October 24, 2025 • 18 mins
Coming in at number 8, 2022’s “Smile”. Each day in the month of October we will count you down to Halloween with our favorite, not-so-obvious guaranteed horror hits! We’ll tell you why each one made the list, what the critics say, who should watch it and who should NOT and what food/drink/atmosphere to pair it with each night…. And of course, where you can watch it.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hey there, folks. Sit It's Friday night, October twenty fourth.
You are looking for a good horror movie to get
you in the move for Halloween is just a week away.
But we got one for you, and Kevin Bacon's daughter
is in it and she is very, very skewy. Welcome
(00:29):
everybody to this episode of Amy and TJ. We continue
to count down our horror hit list. We are at
can you Believe it? Rose? We have made it to
number eight and this is one of our newer entries
on the list.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
We in fact it's new, but there's already a sequel
and oh yeah, that was spectacular as well, but we
have to stick with the original smile for our number
eight on our horror hit list. It was released in
twenty twenty two, so three years ago. It's longer. It
might be one of the longer or longest movies on
(01:01):
our list. It's an hour and fifty six minutes. But
I have to tell you it is so entertaining. It
lies by. I had no idea that this was a
little longer than the others. Usually you can tell.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
You can feel I did not. It surprise me as well.
This is a two hour horror movie. And those are
few and four between.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Actually, there really are not many, because it's hard to
keep that kind of suspense going for that long without
it getting ridiculous. But this one manages to just strike
the perfect balance horror, mystery thriller. And here's the synopsis.
After witnessing a bizarre traumatic incident involving a patient, a
psychiatrist becomes increasingly convinced she is being threatened by an
(01:39):
uncanny entity. Hmmm, does that really give it what it deserves?
Speaker 1 (01:44):
I have an alternate down there that kind of starts
off the same way. After witnessing a bizarre traumatic incident
involving a patient, doctor Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences
that she can't explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking
over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in
order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality. A
(02:06):
little more but still vague.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
It's vague, And it's so interesting that they don't talk
about the smile. The smile about the sinister nature of
someone smiling at you but with mal intent, and we
all know the difference between the two. And it's the
creepiest thing ever. If someone smiles when they're angry, and.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
I want to give this person credit. I don't have
her name, but when we saw the movie poster for
this movie, we knew we were going to see this
because it's the young lady on all the movie art
who has a very sinister smile on her face, demonic smile,
and it is just wonderful. It's so good, it's so great.
So this movie did gang busters. It made one hundred
(02:48):
and six million dollars domestically at the box office, another
one hundred and eleven million at the international box office.
This is a whopping two hundred and seventeen point four
million dollars.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
That's why there is already been a sequel. I love
they knew they had a winner, And honestly, I think
after you watch this, you're gonna want to race out
and see Smile too, because it picks up right where
this one leaves off, which is really cool. I love
when horror movies do that. So this is really a
fun one two punch. If you love this one, you
(03:20):
were going to have a blast with the sequel.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Okay, I don't want to get into the sequel, but
the opening sequence of the sequel is so good. Yeah, yeah, sorry,
I don't want to give too much away. I'm going
ahead of myself. Sorry.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Yes, but the cast, as you mentioned, so Ce Bacon,
that is Kevin Bacon and Kiras Sedgwick's daughter, and she
is so good in this film. She's so creepy. As
you mentioned, Jesse t Usher is in this. Kyle Gellner,
you know.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Him and you love everybody, and you know his face
and you're go say, where I see him? Where did
I see him? He is a great actor. He was
in The Strange Darlings, which isn't too far from maybe
being on a list as well. He's a hell of
an actor.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
I feel like in so many of these movies, I
know the faces, yes, I just don't necessarily know the names,
because I think up until now horror movies just haven't
gotten the accolades they deserve, and so maybe the people
who unless you were already a star coming into it,
you don't necessarily get known. Your face is known, but
your name isn't known as much.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
But uh director, oh yeah, but I'll saying they elevate
these movies with their performances. Know their name or not,
like we always say, justin long when we see them.
It's just like a warm blanket. Okay, we're gonna be okay,
it's so true.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
All right. The director is Parker Finn on this. And
the Rotten Tomato score actually a little lower than I
would have thought, eighty percent, still really really good for
Rotten Tomatoes. And the audience score is pretty much in
line with the critics at seventy seven percent.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
All right. The critic consensus as well, here this is
how I guess how do they come up with this?
Are they just kind of aggregating they I.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Don't know, but I always like it, and I always
feel like it kind of nails it.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
So it's kind of a consensus here among the critics.
It says deeply creepy visuals and a standout Socy Bacon
further elevates smiles on settling exploration of trauma, adding up
to the rare feature that satisfyingly expands on a short
I didn't know about the short story it came from.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Oh I didn't know that either, but so many of
them do. Stephen King a lot of his short stories
end up becoming phenomenal movies, so that makes sense. And
then the audience consensus, you may need to pay close
attention in order to keep up with the story. But
fans of slow burning horror should leave smile with a grin.
I don't think it was slow burning. I felt like
(05:33):
it it picked up pretty quickly.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
I didn't think it was hard to keep up with either,
but and.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
I was scared the whole time with each twist and turn.
But yeah, I didn't find it difficult to keep up with.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
So I put this negative critic review at the top.
I don't know why, but somebody said I did not
have fun watching this, relying too much on jump scares
and not enough payoff. Huh. I think there's so many
scenes in this movie that don't involve jump scares but
make your skin crawl. Not because of violence, but I
mean email, the birthday party scene. Nobody died in that,
(06:05):
but you were so uncomfortable the time the woman comes
up to the window. There's no violence involved, but it's scary.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
I love the Yes, I mean that is so good.
So wait, is this the same negative review? It's formally okay, okay,
this is a good one, all right. It's formal technique
transforms a film full of cliches into an average story
that manages to make an impact at the right moments
that seems a little harsh, though it's wow, you started
(06:36):
off negative, You're gonna end positive. I'm hoping we'll see
all right, smile. It is an intense horror film dealing
with survivor's guilt that exceeds all expectations. By the film's end,
I found my palm sweating, something I'd never experienced. I
totally get that, But it's funny. I didn't really feel
like the film was dealing with survivor's guilt.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Okay, then let's do the next one for you here,
the negative one soci began, gives what a film purporting
to take trauma seriously deserves. But when the only solution
to ridding oneself of specific trauma is to either kill
yourself or someone else, just how seriously can we take
it beyond it's overload of jump scares?
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Wait, I didn't think this was a serious movie about trauma.
This is a horror film.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Would people find meaning and storylines? And yes, it's fine,
and people look for those things, but they seem to
be looking for something serious. But then they don't also
realize it's a horror movie. So we have to do
a twist. It seemed like everything should have been literal.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Yeah, it's fascinating to me when there's a movie because
I'm actually reading these off for the first time. You
put this together. I am so surprised because I thought
this movie was such a gem. I mean, obviously we
put it a number eight, so we loved this movie.
It's interesting to hear criticism of it in something I
would never have even consider another one. Though the ending
(08:02):
may go against the rather spelled out message, the film
has plenty of good characters, ideas, and best of all, scares.
I just don't think there was enough love for this
movie from the critics.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Well, I mean they're looking for something else of meaning
and examining trauma and the way we're supposed to do
it and the way you deal with it is not
by killing somebody or killing yourself. That's not how we
do it. Yeah, we know, because it's a horror movie.
I don't know it.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Yeah, that's what I'm doing.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
People look for a little different meanings. I put a
bunch of critic or excuse me, audience reviews in here
for a reason because there were a lot and a
lot of good win so I'm gonna blow through them.
One here is negative, but I also found it funny.
Not enough smiling, way too long between people smiling, creepy smiles.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
I could have gotten more smiles. The more they did it,
the more I loved it.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
I don't know, but they're effective when it happens. Oh,
it's great, all right. Smile is an incredibly creepy and
overall unsettling horror film. It creates, or it certainly rather
has a overall deeper meaning to the story of what
happens when someone witnesses the truly horrifying trauma and how
it sticks with you throughout your life and eats you
up from the inside.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Nope, I never ever considered anything other than something supernatural
and scary.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
This is one you'll find funny. Simply says, stressful and boring?
Can those two things exist? Are you ever sitting around
stressed and bored?
Speaker 2 (09:23):
No? You can't be both. That's so fun you oxymoron.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
You're gonna love this one. Then. Smile presents a gripping
psychological horror rooted in dread rather than jump scares. Yet
it falters with a weak story foundation and underdeveloped character arcs.
While the visuals, sound design and unique camera work, bill suspense,
effectively repetitive effects, and a predictable ending slightly dull the impact.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I'm so sorry that Juilliard grad didn't like Smile? What
was that? Wow? Have you looked up in the dictionary?
Takes yourself too serious? Wait? You just picked all neggetive?
Was there any I don't like any good reviews with this. No.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
The concept of this movie is impossibly unique.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Which is unique is never good if you if you
were going to date somebody and someone said, well, she's unique,
that's not a good review of.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Something it is. No, this is this is, folks, what
I'm doing with in the house. You don't wait to
see the rest. It is impossibly unique, which in itself
is a huge reason to be drawn in. If you're
a fan of ghosts and haunting type movies, this will
absolutely be right up your alley. Christ on sale. It
(10:39):
was a compliment another here Smiles the first horror film
to truly genuinely scare me.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
So yeah, it is scary. I guess it's funny because
I do appreciate that somebody at least recognized that this
is about ghosts and haunting. I just I think, I
think that's great if you found a message about survivor's
guilt or grief. But I really do think the whole
point was that if she hadn't then been haunted herself,
(11:05):
she probably would have gotten over her patients very disturbing experience. Again,
we just I would never have gone there and thought
that that was what the movie should have or was
supposed to be about.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
So why is it on the list for you? Why
is this one not just on the list it's in
number eight.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
It is up there because it scared me in a
way that I have not been scared in a while.
With that creepy scare. It stays with you, that smile.
When I closed my eyes at night, I could see
it and it would scare me, like it's hard to
get an image like that out of your head. And
they just did such a good job of using it
effectively where you really did feel like, oh my god,
(11:44):
if someone looked at me, if I linger, or if
I'm in their presence, I could then catch that demon
or that demonic thing could be anyway. It really creeped
me out. So yes, I loved it.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
It does I think to the creep factor it I mean,
it's a hell of a scenario. The only way you
can break this curse is if you got to kill
somebody or you have to die and just that idea, right,
like one of those impossible scenarios. What do you do?
The performances in this are off the charts. Ve got
(12:15):
cal Penn shows up again.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
He has been showing up in some horror movies.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Another small but very significant role that he plays in
this one. And I do love. Yes, there are some
deaths and whatnot and some jump scares, but I love
that this movie disturbs you without violence. I love that
it does freak you out without anybody having to bleed
or there are a few.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
People who do bleed though, and that's very freaky as well. Yes,
I agree.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Well, folks, stay with us here just a second. We'll
tell you if this movie is for you, and we'll
also tell you if it's not for you. And of
course always the drum roll, Excited to see what food
and drink pairings Robaka has come up with this time.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Stay here, Welcome back to Amy and TJ, where we
are talking about number eight on our Halloween horror hit list. Smile.
This is the original twenty twenty two, and this movie
(13:17):
stays with you, just a creepy, demonic smile that just
ends up being the undoing of everyone who sees it.
It's quite the movie, and it was well reviewed, and
it did amazing amazing at the box office. Is now streaming,
and if you like it, you can actually keep on
watching Smile too, because we actually highly recommend the sequel,
(13:38):
which doesn't always happen. So this is a great COMBA
waiting for Smile three, though.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
I think they've okayed, I really I think they do.
I do think a Smile three in the works.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
All right, So who is this for? I think we
think this is for everybody, as long as if you
don't want to get too scared by those images of
the creepy smile, you can just cover your eyes for
a little while.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Yeah, this is a movie. You don't necessarily want to
run out and you're going to be grossed out. But
every once in a while it's fun to want to
squint or cover your face because something's scaring you just enough.
This is a fun experience.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
You've seen me doing that all the time. Somehow I
feel safer if my hand is in front of my face,
even though I can see through my fingers. You just
feel protected. But yes, this right, and you say this
is for fans of it follows.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Do you remember that horror movie? That horror movie. It's
a cult favorite, but yeah, that kind of concept of
passing something along to break a curse and yes, time
ticking down all that. If you like that kind of concept.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Wait, you just reminded me of one of my favorite
horror movies with Denzel Washington and he witnesses an execution
and the guy sings, time is on your side, fallen.
That's the name of it. It's so good. But it's
the same concept. The evil spirit jumps from person to
person and oh my god, it's I'd never realized that,
(15:03):
but yes, it reminds me of that. Who was it
not for.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Yeah, anybody who's kind of creeped out a little easily
by ghosts and hauntings and spirits and not necessarily possession.
I don't think this is.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
There's a little bit of possession.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Though, with this matter of passing this thing along.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
I mean it's a possession. Actually it is possession. If
this one creeps yet, you're forced to do things you
wouldn't ordinarily do in this movie.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
It's just the one act, isn't it at the end. Yeah, okay, yeah,
we don't want to give too much away who it's
not for if you need like a little comedic break,
if you need just something to break up the tension.
I don't remember a moment this, even cow Penn is
not funny.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
No, no, yeah, that's a very good point. You might
think that that would have been a moment, but it wasn't.
This is a horror drama, thriller, it's not. There's no
comedy in it. That's a really good point if you're
looking for anything, it's not. It's fun in a scary way.
Like if getting or being scared is fun to you,
which it is to us, then that's how it's fun. Yes,
but it's not necessarily a blast exactly. But man, it
(16:13):
leaves you feeling something. I would not watch this alone,
and I do think this could be a fun group setting.
Certainly would want to be with my significant other for sure.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Wow, okay, we can leave it blank. What is your
food here?
Speaker 2 (16:32):
It is? I actually did a little thinking on this one.
So you're watching smile, so we want to just make
sure that we're all good, because you know, you're going
to be playing with the person or the people are
you're with smiling at them creepily, So you don't want
anything staining your teeth or in your teeth. So no
red wine completely out. I'd stick with white wine or champagne.
Fine with beer two and then maybe a crue de
(16:52):
tape platter with a ranch dip, because celery, carrots, all
that are really good for keeping your teeth white and
clean and all of that.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
I look this up.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
It's true. Dentist suggest you eat raw vegetables or raw fruit,
but you get into the berries, they could stain your teeth,
so stay away from those. A cheese plate is good,
and maybe some grapes, and now your teeth are shiny
and clean and white and ready to smile.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
I don't even know where to begin with you on
this one. Let's just go back to that moose crunch
popcorn or something, what was it?
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Moose crunch popcorn, and we're gonna have some at one
point before Halloween.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
And I just went back and asked the vine, and
I had to say it five times, like what the
hell are you talking about? Yes, next movie almost belongs
in our classics episode because it's a part of a
huge horror franchise that I'm surprised a lot of people
(17:53):
still aren't that familiar with.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
You know what, that is a very good tease, because
I was brought into this frand tries after I started
dating you, and I too cannot believe that I had
to catch up and missed all of these amazing movies
so that, yes, we could enjoy this latest rendition, which
(18:15):
is going to be number seven on our list. So
thanks for listening everyone. I made me Robock alongside TJ. Holmes.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
We'll talk to you soon.
Hey there, folks. Sit It's Friday night, October twenty fourth.
You are looking for a good horror movie to get
you in the move for Halloween is just a week away.
But we got one for you, and Kevin Bacon's daughter
is in it and she is very, very skewy. Welcome
(00:29):
everybody to this episode of Amy and TJ. We continue
to count down our horror hit list. We are at
can you Believe it? Rose? We have made it to
number eight and this is one of our newer entries
on the list.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
We in fact it's new, but there's already a sequel
and oh yeah, that was spectacular as well, but we
have to stick with the original smile for our number
eight on our horror hit list. It was released in
twenty twenty two, so three years ago. It's longer. It
might be one of the longer or longest movies on
(01:01):
our list. It's an hour and fifty six minutes. But
I have to tell you it is so entertaining. It
lies by. I had no idea that this was a
little longer than the others. Usually you can tell.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
You can feel I did not. It surprise me as well.
This is a two hour horror movie. And those are
few and four between.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Actually, there really are not many, because it's hard to
keep that kind of suspense going for that long without
it getting ridiculous. But this one manages to just strike
the perfect balance horror, mystery thriller. And here's the synopsis.
After witnessing a bizarre traumatic incident involving a patient, a
psychiatrist becomes increasingly convinced she is being threatened by an
(01:39):
uncanny entity. Hmmm, does that really give it what it deserves?
Speaker 1 (01:44):
I have an alternate down there that kind of starts
off the same way. After witnessing a bizarre traumatic incident
involving a patient, doctor Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences
that she can't explain. As an overwhelming terror begins taking
over her life, Rose must confront her troubling past in
order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality. A
(02:06):
little more but still vague.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
It's vague, And it's so interesting that they don't talk
about the smile. The smile about the sinister nature of
someone smiling at you but with mal intent, and we
all know the difference between the two. And it's the
creepiest thing ever. If someone smiles when they're angry, and.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
I want to give this person credit. I don't have
her name, but when we saw the movie poster for
this movie, we knew we were going to see this
because it's the young lady on all the movie art
who has a very sinister smile on her face, demonic smile,
and it is just wonderful. It's so good, it's so great.
So this movie did gang busters. It made one hundred
(02:48):
and six million dollars domestically at the box office, another
one hundred and eleven million at the international box office.
This is a whopping two hundred and seventeen point four
million dollars.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
That's why there is already been a sequel. I love
they knew they had a winner, And honestly, I think
after you watch this, you're gonna want to race out
and see Smile too, because it picks up right where
this one leaves off, which is really cool. I love
when horror movies do that. So this is really a
fun one two punch. If you love this one, you
(03:20):
were going to have a blast with the sequel.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Okay, I don't want to get into the sequel, but
the opening sequence of the sequel is so good. Yeah, yeah, sorry,
I don't want to give too much away. I'm going
ahead of myself. Sorry.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Yes, but the cast, as you mentioned, so Ce Bacon,
that is Kevin Bacon and Kiras Sedgwick's daughter, and she
is so good in this film. She's so creepy. As
you mentioned, Jesse t Usher is in this. Kyle Gellner,
you know.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Him and you love everybody, and you know his face
and you're go say, where I see him? Where did
I see him? He is a great actor. He was
in The Strange Darlings, which isn't too far from maybe
being on a list as well. He's a hell of
an actor.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
I feel like in so many of these movies, I
know the faces, yes, I just don't necessarily know the names,
because I think up until now horror movies just haven't
gotten the accolades they deserve, and so maybe the people
who unless you were already a star coming into it,
you don't necessarily get known. Your face is known, but
your name isn't known as much.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
But uh director, oh yeah, but I'll saying they elevate
these movies with their performances. Know their name or not,
like we always say, justin long when we see them.
It's just like a warm blanket. Okay, we're gonna be okay,
it's so true.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
All right. The director is Parker Finn on this. And
the Rotten Tomato score actually a little lower than I
would have thought, eighty percent, still really really good for
Rotten Tomatoes. And the audience score is pretty much in
line with the critics at seventy seven percent.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
All right. The critic consensus as well, here this is
how I guess how do they come up with this?
Are they just kind of aggregating they I.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Don't know, but I always like it, and I always
feel like it kind of nails it.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
So it's kind of a consensus here among the critics.
It says deeply creepy visuals and a standout Socy Bacon
further elevates smiles on settling exploration of trauma, adding up
to the rare feature that satisfyingly expands on a short
I didn't know about the short story it came from.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Oh I didn't know that either, but so many of
them do. Stephen King a lot of his short stories
end up becoming phenomenal movies, so that makes sense. And
then the audience consensus, you may need to pay close
attention in order to keep up with the story. But
fans of slow burning horror should leave smile with a grin.
I don't think it was slow burning. I felt like
(05:33):
it it picked up pretty quickly.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
I didn't think it was hard to keep up with either,
but and.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
I was scared the whole time with each twist and turn.
But yeah, I didn't find it difficult to keep up with.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
So I put this negative critic review at the top.
I don't know why, but somebody said I did not
have fun watching this, relying too much on jump scares
and not enough payoff. Huh. I think there's so many
scenes in this movie that don't involve jump scares but
make your skin crawl. Not because of violence, but I
mean email, the birthday party scene. Nobody died in that,
(06:05):
but you were so uncomfortable the time the woman comes
up to the window. There's no violence involved, but it's scary.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
I love the Yes, I mean that is so good.
So wait, is this the same negative review? It's formally okay, okay,
this is a good one, all right. It's formal technique
transforms a film full of cliches into an average story
that manages to make an impact at the right moments
that seems a little harsh, though it's wow, you started
(06:36):
off negative, You're gonna end positive. I'm hoping we'll see
all right, smile. It is an intense horror film dealing
with survivor's guilt that exceeds all expectations. By the film's end,
I found my palm sweating, something I'd never experienced. I
totally get that, But it's funny. I didn't really feel
like the film was dealing with survivor's guilt.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Okay, then let's do the next one for you here,
the negative one soci began, gives what a film purporting
to take trauma seriously deserves. But when the only solution
to ridding oneself of specific trauma is to either kill
yourself or someone else, just how seriously can we take
it beyond it's overload of jump scares?
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Wait, I didn't think this was a serious movie about trauma.
This is a horror film.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
Would people find meaning and storylines? And yes, it's fine,
and people look for those things, but they seem to
be looking for something serious. But then they don't also
realize it's a horror movie. So we have to do
a twist. It seemed like everything should have been literal.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Yeah, it's fascinating to me when there's a movie because
I'm actually reading these off for the first time. You
put this together. I am so surprised because I thought
this movie was such a gem. I mean, obviously we
put it a number eight, so we loved this movie.
It's interesting to hear criticism of it in something I
would never have even consider another one. Though the ending
(08:02):
may go against the rather spelled out message, the film
has plenty of good characters, ideas, and best of all, scares.
I just don't think there was enough love for this
movie from the critics.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Well, I mean they're looking for something else of meaning
and examining trauma and the way we're supposed to do
it and the way you deal with it is not
by killing somebody or killing yourself. That's not how we
do it. Yeah, we know, because it's a horror movie.
I don't know it.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Yeah, that's what I'm doing.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
People look for a little different meanings. I put a
bunch of critic or excuse me, audience reviews in here
for a reason because there were a lot and a
lot of good win so I'm gonna blow through them.
One here is negative, but I also found it funny.
Not enough smiling, way too long between people smiling, creepy smiles.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
I could have gotten more smiles. The more they did it,
the more I loved it.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
I don't know, but they're effective when it happens. Oh,
it's great, all right. Smile is an incredibly creepy and
overall unsettling horror film. It creates, or it certainly rather
has a overall deeper meaning to the story of what
happens when someone witnesses the truly horrifying trauma and how
it sticks with you throughout your life and eats you
up from the inside.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Nope, I never ever considered anything other than something supernatural
and scary.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
This is one you'll find funny. Simply says, stressful and boring?
Can those two things exist? Are you ever sitting around
stressed and bored?
Speaker 2 (09:23):
No? You can't be both. That's so fun you oxymoron.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
You're gonna love this one. Then. Smile presents a gripping
psychological horror rooted in dread rather than jump scares. Yet
it falters with a weak story foundation and underdeveloped character arcs.
While the visuals, sound design and unique camera work, bill suspense,
effectively repetitive effects, and a predictable ending slightly dull the impact.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
I'm so sorry that Juilliard grad didn't like Smile? What
was that? Wow? Have you looked up in the dictionary?
Takes yourself too serious? Wait? You just picked all neggetive?
Was there any I don't like any good reviews with this. No.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
The concept of this movie is impossibly unique.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Which is unique is never good if you if you
were going to date somebody and someone said, well, she's unique,
that's not a good review of.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Something it is. No, this is this is, folks, what
I'm doing with in the house. You don't wait to
see the rest. It is impossibly unique, which in itself
is a huge reason to be drawn in. If you're
a fan of ghosts and haunting type movies, this will
absolutely be right up your alley. Christ on sale. It
(10:39):
was a compliment another here Smiles the first horror film
to truly genuinely scare me.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
So yeah, it is scary. I guess it's funny because
I do appreciate that somebody at least recognized that this
is about ghosts and haunting. I just I think, I
think that's great if you found a message about survivor's
guilt or grief. But I really do think the whole
point was that if she hadn't then been haunted herself,
(11:05):
she probably would have gotten over her patients very disturbing experience. Again,
we just I would never have gone there and thought
that that was what the movie should have or was
supposed to be about.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
So why is it on the list for you? Why
is this one not just on the list it's in
number eight.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
It is up there because it scared me in a
way that I have not been scared in a while.
With that creepy scare. It stays with you, that smile.
When I closed my eyes at night, I could see
it and it would scare me, like it's hard to
get an image like that out of your head. And
they just did such a good job of using it
effectively where you really did feel like, oh my god,
(11:44):
if someone looked at me, if I linger, or if
I'm in their presence, I could then catch that demon
or that demonic thing could be anyway. It really creeped
me out. So yes, I loved it.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
It does I think to the creep factor it I mean,
it's a hell of a scenario. The only way you
can break this curse is if you got to kill
somebody or you have to die and just that idea, right,
like one of those impossible scenarios. What do you do?
The performances in this are off the charts. Ve got
(12:15):
cal Penn shows up again.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
He has been showing up in some horror movies.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Another small but very significant role that he plays in
this one. And I do love. Yes, there are some
deaths and whatnot and some jump scares, but I love
that this movie disturbs you without violence. I love that
it does freak you out without anybody having to bleed
or there are a few.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
People who do bleed though, and that's very freaky as well. Yes,
I agree.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Well, folks, stay with us here just a second. We'll
tell you if this movie is for you, and we'll
also tell you if it's not for you. And of
course always the drum roll, Excited to see what food
and drink pairings Robaka has come up with this time.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Stay here, Welcome back to Amy and TJ, where we
are talking about number eight on our Halloween horror hit list. Smile.
This is the original twenty twenty two, and this movie
(13:17):
stays with you, just a creepy, demonic smile that just
ends up being the undoing of everyone who sees it.
It's quite the movie, and it was well reviewed, and
it did amazing amazing at the box office. Is now streaming,
and if you like it, you can actually keep on
watching Smile too, because we actually highly recommend the sequel,
(13:38):
which doesn't always happen. So this is a great COMBA
waiting for Smile three, though.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
I think they've okayed, I really I think they do.
I do think a Smile three in the works.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
All right, So who is this for? I think we
think this is for everybody, as long as if you
don't want to get too scared by those images of
the creepy smile, you can just cover your eyes for
a little while.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
Yeah, this is a movie. You don't necessarily want to
run out and you're going to be grossed out. But
every once in a while it's fun to want to
squint or cover your face because something's scaring you just enough.
This is a fun experience.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
You've seen me doing that all the time. Somehow I
feel safer if my hand is in front of my face,
even though I can see through my fingers. You just
feel protected. But yes, this right, and you say this
is for fans of it follows.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
Do you remember that horror movie? That horror movie. It's
a cult favorite, but yeah, that kind of concept of
passing something along to break a curse and yes, time
ticking down all that. If you like that kind of concept.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Wait, you just reminded me of one of my favorite
horror movies with Denzel Washington and he witnesses an execution
and the guy sings, time is on your side, fallen.
That's the name of it. It's so good. But it's
the same concept. The evil spirit jumps from person to
person and oh my god, it's I'd never realized that,
(15:03):
but yes, it reminds me of that. Who was it
not for.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
Yeah, anybody who's kind of creeped out a little easily
by ghosts and hauntings and spirits and not necessarily possession.
I don't think this is.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
There's a little bit of possession.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
Though, with this matter of passing this thing along.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
I mean it's a possession. Actually it is possession. If
this one creeps yet, you're forced to do things you
wouldn't ordinarily do in this movie.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
It's just the one act, isn't it at the end. Yeah, okay, yeah,
we don't want to give too much away who it's
not for if you need like a little comedic break,
if you need just something to break up the tension.
I don't remember a moment this, even cow Penn is
not funny.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
No, no, yeah, that's a very good point. You might
think that that would have been a moment, but it wasn't.
This is a horror drama, thriller, it's not. There's no
comedy in it. That's a really good point if you're
looking for anything, it's not. It's fun in a scary way.
Like if getting or being scared is fun to you,
which it is to us, then that's how it's fun. Yes,
but it's not necessarily a blast exactly. But man, it
(16:13):
leaves you feeling something. I would not watch this alone,
and I do think this could be a fun group setting.
Certainly would want to be with my significant other for sure.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Wow, okay, we can leave it blank. What is your
food here?
Speaker 2 (16:32):
It is? I actually did a little thinking on this one.
So you're watching smile, so we want to just make
sure that we're all good, because you know, you're going
to be playing with the person or the people are
you're with smiling at them creepily, So you don't want
anything staining your teeth or in your teeth. So no
red wine completely out. I'd stick with white wine or champagne.
Fine with beer two and then maybe a crue de
(16:52):
tape platter with a ranch dip, because celery, carrots, all
that are really good for keeping your teeth white and
clean and all of that.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
I look this up.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
It's true. Dentist suggest you eat raw vegetables or raw fruit,
but you get into the berries, they could stain your teeth,
so stay away from those. A cheese plate is good,
and maybe some grapes, and now your teeth are shiny
and clean and white and ready to smile.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
I don't even know where to begin with you on
this one. Let's just go back to that moose crunch
popcorn or something, what was it?
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Moose crunch popcorn, and we're gonna have some at one
point before Halloween.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
And I just went back and asked the vine, and
I had to say it five times, like what the
hell are you talking about? Yes, next movie almost belongs
in our classics episode because it's a part of a
huge horror franchise that I'm surprised a lot of people
(17:53):
still aren't that familiar with.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
You know what, that is a very good tease, because
I was brought into this frand tries after I started
dating you, and I too cannot believe that I had
to catch up and missed all of these amazing movies
so that, yes, we could enjoy this latest rendition, which
(18:15):
is going to be number seven on our list. So
thanks for listening everyone. I made me Robock alongside TJ. Holmes.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
We'll talk to you soon.
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