Hate to Interrupt - EP 019 | The Trainspotting Episode

In Episode 19 of Hate to Interrupt, we dive into the gritty, raw, and unforgettable world of Trainspotting and its long-awaited sequel, T2 Trainspotting. From the iconic characters and sharp storytelling of Danny Boyle’s original film to the nostalgic and reflective tone of its follow-up, we explore how these movies capture the highs, lows, and struggles of life.

We’ll break down the performances, themes, and the cultural impact of both films while asking the big questions: Did T2 live up to the legacy of the original? How do these films resonate with audiences today?

Whether you’re revisiting these cult classics or discovering them for the first time, this episode is a deep dive into one of cinema’s most unique duologies. Tune in and join the conversation!

• VHSGUY
• Stop Culture
• TimJongUn
• Ghoulif

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Choose life, choose a YouTube channel, choose a channel name, choose a video genre, choose

(00:15):
a fucking big video to make, choose Adobe Premiere Pro, Audition, After Effects, and
Photoshop, choose an overpriced microphone, a mic holder, and good sound quality, choose
YouTube shorts, choose Fortnite, choose your people to Twitch stream with, choose Overwatch
and Marvel Rivals, choose to make passionate videos only to switch to far right grifting

(00:35):
cringe clickbait because it gets way more attention and ad revenue than anything you'll
ever want to fucking make, choose Talk To A with Hayley Welch and wonder who the fuck
would be stupid enough to buy her rugpull scam coin, choose sitting on the couch watching
another soulless piece of entertainment made by or using AI, stuffing your face with overcaffeinated
prime and moldy cheese lunchly into your mouth, choose rotting away knowing that while you

(00:59):
struggle every day to find purpose, embarrassments like Johnny Somalia and Jack Dougherty earn
millions of views and dollars doing nothing but inspire the next generation of fucked
up brats to cause even further damage, hate, and chaos to the world for clout and cliques,
choose your low attention span, choose life, but why would I want a thing like that? I
choose not to choose life, I choose something else, and the reasons? There are no reasons,

(01:22):
who needs reasons when you've got hate to interrupt podcasts?
Yeah, that was fucking awesome. I thought you hated us, I'll say punk.
I'm Hello There from Star Wars. I'm VHS guy Nick. I'm Goulas, I'm Ethan from Goulas.

(01:43):
I'm Culture Nick, I'm Nick from Stop Culture. That was great, Tim. I love that. I texted
you guys, I had an epic intro. Yeah, you didn't disappoint. If you couldn't tell, we're covering
Trainspotting today, both Trainspotting. We're covering Trainspotting and Terminator 2. Yeah,

(02:03):
directed by James Cameron. Why the fuck did he call it T2? I really don't know. Maybe
that was the thing at the time. Maybe it was like a... It was just 2017. Yeah, I think
even at the time when it was coming out, people were like, why'd you do that Danny? Danny Boyd?
Yeah, I'm really not sure. It is what it is. Anyway, yeah. So yeah, we're talking. How

(02:27):
do we all feel about Trainspotting Uno? This was Culture Nick, this is your recommendation,
right? Yeah, yeah. Before we get into the film, did all of you guys watch... I think
Nick watched this beforehand, but it was for Ethan and Tim. This is the first time I've
watched it and actually paid attention to it. I'll say that. This is my first watch.

(02:49):
And you too, Tim. Yeah, this was my first time watching it, but it's been on my watch
list for a while because a lot of Danny Boyle stuff has just been on my watch list for a
while. I still haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire or 28 Days... Wait, no. Sorry, 127 Hours.
That's what I meant. I've already seen 28 Days Later. But yeah, I think this is my favorite

(03:11):
Danny Boyle film so far. This was really amazing. I texted this in the group chat the other
day and I was like, this is like SLC Punk if it wasn't written and directed by a 12
year old. If it was actually made with actual craft and finesse and had an actual point
to make it that wasn't just cringe Reddit shit, the movie. Goddamn. You really fucking
hate that movie. When we did the SLC Punk... I actually hate it more now that I've seen

(03:38):
this film because I knew going in that, oh, it's just very heavily inspired by Trainspotting.
I hadn't seen the movie beforehand, so that didn't really matter to me. But now that I've
seen the film, it is less inspired by and more just shitty derivative. I think that
is a more appropriate way of describing SLC Punk because it takes legitimately everything

(04:01):
from this film. There's even a character in SLC Punk that I remember that's just spud
but less interesting and less of a fucking loser. Sorry, more of a loser. That's what
I meant.
A heroin bomb.
No, are you talking about the guy who takes LSD and he thinks his front lawn is like an
ocean or something?
Oh yeah, he tries to stab his mom or something.

(04:23):
I definitely think it's derivative. I'm not going to disagree there, but I don't think
the movie is exactly the same at all. I think the focus is entirely different. The focus
of this film is about addiction and the focus of the other movie is about whether punk is
actually sick or not. There's very different concepts.
Definitely similar aesthetics and vibes.

(04:46):
Very similar aesthetic and vibes.
Aesthetically, they're similar. They're definitely both trying to probe into each specific respective
counterculture that they're hitting on. Punk culture and then scumbag, drug addict culture.
Why do you recommend it? What made you want to recommend it?
I've been meaning to make a video about Trainspotting 2 in particular for a long time just because

(05:10):
I think it does everything that a legacy sequel... The best of what a legacy sequel should
do I think Trainspotting 2 does. I guess if you wanted to, you could accuse it of being
heavy on member barriers and stuff, although I think that's kind of baked into the concept
of what the movie's trying to do. It's a movie basically about nostalgia addiction.

(05:34):
Yeah.
Like Renton and his friends, they're kind of like... Since they're replacing their
heroin addiction... Sorry guys.
You're good.
They're trying to replace their heroin addiction with something and then nostalgia seems like
the most... The only thing that can really match what they were once addicted to are

(05:54):
these hard drugs that they can't really escape. They kind of have to really keep driving home
the remember wins. That's kind of what the movie's about. I love Trainspotting 2. Trainspotting,
the first one was definitely a seminal movie for me when I was younger.

(06:16):
For me, Trainspotting 1 was that movie. When I grew up, I had a bunch of druggy friends.
I was never the person that did drugs, but all my friends did drugs. This was one of
those movies that they always threw on and they saw it as iconic and shit. I just never
got into it. I always just kind of saw this movie on in the room and I thought it was

(06:38):
really cringey, so I never paid attention. I went back and watched it this time and I
like it more than I thought I would, the first one, but I still didn't like it all that much,
if I'm being honest.
What did you think was cringey about it?
I just thought that what people like, it's kind of like how people think Fight Club is

(06:58):
lame because it's about dudes being edgy and thinking they're sick. It's kind of like that
for me with drugs, in my mind. I'm not saying it's actually like that, but that was how
I saw it and why I never really gave it a chance. I gave it a chance this time and I
did enjoy it, but I wouldn't say it's a f—. I don't like it as much as Timmy did, but
I will get into T2, but I liked it a lot more than I liked T1.

(07:20):
You say you didn't like it as me, but I think Ethan liked it the most out of all of us because
I quite enjoyed it. I really loved it. I thought it was great as well. I did have a couple
issues with the film overall, but they're kind of minor things that I can forgive because
there was a lot that I really admire about the film, especially from a filmmaking perspective

(07:41):
because there's so much—I think that's the biggest thing about why I love this, but
I hate SLC Punk because SLC Punk is just the most indie Sundance bullshit ever where their
idea of cinematography is just put camera in front of people and then shoot and then
we're done for the day.
In this, there's so much more interesting and creative cinematography at work. Obviously,

(08:03):
the first instance that I can think of is when he goes to the worst toilet in all of
Scotland or some shit. It essentially becomes more of a surrealist piece. It enters a more
trippy environment where he's actually going inside the toilet and it becomes this swimming

(08:24):
scene, this water world-esque aesthetic. It's essentially just on a surface level aesthetic.
It looks great. It's so creative of essentially just showing a guy getting suppositories out
of a shit toilet, but the way that it's presented and how it's being portrayed in Ewan McGregor's
character's mind, it's as if it's this big feat of accomplishment to get suppositories

(08:49):
to swim down below and then say, fucking brilliant or whatever he said in the film. It's really
creative and then obviously you have the more iconic scenes like the withdrawal scene where
he's in the bedroom and the bed he's in is this fucking claustrophobic nightmare where
shit just randomly starts popping up like how Begbie just randomly shows up to him next

(09:13):
in bed and he's squirming around and then suddenly he's gone and then obviously when
the baby is crawling at the ceiling of the room and Ewan McGregor's character's just
screaming he's like, no, no, no, please, no. It's really nightmarish. It's like some fucking
David Lynch Satoshi Konas shit going on. I really appreciate it, but I love how the film,

(09:35):
it's not all that. That's not very representative of the film. Those are moments that are introduced
throughout the film. It's blocked at certain moments because the rest of the film is pretty
normal. It's just characters doing drugs, taking heroin, all that stuff, but I love
how when they do heroin it's portrayed in a way that we can conceptualize and we can

(09:57):
understand from their perspective because I've never done heroin before, obviously,
so I wouldn't know what that's like, but I love how the film presents that in a way that
makes sense to me as an audience member and presents in a way where, oh, I sort of get
this. That's especially the case with the music as well, which is fucking awesome, but
I love how the music choices in particular really add to a lot of those trippy sequences

(10:20):
because there's a lot of positive music for essentially really fucked up moments. When
Ewan McGregor gets so high that he falls into the carpet and he's dragged to the hospital
and they play fucking perfect days in the background, it's really fucked up, but they
play this really positive music along with those scenes to showcase. From Ewan McGregor's

(10:41):
mind it's not, I mean it is fucked up, but he likes it. It's a positive thing in his
mind because he'd rather be high than, like he said, choosing life, facing reality and
all that shit. It's really just great filmmaking from Danny Boyle.
Yeah. I mean Trainspotting for me, it's always been one of the best drug movies to me because
too often I think drug movies fall into one of two categories where they either romanticize

(11:07):
drugs or the drug lifestyle or they demonize it. They don't portray it as something believable
for people who aren't involved in the lifestyle at all to understand why someone would, quote
unquote, throw their life away by engaging in addictive behaviors, especially with something
like heroin. It's right from the first 10 minutes of the movie, Ewan McGregor's voiceover

(11:34):
is talking about, it's really fucking good. That's why we do it because it's really fucking
good. We're going to show you how good it looks and feels to be high, but we're also
going to show you the lows, which comes obviously with the terrible thing that happens to the
baby and then the drugs scene.

(11:56):
And the friend character.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tommy, Tommy too.
That's right. Yeah. This, this, this, no, go ahead, Nick.
No, you go ahead.
No, this, this first one, it had that like really nice kind of just grungy quality to
it that I really loved. Like this was so disgusting. Particularly the scene where Spud shits himself

(12:21):
in the bed and then he brings the sheets out and flings it all over them while they're
eating fucking beans and toast or whatever British people eat. I like that. I was like
watching this in bed and I like wanted the gag. Like that, that was so disgusting. This
was, this was like what? 10, 15 minutes after the whole toilet scene, which was also disgusting.
This is the most fucking foul movie.

(12:43):
Yeah. Isn't it so funny?
Like a little poopy.
They make, they make the, the Scottish cuisine look almost as disgusting as the shit that's
in all of his fucking sheets.
Oh yeah, Scottish, not British. Sorry.
I think that's why like I, the movie just didn't hit for me. It's not that there's anything
innately wrong with the film. Like the only thing like that I would say is like actually
like I didn't like about the movie is I think there was some really weird editing choices.

(13:06):
I don't think the filmmaking itself had any kind of issues, but I definitely think there
were some weird parts of the edit that just made it look its age and feel kind of janky.
Well, I feel like that was intentional though. Like the editing, like the janky, like chaotic
editing, like was very intentional on the film's part.
I'm not talking about the like the chaotic cutting away because obviously-
Like the freeze frame portions?
Like a lot of the time whenever like there was like a lot of action, like whenever like

(13:28):
in the bar scenes and stuff like that, it was just weird cuts and angle choices. And
I was just like, why are they whatever. But like other than that, I mean, it was really
just that drug stuff makes me kind of feel uncomfortable is really why I didn't like
the first movie as much. And just some of the scenes just were like, just kind of icky
for me to watch. And I think that's probably intentional. So maybe the movie is doing its
job and it just isn't my type of shit.

(13:50):
Yeah, it's a hundred percent intentional. You're supposed to be uncomfortable when you
see those things. Like I, I get what you're saying where it's like, oh, you feel uncomfortable
and that's why you don't like it. I think that is a perfect reason of why you don't
connect with something. I, I don't care as much about that. I'm just, I'm just in it
for good filmmaking. I'm in it to watch good movies and it's a lot of great filmmaking.

(14:10):
And you know, I can't help but admire it's just terrible shit happening. You know, like
I couldn't help but think about that scene where sick boys wife or girlfriend or whatever,
she just starts wailing, she starts screaming. And at first you're just like, what the fuck
is going on? And then you see the dead baby. And I love how they actually show the dead

(14:32):
baby. Like they don't pussy out or like cut away or like show like it's feet or some shit.
Like they actually show like the disfigured baby in the, in, um, in the crib to really
just sell like just how just terrible this is and how much they fucked up as junkies.
Like they're, you know, and it's not like they were hiding this either. It wasn't exactly

(14:53):
like a twist or anything. Cause we saw in the beginning, the baby just roaming around,
crawling around. There's a lot of setup for it. You can see as soon as I saw the baby
and I was like, that baby's going to die or something. It's got that's going to happen
with this baby. Yeah. And then they have it, then they have it immediately lead into her.
Like, all right, well I need another hit. I need a hit. Just like as soon as they find

(15:15):
the baby, just like, well, I got to forget this super sad. It's depressing. Yeah. But
you don't even blame them for doing that. You don't even blame them for having that
mindset. Yeah. Because yeah, they don't have like literally their entire life is not facing
their problems. Yeah. Like they need heroin to cope with their shittiness of life. You
know, this is just another thing they have to cope with now using heroin. And I love

(15:37):
how Ewan McGregor is like, Oh yeah, go ahead. Sorry. One thing I'll say is Robert Carlyle
is such a fucking sick actor, bro. Like he's really good. No, he's a big B. Oh, he's a
big B. He's so goddamn good and everything. Have you all seen the full Monty? No, no.
No. Oh, it's so fucking good. I love him so much. I've only ever seen him in Once Upon

(16:04):
a Time. My wife made me watch that show and he's like the main villain. Oh yeah. He's
like, look at his name. He's Rumpelstiltskin. Yeah, Rumpelstiltskin. He really shines in
the second one. Yeah, he's great. I think he was in 28 Weeks Later, right? I think that's
the only thing I've seen Robert Carlyle in. Yeah. Yeah. I love to see him in Once Upon

(16:27):
a Time. It's really good. Yeah. That's another legacy sequel that Danny Boyle is doing again,
right? The 28 years. Yeah. Yeah. But I feel like that has more of a purpose to, you know
what? I'm going to save that for when we talk about TV. Yeah. But I, yeah, like I read

(16:47):
it, I really, I just can't emphasize how great the music is. Like I, before I went into this
film, all I've ever heard is, aside from, you know, all the other things we mentioned
is, oh, the soundtrack is really good. Like the soundtrack, it's like the go-to classic
vinyl record movie soundtrack that people put on. And I can totally see why, because

(17:08):
not only are the songs themselves like really good, but they do a really great job of selling
the tone, selling the emotions that the characters are going through. Like I love how the film
starts with that Iggy Pop song while they're running through, while they're getting chased
by guards, you know? And then he gives the choose life speech. And normally I don't really
care for voiceover narration. I'm very particular with things like that. Like 90% of the time,

(17:35):
I get really annoyed by that. And I would just prefer show don't tell, like visual metaphor,
like imagery type shit. You know, the only other time that I feel like that's appropriate
if it's like a Martin Scorsese film or something. But it's actually used very, very well in
this one. It's a combination of show and tell. You know, like Goodfellas, like Casino, like

(17:58):
Wolf of Wall Street, you know, like any other Scorsese film where it's, you know, it's
Rettin's way, Mark's way of, you know, introducing us to this world, you know, getting us to
know the characters, the people that he's friends with, and you know, his mindset. But
it's also a way of like, communicating how he feels emotionally. Like I love towards
the like the last act of the movie where he just straight up leaves Scotland, he moves

(18:22):
to London and finally like gets his shit together. He finally tries to start clean, start fresh,
you know, he needs to try and he's starting to get his life together. He's starting to,
you know, make some money. But then these guys just yeah, but then these guys just weasel
their way back into his life. They start sucking him dry, they start stealing his shit and
pawning off his shit for fish and chips. And you can feel the frustration in Ewan McGregor's

(18:46):
narration where he's like, I have to get rid of these guys. These guys are fucking stealing
all my shit. Like they're, they're, they're, they're clawing me back in. And it's really
great. I really do like the narration in this. Sometimes it got a little annoying in the
sense that there were some parts where things were being perfectly understandable and yet

(19:07):
there was still narration going on. I was like, okay, I understand, but we don't need
this here. There were parts of, I didn't feel that way all the time, but there were parts
where I was just like, all right, movie, that's enough.
You must have loved the Clockwork Orange, you know, visual callbacks, you know, like
when they're in the bar in the beginning, they have like the Maloka milk bar shit, you

(19:29):
know? Yeah. I, I think Danny Boyle said a lot of the characters were inspired by like
Alex. I think he said Mark is like partially inspired by Alex from a Clockwork Orange.
So I definitely got a lot of Clockwork Orange vibes from the film, obviously from the visual
side, like you said, but yeah, maybe that's why I liked the movie because it's so much

(19:50):
like my favorite movie ever. Yeah. I mean, you talk about the soundtrack of this movie
being iconic, which it totally is. I mean, I've, I always kind of felt like, you know,
growing, I was born in 93, so I was like three years old when this movie came out, obviously
I didn't see it. I saw, which I feel like these two movies are, are very different.

(20:11):
So I don't know if you guys are going to totally catch my drift here, but if the matrix defined
what the cool, what 90s cool was for Americans, this movie defined what 90s school was for
people in the UK. And that's everything from just the aesthetic of the movie, like how
fucking, you know, how awesome it looks and then what it sounds like and what all the

(20:32):
characters look like. And then, you know, the, there's totally, it's very hard to compare
them. They're totally different movies, but I, you know, I, you can watch the matrix when
you're a kid. So I didn't really catch up with this movie until I was like later. Yeah,
this isn't a kid's movie. Yeah. But throw this on in front of a seven year old. Take
this out buddy. This is what heroin feels like. No, there's something, I mean, there's,

(20:56):
there's something about the way they depict like the actual intravenous drug use in this.
That's like, it's, it's very disconcerting cause it's like, it's clear that they're
having the best fucking time ever, but it's just like watching somebody feel that good.
There's almost something kind of sinister about it. So it kind of makes it look wrong.

(21:18):
Yeah. It looks, it looks like kind of disgusting almost, you know, watch. And then that's with
all like tourniquets and the fucking, you know, the blood they, I mean, the way that
that's all shot to, especially during the scene when he ODs and you know, like Tim mentioned
with the carpet and everything, it's just like, it's, it's very, very difficult to watch,
especially cause like, I mean, I think I've told some of you guys this, I don't know if,

(21:40):
if you all know, but I was a heroin addict previously in my life, like my early twenties,
I was an addict. So I like watching this watching, actually that's, that's why Trainspotting
2 and we will get to that, but that's why that movie means so much to me because it's
more about like trying to move on, like to pick up the pieces after you are like in the

(22:02):
throes of active addiction and then just like what to do with your life afterwards, like
trying to get yourself addicted to something that's not going to fucking kill you or ruin
your life and devastate all your relationships, you know? So that, that movie really means
a lot to me because there's not that many movies about that topic. Most drug movies
are like I was saying before, it's like, you know, you're going to do it, you're going

(22:24):
to do it, you're going to fucking kill yourself. Like it's either the romanticization, like
fear preaching. Yeah. Romanticization or, or, or just making it look like the worst thing
in the world. But Trainspotting 2 really shows you like what it's like for people who don't
die, who don't end up in jail or dead, like how you can move forward. How you recover,
like the throes of that process, which is very difficult as well.

(22:47):
Wow. That's cool. Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. Yeah. Thank you for sharing. Yeah. I'm
glad I'm thank you. Yeah. Thank you for being open about that. I'm yeah. That's really good
to have your perspective on this. That's like, yeah. Would you say then like that the way
that they portray heroin addicts in this film is maybe not a hundred percent accurate, but

(23:12):
at least like accurate enough where like it reflects people who, who have done stuff like
this in the past. Cause my understanding and kind of how I view people who take substances
like these are, like you said, like I, I fucking hate when drug movies like these, like this

(23:33):
go two ways. Like they either over romanticize it or they just make it the worst fucking
shit out. Like it's like reefer madness or some shit like that. Um, but I've always had
this understanding that the people who take these sort of things, they don't do it because
they think they're cool or because they just, you know, they for, or something like that,

(23:54):
they do it because they're, they don't have anything else in their lives. You know, they're
going through an extremely rough patch. They're having these extreme issues of depression
and self-hatred and suicidal tendencies where, you know, life has beaten them down and they,
they don't have any other way to cope. And they kind of need to depend on, you know,

(24:15):
in this case, heroin to, to, it's, it's why that choose life speech that Ewan McGregor's
character says in the beginning is so impactful because it's so nihilistic. You know, he's
just, I am so beaten down and I'm so fucking tired and exhausted with life and kind of
everything that it means to be a person in the average everyday life that I'd rather

(24:35):
just be, be high all the time on heroin as a way of coping with that than just dealing
with all that bullshit. So as, as a long question, would you say, is that an accurate way of
looking at the film or like an accurate way of what the film is trying to communicate?
Yeah. I mean, I think, yeah, I think this movie there, there's a million different ways
that you can find yourself addicted to, to heroin or opioids or, you know, or anything

(24:59):
like that. Like some people find their way into it on accident where it's just like,
that's why they call it the opioid epidemic because it's like we over-pistribe painkillers.
Those people got addicted to painkillers. They couldn't afford the painkillers anymore.
And then they started doing heroin. So it's like, you know, that, that's one way where
it's more of like a, you know, partying gone wrong sort of thing. But then some people,

(25:19):
which I feel like I would honestly like fall more into the second camp where it's like,
yes, you are, you're extremely depressed. You're looking for something in your life that
can make you feel a little bit better for a little bit of the time, you know? And it's
like, I don't, it, since it drops you with these characters, right? They're inactive
addiction from the very beginning. You don't really know what brought them to that place.

(25:42):
I mean, you can kind of make some assumptions about some of them, but like, I don't know.
It doesn't, it doesn't really say one way or the other, whether they were all like extremely
depressed and then they started looking for that as, as a COVID mechanism or what. But
just in terms of the way it, it depicts the struggle, like the grind of actually having,

(26:03):
having a heavy addiction where you have to, you have to fund it. You have to figure out
where you're going to get it. You have to not be sick in order to do anything in your
life. You have to have it because if you don't have it, you get the fucking, the, the, the
bedroom scene with the train and the fucking baby on there. You know, that's obviously
a dramatization. Like it is that bad. It's really, it's, it's fucking horrible. You know,

(26:25):
I have a question. So, so whenever he was going through withdrawals that his families,
they were like, no, you're not going to fucking rehab or staying here. Why, why didn't they
want him to go to rehab? Were they just afraid he's going to like escape or something? Well,
he was right before he overdoses, he was going to the methadone clinic and methadone is an
opioid maintenance drug. So what they'll do is I don't know how it works in Edinburgh,

(26:48):
especially at that time at Edinburgh, but it seemed like he was going to an outpatient
program. So he wasn't like stuck there, you know, maybe, maybe they had places like that.
Maybe they didn't, maybe they couldn't afford it. I don't know. But he, he wanted to go
to the methadone clinic so he could just, he wouldn't get high from taking methadone
at that point. But he would just controls your symptoms. Yeah. It would, it would make

(27:08):
his withdrawals go away. And then he's like, he was asking his mom for, remember he's like,
give us some jellies. Like that's, that's where Benzodiazepam and Xanax you can take
to alleviate the symptoms of opioid withdrawal. So he's like, just give me fucking something
to help this. And they're like, no, like you're going to just like sit in this room because
we can't, cause they couldn't trust them at that point, which is at the point every, every

(27:29):
parent or everyone who's like in a relationship with someone like that, you'll get to a point
with that person where you can't trust them anymore because they're literally just not
trustworthy. You know, they're going to fuck up because they even, they can't trust themselves,
you know, they care about the drug more than anything. Yeah. And I love how they, it's
like a natural conclusion to that as well, because Ewan McGregor's character, he, he

(27:54):
has, he states multiple times, okay, this is it. I'm going to get off heroin once and
for all. I'm going to stop now. Like, and that's literally how the film begins. He's
like, this is the last time I'm not going to, I'm not going to do heroin anymore. And
the guy just responds saying, yeah, I've heard that before. I've heard that multiple times.
But he has also has this mentality where he's just, okay, I just need to get high one more

(28:16):
time. I just need to do it one more time. And then I'm, and then I can use that to cope
to get through my withdrawal so that I can be done with this. But you know, then it just
puts him in this cycle where he says he's going to stop, but then he's also going to
do one more to help him to stop only for him to do heroin again. And so it makes sense
like why, and I love how like the parents aren't portrayed, like the parents aren't

(28:37):
like, like Jesse's parents from Breaking Bad, where they just ostracize him. They just fucking
kick him out and then treat him like shit. You know, like they're, they're actually loving
people. So when they decide to lock him up, it's, it's less just them being a dick and
more just, look, we're doing this for your own good. Like we've given you multiple chances.
You've had multiple chances to stop doing this, but you failed every single time. So

(29:02):
we're going to do some tough love. This is what we're going to do because this is the
only way we're going to get you to stop. And eventually does, cause that's, that transitions
to the next scene where he moves to London, he starts finally getting his life back together.
He has his own apartment. He has a job, you know, he's, he's making enough income to live
reasonably not shitily, you know, like it's so, it must've worked at the end. I mean,

(29:27):
I don't know if that is like a end all cure all of things. Cause I, again, I, I, I've
never really done anything like this before, but it makes sense within the context of this
is what you and McGregor's character needed to finally break the cycle, to finally start
clean because I love how in the beginning when he tried, and this also goes to show

(29:48):
that this film just as, as much as it is about addiction, it's also about, you know, toxic
friends, like being stuck with a toxic group of people who just love to enable you to do
all this shitty stuff. Like they, they want nothing more for you to feel like shit because
they already feel like shit and they want everyone to be on the same level where a sick

(30:11):
boy, he quits heroin, not because he wants to, but he just does it to fuck with you and
McGregor's character. It's like, yeah, just out of spite. It's just like, look, it's so
easy. See I'm doing it and you're making it sound like a tough thing, but I can do it.
I could be easily do it, you know? And then you have Begbie who's, who's not even doing
heroin, but I love how-
Yeah, I was gonna ask, does he at all do it in this movie or, or no, I didn't think so.

(30:36):
But he and him himself is a victim of addiction as well. It's, he's just addicted to something
else and his addiction is-
Adrenaline.
He just, yeah, adrenaline. He just loves beating the shit out of people. He loves causing chaos.
He loves starting bar fights and whacking people with pole sticks for chewing their,
for daring to open a bag of potato chips and chewing them slightly louder than he'd like.

(30:58):
You know, the guy just thrives on chaos.
He's a fucking super villain.
That's his addiction.
I like that they gave him like a chance of redemption in the second film too. And-
He did not take it.
Yeah.
No.
Well, it was, it was, to jump ahead to the second one first. I don't want, I don't want
to finish up the first, the first one conversation yet, but to jump ahead to the second one real
quick when he's like hugging Mark's body while he's hanging there, he's like, it's okay Mark.

(31:22):
It's alright.
It's almost over.
It's almost over.
It was kind of sweet in a weird fucking sociopathic way.
Psychopathic way.
Yeah.
I just, I love the whole, just that perfect sequence was like at the very beginning where
they're still introducing characters. You just get that phrase from him throwing the
glass in the middle of the air and then it just shatters, runs down. Like, I don't remember

(31:45):
what he said.
All right, someone hit this continent. Did we find the fucking content?
And then he's like, who are you?
And he just punches him.
I wish they would have realized how good of a character Spud was before the second movie.
I feel like he was really underutilized in the first film.
There's an interesting thing about you and his name, cause Spud's character's name is
Ewan Bremner and he, or Spud's actor, sorry, the actor plays him.

(32:09):
He in the, you know, before Trainspotting was made into a movie, you know, first it
was a book, but then it was a stage play in London, I think. And he actually played Renton.
He was the main character.
Oh, okay.
That's interesting.
Initially, but then when it went to Hollywood, they're like, all right, we got to get a hot
guy.
We got to get a super handsome fella.

(32:30):
Yeah, we got to get a new Ewan.
I don't even think it's that, cause Ewan McGregor wasn't very big at the time.
I think this was only his fourth film, I think. He only got the job because he was in Danny
Boyle's previous film, Shallow Grave, I think it was called, which I haven't seen.
It's been on my watch list for a while, but he's really good.

(32:51):
A handsome guy.
Yeah, we want to hear what he's got cause he's hot.
Let's be honest, he's a lot more handsome than fucking Spud.
For sure, but he's really good in the movie, Ewan McGregor.
He fits the role very well.
He lost so much weight and he shaved his head to play the part.
He's very good in the film.
Everyone's really good, but Ewan McGregor in particular, I think was probably the best

(33:11):
actor in the film.
Ewan McGregor was.
Yeah, he was really good.
I love his little, he wears those slutty shirts the whole movie, then his mid-brifts
and the tiny little sleeves.
I guarantee it's cause he just stole those from a kid's clothes line or something.
I think that's such a funny character costume design.

(33:33):
When he hurts, he meets Kelly McDonald, the young girl at the Carrova Milk Bar place.
He's literally wearing a 12 year old girl's shirt.
I like her character too because she's kind of interesting because they show her probably
having at least a bit more money than any one of the main characters.

(33:57):
She has really good parents, really cool parents.
Her interaction with these guys, she's kind of like dipping a toe into the wild side by
hanging out with them.
In Trainspotting 2, you see she was never meant to end up like them.
She's a lawyer, she's doing great.

(34:20):
She's like, are you still doing heroin, Mark?
Are you fucking this child that you just brought into my fucking office?
I will say that's one thing I didn't like about the movie.
I thought the whole him fucking a 15 year old was just completely pointless.
It's less I'm throwing a hissy fit that he EDP'd this girl.

(34:41):
It's more just I don't see what the point is of including this in the film.
I didn't really understand why she was necessary in the film.
She's one of the five people in the fucking poster and yet I didn't understand what her
role was in the film.
She showed up maybe three times throughout the film and then she was...
She's basically in the end is the grand decider of who's a good person and who's worthy of

(35:01):
this money.
That's basically all it is.
I also think that it kind of makes sense considering Ewan McGregor's character just lost his family
or lost his wife.
He's going through basically a midlife crisis.
He's being drugged back into this weird life.
It kind of makes sense that he just makes shitty choices like that.
Oh wait, no, we're talking about...

(35:22):
No, we're talking about the first one with Diane.
No, we're talking about the first one.
Yeah.
The second one with Veronica.
We're talking about the first movie with Diane.
The schoolgirl.
No, I was like, what the fuck are you talking about?
Okay.
Yeah.
I mean, I don't know.
I mean, he's just he's an idiot in the first movie.
I feel like it makes sense.
Well, yeah.
I mean, either way, I don't really know what her...

(35:44):
Okay, cool.
The point was Teehee.
He EDP'd a 15 year old.
Okay, cool.
Great.
That was fantastic.
That was a real knee slapper.
That was hilarious.
But is that really it?
Is that why?
Because like, I don't know if it's supposed to be funny.
I guess.
Also, I'm pretty sure the age of consent there is like 15, by the way.
I don't think so.

(36:06):
Well, he's definitely concerned.
He's concerned about going to jail over it.
Yeah.
I think it's pretty low there, bro.
Yeah.
Kelly McDonald.
I mean, I see in 1920, it was 16.
And she was 15.
So yeah, no.
She clearly didn't...
I don't know if that's a good one.

(36:27):
No, I think it's just more of like...
To show you like...
I don't know.
It's 16 in the UK.
Yeah.
I think it's more just like another one of those things where it's like, look, these
people aren't particularly good people.
They're not smart people.
They're very flawed and everything's messy and kind of fucked up.
I mean, it's another crime that he just adds to his list of things he did intentionally

(36:48):
or not.
Yeah.
And the fact that she's just like, well, if you don't call me back, I'm going to fucking
report you.
That was funny.
Do you guys want to move over to the second one?
No, there's 20.
I have to stay on the second one probably anyways.
Okay.
Yeah.
That's interesting because I have significantly less to say about the second one, but we can

(37:09):
get into it.
General Schwarzenegger returns in Terminator 2 Judgment Day.
Very interesting that they swapped out Linda Hamilton with Ewan McGregor in this one.
Very, very interesting choice.
Yeah.
This one was fine.
It was okay.

(37:30):
It wasn't like bad, but I guess like my main issue with the film while I was watching it
was just, I don't understand why this exists.
Like why this movie needed to happen.
Like, I mean, obviously Nick has his personal connection with this film and the story that
it's trying to tell.
And I can't really take away that from him.

(37:53):
But for me personally, just like watching this as a sequel to Terminator, sorry, I said
Terminator, Trainspotting.
I just sat there and I was like, this movie isn't justifying its existence.
Like I don't understand why this movie exists.
Like I, like it's fine.
It's like decent.
How I feel about this film is pretty much the same as how I feel about like 60% of the

(38:16):
legacy sequels that have come out like forever for the past 10 to 15 years.
It's like the same vein as like, I don't know, Top Gun Maverick or Tron Legacy or some shit
where it's just, this is nice.
This is fun.
This is entertaining.
Like I wasn't bored watching this.
I had, well, okay.

(38:37):
Maybe the first 30 minutes were really boring.
I was just like kind of waiting to see where things were going because it didn't feel like
things were progressing.
But it was entertaining.
But my main thought was just, I don't understand why this exists.
Like why this needed, why this movie needed to happen other than just isn't it creepy
The first film ended on a cliffhanger and it needed to happen.

(39:03):
But I also think the first film was basically like an ensemble film with no like meaningful
conclusion for any of the other characters.
It literally only basically filled up like ended like the situation for one character.
I disagree.
Like the first Trainspotting film is very much Mark's character.
That's his film.
But now that he's not even the main character in his own sequel anymore, it's just this

(39:25):
ensemble cast, which like conceptually sounds interesting.
But because we don't have a central character to focus our attention on, then like the whole
film just kind of is meanders for two hours.
It's just we're moving from point A to point B from different plot points.
And you know, each individual plot point is conceptually interesting.
But the whole time I was like, what's the point?

(39:47):
Like I don't really see what the greater point of all this is.
I mean, what's the point of the first movie?
My biggest issue with with two, although I do love it, it's a really, really special
movie to me.
My biggest issue is the entire film hinges on the fact that you like you have to just
believe that Mark Renton stealing that money from those guys, you know, whatever it was,

(40:10):
like 22 years ago, still means so much to them.
And like, especially for Begbie, like it has to be the thing that Begbie looked back on
in his life, like everything.
And even though this is clearly wrong and he's just a fucking psychopath, but like he
you need to believe that he thinks that his life was ruined when Mark did that.
And so does and Sickboy as well.
So like, is that I mean, I think they set it up in a way that makes sense.

(40:34):
Because he was in jail for 20 years, you know, I mean, yeah, but like it's it's four thousand
dollars in 1996.
And now it's it's 21 years, 21 years later, like nine grand, something like that.
So you just had all that time, all that time in jail to just think about fucking how everybody

(40:56):
who's ever wronged him.
And that might have been the most recent person who wronged him, you know.
Yeah, like it makes sense why Begbie would still give a shit.
You know, that makes sense.
And I think that was the most interesting thing about the film.
But then they try to do the same with Spud and Sickboy.
But then they just immediately forget about it, like 20 minutes after they introduced

(41:17):
it.
So I was like, oh, OK, so I guess this just didn't matter because they're now just back
to because I get what you're saying.
It's about like Mark trying his best to cut himself off from this toxic group.
But now that he's like pretty much lost, at least he claims he's lost everything because
his wife divorced him and he's losing his job.
You know, he's just I don't have anything better to do.

(41:39):
So I'll just slide back into, you know, this group I once tried to cut off from.
And I'm starting this brothel scheme with with Sickboy.
And that's cool.
But you know, I.
I guess I wasn't really emotionally connecting with anything in the film.
I was way more attached with what was happening with the first film.

(42:00):
And I felt like there was more of a hook.
There was more of a point to what's being communicated.
And this one, it just felt like the band is back together and that's great.
But there wasn't much else I was getting out of the film.
It's not like it was poorly made or anything.
I still like the way the film shot and I like how the film plays with color and to an extent
the music.
But I don't know, it just kind of feels less as good as the first film.

(42:24):
Like the soundtrack isn't nearly as good as the soundtrack in the first film.
Either was a weird to in the second one.
I really.
Yeah, it's good.
But like it's not as good in the musical timing is better to like the way they time the music.
I will say like, oh, sorry, go on.
Well, like my only thing that I saw with it is like the visual effects shots were like

(42:45):
they like some of them hit.
But like the first ones were like way better whenever they're trying to like pull off like
interesting shots.
Some of them were just kind of like borderline cheesy in this like a one.
Yeah, like when they're like which one when they're playing with whatever he's like writing
in the wall with his hand and shit.
Oh yeah.
Yeah, I was like, all right.
I was like, Danny, did you really need to do that?

(43:09):
And then in the end when the room's like going and I thought it was fun.
I like it was cool.
Like the in concept, but it just looked really cheesy.
It was my biggest thing.
There were some that I actually really love.
I like mid budget movie like what are you going to like?
Well, I like some of them like what they did with the shadow whenever he's like in the
room.
I love that was really, really cool.

(43:30):
I like the shadow shot.
And specifically, I think I really I was I think I even just said, oh, wow, that's really
cool.
Yeah.
With his dad for the first time and you see his mom's shadow on the wall.
I thought that was beautiful.
And I love that.
It was like, yeah, and I love that part where when Spud was trying to kill himself, they

(43:50):
visually expressed that through the scene where he just where he's like falls and falls
out of his chair.
Yeah.
And falls and like falls off a building.
But then at the last minute when Renton breaks through the door, he just catches him in that
surrealist moment.
I thought that was really cool.
I quite like that.
Yeah.
So it's like a handful of really cool creative filmmaking moments in the second one.
Yeah.

(44:11):
But that was much the first one, in my opinion.
But yeah.
And then other moments were just like, oh, did were you did you find something on After
Effects you really liked and you really wanted to express that?
Good on you, Danny.
Well, I think one of my in terms of visual effects is my favorite sequence is when Sick
Boy and Mark are like it's right after they they scam those 1690 weird Protestant people

(44:35):
out of money and they get back to his place and they're like playing with fucking like
face swapper effects on their phones.
Because like that that was kind of cute.
It's like cringe.
It's cringe in a way, but like these two guys in their mid 40s who haven't seen each other
in 20 years, like, of course, they're going to be like, oh, you see these fucking thing.
I got my phone.
You know, like they're going to go.
I'm where Kat is.

(44:55):
They're going to be there like Gen X dudes who are going to be cringe online.
And like to me, that's cool.
Veronica is like, you know, you guys, it's just all you talk about in the past, you know.
And of course they would because, you know, there's just so much time.
Yeah, it's all they know.
They live in the past.
That's what the movie is about.
And then and then I felt like all the soccer stuff, too, was was really cool.

(45:17):
Like when, you know, when there's the showers coming down.
Yeah, when they slide through the slide and then it zooms out.
Yeah.
You see their apartment.
Yeah.
So one thing one thing I want to know.
So I know lately.
So one thing I really liked about the movie is that they didn't just completely like backpedal
everybody to like fucking basically like they've regressed all of their positive traits that

(45:40):
they've gained over the years.
Rebooting the first one.
Yeah, so I really like that they didn't do that.
And I was just like, I was like, I really hope they don't fucking just make them fucking
just start doing drugs again, because that's just going to be so fucking lame.
And at the end, they have been fucking the main character, Brendan and fucking sick boy
do heroin or whatever.
But I'm pretty sure.
Am I crazy?
That's like a metaphorical them taking heroin scene.

(46:02):
I don't think I don't think they actually did heroin.
I think it was just.
Did they?
Because like the thing that fucked me up is like every single time in these films, when
they do heroin, they like really, really emphasize like the after effects of them doing the drug
every single time.
And they didn't they had literally nothing in this in this movie.

(46:24):
Yeah, they just go to the next scene and just continue the story.
There was no like repercussions, no nothing.
So like I felt like it was very much like metaphorical to that like, we have blood,
we share blood, we share blood with each other.
Like, like I could be wrong, but I that's a good I mean, I really don't know.
It could be.
I never even considered that.
I thought I thought like from when they met up again, my like once I saw that scene, I

(46:50):
was like, well, it was obvious that it was going to happen at least once.
It's a ticking time bomb.
Like they're back together.
Brenton's back in Edinburgh.
He's like, you know, moved on with his life, but you can't really escape this kind of shit.
Like and his biggest issue with addiction was the fact that he couldn't get away from
this toxic group of friends that really cared more about getting high with each other than

(47:11):
they actually did about each other personally.
So when they get back together, of course, it's going to happen at least once.
And they show Spud like his spud still trying to be clean, but he's like terrified in the
corner because he wants to do it too.
But he's watching them do it.
I didn't think it was metaphorical.
I think they actually Google it because I didn't I was going to wait to ask.
Yeah, I got the impression that it was metaphorical because that that's the only time that anyone

(47:35):
actually does heroin in the film.
So I just I I kind of I didn't think it was literal.
It was just more an embodiment of the characters returning to their past lives, like their
past friendship and, you know, their past friendship involved a lot of heroin.
So that's how that was portrayed in that specific piece of imagery.

(47:56):
I don't know.
I it could go either way.
I got the impression that it was more metaphorical than literal.
But who knows?
I'm not 100% sure.
I think it was if it is literal or metaphorical.
But if it's like literal, I do have an issue with how they showed it because it does feel
kind of like, oh, let's throw in a shot where they do some heroin and then we just keep
going like that.

(48:17):
Like there wasn't really an effect.
Like you could cut that scene and everything would be the exact same.
You know, I don't know.
It just felt kind of inconsequential if that is literally what's happening.
Yeah.
I mean, I I don't know.
I guess I could I could have taken or leaving it.
I'm I'm now that I'm thinking about it.
I don't know.

(48:37):
Nick, did you see whether or not it's supposed to be literal or metaphorical?
It seems like it's never really been answered.
Some people think it is.
Some people think it isn't.
So I think they're saying in the book, he does.
They're saying in the book, he doesn't.
But also, I don't know if that seems even in the book.
I would like to then I would kind of confirm that as then they didn't do it because Irvine

(48:58):
Welsh, the the writer of the book and the the squeak will porno to train spotting that
the book is called porno.
I'm not saying it's a porno is like heavily involved in both of these films.
And I think he's in the movie.
I think he's in both movies now that I think about it.
So I have to imagine that that's the correct answer.

(49:19):
But I like leaving it up to interpretation where it could go either way either.
I guess the reason why I'm saying it's it's more metaphorical than literal, because I
just can't imagine Ewan McGregor's character reverting back to doing heroin, you know,
because he's because he even says it himself like, oh, I've been clean for 20 years.

(49:40):
I haven't done it in 20 years.
And he even has this speech to what was fuck was his name?
Spud.
Spud.
That was a yes.
He's like, you know, running when they're hiking and he's like, we're all addicts.
You need to be addicted, but be addicted to something else.
Be addicted to something.
Just because you understand how to like fight your addiction doesn't mean you're going to

(50:00):
succeed every day.
You know, I mean, it's possible he could like any any addict could like break down any day.
Right.
I mean, that's just kind of how addiction works.
It's possible that they could have just done it that one time and it didn't happen again.
I mean, that's that's possible, especially considering the fact that Renton, you know,
he's not he's not 21 anymore.
Like he's a man.

(50:21):
He's he's probably is like, I fucked up.
I'm not going to do that again.
Like that's to me, that's believable that they were able to just like kind of indulge
and just let it happen, especially because it really mirrors what happened in the first
one.
Also, when they're there at the you know, in the field again.
And then that's what that's what brings it on is they start thinking about all the bad

(50:44):
times from their youth.
We're like, oh, you killed you fucking let that baby die.
You got you got Tommy hooked on H and they're like, oh, fuck, I guess we got to do this.
The thing that the thing that also makes me feel like it didn't actually happen is like,
like you said, like spuds just cowering in the corner like they wouldn't.
And he's like trying to like break his addiction.
There's no way they would just do that shit right in front of him.
Of course, they would.
They are shitty.

(51:04):
They are shitty.
They would.
They are shit.
They're terrible.
They're shitty people, but they're not like Ewing McGregor's character is not a fucking
addict anymore.
He would see that that's probably like, I don't know.
I just don't.
I mean, if you're if you're to the point where you're going to do it again, you're not going
to care.
You do it in front of you know, after 20 years, I feel like I don't.
I'm just saying, like I've talked to you and you can chime in culture.

(51:24):
Like, I feel like if you decide to make that decision to just start doing it again, like,
oh, well, it'll be fine.
You kind of just don't care at that point.
Like once you start doing it again, you're like, it's fucked.
Yeah.
You also have to remember that like sick boy in the first film made went out of his way
to spite Renton by by like fucking with him for trying to get off heroin, to trying to

(51:47):
to go clean.
So like he's the last person I would expect to actually try and respect Spud's wishes
of trying to break away from heroin.
I don't think sick boy would care, but I think Renton's character would care because I think
he regardless of him not necessarily being the best person, I think he did care about
Spud.
I mean, my favorite scene in the second one is is the choose life scene, which is it's

(52:08):
crazy that it is because, you know, Tim, you know, everyone knows that's that's the fucking
most iconic scene from the first one.
It's one of the most legendary movie scenes of the 90s, probably.
And the fact that they were able to really hit that home and just show all the pain of
the last 20 years of being middle aged, of not realizing yourself, you know, self actualization

(52:31):
is basically, you know, he's not he's not going to be able to achieve that in his life.
And now the choose life speech is so much more depressing now, especially the part where
he's like, choose never learning from your own mistakes and, you know, choose the the
sort of like the slow realization of what what you can get versus what you always wanted.

(52:52):
You know, like there's so many great lines in that in that little monologue that I just
love so much.
Nick, when I watched it, I thought of you.
I was like, Nick, I love this shit.
I brought that up because that was one of the few I guess you can call it a member,
Barry, that I actually really liked.
And I thought actually fit what was good, because I what I love about the choose life

(53:14):
speech in this one is that there's a completely different context for it now, because when
he did the choose life thing in the first film, both in the beginning of the movie at
the end of the movie, it was him kind of reconciling this cynical, nihilistic perspective he had
on life and how he used heroin as a way of coping with that.
So his his doing the choose life thing is his way of rejecting choosing life so that

(53:38):
he can cope with his his shittiness by using heroin.
And then when he does the choose life thing again, it's his way of like accepting his
flaws and choose deciding to confront his his issues to finally be a better person.
And I love how when he does the choose life thing in this one, I mean, firstly, he updates
it for the 21st century brings up Snapchat and Instagram and all this other shit.

(54:04):
But Facebook, you can see his.
Yeah, but you can see his frustration for each extra line, he says, like, there's this
bitterness towards each choose blank, whatever, you know, because it's now reflecting, it
starts out as like, yeah, it's just a funny goof gag thing that I did with my friends.
But then as he says it more, he it's more hateful because it's him frustrated with how

(54:29):
despite trying his best to stay clean, despite trying his best to be the best person he can,
he's still taking L's as the kids say, or whatever.
I don't know why I said it like that.
I but yeah, I know he kisses.
Yeah, because he divorced his his wife is divorcing him.
He doesn't have control over his over his own home.

(54:50):
He doesn't have any kids.
And, you know, his business is his merge with this bigger company where they don't need
him anymore.
So they're going to potentially push him out.
Like he's got so much going against him, despite stating in the end of the first film that
he wanted to be a better person.
He wanted to change.
He wanted the cars, the the 401k, the nine to five, all this other shit.

(55:10):
But and but he did and he got it.
But he's still living this miserable life.
You know, it's you know, what's funny, this is going to be a weird comparison.
But he kind of reminds me of Michael from Grand Theft Auto five.
Oh, that's actually a good comparison.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Because Michael and Grand Theft Auto.
OK, I'm going to spoil Grand Theft Auto five case.
Anyone gives a shit.

(55:31):
But it came up 12 years ago.
OK, yeah.
So you're no one gives a shit about the story of GTA five.
Everyone's doing.
Yeah, everyone's just my bullshit.
No one cares.
Yeah.
So what it kind of reminded me of Michael from GTA five, because Michael kind of goes
through his own stick.
You know, he's also this washed up retired criminal who who who's always living in the

(55:56):
past, who's always very cynical about the American dream, about his prospect as, you
know, someone who technically made it.
But he's still living this miserable life.
His wife hates him.
His kids hate him.
And the only way he can feel any sort of happiness is when he resorts back to his criminal tendencies,
when he starts doing these heists, when he mentors Franklin to be the spitting image

(56:17):
of him, to be the new Michael or whatever.
And then, you know, obviously, Trevor is his Trevor is kind of like Bigby and Sick Boy
and Spud to an extent, because Trevor is this ugly reminder of who he used to be in his
past and who he used to associate with and the people he had to cut off to find success

(56:39):
in his life to make it big within the American dream.
So yeah, he really does remind me a lot of Michael from GTA 5.
Yeah, well, I mean, the the the Choose Life thing is is is so moving to me because it's
like in the beginning, Choose Life is it's presented very sardonically.
Like they're they they feel like since they have this heroin addiction, they have they

(57:01):
have kind of a third way almost.
We're like, we don't we don't have to engage with any of this stupid bullshit like the,
you know, rigmarole of society, getting a job, being materialistic, etc, whatever.
They have this other thing that they can that consumes all of their time.
And they feel like they're almost enlightened, actually, by by being heroin addicts.

(57:23):
But what he's found out is that like, he actually did Choose Life literally, and over the past
20 years, and he still fucking can't find any happiness.
Like there's there's actually no way to be happy.
You can be a drug addict that's ignoring all the problems and ignoring everything that
society wants people to be.

(57:44):
Or you can just do all those things, and neither one of them is going to actually make you
feel good, which is what that's that's what's so fucking tragic about being an addict or
even really just tragic about fucking existing in society.
Like so so few people actually get to do what they love and to be happy.
You know, it's not it's most people just have to trudge through shit, you know, and it's

(58:06):
really tragic.
I think I think y'all separate from that y'all both mentioned like a lot of member berries.
I really don't I can't think of a single like member berry that was like actually egregious
in this movie like I can I fucking hate all the scenes where they just show footage from

(58:28):
the previous movie and it's just remember that remember when they did the thing in the
pre like I I fucking hate that shit I can't stand that shit because matrix matrix resurrections
also did that stupid annoying bullshit where they're just like, Oh, remember it's like
our meeting with an FBI agent and then they show the scene of Keanu there being interrogated

(58:49):
by Agent Smith.
Remember that like who the fuck needs this shit?
Like the show like dialogue scenes or anything they were just showing like them as younger
people.
In that case and actually and matrix matrix resurrections too, which I don't like that
movie as as much but um, it's it's thematic reinforcement like the member berries it's

(59:10):
not like an alien Romulus where it's just like, oh, this we're literally just showing
you this because we know people know about it.
It's reinforcing the themes of the of train spotting which is it's really summed up by
sick boy when he's like you're a Taurus in your own you that's what the movie is about.
You know, it's like he's he's basically failed at choosing life so he's like, alright, I

(59:30):
guess I'll come back and see what's going on here.
I got nothing else going on so I might as well just like tiptoe back into that life
and see if I can handle it.
But yeah, whenever whenever they flashback to like shots from the original or when they
whenever he'd like recreate shots from the original and then they cut back in between
or intercut them with one another.
It never to me felt like like remember this it felt more like the characters like that

(59:55):
that's all they think about is their youth at this point because like the big thing in
this movie is is essentially nostalgia like Nick would say.
I get that but I just think that some like okay, I'll give you that like some does serve
that point and I guess I can't really argue against that but then there are others where
I'm just like I feel like this is really insulting to my intelligence that you have to show footage

(01:00:20):
for me to just think of the thing that you're actually do like come on man like I've seen
the previous movie and like people have never seen the original train spotting are not going
to watch the sequel anyway.
So like I don't know what the purpose is like the scene where spud sees people running into
like a tunnel and then just shows footage of him and in Mark running away from the same

(01:00:43):
scary bodyguards.
I'm like, did you really need to show that like I got what you were going for like come
on like be a little more respectful of my intelligence and my awareness man like this
is so so stupid.
I don't like this.
This is just a personal preference part like I understand what you guys are saying and
that's totally fine and to give it some credit.

(01:01:04):
It's not completely worthless.
It's not like matrix resurrections where they just do that shit for no reason but it's also
just a personal preference where I'm like I don't need to see footage of the previous
movie to get what you're going for in this.
It's just it's just something I personally dislike.
I mean well did you did you dislike in at the end when Renton tries to appeal to Begbie's

(01:01:27):
humanity by like Begbie do you remember when you know teacher always yeah we were boys
like they sat me next to you because that's kind of just another it's not necessarily
member berries because that wasn't you know there was no depiction of that in the fall
but that's that's like the movie reinforces that at every set like every chance it can
basically which I like.

(01:01:48):
I think that's that's what the movie is about why not reinforce it.
No that's that's my yeah I don't have any problems with when they showed flashbacks
that wasn't just footage from the previous movie like they just cast random young people
to play their younger selves like when they were teenagers when they were in their early
20s or whatever I didn't have any problems with that because that didn't really feel

(01:02:10):
like a member berry that just felt like added extra character depth to flesh out these people
and not just showing movie footage I there's like a clear distinction for that for me.
I will say the stuff with the sun with Begbie's son or whatever didn't wasn't necessarily
that essential for me like we can it didn't matter yeah he's already such a shitty person

(01:02:34):
like I feel like that was just like adding to the runtime they didn't really make much
of a change for me.
Well I think that that's supposed to kind of illustrate Begbie's toxic masculinity regarding
his his you know paternal figures in his life because then they show you that scene where
he's reading spuds right like scribblings or whatever and they they show that scene

(01:02:54):
where this wasn't in the first movie and it wasn't even like a deleted scene I'm pretty
sure it's in the book though when they are they're in like an old abandoned train station
or something and they see that guy's like oh what you train spontaneity or whatever
he's like an old drunk and that was that was Begbie's relationship with his father like
basically non-existent he didn't even recognize Begbie as his son so I guess Begbie's just

(01:03:17):
trying all he knows how to do is to try to drag his son into a life of crime because
he's so damaged that that's the only version of a relationship he can actually have with
his son is just by trying to get him to like fucking steal flat screen TVs or whatever
which is really sad but yeah I mean the one thing about the second one that I don't like
as much is definitely like plotier than the first one.

(01:03:40):
Yeah definitely definitely more of a 20 minutes yeah it felt like 20 minutes too long like
I'm not sure how to fix it necessarily but it definitely didn't feel long but I I just
will I will say I really really love what the what the movie is trying to do I don't
I don't have it like these are really just me like trying to find nitpicks with it I

(01:04:00):
think I just I love Trainspotting one and two they really it really does feel like it
feels essential to me it's not like for example like the Jesse Pinkman sequel to Breaking
Bad which I that I like but I felt like was kind of like DLC yeah it felt like yeah that
was just yeah it like it had no reason to be a movie it just could have been another

(01:04:21):
episode of Breaking Bad it was like an epilogue for Breaking Bad basically.
This to me feels like a legacy sequel that had something to say there there is a purpose
to it I even feel like some of the some of the performances are even better in this one
than they than they were in the first one especially Sickboy I think Sickboy showed
a lot more dimension and in this one is never it gave spud way more to do clearly.

(01:04:45):
Yeah they all got more you and Murder Hunter got less but everyone else got more.
Yeah.
We never we never went over ratings for the first movie what did you all rate them?
I gave the first film an 8 out of 10 and I gave this one a 6 out of 10.
The first one I would go 8.5 and this one this one 8.5 too I think I really like them

(01:05:15):
the both about the same I think maybe the second one I like the second one tugs at me
a little more it means more to me personally as a movie I think you know obviously the
first one is more important as a movie and it's it'll go down as clearly the more memorable
installment in the Trainspotting Saga or whatever the fuck but to me like the second one means

(01:05:37):
a lot you know.
I'd say I give the first one a 9 out of 10 and then t2 is a 7 out of 10 so they're both
just they're both really good though.
My main my main takeaway from watching t2 was in its inherent like because it's not
focusing like the themes and focus has changed from you know drugs and basically parting

(01:06:02):
yourself away from society like you were talking about Nick and then the second one it's reintegrating
and also just nostalgic for the good old times quote unquote and in those good old times
you get all the drug scenes which were where they're really able to have those incredibly
creative sequences and then the second one they don't get the opportunity as much so

(01:06:24):
a lot of the filming and just also the grossness was kind of lacking in the second one so I
was kind of missing some of that grunginess for t2 but that's just kind of where I lean
towards my favorite scene.
That's why the second one is bad there was no there was no poopoo peepee.
There was no shit getting thrown into people's question before who watched did anyone watch
this with no subtitles?

(01:06:44):
I watched it with without subtitles.
I watched it with subtitles.
Oh fuck did you know what was going on?
I've watched I used to like I went through like a three year phase where I pretty much
only watched British television.
How do you know what Spud's saying in any scene?
Yeah especially the scene in the first one where he's on speed and goes so that like
employment office or whatever.

(01:07:05):
I've watched like all of the like British or the UK version of Shameless too so like
hearing Frank Gallagher in that show is like almost impossible at the beginning but I'd
probably give both of them like a 7.5 and I think t2 I like a little bit more but like
I think I'd still probably rate them about the same.

(01:07:27):
Yeah I love when they're asking Spud what's your interest in the leisure industry and
he's like in the word pleasure.
My pleasure is your pleasure.
I mean I think that the second one had a lot of great set pieces as well like the no more
Catholic scene is I watched that on YouTube sometimes and I honestly I watched the second

(01:07:52):
choose life sequence on YouTube all the time.
I really find that very moving.
It's a very moving film monologue that I return to.
I listened to I've been watching the ending to a Trainspotting One a lot.
I really like like the monologue and the music just fits so well and they'd be screaming
of course that too.
Yeah and sprinting towards the camera out of focus.

(01:08:16):
Going back yeah going back to the first one for a second the ending is basically as soon
as they complete the drug deal there's just this rising tension you know I know obviously
I know how it's gonna end but like it's so it's so well done where you know one of them
is gonna fuck up fuck over the others like it's it's hinted at a bunch of times sick
boys like oh don't run away with it don't run away with it when you keep joking about

(01:08:38):
one of them doing it.
This this movie made me think about something to today.
So do you have any actors that y'all just like always kind of just in your mind automatically
considered a good actor but then when you really think about it like maybe they're not
that good.
Is that Ewan McGregor for you?
Are you saying Ewan McGregor is that for you?

(01:09:00):
Well at first I was thinking maybe Ewan McGregor which I kind of I kind of feel like Ewan McGregor
is not that good of an actor but then I started to make me think about other actors and I
was like I've always thought Tommy Lee Jones is a good actor but he's not a good actor.
I think it depends on the movie and the page.
He's excellent in No Country.
Yeah he's great in No Country.

(01:09:21):
Do you have any actors like that?
Actors that I thought were good and then they're just not that good.
In your mind you're like oh that's a great actor but then you like really think about
it like no they're not.
Well while you guys think though you don't think-
Will Smith?
You don't think Ewan McGregor is good as Obi Wan.

(01:09:44):
I think he did such a great job.
Even though I don't really like those movies I think he did a great job.
I haven't seen some sequels in a long time but I remember really liking it.
But I guess it's just I only say that because I just purely remember the memes associated
with them.
I just sit hello there and it's over Anakin.
I have the high ground.
I just think about the memes more than anything.

(01:10:07):
I feel like those movies it's hard to like either give actors like props or negatives
because I feel like it's so terribly directed and written that it's like you never-
I would say it's terribly directed.
It might not be greatly written but to say it's terribly directed I think is a massive
exaggeration.
I think I saw Cosmonaut Variety Hour.

(01:10:29):
Yeah he just made a video on like every M. Night Shyamalan movie.
I saw that.
And he brought up an idea.
He's like I have a new thing it's called Swiss Army Knife Actors.
If you're able to be in an M. Night Shyamalan movie and give like a genuinely good performance
that means you're a Swiss Army Knife Actor because M. Night Shyamalan is probably as
really bad at working with actors.

(01:10:51):
Did y'all watch his daughter's show?
No.
Oh it's literally one of the worst things we've ever seen.
What was it called?
I forgot what it's called.
The Servants or something?
No it had Dakota Fanning in it.
The Watchers?
It was a movie.
The Watchers.
It was a movie.
It was a movie on Netflix.
Yeah I was gonna say like even a show I don't fucking remember.

(01:11:11):
It was about fairies and holy shit that was one of the worst things I've ever seen in
my life.
Like father like daughter.
Actually I didn't realize this while I was watching Trap but when I watched the Red Letter
Media episode about it they were talking about how the pop star, did you guys see Trap?
No but I know the daughter is like his daughter and she actually does music.

(01:11:34):
Yeah and she plays it actually.
Yeah and all of the music.
She was actually okay in that movie.
Yeah but like the.
I mean her music was fine but.
It was an extended, it was basically an extended commercial for her if you think about it.
She didn't make an original album for the movie which is kind of cool.
But it's just like it's kind of sick a little bit.

(01:11:55):
I haven't.
I mean it's like after Earth.
Like him and Will Smith just can't stop doing it.
Yeah.
Yeah I've seen, I've heard her music.
I haven't seen Trap but I've seen people talk about her acting levels not great.
Because like I've seen clips where she's just like that.
He's the butcher.
Your husband is the butcher.

(01:12:16):
Yeah you never know how much of that.
She's not great as an actor.
A lot of that's the script though.
Like.
Like because nobody really came off good in that movie.
I think it's just directing.
Yeah the directing is bad.
My suit just turned black.
I like it but I think it means something bad.
Well isn't Josh Duhamel, is that the butcher?

(01:12:38):
Josh Hartnett.
Josh Hartnett.
Josh Duhamel is who you're thinking of.
Josh Hartnett.
But he's also just genuinely a really good actor though.
He was good in it.
What has Josh Hartnett been in?
I don't know.
30 days of night.
What's the one with Elijah Wood?
The Lord of the Rings.
He was Aragorn.

(01:12:59):
The faculty.
The faculty.
He was great in the faculty.
Yeah I've seen the Gilgamesh Trap where Josh Hartnett's like sorry I just had to get out
in there.
My friend got burned.
And it was just I'm sorry he was crazy.
He was in that Guy Ritchie movie a while back and he was really funny in it.

(01:13:21):
Oh wait.
I just created a ball of Ritimer.
Yeah he's in Oppenheimer.
I think he did a small role in Oppenheimer.
Yeah he was also in Black.
He's in a lot of movies that I've not seen but are on my watch list like Virgin Suicides
and Black Hawk Down.
But yeah I cringed and shuddered at the idea that he's in so many Guy Ritchie movies because

(01:13:44):
I think he's a hack.
I don't like any movies that are made.
Guy Ritchie's last movie fucking Ungentlemanly Warfare or whatever.
I really liked that movie.
Did y'all see it?
I watched his best movies and I felt nothing.
I was like this is all bullshit but people like this shit for some reason.
Longstock is genuinely a very good movie.
If you don't like Longstock.
I haven't seen that but I saw Snatch and I saw fucking what the hell.

(01:14:06):
Snatch is basically just like but Longstock with fucking Brad Pitt in it is basically
what it is.
You gotta watch Sherlock Holmes too.
Those are pretty fun.
I watched Man from Uncle and I fell asleep halfway through.
I wasn't a huge fan of Man from Uncle.
I'm not a huge Guy Ritchie protector.
Before we totally get off train spy I wanted to bring up one kind of behind the scenes

(01:14:26):
thing that's pretty interesting.
Sure.
Because actually I don't know if you guys know this but Ewan McGregor and Danny Boyle
basically they didn't talk from like the year 2000 to.
Oh yeah they had a falling out.
Yeah they had a falling out for a long time.
Actually just because this is a really kind of like shitty narcissistic movie star thing
in my opinion.
Ewan McGregor was super mad that Danny Boyle cast Leonardo DiCaprio in The Beach in 2000

(01:14:52):
instead of Ewan McGregor and they just literally didn't talk for like 10-15 years which is
why like Danny Boyle wanted to make Trainspotting 2 10 years after the first one but they weren't
able to do it until this because they were able to wrangle Ewan McGregor back into it.
So actually Ewan McGregor was the beg be of the situation.
Yeah.
And he was holding all this stuff.

(01:15:13):
I'd like to imagine he dodged a bullet because I'd like to imagine he dodged a bullet though
because I heard The Beach wasn't even that good.
The Beach for some reason we watched all the time when I was like on substitute teacher
days in my high school.
They'd be like alright we can throw on.
I don't know.
We have a VH copy of The Beach.
Yeah I guess it was.

(01:15:34):
We're gonna wheel out the TV tray.
Yeah look it's either this or fucking Frozen again.
Alright so suck my dick and pick one.
We watch that and Catch Me If You Can.
Those were the two movies.
Oh yeah.
Those were the two movies.
I don't know why.
But yeah I just thought that was a dickhead Ewan McGregor.
One thing we were talking about this earlier how much did that I have the actual inflation

(01:15:56):
numbers so 4,000 pounds in 1996 now would be 7,878 pounds so it basically doubled.
So it's like a smart amount of money for them to choose for this because it's like it's
just enough.
It's not that much but it's enough.
It would really be it's like on the fence it depends on who you're asking whether that

(01:16:17):
would be enough to ruin your friendship and obviously you would have to be a sociopath
to want to kill your childhood best friend over that like Megby but it's kind of a smart
amount that they chose.
It's funny that he also like in that situation he got robbed but because it's it's beg B he
didn't like cool off for a second and then because he was wanted at this time he probably

(01:16:40):
could have just left there and he would he be he's a sneaky enough character to be able
to get around for a while.
He probably didn't wouldn't have gotten arrested but he just made such a mess of it and threw
a big tantrum essentially that he got arrested like within that day.
Yeah.
All because he wouldn't let go of a grudge of 4,000 pounds.
Yeah.
You know what's one thing that I really did I appreciated what I appreciated about the

(01:17:04):
the second one which I thought showed some restraint because it's so common in these
things to be like oh and then spud went on like the last scene is spud at like a book
signing or something and he's like super corny.
Yeah he's like this is my book trying to spult in or whatever.
Yeah.
I thought they were going to do that for a second.

(01:17:24):
They really avoided that because at the end like Simon and Mark are sitting on the couch
like who's going to read this and he's like I don't know if I can probably know but maybe
his kid might.
Yeah.
It was just like a personal thing for him.
He got he got addicted to writing his stories instead of instead of I mean that's what I've
heard from from other addicts I've known in my own like real life.

(01:17:46):
I'm like what's the biggest like ability to like cope with you know that withdrawal and
afterwards because the one the people I've talked to they're like it's never like you're
done you're back to normal.
It's like you're always thinking about it and you know you just do it once and you're it's
just everything falls apart again.
So you kind of have to find essentially hobbies and other purposes to fill your life constantly.

(01:18:08):
Like a guy I know he's like six seven years sober from alcoholism and he has a new hobby
every year.
He's like all right this year I'm getting really into dirt biking and then the next
year I'm going to build model rockets.
Yeah.
Yeah you got to occupy yourself.
I love I love Trainspotting too.
It really it tackles that that struggle very beautifully I think through Spud and through

(01:18:33):
through Mark.
I think I would love to see it depicted more because it's like drug movies most of the
time are just like they're just about the throws of addiction.
They're not about the lifelong struggle that happens afterwards.
You know because you know you know no matter what you do like you're never the same again.
You know I don't I don't necessarily agree with like calling people addicts forever but

(01:18:56):
I mean it's something that you have to grapple with forever.
That's for sure.
I don't I just don't like the branding of it for you know.
All right.
How does it for example.
It's like I'm Nick and I'm an addict.
Every time you go there you have to like remind yourself of that which I don't think is necessarily
beneficial although a lot of people do get something beneficial out of it.
So I won't like poo poo that or whatever.

(01:19:17):
But for me I don't I don't like just saying I'm an addict forever.
You know I say I would you say would you say what would you say is like the best best representation
of just addiction like through drugs and film.
I think it is.
I think it is.
Trainspotting.
Yeah.
At least from I think for a dream is one of those but I haven't seen that.

(01:19:38):
I heard it was pretty good but it's like also a miserable fucking watch.
I've heard that's a I've heard.
Yeah I heard I haven't seen it I would like to watch it.
So if one of you can recommend Requiem for a Dream at some point that would be great.
I personally I personally think if you all see if you haven't seen it flight with Denzel
Washington that's a pretty good fucking like viewpoint of on addiction as well.

(01:19:59):
Is that the one where he's a pilot?
He flips the plane.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So it's already like does it barrel roll.
Yeah.
He's doused too much in the South.
I think I tried watching that and I never finished it because I was not interested.
Mr. Washington you're heading straight for the towers.
I think he does a good job in that movie and I think they betray his alcoholism pretty
well too.
This isn't flying it's falling with style.

(01:20:24):
I definitely I'm very cool moments but yeah.
Yeah I think there's so apparently there's possibility of a third Trainspotting film
apparently or something because I think I don't know what they do.
Yeah well do they just probably wait 20 more years until everyone's like fucking 60 or
70 and be like all right now it's Trainspotting but everyone.
Yeah.
Yeah.

(01:20:44):
I'm going to get my money right.
Come here.
Yeah.
This is on Wikipedia so just kind of take it with a grain of salt but it said in March
2017 Danny Boyle discussed the possibility of a third Trainspotting film suggesting that
it could be a spinoff centered on the character of Begbie in a story based on the Irvine Welsh
novel The Blade Artist.
I think Robert Carlyle would love to do that because it's an interesting twist on the character

(01:21:06):
Boyle said they may be made into a film you couldn't call it T3 because although some
of the other characters come into it they're only featured just momentarily it's a solo
story you can call that a spinoff.
The Blade Artist is a great read Carlyle was likewise open to an adaptation of The Blade
Artist we've been talking about that I am up for doing it he said at the T2 premiere
in Edinburgh so maybe we ain't seen the end of Bigby yet.

(01:21:28):
Boyle stated that he would be more interested in directing a true sequel rather than a spinoff
preferring to work with all of the principal actors.
My affection is towards all four of them.
Boyle said people regarded the first movie as being written's movie and I never really
saw it like that though he does dominate most of the dominate because of the voiceover I
always saw it as an ensemble movie so I'm still very much in that mode so yeah apparently

(01:21:53):
they want to make a third one fuck it why not.
I kind of saw it the way he envisioned it at least.
This says T3 is oh you can't see it but it says I saw that I was gonna send that to the
group chat.
Still doing heroin 40 years later in a retirement home.
And they're all like got that aged up filters.
That would make for a cheeky movie just seeing a bunch of 70, 80 year olds in retirement

(01:22:16):
homes just shooting up heroin that would be kind of funny I would like to see that on
the big screen.
Yeah so but yeah like I said I think this is my favorite sorry the first one is my favorite
Danny Boyle film though I still need to see some of his other movies.
Are we would you guys say that's pretty much all we have to say?

(01:22:37):
Yeah T1 and T2.
I think if we're I looked it up and we're nothing really is coming out next week so
I think the next on the recommendation wheel would be Tim.
So Tim do you have a recommendation ready for us?
Yep I've got one and I'm recommending a movie that I haven't seen before but it's on my

(01:22:57):
watch list and I figured fuck it why not I now have a podcast to force me to watch shit
now so whatever let's do it.
I want to do Love and Pop.
It's a 1998 film directed by Hideaki Anno who cheekily made a little thing that I'm
a little obsessed with called Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Okay what's it called Love and Pop?

(01:23:21):
Love and Pop 1998.
I heard great things about it.
Yeah and I want to watch it.
Oh I thought it was an anime.
It's not a Chinese cartoon so I think I'm pretty happy.
That's not what it is.
Yeah no it's not a Chinese cartoon.
It is a it's a Chinese live-action movie with with Taiwanese people.
Got it okay cool well if you guys enjoyed this episode please leave us a like on YouTube

(01:23:46):
or leave us a review a five-star review if you could on your podcast listening to Platform
of Choice and if you want to be ready for next episode watch Love and Pop directed by
Hideaki Anno from 1998.
I am too Ava-pill to let you just say his last name incorrectly.
No no no it wasn't me saying incorrectly I like had it.

(01:24:10):
I switched tabs.
No I switched tabs I knew it was Hideaki and then I didn't see what it was I thought it
was Oh No okay sorry Hideaki Anno.
I think it would be I think it would be cultural appropriation for you to say it right if I'm
being honest.

(01:24:32):
I'm gonna do my best to always pronounce the names correctly I think it's rude to not try.
Hank and or you should have just said that Hank and or.
All right boys.
Choose the night.
Good night everybody oh get circumcised and have a barnyard night.
Fuck.
You didn't say barnyard once.
Fuck bye.
Fuck bye.