February 14, 2025 • 40 mins
In this episode, we dive deep into the growing activism within Hollywood as stars finally begin to speak out against President Donald Trump following his Nov. 5 electoral victory. From red carpet appearances to behind-the-scenes talks, we explore how Hollywood is starting to use its platform to challenge Trump’s presidency, with a sharp focus on the upcoming March 2 Oscars' ceremony. We break down how this activism, centered around iconic venues like The Kennedy Center, might spill into the Academy Awards.
The fallout could be considerable.
In addition, we sit down with film critic and marketing expert Giancarlo Sopo to discuss the critically-acclaimed Emilia Perez. What made this film so beloved during awards season, and why did it garner such Oscar buzz among critics and audiences alike? Giancarlo offers his insights on the key reasons behind the film's success, while also examining the cultural missteps that have sparked heated discussions within the film community. Join us as we dissect the intersection of Hollywood, politics, and culture.
Tune in to hear an expert take on the hot topics that are defining this year’s awards season.
Giancarlo's provocative "Emilia Perez" essay: https://www.indiewire.com/features/commentary/emilia-perez-latinos-racist-does-academy-care-1235090484/
Subscribe to HiT's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@HollywoodinToto
Read Hollywood in Toto - https://www.hollywoodintoto.com
Lend a hand: Leave a tip! https://hollywood-in-toto.ck.page/products/hollywood-in-toto-tip-jar
Follow me on X: https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto
Read: "Virtue Bombs: How Hollywood Got Woke and Lost Its Soul" https://www.amazon.com/Virtue-Bombs-Hollywood-Woke-Lost/dp/1637580991
The fallout could be considerable.
In addition, we sit down with film critic and marketing expert Giancarlo Sopo to discuss the critically-acclaimed Emilia Perez. What made this film so beloved during awards season, and why did it garner such Oscar buzz among critics and audiences alike? Giancarlo offers his insights on the key reasons behind the film's success, while also examining the cultural missteps that have sparked heated discussions within the film community. Join us as we dissect the intersection of Hollywood, politics, and culture.
Tune in to hear an expert take on the hot topics that are defining this year’s awards season.
Giancarlo's provocative "Emilia Perez" essay: https://www.indiewire.com/features/commentary/emilia-perez-latinos-racist-does-academy-care-1235090484/
Subscribe to HiT's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@HollywoodinToto
Read Hollywood in Toto - https://www.hollywoodintoto.com
Lend a hand: Leave a tip! https://hollywood-in-toto.ck.page/products/hollywood-in-toto-tip-jar
Follow me on X: https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto
Read: "Virtue Bombs: How Hollywood Got Woke and Lost Its Soul" https://www.amazon.com/Virtue-Bombs-Hollywood-Woke-Lost/dp/1637580991
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This week in the Hollywood and Total Podcast, they're back.
The Hollywood resistance is back, and I've got some of
the crazy things they're saying about you know who. And
we talked to film critic and marketer gen Carlo Sopo
about Amelia Perez. It's the movie of the moment, chock
full of controversy, but what gen Carlo has to say
about the movie will surprise you. And he's got some
(00:22):
very interesting receipts to share, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Welcome to the Hollywood and Total Podcast. Entertainment news and reviews,
without doubt, woke.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Hollywood narrative, free speech, free expression, Now that's entertainment. And
here's your host, award winning film critic Courstionian Toto.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
This justin Madonna is no longer dreaming of blowing up
the White House, and that's good news.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I guess. I have to say the original.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Hollywood resistance during the first Trump term was silly and
outrageous and off the wall, but also a little bit fun.
It was kind of a distraction from our day to
day struggles. It was a little goofy, a little silly,
a little bit inappropriate, and kind of entertaining. And it
does seem to be coming back to a certain degree
now that Hollywood resistance took a knee after November fifth,
(01:24):
which was shocking to a lot of people. Didn't see
that coming. Where are the celebrities, Why aren't they marching
in the streets, Where are the women's marches?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Where are those pea.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Hats, the pink hats they were wearing that were supposed
to take down President Trump the first time? I guess
it didn't work, but they were gone, all gone. Even
the recent Sundance Film Festival had very few pieces of
evidence that showed that Hollywood was responding in mass to
the Trump threat. I knew, Donks just wasn't there. And
(01:55):
you know, even some of the Hollywood media platforms, like
the Hollywood Reporter of Variety were writing stories saying, where
is the resistance? Where is Hollywood? We need our celebrity heroes.
They must save the day once more. They must protect
you and I from the threat that is Donald Trump
aka Hitler Reebourne.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Do you think a monthly.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
No, they're gone. There's not much going on. What's happening.
There's no movies being greenlit that's going to stop Trump
in his tracks. Michael Moore, I think he may be
making a new movie, but we don't know anything about it. Certainly,
he's the one hero we can call upon to save
the day, right, He's done it so many times before.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
So what was going on?
Speaker 1 (02:34):
What was happening? Why was Hollywood so silent after November fifth? Well,
I think the industry is starting to find its voice
in recent days.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Richard Gear has.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Called Donald Trump a bully and a thug, which is spirited.
He seems like a kind of a peaceful gent that
Richard Gear. Why would he say such terrible things about
our president? The director of Save, Todd Haynes, blasted Trump
at the Berlin Film Festival. He said that even those
people who voted for Trump will soon regret their decision.
And I've been checking the polls and it does not
(03:05):
seem to be the case as of yet. So I
think he might be wrong in that count. But you know,
God bless him.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Well, it was an effort.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
The biggest resistance fight at the moment seemed to be
centered around the Kennedy Center. Now, I used to cover
the Kennedy Center aggressively when I was working at the
Washington Times in DC, and I was there a ton
They had great performances, a variety of shows, and probably
one of the highlights of my career, maybe even from
just our personal perspective, was covering the Kennedy Center Honors.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
That was the annual gala.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
They'd pick five or six August figures and honor them.
It was a chance to recognize the arts, but also
the whole weekend was an extravaganza of some of the
biggest names in Hollywood. I mean big, big, big Oprah Winfrey,
Paul Simon, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, just the krem de
la creme of Hollywood. They'd gather that weekend to honor
(03:58):
these stars, and I'd go to the cocktail parties. It
was just amazing. I met Jack Nicholson, I met Billy Joel,
just a potpourri of superstars. It was of gas. So
that's the Kennedy Center. It's all of those things and more.
And recently Donald Trump said, I'm going to clear away
most of the Kennedy Center board. I'm going to install
myself as the temporary chief I'm going to put Rick
(04:20):
Grenell in charge as the executive director, and we're going
to get rid of all the woke.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Stuff that force steps to be coming a dractly. Now.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
I can't speak to that directly. I've not been covering
the Kennedy Center in a while. Certainly wouldn't surprise me.
I don't have real specifics to share in the front,
but certainly the arts community in general has gotten a
bit woke. I think there's a guy who even wrote
a book about that. So that was a seismic change
within the Kennedy Center ecosystem, and of course the fallout
(04:48):
was almost immediate. People like Shonda Rhimes and Ben Folds
and Renee Fleming, Isa Ray all had projects or associations
or ties with the Kennedy Center said they had ties,
because now they've all quit those ties. That was just
because Trump and his minions came on board. Now I
don't think Trump had done anything as of yet. He
(05:09):
just said, hey, I'm in charge, this is the new board,
not gonna do woke stuff. And that was enough to
send a lot of these pretty famous people fleeing asta
girls from lives. So I think the Holly resistance is back.
I think that the people who might have been a
little fearful of speaking out about Trump, which is ridiculous
because late night TV does nothing but speak out against
(05:30):
tuttled Trump on a nightly basis, So I think all
those fears are completely unfounded. Well, I think they're starting
to get their voice back. So what that means moving forward, Well,
we don't know for sure whether it will be more marching,
more protests, not quite there yet, but I think we'll
get our best answer come March second. That's the night
(05:51):
where those golden Oscar statuettes are handed out to the
rich and famous.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
The Oscar goes too.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Now, the host of the evening will be Conan O'Brien,
and Conan is no Jimmy Kimmel. He's no hard propagandist
for the left. He is a liberal, for sure, and
he's shown that on occasion, but he's been pretty much
a let's put on a show kind of a guy.
And I suspect he'll probably want to do just that
on Oscar Night and keep the focus on the movies
and on the funny. But will he will he be
(06:21):
pressure to say something against Trump and turn the night
it's monologue into something that is akin to a Colbert monologue.
I don't know. Will the presenters and the honorees be
able to focus on the films, thank their mom and
dad and their agents. Maybe they're best friends, maybe an
old high school teacher who inspired them. Or will they
too become part of the new resistance. Ah, this is
(06:44):
my ara of expertise. This is the point where I'm
supposed to kind of show my crystal ball and tell
you the answer.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Do you wonder what I see in your future?
Speaker 1 (06:52):
I just don't know. There are too many valuables here, including,
of course the Hollywood fires and the fact that Hollywood
really is struggling in recent years. Is the fallout from
the dueling strikes. You've got the rise of AI, You've
got the thread of YouTube as a content provider. You've
got falling ratings on TV. You've got movies that are
just flopping left and right. There's lots of stuff going on.
(07:13):
And of course the Biden economy did the industry no
favors either.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
But I tell you what, I don't know about you.
But I'm going to go to bed.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
So will Hollywood go full resistance on Oscar Night?
Speaker 2 (07:26):
It's possible.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
I just don't know. I do know though, if they
do it, and if they push away even more either
casual fans or maybe even once hardcore fans, away from
the Oscars, away from the movies, away from Hollywood content.
It's a mistake. I think to go the full resistance
now would be the worst possible time, and I don't
think the brand will fully recover, at least the Oscar
(07:48):
brand if that happens.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Well.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
As you know, I'm a conservative film critic and I
didn't hate Amelia Perez.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Sorry, I just didn't. So if that is why you're here, sorry,
not sorry.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Now the film is a bit of a mess. I
don't disagree with that. I don't think it's a great film.
I don't think it's an Oscar worthy film either, but
I found some of the musical numbers tuneful and original.
I thought that Zoe Salganna was terrific as the lawyer
in question, who's really the heart of the film, you know.
I know she's up for a Best Supporting Actress nomination,
but it's really a Best Leading Actress role. I don't
(08:36):
know how these things shake out. Sometimes it seems a
little bit disingenuous, but she's terrific in it, can't faulter
at all, and I think that she may very well
win that She's shown a lot of range over the years.
It seems like a nice person, no troubling behind the
scenes gossip rumors about her, and again she's flat out
terrific in the role when she's a very complicated one. Singing, dancing,
(08:56):
and mooting. Just a lot to do here, and she
does it quite well. So there's my opinion on Amelia Perez.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
But I don't have a.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Cultural expertise to bring to the story of a Mexican
drug lord who changes from a man into a woman
and starts a new life. I just don't. I don't
have a Hispanic heritage. It's not just who I am,
but someone who does have that kind of heritage. Watched
the film, was a gasp by much of it, and
shared his feelings about it via IndieWire dot com. He
(09:26):
is Giancarlo Sopo, who is a film critic, a film expert,
also a marketing guru, and he brought a lot of
those skills to his analysis of the film, as well
as what he brings to the cultural scene and his
heritage and why this particular film, wow, did it get
a lot wrong. Now, I'm not a woke guide. I'm
(09:46):
not first saying well, you should have done it this
way and Glad is mad about Amelia Perez because of
this reason. No, what Jim Carlo shares about the film
is really troubling, and not in a it's going to
hurt people kind of a way. In a boy, if
you're going to tell a story about a certain culture,
you've got to do your homework to a degree. I
don't think the team behind Amelia Perez even cracked the books.
(10:07):
And gian Carlo is going to share why. So hope
you enjoyed my conversation with gian Carlo. He's a really
smart guy. We also touch briefly on some other issues
related to Hollywood, but mostly about Amelia Perez. It is
the movie of the moment, for better and worse, and
I think you'll be surprised to find out what he
has to say about the film. And boy did they
screw this up. I have to say, above and beyond
(10:29):
the culture war fights, they should have got these things right.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Will explain skin yours. You appreciate it, you and me both.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Hey real quickly plug for Visto Media.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
At the end, I'm going to mention your National Review,
your new gig, anything else you want to mention, and
we're going.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
To talk about the NDI piece as well.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
You know, like if the thing is that, like the
National Review thing is like it's not like really like
a job or anything. I just contribute like pieces. But
if you want to say that I'm a cultural writer
and publicist, that's probably the easiest way to do to
describe me.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Gotcha. Well, I'll do that in the intro, So that's
no worries. Well, and we'll record that separately, so I'm
not going to wear about that. We're just going to
jump right into this conversation in a moment.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
I think that's it.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Going to talk about Amelia perezh why the media is
so interested in sinking the film. I want to get
your take on that, because that's almost been the most
fascinating part for me.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
They're all over this story where usually they kind of
drag their feet.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
How should how conservative should engage with pop culture? Talk
about the National Review gig, just things you're looking forward
to doing with the site, and then also maybe some
Hollywood trends that you think are bubbling up that we're
not talking about yet. I mean, you're kind of.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
A keen observer.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
I suspect you might have some thoughts about where things
are going and maybe other people aren't really talking about.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
So like like filmmaking, like craft or what.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
I mean, just pop culture in general.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
I mean things that might you know, get more traction,
actors who are on the rise streaming platform, just anything
that comes to mind that you you've kind of noticed
along the edges that might you know.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
I'm really fascinated actually by the AI discussion.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Yeah, absolutely, I think that's like.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
A really interesting technological advancement, you know.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Excellent thing. All right, we're going to jump right in again.
I'll edit this all together a little more polished fashion.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
But and uh, yeah, that's it.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Well, Jane Carlo, thanks for joining the show. I want
to kick things off with Amelia Perez. It's the movie
everyone's talking about. It's the movie that's caused me more
controversy than I can possibly imagine. And Hollywood is no
stranger to controversy. You just wrote about it for your
initial piece at Indie Wire and broke down a lot
of the reasons why it's less than Oscar worthy. Let's
start there, because you know, you have a background that
(12:46):
I don't possess, and you saw many many flaws within
the movie that I just couldn't spot. And I thought
that was it was so fascinating. So let's talk about
it from that perspective, the Latino perspective, because it sounds
like they got almost everything wrong.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Yeah, you know, it's funny. So this is a movie
that I first encountered during our baby moon to Paris
in September. My wife wasn't up for running around one evening,
so I said, I'm just gonna go watch a movie.
And that movie was Amilily Prez. It came very highly
recommended by the guy at the front desk. I went
(13:21):
and I saw it. He told me, oh, it's in Spanish,
and I was like, perfect, then I'll understand it. And
I found myself struggling to understand a film, and not
because it was like in very fast Spanish or something
like that, but just because it was incomprehensible to native speakers. Right,
So I found myself really struggling to understand this film
and having to rely on French subtitles, a language I
(13:43):
haven't studied since high school, so about like twenty five years.
So you know, look, I mean, the movie is about
a drug cartel kingpin who undergoes a very dramatic physical
transformation and becomes a women's rights activist, had a gender surgery,
(14:04):
and you know, it's it's it's a movie that you'd
figure given the sensitivities around narco trafficking in Latin America,
which I understand, it's an issue that's been explored in
American movies like look, one of my favorite films is Scarface, right,
But you know, it's an issue you have to handle
(14:27):
very delicately because it's extremely sensitive, especially to people in
around around the border region, because it's impacted so many lives.
And so it's bad enough that this movie almost none
of the cast members are are Mexican, they're like Dominican
or from Europe, and that it wasn't filmed in Mexico.
(14:48):
But the movie just consistently time and time again. Butcher's
the culture I'm talking about. Very simple language expressions, it
gets completely wrong. A lot of the Spanish is just
simply incomprehensible. If you're a native speaker, you don't you're
not going to clearly understand what's being said. You have
(15:09):
many literal translations of things that you could tell were
written originally in English. So for instance, in you know,
in America, we use the phrase seventh Heaven. There is
no counterpart to that in Spanish, right, like at least
not a not a direct literal translation. And that's something
that's used in an Oscar nominated song.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Yeah, if you had people on the set who spoke
fluently and knew the culture, they could raise his or
her hand and to listen, start to be a crimussion here.
But that doesn't work. I mean, you know that's I
would think that'd be part of the collaborative process.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Yeah, and then you have a lot of blind I
could see them having a lot of blind spots on
the set. So all the producers are European, right. None
of the stars are fully fluent in Spanish outside of
Carlo Sophia Gascon. But Gascon is from Spain, right, so
it's not the same as Mexican Spanish, and they have
different expressions, right. The screenwriter is Jacques Odiard, the French auteur,
(16:11):
so I don't expect Odiar to have a fluent grasp
of Spanish. Selena Gomez doesn't really speak Spanish. I think
she learned she had to memorize her lines, but she doesn't.
She can't hold a conversation in Spanish and Zoe's Sardana
is from the Dominican Republic, where they speak differently, the
(16:32):
same way like Britz and Aussie speak speak different than
we do. So it was just like a lot of
blind spots and things falling through the cracks. What happened
is that like this movie gets nominated or becomes France's
Best Picture submission through a very questionable process through the
government of France, and nobody who was Latino had seen
(16:55):
it unless you happen to be in Paris or whatever.
So there weren't the kind of loud objections that you
would expect because then it just played at a couple
of festivals and then it just became unstoppable. And I
thought it was really curious that they delayed its Latin
American release until after the Oscar nominations were announced, almost
(17:17):
like a strategic movie. I mean, I work in pr
and marketing myself, so I can see the craft when
it's being practiced. So it was it was extremely cynical.
You know, at times when you watch that movie, it
almost feels like you're you're being trolled, Like you're like this,
(17:37):
this can't possibly be Like there's a line in there
where Selena Gomez's character is having a very intense sexual
conversation with a lover and uses the formal clinical term
for her for her genitals rather than what you would
just say glocally and slang. In that context, that is
(17:59):
just very jarring and kind of hilarious to listen to.
So there's just so much wrong with it that at
some point I was like, I wonder if this is
an elaborate troll like Cord Jefferson's American Fiction, where they
just put out the most ridiculous possible thing they could,
almost to test the Academy, and they fell for it.
So we'll see how it does it As thirteen Oscar nominations.
(18:21):
I think these past tweets from Gascone that have been
unearthed have really damaged the film's Oscar campaign, hearing a
lot from the industry that the award voters don't want
to vote for the film in any category given the controversy.
The point that I make in the piece though, is
that I think what you will of Gascon's tweets, and
(18:42):
I think we could all agree that many of them
were pretty objectionable, especially downplaying Hitler's atrocities. That's not the
biggest problem with the movie. That is a separate issue.
We can talk about whether it was prudent for the
Academy to nominate such an individual with that history. That,
(19:04):
to me, that's a very separate conversation. The movie itself
is intrinsically flawed, and for that reason, I don't think
that a cinematic body that dedicates itself to or supposedly
supposed to be dedicating itself to uplifting the industry and
highlighting the best of what this beautiful craft has to offer,
that they should have given thirteen of their most prestigious
(19:26):
nominations to such a film.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
I mean, so that goes to the question why why
did it get so many nominations? Is it just because
at first glance on paper, it's you know, it's progressive
in nature, it's celebrating a figure who is trans and
who has an arc that is oddly celebratory. I mean,
I have a lot of issues with the morality of
the movie. I don't think that I don't think that
(19:49):
Amelia Perez really comes to grips with the horrors of
what she did. She seems like she just has a
blank slate and just moves on and creates an NGO
of sorts. Yeah, it's fine, but you're a monster. You
need to kind of live with that. So do you?
I mean, is it is it as transparent as oscars
wanted to push the representation angle or is there something
(20:10):
else in play?
Speaker 3 (20:12):
It seems to me like what they did here is
that they saw an opportunity to almost like engage in
performative box checking in two ways, highlighting a Latino film
and highlighting which is it's not really a Latino film,
it's a French production, but it's it's it's in Spanish,
and highlighting or making history by nominating a transgender actress
(20:36):
as best Actress. I also I found that very problematic
on the part of the plot itself. To me, it
seems absurd that if you've if you've engaged in generational destruction,
and I mean the I don't know what picture of
the what what Americans understand is what what the cartels do.
(20:58):
But we're not talking about Montana telling people parent my
wife and okay, like it's it's it's not that, it's
it's it's it's these guys are are killers and they
destroy innocent people, women, children, men as well. Obviously they
just found a couple of months ago, a mass grave
(21:19):
with children in northern Mexico. Stuff that's absolutely hideous. So
if you're involved in such as it's such a nefarious industry.
I don't think that just by virtue of having this
very dramatic physical transformation and becoming engaging in in uh
(21:43):
feminist politics, that that automatically cleanses you of your pastins.
I mean, it certainly doesn't do it on a spiritual level,
And I don't know that the road to redemption lies
through these very garish musical numbers which don't even make
sense half the time. I'm saying so to me, it
was culturally an authentic and like you, I also just
(22:04):
found that the plot of it, I found it morally offensive.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
You know, when you think about a movie like this,
I don't want to come from the perspective of a
certain background, so I can only tell those stories. And
I think Taylor Sheridan is a good example of someone
who tells different stories different cultures.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
But he seems to walk the walk.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
He seems to really do the research in a way that,
if not perfect, is captures the essence of the culture,
or isn't offensive, or really does get to the heart
of the issue. So I think there's a lesson here
is Listen, I don't have a big an issue of
you as sort of a European take on a Mexican's story,
but you've got to do the research, understand the culture.
(22:46):
Have you know people on set who can deal with
a language barrier? I mean, I feel like none of
that was here. I mean, isn't that the lesson here
that that shouldn't be the facto move going forward?
Speaker 3 (22:57):
Yeah, I don't think that would. Holly needs any more
of are more of these performative exercises with like, oh,
we need a new diversity initiative because I've seen films
from an era when Hollywood was a lot less diverse
that were much more culturally authentic than what we just
(23:18):
saw right now. I mean, say what you will about
depictions of Hispanics and Hollywood's Golden era. At least Elvis's
Fun in Alcapulco had the decency just to stick to
pinatas and no one was ever clueless enough to nominate
that film for an award. So it's more about if
you're going to tell a story from a foreign culture
(23:40):
the same way like if I'm going to go visit
Chicago or something. I call my friends who are from there,
and I try to get authentic takes on the local
culture and the vibes and whatever. It just seems to me,
like well, I mean, Odiard himself said in an interview
that he felt since he had already been to Mexico
handful of times, he felt he understood all he needed
(24:03):
to know about this culture and he didn't have to
engage in more research. And I mean, look, my parents
are my family's from Cuba. I don't proclaim to be
an expert on Mexico just by virtue of being another
kind of Hispanic. But if I was to, you know what,
if I do work in terms of outreach to Mexicans
(24:25):
or engaging a Mexican American community, you better believe that
I'm reaching out to every single Mexican I know and asking, Hey,
is this legit? Should I word this this way? How
would you say this? None of that work was done here,
So it's I don't care, Like you know, he could
have been from wherever. He should have just taken the
time to tell an authentic story and show this community
(24:46):
the respect that it deserves, the same way that any
of us would expect that if someone were to come
to the United States and say, like, do a movie
on ninety eleven, they would check with, hey, how do
New Yorker speak?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
Right? You know?
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Yeah, maybe this protagonist shouldn't be walking around New York
with a British accent. That doesn't sound legit, you know.
So they just didn't do their due diligence. It's not
just culturally and authentic. It is very sloppy filmmaking. So
I don't know how the industry could ever save face
by celebrating such a film. It's unfortunate that this is
(25:22):
what checks off as a diversity initiative. I'm all for
telling very unique story Like one of my favorite films
of last year was Dedi, the story of the middle
school kid whose mom had the immigrant background I think
from Taiwan. Reminded me a lot of my own upbringing.
That seemed to me like a very authentic story, like
(25:43):
they really put in the time and care. None of
that due diligence was conducted here.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
When you think about what last question about this movie.
The Oscars are in a tough spot right now. The
ratings have been falling generally speaking, over the years. It
doesn't have the cloud. Whenever I mentioned Oscars on social
media my write letting friends blow a gasket or a
nerve or some other some other medical health injury. You know,
this doesn't help, This doesn't raise up the the cachet
(26:11):
of the awards. How much damage is this going to do?
I mean, not even just to the film itself. And
listen gossip and headlines, they come and they go.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
But this feels like a.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Real body blow to the Oscars in general.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Am I being? Am I overreaching?
Speaker 3 (26:25):
I think it's It could certainly damage the institution's credibility
as a as an industry taste maker. But you also,
it happens to be that the number one movie ticket
by movie ticket buyers per capita in the United States
are Hispanic and you just made a film that upset
a whole bunch of Latinos that they just can't relate to,
(26:48):
that they think is completely foreign to their culture, that
they actually find disrespectful. So I think it damages the
industry both in terms of as a credible institution, in
terms of the academy, but more broadly, you're alienating your
most loyal audience. So just a complete misfire on several fronts.
One thing we didn't talk about in the previous question
(27:10):
in terms of a motive for rewarding this. When I
originally saw this film, I just thought to myself, because
I saw it in September, I thought Donald Trump is
likely going to win, and they will respond by nominating
this film because they think it's an adequate response to
his election. No matter where you follow on that issue,
(27:31):
it's completely counterproductive. I think the example that I would
point to is the LATINX initiative that completely alienated Latinos
and I think accelerated a cultural shift, a political shift
that was already happening in the community towards the right.
I think seeing the pre eminent cultural institutions, not just
(27:54):
in this country but also abroad, embrace such an incomptent
film could further accelerate those trends.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Yeah, I want to sis a little bit.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Obviously, this was the piece you wrote for Indie Wire,
and good for them for publishing it. But you're now
a contributor to the National National Review website. Talk about
what you have in mind for that outlet. It's a
great place to check out news and commentary. I know
Kyle Smith used to film do film reviews there, and
he's among our best. So what are you looking forward
to about that that particular collaboration.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Yeah, so, you know it, It just it felt like
a very natural home. I had already been writing movie
reviews there for the past year, and they've they've given
me an opportunity to contribute even more to the website.
Just a really thoughtful bunch of readers. I love reading
the comments whenever I post a movie review. Uh if
I that's rare, by the.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Way, thoughtful comments on the on the web. It's you know,
gota appreciate that when it happens.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Yeah. So it just seems like like like a fun
place to be. Uh. And I've never received any kind
of instruction like, oh, you must cover this movie from
a conservative perspective or this is too liberal or whatever.
They you know, they just let me do my thing,
and I've had a great run there this past year.
(29:12):
I think the types of things that I'd like to
do because I also sense like you do that many
times when you try to engage folks on the political
right on cinema, they tend to be a little skittish.
They're very distrusting as the institution And why I always
tell people is that, yes, I mean, Hollywood obviously is
a politically liberal institution, but the studios are ultimately in
(29:36):
the business of selling movie tickets, right. And what I'd
like to do is help conservatives or you know, just
or just you know, centrist, or wherever you are on
the political spectrum see their own values reflected in cinema,
because I think the more people that can become stakeholders,
the better for cinema, the better for our culture. I
(29:59):
think it's good to have things to talk about besides politics.
The political controversy of the day. I missed when people
would just argue about sports. I missed. One of my
arguments with friends was about whether Dan Marino was a
better quarterback than John Elway. So those are the types
of discussions that I'm interested in, and I'm very passionate
(30:21):
about cinema. I try to watch about a movie a day,
and sharing that with people is what gets me really excited,
regardless of politics. I mean, I've I've worked in politics
for a long time, and I you know, these days,
I'm just I'm much more excited about cinema and sharing
that passion with people.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
In recent months, we've had platforms like The Daily Wire.
Angel Studios just call them generically right leaning. I know
it's complicated in the Daily Wire. Not every film that
they produce is that nature. But they're doing things that
are different than the mainstream, and you know, I think
The Blaze is flirting with some projects as well.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
There is an emerging.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Sense here that people on the right can tell stories.
You know, the technologies make it easier, it's much cheaper
to do it. You're in this space and you've kind
of worked in different areas that kind of overlap with
Hollywood in a sense, what do you see that they're
doing right and what would you like to see them
do more of?
Speaker 3 (31:16):
Moving forward?
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Sort of the voices outside of the mainstream, the voices
outside of Hollywood. We're trying to kind of crash the gates.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
So to answer your question, I'm all for more people
contributing to the cinematic space. If they want to make good,
thoughtful films, if they want to go and remake or
not remake, but make the twenty twenty five equivalent of
The Leopard and the Federico Fellini movies and some of
(31:44):
those classics. I would love that. I love movies of
that caliber. If it's just to hit me over the
head with politics, then I guess I would just watch
Fox News or MSNBC. I've seen some very interesting projects
come out from that space, you know. Now, I would
separate narrative fiction from political documentaries. That seems to me
(32:06):
like a more natural space for conservative publications because it's
it's very upfront as to what you're getting. But yeah,
I mean, if somebody wants to go out there and
make great films, why not. That's right left or center.
That's fantastic. Some of my favorite movies have been by
very liberal filmmakers. If you grew up in the eighties,
(32:29):
I'm sure you know the history behind John Carpenter As
They Live.
Speaker 4 (32:33):
Yes, yeah, it's the whole movie is supposed to be
a critique of Reagan. But you can still watch that
movie and it would you know, not necessarily read it
that way, but it is supposed to be a very
overt critique of Reagan, and but.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
It's still a fantastic film. So I'm I'm cool with
great cinema, doesn't matter the source. I'd love to see
more people getting involved in in creative projects, you know,
whether it's cinema whether it's like you know, in the
narrative fiction sense, or documentaries or theater, more people in
(33:10):
the arts. To me, it's fantastic and it's great.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
One last question, just as someone who watches a lot
of movies, who's been in the space and overlapping with
politics for sure, but you know, a movie lover first
and foremost, what do you think is coming down the
pike in twenty twenty five. You know, obviously streaming is huge,
We've got some more sequels and remakes and reboots coming
our way, the new attempted Superman. But are there things
bubbling up beneath the surface that you're noticing, or trends
(33:36):
or shows that you think, well, this could be breaking
bigger in the year to come.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
What's anything that comes to mind?
Speaker 3 (33:42):
So I was heartbroken that Quentin Tarantino's movie is not
being made, at least not in the foreseeable future, as
I hope it's not his last film. I hope he
makes ten more. I'm really excited about Paul Thomas Anderson's
work that he's got with Leo DiCaprio. And in terms
of just like a craft trend that I'm very interested
(34:04):
in is the use of AI and cinema. We all
saw the controversy with the Brutalist and it's got a
very minor use of AI. I think it was just
a correc some vowels in Hungarian. There was a lot
of controversy over that. I understand why people would be uneasy,
but it does seem to me like the industry is
(34:26):
going to be moving in that direction anyway. Yeah, and
so how we do it in a way that's ethical
and where we're not erasing pure art and just outsourcing
all of it to a machine is something that I'm
interested in seeing how that technology develops. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
I mean it's something that's not to be stopped. It's here,
It'll only get more commonplace. And as much as Hollywood
fights that, they're going to have to find a way
to live with it and do it in a way,
like you said, that's more ethical and more but tuned
to the human spirit without making it. I guess the
next and last Terminator film, because that's the that's the
worst case scenario. Well, Giancarlo, thanks for joining the show.
(35:06):
Of course, people can follow you. Where can you follow one?
Speaker 2 (35:08):
On Twitter?
Speaker 1 (35:08):
What's your handle that we can share it?
Speaker 3 (35:10):
So it's my name both at Twitter and at Ladderbox.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
Gotcha, that's Jian Carlo Sopo, and then also Visto Media
is you is your company, it's a consulting firm PR Marketing,
and we'll be looking forward to more of your work
at National Review. And I do hope that other outlets,
you know, could be across the political spectrum to start
to embrace your work as well, including listen, Indy Wire
is very left of center at time, so I applaud
them for giving you a voice and as well they should,
(35:35):
So keep up the big work, and thank you for
bringing these issues to light with with Amelia Perez, because
I saw it, I had a lot of issues with it.
I think I liked it more than you, but I
just wasn't aware of all the cultural gaps in there,
which are significant and are profounded and should be noted.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
So that's all the better that we know about it now.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
And I don't think they're going to have it appy
Oscar night, let's put it that way.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
But yeah, no, I mean listen, if I didn't speak Spanish,
a lot of the stuff would just fly over my
head because on the surface level, it seems almost like
a kind of a cool story if you're not well
versed in their regional history. But there are six hundred
million people in the world who speak Spanish. We're not
talking about Aramaic or ancient Greek. They could have literally
(36:22):
just reached out to anyone in Mexico and been like, hey,
is this legit? So that's part that's a big part
of the problem that I have with it. But yeah,
let's see what happens. Do you have any Oscar predictions?
You know?
Speaker 2 (36:33):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
I thought initially that the brutalist would come away with
the best picture. Now I guess there's some conventional wisdom
around a complete unknown. Which movie that I really enjoyed
is my favorite movie last year?
Speaker 2 (36:44):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
There's no consensus right now. I think that to me,
Moore is going to win Best Actors. I think it's
the competition this year isn't as stiff as it usually is.
I think the guests going situation is going to cast
that that's not.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Going to happen.
Speaker 3 (36:57):
So I don't know.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
It just seems like a how would likes feel good?
Speaker 3 (36:59):
Story?
Speaker 1 (37:00):
Is an older actress who was famous and beautiful when
she was younger, and now she's you know, a career comeback.
It's fun to see and good for her.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
Oh and with all due respect to my lovely better half,
she's still beautiful. I mean, Demi Moore looks fantastic at
sixty years old. I bought of I wish I looked
that good. And yeah, the movie's fantastic. I really like
the substance. I don't think it's gonna win Best Picture.
I feel like a complete unknown would be a pretty safe,
(37:30):
feel good pick if they don't want to rock the boat.
And I could see a situation because because they use
ranked choice voting where it could be like a second
choice for a lot of people there, and if there's
a split in the first choice, it would rise to
the top.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
I agree, one, that's quick thought.
Speaker 1 (37:46):
You know. To me, the fact that they made The
Brutalist for reportedly around ten million dollars.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
To should be a special.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
It's a beautiful looking film, it's got this epic scope,
and I just think on that level alone, it's like
telling the Hollywood being count my god, you've got to
be able to make movies at a cheaper price point,
because look at what they've done, and look what Godzilla
minus one did. You've got to cut these costs. It's
just it's just unacceptable right now. But that's a scory
to conversation for another day.
Speaker 3 (38:14):
We should be able to get five of those per year,
to be honest with you, I mean, and like, I
really admired some smaller productions this year. Like I don't know,
if you watch It's when it was called ghost Light,
No I didn't, Yeah it was. It was a really
poignant story. Sing Sing was another relatively inexpensive film as well.
(38:36):
We need more films like that. I thought that they
just told very beautiful, powerful stories, and I hope the
Academy engages it's like some serious reforms because I also
don't like these situations where three fourths of the nominees
or films that were released in the in the fourth
quarter of the year due to recency bias, so they
(38:56):
should also be addressing that. But yeah, let's see, I'm
not gonna put bet my house on anything this year.
It's very uneasy, but I feel at least it seems
like Amelia Priz doesn't have the win that it sales anymore.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Yeah, if it goes over thirteen and I wouldn't be shocked,
but we'll have to wait and see.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
Thank you. Thank you again, Jim Carl appreciate the chat.
Speaker 1 (39:18):
Yeah. Likewise, your character actor of the week is m
Emmett Walsh. Well, let's say for the show this week,
thank you for watching. Thank you to Radio America for
having me as part of their great podcast lineup. And
if you have to get the chance, if you could
share or like the show on social media, tell a friend,
let us let other people know about what's going on
with this show. I like to focus on guests you
(39:40):
won't see an other podcasts. I think that's important. I
think it's vital. I think these are voices that deserve
to be heard. I hope you agree, and if you do,
again give us a little love. And by the way,
I really do appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
If you check out Hollywoodintoto dot com.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
That is my website. I started twenty fourteen. It is
more than ten years old. Now it's kind of scary.
I have an age at but the show, but the
website clearly has. We've got some interesting guests coming up,
including a dancer who really shows the behind the scenes
struggles on and off Broadway and how that woke culture
really infected how things went on behind the scenes and
(40:14):
how troubling. It was, just some personal perspectives to share,
and I think think you're gonna like that's coming soon.
So again, I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Stay safe,
stay smart, and be kind to each other. We'll see
you next time.
This week in the Hollywood and Total Podcast, they're back.
The Hollywood resistance is back, and I've got some of
the crazy things they're saying about you know who. And
we talked to film critic and marketer gen Carlo Sopo
about Amelia Perez. It's the movie of the moment, chock
full of controversy, but what gen Carlo has to say
about the movie will surprise you. And he's got some
(00:22):
very interesting receipts to share, no doubt.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Welcome to the Hollywood and Total Podcast. Entertainment news and reviews,
without doubt, woke.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Hollywood narrative, free speech, free expression, Now that's entertainment. And
here's your host, award winning film critic Courstionian Toto.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
This justin Madonna is no longer dreaming of blowing up
the White House, and that's good news.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I guess. I have to say the original.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Hollywood resistance during the first Trump term was silly and
outrageous and off the wall, but also a little bit fun.
It was kind of a distraction from our day to
day struggles. It was a little goofy, a little silly,
a little bit inappropriate, and kind of entertaining. And it
does seem to be coming back to a certain degree
now that Hollywood resistance took a knee after November fifth,
(01:24):
which was shocking to a lot of people. Didn't see
that coming. Where are the celebrities, Why aren't they marching
in the streets, Where are the women's marches?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Where are those pea.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Hats, the pink hats they were wearing that were supposed
to take down President Trump the first time? I guess
it didn't work, but they were gone, all gone. Even
the recent Sundance Film Festival had very few pieces of
evidence that showed that Hollywood was responding in mass to
the Trump threat. I knew, Donks just wasn't there. And
(01:55):
you know, even some of the Hollywood media platforms, like
the Hollywood Reporter of Variety were writing stories saying, where
is the resistance? Where is Hollywood? We need our celebrity heroes.
They must save the day once more. They must protect
you and I from the threat that is Donald Trump
aka Hitler Reebourne.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Do you think a monthly.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
No, they're gone. There's not much going on. What's happening.
There's no movies being greenlit that's going to stop Trump
in his tracks. Michael Moore, I think he may be
making a new movie, but we don't know anything about it. Certainly,
he's the one hero we can call upon to save
the day, right, He's done it so many times before.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
So what was going on?
Speaker 1 (02:34):
What was happening? Why was Hollywood so silent after November fifth? Well,
I think the industry is starting to find its voice
in recent days.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Richard Gear has.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Called Donald Trump a bully and a thug, which is spirited.
He seems like a kind of a peaceful gent that
Richard Gear. Why would he say such terrible things about
our president? The director of Save, Todd Haynes, blasted Trump
at the Berlin Film Festival. He said that even those
people who voted for Trump will soon regret their decision.
And I've been checking the polls and it does not
(03:05):
seem to be the case as of yet. So I
think he might be wrong in that count. But you know,
God bless him.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Well, it was an effort.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
The biggest resistance fight at the moment seemed to be
centered around the Kennedy Center. Now, I used to cover
the Kennedy Center aggressively when I was working at the
Washington Times in DC, and I was there a ton
They had great performances, a variety of shows, and probably
one of the highlights of my career, maybe even from
just our personal perspective, was covering the Kennedy Center Honors.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
That was the annual gala.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
They'd pick five or six August figures and honor them.
It was a chance to recognize the arts, but also
the whole weekend was an extravaganza of some of the
biggest names in Hollywood. I mean big, big, big Oprah Winfrey,
Paul Simon, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, just the krem de
la creme of Hollywood. They'd gather that weekend to honor
(03:58):
these stars, and I'd go to the cocktail parties. It
was just amazing. I met Jack Nicholson, I met Billy Joel,
just a potpourri of superstars. It was of gas. So
that's the Kennedy Center. It's all of those things and more.
And recently Donald Trump said, I'm going to clear away
most of the Kennedy Center board. I'm going to install
myself as the temporary chief I'm going to put Rick
(04:20):
Grenell in charge as the executive director, and we're going
to get rid of all the woke.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Stuff that force steps to be coming a dractly. Now.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
I can't speak to that directly. I've not been covering
the Kennedy Center in a while. Certainly wouldn't surprise me.
I don't have real specifics to share in the front,
but certainly the arts community in general has gotten a
bit woke. I think there's a guy who even wrote
a book about that. So that was a seismic change
within the Kennedy Center ecosystem, and of course the fallout
(04:48):
was almost immediate. People like Shonda Rhimes and Ben Folds
and Renee Fleming, Isa Ray all had projects or associations
or ties with the Kennedy Center said they had ties,
because now they've all quit those ties. That was just
because Trump and his minions came on board. Now I
don't think Trump had done anything as of yet. He
(05:09):
just said, hey, I'm in charge, this is the new board,
not gonna do woke stuff. And that was enough to
send a lot of these pretty famous people fleeing asta
girls from lives. So I think the Holly resistance is back.
I think that the people who might have been a
little fearful of speaking out about Trump, which is ridiculous
because late night TV does nothing but speak out against
(05:30):
tuttled Trump on a nightly basis, So I think all
those fears are completely unfounded. Well, I think they're starting
to get their voice back. So what that means moving forward, Well,
we don't know for sure whether it will be more marching,
more protests, not quite there yet, but I think we'll
get our best answer come March second. That's the night
(05:51):
where those golden Oscar statuettes are handed out to the
rich and famous.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
The Oscar goes too.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Now, the host of the evening will be Conan O'Brien,
and Conan is no Jimmy Kimmel. He's no hard propagandist
for the left. He is a liberal, for sure, and
he's shown that on occasion, but he's been pretty much
a let's put on a show kind of a guy.
And I suspect he'll probably want to do just that
on Oscar Night and keep the focus on the movies
and on the funny. But will he will he be
(06:21):
pressure to say something against Trump and turn the night
it's monologue into something that is akin to a Colbert monologue.
I don't know. Will the presenters and the honorees be
able to focus on the films, thank their mom and
dad and their agents. Maybe they're best friends, maybe an
old high school teacher who inspired them. Or will they
too become part of the new resistance. Ah, this is
(06:44):
my ara of expertise. This is the point where I'm
supposed to kind of show my crystal ball and tell
you the answer.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Do you wonder what I see in your future?
Speaker 1 (06:52):
I just don't know. There are too many valuables here, including,
of course the Hollywood fires and the fact that Hollywood
really is struggling in recent years. Is the fallout from
the dueling strikes. You've got the rise of AI, You've
got the thread of YouTube as a content provider. You've
got falling ratings on TV. You've got movies that are
just flopping left and right. There's lots of stuff going on.
(07:13):
And of course the Biden economy did the industry no
favors either.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
But I tell you what, I don't know about you.
But I'm going to go to bed.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
So will Hollywood go full resistance on Oscar Night?
Speaker 2 (07:26):
It's possible.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
I just don't know. I do know though, if they
do it, and if they push away even more either
casual fans or maybe even once hardcore fans, away from
the Oscars, away from the movies, away from Hollywood content.
It's a mistake. I think to go the full resistance
now would be the worst possible time, and I don't
think the brand will fully recover, at least the Oscar
(07:48):
brand if that happens.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Well.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
As you know, I'm a conservative film critic and I
didn't hate Amelia Perez.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Sorry, I just didn't. So if that is why you're here, sorry,
not sorry.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Now the film is a bit of a mess. I
don't disagree with that. I don't think it's a great film.
I don't think it's an Oscar worthy film either, but
I found some of the musical numbers tuneful and original.
I thought that Zoe Salganna was terrific as the lawyer
in question, who's really the heart of the film, you know.
I know she's up for a Best Supporting Actress nomination,
but it's really a Best Leading Actress role. I don't
(08:36):
know how these things shake out. Sometimes it seems a
little bit disingenuous, but she's terrific in it, can't faulter
at all, and I think that she may very well
win that She's shown a lot of range over the years.
It seems like a nice person, no troubling behind the
scenes gossip rumors about her, and again she's flat out
terrific in the role when she's a very complicated one. Singing, dancing,
(08:56):
and mooting. Just a lot to do here, and she
does it quite well. So there's my opinion on Amelia Perez.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
But I don't have a.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Cultural expertise to bring to the story of a Mexican
drug lord who changes from a man into a woman
and starts a new life. I just don't. I don't
have a Hispanic heritage. It's not just who I am,
but someone who does have that kind of heritage. Watched
the film, was a gasp by much of it, and
shared his feelings about it via IndieWire dot com. He
(09:26):
is Giancarlo Sopo, who is a film critic, a film expert,
also a marketing guru, and he brought a lot of
those skills to his analysis of the film, as well
as what he brings to the cultural scene and his
heritage and why this particular film, wow, did it get
a lot wrong. Now, I'm not a woke guide. I'm
(09:46):
not first saying well, you should have done it this
way and Glad is mad about Amelia Perez because of
this reason. No, what Jim Carlo shares about the film
is really troubling, and not in a it's going to
hurt people kind of a way. In a boy, if
you're going to tell a story about a certain culture,
you've got to do your homework to a degree. I
don't think the team behind Amelia Perez even cracked the books.
(10:07):
And gian Carlo is going to share why. So hope
you enjoyed my conversation with gian Carlo. He's a really
smart guy. We also touch briefly on some other issues
related to Hollywood, but mostly about Amelia Perez. It is
the movie of the moment, for better and worse, and
I think you'll be surprised to find out what he
has to say about the film. And boy did they
screw this up. I have to say, above and beyond
(10:29):
the culture war fights, they should have got these things right.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Will explain skin yours. You appreciate it, you and me both.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Hey real quickly plug for Visto Media.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
At the end, I'm going to mention your National Review,
your new gig, anything else you want to mention, and
we're going.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
To talk about the NDI piece as well.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
You know, like if the thing is that, like the
National Review thing is like it's not like really like
a job or anything. I just contribute like pieces. But
if you want to say that I'm a cultural writer
and publicist, that's probably the easiest way to do to
describe me.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Gotcha. Well, I'll do that in the intro, So that's
no worries. Well, and we'll record that separately, so I'm
not going to wear about that. We're just going to
jump right into this conversation in a moment.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
I think that's it.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
Going to talk about Amelia perezh why the media is
so interested in sinking the film. I want to get
your take on that, because that's almost been the most
fascinating part for me.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
They're all over this story where usually they kind of
drag their feet.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
How should how conservative should engage with pop culture? Talk
about the National Review gig, just things you're looking forward
to doing with the site, and then also maybe some
Hollywood trends that you think are bubbling up that we're
not talking about yet. I mean, you're kind of.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
A keen observer.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
I suspect you might have some thoughts about where things
are going and maybe other people aren't really talking about.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
So like like filmmaking, like craft or what.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
I mean, just pop culture in general.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
I mean things that might you know, get more traction,
actors who are on the rise streaming platform, just anything
that comes to mind that you you've kind of noticed
along the edges that might you know.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
I'm really fascinated actually by the AI discussion.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Yeah, absolutely, I think that's like.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
A really interesting technological advancement, you know.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Excellent thing. All right, we're going to jump right in again.
I'll edit this all together a little more polished fashion.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
But and uh, yeah, that's it.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Well, Jane Carlo, thanks for joining the show. I want
to kick things off with Amelia Perez. It's the movie
everyone's talking about. It's the movie that's caused me more
controversy than I can possibly imagine. And Hollywood is no
stranger to controversy. You just wrote about it for your
initial piece at Indie Wire and broke down a lot
of the reasons why it's less than Oscar worthy. Let's
start there, because you know, you have a background that
(12:46):
I don't possess, and you saw many many flaws within
the movie that I just couldn't spot. And I thought
that was it was so fascinating. So let's talk about
it from that perspective, the Latino perspective, because it sounds
like they got almost everything wrong.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Yeah, you know, it's funny. So this is a movie
that I first encountered during our baby moon to Paris
in September. My wife wasn't up for running around one evening,
so I said, I'm just gonna go watch a movie.
And that movie was Amilily Prez. It came very highly
recommended by the guy at the front desk. I went
(13:21):
and I saw it. He told me, oh, it's in Spanish,
and I was like, perfect, then I'll understand it. And
I found myself struggling to understand a film, and not
because it was like in very fast Spanish or something
like that, but just because it was incomprehensible to native speakers. Right,
So I found myself really struggling to understand this film
and having to rely on French subtitles, a language I
(13:43):
haven't studied since high school, so about like twenty five years.
So you know, look, I mean, the movie is about
a drug cartel kingpin who undergoes a very dramatic physical
transformation and becomes a women's rights activist, had a gender surgery,
(14:04):
and you know, it's it's it's a movie that you'd
figure given the sensitivities around narco trafficking in Latin America,
which I understand, it's an issue that's been explored in
American movies like look, one of my favorite films is Scarface, right,
But you know, it's an issue you have to handle
(14:27):
very delicately because it's extremely sensitive, especially to people in
around around the border region, because it's impacted so many lives.
And so it's bad enough that this movie almost none
of the cast members are are Mexican, they're like Dominican
or from Europe, and that it wasn't filmed in Mexico.
(14:48):
But the movie just consistently time and time again. Butcher's
the culture I'm talking about. Very simple language expressions, it
gets completely wrong. A lot of the Spanish is just
simply incomprehensible. If you're a native speaker, you don't you're
not going to clearly understand what's being said. You have
(15:09):
many literal translations of things that you could tell were
written originally in English. So for instance, in you know,
in America, we use the phrase seventh Heaven. There is
no counterpart to that in Spanish, right, like at least
not a not a direct literal translation. And that's something
that's used in an Oscar nominated song.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Yeah, if you had people on the set who spoke
fluently and knew the culture, they could raise his or
her hand and to listen, start to be a crimussion here.
But that doesn't work. I mean, you know that's I
would think that'd be part of the collaborative process.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Yeah, and then you have a lot of blind I
could see them having a lot of blind spots on
the set. So all the producers are European, right. None
of the stars are fully fluent in Spanish outside of
Carlo Sophia Gascon. But Gascon is from Spain, right, so
it's not the same as Mexican Spanish, and they have
different expressions, right. The screenwriter is Jacques Odiard, the French auteur,
(16:11):
so I don't expect Odiar to have a fluent grasp
of Spanish. Selena Gomez doesn't really speak Spanish. I think
she learned she had to memorize her lines, but she doesn't.
She can't hold a conversation in Spanish and Zoe's Sardana
is from the Dominican Republic, where they speak differently, the
(16:32):
same way like Britz and Aussie speak speak different than
we do. So it was just like a lot of
blind spots and things falling through the cracks. What happened
is that like this movie gets nominated or becomes France's
Best Picture submission through a very questionable process through the
government of France, and nobody who was Latino had seen
(16:55):
it unless you happen to be in Paris or whatever.
So there weren't the kind of loud objections that you
would expect because then it just played at a couple
of festivals and then it just became unstoppable. And I
thought it was really curious that they delayed its Latin
American release until after the Oscar nominations were announced, almost
(17:17):
like a strategic movie. I mean, I work in pr
and marketing myself, so I can see the craft when
it's being practiced. So it was it was extremely cynical.
You know, at times when you watch that movie, it
almost feels like you're you're being trolled, Like you're like this,
(17:37):
this can't possibly be Like there's a line in there
where Selena Gomez's character is having a very intense sexual
conversation with a lover and uses the formal clinical term
for her for her genitals rather than what you would
just say glocally and slang. In that context, that is
(17:59):
just very jarring and kind of hilarious to listen to.
So there's just so much wrong with it that at
some point I was like, I wonder if this is
an elaborate troll like Cord Jefferson's American Fiction, where they
just put out the most ridiculous possible thing they could,
almost to test the Academy, and they fell for it.
So we'll see how it does it As thirteen Oscar nominations.
(18:21):
I think these past tweets from Gascone that have been
unearthed have really damaged the film's Oscar campaign, hearing a
lot from the industry that the award voters don't want
to vote for the film in any category given the controversy.
The point that I make in the piece though, is
that I think what you will of Gascon's tweets, and
(18:42):
I think we could all agree that many of them
were pretty objectionable, especially downplaying Hitler's atrocities. That's not the
biggest problem with the movie. That is a separate issue.
We can talk about whether it was prudent for the
Academy to nominate such an individual with that history. That,
(19:04):
to me, that's a very separate conversation. The movie itself
is intrinsically flawed, and for that reason, I don't think
that a cinematic body that dedicates itself to or supposedly
supposed to be dedicating itself to uplifting the industry and
highlighting the best of what this beautiful craft has to offer,
that they should have given thirteen of their most prestigious
(19:26):
nominations to such a film.
Speaker 4 (19:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
I mean, so that goes to the question why why
did it get so many nominations? Is it just because
at first glance on paper, it's you know, it's progressive
in nature, it's celebrating a figure who is trans and
who has an arc that is oddly celebratory. I mean,
I have a lot of issues with the morality of
the movie. I don't think that I don't think that
(19:49):
Amelia Perez really comes to grips with the horrors of
what she did. She seems like she just has a
blank slate and just moves on and creates an NGO
of sorts. Yeah, it's fine, but you're a monster. You
need to kind of live with that. So do you?
I mean, is it is it as transparent as oscars
wanted to push the representation angle or is there something
(20:10):
else in play?
Speaker 3 (20:12):
It seems to me like what they did here is
that they saw an opportunity to almost like engage in
performative box checking in two ways, highlighting a Latino film
and highlighting which is it's not really a Latino film,
it's a French production, but it's it's it's in Spanish,
and highlighting or making history by nominating a transgender actress
(20:36):
as best Actress. I also I found that very problematic
on the part of the plot itself. To me, it
seems absurd that if you've if you've engaged in generational destruction,
and I mean the I don't know what picture of
the what what Americans understand is what what the cartels do.
(20:58):
But we're not talking about Montana telling people parent my
wife and okay, like it's it's it's not that, it's
it's it's it's these guys are are killers and they
destroy innocent people, women, children, men as well. Obviously they
just found a couple of months ago, a mass grave
(21:19):
with children in northern Mexico. Stuff that's absolutely hideous. So
if you're involved in such as it's such a nefarious industry.
I don't think that just by virtue of having this
very dramatic physical transformation and becoming engaging in in uh
(21:43):
feminist politics, that that automatically cleanses you of your pastins.
I mean, it certainly doesn't do it on a spiritual level,
And I don't know that the road to redemption lies
through these very garish musical numbers which don't even make
sense half the time. I'm saying so to me, it
was culturally an authentic and like you, I also just
(22:04):
found that the plot of it, I found it morally offensive.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
You know, when you think about a movie like this,
I don't want to come from the perspective of a
certain background, so I can only tell those stories. And
I think Taylor Sheridan is a good example of someone
who tells different stories different cultures.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
But he seems to walk the walk.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
He seems to really do the research in a way that,
if not perfect, is captures the essence of the culture,
or isn't offensive, or really does get to the heart
of the issue. So I think there's a lesson here
is Listen, I don't have a big an issue of
you as sort of a European take on a Mexican's story,
but you've got to do the research, understand the culture.
(22:46):
Have you know people on set who can deal with
a language barrier? I mean, I feel like none of
that was here. I mean, isn't that the lesson here
that that shouldn't be the facto move going forward?
Speaker 3 (22:57):
Yeah, I don't think that would. Holly needs any more
of are more of these performative exercises with like, oh,
we need a new diversity initiative because I've seen films
from an era when Hollywood was a lot less diverse
that were much more culturally authentic than what we just
(23:18):
saw right now. I mean, say what you will about
depictions of Hispanics and Hollywood's Golden era. At least Elvis's
Fun in Alcapulco had the decency just to stick to
pinatas and no one was ever clueless enough to nominate
that film for an award. So it's more about if
you're going to tell a story from a foreign culture
(23:40):
the same way like if I'm going to go visit
Chicago or something. I call my friends who are from there,
and I try to get authentic takes on the local
culture and the vibes and whatever. It just seems to me,
like well, I mean, Odiard himself said in an interview
that he felt since he had already been to Mexico
handful of times, he felt he understood all he needed
(24:03):
to know about this culture and he didn't have to
engage in more research. And I mean, look, my parents
are my family's from Cuba. I don't proclaim to be
an expert on Mexico just by virtue of being another
kind of Hispanic. But if I was to, you know what,
if I do work in terms of outreach to Mexicans
(24:25):
or engaging a Mexican American community, you better believe that
I'm reaching out to every single Mexican I know and asking, Hey,
is this legit? Should I word this this way? How
would you say this? None of that work was done here,
So it's I don't care, Like you know, he could
have been from wherever. He should have just taken the
time to tell an authentic story and show this community
(24:46):
the respect that it deserves, the same way that any
of us would expect that if someone were to come
to the United States and say, like, do a movie
on ninety eleven, they would check with, hey, how do
New Yorker speak?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
Right? You know?
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Yeah, maybe this protagonist shouldn't be walking around New York
with a British accent. That doesn't sound legit, you know.
So they just didn't do their due diligence. It's not
just culturally and authentic. It is very sloppy filmmaking. So
I don't know how the industry could ever save face
by celebrating such a film. It's unfortunate that this is
(25:22):
what checks off as a diversity initiative. I'm all for
telling very unique story Like one of my favorite films
of last year was Dedi, the story of the middle
school kid whose mom had the immigrant background I think
from Taiwan. Reminded me a lot of my own upbringing.
That seemed to me like a very authentic story, like
(25:43):
they really put in the time and care. None of
that due diligence was conducted here.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
When you think about what last question about this movie.
The Oscars are in a tough spot right now. The
ratings have been falling generally speaking, over the years. It
doesn't have the cloud. Whenever I mentioned Oscars on social
media my write letting friends blow a gasket or a
nerve or some other some other medical health injury. You know,
this doesn't help, This doesn't raise up the the cachet
(26:11):
of the awards. How much damage is this going to do?
I mean, not even just to the film itself. And
listen gossip and headlines, they come and they go.
Speaker 2 (26:19):
But this feels like a.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Real body blow to the Oscars in general.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Am I being? Am I overreaching?
Speaker 3 (26:25):
I think it's It could certainly damage the institution's credibility
as a as an industry taste maker. But you also,
it happens to be that the number one movie ticket
by movie ticket buyers per capita in the United States
are Hispanic and you just made a film that upset
a whole bunch of Latinos that they just can't relate to,
(26:48):
that they think is completely foreign to their culture, that
they actually find disrespectful. So I think it damages the
industry both in terms of as a credible institution, in
terms of the academy, but more broadly, you're alienating your
most loyal audience. So just a complete misfire on several fronts.
One thing we didn't talk about in the previous question
(27:10):
in terms of a motive for rewarding this. When I
originally saw this film, I just thought to myself, because
I saw it in September, I thought Donald Trump is
likely going to win, and they will respond by nominating
this film because they think it's an adequate response to
his election. No matter where you follow on that issue,
(27:31):
it's completely counterproductive. I think the example that I would
point to is the LATINX initiative that completely alienated Latinos
and I think accelerated a cultural shift, a political shift
that was already happening in the community towards the right.
I think seeing the pre eminent cultural institutions, not just
(27:54):
in this country but also abroad, embrace such an incomptent
film could further accelerate those trends.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Yeah, I want to sis a little bit.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Obviously, this was the piece you wrote for Indie Wire,
and good for them for publishing it. But you're now
a contributor to the National National Review website. Talk about
what you have in mind for that outlet. It's a
great place to check out news and commentary. I know
Kyle Smith used to film do film reviews there, and
he's among our best. So what are you looking forward
to about that that particular collaboration.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
Yeah, so, you know it, It just it felt like
a very natural home. I had already been writing movie
reviews there for the past year, and they've they've given
me an opportunity to contribute even more to the website.
Just a really thoughtful bunch of readers. I love reading
the comments whenever I post a movie review. Uh if
I that's rare, by the.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
Way, thoughtful comments on the on the web. It's you know,
gota appreciate that when it happens.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Yeah. So it just seems like like like a fun
place to be. Uh. And I've never received any kind
of instruction like, oh, you must cover this movie from
a conservative perspective or this is too liberal or whatever.
They you know, they just let me do my thing,
and I've had a great run there this past year.
(29:12):
I think the types of things that I'd like to
do because I also sense like you do that many
times when you try to engage folks on the political
right on cinema, they tend to be a little skittish.
They're very distrusting as the institution And why I always
tell people is that, yes, I mean, Hollywood obviously is
a politically liberal institution, but the studios are ultimately in
(29:36):
the business of selling movie tickets, right. And what I'd
like to do is help conservatives or you know, just
or just you know, centrist, or wherever you are on
the political spectrum see their own values reflected in cinema,
because I think the more people that can become stakeholders,
the better for cinema, the better for our culture. I
(29:59):
think it's good to have things to talk about besides politics.
The political controversy of the day. I missed when people
would just argue about sports. I missed. One of my
arguments with friends was about whether Dan Marino was a
better quarterback than John Elway. So those are the types
of discussions that I'm interested in, and I'm very passionate
(30:21):
about cinema. I try to watch about a movie a day,
and sharing that with people is what gets me really excited,
regardless of politics. I mean, I've I've worked in politics
for a long time, and I you know, these days,
I'm just I'm much more excited about cinema and sharing
that passion with people.
Speaker 1 (30:39):
In recent months, we've had platforms like The Daily Wire.
Angel Studios just call them generically right leaning. I know
it's complicated in the Daily Wire. Not every film that
they produce is that nature. But they're doing things that
are different than the mainstream, and you know, I think
The Blaze is flirting with some projects as well.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
There is an emerging.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
Sense here that people on the right can tell stories.
You know, the technologies make it easier, it's much cheaper
to do it. You're in this space and you've kind
of worked in different areas that kind of overlap with
Hollywood in a sense, what do you see that they're
doing right and what would you like to see them
do more of?
Speaker 3 (31:16):
Moving forward?
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Sort of the voices outside of the mainstream, the voices
outside of Hollywood. We're trying to kind of crash the gates.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
So to answer your question, I'm all for more people
contributing to the cinematic space. If they want to make good,
thoughtful films, if they want to go and remake or
not remake, but make the twenty twenty five equivalent of
The Leopard and the Federico Fellini movies and some of
(31:44):
those classics. I would love that. I love movies of
that caliber. If it's just to hit me over the
head with politics, then I guess I would just watch
Fox News or MSNBC. I've seen some very interesting projects
come out from that space, you know. Now, I would
separate narrative fiction from political documentaries. That seems to me
(32:06):
like a more natural space for conservative publications because it's
it's very upfront as to what you're getting. But yeah,
I mean, if somebody wants to go out there and
make great films, why not. That's right left or center.
That's fantastic. Some of my favorite movies have been by
very liberal filmmakers. If you grew up in the eighties,
(32:29):
I'm sure you know the history behind John Carpenter As
They Live.
Speaker 4 (32:33):
Yes, yeah, it's the whole movie is supposed to be
a critique of Reagan. But you can still watch that
movie and it would you know, not necessarily read it
that way, but it is supposed to be a very
overt critique of Reagan, and but.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
It's still a fantastic film. So I'm I'm cool with
great cinema, doesn't matter the source. I'd love to see
more people getting involved in in creative projects, you know,
whether it's cinema whether it's like you know, in the
narrative fiction sense, or documentaries or theater, more people in
(33:10):
the arts. To me, it's fantastic and it's great.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
One last question, just as someone who watches a lot
of movies, who's been in the space and overlapping with
politics for sure, but you know, a movie lover first
and foremost, what do you think is coming down the
pike in twenty twenty five. You know, obviously streaming is huge,
We've got some more sequels and remakes and reboots coming
our way, the new attempted Superman. But are there things
bubbling up beneath the surface that you're noticing, or trends
(33:36):
or shows that you think, well, this could be breaking
bigger in the year to come.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
What's anything that comes to mind?
Speaker 3 (33:42):
So I was heartbroken that Quentin Tarantino's movie is not
being made, at least not in the foreseeable future, as
I hope it's not his last film. I hope he
makes ten more. I'm really excited about Paul Thomas Anderson's
work that he's got with Leo DiCaprio. And in terms
of just like a craft trend that I'm very interested
(34:04):
in is the use of AI and cinema. We all
saw the controversy with the Brutalist and it's got a
very minor use of AI. I think it was just
a correc some vowels in Hungarian. There was a lot
of controversy over that. I understand why people would be uneasy,
but it does seem to me like the industry is
(34:26):
going to be moving in that direction anyway. Yeah, and
so how we do it in a way that's ethical
and where we're not erasing pure art and just outsourcing
all of it to a machine is something that I'm
interested in seeing how that technology develops. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
I mean it's something that's not to be stopped. It's here,
It'll only get more commonplace. And as much as Hollywood
fights that, they're going to have to find a way
to live with it and do it in a way,
like you said, that's more ethical and more but tuned
to the human spirit without making it. I guess the
next and last Terminator film, because that's the that's the
worst case scenario. Well, Giancarlo, thanks for joining the show.
(35:06):
Of course, people can follow you. Where can you follow one?
Speaker 2 (35:08):
On Twitter?
Speaker 1 (35:08):
What's your handle that we can share it?
Speaker 3 (35:10):
So it's my name both at Twitter and at Ladderbox.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
Gotcha, that's Jian Carlo Sopo, and then also Visto Media
is you is your company, it's a consulting firm PR Marketing,
and we'll be looking forward to more of your work
at National Review. And I do hope that other outlets,
you know, could be across the political spectrum to start
to embrace your work as well, including listen, Indy Wire
is very left of center at time, so I applaud
them for giving you a voice and as well they should,
(35:35):
So keep up the big work, and thank you for
bringing these issues to light with with Amelia Perez, because
I saw it, I had a lot of issues with it.
I think I liked it more than you, but I
just wasn't aware of all the cultural gaps in there,
which are significant and are profounded and should be noted.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
So that's all the better that we know about it now.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
And I don't think they're going to have it appy
Oscar night, let's put it that way.
Speaker 3 (35:57):
But yeah, no, I mean listen, if I didn't speak Spanish,
a lot of the stuff would just fly over my
head because on the surface level, it seems almost like
a kind of a cool story if you're not well
versed in their regional history. But there are six hundred
million people in the world who speak Spanish. We're not
talking about Aramaic or ancient Greek. They could have literally
(36:22):
just reached out to anyone in Mexico and been like, hey,
is this legit? So that's part that's a big part
of the problem that I have with it. But yeah,
let's see what happens. Do you have any Oscar predictions?
You know?
Speaker 2 (36:33):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
I thought initially that the brutalist would come away with
the best picture. Now I guess there's some conventional wisdom
around a complete unknown. Which movie that I really enjoyed
is my favorite movie last year?
Speaker 2 (36:44):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (36:45):
There's no consensus right now. I think that to me,
Moore is going to win Best Actors. I think it's
the competition this year isn't as stiff as it usually is.
I think the guests going situation is going to cast
that that's not.
Speaker 2 (36:56):
Going to happen.
Speaker 3 (36:57):
So I don't know.
Speaker 2 (36:57):
It just seems like a how would likes feel good?
Speaker 3 (36:59):
Story?
Speaker 1 (37:00):
Is an older actress who was famous and beautiful when
she was younger, and now she's you know, a career comeback.
It's fun to see and good for her.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
Oh and with all due respect to my lovely better half,
she's still beautiful. I mean, Demi Moore looks fantastic at
sixty years old. I bought of I wish I looked
that good. And yeah, the movie's fantastic. I really like
the substance. I don't think it's gonna win Best Picture.
I feel like a complete unknown would be a pretty safe,
(37:30):
feel good pick if they don't want to rock the boat.
And I could see a situation because because they use
ranked choice voting where it could be like a second
choice for a lot of people there, and if there's
a split in the first choice, it would rise to
the top.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
I agree, one, that's quick thought.
Speaker 1 (37:46):
You know. To me, the fact that they made The
Brutalist for reportedly around ten million dollars.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
To should be a special.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
It's a beautiful looking film, it's got this epic scope,
and I just think on that level alone, it's like
telling the Hollywood being count my god, you've got to
be able to make movies at a cheaper price point,
because look at what they've done, and look what Godzilla
minus one did. You've got to cut these costs. It's
just it's just unacceptable right now. But that's a scory
to conversation for another day.
Speaker 3 (38:14):
We should be able to get five of those per year,
to be honest with you, I mean, and like, I
really admired some smaller productions this year. Like I don't know,
if you watch It's when it was called ghost Light,
No I didn't, Yeah it was. It was a really
poignant story. Sing Sing was another relatively inexpensive film as well.
(38:36):
We need more films like that. I thought that they
just told very beautiful, powerful stories, and I hope the
Academy engages it's like some serious reforms because I also
don't like these situations where three fourths of the nominees
or films that were released in the in the fourth
quarter of the year due to recency bias, so they
(38:56):
should also be addressing that. But yeah, let's see, I'm
not gonna put bet my house on anything this year.
It's very uneasy, but I feel at least it seems
like Amelia Priz doesn't have the win that it sales anymore.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Yeah, if it goes over thirteen and I wouldn't be shocked,
but we'll have to wait and see.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
Thank you. Thank you again, Jim Carl appreciate the chat.
Speaker 1 (39:18):
Yeah. Likewise, your character actor of the week is m
Emmett Walsh. Well, let's say for the show this week,
thank you for watching. Thank you to Radio America for
having me as part of their great podcast lineup. And
if you have to get the chance, if you could
share or like the show on social media, tell a friend,
let us let other people know about what's going on
with this show. I like to focus on guests you
(39:40):
won't see an other podcasts. I think that's important. I
think it's vital. I think these are voices that deserve
to be heard. I hope you agree, and if you do,
again give us a little love. And by the way,
I really do appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
If you check out Hollywoodintoto dot com.
Speaker 1 (39:53):
That is my website. I started twenty fourteen. It is
more than ten years old. Now it's kind of scary.
I have an age at but the show, but the
website clearly has. We've got some interesting guests coming up,
including a dancer who really shows the behind the scenes
struggles on and off Broadway and how that woke culture
really infected how things went on behind the scenes and
(40:14):
how troubling. It was, just some personal perspectives to share,
and I think think you're gonna like that's coming soon.
So again, I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Stay safe,
stay smart, and be kind to each other. We'll see
you next time.
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