To Live And Die In L.A (1985)

Cody Ramone returns to talk about a film of his choosing, To Live And Die In L.A starring Willem Defoe, William Peterson, John Pankow and John Turturro. This is a really fun episode in which Doug gets to once again gush about cinematographer, Robby Muller, while trying to rework the lyrics to “Greased Lighting” to better fit some random Transformers scenario.  Also, listening to Devon recanting a family conversation about William Peterson’s full frontal nude scene is straight up Xanadu.

 

You should know that this film is not currently streaming anywhere. We had to score it ourselves by means that are usually reserved for that alley way behind the check cashing place. You know the one. Also, it should be pointed out, that if this episode fails at anything, it is the inexcusable lack of gush where Willem Defoe’s performance is concerned. If you’ve never seen the film you should - but either way know that when director William Friedkin discovered the range of his lead antagonist, he frantically scribbled out brand new scenes that weren’t in the script just so Defoe had more to do.

 

A couple of more notes here.

 

Next week, we’re doing Amelie. Yup.

 

Secondly, we have a website. It acts as the Grand Central Station of everything we do.

Visit: http://www.studiopropertyshow.com  

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
You're listening to Radio Free Reinkliffe.
Welcome to Studio Property, the cinema podcast for people like you.
I'm Doug Wartell.
I'm Devin Erby.
I'm Cody Ramone.
He's back, back in the New York group, except he's in Chicago.

(00:21):
What the hell?
Sorry.
Sorry.
All right.
This week we are discussing To Live and Die in LA circa 1985, directed by one WilliamFriedkin.
And I'm pausing here.
Yeah.
So you guys can discuss William Friedkin.
Let's see, William Freakin.
William Freakin.

(00:41):
Cody, do you remember the show Night Flight?
Are you old enough to remember that show?
No, I'm not familiar.
It's like an old music, like rock and roll pop culture show that would like just show likethe cars and also Iggy Pop.
You know, so they have like a network now.
It's only like $4.99 a month.
And yes, I'm shilling for them for free.
But I saw an interview with Billy Freakin.

(01:05):
on this thing that went on for three hours and it's just him unplugged.
like you've heard him.
I don't know if you ever heard him talk.
yeah.
I haven't.
haven't.
just somebody was just like no leash for Billy Friedkin on this day.
And yeah, he let it fly.
So I can't recommend that enough.

(01:26):
The network and immediately go to that because that's pretty awesome.
Good stuff.
Yeah.
Nice.
Nice.
All right, well, so William Friedkin, and how did you describe this before, Doug?
We are back-doring our way into the William Friedkin catalog.
To which Mike responded, you're gonna do cruisin'?

(01:49):
That's it's going.
I think we side-doored into it.
Yeah.
I love it.
So as we are gonna learn today, Billy Friedkin gave us three of the greatest things thatever happened in cinema.
That's The Exorcist.
French connection and a scantily clad Daphne from Frasier.

(02:10):
History has been made by this man.
I love it.
Yeah, lick my scab, Francis Ford Coppa.
But I'm going to read some copy before we get to the theme song.
OK, ready?
To live and die in LA is a gritty amoral neo-crime thriller, gorgeously shot against abingo card of cop movie cliches.

(02:33):
Robbie Mueller's cinematography shows us a sun-punished, unkept city, where retiringpolice captains are, getting too old for this sh-t, while the young hotshots who take too
many chances are whipped into obedience with just a single thread of paperwork.
It's almost as if director William Freakin peeked at the script of Stallone's Cobra andsaid, let me show you what would really happen to this a-hole.

(02:59):
How 1985 is this movie?
Well, I'm glad that you did not ask that question, Devin.
Because the answer, my friend, is blowing in the eight-wang chung songs that appear inthis film.
1985 might have been the dance hall days, but they were also full of other garbage thatplayed chicken with whoever owned the legal rights of the neutron dance.

(03:25):
But excessive 80s cheese notwithstanding,
To Live and Die in LA is also a brutal and cynical film that has one of the singlegreatest car chases since Bullet and of course William Freakins owned the French
Connection.
and there's also a brilliant film in here somewhere, I think.

(03:46):
Drop them down, back at the canisters you stole The devil laughed out loud when you signedaway your rotten soul That studio property, your studio property Shut your mouth or you'll
never work in Hollywood again

(04:07):
I have to say we're at the top.
You took the words right out of my mouth, because my immediate thought upon seeing thisfilm was, this is the most 1980s film that I have seen in a very long time.
Do you know the story of how Cobra was made?
If I can get as briefly as possible.
It was supposed to be Beverly Hills Cop.

(04:29):
Okay.
And then Stallone had the script and he was all of sudden changing it because he had thatmuch power that somebody decided he had that much power at the time.
So like he sort of like Warren Beatty did into something else.
And finally he just walked off and made his dumb Cabretti movie and Eddie Murphy got to dothe comedy that was like intended.
This is why like that, Cobra, Beverly Hills Cop, two years later after this film, LethalWeapon, they all share that weird DNA where like the young cop is like, you're a hot shot.

(05:01):
And the, you know, there's the older one who's like, I'm getting too old for this.
It's interesting how the film is structured in a way where it accidentally parodies what'shappening in police films at the time, right?
Before it gets into its own twists and turns, right?
I think I agree with you completely.
And I think on my most recent watching for this episode, if you take it at its face valuenow, it is so 80s.

(05:29):
But if you take a little bit of a step back and compare it to those other movies thatyou've
we're talking about, it kind of does it best almost.
Yeah.
Yeah, I'd agree.
It does.
The first 15 minutes, you're just like, really?
Like, wow.
Okay.
Thanks.
All right.
Great.

(05:49):
Right.
I mean, there's a suicide bomber in the first five minutes.
Right.
Yes.
And it's interesting because like the politics of that suicide bomber, or something thatwe'd actually become the forefront of our consciousness.
Yes.
decades later.
Little too close to home.
Yeah.
Right now.
Yeah.
Yeah.
If I could back up like two minutes before that scene, the beginning of the movie where achance is coming out of the hotel room and you can hear old Ronald Reagan giving a speech

(06:21):
in the background.
Yeah.
That's right.
He's a secret service agent.
Right.
And he's like, yeah, we're playing cards, blah, blah, blah.
they're doing like a shift change.
they say, I don't remember how they refer to him, but they refer to Reagan that he's goingto stop by and play cards with them.
Yes.
Right.
And it me laugh really hard.
is like are they going to come up and try to like call Ronnie's bluff?

(06:43):
Like I'm I'm not Gorbachev, Ronnie.
I know you don't have pocket jacks.
I'm not the AIDS crisis Reagan, you can't ignore me.
Friedkin actually added that whole sequence, the suicide bomber beginning to kick off themovie.
Because this movie is based on a novel.

(07:05):
Yes.
By a guy who was actually in the Secret Service.
Right.
So it's like, I mean, it's not accurate, I won't say, but like it's based on his knowledgeand that kind of things.
yeah, so, but every scene that
Friedkin asked for Gerald Petivic wrote the novel.

(07:26):
I wouldn't have pronounced it any better than that.
Nice.
Every scene that Friedkin wanted to add, Petivic actually wrote the scene.
So he just told him what he wanted.
And so it's in his same voice.
it actually, that's why you don't notice, like nothing stands out as like being really outof place.
Cause he like wove it into the story he had.
written for the novel, which is cool and a great respectful thing to do for a writer.

(07:51):
As opposed to every other Hollywood director who just got John Milius to come in andscript doctorate on the spot.
Exactly.
If any listeners don't know John Milius, just imagine Walter from The Big Lebowski.
That's what he looks like.
But he also gave you that great line, you know, what is good in life?
Then it ends with lamentation of the women.
Yeah, I don't remember the rest of it.

(08:16):
I was thinking on my watch upon my current watching of it was first of all the I'm gettingtoo old for this.
Yes.
Censored.
This is the first movie that did it because lethal weapon was like two years later.
Yes.
I was really excited when he said that line.
was like this is where that comes from.
That's awesome because it's you.
It's so overused.

(08:37):
It became so overused and I was like my God this is the original.
That's so amazing and.
And it was the fact that it's done in essentially a serious film made it that much betterto me.
And I was like, that's so great.
Devin, by the way, you want to roll these credits for us real quick?
Cause I cut you off right there in the beginning.
Oh yeah, sure.
Okay.

(08:57):
So as discussed directed by one William Friedkin and actually screenplay by WilliamFriedkin and Gerald Petovitch, cinematographer.
I saw that and I was like, of course it's Robbie Mueller.
My German teacher and I had a whole conversation about it.
And I was like, when I told her you said Motley Crue umlauts, she was like, yes.

(09:20):
And she is an older gal.
And I was like, but I love it.
She was like, yep, yep, Motley Crue umlauts.
rather I mean, Motley Crue's getting up there too.
Like they can't even hide how terrible they were anymore.
That's true.
Yeah.
Music by, and it is actually listed as Wang Chung.

(09:40):
Music by Wang Chung.
And I was like, this is going to FM and rank and file.
Okay.
You're on slash records home of faith no more.
yeah.
That was the whole conversation right there.
but it stars our main character is William L Peterson as Richard chance, Willem Dafoe asEric masters, John Pankow as John Vukovich.

(10:08):
Then we've got, Deborah foyer as Bianca Torres.
John Turturro as Carl Cody.
And at some point we're gonna have to explain who John Turturro is because audience, ifyou don't know his name, you certainly know his face.
I feel like anyone who listens to this probably has to know who John Turturro is.
Yeah, I guess that's a good point.

(10:28):
That's a good point.
I almost quoted, do the right thing.
And I remember he has all the terrible lines and I should never do that on a microphonewith a camera on my face.
Like ever.
No, please don't, please don't.
Dean Stockwell is Bob Grimes' criminal attorney, which brought me so much joy, not gonnalie.

(10:49):
Can we talk about Dean Stockwell just as a name?
Like, if you'd never seen anything Dean Stockwell appeared in ever, if you just hear theactor's name, you know who he's playing every time.
Yes.
Like in starring Dean Stockwell, you're like, Yeah.

(11:12):
He's exactly What powerful sleazeball is he going to be this time?
Right, exactly.
You know.
Oh, that was great.
The other character that I was a little tickled by was Robert Downey Sr.
is in this film.
Not a main part, but he was Thomas Bateman.
And I was like, oh, Robert Downey Sr.

(11:32):
is in this movie.
A director of Putney Swoop.
There we go.
And then, of course, the small role that we must mention is
as you pointed out before, Jane leaves as the random lady at the strip club.
I think her credit is dancer.

(11:53):
Is it?
Is it dancer?
Yeah, her credit is actually get out of my dreams and into my car.
In the VHS box in my mind.
Which annoyed me a little bit that she didn't have a name, because I was like, she'sclearly...
in this film.
She deserves a I thought her character's name, while I was watching it, should be justlike, you have to bleep this, just f**k me eyes.

(12:24):
That's all she does.
Yes, entire every scene.
there, because I'll take it too far.
If we're playing blackjack, I'm gonna stick.
But yeah, let's get to this first clip.
Here we have our bomber terrorists.
This is very the top of the film.

(12:45):
Shouting a bunch of stuff with sticks of dynamite duct taped around his body.
They're on a rooftop and he's trying to assassinate President Ronald Reagan.
I am a martyr.
I will bomb myself on you and all the enemies of Islam.

(13:08):
BOOM!
Damn.
Yep.
Wait for it.
Let's get out of here, Go play some cards, get drunk.

(13:34):
I get too old for this shit.
I love the thing is the panting is my own anticipation that wasn't even in the clip thatwas out of me.
I'm just saying the thing that sets it up is, you just watched a suicide bomb.

(13:55):
We just thwarted a suicide bomber and save the president's life.
Let's just play cards and get drunk.
That'll take right.
Yeah.
That's the kind of 80s stuff that, you know.
Felt very real.
was like, Oh, that's some real 80s stuff right there.
Cause it felt very real.
Like, yep, that'd been their response.
I mean, again, yeah, a little too close to home.

(14:17):
too, a little too real.
I was watching the movie and I looked at the time code when that happened.
That guy explodes at 4 58 in the movie.
It was literally the first five minutes.
That's includes the credit, like the credit, the
MGM logo and that's like five minutes in our main characters.
Yeah chance Richard chance Yeah, Richard chance.

(14:39):
So he is our young Secret Service agent and then Michael Green plays Jimmy Hart.
So Jim Hart Jimmy Hart is the I'm too old for this shit agent who's now going to retire Soas Cody said five minutes into the movie not even five minutes in
we've had a suicide bombing, which was fairly graphic, fairly graphic, I might add.

(15:03):
And so this clearly instigates our senior secret service guy being like, I need to retirenow.
So that's kind of what I've seen enough.
I'm all, we're all done.
Yeah, we're done.
Like, as he said, he's quite literally tooled for this and now he's going to take a break.
But before he goes.
he's gonna go on one last scout mission.

(15:27):
Which of course we all know as the audience is not a good idea.
So we pick up they're in LA and they are investigating counterfeiters.
Money laundering and counterfeiting.
Right, go from being like protecting the president to now being in the police department.
Well, the Secret Service handles counterfeiting.

(15:47):
Right, okay.
Because they work for the Treasury.
Oh, okay.
lesson kids.
Yeah.
See, I it up there.
Cody's, he was the bass player of Schoolhouse Rock.
Go ahead, Devon, I'm sorry.
So clearly, so the way I viewed it was they must normally do the treasury work, butbecause the president was in town for this speech, they were, you know, had to do this

(16:12):
extra secret service work.
So now they're going back to their regular stuff.
And not to interrupt you, Devon, but because it's the eighties, they'll never tell youwhy.
Exactly.
So this is where we pick up that they've been chasing somebody that they suspect of moneylaundering and counterfeiting, which is specifically this Eric Masters, who is an artist,

(16:38):
which apparently he is a good artist, but also is a criminal on the side.
So he is this lovely juxtaposition of, I do nice art and then I do illegal art,apparently.
Which essentially is, cause they get like that scene where they aggressively get into himmaking the counterfeit money.

(16:59):
It's very technical and very artistic.
Yeah.
It's very specific.
There's a scene spent on this where a dwarf who was an artist went to prison to like helpthe prisoners, but like with art therapy or whatnot and recognized Eric Masters talent.
And I thought that was a good piece of character work right there.

(17:21):
we see that someone had actually seen potential in this person.
he, like, his character dresses how Willem Dafoe dresses in real life now.
Yeah, yeah.
yeah.
And so he's just like cool as hell.
Like, you're kind of rude for him because you're like, oh, I want to be that cool one day.
Yeah.
And know, so.
And he also knows he's that cool.

(17:41):
The character knows he's that cool, which kind of, yeah.
He burns his paintings.
Yeah.
they're too good.
Which is so...
I also had a sidebar.
I wrote this down when I was watching the movie.
Do you think his character sold art at Victor Maitland's gallery from Beverly Hills Cop?
my God, I hope so.

(18:02):
Well done.
I love it.
together.
Six degrees of Wang Chung.
man.
Dialing it back in now.
Yes.
So our old guy, Jim Hart, has a lead where he thinks maybe there's a warehouse that hethinks maybe the counterfeiters are working at and makes a point of going by himself, is

(18:29):
aggressive about, nah, nah, I'm just going to stake it out.
I'm going by myself.
Dear Lord.
And of course, the expected happens at that point.
The criminals are there and poor Mr.
Hart gets whacked.
And brutally too.
Brutally, yeah, very brutally.
All of the violence and murder in this is very brutal.

(18:51):
Yeah, it's not funny.
Like, it could not be lightened up by all the Wang Chung in the world.
Nope.
It is brutal when he gets it.
And what's also weird, if we can rewind for a second, there was a scene between Petersonand that actor before it happens outside of his retirement party.

(19:13):
with that foreshadows what we're describing now.
The conversation, which is just like an exposition dump, right?
And this is why in the very, very beginning of the film, I would say like the first thirdfeels like you're watching a video game, but what you don't understand is it's setting you
up for like a completely different film.

(19:34):
Right?
That's fair, right?
yeah.
It's like a roller coaster.
Like you slowly go up the steep hill and then you just,
And you think you know what it is.
Like you're like, you're like, oh, that's cheesy and brr brr brr and oh, that's brutal.
And then it takes a turn.
But my point is like the conversation between the two of them, like it just looks like a Bmovie, right?

(19:54):
Like that's one scene where I'm kind of like, well, this is teetering that like, weird assline where you're like, should the mystery science theater guys be talking over this?
It was just kind of odd.
The reason for that, Friedkin didn't want the movie to be
overly rehearsed, he wanted it to feel really natural.
Often a lot of them are first takes that he used and then he also would roll the camerawhen they were rehearsing.

(20:19):
So it could literally be a rehearsal.
Interesting.
Yeah, we should actually remark on his method right about here.
William Freakin is notorious for this.
William Freakin is so much so that if you look at, if I tell you certain scenes in certainmovies to look for, you'll see the camera crew reflected in cars.

(20:39):
And when this is pointed out to him, he famously would say, well, if you noticed it, thenI did a bad job.
But he didn't want take after take.
If he felt he got it, he moved on.
That was it.
And I guess he never lost anything.
I think this movie overall is the most successful.

(21:00):
It's really successful at that, technically and acting-wise.
Because after the first third, it's a little bit like...
It's rocky.
It's rocky.
Once you get rolling into it, it actually works really well.
And the thing I actually, looked really closely.
There's a scene far later between Willem Dafoe and his lady.

(21:21):
And when you realize that he walks in, it's a mirror.
The whole wall is a mirror behind him.
Like specifically, you see, you notice it.
And she's sitting there and it's a wide shot.
You don't see the camera.
You don't see any shadows.
I was looking specifically.
I'm like, wow, well done.

(21:42):
There's a shot in the French connection where you see the crew in the car.
That's definitely true.
Yeah.
Well, who didn't he have on the French connection?
Oh, Robbie Mueller.
I think that saved him a lot.
Yeah.
Well, now we'll get into a little bit later.
It's funny that when you, cause Cody, this is actually Cody's recommendation before wemove on, you know, and the way you sold it, you're like, I love this movie.

(22:05):
And I'm like,
I think we have the same favorite cinematographer.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's, yeah.
It's probably true.
This is one of those movies that like, if shot by anyone else, the flaws that we arepointing out first before the movie takes a turn would be glaring and unforgivable.

(22:26):
Right.
Had he not shot it.
Would you agree?
Yeah, agreed.
This movie is actually, and your description at the top of the show was really,
perfect, like how he shot, it's still a beautifully shot movie.
There's still some beautiful things in it, but you get that, the feeling of disgusting LAon top of it.

(22:49):
and it's really masterfully done.
He has such a light touch in terms of like, you could imagine like Jerry Bruckheimer didit, you would have thrown up in the car chase three times.
Yeah.
Or if somebody else had done it, it would have been boring.
Like it could have been like really, really static and like underwhelming.

(23:10):
It's not overly frenetic.
It has like a grit to it, but not too much.
Like nothing's leaned into it.
It feels natural and like realistic.
Yes.
And it almost like you're watching a documentary way sometimes.
The longer you're sitting with it, you're like, I guess I live here now.
Like there's a scene even when he rings a doorbell and if you've ever been into a projecthousing building,

(23:34):
When you press that doorbell and it doesn't, it's like clunk clunk.
It's like, and the sound design in this movie is wild.
It runs the gamut, but when he hits that doorbell and it's that project housing doorbell,you're in it.
You're in them.
You're in LA.
So realistic.
Yeah.
From here, we now have our foundation, right?

(23:54):
Our agent chance, a young William Peterson is obviously torn apart that his older
much respected mentor slash friend slash partner has been murdered.
also did anybody else think it was interesting that with all the graphic nicks of thisfilm, they chose not to show the dead body?

(24:16):
Yeah.
Right?
was really interesting.
I thought it was a really interesting choice.
Yeah.
I liked it because those guys were actually, their performances are pretty excellent.
Like I would have left the camera on them too.
Like just live in it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Cause they're clearly and you, and of course we know
We know where he was killed.
We know what happened.
We know what happened.
So we're seeing what's coming, but they're finding out.

(24:39):
So he now has to live with this and he clearly is not okay.
So he's been assigned a new partner.
This poor, so John Pankow is John Vukovich and poor Vukovich just gets sucked into.
I wouldn't even say like chances insanity.
It's his.

(24:59):
emotional response to the death of the significant person in his life that just sends himon.
mean, the rest of movie is him spiraling.
Let's drag this poor kid along.
Let's sit with this guy for a minute.
What's his first name?
John.
John Vukovich.
Okay.
So John is the character.
Right.
And also the actor, John Pankow, right?

(25:21):
Yeah.
John Pankow.
Yeah.
Well, I mean, the most interesting part about this character is he takes the place of thepartner.
And this guy's by the book, crosses the T's, dots the I's, much to Peterson Chagrin, who'snow on this like ruthless justice hunt, who himself is getting corrupted by his own
obsession.

(25:42):
I'm not sure if we have any scenes from that, this whole section, but the spiraling isaggressive as far as they've got it.
They know who it is.
They know it's this guy, Masters, but Masters also knows that they're onto him.
So it's, you know, this cat and mouse game basically between two mentally unstable peoplewith this poor kid getting told along.

(26:05):
And the other characters that hit me in these moments are, let's introduce our bad guymasters, his girlfriend, who there's a lot happening with that lady, Bianca.
modern dance.
There's a lot going on there.
It's, you know, do you think?
Right, modern dance.
And then- All I'm gonna say is,

(26:26):
Darryl Hannah in legal eagles.
Go ahead.
There's that whole element.
And then we also find out that chance that Peterson's character has a lady informant whoclearly works at like the same club.
She like, or like she's somehow working at this club.
And so she's his informant, but he also was like sexually extorting her as part of it.

(26:50):
Let's stay here.
Let's stay here for a moment because that is a really
The power dynamic of that relationship is where you first get a whiff of just how evilthis guy is turning.
The police officer we're talking about now.
Yeah.
And it also gives you this moment of, he was already on that ledge before his partner diedbecause he's clearly had this relationship for a while.

(27:11):
It's clearly been going on for a while.
And you get a weird feeling that she understands there's something of a power dynamic, butshe also kind of likes him too.
You kind of get this like, you can see there's almost like a little bit.
Or at least I didn't get the feeling that he felt the same way.
Right.
I really didn't think that he really liked her other than for what she providedinformation and sex.

(27:33):
Right.
But she kind of thought maybe she was getting something else out of it, but it's a lot.
Yeah, it's interesting because it's first of all, the sex scene though, well shot andchoreographed.
I mean, that is some, that's almost Tony Ritelli work.
It is almost Tony Ritelli work.
Right.
And may I just say.
This is my little sidebar story that I have to share with you too.

(27:56):
So I was speaking to Danielle, somebody we mutually know.
well it's our cousin.
Yeah, okay.
So I was speaking to our cousin Danielle, we were talking about other episodes.
If you haven't caught on yet, ladies and gentlemen, this show is just all cousins, by theway.
Yeah, it's just a cousins collective.
Yeah.

(28:16):
So she was like, what movie are you guys discussing?
coming up, I said this movie, I said William Peterson was in it, and she goes, and youknow, William Peterson, when he was a young man, was pretty darn handsome.
And I was like, well, there's some unexpected, to me at least, full frontal nudity in thisfilm, should you be interested?

(28:38):
And I was like, I was a little surprised, because I wasn't ready for it.
On the other hand, I did also explain to her that it was not the man who fell to earth.
know, ripped torn slice of penis.
I'm like, at least it wasn't that, but it was still very, oh.
It was a dangle.
It was a dangle.
It was like, it was a poppin' Exactly.
It was a poppin' fresh.

(28:59):
was wholeheartedly a poppin' fresh, but I was very, oh, well that was unexpected.
Back then he worked out.
Clearly.
Right?
Well, we'll say that, right?
Definitely.
But he did 15 years on CSI.
Did you know that?
15 years he was on that show.
mean, he- I didn't know that show was not for that And you know he was cast because ofthis film.
I know I'm casting everything because of this film.

(29:21):
Yeah, probably.
He's a manhunter after this.
Yeah.
Also, yeah, he's over 70 now.
yeah.
That's right.
yeah, you're right.
Yes.
I'm sure.
Yeah.
This was his like first major movie.
So yeah, and he's quite good in it.
And he's good.
He is very good.
And he's so good that they couldn't afford it was a low budget movie, relatively speaking,so they couldn't afford like stars.

(29:45):
So.
Friedkin started dipping into like, need some just great actors that'll work for scale orwhatever.
Somebody recommended Peterson and Peterson got the job.
He auditioned with Friedkin.
He did half a page of the script and Friedkin's like, that's it, you got it.
That's a great audition.
So he crushed it.
Yeah.
Obviously he's amazing in the movie.

(30:06):
So.
But also says a lot about Friedkin that.
That's all he needed to be like, yeah, you're the one, you're the guy.
mean, he is really good in the movie.
Also, he does his own driving stunts.
most of that is why John Pankow is in the back seat.
Literally like crapping himself because he's genuinely scared.
Not wild.
That's insane.
And also what we didn't get into, and I thought this was going to pay off in a differentway.

(30:31):
What never pays off is the fact that the, the officer Peterson, I'm sorry, Dick chanceofficer chance.
is a bungee jumper and he jumps off the bridge.
At one point, I thought this was going to be a thing, like a scene or something was goingto do that.
No, just, no, he's just showing you he's a hot dog.
Yeah.

(30:51):
Yeah.
I think it's just, he's crazy.
Yeah.
Ultimately we end up with the craziness of our poor extorted young lady.
Cause I mean, I don't know what else.
Like, could you imagine that kind of a power dynamic with a snitch, right?
Like you're like,
you're using her for sex and information.
And then she asks him at one point straight up, like, if I wasn't giving information, whatwould happen to me?

(31:16):
And he says right to us, knowing there's an audience, like you would go back to jail.
Yeah.
And you're just like, damn.
It's very cold.
It's very cold.
So she tells him that somebody from the club has mentioned there's some Asian guy.
That is not how they say it, but there's some Asian gentlemen.

(31:38):
who apparently- That's not how they say I'm gonna refer back to the Big Lebowski for thatreference as well.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah.
So they're- They do not say Asian guy.
they do not.
So that he's gonna come in and he like buys and sells diamonds and things.
So basically, so we've got that little tidbit and essentially what we figured out isthey've made a connection.

(32:04):
They got somebody to give him a connection to
two masters to the bad guy, but they need cash to be able to try to get this bust and thesecret service won't do it.
The treasury won't provide it.
So our friend Chance gets it in his head.
Well, why don't we go steal the diamond guy's cash and then we'll have cash.

(32:28):
Which is $50,000, right?
I didn't do the calculation this week because I generally do that on the show is like tryto figure out.
with inflation, that goes.
But $50,000 is apparently a big deal in 1985.
1985, yeah.
And again, get our new partner, Vukovic, is just kind of getting sucked in and he tries tosay no.

(32:56):
He's trying to be like, he does have a good fight.
eats a hamburger to say no.
Yeah, he does, he does do that.
I've done that.
I've done that less things.
I've done that.
Like I'll bite this.
can't think to do like, no, I'm not watching drag race again this week.

(33:19):
I don't care how close jinx is to winning.
So this is where we are.
They need the cash so they can set up masters so they can actually catch him.
So they're going to go rob this guy, which of course leads to
an insane scene with an insane result in the midst of which is a spectacular car chase.

(33:41):
Now it's kind of weird.
It peters along in the way that I described earlier.
Like even after the murders, you'll see a brutal murder and then, yeah, Wayne Chung.
And then as they're walking away from a dead body, it's freaking dance hall days like, youknow, like it's insane.

(34:02):
It's wild.
But then like the
Asian guy gets off the plane, things go awry, they get the money from him.
He ends up getting murdered, the Asian guy.
They have to run away from the murderers and it turns out there's a lot of murderers andthey're seemingly coming out of nowhere and we'll tell them why when it's appropriate.
But this car chase, which took six weeks to shoot, is one of the wildest things I had everseen.

(34:30):
Like I've not seen a car chase this good since.
That didn't involve CGI.
Agreed.
And the crazy part is they were talking about doing the car chase and Friedkin was likesaid to the stunt coordinator, he's like, if it's not as good as the French connection,
I'm not putting it in the movie.
He's like, you can try it.
Like he's like, go ahead, work on it.

(34:50):
But if it's not as good as a French connection, I'm not, it's not going to be in themovie.
He was talking to the stunt coordinator who was Billy Joe Hooker, who was just one of the,if you're gonna, if you were gonna Google a name, that would be the one.
No, I mean, not just because his name is Hooker.
I'm saying because like, you know, he's incredible legend.
And obviously I just heard you guys giggling and I was like, well, you're totally right.

(35:11):
You're right, because that's like a funny thing to say to someone so qualified.
Oh, wait.
I'm sorry.
Sorry.
I made a really bad mistake here.
Don't Google Hooker.
Or put the child safety lock on your browser first.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
when that's your prompt, it has to be better than the French Connection, which to theaudience, if you haven't watched the French Connection, that car chase is also top 10, top

(35:41):
five movie car chases.
Of all time.
It's amazing.
It's the best.
Yeah, I think the only one that comes close to it, in that time, I'll say in that timeperiod, just to be safe, although I do think it's in definitely top three, right, is
Bullitt.
That's the only thing that you- The funny part though is that the French Connection and ToLive and Die in LA are surrounded by
good movies and bullet is just a car chase in a mediocre movie.

(36:05):
That's true.
That's, that's definitely fair.
But I mean, they, he, and I was going to pose this to you too.
If, I'm sorry.
You know what?
just thought, I just thought of something.
Sorry.
I hate to interrupt your career.
I remember I lost a tooth watching bullet when I was little, but Robert Evans lost hiswife.

(36:29):
Damn.
He's dead.
What's he going to do?
I'm dead, baby.
So my question to you two is if if old Rick Chance had his gun to your head, which carchase is better to live and die in L.A.
or the French connection?

(36:50):
It's close.
It's close.
mean, it's weird because my stepfather's apartment is in first in French collection.
And some of the camera work is shot literally from the apartment.
Wow.
Really?
A lot of the overhead shots.
yeah.
And the roof of that building.

(37:12):
That's my stepfather.
You know, the building where were chasing, where Hackman was chasing him, that was mystepfather's childhood home.
for me it takes a turn when they get into the ravine, when they like kind of get into theravine and then suddenly there are like cars coming from everywhere.
Like me I was like, gets crazy.
things just sort of ratcheted it up.

(37:34):
you know, it suddenly got turned up to an 11 and I was like, man.
Yeah, I wasn't expecting it to get that intense.
And you'll find out later why there's so many killers present.
But also that ravine, Devin, that's Thunder Road from Grease.
Okay, I kind of thought, I was like, I've been here before.
Why have I been here before?
It's in so many movies.

(37:55):
Grease, okay.
It's in Gone in 60 Seconds, the Nicolas Cage one.
Yep, yep, okay.
It's in Transformers.
Sorry.
Awesome.
Okay.
The rules on Donna road is they ain't no sidebar.
If you just crossed Greece with Transformers, how amazing would that be?

(38:18):
I would watch that.
I would watch the Optimus Prime singing and dancing.
mean, done.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm just thinking of some of the key lines in Greece lightning specifically.
And yes, I would love to see Optimus Prime describe himself as a wagon.
I want.

(38:39):
Yeah, I'm gonna lie.
I'm just telling you.
I'm pitching that.
Yeah.
And the car flies off.
So it's just Optimus Prime and Sandra Dee just.
Yeah.
that'd be great.
What did Sandra Dee just give Bumblebee a lock of hair from her chest?
Yeah.
We can do this all day.
We can do this all day.

(38:59):
I love it.
Sorry.
It's always a brainstorm.
Sorry.
All right.
Going back to Gun to the Head.
Like I think it's to live and die in L.A.
Because I just think, agree.
It's bonding.
Well, and honestly, poor Vukovich in the backseat is half of why it's that good.
Because it's him reacting how you think a real person would react in that moment.

(39:23):
He's just getting tossed around.
Yeah.
usually just you have the person who's driving like, got to
get from A B, I gotta do this, I gotta escape.
And then when you have like a passenger just like, what are you doing?
Yeah, the whole time like, It is terrifying.
It is so fricking terrifying.
And also like the handheld stuff is wild with the bumps of the car and also the continuitythat they reach when they're leaping over certain things and then you get the closeups

(39:50):
from the front.
where you're like, no, this was storyboarded to the nut.
It's so well, the handheld stuff gives you effect, but again, it's not gonna shake yourfillings out in the movie theater.
It's not uncomfortable.
The sound design too though.
Yeah.
And also again, cause it's 85, right?

(40:11):
So they don't have access to the things that all filmmakers have access to now, right?
So you know so much more of it is.
it's practical, it's happening, right?
They're having to put a little bit more worked, physical, a little bit more elbow greaseinto it.
million dollars, because we a million dollars over budget.

(40:33):
Worth it, Absolutely worth it.
And I'm wondering also, because we think about some of the car chases that have happenedsince, and some are very fresh in Devon's mind because she watched all the Bond films.
there's, I mean, hate to bring this Bond film up, but Quantum of Solace begins with a...
a wild car chase, right?
Or any of the boring, right?

(40:55):
Like I'll have like, especially because of the shattering glass, like that one depends ona lot of stuff.
They still don't feel as fast as they are and as wild and as loud as they are.
They don't feel like they have the stakes that they want.
I the closest is Ronin with Robert De Niro.
I've never seen it.
mean, I know what it is, but I haven't seen it.

(41:16):
Yeah, it's got a similar vibe like they're in regular cars.
They're in Paris in traffic like it's got that similar vibe of just it's one car trying tocatch another car, but they're in everyday sedans.
There's a lot of traffic like it's really wild like it's again very, very well done.
That was in the like late 90s.
So again, no no CGI shenanigans or anything like that.

(41:41):
Just really well made like car chase.
That's probably the closest but.
still not quite as frantic and like nail biting.
No, but also it also benefits from the, cause they're going against traffic.
Right.
So there's a point where they're like surrounded and then he immediately makes thedecision to go the wrong way.

(42:03):
then- Please tell me- That is scary as hell.
tell me you loved that he announced he was going the wrong way.
And he was like, we're going this way.
Like there's a stop.
After the close up of the sign that says wrong way.
Do not enter and he's like, we're going this way.
I was like, thanks for letting us know.

(42:24):
Hey audience, I'm going this way.
The thing that's wild about that scene also is there's like levels to the car chase.
it starts those narrow alleyways is the first sort of movement of it.
where there's all these people unloading trucks.

(42:47):
Then they have to dodge forklifts, which I don't know if you've ever driven one of those,have propane tanks on the back.
Horrified.
So they're getting past all of that stuff with inches to spare, only to get on the highwayand then dodge all of that.
then there's the train crossing.

(43:07):
This thing has levels to it.
It's insane.
It is incredible.
Look, it's worth the price of admission just for that.
Yeah.
Oh yeah.
You could just watch, know, I mean, I recommend people watch the whole movie, but youcould just watch from them, um, from the Asian gentlemen getting killed until the end of
the car chase.

(43:27):
That's a heck of a movie in and of itself.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But we have to talk about the first twist.
We've noticed that our main character has taken a dark turn.
He's even started to look really kind of grimy.
They, this is also signaled visually with a pair of douchebag cop sunglasses.

(43:47):
Yes.
Yeah.
Right.
Very, they become very important.
These are just like, puts them on and he's just a dick.
Like I, no other way to put it.
This is all, this change is happening right before our eyes.
and like we said, he has this relationship with the snitch that had been going on for awhile.
So this turn had already started before his partner.

(44:09):
Like he was bound to be a dick.
Right?
Either way, the partner just gave him a reason, like a scream, looking for a mouth and bygolly.
But what happens is it turns out that the Asian man that ended up dying over this debaclebefore getting robbed by our, our quote unquote heroes was an undercover FBI agent.

(44:32):
And it's learned in the roll call that morning.
the information he got from the snitch was bunk.
So and of course it explains why so many people were after them because they were the FBIhandlers.
They're all literally FBI Yeah, I just putting this together like and pardon my brain forbeing slow They call it out in the roll call and described them and the car they were

(44:57):
driving as the suspects By the way by they even mentioned that it was a they had to getthat from the impact they mentioned that so
there is paperwork in that police station that ties them to that car.
This is never addressed.
This is never addressed even once.
No, I mean, I think it's just that like it's the eighties.

(45:19):
They took the license plates off and by the time they found it, like the movie was over.
It's like three days later and that was that.
I think we should just go ahead and give away what happens at the end because it is.
If you're listening and you haven't seen the film, we're just gonna go ahead and skip tothere, because we're running long.

(45:44):
and we're on the radio and they yell at me for things like that.
So, like, can't look at them and be like, no, I will not do paperwork.
I can't do that.
Well, the radio is more hardcore than the Secret Service, apparently.
Well, I have to say right here is where I had a ridiculously joyous moment.

(46:06):
Because as you say, hold on, because like you said, okay, so we had our first twist withthe FBI agent, and then this is where we basically get our second twist.
I couldn't remember the last time I was genuinely surprised by a twist that had happenedin a film.
Because I just, I don't know, I watch a lot of movies, we all watch a lot of movies, so Itend to figure out what's going on.

(46:32):
Also, I'm married to Mr.
Spock, and so he'll be like.
I hope nothing bad happens.
So he says that whenever, you know.
So I was just genuinely delighted that we get to our big moment.
And then there was a twist that actually surprised me.
twist are you talking about now?

(46:53):
When they go to bust Mr.
Masters and it results in Chance and the bodyguard killing each other.
And suddenly he's just dead.
Yep.
It's a little bit, I'm just gonna describe it for you.
It's a little bit like the departed.
Yeah.
And a little bit like Miami Vice at the same time.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
It's good description, yeah.

(47:13):
And suddenly we're just like, and it's just so, that was part of it too.
Boom, that's it.
Yeah, boom, that's it.
It wasn't just that he suddenly is dead.
It's that it was so aggressively, boom, it was graphic, like you said, part departed, partMiami Vice, suddenly these two guys are dead.
And then our poor Vukovich is like,

(47:35):
And it's complete panic and he's like, my God, what do I do now?
The guy's face is blown up and he's like, talk to me.
Yes, and I'm like, hun, no, it's not happening.
He's gone.
He's gone, sweetheart.
He's gone.
Precious summer child.
Yeah, it's like, no, honey, no.
But it was genuinely the, again, like the way it all played out was genuinely such asurprise because you so aggressively are primarily following Chance the whole time.

(48:04):
And then just, was a snap and he was, his face was blown off and that was it.
There were a couple of moments.
Yeah.
I mean, there were even a couple of moments where I thought his partner was going tosomehow bring him back from this abyss that he was heading toward.
Cause you gotta remember there's, there's a whole subplot with John Totoro that we're notgoing to get all into right now, but like John Totoro is, is like worked for Eric Masters,

(48:27):
but he's trying to get him to turn snitch without the sex part.
And well, we don't know takes him out.
Right, that's true.
We don't know.
But he gets him signed out of prison to like, but then to Turo escapes.
you mean not.
then he gets caught again.
Yeah, Carl Cody.
Yeah.
Carl Cody.
Cody.
Yeah.
Carl Cody.
Yeah.

(48:47):
No, you're absolutely right.
So he's getting in, you know, so.
But he doesn't report it back to the judge, we learn.
So like, we're just watching this, this police officers downfall piece by piece by piece.
And you're like, maybe he'll get redeemed.
Like maybe it'll be an eighties thing where the revenge redeems him or some crazy notionlike that.

(49:07):
But nope, get shotgun to the face.
Hotcha hotcha.
Basically hotcha hotcha.
Yeah.
my God.
And so then of course, where do we end?
Poor Vukovich chases masters and that ends insanely.
And for a hot second, I was like, my God, is everybody gonna die?

(49:28):
And then Vukovich comes through it.
Good fire, good fire.
Right.
By the way.
Excellent.
Great fire.
Yeah.
And the camera stayed there for a hot minute.
Yeah.
I wasn't punting.
wasn't.
Yeah.
was like the cameras.
Yeah.
I was like that whole time.
Yeah.
So that whole thing was aggressive and graphic and it was amazing.

(49:49):
And then we just land on, okay, all of these shenanigans have happened.
Where are we going to go from here?
And it's.
layers of betrayal.
And the ending, this is the resolution of the movie.
You find out that everyone was lying.
Yeah.
The lawyer, what's his name again?

(50:10):
Dean Stockwell.
Dean Stockwell as Bob Grimes, the criminal attorney.
Yeah.
Right.
Bob Grimes.
Yes.
Played by Dean Stockwell.
Yes.
Was going to be your informant, really?
Was going to help you?
Turns out he was, you know, he was betraying them.
Turns out that
even masters, but played brilliant.

(50:31):
mean, seriously, Willem Dafoe is incredible.
This is an early role too.
Incredible, he's gotta be one of my favorite actors of all time.
Probably the one who's worked the most of it, everyone I've ever seen in my lifetime.
like incredible, incredible performance.
But yeah, his own girlfriend was like doing him dirty.

(50:51):
And then she ends up leaving with Daphne, which good move girl, good move girl.
Yeah.
That was the part of the ending I enjoyed.
was like, all right, ladies.
Me too.
Yeah.
You go get you some joy.
Okay.
Yeah.
Me too.
In my car.
Right.
So like what happens is he, the partner.

(51:13):
Look at which John.
Yukovitch is now seen walking toward a building with a new set of douchebag cop sunglassesthat got passed to him.
like the quickening and now he's Dick because his partner died and he, and it ends on himgoing to the snitch's apartment as she's packing to leave town being like, Hey, where you

(51:40):
going?
I figured out you set us up.
And she's, know, she's denying it, but he was, but he looks at her and he's like, you workfor me now.
And there's a quick flash of like an older sex scene with Peterson, just to remind you ofby the way, what he means is right.
Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
And then Wang Chung credits.

(52:02):
And then we wing Chung into the sunset.
Yeah.
Not just tonight.
Nope.
Every night.
That's right.
I feel like they were the authors of the first tub thumping.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
If you watch, which I don't know why I did.
If you watch the credits all the way to the end.
I did.
Did you get the flash of William Peterson at the end?

(52:26):
Yeah, because there's a little like second of him staying like his face.
Why?
Like why is that an error?
Like that's that's a that's a terrible post credit scene.
That's no Marvel movie post credits right there.
They ain't gonna help me with any of the fantastic four flick.

(52:47):
Nope, not at Or maybe that's where it starts, which, whew.
Maybe it's time to figure that out right now with America's favorite segment, Let'sFranchise This comma Baby.
If you're just tuning in, this is the segment in which Devin and now Cody and I will tryto repurpose the content we just described for cash money hoes.

(53:16):
Cash money hoes.
Money, money, money, money, right.
So this is one of the first episodes where you and I didn't discuss what we think itshould be or anything.
So we're just gonna give our ideas.
We're gonna pitch all three of them to the audience and see where we're going.
Unless, know, Cody looks worried.
What you want to go first?
Go first, Devin.
Okay.
So for me, I decided first of all, thank you for selecting this because I really didreally enjoyed this.

(53:45):
I just was really surprised by how much I enjoyed the whole thing and how good it all was.
So I just thought this is far enough into the future that this is due for a remake.
So I thought I would be absolutely good with the remake, but
I think I would want the remake to take place today.
So basically the same concept.

(54:08):
So I realized it wouldn't necessarily be counterfeiting cash.
It's probably more like money related cyber crime is what I assumed it would be.
I'd still want it to be in LA because I think it's gotta be in LA.
But, I still like that it would be secret service because they still work for thetreasury.
And so I think all of that does work and I think it makes sense and I think it can be donetoday.

(54:30):
The car chase has to stay in.
100%.
And I know that's a big ask.
So I think whoever is the chosen stunt coordinator is going to have to get that exact samespeech of if it's not as good as the original, it does not go into this film.
And it is why we are remaking this film.
So it's got to be that good.
So, wow, that's how I would approach it.

(54:52):
So, okay, this is my chosen cast.
Okay.
I think here's my little
because I feel like the movie had a twist, so I have a twist.
My twist is I think Jim Hart, the old agent, should be played by William Peterson.
Ooh.
Ooh.

(55:12):
Because I feel like he could be retiring, right?
So I think he should play Jim Hart.
think that'd just be like a weird, fun twist.
That's like Robert Mitchum's cameo in Cape Fear.
Yes.
Yeah, exactly.
So I thought that would be kind of cool.
And then so the rest of the cast, think,
Glenn Powell, think would be a good chance.

(55:34):
Richard Chance.
He seems pretty popular now.
You know.
And we gotta sell this thing.
We sell this thing, right?
Because I feel like this is a bigger budget than some of the other films we've, we'reredoing.
So I thought, like, he would be good.
I think we go Jeremy Allen White for Vukovich as the young guy that gets like tugged alongand then gets turned into an asshole at the end.

(55:58):
Yeah.
So I thought that would be good.
I decided Bob Grimes or a criminal attorney, I wanna go a different route and I want to dolike Laura Linney or like a Michelle Pfeiffer.
I want an older, solid lady who's just like, I am in charge and I'm a criminal attorneyand you're gonna think that I'm helping you but I'm screwing everybody over, right?

(56:24):
Cause it's not a big part.
but it's gotta be a- I'm a dirty birdie.
Yeah, it's gotta be like a real like, mm.
And like, just wanna see every scene that she's in needs to have like a power suit, youknow?
Right.
So that was kind of my, I feel like Laura Linney would be perfect, but I thought if wewanna go a bit, I don't know, almost a bit sexier, I think I'd do like Michelle Pfeiffer,

(56:45):
right?
Just like an older attorney lady who's just like, mm-hmm.
Then I think we should go Sophie Turner for our poor Ruth Lanier, the informant.
Cause I feel like she could play broken, right?
Cause it's kind of- You are killing it this week by the way.
ahead.
Yeah.
Wow.
These are all great choices.
you.
I appreciate that.
So yeah, I thought I just feel like, cause we need somebody young, very attractive, butcan be very broken, but also because we are aware that there's a very graphic sex scene.

(57:17):
So I was like, that would be, I can handle that.
And then my ridiculous choice, because I did want to do something ridiculous is for our-
our criminal mastermind, Eric, AKA Rick Masters.
I think we go Daniel Radcliffe.
Cause I just think it's, I think it's insane.
He was great as, he was great as weird out.

(57:39):
Well, I think he, cause that character is like intense and goofy and you know, he's areal, he's a real kooky and crazy and kind of a psychopath.
And I just thought Daniel Radcliffe would be really
like half funny, but also really good at being serious at being a psychopath.

(58:00):
Cause he is quite good.
I just thought it'd be really funny.
He is a great, he is a really good actor.
also, yeah.
But also be kind of funny if Daniel Radcliffe was randomly the counterfeiting guy.
So that is my.
And he comes kind of with a built in audience.
I don't want to get into it.
Cause we're running long.
Right.
But no, you're correct.
He comes with a built in audience.
that is my, I.

(58:21):
I'm speaking of dirty birdies.
Yes.
So that is my, yeah.
So I think a remake today, basic same plot.
I love it.
That's my cast.
Thank you guys.
Yeah.
I love it.
Yeah.
I put some real thought into this one.
What do you got, Cody?
Yeah.
I was on the fence about it, but I'm not going to beat Devin's remake.

(58:46):
So I'm going sequel as a limited series because people love binge watching stuff.
Yeah, Amazon owns MGM now.
you know, okay.
And again, they got to make up for all that James Bond money.
ain't going to.
That's right.
Shout out to Barbara Broccoli for holding the line.

(59:09):
So be happy for us to rub two nickels together.
My first thought was to go sequel takes place now and it's Ruth.
hires the other two ladies to take down Vukovich, who is still causing her trouble.
We're pretty close.
actually, you and I are pretty close on this.

(59:30):
Go ahead.
Because I was going to have John Pankow still be Vukovich.
Because he's still around.
I have to say, I have the same thing.
Go ahead.
Oh, I love that.
Okay.
Yeah, we're very close on this.
Go the two, the only thing I haven't figured out is because Darlan Flugel passed away.
So she played Ruth.

(59:51):
she can't still be, we'd have to recast Ruth.
Recast Ruth, We're Rosanna Kett.
that's good.
that is good.
That's not even the choice, I didn't even put her in mind.
That's really good.
The other thing I was thinking of is the new head of the FBI or secret service officeshould be Robert Downey Jr.
Yeah, right, right.

(01:00:13):
Second time he's been cast in this segment, way.
that's true, yeah.
Yeah.
Boom.
Mike cast him in Pelham last week.
Yeah, Mike cast him in Pelham.
I don't have a good, other than a revenge plot with the two happy women, criminal women inthe black Ferrari chasing him down.

(01:00:35):
It's just a long series of revenge and murder and we could have some counterfeiting inthere.
That's fine.
Okay.
Are we going to keep Jane Leaves?
Yeah.
And now she can actually have a name.
That's great.
Okay, awesome.
Yeah, we'll find out her name finally.
Still does modern dance.
Of course she still does modern dance.

(01:00:56):
She's still on the modern dancer.
Yeah, of course.
And kiss makeup.
Yeah.
Because it's come back around.
Yeah, exactly.
And I feel like you could get a little cameo by John Turturro, who's probably still inprison.
Yeah, you got to have a good car chase.
Are we doing just actors first or?
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.

(01:01:16):
You could have the ghost of Richard Chance still talking to Vukovich and have like alittle William Peterson, an evil Obi-Wan Kenobi.
And we're going to de-age him.
Must we go supernatural?
It's not supernatural.
He's been, he's been, he's a spiraling out of control cop for 40 years.

(01:01:38):
Does the ghost have douchebag cop sunglasses also?
I mean, if they're outside, yeah.
Yeah.
And they sort of reflect.
and they sort of reflect in each other's mirror sunglasses.
But he only reflects in Vukovich's sunglasses, if anybody else is there.
Right.
Just his.
Right.
that's a brilliant little ticket.
I like that.
Yeah.
All right.
You have your crew, though, too, right?

(01:02:00):
You've got your chosen crew for this sequel.
I do have some ideas of crew.
All right.
OK.
So for director, I'm between Gareth Edwards.
Wow.
Good.
Yeah, yeah.
What do I know him from?
He directed Rogue One.
OK.
The New Godzilla movie, that movie Monster, which pretty excellent between him or this isa slight weird one, but I like his story fixing would be Christopher McQuarrie, who's done

(01:02:33):
the last few Mission Impossibles.
OK.
A decent balance of we've a little, you know, tweak the story and some good action like asolid.
Plus, you got to sell it again.
With that tagline, from the writer who brought you.
Yeah.
Mission Impossible, what?
Mission Impossible.
seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12.

(01:02:55):
26.
Right.
And then cinematographer, I'm between Emmanuel Lubetzky.
I mentioned him in a few episodes back.
Bradford Young.
Actually, now that I think about it, that Lubetzky you mentioned.
What film, because of Revenant, I chose him for American Friend.

(01:03:17):
We're both asking the same cinematographer to take Robbie Mueller's place.
Yes, because you're thinking of who can do it.
Yeah.
Exactly, because you think like Children of Men.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Birdman.
It's a great one.
Yeah.
Then for music, I could, like, I'm going really, like, on some ways basic.

(01:03:38):
You go Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross.
Oh, yeah.
So funny, Mike was like last week, he was like, don't pick Trent Reznor out of your show.
My wild card for music is this band, Electric Youth, who's kind of a 80s synth band, butthey're current.
if we want to have the Wang Chung vibe.

(01:03:59):
So we were very close on that.
Yeah, OK, go ahead.
were very close on Those are the ones I have.
So my sequel is the story of John.
John.
The partner, right?
Yep, Vokovich.
He's already been thrown out of the force, right?
But also Totoro has gotten out of jail and has actually redeemed himself for real.

(01:04:23):
the two of them, it was by some circumstances that I haven't fully worked out yet, starttheir own detective agency.
my God.
With the help of Daphne.
Right?
Of course.
Yep.
But what ends up happening is it becomes more of a story of
Get this, John Turturro trying to get John the partner, the now corrupt douchebag cop,back to the side of good.

(01:04:52):
Like he's trying to almost redeem him.
In a way, without saying it out loud, the subtext is, this man was sent from an unlikelyplace to save his soul.
So that's really the film you're watching.
Now, Devin mentioned that her husband is Spock, right?
He is, yeah.

(01:05:13):
where cousins who married sort of the same person in a sense because my wife is Spock.
So I think that the caper might, let's say maybe it happens at like a Dragon Con orsomething.
So this way they'll watch it.
They'll watch our work.
They don't even listen to the show.
They do not listen to the show.

(01:05:33):
Right, so to appeal to them specifically, cause I'm be a little indulgent here.
We're going to call it to live long and prosper in PA.
But my director is Helena, I'm gonna butcher her name.

(01:05:55):
It's spelled R-E-I-J-N.
She just did baby girl.
Okay.
My cinematographer, this is a, because I already chose someone to play smaller before.
I wasn't gonna make that choice twice.
And this person is still acting, but based on his work in Angel Heart would be MichaelCeresen.
Okay.
He's still working and he still, he still shoots like the dickens.

(01:06:18):
So my soundtrack, because Cody went with, uh, what was the name of the band you went with?
Electric youth, electric youth.
Mine was the war on drugs because it had a foot in both the present and yeah, great minds.
So yeah, it was like music by the, the war on drugs.
So it's up to the audience, which new version of to live and die in LA you'd like to seeand let us know.

(01:06:44):
Yes.
But before we end the show, there's a couple little footnotes that I have to mention aboutthis film.
Wrap it up in a neat little bow, because it's going to be a while before we get to visit aRobbie Mueller film again.
again, he's the reason why I love film, period.
One of the reasons, but the biggest reason why I love film as a whole.

(01:07:05):
One of William Freakin's last interviews, he mentioned that he was heavily influenced byRobbie Mueller.
after making this film and learned composition from Robbie Mueller.
This is after he'd already made the films he will always be remembered for.

(01:07:26):
He'd already made the exorcist, he'd already made French Connection, and it's a sequel.
But when he shot this film, he said he learned film composition from Robbie Mueller, whichI thought was a great story.
Another great story about Billy Freakin, or just to give you who he is in a nutshell.
that I can say on the radio is that, cause wow, stories, but I'll tell you one thing hedid and just let you know, he does this often.

(01:07:53):
The studio hated the ending of this film because they're like, you killed the protagonist,but remember the part it hasn't happened yet.
Nobody over here is like, know, like neither is infernal affairs or any, like it hasn'thappened yet.
So there, the studios dead set against this.

(01:08:13):
They're like, Nope.
I hate all we hate all of this.
So he gets that note and and films an alternate ending.
He filmed one where the partners survived, both of them survived, but they get like, youknow, had almost a comedic ending.
They get stationed in Alaska as punishment for this whole debacle.
you know, like, Yeah, that's the version he shows the studio.

(01:08:36):
And then just puts out his version anyway.
Is William freaking in a nutshell?
because he's done that several times.
That's amazing.
Yeah, where he, really great example in this film, Peterson, there's a chase scene wherehe's chasing Totoro in the airport and he's on those little walkways, right?

(01:09:00):
Those like Peterson leapt onto the top of that thing and is barreling through the people.
He was told by the airport people, you can't do that.
We can't let you do that.
And he was like,
We've done this.
is how we did it in rehearsal.
And they were like, yeah, we're not going to let you do that.
We're not, you're not shooting that.
William freaking takes Peterson aside and says, listen, I'm going to yell at you rightnow.

(01:09:25):
that there's no way I'm going to let you do that.
And then I want you to do the shot.
However you feel is comfortable for you.
Like nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
So there is sure enough, he dresses them down in the airport.
Don't you dare do that?
No, we can't do that.
They just told us no.
And then Peterson, sure enough, does it anyway, gets berated by the people in the airport.

(01:09:48):
And he's like, I'm sorry.
just might.
This is his excuse.
That's just the way I rehearsed it.
Like it's muscle memory to do such a thing.
William freaking promised them he wouldn't use that footage because what they wereconcerned about that starting a trend in the airports, because those were relatively new.
Right.

(01:10:08):
Those like those walkways that are also.
escalators.
So William Freakin said, no, we won't use that take.
And that's how I would like to leave this episode with stories of Robbie Mueller and whoWilliam Freakin was beyond the guy who just yelled at a little girl to get the desired

(01:10:30):
effect or whatever the stories are in the exorcist.
Right.
He was a, he was a hell of a filmmaker, but also he wasn't a filmmaker.
Billy Freakin was hands-on.
He was almost a rogue filmmaker.
And that's what made him as awesome as he is.
And that's it.
That's why we remember him.
So that being said, next week we are gonna do Amelie, which I am very excited about.

(01:10:55):
We're gonna watch Amelie.
So if we got to this point in the show, go ahead and watch it so we can talk about it nextweek.
I think that's a really good idea.
Yes.
It's one of my all-time faves, like every other woman my age on the planet.
Yes, I love the film too.
And I'm not a woman nor your age.

(01:11:16):
This is true.
I just thought about that.
just did math.
So that being said, we're your studio property.
I'm Doug Wartell.
I'm Devin Irby.
I'm Cody Ramone.
And scene.
Studio property is a production of Spillway Street content in Red Hook, New York andsyndicated on Radio Free Reinkliff.

(01:11:38):
theme song by the Corner Bodega, visit studiopropertieshow.com to get all up in ourbeeswax.
Thank you for listening and we'll see you next week.
Spill away street!