaro has not, you know, I mean, she's been nominated for an Oscar.

1:10:54She's very good in what she's in, but not Sandy level yet.

1:10:58Sean Fennessey:Yeah, although, I mean, they're somewhat similar in that they both were, I guess like a little bit later to launch. You know, Sandra Bullock was 30 when Speed came out, which is obviously still very young, but... In Hollywood? She's a senior citizen. She's an AARP. In many films in Hollywood, she'd been in a bunch. She was in like Demolition Man before that thing called Love, like, wrestling Ernest Hemingway. She'd been in movies before that, but it took her a little while to launch. I think Monica Barbara was, like, 33, 34 by the time she really got into Top Gun Maverick and the Bob Dylan film.

1:11:27Sean Fennessey:So I think that's a really good comparison. And, yeah, they have that very similar, like, hot brunette, but also bring her home to mom quality that you could see. She's not quite as funny, though, is she? Nobody's like that. No, I mean, she's not doing it. She's a great comedian. She's a great comedian. She's good physical comedy. She's really good with like verbal dexterity. She has instant chemistry with almost any opposite number in any film that she's in. Except for Lee Pace. I thought they were fine. Listen, she was going through a lot, you know, and was he trying to steal her magic or not?

1:11:59And he did give her custard, you know? That was sweet. He pretty knew. And she,

1:12:06Sean Fennessey:I always thought she had a little bit of trouble choosing filmmakers. Like she was pretty good at choosing, you know, for example, I don't know if we can get a close-up. Yeah, forces of nature. She went opposite Keanu. She went opposite Ben Affleck. She went opposite Bradley Cooper. She went opposite Nicole Kidman. She went opposite Chris O'Donnell. Like, people who were, like, hot at the time, you know? Yeah, but what happened to Chris O'Donnell? He owns Pete Sana, right? He does? Yeah. Chris O'Donnell owns Pete Sana? Yeah, he's definitely on one of the CSIs. Or one of the... Oh, my God. Good job, Chris O'Donnell.

1:12:39We love Pete Sana. He was an important figure in my youth. I'm pretty sure Chris O'Donnell. Sorry that I digress. Yeah. You unlocked the sense memory. That's a major part of what he's up to.

1:12:53Sean Fennessey:Okay, sorry. I've always been very fond of Murder by Numbers, which I saw in theaters with my wife. Of course. With Ryan Gosling very early on. I believe they had a thing together. That was a May, what do you call it? May, December. Is that only when the man is? NCIS is what Chris O'Donnell was on. Just so you know. You know I watch those. The pizzana. She appears in the Academy Award winning film Crash. Sure. Which we all know and love. I don't want to talk about that film. I don't recognize that film. You know, Miss Congeniality, one of the biggest hits of its time. Yeah. She's been in a lot of movies.

1:13:25Sean Fennessey:I feel like movies like Hope Floats and Two If By Sea, like these movies were just a part of my childhood. What about The Blind Side? Well, she won an Academy Award for The Blind Side. Yeah. And she's in a Best Picture winner, which is Crash. And so part of her legacy is a bit tarnished by the unbeloved quality of those movies, at least among movie freaks, right? Like those are not, among cinephiles, those are not the most beloved movies. And so even though she's been in some cool stuff. Crash is garbage. Crash is hot garbage. I'm not going to defend Crash here. Terrible. But she was also in Gravity, you know, and Gravity didn't win Best Picture that year, but it very well could have.

1:14:03Sean Fennessey:Right. And that movie is an incredible achievement that also rests like entirely on her shoulders. In addition to the extraordinary technology that the Cuarón has developed to make the movie. At the end. On the beach. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Me at the end of every day. Sure. Just a weird career. A big, huge, successful career. And she's beloved. Do you think they just like wouldn't let her? No. I think she's so powerful but be in like prestige films no I think she can do it ever she wants really? then how come you think she didn't do something I don't think she's I don't think she's interested in that which is sort of what makes this an interesting challenge for us because on the one hand you could say movie star playbook for Sandra Bullock she's done it all she's good one best actress been in the best picture film she's in speed you know she's in while you were sleeping two weeks notice practical magic all these beloved movies that are gonna live for 30, 40, 50 years on the other hand it's kind of a weird filmography for somebody who's so talented and powerful.

1:15:05And so I found it a little bit

1:15:08Sean Fennessey:challenging to think about it. But how do you think about her career at this point? I have been thinking a lot about her and this exercise that we're about to do in terms of Julia Roberts, who is a similarly beloved star from a similar generation who in the last 10 to 15 years has not been working as much and has been, you know, spotty and has done like really interesting things and worked with Sam Esmail and Ticket to Paradise was like a moderate hit. But, you know, like long breaks. And I remember when we did do the Julia Roberts Hall of Fame that I think I fought for Ben is back because I think she's quite good in that movie that nobody saw.

1:15:49Right. But the last movie before that was like 2008, 2010, that there's like just a big chunk where.

1:15:57Sean Fennessey:Same thing, raising a family. Exactly. Yeah. And also, you know, you get to a certain age in Hollywood and they're just the types of movies they make and the different types of roles. So I think that it is a little bit, you know, Julia Roberts probably picks better directors than Sandra Bullock does. I think her taste is way more interesting. Yeah, it is. But also spotty and you especially like you look in the 90s and some of the things she tries that just absolutely didn't work out. But I just think Ben is back. Luca and Sam is just way more interesting to me than whatever it is Sandra Bullock's been doing.

1:16:30Totally. Totally. But that they're also in a slightly similar spot. And, you know, to your and Yassi's conversation, it seems like Sandra Bullock is not really interested in doing like the Lucas and the Sam Esmails and more experimental stuff. She wants to be more, you know, broad strokes. But I don't know if that's really serving her, given like the types of broad strokes movies that are being made in this day and age.

1:16:56Sean Fennessey:that was something that I thought about a little bit which is like her vision of her stardom is a little bit lapsed you know like the kinds of movies that you could center her in that are 50, 70, 500 million dollar movies maybe don't work as well as they used to as evidenced by Practical Magic 2 kind of underperforming they barely even make them right you guys talk a lot about how they don't really make romantic comedies to that scale anymore and that was really her superpower it's like smart well done romantic comedies and we just don't have those anymore yeah so we don't spend money on them anymore so she's 62 yes so the lead in a smart well done romantic comedy unless it's you know but you could do it you could totally do it like something's gotta give like all the fancy mirrors of it all yeah or about how there's some like just because you're an older woman or older man doesn't mean there can't be a story it may end up a$500 million blockbuster yeah but I think that speaks to what maybe what kinds of movies we would want to see her make cast Sandra Bullock in X-Men you cowards who would she be an X-Men oh brother are you you're an X-Men person did you tell yeah you texted me about this I grew up deeply reading the comics and collecting the cards maybe we don't have to go to X-Men school at some point we can teach you I can do it for you you know I love X-Men Professor Xavier's Charles Xavier's school for gifted mutants Amanda I think you would actually really love it once you think of it you're kind of a gifted mutant thank you so much it's myth it's Greek myth it's mythology I understand all of that I think you'd be into it it's also like Saved by the Bell it's like It's like teens learning how to hang out with each other.

1:18:26No, I understand all of that. I just meant before the X-Men movies come out, like maybe I do boot camp and I learn about the X-Men.

1:18:35Sean Fennessey:I'll give you all the Chris Claremont stuff. Okay. You'll love it. I was like, can we build an episode around it? You should just watch the X-Men animated series with your son. You're really into this. That is the thing. The X-Men series and then X-Men 97 are legitimately great. Yeah. Nina, huge fan of this too. No, I know. Everyone is. it's not that I'm above it I just am not like you just need to crack it you need to crack it you need to get it you need to find a way in we have until May 2028 the thing is is like there's a chance that they're gonna get the X-Men right with Marvel and if they do that's gonna be like the center of movie culture for five years and I'm ready that's what I'm saying it's gonna be a huge thing well I was just like I was having so much nostalgia for a while because I thought the first movie was really good yeah when we were the Bryan Singer movie yeah and I'm like I liked it too can we go back to that like I'll be so happy These are my friends.

1:19:23In theory, they can do better. Yeah, they can do better. I'm just trying to rack my brain for who could she be.

1:19:28Sean Fennessey:There's not an older female, as far as I can tell, character in the X-Men, which maybe says something about X-Men. Yeah. You know? Well, it's about teenagers. Yeah. That's kind of the point. I just remember that this weekend, I saw two adults dressed as Deadpool and Wolverine driving around Pasadena in like a red, like buggy car. Yeah, that was me and CR. They did wave at Knox. So they were like, Knox was really like, hey. It was Sean and Chris sidebar. What should we do with Sandy? Like, now we're in charge of her career? Yeah. Well, I mean, I have a couple of prompts. So, one director she should work with.

1:20:10Yeah. Soderbergh.

1:20:12Sean Fennessey:That's exactly who I've written down. so for me, Lynn Ramsey. Well, that would be good too. I think it would be amazing. That would be really good. I think that's a great suggestion. Would she ever do that, I think is a reasonable question to ask. I wrote Soderbergh for an obvious reason, which is like she was almost in a Soderbergh movie. That movie, Ocean's 8, should have been directed by Steven Soderbergh. Except it's Gary Ross. Right, which again is to Yossi's point of like, sometimes for women, they just don't try as hard. That was one where I was like, oh, I guess you're not going to let the real person direct it.

1:20:40Sean Fennessey:I will stand on Anne Hathaway Corner in Ocean's 8. She's very good. She's amazing. Yeah. Everything else in that movie is a little... I mean, it's not Cate Blanchett and Sandy's fault. I love those movies. I'll watch them till I die. I don't care. Even eight though? It's like Reacher. Eight is kind of an eh. It's fine. I like it. I mean, I still like a heist movie. I'd like, she could make another heist movie, make another Oceans, have her show up in the prequel. I don't really care. But the Soderbergh, in addition to that, you know, Julia Roberts is top of mind. So like give her an Erin Brockovich or give her an out of sight, you know, like give her, he understands how to work with movie stars and bring out a different side of them.

1:21:15Yep. And it's like a change up, but also, you know, Steven Spielberg has made a lot of broad budget, you know, broad, broadly appealing movies. Yeah.

1:21:26Sean Fennessey:And I think he could use one right now too. Yeah. But also he knows how to shoot movies in 25 days. Not a huge time commitment, you know, the movie can come out in six months, you know, and you can say, and she has taken some chances. Like, I don't want to run her down too much. Like she tried to do Our Brand is Crisis, for example, with David Gordon Green, which is based on a documentary, which I thought was a really interesting idea in a movie that just like, if you made it a hundred times like it would have been better 98 times from the movie that they made it just didn't totally click I just I want her to do something like out of left field like Todd Solons you know like or so he can't get a movie made either right now there's a whole story about that in the New Yorker Alan Rickson can you fund both my smoking cinema and also the Todd Solons Sandra Bullock film that I will I'll write it I would Alan Rickson fit in a Todd Solons film anyone can fit in a Todd Solons film Well, he's very good at refracting people's movie star iconography.

1:22:20Sean Fennessey:That's what I'm saying. I just, I think she, I love the Soderbergh. I think it's great. She would be so perfect. But wouldn't it be cool, like, in the, like, third, fourth quarter of her career to see her just do something so wildly different? Yeah. I was trying to think about, this is related to what genre should she do, but I was like, what if he just dropped her into a Robert Eggers movie? Like, would that work? Could she pull that off, you know? Could she do a Danish accent? I think she needs to be able to still make jokes. You're not allowed to be funny in those. though. That's the thing.

1:22:47It's like she, well, they are funny often, but I often wonder where the intention is.

1:22:53Sean Fennessey:I feel like Erin Taylor-Johnson was being very funny in Nosferatu. You know, like there is, the lighthouse is very funny. It's true. I think it's a very pitched up humor. You probably have to do an accent. She doesn't do a lot of accents, right? She's really, she's America's sweetheart. But just in terms of thinking about how to get her out of her comfort zone, trying something with a director with a really strong idea of what they're doing that doesn't just let her rely on her inherent sandiness. Totally. Or like, oh my God. I mean, I'm going the other direction on one genre, which is like, again, and I'm just doing Erin Brockovich here, but like a, like a traditional courtroom, like legal.

1:23:30Oh yeah. You know, like be on the side of good. Basically. Well,

1:23:33Sean Fennessey:she was in A Time to Kill. Sure. So she has experience in that mold, but she was kind of playing the sideline in that one. Give her the McConaughey part. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe don't have her give that speech. Now imagine they're white, you know? God. Remember that? Have you seen that? Sure. What'd you think of A Time to Kill? I haven't thought of it one time since. Really? Maybe. I mean. I think it's pretty stirring. Yeah. Some issues. Okay. It's good. I like Matthew McConaughey. Yes, they deserve to die and I hope they burn in hell. Sam Jackson. Sure. Remember Kiefer Sutherland? I do remember that movie.

1:24:05Sean Fennessey:Joel Schumacher? Filmmaker? Are we just naming stuff now? Yeah. So what's the premise of your quorum drama with Sandy? I mean, she's got to be exposing some sort of like, if it's not like environmental you know cancer causing whatever as in Erin Brockovich then they were probably that because of the different ways that the corporations everything they get into there's a chemical for everything but what are some other who's she avenging legal partner or who's like opposing counsel who she's like very flirty with but they never really you know they have some history right don't they? Right. Steve Buscemi.

1:24:46I was going to, I mean, go for Clooney. Yeah. I know. Bring it back. Because Clooney could also use one of these, right?

1:24:54Sean Fennessey:They never really did the proper. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. I wrote Clooney down too. You know, Hanks is 70, but I do feel like her and Hanks have the same kind of movie stardom, which is that they are funny and charming and seem a little normal, but also larger than life, but can play very seriously if they need to, but can play very light if they need to. He's a little bit more adventurous in terms of the kinds of parts that he's taken on in the second half of his career, but I feel like they would be funny together. Yes, I think so. But I have it for CoStar. I have a different proposal. Okay. Timothee Chalamet and we do a May-December romantic comedy.

1:25:31They could work. You could see them throwing heaters at each other.

1:25:35Sean Fennessey:You know who would have to direct that? Is Helena Rain. Yes. Totally. But it should be funny. Like it can be a little messed up too, but they should be able to, I would watch it. Who would you want to see Sandy opposite?

1:25:54Sean Fennessey:This is a long pause. Yeah, I know. Well, I'm thinking about the kind of film that I want to see first. And then I was like, who would fit in that film? Honestly, I think like a Jennifer Lawrence, I would, I would love to see her in a film. That's like a meta film about, aging in Hollywood or something something that's like oh yeah not quite as like the comeback not that funny but something that's like kind of a heightened like All About Eve yeah like I think I think that could be really cool but but but still funny you know like a comedic but also like but at the end it's okay I don't know okay it depends is Lynn Ramsey directing and I'm writing it probably not okay at the end okay All About Eve remake with Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Lawrence's a lot.

1:26:43Sean Fennessey:Yeah. That's a tidal wave. I don't know if you can, you can't really remake All About Eve. That's one of the most perfect movies ever made. But honestly, let them try. Yeah. You know, that's not my money. You don't have to remake it. You can come up with a new, you know, a new story. A new spin. Yeah. Okay. That's pretty good. We have social media now. There's a lot of other layers we could add on to this. One sequel she should make. So she just made a sequel and didn't really totally work. Now, this could be any sequel. it could be a sequel to any franchise but from her films is there one movie you think she should try to revive right now?

1:27:15You didn't say who you would want her to act the opposite.

1:27:17Sean Fennessey:I did Tom Hanks. Oh yeah you did. I also think to your Chalamet point there's a Glenn Powell movie there too. Yeah for sure. Or Robert Pattinson. For sure. Could be amazing. He's a little kooky. Well so is she. Yeah that's true. But I like the like Pattinson could be doing Gosling you know 2000s Gosling also which would be nice. The thing about Glenn Powell and Sandy is that they're both, you know, like the girl and guy next door. So you need one. Yeah, you need like someone weird and someone. I love them both, but they kind of need to be paired with someone a little kookier, I think. Okay. That's just me.

1:27:56One sequel. Okay. I mean, speaking of, Murder by Numbers.

1:27:59Sean Fennessey:Oh, wow. Are they on speaking terms, Ryan and Sandy? I don't know who Ryan Gosling is speaking to right now besides the Flintstones. Yeah. Gosh. I hope that's going to be okay. I said while you were sleeping. And it's about... A follow-up? Yeah, it's called while you were napping. Sure. And it's about a couple of 60-somethings. Sure. And one of them falls asleep and doesn't wake up. What happens when you have a relationship based basically entirely on lies and fraud? Yeah. It's Eyebrows Guy? Peter Gallagher? No, it's Peter Gallagher. No, this would be Bill Pullman. Yeah. But Peter Gallagher comes back.

1:28:35Sean Fennessey:The whole gang comes back. Oh, and so then... And they'll have kids. and their kids are sorting stuff out. One of their kids goes in a coma. Oh. Yeah. A lot of comas for one family. Yeah. I don't think you can do coma again. What do you want to do? Like frozen in a glacier? I don't know. I mean, listen, they got away with it while you were sleeping, but just ethically, it's one of the 90s ones that we just really can't reheat. It's pretty bad. Okay. What are you remaking then? Or what are you sequelizing? I already said Murder by Numbers. Oh, Murder by Numbers. That's right. You have a sequel?

1:29:04I haven't even seen the first one, but let's say Bird Box.

1:29:07Sean Fennessey:They did do a sequel, but she's not in it. Too furious. No? Doesn't Bird Box end with her dying? I don't know. Spoiler alert for the world acclaimed 500 million watched Bird Box. I think it ends with her dying. I just, we've had enough sequels. Let's make something new. Let's read the last sentence of the synopsis from Bird Box. Okay. Although I did, what if we had, what if we revisit the lake house? Mallory releases the birds and finally names the children Tom and Olympia, declaring that she is their mother. She also happily sees her obstetrician, Dr. Laugham, is among the survivors. Great. Congrats.

1:29:38Sean Fennessey:I just... Congrats to Mallory. Ripe for a sequel. They made one, I think, and it was a Spanish version. So it was like these events, but transpiring in San Sebastian or whatever. No, that's Eyes. Eyes is, yes, Los Ojos. What? What? Yeah, I think that's true. Okay. I'll say it for real. It's called Bird Box. No, it's Bird Box Barcelona. I'll say The Lake House. Oh, shit. Because The Lake House was a wonderful film and made no sense and let's just, there's no, of course you could make a sequel because there's no logic and no time and no understanding. I'm going to read the last plot line of Bird Box Barcelona now.

1:30:16But still satisfying. Wow. Okay, I'm just going to read context as the last line of Bird Box Barcelona. It is revealed that the army has captured one of the creatures and a seer and are using the seer's blood to try and create an antibody. Okay.

1:30:31Sean Fennessey:And there hasn't been a follow-up? I don't think so. Okay, that's upsetting. I yeah I don't know

1:30:45Sean Fennessey:the proposal I feel like this is the most obvious one or two weeks two weeks notice maybe and it's like she's like a CEO again because Ryan Reynolds is so bankable still right sort of but do people want to see him you know how much money this movie made the proposal made so much money I thought you were going to say $317 million do you know how much money Mayday made does he I would say to you none does he still do like hasn't he sort of shifted into a different kind of role as an actor like Ryan Reynolds yeah like I'm trying he's played Deadpool he's played Deadpool but like free guy but like yeah doesn't he has any kind of Mayday do you know about Mayday over to action and men's interest films or whatever more or less there is a slight touch of the men's sphere of what he's doing.

1:31:36The lovable romantic comedy guy is maybe not there anymore. That's right. He was in If. Do you know about If? He was in If. I know. Imaginary friend directed by John. Oh, actually. Okay. I saw it and I loved it. Okay. That's great. I'm sorry. Listen.

1:31:51Sean Fennessey:He was in Spirited with Will Ferrell. Oh, right. The holiday film. Yeah. Those are some recent movies that weren't action movies. Okay. But generally, you're right. But it feels like the kind of craven thing that he would do to make the proposal too. Right? For Ryan Reynolds. All right. He's doing okay. Do you think Sandy's going to do any of this stuff? No. That we've proposed? I don't. Think she's listening? I hope not. I hope she's like on vacation. She worked very hard. She did. Listened to her on Good Hang? Yeah. Delightful. I mean, another co-star, Amy Poehler. That would be delightful. They would be good.

1:32:24Yeah.

1:32:25Sean Fennessey:They were kind of auditioning for each other in that episode in an interesting way. Kind of like an ensemble cast comedy film a la Girls Trip with like... you know, several other funny women. Older girls trip. Yeah. Let's sequelize girls trip, make it all white women. They all go on a girls trip. Why do they all have to be white? Well, because Amy and Sandra are white. There's three other slots. Who else is going on? Did you see Spa Weekend? Quinta Brunson. I haven't seen Spa Weekend. I have not seen Spa Weekend either. Spa Weekend was sort of white women girls trip, but Spa Weekend. Leslie Bibb.

1:32:57They were doing a marketing thing where they invited you to a spa for the day. I know, but I was out of town. Which spa was it? they didn't they didn't specify it honestly like i know any spas i'm i'm also not really a spa person okay are you are you i love the yeah but i can't sit still it's part of like that i don't like being you know poked you know i love anyone if anyone out there is offering spa trips to amanda and she declines i will happily pick up the slack they keep they put cucumber in your water and they tell you to like relax you know i did a face mask last night where it's like we recommend that you You said to have fun.

1:33:32So it was like, you need to sit still and like take deep breaths while you do this. And I was like, you're not my boss. Like, you're not here. I'm going to watch a Gene Hackman movie while I do this. Okay. It was just a light suggestion. You don't have to do anything. Don't tell me what to do. The face mask overlords tell you to do. You're a spa girl. I love a spa. I couldn't spend the whole day there.

1:33:51Sean Fennessey:Anyway, spa weekend didn't really hit. Seems nice if you're fortunate enough to participate in spa culture. That seems like a nice thing, right? what are you like on the street begging for change you can go to a spa if you want to yeah of course I'm not saying anything about myself available to you okay I feel like we've done yeoman's work here okay this is a real like I need the good movies to start coming out moment here we're like we're right on the precipice yeah we're getting there it's almost gonna happen yeah we're just we're days away from Resident Evil you know then we get we get prime time we get some other stuff get Digger yeah time digger Verity what's Verity about I keep seeing the billboards but I have no understanding of what it is I don't want to spoil it for myself for yourself do you remember the trailer that we saw with Jake Gyllenhaal and the Phoebe Divener and it was M.

1:34:43Night Shyamalan and Nicholas Sparks yeah I'm excited for that yeah that is in the Verity zone okay as I understand it but Verity is Josh Hartnett Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson oh Josh Hartnett that's all that's why I led with him do you think the bear revived him? I do actually think that the bear sort of brought him back that and then trap for those who know.

1:35:05Sean Fennessey:Did the bear revive who? Josh Hartnett. You just stopped listening to us? No, there were many things that brought him back. What else? Oppenheimer. Oh, that's right. Yeah. I haven't seen Oppenheimer yet. Forgot about that. He's very good at Oppenheimer. What am I waiting for to finish Reacher? Thanks for asking. Lawrence, come on. Yeah, very tall. He is tall. I used to see him all the time at Max Fish being tall and hot. What's next for you? In life? Well, whatever you want to promote. Yeah, well, we're going to have an Indie Sleaze Month on Bandsplain, my podcast. Can you define Indie Sleaze?

1:35:36Yeah. You know what? I've actually come around. This is a spoiler for Indie Sleaze Month, but I was very anti the term because obviously you a music writer, me a music writer, you a music participant. That didn't exist back then. We didn't call it that. We didn't call it that. However, there's no real shorthand for that scene and era. And it's not a bad one. I was like, okay, it was. It's okay. It was indie. it was indie music and it was kind of sleazy and I was like that's fine was it though yes the music the scene the scene the music was not and I do think indie sleaze was referring back to the scene the music was kind of like high minded the music was all over the place it was like everything from like the rapture to the strokes to the AIS to TV on the radio it hit you know DFA it was but anyway so we're doing that Sean and Amanda are both participating in Indie Sleaze Month so you know join us and Chris Ryan your favorite yes actually I don't know I don't know what the rules are at the Sycamore studio but

1:36:32Sean Fennessey:I don't believe you can yeah okay great well thank you Yossi thank you for having me thanks to our producer Jack Sanders for his work on today's episode thanks to Lucas Cavanaugh for production support hey Amanda thank you you're so welcome Sean thank you for thanking me you're welcome later this week time for Zach Kreger's Resident Evil I'll be there will you see you then

1:36:55Thank you.