January 6, 2026 • 23 mins
What if fun isn’t something you earn after working hard—but something you start with?
In the first episode of the new year, Justin flips the script on productivity, discipline, and “being good” and asks this:
👉 What actually lights you up? Do you ever let yourself enjoy it?
Using movies as both a literal love and a powerful metaphor for life, Justin shares:
- The best and worst movies he saw in theaters last year
- What those experiences reveal about freedom, creativity, nostalgia, and choice
- How following your delights can transform your life
🎥 Key Points & Takeaways
- 🎉 Fun is not something you earn later — it’s something you can have now
- 🎬 Why movies are like life experiences (not all are meant to be the same)
- 🧠 How curiosity, play, and imagination reconnect us to ourselves
- 💡 Letting experiences be what they are—without forcing meaning or perfection
- ❤️ Why following what you enjoy is a powerful act of self-trust
🎧 Listen all the way through to hear Justin’s surprising best movie pick—and why it matters
💬 Join the conversation:
What was your favorite (and least favorite) movie or experience last year?
📺 Watch on YouTube for the full “movie theater” visual experience
⚡ Curious about deeper alignment, clarity, and ease?
Explore Justin’s Life Energy Activation Process (LEAP):
👉https://www.justinwenck.com/leap
Ready to stop just understanding this work… and actually experience it?
Join Justin for a live, in-person 60-minute experience designed to recharge your system across your body, mind, emotions, and energy.
📍 Ocean Yoga, Pacifica, CA USA
🗓 May 2nd | 1:00–2:00 PM
👉 Register here:
Watch the full video episode at Justin Wenck, Ph.D. YouTube Channel!
Check out my best-selling book "Engineered to Love: Going Beyond Success to Fulfillment" also available on Audiobook on all streaming platforms! Go to https://www.engineeredtolove.com/ to learn more!
Got a question or comment about the show? E-mail me at podcast@justinwenck.com.
Remember to subscribe so you don't miss the next episode! Connect with me:
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Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended, music and pics belong to the rightful owners.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Justin Wenck (00:00):
Welcome. Today, we're starting this show for the
(00:04):
new year off with how to havefun. That's right, this is very
important to be able to have funin life. It's not something to
have later. It's not somethingthat you eventually will earn
now is the time to fun. So I'mgoing to share with you what I
really like to do for fun, youknow, one of the, one of the
(00:24):
many things that maybe you don'tknow about me, and that is
watching movies. So I'm going tobe sharing the best and the
worst movies that I saw in thetheater, because I saw 15 movies
in the theater. That's how muchI enjoy going to the movies. So
with that, let's get started.
Are you ready to live a lifewith enough time, money and
(00:47):
energy have relationships andconnections that delight you?
Are you ready for theextraordinary life you know
you've been missing? If so, thenthis is the place for you. I'm a
best selling author, coach,consultant and speaker who's
worked in technology for overtwo decades. I'm a leader at
transforming people andorganizations from operating in
(01:09):
fear, obligation and guilt torunning off joy, ease and love.
It's time for engineeringemotions and energy with me.
Justin Wenck, PhD. This is thefirst podcast of engineering
emotions and energy for 2026 yetwhenever you're watching this,
(01:31):
listening to this is the righttime for this message, because
it's a great time to bring morefun into your life. Now, this is
the time of year that mostpeople are like, I had too much
fun. I, you know, did too muchfor New Year's Eve, and
definitely overdid it for theholidays, Christmas, Hanukkah,
whatever you might celebrate,Festivus for the rest of us, but
(01:52):
you know, you over spent, youover ate, you over indulged in
substances, perhaps. And it'sokay fun times over, it's time
to, you know, buckle down, workhard and be a good person. Like,
like, most of those things thatyou did made you a bad person.
They didn't what? If it's timeto rediscover what truly lights
(02:13):
you up, what truly helps youenjoy your life, what really
delights you, fun without anyconsequences. Because maybe that
was the thing, was, you had toomuch fun that resulted in too
many consequences. So I'm goingto share a little bit into one
of the fun things I reallyenjoy. And I think this is also
going to kind of show how youcan maybe make maybe some of the
(02:36):
things you do and more of yourlife more fun. Because, like I
said at the top of the show,movies is something I really
love and enjoy, which is why, ifyou're you know, watching this,
which definitely suggests you doon on YouTube, Justin Wenck, PhD
channel, I got a special,special background of being at
the theaters, kind of likeSiskel and Ebert Back in the
(02:59):
day, would review movies at thetheater. So I got this virtual,
virtual theater environment thatI'm in coming to you, and I saw
15 movies. I'm not going to gothrough all of them, but that's
a that's a pretty good amount oftime, you know, going going to a
theater over a calendar year.
And I believe my best movie ofthe year is really going to
(03:22):
surprise you, so stick aroundfor that, because we'll end with
that. And so not only do I likemovies, but I also like hearing
discussion about movies of youknow, just ways to enjoy them.
Look at them and it's justsomething I really enjoy. And so
my guilty pleasure really, ispodcasts where people review,
(03:43):
criticize, make fun of movies.
So if some of my favoritepodcasts are like the flop
house, how did this get made?
Even in the past, gone to seelive showings of those of those
podcasts, I would say myfavorite, my favorite podcast
about movies is blank check withhosted by these two gentlemen,
(04:07):
Griffin and David. They're basedin New York, but they'll go
through a director's entirefilmography. And so if you if
you're a fan of that show, orknow it, then you'll probably
understand a little bit more ofwhy the number one movie in the
theaters for me is what Ipicked. So what is it about?
(04:28):
What is about movies that Ireally enjoy? I mean, one is, it
brings me back to being a kid.
And the second is, it really isabout experience and about
having, you know, having fun,and, you know, imagination, and
getting to see creativity andgetting to be part of a whole
other world that really canignite the imagination. So
(04:49):
again, as I mentioned, I've seen15 movies and the theater. So
the rule is I had to have seenit. So there's probably better
movies. Probably worst movies.
But again, I didn't see allmovies in the theater that were
available. I don't know how manythere are. There's a lot. I saw
15. So the rule is I had to haveseen it, and then I had to have
(05:11):
seen it in the theater. Thiscan't the calendar year of 2025
so these are 2025 my worst andmy best. Not gonna go through
all 15 but I think you're goingto be surprised at what I
thought was the worst, andyou're definitely gonna be
surprised about what I thoughtwas the best. And what's really
incredible is that both of thesemovies actually share a common
(05:34):
heritage, a common thread thatthey borrow from one way more
heavily than the other. And whenI go over it and tell you about
it, you're going to recognizehow one does it so much better
than the other. So what is,according to me, the worst movie
of 2025 that movie wicked forgood, or, as I'd like to call it
(06:00):
maybe wicked, not so good. Sothis is the second part of
wicked. I actually saw the firstone last year. And musicals are
not exactly my thing. You know,sometimes I go, I went. I had a
good friend that loves Wizard ofOz. She even wrote a book. She's
a friend of the show Tanya. Andso went and saw that kind of in
(06:23):
celebration of, you know, her,of her, of her book that's, you
know, pays a nod to, to theWizard of Oz. And then saw the
first one last year, theprevious year, 2024 and so like,
well, let's see how it ends. Sowhat is, what is it about? So
it's, it's after the first film,wicked for good continues the
story of Elphaba now demonizesthe Wicked Witch of the West and
(06:46):
Glinda, the celebrated goodwitch, as their Divergent Paths
challenge their friendship, testtheir beliefs and reshape oz.
Alphabet fights for liberationof the silenced animals, while
Glinda confronts the respondabilresponsibilities of fame and
power, driving them towards thefinal reckoning that will change
oz forever. So alpha was playedby Cynthia Revo. Glinda is
(07:07):
played by Ariana Grande, who youknow, are friends in the movie,
and then also, apparently,really good friends in real
life. If you want someentertaining clips, you know,
look at them being interviewedfor wicked, for good, very
interesting. Jeff Goldblum isthe wizard, and then Michelle yo
plays this Madame morble. Ididn't even know that that was
(07:28):
her name after watching themovie, but her character is, in
addition to Elphaba, as far as Ican tell, the only other person
in the movie. They can actuallydo magic, even though I thought
in the first one, the wholereason they all go to school is
to learn magic. But apparently,only two people in oz can
actually do real magic. Nobodyelse really can. The wizard, as
(07:49):
you know, from The Wizard of Oz,spoiler alerts, only been almost
100 years the Wizard of Oz can'tdo magic. He just does
mechanical stuff. And I willsay, with this movie is
spectacle. So I love the, youknow, the sets and all the
acting is great. Just the thesome of the
(08:09):
stuff is ponderous, of like, whystuff is happening, because it
gets really weird. And for tworeasons, one, one is any of this
is sometimes what I find funabout movies, is learning about
how they came about and what'sreally going on is so MGM is who
created the Wizard of Oz. Butwicked movies come from, I
(08:32):
believe, Universal Pictures. Andso even though it's all
referencing the Wizard of Oz,MGM has the copyrights and
trademarks to everything to dowith the Wizard of Oz, from what
the Munchkins look like to whatDorothy looks like, her dress,
what the Yellow Book road lookslike, what the Emerald City
looks like, what the monkeyslook like. So everything has to
(08:54):
remind you of the Wizard of Ozwithout actually looking like
the Wizard of Oz. So just that'sbananas and incredible. Yet a
big part of the purpose ofwicked is to kind of tell you
that what you know about theWizard of Oz is all a lie, that
the wicked witch is not actuallywicked. She's just
(09:15):
misunderstood. And this is athing I find with a lot of
movies now that like to, youknow, basically tug on your
member berries and nostalgia,and go, you know, we're going to
get you into the theater, or getyou to get you to watch this,
because it's reminds you ofsomething you enjoyed later, or,
you know, when you were younger.
And then they kind of just go onto to shit on it. And this is,
(09:35):
it really does kind of like shiton the original Wizard of Oz, a
lot of ways and go, like, allthe things you thought happened
didn't happen that way. I don'tknow. I'm not a fan of that.
It's like, if you want to, Ithink if it's like an art house
film, like, go, go ahead, youknow what? But if this is really
mass marketing, and thepurposes, you know, for, for as
(09:57):
many people. As possible, andthey just kind of want to, you
know, enjoy what they enjoyed ina new form. Now, again, I didn't
see the the musical, the playadaptation, or the original play
of wicked, so I don't know whatwas changed what wasn't. So all
I know is the movie. And for me,yeah, it's like you're trying to
show this alternate story. Butalso, in this movie, they bring
(10:20):
in, do you see Dorothy and yousee her the story of The Wizard
of Oz beginning, but it's sortof like from the distance,
because, again, you're notreally allowed to actually see
Dorothy that close or what she'sdoing, but she kind of like,
pops up, and there's a lot oflike, oh, well, this is actually
how the Scarecrow came about.
(10:42):
Well, this is actually how thetin man came about. And, you
know, just trying to give you,like these, all these back
stories that it's like, did Ineed that? Or does that make any
sense to the Wizard of Oz? Butto me, one of the things is that
it's kind of like I'm, I'mforced to watch one movie wicked
for good, and it's reminding meside by side of another movie
(11:06):
that I haven't seen, probablysince I was in high school, but
I remember much more fondly, andI think most people agree, is
still considered a really welldone, great movie. And it's just
like, why do you got to remindme of something of, something
better, you know, it'd be kindof, it's kind of like going to a
fast food restaurant. And if youwere to be given like, see, have
(11:29):
to see advertisements for a finesteak house, you know, or
whatever, a fine seafood whatrestaurant, and something like
that. And it's like, why are youreminding me that there's better
food out there when all that'savailable here is garbage. It's
just very, very interesting. Andso the movie didn't work for me,
although, you know, but I still,I still enjoyed the spectacle of
(11:53):
it, because did see it at a verybig screen. It was fun to go see
it with a friend, and this, forme, was the worst movie I saw of
the year, but I'm so glad I sawit, and I think that's something
that we can all kind ofappreciate in life. Is not
everything that we're going toexperience in life is going to
be something that we're going toenjoy. Yet. What can we learn
(12:13):
from it? What can we, you know,be grateful for that we
experienced? And then what doesit tell us about well, what do I
enjoy what I want to beexperiencing in my life. And so
I think this is going to whatbring us to what turned out to
be my favorite movie of 2025that I saw in the theater. And I
(12:33):
think this is going to surpriseyou, because it was actually a
movie that was released in 1990by director David Lynch, called
Wild at Heart. Now he passedaway this past year, and I
believe I saw this movie, and Iknow I saw this movie in
February, and it was before hehad passed. And now you can find
(12:55):
this movie, Wild at Heart,streaming various places, and I
think it's probably coming toDVD, I don't know exactly, but
at the time, at this time, itwas pretty much not available
anywhere, and local theater inSan Francisco was playing it and
got an opportunity to see thison a big screen with a big crowd
(13:16):
at night. And this movie isbananas. It stars Nicholas Cage
playing basically a bit of afall in a rebel guy named
Sailor, and Laura Dern plays hishis romance in that another
really awesome person that showsup is Willem Dafoe, who just
(13:38):
he's like, he looks crazy. Andthe synopsis of this is that
fueled by love, violence andfate, two outlaw lovers flee
across America's surrealunderbelly, pursued by Hitman
demons and their own darkdesires in a ferocious road
movie about passion and freedom.
So this movie, there's a lotgoing on in it, but it's, I've
(13:59):
got a coherent narrative, andeach scene is just like, oh my
gosh, this is kind of like, whatis going on. Here I am, I am
excited, I am curious. It's overthe top in ways. And this, it's
like, I'm enjoying what'shappening, and I want to know
what's happening next. And Imean, you know, Nicholas Cage
(14:19):
and Lord Dern, amazing actors.
And they're just, you know,they're riveting. And what's
also incredible about this movieis that it also has lots of
references to the Wizard of Oz.
And there's even a quote whereDavid Lynch said, this is
basically, they're following theyellow brick road through hell
is what, is what he said thatthis movie is about. And it even
(14:42):
ends withan appearance from the Good
Witch in a bubble. And becauseNicholas Cage's character is
just like he's been so beat upand this things haven't been
going his way, he's based. Beenfighting. Well, you know what is
possible in life? And though theGood Witch comes, and he's and,
(15:05):
you know, she's like, he's justlike, oh, I don't know what I'm
so scared and but, and he goes,but I'm wild at heart. And then
the Good Witch says to him, ifyou are truly wild at heart,
you'll fight for your dreams.
Don't turn away from love. Andthat's there's then a little bit
(15:27):
more, but that's basically theend of the movie. And I think
that's just a beautiful messagethat you know, if your heart,
your heart is what's going tolead you and you want to follow
love, what your heart desires,passions for, what your heart
enjoys and is looking for. Andanother thing that this movie
(15:48):
plays with a lot is What is whatis freedom? Because the main
character, played by NicholasCage, says, like freedom is so
incredibly important to him, yetwe kind of see what happens if
you really, you know, you aren'treally aware and conscious and
(16:09):
wise with your pursuit offreedom. Because he starts the
movie getting out of prison, andthen base is doing things that
are likely going to send themback to prison. So his pursuit
of freedom, he ends up oftenlosing freedom. And I think
that's a very important thingfor us to understand, is that
freedom doesn't just mean, oh mygosh, I can have whatever I want
(16:34):
the way that I want, because, ofcourse, you know, there's
consequences, and then ofcourse, there's the other side
of thing, is that to give anymeaning to that desire, it sort
of like requires the space forit to take place in, and that
that space is going to come froma structure, a structure, some
some guidelines, some thingslike that. Because, like, if
(16:57):
there's nothing to like, pushagainst or to be constrained,
then how do you know something'sgoing to be different in
relation to where it was or whatit is? And so to me, this is a
key aspect of life in general,is to recognize that it's
freedom of making a differentchoice. It doesn't mean you get
(17:19):
everything the way you want itimmediately. Yet anything is
possible, just it might not inthis, you know, dense world that
we live in, you might not beable to have everything all at
once, because, again, it's likeyou you can't simultaneously be,
(17:40):
you know, someone like the rockor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and be
someone like Sydney Sweeney orLaura Dern, like they're very
physically different. You know,you can't be both of those types
at the same time, and that'skind of what it makes it
enjoyable to be one or the otherat any given time. This doesn't
have to do with yourphysicality, but you know, it's
(18:02):
like, if you are a teacher of anamazing energy practice, like I
am right now, it's like, that'sgoing to be different than also
being, you know, an amazingengineer at a tech company,
which I was so it's like, youknow, it allows different
(18:24):
meaning and satisfaction thatit's like, oh, I pursued one
thing, and then now I'm pursuinganother thing, and this is
something that you can do inyour life this year. And so
that's why I just really thoughtWild at Heart is the best movie
I saw in the theaters in 2025and I'm really excited, as you
(18:47):
know, see more movies in this inthis year. There's always good
things coming out, and even ifit's not what maybe I would want
it to be, I always find thingsthat I appreciate enjoy about
any movie I go to. And part ofit is, what, what is the
purpose? What is the thing toenjoy and not expecting all
(19:07):
movies. And again, movies here,it's a metaphor for pursuits,
for experiences in life. They'renot all meant to be the same,
like, for example, I'll give anhonorable mention to I saw
pretty close to when it came outavatar fire and ash, which is
the third avatar movie I've seenevery I've now seen every single
(19:27):
avatar movie, but I've only seeneach movie only once, and I
always saw it in 3d on a bigscreen, and I enjoyed it. But I
would say if you haven't enjoyedthe previous movies, you
probably won't enjoy this latestone. There's not much story. The
characters are a little bananas,but it really to me, it's just
(19:49):
like, oh, it's an experience ofthis technology, of the
spectacle, of visualness andthen emotionalness. And just
like taking. Each scene as itis, and just being going, like,
wow, this is cool. And lettinggo of any need for a narrative
or a story or anything that'sreally well thought out, like,
(20:14):
let that go, enjoy the movie.
And then there's other movieswhere it's like, oh my gosh,
just the visuals were awful,whatever, but oh my god, the
story, just the story, and thenthe what it made me how I felt,
and what it made me consider asI was taken through that
journey, brilliant. So differentexperiences are different, and
letting them be what they are,and again, letting it there be
(20:36):
something good, letting there bethe gift, and then being open
to, okay, well now I know alittle bit about myself, what I
enjoy and maybe what I wouldwant more of in the future, what
I want less of in the future,and just being grateful that you
got to have the experience. So Iwould really love to know, you
know, do you like movies, and ifso, what was, what was your
(21:00):
favorite and least favorite oflast year? And what is it that
you really enjoy? What'ssomething that like is just fun
for you? That doesn't there'sthere doesn't have to any be any
benefit to anybody other thanjust It delights you. I'd love
to hear that. So let me know inthe comments. Send me an email,
shoot me a message, love that,and would love to hear what kind
(21:23):
of fun you're going to get upto, because really it is, it's
the heart and it's followingthat. It's following love that's
really a key to living a lifethat matters, that's fulfilling,
that's beyond success, andthat's what I want for you, and
May this year be the best yet.
(21:45):
So with that, thank you and goodday. Thanks for tuning in to
engineering emotions and energywith Justin Wenck PhD, today's
episode resonated with you.
Please subscribe and leave afive star review. Your feedback
not only supports the show, butalso helps others find us and
start their journey of emotionaland energetic mastery. You can
also help by sharing thispodcast with someone you think
(22:06):
will love it just as much as Youdo. Together, we're engineering
more amazing lives you you you.
Welcome. Today, we're starting this show for the
(00:04):
new year off with how to havefun. That's right, this is very
important to be able to have funin life. It's not something to
have later. It's not somethingthat you eventually will earn
now is the time to fun. So I'mgoing to share with you what I
really like to do for fun, youknow, one of the, one of the
(00:24):
many things that maybe you don'tknow about me, and that is
watching movies. So I'm going tobe sharing the best and the
worst movies that I saw in thetheater, because I saw 15 movies
in the theater. That's how muchI enjoy going to the movies. So
with that, let's get started.
Are you ready to live a lifewith enough time, money and
(00:47):
energy have relationships andconnections that delight you?
Are you ready for theextraordinary life you know
you've been missing? If so, thenthis is the place for you. I'm a
best selling author, coach,consultant and speaker who's
worked in technology for overtwo decades. I'm a leader at
transforming people andorganizations from operating in
(01:09):
fear, obligation and guilt torunning off joy, ease and love.
It's time for engineeringemotions and energy with me.
Justin Wenck, PhD. This is thefirst podcast of engineering
emotions and energy for 2026 yetwhenever you're watching this,
(01:31):
listening to this is the righttime for this message, because
it's a great time to bring morefun into your life. Now, this is
the time of year that mostpeople are like, I had too much
fun. I, you know, did too muchfor New Year's Eve, and
definitely overdid it for theholidays, Christmas, Hanukkah,
whatever you might celebrate,Festivus for the rest of us, but
(01:52):
you know, you over spent, youover ate, you over indulged in
substances, perhaps. And it'sokay fun times over, it's time
to, you know, buckle down, workhard and be a good person. Like,
like, most of those things thatyou did made you a bad person.
They didn't what? If it's timeto rediscover what truly lights
(02:13):
you up, what truly helps youenjoy your life, what really
delights you, fun without anyconsequences. Because maybe that
was the thing, was, you had toomuch fun that resulted in too
many consequences. So I'm goingto share a little bit into one
of the fun things I reallyenjoy. And I think this is also
going to kind of show how youcan maybe make maybe some of the
(02:36):
things you do and more of yourlife more fun. Because, like I
said at the top of the show,movies is something I really
love and enjoy, which is why, ifyou're you know, watching this,
which definitely suggests you doon on YouTube, Justin Wenck, PhD
channel, I got a special,special background of being at
the theaters, kind of likeSiskel and Ebert Back in the
(02:59):
day, would review movies at thetheater. So I got this virtual,
virtual theater environment thatI'm in coming to you, and I saw
15 movies. I'm not going to gothrough all of them, but that's
a that's a pretty good amount oftime, you know, going going to a
theater over a calendar year.
And I believe my best movie ofthe year is really going to
(03:22):
surprise you, so stick aroundfor that, because we'll end with
that. And so not only do I likemovies, but I also like hearing
discussion about movies of youknow, just ways to enjoy them.
Look at them and it's justsomething I really enjoy. And so
my guilty pleasure really, ispodcasts where people review,
(03:43):
criticize, make fun of movies.
So if some of my favoritepodcasts are like the flop
house, how did this get made?
Even in the past, gone to seelive showings of those of those
podcasts, I would say myfavorite, my favorite podcast
about movies is blank check withhosted by these two gentlemen,
(04:07):
Griffin and David. They're basedin New York, but they'll go
through a director's entirefilmography. And so if you if
you're a fan of that show, orknow it, then you'll probably
understand a little bit more ofwhy the number one movie in the
theaters for me is what Ipicked. So what is it about?
(04:28):
What is about movies that Ireally enjoy? I mean, one is, it
brings me back to being a kid.
And the second is, it really isabout experience and about
having, you know, having fun,and, you know, imagination, and
getting to see creativity andgetting to be part of a whole
other world that really canignite the imagination. So
(04:49):
again, as I mentioned, I've seen15 movies and the theater. So
the rule is I had to have seenit. So there's probably better
movies. Probably worst movies.
But again, I didn't see allmovies in the theater that were
available. I don't know how manythere are. There's a lot. I saw
15. So the rule is I had to haveseen it, and then I had to have
(05:11):
seen it in the theater. Thiscan't the calendar year of 2025
so these are 2025 my worst andmy best. Not gonna go through
all 15 but I think you're goingto be surprised at what I
thought was the worst, andyou're definitely gonna be
surprised about what I thoughtwas the best. And what's really
incredible is that both of thesemovies actually share a common
(05:34):
heritage, a common thread thatthey borrow from one way more
heavily than the other. And whenI go over it and tell you about
it, you're going to recognizehow one does it so much better
than the other. So what is,according to me, the worst movie
of 2025 that movie wicked forgood, or, as I'd like to call it
(06:00):
maybe wicked, not so good. Sothis is the second part of
wicked. I actually saw the firstone last year. And musicals are
not exactly my thing. You know,sometimes I go, I went. I had a
good friend that loves Wizard ofOz. She even wrote a book. She's
a friend of the show Tanya. Andso went and saw that kind of in
(06:23):
celebration of, you know, her,of her, of her book that's, you
know, pays a nod to, to theWizard of Oz. And then saw the
first one last year, theprevious year, 2024 and so like,
well, let's see how it ends. Sowhat is, what is it about? So
it's, it's after the first film,wicked for good continues the
story of Elphaba now demonizesthe Wicked Witch of the West and
(06:46):
Glinda, the celebrated goodwitch, as their Divergent Paths
challenge their friendship, testtheir beliefs and reshape oz.
Alphabet fights for liberationof the silenced animals, while
Glinda confronts the respondabilresponsibilities of fame and
power, driving them towards thefinal reckoning that will change
oz forever. So alpha was playedby Cynthia Revo. Glinda is
(07:07):
played by Ariana Grande, who youknow, are friends in the movie,
and then also, apparently,really good friends in real
life. If you want someentertaining clips, you know,
look at them being interviewedfor wicked, for good, very
interesting. Jeff Goldblum isthe wizard, and then Michelle yo
plays this Madame morble. Ididn't even know that that was
(07:28):
her name after watching themovie, but her character is, in
addition to Elphaba, as far as Ican tell, the only other person
in the movie. They can actuallydo magic, even though I thought
in the first one, the wholereason they all go to school is
to learn magic. But apparently,only two people in oz can
actually do real magic. Nobodyelse really can. The wizard, as
(07:49):
you know, from The Wizard of Oz,spoiler alerts, only been almost
100 years the Wizard of Oz can'tdo magic. He just does
mechanical stuff. And I willsay, with this movie is
spectacle. So I love the, youknow, the sets and all the
acting is great. Just the thesome of the
(08:09):
stuff is ponderous, of like, whystuff is happening, because it
gets really weird. And for tworeasons, one, one is any of this
is sometimes what I find funabout movies, is learning about
how they came about and what'sreally going on is so MGM is who
created the Wizard of Oz. Butwicked movies come from, I
(08:32):
believe, Universal Pictures. Andso even though it's all
referencing the Wizard of Oz,MGM has the copyrights and
trademarks to everything to dowith the Wizard of Oz, from what
the Munchkins look like to whatDorothy looks like, her dress,
what the Yellow Book road lookslike, what the Emerald City
looks like, what the monkeyslook like. So everything has to
(08:54):
remind you of the Wizard of Ozwithout actually looking like
the Wizard of Oz. So just that'sbananas and incredible. Yet a
big part of the purpose ofwicked is to kind of tell you
that what you know about theWizard of Oz is all a lie, that
the wicked witch is not actuallywicked. She's just
(09:15):
misunderstood. And this is athing I find with a lot of
movies now that like to, youknow, basically tug on your
member berries and nostalgia,and go, you know, we're going to
get you into the theater, or getyou to get you to watch this,
because it's reminds you ofsomething you enjoyed later, or,
you know, when you were younger.
And then they kind of just go onto to shit on it. And this is,
(09:35):
it really does kind of like shiton the original Wizard of Oz, a
lot of ways and go, like, allthe things you thought happened
didn't happen that way. I don'tknow. I'm not a fan of that.
It's like, if you want to, Ithink if it's like an art house
film, like, go, go ahead, youknow what? But if this is really
mass marketing, and thepurposes, you know, for, for as
(09:57):
many people. As possible, andthey just kind of want to, you
know, enjoy what they enjoyed ina new form. Now, again, I didn't
see the the musical, the playadaptation, or the original play
of wicked, so I don't know whatwas changed what wasn't. So all
I know is the movie. And for me,yeah, it's like you're trying to
show this alternate story. Butalso, in this movie, they bring
(10:20):
in, do you see Dorothy and yousee her the story of The Wizard
of Oz beginning, but it's sortof like from the distance,
because, again, you're notreally allowed to actually see
Dorothy that close or what she'sdoing, but she kind of like,
pops up, and there's a lot oflike, oh, well, this is actually
how the Scarecrow came about.
(10:42):
Well, this is actually how thetin man came about. And, you
know, just trying to give you,like these, all these back
stories that it's like, did Ineed that? Or does that make any
sense to the Wizard of Oz? Butto me, one of the things is that
it's kind of like I'm, I'mforced to watch one movie wicked
for good, and it's reminding meside by side of another movie
(11:06):
that I haven't seen, probablysince I was in high school, but
I remember much more fondly, andI think most people agree, is
still considered a really welldone, great movie. And it's just
like, why do you got to remindme of something of, something
better, you know, it'd be kindof, it's kind of like going to a
fast food restaurant. And if youwere to be given like, see, have
(11:29):
to see advertisements for a finesteak house, you know, or
whatever, a fine seafood whatrestaurant, and something like
that. And it's like, why are youreminding me that there's better
food out there when all that'savailable here is garbage. It's
just very, very interesting. Andso the movie didn't work for me,
although, you know, but I still,I still enjoyed the spectacle of
(11:53):
it, because did see it at a verybig screen. It was fun to go see
it with a friend, and this, forme, was the worst movie I saw of
the year, but I'm so glad I sawit, and I think that's something
that we can all kind ofappreciate in life. Is not
everything that we're going toexperience in life is going to
be something that we're going toenjoy. Yet. What can we learn
(12:13):
from it? What can we, you know,be grateful for that we
experienced? And then what doesit tell us about well, what do I
enjoy what I want to beexperiencing in my life. And so
I think this is going to whatbring us to what turned out to
be my favorite movie of 2025that I saw in the theater. And I
(12:33):
think this is going to surpriseyou, because it was actually a
movie that was released in 1990by director David Lynch, called
Wild at Heart. Now he passedaway this past year, and I
believe I saw this movie, and Iknow I saw this movie in
February, and it was before hehad passed. And now you can find
(12:55):
this movie, Wild at Heart,streaming various places, and I
think it's probably coming toDVD, I don't know exactly, but
at the time, at this time, itwas pretty much not available
anywhere, and local theater inSan Francisco was playing it and
got an opportunity to see thison a big screen with a big crowd
(13:16):
at night. And this movie isbananas. It stars Nicholas Cage
playing basically a bit of afall in a rebel guy named
Sailor, and Laura Dern plays hishis romance in that another
really awesome person that showsup is Willem Dafoe, who just
(13:38):
he's like, he looks crazy. Andthe synopsis of this is that
fueled by love, violence andfate, two outlaw lovers flee
across America's surrealunderbelly, pursued by Hitman
demons and their own darkdesires in a ferocious road
movie about passion and freedom.
So this movie, there's a lotgoing on in it, but it's, I've
(13:59):
got a coherent narrative, andeach scene is just like, oh my
gosh, this is kind of like, whatis going on. Here I am, I am
excited, I am curious. It's overthe top in ways. And this, it's
like, I'm enjoying what'shappening, and I want to know
what's happening next. And Imean, you know, Nicholas Cage
(14:19):
and Lord Dern, amazing actors.
And they're just, you know,they're riveting. And what's
also incredible about this movieis that it also has lots of
references to the Wizard of Oz.
And there's even a quote whereDavid Lynch said, this is
basically, they're following theyellow brick road through hell
is what, is what he said thatthis movie is about. And it even
(14:42):
ends withan appearance from the Good
Witch in a bubble. And becauseNicholas Cage's character is
just like he's been so beat upand this things haven't been
going his way, he's based. Beenfighting. Well, you know what is
possible in life? And though theGood Witch comes, and he's and,
(15:05):
you know, she's like, he's justlike, oh, I don't know what I'm
so scared and but, and he goes,but I'm wild at heart. And then
the Good Witch says to him, ifyou are truly wild at heart,
you'll fight for your dreams.
Don't turn away from love. Andthat's there's then a little bit
(15:27):
more, but that's basically theend of the movie. And I think
that's just a beautiful messagethat you know, if your heart,
your heart is what's going tolead you and you want to follow
love, what your heart desires,passions for, what your heart
enjoys and is looking for. Andanother thing that this movie
(15:48):
plays with a lot is What is whatis freedom? Because the main
character, played by NicholasCage, says, like freedom is so
incredibly important to him, yetwe kind of see what happens if
you really, you know, you aren'treally aware and conscious and
(16:09):
wise with your pursuit offreedom. Because he starts the
movie getting out of prison, andthen base is doing things that
are likely going to send themback to prison. So his pursuit
of freedom, he ends up oftenlosing freedom. And I think
that's a very important thingfor us to understand, is that
freedom doesn't just mean, oh mygosh, I can have whatever I want
(16:34):
the way that I want, because, ofcourse, you know, there's
consequences, and then ofcourse, there's the other side
of thing, is that to give anymeaning to that desire, it sort
of like requires the space forit to take place in, and that
that space is going to come froma structure, a structure, some
some guidelines, some thingslike that. Because, like, if
(16:57):
there's nothing to like, pushagainst or to be constrained,
then how do you know something'sgoing to be different in
relation to where it was or whatit is? And so to me, this is a
key aspect of life in general,is to recognize that it's
freedom of making a differentchoice. It doesn't mean you get
(17:19):
everything the way you want itimmediately. Yet anything is
possible, just it might not inthis, you know, dense world that
we live in, you might not beable to have everything all at
once, because, again, it's likeyou you can't simultaneously be,
(17:40):
you know, someone like the rockor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and be
someone like Sydney Sweeney orLaura Dern, like they're very
physically different. You know,you can't be both of those types
at the same time, and that'skind of what it makes it
enjoyable to be one or the otherat any given time. This doesn't
have to do with yourphysicality, but you know, it's
(18:02):
like, if you are a teacher of anamazing energy practice, like I
am right now, it's like, that'sgoing to be different than also
being, you know, an amazingengineer at a tech company,
which I was so it's like, youknow, it allows different
(18:24):
meaning and satisfaction thatit's like, oh, I pursued one
thing, and then now I'm pursuinganother thing, and this is
something that you can do inyour life this year. And so
that's why I just really thoughtWild at Heart is the best movie
I saw in the theaters in 2025and I'm really excited, as you
(18:47):
know, see more movies in this inthis year. There's always good
things coming out, and even ifit's not what maybe I would want
it to be, I always find thingsthat I appreciate enjoy about
any movie I go to. And part ofit is, what, what is the
purpose? What is the thing toenjoy and not expecting all
(19:07):
movies. And again, movies here,it's a metaphor for pursuits,
for experiences in life. They'renot all meant to be the same,
like, for example, I'll give anhonorable mention to I saw
pretty close to when it came outavatar fire and ash, which is
the third avatar movie I've seenevery I've now seen every single
(19:27):
avatar movie, but I've only seeneach movie only once, and I
always saw it in 3d on a bigscreen, and I enjoyed it. But I
would say if you haven't enjoyedthe previous movies, you
probably won't enjoy this latestone. There's not much story. The
characters are a little bananas,but it really to me, it's just
(19:49):
like, oh, it's an experience ofthis technology, of the
spectacle, of visualness andthen emotionalness. And just
like taking. Each scene as itis, and just being going, like,
wow, this is cool. And lettinggo of any need for a narrative
or a story or anything that'sreally well thought out, like,
(20:14):
let that go, enjoy the movie.
And then there's other movieswhere it's like, oh my gosh,
just the visuals were awful,whatever, but oh my god, the
story, just the story, and thenthe what it made me how I felt,
and what it made me consider asI was taken through that
journey, brilliant. So differentexperiences are different, and
letting them be what they are,and again, letting it there be
(20:36):
something good, letting there bethe gift, and then being open
to, okay, well now I know alittle bit about myself, what I
enjoy and maybe what I wouldwant more of in the future, what
I want less of in the future,and just being grateful that you
got to have the experience. So Iwould really love to know, you
know, do you like movies, and ifso, what was, what was your
(21:00):
favorite and least favorite oflast year? And what is it that
you really enjoy? What'ssomething that like is just fun
for you? That doesn't there'sthere doesn't have to any be any
benefit to anybody other thanjust It delights you. I'd love
to hear that. So let me know inthe comments. Send me an email,
shoot me a message, love that,and would love to hear what kind
(21:23):
of fun you're going to get upto, because really it is, it's
the heart and it's followingthat. It's following love that's
really a key to living a lifethat matters, that's fulfilling,
that's beyond success, andthat's what I want for you, and
May this year be the best yet.
(21:45):
So with that, thank you and goodday. Thanks for tuning in to
engineering emotions and energywith Justin Wenck PhD, today's
episode resonated with you.
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(22:06):
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