Open Thread: Patreon Mailbag (October 2024)
Added 2024-10-17 05:47:22 +0000 UTCHi Patrons!
One or more of our next few After Dark episodes will likely feature listener mail. Have any questions/suggested topics? Let us know in the comments below.
Also: If we didn't get to your question last time around, you are welcome to re-post them. Thanks, as always, for your support.
Comments
What are some of your essential newsletters, substacks, etc., film- based or otherwise?
DaveSixBillion
2024-10-22 06:25:18 +0000 UTCI have been listening for more than a decade but have only been a patron for about six months. I went back and listened to many of the 2023 After Darks. I would love to go back and listen to more, but many of them are “of their time”. Are there any more memorable After Dark conversations in the archives that I should go back and discover? Thanks!
Andrew Campbell
2024-10-19 22:15:04 +0000 UTCInteresting story on Kotaku about the spectacular failure of Concord—$400M cost, $1M sales, peaked at 700 players online, completely abandoned by Sony in 2 weeks. Two threads of interesting convo here: 1) It’s easy to look back on most spectacular failures and see how they were never going to be successful but extremely hard to reckon which ones will fail at a level like this. What are some movies that, in an alt universe, could’ve been mega bombs? My pitch: Avatar. For the non movie nerd, it superficially offers something similar to John Carter (big spacey sci fi action). Ok, 2) Why isn’t gaming more discussed in mainstream media? Are games as culturally relevant as movies? It’s hard to argue they’re not in terms of scale but why doesn’t that cut across spaces where the cultural footprint of TV and movies is so much more evident? Sorry for long post with no line breaks (thanks Patreon mobile web team). Story: https://kotaku.com/concord-sony-biggest-flop-failure-box-office-1851676475
Cliff Williams
2024-10-19 14:33:19 +0000 UTCI’ve asked this before and not sure if you guys are open to talking about it, but i’d be curious to hear how you met each of your partners!
Gabe Robinson
2024-10-18 18:25:27 +0000 UTCDo you guys have an all time favourite book?
Gabe Robinson
2024-10-18 18:24:44 +0000 UTCIt's moved to Patreon exclusive status -DChen
Slashfilmcast
2024-10-18 14:50:20 +0000 UTCGreat question. Because shows like The West Wing officially feel less realistic than The Good Place.
Kai Ellis
2024-10-18 12:19:00 +0000 UTCSecond this!! Inquiring minds want to know!!
Kai Ellis
2024-10-18 12:17:42 +0000 UTCMad Max Fury Road, only Tom Hardy remains an actor.
Paul Landriau
2024-10-18 01:51:26 +0000 UTCI fear that AI is rapidly accelerating the enshittification process of social video platforms. Exhibit A: On my YouTube I have seen a flood of fake movie trailers. At first I thought it was funny — I mean, Will Smith playing Popeye??? Equal parts inspired and deranged — Someone give that casting director a raise! But because I have indulged the algorithm, now half the trailers that show up in my feed are this garbage, and sometimes it takes a minute to even tell whether it’s just a poorly cut teaser or something real. Trailer watching is a pastime for me, sort of like endlessly browsing the aisles of Blockbuster, so this really bums me out. Jeff aside, have the “sullied” among you encountered this phenomenon yet?
Eric Wilson
2024-10-18 00:25:25 +0000 UTCI also can relate to the recent rant on Megalopolis and the Q&A. I saw (friend of the show's) Knives Out with Rian Johnson and Chris Evans hosting a Q&A (AFTER) the show haha. I was in line to ask a question, albeit, end of line because it took some courage to go up. [potential spoilers below for Knives Out] I wanted to ask about Rian Johnson's process and at what point did he come up with Ana De Armas' character mechanically gaging at lies as it seemed critical to unfolding the story. For instance, did he have a framework of events and then needed a vehicle to drive the story, the gag reflex. Or did he learn about a condition or knows someone anxious and wanted to build on it. Anyway, a moderator asked the person in front of me if they had a question. They did not. Time had passed and it turned out the person in front of me was about to be skipped because I had a question when they didn't, but lo and behold, they came up with something and I think they just asked Chris Evans what his favorite color was; nothing to do with the movie I don't think. I feel like my question was better articulated back then, but I felt cheated nonetheless heh. Thought you all would get kick out of this. Long time listener. Satisfied Cameo recipient of Jeff's. Keep up the lively conversations and until next time, it's an amazing accomplishment that you all make such frequent podcasts. Cheers!
Kevin H
2024-10-17 23:16:25 +0000 UTCRelated to the AI podcast topic, did you guys see the “ai podcast that discovers they are artificial intelligence and aren’t real” ? Link if you want to watch / react on the pod - https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFxJCSg4/
Brendan Day
2024-10-17 23:08:12 +0000 UTCI wanna hear updates on Jeff's chicken smoker and the tales of the friend he made!
Kevin H
2024-10-17 23:04:06 +0000 UTCI’ve asked this before so re- asking. Thinking back the infamous ‘Interstellar’ comment that you guys couldn’t get it because you weren’t parents. Obviously that’s bullshit - but I think there’s a point in there about how your life experience changes the way you react to a film. Are there any films that you see differently now you’re a parent - or that you’re married?
Daniel Chasemore
2024-10-17 20:47:33 +0000 UTCHello Gents, if one of you unexpectedly died, what would you do? Continue the podcast with just 2 of you? Add another host/have rotating guests? End the podcast all together? Hopefully this never happens and you all live forever but I’m curious if you’ve thought of this at all.
Joey Lett
2024-10-17 20:03:03 +0000 UTCI've been a listener for many years, but can't figure out how the group originally met Rian Johnson. Would love to hear that story!
Sergio Meyer
2024-10-17 19:24:35 +0000 UTCSince 2016, and let's just call it "The Loss of Shame", which political movies still hold up, and which are completely implausible now? Similar to how many plots unravel with the invention of cell phones and texting.
Erik Fisher
2024-10-17 18:29:46 +0000 UTCWith Youtube having such a massive share of audience hours compared to scripted AND unscripted film and tv I wondered how much time you spend on youtube/tiktok and if you have seen your habits shift?
This
2024-10-17 16:15:49 +0000 UTCI sent an email in about Terrifer 3. I forgot to mention Im a patreon
Chris Hughes
2024-10-17 16:07:25 +0000 UTC"Eden Lake" the horror movie starring Michael Fassbender.
Papool Chaudhari
2024-10-17 16:06:50 +0000 UTCThis is an amazing question 😂
Kai Ellis
2024-10-17 15:33:56 +0000 UTCThat's actually a really good question. Would love to know the answer.
Kai Ellis
2024-10-17 15:32:41 +0000 UTCI would 1000% travel to go to a live Film cast show.
Kai Ellis
2024-10-17 15:32:12 +0000 UTCI second this!! Bring on the Keanu themed after dark!!!
Kai Ellis
2024-10-17 15:31:43 +0000 UTCJust recently watched Point Break for the first time. I was entertained! I feel like you all have brought up Keanu Reeves quite often lately, mostly around his cultural relevance. I think it would be cool to hear you all rank some of your favorite Keanu movies, based on the quality of the movies and/or their cultural relevance. Anyway, I love movies and I love your show. The chemistry between you three is truly the star. Renting movies at Blockbuster, going to the Regal movie theater and talking movies with my dad are fond childhood memories of mine. We keep it up nowadays, just with the help of streaming. Best regards, Brittany Johnson from St. Louis, Missouri
Brittany Johnson
2024-10-17 15:04:13 +0000 UTCWhen are you all going to see “Sing Sing”? It’s my prediction for Jeff’s #1 film of 2024.
Tyler Appleby
2024-10-17 15:02:00 +0000 UTCSpeak no evil the original
Branden Cancino
2024-10-17 14:17:48 +0000 UTCWe talk a lot about the demise of the moviegoing experience. What, if any, glimmers of hope have you seen recently? Personally I’ll share a quick one - my son is in grade 2 and all the second graders went to watch the wild robot after completing the book in class. I was lucky enough to joint them for a private 9am screening. I was in awe by how well behaved and invested in the film they were. The movie was great and it took all the strength in me to hold back tears front of a bunch of kids. Love the show, thanks as always!
Nathan Thomas
2024-10-17 13:50:22 +0000 UTCThe recent Disneyland discussion got me thinking, has Jeff been to Pandora at Disney World yet? I think he would absolutely love the Flight of Passage ride.
Nathan
2024-10-17 13:17:58 +0000 UTCHave you considered doing any live audience tapings or discussions? Even if you just did shows in Seattle, Denver an Atlanta, you have the US well covered. I have no doubt that you could find special guests in each of those markets.
Jonathan Christian
2024-10-17 13:09:38 +0000 UTCWhat are some of your favorite Halloween TV episodes? There’s the obvious Simpson’s Tree Houses of Horror and Roseanne had some classics. But anything more obscure? For example, 90s kids know all about Zeke the noseless plumber from Nickelodeon’s “Salute Your Shorts”. Love to hear about it! - Casey (he/him)
Casey
2024-10-17 13:03:45 +0000 UTCWith spooky season, what are each of your favorite horror movies?
Tyler Sexton
2024-10-17 13:02:27 +0000 UTCWhen emails are read on the After Dark, we’re usually blessed with the glorious “email bag” bumper music. However when emails are read on the main show, the bumper isn’t played. Any reason for this?
EQ
2024-10-17 12:49:55 +0000 UTCAI question for Jeff, Davindra and a hypothetical Dave: Given the nascent (and already terrifying) developments in artificial intelligence, if your children wanted to become filmmakers would you encourage them? Assume it isn't just a phase they'll grow out of and they'll be entering the workforce (such as it is) in 20 years or so.
Mjoseph51
2024-10-17 12:04:43 +0000 UTCSerious question: If you had to recast a film with Muppets (but leave one human actor), which film would you choose and who would be the remaining human?
Larissa Sousa
2024-10-17 11:49:37 +0000 UTCI have recently had to accept that, now that I am a dad in my mid-30’s, my film taste has become more “conservative” in nature. I can’t handle movies that are overly provocative anymore. My question is - how have your tastes in movies changed as you have gotten older and entered different seasons of your life.
Steven Kennick
2024-10-17 11:23:25 +0000 UTCWe're going to get a trailer for the new Superman movie soon, and it's going to get a lot of attention on the podcast, so I have to assume live action Superman matters to the podcast and to us the audience. And considering how atrociously the character has been treated by Zach Snyder, we should all be thrilled by the possibility someone is going to give us a Superman full of hope and humor and charm... And some fun action scenes to boot. But here's the thing -the live action TV show Superman and Lois is that and more. This interpretation of the character is the best thing that's happened since the first Christopher Reeve Superman movie, and in some ways it might be even better. Strong words, but the show backs it up. The pilot episode alone is the best Superman movie ever made. I'm serious. It's that fucking good. Truth is, I was in the camp of "don't give Superman kids, that'll ruin everything", but I was wrong. Seeing what he's like as a dad brings to me tears. Even when he makes mistakes he's still the dad we all wish we had. So for anyone who cares about the new James Gunn Superman but hasn't watched Superman and Lois... Um, why? :)
Kai Ellis
2024-10-17 11:13:29 +0000 UTCQuestion for Devindra: have you experienced more or less racism since moving from NYC to Georgia?
Eric Webster
2024-10-17 10:58:02 +0000 UTCWhat is your favorite prized collectible of any medium (film, music, gaming, etc)?
Jonathan
2024-10-17 10:38:16 +0000 UTCNow that Dave is obsessed with saying "you think that [blank] entitles you to plough through the riches of my Emersonian mind?", do you have a favorite recurring joke or line that brings you joy whenever it comes up? Some of my favorites that come to mind are Jeff's limericks, "boom goes the dynamite", Devindra yelling about the Underground Railroad (and now Interview with the Vampire), and "say what you will about [blank] but at least it's an ethos". Love you guys!
Katie George
2024-10-17 08:21:08 +0000 UTCWhat are your management dynamics behind the scenes? From what I gather it seems to me like David is the one steering the ship, Devindra is his mortal foe and Jeff is just glad to be there. But joking aside, I found it interesting when you talked about how decisions are made regarding cuttings things out of the show, or making corrections (recently with the Simon Baker and Scarlett Johanson voice thing) and I would like to know more about how decisions are made, both on a weekly basis but also bigger stuff like the intro music, move away from Slashfilm, patreon etc. do you have regular meetings or structures or just wing it day by day? Is there project management involved, do you have a jira board, targets or goals you want to hit, long term strategy and all that jazz?
Deniz Schreiber
2024-10-17 08:08:17 +0000 UTCWhat fad movie sub-genres do you forsee dominating the maket over the coming years? the industrial tell-alls? the licensed toy movies? Video Games? Could superheroes ever return to popularity? If you had a choice what newer trends would you want to see continue or rise to power?
James Moon
2024-10-17 07:45:00 +0000 UTCI think more than once you three have mentioned the idea that the existence of cell phones can suck drama from the plot points of many stories, and that being one potential reason why so many modern movies are set in the past or have ambiguous tech. I just wanted to offer a small counter argument, in that I think there are just as many great stories or scenes that only work with the existence of cell phones. Scream, The Departed, and The Matrix come to mind immediately, and there must be countless others. I think we are just so used to the level of communication we have today that we don't notice how much stories rely on that now. Oh and let us not forget about the Tom Hardy classic, Locke.
James Moon
2024-10-17 07:26:56 +0000 UTCYou guys were enthused for Aaron Pierre joining Green Lantern but the news disappointed me. You could see a star being born in Rebel Ridge but now he’s being sucked up into the comic book movie machinery. Should we be hoping for a better outcome for our newest stars?
Mark P
2024-10-17 06:59:14 +0000 UTCMy 7-year-old son recently asked me if I knew any movies that had an all out bad ending in terms of the bad guys winning and the protagonists not achieving any of their goals. So the opposite of a happy ending. Does anything come to mind for you? I am counting on Dave’s tendency towards movies that crush you. Thanks and keep up the great work! Merlin from Germany
Merlin Plagge
2024-10-17 06:52:03 +0000 UTCDear filmcasters: Of the past 50 years in cinema, what's your least favourite decade and what are your top 3 films from that decade? Love you and all that you do.
Calvin Jones
2024-10-17 06:48:21 +0000 UTCIn recent years I’ve noticed that influencer types routinely call actors and filmmakers by just their first names. Instead of “Tom Holland is a great Spider-Man”, they’ll say “Tom is a great Spider-Man”. Fans doing it is one thing, but I’m hearing it in content that’s ostensibly criticism or news coverage. Have you noticed this? Does it bother you as much as it bothers me?
Jacob Peattie
2024-10-17 06:30:23 +0000 UTCHaving just watched Strange Darling, it would be great to get a full spoiler review in an after dark as foreshadowed in the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ep. I was a fan of the film but can completely understand Dave and Devindra’s conflicting positions. Would be great to hear Jeff’s thoughts as well! Keep up the good work guys, Dan from Melbourne.
Daniel Ludington
2024-10-17 06:28:11 +0000 UTCIn the movie "Yesterday" the main character is the only one who knows who the Beatles are and attempts to recreate all of their music. Say you woke up one day and had to do the same with a movie, (let's assume you are the director and have appropriate financing) which movie do you think you could most accurately recreate? Would you change anything just because you could?
Jacob Chimilar
2024-10-17 06:14:01 +0000 UTCHey guys! After the joker 2 episode and hearing Dave’s thoughts on Speak no Evil (original), it got me thinking deeper about art that provokes. The entire “spits in your face” analogy got me thinking. We all know that the best art is suppose to move you in one way or another. But are you guys suggesting that uncomfortable provocation leads to the movie always being bad? For example, I believe Todd Phillips achieved exactly what he was trying to achieve, whether we liked it or not, does that not make the art worth its weight? Would love to hear what you guys think! I think the first speak no evil is a masterpiece, doesn’t mean I didn’t hate how it made me feel the entire time.
Branden Cancino
2024-10-17 06:01:23 +0000 UTCA major reoccurring topic of the podcast during the pandemic episodes was the future of movie theaters. That they were either dead or the multi plex was dead and there would be single screen experiences, potentially owned by studios. What are you feelings on that now? Is it a slow death? have things shifted toward a different direction? What are your predictions for the next five years.
Pat Donahue
2024-10-17 06:00:36 +0000 UTCWhat are some of your favorite board games? Do you guys think you’d ever expand the podcast to regularly cover old and classic movies and take turns picking the ones you want to review and revisit? Jeff, I’m from the bay so let’s go 49ers man!
Josh C
2024-10-17 05:58:37 +0000 UTCWhat piece of movie tie-in merchandise, toy or poster that you own/owned would you consider to be your favorite/most cherished?
René Ruiz
2024-10-17 05:56:31 +0000 UTCI was wondering what you guys thought of maintaining digital collections of films such as purchases on iTunes. Recently I’ve noticed studios are in the habit of de-listing and re-listing movies - Arrival in the UK store is a recent example, but there are many others particularly from Miramax. This results in the film remaining in your library (and searchable by scrolling through your entire list of movies) but not showing up in search results or as “purchased” in the store, which could lead to an accidental re-purchase. Also, special features etc can disappear and who’s to say the film itself won’t silently be removed. is a digital library just a scam?
Lahiru
2024-10-17 05:55:34 +0000 UTCI've been wondering for many years now: is David's constant mispronunciation of the word "vehemently" intentional? Is it an inside joke of some kind? much love! been listening almost a decade.
Fernando
2024-10-17 05:53:35 +0000 UTCI think the show should address, on a main episode (or an after dark, something!), that you don't use hashtag slashtag anymore and officially encourage one single alternative method to recommend movies, whether that be emails or a threads post or whatever. Preferably one that you 3 all see, like the way you all saw slashtag tweets before Elon Musk destroyed twitter. It's crazy to me that the show has been silent on hashtag slashtag for well over a year now. It used to be a BIG part of the show! People should be told on a main episode (or an after dark, I guess) what the single preferred method is now and that should be promoted the way hashtag slashtag was promoted each and every week for YEARS. And to also address whether the voicemail line is ever checked anymore and if it will ever be used again (if not, just officially kill it then.). Voicemail number is listed in the show notes every episode but a voicemail hasn't been played on the show for YEARS. We're LONG overdue for this sort of housekeeping on a main episode (or after dark) re: hashtag slashtag and voicemails. Thanks!
Papool Chaudhari
2024-10-17 05:53:29 +0000 UTCGreetings fine gents, first time writing in! What's your most outlandish but appealing directorial desire that hasn't been done? For example, I'd love to see what Tarantino would do with a rom-com (let alone how he'd figure out a way to still squeeze cartoonist violence into it). Would love to know your picks, and thanks for all you do! Been listening for a good 5+ years now.
Javin Mather
2024-10-17 05:51:40 +0000 UTCAre you still using your Apple Vision Pros? What Apps are you using?
Ralph Brüstl
2024-10-17 05:50:20 +0000 UTCI'm not sure if it's just me, but I feel that there's some lack of really memorable movie-themes these days. I can hum melodies from Superman, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars and many others in a second, but those are ”old”. What's the latest example of a theme from a film you remember the melody from? For me, I think it might be Wonder Woman's theme from BvS, but that's like 8 years ago. Maybe Giacchino's Batman melody with a gun to my head but I'm not really sure.
Linus
2024-10-17 05:49:51 +0000 UTC
