Weirdhouse Cinema Rewind: Virtuosity

In this classic classic episode of Weirdhouse Cinema, Rob and Joe discuss a glistening example of 90s cyberslop: 1995’s “Virtuosity,” directed by Brett Leonard and starring Academy Award-winning actors Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. (originally published 4/11/2025)

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hey, welcome to Weird House Cinema. Rewind, this is Rob
Lamb and ooh, today's episode is one that originally aired
four eleven, twenty twenty five. Yeah, we're talking about Virtuosity,
starring Academy Award winning actors Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.
It is a great example of ninety cyberslop. But man,

(00:27):
these guys are a lot of fun in it, and
it's it's a pretty wild film. So without further ado,
let's jump right in.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Hey, welcome to Weird House Cinema. This is Rob Lamb
and this is Joe McCormick.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
And today we are going to be covering the nineteen
ninety five action sci fi thriller Virtuosity, a movie that
you will probably remember even if you haven't seen it,
because in nineteen ninety five you could not help but
be exposed to the trailer where Russell Crowe struts through
a future mall in a baggy purple suit and the

(01:12):
tune is the Beeg's Staying Alive. It was like one
of the most iconic uses of a needle drop in
a trailer from the nineties.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
That's right, that's right, And this one, as we'll discuss,
does have quite a needle drop score. It also has
an original score as well, but a lot of needle
drops in here. It really really sets the tone for
the mid nineties looking to late nineties feel.

Speaker 3 (01:36):
Yeah, so I want to briefly tell a story of
the roundabout way we came to feature this movie today.
So next week is going to be our two hundredth
episode of Weird House Cinema. I think we still haven't
picked the movie for next week, but that makes today
the one hundred and ninety ninth episode. And Rob, when
you and I were batting ideas around, you mentioned the

(01:58):
possibility of doing a movie set in the year nineteen
ninety nine for the one ninety ninth episode. I think
that was a stroke of genius. And folks, there are
a lot of dope movies set in ninety nine, usually
made in the eighties or nineties, imagining nineteen ninety nine
as a terrible dystopian turning point. So I was looking

(02:19):
at her options and for a while I thought that
we were going to be talking about End of Days
starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. For those of you who mainly remember
Arnold's roles as a terminator or an elite commando of
some kind. This is a bit outside his normal range.
It is a Y two k Anti Christ movie in

(02:40):
which Arnold has to shoot the devil with a machine
gun to prevent the titular End of Days.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah, a movie in which Arnold plays sort of an everyman.
Also I guess sort of a super cop. But yeah,
it gets type. I don't want to see Arnold play
in every Man. I want to see Arnold play like
a chrom show in Champion that has been forged out
of trauma and loss into a human weapon. That's what
I want out of my Arnold roles.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
Well, I think the even weirder thing is the context
that it's like a religious supernatural thriller. It's like The Omen,
but with Arnold in it.

Speaker 1 (03:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
I haven't seen End of Days in a long time.
I barely remember it. But Rob, didn't you say there's
something about the year nineteen ninety nine in it that
like plays into a prophecy?

Speaker 1 (03:25):
Yeah? Yeah. The only things I remember are that, a,
there's a really cool bat creature in it, but also
very like brown and dark, very saturated looking, but still
cool bat Monster, And then there's this whole thing about
how well six' six' six really means nine ninety nine
because in dreams numbers are inverted or upside down. Or

(03:46):
something IT'S it's i remember its sounding pretty cool until
you thought about it for like.

Speaker 3 (03:51):
Two seconds, So anyway End of days that is deliciously
weird as. A pitch it does apparently have glorious delivery
on the theme of nineteen, ninety nine BUT unfortunately i
started watching that, ONE man i was just not feeling
it for. This week the vibes were a little too serious,
and grim a little too much kidnapping of babies and

(04:12):
pouring rattlesnake blood. On them it just kind of bummed,
Me OUT so i Bailed on End. Of days maybe,
WE'LL come i. Don't know maybe if you get past those,
early scenes it. Gets FUNNIER but i wasn't feeling it,
this Week and I'M glad i ended up bailing because
the NEXT movie i checked out was another one said
in nineteen, ninety nine but in in a very, different
direction and that IS as, i said nineteen Ninety, five's

(04:34):
Virtuosity Starring denzel washington as an ace cop with a
with a, tragic backstory a, redemption arc and a rarely mentioned,
bionic arm and Also Starring russell crowe as a synthetic
computer game villain raised in a sort of digital nursery
with a great teacher to, student ratio but all the

(04:56):
teachers are.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
Serial killers, You know i'm just now realizing that this
movie does have something in Common with End. Of days
both of these films are about like a sort of
everyman cop type figure going Up Against. Evil Incarnate an End,
of Days It's evil incarnate because It Is gabriel byrne
as the devil who in ONE scene i Believe peace
fire is pea. Straight fire and in this movie we

(05:20):
have pure evil in the sense that we have A
super ai trained on serial killers and mad men that
will mild spoiler here it's in, the trailer will take
physical form in the real world thanks TO three d printing.

Speaker 3 (05:38):
Exactly right and that actually brings us to one of
the MAIN things i wanted to talk about at the,
top here and that is that virtuosity is like a
core example of a nineteen nineties SUBGENRE that i LOVE
that i would here like to dub cyberslop movies from,
the nineties where somebody gets sucked into, a computer Where

(06:01):
the internet tries to, kill you where a virtual reality game.
Becomes sentient, you know, he's learning he's evolving at a,
geometric rate and then at the end you've got a
hack into the mainframe to kill. The, monster now it
might take more than one episode for us to like
fully refine our definition. Of CYBERSLOP but i was just,

(06:21):
you KNOW when i was working on the, OUTLINE here
i was trying to think of a few things these
movies seem to have in common that make them interesting.
To me one of the things they have in common
is that they almost always have ATROCIOUS EARLY cgi cgi
that was not ready but here it. Is anyway and
usually like at, some point either the villainous entity or
the MacGuffin of the movie will be represented as, a floating,

(06:45):
spinning icosahedron and then when, it's destroyed it shatters into
a bunch. Of triangles you know Exactly what i'm, Talking, about.

Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah kind of a mind's eide death star sort. Of,
Moment yeah and thinking about this MADE me i went
BACK and i watched a few scenes from The original
TRON because i was curious, it's like did they have
a moment like this where where the main AI, the
mcp does? It explode it, Doesn't explode but so maybe
there's another film that really got there first with the exploding.

(07:15):
DIGITAL head i.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
Think, For me tron is. Not cyberslop it sort of,
predates it and the cyberslab genre is derived from Movies
like tron and also kind Of degrades tron's level. Of
imagination if that.

Speaker 1 (07:30):
Makes. Sense, yeah yeah speaking, OF though i was glancing
at those Scenes from TRON and i was really taken
aback at how colorful and vivid. Everything is and this
is PROBABLY because i Haven't watched tron since it was
LIKE on tv on an old school television back in.
The DAY but i, was, like wow maybe we really
need to come back And. Watch, Tron oh i'd definitely

(07:50):
be down for.

Speaker 3 (07:50):
DOING it i watched that one a LOT when i was. A,
kid okay another thing about, CYBERSLAP movies i feel like
they tend to, stylize technology like the technology of the
setting in amusing and sometimes even sort of thought. Provoking
ways so if this, makes sense it is not just
that the characters within the cyberslot movie have a particular

(08:14):
style and. Fashion choices but it's like the technosphere itself
has chosen, a style a. Personal style so you get
movies where tech is goth or movies where Tech Is,
miami vice, you know neon colors and the. Shoulder pads
sometimes tech, is preppy and very often tech.

Speaker 1 (08:35):
Is. Punk, yeah yeah because of course tech should, be
punk because the whole genre has its roots, in cyberpunk
generally with very strong connections to the literary Work Of.
William gibson but we could do a deeper dive easily
that gets, into like, you know what are the earliest
examples of sci fi plot lines in which someone is
inside of a simulation or a virtual world and it

(08:56):
goes back.

Speaker 3 (08:57):
Several, decades yeah and a lot of these movies are
essentially Borrowing From william gibson, type writing but very much dumbing.
It down another THING that i think is interesting about,
these movies it's not unique. To them they share this
with a lot of other. Nineties subgenres they feel very
much like they're from the end. Of history and one

(09:18):
reason for that is that every piece of actual specific
culture that we get in these movies feels meaningless. And
interchangeable like it could be swapped out with any other
piece of culture from the same. Object class so, you
know it's just a world where it's like insert work of,
art here insert political. Issue here the cultural objects do

(09:43):
not seem to really mean anything. In themselves they don't
bring their specific meanings and values. From reality they're just
examples of a type. Of thing it, feels like, you
know they're selected from a drop. DOWN menu i really
associate this kind of storytelling with movies from the nineties,
in general but Especially these cyberslot movies.

Speaker 1 (10:04):
HAVE this i wonder if there's, a case and to,
be clear very, broad Case and i'm sure there are
plenty of counter, examples HERE but i wonder how much
of this might have to do with having like a
lot of up and coming filmmakers in, the nineties maybe
more like tech first style first directors and, you know screenwriters,

(10:28):
as well tackling these films informed by the models that
they grew up on from, the eighties from the, seventies
especially that are taking a more, like direct thoughtful approach
in some cases to actual social issues and, political issues
and so there's sort of maybe in some cases, at least,

(10:51):
you know echoing, the form but without really grasping.

Speaker 3 (10:54):
The, substance, YEAH yeah i think that may be on.
To something i'll have to think some more. About that, but,
then also this very LAST point i want to Make
about CYBERSLOP is i think the most, important one and
that is that these movies are at the same time
both quaint and uncanny in the way they depict technologies like, VIRTUAL,

(11:17):
reality Ai, the internet and. Digital media AND what i
mean by, that is on, one hand it's genuinely so
cute that somebody in the year nineteen ninety three decided
to write a whole screenplay about Like. The internet, you
know it's some Kind of, internet thriller and it obviously
has such a vague understanding of What the internet is

(11:39):
and how. It works you'll have like characters navigating cyberspace with,
a joystick, you know that's how you get Through, The
internet and so it's. Just adorable thinking about that kind
of relationship to technology is like looking at a puppy.
Falling asleep on the, other hand stories, like this with their,
very loose, technically inaccurate, overly concrete, overly personalized almost symbolic

(12:06):
depictions of, these technologies can feel weirdly prescient on the,
metaphorical level usually in their ability to imagine what it
feels like to be acted upon by, these technologies in
their maturity in the future we live. In, now so,
for example imagine A hypothetical cyberslot movie from nineteen ninety

(12:28):
six where somebody Hacks the internet so That the net
becomes a self evolving malevolent entity that wants to. Destroy
you it's both like dumb in nineteen ninety six and
it takes a kind of technological ignorance to, write it
but it also captures something very real about what it
would come to feel like to Be an internet user

(12:51):
in twenty.

Speaker 1 (12:51):
Twenty. Five, Yeah, YEAH plus i guess we have to
remind ourselves that a lot of, these films they are
exploitive to a. Certain extent there's some sort of like t,
exploitation film and, you know you're often exp you're exploiting,
a fear and fears are not always completely formed and certainly.
Not Rational like i'm thinking about smart killer smart house

(13:13):
movies from. THE nineties i remember one In The Sci
fi channel where there was like a hand that went
around on a little track on the ceiling and the
house and like all that like that's, completely ridiculous, BUT
like i don't doubt for a second that it comes
from a legitimate fear that arises based on just what people,
were saying like the houses of the future were going to,

(13:33):
Be like and that fear maybe is not, completely gone maybe,
it's matured maybe it's changed form, a BIT but i
think we still have that sort of fear and it
still gets poked and kindled by various news stories, about
oh your toaster is watching you and.

Speaker 3 (13:48):
So, forth, yeah exactly like that vision was overly simplified and,
overly concrete but actually reality did catch up to the
feeling of that plot in. A way so perhaps we
can explore more about this as we, Go ON but
i really think that irony is the Case. With virtuosity on,
One hand virtuosity is quite simple minded and literal in

(14:11):
its engagement with the, technology themes but there are some
things in it that feel unsettlingly resonant in twenty, twenty
five especially in the context of a movie that is
in most ways extremely nineteen ninety five's version of nineteen.

Speaker 1 (14:27):
Ninety. Nine, yeah yeah we'll get into this a, lot
more BUT certainly i think there are various world building
details and choices and virtuosity that hit with a kind
of almost idiocricy, like accuracy, you know like there's a
certain amount of maybe in a loose black comedy to.

Speaker 3 (14:42):
The, choice yeah, you're, like oh that's a.

Speaker 1 (14:45):
Little close and then in its, main focus, of course
we have an out OF control ai menace that gets
ITSELF three d printed so that it can go on
a viral, killing spree and it really does sweep up
various pressing anxieties About, the internet, artificial intelligence and in a,
limited way the future OF three d printing of inorganic and.

Speaker 3 (15:03):
Organic materials i'd agree with you that the themes hit
harder on LIKE the ai and digital media front than
on the. Robotics front, BUT still i. Don't know maybe
one day we'll catch up to the. Robotics.

Speaker 1 (15:15):
ELEMENT yeah i mean at different times when there have
been accelerations IN three, d printing there have been Moments where, i'm,
like oh this is Like the internet in all its
awfulness can now take. Physical form and maybe on SOME
level i was remembering virtuosity Trailers and, i'm like this is.
Like virtuosity it's like you thought, of It the internet,

(15:36):
made it and now it's on, your desk and granted
we've had a little more time to sort of grow with.
THAT one i, feel like though there are some still
dangerous concerns out there in THE three d, printing world
but for the, MOST part i feel like we've gotten
a little more accustomed to what it can do for.
US now i also find it interesting in these various
films of this subgenre once that often include like a

(15:58):
digital or, virtual character and they really get TO what
i will refer to as job, about yes Referencing lawnmower,
man here which has a, very close very close kinship with,
this film in which you have a character OR an
ai entity that becomes a kind of god complex black
hole of negative. Personal ATTRIBUTES and i think this too

(16:19):
nicely mirrors fears then as well as fears and sometimes
realities now about the virtual realm of expression and consumption
that we have in the digital realm that might allow
too many barriers of behavior to erode in the shape
of our virtual self then becomes, something, grotesque dangerous and maybe.

Speaker 3 (16:40):
Even, evil yeah, once again, Right on i'm not going
TO say I think virtuosity did this. ON purpose i
think it may be a kind of accidental stumbling into.
This theme but you're, exactly right it's there and it hits. Hard,
now now ANOTHER thing i want to mention at, the
topic just an interesting Parallel with End of days is
as the almost choice as the alternate reality of. This

(17:02):
week what's really exquisite about the Pitch for End of
days is the mismatch between the premise and. The, Star
right Like Whatever arnold schwarzenegger was, made for it was
not to like march through cathedrals by candle light trying
To stop satan from fathering a child. On earth that
is a, weird fit and with today's movie there is

(17:24):
something similar going. ON virtuosity i looked. It up it
did have a mid. Sized budget it wasn't, huge budget
but it wasn't small. Budget either it was, you know
mid sized action sci fi kind of, you know in
the realm of what.

Speaker 1 (17:36):
You'd.

Speaker 3 (17:37):
Expect, Yeah yeah but, it is in both content and execution,
a bizarre trashy, b movie and yet its two main
stars are two of, the biggest most, sought after MOST
respected a, list actors certainly in the, two thousands definitely
in the Case Of, Denzel washington like the last three Decades.

(17:59):
Of hollywood it's almost Like If tom hanks was In.
Lawnmower man it's, just, like oh such a strange thing.
To imagine Like When russell crowe did, this movie his
big period was still ahead. Of him But when denzel,
did this he already Had multiple, oscar nominations He'd Won
Best supporting. Actor once so it's already deeply strange and

(18:20):
amusing that you've got the top tier Of future hollywood
in this dumb killer. Computer movie but what's even more
odd is that neither of them are phoning. It in
but both OF them i think are fantastic in. This
movie they're giving, full efforts really getting into. The characters,
IN fact i WOULD say i have never Seen A

(18:42):
russell crowe performance in which he seems to be expressing
as much joy through acting as he.

Speaker 1 (18:48):
Does here this Is.

Speaker 3 (18:49):
The pinnacle LIKE his oscar nominated roles are comparatively grim.
And subdued in, this movie you get him is a
disco strutting synthetic serial killer and he.

Speaker 1 (19:01):
Comes, alive, YEAH yeah i think. YOU'RE right i think
we've really only seen him get back into broad performances,
like this maybe in the likes of twenty twenty Two's
thor Love, and thunder in which he gets To play
zeus with A ridiculous. Greek accent i'll come back to

(19:21):
that ONE because I actually i actually like that performance quite. A,
BIT oh i haven't.

Speaker 3 (19:25):
Seen that that makes me want to see, it THOUGH.

Speaker 1 (19:29):
But, i, agree, like yeah both of these guys are
arguably better than, this movie but both of them. REALLY
deliver i, would Say In denzel, washington's case he is
almost too good for this movie in the sense that
not that he's not great, in it but a role
of the sort sometimes hits a little better if you

(19:51):
have a less skilled actor or an actor that makes,
stranger choices Whereas, like denzel like all his choices, are
solid just a complete. Pro here you need somebody maybe a,
little sloppy a, little greener so that they can shine
in a role. Like this but that, being said he's.

Speaker 3 (20:10):
Still terrific they're two very different kinds of performances that
are beyond what is required. By virtuosity denzel gives a
much more human performance than you would expect his character,
to Have And russell crowe gives a much more just
like scenery ingesting huge improvisational energy kind.

Speaker 2 (20:30):
Of.

Speaker 1 (20:30):
Performance, YEAH yeah i would say his performance is like
a little, bit joker a little bit job the firm
lawnmower many, and also at least in the, visual sense
a little Bit Nineties. Peter, gabriel yeah there. You, go.

Speaker 3 (20:53):
Okay we ready for the. Elevator pitch yeah. HIT us
sid six point seven is a. Computer program he is
a sadistic virtual super criminal designed FOR a vr training
environment that will be used to test the cops of.
The future but the developers are still working the, kinks
out and in, the meantime they ARE testing sid against
players from the. Prison population the only one who has

(21:15):
ever beaten Him Is, parker barnes a former police officer
who is incarcerated after his vendetta killing of a terrorist
who murdered his family and also killing several other people in.
The process but when through a series of, IMPLAUSIBLE events
sid six point seven gets brought into our world and
turned into a kind Of MEAT space t one thousand with,

(21:36):
blueberry blood there's only one man who can.

Speaker 1 (21:40):
Stop, him yep that's. RIGHT on i would also present
the Idea Of oops SWEET three d printed a. Mass,
murder yeah that's it's also kind. Of it this is
the one thing we didn't want, to happen and here.
We are, All right let's go ahead and listen to
part Of the keyser trailer because the, main trailer the
one most, people heard it prominently features the bes, staying

(22:00):
alive and we want to stay alive here on. The
SHOW so i didn't want to feature. THAT song i love,
that song but, you know this is what we're playing.

Speaker 4 (22:19):
In this high tech crime. Prevention facility one man has
been recruited to play a, simulated game the objective to
hunt Down The Ultimate Virtual REALITY killer sid six. Point
seven there's only. One problem the computer change. The program

(22:41):
now he's in the. Real world.

Speaker 1 (22:46):
He's interactive he doesn't enjoyed a game unless he's playing
against his. Favorite opponent that's me from the director Of.

Speaker 4 (22:56):
Lawnmower man he's recreating.

Speaker 3 (22:58):
Mass murders so what, you're saying it's who's a complicated
since six ten on improving? The Original.

Speaker 4 (23:04):
Denzel washington Just because i'm carrying around the joy of
killing your family inside me doesn't mean you can't.

Speaker 1 (23:09):
Be friends.

Speaker 4 (23:11):
Virtuosity.

Speaker 1 (23:12):
Game over.

Speaker 3 (23:21):
Speaking of beg, STAYING alive i Bet the virtuosity trailer
IS how i first learned about. That, SONG huh, I
may i may not have ever heard it.

Speaker 1 (23:31):
BEFORE that, i mean somebody needs to be struttin when
that song. Is playing and if that song, is playing
you will soon find. Yourself strutting that's just how.

Speaker 3 (23:40):
It, works oh this may be too embarrassing to say,
out LOUD but i bet as a KID when I
Saw russell crowe walking in the blue in the Purple
suit beg's, ARE playing i probably like strutted around my
HOUSE after i.

Speaker 1 (23:52):
Saw that. No joke, all right you might, be, wondering,
WELL hey i want To see virtuosity as well before
listening to the rest of, the EPISODE or i want
to later and. So, Forth well virtuosity was a, major
release so you can find it pretty much wherever you
choose to get. Your movies for, physical, media however there's
no beating the Recently Released Vinegar syndrome, ultra release which

(24:13):
gives us the film newly scanned and restored IN four
k from its thirty five millimeters original, camera negative along
with tons of extras like, new extras interviews with the
director and. Other, folks it's without a doubt the finest
physical release this film has.

Speaker 3 (24:27):
EVER gotten i Can't Believe vinegar syndrome Release of virtuosity
is as close as we're ever going to get To
a criterion collection disc Of.

Speaker 1 (24:36):
Lawnmower, Man Yeah vinegar syndrome, does great, great work and
this is certainly the. CASE here i rented this from
videodrome Here, in atlanta, and yeah it. LOOKS great, i
mean the digital effects are only going to look, so
polished as, we'll discuss which but, then again that only
really potentially hurts the film during THE non, vr segments as,

(24:59):
we'll DISCUSS and i will say that the goofy android
makeup and other practical effects look. Really great, OH.

Speaker 3 (25:04):
Yeah i mean you wouldn't WANT the cgi to look.
TOO good i mean that's part of.

Speaker 1 (25:08):
The, charm yeah especially in those the. Simulation.

Speaker 3 (25:12):
Sequences, yeah WELL so i, streamed it but, YOU know
i got a feeling this might not be the LAST
time I, watch VIRTUOSITY.

Speaker 1 (25:18):
So i might have to snag. This disc, all right
let's talk about the people who made, this film starting
at the Top With brett leonard born nineteen, Fifty nine
american director of films and, music videos best known for his.
Pivotal work in nineteen nineties virtual reality, inspired media as
he Directed both today's film and nineteen Ninety two's The. Lawnmower,

(25:38):
man that, of course Is the bonker's virtual, reality film
born out of an original script inspired by the Work
Of jaron lanier and the production company's desire to Keep
Adapting stephen king stories they owned the, rights to basically
by slapping the Title lawnmower man onto a pre.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
Existing script this has nothing to do With the. King
story is this one of the ones he?

Speaker 1 (26:00):
Sued, over yes it's my understanding that he successfully got
his name taken off of, this, one, because yeah has
the original stories about like a crazy satanic lawnmower man
who eats grass or something to. That effect it.

Speaker 3 (26:13):
Worships The, GOD pan. I, Believe, yeah yeah There's some
pan worship.

Speaker 1 (26:16):
In there nothing to do with virtual. Reality Now brett
leonard's first directorial credit was nineteen Eighty Nine's The. Dead
pit this is a supernatural horror film with like the Features.
The undead i've never, seen IT but i am super
familiar WITH its vhs box arc because and you probably
are as well if you were of a, certain age

(26:37):
because this WAS a vhs rental store box that had
light up eyes powered by a little battery. Pack inside
it might have made. SOUND too i don't remember if it,
made sound but they definitely. Light up and, This one i'm,
to understand is very much a collector's ITEM among.

Speaker 3 (26:52):
Vhs enthusiasts rob this we may have even mentioned this
idea on the, show BEFORE but i have thought that
at some point we should do a series of weird
house cinema episodes just focusing on films that had, gimmick
packaging stuff that had light up components or anything on
the box that's different than normal to get people to
pick it up, and say?

Speaker 1 (27:12):
What's, THIS yeah vhs shell shaped like a coffin something. Like,
That yeah i'm definitely here. For. It okay So lawnmower
man was his follow Up To. Dead pit and the,
thing is we can all laugh about what did and
didn't work About, lawnmower man but it made a lot,
of money especially given its. Small budget it connected WITH

(27:35):
a vr, curious audience and along with this film paved
the way for pretty MUCH every vr film to follow
up to And Including.

Speaker 3 (27:43):
The matrix, that's, Right folks Without, lawnmower Man. No matrix
probably probably.

Speaker 1 (27:49):
There Was An indie wire headline from earlier this year
an Article By jim hemphill that Covers The vinegar syndrome
re release of, the picture and its Title is virtuosity
walks the matrix. Could run so this seems to be
the opinion of, various folks and it's discussed a bit
in some of the extras On the VIRTUOSITY disc i.

(28:11):
Buy It so leonard did not come back for The lawnmower,
man sequel which is also, pretty Bonkers but hollywood did,
say yes more of. This please so nineteen ninety five
saw the release of the psychic serial Killer, film hideaway
based On The dean kotz novel And Starring, jeff goldbloom And. Then,
virtuosity so like we, Said earlier Virtuosity paramount, pictures production,

(28:35):
bigger budget ultimately did not have quite the cultural or
commercial impact that everyone was, banking on but it received
a fair amount of reevaluation in, recent years especially With
That vinegar syndrome blu. Ray release as we'll discuss, the
film sci fi commentary hits home in various ways given
where we, are, now, politically socially and above, all technologically,

(28:58):
and yeah case could be made that this helped pave
the road for things Like, the matrix and then once the,
matrix explodes like how many folks are running around with,
machine guns sunglasses and some sort of like black latex
garb shooting in slow motion and going in and out.

Speaker 3 (29:15):
Of cyberspace though it's funny because the black latex look
you only see from secondary characters in. THIS film i
can't emphasize enough the weird fashion Sensibility Of russell crowe in.
This movie he wears like brightly colored, big suits, like,
loose baggy double breasted suits of either, the green satin or.

Speaker 1 (29:36):
Purple, variety, yes well he. Likes attention he wants an attention.
Grabbing outfit in, the extras particularly Interview, with leonard he points, out,
That Ye russell crowe is essentially, an influencer like, He
is he's going after that. Influencer space he wants eyes
on what he, is doing like that is his, Prime

(29:57):
drive like not merely to do, awful things but to
be seen doing awful things and get those hits and
get those.

Speaker 3 (30:03):
Subscribers up oh, My god i've got too many deep
thoughts comments about this later on in, The outline, but, yes,
yes yes that's what's going on here before that thing,
even existed, All.

Speaker 1 (30:14):
Right so virtuosity hits. Post virtuosity leonard Directed an, imax
Film T rex back To. THE cretaceous i might have
seen this one at. This point there have been So
many imax AND three d, dinosaur films especially as, a
Parent that i've SEEN that i don't know where one
ends and the other. ONE begins i always. Enjoy them
this one is apparently actually a huge hit For an.

(30:34):
Imax film at.

Speaker 3 (30:35):
The TIME when i was, A teenager i worked selling
tickets to, tourist attractions and one of THE places i
worked Was an. IMAX theater i don't recall if they
ever had, this ONE but i remember a general awareness.

Speaker 1 (30:47):
Of it, all right there's a chance.

Speaker 3 (30:49):
It.

Speaker 1 (30:49):
Happened now, Later on Leonard directed he directed a pair
of two thousand and five films that seemed. Very skippable
One Is. Man thing this was An early marvel entertainment
film that missed the mark for. Various reasons i've, read
that like it was one of those cases where the
production was just too far Away and marvel wasn't able
to like really have their hands in it as much as.

(31:11):
They wanted and then he also did a Movie, called
feed which seems like one of the many bad taste
horror films to spring up in the wake of ninety five.
To seven it also looks. Very skippable then he directed
two thousand And Seven's Highlander. The source this was the
final trickle of cinematic juice thus far squeezed from the
husk Of the.

Speaker 3 (31:29):
HIGHLANDER franchise i, Assume No, Christoph, limbert no he's.

Speaker 1 (31:33):
In it oh. He, is yeah this is. You kidding
this is the period of films where they had they
had combined the movies AND the tv show and like
they were literally just throwing everything in and just squeezing
as much as they could out. Of it and maybe
they'll relaunch it here in the next year, or two
and we'll have so much more juice. To squeeze but

(31:54):
this was like the. Last trickle, but hey somebody had
to direct, these movies might as Well Than. Leonard, okay now,
more recently he directed the twenty twenty One drama triumph
and seems to be returning to his roots with an
upcoming Project Called, dark star not not Related To John Carpenter's,
dark star in which quote a Trio Of Astral warriors

(32:15):
Battle And. Ai threat it's in pre production as of,
this Recording so. I'm interested it would be interesting to
see what the Director Of lon Moriman in virtuosity would
have for us in like twenty twenty five of twenty.
TWENTY six i am. Mighty. Curious, yeah now his music
video Filmography Includes Peter Gabriel's Kissed that frog from. Ninety

(32:35):
three this was off of a terrific ALBUM that i
totally wore out in. The nineties the video is notable
for its USE of cgi IN a. Cgi frog it
was actually the FIRST all cgi. Music video apparently.

Speaker 3 (32:49):
The cgi frog has really really. Red lips it's like.
Lipstick lips this.

Speaker 1 (32:56):
Was obviously a pioneering, music video which is to say
it it doesn't look that great by, today's standard not
like a lot Of Other peter gabriel Videos, like sledgehammer,
you know which has all this great stop motion and
you know totally stands the test of.

Speaker 3 (33:09):
Time Now But peter gabriel has a presence on the
soundtrack of this movie. As Well Guess i'm your, Party man.

Speaker 1 (33:16):
That's right a track co Written By. Tory. Amos, wow
YEAH so i look forward to talking about the music
as we. Proceed, here, okay okay don't want to get ahead.
Of you but to Finish, with leonard it is notable
that he's not just a nineteen nineties POPULARIZER of vr
sci fi. And tear he also co founded two different
companies involved in the USE, of vr or is the

(33:36):
term he prefers as virtual experiences for. Therapeutic purposes So There's, Virtual.
Psychedelics Inc AND.

Speaker 3 (33:43):
Ubiquity, vx okay no Offense To brett leonard at all,
about this but it is kind of an odd choice
to like the stories you have created and sent into
the WORLD, about vr all about murder and ABOUT LIKE vr,
vr psycho, you know taking control and unleashing havoc on,

(34:03):
the world but then also like literally being involved in
ACTUALLY using vr for allegedly. Good purposes i'm not trying
to impune what.

Speaker 1 (34:11):
He's, doing, no, NO no i mean he based on
the INTERVIEW that i watched on, that disk he does
seem to recognize the irony, of this and, he's okay
frames it is sort Of like i'm giving back having
having first helped to create these visions. Of, paranoia yeah so,
fair enough, all right moving on to, the screenplay it
Is By, eric, burnt screenwriter perhaps best known for his

(34:33):
work on, this film but his first credit to his
screamplay was nineteen Ninety four Surviving, the game Directed BY. Ernest.
R dickerson this we've talked about this before because we've
Talked ABOUT Ernest ar. Dickerson before but this is The
most dangerous game but with, iced tea Hunted By, Rugger Howard,
gary Busey F marie Abraham AND. John. C.

Speaker 3 (34:51):
McGinley Yeah was dickerson the director Of the tales From
the Crypt Movie.

Speaker 1 (34:56):
Demon knight, He, was yes we talked about before on.
The show he also wrote the screenplay for Two Thousands
Romeo must die and has a story credit on Two thousands.

Speaker 3 (35:04):
Highlander endgame, All right highlander connections from. Different, directions yeah
there was a lot Of work, highlander world, you know
so you got paid where you could.

Speaker 1 (35:14):
Get, PAID okay i.

Speaker 3 (35:15):
Think it's time to talk about our implausible a list, Actors.

Speaker 1 (35:18):
Here Yes Playing Lieutenant. Parker barnes you know his Name
is parker because it's set a bazillion times in. This, Picture,
hey porker this one's. For, you yeah this is Of
Course denzel washington born nineteen. Fifty four this is one
of those moments where, IT'S like i don't have to
tell anyone out There Who denzel, washington IS but i,

(35:39):
will say it's so easy to take a talent like him,
for granted because for people around, my age it feels
like he's always. Been there, you know he's always been
there at the top of. His game he's always. Been
established he's stuck near the top Of the hollywood pantheon
for decades and just continues to bust, out powerful often
award winning performances, in big big. Budget films, all told

(36:01):
he's currently a Nine Time academy award nominee and two.
Time winner at this point in, his career as we already,
pointed out he'd been nominated three times and. Won once so,
you KNOW dare I say he's coming into this, one
hot having been nominated for nineteen Eighty Eight's, cry freedom
in nineteen Ninety THREE'S, malcolm x and having won again

(36:21):
for Nineteen. Nineties glory subsequent nominations would include two Thousands Of,
the hurricane Twenty thirteen's flight, Twenty seventeens fences Twenty Eighteen's,
Roman Jay israel esquire and twenty Twenty Two's the Tragedy.
Of macbeth his to date only Other oscar Win Was
best actor for his excellent performance as the Dirty Cap

(36:41):
alonzo harris in two thousand And One's. TRAINING day i
keep getting a wild hair to rewatch, that one because
that's that's a film that when it CAME out i
was really. Captivated by it was just like, really intense
had some excellent twists and in just a phenomenal sense
of danger as well as of course at a terrific of,
i'll say, villain performance but it's a little more complicated,

(37:03):
than that, you know it's almost Like a shakespearean, villain
performance which of course brings us To the Tragedy. Of,
macbeth that of Course Is joel cohen's adaptation Of the
scottish play that also Co stars, francis McDormand and it
is also awesome and of course features an amazing supporting
cast that features A Few cohen brothers regulars as Well As.
Brian thompson you Might Remember brian thompson from such films

(37:26):
as The Second Moral, kombat movie in which You Played
shao khan and loads of like action. B movies, you
know he was often an, action star but he shows
up in this as one of the murderers and.

Speaker 3 (37:37):
Is, terrific oh in the Tragedy. Of macbeth Not, In,
virtuosity no not. IN virtually i would be ASHAMED if
i had missed Him in.

Speaker 1 (37:45):
Virtuosity, Somewhere Yeah brian thompson was also one of the
punks that gets beat up and or killed by. The
terminator yeah that.

Speaker 3 (37:52):
Sounds, Right, yeah WELL as i, Said Earlier denzel washington
is so much better than this movie. Calls For he
he's giving the more subdued and humanistic performance And Allowing
russell crowe the space to just. Be wacky but it's
both funny and genuinely like a pleasure to see him in. This.

Speaker 1 (38:12):
Role, yeah leonard in the Interview On The blu ray
Commented that denzel was pretty much at the top of his,
game here, you know requiring only mild suggestions here, and
there and otherwise you just like you just let him run,
with it and he nails it right out of, the
gate possessing what he described as an almost like superhuman
ability to know exactly where his face is in a
given shot and just maximize, his expression.

Speaker 3 (38:34):
Which is interesting because that's a very film. Specific TALENT
and I know i've Read That denzel washington very much
thinks of himself as like a stage. PERFORMER first, i,
mean obviously, you know more people know him from, his
movies but he, you know he's a very like stage
and theater focused actor in. A.

Speaker 1 (38:52):
Way, yeah, yeah yeah he's back on the stage currently
as we're recording this. As well but as far as
sci fi movies. It goes it's. Actually interesting this is
only one of three sci fi Movies that denzel has ever,
APPEARED in, i believe alongside two thousand and Six Is
deja vus and Twenty Ten's the Book. Of eli and
of course he's still going. Strong today just came off

(39:13):
of a key Role In Ridley scott's, gladiator two which
is fitting given who our next. Star is that's.

Speaker 3 (39:19):
All right RACHEL and i were just talking about this
that it's got Two different gladiator actors at the, top
here and, of, course yeah of course that brings Us
To russell CROWE as sid six.

Speaker 1 (39:28):
Point seven. That's right do you think.

Speaker 3 (39:31):
It would have been different actors in the role OF previous,
sid releases LIKE was sid three Point Nine michael dudikov
and then by the time you get to six point
Seven That's.

Speaker 1 (39:42):
Russell crowe that that would be interesting that if they
Do A virtuosity, tv series, you know they could do,
different sids. Different actors it could BE a sid of the.
Weak Situation So russell crowe born nineteen, Sixty Four new
zealand born Actor of Welsh and maouri Ancestry As. WE
denzel i really don't need to tell. You Who russell.
Crowe is very, famous actor but with A decidedly i

(40:05):
would say wilder reputation in. A filmography to fit, That
reputation crow starred started off in music, and Theater including
i'm delighted to Say playing eddie In A new zealand
Production Of The Rocky Horror.

Speaker 3 (40:18):
Picture show oh that's surprising.

Speaker 1 (40:20):
But also kind. Of perfect, YOU know i think he
was in he was like in a band at, one point,
very early, you know before he really got. Into ACTING
so i can Definitely See russell Crowe. As eddie he Has, meat,
Yeah yeah eddie was played By meat loaf in the
In The Rocky Art. Picture show for anyone who's trying
to remember. The, Casting now crow Broke into australian cinema.

(40:44):
AFTER this a couple of big hits here were ninety
Ninety one's proof and nineteen Ninety Two's romper stomper rather
famous role in which he Plays a, melbourne skinhead and
these films helped to springboard Him into american pictures and
that's really where. Virtuosity comes in the, same year he
also appeared In The sam Raimy Western the quick And.

Speaker 3 (41:04):
The dead never seen? That one is that one that
Also Has? Sharon, STONE yeah i believe she's the lead.

Speaker 1 (41:10):
In, it yeah. So yeah leonard also talked about about
Working With russell crowe And Said russell crowe is also
a situation of where you turn him loose and you
just follow him, and maybe, you know give him a
few few directions here. And there but He described crowe
as being kind of like a bundle of improvisational energy
and so a lot of his lines here that we

(41:32):
get some of the, great ones our improvisations that he
brought to, the script that he brought to.

Speaker 3 (41:37):
THE scenes i think you can detect that without even.
Knowing it it just comes through in. The movie there's
this might sound like a wild comparison but there is
Almost A jim carrey quality to him In, this.

Speaker 1 (41:51):
Yes, yes, absolutely yeah that kind Of, Like, Batman joker
riddler kind of energy where it's just, you know laughing.
And goofy our man here is doing backflips INTO the
ufc octagon and landing on his head seemingly. ON purpose,
i mean he's. Completely. Unhinged Yeah So russell crowe followed

(42:12):
all this with well received performances in such Hits As
la confidential in, Ninety Seven the insider in. Ninety nine
he Got an oscar nomination for, that one before his
award winning star Performance In Ridley scott's gladiator in two thousand.
And one he was nominated the following YEAR For A.
Beautiful mind subsequent films of note include the likes of
two thousand, And Threes, Mastering Commander The far side Of,

(42:34):
the world two thousand And One's american Gangster With, denzel
Washington And Ridley Scott's robin hood in. Twenty, ten now around,
Twenty ten i'd say the credits start getting a, little
weirder and it feels like he gets he's getting to
flex his muscles and supporting roles half, the time and
even some villain, work again appearing in the likes of
Twenty Twelve's the man With The, iron fists Twenty thirteen's Man,

(42:56):
of steel Twenty, fourteen's noah Twenty Seventeen's, the mummy twenty
Twenty two's Love, and thunder, which again this is where
He plays zeus and he gets to just be over
the top, and comedic but also has at least one
key scene that he's just oozing with. Villainous energy so
it's very fun. To watch a lot of people did

(43:18):
Not like Love and thunder all. THAT much i didn't
like it as much the FIRST time i, watched IT
but i really came around to it the. Second time if,
nothing else it's a wacky film with some incredibly talented actors.
In it you Could See christian bale play a mad god,
killing alien so you know it's worth. The, Ticket okay
but then He's lately crow has been playing a lot.

(43:39):
Of exorcists twenty twenty Three Is The pope's exorcist and
twenty Twenty Fours. The exorcist these are apparently not related to.
EACH other i haven't, seen THEM so i can't, fully
COMMENT but i. Don't know he's just saying yes to.

Speaker 3 (43:53):
EXORCIST pictures i Haven't Seen The. Pope's exorcist, IN fact
i don't know what it's about other than what one
might surmise from. The title but it pops up on,
streaming services and so in our house we keep Making
The pope's.

Speaker 1 (44:04):
Exorcist jokes is he an exorcist working For? The pope
or is he Exercising? The pope many.

Speaker 3 (44:11):
Good questions Is the pope possessed by a devil and
he has to? Exercise it or do people get possessed
by the spirit Of the pope and he has to
go Exercise the pope?

Speaker 1 (44:19):
FROM people.

Speaker 3 (44:22):
I.

Speaker 1 (44:22):
Don't know we're going to have to await listeners to
tell us how this all.

Speaker 3 (44:27):
Plays OUT can i read a quote From The Janet
Maslin New york times Review of virtuosity when it. Came
out oh don't fully agree With everything maslin, says here
but just for how it was received at, The time,
She Writes mister washington is usually an actor audiences will
follow into, any dimension but here his role, is, limited,

(44:48):
too often leaving him to play second fiddle to the
film's weirdly hypnotic. Special Effects mister crowe as a psychotic,
yuppie type bearing a disconcerting resemblance to The Writer. Brett
easton l does a memorable job making himself frightening until
the film becomes numbingly frantic in the manner of many.
Video games while it excoriates the vicious sid as the

(45:11):
techno spawn of Monsters Like adolf Hitler And John, Wayne
gacy virtuosity also revels in his exploits with more enthusiasm
than is. Really necessary, You know i'm gonna agree with
the later part. Of that one of the downsides of
the film, is like it's like, mostly silly but then
sometimes the violent scenes just get a little. Too real,

(45:32):
it's like, oh man that went harder than it. Needed
to but the other, THING is i like the Characterization
Of russell crow here is as a psychotic yuppie type
because that captures something about the ROLE that i didn't
quite put TOGETHER when i was just reacting to. It myself,
but yeah there is a kind of urbanity, to him
do you KNOW what? I mean like he's kind of

(45:53):
he's kind of suave and sophisticated at the same time
that he is supposed to be, an uncontrolled manic, psycho
killer and that is clearly it's part of what the
appeal of the. Character is but it, ALSO feels i,
don't know it's like a very. Unfocused characterization this character
is just a lot of things thrown at, the wall

(46:15):
you KNOW what. I, mean.

Speaker 1 (46:16):
Yeah but of course that also is exactly what.

Speaker 3 (46:18):
He.

Speaker 1 (46:18):
Is, like yeah there's like a multiple personality situation. Going on,
but yeah then also as it's, you know it's brought
to life on, the screen you can see so many different,
influences there, all right getting into the rest of, the
CAST and i should say the rest of the cast

(46:39):
is very much the rest of the. Cast, here yeah,
you know they're all supporting what are our two stars.
Are doing but We Have kelly lynch playing. The Character
madison carter born nineteen Fifty nine, american actress best known
for performances in nineteen Eighty Nine's, drugstore cowboy as Well
as roadhouse from the. Same year she's continued to work
steadily in FILM, and tv Appearing In Such is The,

(47:00):
L Word, Magic City, mister Mercedes And physical you.

Speaker 3 (47:04):
Know how whenever a copy gets thrown off the force
is brought back for one. Last job he always has
to get a. New partner here's your new.

Speaker 1 (47:12):
Partner exactly and so it is very much a supporting
role in the most limited sense of. The word like
everything she's doing is here to support the Characterization Of
denzel washington's character and have her.

Speaker 3 (47:24):
Kid kidnapped this we'll. Discuss it she does get to
shoot the human bad guy at.

Speaker 1 (47:29):
The end. That's true. That's. True oh in speaking of human, bad,
guy yep It Is lynden meyer Played By steven spinella
for nineteen. Fifty six this was only his third. Film appearance,
but man this guy has tremendous weird energy because he's
the Creator of sid six. Point seven but also it's

(47:49):
clear that he's now completely enraptured by his creation and
is worshiping his creation and wants to do anything. He
can he has a true love for this awful thing that.
He's made. He's continued spinell has continued to milk his
weird energy and some other great weird productions over. The
years nineteen Ninety, nine's ravenous another FILM that i think

(48:10):
would be interesting to revisit in twenty, twenty five Twenty
ten's rubber and that's that's one that's been recommended to,
us before and Then Also Steven Soderberg's, the NICK which
i am struggling to remember who. He played there were
a lot of actors coming in and out of that
shows what two. Season Run but i'm a big Fan Of,
the nick. All right we Also have william Forsythe playing

(48:34):
william cochrane is this character is the what he's the, police,
Chief right, he's like you're the BEST cop i ever.
Worked with you're the. Absolute best i'm the as well as,
He's like i'm gonna get you out of prison and
get you back on, the force that sort.

Speaker 3 (48:49):
Of thing there's only one man who can stop, this
thread and that's the protagonist of.

Speaker 1 (48:53):
This film. That's RIGHT so i don't know how we've
avoided Watching A william forthlyfe movie up until now because
his tons. Of Credits the american character actor who's made
a career out of playing mostly heavies, and cops exactly
like his role in. This film but he also played
the Escape convict evil in nineteen Eighty Seven's. Raising arizona

(49:14):
that great line, He's, like hi you're young and you got.
Your health what you want with.

Speaker 3 (49:17):
The job he has the great scene where he holds
up the general store to steal DIAPERS and i think
he steals balloons and he says these blow up into,
funny shapes and the, guy says not unless round.

Speaker 2 (49:28):
Is.

Speaker 1 (49:28):
Funny yeah so he's great, in that and that role
like definitely stands apart from most of what he's, known
for because other films of note include he played the
Mutant Gangster flat top in Nineteen Nineties dick tracy and
pops up in Three Different rob, zombie projects His two,
Halloween Movies The, devil's rejects and also the EPISODE Of

(49:49):
csi Miami That rob.

Speaker 3 (49:50):
Zombie directed it's hard for me to recommend any Of
Those rob. Zombie Movies devil's rejects is a, little ROUGH
but I Remember william forsyth being pretty great. In.

Speaker 1 (49:59):
It, Yeah yeah like he gets in there and he does.
His thing it. Very, dependable oh we Have another oscar.
Winner here We Have louise fletcher playing The Character. Elizabeth
DEAN she's i guess what, she's LIKE a ceo or
something of the company.

Speaker 3 (50:14):
That she's the, police commissioner a. Police, Commissioner, OKAY yeah
i Feel Like louise fletcher is a. Great actress absolutely
wasted here is like the character has nothing. To do
she just stands around being the authority figure in.

Speaker 1 (50:26):
Several. Scenes yep she lived nineteen thirty four through twenty,
twenty two best known for a role in nineteen Seventy
Five's One flu Over The, cuckoo's nest for which she
Won A Best Supporting Actress. Academy award also known for
nineteen Eighty sevens flowers In the attic and episodes OF
such tv SHOWS As d space Nine. And Shameless, all
right we Also Have william Fitchner playing wallace In this

(50:47):
born nineteen. Fifty Six another william, character actor this one
best known for playing kind of a mix authority figures
and also slimy. Suit types his credits include nineteen Ninety,
eight's armageddon two Thousand Four, words crash and Twenty Fourteen's
Teenage Mutant, ninja turtles in which he plays a version Of.
The shredder that's.

Speaker 3 (51:06):
Weird, casting yeah, once again Nothing Against. William fitchner he's
doing what. He CAN but i don't even know why this.
Character exists does this character have any distinct role to
play in?

Speaker 1 (51:19):
The? Story yeah does this character do anything that could
not have been combined into. Another, CHARACTER yeah i don't,
think so, oh man but we also have, This Character.
Clyde riley you mentioned that the developers of, the TECHNOLOGY the,
vr technology were working out some of. The kinks this
guy was definitely working out some kinks with. The technology

(51:40):
played by The EXCELLENT. Kevin j O'Connor born nineteen, sixty
three great creep, character actor who of course plays a
creep in. THIS film i.

Speaker 3 (51:48):
Feel like he was on a role in the nineties
of playing various kinds, of squirming.

Speaker 1 (51:54):
Pathetic, dweeves yes frequently Cast By stephen sommers and Such
films is nineteen, Ninety Eight, deep rising nineteen ninety Nine Is,
the mummy and then later on two thousand And Fours.
Van helsing but he's also worked steadily in a lot
of high quality, mainstream productions like the Likes Of Paul
Thomas Anderson's There Will be blood in two thousand, And
Seven the master in. Twenty twelve you also might recognize

(52:18):
him from another nineteen ninety, Five Film Clive barker's Lord,
of illusions in which he plays The Magician. Philip swan
what was his role In, THE mummy i Haven't Seen
the mummy in. So, long Oh he's benny In.

Speaker 3 (52:30):
The mummy he's. The guy so This Is the Mummy
With brendan Fraser And, rachel weiss also from the year nineteen.

Speaker 1 (52:37):
Ninety nine but.

Speaker 3 (52:38):
His thing in the movie is that he like he's.
A coward, he's like while everybody else is being dashing
and rushing, into danger he's always running away from danger
and trying to save. His skin as so he is
a comic relief. COWARD character i remember THINKING after I
Watched the mummy one time we were joking in. MY
house i thought a good photoshop job would be to

(53:00):
Do A People Magazine Sexiest man alive cover from like nineteen,
ninety nine, two thousand the. Millennial style but it's just
O'Connor in character From, the mummy and It. SAYS benny
i mean no Offense to kevin. Connor personally it's just
like he plays these pathetic dweeb characters, very well and
In the mummy his vices cowardice in virtuosity, and jeez It's.

Speaker 1 (53:23):
Lust, yep yeah we'll come back, to him. All right
we have This Character, john donovan who's not in it
for very long Played By kostas mandolar born nineteen. Sixty
five i'm only mentioning him, Because, apparently mandolar we're going
to play a pivotal role in The later. SAW sequels
i had asked My Friend david streepy about this because

(53:45):
he's he's really up On the, saw movies the, soap
opera noess, of them not so much the murder. Of
them but, he, says quote the back half of the
franchise can't happen, without him so.

Speaker 3 (53:56):
Fair enough he's a load bearing.

Speaker 1 (53:58):
Element, exactly oh and then We Have kaylee quoko playing
The Character, karen carter a little girl in this born nineteen.
Eighty five this little girl would go on To become
penny On The Big. Bang theory i'm.

Speaker 3 (54:13):
Not A Big bang, theory WATCHER so i don't know,
the character but when she shows up as the child in,
this movie you just like instantly, are like, oh no
the conversation with this child is going on, too long
and that means definitely the child will be in peril
in the, third.

Speaker 1 (54:28):
Act where you're going to get Into A gene siskal
situation with.

Speaker 3 (54:30):
This Character Yeahs russell crowe is going to kidnap her
and tire her to a bomb like we saw on.
The flashback it's.

Speaker 1 (54:36):
Very. Predictable yeah quoco has been in a bunch of
interesting Projects Post Big, bang THEORY Including TVs The, flight
ATTENDANT which i. DID watch i thought she was very good.
In that she Also Voices harley quinn on The Current
harley quinn. Animated series, Oh, Cool Oh tracy lord's. Is
back we talked about Her. In blade she's one of
the vampire Henchmen. In blade here she Played A media,

(55:00):
Zone SINGER so i think she's sort of playing. Herself
here this is another film where we have some major nineties,
rave ENERGY and i think that's like where she was
at this point, With her like, You know reinventions is a,
musical act and so she kind of plays herself here
performing The Track, fallen angel which is also on.

Speaker 3 (55:20):
THE soundtrack i was going to talk about, this later
but you kind of can't have a, really Complete coherent
cyberslot movie without a techno. Club scene you always have to.
Have one not all the movies, have one but when
you don't, have one you feel. Its absence it's like
the movie, is impure it.

Speaker 1 (55:38):
Is, Incomplete yeah like people Watch the matrix and, they're
like where's the club scene, and there and everyone, was,
like well we got to do that in the sequel and.

Speaker 3 (55:45):
They, did no there is a club scene In. The,
matrix well it's only. Very brief it's at the beginning
in the, real world when, they're, like okay they like
some friends Coming To keanu. Reeves's apartment they take him
out to a CLUB and i think He meets. Trinity
there it's only it goes by in a.

Speaker 1 (55:58):
Few, seconds okay it's been a While since i'm the
cusp of Rewatching, the MATRIX and i mainly remember there's
definitely like a real world rave scene in, the sequel
or maybe the. THIRD one i. Can't remember one of
the two sequels where, they're, like hey it's the eve
Of The, big battle let's have a rager and.

Speaker 3 (56:16):
THEY do i still haven't seen. The sequels, OH.

Speaker 1 (56:18):
What I guess i'm on the cusp of rewatching the sequels,
as Well so i'll. Report, back okay. All, right finally
the composer Here Is christopher young born nineteen, fifty eight
And essentially young built an electronic orchestral score here around
the movie's needle drop score of mostly electronic dance music

(56:39):
with some rock and Even A peter gabriel track, thrown
IN and i WOULD say I think young does a
pretty seamless. Job here the soundtrack features music by the
Likes Of Live, Black Grape, Juno Reactor Tricky, William Orbit,
London beat Lords, Of Acid, Tracy Lords, Debbie Harry, the
beg's and Again That party man Track From. Peter gabriel

(57:02):
co Written By.

Speaker 3 (57:02):
Tory Amos The party man track is surprisingly, emotionally gripping like, you,
know oh you really feel the strain in. His voice
it's a weird thing to hear right after you just
saw them Like destroy sid six point seven's personality module
by having it run over by a track after, you
know they had to like shoot a. COMPUTER programmer.

Speaker 1 (57:26):
I guess i'm Your. Party, MAN yeah. I believe it's
a track That the gabriel and company did for, this
production was later collected on an album that collected different
songs that he did for different, film productions.

Speaker 3 (57:40):
And has the same title as a song From The prince. Batman,
soundtrack yes it seems to Refer To Jack, nicholson's joker
but it's not the. SAME song i checked, all right
let's dive in the plot. Of virtuosity so the opening

(58:03):
titles are made of pixels that slither in and out.
Of form the, opening track by, the Way is It's
A big day In the north By the English Band,
black grape which is a powerfully nostalgic. SOUND rob i
don't know if you felt the SAME way, i did but,
hearing this it's like A Nineties english you might call
this jazz pop or maybe, pop funk that sort. Of

(58:25):
sound it's got something in it like. ELECTRONIC saxophone i
mainly encountered this type of music through, movie SOUNDTRACKS so
i associate it with seeing movies in the theaters in.

Speaker 1 (58:37):
The, nineties Yep, absolutely.

Speaker 3 (58:40):
Sorry we just had an extended a Side off mike
where we're talking about what genre of music, this is
and we did not come to. A conclusion so maybe
we'll revisit that in, the future maybe for. Listener mail,
But anyway so what's actually happening in the Opening scene
when the credits, are done we pop up in, a
sleek futuristic train station full of steel and sterile, white

(59:02):
lighting and it's filled with people dressed. Almost identically everybody
is it's like men in gray suits with, black ties.
Carrying briefcases they're walking around synchronized, in pairs and the
only people who don't match are two men in blue
full body leather police uniforms wearing wearing, black, caps boots.

(59:23):
And gloves so we watched these two policemen step cautiously
off of an elevated train onto. The platform they're, looking
around and one of the Men Is. Denzel washington this is,
Our Hero. Parker, barnes now while both men, look vigilant
we quickly Realize that barnes is the more assured of.
The two he's being cautious, and observant and the other

(59:44):
guy seems a little. More afraid and the other, guy,
GOES man i can't get over how different, we Look and,
barnes says maybe it's. The UNIFORMS so i think this
opening is supposed to be a bit of a, fake
out like you're supposed to wonder what the are talking,
about here why everything looks a. Little odd, BUT this
i think really does not work because it's obvious they're

(01:00:07):
in a virtual. Reality world you can guess this if
you've seen. The trailer and it's even more obvious because
you keep seeing people like glitching and turning into pixels. And. Stuff,
yeah yeah so they did not have me going. Here
anyway they start running around looking, for somebody and eventually
they end up in this business district plaza where there

(01:00:27):
is a green floating cgi head made out of polygons
giving a news report about a bunch of. Gruesome crimes
i'm pretty sure It's Actually russell crow's doing the voice of,
this thing but in a kind of tight, newscaster cadence
and he says the three adjectives which best describe this killer, are,
sadistic intelligent. And dangerous what is?

Speaker 1 (01:00:50):
That spell? SPELL said i thought we were going to
say stink, stank stunk but that would have been. Great
too this is six.

Speaker 3 (01:00:58):
Point Seven so denzel eventually traces their quarry To a.
Japanese restaurant he knows to look there because he looks
over the restaurant entrance on the building and sees an
emoticon smiley face like the colon parentheses smiley face over.
The entrance it's, a Joke and sid six point seven.
Likes chokes and when we First, find sid he is

(01:01:22):
repeatedly eating a piece of sushi that regenerates every time
he picks it up off the plate and. Eats IT
so i think it, suggests that, you know here in,
this world no matter how how much, he eats he never.
Gets full it's like he's unsatisfied with the intangible pleasures
of the.

Speaker 1 (01:01:37):
FAKE world i. LIKE this i also like how the
NPCs are like glitching as they eat. Their sushi they're
just kind of like sushi floating into. Their mouth so
this is definitely the section of the section of, the
picture one of the sections of the picture in the
digital world where the roughness of the digital effects is
one of the charms and. Absolutely works doesn't feel dated

(01:01:58):
at all, because like this is exact exactly the look
they were.

Speaker 3 (01:02:01):
Going, for yeah and so this of course turns into
a big. Gunfight scene both the COPS and sid just
start blasting everywhere with, machine guns AND the npc is
eating in the restaurant mostly appear to not notice this
and they just keep sitting at. Their tables so in,
this world by nineteen, ninety nine virtual reality has nearly

(01:02:22):
one hundred percent immersion and totally realistic, graphical FIDELITY but
npc behavior has like not quite reached the level of
The mid grand theft auto games where people at least
like scream and run away when.

Speaker 1 (01:02:35):
Something explodes but, you know this is how the mid
grand theft auto, games felt when the mid grand theft
atto games felt out like they felt like this level,
of IMMERSION like i actually Live in miami in the
nineteen like, you, know.

Speaker 3 (01:02:51):
Yeah yeah, so anyway this fight GOES on sid and
the cops keep shooting at. Each other at one point
it is Revealed That russell crowe has like caught and
electrocuted the. OTHER cop i think you see him on
ice and like a. Sushi tray and at one point
they borrow a Page from Speed and barnes gets the
upper hand by shooting a. Digital hostage he will. Later

(01:03:14):
explain they later Are, like barnes why did you shoot?
The hostage that doesn't make. Any sense but then he
has a. Clever answer, he's like the hostage. Wasn't real
didn't think, Of.

Speaker 1 (01:03:24):
That, Sid yeah because what we're going to learn shortly
is this is a training simulation for. Police OFFICERS but
i really have, to add, like clearly for cinematic, police
officers there's nothing in this training that indicates any kind
of like actual, police training any kind of procedure. Or,
anything yeah it's just like what if you had A

(01:03:45):
big hollywood action scene with a super. Criminal.

Speaker 3 (01:03:48):
Exactly yeah so at the end, Of this sid gets
the upper hand in the fight and he starts Choking
out Barnes until barnes like, glitches out which looks, super
funny and then he sort of fades out, of existence
like he's being sucked out OF the, vr world and
we're treated to a shot OF a cgi bullet Wound

(01:04:10):
on sid's body rapidly healing with classic electrical zap z.
App fully but then our human characters come out OF.
The vr so we zoom out into a room in
the real world in, meat space where We see sid
standing there in his green suit on A giant, Tv
screen so like in the virtual, reality studio there's a,

(01:04:31):
huge screen it's like fifteen, feet tall where we see
what's happening in the, virtual world and we immediately hear
the sounds of like men groaning, in agony and we
see them writhing IN their, vr seats and an automated
voice is, saying warning subjects exceeding the maximum dose of. Neural,
information now maybe we should briefly hear comment on what

(01:04:54):
it looks like when you see the people in the
physical space IN the. VR rigs i thought This was
it's also quite funny because they're like jiggling around and
miming the motions they do in the. Virtual world like
there's a part later where We see denzel running in the,
rig yep and he's like pumping his arms and legs
but not, going anywhere and it's.

Speaker 1 (01:05:13):
Hilarious, that yeah it really. Looks hilarious later when, they're,
running yes here, you know they're just squirming. In pain, so,
yeah yeah it looks a bit goofy.

Speaker 3 (01:05:23):
Later, on yeah so they're strapped into these dangling like
combine dentist CHAIRS wearing.

Speaker 1 (01:05:28):
Vr devisors they're not.

Speaker 3 (01:05:30):
Going anywhere and then also you see a little computer
read out that shows A three d representation of the
player's heads and there are like these red and yellow
explosions inside. The, skulls fortunately It seems denzel gets out just.
In time he's, like rattled but. He's okay but the,
other guy, uh oh the other guy is having. Violent
seizures he gets pulled off onto a hospital gurney and

(01:05:53):
you see them like doing a defibrillater on him and
you learn.

Speaker 1 (01:05:56):
He, dies yeah they try really hard for darn near
ten seconds to, save him but then laup roll. Him
out he's.

Speaker 3 (01:06:03):
Done for also in, the scene we meet basically all
of the film's. MAJOR characters i don't think there's anybody
major we have to. Meet later we already talked about.
Them earlier all of the, various functionaries commissioners and. Company
guys i'm not gonna dwell, on them but they're all standing.
Around watching you can kind of group them as like
who's good and who's bad based on. Their reaction you've

(01:06:25):
got the good guys like the police Chief And kelly,
lynch's Character Doctor. Madison carter they're concerned about the. Test subjects, they're,
like oh get those men out. Of there he's going.
Into shock and then you've got the kind of middle to,
bad guys like the. Indifferent Characters That's william Fitchner And.
Louise fletcher they're just kind of standing there. Watching coldly

(01:06:46):
and at Some point, dean said there's like some very
klutzy exposition Dialogue Where louis fletcher's character says virtual reality
was supposed to be a safe place to train my law.
Enforcement officers and one Of the williams, is like that's
why we were using convicts to ferret out any glitches in.
The system and they have this exchange is they're driving

(01:07:06):
away in a golf cart by, the way and then
finally we meet this the obvious, Bad Guy darryl lindenmeyer
that again is Played By, steven spinella who looks confusingly
Similar To, William fitchener like they look alike and dress.

Speaker 1 (01:07:20):
The same it's almost like they accidentally cast both actors
as the same character and, they're, like, well crap we've
got to pick one and just make a role for the. Other, guy, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:07:30):
Yeah Yeah william fitchener also could have played this.

Speaker 1 (01:07:33):
Other guy.

Speaker 3 (01:07:33):
Yeah yeah but he's like the creator OF the vr
system and they're they're sort of grilling him about the.
Fail safes he seems squirrely. And untrustworthy but we get
some backstory in the scene. As well the Chief Tells,
parker barnes, you know he acknowledges that they're, old friends and,
he says it was good to see you in, uniform
again even if it was only. Virtual, Reality meanwhile barnes

(01:07:58):
is he's. Got insights he's like sid six. Point seven.
He's CHEATING and i know he's CHEATING because i hacked
the main frame before we, went in and he's not
allowed to use electricity as, a weapon but he, did
anyway and he goes and he like tries to show,
the Chief, but lindenmeyer whose first Name is daryl by,
The Way, Daryl lindenmeyer, he's, like no get away, from

(01:08:20):
there and so obviously that's setting up.

Speaker 1 (01:08:23):
A conflict i want to mention that at this point
in the, Real World denzel Washington's Character parker barnes has.
Great hair he has like, really cool like futuristic. Feeling
hair he's not going to get to keep this hair
for the rest of, the PICTURE and i was a
little disappointed.

Speaker 3 (01:08:39):
By, that yeah they give him a haircut before they
send him out on a.

Speaker 1 (01:08:42):
Mission later why is his hair super cool and cultivated?
In prison but then once, he's free. IT'S cut i,
DON'T know i, DON'T know i.

Speaker 3 (01:08:50):
Don't know, But, anyway okay so they send him back.
To prison there's one brief thing here where, they, show
oh he's got a. Metallic limb he like goes through
a scanner and, it's like, remember, that folks it doesn't
look it just looks like a normal arm from, the
outside but they show you'll scan as he's going through
and it's apparently a. Metal Arm when barnes is sent back,

(01:09:11):
to prison he randomly has to fight A. NEO nazi
i did not understand why this OCCURRED when i first.
Watched it it was almost like suggesting this fight was
arranged by the powers, that be like they were trying
to silence him ABOUT the vr program. Or SOMETHING but
i don't think there's any follow through to, confirm THAT
so i don't know why.

Speaker 1 (01:09:31):
This happened it's also, very stylistic so you could almost
think we're back in, a simulation just because it does
not look like you're it's a, FUTURE prison, i. Guess
yeah and you don't see any of the. Inmates directly
they're all behind like some sort of a like a
some sort of a glass or, a screen so you
just see.

Speaker 3 (01:09:49):
Their, silhouettes, Yes Yes so denzel goes into this. Big
hall there's nobody else, in it all these silhouettes of
prisoners lined up like an audience mocking and jeering. At
him you only see them behind these. Silk screens and
then from the opposite end of. The hall this gross
guy with a white power tattoo and an improvised stabbing

(01:10:10):
weapon comes out and then, they fight And then barnes
defeats him with superior training and tactics as well as
at least one brutal uppercut to, the groin and then
a bunch of guards rush in and Beat up BARNS
and i don't understand why.

Speaker 1 (01:10:24):
This, happened yeah it's so STYLISTIC that i was expecting
him to Beat the nazi to death With An, apple
macintosh but it IS how i. Went.

Speaker 3 (01:10:33):
Down okay then we go on to another scene with our.
Bad guys this is let me tell you a, secret
scene which is pretty. Pretty solid So Remember darryl lindenmeyer
the Computer. Company creep he's IN the vr space and
he walks up TO the cid screen where the screen
is On and sid is in there playing a piano
in a green satin suit in a Beyond the mind's

(01:10:57):
eye dune sea landscape and tells him you, Know, What,
Sorry sid i'm gonna have to. Deactivate you, HE says
i know it was you who increased the neural. Sensitivity
calibrations you murdered, that prisoner And then, SID says i
can't CHANGE what, I. Am darryl i'm a fifty terabyte
self evolving neural network double backflip off the. High platform

(01:11:19):
i'm not a. Swan DIVE and i have to, tell
you killing for.

Speaker 1 (01:11:22):
Real it was a.

Speaker 3 (01:11:24):
REAL rush i always. LOVE these a Lot of cyberslot
movies have a monologue, like THIS like i am a
masterpiece of. Evil evil i'm pretty sure job In lawnmower
man has a speech a lot. Like this this one is. Relatively,
short also when he lands after doing, his backflips he

(01:11:44):
explodes into a bunch. Of bats and you, know what beyond,
THE minds i had a. BAT swarm i think that
must have been part of A standard cg package in.
The Nineties because sid is not really associated. With bats it's,
not like, you know what else does he have to do.
With bats IT seems i don't. Know where, but anyway after,
he says, YOU know i love killing. For real it was,

(01:12:04):
really Good lynden, meyer goes Oh, my god and then the.
Monologue continues it's. Quite good, sid Says what god would?
That be the one who created you or the one who?
Created me you see in, your World the lord giveth
And the lord. Taketh away but in, my world the
one who gave me life doesn't have. Any balls you
are frightfully inadequate for, A deity DARRYL and i will

(01:12:25):
not be.

Speaker 1 (01:12:26):
Shut, down.

Speaker 3 (01:12:28):
Okay so, that's corny but for what it is That, slaps,
Yeah YEAH and i should add this whole sequence is
just very.

Speaker 1 (01:12:35):
Well shot it's a great integration between the live action
performance and the use of, the screens Which was i'm
to understand all the screens in the film were. In
camera I'm not i'm assuming at least some of it
was not live. To screen leonard points out that a
lot of skill went into making sure all these screens
were set upright and, you know could be seen on
camera in the.

Speaker 3 (01:12:56):
Optimal, Way yeah i'm impressed they achieved. That anyway so in,
The scene, darryl says, You, know sid you cannot exist
without the approval of. The authorities you are software and
you need hardware to. Run On so sid comes up with.
A plan what is? That plan, he says sacrifice? Your,
queen ooh, cryptic meaning and then the camera kind of.

(01:13:17):
CREEPS in i, like this there's this slow, creep in and,
he says let me tell you. A.

Speaker 1 (01:13:21):
Secret. Yeah yeah the scene lands in an excellent Place
here at that, Being said i'm not exactly sure what the.
SECRET was, I mean i don't need, to know because
the scene still connected on an emotional level and certainly
established our villain and some semblance of his plot with

(01:13:41):
his creator. Turned WORSHIPER but i have some guesses what
the secret, might be but it's not. Really clear maybe
we can come back, to that.

Speaker 3 (01:13:51):
All right so we also get the Scene where barnes
meets With Doctor Madison Carter. Kelly lynch, she like. Comes
in they have an interview in, the prison. Introduces herself
she's a criminal Psychologist And william forsyth asked her to
do a Profile on barnes that may be useful in reducing.
His sentence so. They talk she asks him about. The
fight he says he was. Defending himself she asks him

(01:14:14):
about whether he was attracted to violence as. A child, he's,
like yeah, Three stooges wiley coyote. Was great, Nice answer
and as they, keep talking it starts to seem like
what she's really interested In Is. RUSSELL crowe, i mean
what's everybody INTERESTED in i think she wants to write
a book on the criminal Genius of sid six. Point
seven so she starts kind Of quizzing denzel about his.

(01:14:35):
Virtual enemy, she's like how did you know he'd be
In the? Japanese Restaurant and barnes explains what an.

Speaker 1 (01:14:40):
Emoticon.

Speaker 3 (01:14:41):
Is yeah we also hear get the first Hints of barnes's,
tragic backstory which gets revealed in a trickle throughout. THE
movie I think i'm going to cut to the chase
and just summarize the whole thing here so we don't trickle.
It in so the Deal is barnes was some kind
of elite detective on the case of a Man Named,

(01:15:02):
matthew grimes which They call they say he was a quote,
political TERRORIST and i like how they specify a political
terrorist to make it clear he's not like a. Culinary
terrorist but if he's a, political terrorist what were? His
politics that is not. Really clear at one point we
see him speaking to the media about the haves and,

(01:15:23):
have nots but MOSTLY that i. Don't know that's back
to THE thing i said at the beginning about like
cultural objects just feeling like they're meaningless, In themselves like
he could have inserted any kind of political rhetoric there
and it would be the.

Speaker 1 (01:15:38):
Same, thing yeah this this particular detail of, his backstory
like the basic shape. Of, it okay some some sort
of a killer took out. His, family yeah, you know
obviously that's a necessary part of what they're. Building here
but all the details about this, GUY just i, don't
know they're not. Very, convincing, like yeah like we could
have we should have known less, about it because what

(01:15:59):
we do learn is not convincing or certainly doesn't have
as much of an.

Speaker 3 (01:16:03):
Emotional impact it has a real anti verisimilitude about his.
Political terroristiness it suggests more that he just like simply
loved crime. And, murder yeah and, so anyway but they
tell the story of how this Guy kidnapped barnes's wife.
And child he put them in a booby trapped room
so That when barnes came to, rescue them it would trigger,

(01:16:24):
a bomb and the bomb killed. His family and it's
also The reason barnes now has the. Bionic arm And
so carter is like asking him questions about like his
backstory in, the scene and we get to learn that
we see that he is a haunted.

Speaker 1 (01:16:38):
Broken man.

Speaker 3 (01:16:39):
All, right now from here we move on To the.
Sheila scene so we're back IN the, cid warehouse, you
know WHERE the vr world is projected on the, big
screen and currently the person in here is a geeky Roboticist.
Named Clyde HERE'S. Kevin, j O'Connor and he's playing would
you call this? Sexy, Chess yes like like they're playing a,

(01:16:59):
chess game moving around THESE giant cgi pieces on. A
board but he's playing against this blonde seductress Character named
sheila three, point two and she's like stretching out on
the chase long and her. Silk pajamas so while like
the big chest pieces zoom around and, she's, Like, oh clyde,
YOU know i really would like you to come visit
me IN the. Vr world there are so many games we.

(01:17:21):
Could Play and clyde is basically drooling at. The, screen
meanwhile the creepy Computer guy daryl comes up behind him and,
he's like, You, know clyde she's. Very interactive here they
sort of imply THAT the vr chairs that are being
used in the police training simulator earlier that day have

(01:17:41):
some kind of. Sexual interface we never see specifics on
what these peripherals would. Look like i'm really curious how
this was going to be used for. Training purposes and by,
the way, once again no Offense to kevin, j O'Connor
but i feel like they really go out of their
way to make, him grow like come off. As gross

(01:18:02):
he's filmed slightly from below while he's leering at, the
screen so we're like looking a bit up his nose
and seeing his wet. Front teeth they're like wet with
spit and shining in, the light and he's just gazing
like he's in a trance at. The screen And then clyde, is, like, Oh,
YEAH darryl i need to use, your Gear but darryl, tells, him, no,

(01:18:22):
No no i've got a. Better idea you are a,
nano ROBOTICIST and i know that you have created the
technology TO three d print a nanotech android out of,
Blue goop so why don't you use your blue goop
machine To make sheila three point TWO the vr model
into a FULL three d robot in the. Real world

(01:18:45):
AND then i guess y'all can. GET married i, Don't.

Speaker 1 (01:18:48):
Know so this is. So, Ridiculous obviously it's like you're
storing the technology to print bodies for digital beings right
now to the place where you store your digital mass murder. Of.
Beings yes but then also it's like he's, Putting this
darrel's putting this Together. For Clyde like clyde, was like,

(01:19:10):
YOU know i could turn out a woman for all
of my. Creepy lust i'd never thought about. That before
this is my, life's WORK but i never put.

Speaker 3 (01:19:20):
This together you're, EXACTLY right i mean once like, and
also this character is depicted as he has no attributes
other than dozen nanotechnology robots and. Experiences, lust yeah so
you might think those would connect in, his mind because
that is all his mind is as. A character, but,
Yeah anyway clyde agrees and then walks off looking kind

(01:19:44):
of grimly determined in a very. Funny way And so
darryl hangs back To grab sheila's quote module from the.
Computer bank this is an important mcguffin in. The MOVIE
every vr character has a little like plastic polyhedron that's
got their brain. Inside, It oh darryl pulls the switcheroo
and instead Of taking, sheila's module HE takes sid six.

Speaker 1 (01:20:05):
Point seven and then he Just kicked sheila underneath the,
you know, some, furniture, WHICH yeah i thought was very,
disappointing because first, OF all i kind Of wanted sheila
to have a chance to be born to the. Real,
world yeah but also imagine Like the cringey comedy that
could have resulted if we have like a stinger at

(01:20:27):
the end where police are going into train and they're
going Up against shila instead of a. Super, criminal oh
that would be.

Speaker 3 (01:20:33):
FUNNY too i thought maybe you were, gonna, say like
What if sheila, was created but instead of just becoming a,
sex robot she's the one who has to hunt down
sid six. Point, seven, yeah yeah. All, right anyway we
move on to the nano. Robotics lab clyde shows off a,

(01:20:55):
robot snake which you think is a real snake, at
first like he shoves it In lynden, meyer's face but
then he cuts it in half with some shears and
reveals it is made of Blue goop, and then critically for,
the plot we learn that if you cut part of,
it off since it's made out, of silicon it can
regenerate itself by absorbing glass it finds in. The environment

(01:21:16):
so the snake like rebuilds its severed tail by reaching
out these blue tendrils that suck up glass from. A beaker,
and honestly this premise sets up several of the best
moments in the Movie where sid will get injured and
then later he'll start like sucking glass out of windows
while he's got like the goop arm in the window
and he's making this. Rage face or at one point

(01:21:40):
he's literally like eating fistfuls of glass in the middle
of a car chase in. The scene clyde, also, explains
quote if you separate the character module from the, polymer
matrix you get.

Speaker 1 (01:21:53):
Nano.

Speaker 3 (01:21:53):
Death yeah, so anyway they start growing the robot inside of,
a pod which is a good.

Speaker 1 (01:21:59):
Set piece, OH yes i love all this stuff because then,
practical effects it's this blue like it's it's, it's inorganic
but it has this kind of organic nature. To it
it's like this like weird blue alien egg that this
being is. Growing inside and then when it finally opens

(01:22:20):
and there's like. Blue goo, of course what rises up
initially is just this kind of like neutral. Blue, humanoid
oh has kind of like, A oh i, don't know
almost like a crash test dummy kind of vibe, to
it like it's not completely, finished yet to the point
that our creep researcher here is, like, like oh it's.
It's you i'm ready. To party but then it finishes.

(01:22:43):
Its form it like everything smooths out digitally and it
Becomes not Sheila but sid six, point seven naked, terminator style.

Speaker 3 (01:22:54):
Who Immediately kills clyde like it like.

Speaker 1 (01:22:56):
Chokes.

Speaker 3 (01:22:56):
Him yeah, the pod by, the way it looks like
a cross between Between a venus fly trap and a.
Pool float, and yeah the being is the freakiest looking
thing in the movie Is when sid comes out not.

Speaker 1 (01:23:08):
Fully, finished yeah but that's why if you look through
the credits for, this film you'll see somebody like credit
with like, creature effects because it is essentially like it's
somewhere blurring the line between creature.

Speaker 3 (01:23:19):
And, technology yeah and by, the way and, The Scene
russell crowe is really stretching his, ham legs just goofing it.
Up stupendously, You know clyde says He's, like sheila but
It's Obviously russell crowe and He Instead russell crow, Says
No i'm oedipus and then. Chokes him and then meanwhile

(01:23:40):
The darre old character is watching seemingly in horror and
then runs away. And hides but why is? He horrified
didn't he do this?

Speaker 1 (01:23:47):
On, purpose yeah this is exactly what you wanted. To
do what did you think was going to?

Speaker 3 (01:23:51):
Happen here so we get to See Naked russell crowe
having fun feeling gravity for the. First time he like
kind of, Shifts around, he's like. Ooh gravity he also
picks up a random knife and starts doing naked tai
chi with a knife in. His hand then he recreationally
cuts off his own finger and then licks the blue goop, and,
says huh that was a. Good year like it's like it's.

(01:24:13):
A wine that's, the joke but you, know What It's
russell krow kind of. Sells it even the bad jokes sort. Of.

Speaker 1 (01:24:19):
Land.

Speaker 3 (01:24:19):
Yeah oh and then also in, the scene we get
A line i think it was obviously meant for. The
trailer it's sort OF an i got to get me
one of those Moments where sid looks directly into the camera,
AND says I think i'm.

Speaker 1 (01:24:32):
Gonna like, it here and he does like. It here
that's that's pretty much what happens for the next like
forty minutes.

Speaker 3 (01:24:40):
Or SO so i have a question about. The plot
maybe you knew something about This rob is there something
it felt like something was missing in the subplot of
the villains here they would explain why the computer company
GUY wanted sid six point seven unleashed into. The world
there are some scenes that kind of, imply conspiracy like motivated.

(01:25:01):
By business there ARE other, i mean but only. Very
vaguely there are other scenes that to me implied the
computer guy is like a psychotic acolyte of the RELIGION
of sid six. Point, seven LIKE am i remembering? Right
that one time later he's shown in a motel room
decorated Like A charles manson.

Speaker 1 (01:25:19):
Murder.

Speaker 3 (01:25:19):
Scene, Yeah yeah and it's not like a, crime scene
it's like his own. Motel room and it implied just
he just decorated it that way because he. Likes it
like just major confusion on what is the motivation of
the non virtual meet, human villains what was their goal
and who's in?

Speaker 1 (01:25:37):
ON it, i mean it seems like his direct creator
here just comes to worship. His creation but we don't
really get enough details on how this comes, to pass,
you know we're just sort of left to assume that's.
The case this is an EXAMPLE where i probably NEED
well i don't. NEED to i would probably get some
ANSWERS if i read, the novelization oh for, the movie

(01:26:00):
which Was By, terry bisson who has come up on
the show before because we've had a couple of people
right in about. His work he Won A hugo award
And A nebula award for the Short story they're made out.
Of meat, i'm assuming as is typical, with novelizations he
probably had to fill in the gaps here and create

(01:26:22):
some connective tissue for. These characters, but yeah back to,
your point why is any of? This, happening like why
really did you orchestrate the escape of? This being why
did you help it print itself in physical forms so
it can run on a rampage like. You clean you
seem to like him and you're into what he's doing

(01:26:43):
but also scared, by him but also scared. By, him
yeah it's like it seems like we needed him to
be killed by the creator here as well if he
because it's not like he's he's Sort of frankenstein's here where, he's,
Like ah i've gone too far and, runs away but
then he continues to worship.

Speaker 3 (01:27:00):
HIS creations, i, Yeah anyway so at this point in,
the movie the premise has. Been delivered, YOU know sid
six point seven is unleashed in physical form upon, our
world the world of nineteen. Ninety nine in the Words
Of william, forsyth Quote somehow sid six point seven got
himself out of the computer and at this point only

(01:27:20):
one man can, stop him Because again barnes is the
only prisoner who Ever beats sid IN the. Vr Training
so barnes has granted conditional early release from prison so
he can find And. Stop sid now at, this point
what is a renegade cop who gets results always need a,
New partner so he's getting paired Up With, madison carter the.
Criminal psychologist so few scenes to. Talk about from the

(01:27:43):
middle portion of, the movie a lot of chasing around
an investigation in that there's sort of a detective Portion
where Barnes and carter investigates some crime scenes WHERE like
sid has done random murders and one of them is
staged as a copycat Of The tate. Lobbianca murders but
they end Up At darryl, lindenmeyer's house the guy Who
programmed sid in a SCENE that i found, extremely funny

(01:28:06):
because so they LEARN how sid six point seven. Was
created they Go into lindenmeyer's computer and they're like looking
at THE previous, sid models and these heads just start
popping up on the. Computer screen and the first one
we see Is a hitler head that's like A three
d sort of polygon model, of it so it's got
like a little, like mustache but it's a. Little polygon

(01:28:28):
and then they're showing serial killers, and Stuff and, carter,
says quote this is.

Speaker 1 (01:28:33):
Using some kind of.

Speaker 3 (01:28:34):
Genetic algorithms sid's too complex. To design lindenmeyer had to
grow him up psychologically like a real person with multiple.
Personality disorder the program learns like, a child but. Much
faster it's like he put all these killers in sid's
nursery and let him watch them cannibalize. Each other And then,
barnes says and only the strong. Ones survive but what

(01:28:55):
does that mean in this context the strongest serial Killers
Or hitler's so.

Speaker 1 (01:29:00):
On, one level absolutely this is technobabble that doesn't really
stand up to, close scrutiny but it also does kind
of neatly forecast some of The topics we've been discussing
in the past several YEARS about ai and about about
training on content and how sometimes the content that these

(01:29:20):
models train on are not the best models of human
behavior or, human expression and so it's, you know, it's
silly but it also rings a little bit true in.

Speaker 3 (01:29:31):
Some, ways yeah but this is, more like what if
you limited the reinforcement, training exclusively the training data is
only a pyramid of TWO hundred cgi serial killer Heads
with hitler in.

Speaker 1 (01:29:42):
There, TOO well, i mean, in retrospect why would we?
Do this but now we're kind, of like WELL that
I guess i, could happen.

Speaker 4 (01:29:48):
You.

Speaker 3 (01:29:48):
Know yeah so also in, The scene barnes figures out
that one of the heads in THERE inside sid belonged
to the guy who murdered. His family there is a
lot made, of, like oh that would be, extra bad,
you know much Scarier Than ted Bundy. And hitler but
much is also, discussed about like whether this personality is

(01:30:09):
DOMINANT within sid. OR not i found that a not very. Fruitful.

Speaker 1 (01:30:14):
Subplot. Yeah same.

Speaker 3 (01:30:16):
The decor Of lynden MEYER'S apartment i thought was. Really
funny it's like a Cross Between patrick bateman's apartment and
the house In. The hunger so there's a lot Of
Soulless wall street furniture and computers, and stuff but also
a single purple rose in a glass. Bell jar now,
after you let's talk about the, club, scene because as,
we said every one of these movies has to have

(01:30:37):
a techno dance. Club scene what would you So like
sid six point seven goes to, a club he fights his.
Way in how would you describe this?

Speaker 1 (01:30:47):
Club? Rob, OH well i mean it's just absolute cinematic
portrayal of the nineties. Rave situation, you know, the lights,
the outfits the Presence Of. Tracy lord everything is in,
place here and we get that great scene where he's
like strong arming his way to the front of the

(01:31:09):
line to. Get in it's it's very like futuristic. And
HIP but i do generally like the, music here.

Speaker 3 (01:31:17):
Good track there's, live music and they've got like A
STAR trek dj station with these milky white orbs instead,
of turntables so you can see them like doing record
scratches with.

Speaker 1 (01:31:27):
The, orbs yeah infrared footage of everything's gone to so, many,
screens yes.

Speaker 3 (01:31:32):
Screens everywhere there are people walking around with video cameras
that are projecting a live feed with crazy color effects
onto the huge screens on, the walls just cables dangling
everywhere and like running to the helmets that are being
warned by. The, DJs also you access this club through a,
freight elevator so it's like a basement club you have
to go down to through. The elevator ONE thing i thought, is,

(01:31:56):
that oh, YOU know i went to a concert earlier,
this week and, it's like this is kind of like
going to a concert today because you see people holding
up their devices recording the performers standing right in front.

Speaker 1 (01:32:07):
Of, them yeah that's a. Good point that's a. Good point,
but yeah we'll. DO that i mean it only the
world only makes sense if you're, viewing it experiencing it through,
the digital through, the technology. You know but in, this,
case yeah the Performer Is tracy lord's up there with
what one or two DJs. On hand she's kind, of

(01:32:27):
singing kind of, dancing around wearing this kind of like matrixy.
Latex attire and then, income said and we get this
one moment cinematography at. ITS finest i guess where, they're
like what if we shot Sid Through tracy lord's legs,
from behind like through her thighs from behind and that's. The,

(01:32:50):
shot YEAH so i giggled. AT that i, was, like,
okay yeah a little over. The.

Speaker 3 (01:32:54):
Top, yeah also the fashion in the scene, is chaotic,
we get but we do get an early glimpse of
a guy in a purple double breasted Suit that sid
is going to steal and wear.

Speaker 1 (01:33:04):
For much of.

Speaker 3 (01:33:05):
The film, but again coming back to the kind of
themes we talked, about earlier there's something kind of interesting
here where in, this scene it becomes Apparent that sid
loves that people are aiming cameras at him in the
club and projecting him onto the, big screen and. He
smiles he's like overwhelmed. WITH joy i think, Sincere joy
like he's not making, a joke and, HE says i.

(01:33:26):
Am beautiful and this is one of the themes of
the MOVIE that i thought was actually kind of. Accidentally
interesting there's something about the information environment in the setting
that says there's. A desire there's like a link between
the desire to be famous and the center of everybody's
attention and sadism. Or PSYCHOPATHY like i haven't fully fleshed

(01:33:50):
out exactly what, this means but it's like a latent
assumption of the film that is not just the common
assumption that there's something kind of tacky or shallow or
guided about wanting to be the center of, everybody's attention
or especially wanting to be the center of everybody's attention
as mediated through technology like video And, the internet but
actually goes a step farther and suggests the desire for

(01:34:14):
attention like this is related to a kind, of, dominance
strive a desire to have power over others and even
inflict pain, On them and that hit home for. Me,
SOMEHOW again i don't want TO suggest i think this
was explicitly thought out in, the script but it feels
like a potent theme the movie. Stumbles. Into here there's

(01:34:35):
something about this obsession with like being on camera and
having people far away all watching you at the same
time that is like a kind of power and domination.

Speaker 1 (01:34:46):
And sadism, Yeah yeah and they do come back to
it later on.

Speaker 3 (01:34:50):
As, well anyway in The scene sid gets a drink
made for him By A johnny Cab and sid is like,
to think you constitute one of. My ancestors and then
in personally.

Speaker 1 (01:35:00):
That's one of a couple of moments in here though With,
the ANDROIDS where i, was like they're kind of getting
into some of the Territory That ridley scott would later
get Into with david And The, alien prequels but with
less nuance and and more just. Outright meanness. That's.

Speaker 3 (01:35:14):
Funny. Yeah uh he starts rampaging in, the club, of
course and then this will be a type of scene.
That recurs he takes, everybody hostage forces the camera to like.

Speaker 1 (01:35:23):
Film.

Speaker 3 (01:35:24):
Him uh and then in one.

Speaker 1 (01:35:26):
Funny Bit cracy lords, gets away though she does, run
away the guy behind her, gets shot but she.

Speaker 3 (01:35:31):
Makes it and then he starts he starts making everybody
record screams that he can play back and remix AT the.
Dj station this scene is, really Something And russell crowe
is just like roaring with. Improvisational.

Speaker 1 (01:35:45):
ENERGY yeah i mean it's a weird, mix though because on,
one hand like a scene where someone terrorizes a bunch
of people with, a, gun yes IT'S like i don't.
Like it but on the, other hand so many other
aspects of this sequence are so over. The top that
and and the performance that the center of it is
is so over the top you kind of like it.

Speaker 3 (01:36:04):
AS well i mentioned this earlier that one of THE
ways i think this movie kind of really sits weird
is a. TONAL mismatch i think this is actually True
with barnes's backstory, as well the thing about like his family.
Being murdered it's. A weird it's weird Because the barnes
backstory is on one hand, like, hackneyed obvious overly familiar

(01:36:28):
for this type, of character, you know. The copy he's
taken it, too personal and at the same time it
is excessively cruel and horrible for the context of this.

Speaker 1 (01:36:37):
Goofy MOVIE and i.

Speaker 3 (01:36:39):
Felt a similar way about a lot of, These scenes
like the club scene is at once like goofy but
also just a little. Too nasty it's, like both it's
going off in.

Speaker 1 (01:36:51):
Both, directions, yeah YEAH so I think i think you're
right there that the tone is.

Speaker 3 (01:36:56):
Off here, of course this all gets Interrupted when barnes,
shows up and this leads to a shootout and a.
Car chase i'm not going to narrate all the, action
scenes but a lot of the rest of the movie follows.
This format sid, goes somewhere he. Starts rampaging he wants

(01:37:16):
to be. On camera he's, killing people, Taking hostages, barnes
arrives there is a fight and, a chase and then sid,
gets away and.

Speaker 1 (01:37:23):
Then they need to go, find him and they realize
that he is going to go where the. Attention is
he's going to go where the, media is and that's
how we end up, following him, for instance to the to.

Speaker 3 (01:37:34):
The octagon, Oh, Boy okay, SO yeah i think we're
near the end of our plot, recap here but we
do have to talk ABOUT the.

Speaker 1 (01:37:39):
Ufc, scene YEAH so i. WAS expected. I, HAD again
i hadn't seen virtuosity in, ITS entirety, I THINK but
i was looking over the CAST and, i, noticed, Oh
Well ken shamrocks, in this it looks like there's going
to BE some. Ufc ACTION so i was prepared for
some POTENTIALLY hammy ufc. Product INTEGRATION and i would have
TO say i was a bit shocked by how negatively

(01:38:00):
the FILM portrays MMA and. Mma, fandom.

Speaker 3 (01:38:04):
Yes virtuosity it DEPICTS the ufc as like a blood
cult in which the audience are fanatical acolytes that chant
in unison for death even as people are like murdered
in the audience.

Speaker 1 (01:38:17):
Around, them yeah it's like they're a bunch, of bloodthirsty
half naked savages who only pause in their chanting to
violently attack or grope each other. Like that that's how
the movie IS, presenting ufcee and even action in the
octagon doesn't even resemble AN actual. Mma match it's like
two different fights are. GOING on i think there's a ref,
in there but it's just it's.

Speaker 3 (01:38:36):
Pure chaos it was only their ambitious image of what
the future.

Speaker 1 (01:38:40):
Could, hold yeah And so sid shows up notices that
like a pretty lady is on like the What the
titan tron or whatever the heck the big screen. Is
there he goes up and is creepy, towards her and
then like pulls out, a gun does a backflip into,
the octagon intentionally landing on his head, and back and

(01:39:01):
then gets up and starts intimidating all the dudes in,
the Octagon Including. KEN shamrock i was a little disappointed
That The World's Most dangerous man didn't make a Move,
on sid but.

Speaker 3 (01:39:11):
FAIR enough i don't know About Most dangerous. MAN'S status
i Only Remember. Ken shameron wasn't he IN the wwf in?
The nineties He, was, yeah okay THAT'S all.

Speaker 1 (01:39:20):
I remember he had some Matches, With vader so, it's
like if he's gonna stand Up, to vader you think
he'd stand Up. To sid but, you know, he's like,
IT'S like i see you got blue blood coming out.
Of you, Fair enough i'm, standing.

Speaker 3 (01:39:29):
Back smart, move ken don't be.

Speaker 1 (01:39:32):
A hero so basically the same thing is going to, happen, Here,
Right yeah parker, shows up runs shoots, at him more,
blue blood, more violence and then he. Gets.

Speaker 3 (01:39:41):
Away yeah, and NOW as, i mentioned OR maybe i
didn't mention, this earlier there's a Whole thing i'm not gonna.
Bother explaining in the middle of, The movie barnes gets
framed for, a murder so he gets re arrested and
all this. Stuff happens sid actually sets him free because
he wants. To play it's Like the Joker. In batman,
IT'S like i, need you you can. Delete. Me uh

(01:40:02):
the climax of the film takes place in a skyscraper
that is the home OF a tv station where there
is a televised. Debate happening that's What draws sid there because,
he's like he wants attention about a current political controversy.
Over immigration this part kind of came out of nowhere
and hit. Uncomfortably hard but so there's like a one

(01:40:23):
GUY on tv saying like immigration breathes life into, the
culture and another guy demagoguing against immigrants, and saying we
got to close. The border And then sid shows up
and does the. Same thing he, shoots people, takes hostages
and takes over the.

Speaker 1 (01:40:36):
Live broadcast he takes, over it redubs it WHAT, Murder
TV murder tv or DEATH.

Speaker 3 (01:40:42):
Tv, tv yeah and also has his own.

Speaker 1 (01:40:46):
Like logo yeah he brought a.

Speaker 3 (01:40:49):
Graphics package yeah he.

Speaker 1 (01:40:51):
REALLY did, I mean i guess he's a virtual reality
thing so he can do that sort of sort.

Speaker 3 (01:40:56):
Of thing so as he torments and terrorizes the hostage,
on air he's he's still he's like obsessed with checking out.
His ratings, he's like look what What ratings? I'm getting,
oh yeah the viewers. Love this they love the way
you're screaming more tuning in. Every minute and once again
this surprisingly interesting Theme linking sid's sadism and cruelty fundamentally

(01:41:17):
with his desire for attention mediated, by technology and, in
fact the good guys sort of defeat, him here at
least in part distract him by cutting. The feed they
like turn off the broadcast and limit his access to,
his Audience and zid, hate this and this leads to
a final chase and fight in the network Building between Barnes.

(01:41:38):
And sid, of course as one could have guessed from,
Developments earlier sid Has taken carter's, daughter hostage and they
while they're, chasing around, they're like where's The girl and
there's a there's a booby trap bomb and all that kind.
Of STUFF but i, Don't, know rob are there any
elements of the climax you want? To?

Speaker 1 (01:41:54):
HIT yeah i mean they get. It basically Parker and
sid get, a big die hard sq battle on on
top of, the Skyscraper and sid plummets through a whole
bunch of glass panels and is impaled on like a
million pieces, of glass And then parker goes down, to like,
you know, check out see if. He's dead he's not.
Dead yet we get a nice tight scene where he's
trying To pull parker into the the sharp shards. Of

(01:42:16):
glass he's regenerating off of, the glass, because remember eating
glass and touching wounds to glass is how. He heals
but there's a lot of repair work that needs to.
Happen here and before he can, Do it parker reaches
in through the back of his skull and rips out
his little module and seemingly defeats. The villain but then,
they're like but we don't know where the girl, is
hidden and then we. GET it i thought this was a.

(01:42:38):
Nice twist they like load him back up in the
virtual they replay what, just happened but they let him
get the upper hand so that he'll spill where the girl.

Speaker 3 (01:42:49):
Is, HIDING right i thought this was actually a pretty.
Clever twist or where you See his, I'm, sorry yeah.
That's right so what they need is Information. From sid
so they. Killed him they defeated him, too early so
they have to go back into the, virtual world trick
him into thinking he's still in the real world so
that he will spill, the beans, you know really give
his villain monologue where he reveals, the Information which parker

(01:43:11):
and Doctor and madison both that they work together to figure.

Speaker 1 (01:43:15):
That, out yeah so that. Was solid and of course
we also get a Scene where sid realizes he's been
caught and he jokes out, real hard and we get
this scene with like multiple sid faces digital sid faces
making angry expressions, Extreme, jobing, yes yeah but then the
plot requires us to also disarm a bomb That The

(01:43:38):
little girl's place of concealment is booby, Trapped with and
this scene just feels very anticlimactic. To me, it's like
we just had like a really awesome. Final fight we
had this nice little twist on top of that, final
fight but now we're just doing like a standard, you
KNOW like tv show.

Speaker 3 (01:43:56):
Bomb, disartment yeah which wire? Is it and the final
solution to the bomb Deactivation involves barnes using components from his.
Bionic arm did you remember that he had a bionic
arm at?

Speaker 1 (01:44:07):
THIS point i only thought of it when he ripped
the module out of. THE head i, WAS like i
guess because IT clearly i felt like we'd sprinkled this
detail enough to where it would have to come back and,
have MEANING and, i, THOUGHT well i guess that. Was
it it was because he used the prosthetic arm to
rip out, the module so it kind of surprised Me again, it's, like,
oh okay this is this is how we're actually going

(01:44:28):
to make use of.

Speaker 3 (01:44:29):
This detail he like pulls fiber optics out of his
forearm and then like inserts them into the bomb to.
Defuse it that's.

Speaker 1 (01:44:35):
Pretty.

Speaker 3 (01:44:35):
Good yeah also in the end when they, Defeat him
BARNES destroys sid six point seven's Character, module bye throwing
it off the top of. The, SKYSCRAPER man i FEEL
like i would have done something a little. More, certain yeah,
we do like follow up and we see it run
over by, A truck so it's.

Speaker 1 (01:44:53):
All good.

Speaker 3 (01:44:54):
Sid's gone but wouldn't you would you want to make
sure it. Was destroyed you don't even know where.

Speaker 1 (01:44:57):
It, lands yeah what it landed in the back of
like a shipment of pillows, or SOMETHING or i. DON'T
know i. Don't know there are so many ways that
could have. Been saved or maybe it hits somebody in
the head and gets embedded in. Their brain what, HAPPENS
then i. Don't Know guess i'm your. Party man so
that is virtuosity in all.

Speaker 3 (01:45:17):
ITS glory i feel like we still actually didn't hit
everything that's potentially interesting. About it, BUT yes i will vouch.

Speaker 1 (01:45:25):
For it the.

Speaker 3 (01:45:26):
Viewing experience despite some, tonal mismatch some things that are
just just go a little bit harder than they need
to or a little bit nastier than they need, to
be it is still a pretty, in fact, quite, funny
nostalgic and.

Speaker 1 (01:45:40):
Enjoyable, experience yeah it Is a it's a movie that
will make you laugh and it will make. You think
there are various parts of this film that the do
connect in interesting ways with where we are, now, technologically,
socially politically.

Speaker 3 (01:45:54):
AND more i just want, to say one, last time
hats Off to Russell. AND denzel I mean i. ADVOCATE
this i think like a list actors should take the
time to, do weird trashy little b movies and just
go all, the way don't, hold back do give it.

Speaker 1 (01:46:11):
Your best absolutely, All right we're gonna go and close
out this Episode Of Weird, house cinema but we would
love to hear from everyone. Out there what do you Think?
Of virtuosity did you see it back in the nineties
when it, came out or do you at least remember.
The trailers have you rediscovered it or watched it for
the first time in. Recent years we would love to hear.

(01:46:31):
Your thoughts as. A reminder Stuffed To Blow your mind
is primarily a science and culture podcast with core Episodes
on Tuesdays, and thursdays But on fridays we set aside
most serious concerns to just talk about a weird Film
On Weird. House cinema we've been doing this for one
hundred and ninety, nine films and the next episode we
do will be the Two Hundredth Weird house, Cinema selection
so check back in and see what we finally decide on.

(01:46:54):
For that and if you want to stay abreast of
all the movies we've covered, thus far a great way
to do it is to head on over to letterbox
dot com our profile there Is weird house and you
can find a nice list. Of everything do.

Speaker 3 (01:47:06):
You know what two? Hundred is when it's upside down?

Speaker 1 (01:47:08):
In?

Speaker 3 (01:47:09):
Dreams oh what?

Speaker 1 (01:47:10):
Is it IT'S double? O seven? IS it i?

Speaker 3 (01:47:13):
Don't know it's gonna say almost maybe it's, oohs, okay,
Anyway huge thanks as always to our excellent Audio. Producer
jjposway if you would like to get in touch with
us with feedback on this episode or, any other to
suggest a topic for, the future or just to, say
hello you can email us at contact at Stuff to
Blow your mind.

Speaker 2 (01:47:32):
Dot com Stuff To Blow your mind is Production. Of
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