226: They/Them (2022)

SPEAKER_04 0:04

It was honestly an attack on you specifically.

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Yes. Yeah, f you, Kevin Bacon. Greetings and salutations, and welcome to Hacker Slash. If you're joining us again, welcome back. Come on in, stay a while. If this is your first time listening, welcome to the party. We are a horror movie review podcast dedicated to telling you whether a movie is a hack. A total joke, a waste of time, or a slash.

SPEAKER_02 0:30

Totally killer, pun intended.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

We believe horror is for everyone, and as such, we're rating these movies with the perspective we've gained from our varying walks of life and the flavors of fear we fancy most. My name is Chris, I'm your friendly neighborhood slasher enthusiast, and this week I'm joined by the super flat space guy Mac. Hola Muchachos, the Gore Lover Alexis. Hey everyone. The cowardly creeper Ryan. Hiya. And the Scream Queen Paris.

SPEAKER_04 0:53

I am trying so hard to be straight.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

This week we're checking out a Peacock original film that just released on the streaming platform on August 5th. Before we get down to business though, we have some follow-up.

SPEAKER_04 1:03

Let's follow up on a movie. Okay, so while I was away, y'all watched The Black Phone. And by y'all, I guess it was just Mac and Chris.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Yes, that is accurate. I did watch it last night.

SPEAKER_04 1:16

Oh, you did?

SPEAKER_01 1:17

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 1:17

Amazing. I still have not seen it, but if Mac and Chris liked it, that is a vote of confidence. Alexis, real quick, was it a hack or a slash? Go.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Someone really hyped this movie up, so I had extremely high expectations. And I think because of that, it kind of jaded me. It wasn't necessarily the biggest slash, but it wasn't the worst hack. So it's in the middle somewhere in space.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

We're the someone Mac, you and I. We hyped it up too much.

SPEAKER_02 1:44

It's our it's all our fault.

SPEAKER_04 1:45

Well, as always, we also wanted to hear from our listeners, and the results are in. 29% gave it a hack, and 71% gave it a slash, which is like kind of in the middle, but I feel like people liked it more than they hated it.

SPEAKER_01 1:58

I was looking at the comments on our social today because I just found it interesting to see why people would have hacked or slashed it.

SPEAKER_04 2:04

Rob on Discord said, Yay, you both got it right. Congratulations. This movie is really well made, and that terrific execution keeps it from going off the rails. Speaking as a parent, I can tell you that this movie is absolutely terrifying.

SPEAKER_02 2:16

And that and that's the type of horror no parent wants to experience in their real lives, which makes it really effective on screen.

SPEAKER_04 2:21

We have a comment from one of our patrons, Daniel, who said, I'm very late, but I want to start by saying it's not a hack or slash episode without a good Star Wars reference. Anyways, this movie was so good. The scares got me. I loved it. What was the Star Wars reference y'all made?

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Oh, you know, it was it was in the 70s, so it's gotta be something Star Wars in there.

SPEAKER_04 2:39

I mean, what wasn't the Star Wars reference?

SPEAKER_05 2:41

Also, that really made me start thinking, do we actually have that many Star Wars references? I think it's like a every few episodes, there's a good one. We don't we don't sprinkle them into every single episode, but they're high quality in like every few, I think.

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Yeah, I can't go too hard on the Star Wars references because I have a Star Wars tattoo, and then I'd be like severely outweighing my horror brand, so I'm gonna keep it in check.

SPEAKER_04 3:05

We have another comment from Britney who said, I really enjoyed Black Phone. I loved the mix of true crime with supernatural elements, and I was thoroughly creeped out the whole way through. My one regret is watching the trailer. I should have gone into this blind and I would have enjoyed it more. The trailer, like usual, gave too much away. No surprises, but still a solid film. Ethan Hawk and the child actors were stellar.

SPEAKER_05 3:23

If I've taught you nothing here, it is just stop watching trailers. Just don't do it. It's not worth it.

SPEAKER_04 3:29

And finally, we want to give a shout out to our newest patron, Alexander. Alexander, thank you so much for your support, and thank you for joining our patron family. If you have not already done so, please join the Discord. We're actually streaming live right now, and we have a lot of our patrons here hanging out with us, and you could be one of them. And that's our follow-up.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Well, this week we're covering another new release, though this time a modern day slasher set at a gay conversion camp. The film features a group of LGBTQIA plus youth welcomed to a conversion camp by a man who promises to help them live more authentic lives. As the days go on, however, the body count begins to rise, and the horrors of conformity and homophobia are brought front and center. This week, we're talking about they slash them. What were you all expecting going into this?

SPEAKER_02 4:13

I did not know what to expect going into this film because it's tough. Like I think it sets you up with the trailer for there's gonna be a slasher, but we don't know how it's gonna play out psychologically because of the camp that the characters are at. So it was this was to me like a just a blank canvas. They could have done anything, and I had no idea what was gonna happen.

SPEAKER_05 4:34

I was really expecting camp slasher, and I felt like maybe it was just an opportunity to do something kind of off the wall by having it like a gay conversion camp. I kind of thought we were gonna go for a bit of a classic storyline though.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

Yeah, I was thinking very obviously conversion camp. This is what's gonna happen. People are gonna die. It's a slasher. It's based on previous slashers that take place at a camp. So I don't know. I was thinking it wasn't gonna be too original.

SPEAKER_04 5:00

I was very excited for this movie as soon as I found out about it, just because the title, They Slash Them, is just clever wordplay, and I'm already here for that. I was also expecting it to be, you know, a little subversive, but also very queer. Uh, we know I love horror that takes place at a camp as a location. I'm a big fan of that. I also figured it would be pretty respectful because Kevin Bacon is in it, and Kevin Bacon is pretty much um an ally. He's like he's a good ally. He was on an episode of Will and Grace, he's down to clown, he doesn't take himself too seriously. I feel like he wouldn't, you know, pick a project that would be like horribly tasteless.

SPEAKER_05 5:36

Is that the qualification?

SPEAKER_04 5:37

Yeah, I mean, if he got the the Will and Grace stamp of approval in the 2000s, like he's good in my book.

SPEAKER_05 5:43

Bless.

SPEAKER_04 5:44

I was also hoping that we would get like our very first Final Day. So I was I was looking forward to that possibility. And I was also hoping that it was going to be a new, like spooky cult classic.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

Paris, I echo a lot of those expectations. I really had high hopes going into this. The title is indeed super clever, and looking at the way the casting was done for this movie gave me a lot of hope that we'd get some authentic storytelling. Obviously, it's kind of marketed as a slasher, so that really excites me. I expected this to really take an opportunity to kind of take the stereotypes that we may have expected from this movie and subvert them, but let me tell you, I felt some feelings watching this one. And uh, I think my my feelings can be summed up as excitement, elated, disgusted, uplifted, but also pandered to, feeling personally attacked, and yet somehow respected, it's complicated.

SPEAKER_05 6:38

You know, from a different perspective, I feel a lot of those same feelings. And although I don't think I'm personally pandered to, I sure did feel pandered to, just as a human. I just felt like they were like, Oh, you got you got that heartstring? Hold on a second. Um let me pull on that real quick. And is it your heartstring? Is it someone else's heartstring? Is it someone's heartstring that you love? We're gonna pull on that one too. And yeah, God, this is hard to talk about how you feel during this. There's a lot, a lot to feel. And I'd I would like to note the word respected is also an interesting, an interesting feeling to come from this too. This movie's difficult to sum in like simple terms.

SPEAKER_01 7:17

Yeah, I had a lot of feelings while watching this. You know, I was laughing in the first scene. I texted Ryan, I was crying, getting emotional in certain parts, and you know, I really felt super invested in these characters. And, you know, then it got silly, and I don't know, it was just a roller coaster of emotions for me. And at the end, I don't even know how to describe it. Besides, I was extremely pulled in and very attentive to this movie.

SPEAKER_04 7:42

I definitely felt a lot of different things watching this movie. There were times where I felt like a lot of tension, and then there were times where I was like, is this tension or is this just gay panic? Is this horror or is this trauma? Or is it both? I don't know. And it was really difficult to like sort through those emotions in the moment because they were so strong. And I think throughout I was sort of expecting more horror elements than we were getting, but I was like, okay, maybe it's building up to that kind of an ending where it's bodies hit the floor. Uh, so I was sort of on a journey emotionally, and I felt like I was going to a weird, spooky conversion therapy camp.

SPEAKER_02 8:18

I'll say I felt I felt quite engaged. I think it Paris, I will say it has a definite type of tension. Um, but like it always just makes you wonder the entire time, when is something evil going to happen to the characters on screen? Because you know that it's lurking somewhere deep within every conversation from from the people running this camp. And so it's just like every moment we're on screen, I'm like waiting. Somebody's gonna say something or do something truly evil, and that just keeps you, I think, on the edge of your seat.

SPEAKER_00 8:50

I think the edge of the seat is a very specific choice of words because I found this movie to be very void of real suspense, which was surprising to me. This movie, Parrish, you said it, it's like, is this tension or is this gay panic? Is this horror or is this trauma? And for me, this felt like very hard into the trauma category, which is a it's a turn to take, and I it's not one that I necessarily disagree with, but I was disappointed that I didn't feel the same kind of like uh ex excitement or suspense that I get from typical, like prototypical slashers. That was a bit of a disappointment for me. I often sit here and I'll say, like, right, there are so many flavors of horror. There are things that are gonna be really spooky, things that are gonna be very watered down and easy to get into. But this is the first time in a long time where I feel like, ooh, it doesn't feel very horror. It is horror. I'm not gonna say that it's not, but it didn't give me the same feelings I would have hoped to get from a conversion camp slasher.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

It's interesting you mentioned that, Chris, because I have two different feelings from the first half of this movie and then the second half. And I think I was disappointed that my feelings from the first half didn't transfer. I thought I'd still have the same excitement. I kind of lost the momentum essentially. Like I followed still the path of the movie, but I think what was evoked and all the emotions that I had for the first half wasn't it almost felt like a different movie in the second half, which to me was a disappointment.

SPEAKER_00 10:23

For sure. I will save my thoughts on the end in the third act for a later moment in this first half of the episode. But I think a good way to summarize this is like I felt like I was walking through a house, sit standing there marveling at its beauty, and then all of a sudden the rug was pulled out from beneath me, and I was just left on my ass thinking, what happened here? That's generally how it felt.

SPEAKER_02 10:45

See, I was surprised because I did not anticipate that that this would go anywhere near the level of of trauma and emotion that it did. And so when we got that, that to me was like an added bonus. I was kind of expecting it to be a bit of a sillier movie. Um, I thought, you know, Paris pointing out that the title is kind of a play on words. I was like, this maybe it won't go that hard in the paint. But they they did, like it went pretty darn serious and dealt with trauma. There were tears on screen. At a certain point, my wife was like, Can you reach out to Chris and make sure that she's okay uh while we watch this movie? Because she's watching it going, like, I feel like this has to be triggering for so many people. This has to be like bringing up so many, so many scars and so much pain.

SPEAKER_00 11:30

You picked a good one, Mac. I love her.

SPEAKER_04 11:32

Me too. I felt both surprise and disappointment at varying points throughout this movie. I was really surprised with how well some of these queer experiences were handled and represented and sort of unpacked in a way that I felt like was relatively digestible for a general audience. And then I was also disappointed by like certain other things that were handled about the queer experience. So it was a real mixed bag. I was also very surprised by certain relationships between certain characters, and I was like, what that's huh? And then it kind of I had to rewind a little bit because I was so distracted by that certain thing that I missed another different thing that I was supposed to be paying attention to. Um but we can unpack that in the second half.

SPEAKER_05 12:13

Yeah, I I think there's definitely a little bit of both in this movie. For me, just to be straightforward, kind of like what Chris said, I was a little disappointed at the lack of suspense, at the lack like the kills were disappointing for me. The the horror elements of this were disappointing for me, and I was just constantly like wanting more, searching for more, and then not sure how to feel about some other things going on. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 12:38

It's a mixed bag, it's very confusing. It is confusing, Ryan, but I think it's also because this movie isn't frightening. So, yes, Mac, like your wife was so kind as to suggest to reach out to me. And this is very sweet because this was painful for me in several parts. Like there are some moments that kind of just punch you in the stomach, and you're like, ugh, I didn't want to think about this. It also like preyed on my own lived experiences and it got a reaction from me, but it's not something that really had the potential for the strong tension aside from the opening scene. The opening scene was very urban legend in a good way, but then beyond that, it just kind of falls into this, oh, let me just dig all these things back from memory lane, right? And what I think was even worse though is that this movie handles a particular approach to a certain sense of danger. And sense of danger is like a very liberal use of the word. So more on that in the second half, but the stakes were high, but they also weren't at the same time, which left me without any real fear.

SPEAKER_05 13:40

Let's just go ahead and say the corny thing here. The scariest part of this movie is that people actually have to feel these ways in life because of who they are. That that's the scariest part. These are real feelings, these aren't made-up feelings or acted feelings, and they're not uncommon feelings. That's it. Nothing else in this movie was particularly scary. Even like at what I think was its intended peak, there was no fear for me.

SPEAKER_02 14:06

Obviously, I I think that's valid, but I think even scarier is that we talked to a coworker today who mentioned not realizing the extent to which gay conversion camps like are still out there and it's still in full force and totally a thing. And we were like, yeah, dude, like that's this is based on real life. And I I think the idea that this is not just something that you catch in a Hollywood flick, that this is something people have been doing for a while and continue to do, that's that's pretty darn scary. That not only, you know, people run these, but then people send their kids to them. Because they they asked a they asked a great question today, which was who is who is more of the bad guy in that situation? The people running them or the people sending their kids? And that's a tough question.

SPEAKER_00 14:52

I think we can sit here and try to rank the hierarchy of bad, but it's all bad. That's why it's bad.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

It's all just shitty. It's so shitty. And the things that you know this movie brings up even in the second half, and some of the images you see to me are frightening, and the whole idea is frightening. Whether this was suspenseful in that sort of part as being a horror movie, obviously not.

SPEAKER_04 15:15

I will say I am personally frightened that Chris compared the opening of this movie to Urban Legend. That feels mm-shocking, I'll say.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

Let's be clear. Direction, not quality.

SPEAKER_04 15:30

Thank you. I appreciate that clarity. But yeah, this movie, like, even with what everyone has said, like the antagonist, pretty early on, I figured out something about the antagonist, and therefore was no longer afraid. Uh, and that maintained throughout the rest of the film. I will say, as far as a camp slasher goes, I think it has originality because it took a very specific angle, but I think it really earned more points for originality for the just the queer drama components as opposed to its horror components, because horror-wise, I don't think there was much originality here.

SPEAKER_05 16:09

I fully agree. I think outside of horror it gets originality points. Uh in the horror realm, it does not for me.

SPEAKER_01 16:15

Yeah, it's filled with uh camp tropes for sure.

SPEAKER_02 16:18

I have to give it credit though, because I think this is a really earnest attempt at making a camp horror movie where gay people are not the butt of the joke. And that's every like basically every other camp horror movie up to that point. It's always you're funny because you're gay, and it's always bred out and and in a ridiculous way. And I think this is great because this is a camp horror movie in which people are just freaking people trying to be themselves. And I I respect it for that. I think we get like the killer, the whole like slasher dynamic. Yeah, like that part is is not super original. And I think Paris, you and I both probably hit a very early point in which we knew how the rest of this was gonna play out, and honestly, I don't think it's that important because it's not even really about the slasher once you get to that point.

SPEAKER_00 17:08

This movie takes a couple different directions, and yes, there are really specific moments that give reference to other camp slasher movies. There are moments that really harken back to other horror movies, but for me, this movie is at its most successful when it's doing its original thing, which is really begging the question of is the enemy of your enemy your friend? Or are they both enemies? And we can dive into just like the question of that and the thought of that, but this movie is one that managed to take a campslasher and bring some real gravity to it, and I admire it for that, so it does feel original, but more importantly, I feel robbed by the end of this movie, and not in like what logistically took place, not in who makes it and who doesn't, but rather by the delivery of the whole thing. It's filled with such like heavy-handed dialogue that I simply could not keep from rolling my eyes, and I'm not even an eye-rolling kind of person.

SPEAKER_04 18:07

I am famously an eye-rolling kind of person, and my eyes were looking directly at my brain at the end of this movie. It felt like the writers of the first two acts had to clock out and work on something else, and a completely different group of people came in and were like, okay, um, throw in some sassy lines uh real quick and do this and do that. And I was like, What? No, why? This could have been something. This could have been anything but what it is. So the ending gave flop for me.

SPEAKER_05 18:37

The ending really started to feel like the straight to streaming service that nobody cares about movie that this was staying away from being the entire time.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

I can see where you're coming from, Ryan, because it is it it w it was a flop for me. I'm I don't mean to be taking everyone's comments, but I feel the exact same way. I feel like the first half is so great that just it ends on such a lackluster note that it was kind of it made this movie almost forgettable. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 19:07

I feel a little bit differently. I think I think the ending was I think the ending was enough. I don't think the ending went to the heights as the rest the same heights as the rest of the movie did, because I think the rest of the movie hit some really high points and the ending, the ending just didn't. I'm not gonna like knock it for that. I think it did enough to end the film. That's it. The film did end.

SPEAKER_00 19:25

It did enough to end the film, but let's see if it did enough to plant this movie firmly on the positive side of things for us. But before we get into our ratings, Alexis, how would you describe the gore score for this movie?

SPEAKER_01 19:37

The gore is actually pretty high in this one. I'd say medium, if you're putting terrifier level versus, you know, tremors. But we're in the middle. There is there is gore and there's some shocking images.

SPEAKER_05 19:51

But what about the animal report? So this week, again, unfortunately, we don't have a great animal report. And like, I just want to say no reason for that, but you know, it is what it is. I did make the movie.

SPEAKER_00 20:01

Well, let's go ahead and get into our ratings then. They slashed them from 2022, now streaming on Peacock. Was it a hacker or a slash?

SPEAKER_01 20:08

So I'm not for movies that make me feel things. It's specifically why I like horror movies, and I'm writing off the end of Stranger Things and crying my ass off for a good 30 minutes. And then I watched this two days later, and I was so emotional during this movie, but it was good emotional. It was like they portrayed tragedy in such a way that was tasteful, in my opinion. But something happened in this second half that just was like took what they built and this emotion and what all these characters gone through and just turned it back into a B horror movie, in my opinion. I don't think that turned me off completely on this movie. I do think it's worth a watch for people. So I'm gonna give it a slash. But probably a barely a slash, because that second half is pretty freaking bad, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_02 20:56

I'm also gonna give this a slash. So I know I didn't really know what to expect, but I think when you think about, oh, a horror movie, there's a camp involved, there's some kind of slasher. I think you have good enough expectations right there so that the first half or two-thirds of this movie surprise you. I think the ending doesn't need to surprise you, it just needs to deliver on camp slasher, and I think it does that. But I think the first two-thirds I found to be pretty surprising. I think it it went to you know, it got some some emotional depths going on. I think it it brought up some trauma. I it made me think of people I know, right? And I think that was to me the part I had no expectation of. And, you know, yes, the end, the slasher end, the thing you expect to happen, the thing you described as as B movie, that's fine. That's honestly what you should get out of like a camp slasher horror movie. But I think it's like getting to know those characters. I think that's the part that is honestly the surprise. And so hopefully we don't amp this up for people who. Seen it yet. I think we should set the tone to be like a nice medium so that hopefully they too are surprised by any kind of emotional depth.

SPEAKER_05 22:06

Tag me in. I'll be here for the balance. I think there's a lot of good things that happen in this movie. But I don't think this is a good horror movie. I think this is barely a horror movie. I don't think that the camp bits hit. I don't think that they delivered on what they needed to deliver on. That's exactly my problem, actually. If they had, I would probably feel differently. But since they didn't, it means that I all this emotional distress that they put us through was for not, for no payout for me watching this movie. And I also don't want to feel things. I'm just being honest here. I think this movie did a thing, but it it should have been a different movie, I feel like. This just needed to be a drama or something and not be put into this realm just because it doesn't deliver in the second half. Like the first part could have been exactly what it was, and then the killer didn't didn't do anything for me. And I think we've already kind of we've said this word a few times, but the pandering thing, it feels off to me. I'm straight. Maybe I don't get to make that decision, but that's how it feels to me. It feels a little on the nose or like overly intense. And I don't know. It's just a hack for me. I'm not saying nobody should watch it where it's a horrible movie. It's just not a good horror movie for me at all.

SPEAKER_04 23:26

I completely respect everything that has been said thus far. This movie was difficult for me to kind of sort my feelings on. Because on one hand, Ryan, I totally agree that this is not a good horror movie, but it is kind of a good gay movie, and that's because the bar for gay movies is very low.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

Famously low.

SPEAKER_04 23:45

We're famously used to just like taking crap and just being like, well, at least it's gay. We gotta support it. Gotta just go out and buy a ticket just so we can keep getting stuff made. Um, and this movie it nailed the gay parts really well. Some of them, most of them, I think. But the horror elements were like very bad. The killer gave nothing, the kills gave nothing, it wasn't that tense, it wasn't scary, and it was sort of like using the setting or like using a camp horror movie as a vehicle to make a gay movie, which I can't be too mad about. But where does that leave me? I I am left confused, I'm left not sure who I am, and I maybe I should go to a camp to kind of figure out where I land. Um, but ultimately I think the parts that I liked outweighed the parts that I disliked. And while this is not a great movie or a strong movie in a lot of ways, it's getting a it's getting a soft slash from me. But I'm also glad that Ryan hacked it.

SPEAKER_01 24:44

Someone had to.

SPEAKER_04 24:45

Because this should not be a universal slash if that's how things are playing out.

SPEAKER_00 24:50

So this is muddled for me. And let me say that I adore that we have authentic casting. So we have some great performances in this film, and I love how these characters are brought to life. This movie is written by a gay man who didn't pretend to know the trans experience, which I love. And so through authentic casting and partnership with the actors, he worked to breathe life into these characters with people who've lived their lives in these experiences, and that's huge. And I mean, like, slash is in the title, and yet this movie is drenched in hack energy. And I hate that. It takes you on a journey of highs and lows, laughs and pain, joy and cringe, and there's enough in here that really brings warmth to my gay little slash enthusiast's heart. And yet at the same time, it completely falls apart in the third act. Compl it's like disintegrates. There are still things to like there, but the sum of its parts is an overall net loss to the story, which sucks. As much as I love what John Logan wrote into this movie, it felt a bit poorly directed and performed in some parts. And I don't know if that's because of the material he wrote, or if it's because this is his directorial debut. So I had to really sit and stew on this one for a while because and I really had to like dwell in what this movie evoked for me. I think at its most impactful moments, it holds up a mirror to inner self-loathing that I admittedly took years to work through, far more than half my life to work through. And this movie dug up a lot of personal horrific experiences, like the kinds of things that have been the real horror movie moments of my own life. And it also has two big what the fuck moments that evoked some audible reactions for me, which is uncommon. But it's not something that I'm gonna passionately recommend to anyone. It's a better movie overall than some of its worst moments. So, like Paris, there are enough positives in here that still fit the slasher profile for me and the slash profile for me. So it just barely squeaks into slash territory on an empty fuel tank, just riding on fumes. But let me be clear, this movie is solidly eligible for my contribution to rehash the slash and view recap.

SPEAKER_04 27:00

Very fair.

SPEAKER_00 27:01

And with that, they slash them from 2022 has earned four slashes and one hack. Now you can find this movie streaming right now on Peacock, so go check it out. Then join us in the second half so we can break down the highs and lows together. We'll see you in a bit.

SPEAKER_03 27:24

Are you a gay couple who finally bought a baby only for it to grow up straight? Hi, I'm Shane Handcock. Founder of Camp Council and Aunt Clauset for whitework and young sponsors, all the cable, like garden, listen. Then the camp closet for Wayward header rows pray straight away.

SPEAKER_00 28:30

Now we have a lot to unpack here, but before we get into the specifics of our ratings, we do have a lot of death in this film, so Alexis, take us through the kills.

SPEAKER_01 28:38

We had a total of eight kills in this movie. And Ryan, I find it weird that you said some of these aren't like memorable or they're like lackluster. I don't I don't know the correct verbiage you use, but you weren't thrilled about it.

SPEAKER_05 28:52

They just didn't do it for me. But it's just it's it's not specifically just the kills, it's the killer as a whole. It's it's the whole shebang didn't do it for me. The whole horror element of the movie didn't do it for me. Not just specifically like the axing.

SPEAKER_01 29:07

I see where you're coming from. I think when a certain person was killed, I was like, oh, this is where the killer's going for. Cause when you have the woman in the beginning, you don't know who's going to be a victim in this situation and who's going to be killed. So after that, you're like, okay, cool, Balthazar gets killed. Shitty. Then unfortunately, the dog gets killed. So it's all just to me, maybe not essentially innocent, but they were a bystander. So then after Zane is killed, I'm like, interesting. And I feel like that's where the movie turned for me. But I do have to say, because Balthazar, which I hate this name, it's it's just so weird to me. He has to be my favorite death because I'm so glad his head got smashed on the keyboard where his dirty ass fingers were at doing fucking disgusting things, spying on people, which obviously we know this wasn't the first time he did it.

SPEAKER_02 30:03

You know, that was that was my number one. I did pick a number two, but that was my number one because I I think I always talk about like guessing what's gonna happen early on, and I think as soon as Balthazar is out, you know this is someone who's been through the camp. Somebody that knows that Balthazar is in on this because Balthazar's role at the camp isn't really with like direct interaction with any of the campers. And so when we see this revealed that he's like disgusting and watching them and like getting off in this in some way, also, why does he have all of these puppets around his cabin? That's just weird. I mean, that's not it doesn't discount you as a human being, but it was like it was creepy. But like to have those camera feeds, to have the whole thing he was hacking into someone's personal property that was going on in the background. They just kind of glimpsed that. So I think when we saw him out, it was like, oh, this is someone who has either been here or knows that something bad is going on at this camp, and it really set the tone, I think, for me to figure out early on what was gonna go on with her antagonist. I think my second favorite was probably Owen, only because it was another one that was like so easy to guess. And that doesn't make it a bad kill. I think it was a good impaling. But I think when you when you pop up in the center of the frame and right behind you is a large thing that can stab you, that's where you're going, whether or not you realize it as a character, like you're gonna end up on that thing.

SPEAKER_00 31:26

Yeah, there's a lot of layers there to uh to unpack with Owen's kill. And let me tell you that his death was my favorite in the movie, but it also was just arguably the point of no return with the heavy-handed dialogue. We really get some lines coming from the killer, we get some lines coming from Jordan, and it started to hit differently. It's one of those deaths where on paper you want to say, no, we're better than this. We don't we don't have to be like them. It's like the idea that violence begets violence, but I don't I'm sorry, based on how much of an asshole this guy was and the generational trauma he's inflicted for years, and his family has it has inflicted even beyond that. I was happy to see him go.

SPEAKER_04 32:08

That was also gonna be my favorite kill because I too love a good impaling. Um, but now that I'm looking at this list, I'm seeing Duke the dog on this list, and I feel like that's the only kill that made me actually feel anything. And that scene was like super tense, and I feel like we were getting some really great performances from the characters in it. Obviously, I didn't like the fact that that dog died, but that as far as like a kill scene goes, that's the only one that had any impact for me. Everything else was just like, sure, okay, they're dead. Boo-hoo.

SPEAKER_05 32:37

I wish I didn't agree with you about impact, but I I mean I guess that's uh true only because the others were lacking impact. But like, let's just let's just say there was no need for that kill in this movie. And you know, I spent a lot of time thinking about like what I would do in that situation, given that nothing had happened yet, and it was just a very odd like scenario. And yeah, I just I it just I don't see a world where I that can I don't know. How does someone shoot a dog? I understand it's old, I don't know. Anyway, that was rough. I don't understand why we had to do that. It's been too many rough weeks, but my favorite kill is gonna go for Molly at the beginning, the woman at the beginning in the car. And the thing that I enjoyed about it the most was that it felt like it was gonna take this movie down like the super meta route because it seemed like everything you would ever see in a horror movie, like where someone gets a flat tire or something, happened. Like, first it's a flat tire, then it's she sees spikes on the road, and then she sees an animal, and then there's something behind her, and it's just like back to back to back. And it really gave me this feeling like, oh, this is gonna be like a super interesting meta take on this camp horror. And it won't, but I like that kill because it felt like it.

SPEAKER_01 33:56

Ryan, I laughed at that scene, literally, because she's listening to a podcast, and then it's just getting ridiculous, and something happens, she's like, no fucking way. And then she's totally off guard and presses a button. And I can I've been in feel like I've been in those situations where you're listening to something a little too deep, and you're like, is someone in my backseat? Is someone, you know, and you get the deer coming at you, which is your first scare. But then my favorite visual, which I know Chris alluded to um in the first half, was where you have the killer lit up by the break lights, which I thought was great. I was very impressed by how cinematic this movie was and how beautiful it looked for no offense, saying it came out on Peacock. I don't know the quality that comes out on Peacock, but it it be good.

SPEAKER_05 34:47

I'll defend it. There's a movie that came out straight to Peacock that no one ever watches, and I keep trying to tell people to watch, and I love it. So suits up or suits down, or what is it? The outfit. The outfit, okay. But Peacock does some good stuff, it's just annoying that it's on Peacock.

SPEAKER_02 35:02

Well, my favorite visual element has to do with lighting as well, and then in this sense, it's like the lighting of the whole movie as it transitions. I really like anytime you get me bright and beautiful, I'm down for it. I just don't see enough sun in my life, I think is the issue I have. I spend too much time indoors. So I like seeing well-lit, bright, sunny scenes because I also think it it helps to to kind of like juxtapose like what's going on, like the evil, the darkness, right? So anytime we like, oh, we roll up to this place, it's bright, it's beautiful, the trees are green, there's probably a butterfly somewhere, I'm sure. Uh, but we all know this is going to be a bad time. And and I think it's effective that we start there with all of this light everywhere. We're in the middle of the day when they're shooting the dog, and like that feels weird. And then like as we get towards the end of the film, we we get this very deliberate change into darkness and night and more scenes happening where there's that the the sun is lacking. And so I I know that the filmmaker did this on purpose, and I I just I think it was a brilliant move, and I really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_05 36:03

So I have like a very specific favorite visual element of Dr. Cora. It's her smile because she hits that super creepy smile in this movie that lets you know if you did somehow believe Kevin Bacon and his monologue about how he's a good person and he just wants you to be you. When you see her face, you know things are not okay. There's no question that she's not an absolute psycho person and she is gonna try to kill you or whatever form of torture she's into. It gives the feeling of like, like, especially when they're in in that therapy session, it gives the feeling of that scene from get out. It also gives like a purge mask, but in real life, like on her actual face, it's so creepy. I loved it so much, and that's definitely like one of the creepy things in this movie that I wish we had a little more of.

SPEAKER_00 36:54

That's such a great call out, Ryan. I think the way this movie lingers is one of my favorite visual elements because there's so much depth, there's so much beauty carved in its lighting, but really it's the pacing of the shots, the way it drops you into these moments, and then has you almost maintain eye contact with these characters as their lives are being dismantled psychologically in front of them? Absolutely crushing.

SPEAKER_04 37:17

Not a lot in this movie stood out to me visually, I will be completely frank about that. Something that comes to mind is the montage in the beginning where all of the people are talking about why they are at the camp, and everybody has these different reasons, and it's sort of like spinning around the room and like cutting in between all of them. Um, I found that to be pretty compelling as a scene, and I think seeing so many different perspectives and like so many paths that can all lead to one horrible, dark-sided place uh was really interesting and dynamic. But it was not my favorite scene. My favorite scene relates to Ryan's favorite visual element, which was the scene where Jordan is in therapy. Chris, obviously, that hit both of us deep. I know you and you know me, and that hit hard. That was just like so tense and just like evil, and like also like planting like such such specific seeds of doubt to really make you like feel like I'm the problem and like I there is something wrong with me. Everything I've ever feared has to be true based on what this woman is telling me. And that woman like really delivered that monologue. It also reminded me, I don't know if y'all have seen this, but like in Easy A, when Lisa Coudreau at the very end is like being a guidance counselor and she's kind of like spiraling and being unhinged. It had like the same energy as that for me. And I feel like Lisa Coudreau could have also been really great in this role, specifically in that scene. Um, but that scene was just like so devastating to me. And then you see Jordan kind of like recovering from that scene later on, like asking these questions that we've all asked ourselves at one point or another.

SPEAKER_00 38:51

100%, Paris. That was my favorite scene, as and it's also probably the most painful scene in the movie for me. It was specifically Cora preying on Jordan and then trying to take these very specific angles of after a while, I stop trying to fit in, or you'll never be man enough or woman enough. It's like you're nothing to them. You're not even a freak. You're nothing. And then there is a slur that is used, starts with letter D, fucking hate it. Everybody uses it so casually. That whole section hit so hard, especially with like the unparallels to my life. Whereas in Korra's story, she came from a military family and was the only one who didn't go. And then I was the only one who did go. And then it is that feeling of feeling different. On top of that, there's this element of me that has always struggled with being different, not only just like in terms of how I view the world and see the world and move through the world, but just even as different as I am from my own family, for as close as I am to them. And that moment in this movie completely just dismantled me and sent me right back to being 18 years old in early January of 2008, being terrified of coming out and thinking that I was never gonna be fully loved or fully accepted for who I am. And it took a lot of work to get to where I am now, to the point of being comfortable enough to be in my own skin. But that moment when she called Jordan scared and lonely and ugly, it sparked such a responsive anger in my soul that I couldn't possibly look at this movie as like a completely shitty time, considering how effectively it was able to do that.

SPEAKER_04 40:33

I totally agree, Chris. This was like hitting you right in the feels, but the evil version of that. I do have a question though. I thought that Cora would kind of just like made that shit up based on the photo that she found in Jordan's backpack. Did you think that that was like Cora's actual backstory? Because I didn't consider that.

SPEAKER_00 40:48

No, I'm just referring to that as being like what she referred to as her backstory. Either way, it was just a manipulation, and it just so happened to be a woman who going is from a uh a family of people going to the Navy, and then I was the only person in my family who went to the Navy. It was just a really weird and odd series of coincidences.

SPEAKER_04 41:06

True.

SPEAKER_00 41:07

And it was just enough to like tap through this armor that I've built up since I was a teenager.

SPEAKER_04 41:13

It was honestly an attack on you specifically.

SPEAKER_00 41:16

Yes. Yeah, fuck you, Kevin Bacon.

SPEAKER_05 41:18

I think what stands out to me most about that scene is the way those feelings and things come about feels much different than just the group of people who have never met each other and walk into a room and sit down and dump every deep feeling they've ever had on each other. It's such a big contrast. Like, that didn't feel realistic to me. And that's the part, like that that scene of them sitting around with their, you know, exposing everything they feel about who they are, felt like the pandering bit. And the Jordan scene felt extremely real, extremely like triggering if you were in that situation. Like, how dare someone talk to you like this? You know, like those feelings were so much more palpable than what I felt like they were just trying to do in that in the bit right before it.

SPEAKER_00 42:04

I think that moment was still successful for me right before that, where we get everybody's kind of like perspective. I think maybe that's just from me going through so many like group therapy sessions for trauma-related things. It felt very real, it felt very natural, and it felt horrific. But I think one of the things that that moment it stitched together with Jordan's moment, what it does for me is take us into that moment where they're singing pink all together. And on the one hand, yeah, I'm a huge Glee fan. It's not surprising to think that like part of my heart really enjoyed that. I didn't hate the scene. I didn't dislike the scene. I actually don't really like that song, but I liked the moment and I like the feelings that it evoked in me because what it was was a universal anthem for a universal experience, despite how different every human in that room was. And I think it showed like the strength of these characters before they ever even got to this camp. And there's so much vulnerability in these humans and the stories that they're telling. And there's a lot of fragility there, but at its core, there's so much like uh empowerment amongst each other that it also served to really kind of lower the stakes for me. Like I wasn't concerned about any of their well-being. So I was like, well, obviously they're all gonna live.

SPEAKER_01 43:20

I want to stitch Ryan and Chris's comment together because my two scenes are when they are together as a group. When they're first in their group therapy session, I was crying. I was in awe, kind of, because I wasn't expecting this movie to be so real. I like Mac thought this was kind of be maybe a little gimmicky and kind of like on the nose about certain things. But it was really true. Like it, I mean, I even texted Ryan about it. I was like, man, is this pulling at every heartstring I have? You know, and then contrast to when they're all singing pink, seeing them all together and seeing them just. Enjoying this song and enjoying each other's experiences together that also made me cry. So it was like two different moments, but two different things that really brought this moment and this movie together for me, at least in the first half.

SPEAKER_02 44:14

I'm gonna go to a couple a couple scenes because I can't really pick one. I mean, there's you I think you've all picked some great ones, but uh one of the ones that I really liked was the pie making scene. And I just loved so uh and I think many of the many of the characters have just kind of like succumbed to it and they're like, okay, I'm gonna I'm gonna bake a pie because I baked a pie before and it's gonna look good because you know I like baking or whatever, and like here it is, and I'm going along with this whole thing because I feel like I have to, but I just love the defiant pie. I feel like the pie where I didn't try, and I know it looks like I didn't try because I didn't, I like that itself was so great because it's like I don't have to make a good-looking pie. I don't have to be a pie maker, I don't have to be domestic. Um, and I just I don't know. It like that part really hit me too. And that was great. But I also so I also really enjoyed the one like fitness director supposedly having gone through this, and we don't really see any evidence of that, up until we see him and his fiancee in bed. And I think that like really showed how ineffective all of this really is, no matter how much you've bought in and how much you like claim, um, it's all so shallow and meaningless as soon as you realize what's really happening. And I mean, we all we all, all of us here on this podcast, like know that these things are horrible and that they don't work, that they can't work and that they shouldn't work. Um, but I think it's great to get to that point where we see him like they're literally having to look at things that turn them on and then use each other basically for masturbation at that point.

SPEAKER_05 45:44

Well, you're not wrong. I guess someone had to say it, but it's not good.

SPEAKER_02 45:49

No, it's not good, but I I think it's effective in demonstrating that like there is no like there's no way that this stuff actually does anything for any human being. What Mac is saying is that homosexuality is an incurable disease. I don't I don't I don't think incurable disease is the right phrase, perhaps inherent trait to uh to a person's identity in that something that you shouldn't try to change because you literally can't.

SPEAKER_05 46:13

You know, I think what that scene speaks to is how not sold on these characters I was, and so much so to the point that I was having a hard time understanding who the the main people involved are really like supposed to be and what their experiences have been. Up until we get to that point, it was very vague, I guess, who he was, who she was, like truly who they were. And Gabriel is like the main culprit of that. Like, I don't know, I just don't understand this dynamic of people and what they're doing, what they're trying to do, how often they've done it, when they want to do it, how they get people here, like the whole thing. I don't know. It it seems a bit contrived and less believable than I'd like.

SPEAKER_04 46:56

On the subject of Gabriel, what the fuck was that? Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 47:01

Yeah, that's when I was like, what's going on in this second half?

SPEAKER_04 47:04

Like, first of all, virtually zero chemistry between Stu and Gabriel until all of a sudden they fuck. And I don't get me wrong, the bodies were right, the tushies looked good, the lighting was okay, but it made no sense from a story point, from a character point. And then for the twist to be that Gabriel is just sucking dick to trap guys, where at the same time, couldn't he have just lured him to that space and not actually fuck him?

SPEAKER_05 47:33

Honeypot. Also, they said, no, you just get one. So it's not only that like he's like baiting, but like he's like allowed to have this one gay sex per per group of people. I don't know. What does that mean? How does that make sense? What is that?

SPEAKER_04 47:49

No clue.

SPEAKER_00 47:50

I think he's just saying at minimum one person's gonna want to cross the line into sexy times at this conversion camp. That's what it seemed like. No, no, no, but they were like they were limiting Gabriel.

SPEAKER_04 48:00

Like, he wanted seconds. He reached into that cookie jar as some sort of allegory for what who's to say.

SPEAKER_00 48:06

It's the sex, it's the allegory for the sex pairs.

SPEAKER_04 48:09

You know what character I did love? I loved Alexandra and Toby. They were my faves throughout. I loved the portrayal of the trans experience by a trans woman, and I loved Toby just being his gay old self because in some way I related to both of them.

SPEAKER_01 48:25

Not surprising.

SPEAKER_04 48:27

Exactly. They were grounded in their performances and they were the most relatable. I feel like they were the heart of the movie for me.

SPEAKER_02 48:33

I could I can absolutely see that. I think at a certain point I was like, Toby seems like they like like he would be like a lot of fun to hang out with. You know, just like reminds me of you. It's just like probably has like really good discourse, really good conversation, lots of good jokes happening.

SPEAKER_00 48:48

I don't believe that. I think Toby and Alexandra are two of the highlights. I mean, Alexandra, I I text Paris saying Alexandra is an absolute favorite, would absolutely die for her 100%. The characters in this movie are in so many ways the best parts of it. I mean, I love having Jordan take on toxic masculinity in combating gender roles. I absolutely love that. The fact that none of the core group of characters die, it's like, okay, well, we've suffered enough. So thanks for just giving us one this time, guys. And there are two moments and two quotes, one by Jordan and one by Stu, where I felt like the echoes into my own past, right? And that was in the locker room, I didn't know where to look. I get so tense, I throw up. That fucked me up playing team sports in middle and high school, absolutely. And then Jordan's quote of, I've been fighting to be me for so long, I'm tired of fighting, I just want to be me. This movie had some of the most relatable dialogue of any movie that I've I've seen in a very, very long time. And I really love that.

SPEAKER_05 49:51

I have to agree, for me, Jordan is the grounded soul of this movie. And without that character, I'm not sure how this movie would go. I just feel like Jordan did what needed to be done in this horror movie and was like, wait, things are not right. And I appreciate every element of that. Like I said, heart and soul of this movie for me.

SPEAKER_02 50:10

I truly loved when Jordan was handed a weapon and cleared it, and nobody else knew to do that. And I was like, yes, Jordan.

SPEAKER_01 50:16

I will admit I put Jordan for presidency on here and named some quotes, but I also did not appreciate Jordan not killing Owen. I don't know why. I just wish they took the gun and shot him.

SPEAKER_00 50:31

Well, I mean, we already have one character who is a victim of this camp, who has been so deeply traumatized they've now gone to exacting revenge in a very violent and horrific manner. And this movie really plays on the scale of like, do the ends justify the means? And I don't blame, and I'm not in any way disappointed by Jordan not killing Owen. What I am disappointed by is what I think is the worst part of this movie. And it's the last bit of everything that we get from Jordan because I was so high on Jordan and then really low on Jordan once we got the I'm strong enough to not do this. Again, on paper, I get it. The sentiment is there. I agree with you, Jordan, but why does it why does this movie paint this moment in such a way that I can't help but cringe? It really, it really hurt. And then the line of like, no one needs to save me, and the grasping of the necklace at the end and just like a little sigh now that everything's over, it killed me. I didn't really walk into this movie expecting Jordan to be the worst part of it, and they are not, but the last few moments of Jordan really tanked the movie for me.

SPEAKER_05 51:40

Okay, you're not wrong. I do agree. One thing though is I specifically like the approach of not killing, because if we're being honest with ourselves, even if we were in a situation where we saw someone kill another person, it's so unlikely that we would kill them. You know, like most humans don't just turn around and kill a person that they saw kill someone. It's just, I don't think realistic at all, especially not when we're talking about kids, because we are talking about kids, the teens, like it's a bit confusing in this movie, but we are. So I really appreciated that. I have to say a best part here, and for me, it's really simple. The best part is that none of the campers died. And it, you know, Chris, you kind of said it jokingly, but it does kind of feel like like y'all have been through enough, we don't need to kill any of you. And I r I actually do appreciate it. I think it's a nice angle that they chose.

SPEAKER_04 52:29

I too appreciate that, Ryan. Sort of bittersweet for me because once I realized none of the campers were gonna die, the movie got a thousand percent less scary. For me, a lot of the worst parts came at the end. Like Chris was mentioning a lot of that dialogue at the end was so eye roll kind of cringe for me. Um, some of the lines from Alexandra, who was really a compelling and complex character all throughout, and then they just kind of like threw some cliche, sassy dialogue her way. Like she's like, I'm a black trans woman, I can do it in heels. It's like, yes, the sentiment of that, absolutely, but there's other ways we can say that.

SPEAKER_00 53:04

100%. But also, what the fuck is up with them referring to these grown-ass late teens as kids? What was that moment? It was as though they were trying to paint them like there must have been such a wide age gap between them that like the older kids had to be responsible for the younger kids, but they looked identical in age.

SPEAKER_05 53:22

I also found that confusing when they were showing pictures because like the pictures of some of the people looked like very young kids. Like there was definitely something to a range of ages, but they didn't seem to actually be a different different range.

SPEAKER_00 53:35

As soon as I asked that, I knew what the mistake was. I was foolish enough to not realize that those were baby gays.

SPEAKER_04 53:42

In addition to lines like that, we also get Alexander saying, Step up your pussies, which, like, yes, I have trans friends who do say things like this, but not in that sort of a context. And then also just like come to mama. It felt very like, like sometimes we as queer people, we like make fun of ourselves. Like we go around and we'll be like, Slay Mama, fierce boots, like ironically so. And this felt like that was being done without any irony whatsoever, and really kind of fell flat and kind of tainted the character of Alexandra for me. So, with all of these horrible offenses, none of them are as bad to me as that fucking song where they sang pink in the cabin. I don't know how anybody found anything redeeming about that. That was garbage. That to me is where I was like, okay, so this movie's absolute trash. Got it. I wanted to die, I wanted to crawl up and die. I felt it did not represent me as a person, as a queer person, as a human person. I whoever was involved in that, jail, prison. I don't know. I couldn't do it.

SPEAKER_00 54:42

I want to give an honorable mention of worst part to the CGI deer in the beginning of the movie. Oh, worst thing I've ever seen. It really just takes you right out of it.

SPEAKER_04 54:51

You gotta love a slash that has no shortage of worst parts.

SPEAKER_00 54:54

And there's also just this moment, right? And I know I talked about this having urban legend energy in the beginning because acts through a window when someone's in a car or near a car. The thing about this is that Urban Legend was cool in its quality. And I know there are some questions of physics in that episode when it's like, how do we get a decapitation through the window? It was just weird. But for this movie, I felt like there was a strong blood spray from the axe, but something felt off about the moment, and it was like the sound design of the axe against the window and the blood and the scream. It was just timed really poorly. And I feel like that really serves as a precursor to the entire movie. It really is just like a nice, almost omen for this movie's mostly there, but there's some shit that's just not quite right.

SPEAKER_05 55:42

I need to mention one more thing. The mask that the nurse killer was wearing. We don't like that mask, right? Do we like the mask?

SPEAKER_00 55:50

I actually don't mind the mask at all. Ugh. I also love the fact that it's the girl from My Girl.

SPEAKER_02 55:54

Yes. That was a great choice, obviously, because she's been like so hot these days. So like getting her into something like this is is probably pretty fun. Um, I like the mask. I for a second there I was like, oh, is it like metaphorical or symbolic or something because it's like split down the middle?

SPEAKER_04 56:10

I mean, it seemed like a deliberate There was a period of time where I thought the killer was Jordan, and I thought the mask was giving like non-binary they slash them vibes.

SPEAKER_02 56:18

And I I think that was on purpose. Because I think there's like parts of this film that want us to think that Jordan is the killer. I think there's a lot of parts where even Jordan says something along the lines of like like he doesn't know who he's messing with, right? And and I think it was like, yeah, like make Jordan out to be the killer. And we all know that like Jordan's not gonna be the killer. Um I mean Jordan has a dead eye, and that was like one of my favorite parts of the movie for sure, was like seeing that fantastic aim. Um I I shot air rifle for a couple months, and that was pretty fun, and I had the worst aim on earth, so like mad respect. But I think that brings me to m to the worst part of the movie for me. And that was the entire thing with the dog. It just made me think that that probably wasn't even their dog, and they just like get a dog from a shelter or something, like every time they have a new group come through, and that's how they like take them out, and it's making Ryan breathe real heavy, but that's not okay. It's not okay. And I didn't enjoy it, I didn't really see how it helped them. I thought that they were gonna go shoot a deer, preferably the deer that we saw in the beginning of the movie, you know, Bambi, the cartoon deer that we got to see in the first scene. You know, you mentioned it earlier, Ryan. I just don't see that it it truly added much to it. I get where it's coming from, like in terms of emotional impact and the whole like machismo thing. So I get where it fits in. It just like at that point where it even is brought up as a topic. I mean, I'm sitting there, we're watching this. My wife's like, I think I've like hit my libit. I don't know if I can keep watching this like that. If they do this, like that's that's just like too much. And and I kind of agree.

SPEAKER_01 57:50

Yeah, it really was extreme to me. I was like, okay, we could do a little less than that, at least, you know, not so straight on. Maybe allude to something, but I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 58:01

I really hoped beyond my wildest hopes that it was gonna come up there was gonna come a moment where it was all an elaborate ruse, and they were going to gaslight one of the cameras into trying to shoot Duke, but then all of a sudden the person that they finally got to do it would have blanks in their rifle or something. And then they're gonna be like, What the fuck? Were you gonna actually kill my dog? And then like it becomes some other kind of thing. But that moment when we pull back and we see just a little little sleepy boy Duke sleeping forever, hated it. Unnecessary. Don't need more trauma with my already deep trauma. Thanks.

SPEAKER_05 58:38

I think I would have had to see someone doing what they said they were gonna do to the dog, and then I feel like I would have shot them. I probably wouldn't have killed them, but I probably would have shot them. You know what I mean? Like I you would have had to actually do that before I was gonna shoot anything or anyone.

SPEAKER_00 58:54

I can say though that the moment with Duke is one of many reasons why I'll probably never watch this movie again. I also can't imagine I'll be watching this again.

SPEAKER_01 59:04

It's funny. I usually give a rating for a movie whether I'll watch it again or not, and I gave this a slash, but I will not be watching this again.

SPEAKER_04 59:11

I can't think of a reason to. That's the thing. Like, if you haven't seen it and you've gotten to this far in the episode, watch it the once. Watch it one time, see what you get from it. We've all gotten different things from it. Um, but I don't see the value of a second watch.

SPEAKER_02 59:25

I think it's a good movie in terms of like execution and stuff. I I think give it a slash, I think it deserves it. Uh, but it is kind of a difficult watch, and I think it might be might be a lot for me to go into it a second time.

SPEAKER_00 59:36

Well, none of us plan on revisiting this anytime soon, but oddly enough, there you have it, folks. They slash them has still managed to earn four slashes and one hack in spite of that. Now we've certainly had a robust discussion here, but it doesn't end here by any means. We want to know what you think. Did you also hate the pink sing along? Let us know. You can join in on the conversation by hanging out with us for free over in our Discord. Click the link in our show notes to sign up.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:00

If you've enjoyed listening to this episode, consider becoming one of our patrons like Alexander. Visit patreon.com slash hackerslash to enjoy more of the show with early access, extended episodes, bonus content, and live shows.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:11

We'll see you next time, folks, and remember, I don't have a condition. I'm just fucking gay. Bye.