AMC Theaters. We Make Movies Better.

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Speaker 1: On the Bedel Cast, the questions asked if movies have women in um, are all their discussions just boyfriends and husbands or do they have individualism? The patriarchy ze and best start changing it with the Bechdel Cast. We come to the Bechtel Cast for magic. We come to the Bechtel Cast to laugh, to cry, to care because we need that, all of us. That indescribable feeling we get when the theme song starts to play and we go somewhere we've never been before, not just entertained, but somehow reborn together dazzling voices of hosts Jamie Loftus and Caitlin Darante sound that you can feel somehow. Heartbreak feels good on a podcast like this. On a podcast like this, our heroes Jamie and Caitlin feel like the best part of us, and episodes feel perfect and powerful because here they are the Bechtel Cast. We make podcasts better. Welcome to the Bechtel Cast. I don't know, I have no idea what week this is going to be released, because this is an evergreen episode. Obviously we've been getting I mean, well, so look, if this is your first time listening to the Bucktel cast. Honestly, we can't help works. We can't actually, we can't help you. I don't think we should even say what the Bechtel test is in this episode. Honestly, it's not necessary and as we have always said, you know, it's just a starting off point for discussion and certain pieces of art transcend correct conventional media metrics. This is this is more of a vibes based episode. It's um it's sound that you can feel. And we've been getting requests for this for the I mean since truly the second it dropped. We are It's like, when is there going to be an intersectional feminist discussion of drumroll please? The Nicole Kitman AMC commercial that shows right before the movie starts only at AMC theaters, and I'm pretty sure only in America. There are a few countries in Europe that I believe they've got it, have been exposed to this, but yes, it is mostly a thing from the US, so uh here, if you live in a country where you haven't had the pleasure. I would hope that they show it in Australia, where Nicole Kitman from, but I don't really know. I don't know where AMC movie theaters are and I don't care to know, but I will say that I this has come up in conversations with two of my Canadian friends this week. Okay, we've got international friends. I've got a couple Canadian and you know what. And while we're at it, it's recently International Women's Day and yeah, my friend Sarah is from Canada, so yeah, okay, but but the thing is, um, most people who live in Canada are like, what are you talking about. They're like, I've seen the meme, I haven't experienced it, and you really do need to experience that. We're gonna try to take you there today because I mean, obviously there's a lot to unpack, but for for those who haven't heard it before, we're just going to play the full audio here so you can experience it for yourself. So the commercial does also include video. Here's the audio. It's also readily available on YouTube, so we'll also provide the YouTube link if you can actually pause the episode and rent out a movie theater if there's not an AMC in your area, just rent out a movie theater and play this YouTube clip because you do have to kind of see it in a theater. Yes, if that's not possible. Here's the audio from the commercial that we will be talking about today. We come to this place for magic. We come to AMC Theaters to love, to cry, to care, because we need that, all of us. An indescribable feeling we get when the lights begin to dip and we go somewhere we've never been before, not just entertained it somehow informed together dazzling images on a huge silver screen, sound that I can feel somehow. Heartbreak feels good in a place like this. Our heroes feel like the best part of us, and stories feel perfect and powerful because here they are. AMC Theats make movies. Okay, myself so much to unpack. You've heard it, you've experienced it from an audio standpoint. Sound. I could feel sound, You can feel sound. I could feel. So let's get I mean, Caitlin, what's your history with the Nicole Kevin AMC commercial. Well, I saw it for the first time at the end of I believe it first premiered in September. Yes, I think I saw it. It played in theaters right before shan Chi. I believe that's when I first saw it. Exciting. I have seen it dozens of times since then, and I would say, you love the movie. I love going to the movies, and specifically AMC theaters. Because I do not to brag or anything, have an AMC A List stubs membership where you can see up to three movie fees a week, all the fees waved, etcetera, etcetera. You're not going to believe this. I have that as well, Jamie. Yeah, yeah, I saw I saw Syra No this week. Oh yeah, No, I didn't see any together that were good. I went with a friend of the show, Melissa Lozada Aliva. We saw Syra Now and then we went to the cheesecake factory. Well, thanks for inviting me. Gee whiz, I'm I'm sorry. It's a date. Honestly, can you see every You see most movies, but you always see all the good movies. And my AMC history is so embarrassing it's horrible. Okay, So you saw you saw Nicole kivin AMC commercial before Hunch. Yes, and I've seen it dozens of times since, and I would say it is my favorite ad for AMC Theaters starring Nicole Kidman, favorite of all time. Yes, to quote, my favorite eat from this year when Nicole Kidman was nominated for being the Ricardos and not the AMC commercial that was not fighting for gay rights. And I can't help but agree. I think it's, you know, it's extremely obvious where the performance really was because Nicole Kidman. And I think this has been kind of pointed out. And I say this with love because she's obviously we know she's she's a great actress. She's been in so many classics. She's in kind of a flop era right now. One could say, I would make the argument, and I'm not the only person saying this. Being the Ricardos couldn't get through it. Don't really know anyone that could. That thing on Hulu not good. I don't even know what you're talking about. That thing on HBO that wasn't Big Little Lies with Hugh Grant. I did watch every episode, but she was constantly a staged by her jackets in that show, and they were fabulous jackets. But that's not you know, she's just in kind of a bizarre phase of her career. And then and then a performance like this and you're like, oh, I mean she never left the Comeback of the Century. Just quick side note, I will say that I am compelled. I have not seen the show on HBO. I am compelled by it though, because it starts the two Villains of the Two Paddington movies, so you really would think that it was going to be better. I kind of want to rewatch it because that show I don't even remember what it was called, but it was like a Sunday night HBO show. I usually watch those, whether I like them or not, because I don't know. I like Caitlin, You're a Movie, Galt. I watched TV in real time a lot of the time. It's called the Undoing. I wonder. I feel like it aired like very much during Lockdown, and it was like but it was like deep into Lockdown. It was all so airing during the election, so I was just like, I know that everyone was like that show was weird. It wasn't very good, but it happened at such a chaotic time that I think is either a little bit better than we were giving a credit for, or my suspicion, much worse. So we'll never We'll never know. I don't care to watch it again. All that to say, She's back, She's back. This is the greatest commercial I've ever seen, So yeah, tell me about your history and your relationship with AMC Theaters period we make movies better period starring Nicole Kidman, So I am looking through my AMC history. I believe the first time I would have seen this would have been when I was seeing an eleven ten in the morning screening of Spencer, the Christen Stewart Princess Diana movie, which I liked, and I had heard about the commercial. I had not experienced the commercial, and I was immediately hooked. I feel like it completely. I feel it's a good movie to see it right before too, because Spencer is all about like just kind of you're like, you're never quite sure what's going on. You never you don't know who to trust, who to believe. You're like, what is happening here? And that's the exact feeling I get when I watched Nicole Kidman AMC commercial, except I don't think it's supposed to feel that way, but that's why it's beautiful. Where the first time I saw the Nicole Kidman commercial bring the House Down, because we'll talk about the history of the commercial. I saw it first Bring the House Down at a screening of House of Gucci because Peanut butter and jelly of dissonant content. Um. People were flipping for for the Nicole Kidman commercial because there is kind of even though it's you know, not been around for very long. People didn't like it at first, They're like, what is this? I hate it? I'm confused. Nicole Kidman hasn't even been in a movie we that has like premiered in theaters in like three years, so why her of all people? She's been doing streaming stuff. But then you know, there was this shift sometime in the late fall and it and it does coincide, and this commercial was partially made to encourage people to go back to the movies when it was safe and by winter time, by like the holiday season movies. People were in love with this commercial. They loved it to the point where when they shortened the commercial, there was a petition with thousands of signatures to make it a minute long again. And I have not experienced this myself yet, but I've heard tell of when this commercial comes on in theaters, many audience members will recite the monologue along with I can confirm that. Okay, I have yet to experience this. I did see The Batman last night. You said long but good, long, but good correct and reaction that the audience had when Nicole Kinman's AMC commercial came on at an AMC. They don't really need to be advertising AMC when you're already at an AMC. But you're already there, and there's always such a like love hate relationship with AMC because most people are there because they have the most affordable membership. It's not because it's the best movie theater. But you know, so people are kind of at AMC under duress, but that's kind of part of the fun exactly. So the commercial starts to play, you only need to see it for like a few frames before you know exactly what you're seeing. And the moment we see that puddle, oh my gosh, is it rating in the commersional but I mean, just an explosion of applause and cheers the moment it comes on screen, and I get why, Like it's it's an incredible piece of cinema. It has everything that I love about and it's truly does that commercial not make movies better? Because I would say it does. It now makes me want to go to we're recording this on Friday evening. It kind of makes me want to go see The Batman tonight because I just I've never seen this commercial in like a packed theater calling out House of Gucci for maybe not packing the theaters as they thought they might. I've seen it in half full theaters a couple of times, but I have not seen, you know, like the way that we used to see movies. This commercial is so special, and I think we should I mean, should we get into the recap. Yeah, yeah, let me recap it and then we will go from there. Okay. So setting the scene, it is a cold, foggy night. It's not actively raining, but it has just rained because there's a puddle. One of the most iconic opening shots of all time, I would say, is Nicole Kevin's heel landing directly in a puddle, as if Nicole Kidman in her five thousand dollar shoes would be stepping in up avoid a puddle. It seems so intentional that you're like, surely this is going to come back later in the film. It does not. It does not. So the whole purpose of this puddle is so that we see the reflection of an AMC theater sign. A foot comes into frame and steps into the puddle. This foot is wearing a stiletto. We see the pant leg of a pinstriped suit. But these aren't just any old pin stripes. They're shiny pin stripes. There. It's I would say, it's like you would wear this like a business casual New Year's Eve party? Yeah, would you wear this to a movie theater alone? You know, that's that's out of my pay grade. I don't know you could. I've seen it happen. I mean, I've seen it happen with exactly one person, and it's Nicole Kidman in this commercial. M hm, so yeah, so it has happened. It's been famously done. So she so she walks into and it's, of course it's an AMC movie theater. Yes, he's wearing a jacket. At first, jacket goes away. Okay, yes, okay, So we cut two assuming they take it at the door, which is not what happens at them. There is no co check, so right, so then we cut to the so we're still outside. We cut to the face of the person in the pinstripe suit. It is Nicole Kidman as herself. I think she's not playing a role. She's not playing you know. The Explorer's daughter in Paddington One. She's not playing uh um whatever that her name is from Mulan Rouge, certainly not. And other Nicole Kidman movies that I can't think of off the top of my head. She's not in um in Oh no, that one that's about sex parties, eyes wide shot, it's not. That's how I just described. Thank you forgetting that, and I'm canceled again. Great um yeah. And then you know other movies that she's in that I don't remember, but it's Nicole Kidman playing herself as far as we can tell. She pulls down the hood of a beige coat that she's wearing. She smiles at the AMC sign. She loves it there, and it's not a super enthusiastic smile, but it's a smile of recognition, like I've been to this we come to this place, which I think is what is being said during this shot, correct, So she smiles, she steps towards the theater, and then we're also getting voice over from Nicole Kidman which says, we come to this place for magic. We come to AMC theaters to laugh, to cry, to care. Then we see Nicole walking down a hallway of this AMC. People have figured out this is like a Los Angeles am C. I'm pretty sure I know exactly where it is. Where is which one is it? So it is one of the newest AMC's, at least in the region. Because this was filmed on location. It is the AMC. You like to think they built a replica. Uh, it is the AMC Porter Ranch nine, which is just north of l A. We should definitely go. We should definitely go. I also, how certain did you feel, even though obviously she's an amazing actress, you feel like she's been there before. I would guess this is the first time Nicole Kimn's been too an AMC. Absolutely yeah. I don't think she's ever set foot inside of one before they offered her, let's say, a million billion dollars to step foot inside of a completely empty AMC theater one time. I concur okay, but it's great. It's it's fluorescent lighting, which you would think wouldn't be flattering, but it's Nicole Kidman and it kind of compliments the shiny nous of of the pinstripe suit. I thought it brought out the stripes absolutely us. So she's walking down the hall Her coat is gone, so she apparently maybe she opened the doors and just tossed it at the first working class person she saw. Who knows she could have just dropped it. I mean the movie there's empty, true, right, no one else is there. Okay, So she's walking down the hallway alone. Cut to her in a screening room, walking up the steps towards a seat. The screening room is completely empty. But at this point we have now gotten a full visual of the suit head to toe. We see the whole thing and it looks good. It's good, it's a good fit. It was tailored nicely, yes, and it's very shiny. Now, can can you clarify something for me? She doesn't have the soda when she is walking down the hallway, or does she? I do not believe she has the soda At this point, the soda appears, soda magically appears, yes, okay, I just checking. The coat magically disappears, the soda magically appears. She's summoning and disappearing things like she's a wizard, like she's in practical magic or something. Yes, wow, that's another movie she's in. She's really in a lot of movies. Caitlin. I know she's had a hell of a career, tell you what, She's in several movies, and now it's peaked. It's peaked, and there's nowhere to go but downward. After this AMC commercial exactly exactly, Okay, while we see these visuals of her walking to her seat and things like that, we get more voice over, which says, because we need that, all of us, that indescribable feeling we get when the lights begin to dim and we go somewhere we've never been before. Okay, Now things get kind of interesting because now she's so she's in the theater, the theater, there's no one there, She's there alone. Right, Now, here's something interesting. We don't know canonically what year this commercial takes place in. It could take place as late as or as early as seventeen eighteen. Does she watch a movie that comes out after she watches Wonder Woman? She watches Jurassic World. So I didn't check the dates on these. So the four movies that we see her watching clips of, presumably trailers maybe who knows our Jurassic World, which I believe came out in if you could fact check me, that is correct. Okay, don't we see her watch a clip of Wonder Woman which came seen I believe, Okay. The third one is La La Land. Okay, that might be a wild card. That's twenty. I believe that's sixteen. Let me check. I forgot she watches La La Land. That's sixteen, okay, So so it could be as late as twenty seventeen. And then the final one is Creed. Okay, Creed came out, Creed came out in So this commercial, I would say, for some reason, takes place in in the winter of or like the late fall or early winter of because otherwise you would think and I don't know the vision. And also I would say that one thing I found very troubling about this is there's no credited writer on this well commercial, well, not in the credits of the commercial, because commercials generally don't have credits. But there is a famous Hollywood Oscar nominated screenwriter wrote the monologue for this, Billy Ray. Really yes, okay, And I feel like you can tell when a man is putting words in a woman's mouth. That said, I think that you know I can. Is he not the screenwriter of what? Is he the screenwriter of Hunger? Games. He wrote Terminator Dark Fate. He wrote Captain Phillips, among others, that horrible movie Richard Jewel. Wow, he had a rough year in You wrote Gemini Man, Terminator, Dark Fate, and Richard Jewel yikes, hasn't written That's why he has to write Nicole Kidman's AMC monologues now. He wrote Three Stinkies in a Row yikes. Oh, and he wrote that show The Comy Rule That. No. I don't know why I'm calling him out because this is the greatest movie I've ever seen. Um So he actually we thought that Billy Ray, a person I just learned existed. We thought he was in his flop era. Due to Gemini Man, Terminator, Dark Fate and Richard Jewell back to back to back. We thought Nicole Kidman was in her flop era. I don't know why. I think the emphasis went wrong. We thought she was in her flop era. Yes, now I get it. Now, I understand. You know why I hit the flop flop era flop Ira. But it turns out they just needed I do feel like there is something beautiful. I mean, it's like, you know how some people are really amazing in like the TikTok format. You know, the TikTok formatt have you heard of that? Oh, I'm I'm familiar. You know, like the the idea of constraint often brings out you know, and the the economy of words, the economy of time, you know, it really forces out greatness. Yeah, wow, Billy Ray, why did he do that? Do you have more information? Well, sorry, let's get there. I have some so I have some context. And then yeah, we'll thank you so much. So we we get this a little bit more of her voice over. Then we see a movie projector fire up. She is now standing in front of a seat, but she has yet to sit down. The projector screens a clip of Jurassic World. It's screens a clip of Wonder Woman. The voiceover kicks back in. She says, not just entertained, but somehow reborn together dazzling images on a huge silver screen, sound that I can feel. Then we cut back to her face. She has been watching these clips with awe. I would say, Oh, I mean I think and there is you know that Twitter account one perfect shot. There is one perfect shot, and it's it's the one you're thinking of where there's that just a halo of light coming from behind Nicole Kidman's beautiful head from the movie Projector as she's watching I'm pretty sure the trailer for wonder Woman. Yes, it's electric, And I think a lot of us felt like that about the trailer for wonder Woman in late where this commercial is set, and then we watched it again about a year later, and we're like, no, it was actually just okay, right, but we can't falter for that. This commercial takes place, you know, almost five years ago. That's true, that's true. So she she's been watching these clips with awe. She finally takes a seat. Then we see the clip of La La Land and then Creed voice overgoes and this is I believe, the most iconic line. She says, somehow heartbreak feels good in a place like this, And can you clarify for me what movie is playing? When she says that, Um, I believe it's Creed? I think so. So I have a fall up question. Have you seen Creed? I haven't seen Creed? Yes, I have seen Creed? Does he lose? Is there heartbreak in a movie like that? Honestly, I do not remember, because I saw it when it first came out and I don't. My memory doesn't work. Okay, well you continue. I'm just going to make sure because I the movies that she's Oh, it's I'm just getting results for Creed the band. Okay, I need to be more specific in my search. I just was cure because for for such an iconic line the movies selected, I don't think you're particularly known for being heartbreaking. Right. And then, like a lot of what she's saying in her voiceover monologue does not exactly match up with the images we're seeing on screen. I would argue the most congruent match would be when she says sound that I can feel and that I believe it's playing over the clip of La La Land and that's a musical, so maybe it's like so that makes sense they found it in the edit. Right. Also, speaking of sound, let's talk about the score for a moment. The musical score that has been playing throughout this entire commercial is, I would say, a a very epic piece. It's swelling, lots of swelling strings, piano. It's yeah, it's very It starts rather sparse, starts a little sparse, you know, when for that we come to this place, you know, it's just a few it's it's very quiet. But then yeah, it rapidly crescendos once she's in that theater alone, Oh my god. And I would say that, really the crescendo comes with the arrival of the Soda who should have been, you know, the Best Supporting Actor nominee this year for sure, because what is a good supporting actor do? But you know, uplift the protagonist performance. Yeah, I haven't heard, I haven't heard the Zoda cup say a peep martial came up, and yet they're stealing scenes but also a generous scene partner. I would say, does it pass the Bechdel test? When the cup of Soda appears magically beside Nicole Kidman and admires her, admiring the movies she's watching on screen, thank you for asking? Yes, okay, just just double checking. Okay, so we're almost done. So her voice over, she says, somehow heartbreak feels good in a place like this. Our heroes feel like the best part of us, and stories feel perfect and powerful. Then we transition from Nicole's voiceover to her directly addressing the camera. It's like Judy Dent at the end of Cats is how I always think of that moment where you're like, wait, they know we're here. There the cats know, And I was in the theater the whole time, And that's how you feel when Nicole stares down the barrel of Jeff cronin Worth's camera exactly, and she says, because here they are. So she says, because here dot dot dot long pregnant pause, or I might even call it ant pause. Oh yeah, heavy with greg this pause because here dot dot dot gregnant pause they are. And then we get text on the screen that says and more voiceover that says, AMC theaters, we make movies better. Yes, fatal black. End of commercial. End of movie. So let's take a quick break for an ad that I really hope is AMC. I really hope they start playing a drink podcast for some reason, but I somehow doubt that it's going to be this exact AMC ad starring Nicole Kidman. Let's cross our fingers, but it's probably not. But we'll come right back after to this place at see you back in this place in just a minute. Yes, and we're back. So I wasn't aware who wrote the script. That is fascinating. I didn't know who directed that. They really so this this advertising campaign cost and and listeners get ready for this million American dollars is how much they spent on this ad campaign. I cannot conceive. Most of it had to have gone to Nicole Kidman, right, Like, where did this is a minute long commercial? Well? Okay, here's my guests, and I am not sure, but an educated guess is that the budget for the actual production of this commercial would not have been that high. And as with most budgets for ads, a lot of the money goes to buying ad space as far as the actual production goes. You know, for this it was only one location. They probably only needed one day for the shoot. And yeah, the biggest expense for the production was probably Nicole Kidman's rate. Right, And they have you know, jeff Crownaworth and Tim Cronaworth. You know, very famous Hollywood folks, are they? They are like in terms of I'm sure they make a lot of money because Jeffrey Cronaworth is like David Fincher's go to cinematographer. He done, he did Fight Club, Social Network, Girl with the dragon tattoo, Gone Girl. He's also like cinematographer nepotism. His dad did Blade Runner. He's kind of an interesting guy, I see. And then also I think it's a brother doo right. Jeff and Tim have collaborated on this, yes, Like I think that they're just like a cinematographer team. They also just worked together with Nicole Kidman on Being the Ricardos was his last film, so he knows how to frame this head he he knows all about it. And this is how this commercial came to be. So I'm going to read an excerpt from an interview conducted with Nicole Kidman by the Playlist about this about this so it was mostly about Being the Ricardos and a few of her other projects, The Flops, The Flops. But the final line of questioning in this interview goes as follows, and I quote the interviewer says, and then my last question for you is I know that you're not on the internet, but do you know how beloved your AMC theaters ad is? Nicole responds, Oh, the only reason I know is because Adam Aaron, the head of a MC, sends me these tidbits saying, oh thank you, because Jeff cronin WI shot it. He and his brother and he shot Being the Ricardos and the reason he shot it was because I was doing Lucy. And then I said, listen, I've been asked to support a m C. Would you be willing? And he was like yeah. And then Billy Ray, a friend of mine. I was like, Billy, would you be able to do something? Write something for us? Should we do this to support AMC? And Billy's like hell yes. So that was how that all came about basically. And then I was like, gosh, I mean, but I've never seen it in the theater or anything, because she's never been to an AMC. Right, I showed up to a show, a screening of Lucy of Being the Ricardos, and Adam was there. But Adams kind of a rock star. He's very popular. The interviewer says, he's very popular with the blockchain investors, and then Nicole respond right, not my forte. I just wanted to support a m C. But he's a great guy, thinking out of the box and defying the odds. Go Adam. The interviewer says, well, I don't know if you know this, but people love the line. Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this so much that they have printed it on T shirts. Nicole Kidman, are you kidding? Interviewer, Oh, no, it's real. Ask your publicist, she can send you stuff. It's a thing. The publicist says, people have printed it out and handed it out in a theater so they could read it with you before a movie. That is true. I've I've I've seen I've seen the tweets. Yes, Nicole Kidman says, what. Interviewer says, yes, it's a thing. Nicole Kidman says no. Interviewers says yes. Nicole Kidman says what, And then the interviewer says, and in fact, people were very upset because it was originally a minute long, and then they shortened it down to thirty seconds and they cut that line out. Fans were going to see Spider Man No Way Home, and they wanted to see it beforehand, and they were upset that line was missing. And Nicole Kinman says, but it's a great line, right. Interviewer says yes. Nicole says, it's so true. How true is it too? In? The interviewer says it is, and then Nicole says, I mean talk about not feeling alone sitting in a cinema with a broken heart and then watching something that breaks your heart again and you go, I'm not alone. Please, this must not go away. We have to have cinema. Nicole has no idea what's going on here, and that is a part of the r I think she's going method. I think she's doing whatever Joaquin Phoenix thought he was doing fifteen years ago. Nicole Kibben's doing right now. Uh, this is her I'm not there. She's pretending to that. That's so funny because Nicole Kibbin, I feel like, correct me if I'm wrong, listeners, but I fee it is kind of inherently camped to not understand when you're doing something camp be the like that. She's like, yeah, because we love the movies and because and heartbreak does feel good in a place like this. It's like, well, Nicole, that's not necessarily why we're cheering, but heartbreak does feel good in a place like that. She's not wrong. So that brings up a few things for me. I'm curious how you feel about that because this episode is coming out I think maybe right after Women's History Month, and I just think it's interesting. You know, it's it's we love a strong female protagonist, and Nicole Kibben in this In this piece in particular, I think one of her strongest performances in a leading role. Absolutely. However, behind the camera, you know, I think that it's it's interesting, it's and I would say that this isn't a good example of women's supporting women because she she she called three white guys one one white guy and his brother. I think it's very funny that they keep referring to this guy, Tim, who doesn't have a Wikipedia page, Bless his soul. He's just called Jeff's brother, and I'm sure that bothers him. And then she calls, how does she know Billy Wright? Did he write a movie that she was in. I'm trying to figure out what the Billy Ray Nicole Kidman connection is. Let me see if I can figure this out. I would have looked, Nicole, you had an opportunity here and you handed it to a bunch of men. And I just think that's interesting. Was she in the Hunger Games? Who's in? I know? So? Okay, Elizabeth Banks is the blonde adults in that movie. Never Mind, I don't quite know how they know each other. Maybe they're just friends, that's Hollywood, Baby, I want to know who the costume designer was on this commercial, because again, this suit deserves a lot of our attention, and like how many how many different? Like what was the process there? I also really liked that that interview you just shared. You can tell it's the best day of that interviewer's life talking to her about this. But if there were questions that I feel like I didn't have answered, you know, and like how long is she going to be willing to It almost makes me want her to win for being the Ricardos so she can give us more information on stage in her Oscar acceptance speech. Yeah. Yeah, I mean she she if there's any justice in the world, she won't win because that movie is so bad that it's kind of shocking. But I just wonder, yeah, because it's like I wonder how many outfits she tried on did she bring? I feel like sometimes when people are super famous, they're like, I'm just gonna bring my own clothes. I could see it being that it seemed like it was an intimate production. Yeah, is this something she already owns? We don't know. I mean, it certainly fits. I mean when the pinstripe suit fits. That's the famous quote. Right then you have to shoot an AMC commercial and there can't be other people. I wonder, and I also wonder, you know, like why are there no other people? Well, this brings up this is an excellent question, Jamie, because it might be that she has, you know, anxiety about being around people. People could be that, but it could just be people in general. Because we're still in a pandemic as as we discuss this commercial, and certainly as this commercial premiered, and I think a lot of the backlash that this commercial first received, in addition to everyone just being like, what the fuck is this totally weird and bizarrely written, which we later realized was that's wrong. It's wrong because it's actually perfect, perfect, and it's the tone we've been for years. The production design is unbeatable, the cinematography is perfect, Everything about it is amazing. The writing is good. There's a lot of symbolism. Then the symbolism is so that you don't really know, like what they're trying to say, and in that way, it's lynch in the the sudden disappearance of the beige coat symbolizes the ending of the pandemic and the sudden emergence of this cup of soda symbolizes us returning to the life we once knew pre COVID nineteen pandemic. That's my interpretation, right, and that is why people getting to your point, why people were kind of upset because the commercial came out when we were not quite in that place, and because obviously the pandemic is ongoing, but in particular, you know, in September that was still a very precarious time and we did not know it then, but like the delta variant unfortunately surged shortly after this commercial, uh first premiere, and so the timing was not great. It seems like the kind of commercial that's claiming that the pandemic is over in a way that I don't think would have made quite as many waves had it premiered in early two when cases went down significantly again after the sorry I'm at the omicron variant, I didn't mean the delta variant. Getting my variants mixed up horrible. It's okay, we forgive you. But yes, the commercial premiered at a time where the situation was precarious. Not to quote Titanic or anything. Ruth talking about her precarious situation with Rose, of course, but the situation the world is Rose with the Corsidan, and the commercial failed to address how the theater because obviously the commercial is like urging people to return to the cinema after you know, a year and a half of watching movies at home. But it's like, hey, look, you can go back to the movie theater, specifically AMC because we make movies better. But the commercial will failed to acknowledge how the theaters might be doing anything about safety precautions relating to the pandemic and all that stuff, so that it seems to imply that the only way to be safe is to be completely alone to buy out the entire theater, which you can do at an AMC, which is another cause for criticism of like, oh well then that's a class issue. Oh you're not. You're not going to keep it safe, which is what brings me to my honestly assumption that Nicole Kidman is uncomfortable around poor people. I mean, I would tend to assume that is also correct that said we don't want her. Uh, she's she's an icon. Okay, let's get back on track. Um, yes, okay, So is that do you have more context for this. Thank you for taking the lead on context for this. I'm learning so much, you know what, I'm happy to do it. I think that was That was all I could find in my extremely deep and thorough dive of the production surrounding this commercial. And um, I don't have much else to say aside from this being my favorite movie of all time except that. Did you notice how Nicole Kidman's Australian accent is sometimes there but sometimes not? Well, that's how else would you know Nicole Kidman's performing if she couldn't quite decide whether she was going to use her natural accent or not. It's like we've taught and okay, icon we're not punching at Nicole Kidman. This is an iconic performance that there's like every Nicole Kidman performance you're like, oh there. It is like there's always like two scenes where she she just she slips quote Titanic, and I slipped and I would have gotten overboarding Mr m he hadn't saved me, almost gone over himself. So the boy's a hero. Then okay, oh guys, it's April. You gotta get over to the Matrion because it's that time again. Did you see that listener and future guests in the cast aomi Um tagged us in something called a Titanic porn parody called by Tanic Did you see that? I certainly did. I think maybe we should cover it. I think we should cover it. There's another I think horror movie coming out good Titanic six six six is maybe the movie perfect with. The newest Amityville horror movie is called Amityville Horror in Space and they still claim it's based on a true story. Can you believe that? Okay? So okay. I'm reading an article from Deadline about Titanic. The official log line of the film is this, one hundred and ten years after its namesakes Fateful Journey, the Titanic Threes made in voyage will land at the original site of the wreck. Although a faithful replica of the original, this mammoth cruise ship. This is also way longer than a logline btw, But what do I know? Although a faithful replica of the original, this mammoth cruise ship is built with the most advanced technology, ensuring that it has no chance of sinking. But when the Titanic three arrives at the tragic site, strange events begin to occur as dark forces from the deep rise to the surface, terrorizing all aboard and threatening to repeat one of history's greatest disasters. Wow, I love it. I'll see it. Of course we'll see it. Of course we'll see it. I'm looking. I'm currently looking at somehow heartbreak feels good in a place like this crop tops. Okay, So obviously we need to get matching ones and wear them during every recording. And if if things go as you're planning, Caitlin and I may be dropping a special little, uh, you know, a little little picture to go along with this episode if things go to plan. If not, we'll cut it out of the episode. But I think that you might be pretty thrilled by the make sure we drop with this. So with that said, I think that there's you know, I wish we had more time to discuss this, but we have shockingly been talking about this for almost an hour. So does this AMC commercial spot pass the Bechtel test? Well, I'm going to answer your question with another question, amazing, which is this? Okay, does it pass the Bechtel test? When Nicole Kidman's diagetic breaking the fourth Wall monologue responds to Nicole Kidman's non diagetic voice over, Ah, that's a yes question because it's obviously yes a so so the answer is yes, this definitely passes. I would argue there's another way in which it passes, because is it the soda cup clause it's a it's a different one. So there's a wow. Okay, So Nicole Kidman says, somehow heartbreak feels good in a place like this. Stories feel perfect and powerful because here they are. And then we the audience, which is comprised of all genders, we respond and we say who Yes, Nicole's exactly yes, and that truly is how people respond. Okay, you know, I'm sold. I think that at this point handily passes the backdul test. I had no doubt in my mind. But I feel much I feel much much better. Yes. So with that in mind, let's get to our nipple scale. Yes, rating the movie based on how it fares from an intersectional feminist lens on a scale of zero to five nipples. What are you giving this commercial spot? No question about it, five nipples, thank you across the board for everything. I would say five nipples as well. Even though this star is a a single white woman, talking to the world. Who had the opportunity to hire anyone and did hire three white guys. I think that there's no way around it that this has five nipples. I would also say there's not much diversity in the movies that she watches. It's a lot of um entirely straight white people. But we don't even see as far as who's represented from Jurassic World. It's just the gate. It's just the gate to Jurassic World. So yeah, I think that they certainly could have chosen a more diverse selection of movies. They also could have chosen movies that came out in the last five years, but for some reason they didn't. And even so five nipples though, even so five and maybe even six, and I'm giving them to this sounds like it's a MCS. I'm giving them all to the soda cup. Okay, cool, I'm gonna give one to the beige coat that disappears. I'm gonna give one to the puddle. I'm going to give one to the soda cuddle icon, the puddle feminist. Where's the T shirt feminist icon? The puddle? Okay, See, I know, I know, I have a lot of work to do. If I committed to making feminist icon the Puddle March, we would be millionaires and that's just a fact. And then we could buy out the whole theater. So my fourth nipple goes to the empty theater and my fifth nipple goes to Nicole Kidman's shiny pin stripes. Yes, this is a perfect piece of cinema. This is why we go to the movies, so that we can see this before we see a movie. And when Melissa and I love the theater, did we say the best part of Sarano was Nicole Kibbin? Yeah, and Syo was okay? Actually, although when we left, I'm curious what you think about about it because Melissa was like Caitlin would hate that so much. That was her first thought. You're talking about Sera No, yes, not the commercial. I know you love it well, I would know if we had seen the movie together as we were supposed to do, which we did mention going together on a Matreon episode. See it again? Okay, it again? Peter Dinkledge. I will see any movie with Peter Dinkledge as many times as I saw the House of Gucci three times. So yes, I will see Serran no twice. Good Okay, awesome, amazing, somehow heartbreak on a podcast like this. Yes, we'll be April. I'm assuing. I mean, I don't actually, I don't know when this is coming out. I don't know what day it is. It's just a day. It's a day. No big deal to day, no big deal. We'll have a great week everyone. Now, I feel like we really have um tackled our godfather basically, and um, you know we're gonna we we are going to bravely continue the show. But know that we just peaked. We could be done, and I would feel perfectly good about the work we've done here. I agree, So thank you for listening. You can you know, follow us, do all the stuff. Rate this episode five nipples on your listening platform, etcetera. Please, and um, you know, just be sure to go to a MC theaters because they make movies better. And honestly, if AMC doesn't give us advertising sponsorship after this, I'm gonna I'm gonna stomp around in a puddle of I'm gonna stomp around in a boddle. I'm gonna disappear some beige coats because that's bullshit. Absolutely Yeah, all right, Well, thanks for listening and uh. And now just imagine us turning to the microphone and saying, because here they are, bye bye bye