A Scanner Darkly (2006)

Wow from one oh wait hold on I forgot about the intro shit I've seen things you people wouldn't believe Blade Runner oh Total Recall I wish I had something that going on I've seen things you people wouldn't believe total recall total recall told shit okay blade runner for okay actually it's blade runner Sorry blade runner total recall about Joe. Oh Screamers Imposter or minority report Paycheck and now well also Austin powers And now a scanner darkly welcome to dick me a king me production Oh, yeah As I was saying we isn't that isn't that something we go from one Austin who needed to be kept weird to another in a sense, right? Yeah, a lesser Austin if you ask me but I mean the way it's going it's not good what you don't like the Joe Rogan in Purium the Tony Hinch glyphs of the fucking Ruby Ridge for the least funny men alive Yeah, oh man that did you you had to have seen that Tony Hinch clip if I could clip from the whatever Trump rally Yeah, I was surprised to learn it was a rally because it was so funny. I know right I was like this is hilarious stand-up So that's oh my god, and then this is crazy that is I would have never seen one of those at a comedy club before I like jokes where you can see the punch line coming from 10 miles away In that way the joke was like the garbage island.

It was the punch line was visible from space. Yes Yes, the punch line was vast. Oh man. What a piece of shit What an unfunny piece of shit kill Tony indeed indeed indeed indeed, but we're not here to preach negative now We're here to talk about drug-induced psychosis.

Thank God. That's right It's uh, it's it's link later season. That's right. We're scanning.

So remember we are scanning darkly remember when it was all about Leslie Linka glatter directing episodes of Twin Peaks. Oh, I do remember that It's now it's boys now boys time. Sorry Leslie. Sorry Leslie.

Sorry less. It's uh, it's Richie Richie link later Philip K dick link later Okay, very word association heavy intro. Let's see if we can ring it back in that I don't know if we want to do that for this episode because this movie feels very stream of consciousness And maybe that's how we should approach it the wrong stream. Yeah, yeah the movie has it so did you watch waking life?

You did no not recently I've seen it before but I I've not watched I watch it like in preparation for this episode Oh, I meant instead of this. Oh, yeah They're easy to confuse all right the rotoscope. They have they feature Alex Jones. Yeah Yeah, Alex Jones is in this huh yeah, he plays How is he credited in this like a Street Street Prophet is how he is Scribe isn't that weird Dan?

It is it is crazy to imagine a time where people are just like this is harmless. Yeah, surely this won't Dominate the the main it won't dominate the brains of half of the United States and convince people that a terrible atrocity didn't actually happen I'm sure that this guy who's just spouting off conspiracy theories You know in 15 years won't you know have an absolute fucking like Chokehold over the minds of lunatics across the country that want to believe in conspiracy theories. Yeah He comes and goes in this though. Can't really blame this too much.

He's no comes and goes No, it is funny though to be like oh if Link later featuring him in two movies just like and he's doing the same thing in waking life He is like I think he's doing Alex Jones. Yeah, he's like that's You know I guess he Alex Jones likes whatever he was like a local radio guy who was just sort of like people like stoners and Gen X like whatever They were just like oh, it's like a weird conspiracy guy that I it's like a real-life Dale Gribble who's Dale Gribble? Oh, no, no from a king of the hill. Oh, yeah, yeah, yes Yeah, and then right and then you're like oh, okay Well, that's you know that's silly and fun and we put it on when we're a little stoned and we fucking like listen to it Whatever and then 15 years later.

He's like you know spouting just the worst fucking shit possible losing Yeah losing all his money in his family in the process I love that I mean you do got to love that got to love when bad people suffer. I gotta tell you I'm sorry to say you know I mean there's a little tangent already, but I don't understand when people are like, you know Everybody's a human being and they you know, it's just sad to see it happen like anybody, you know like that kind of attitude I'm like, well do I see feel that way? I mean like here's the thing I think I do feel that way, but that's not like my governing Yeah, you know, that's not like my decision maker Yeah, I mean like in general like I don't want to see people suffer But when you're like when you're when you're making others suffer so horrendously. Oh, okay I think I misunderstood you.

Yeah, I actually do think that swift and brutal punishment is fine By the way as of this release happy election day everyone. Oh shit Yeah, so I guess it's Pokemon go to the polls and this is if you're in line saying line if you're in line saying line Yeah, I guess this is coming out on election day. Mm-hmm. So this is our election special.

Yeah, it's perfect Perfect movie to talk about the election. Honestly. Yeah, yeah movie about social decay and yeah, mask gets a friend. Yeah, yeah, I do think that's Purple I think so Oh, man, damn this could be maybe the last time that we ever speak Okay, they're gonna shut us down.

Yeah, my Tony hinge cliff is gonna press the I'm just saying the order. Hey, maybe uh, Maybe, you know the Harris walls Team they're gonna shut down podcast. Nobody's allowed to be funny anymore. Oh, right.

Yes. Okay free speech will die. It's gonna die I'm just saying we might have to let it die. Oh my god, please what John.

You don't think everybody's voice is equally important. Don't mind My hey real quick real quick. Okay. So you we've talked about this from time to time, but when we record we get to assign ourselves little names And they are always you know sort of riffs on the movie Yeah, usually characters.

Yes, Rob despite the main character of this being Bob archer has gone with a scanner Robly Bob archer was too it was too on the nose. I didn't want to do it Okay, well, I went with so why don't I write your characters Donna Hawthorne with Dan Hawthorne However, I would like to take this opportunity to upgrade. Okay. Will you will allow it?

Yeah, of course. Okay Now, yeah, I changed it to substance D. I just how I will be addressed Um, I thought that you might do a dana darkly or a dana or scarically or something Oh, like a spoon or anything. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. I've got three moves. That's true Freezy process of elimination 33 chance and hitting that one but yeah, um Yeah, so uh election stuff going well.

I assume um See everybody at the capital on January 6th. I got to try it out. Um Uh, someone at work today was like It's like it's gonna be like January 6th all over again. It's gonna be like yeah, but worse It's gonna be January 7 and when you say that till normal people they've never heard they've never heard it before so it's like They're like you should you should speak at a Trump rally.

You're so funny It's good It's cheating. It's cheating. It's cheating. I'm taking like it's like I'm like Marco Polo carrying exotic splicing back from From the other side of the world.

Oh shit. What is this fucking coomin? That's so good. Yeah, yeah, it's really funny to Yeah Somebody who whose brain isn't completely broken in that way to be like oh my god.

How did you think of that January 7? Like god What do you you're not gonna believe this? I didn't I try not to think at all Anyway, um if you're lying stay in line Uh watch out for the legions of right wing freak poll watchers who have volunteered themselves to monitor for election interference Uh, this is real you can read about it online. I believe you and I love that Which we're just here to make sure that there's no election interference voter interference.

Well, my man to that my man. You are 72 years old You are you're almost there. You almost Just died Sorry, I sure wish you would call it a wrap Not even die just like oh please go no I die. I would or die.

Okay, you're I'm sorry but this is Kind of what you wouldn't want to send them to like a uh, what's it called? What's the rehab new path farm? You wouldn't want to send them to a labor camp. Don't even want to send them to a labor camp.

I just damn dude Yeah, I'm sorry you are harsh Yeah, and to be clear. I'm not talking about republicans. I'm talking about the elderly I don't care if you're a democrat republican black white yellow purple polka dot. I want you dead Oh no, oh no, that was way too clippable Uh, so standard darkly 2006 dick link later Uh dick link you are you a link later guy?

No, I'm not I'm not like anti but I have no like real deli for him. Okay. Yeah, I'm a here's what I'll say. Yeah, I love Love love school rock school rock with us as you can imagine it was very important to me at the time I mean school rock is a good movie like it is.

It's just good. Yeah, um But like I was not a dazed and confused head have you seen it though? No, I don't think so. I've definitely seen fast times at richmond high.

I don't think I've seen All of dazed and confused. I know I've seen some of it because that's where they paddle the children. It is. Yeah, the children paddling children.

Yes Um, dazed and confused is a lot of fun. It's like it's just a sort of shaggy hangout movie We're like people just sort of driving around in cool cars and everybody's wearing like cool clothes and cranking tunes and shit It's it's just kind of fun to watch Um, and then years later same goes for your essay everybody wants the same thing. Excuse me. I mispronounced that Everybody wants some that's right do exclamation more.

That's right. Um Which like I think both movies are not based on like later's life But like kind of loosely based on like, you know his experiences like he was a baseball player in high school And it you know grew up like was a freshman in like I want to say the 70s like late 70s or something and then Everybody wants some is like oh, it's a you know freshman baseball player going to the college or whatever in the early to mid 80s So it's like very it just seems very like close to him. Yeah, um, but they're both fun movies. They're like, you know The everybody wants them.

I was like, well, this is just about like cool people doing like cool things I think there's nothing to this like but if you just sort of like turn your brain off and watch it You're like, oh, this is fun and Glenn Powell was in it and I think he's like he shines like kind of above the rest of the cast Glenn Powell's got a real tom cruzy sort of nothing behind the ice quality that I really appreciate. Yeah. Yeah I like that there's another one comment. Yeah, we got another one there another dark stranger coming Dark stranger the moon is blood red again in the right is now.

He was called in Uh, we didn't talk about this on the show. I shouldn't act like everyone knows what we're talking. What is this? I'm talking about um Messiah of evil.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, right the bad guy's the dark stranger. Yes. He is the dark stranger Yeah, yep, another blood moon and he rises.

Oh, yeah, we got and with perfect teeth. Yeah, I mean all the they all look cruises not perfect But no well, they're perfect. They're just they're like five degrees off axis. Yes, I just tilted a bit But they all like cruise glimp how else teeth all look like one their one piece.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, they snap in Um, you know what like link later is his career is interesting because he's like he makes it like first he makes slacker which is like Uh, it's similar to like waking life and these other like sort of stream of consciousness movies where it's just like every There'll be a scene of like two people interacting and then one of those people goes off and interacts with somebody else And then that person goes off and just sort of file follows people like down the line And that's like that's the whole movie is just like people like interacting and then we just follow like, you know different people along the way um And when it came out in like the early nineties or something it was you know hit a bunch of festivals. It was a big deal Uh kevin smith credits it as like a huge moment for him seeing that I was gonna say link later in a lot of ways is like a high rent kevin smith Yeah, he like kevin smith talks about seeing slacker for the first time being blown away by like oh my god You can do this in a movie.

You know, can I can I ask you something about that? Sure him talking about that? Did he use the f-word? No, he may have It was fucking it was fuck.

Uh, I can't really it was fucking Change my fucking life, man. Yeah, dude. That shit changed my fucking life 10 years in and she still pones my Alright So then uh what so that's in 1990 93 makes days and confused which is like again like sort of hang out movie whatever Huge cast of like up and coming people and like just like kind of a hooze who have like indie movies and people are gonna be popular for the next you know however long and then he makes before sunrise which is So small in comparison to all of this and like it's just two people like it's an improv movie and like him Uh, Julie delby and Ethan hawk They like improvised in it like in a room or whatever they came up with a script and like improvise the whole thing And then it's just these two people you know like early 20s meeting each other and falling in love over the course of the night uh it's the before trilogy sunrise sunset and midnight are Maybe like it's like one of my favorite series of films ever people go apeshit for these like not just you I know you I know them and like they're very positive. Yeah.

I know they're I'm not trying to cheapen your experience. No, no, no I'm just cheap and all I'm all I'm saying they're very well regarded. That's all they are. Yeah, they're so They're so interesting to watch as you like get older because the first movie sunrise is it's two people and like They're just out of college.

So they have like they're young they're optimistic They uh have all these ideas of like how the universe works and like, you know All these like sort of big things that like young people think about you know like just in general like Uh, just like pulling one thing that I remember off the top of my head is like uh, Ethan hawk is talking about like reincarnated And like if reincarnation is real right and you know humans have been around for you know thousands and thousands of years like In the beginning of human civilization, right? There were you know several maybe a million people right? It's very small and now we're up to you know billions of people right seven billion people So yeah, are these souls just being fragmented and every are just like pieces of souls and whatever else right like as we are reincarnated over and over? Which is like that's like that's just a silly young person's like thing to think about not not silly, but like whatever It just feels very young right feels true.

Yeah. Yeah, and then so I just remember watching this as a young Just whatever like somebody around my early 20s watching it and Taking it all in and being like oh, this is like a really beautiful story about these two people Right and then watching the second one and the second one they're like whatever seven years older and life has not gone Exactly how they wanted it to go and like they've they've regrets and these things and I didn't quite connect with that one as much Because I was too young then I got to be What's in this this is never gonna happen? Yeah, yeah, and then I got to be older and you watch the movies again You're like well those young kids. They don't know what the fuck they're talking about Right and then you're like I identify with this and then the third one It's kind of the same thing So they're just like very interesting movies to watch and then like rewatch as you get older and just like your perspective You change you grow and then like seeing these people you're like I don't identify with these young people anymore I did when I was younger and now I don't you know, it's just yeah The um you're gonna hate this no, no, no, but that is also it's very like it's very much They're like the Craig Finn trajectory of like a whole steady.

It's all about partying. Yes a kooky youngster. Yeah, yeah Uh, Craig Finn solo stuff, you know, a little older another gen x guy too another punk rocker Yep, now it's all about like people getting burnt out or like people dying or yeah A lot of people dying are like going straight and now you have like these people who you partied with who you still kind of know and like You gotta let them crash on your couch sometime. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah, it's good And I will say I mean like you said you meant you use the word like small to like sort of describe things I felt that even in this week's film a scanner dark There's a smallness to it and like I think this has a lot to do with like just how they were able to um record audio for this because it was all being animated over so you could really get the boom up in people's faces But like there's such like a hermetic sort of quiet To this thing like when there's not music playing it feels almost like done in like a voice over booth. Yeah, yeah, I get that Yeah, I feel that but I do think that's like I think that smallness is like a much more Interesting perspective on the like because otherwise I think this just could veer very quickly into like massive It's like, you know, yeah, it's like it turns into like minority report basically where it's like well Yeah, so I remember uh before this movie came out. I read the book and it's crazy how uh Like similar like how through the book this movie is yeah, it feels almost like I've even read the book in a long time But like even just watching this like so much of it felt super super familiar. It almost feels like beat by beat Um and that apparently was like a very big concern for the the estate the dick estate sure Um, they're pretty protective over his stuff generally and I guess especially this because it's like semi-autobiographical right so yeah That was the next thing was like this is very Close to like Phil K Dick's life.

Obviously not the not the sci-fi like scramble soup or whatever but like the sort of flop house like You know drug addicts hanging out with each other and just sort of the the general kind of like what do you guys do like the conversations and the paranoia and All that kind of shit on the day today. Yes. Yeah. Yeah, he calls the people who were in and out of his house In the mid-70s.

He calls them street people street people Just to have people in the house right and like even to the extent that like don't they say in the movie? It's a four-bedroom two-bathroom house. Yes, that is there's a quote from Phil K Dick like talking about this time my wife left me in 1970s. She left me with a four-bedroom two-bathroom house and nobody living in it but me right?

Yeah, that's yeah, and the Uh, and yeah similarly gets really into amphetamines during this time eventually checks himself into It's called x x kalei. I'm guessing is how you say it x hyphen k a la y Um, which is one of these this is more in the book This doesn't really come up in the movie But like the therapy sessions that are in the book and what happened to him here is like do you know what synanon is have you heard of synanon? No Basically the quote unquote therapy is like group abuse like you just sit down in the I guess the logic or rationale is that you're like breaking down people's ego So that you can like get to the heart of problems But really it's just like verbal abuse for its own sake like Um, he went to one of these types of programs. I'm guessing Only knowing about it by reputation is like something that works because this was like a big fat in the 70s.

Okay. Um, I don't think he liked it I don't think he had a good experience considering the conclusions he drew about uh rehab facilities. Yeah, yeah Um, who's in this movie Dan? I don't remember well you got kiana reaves right?

Oh, yes. Yes. Yes kiana reaves please bob arkter Yes, I remember now Of course, um, but he's not even the first person you see no in a bekeeping helping of rory cockren. Yes.

Thanks rich. Yep. He's fine No, rory cockren uh dazing infuse alum. He uh His whole deal is that he's just completely fucking his his brain has been fucking scrambled.

Yes, and that's how it opens with him Uh waking up covered in bugs and he's keeps it he's taking showers and scrubbing himself and and using like uh, uh, insecticide to spray himself down Um, yeah, just in general, uh totally like skits out of his mind. Yep. Yep him and his dog. Yeah poor dog poor dog Um, but yeah, we uh who else we got here robert downey jr.

Uh sort of a muted performance from him. It's quiet Uh, yeah, he's doing he's in full fucking like downey jr mode. Yeah, I mean, it's perfect casting was oh Yeah, I mean like when when they're making this he's still like fully in his drug phase, right? Yeah, this is like wait.

Oh six really? Yeah I thought he was uh, I thought he cleaned it up by now by our six. I don't know. I thought it was like I thought he was like a I don't know.

I don't know shit. I don't know what did you think? I thought he had cleaned it up way sooner. I thought it was like in the 90s like no, you're right.

Um, because I thought like chaplain was him being like I'm I'm actually a quite serious man now Let's it down on wikipedia here. It says that he's been drug-free since july of 2003. Okay. All right, so just a couple years earlier, but um You were basically right and I it's like your feet to the fire.

It's fine Uh, yeah, I mean like you're but you know having just pretty recently come off of drugs a two decade fucking drug bender Um, you know, he's it's fresh like cast. Yeah. Yeah, totally. Yeah, he's a jittery.

Anyway, I'm sure what about uh, what he harrelson is in this movie Did you like I don't I got it? I mean, I like what he harrelson. I don't like this casting job at all I agree with you. I think it's I think he's a downer's guy.

He's a downer's guy for sure Yeah, um, I don't like his hair. I think it's too silly. I don't like your jerk off haircut I just like his hair is too silly. Yeah, it's like Uh, it also feels like a little old to be playing this part Which I feel like just all the more reason I think to like keep him like bald or balding Yeah, because it's like I feel like that's another that's just another archetype you're representing is like how the fuck did this weird old guy end up here?

Yeah, it's a weird older guy. Um, but yeah, I don't like the performance at all I don't think forcing him to do jittery high-energy stuff is that it's gonna work for him But it's nice to see him sure it's nice to see him. Yeah, he also like Yeah, all the like laugh lines suck. Yeah, he's not really selling Yeah, he is just Miss cast.

Yeah, by contrast. I do think like robert down to junior like that character is annoying by design I think he does a pretty good job of selling it. Yeah, right? He's annoying by design and casting like down in that part is kind of it's perfect He's also like kind of an antagonist sure group.

So and he's constantly starting shit and then like ultimately he like tries to You know like narc on his friends and like get them arrested or whatever Um, he also got one own rider in this Is it like I think she's like doing a good job in this. She's doing her one own rider thing She's doing a one own rider thing, but like now had she shoplifted yet. Oh, yeah, I think she had it. I think so too.

Oh Oh, what a scandal. Oh, she's she stole a blouse remember when anything mattered and The impropriety of it. It was more than this. It almost broke this nation.

Yeah Um, that's kind of like it for the main cast again small cast. Yeah, and then right like we got the Alex Jones. Yeah, the Alex Jones is the Is anybody else in this? Or Natasha Janina Valdez sure and then I think basically everyone else in this is like Richard link leader's friend.

Yeah, that's what it seemed like I had to guess. Um, yeah, yeah, um So, yeah, it opens and well wait, let's talk about the rotoscope too because this was all shot on digital. Uh, wait, what are you talking about? Oh, Dan.

Oh, no What? Oh, Dan, this movie was rotoscopy. I forget. Oh, forget.

Oh, forget. Oh, wait. Forget whatever this roto mumbo jumbo is. I want to talk about how smooth He on his skin looks.

Oh my god. It was all one color. It was great. He looked so good.

So what were you saying? Um, in the uh IMDB trivia, it says a Robert Downey Jr. wrote his lines down on sticky notes and placed them around the set Uh, and they were just rotoscoped out later. It's a beautiful thing.

Yeah, the um, yeah, that's why I was alluding to before too is like the Mikes you could just like really get them up in someone's fucking mouth. Yeah, it doesn't matter I there are a couple scenes in this where uh women are topless also. Um, you also don't actually have to have a naked woman on set I was thinking about that. Yeah, it broke my heart.

Just kidding. I think that's great Uh, it is interesting though the idea of like an animator having to be like what kind of jugs am I gonna put on this jig? How big are we known writers? Am I gonna make one of the writers tits in this?

It does The thought passes your mind. No, it doesn't go through your- I mean like Uh, yeah, I would fucking like there's oh shit. He's about to go off. No, no, uh, there's a there's a shot where like we don't write her Like and another actress are like they keep like changing like switching like faces and whatever and but the they're topless, right?

And Nothing changes but their face. So like it's just their face and so like she looks like she has giant tits, but she like we don't write her the actress You know, she is a smaller woman. It's just proportionate to her body size and whatever she is not completely stacked And like I feel like the man changing We're not being completely stacked. Forget it.

I am on board I want to listen call me I would take her name. I would be a bob writer if given the opportunity Um No, and yeah, I just thought that was interesting. I'm like, oh they could actually they like they probably enhanced like It looks to me like they enhanced her tits throughout the entire movie Uh, I don't know if they did but it just it looks like that to me Like there are a couple shots where she's just like I'm like, that's Like I guess I'd have to go back and rewatch it with that in mind And I just really was so much more focused on her performance. Oh, where are you Dan?

Tell me one thing about it She was kind of mousy Anyway, the rotoscope rose if you don't know if people don't know what rotoscope is I want you to close your eyes and picture the film cool world Now do you get it? Yeah, cool world looms large for me. I've never actually seen it, but I just think about it I don't think you would like it at all. It's not like it's not like I remember seeing it a long time ago I don't think it's like good probably not um So yeah, like the rotoscope thing they did that a decent amount in like the 70s with Ralph back She was an animator who a lot of his movies were rotoscoped and just to say what it is Yeah, you're filming something and then tracing it in animation basically you're animating over the filmed footage Yes, which adds this this level of like movement to all of the characters and stuff that where it's like It feels like the real sort of real people or real movements or whatever the smoothness to Uh, all the characters movement.

Yeah, that like doesn't exist in normal animation. Yes. Yeah, so when Ralph actually was doing it too That was literally like framed by fucking frame. You had to go and animate this which somehow seems harder to me than regular animation but Um, this was like a relatively new technology that was also I think this guy's also like an austin guy Which i'm assuming is how link later decides I want to do this is that why it's so weird So goddamn fucking funky and weird Um, but it's called interpolated rotoscope, which is basically like you oh robs eyes are glazing over at the egghead stuff here Uh, it's a form of rotoscope that uses this set to the music of interpol No, basically you take like key frames like one every you know five frames or whatever and you animate those and it's a computer program Yeah, and it just like it feels in the blots.

Yep. Yep. That's interesting. I think that's enough to mention Yeah, that that makes sense for something like this where it's constantly where it's like about drug addicts and like perception and like people hallucinating constantly and What what is your reality?

What are you seeing on a regular basis? Right, um just so you know I lost about 10 minutes of audio because I had a disc overload and I didn't notice because I was too busy talking about uh Or listening to you talk about winona riders tits Disgusting but here I am this is my lot in life. All right, so so you've lost 10 minutes of audio Yes, all right. Well, they're only gonna get this is the backup my side of the conversation for a minute there This is your dream I uh, I was like I ordered food right before we started yeah And I was like I know I'm not gonna be able to eat it till later But I think I'm just gonna order it now pages like just get rob really mad get him to go on a rant So talking to tell I should I should just said so it's election day, huh?

Walk away Walked away Yeah, rob hates free and fair elections. Well, I just don't think they're free and fair anymore. I think there's too much interference What's wrong? I don't want to stop the steal.

He says oh god. I want to encourage the steal Uh, you do yeah Steal the election, um But I don't like any of the candidates. Let's see if I can land this plane. Nope.

I can't That's like when people like they're like I'm gonna quit smoking by making out a check to the kkk If I relapse you send it in the mail. You're like I'm gonna say the worst thing I can think of and hope I can uh, hope I think myself with a The funny angle So anyway scanner so yeah scanner darkly rotoscoped Um, you do whatever you want with women's bodies, which is why rob likes it a scanner darkly I can be there's not the one that overloaded then anyway. Hey anyway. Yeah scanner darkly 1981 Canadian science fiction horror film written by David crunberg Oh, no.

Oh, no, Dan. Oh, what's wrong? Oh, you're talking. Oh, no, that's different scanner.

That's scanners. Okay, scanner darkly Of course, uh an american chemist and spy master who headed the central intelligence agencies, uh, mk ultra program Ah, no, that's cindy godly we want a scanner darkly Uh, so the movie so it opens with worry cockerence character. Um, whose name is what then babu frick Charles frick it's charles frick close though with babu frick. Um, yeah, so frick is having this it's a crazy frecky freakout and Did you like the big title card that says richard link leader presents a crazy frecky freakout?

Yeah, I thought it was fun Yeah, but we're having fun. He's pulling bugs out of his air and then we see him on the phone with Uh, james barris play by robert denny jr. He's like doing a freakout thing. He's like there's fucking bugs everywhere I don't know what they are.

I like he's like no he says I look them up. They're aphids Yeah, and he keeps like doing this twitchy mouth thing. It's like very it's way too much I think but it is way way way too much But part of me was like I don't know whether to blame him or link later if he was kind of like go a little bigger so that the Yeah, the rotoscope really we can really like you know, how do you think of the same thing? I'm like What was he told?

Yeah, because like it's hard to tell right because it's like these are the performances are supposed to be like twitchy tweaking Sort of performances, but also it's like I there felt like times were like robert denny jr Did not need to be doing like hand gestures. There was a really self-conscious kind of stuff Yes, so who knows but either way doesn't really pay off no so much but I do like that You know frick is calling barris because barris is sort of like the The brains of the operation that's a good way of putting it. Yeah, he's like he seems like he knows Maybe a lot but he's also an idiot like yeah, right like complete idiot Yeah, I mean like never is that clear than when he says I've made a silencer using only household objects Okay, I've made a silencer, you know kind of this potato But I'm here price of uh, you know for 86 cents American I'm able to I do like his line though after he shoots and it's like, you know, it's the loudest thing you ever heard and he's like Well, really more augment to the sound but I'm close. I'm getting close I at least I at least in principle I got it In principle I got it as a funny line, but anyway, so james barris he's sort of like yeah He's the know it all tweaker and he's like know it all that's a good way to describe them Yeah, he's like tell you what put some of those in a jar for me and meet me at the diner or whatever Yes, uh then we cut to a it's a like a small conference room Um or a present, you know, there's like a little podium and guys giving a speech saying, you know It's talking about substance D and how it is uh kind of scourge on society Um this this movie takes place seven years in the future.

That's one of the like title cards that pops up Um And yeah, the guys are saying like it's weird this this group of people they're not police officers. They they bring fred Um who is a undercover police officer there to sort of like tell them what's going on They just seem like maybe concerned citizens or like a uh, uh, I don't know it's all guys here. It seems like very uh, we have to take matters into our own hands kind of thing but uh So they're like we uh we have this uh undercover Officer here his name is fred. Fred is his alias.

He's wearing a scramble suit here So we don't know who he is this protects his identity and you know makes it easier for him to stay undercover Yes, we also learn that his identity. Yeah, it's protected from the other cops in the department. Correct. Yes So he yeah, they are basically It's it's said to be like an anti-corruption measure So like they can't collude with each other as undercover agents or like otherwise just like compromise their their covers right Um, right Uh, the scramble suit is fun.

It's like it's cool a full body suit with like a hood that goes up and over your head It's a it's a suit that basically turns you into the uh that one segment of the music video for black or white by michael jaxon Yeah, we just keep morphing. Yeah, but like every part of you is constantly morphing So like like your your face is like basically divided into like three or four sections And those three or four sections are constantly changing between I think they said they have over a million different people that are Scanned and that the suit like cycles through. Yeah, so it's a it's you know the practicality of it doesn't really add up But it looks cool. Yeah, it's like a rotoscope.

Like we have the opportunity to do this thing That's one million percent. Yeah, and it's like again very small sort of movie It's a good way to add some like visual yes in ash on top of the whole thing being animated in this very funky way Sidebar on the funky animation. Mm-hmm. Love when there's like camera movements what happens to like the backgrounds things get a little Oh, yeah, a little seasick.

Yes. It's uh, it's very fun. Very fun like perspective It like the world of the movie sort of struggles to maintain its proper perspective at any given moment Yeah, things are constantly like like there's a scene where like freck is walking through the liquor store and as he's walking You know the right like the camera movement follows him But the the bottles and the shells and stuff they're kind of like going in and out of like clarity Yeah, you know which I do think is sort of like this happy accident of the interpolated rotoscope You were doing it truly frame by frame. Yeah, you wouldn't have that you get that like shaky sort of uh, wasn't even again the animator But uh, I don't know.

Ah damn it's gone. Probably. Anyway, probably honey. No, no the guy the road is going to go Oh, Ralph back.

Yeah, this sort of like yeah the way where you do kind of feel every frame in those yes You know, I mean um and this just gives it like a way, you know very appropriate sort of like wobblyness. Yeah Um So they have fried come up and talk and he talks about substance D and how it's It's a major problem. They say about 25 percent 20 or 25 percent of the population is addicted to it Um, they believe that it comes from but he says that they have soldiers right now in foreign countries fighting to uh to stop this Um That it's a this blue flower that you know, it gets turned into this this pill that you know everybody is addicted to Um And that was it new not new life. What is the name of the rehab center?

Oh new path new path new path Uh, sponsor is sponsoring this event that they're speaking at and he's saying like new path is you know, they're fighting hard to You know to treat people with substance D addictions and uh, you know fight against like, you know, just in general trying to fight against the war on drugs, right? Um Which is important for later on Uh, but we get a lot of uh a lot of scenes of Our guys just hanging out around the house. It's kind of a hangout flick. It's kind of a hangout flick Um, freck is bringing the the bugs in a jar to barris and he looks in the jar and there's nothing in there Uh, these bugs are all just they were hallucinations.

Yeah, there's that shot I think when he's like after he puts them in the journey looks at them and they all look like radically different from one another Yes, thought that was a good touch Oh, no one nasty Yes, I didn't you know the one oh yeah that one nasty one. Yeah, kind of reminded me of the bug things from the mist Remember that yeah like yeah a little too gnarly. Yeah, just like a little too. Yeah.

Yeah. I don't like that Right, um So they um I think even in that conversation at the diner though Barris and freck They yeah, they get to talking about um arcter Bob arcter and his girlfriend's right because first he's like he's like arcter something's up with arcter Like he's he's got money all the time and just sums a miss with him Yeah And then they get to talk about his girlfriend. He's like I could you know You want to if you want to fuck down a hawthorn just like bring her some coke or whatever He's like well, I only got three bucks. How do I get coke for three bucks and then we get this is our first little like There's like our little first little side quest.

Yes. Um, and this is really where we see James Barris is uh made up prowess Although who knows this might be real. Yeah within the world of the movie. It could be yeah, but basically he uh Takes him to like a hardware store convenience store, whatever he gets some kind of like aerosol spray They go home He sprays into a plastic bag ties the bag shut and puts in the freezer and says that like the cold will cause there's like cocaine molecule like Yeah, some compound that is you know Chemically the same as like coke in this Substance but it's bound to some oil in the aerosol So when you freeze it the oil and the coke separate then you got a gramicoke for three bucks Yeah, it's I mean this happens a lot where they just have kind of nonsense Side quests.

Yes and never really I mean this never gets brought up again. No importantly now. There's just a big bag of air in the freezer Right, um, yeah, barris is like yeah his whole thing right. He's like you should fuck a don't Hawthorn You know get her coke in the fucker and then that'll be a good way to get it Bob archer And and frick is just like I don't even want to fuck that girl I don't want to get at Bob and barris is just like well you should though and let's let's do that.

Let's let's see Yeah, just instigating shit. Um, meanwhile archer is the guy whose house. Yeah, they live out that they live at Um rent free. I assume I assume um, we also meet hank who is uh, so Fred We learn is kiana reves and you know his bob archer so Fred is bob Fred is just his codename when he's undercover in the scramble suit um Fred Fred superior is hank who's also wearing a scramble suit and Yeah, hank um, you know, he's Fred reports the hank uh fills him in all this stuff hank tells him that drug enforcement agent named hank Uncle hank Could be we don't know that it's not well.

We do Um, we know exactly who it is. We do. Yeah, um, Hawthorn brow That's her brear her beer Wait, what oh, oh, Schraderbach. It's Schraderbach.

I'm in Hawthorn. Yeah, my bad. Um, no, so hank, uh, you know, he's like he wants Fred to um, you know find out who dana is getting her supply from and then they can bust that guy and work their way up the sort of drug food chain, right? Um, dana is the one who is supplying everybody basically with the substance D.

That's where they buy from. Um, Was what people call me right substance D That'd be a cool name Um, to consider for next week. Yeah did uh So barris come he Comes into the house everybody's sort of sitting around the living room. Whatever he comes in with the bike.

He's got this 18 speed bike There's this whole long man. This yeah, oh, this is like this kind of scared me off uppers Oh, yeah for sure The idea of like even 1% resembling this behavior really put the fear of god in me a little bit. Yeah, um What's uh, what he harls in this character name here? That's a good question.

Uh, ernie ernie wackman. Lockman. There you go. Yeah, so yeah, luck man So barris is like I have this 18 speed bike.

I got 50 bucks whatever and then luckman is like That's not an 18 speed bike. I only count nine gears here and He's like three in the front and six in the back And he's like they count him up and they're like I got ripped off where are their other gears? I bet they're on the floor in the they probably took the thing apart left the gears on the on the garage floor real Didn't realize they did it now. They want me to go back and pay for the wolf these gears all this like All this like I did like spinning out drug like drug head like spinning out kind of shit He goes from so he starts.

He's like and I'm sure in their their primitive understanding of reverse engineering They failed to put it back together properly. Yes, and then it evolves into like, you know, they probably left them off Um knowing I wouldn't notice and now I'm gonna have to go back and buy them off of them like that's the right That's the gamble here. Yeah, and so barris and luckman are like well. We gotta go kick their asses We gotta get over there.

You know, they're trying to get they're trying to get bob off the couch to go kick these guys asses with them Right bob and don are just sort of like snuggle up on the couch. They're not going anywhere Um, we see bob slash fred. Um, he takes like a psychological exam Yes, I do like constant check-ins, uh since he's undercover and he is taking this drug They have to constantly like test him and like see how he's doing Um Then these he's got like they're these two Doctors that are they they pop up a few times, but they're like they give him you know, uh, there's like a picture of a dog They're like what do you see and he's like a sheep and they're like no he's like what a great bob Yeah, not great bob. I was like what is it?

That's a dog. Why did I see a sheep and they're like it could be a side effect from assumptions day like the yeah What they describe is basically like the two halves of your brain are separating and yeah as it goes on in these uh visits Keep happening they determine that they're not only like in a lot of cases They just like separating your cognition falls apart, but for him they're competing They're in competition. Yeah, which is a result of Uh, dot dot dot next plop beat. Uh, he goes into the station in his fred suit Fred Fred Fred and uh hank comma uncle tells him that he has to Um surveil arcter like you are on arcter duty.

We're gonna bug the house with cameras. Okay scanners Yep, which this is never really answered either scan clearly or darkly Um, and what do you think of that the little a couple monologues in here you like that? I did because I feel like there's so much so much sort of like drug uh paranoia conversation Whatever and then there are just a couple moments where arcter is like I don't know what's going on here I think i'm losing touch and with reality Um the the line that you're talking about is uh when fred comes home. I think uh, yeah He's like in his house and he's like, uh, what does a scanner see into my head down into my heart Does it see into me into us clearly or darkly?

I hope it sees clearly because I can't see any long or I can't because I can't any longer see into myself I see only murk I hope for everyone's sake that scanners do better because if the scanner sees only darkly the way I do then i'm cursed and cursed again Um, I mean, it's it is a great line. That's a great little thing. That's a great little it's a bleak fucking Yeah view of things. It's like damn.

I hope the surveillance state has a better view of me than I do Yeah, this I mean, you know this movie is Yeah, maybe something like small and like it gets silly with some of the rotoscope stuff And they there are like kind of funny moments or whatever, but ultimately it is like very sad Of course. Yeah, I mean, it's like It's sort of like um It reminds me a little bit of like burn after reading in the way that it's just about these people Caught up in this thing that's so much fucking bigger than any of them Yeah, and it's this thing that like no one really has a handle on yeah, ultimately Well, yeah, I mean this ultimately like we find that the there's this bigger thing and that the people that we've been following the whole time are so Small in comparison like the like you're saying like they have no control over any of the stuff now that they their life has become this this thing, but it's not just them It is a much much bigger sort of crisis right that that society is facing it is sort of like I mean I do think it kind of Answers the question of like right. How does the scanner say it sees you darkly? Oh, yeah, it's create, you know This system is formed where People need to you need to assume the worst of people to profit off of them basically and like ensure that outcome that bad outcome for them Yeah, I mean like terrible really dark stuff.

It's yeah, it's very dark Yeah, I mean just that last line there the uh hope for everyone's sake The scanners do better because if they only see darkly or if they if the scanners see only darkly the way I do then I'm cursed and cursed again Yeah, he's I mean he's cursed and cursed again, but so is everyone yeah, everyone is absolutely fucked here because yep It's so rigged against people and I don't know just feel like especially the ending is just so bleak Yeah, just glimmer hope slight glimmer of hope there slight Uh, but even that feels like so I don't know like yeah, maybe maybe there's some sort of glimmer of hope here, but what can we really achieve? um so yeah, the Was it Hank tells him that we're gonna you know put cameras all over your part or your house. Um, what did you think of the the bit where Bob is thinking about his past and he's like he's looking around his house and he's like he sees We got like a flashback of him and he's sitting in his chair like reading a paper. He's wearing like You know like a button down shirt and tie he's got two daughters and his wife They're like kind of doing whatever in the house And then he he gets up He's like who wants popcorn he goes to the kitchen and he like bumps his head really hard on a cabinet and He's like I didn't like bumping my head didn't hurt.

It was it made me realize how much I hated everything I didn't hate the cabinets. I hated my life Yeah, I hated my family. I hate how nothing was ever gonna change right like I had my fucking lawn mower and that was it Yeah And how like there was And now he's like now everything changes on constant basis and I can't depend on anything. Yeah What was the question?

What I think of that Uh, well, yeah, what do you think of that? Thoughts Rolot King I guess No, I don't know. I mean like there's the obvious like Sort of like doubling right where it's like he's got that family where it's like a wife and two kids and that is his living situation Now is like Donna and don't know doesn't live there but he's got his girlfriend and he's basically two Yeah, two awards Um, so it's like and you know the end of it They sort of like raised in the question whether or not that actually ever even happened that family, right? Although I tend to think it did and the whole point was just doing deuce's psychotic break in him.

Yeah, I think so, right? Um, it's really It's really sad. Yeah, I mean, I don't know. Yeah, it's like yeah, it's um It's like shitty and selfish also.

Yeah, and that obviously feels like incredibly autobiographical Right filic a dick famously had like 19 wives. Yeah, he had kids, but he you know he clearly was not like a dependable presence Especially at at this point, right? Um, yeah, let's say one two three four five wives and it's a lot, man That's pretty good number wives. It's a lot of wives Big wife guy.

Yeah, it's such a wife guy yet to keep getting the wives. I need new ones. Yeah, um, yeah, so what do you think of it? No, I mean like it's so It is all those things right it's selfish and uh Like shitty right for him like to just feel that and think that whatever I find it relatable Also in a way of like, you know, I think like maybe not in within the context of this movie But like that sort of feeling of like is this just it like forever?

I just get up. I go to work I come home, right, you know, I my wife and kids and like this is just it forever. Yeah, and it is this it's as like I mean again like the family structure is sort of mirrored So is the outlook right where it's like you can either depend on everything and that is like there's a nothingness to that or Everything's in constant flux and chaos and then there's no meaning to that either. So it's yeah No matter what path you walk this kind of thing.

You maybe arrive at this conclusion At least if you're this guy. Yeah, um Yeah, I think it's I think it's a relatable sort of feeling to have that panic or whatever, but also Uh, you know like you said like the alternative is like I can't depend on anything now and my my life is just kind of constantly chaos um, so Uh, there's that whole scene where the car breaks down. I really don't think that's that's like another side quest kind of thing where Yeah, it feels like I mean it's supposed to be tense because like that trip is when the cops come to bug the house sure the scanners in and um What's downing junior's character? Barris is like he keeps saying that he has set a trap basically like he has a camera rig to start recording if anybody enters the door And furthermore, he is insured that people will enter the door by leaving the door unlocked and putting a sign on it that says come on in the doors Unlocked.

Yes, which um, they spend some time also like trying to figure out if he's joking or not Yeah, and he's not giving them a straight answer. Um, of course he did do that We don't know learn he did do that when they get back to the house Uh, it seems like something is a miss and there's a joint that looks like it was just it's still smelling. Yeah, it's a warm Yeah, something like that and they're like somebody's being here and all this shit, right? And then like Donna like comes out of one of the rooms and she's like hey, what's going on here and and they're like Did you smoke a joint?

She's like, yeah, of course I did like and also you got you left a stupid sign on the front door That said the door was unlocked and it was you guys should be more careful about that Yeah So the um, yeah, I love like it It's sort of like noir-ish in the way that there's like a mystery a foot kind of except like instead of ending with the sort of The note of meaninglessness you like know, it's meaningless the whole time. Yes, which is an interesting twist Yeah, to bring any sort of yeah juice out of that is impressive. Yeah, I mean there's this whole thing too of like Throughout the most of the movie up until like the last like 20 minutes or so the cops or at least Hank is like He's saying that the plan is you know work our way up the drug food chain here to somebody who actually has Some sort of power or knowledge and then we can bust that person and then like, you know turn that around into something maybe Um, and that's why they're doing all of this but in I mean like in the reality of this they're like we're surveilling, you know a couple of You know like a handful of drug addicts in a house like just sort of not doing much of anything like arguing about like how many speeds the bike has like just kind of like dumb shit and they Hank is like he's explaining the the whole surveillance operation to Fred And he's like yeah, you know, you kind of just want to like skim through like kind of the highlights of it You don't want to watch it live because it's more boring than anything right like all this kind of shit Um, he's also like, you know, don't you know every once in a while the cameras have to be you know, maintenance So like you're gonna be in charge of that, um, but like, you know when you do that Uh, you should go in and delete that footage because then that'll give away like who you are under that scramble suit And we still don't want to know that right, but also make sure you're on camera Yes, so that we don't know through process of elimination. Yeah, another thing where it's like They're like I love the reveal right in the office at the end where Hank is like, oh, there's only a few of you live in there I mean, it's pretty easy to figure out.

Yeah, what are we doing? Yeah, um, we get that scene where uh Was it luck? Was it luckman? Yeah, uh luckman.

Choke is choking in the kitchen and barris Barris is like watching this happen and he calls 911 after after a little bit They've had a fight at this point where they're like threatening to beat each other with like a big rock and a hammer him I did actually think like Comedically one of the highlights is him clinking the rock on the hammer. Yeah, I like I really I thought that was such a funny little detail Yes, I agree with that. Um So yeah, but uh luckman, they're like both sorry. They're both using their weapons like wrong kind of like he's uh, it was barris is the hammer No, no, it's uh, we're cockering right?

No barris has a hammer Barris has a hammer and luckman has the rock and he's sort of holding the hammer right in front of him like it's a gun Yes, right and luckman rather than like rearing the rock back kind of because it's too big Just also holds it out in front of him like they're just gonna like push these two things in there It just sort of like taps the rock. Yeah, the hammer. Yeah, um So luckman is choking barris. Uh, let's it happen for a while calls 911 and he's like, uh, I think my friend is either having a heart attack or he is choking Um, they ask the address.

He's like but he's just very slow about doing any of this stuff Right luckman eventually gets you know coughs up whatever he's choking on he's like, oh never mind don't need you anymore and then uh All of this like, uh, Fred slash bob is watching all of this happen. He's like, you know, come on barris like what are you doing here? Right, um At this point. I think right barris has tried to Yeah, bsa's informant for the cops, right?

This is a trope I do love of the informant who doesn't know anything doesn't know anything but also thinks they're way more important than they are Oh, yeah, yeah, that's a fun trope. It is Uh, he's sort of continually like picking places. He'd like to be sent after this is all done. Yes Uh, we get that scene where freck commits suicide.

Um, he has a bunch of pills. Um, he puts on a suit He this is I mean, I thought this was terrific He puts the radio on and the radio broadcast is someone narrating his suicide, which is like cool little device But like I love this whole scene also love that you never even hear about him again. Yeah, like he's just he's gone He's gone. Yeah, it feels very like Uh, it feels real in like this circle where they're like we're like addicts man like that's bound to happen Yes, you know, and we're just kind of comes with the territory, you know, right?

I mean like even you see you know, you're introduced to this guy like at his worst Yes, right what is effectively? I guess like days before he comes in suicide And it's just treated with like this total nonchalance of just like well, that's where he's at in this process That's like where on the arc he's at. Um, yeah, anyway, the whole scene is great too, right? Yeah, you're saying puts on a suit Yeah, puts on a suit.

He gets a he's holding a copy of ein rans fountainhead So funny so funny. He also I think he writes a letter. I forget what the company was but it's like his credit card company Oh, it's a credit card company. Yeah, disputing something.

Um, which is funny. Yeah So he's like leaving the world with purpose like he's making a statement on the way out and then he's like He only has cheap wine. So he's like I'm gonna go get a nice bottle gets a nice bottle of wine has a few glasses a merlot Yes, no don't tell in this year. Paul Jimani.

What your sideways come out. I'll say oh four. Yeah brave Yeah, do you think they paid a link later? Yeah, merlot in consortium.

Yeah, yeah They're just like get me anybody like you want to be in this weird cartoon movie like yes, yes You know who uh, you know who probably another film titan of film. It's probably frances for cobla Oh, it's probably like hey, I thanks for sending over the the rough cut rich. I loved it one thing one note for you My boy one quick note for you my boy. My boy My precious boy, uh, so frick takes a pill is takes the wine and The narrator says but he didn't die and instead he He laid there while a interdimensional being popped up and we see it's like a guy humanoid, but his head is just big and covered in eyeballs.

Yes, um and He this guy is going to read frick his sins for all of eternity and he starts reading the narrator like goes on and whatever and He it took how thousands of years to get up to the sixth grade And that's when frick discovered masturbation. So it's just like a silly kind of joke and Uh for as you know the narrator's like and as record late there. He thought at least the wine was good. Um, damn damn.

Yeah Uh, it's such a It's such like a Gen xe fucking creative writing thing to say at least the wine was good. Yeah, that feels like you know He was like, oh, I got a fucking I got bars. Link later got bars today. Yeah, I think that's probably I think that's in the book So is it really I think so damn I remember that at all.

I remember this scene being in the book Um, so I have to imagine the wine thing was also in there. Yeah, um, she's yeah She's all right. Well, I'm throwing barbs at mr. D.

Yeah, mr. substance D the original substance D Uh, we got a scene where uh, we see Alex Jones with a bullhorn spouting nonsense about substance D Um, not nonsense. He is like he is uh talking about how it's like, you know controlling people and whatever and then like these guys in like SWAT uniforms grab them and throw them in a van and drive off Uh, Bob sees this and he kind of doesn't it doesn't register really with him. He's just like, huh We're that's like a weird thing.

Yeah, Donna picks him up. They go back to her place They're hanging out and like he tries to like make a move on her and she's like, I don't like being touched I do too much coke like I just do too much coke to for people to touch me and whatever and he it doesn't make A whole lot of sense. Yeah, not even close. Right.

Um, so Bob is like, all right. Well, fuck this I don't know what's going on between us, but like I'm leaving and she stops it. She runs out She stops and she's like no, don't I'm just I'm sorry. I just I get really weird about people touching me I just do too much coke whatever.

Um, I mean she gives him like Someday sort of kind of out of nowhere a little bit. Yeah, she's like yeah She's like someday I want to move up north and like live on a farm near the mountains and live in a cabin and You know, just kind of be done with all of this and like yeah, what's he says? Like can I can I be there with you? Yeah, she's like can I come to and she's like I hope so Oh, god.

I know it's like really fucking hard break It's it's really like even just in the even if you don't know what's coming. Yeah, right in that's such a sad thing We're like you if you think you're just hearing two junkies talking about how they're gonna move to a little cabin up north You're like damn. You're probably not gonna get the chance to do that. Yes, that's sad But yeah, the reality of what happens is jeez Louise.

Yeah, um, we get that scene where he's with another woman and like Whatever, it seems like it's kind of another side quest where he's like the side quest of getting strange. Yeah, I'm getting strange And then he's like she's laying there this woman She's laying there topless and then he rolls over and when he looks back down his face. It's it's Donna laying there And he's like wait what what's happening here? Uh, let me kind of spaz is out.

He does spaz out Yeah, and then like he's doing this hologram thing When he's looking through like when he's scanning the the house or whatever. There's like this hologram Machine that can do like a 3d model or whatever So he does it of this woman and it's Donna and then it goes back and forth between Donna and this other woman And he's like he's just having a really hard time like With reality what what his reality is right? He feels his reality slipping Um back at the doctor's office. They're two different people now.

Well. Yeah, they start off as two different people and then they go back to being the other people Yeah mid conversation. Yeah, and Is that around the time where They're sort of like they're like all right. You're in pretty bad shape.

We're gonna you know, probably have to get you out of the field there Um, yeah, they so first they Yes, they do. They're like you're you are in bad shape. Um, they talk about how his the two hemispheres of his brain are competing and how that's causing like Psychological breaks and and all these hallucinations whatever and he um, well, go ahead. No, he's just like, okay Well, is it gonna go away and they're like, yeah, probably It might not though and it might be permanent.

We're just it's just a little too early to tell um And then there's a scene where barris is like barris like presents them with like this audio recording of Bob and Donna talking about like Yeah, so barris is there he's like this theory the first time he comes and he's like I believe that Bob arkter Along with Donna was her name half on Hawthorne Donna Hawthorne our co-conspirators on behalf of an international terrorist syndicate It's like this whole thing and yeah, he brings in this recording that sounds like Bob talking about how He's like we gotta get c4 and like all this kind of like planning some sort of terrorist attack or whatever Yeah, and Donna's just like, okay. I gotta go Yeah, um, so he like comes in and presents on that and Uh, when he leaves, you know, Bob, he's arrested. Hank is like, oh, right. Yeah, okay.

Hank is like, all right All right. Well, we're gonna take you know, we're gonna look into this further, but in the meantime We are gonna place you under arrest just so you know, you're Accessible and uh, you know, we're gonna place you under arrest for providing false information to the police and barris like immediately is like Oh, I don't like this. I'm only leave. I'm only and he's just arrested and taken away The way he sort of walks into the corner and stands there was so funny.

Yeah, um Yeah, so then and then there's a scene between Hank and Fred where Hank is like he's telling him He's like yeah, it seems like, you know, you're hooked on this substance D stuff It's really affecting your your perception of everything and you know, we're we're gonna have to take you off of this this case and probably send you a way to A rehab facility and friends like what wait what's happening here? And they're like you're gonna be you're fired essentially Um, you know, you you weren't supposed to get hooked on the substance D and and friends like you assigned me this thing Like I you made me do this and they're like there are other people that are also undercover They pretend and like it's all very sort of like no, it's your fault that you got addicted to this We had no part in that and which it's yeah, yeah, um and then the The reveal is that so Hank takes yeah, Fred's cell phone is like, you know, his like burner phone or whatever right and uh calls Donna Yeah, he's like well good news Donna says she's gonna pick you up around from five minutes So then we see you know, Fred leaves and then Hank also leaves and we follow Hank into the locker room Where we've seen Fred like change in and out of his suit his friend suit Yeah, it's like a almost like an airlock kind of situation where like you go into the room wearing suit And then you leave out a different door, you know, so like it's much harder to distinguish like who is you know in suit and not whatever Yeah, and then we see Donna aka Audrey. Do you notice that? Yes, Donna slash Audrey Yep, those are two girls from Twin Peaks and also Twin Peaks high school.

Yeah, so it's the name Hank That's a guy from Twin Peaks. That's a guy who sucked Domino on Twin Peaks That guy sucked Domino. I guess I saw it um yes And she goes what are you kidding Bob? Oh, do I know anybody else in Twin Peaks name?

Let's think about this James This thing goes all the way to the top Ernie the top of the peaks the top of the peaks Ernie of course is a reference to What is it that you want Ernie? So yes, Hank is revealed to be Donna which the first time I saw this movie I did not see that coming at all yeah It's tough have I guess I first but yes, yes that revealed the first time I was like oh wow, that's pretty fucked up. Yeah, um and then You know she drives him to new path. Yes, he's him He's laying on the floor throwing up.

They put a blanket on him. Yeah, I mean already they're like all right another fucking junkie like They're already mean to him. She's still there and they're treated already mean to him. Yes So she like when she like Donna the character of Donna seems like very especially towards the end here very empathetic towards Bob But when she is in the hank suit, it's all business and right yeah, um, so would you rather have a hank suit or an Edgar suit?

I want to go for a photo We're putting substance down the water You're pretty good at that Alright, anyway Yeah, so yeah, she's really having a hard time that we see more of that after she drops him off There's a scene of her now Audrey with her Superior yes, whose name I forget Mike Mike. Yeah. Yeah, uh, also Twin Peaks also Twin Peaks interesting So um they're talking about this and sort of like lay out the whole plan which was to drive a guy insane Yes using a substance D. Yeah get him hooked and like disabled essentially right from substance D So he has to go into one of these new path rehab centers.

Yes Basically thinking that like they couldn't fake this for someone they would know yes Well, we see Bob doing so Bob goes into the rehab facility, right? And there is a that shot of Rory Cochran at the table bald bald Um, I don't believe that is actually the character of freck there. I you know, it's Seems like it might just be a hallucination. Um, I did forget about that one.

I said we never seen him again Do you think do you think maybe someone just found him? I I don't know. Yeah, but it doesn't it seems like it It makes more sense to me. I guess that it's just a hallucination of somebody that Bob knew rather than like because we saw this whole scene of freck committing suicide Unless unless it's one of those things where like he was on the pills and time stopped and he just hallucinated this guy reading him a sins Which is also possible.

Uh, yeah, it is unclear. Yeah, but then uh someone working at the place is like Bob good news you passed our don't know nothing test Yeah, come You you have sufficiently proven your brain is broken So you get to come work on the farm Yes And Bob is just sort of like he's a bit of a husk. He's just sort of like repeating things that are said to him kind of a doggy Bit of it. Hey, hey, don't forget me started.

Um, so they take him there and It's a new path farm where these Uh addicts are they're just they live on the farm and they work the farm And that's just what they do right you get to go back a couple times a year for christmas and whatever else and see all your friends at the the facility but He is literally working on a farm near the mountains living in a small cabin the thing that donna was talking about just a little while ago Man. Oh man. Yep. Yep.

Yep. Yep. Uh, so Yeah, then we see him actually working in the field and he sort of Stops gets working in a corn like a cornfield. Yes.

We're no strangers to that sort of thing on this program No, no, but yeah, he sort of stops and bends down because what what he see It's a little blue flower It's the blue flower that they use to produce substance D and what we come to find out is that new path the rehab outfit is also Producing substance D so they are getting they're producing it selling it and getting people hooked and then putting them through rehab on the other end of it And then I guess you know using people who are completely their minds have completely like their shot as free labor on their farm To yeah, it's um, it's a nice tiny little metaphor. Yeah, really really is airtight. Yeah, definitely a metaphor Definitely not a reality that actually happens. Well sure I mean, yeah Yes, yes and no, but yeah, so he takes a flower and he puts in his boot He says he got brain to his friends at christmas or whatever right?

So that that is the sort of glimmer of hope is him taking the flower putting it in his boot And then holding on hopefully holding on to it until thanksgiving when he can you know show his friends Um, which is what donna and the guy mike want is like hope I think mike even says he's like hopefully like his last two brain cells can You know keep it together long enough where he can you know, just instinctually Uh get us some sort of evidence. Yeah, um And then it's a bummer no it is a bummer and then uh, it fades to black and then there's a I should have brought this up. Oh, I do have it up Or I have the the novel version. I have the version from the novel which is a lot longer But at the end of the novel is scanner darkly.

There's an afterword um, we're Philip kdick sort of like debriefs about the the book and and and advocates for like the humanity of drug users Yeah, so I just this just leaves first two fucking sentences here This story or this has been a story about people who were punished entirely too much for what they did I loved them all here's a list to whom I dedicate my love And it just goes down this list of like 10 people that it's like, you know, too To gailene this is to right to right to resist to francy permanent psychosis to cathe permanent brain damage. Oh, it's just so fucking Oh god. Yeah, it's really rough Um Yeah, he says these were comrades who I had there are no better They remain in my mind and the enemy will never be forgiven the enemy was their mistake in playing Let them all play again in some other way and let them be happy Yeah, so I like that the enemy right it was their mistake in playing or whatever Right, you know, I think there is like the little literal read on this like the idea that like drugs, you know, it's true It is simply true. Yeah, of course the cycle of drugs works in this way But I also think there's like the bleaker sort of like Not meta meta is not the right word, but like the I guess more slightly more abstract view of this which is just like this is This is just how all systems that govern our lives work and it's not even it doesn't even have to be as conscious as like Like let's start a let's start a farm to grow the plant that gets people hooked and provides us with labor for the farm, right?

It's like you couldn't really Plan that that's just sort of the end point of these systems. Yeah, it yes, it's not right you couldn't you couldn't plan a perpetual motion device Yeah, it just kind of happens Yeah, maybe not the first one, but I feel like at a certain point people were like oh, we should do that like do that thing that other Like drug sort of a large sort of large scale drug outfits. Do we get them on both ends, you know, I mean like You hear about like the u.s. Military like protecting poppy fields in the Middle East that while also, you know throwing people in jail for heroin and all this Right, right?

You're like, what are we doing? Not to be man. What is the there's like a term for this in? I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna butcher it So in Marxism, there's something called commodity fetishism, which is basically just like it refers to the way that like These transactions mmm destroy social relationships.

So it's like the idea that like You can't have a Set it even if you do away with the plot element that the the rehab facility is literally Manufacturing the drugs. Yeah, they have the incentive for people to stay addicted because there's now a business depending on it. Right. Yeah, so which yeah, I mean like and that's I think that's kind of In this last you know bit here when it's these were my comrades whom I had There were no better.

They remain in my mind, etc. The enemy will never be forgiven the enemy was their mistake in playing Which is true but also I feel like it's Also kind of getting out like It's just so much bigger than just like oh drugs are bad. Just don't do drugs. Right.

You know, it's like well society just fucking grinds you into a fucking a fine powder and you know Not everybody like people people Everybody escapes in different ways like they just do whether it's like food or TV or drugs or alcohol or whatever the thing is my case prayer Yes, it was in days prayer using mark wallberg's app the hello app. Yeah, hello be that app or my case podcasting. That's right This is my church, but Yeah, just this idea that like drug addicts are like bad people inherently or whatever and not just like you know people who may have Made a mistake in a moment of weakness or something and deserve empathy like everybody else, you know, right? it really yeah, it's like you I'm trying to think of how to put this in a way.

That's not stupid It's almost like when a fish sees an angler fish is light and you're like oh I could handle that That's roughly my size Yeah And you have no way of knowing that lurking in the dark is this much bigger thing with much bigger teeth and yeah And that is sort of like what addiction feels like it's like you think you have a handle on it until That's all you fucking don't until you don't and in fact you never did and like yes That that dynamic is like replicated throughout this even just in terms of like bob archer working Is like he thinks he's got a handle on this situation, but he is like for better or worse You know whatever however noble the cause may or may not be um Chewed up and spit out by this thing because there were machinations that he could never have been privy to right right working on him Yes, and he played his role and he didn't even know it until it was much too late. Yeah, it's uh, yeah It's pretty heavy stuff. So rock the vote Yeah, stay in line as p. Did he once said rock the vote right that was his thing I don't know if that I don't think that was specifically him.

It wasn't I could just like the spokesman for it Was one yeah, I'm sure that like at one point he was just a face that said rock the vote without that's been around for a while Oh, yeah, it was founded by a virgin records executive a much. I'm sure a much better guy It's there in the name. Yeah, I don't know why I associate him so much with that then I don't know that I've never heard that before that's weird all right forget I said it, but he is listed as a one-time spokesman Yeah, I think this mo I like this movie a lot. I think you know, it's not something that I rewatch all that often because it is It's a downer.

It's sad, you know, and like ultimately the ending is just sort of like It's not It's not a hopeful movie at all like even with that last bit where he sticks the flower in his boot or whatever It feels like yeah, maybe like I said before like maybe in a in theory Uh best case scenario they shut down new path and they they shut down the manufacturing of substance The but like five other things sprout up in its place Not to mention like the the huge human toll which has already been exacted exactly right and there's no good that comes out of this at all I mean, I mean basically right and then I guess the the better read is just like you will be um chewed up and ground into an almost unrecognizable pace and if there's anything you can do to find some like dignity or You know something you can do to help other people yeah, then that's great Although really what it feels like is happening here is like something almost akin to not MK Ultra But like they pro they they put this stuff in his head Hoping that like hoping that it would just yeah Like the two remaining cells would just like bounce off of each other and it's almost like this subconscious thing Then you know like what is humanity? Was it mean to be a human being good? Oh jeez Louise no I Geez Louise. That's I mean it is it's an interesting thing about this movie because I mean we said before it's a small Sort of story about this this group of people but it has like It feels I don't know so kind of universal that like it You know, it's based on a book that happened, you know that he wrote in or was published in 1977 After he experienced a similar thing like this is somewhat autobiographical But like you know you hear about this kind of these stories about like, you know Groups of drug addicts and things like that and it's like yeah, this Shit fucking happens and doesn't stop happening.

Yep, and like the war on drugs is nonsense like you and like I can't believe this is coming out on election day. Well. Yeah, that's I guess is oh boy That's how we planned it Dan. I actually feel like I'm gonna throw up right now I am getting pretty bummed out.

It's a it's a bummer movie for sure But but Dan but Yeah, we're combating this bummer thing with a double feature on Friday much more fun and escapist Yeah, sure We're staying on the Keanu train the Keanu would own a train the Keanu. I know Keanu Keona Keona Keona And we were watching Bram Stoker's Dracula the sort of my name is The You may know the filmmaker is the guy directed the Meg Megalopolis Before that before he was an absolute master craftsman. Yeah, he was out here making quaint little Gaudy overblown. Oh, man.

You're gonna. I know I am. I know you're gonna like it There's so many elements like in this That they like little bits of shit like come through in like Megalopolis or whatever But really not like not the supernatural elements or like the filmmaking techniques and okay. Yeah, um, there's no There's no as a Gary Oldman is Dracula.

Yeah, Gary Oldman is Dracula He doesn't say go back to the club. No back to the club. Yeah, it is This That's the top one to see What if a cesare Catalina was a vampire Count Caesar. Oh, you know, we should there should be I think I think if you want to launch your own spin-off show where you wonder what it would be like if cesare Catalina was different guys You should absolutely feel free to do that.

I'm gonna do it Um, then we should rate this and review it on letterbox Dot-com slash kingme pod and that's where you can go to learn what we think of the film in advance of the episode But not why we think that yeah, you gotta listen to the episode to get why of course I said three and a half You said four. I'll tell you why I'm gonna get out in front of this. Mm-hmm talking about it really sort of like, you know You know marinate on this one. I think a little bit you gotta you do kind of have to meet it more than halfway I think so too.

Yeah, but I'll say four. I can feel pretty good about that. Yeah, it's it's good and I think the the overall bleak message of it is Not the message That but it's presented in a good way. Right and it is like, you know, ultimately it's like a story told by a guy who lived through this So I do feel like there's like an inherent optimism to it.

Sure. Um, it's an observation It's not a conclusion. It's not like this is the the way things will always be right Um, it just was the way things were at that moment and yeah, maybe still are who can say for sure review review review review review What do you Harrelson? Should only play characters on downers never uppers.

Yeah, get off of those uppers Did I suppose name right? Mm-hmm. No, no he didn't. Actually I did w-o-o-o-o-d-y.

Okay, woo-dee Okay, does that review work for you? Do you have something else like to pitch? No, no, that's good. Okay, save it.

Lock it. Lock it down That's a scanner darkly Uh, we'll be back on friday assuming that podcasting is still legal and Comma-ly, uh, what else do they call her some other Conrad, conrad, conrad, and and JD, no not JD Vance Tim Waltz Tim Waltz, outlawed podcasting. We'll be back Friday. Yeah, then on Tuesday or should I say next Tuesday?

We'll be watching 2007's next which is an adaptation. I believe of the MTV series. Yeah, it's with Nicholas Cage and he's on a bus He's just waiting for his turn to be next on a date Um, well, it is a cage. It's it is a cage.

That's true It is a it's rage cage. I'm stoked for it. I've never seen I was just gonna say adapted from the golden man if you like to read along with these things If you do let us know what happened Let us know what happens before we watch it. Were you saying you haven't seen this one?

No, I have not seen this one Well, get this Chris Johnson can see into his future. He can only see two minutes ahead That'd be great That would be really helpful. Right? All of like the worst moments of my life much like Bob archer or when I like here's a great example And then we'll go yeah, yeah I was like I got home.

I was so hungry. I was starving I had five minutes before we started recording What's sitting on my counter one perfectly ripened Organic banana, okay, I peel this thing. I'm marveling at it. I'm holding it by the tip Oh, no, Dan like a jeweler inspecting a fine gem.

Yes, I take a bite I go mmm and the the vibration of me making that sound causes some structural Fisher in the banana the stamp thing falls to the ground son of a bitch And that was the moment I decided to leave my wife and get addicted to substance D All right, we'll be back on Friday once again with bam bram stokers dracula You can catch that over at patreon.com slash king me pon for five dollars a month But also get a some day free trial and don't pay a goddamn thing. Yeah, and until then time to die time to die