Ep. #302 - Cats

Elliott Kalan

[0:00] On this episode of the Flophouse, another current release, it's cats!

[0:07] That's right, it's the first annual, question mark, Flophouse Catstacular Catstravaganza

[0:13] with special guests Natalie Walker and Jenny Jaffe, live!

[0:18] Women!

[0:30] Hey everyone, and welcome to the Flophouse, I'm Dan McCoy.

Stuart Wellington

[0:51] Oh, hey there Dan McCoy, I'm little Stewie Wellington.

Elliott Kalan

[0:54] And over here is Big Elliot Kalin, the fiercest lumberjack of the Northwest.

Dan McCoy

[1:00] And who do you have next to you, Elliot?

Elliott Kalan

[1:03] Sitting next to me, it's...

[1:04] Jenny Jaffe!

[1:06] That's right everybody, returning guest Jenny Jaffe.

[1:08] And Dan, who's sitting next to you?

Dan McCoy

[1:10] Who is it?

[1:11] It's Natalie Walker!

[1:12] It's Natalie Walker!

[1:13] I don't know, I wanted you to...

[1:15] We didn't practice this, Billy Elliot, you messed us up.

Jenny Jaffe

[1:18] Just a legendary cats freak.

[1:20] Yeah.

[1:21] I think it's very fitting that there are so many of us to introduce, though.

Elliott Kalan

[1:25] Yes, because each of us has a song to sing about our names and also our characteristics,

[1:30] which are, strangely enough, almost the same characteristics all the other ones of us have.

[1:34] But we all get our own songs.

[1:36] I'm Janine Jaffe, the Anna Podcast Cat.

[1:40] I'm Paul F. Tompkins, the Podcast Guest Cat.

Stuart Wellington

[1:44] I mean, he's kind of dressed like a...

[1:46] He is dressed like a Jellicle Cat already.

[1:49] He's dressed like a Bustopher Jones.

[1:50] He's a full Bustopher Jones.

[1:51] Yeah.

Elliott Kalan

[1:52] He goes into the table and he says, give me the full Bustopher.

Stuart Wellington

[1:55] How long are we going to wait into the show before we start deciding which character we are?

[2:02] I think we have to introduce the characters.

[2:03] I mean, we can do whatever you want, Stu.

[2:05] I'm just saying...

Elliott Kalan

[2:07] So we should just do it now, Stu?

[2:09] We have to get it out there.

[2:09] Yeah, I want to get...

[2:10] It's the cat in the room.

Stuart Wellington

[2:12] Yeah, I mean, I'm pretty clearly a rum-tum-tugger sort.

[2:16] Goes without saying.

Elliott Kalan

[2:18] I like to think of myself as a regular Skimbleshanks.

[2:21] You know, a railway cat.

[2:22] Wow.

[2:23] Oh, yeah, yeah.

Dan McCoy

[2:24] And what's the name of the...

[2:25] You're Gus the Theater Cat.

[2:26] ...the cranky barge cat.

[2:28] Oh, God.

[2:29] Growl Tiger?

[2:30] That kind of half-sings a thing.

[2:31] My favorite character.

Natalie Walker

[2:32] Growl Tiger, and he does a slant rhyme.

[2:34] That gets called out.

Stuart Wellington

[2:35] That was such a surprise.

[2:37] I mean, not to jump ahead, but I was so happily surprised to see

[2:41] British crime movie feature Ray Winstone to show up.

Elliott Kalan

[2:48] It was the moment Ray Winstone shows up a growl tiger,

[2:51] and I was like, is he going to sing a song too?

[2:53] And then he does.

[2:54] I was like, yes.

[2:55] When he showed up, I'm like, is he going to kill somebody?

[2:59] Dan, I think you are very clearly Mr. Mistoffelees,

[3:02] the cat who lacks confidence but everyone believes in him,

[3:05] and in the end he gets the job done.

Dan McCoy

[3:06] I was going to get to this later on,

[3:09] but I feel like since you've slandered me with that,

[3:15] I need to say...

Natalie Walker

[3:16] Why is that slander?

[3:17] Mistoffelees is the hottest one in this whole movie.

Dan McCoy

[3:19] Yeah, but I got this kind of real nice guy energy

[3:23] from Mr. Mistoffelees.

[3:24] Oh, yeah.

[3:25] Yeah, exactly.

[3:26] He's like hanging out, trying to impress Victoria the whole time.

[3:29] Like, surely if I save her from a dog, she'll love me.

[3:32] Yeah, but when he...

[3:33] I didn't care for that.

Stuart Wellington

[3:33] When he starts like...

[3:35] When he starts doing his thing, man,

[3:36] he's like flying and shit.

[3:38] Yeah.

Elliott Kalan

[3:38] Yeah, that's true.

[3:39] He's making roses fly out of flying trombones.

[3:41] Okay, Dan, you know what you are?

[3:42] You're Moncus Trap, the narrator cat,

[3:44] who's so boring he doesn't even get named in the movie.

Natalie Walker

[3:47] He can only say interesting things about other cats.

[3:53] That was his curse.

Dan McCoy

[3:54] No discerning qualities.

[3:56] He's also there to lead Victoria, our audience surrogate cat,

[4:01] gently by the hand to see the next character.

Elliott Kalan

[4:03] I wish that she had a song where she was like,

[4:06] Victoria's an audience surrogate cat,

[4:09] and I'll look at that, and I'll look at that,

[4:11] like that kind of thing.

Stuart Wellington

[4:13] So, did we mention what we do on this podcast yet?

[4:15] Well, hold on.

[4:15] Hold on.

Elliott Kalan

[4:16] Before we do that, more stuff.

Natalie Walker

[4:18] Before we do that, I also want to say,

[4:20] I am Taylor Swift is my Valerina,

[4:22] because I just want to show up and do one song

[4:25] and think I'm really sexy, but not be that good at dancing.

[4:29] Sort of hit while other people dance around me well,

[4:33] and I'm sort of like giving face while doing it,

[4:36] but not actually doing a good job.

Elliott Kalan

[4:39] She's animated strangely.

Natalie Walker

[4:41] Oh, yeah.

[4:41] She's the only one with boobs.

Elliott Kalan

[4:43] And, you know, that was, it was,

[4:44] it was weird that she suddenly showed up and was like,

[4:46] oh, cats can have boobs, huh?

[4:48] All right.

[4:48] I guess that was in her contract.

[4:49] And Jenny, which cat are you?

Jenny Jaffe

[4:50] So, I actually thought that you and I maybe were the mischief cats,

[4:53] because I have a feeling we might be very obnoxious to work with.

Elliott Kalan

[4:57] Mungo Jerry and Rumpelteaser.

Dan McCoy

[4:59] You know, I had a real problem listening to that song,

[5:02] just because every time they said Mungo Jerry,

[5:05] I just kept thinking of the band that did In the Summertime.

[5:08] And I was like, I had to look it up later.

[5:10] I'm like, of course, because that's from the 70s.

[5:13] Mungo Jerry took its name from the T.S. Eliot poem,

[5:17] just like cats took those names from the T.S. Eliot poem.

[5:20] But I'm like, okay, this is weird.

[5:23] It'd be like if one of the cats was just named Led Zeppelin right in the middle of it.

Stuart Wellington

[5:27] Like many of the characters in the early issues of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure comic book,

[5:33] where there's a character named REO Speedwagon,

[5:35] there's a character named Dio, et cetera, et cetera.

Elliott Kalan

[5:39] Okay, so, Dan, what do we do on this podcast,

[5:41] now that we've talked about cat names for a little bit?

Dan McCoy

[5:44] Yeah.

[5:45] Well, we'll talk about the naming of cats later on, I think, too.

[5:48] But right now, this is a podcast where we watch a bad movie?

[5:54] And then we talk about it.

[5:57] And this is a movie that's currently in theaters,

Stuart Wellington

[6:00] and we have all seen it at least once in the theater.

Dan McCoy

[6:04] And we're going to be doing something a little different.

Elliott Kalan

[6:07] We see a bad movie, and then we talk about it.

Dan McCoy

[6:09] I said that, Elliot.

[6:10] I didn't hear you say it.

[6:12] Well, you constantly don't listen to me.

Jenny Jaffe

[6:16] How Mungo Jerry of you.

Dan McCoy

[6:19] What was I saying?

[6:21] Oh, you've derailed my train.

[6:24] I was saying that we're-

[6:25] Skimbleshanks!

[6:26] That's not your job!

Natalie Walker

[6:27] That's why you can't be Skimbleshanks.

Elliott Kalan

[6:29] No, Skimbleshanks keeps that train on the track so he can tap dance along it

[6:32] at the time when cats are about an inch tall,

[6:34] as opposed to other parts of the movie where cats are a foot tall.

Stuart Wellington

[6:38] I saw a picture on the internet of the actor who plays Skimbleshanks,

[6:42] but it was a full-body nude,

[6:45] and that guy's ass cheeks are like two giant hams.

Elliott Kalan

[6:49] Because he's a ballet dancer.

[6:51] Yeah!

[6:51] That's where his whole body, all his muscles are in,

[6:53] his thighs and his glutes.

Stuart Wellington

[6:54] Yeah, which makes it a shame that they dress him up like a fucking Mario brother, right?

Elliott Kalan

[6:59] That he's one of the few cats that wears pants.

Natalie Walker

[7:01] I feel like it was so horny for most of it,

[7:04] but then I feel like there were some bodies that they were like,

[7:06] if we just have this guy's ass down,

[7:09] it's like, we have to push it into PG-13.

Dan McCoy

[7:14] So they went as far as the other direction as they could,

[7:17] because he kind of leaps into the movie like,

Natalie Walker

[7:19] whee!

[7:20] Yeah, he leaps in, and he's in so many clothes.

Jenny Jaffe

[7:25] I really felt like this movie was my monkey's paw wish

[7:28] to see Idris Elba naked.

[7:30] Yeah, it's really, it's like, oh, did you want it like this?

[7:34] I did not.

Elliott Kalan

[7:36] It seems like a strange choice to me,

[7:37] just jumping into that, that Macavity, the evil cat,

[7:40] who is, his trademark look is a trench coat for most of the movie.

[7:43] When it's time for him to do his big dance,

[7:45] he doesn't have it, and they're just like,

[7:46] uh, we'll just make him look like a naked guy with no penis.

[7:49] Yeah, it's truly insane.

Natalie Walker

[7:52] Well, also because the song,

[7:53] she just said that he's a ginger cat,

[7:55] but then they make it Idris Elba's skin tone,

[7:58] and it's like, oh,

[8:00] I feel uncomfortable about all of this.

[8:01] No one is as naked as Idris Elba is in the movie.

Elliott Kalan

[8:05] How is someone going to be covered in fur,

[8:07] and yet incredibly naked at the same time?

[8:09] I don't know.

Stuart Wellington

[8:09] Yeah, he looks like he could do that move that that guy does

[8:12] in the Watchmen TV show,

[8:13] where he lubes himself up and slides into a gutter.

Dan McCoy

[8:19] So, Dan, what was the thing you wanted to say?

[8:21] No, I just wanted to say that we're going to do things a little differently,

[8:23] because normally one of the three of us provides the synopsis such as it is,

[8:30] but we have to give the power position to our guest, Natalie,

[8:34] who, along with being a musical theater actress herself,

[8:40] was at the premiere of Cats.

Natalie Walker

[8:42] I was at the premiere of Cats,

[8:44] and I have also seen the movie four times in theaters now.

[8:48] I've seen it under every sort of influence that I can be under.

[8:53] And so I really feel like it's my time to shine.

Elliott Kalan

[8:57] And the reason we should explain that,

[8:58] the reason that you guys are on the podcast for this episode

[9:02] is that you demanded to be on the podcast for this episode.

[9:04] As soon as the trailer came out, we said,

[9:06] that's what has to happen.

[9:08] When the trailer came out, I think both of you were like,

[9:11] we need to be on this show.

Jenny Jaffe

[9:12] I think we conspired together.

[9:14] I texted Natalie when the trailer came out,

[9:16] and I was like, so we're doing the Flophouse about this.

[9:18] And then I texted you and said,

[9:19] hey, make note, when Cats comes out,

[9:22] Natalie and I are jointly guesting on Flophouse.

[9:25] Yes.

[9:26] And then it was beyond all of our wildest dreams.

[9:30] This is a backdoor pilot for Natalie and my podcast

[9:33] where we only talk about cats every week.

[9:35] Yeah.

[9:36] We just go in depth on a different cat every single week.

Natalie Walker

[9:39] I would love that.

[9:40] We go through the entire history of the cat.

[9:42] I love that.

[9:44] Yeah.

Elliott Kalan

[9:45] Okay.

[9:45] So tell us, Natalie, what is the tale of, pun intended, of cats?

[9:52] How long is a cat tail?

Jenny Jaffe

[9:53] That is another thing the movie could not agree on.

Elliott Kalan

[9:56] I mean, there's so much about the size and shape of cats.

Dan McCoy

[9:59] I wanted to ask, though, before we start,

[10:02] should we quiz Natalie about the premiere before or after we talk about the movie?

Elliott Kalan

[10:08] I think maybe for those, maybe we should do the plot first.

[10:13] Yes.

[10:13] All right.

[10:13] And then we should talk about the premiere afterwards.

[10:15] Because I'm guessing you're going to,

[10:16] we've already spent so much time referring to things that will be utter nonsense

[10:20] to anyone who hasn't seen the movie.

[10:22] And to anyone who has.

[10:23] That's nonsense to people who have seen it.

Natalie Walker

[10:26] Okay.

[10:27] So we open on the sky.

[10:30] The only thing large enough to contain Cats 2019.

[10:34] But what's not revealing itself to us amidst the stars?

[10:37] Sweetie is the face of a cat.

[10:38] The Jellicle moon is out, baby.

[10:40] We've gone down through London of an indeterminate time period,

[10:45] according to the libretto, 1939 or the present or a time in space.

[10:49] 1939 is when T.S. Eliot wrote the Cats series of films.

[10:53] Okay.

[10:54] Because they keep referring to Queen Victoria.

Elliott Kalan

[10:56] And I was like, they have a car.

[10:57] So it can't be like really Queen Victoria time.

[11:00] Exactly.

Natalie Walker

[11:02] It's all a mishmash.

[11:03] And now.

Elliott Kalan

[11:04] So you're saying it's 1939 and what the universe is,

[11:06] what the film is saying is,

[11:08] the greatest war in human history is about to break open.

[11:11] All walls have been suspended.

[11:12] Cats now have human faces in hands.

[11:15] Yeah.

[11:15] And can dance the night away.

Dan McCoy

[11:17] Well, and everyone has left town to prepare for that war.

[11:19] Leaving only the cats.

Stuart Wellington

[11:21] And I mean.

[11:21] Exactly.

[11:22] I think we've all learned that all those laws are meaningless

[11:24] because Macavity has already broken them all.

[11:26] Go on.

[11:26] Every human law.

[11:27] Every human.

Jenny Jaffe

[11:28] The first thing my boyfriend said when we woke up this morning,

[11:31] like before anything else, he just goes,

[11:33] every human law, Jenny.

[11:35] Every one.

[11:36] And it's not just British laws.

[11:38] Macavity has broken the law of every country.

[11:40] Every human.

[11:41] Every human law.

[11:43] Macavity has chewed gum in Singapore.

[11:45] Macavity has jaywalked.

Elliott Kalan

[11:47] He went to Thailand and drew a mustache on a poster of the king of Thailand.

Jenny Jaffe

[11:51] Very serious over there.

[11:53] He set so many things on fire.

Elliott Kalan

[11:55] You know what?

[11:55] I bet Macavity, he was only doing it for research

[11:57] because he wrote one of those books they used to sell at Scholastic Book Fairs

[11:59] that are like 101 crazy laws.

[12:02] And they're like,

[12:03] did you know you can't quack like a duck in Bedford, New York?

[12:05] That kind of stuff.

[12:06] I bet Macavity was just testing for that.

[12:08] Yeah.

Natalie Walker

[12:08] Just went through all of them.

Elliott Kalan

[12:10] Okay.

[12:10] So we've established that it's in London and the Jellicle Moon is out.

Natalie Walker

[12:13] The Jellicle Moon is out.

[12:15] Then a car pulls over.

[12:18] Someone pops out.

[12:19] Click, clack, click, clack, click, clack.

[12:20] Go her heels.

[12:21] And you think those are going to be the signifiers of a human presence throughout the movie.

[12:25] Except for that most of the cats will randomly start wearing shoes midway through.

[12:30] A woman swings a burlap sack around and then she hurls it into the alleyway.

[12:36] And a bunch of cats start circling the little burlap sack.

[12:39] What is in the sack?

[12:40] What is in the sack?

[12:41] And then all of a sudden a little white cat jumps out.

[12:45] Ooh, who is this?

[12:46] Her name is Victoria.

[12:47] She's a little white cat.

Stuart Wellington

[12:49] Natalie, I think you're doing a disservice.

[12:51] When you just say cats, I don't think you are accurately representing what slams against your eyeballs.

Dan McCoy

[12:58] We have to take a moment or perhaps 15 minutes to talk about the way these cats look.

[13:04] And how it is a fundamental flaw in the conception of this movie.

Elliott Kalan

[13:08] Or the thing that makes it perfect.

[13:11] Yeah, it is both the serious flaw that ruins the film.

[13:14] And also, as you said, Natalie, the thing that rockets it to the next level of euphoria.

[13:19] That rather than people in the show cats.

[13:23] I've never seen the show, but I've seen pictures of it.

[13:25] They just look, and I saw the commercials that played endlessly in the New York area.

[13:29] Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da.

[13:32] Cats now and forever at the Winter Garden.

[13:34] I saw those growing up, and it was like, okay, the people look silly.

[13:36] They look like WWF wrestlers that are supposed to be cat-themed.

[13:40] Yeah.

[13:40] But instead here, I guess you would call it what?

[13:43] A Lovecraftian monstrosity?

[13:45] Yes.

[13:46] Something that is neither cat nor human, but has the worst and also sexiest qualities of both?

Jenny Jaffe

[13:51] It's also just like, nothing can prepare you for it.

[13:54] Because I saw the pictures.

[13:55] I'd seen clips going in.

[13:57] But the first time you see it, and you're really forced to sit and interact with it in a storytelling context,

[14:04] it's the most horrific thing.

[14:07] Everywhere you look, there's something else freakish.

[14:10] Why is there so much shoulder action?

[14:13] Why are there hands like that?

Elliott Kalan

[14:14] How come they're always posed so that their butts are sticking up in the air?

[14:18] I think part of the problem is they went super...

[14:19] You've seen a cat before.

[14:21] Yeah, that's what I was going to say.

Dan McCoy

[14:22] That is very accurate to actual cats.

[14:25] But the problem is, with an actual cat, you just push that butt out of your face saying,

[14:29] get out of here with that.

[14:30] Whereas when you see sexy dancer butts being stuck in the air,

[14:35] you're like, this brings a different context to the whole thing that I'm not comfortable with.

Elliott Kalan

[14:39] Apparently they had to go through some kind of cat camp for training,

[14:42] and I think they went a little overboard with it.

[14:44] Because there are tons of times in the movie where I'm like,

[14:48] they have nailed that aspect of cat movement.

[14:50] But yeah, it is creepy to see a human being doing that.

Jenny Jaffe

[14:53] It is so much just twitching.

Elliott Kalan

[14:55] It made me realize that there's such a thin line between cat movements

[15:01] and kind of like Vogue, kind of Paris is Burning style pose dancing.

[15:06] So I was like, this is basically Paris is Burning, but with cats instead of people.

[15:11] They're just all presenting themselves.

Natalie Walker

[15:13] Well, when they have like twins doing their actual dancing,

[15:16] I'm like, oh yes, more of this in the Jellicle Ball.

[15:21] Get Billy Porter in here to judge all of the cats.

Stuart Wellington

[15:24] Funny you should say that.

[15:25] I mean, don't you, what if Billy Porter had been pulled in to play Macavity?

[15:31] What a show this would have been.

Natalie Walker

[15:34] And he just would have roasted all of them as he was taking them,

[15:38] as he was poofing them into dust.

[15:40] Yeah.

[15:40] He would have had like just reeds on them instead of just going,

[15:44] Macavity!

[15:45] Or meow!

Elliott Kalan

[15:47] Yes, Macavity has, whenever he turns the cat into dust,

[15:50] he has a different catchphrase.

[15:51] Each one is sillier than the last one.

Natalie Walker

[15:53] When he just says meow, I really think my brain broke in a beautiful way.

[15:58] Well, my favorite is when he goes, magic!

Dan McCoy

[16:01] He's just like saying the thing he's doing as he does.

Elliott Kalan

[16:04] Yeah, he's saying bat and turning into a bat.

[16:07] I think a major flaw of the movie is that it's called Cats,

[16:10] and the people look like cats,

[16:12] and they're constantly singing about how they're cats.

[16:14] But the movie is like,

[16:16] we got to keep convincing you that they're cats.

[16:17] So at times they'll just go, meow, meow!

[16:19] Or put their hands behind their ear,

[16:23] and it's like, again, it's the cats.

[16:24] Take a break from being cats for a moment.

Natalie Walker

[16:26] And they make Jennifer Hudson crawl in the crowd!

[16:31] Let her stand up!

[16:33] Let her walk away!

[16:35] Ian McKellen was...

Stuart Wellington

[16:36] Ian McKellen's cat performance is like,

[16:40] he took it up a couple extra notches.

[16:42] It feels...

[16:43] No, we'll get to that.

[16:44] Yeah, we will.

Jenny Jaffe

[16:45] Him licking up the milk.

[16:47] Yep.

[16:48] Sir Ian McKellen laughing up milk.

[16:52] Is the most upsetting thing I've ever seen committed to film.

Stuart Wellington

[16:56] I'm sorry, Sue.

[16:57] I just want to say,

[16:58] so this movie opens,

[16:59] we have human-cat hybrids walking around,

[17:02] and I love that the movie does not fuck around.

[17:05] It immediately throws you in.

[17:07] They start singing this Jellicle song that we're going to talk about.

[17:10] And like...

[17:10] About other Jellicles, yeah.

[17:11] It's...

[17:12] Experiencing that with a first-time audience was so much fun.

[17:16] To feel the energy of people realizing what they were actually going to be doing.

[17:21] Oh, this is the movie.

Dan McCoy

[17:23] Yeah, it's so much madder than you think from the start.

[17:25] And like, I...

[17:27] I had this jaw-open look that I can only liken to the reaction shots at the end of the producers

[17:35] when they're watching Springtime for Hitler.

[17:37] And like, I look over at Stuart, and he has the exact same face on.

[17:41] And like, my journey with cats was like, I had about 15 minutes of that stunned face,

[17:46] then about like 60 or 70 minutes of hysterical laughter,

[17:51] and then like, the rest like half hour of the movie, I was in something close to awe.

Elliott Kalan

[17:56] Yeah, you're just in tears, because you're like,

[17:58] I've seen the face of God, and it's a cat's face.

[18:01] Yeah.

[18:01] So, I apologize.

[18:02] Natalie, so you've taken us about three minutes into the movie.

[18:04] Correct.

Natalie Walker

[18:05] But this is really, because this is the imposed narrative of the movie,

[18:12] because Cats, notably, like, doesn't really have a plot.

[18:16] Like, it literally is just Cats coming forward.

[18:18] It's like the second act of The Nutcracker, where everyone just comes forward,

[18:22] and is like, here is me, here's my thing, goodbye.

[18:25] And then, the real coup...

Elliott Kalan

[18:27] Here's how we dance in Russia, see you later.

[18:29] Here's how we dance in Arabia, see you later.

[18:31] Exactly.

Natalie Walker

[18:32] Like, the real coup of Tom Hooper's is that he's like,

[18:35] well, we're going to have a whole journey where we have our audience surrogate cat

[18:40] who is coming in, because Victoria is just, like, one of the cats in the actual show.

[18:45] And you just, like, go into the show, and the cats are prowling around the audience,

[18:49] and it just starts with them singing Jellicle songs at you.

[18:53] They're not doing it to any...

[18:55] Like, the whole show of Cats is that all of them are on the same page,

[18:59] and you are an outsider who sucks and doesn't know what's going on.

Elliott Kalan

[19:03] So it's like, spoiler alert, the end of this movie when Judi Dench sings a song directly

[19:07] to the audience, and I was like, could she hear me laughing at her this morning?

[19:10] Yes!

Dan McCoy

[19:10] Yes!

[19:11] But I also feel like these, like, efforts to make it an understandable narrative

[19:16] end up being even more alienating.

Elliott Kalan

[19:18] Oh, no, it makes it even worse.

Dan McCoy

[19:20] Because your brain...

[19:21] When it's just the songs, like, your brain gets into this rhythm of, like,

[19:25] oh, okay, I'm watching a review.

[19:27] And then, like, someone tries to advance the plot, and you're like,

[19:30] whoa, whoa, whoa, what?

Elliott Kalan

[19:30] What is this?

[19:32] Yeah.

[19:33] The fact that you said...

[19:34] I think the moment that typifies what they should have been doing with the movie for me

[19:39] is when Rum Tum Tugger is singing, and then he just finishes,

[19:42] and Victoria's just like, whew!

[19:44] And then Bustopher Jones just strolls out of nowhere and is like,

[19:46] hey, it's time for my song, Bustopher Jones!

[19:49] Oh, hello!

[19:49] And he said, they have...

[19:50] There's so many moments where you're like, and now the movie will begin.

[19:54] Nope, the Imple Shanks is going to tell us what it's like to live on the train.

Dan McCoy

[19:57] That's the best transition in the movie, because not only does he, like,

[20:02] not only does Bustopher Jones just sort of take her arm and walk her away,

[20:08] as if she's like, he's like, now you listen to me.

[20:11] Yeah, he's like...

[20:11] In a Rum Tum Tugger song, he just turns and runs down the street away from the camera.

Natalie Walker

[20:17] Well, no, because I think Grizabella is in between.

[20:20] I think he hisses at Grizabella at the end of his,

[20:23] and then we get the moment of Jennifer Hudson being in a whole different movie from everyone else.

Stuart Wellington

[20:29] Which, like, it felt like a good 10% of the audience in our theater.

[20:33] Most everybody else was there to see it, ironically.

[20:36] But there was a 10% of the people that were like,

[20:39] Jennifer Hudson's in a movie singing songs.

[20:41] I'm going to go see that.

[20:42] Yes.

[20:43] So anytime the very disrespectful audience were, like, trying to riff over Jennifer Hudson's performance,

[20:51] they were getting shushed, and rightly so.

Natalie Walker

[20:53] Yes, I believe so.

[20:54] I really think that Jennifer Hudson is good in the movie that she is in,

[20:58] and I think it's right that she's in a different movie,

[21:00] because Grizabella is the outsider character.

[21:03] Ultimately, more so than Victoria.

Elliott Kalan

[21:05] I don't know that there's any performer in this movie who does themselves an injustice.

[21:11] They're all handed, like, bad material to work with, basically.

[21:14] But, like, everyone's trying their hardest.

[21:16] No one's crapping out.

[21:18] Yeah.

[21:18] Everyone's trying to sell it.

[21:19] Judi Dench finally gets her chance to be in Cats after missing her chance to be in the original London production of it.

[21:25] Like, I was like, everyone is really working hard.

[21:28] There's nobody who's like, wink.

[21:29] I know it's stupid.

[21:30] It's Cats.

[21:31] I have a theory about what you're saying.

[21:34] Not having seen the stage musical,

[21:36] is the scene where Bustopher Jones gets hit in the nuts by a garbage can?

[21:39] Absolutely not.

[21:40] Is that in the original stage musical?

Natalie Walker

[21:41] That is not in it.

[21:43] Oh, okay.

[21:44] Dan, what were you going to say?

Dan McCoy

[21:45] Well, I have two things that are brought up by things you've said.

[21:51] One, about how everyone, like, kind of acquits themselves as best they can.

[21:54] Like, I kept thinking during it, you know, not to borrow the title of another popular podcast,

[22:00] How Did This Get Made?

[22:01] Right.

[22:02] But it was the sense of, like, okay, there is such seriousness of purpose from these actors.

[22:08] And I think that it's because, of course, they are acting in a stage production of Cats,

[22:13] not knowing that later on CGI fur will be obscuring everything, all the fine work that they're doing.

[22:20] So they're taking it very seriously.

Natalie Walker

[22:21] How could they have known?

[22:23] Yeah.

[22:23] There's no way.

[22:23] How could they have known that's what it would look like?

Stuart Wellington

[22:25] Yeah.

[22:26] Yeah, it's like when Harrison Ford was filming the upcoming film, Call of the Wild,

[22:32] which we saw the trailer for before Cats.

[22:34] And I feel like there must have been a moment where Harrison Ford went up to the director and was like,

[22:39] the dog's going to look normal, right?

[22:41] And the director's like, uh, yeah.

Dan McCoy

[22:45] I saw that trailer and I'm like, they know that dogs exist in the world, right?

[22:49] They don't have to have this crazy looking fake dog.

Stuart Wellington

[22:52] The trailers before our screening of Cats.

[22:54] It was originally called Scooby of the Wild.

[22:56] The trailers before our screening of Cats.

[22:58] It started with the Aretha Franklin movie, Respect.

[23:03] Then it went to In the Heights and we're like, oh, okay, this makes sense.

[23:06] And then it goes to Call of the Wild.

[23:08] And I'm like, uh, wait a minute.

[23:10] And then it goes to Sonic the Hedgehog.

[23:12] And at that point, the audience is going crazy.

Dan McCoy

[23:14] And then there's also like some Christian movie about a rock musician.

[23:19] And also, uh.

[23:20] It was lost in the blue whirlwind of the Sonic the Hedgehog trailer.

[23:24] But Doolittle.

[23:25] They had Doolittle too.

[23:26] It was all the, all the hits.

Elliott Kalan

[23:28] Look, anything with animals or songs, that's what the Cats people are there for.

[23:31] Now, Dan, to answer your question, how did this get made?

[23:33] I have a, I think there is a very rational case to be made for making a movie, this movie of Cats.

[23:39] Cats was a huge hit for a long time.

[23:41] It was the longest running show in both London and New York.

[23:44] The cast is amazing.

[23:46] Even the people who are not famous are fantastic performers.

[23:49] I don't know why that they then, so on paper, it's like, this should be a hit.

[23:54] And then for some reason they were like, but first, we're going to slap some weird CGI crazy cat bodies on everybody.

Dan McCoy

[23:59] I have a theory about this too.

[24:01] Oh, sorry.

[24:01] You go, Jenny.

[24:01] And then I'll.

Jenny Jaffe

[24:02] Oh, no.

[24:02] So I, well, I sort of disagree that it should be a hit because like by its nature, Cats is basically a review.

[24:07] It's like, it kind of works as a stage show.

[24:10] But even then, like only sort of.

Elliott Kalan

[24:12] But you can do, but you could do, or if they did it as a review movie, I think it might have worked.

[24:16] As like a novelty.

Jenny Jaffe

[24:17] Here's how I think it would have been awesome.

[24:18] I legit, and I'm glad they didn't.

[24:20] I'm so glad they came out with this awful monstrosity instead.

[24:22] But like, I think if they had done a really cool Fantasia-like animated movie where they were like trying really cool, interested, interesting, like animated techniques and they got like cool, like.

[24:34] Well, sure.

[24:34] Yeah, that's the good version of Cats.

[24:36] That would have been awesome.

[24:37] Like there are ways to have done this in a way that would have been a really good movie.

[24:42] It's just weird that Tom Hooper was like, I have an idea of like a weird narrative to lay over this, but I don't have any other vision.

Dan McCoy

[24:51] Well, that plays into my theory, which was just like, the problem with this is like each successive medium this material is given to us is less appropriate for what it is.

[25:05] Like it starts out.

[25:05] Until the VR performance version.

[25:07] It starts out about.

[25:08] Soon.

[25:08] Well, it starts out these poems of like these whimsical like character studies of Cats.

[25:13] And it's like, okay, whimsical poems about Cats.

[25:16] That makes sense.

[25:17] And then they're like, oh, let's make a musical out of it.

[25:19] I'm like, that makes less sense, but I guess you could do it like a review and like, you know, the theatricality of being Cats would work on the stage.

[25:28] And then they're like, let's make a big blockbuster movie about it, which is the worst thing to do with the material because like blockbuster filmmaking now is so literal.

[25:36] So, of course, they're going to be like, how do we make them look like real Cats?

[25:39] Yeah.

[25:39] How do we like put a story in here?

Elliott Kalan

[25:42] And next it'll be the Netflix series where it's a 10 episode season and they've got to like stretch that story out and everything.

[25:47] Yeah.

[25:48] Uh-huh.

[25:48] Yeah.

[25:49] So, guys, go on.

Jenny Jaffe

[25:52] I was just going to say, this is more or less high budget hentai.

[25:56] That is what they succeeded in making.

Elliott Kalan

[25:59] So, guys, what's a jellicle cat?

[26:02] Yeah.

Natalie Walker

[26:03] Well, they spent the whole song asking questions of what the jellicle cat is because Victoria has appeared.

[26:09] Victoria has been abandoned by her quote unquote family or we don't know.

[26:14] And then all of these horrible, horrible to look at CGI cats start just talking to her and screaming things about jellicle cats, asking her if she's a jellicle cat.

[26:26] And they're getting increasingly frantic and shrill over the course of the song.

[26:30] And she doesn't know if she is a jellicle cat yet because in the musical, they're all jellicle cats.

[26:37] And we're like, all cats are jellicle cats.

[26:39] And that's the whole thing.

[26:40] But in this, it's like they're like the jets and the sharks.

[26:43] They're like the jellicle cats are like a gang of cats.

[26:46] And she doesn't know if she's part of it.

Elliott Kalan

[26:48] Here's the way I understood it was jellicle cats are like the mutants of cats.

[26:54] They've all got special powers.

[26:55] And there's good jellicles and bad jellicles.

[26:57] And they even like the way that the X-Men and their villains fight each other, but then they'll occasionally team up because, you know, they're all mutants.

[27:03] So, like, that's what a jellicle is.

[27:05] It's just like a cat that was born with a special extra power.

[27:07] For instance, some of them cause mischief but never get caught.

[27:11] And another one causes mischief and never gets caught.

[27:13] And yet another one does mischief but never gets caught.

[27:16] And another one works on a train.

Dan McCoy

[27:19] My thing about it, like, all these, everyone says, always says, like, oh, they don't tell you what jellicle means.

[27:25] And I think it's something more.

[27:26] Everyone always says that.

[27:27] They spend most of the movie telling you that.

[27:29] Oh, god damn it.

[27:29] Let me get my thing out.

[27:30] But that is like an old Peter thing.

[27:31] One of the, like, big jokes, the standard jokes about cats is like, oh, they say jellicle all the time, but they don't say what it means.

[27:37] And, like, it's more insidious than that.

[27:39] Like, they never stop telling you what it means.

[27:43] But everything they say it means is just a thing that a normal cat does.

[27:46] That a normal cat does.

[27:47] Correct.

[27:47] So you're like, wait, what makes it special?

Natalie Walker

[27:50] Because the actual definition of jellicle cat in T.S. Eliot's version of it was it was just how his niece tried to say dear little cat.

[28:00] It was just her, like, little speech impediment mispronunciation of dear little cat, which is a thing she heard, like, adults say.

[28:07] And she tried to say it.

[28:08] And so it was jellicle.

[28:09] And then that comes back.

[28:11] Spoiler alert.

[28:12] At the end of the movie, after the movie thinks that the storyline we all care about is will Victoria become a jellicle cat or not.

[28:20] And so finally, at the very end of the movie, after Jennifer Hudson has blown off in her little chandelier.

[28:27] Yeah, with the rest of the aeronauts.

[28:28] Her hot air balloon chandelier goes to heaven.

[28:31] Judy Dench turns to Victoria and she says, you truly are a jellicle cat.

[28:36] And everyone in the theater usually is laughing too hard to know that right after that, Judy Dench says, a dear little cat.

[28:47] And then Jennifer Hudson finishes flying because she's flying forever.

[28:53] Our theater.

Stuart Wellington

[28:54] Wow, we're all in the ending.

Elliott Kalan

[28:56] Well, because you said what is the jellicle cat and everyone's saying the things of jellicle cat.

Stuart Wellington

[29:00] In our theater, when she announced Victoria was a jellicle cat, people were freaking out.

[29:06] Some people started to wave.

[29:08] It was amazing.

Dan McCoy

[29:09] High-fiving each other.

Elliott Kalan

[29:11] Somebody got up and yelled, she is not a jellicle cat.

[29:15] I refuse to accept it.

Stuart Wellington

[29:16] One guy stormed out.

[29:17] He's like, I got to call my mom.

Elliott Kalan

[29:19] My fan fiction says she wasn't jellicle.

Natalie Walker

[29:21] Yes.

[29:22] But basically, that's the plot that is introduced at the beginning of the movie in the song Jellicle Cats is like now the storyline of this.

[29:30] This thing before the cat pageant of it all is, will Victoria be able to join the jellicle cats?

[29:37] And at the end of Jellicle Cats, everyone sort of scatters and Victoria does the thing where she's still singing the song, but everyone else is gone.

[29:45] Yeah.

[29:45] Like you just learned it.

Elliott Kalan

[29:47] And that's when she turns and sees that Angelical Houston herself is standing there.

Natalie Walker

[29:53] But then Macavity appears and Macavity is like, oh, the ball could get dangerous.

[29:57] And then he disappears himself in a puff of smoke for the first time.

[30:00] The first time he says magic as he leaves.

[30:04] Just to tell you what you saw.

Stuart Wellington

[30:06] So after that first crazy song, you're like, oh, this is probably going to calm down and make a lot of sense.

[30:11] And then the immediate next song.

Elliott Kalan

[30:13] Because the first song has like the...

[30:15] I think I know enough about cats now.

[30:16] And then all the cats come back and they're like, cats have three names.

[30:19] Let me tell you about that.

Natalie Walker

[30:20] Yes.

[30:21] And the second song like is the scariest part of the whole movie for me.

[30:27] Like it really is the boat ride from Willy Wonka writ large in my estimation because it's just like weird talking.

[30:34] And then it ends with the word ineffable, which becomes a huge part of this movie as well.

[30:40] The word ineffable.

[30:41] Yeah, what was that about?

[30:42] As a concept.

[30:45] There's sexy dancing during that part as well.

[30:49] And then Monkey Strapped, the narrator cat, comes forward and is like the Jellicle ball.

[30:56] Yeah.

[30:57] Yes.

Stuart Wellington

[30:58] But is this where he's like, I'm going to introduce you to some Jellicle cats.

[31:02] Yes.

[31:02] Well, because he says, are you going to come?

Natalie Walker

[31:04] He says, are you going to come to the Jellicle ball?

[31:05] And she's like, what's the Jellicle ball?

[31:07] And then he says, the Jellicle ball is where old Deuteronomy decides who will be granted a new life.

[31:15] And she's like, how does she decide?

[31:17] And then Monkey Strapped says, each cat will sing a song of themselves, who they are and what they do.

[31:24] And at this point, my boyfriend leans over to me and goes, okay, dramaturgy slay.

[31:29] Because that's never explicated like that in the show either.

[31:34] Like everyone just sort of starts saying, here is who I am and what I do.

[31:38] But to have Tom Hooper add a dialogue into the movie to think that that will make everything clearer when all it does is just sort of muddy the waters even more of like, oh, now that they're talking, like, is this supposed to be like naturalistic dialogue?

[31:55] What's going on?

[31:55] I have a question.

[31:56] Who they are and what they do.

Jenny Jaffe

[31:58] Point of order.

[32:00] Yes, the chair recognizes Jenny.

[32:02] Thank you.

[32:04] They all start introducing themselves via song before they're at any kind of recognizable ball.

[32:09] And they frequently do it without old Deuteronomy present.

[32:12] Yes.

[32:12] It's like a dress rehearsal.

[32:14] Why are they blowing it right now?

[32:16] Right?

[32:17] They're just doing it at Victoria, who's like a nobody.

[32:19] Why are they like completely wasting their song?

[32:22] Yeah.

[32:22] You need to be marking.

[32:24] That's my biggest problem.

[32:25] Yeah.

Natalie Walker

[32:25] Everyone needs to be marking their songs because they're going to blow out their voices before old Deuteronomy gets there and is actually able to get the choice.

[32:31] And I want to say something about the structure and Elliot.

Dan McCoy

[32:34] Oh, sorry.

[32:35] Okay, go ahead.

[32:35] Elliot, you sort of fainted at it earlier, but I just want to say, so as we've said, basically, basically every song is either let me tell you about myself or here, let me tell you about this guy.

[32:47] And like.

[32:49] Occasionally, let me tell you about cats.

[32:51] Yeah.

[32:52] And you can like logically know that that's the deal behind the movie cats before going in and being like, okay, well, you know, my brain can handle that.

[33:01] But then once you go see it in a big budget movie, it feels so strange because it's like, it's like the first act of a movie never ends.

[33:09] Like they just keep like introducing a new character.

[33:11] Like, oh yeah, you know what?

[33:12] That guy, don't worry about him.

[33:13] How about her?

[33:14] Like, and they just keep introducing new characters and then there's no second act.

[33:18] And then there's like 15 minutes of third act at the very end.

Stuart Wellington

[33:22] Yeah.

[33:23] I mean, it's kind of like, oh, it's kind of like a suicide squad, which were like every 15 minutes they reintroduce all the characters with a musical skin.

[33:31] Although this is the better version of that.

Natalie Walker

[33:34] Judy Dench constantly was sending dead animals.

Elliott Kalan

[33:39] Similar to similar to suicide squad on the same level.

[33:42] It's like a movie version of it's Italo Calvino's Ifana Winter's Night of Traveler where every other chapter is a new first chapter to the story.

[33:50] And you're out and you're trying to find the second chapter.

[33:52] That's what cats is like.

[33:53] And it's you're right, Dan, because it's like, okay, we're at the Jellicle ball.

[33:56] We've met all the cats.

[33:57] Now she's going to make her decision.

[33:58] Oh, here's Skimbleshanks.

[34:00] We've never seen him before.

[34:01] He's going to introduce himself.

[34:02] Well, wait, here's Bombolari.

[34:03] He's going to tell us about McCaveney.

[34:05] We already know about, but I don't know why he's not singing about himself.

Dan McCoy

[34:07] And it's weird because most of these characters as well, you don't see again, really.

[34:12] Yeah.

[34:12] So they just come in.

Jenny Jaffe

[34:13] You don't see them before or after.

[34:16] Elliot turned to me like a few times and was like, we are 10 minutes in or two hours in.

[34:21] I have no idea.

Dan McCoy

[34:23] There's truly no way of doing it.

[34:24] I want to admit this.

[34:27] You in no way need this to enjoy this movie.

[34:32] And if you have a problem with substances, you probably shouldn't.

[34:35] But I had an edible before seeing this movie.

[34:37] You don't need it.

[34:38] But I will say that the moment that I started giggling.

[34:41] The moment that I started giggling uncontrollably and just genuinely couldn't stop was thinking

[34:55] about these introductions and imagining if that's how life went for me.

[35:03] Like if I met a new person, they were like, hey, I'm Mumbly Peg, the scullery human.

[35:09] What's the whole deal?

[35:09] My deal is this.

[35:10] I'll tell you for nine minutes.

Elliott Kalan

[35:12] You'd be starting a new job and be like, well, tell us about yourself, Dan.

[35:15] I'm Dan McCoy, a clung kind of fellow.

[35:18] Sometimes I'm angry and sometimes I'm mellow.

[35:20] And I'd be like, yes, perfect.

Stuart Wellington

[35:21] Is that what you want?

[35:22] Not to stop you.

[35:23] You don't have to tell me you're extra.

[35:25] I already know it.

Jenny Jaffe

[35:27] The thing about all these cats is that they can tell us whatever they want.

[35:31] As far as we've been shown and not told, they are exclusively self-introduction cats.

Elliott Kalan

[35:36] Yeah.

[35:37] That's all they do.

Natalie Walker

[35:38] Also, I'll say if you don't do edibles often, I took an edible the second time I saw it.

[35:44] And when it all hits you at once, for me personally, I just became very aware of my mortality.

[35:55] And I just sort of was like, oh my God, I'm going to die from being too high at cats.

[36:02] And that's what my family is going to have to say at my funeral.

[36:05] They're going to say she was too high at cats and she died from it.

Elliott Kalan

[36:09] You're like, I think I'm going to not survive the next time that Rebel Wilson, as Jenny Any Dot,

[36:14] scratches her crotch on camera.

Natalie Walker

[36:16] Yeah, or I don't think I'm going to survive when Chekhov's skin suit.

[36:19] Oh God.

Elliott Kalan

[36:21] So let's go to her.

[36:22] So they're talking.

[36:24] Let's meet some other cats.

[36:25] Yes.

Natalie Walker

[36:26] And I think her introduction is basically like, do you want to see one of the cats that's getting ready for the ball?

[36:32] And then we go to Rebel Wilson, who is a Gumby cat, which they never really say what that means.

[36:38] Other than that, she hangs out during the day and everyone thinks she's lazy.

[36:42] And then when everyone goes to sleep, she recruits all of the mice and the beetles to be like a little servant fleet for her.

Elliott Kalan

[36:51] And she teaches them how to sing and dance.

[36:53] And she manages to make a dance troupe out of some child mice.

[36:58] And this is the most disturbing visual of the whole movie.

Natalie Walker

[37:00] The mice are too small compared to how big the cats are in this part.

[37:04] Yeah.

[37:05] So bizarre.

Elliott Kalan

[37:06] And I was like, so she goes to like a stove or something.

[37:09] So wait a minute.

[37:10] And there's these child mice.

[37:11] They all have human faces.

[37:12] What do humans look like?

Stuart Wellington

[37:16] What if they went to a statue and the human had like a monster face?

Natalie Walker

[37:21] Oh yeah, it's Eye of the Beholder.

[37:22] It's the Twilight Zone Eye of the Beholder.

Elliott Kalan

[37:25] And they kept thinking of the lady in Eraserhead who lives in the radiator and sings the Heaven Song.

[37:32] And I was like, I will show that to my son before I show him these weird baby mice that live in a stove.

Dan McCoy

[37:36] Well, there's sequences in this where like they've just superimposed a strip of these people in CGI cockroach costumes marching across the screen.

[37:47] And then you have these giant big cat heads in back.

[37:50] Like that's the back layer of it.

[37:52] And it's as wacky and as like sort of collagey an image as you would see in like Hausu or something.

[37:58] It's just mind-blowingly strange to look at.

Stuart Wellington

[38:01] So the movie continues to be on hard mode.

Natalie Walker

[38:06] Can we talk about just a second, the shot when she like the Beatles come out and then randomly goes upside down in this way that feels very like eighth grader doing his first like film project.

Dan McCoy

[38:18] Yeah, no, it's like an 80s video translation.

Stuart Wellington

[38:21] There's a scene where she is singing into something and I can't tell.

[38:26] Is it a tail?

[38:27] Is it a length of intestine?

[38:29] It's pink.

[38:31] I don't know what's going on.

[38:33] I'm scared.

Natalie Walker

[38:33] So she sings into her tail later and it looks different from what that is.

[38:38] It looks like an umbilical cord.

Elliott Kalan

[38:39] The rest of the movie I was like looking for this pink cat.

[38:43] Yeah.

[38:44] Yeah, there's a real Tetsuo the Iron Man feel to this whole sequence culminating when she unzips her skin.

[38:50] Yes.

[38:50] And underneath is wearing like a music note sequined vest and hot pants.

[38:54] And it's like, whose skin were you wearing?

[38:59] Was it your sister, Jenny, when we walked out who was like, oh, she's like Buffalo Bill and she kills other cats?

Dan McCoy

[39:06] I guess that's the second way to skin a cat.

[39:09] I've always been told there's more than one, but it really seemed like there was just one way.

[39:13] But I guess.

Elliott Kalan

[39:14] Now, of course, this we move on from that musical number to the plot, which is that Rum Tum Tugger is also in the movie.

Natalie Walker

[39:24] Jason Derulo appears and he says that was boring.

[39:28] It's pretty old fashioned.

[39:30] He has a British accent because all of them have to have British accents.

[39:34] I loved what he was doing.

[39:35] Honestly, I did too.

[39:36] I loved that arrangement of Rum Tum Tugger as like sort of a Prince vibe.

[39:40] I did too.

Stuart Wellington

[39:41] Like James Brownie, like a little bit of that.

[39:44] I like, it was weird though.

Natalie Walker

[39:46] When he streams milk, nothing better.

Stuart Wellington

[39:47] Yeah, and then he starts pouring cream all over everybody.

[39:50] All over the women.

Natalie Walker

[39:51] Yeah, he takes them all to a milk bar and all of a sudden all of these cats are just writhing under milk coases.

Elliott Kalan

[39:58] They are guzzling milk like Luke Skywalker at his hermitage.

[40:01] It's just like, it's just getting all in their fur.

[40:04] It must be so gross.

Stuart Wellington

[40:05] Oh man, it's so great.

[40:06] And it's so bad for cats, but whatever.

[40:08] They love it.

[40:08] And the thing is, there was, is this where we should talk about how they minimized all the actors' crotch areas?

[40:16] Yeah, I think Jason Derulo is the proper way to.

[40:19] They purposely like argued that they like shrink his bulge, which thank God.

[40:24] Yeah, because it's too big based on that Instagram photo of him.

[40:28] No, I'm just saying like, try to make them less sexual is all I'm saying.

[40:31] Because there's enough stuff moving in my face.

Elliott Kalan

[40:34] No, clearly Tom Hooper is a butt guy because all sorts of crotchal or chestal genitalia or secondary sex characteristics has been shrunk to almost non-existence so that we can focus more on the double moons of their butts.

[40:49] Just bobbing up and down in front of the camera constantly.

Natalie Walker

[40:52] Yeah.

[40:53] Tons of butt stuff.

[40:55] And then in the middle of Rum Tum Tugger, when Victoria like does her leg extension at him and there's just a close-up of him staring at her foot.

[41:04] And then it goes back to the, like the camera cuts away from that and then goes back to her foot in his face as he's singing Victoria.

[41:13] When he's had to stub her toes, that was a lot.

[41:16] Yes.

[41:17] It was very Tarantino.

Dan McCoy

[41:18] Now, we said that we liked the arrangement here, but I do have to say something about the music.

[41:23] And that is that, you know, I know Elliot is a proponent of Jesus Christ Superstar.

[41:28] I am not a big Andrew Lloyd Webber fan in general.

Elliott Kalan

[41:31] I think Jesus Christ Superstar is the only Andrew Lloyd Webber I can legitimately say I love.

Dan McCoy

[41:35] Yeah.

[41:36] Yes.

[41:36] I think that there are some good songs in this show.

[41:41] I mean, at least like the melodies are catchy, but for me, catchy.

Jenny Jaffe

[41:45] Some of them are just like, this is just some words.

Dan McCoy

[41:48] Yeah, no, I agree.

[41:49] But like the instrumentation, like I, this is like such an expensive movie, but the way

[41:56] they do it, it sounds like a carousel is farting on a synthesizer.

Elliott Kalan

[41:59] Like it's like, I really admire that they kept the electronic synth sound in so much.

[42:08] Because like that set, not having seen Cats on stage again, only knowing it from the TV commercials,

[42:13] that says Cats to me.

[42:14] It's like that 80s synth sound.

[42:16] And like, I'm like, you know what?

[42:18] That's, I'm sure there would be a lot of mad musical theater people if you took the synths out of Cats.

Natalie Walker

[42:21] And I will say, I'm going to drop a name.

[42:24] That is exactly what Mr. Lin-Manuel Miranda said when it started.

[42:27] He was like, I'm so glad that they're doing all of the synths.

[42:30] I'm so glad.

[42:31] Because it doesn't sound, I feel like weirdly this score is like such a product of 1982 that

[42:40] to try and like beef it up.

[42:42] I feel like that would sound weirder almost if they rearranged the orchestrations to be

[42:49] not synth heavy at all.

[42:53] If they like tried to make them fancier.

Elliott Kalan

[42:55] Yeah, I'm going to say two words, auto-tuned Cats.

[42:58] We don't need that.

[42:59] I'm glad that they didn't do any of that stuff.

[43:00] They didn't modernize it too much.

Jenny Jaffe

[43:02] There's a, I have a question or just I have another point because we've rushed by this

[43:07] and I'm sorry to derail the conversation, but it's bothering me.

[43:11] The, the milk bar.

[43:14] They're in London.

[43:16] Yes.

[43:16] But they're also in an all cats world.

[43:20] Yeah.

[43:21] All the signs are cat pens.

Elliott Kalan

[43:22] There's a cat-sino across the street.

Jenny Jaffe

[43:24] And there's posted, wanted posters for a cat.

[43:28] For Macavity.

[43:29] Right.

[43:29] But they were Moriarty during the day.

[43:32] Yeah.

[43:32] During the day they were Moriarty.

Natalie Walker

[43:34] I think though, because it like, it's Moriarty.

[43:37] Moriarty.

[43:37] And then it goes dark in the middle of Jellicle songs.

[43:40] And then it kicks back and it's Macavity.

[43:42] So I think in the world of cats, we're supposed to believe that after dark, it becomes cat world.

Jenny Jaffe

[43:49] Wait, but during the day, Sherlock Holmes is real?

Elliott Kalan

[43:52] Well, that's, so that's another, that's another nod to the T.S. Eliot stuff.

[43:55] I was doing my research a little bit too.

[43:57] Cause I'm just, I was like, I didn't realize how in depth the Wikipedia articles on almost every cat,

[44:01] except Bustopher Jones, who does not get his own Wikipedia article, which is crazy.

[44:05] Cause he's just a cat who likes to eat garbage.

[44:07] That Macavity is very much T.S. Eliot's play on Moriarty.

[44:11] Like that, that's his joke.

[44:12] Like he was inspired by Moriarty for that character.

[44:15] And so like to have a Moriarty poster become a Macavity poster, it's another little wink

[44:18] to the people who know the cat story.

Jenny Jaffe

[44:20] Oh right, cause Moriarty's always like doing crimes, then going crime!

[44:23] Yeah.

Elliott Kalan

[44:24] And it's all based on the old Sherlock story, the case of the disappearing dust dude.

[44:31] Can I say one more thing about the music?

Dan McCoy

[44:37] It's your podcast, man, go ahead.

[44:38] Is that, uh, I do think that the way everything is mixed together, I don't know what it is.

[44:44] Uh, like, I think it's partly the singing, partly T.S. Eliot's, uh, poetic language, which a lot of which is kept.

[44:52] Uh, I can't understand a lot of what the cats are singing.

[44:55] No, no.

[44:56] So like their whole deal is like, let me tell you about you.

[44:59] But like, I just have to guess from what, like the, the, the visions of like the, what I'm seeing visually on the screen.

Elliott Kalan

[45:05] Yeah, it's very hard to make out the lyrics a lot of the time.

[45:08] So you're just seeing like Rum Tum Tugger just kind of like dancing and Girl Cat's going, ah!

[45:12] And I'm like, I guess he's a, he's a Don Juan cat.

[45:14] Yeah, I mean, that's the thing.

Dan McCoy

[45:15] They all have like one thing.

[45:17] So you get what it is, but still.

Stuart Wellington

[45:20] I, I really can't wait for the, uh, I really can't wait for this to hit streaming so you can just slap on those closed captions.

Elliott Kalan

[45:27] Now, I, I'm going to correct something I said earlier.

[45:29] I said that the best part is the transition between Rum Tum Tugger and Bustopher Jones.

[45:33] Looking back on my notes, I somehow forgot that Grizabella shows up between those two characters.

[45:37] She does indeed.

[45:38] And sings the little like condensed early version of Memories just to give us a taste of it, right?

Natalie Walker

[45:42] Yes, well she, I think this is actually not the pre-prese of Memory.

[45:45] I think when she first appears, this is the weird recitative moment.

[45:49] No.

[45:49] Where she's like, she walks and she's doing a thing and her eye twists.

Dan McCoy

[45:56] Yeah, yeah.

[45:56] Oh, right, right.

[45:57] Natalie, I'm very curious.

[45:58] Is pre-prese an actual word?

[45:59] Because that's what I wrote in my notes, but I didn't know whether it.

Natalie Walker

[46:02] I think that's how, that's how I've always heard it.

[46:05] All right.

[46:05] Referred to.

[46:06] Interesting.

[46:06] So I think you just know things, Dan.

Elliott Kalan

[46:08] Oh, wow.

[46:09] Great.

[46:09] And so why do the other cats not like Grizabella?

[46:12] Just because she has the stink of failure about her?

Jenny Jaffe

[46:14] No, it's the double snot rivulets.

[46:16] She does constantly have two rivers of snot down her nose.

[46:18] She was a sex worker with Macavity.

[46:19] Under Macavity.

Natalie Walker

[46:20] I feel like that's the vibe that they were, they were trying to give us that she like went

[46:25] off with Macavity.

[46:27] Oh.

[46:27] She like was the glamour cat, which I don't know what her job was even when she was the

[46:33] glamour cat.

[46:34] Because they seem to be like she was the glamour cat, then she fell on hard times.

[46:38] She's a sad cat.

[46:39] And yeah.

Elliott Kalan

[46:39] As glamour cat, she was the cat in the Fancy Feast commercial who ate out of the crystal

[46:43] goblet.

[46:44] And that's what her song would have been about.

[46:46] I'm the glamour cat eating out of crystal.

[46:48] Everybody.

[46:49] Top that.

[46:50] You know.

Jenny Jaffe

[46:52] This falls into my other favorite Angeloid Webber thing, which is the part in Rainbow High

[46:56] where people just list whatever they're going to do for Ava Perón.

[46:59] Oh, yes.

[47:00] One of them just goes glamour.

Natalie Walker

[47:02] Yes.

[47:02] And also someone in Rainbow High just goes magic.

[47:05] Magic.

[47:06] And I'm like, when does Ava Perón learn magic?

[47:09] She's doing sleight of hand.

[47:11] I don't know what's going on.

Elliott Kalan

[47:13] So I really wanted the moment where Victoria, like Victoria clearly part of, clearly telegraphed.

[47:18] She's going to be the one who allows Grisabella to redeem herself because she is nice.

[47:22] But I wanted everyone to be like, no, don't you get it?

[47:25] Grisabella was Hitler's cat.

[47:26] That's why we don't like her.

[47:28] You don't know everything about Grisabella.

[47:29] You just got here.

Dan McCoy

[47:31] Is this when Victoria sings the new song?

[47:33] No.

[47:34] Okay.

[47:34] No, no.

[47:35] That's much later.

Natalie Walker

[47:35] But this is when they force Jennifer Hudson to crawl away even though no one has been crawling.

Dan McCoy

[47:43] You know, a lot of people talk about how she's like snotty while she's singing.

[47:47] I love it.

[47:48] And like that, you know, I mean, she does an amazing job singing.

[47:52] I'm not like she's great in it.

[47:54] But like, I do think that Tom Holland has made...

[47:57] Hooper.

[47:58] Hooper.

[47:58] Sorry, I keep doing that.

[47:59] Although you can drag him into this.

[48:01] Yeah, why not?

Elliott Kalan

[48:01] Maybe Tom Holland stopped by for the day and Tom Hooper played Spider-Man for a day.

[48:05] That's why.

Dan McCoy

[48:05] I do think this is a directorial choice from Tom Hooper who's probably like, okay, the one thing that everyone thought was great in my Les Mis was that Anne Hathaway was crying so much singing I Dreamed a Dream.

[48:18] So we got to really cry up this memory.

[48:20] Like we got to...

[48:20] Maybe.

Natalie Walker

[48:21] Yeah.

[48:22] Put a bunch of snot on her.

[48:22] And people love it.

[48:23] The Viola Davis moment.

[48:24] Because Lynn turned to me and was like, her snot.

[48:27] And I was like, yeah, they're giving her a Viola Davis moment.

[48:30] It's just that this movie is bad.

[48:32] And so every little minute detail we are dissecting.

[48:38] But I weirdly think that if this movie were being generally perceived as good, we would love her snot and be like, oh, she's so raw and in it and doing the thing.

Elliott Kalan

[48:49] Here's why I disagree.

[48:50] I think you're right if it was real snot.

[48:52] I kind of suspect it's CGI snot.

[48:55] Ooh.

[48:56] Wow.

[48:56] It is such perfect dual twin rivulets down her face in a way that I've never seen in a human being.

[49:02] And I'm like, I think they put some computer snot on her face to make it look more raw.

Natalie Walker

[49:06] Oh.

[49:07] That would bum me out so hard.

Stuart Wellington

[49:09] Well, all of our VFX listeners, please chime in and let us know.

Elliott Kalan

[49:14] And again, I'm talking completely.

[49:15] I have no idea.

[49:16] I'm not a VFX cat.

[49:17] So I don't know particularly.

Dan McCoy

[49:19] While we're back to the CGI mistake, there was something that I forgot I wanted to say before, which is that there's a lot of dancing in this movie.

[49:27] A lot of people doing real dancing who, I presume at the time, were on set doing amazing things with their bodies.

[49:33] But then they paint a bunch of CGI fur over it and it all looks like it's just badly rendered animation.

[49:40] Yes.

[49:40] You know?

[49:40] Yes.

[49:41] It immediately ruins the work of those dancers.

[49:43] You're just like, oh, that looks so fake and weird.

Elliott Kalan

[49:45] I don't know necessarily because there were two sequences in the movie when we went to see it.

[49:49] Jenny and I just saw it last night.

[49:51] There were two sequences when the audience stopped laughing.

[49:54] Yeah.

[49:54] And it was just the silence of an entertained audience.

[49:56] And those were both big dance numbers.

[49:59] And I'm like, there were a couple moments where I was like, this is really good dancing.

[50:03] And if they had just let the dancing live on its own.

[50:06] The cockroach dance, right?

[50:07] Was it Skimbleshanks tapping?

Dan McCoy

[50:08] Was that one of them?

Elliott Kalan

[50:09] One was Skimbleshanks tapping.

[50:11] And the other one was there's a long wordless dance when the Jellicle Ball is starting.

[50:15] And it starts out funny.

[50:16] And then you're like, oh, no.

[50:17] These are really good dancers that are all taking their turn dancing.

[50:21] Yeah.

[50:21] And it's like, oh, this is good.

[50:23] Dance is powerful.

[50:24] But those are both.

[50:24] I was like, oh, this movie shouldn't have words in it.

[50:27] It should just be dancing.

Dan McCoy

[50:28] But also those are both specifically more grounded dance sequences than a lot of the ones.

Elliott Kalan

[50:32] Yes.

[50:32] They're not leaping around through the air.

Natalie Walker

[50:34] Yeah.

[50:34] But it's also the Jellicle Ball.

[50:36] The Jellicle Ball, when it starts, it's like shot.

[50:40] And the CGI is in a way where it looks like they're floating.

[50:43] And so it feels really CGI.

[50:44] But then it gets to a point in it where then like lay twins are in like sneakers for their

[50:51] featured moment of it.

[50:52] And then it feels really real because obviously like they have shoes on.

[50:56] They're on the floor.

[50:56] So all of this is like them doing these things.

[50:59] And then after that, it gets a little more grounded.

[51:03] But I feel like it's whenever it's the cats at the whims of Tom Hooper's CGI.

[51:09] Yeah.

[51:09] It looks so fake that you're like, this isn't dance anymore.

Elliott Kalan

[51:13] Yeah.

[51:13] It starts to be like the old man character from the Six Flags commercials.

[51:18] Yes.

[51:18] Where you're just like, this isn't how this guy would really dance.

Dan McCoy

[51:21] And there will be moments where like they have people doing stuff that they couldn't do in

[51:26] life.

[51:27] And they've just like mapped a face onto something.

[51:29] And like that face like sort of shimmies around where it should be.

[51:33] But it's never quite at the right place.

[51:36] Yeah.

Elliott Kalan

[51:36] It kind of swims around the head.

Stuart Wellington

[51:38] It's like the swords in Zatoichi, the blind swordsman.

[51:41] Yeah.

[51:41] Or when Christopher Lee battled Yoda those times.

[51:45] Yeah.

[51:46] Those.

Elliott Kalan

[51:48] So anyway.

Natalie Walker

[51:50] So Macavity appears after Grisabella is banished by the group.

[51:54] Macavity appears in Magic's Away Rebel Wilson.

[51:57] Poofs her into dust.

[51:58] We don't know where she went yet.

[51:59] And then James Corden is around and doing his big song about how he loves to be fat and

[52:06] eat trash out of the garbage.

Elliott Kalan

[52:09] And they missed a real opportunity here to do the thing that Heathcliff would do.

[52:13] Where he would take a whole fish and put it in his mouth and then pull out just the bones.

[52:17] Cliche.

[52:17] Why did you do that, Tom?

[52:18] Come on.

Dan McCoy

[52:20] I also like when to say that when Rebel Jones and James Corden have a lot of moments.

[52:25] Rebel Jones?

Stuart Wellington

[52:26] Did you combine her with Felicity Jones?

Dan McCoy

[52:30] Rebel Wilson and James Corden have a lot of moments in this where they are clearly like

[52:35] just ad-libbing a joke.

[52:37] And they'll do this joke and the camera will just hang on them for a while.

[52:43] Like they're expecting uproarious laughter from the audience.

Elliott Kalan

[52:46] In an audience full of people.

[52:48] It's just going to be wave after wave of laughter.

[52:50] And you don't want them to miss any of those great lyrics.

Stuart Wellington

[52:51] They want the laughter to step on the very well enunciated lyrics that are about to show up.

Elliott Kalan

[52:58] And then McCavity takes Bustopher Jones too.

Natalie Walker

[53:01] Yes, McCavity takes Bustopher in a way where he appears with more trash food in a garbage can.

[53:07] And like even though Bustopher has just eaten so much trash food in a garbage can, this trash food in a garbage can looks so much more sumptuous.

[53:17] And so he disappears into it.

[53:19] And I think this one, McCavity just says meow.

[53:23] Yeah, yeah.

[53:23] I think so.

[53:24] He really says it in that Flophouse house cat cadence too.

Stuart Wellington

[53:27] Yeah, I actually got a check in the mail from Tom Hooper.

Elliott Kalan

[53:34] And now that we've established McCavity is sealing these cats, it's time for the plot to start.

[53:39] Time to get on the hunt and stop McCavity from kidnapping any more cats, right?

[53:43] That's the next thing that happens.

Natalie Walker

[53:43] No, Elliot, I'm so sorry to announce that now it's Mungo Charity Rumpelteaser.

[53:51] I regret to inform you.

Stuart Wellington

[53:54] Oh, so disappointing.

[53:55] Not to pump the brakes too much on this.

[53:57] On this roaring train of a podcast.

[54:00] But at this point, during Bustopher Jones' song, we actually see Rum Tum Tugger, who had introduced himself previously, and he had run away.

[54:09] Do you think he was running away from McCavity so he didn't get dusted?

[54:13] Like, he's the only one, he's the only cat who, he's the only angelical cat who introduced himself and doesn't get disappeared.

[54:19] What do you think, gang?

[54:22] Oh, yeah.

Elliott Kalan

[54:23] I think you put more thought into it, Stuart, than anyone involved.

[54:25] You know, it's just because,

Stuart Wellington

[54:27] I'm kind of a Rum Tum Tugger myself.

Dan McCoy

[54:31] As long as we're talking McCavity, I do want to say that Idris Elba has been handed a thankless chore by being given the idea that he has to yell a catchphrase as he disappears.

[54:42] I love it.

[54:42] But he gives it his all.

Natalie Walker

[54:44] He really goes for it.

Elliott Kalan

[54:46] If they're going to sell those McCavity talking dolls, they need things for it to say when you pull the string.

Natalie Walker

[54:51] So at the end of Bustopher, after Bustopher has been disappeared by McCavity, all of the other cats have sort of scattered.

[54:59] And once again, Victoria is sort of alone.

[55:01] And the only people she's left with, the only cats she is left with, are Mungo Jerry and Rumpelteaser, who like sort of take her under their wing and say, we're going to show you our little neck of the woods.

[55:09] And they are house cats, but they're terrors to the people who own them.

[55:14] And they do a whole song that's slinky and weird about how they love to.

[55:19] I don't care for the melody of this song.

[55:21] No, it's very bad.

[55:22] And this is a departure from the show version.

[55:24] The show version is a big like vaudeville acrobatic number where they're doing, they're doing like double cartwheels on each other.

[55:31] They do like three cartwheels where they're holding each other.

[55:35] It's like a whole deal.

[55:36] And I really recommend you watch it.

[55:38] This is my biggest problem with this movie is that they changed this melody because this one is a funeral dirge pace.

[55:46] Yeah.

[55:47] It is just so slow and boring.

Elliott Kalan

[55:50] And it sounds weird each time they go, Mungo Jerry and Rumpelteaser.

[55:57] They've got to try so hard to stretch out the word to match the amount of space.

[56:01] That's the tease in it.

[56:02] That's true.

[56:03] And also it's very Rumpel.

Natalie Walker

[56:03] They want Mungo Jerry to be like a Jason Statham type so clearly.

[56:07] He just keeps being like, no pictures, right?

Dan McCoy

[56:11] This song did inspire the best audience talk in my second screening.

[56:17] And this is a two-part joke, so prepare yourself.

[56:20] Great.

[56:20] Go on.

[56:21] A woman, just like in exasperation, goes, they're three inches tall.

[56:27] Look at the baseboard.

[56:28] And then there's a laugh.

[56:30] And then she reconsiders and goes, well, six in Park Slope.

[56:34] And I'm like, great local humor you have.

Stuart Wellington

[56:37] Yeah, that's great.

[56:38] There's the moment.

[56:39] So they're festooning Victoria with jewels.

[56:42] And those very jewels that she thought might buy her happiness instead form some kind of a cage and tie her to a bed.

[56:50] Yes.

[56:50] They chain her to a bed.

Natalie Walker

[56:51] Oh, God.

[56:52] It is so sexual.

[56:54] It's like a very Vicky Cristina Barcelona situation where it's the part where Scarlett Johansson becomes the third to Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz.

[57:03] And I'm like, oh, this is going to be a no-go for you.

[57:06] And then as soon as there comes the bark of a dog.

Stuart Wellington

[57:12] Obviously, the question is, what does that fucking dog's face look like?

Elliott Kalan

[57:17] Yeah, I had the same wonder.

[57:18] Does it look like a person, too?

[57:19] Or is it just a regular dog?

[57:21] Like, I don't know.

Jenny Jaffe

[57:22] It's a reverse thing.

[57:23] It's a human body and a dog face.

[57:25] Whoa.

Elliott Kalan

[57:25] That would be so creepy.

[57:26] Cool.

[57:27] Like a dog boy from Rips.

Jenny Jaffe

[57:30] Oh, man.

[57:30] The other thing is, this is the scene where I think it really clicked into place how strange the proportions were.

[57:37] Because she's got, like, a watch as a collar.

[57:39] Which, okay, I'll buy that for Kat.

[57:41] But she also has rings, like human rings, as bracelets.

[57:46] Yes.

[57:47] And they're huge on her.

[57:48] Yes.

Stuart Wellington

[57:50] Like, how big is that person's fingers?

[57:53] Yeah.

Elliott Kalan

[57:53] I mean, I think...

[57:55] And how small are their wrists?

Dan McCoy

[57:56] I think that if this was, like, a stage design idea on stage, like, okay, we're going to create this kind of fantastical world where, like, we're going to have different stage, like, pieces be different sizes.

Elliott Kalan

[58:08] It's your classic Gilda Radner, little girl type thing, you know.

[58:12] Yeah.

Dan McCoy

[58:12] That would be fine, because it's, like, this fantastical universe.

[58:14] But, like, they're constantly interacting with so much stuff in this movie.

[58:19] And the problem is, the audience knows what size a cat is.

[58:22] Yes.

[58:22] They've done it just seen cats.

[58:24] And now they're seeing cats.

Elliott Kalan

[58:26] It is, like, you expect at any moment a cat could fit through the shoelace hole of a shoe and then suddenly be as tall as a building.

[58:34] And the movie would be just, like, deal with it, whatever.

Jenny Jaffe

[58:37] But there are, like, three instances where a character interacts with a fork.

[58:41] Every time the fork is a different size.

[58:44] Yeah.

Elliott Kalan

[58:44] Forks come in different sizes, Jenny.

Jenny Jaffe

[58:46] Oh, you're right.

[58:47] Oh, man.

[58:47] It was, like, the salad fork.

Elliott Kalan

[58:49] And then one of those big serving forks.

[58:50] Oh, wow.

[58:50] And then, like, a trident that Poseidon left behind.

[58:53] Yeah.

[58:53] Absolutely.

[58:53] Left behind.

[58:54] What was he doing there?

[58:56] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[58:56] There were just boots and a trident.

[58:59] Poseidon was whisked away to the heavens.

[59:02] Oh, my God.

[59:02] I have to say, McTavity was like, Poseidon.

[59:04] He just turned him into dust, you know?

[59:06] So, here's where we.

Natalie Walker

[59:08] Victoria is, like, chained to the door.

[59:10] She cannot get out because as soon as the dog, the threat of the dog happens,

[59:14] Mongo Jerry and Rumpel Teaser just leave her.

[59:17] They leave her and they're like, bye, bye, bye.

[59:18] And they just laugh.

[59:19] And then Magical Mr. Mistoffelees appears because in this movie,

[59:24] there's a love story between Victoria and Magical Mr. Mistoffelees,

[59:28] which I'm fine with because I think Magical Mr. Mistoffelees in this movie is so hot.

[59:34] He has, like, a Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory vibe.

[59:37] Like, he doesn't know how hot he is yet, but you can tell he's a little weirdo.

Dan McCoy

[59:40] He's also kind of dressed like Jesus in Godspell, though.

[59:43] Yeah.

Stuart Wellington

[59:43] And his fucking song sounds like Godspell.

Natalie Walker

[59:48] And so Magical Mr. Mistoffelees rescues her by throwing,

[59:52] by magicing a dog bone out of nowhere.

[59:55] Not the bone of a dog, but a bone that a dog would like.

[59:58] And then he throws it.

Stuart Wellington

[59:59] We can't tell you until that's not actually the case.

Jenny Jaffe

[1:00:03] They, like, clearly wanted Eddie Redmayne for that part so bad.

[1:00:06] Of course.

[1:00:07] But, like, he is completely.

Elliott Kalan

[1:00:09] Which is too bad because that's a great name for a cat.

[1:00:11] Yeah.

[1:00:12] I'm Eddie Redmayne, and I'm the cat that is okay in the one movie,

Stuart Wellington

[1:00:16] and then in other movies I'm not so good.

[1:00:18] Or Domhnall Gleeson.

[1:00:20] That's a good cat name.

Natalie Walker

[1:00:23] Eddie Redmayne is just himself as a cat.

Elliott Kalan

[1:00:28] After that is when we finally find out where Macavity has been taking all these cats, right?

[1:00:31] And I apologize if listeners can hear there's some crying going on outside the door.

[1:00:36] Do a baby, but that's okay.

Stuart Wellington

[1:00:38] Imagine those cries are from a dog barking at Victoria in magical Mr. Misopolis.

Dan McCoy

[1:00:42] Just don't start imagining that that baby is a chicken and strangle it, Elliot.

[1:00:46] That's all I ask of you.

[1:00:47] Oh, mash it?

[1:00:48] Yeah, okay.

[1:00:49] Yeah.

[1:00:51] Farewell, goodbye, amen there.

Natalie Walker

[1:00:53] So we go out to a barge on the Thames where Macavity has been magicing his competition for the Jellicle Ball,

[1:01:00] and we find out that that is the reason he has been magicing in the way he wants to be the one that has chosen to go to the heavy side layer.

[1:01:06] And he wants to make sure that all the competition is being wiped out.

[1:01:09] The what?

[1:01:11] Oh, the heavy side layer.

Elliott Kalan

[1:01:13] Okay, what's that?

Natalie Walker

[1:01:15] It's where the cats go to be granted a new life.

[1:01:19] It is death, I believe.

[1:01:21] They're just flying up there, but they believe they will be granted a new life.

[1:01:26] It's very sort of Heaven's Gate cult vibes.

[1:01:30] They're going to get their new balances.

[1:01:31] Very popular in the 70s.

[1:01:32] It's going to be incredible.

[1:01:36] But yeah, we find that out.

[1:01:38] Rebel Wilson and James Corden are there together so that they can do a tag team ad-lib situation.

Elliott Kalan

[1:01:45] But then we get to meet Grell Tiger.

[1:01:48] Yes, Grell Tiger.

[1:01:49] The most unexpected song of the night.

Natalie Walker

[1:01:51] My favorite song in the entire thing.

[1:01:54] Yes, it is 20 seconds long because he says like,

[1:02:00] To destroy my evil names on the journey of the times.

[1:02:05] And then it's immediately stopped by James Corden going,

[1:02:08] And I think it's Thames.

[1:02:10] It's Thames.

[1:02:11] That doesn't rhyme, see?

[1:02:12] So blah, blah, blah.

[1:02:12] And then the whole thing is stopped.

[1:02:14] But then James Corden gets his little head.

[1:02:18] Bored into.

[1:02:19] Bored?

[1:02:19] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[1:02:20] Bored into by Grell Tiger.

[1:02:23] And it's just, it's a delight.

[1:02:26] Grell Tiger's song is like four minutes long in the stage version.

[1:02:30] But I just love that they just completely abandoned that.

[1:02:33] They shut it down.

[1:02:34] Also, I will say, apparently a bit of James Corden ad-lib,

[1:02:37] like the best bit of James Corden ad-lib got deleted from the movie,

[1:02:42] which is that apparently his biggest ad-lib right after Grell Tiger started doing that

[1:02:47] is that he went,

[1:02:48] Wait, are you just introducing yourself?

[1:02:50] I just did that.

[1:02:52] Yeah.

Natalie Walker

[1:02:53] I wouldn't leave it.

[1:02:54] Just sort of upset the entire world of the film.

Stuart Wellington

[1:03:01] They'd be worried that people would be struck from their cat's reverie

[1:03:05] and stumble out of the feeder immediately.

[1:03:07] Taken out of the world.

Natalie Walker

[1:03:09] So we now know where they're being magicked off to.

[1:03:13] We go back to Victoria.

[1:03:15] Victoria has been rescued by Mistoffelees.

[1:03:17] He takes her back to Micah Strapp, the narrator cat,

[1:03:19] who is boring and has no discerning qualities.

[1:03:22] And Monka Strapp is like, where have you been?

[1:03:24] And old Deuteronomy is almost here.

[1:03:28] And baby, there's a fog.

[1:03:30] And coming through that fog is Miss Judi Dench.

[1:03:34] Dame Judi Dench.

[1:03:36] She is appearing.

[1:03:37] And when it pans out and you see her little legs, it's so upsetting.

[1:03:41] It's amazing.

[1:03:42] It's really upsetting.

[1:03:43] Her human hand with a wedding ring on it is in full view.

Elliott Kalan

[1:03:47] Yeah.

[1:03:47] It should be like an epic moment.

[1:03:49] But then they cut back and show you how tiny she is

[1:03:51] and how much distance she has to walk.

[1:03:54] And what a giant fur coat she's wearing.

[1:03:58] Yes.

Natalie Walker

[1:03:59] Yes.

[1:04:00] And this is also the first time where I noticed like how weird the sound mixing of the movie is

[1:04:04] because they will randomly what Tom Hooper is so obsessed with reaction closeups of people.

[1:04:10] But then he will have the sound mixing also turn up their weird harmony line.

[1:04:16] So like you're watching Monka Strapp greet old Deuteronomy,

[1:04:21] but his part is this weird tenor line.

[1:04:24] And it's just like, just don't turn his up in the mix.

[1:04:28] Just keep it.

[1:04:29] Oh, that's never better than Mr. Mistoffele.

Elliott Kalan

[1:04:31] When Rum Tum Tugger is like, oh.

[1:04:34] He's so slow.

[1:04:35] Yes.

[1:04:36] That's the best.

[1:04:37] Giving the strangest tenor line.

Dan McCoy

[1:04:38] Well, he'll also do the, he did the strangest thing in the first song,

[1:04:42] the Jellicle songs for Jellicle Cats,

[1:04:43] where he would just like cut abruptly to someone else singing in a completely different style very quickly

[1:04:50] and then back to the main melody.

[1:04:53] And it's like, and it's like this Moulin Rouge frenzy.

[1:04:56] Yes.

Natalie Walker

[1:04:56] My favorite, I'm sorry, my favorite part of Jellicle songs is when they do the two others who do,

[1:05:02] and then it cuts to Idris Elba and he just goes, what?

[1:05:06] What?

[1:05:08] And you think for a second, because then the continuation of the thought is like,

[1:05:13] two others who do what Jellicles can and Jellicles do,

[1:05:17] but instead it just feels like there's a huge ensemble moment and then Idris Elba just goes,

[1:05:22] what?

Elliott Kalan

[1:05:23] It feels like Idris Elba has stumbled on the movie that he's in and he's like,

Natalie Walker

[1:05:26] hold on a second.

[1:05:27] It's like, oh, that's the audience surrogate that you want.

[1:05:30] Yes, absolutely.

Stuart Wellington

[1:05:31] Yeah.

[1:05:32] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[1:05:33] The audience is taking cats away after they've been introduced.

[1:05:38] So we're finally at the Jellicle ball at this point, right?

Jenny Jaffe

[1:05:40] We're finally at the Jellicle ball.

[1:05:42] But like they weren't all Jellicle balling before?

[1:05:45] Nope.

[1:05:45] Like why were they introducing themselves to get to the heavyside lair?

[1:05:48] Just, you know how I say it wasn't part of it.

[1:05:51] Practice makes perfect.

Stuart Wellington

[1:05:54] That was the like tailgate party before the Jellicle ball.

Natalie Walker

[1:06:01] Well, it's what they've always said.

[1:06:02] How do you get to the Jellicle ball?

[1:06:03] Practice.

[1:06:04] Okay.

Elliott Kalan

[1:06:05] I mean, honestly, Bustopher Jones and Jenny Annie Dutz are not getting chosen to reincarnate.

[1:06:10] Absolutely not.

[1:06:10] They might as well just burn their song early.

Dan McCoy

[1:06:12] No, no, they're going to fall into the river and get sucked up the chocolate pipe.

Jenny Jaffe

[1:06:19] They never really explain what like the qualifications are for getting to the heavyside lair either

[1:06:25] because Bustopher Jones, as we've established, his song is just,

[1:06:28] I'm fat, I like to eat.

[1:06:30] Right.

[1:06:30] And it's the entire thing.

Elliott Kalan

[1:06:31] I think it could be like in defending your life when they're basically saying like,

[1:06:36] you didn't make the most of your life.

[1:06:38] You had all these opportunities to make the most of it and you held back.

[1:06:41] And Bustopher's like, I never held back.

[1:06:43] I saw something I wanted to eat and I ate it.

[1:06:45] I enjoyed life to the fullest.

[1:06:47] Give me another one, please.

[1:06:48] That's the game he's playing?

[1:06:50] But Gumsup Tigger's also saying that.

[1:06:51] Well, I think it all comes down to the mystery of faith.

[1:06:54] That being saved by the Lord is not your choice.

[1:06:59] It's the Lord's choice.

[1:07:00] And the Lord is mysterious and operates according to Old Deuteronomy's own arithmetic

[1:07:06] that mortal cats cannot hope to penetrate except that in the end she picks the most obvious cat

[1:07:12] that we all thought she was going to pick.

Natalie Walker

[1:07:14] Please, Old Deuteronomy is her father.

[1:07:16] Call her Old Deut.

[1:07:18] Old Deut.

[1:07:19] As Bungo Terry does later.

Elliott Kalan

[1:07:20] We remember when Old Deut was crucified between those two criminals and said,

[1:07:24] you too shall dine with me in heaven tonight.

[1:07:26] Hey, why'd she bring those criminals up to the heavyside lair with her?

[1:07:30] I don't know.

[1:07:30] That's the mystery of Old Deuteronomy.

[1:07:32] Old Deuteronomy.

Stuart Wellington

[1:07:32] I do like the idea of calling her Old Deut because that's going to get the teens into it, right?

Dan McCoy

[1:07:37] Yeah, totally.

[1:07:38] I think it's the heavyside lair.

[1:07:40] It's more kind of a Buddhist thing where you just sort of have to unburden yourself of the things of this life.

[1:07:46] And the last thing that Grizabella gets rid of is her pain.

[1:07:49] And that allows her to ascend to the heavyside lair.

Elliott Kalan

[1:07:52] And then once they get to the heavyside lair, their collar is weighed against a feather, right?

[1:07:57] And if it doesn't work, then...

[1:08:00] Wait, Dan, don't look behind you.

[1:08:01] There's a cat.

Stuart Wellington

[1:08:04] Watch out.

[1:08:05] It's about to start singing.

Elliott Kalan

[1:08:06] Archie is my name.

[1:08:08] Archie is making muffins on Natalie's cat.

[1:08:10] I hope that's all right, Natalie.

Stuart Wellington

[1:08:13] So the Jellicle Ball, there's a lot of...

[1:08:16] The Jellicle Ball begins.

[1:08:16] There's a big dance show piece.

Elliott Kalan

[1:08:18] Everybody's tails are operating like dicks.

Stuart Wellington

[1:08:19] Is there a bit of a reprise of the Jellicle Cats song where they're like,

[1:08:24] explain what Jellicle Cats are?

[1:08:26] Not to, you know, do a musical theater thing.

[1:08:28] Yeah, no.

Natalie Walker

[1:08:29] As they're walking into the Jellicle Ball, they all sort of start saying what Jellicle Cats are.

[1:08:36] But it keeps changing.

[1:08:37] And they're speaking it in a scary way.

[1:08:40] So there's one verse where they're like,

[1:08:42] Jellicle Cats come out.

[1:08:44] Jellicle Cats are of moderate size.

[1:08:46] Jellicle Cats, as we said, are small.

Jenny Jaffe

[1:08:49] And they're black and white and of moderate size.

[1:08:53] And they're small.

[1:08:54] We have learned neither of those things.

Dan McCoy

[1:08:56] I loved that the first song in the musical is about Jellicle Cats.

[1:09:00] Then you get another song that's about something else.

[1:09:02] And then the third song is about Jellicle Cats again.

[1:09:05] And it's like, at this point in my head, I'm just like,

[1:09:07] okay, if you're going to make up a word, you can't use it all the time.

[1:09:11] Just do it in two songs.

[1:09:13] No, no, no.

[1:09:14] Total of a musical.

Elliott Kalan

[1:09:16] You got to sell it.

[1:09:17] You sell that word constantly until it no longer has any meaning.

[1:09:20] You're just being strange.

[1:09:21] It starts as a strange sound.

[1:09:23] Then you're like, I kind of understand what they're saying.

[1:09:24] And then it's just a strange sound.

[1:09:25] And it loses all comprehension to you.

Jenny Jaffe

[1:09:28] This is the point at which Dan was like, this is a clockwork orange.

[1:09:31] It's just a bunch of scary – my Dan, not this Dan.

[1:09:35] Your boyfriend, Dan.

[1:09:36] No, but also me.

[1:09:38] Also Dan McCoy.

[1:09:40] Because a bunch of people creeping into an abandoned theater

[1:09:43] with weird, sinister intentions saying words that don't totally make sense.

[1:09:47] And the audience feels like their eyes are forced open.

Elliott Kalan

[1:09:50] Not since – yeah, like –

[1:09:54] It's the only thing I can compare it to in some ways,

[1:09:57] the way they repeat words and stuff,

[1:09:58] is like how in Sweeney Todd they keep reminding you that the show's about Sweeney Todd.

[1:10:02] Right, right.

[1:10:03] Every now and then they'll just be like,

[1:10:04] Sweeney Todd's the guy, remember?

[1:10:07] But it's a little bit like in Fiddler on the Roof,

[1:10:09] that every song was like,

[1:10:11] Jews, Jews, what are Jews?

[1:10:12] What are Jews?

[1:10:13] I'll tell you about Jews.

Jenny Jaffe

[1:10:14] Every song in Fiddler on the Roof is kind of like that, Elliot.

[1:10:17] A little bit.

Stuart Wellington

[1:10:18] Yeah, I guess so.

[1:10:19] This sequence where people in weird costumes dance into an abandoned church

[1:10:25] wearing top hats and shit

[1:10:27] remind me a lot of the first time I played a live-action role-playing game

[1:10:31] in a church after hours back in high school.

[1:10:35] Oh, what a vampire I was that night, guys.

[1:10:39] Very cool.

Natalie Walker

[1:10:40] Absolutely incredible.

[1:10:42] You know,

Dan McCoy

[1:10:44] It's a cliche to say something is dreamlike,

[1:10:47] but this movie is dreamlike in that it has its own concerns.

[1:10:52] Everyone in this have concerns that are very important to them,

[1:10:56] and within the movie, it makes sense.

[1:10:59] Within the movie, everything is this constructed world,

[1:11:02] like, oh, okay, it's important to be the chosen Jellicle cat.

[1:11:07] Of course, we all know that, but as soon as you, like, wake up and step outside of the dream,

[1:11:11] you're like, what was all that nonsense about the heavyside layer?

Elliott Kalan

[1:11:14] There are also many moments where you're like,

[1:11:16] did I, is there any way that that actually existed outside of my subconscious?

[1:11:20] Yeah, it all takes place in a snow globe.

Natalie Walker

[1:11:23] I think that's, it's Tom Hooper, Tom Hooper is shaking a snow globe full of cats.

Jenny Jaffe

[1:11:29] I had, like, a very, like, clear half-asleep thought this morning,

[1:11:33] which is that maybe the thing is, like, I have a dog.

[1:11:38] I love my dog.

Elliott Kalan

[1:11:39] And most of my, as Judy Dench says at the end of the movie,

Jenny Jaffe

[1:11:41] Cats are not dogs.

[1:11:42] Cats are not dogs.

[1:11:42] You're right.

[1:11:43] But I spend so much of my time picking him up, giving him weird nicknames,

[1:11:47] and being like, Spoof's the Pope of France.

[1:11:50] Yeah.

[1:11:50] Like, just declaring weird things about him.

[1:11:53] And I'm like, what if all the cats are declaring stuff that humans have declared about

[1:11:57] the cats that they own?

[1:11:59] Oh, could be.

[1:12:00] Just repeating what they heard.

[1:12:02] Like, I would definitely be like, Spoof's a little railway guy.

[1:12:05] He's all nice and just goes everywhere.

Natalie Walker

[1:12:07] The train can't start without little guys.

Elliott Kalan

[1:12:11] Now, this, now this big dance scene, this is the one I was talking about earlier,

[1:12:14] where I was like, this actually works for me.

[1:12:16] But it starts with the moon comes out.

[1:12:18] It's like climax.

[1:12:18] As if they're going to turn into werewolf cats.

[1:12:21] Yeah.

Natalie Walker

[1:12:23] And then over the course of this dance,

[1:12:25] Grizabella sort of creeps in to see what's going on.

[1:12:28] And she like slinks out and Victoria sees her.

[1:12:32] And she goes to see Grizabella out in the moonlight.

[1:12:39] And this is when Grizabella does the memory pre-prese.

[1:12:43] She is sort of like holding her face to the lamplight.

[1:12:48] It's really intense.

[1:12:50] And honestly, this is the first part where I like did get teary eyed because Jennifer Hudson,

[1:12:54] I don't think she's great with dialogue in films,

[1:12:58] but Jennifer Hudson knows how to emote during a song and sound great doing it.

[1:13:05] And so I was very moved.

[1:13:06] And luckily, lest I get too moved during this point in the movie,

[1:13:11] the next thing is Beautiful Ghosts sung by Victoria.

[1:13:15] We're going to fight about this, Natalie.

Dan McCoy

[1:13:17] I thought that Beautiful Ghosts, you know, I know it's new for this movie version,

[1:13:21] but I really like the melody for that song a lot.

[1:13:25] I thought it was a very, very pretty song.

[1:13:28] And as I said, I don't like maybe these songs.

[1:13:31] Sure.

Natalie Walker

[1:13:32] I think the song is not the problem.

[1:13:34] I think the space that it occupies is the problem for me because it's sort of like you look at cats,

[1:13:41] even people who despise cats, you have to admit memory is great.

[1:13:46] Yeah.

[1:13:46] And it's like, okay, what is the iconic song from this show?

[1:13:51] The iconic song is about like an outcast discussing like the only memories that they have to sustain them.

[1:14:02] And then to follow up like at least the pre-pre's of that with someone else coming up and being like,

[1:14:10] hey, so you think you have it bad?

[1:14:14] You at least have memories that are good.

[1:14:16] My life is worse than yours.

Elliott Kalan

[1:14:19] Well, she's like, at least you have your memories.

[1:14:22] I'm young and have my whole life ahead of me.

[1:14:24] Exactly.

[1:14:24] I haven't done anything yet.

[1:14:25] Isn't that terrible?

[1:14:26] And that Griselle Bella's like, I'm going to kill you right now.

Natalie Walker

[1:14:29] Yes.

[1:14:30] And also weirdly, Francesca Hayward, who plays Victoria, is half black in real life.

[1:14:36] But the optics of the way that they have her as just a white cat approaching a cat who is clearly a woman of color and being like,

[1:14:44] hi, I have it worse because like sometimes people say I'm too beautiful to be around them.

[1:14:50] Like it feels very supermodel.

Dan McCoy

[1:14:52] No, I agree with that.

[1:14:53] It does feel like stealing the moment.

[1:14:55] But I guess that because I do not have any previous attachment to the musical Cats, I had not seen it in any other format.

Stuart Wellington

[1:15:03] So what you're saying is you're like, I'm sorry that I don't love cats as much as you never.

[1:15:07] Yeah, that's what I said.

[1:15:09] I'm too addicted to cats.

Elliott Kalan

[1:15:10] At least you have your memories of the original Cats to cling to.

[1:15:13] What about me who's never seen Cats?

[1:15:15] Isn't that the worst thing to me?

Dan McCoy

[1:15:16] No, I'm saying that I only registered cats as a bunch of stimuli that was being thrown at me.

[1:15:23] So my thought when I heard this was like, oh, pretty song.

Natalie Walker

[1:15:27] I will say I also like this song much better when Taylor Swift sings it.

[1:15:32] Yeah.

[1:15:32] I like Taylor Swift's version on the soundtrack a lot.

Elliott Kalan

[1:15:35] What this song becomes, it eventually turns into Judi Dench watching them and sing talking words that were incomprehensible to me.

[1:15:42] It was like they flowed in one ear and out the other.

[1:15:43] My brain refused to register them.

Natalie Walker

[1:15:46] Well, this is because then Judi Dench's song is from the actual show and it leans into Andrew Lloyd Webber's favorite thing, which is just like recitative.

[1:15:54] That's a bunch of random notes together.

[1:15:57] It's like, here are some words I say now.

Dan McCoy

[1:16:03] That was always, when I was a kid, that was my mental parody of sung through musicals.

[1:16:09] Yes.

[1:16:09] Because there is always that part which is like, and now to transition from this song to another.

[1:16:17] And it's like, okay, well, this is not a melody.

Stuart Wellington

[1:16:20] Just let the listeners know that Dan went from looking at Natalie to looking at me.

[1:16:26] That's stagecraft.

[1:16:28] Yeah, he has to include the whole audience.

Natalie Walker

[1:16:31] You got to play to all the sides.

[1:16:32] This theater is around.

Elliott Kalan

[1:16:34] So, Dan, you were listening to a lot of Gilbert and Sullivan is what you were saying.

[1:16:37] That's right.

Natalie Walker

[1:16:38] Great.

[1:16:38] So, Victoria goes back in after Judi Dench has watched and Judi Dench is like, it's time for the Jellicle Ball to start.

[1:16:45] And Victoria is like, I don't know if I can.

[1:16:47] And Judi Dench is like, why?

[1:16:48] And Victoria says, well, I'm not a Jellicle.

[1:16:51] And Judi Dench is like, well, you can watch and you can be my guest.

[1:16:54] It's better to be watched.

[1:16:56] It's very wild.

[1:16:57] And now the Jellicle Ball finally begins, even though we have been watching it happen forever.

[1:17:04] And the first player up is Ian McKellen as Gus the theater cat.

[1:17:10] And ooh, baby, this movie is good.

[1:17:13] Yeah.

Dan McCoy

[1:17:14] No, this is like, look, I will make an argument that there are multiple moments in this movie that come very close to actually working well on their intended level.

[1:17:26] And all of them are when the camera just kind of stops and focuses on a performer and lets them like emote or sing or do their thing.

Elliott Kalan

[1:17:35] I mean, if you let Ian McKellen just perform what's essentially like kind of a speech song, he'll be able to do a great job.

[1:17:42] Yes.

[1:17:42] The restraint.

[1:17:43] I wonder if there was like a waiver they had to sign when they were being cast that said like, I give them permission to turn my body into a CGI thing that just floats around in the air and leaps.

[1:17:53] And Ian McKellen was like, Sir Ian is not signing this.

[1:17:56] I won't be doing that.

Stuart Wellington

[1:17:58] I'm sure they've signed a contract that says that we will look like absolutely normal cat humans.

[1:18:04] Not weird at all.

[1:18:06] But he did agree to say meow, meow.

Natalie Walker

[1:18:09] Oh, yeah.

[1:18:09] He does like an arpeggio of meow, meow, meow, meow.

Stuart Wellington

[1:18:14] Didn't he also like scratch his head against like a wall?

Natalie Walker

[1:18:18] He scratches his head against a wall.

[1:18:20] It's very sweet because he scratches his head against a wall for luck right before he goes on.

[1:18:25] And Mistoffelees is watching him right behind.

[1:18:27] And Mistoffelees copies that behavior because he like idolizes Gus the theater cat.

[1:18:33] And it's very sweet and contributed to my huge Mistoffelees crush.

Elliott Kalan

[1:18:37] This was one of the scenes where I was like, why?

[1:18:41] Like this scene works somewhat.

[1:18:43] And it's one of the less CGI-ish scenes.

[1:18:45] And it made me start thinking about like the cowardly lion in Wizard of Oz.

[1:18:50] We're like, that's not a realistic looking costume.

[1:18:52] Like I'm never like, oh, wow, there's a real lion walking around.

[1:18:56] And this Burt Larr's performance is so broad.

[1:18:58] But when he's sad in it, it's like really moving to me.

[1:19:01] And I'm like, so how come this movie can't do that?

[1:19:04] Is it partly the CGI?

[1:19:05] Is it partly what I couldn't quite figure out?

[1:19:07] Yeah.

[1:19:07] How the Wizard of Oz was accomplishing what this one was not.

Dan McCoy

[1:19:11] You can't do it in general.

[1:19:12] But I'll tell you something.

[1:19:14] At the end of Ian McKellen's number, the second time I saw this movie in theaters, the audience burst into applause.

[1:19:21] The whole audience.

[1:19:23] And it was genuine applause.

[1:19:25] Like it did not seem ironic.

[1:19:26] They're like, oh, holy shit.

[1:19:28] Some acting just happened in the middle of Cats.

Elliott Kalan

[1:19:30] And it's also that it's an older actor that we're very familiar with singing about being an old actor who has his memories.

[1:19:38] Like it's one of the few times where I'm like, oh, the part and the performance.

[1:19:41] This and Bustopher.

[1:19:43] I'm like, the part and the performer match perfectly.

[1:19:45] Because James Corden does drive me like a big silly cat that likes to eat all the time.

[1:19:49] And that loves garbage.

[1:19:51] Like it's the reason that like, but also the reason that like Alec Guinness can pull off Obi-Wan Kenobi,

[1:19:58] which is a silly character because he's an old man with magic powers that lives in the desert and takes a young man to a bar.

[1:20:04] Because it's like, oh, oh, this guy has like years of weight on him, you know, from his past performances.

[1:20:09] Like it's just this gives you a glimpse of the cats that might have been.

Jenny Jaffe

[1:20:13] But to your like Cowardly Lion point, I think the thing is when you're being shown something that is so clearly representative of something,

[1:20:20] but not trying to be realistic.

[1:20:21] The reason musical theater works, like nobody's singing, but they're also like, you know what?

[1:20:25] This is just the reality.

[1:20:26] So we're not going to try and make it seem realistic.

[1:20:28] It's just like the world of the show.

[1:20:30] This is like they went out of their way to try and make it realistic.

[1:20:34] And so then you're like, well, now I can't take anything serious.

Elliott Kalan

[1:20:37] It's like the show, the movie would be better if people were like, oh, there's this one guy in the crowd that they forgot to CGI into a cat.

[1:20:43] It's like if the movie wouldn't benefit just people wearing regular clothes.

Natalie Walker

[1:20:47] And that's why Ian McKellen, I think like works really well is because he's wearing some of the most clothes of anyone.

[1:20:52] Like he's in a scarf and a like shabby little coat and like his face, like they did so much hair on the sides that it looks like an exaggerated cat.

[1:21:03] Yeah.

[1:21:04] I keep gesturing.

Dan McCoy

[1:21:05] No, it looks like a cat, but it also looks like an old man's like sideburn.

[1:21:09] Yes, exactly.

Natalie Walker

[1:21:10] And so I felt like he was the most sort of human like of the cats in terms of the design.

Stuart Wellington

[1:21:17] And certainly most of his movements, I think he does some great little cat touches.

[1:21:23] But to play with what you guys were talking about, it's part of the idea of like these like a blockbuster movie musical, especially in the like the era of digital effects is that there is a feeling of like, let's make it more realistic.

[1:21:40] Let's make it feel less like something that you could go see on stage at your, I don't know, your local gymnasium or whatever.

[1:21:48] And I think it does a disservice in some ways here and in other ways it makes it great.

Dan McCoy

[1:21:54] That's what I was trying to get at earlier because I think that specifically like blockbuster filmmaking, they almost feel this obligation.

[1:22:00] They're like, okay, we're throwing a bunch of money at like a big property and good actors.

[1:22:06] So we also have to like put a bunch of money into CGI fur too.

[1:22:10] And it's like, no, no, you don't.

[1:22:11] You don't need to do that.

Elliott Kalan

[1:22:13] But here's the, here's another question that's raised in my mind, which is, so there is a better version of this movie, which is not as CGI crazy and embraces the reality of the stage as opposed to the reality of, you know, special effects illusions.

[1:22:27] That is not a version of the movie that I think would have given me the same joy.

[1:22:32] Correcting.

[1:22:33] Correcting.

[1:22:33] It's true.

[1:22:34] Crazy nonsense flying around in front of my face.

[1:22:36] Cause I like, I got more genuine joy from this movie than I think any other movie I've seen.

[1:22:41] I'm not gonna say all year cause it's, we're, we're one week into the year, but like in the past six months.

[1:22:46] So like, is it this movie?

[1:22:48] Like, is it, it's like the worst version of it, but I'd also, I got more out of it than I would have out of like a good straightforward adaptation.

Natalie Walker

[1:22:55] Especially for people that like bad movies.

[1:22:58] I think there is an aspect of this that's like, it's so earnest.

[1:23:04] Cause a lot of bad movies like try to have, try to pretend that they know what's going on.

[1:23:11] Also, it's hard for me.

[1:23:12] Like I've talked about this, like I've never gotten into the cult of the room because it feels cruel to me on some level.

[1:23:18] And I don't care about Tommy Wiseau, but then there are like other people.

[1:23:21] Well, especially for me as an actor where I'm like, a lot of these people were just people that like wanted a job and like showed up and did a job.

[1:23:27] And we're making fun of them as well.

[1:23:29] And like, it just really bums me out.

[1:23:31] This is like so many people with so much money and influence who are going to be fine.

[1:23:38] Like all committed to this thing that is so earnestly, operatically bad and insane.

[1:23:47] But the flickers of the flickers of goodness in it.

[1:23:52] It's just like a whiplash inducing extravaganza.

[1:23:55] And it's just like, you just feel so free.

Dan McCoy

[1:23:59] And I've also like, you know, like I've also heard people argue who didn't have as good a time as we all obviously did.

[1:24:05] That like, oh, you know, okay.

[1:24:07] Like, but everything that's crazy about the movie cats was, you know, basically crazy in the show cats.

[1:24:12] I'm like, yeah, I get where you're coming from.

[1:24:15] And I don't want to say that like those people can feel that way.

[1:24:18] But like for me, you're not saying they can go like jump in a lake or take a hike.

[1:24:22] But for me, like the interesting thing is like, okay, they took this successful preexisting material, threw a bunch of money and talent at it.

[1:24:31] But then along the way, made every decision wrong.

[1:24:35] Like every single decision wrong.

[1:24:38] And like, I feel like maybe like, maybe if you do everything wrong, it equals good movie.

[1:24:44] Yeah.

Elliott Kalan

[1:24:44] You're saying the movie shot the moon.

[1:24:46] Yeah.

[1:24:46] It lost so bad that it won.

[1:24:48] Exactly.

Jenny Jaffe

[1:24:49] Yeah.

[1:24:49] Well, it was bad in new ways.

[1:24:51] And that's exciting.

[1:24:52] Yeah.

Elliott Kalan

[1:24:52] Yeah.

[1:24:52] It is.

[1:24:53] I mean, say what you will about Tom Hooper.

[1:24:55] Bad movie cocaine.

[1:24:56] Say what you will about Tom Hooper.

[1:24:57] I never saw Les Mis, the movie version of it.

[1:24:59] It's very bad.

[1:25:00] It's not fun.

[1:25:01] It's not fun in any way.

[1:25:03] This is the first time I've ever considered him a director with a creative vision.

[1:25:07] And I'm like, I love it.

[1:25:08] Yes.

[1:25:08] Because mostly what I know him from is the King's Speech, which is like fine.

[1:25:12] Yeah.

[1:25:12] It's a fine movie.

[1:25:13] It's nothing special.

[1:25:15] It's like, it's, you know, I remember seeing that movie and I was like, that movie hit every note.

[1:25:18] I thought it was going to hit and I'm fine with that.

[1:25:20] Yeah.

[1:25:21] But so I was like, oh yeah, he makes those kinds of movies.

[1:25:23] And then to see this and it's like, oh no, no, there's things living in his head.

[1:25:26] Because this is a neon fever dream.

Dan McCoy

[1:25:28] And like a fever dream, it's a thing where you're like, your brain just keeps rushing and doing the same thing over and over again with slight variations.

Stuart Wellington

[1:25:35] And to think that Jeffrey Rush was probably waiting as a stand-in for Gus the theater cat in case Ian McKellen hurt himself.

Natalie Walker

[1:25:43] Oh my God.

[1:25:45] So speaking of Ian McKellen, Gus gets disappeared by Macavity.

[1:25:48] Because honestly, Gus would probably be my jellicle choice.

[1:25:52] Of course.

[1:25:52] Is this when he says Macavity?

[1:25:54] Yes.

[1:25:55] This is the second Macavity.

[1:25:57] And this one is even more exaggerated.

[1:25:58] This one he goes, Macavity.

[1:26:02] Absolutely incredible.

[1:26:03] And then we get to my man, Skibble Shanks.

[1:26:08] Yay!

[1:26:09] Skibble Shanks.

Dan McCoy

[1:26:09] And what I love about this is there's like 20 minutes of sad shit.

[1:26:14] And then it's just like, and now Skibble Shanks, the fabulous tap dancing cat.

[1:26:18] Yeah.

Stuart Wellington

[1:26:19] Incredible.

[1:26:20] And Monku Strap starts talking about this guy.

[1:26:22] And I'm like, is he introducing himself?

[1:26:24] Who is this guy?

[1:26:25] Like, why are they introducing a new person at this point?

Elliott Kalan

[1:26:28] So this character, so he was a background dancer in a bunch of the preview, when the ball started.

[1:26:33] And he's wearing red pants with suspenders over his cat chest.

[1:26:37] And he's got a hat and a big handlebar mustache.

[1:26:39] And you're like, you better introduce me to this cat.

[1:26:42] Because you cannot just doll up an extra dancer that way.

[1:26:44] I must know who this steampunk cat is.

Dan McCoy

[1:26:47] He looks like he's in a cat strip review.

[1:26:50] Yes.

[1:26:51] Yeah.

[1:26:51] He looks like Waluigi.

[1:26:53] He looks exactly like Waluigi.

Elliott Kalan

[1:26:58] He's super sexy.

[1:27:00] And very, very charismatic.

[1:27:03] And his whole sequence I love.

[1:27:05] And his tap dancing is great.

[1:27:06] And it's almost like the movie is like, this is, it could be a tap dancing on film.

[1:27:10] It is like one of the most classic things a movie can do.

[1:27:14] Like it goes back to almost the beginning of film.

[1:27:16] It's certainly the beginning of sound film to watch tap dancing on screen.

[1:27:20] It's just the most basic cinema dancing you can do.

[1:27:23] And it's like, so every now and then the movie is like, let's undercut it with some crazy shot to something else real quick.

[1:27:27] And then we'll go back to the dance.

Stuart Wellington

[1:27:28] And my wife was getting so much pleasure out of the shots of him tap dancing on the rail lines.

[1:27:35] And the other cats would be like watching his feet.

[1:27:38] Because that's exactly what cats do.

Natalie Walker

[1:27:43] And they tap dance all the way out onto the train tracks on the river.

[1:27:47] It's like a very magical reveal.

[1:27:48] And every time I see it, no matter what capacity of mind I am in, I'm just like, woo!

[1:27:55] They're out!

[1:27:57] And I just have Lobby in response start clapping.

[1:28:00] All I could think was that the train is going to come.

Elliott Kalan

[1:28:02] It's going to just splatter all these cats.

Natalie Walker

[1:28:04] I get anxious.

[1:28:05] There's also a big part in the song where it's like, and the lock on the door.

[1:28:09] And all the cats go, woo, woo!

[1:28:10] And I love that part.

[1:28:12] That part.

[1:28:13] Really excellent.

[1:28:15] And then at the end of Skimbleshanks, the railway cat, he starts doing a spin.

[1:28:22] But then he starts spinning up into the air.

[1:28:26] And everyone in the audience is like, what?

[1:28:29] What's going on?

[1:28:30] And then he spins himself into freaking dust.

[1:28:33] And it's Macavity again.

[1:28:36] And this time, Macavity says, ineffable.

Dan McCoy

[1:28:40] This spin into dust is a gif available on the internet.

[1:28:44] You need to seek it out.

[1:28:46] Absolutely.

Elliott Kalan

[1:28:47] There's a moment.

[1:28:48] I need to know if there's a gif of it.

[1:28:50] I think it's Rum Tum Tugger, but there's a point where one of the cats is just like, eee.

[1:28:55] Like, does that kind of gritted teeth.

[1:28:57] Like, uh-uh.

[1:28:58] I don't think so.

[1:28:58] And I want to use it so badly on Twitter.

Natalie Walker

[1:29:04] Skimbleshanks gets disappeared.

[1:29:05] And before anyone can even know what has become of Mr. Skimbleshanks, oh, there's some sensual music that starts happening.

[1:29:16] And a crescent moon comes down from the sky.

[1:29:19] And you're like, Mac tonight?

[1:29:20] And you're like, oh, man.

[1:29:23] Whomst could this be but Taylor Swift, who is wearing kitten heels?

[1:29:29] Wink, wink.

[1:29:30] And has boobs.

[1:29:32] Has such prominent boobs.

[1:29:34] And she is just maxing and relaxing on her crescent moon.

[1:29:37] And she starts singing a whole song about Macavity.

Stuart Wellington

[1:29:40] Yeah.

[1:29:40] And she's got like a bedazzled catnip cocktail shaker that she's sprinkling sparkly catnip, which is making all the cats horny or tired.

[1:29:51] I can't tell.

[1:29:51] Yeah.

[1:29:52] It's supposed to be like a poppies in the Wizard of Oz type thing.

Elliott Kalan

[1:29:56] Oh, okay.

[1:29:57] Yeah.

[1:29:57] Not since Val Kilmer casting drugs to the animal people of the island of Dr. Moreau was I more weirded out and kind of confused by the effect that this thing was happening on animal people.

Natalie Walker

[1:30:08] This is one of my favorite stories now about cats, which is that Taylor Swift's dad had the idea for her to have catnip and apparently came to set.

[1:30:17] Taylor Swift gave an interview about this.

[1:30:19] Her dad came to set on one of the early days and was like, hey, Taylor, she should be catnipping everyone.

[1:30:26] And like, it makes them all go crazy.

[1:30:28] And Tom Hooper did not know what catnip was.

[1:30:32] Oh, wow.

[1:30:33] He's doing cats and he didn't know what catnip was.

Dan McCoy

[1:30:36] Because I could only assume that's the only reason there was not already a catnip gag in the movie.

[1:30:41] Yeah.

[1:30:42] Yeah.

Elliott Kalan

[1:30:42] Now, full credit to Taylor Swift's dad, but it doesn't surprise me that one of the great satirists of the English language, Jonathan Swift, should come up with an idea like that.

[1:30:51] He said, Director Hooper, I have a modest proposal for you about this scene.

[1:30:56] Oh, my God.

Jenny Jaffe

[1:30:59] I love Taylor Swift in this movie because you just get such a clear picture.

[1:31:05] She is such a mean girl who likes the VHS of cats and makes you watch it at her sleepovers.

[1:31:12] Yes.

[1:31:13] And if you fall asleep, she's going to put water in you.

Elliott Kalan

[1:31:18] It's like you can see her as a little girl bossing her other friends around to be her backups for her choreographed version of this song.

[1:31:26] Exactly.

[1:31:27] But I think that's the right feel for this character.

[1:31:29] What's her name?

[1:31:31] Bombaglurina.

Dan McCoy

[1:31:31] Hey, man, I was having a great time.

[1:31:33] I was slinking around in my seat at this point.

Natalie Walker

[1:31:35] Also, Taylor Swift was the first person cast in this movie.

Dan McCoy

[1:31:38] Oh.

Natalie Walker

[1:31:39] Taylor Swift was the first person Tom Hooper asked because she was almost up in Eden Les Mis.

[1:31:44] And I guess this was like Tom Hooper's sort of olive branch or I'll give this to you instead.

[1:31:51] Well, that would have been a nightmare.

[1:31:52] Yeah.

Elliott Kalan

[1:31:53] This was her Mary Poppins to Julie Andrews for missing out on My Fair Lady.

[1:31:56] Exactly.

[1:31:57] Exactly.

[1:31:57] Sound of music, I guess it was.

[1:31:58] Sound of music.

Stuart Wellington

[1:32:00] Absolutely wild.

[1:32:02] But why, I mean, is this character, like, shouldn't she have been like old Deuteronomy or Grizabella or something?

[1:32:10] What do you mean?

[1:32:11] I don't know.

[1:32:12] If, like, this is the first person cast, it's like a weird role to cast first.

Natalie Walker

[1:32:15] But I feel like Jenny is right.

[1:32:17] I feel like Jenny's onto something in that, like, if there's a filmed version of the show.

[1:32:23] And this song in the show is, like, it's two women in the show that are doing it together.

[1:32:29] But Bomb Valiarina is one.

[1:32:31] And, like, she's, like, the hottest cat.

[1:32:34] She's, like, the young hot cat on the scene.

[1:32:37] And, like, it's belty.

[1:32:38] It's, like, a huge number.

[1:32:39] And, like, it becomes this, like, huge female empowerment number by the end.

[1:32:43] Because none of the men sing it in the show.

[1:32:46] Like, it just becomes when it, when there's that huge build, all of the female cats just, like, crowd around her.

[1:32:51] And are just her backups.

[1:32:53] And I could see how if you grew up addicted to cats.

[1:32:57] Yeah.

[1:32:57] You'd be like, I'm Bomb Valiarina.

[1:33:00] And also they could, like, it seems clear to me that everyone who was associated with cats, like, the bigger stars came and did their stuff.

[1:33:08] And then peaced out.

[1:33:10] And so I feel like it was an easier ask for Taylor Swift to do this.

Stuart Wellington

[1:33:15] T. Swift is probably going to be hanging out the whole time.

[1:33:18] I don't think she was on location in Cat London for weeks in her trailer waiting for her scene.

Natalie Walker

[1:33:21] Like, this big showpiece number and then peace out.

Stuart Wellington

[1:33:23] And this is where they list all of Macavity's qualities, right?

Natalie Walker

[1:33:28] Yes, including that he was broken every human loss.

[1:33:30] Okay.

[1:33:30] Every human loss.

Elliott Kalan

[1:33:32] And so, and this is when we get to the, after the, after the big loss.

[1:33:36] Which is weird because he doesn't sing his own song.

Dan McCoy

[1:33:37] I'm sorry, I know you made the joke earlier, but now I'm just really thinking about the ramifications for the first time.

[1:33:42] Every human loss.

[1:33:43] Every human crime.

Elliott Kalan

[1:33:44] Oh, he's done terrible things.

[1:33:45] Macavity has done horrible things.

[1:33:47] But also kind of silly things.

[1:33:48] But this is, after, after the mice babies, this is the second most terrifying sight to me is, as we mentioned, when Macavity appears with no trench coat.

[1:33:57] And he just looks like he's been, he's just a castrated man.

Natalie Walker

[1:34:00] Yeah, it's horrible.

[1:34:01] It's a really Samson Shorn moment.

[1:34:03] Like, if we had seen Idris Elba that naked the whole movie, it would have been one thing.

[1:34:09] But because we've been shown Idris Elba in a hat and trench coat, he maintained a level of dignity.

[1:34:15] And then they strip him.

[1:34:21] Macavity is the one that's like, this is my big number.

[1:34:23] I've got to take it off.

Stuart Wellington

[1:34:25] And I feel like, of the performers, he doesn't quite have the same pipes as everyone else.

[1:34:31] Maybe I'm just being a jerk.

Natalie Walker

[1:34:32] No, he sings for a second in the first, his first appearance.

Stuart Wellington

[1:34:38] And he's like, Macavity is a bad cat and a monster.

Natalie Walker

[1:34:43] And he just sings for a second.

[1:34:47] Like, what's going on?

[1:34:51] But yeah, yeah, he's so naked.

[1:34:53] At the end of his number, at the end of his number, his big number ends.

[1:34:57] They made a whole light up staircase happen.

[1:35:02] And at the end of it, Deuteronomy walks up and Macavity is like, well, clearly I won.

[1:35:08] And I'm the best one.

[1:35:09] And Judy Dutch says no.

[1:35:11] And then he magics her away.

[1:35:13] Old Deuteronomy is gone.

[1:35:15] Oh, no.

[1:35:16] It's very sad.

[1:35:17] It's very sad.

[1:35:18] Time for the new Deuteronomy.

[1:35:19] Yeah.

[1:35:19] Time for the best song in the movie.

[1:35:21] Time for the best song in the movie.

[1:35:22] But also before that, they go to the barge.

[1:35:24] And my favorite line happens, which is they try to force Deuteronomy to walk the plank.

[1:35:31] And he says, like, just make me make me the Jellicle choice.

[1:35:35] Just say it's me.

[1:35:36] And then, like, we can all go home.

[1:35:39] And Judy Dutch turns around.

[1:35:40] And with every bit of gratitude she has, she goes, you will never be my Jellicle choice.

Elliott Kalan

[1:35:46] I have to assume that, I mean, again, she was almost going to be in Cats when it was on the stage when she was younger.

[1:35:56] But I assume after being in The Chronicles of Riddick, she was like, I'll say whatever.

[1:36:00] Just give me whatever dumb line and I'll say it.

Natalie Walker

[1:36:02] Who cares?

[1:36:03] You will never be my Jellicle choice.

[1:36:05] But then we go back to the Egyptian theater, which is where they're having the Jellicle ball.

[1:36:10] And none of them know how they're going to get Old Deut back.

[1:36:14] This is when Mungo Jerry calls her Old Deut.

[1:36:16] And Victoria is like, well, Mistoffelees can do magic.

[1:36:21] And the song Magical Mr. Mistoffelees, which in the show is just Mistoffelees being arrogant and singing about himself.

[1:36:28] Now in this movie becomes like, we all got to psych up Mr. Mistoffelees.

Dan McCoy

[1:36:33] And I got to say, there's something about the way it's shot where, like, he's standing on the stage with the footlights on him.

[1:36:39] And the cats are kind of, like, gathered around some, like, from below.

[1:36:42] That it really felt to me that suddenly the movie of cats transformed into a high school production of cats.

[1:36:50] It's got this weird feeling.

Jenny Jaffe

[1:36:51] Yes.

[1:36:52] It's so confusing because Macavity had disappearing powers and stuff.

[1:36:57] But Mistoffelees really just had, like, the magic he had was, like, cards.

[1:37:02] Yeah, it was all parlor magic.

[1:37:03] Yeah.

[1:37:03] It's not, like, it's weird that she's like, oh, he does magic.

[1:37:07] He could probably do other kinds of magic, too.

Elliott Kalan

[1:37:08] That's because Victoria is somewhat brain damaged from being tossed out of a car in the center.

[1:37:13] Yeah, honestly, she got tossed out with vigor.

Stuart Wellington

[1:37:17] So, yeah, this is very, like, 70s.

[1:37:20] There's a little bit of rock to it, right?

[1:37:23] It's a little bit of swing.

Elliott Kalan

[1:37:25] I'm just going to go and say, not a fan of this song.

[1:37:29] Really?

[1:37:29] Wow.

[1:37:30] We were so on board.

[1:37:31] The audience that we saw it was singing and swaying with it.

[1:37:34] But that's, you know what?

[1:37:35] Maybe it's just because this plus the doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo.

[1:37:38] And you guys are in Hollywood, right?

[1:37:39] It's full of.

[1:37:40] Those are the only things I knew about it.

[1:37:41] So, when it finally showed up, I was like, oh, yeah, this song.

[1:37:44] Whereas every other song was a delightful new discovery for me.

[1:37:46] Right.

[1:37:47] Like, opening up an oyster and finding not a pearl, but some kind of, like, a squid's eyeball.

Natalie Walker

[1:37:52] With a cat face on it.

[1:37:53] With a cat face.

[1:37:54] Yeah.

[1:37:55] I'll say, I don't listen to this song on its own ever.

[1:37:59] But the experience of watching it in the theater with an audience,

[1:38:02] it's one of my favorites in the context of watching the thing.

[1:38:05] Natalie, that comment raises way more questions.

Dan McCoy

[1:38:09] I think that it's so great in an audience in the theater.

Stuart Wellington

[1:38:12] I'm imagining Natalie at the gym.

[1:38:14] Listen to all the cat songs.

Dan McCoy

[1:38:16] Yeah, listen to Skibble Shanks on the track, though.

[1:38:18] I guess that makes sense.

[1:38:19] You're right.

[1:38:20] But I do think it makes sense that this plays so well with an audience,

[1:38:24] because it is that moment of kind of, like,

[1:38:28] clap your hands and Tinkerbell will come back to life.

[1:38:31] Yeah.

[1:38:31] It's exactly that.

[1:38:32] And everything in this movie is so dumb,

[1:38:35] but at this point, no matter how dumb it is,

[1:38:39] everyone is somehow bought into it.

[1:38:41] And they're like, yes, yes, do your magic.

Natalie Walker

[1:38:44] All of the people by this point in the movie that hate the movie

[1:38:47] and wouldn't have been on board have walked out.

[1:38:49] And everyone that's left has let the movie happen to them

[1:38:53] and are just luxuriating in it.

Elliott Kalan

[1:38:56] So I should mention the baby mice come back while he's singing his song,

[1:39:00] and there's a bizarre moment where he, like, lifts off his hat

[1:39:03] and there's mice on his head,

[1:39:04] and one of them falls to the ground and scurries away,

[1:39:06] and no one seems to notice.

[1:39:08] It was like, so did they just, like,

[1:39:09] add that in, like, Sergio Aragone's margin cartoon style

[1:39:12] after they made the movie,

[1:39:13] and no one knew it was going to be there?

[1:39:15] Like, it was just so strange to me.

Natalie Walker

[1:39:17] The mice were all upset about it, too.

Elliott Kalan

[1:39:18] Yeah, they were not happy.

[1:39:19] They were horrified.

Natalie Walker

[1:39:21] And then he just puts his hat back on over the remaining two mice

[1:39:24] and is like, shut up.

Elliott Kalan

[1:39:26] I'll leave you later.

[1:39:27] It was at that moment that I was like,

[1:39:28] oh, this is the movie Tim and Eric should have made

[1:39:30] instead of the movie they did make.

[1:39:32] Yes.

[1:39:32] But he does it.

[1:39:33] They manage to get his confidence up.

[1:39:35] Yes.

[1:39:35] And they magic Judy Dench right on back.

[1:39:37] They think they didn't magic back old dude,

[1:39:40] but then she's standing right behind them.

Natalie Walker

[1:39:42] Yep.

[1:39:42] And she sings a verse.

[1:39:44] Yeah, she does sing a verse.

[1:39:45] And when we first hear Judy Dench's voice in the verse,

[1:39:48] I did gasp aloud at the premiere

[1:39:50] to a point where there was like a smattering of laughter

[1:39:53] at me being shocked when everyone knew it was happening.

[1:39:59] Like, it was being telegraphed so intensely,

Jenny Jaffe

[1:40:03] and yet I was overwhelmed.

[1:40:05] So after this like seven-minute song

[1:40:08] where they only sing that his name is Magical Mr. Mistoffelees,

[1:40:10] It goes on forever.

[1:40:12] Max Ash pointed out that the funniest moment in the movie

[1:40:14] is Monka Strap then at the end saying,

[1:40:17] and now we are introducing Magical Mr. Mistoffelees.

[1:40:23] Oh, is that what we were doing?

[1:40:25] Oh, this whole time?

Elliott Kalan

[1:40:27] Wow.

[1:40:27] It's like Monka Strap was in the bathroom during the song,

[1:40:29] and he missed his cue,

[1:40:30] and he just came out like, yeah,

[1:40:32] high school play style,

[1:40:33] and just yelled his line onto the stage

[1:40:35] no matter what was going on.

Stuart Wellington

[1:40:36] I think this was around when I went to the bathroom during the movie

[1:40:40] because I held it for so long

[1:40:42] because I had no concept of where I was in the movie.

Elliott Kalan

[1:40:48] Yeah.

[1:40:48] More in physical space.

[1:40:49] Oh, my God.

[1:40:50] Meanwhile, on the boat,

[1:40:52] Bustopher and Jenny AnyDots,

[1:40:54] they use their powers to defeat Growl Tiger

[1:40:57] and knock him into the water,

[1:40:58] and he's dead, I guess.

Natalie Walker

[1:40:59] Oh, and the final thing of it,

[1:41:01] they do most of the work,

[1:41:03] and then Gus, the theater cat,

[1:41:06] goes to the plank in front of Growl Tiger

[1:41:08] and scares him off by doing,

[1:41:11] by recreating the performance that he talked about

[1:41:14] all through his song,

[1:41:15] which is The Fiend of the Fell,

[1:41:17] and he does this by going,

[1:41:20] Fiend.

[1:41:22] I was like,

[1:41:24] he just,

[1:41:25] and you can't tell what he's saying.

Dan McCoy

[1:41:27] He's like,

[1:41:28] Fiend.

[1:41:30] This is one of many things

[1:41:32] that totally eluded me

[1:41:35] the first time I saw the movie

[1:41:36] and then opened like a flower to me

[1:41:38] the second time.

[1:41:39] He says,

Elliott Kalan

[1:41:40] Fiend of the Fell.

[1:41:44] That was,

[1:41:45] there were,

[1:41:45] like, I knew,

[1:41:46] I could understand,

[1:41:47] it was like Shakespeare.

[1:41:48] I could understand the gist

[1:41:49] of what he was talking about,

[1:41:50] but if you asked me the specifics,

[1:41:52] I'd be like,

[1:41:52] I don't know.

[1:41:53] It's like,

[1:41:53] he's clearly recreating the thing he used to do,

[1:41:55] but I don't know what it is.

[1:41:56] Like,

[1:41:56] I don't know what he means.

Jenny Jaffe

[1:41:57] Did we also mention

[1:41:58] that the way Jenny AnyDots escapes

[1:42:00] by ripping off another skin suit?

[1:42:02] Yes!

Elliott Kalan

[1:42:03] Either.

[1:42:04] She has constantly regenerating outer skin

[1:42:06] where she was wearing

[1:42:07] several different layers

[1:42:09] of her dance suit.

[1:42:10] Elliot,

[1:42:11] she's the Russian doll of cats.

[1:42:12] Yeah,

Stuart Wellington

[1:42:13] Elliot,

[1:42:13] to suggest anything

[1:42:14] but the first thing

[1:42:15] is horrifying and horrible.

Elliott Kalan

[1:42:17] It's a matrioshka cat.

[1:42:18] There's something about,

[1:42:19] there's something about

[1:42:20] wearing a skin suit

[1:42:21] from another person

[1:42:22] that is terrifying,

[1:42:23] but then wearing

[1:42:23] multiple skin suits,

[1:42:24] all I can think about

[1:42:25] is how sweaty

[1:42:25] you would get underneath.

[1:42:26] It just feels gross.

[1:42:27] And all the planning involved.

[1:42:29] Oh,

[1:42:30] man.

[1:42:30] And you've got to tailor

[1:42:31] the ones on the outside

[1:42:32] to be bigger

[1:42:33] than the ones on the inside

[1:42:34] so it fits over.

[1:42:35] You don't have a lot of time

[1:42:36] so you have to swiftly tailor them.

[1:42:38] Yeah.

[1:42:38] So,

[1:42:39] old Deuteronomy is bad.

[1:42:40] It's a little bit like

[1:42:40] in the cartoons

[1:42:43] where it's the wolf

[1:42:44] and the sheep

[1:42:45] and they've each dressed up

[1:42:47] as each other

[1:42:47] and they continue

[1:42:48] to remove their costumes

[1:42:49] until the end

[1:42:50] of the wolf

[1:42:50] is holding a stick of dynamite

[1:42:52] and you're like,

[1:42:52] wait,

[1:42:52] that stick of dynamite

[1:42:53] was walking around

[1:42:54] dressed as a sheep?

[1:42:55] Oh,

[1:42:56] no,

[1:42:56] it's the wolf

[1:42:57] and the sheepdog

[1:42:58] and they're wearing

[1:42:58] each other's skin.

[1:42:59] Anyway,

[1:42:59] it's a great cartoon.

Natalie Walker

[1:43:01] Old Deuteronomy is back

[1:43:02] and luckily

[1:43:03] it's now time

[1:43:04] for memory.

[1:43:06] The song we've all

[1:43:07] been waiting for.

[1:43:08] Victoria finally,

[1:43:09] like she goes out,

[1:43:10] she brings back

[1:43:11] in Jennifer Hudson

[1:43:11] and the lead-in

[1:43:13] to memory,

[1:43:13] the way memory starts

[1:43:15] is Victoria just looks

[1:43:17] at Jennifer Hudson

[1:43:17] and goes,

[1:43:19] sing.

[1:43:21] And then memory

[1:43:22] happens.

Elliott Kalan

[1:43:25] Audience surrogate

[1:43:26] says sing

[1:43:27] to Jennifer Hudson.

[1:43:28] The only way

[1:43:29] it could have been better

[1:43:30] is if during

[1:43:30] the middle of the song

[1:43:31] a cat off to the side

[1:43:32] of the stage

[1:43:33] had picked up a phone

[1:43:34] and said,

[1:43:36] Uncle Andrew,

[1:43:38] it's your nephew,

[1:43:39] Gary,

[1:43:40] Gary Lloyd Webber,

[1:43:42] I'm a cat.

[1:43:42] Anyway,

[1:43:43] you know that song

[1:43:43] you've been looking for?

[1:43:44] And then it held up

[1:43:45] the old phone

[1:43:46] but they didn't do that.

[1:43:48] Yeah.

Stuart Wellington

[1:43:49] And the phone would be

[1:43:50] very strangely proportioned

[1:43:52] for the cat's body.

[1:43:53] It takes like 10 cats

Elliott Kalan

[1:43:54] to pick up the phone

[1:43:55] and you somehow

Stuart Wellington

[1:43:56] the rotary dial

[1:43:57] is smaller than the cat.

[1:43:57] It's like a phone

Dan McCoy

[1:43:58] in Top Secret.

[1:44:00] No,

[1:44:01] yeah,

[1:44:02] when Jennifer Hudson

[1:44:02] hits her big dramatic

[1:44:04] note at the end

[1:44:05] of this song,

[1:44:05] that was the second

[1:44:06] genuine applause break

[1:44:07] in my theater.

[1:44:09] Yeah,

Natalie Walker

[1:44:09] that key change moment,

[1:44:11] that big modulation,

[1:44:12] it's so satisfying.

[1:44:14] She sounds incredible.

[1:44:15] She adds like

[1:44:16] a little bit of a growl

[1:44:17] on the all alone

[1:44:18] with the memory.

[1:44:19] So like it's just adding

[1:44:20] like enough of her own

[1:44:22] sort of spin

[1:44:23] on that song.

[1:44:25] It's just great.

[1:44:27] It's just great.

[1:44:27] They also like

[1:44:28] there's not a lot of

[1:44:29] like funny camera

[1:44:30] stuff going on.

[1:44:31] They just,

[1:44:31] yeah.

[1:44:32] It's like right on her face

Elliott Kalan

[1:44:33] and Deuteronomy's face.

Natalie Walker

[1:44:33] Just let her do the thing

[1:44:35] and she does the thing

[1:44:36] and I cried.

Elliott Kalan

[1:44:38] Oh,

[1:44:38] how I cried.

[1:44:39] It's like the difference

[1:44:40] between a movie

[1:44:42] that is throwing

[1:44:43] all sorts of crazy junk

[1:44:44] at you

[1:44:44] and a movie that is like,

[1:44:46] oh,

[1:44:46] there are things

[1:44:47] that are like

[1:44:47] genuinely like

[1:44:49] entertaining performance

[1:44:50] things like singing

[1:44:52] beautifully or tap dancing

[1:44:53] where it's like,

[1:44:54] it's enough to just

[1:44:55] put that on screen

[1:44:56] so you can see it

[1:44:57] and that's enough

[1:44:58] to make the movie.

[1:44:59] But every other scene

[1:45:00] it's like,

[1:45:00] I don't feel confident

[1:45:02] that this is going to

[1:45:02] hold the audience's attention

[1:45:03] so maybe there should be

[1:45:04] trombones and flowers

[1:45:05] flying around the screen.

[1:45:08] Yep.

[1:45:09] It reminded me of a,

[1:45:11] oh wait,

[1:45:11] sorry.

[1:45:12] It reminded me of a,

[1:45:13] there's a Louis Moll

[1:45:14] documentary called

[1:45:15] God's Country

[1:45:16] that's about this little,

[1:45:18] this small rural town

[1:45:19] and there's a scene

[1:45:19] where it's just a wedding

[1:45:21] and the people are dancing

[1:45:23] at the wedding

[1:45:23] and there was something

[1:45:24] about like,

[1:45:25] oh,

[1:45:25] this being on film

[1:45:27] suddenly shows me

[1:45:28] how special it is.

[1:45:29] Like if I was seeing it

[1:45:30] in real life,

[1:45:31] I might not realize

[1:45:32] how captivating it is

[1:45:34] just in its existence

[1:45:35] and that song,

[1:45:36] it's like that.

[1:45:37] I think if I saw it

[1:45:38] in a theater,

[1:45:39] it might not have hit

[1:45:39] me,

[1:45:40] maybe because it's a person

[1:45:41] singing it in real life,

[1:45:41] but like on film

[1:45:42] it's just like,

[1:45:43] oh,

[1:45:43] this is all it is

[1:45:44] and it's still so,

[1:45:45] so captivating.

[1:45:47] Like,

[1:45:47] and to put it on film

[1:45:48] so simply is like,

[1:45:49] they finally,

[1:45:50] they knew what they were

[1:45:50] doing for once.

[1:45:51] And it's a fairly

[1:45:52] simple song.

Natalie Walker

[1:45:53] Yeah,

[1:45:53] they let it be her

[1:45:54] I dreamed a dream

[1:45:55] moment and it works

[1:45:58] and she kills it.

[1:45:59] She wins the Jellicle Ball.

[1:46:01] She is Judi Dench's

[1:46:02] Jellicle Choice.

[1:46:04] Uh-huh.

[1:46:05] And also right after.

[1:46:06] The death cult has

[1:46:06] their sacrifice.

[1:46:07] Yes,

[1:46:07] and also it's very,

[1:46:09] it becomes,

[1:46:11] uh,

[1:46:11] she's the May Queen.

[1:46:12] The whiplash of going

[1:46:13] back to how bad the movie

[1:46:14] is after this genuinely

[1:46:15] good and like sort of

[1:46:17] tasteful moment

[1:46:18] is that right after

[1:46:19] this happens,

[1:46:20] they force everyone

[1:46:22] to start doing like

[1:46:24] cat moments of affection

[1:46:25] with each other

[1:46:26] and start just like

[1:46:27] rubbing each other

[1:46:28] as like a way of saying

[1:46:30] good job on this song.

[1:46:31] And you're the Jellicle Choice.

Elliott Kalan

[1:46:33] Bunching they call it.

[1:46:34] They all look like

[1:46:35] they're about to kiss

[1:46:35] each other but then

[1:46:36] their heads like

[1:46:37] jerk away at the last

[1:46:38] minute.

[1:46:38] Yes.

[1:46:39] The cats do.

[1:46:39] Yes.

[1:46:40] And she gets into the,

[1:46:42] I guess the vehicle

[1:46:43] that takes you to the

[1:46:43] heavyside lair

[1:46:44] which is a hot air balloon

[1:46:46] attached to a chandelier.

[1:46:47] Yeah.

[1:46:48] Mr. Mistoffelees

[1:46:49] lights all the candles

[1:46:49] and she floats up

[1:46:50] and the,

[1:46:52] there's a moment here

[1:46:52] where I was like,

[1:46:53] and then Macavity

[1:46:54] is like,

[1:46:54] no,

[1:46:54] me,

[1:46:55] me.

[1:46:55] and he tries to

[1:46:55] hang on to it

[1:46:56] and falls off

[1:46:57] above Trafalgar Square

[1:46:59] and for a moment

[1:46:59] I was like,

[1:47:00] are we going to see

[1:47:00] Macavity like slam

[1:47:01] against the pavement

[1:47:02] and die?

[1:47:02] Me too.

[1:47:03] Well,

Dan McCoy

[1:47:04] there's also like,

[1:47:05] this is like this

[1:47:06] big dramatic moment

[1:47:07] and like Idris Elba,

[1:47:09] like Idris Elba cat

[1:47:11] jumps on to like,

[1:47:12] you know,

[1:47:13] a straight piece of cloth

[1:47:14] coming off of this

[1:47:15] and it's like a moment

[1:47:17] from Marmaduke

[1:47:18] or something.

[1:47:19] Like,

[1:47:19] it becomes a totally

[1:47:21] different movie.

[1:47:22] Yes.

[1:47:22] And then he tries.

[1:47:23] Or Hans and Shaw

Natalie Walker

[1:47:25] He tries to say

[1:47:26] his final magic phrase

[1:47:27] is he tries to use

[1:47:29] ineffable one more time

[1:47:30] and it doesn't work

[1:47:32] and then he goes,

[1:47:33] rah,

[1:47:34] rah.

[1:47:36] A real like,

[1:47:37] oh no,

[1:47:37] I guess he's not magic anymore.

[1:47:39] I guess like,

[1:47:40] this entire experience

[1:47:41] has taken away

[1:47:42] his ability to do magic.

[1:47:44] Yeah,

Stuart Wellington

[1:47:44] I thought I saw

[1:47:45] cartoon sweat drops

[1:47:46] appear on his forehead.

Elliott Kalan

[1:47:47] Now,

[1:47:48] now I wish he had

[1:47:49] hit the ground

[1:47:49] and then went,

[1:47:50] me,

[1:47:50] ouch.

[1:47:52] But instead he just

[1:47:53] falls on the top

[1:47:54] of Nelson's column,

[1:47:55] right?

[1:47:55] Yeah.

[1:47:56] And all the cats

[1:47:57] have gathered around

[1:47:58] the lions of Trafalgar Square.

[1:48:00] Which are cats,

[1:48:01] lions are cats too.

[1:48:04] Yeah,

[1:48:04] lions are cats too.

[1:48:05] What really got me here

[1:48:05] is I was like,

[1:48:06] could they not get

[1:48:07] a photograph

[1:48:07] of Trafalgar Square?

[1:48:09] Like,

[1:48:09] it's this crazy CGI

[1:48:11] Trafalgar Square

[1:48:12] and the cats

[1:48:13] look like they're made

[1:48:13] out of Irish,

[1:48:14] lions look like they're

[1:48:14] made out of Irish

[1:48:15] spring soap.

[1:48:16] Like,

[1:48:16] they're so bright

[1:48:16] and green

[1:48:17] and everything

[1:48:18] is so weird looking.

[1:48:19] I was like,

[1:48:20] this is a real place.

[1:48:21] Like,

[1:48:21] you didn't need to

[1:48:22] like,

[1:48:22] crazy it up.

[1:48:23] Just stick some

[1:48:24] cats around there.

[1:48:25] Come on.

Natalie Walker

[1:48:25] Yep.

[1:48:26] And it is at

[1:48:27] this point

[1:48:27] that even though

[1:48:30] there has been

[1:48:31] no fourth wall

[1:48:32] breaking the entire movie,

[1:48:34] Judi Dench suddenly

[1:48:35] looks straight

[1:48:36] into your eyes

[1:48:38] and makes you

[1:48:39] complicit

[1:48:40] in everything

[1:48:41] that has been happening.

[1:48:43] And on second watch

[1:48:45] of this,

[1:48:45] I noticed that

[1:48:46] Mungustrap

[1:48:47] is very aware

[1:48:48] of her going

[1:48:49] directly to the audience

[1:48:50] and keeps sort of like

[1:48:51] looking at her quizzically

[1:48:53] and it becomes Fleabag.

[1:48:55] Yeah,

[1:48:55] so it's just

Elliott Kalan

[1:48:56] Fleabag season two.

[1:48:57] Oh,

Dan McCoy

[1:48:57] I wanted to say

[1:48:58] about the reaction.

[1:48:59] Where did you just go?

[1:49:00] I wanted to say

[1:49:01] about the reaction shots

[1:49:01] as they stay

[1:49:03] on this close,

[1:49:04] it's a tight shot

[1:49:05] but they still have

[1:49:06] all four actors

[1:49:07] on camera

[1:49:08] at the same time.

[1:49:09] They got,

[1:49:10] you know,

[1:49:10] two cats on one side,

[1:49:11] two cats on the other side.

[1:49:12] Old Deuteronomy

[1:49:13] is one of the middle cats

[1:49:15] and,

[1:49:15] you know,

[1:49:16] she's delivering

[1:49:17] this long speech

[1:49:18] to the audience

[1:49:19] and they have

[1:49:20] absolutely nothing to do.

[1:49:22] So they're just

[1:49:23] staring at her

[1:49:23] very,

[1:49:24] very intensely

[1:49:25] while squirming around

[1:49:27] and it looks like

[1:49:28] all the actors

[1:49:29] are like pre-orgasmic

[1:49:31] It's very weird

[1:49:32] if you start

[1:49:32] paying attention

[1:49:33] to them.

Elliott Kalan

[1:49:34] It was so strange

[1:49:35] to see,

[1:49:35] so the end shot

[1:49:36] of this movie

[1:49:37] should be

[1:49:37] that the chandelier

[1:49:38] is going off

[1:49:39] into the sky

[1:49:40] and all the cats

[1:49:40] like wave goodbye

[1:49:41] and then big music

[1:49:43] rise and then

[1:49:44] it's out in the credits

[1:49:45] but it's like

[1:49:46] the movie is over

[1:49:47] and then Judi Dench

[1:49:48] looks at the camera

[1:49:49] like,

[1:49:49] alright,

[1:49:50] let's go over

[1:49:51] what we learned.

[1:49:51] You're probably

[1:49:52] wondering how

[1:49:52] we ended up here.

[1:49:53] Let me tell you

[1:49:54] a few things

[1:49:54] about cats.

[1:49:55] I saw the movie.

Dan McCoy

[1:49:58] This is the part

[1:49:59] of the movie

[1:49:59] that is for people

[1:50:01] who wandered in

[1:50:02] thinking it was

[1:50:02] a cat's instructional

[1:50:03] video for like

[1:50:04] owning cats.

[1:50:05] Like how you're

[1:50:06] supposed to treat

[1:50:06] a cat.

Elliott Kalan

[1:50:07] She's like,

[1:50:08] they sing about

[1:50:08] how cats are not

[1:50:09] dogs and I'm like,

[1:50:10] seems pretty fundamental.

[1:50:11] Maybe you should

[1:50:11] open the movie

[1:50:12] with that one.

[1:50:13] But it felt like

[1:50:15] to me like the end

[1:50:16] of Thor Ragnarok

[1:50:17] where the movie

[1:50:18] is over

[1:50:19] but Taika Waititi's

[1:50:20] character is still

[1:50:21] joking around

[1:50:21] and I was like,

[1:50:22] movie,

[1:50:22] you're over.

[1:50:23] Like,

[1:50:23] just show me some credits.

[1:50:24] Get out of here.

[1:50:25] But I guess

[1:50:26] this,

[1:50:26] and each time Judi Dench

[1:50:28] finishes a verse

[1:50:29] of this song,

[1:50:29] you're like,

[1:50:30] ah,

[1:50:30] and the song is over.

[1:50:31] It's the longest

[1:50:31] and they all

[1:50:32] repeat it.

[1:50:35] But it's like,

[1:50:36] it feels like a bit

[1:50:37] I would do

[1:50:38] where the song

[1:50:39] like just keeps going

[1:50:40] and every time

[1:50:41] you think it's over

[1:50:41] she starts singing it

[1:50:42] and I just imagine

[1:50:43] the Dan cat

[1:50:44] being like,

[1:50:44] god damn it,

[1:50:45] Judi Dench.

[1:50:46] Like,

[1:50:46] come on.

Natalie Walker

[1:50:46] Yes,

[1:50:46] because it is panned out

[1:50:48] and then like

[1:50:49] it goes right back

[1:50:50] to close up

[1:50:50] and it's like

[1:50:51] she does an aggressive

[1:50:52] turn right back

[1:50:53] to us.

[1:50:54] It pans out

[1:50:55] and you're like,

[1:50:56] oh,

[1:50:56] thank God.

[1:50:57] Like,

[1:50:57] that part is over.

[1:50:58] I felt very put

[1:50:59] on display.

[1:50:59] I felt like

[1:51:00] I was in the play

[1:51:01] and I didn't want

[1:51:01] to be in the play.

Elliott Kalan

[1:51:03] You know what?

[1:51:03] My guess is

[1:51:04] maybe they saw

[1:51:05] the movie of

[1:51:05] Into the Woods

[1:51:06] where that final song

[1:51:08] about how children

[1:51:09] will listen

[1:51:09] for some reason

[1:51:10] was just over

[1:51:11] the wide shot

[1:51:12] and then the end credits

[1:51:13] and not really

[1:51:14] in the movie

[1:51:15] and they were like,

[1:51:16] we're not doing that.

[1:51:17] Every song's on camera.

[1:51:18] We are not skimping on it.

[1:51:22] Maybe Tom Hooper saw

Stuart Wellington

[1:51:23] funny games

[1:51:25] and he's like,

[1:51:26] that's what I want to do.

Dan McCoy

[1:51:28] Make the audience

[1:51:29] feel like they're

[1:51:30] in the action.

Natalie Walker

[1:51:32] And then we get the...

[1:51:33] And then they finally

[1:51:34] finish that song

[1:51:35] and Judy...

[1:51:36] And we think it's done

[1:51:38] and then Judy Dench

[1:51:39] reminds us that,

[1:51:40] oh,

[1:51:40] the storyline

[1:51:41] that has been imposed

[1:51:42] on the film is,

[1:51:44] will Victoria become

[1:51:45] a Jellicle cat?

[1:51:46] I wonder.

[1:51:47] And then she tells her

[1:51:48] that she's a Jellicle cat,

[1:51:49] a dear little cat

[1:51:50] that was rosebud

[1:51:53] all along.

Dan McCoy

[1:51:54] And we get the final shot

[1:51:55] of the movie,

[1:51:57] which I love,

[1:51:57] which is just another

[1:51:59] wide shot

[1:52:00] of that chandelier balloon

[1:52:02] flying up to space

[1:52:04] where the cat

[1:52:05] will presumably die alone.

[1:52:08] Gravity.

[1:52:09] I want gravity

[1:52:10] with Jennifer Hudson.

Elliott Kalan

[1:52:12] Yeah.

[1:52:12] It shimmers away

[1:52:13] with magic

[1:52:14] and we know

[1:52:16] that she's made it

[1:52:17] to the heavy side later,

[1:52:18] which I assume

[1:52:19] turns out to be a place

[1:52:20] where Alf eats cats.

[1:52:22] Like,

[1:52:22] she's just on Melmac

[1:52:23] and they're gonna eat her.

[1:52:27] All this whole time,

[1:52:29] this whole time

[1:52:30] Old Deuteronomy

[1:52:31] has just been working

[1:52:31] for the Melmacians,

[1:52:32] just like helping them

[1:52:33] get supplies of cats

[1:52:34] and it's terrible.

Stuart Wellington

[1:52:40] Friendly Fire

[1:52:41] is a podcast

[1:52:42] about war movies,

[1:52:43] but it's so much

[1:52:44] more than that.

Dan McCoy

[1:52:45] It's history.

[1:52:46] It was just supposed

Stuart Wellington

[1:52:47] to be another assignment.

[1:52:49] It's comedy.

[1:52:50] Under no circumstances

[1:52:51] are you to engage

[1:52:52] the enemy.

[1:52:53] It's Cinema Studies.

[1:52:55] It's a hell of a combination.

[1:52:56] So subscribe

[1:52:57] and download

[1:52:57] Friendly Fire

[1:52:58] on your podcatcher of choice

Dan McCoy

[1:53:00] or at MaximumFun.org.

Elliott Kalan

[1:53:02] And also,

[1:53:03] come see us

[1:53:04] at San Francisco Sketch Fest

[1:53:05] on January 16th.

S6

[1:53:07] You can get tickets

[1:53:08] at sfsketchfest.com.

[1:53:10] Mission accomplished.

Jenny Jaffe

[1:53:14] Hi, I'm Allie Gertz.

[1:53:15] And I'm Julia Prescott.

[1:53:16] And we host

[1:53:17] Round Springfield.

Natalie Walker

[1:53:18] Round Springfield

[1:53:19] is a new Simpsons podcast

[1:53:21] that is Simpsons adjacent.

[1:53:24] In its topic,

[1:53:25] we talk to Simpsons writers

[1:53:26] directors,

[1:53:28] voiceover actors,

[1:53:29] you name it,

Jenny Jaffe

[1:53:29] about non-Simpsons things

[1:53:31] that they've done

[1:53:32] because,

[1:53:33] surprise,

[1:53:33] they're all extremely talented.

[1:53:36] Absolutely.

[1:53:36] For example,

[1:53:37] David X. Cohen

[1:53:38] worked on The Simpsons

[1:53:39] but then created

[1:53:39] a little show

[1:53:40] called Futurama.

[1:53:41] That's our very first episode.

[1:53:43] So tune in

[1:53:44] for stuff like that

[1:53:44] with Yardley Smith,

[1:53:45] with Tim Long,

[1:53:46] with different writers

[1:53:47] and voice actors.

[1:53:47] It's going to be so much fun.

[1:53:48] And we are every other week

[1:53:50] on MaximumFun.org

[1:53:51] or wherever you get

[1:53:52] your podcasts.

Natalie Walker

[1:53:55] Guys,

[1:53:56] I'm sorry that my synopsis

[1:53:58] was like so long

[1:54:00] that I wanted to talk.

[1:54:01] Yeah,

Dan McCoy

[1:54:02] you're to blame.

[1:54:03] It's not the interruptions.

[1:54:05] I've never wanted to talk

[1:54:06] so much about it.

Stuart Wellington

[1:54:07] I have a lot of questions

[1:54:10] about what the premiere audience,

[1:54:12] how they reacted

[1:54:14] to this movie.

Elliott Kalan

[1:54:14] So now it's time

[1:54:15] for our roving

[1:54:16] entertainment reporter,

[1:54:17] Natalie Walker.

[1:54:18] She's our premiere princess.

[1:54:20] She goes to all the

[1:54:20] premieres and tell us about it.

[1:54:21] I'm sort of the Maria Menounos

[1:54:22] of the flop house.

Dan McCoy

[1:54:24] I'm going to make room

[1:54:24] for recommendations

[1:54:25] at the end of the show

[1:54:26] but I'm going to say

[1:54:26] that this behind-the-scenes stuff

[1:54:28] takes the place of letters.

[1:54:30] Let's just do it like that.

[1:54:31] Let's not worry about letters.

[1:54:32] Great.

Elliott Kalan

[1:54:33] Oh, well,

[1:54:34] there never was a letter.

[1:54:37] segment in this episode

[1:54:38] of Flophouse

[1:54:39] that was about cats right now.

[1:54:43] Natalie will tell us

[1:54:44] about the premiere

[1:54:46] of Cats Right Now

[1:54:47] which she attended

[1:54:49] a few weeks ago.

[1:54:52] What was it like

[1:54:54] to see this movie?

[1:54:55] I can't believe Elliot's

Stuart Wellington

[1:54:56] coming up with his melody

[1:54:57] for the first time.

[1:54:58] I can't afford

[1:54:59] the music right now.

Natalie Walker

[1:55:03] Oh my God.

[1:55:04] Okay, so.

Stuart Wellington

[1:55:07] Natalie Walker

[1:55:08] is a curious cat.

[1:55:13] So,

Natalie Walker

[1:55:14] first of all,

[1:55:16] right before the premiere,

[1:55:18] I got drinks

[1:55:20] with Lin-Manuel Miranda

[1:55:21] who is who I went with

[1:55:23] because his wife

[1:55:24] had no interest

[1:55:24] in seeing cats

[1:55:25] and he had seen

[1:55:26] how unhinged I was

[1:55:27] about the trailers online

[1:55:28] and he was like,

[1:55:29] you seem like you

[1:55:29] have the right mindset

[1:55:31] about this movie.

Dan McCoy

[1:55:32] That was a connection?

[1:55:32] I was curious with the...

Natalie Walker

[1:55:34] Yeah.

[1:55:35] Well, we had like,

[1:55:36] I had watched Fosse Verdon

[1:55:38] at his house

[1:55:39] when he was like

[1:55:39] doing that every week

[1:55:40] having different

[1:55:41] like groups over

[1:55:41] and so he knew

[1:55:42] I wasn't a murderer

[1:55:43] and then I like

[1:55:46] did a workshop

[1:55:46] that he is working on

[1:55:47] in the fall

[1:55:49] and so he knew

[1:55:49] that I could be around

[1:55:50] industry people

[1:55:51] and not murder them.

[1:55:53] So,

[1:55:54] that was the...

Dan McCoy

[1:55:56] We've talked to him

[1:55:57] briefly through

[1:55:58] the auspices

[1:55:59] of the McElroy's

[1:56:00] a very, very,

[1:56:01] very nice human being

[1:56:02] and very publicly nice

[1:56:06] so we will not ask you

[1:56:06] what his reaction was

[1:56:07] Exactly.

[1:56:08] But I'm curious

[1:56:09] about everyone else's.

Natalie Walker

[1:56:10] So, we got...

Stuart Wellington

[1:56:11] My wife has talked to him

[1:56:12] about George Whipple

[1:56:13] many times.

Natalie Walker

[1:56:14] We got drinks

[1:56:15] before

[1:56:16] and like he had gotten

[1:56:17] like a full dinner

[1:56:18] but I got there

[1:56:18] a little later

[1:56:19] and there was a group

[1:56:21] from Universal

[1:56:21] at the table

[1:56:23] next to us

[1:56:23] and they had made

[1:56:24] a big point

[1:56:25] of coming over

[1:56:26] and being like

[1:56:27] oh, like Lynn

[1:56:28] we're so glad

[1:56:30] you're coming tonight

[1:56:31] and blah blah blah

[1:56:31] and then they leave

[1:56:34] 15 minutes later

[1:56:35] Lynn and I get up

[1:56:35] to leave

[1:56:36] and the server

[1:56:38] comes over

[1:56:39] and is like

[1:56:39] oh, that other table

[1:56:40] took care of

[1:56:41] all of your stuff

[1:56:43] except mine.

[1:56:44] They left

[1:56:45] my one

[1:56:46] they took care

[1:56:47] entirely of Lynn

[1:56:48] and they left

[1:56:49] my single cocktail

[1:56:51] to fend for itself.

[1:56:53] Wow.

[1:56:53] Which is so funny

[1:56:55] to just sort of be like

[1:56:56] we don't know

[1:56:56] who that is

[1:56:57] so fuck that.

[1:56:59] Wow, what was it like

Elliott Kalan

[1:56:59] being the Grizabella

[1:57:00] of that moment?

Natalie Walker

[1:57:01] Yeah, absolutely.

[1:57:03] I felt like I had been

[1:57:03] absolutely hissed at.

[1:57:05] I had to crawl

[1:57:07] over to Lincoln Center

[1:57:08] for the premiere

[1:57:09] actually.

[1:57:09] Lynn was like

[1:57:10] well, you know

[1:57:10] what you gotta do.

[1:57:13] So we like go

[1:57:14] we go to the premiere

[1:57:16] and

[1:57:16] So that double

Stuart Wellington

[1:57:18] Long Island iced tea

[1:57:19] you had to pay for

[1:57:20] right?

Natalie Walker

[1:57:21] So I

[1:57:22] I'm sort of like

[1:57:23] raring to go

[1:57:24] we like get to our seats

[1:57:26] and

[1:57:26] I'm looking

[1:57:28] in front of us

[1:57:29] and they're

[1:57:29] first of all

[1:57:30] our row

[1:57:31] is like

[1:57:31] Andrew Lloyd Webber's

[1:57:33] daughter

[1:57:33] is right there

[1:57:35] the Nederlander family

[1:57:37] who own like

[1:57:37] half of the Broadway theater

[1:57:39] like it's this

[1:57:39] insane row

[1:57:40] and I'm like

[1:57:41] Natalie, please

[1:57:41] don't embarrass yourself

[1:57:43] tonight, please

[1:57:44] don't do anything

[1:57:45] insane

[1:57:45] like keep it together

[1:57:46] Do not gasp

[1:57:47] when Judy Dench

[1:57:48] starts singing

[1:57:48] Yes, exactly

[1:57:49] and so I

[1:57:50] oh my god

[1:57:51] so then I look

[1:57:52] in the row

[1:57:53] in front of us

[1:57:53] and there's this like

[1:57:54] 10 empty seats

[1:57:55] wow, I guess a lot

[1:57:56] of people bailed on cats

[1:57:57] and then I realized

[1:57:59] as it was starting

[1:58:00] that that was

[1:58:01] the cast seats

[1:58:02] and they were all

[1:58:03] gonna be sitting

[1:58:04] right in front of us

[1:58:05] and I was like

[1:58:06] oh no

[1:58:07] I have to chill out

[1:58:09] but before it started

[1:58:12] Tom Hooper goes on stage

[1:58:14] and introduces

[1:58:14] like all of the cast

[1:58:16] and that's when he said

[1:58:18] like this person

[1:58:19] is the first person

[1:58:20] that I cast

[1:58:21] and it's Taylor Swift

[1:58:22] you cast

[1:58:22] Bomb Ballerina first

[1:58:23] like okay

[1:58:24] and then he

[1:58:27] and then he says

[1:58:29] and now like

[1:58:31] two consummate clowns

[1:58:32] Rebel Wilson

[1:58:33] and James Corden

[1:58:33] Rebel Wilson walks out

[1:58:35] and everyone is sort of

[1:58:37] confused

[1:58:37] and looking around

[1:58:38] and Tom clearly

[1:58:41] whispers like off mic

[1:58:42] like James

[1:58:43] and then Rebel

[1:58:44] on Rebel

[1:58:45] used her mic

[1:58:45] and he's just like

[1:58:46] oh James has had enough

[1:58:47] and everyone's laughing

[1:58:49] because we think it's a bit

[1:58:50] and he's gonna come out soon

[1:58:52] because he was at

[1:58:53] he was at the premiere

[1:58:55] he was photographed

[1:58:56] on the carpet

[1:58:56] and fully no

[1:58:58] he never came out

[1:59:00] he apparently left

[1:59:02] right after the red carpet

[1:59:03] and did not go see the movie

[1:59:05] wow

[1:59:06] yeah

[1:59:06] and

[1:59:07] and then Tom Hooper

[1:59:09] starts talking more

[1:59:10] about the movie

[1:59:10] and he says

[1:59:11] it's really about

[1:59:13] the perils of tribalism

[1:59:15] and

[1:59:16] the importance

[1:59:17] of acceptance

[1:59:18] and then he brings out

[1:59:20] Andrew Lloyd Webber

[1:59:21] and introduces

[1:59:22] as like

[1:59:23] the reason all of us

[1:59:24] are here

[1:59:25] walks out

[1:59:26] and makes a point

[1:59:27] to say

[1:59:28] I haven't even seen

[1:59:31] this movie yet

[1:59:32] so I really feel

[1:59:33] that even though

[1:59:34] I wrote the music

[1:59:35] and he's trying to say it

[1:59:36] in a way

[1:59:37] where he clearly

[1:59:38] wants everyone

[1:59:38] to perceive it

[1:59:39] as a magnanimous thing

[1:59:41] yeah

[1:59:41] but what he ends up

[1:59:43] saying is

[1:59:44] so at the end of the day

[1:59:45] I think that

[1:59:46] really more even

[1:59:48] than

[1:59:48] than my project

[1:59:50] this is Tom's movie

[1:59:51] and I was just like

[1:59:54] so it's like

Elliott Kalan

[1:59:55] it comes off like

[1:59:55] Tom Wolf

[1:59:56] taking out those ads

[1:59:57] after Bonfire

[1:59:57] of the Vanities

[1:59:58] came out

[1:59:58] and was like

[1:59:59] I didn't have anything

[1:59:59] to do with this movie

[2:00:00] and not blame me

[2:00:01] I also

Dan McCoy

[2:00:02] I assumed you were

[2:00:04] going to say

[2:00:04] that he comes out

[2:00:05] and be like

[2:00:05] I don't know

[2:00:06] what he was talking about

[2:00:07] this is just a play

[2:00:09] about cats

[2:00:09] because that's what

[2:00:11] he's always said

[2:00:11] yes

[2:00:12] it's like

Natalie Walker

[2:00:12] the famous

[2:00:13] Hal Prince

[2:00:14] Hal it's about cats

[2:00:15] story where Hal Prince

[2:00:16] was like

[2:00:17] who is this

[2:00:18] who are the

[2:00:19] political stand-ins

[2:00:20] for these cats

[2:00:21] I'm so intrigued

[2:00:21] and Vanderoid

[2:00:22] just said

[2:00:23] Hal it's about cats

[2:00:24] so who is

Elliott Kalan

[2:00:26] so vain

[2:00:30] why I didn't think

[2:00:31] about this before

[2:00:31] but him bringing him

[2:00:32] out and being like

[2:00:33] the person while here

[2:00:33] it makes me think

[2:00:34] that like

[2:00:35] is the Stan Lee

[2:00:36] of cats

[2:00:37] and I wish now

[2:00:38] that he had a cameo

[2:00:39] in the movie

[2:00:39] as like

[2:00:39] a dog catcher

[2:00:40] who's like

[2:00:41] doing what I can

[2:00:42] to help you cats

[2:00:43] wink

[2:00:44] runs off

Natalie Walker

[2:00:44] or he could have

[2:00:45] or he could have

[2:00:45] been the dog

[2:00:46] whoever could have

[2:00:47] been the dog

[2:00:48] yeah

[2:00:48] that might have

[2:00:49] been him

[2:00:49] so then the movie

[2:00:50] starts and already

[2:00:52] we're sort of like

[2:00:52] the perils of tribalism

[2:00:54] thing

[2:00:55] like Tom Hooper

[2:00:56] was clearly taking it

[2:00:57] so seriously

[2:00:58] in his speech before

[2:00:59] that everyone was

[2:01:00] a little

[2:01:01] anxious about

[2:01:02] how we were

[2:01:03] expected to perceive

[2:01:05] this cats

[2:01:05] yeah

[2:01:06] and it starts

[2:01:07] and thankfully

[2:01:08] I mean

[2:01:09] Jellicle Songs

[2:01:10] is such a crazy

[2:01:12] song

[2:01:12] that is notoriously

[2:01:14] insane

[2:01:15] and so

[2:01:16] it starts

[2:01:17] and we're all

[2:01:18] sort of like

[2:01:19] yeah

[2:01:20] like party song

[2:01:20] like this is fun

[2:01:21] yeah

[2:01:22] this is silly

[2:01:23] a little bit

[2:01:24] we're like

[2:01:24] laughing and sort of

[2:01:25] trying to

[2:01:26] enjoy it audibly

[2:01:28] and then

[2:01:29] after Jellicle Songs

[2:01:31] happened

[2:01:31] it became

[2:01:32] increasingly clear

[2:01:34] over the next

[2:01:36] like three minutes

[2:01:37] that the movie

[2:01:38] was expecting us

[2:01:38] to take it

[2:01:39] very seriously

[2:01:40] and then it

[2:01:41] just was sort of

[2:01:42] eerily silent

[2:01:43] for most of the movie

[2:01:46] there were

[2:01:46] there were like

[2:01:47] titters of laughter

[2:01:48] when Rebel Wilson

[2:01:49] appeared and was like

[2:01:50] scratching herself

[2:01:51] and at some of the improv

[2:01:53] but for most of the movie

[2:01:54] everyone was just like

[2:01:55] stoic

[2:01:56] Mistoffelees

[2:01:57] nothing

[2:01:58] everyone was just sort of

[2:01:59] sitting on their hands

[2:02:01] it was

[2:02:02] really

[2:02:03] really wild

[2:02:05] and then

[2:02:05] that final

[2:02:06] when you don't know

[2:02:08] that Judi Dench

[2:02:09] is gonna look at you

[2:02:10] the energy

[2:02:13] the energy

[2:02:14] in the room

[2:02:15] it was

[2:02:15] absolutely insane

[2:02:17] it was all that

[2:02:18] anyone was talking about

[2:02:18] at the after party

[2:02:19] look that's what they say

[2:02:20] yeah

[2:02:22] all people were talking about

[2:02:23] we were like

[2:02:24] what did you do

[2:02:25] when Judi Dench

[2:02:26] looked at you

[2:02:27] like how

[2:02:28] did you perceive it

Elliott Kalan

[2:02:30] Judi Dench is like

[2:02:31] I know why you're here

[2:02:32] yeah

[2:02:32] you think this is funny

[2:02:33] don't you

Dan McCoy

[2:02:34] yes

[2:02:34] and were people

[2:02:35] lining up

[2:02:37] you know

[2:02:38] to talk to Tom Hooper

[2:02:40] afterwards

[2:02:40] and being like

[2:02:41] well you know what

[2:02:42] the screen was very clean

[2:02:44] it was all

[2:02:46] they had like a big table

Natalie Walker

[2:02:49] and

[2:02:49] I didn't realize

[2:02:53] like

[2:02:53] how famous

[2:02:55] Lynn is

[2:02:57] and so

[2:02:58] this like

[2:02:59] woman like

[2:02:59] ran over

[2:03:00] and was like

[2:03:01] Andrew and Tom

[2:03:02] want you to come over

[2:03:03] to their table now

[2:03:05] I can't go there

[2:03:07] right now

[2:03:07] I had three

[2:03:08] wines during that movie

[2:03:10] and I

[2:03:11] am too

[2:03:12] scared

[2:03:13] of what I

[2:03:14] will do

[2:03:15] and say

[2:03:15] and so

[2:03:16] I stayed away

[2:03:18] from that entire

[2:03:19] vicinity

[2:03:19] but I will say

[2:03:20] Jennifer Hudson

[2:03:21] walked by me

[2:03:21] looking gorgeous

[2:03:23] and I screamed

[2:03:23] you're iconic

[2:03:24] at her

[2:03:25] and she seemed

[2:03:27] she was really nice

[2:03:28] she was like

[2:03:28] oh really

[2:03:29] thank you so much

[2:03:30] she seemed very

[2:03:31] genuinely touched

[2:03:32] and so

[2:03:32] I love you

[2:03:34] she didn't like

[2:03:35] push you over

Elliott Kalan

[2:03:36] in school yard

[2:03:37] or something

[2:03:37] yeah

Jenny Jaffe

[2:03:37] I would

[2:03:39] one time

[2:03:40] I was

[2:03:41] like

[2:03:42] having this

[2:03:42] like really bad

[2:03:43] weekend

[2:03:43] and I ended up

[2:03:44] being at Target

[2:03:45] in West Hollywood

[2:03:46] at like

[2:03:47] 11pm

[2:03:48] on a Saturday

[2:03:49] and I felt

[2:03:50] so uncool

[2:03:50] I was like

[2:03:51] I don't have anyone

[2:03:51] to hang out with

[2:03:52] like I don't know

[2:03:52] what I'm doing

[2:03:53] and I walked

[2:03:54] down the aisle

[2:03:54] and Jennifer Hudson

[2:03:55] was in that same Target

[2:03:57] and I just had this moment

[2:03:59] of if Jennifer Hudson

[2:04:00] is in this Target

[2:04:01] I like

[2:04:02] it's okay for me

[2:04:03] to be in this Target

[2:04:04] too

[2:04:04] I must be living

[2:04:05] my best life

[2:04:06] anything is possible

[2:04:07] because she was just

[2:04:08] like so cool

[2:04:08] and glamorous

[2:04:09] anyway

[2:04:10] she really is

[2:04:11] so glamorous

[2:04:12] she's iconic

[2:04:12] the same as running

[2:04:13] into her

Natalie Walker

[2:04:13] at a cool party

[2:04:14] that Lin-Manuel Miranda

[2:04:15] invited you to

[2:04:16] Target is better

[2:04:18] I think Target

[2:04:19] is better

[2:04:20] than the Cats Party

[2:04:21] there's less

[2:04:21] existential crisis

[2:04:23] involved

[2:04:23] at a Target

[2:04:24] I feel

Elliott Kalan

[2:04:25] to see Jennifer Hudson

[2:04:26] just pricing out

[2:04:27] generic brand

[2:04:28] toilet paper

[2:04:29] like that

[2:04:29] is just inspiring

[2:04:30] you know

[2:04:31] it was so inspiring

[2:04:32] Jennifer

[2:04:32] you're an Oscar winner

Natalie Walker

[2:04:34] you don't have to get Scott

[2:04:35] you can get Charmin

[2:04:37] Ultra Soft even

Dan McCoy

[2:04:38] is there more stuff

Elliott Kalan

[2:04:42] I don't

[2:04:43] so you're saying

[2:04:43] so you think

[2:04:44] the people at the premiere

[2:04:45] weren't like

[2:04:46] love it

[2:04:47] this is great

[2:04:48] you got a hit

[2:04:48] on your hands

[2:04:49] everyone was kind of aware

[2:04:50] that it was

[2:04:51] a crazy mess

Natalie Walker

[2:04:51] yes

[2:04:52] everyone was aware

[2:04:53] that it was a crazy mess

[2:04:54] but also like

[2:04:55] a lot of people

[2:04:56] were already

[2:04:57] sort of being like

[2:04:57] this is gonna be

[2:04:58] a really fun movie

[2:04:59] to go watch

[2:05:01] with friends

[2:05:02] later

[2:05:02] what was the cast

[2:05:04] doing

[2:05:05] like during the movie

Jenny Jaffe

[2:05:06] how were they reacting

Natalie Walker

[2:05:07] I like

[2:05:09] did not clock

[2:05:10] what they were doing

[2:05:11] I was so

[2:05:12] overloaded

[2:05:13] with

[2:05:15] anxieties

[2:05:16] about

[2:05:16] how I was coming off

[2:05:18] that I feel like

[2:05:18] I didn't really

[2:05:19] clock them

[2:05:21] because I was just like

[2:05:22] please don't

[2:05:23] embarrass yourself

[2:05:23] in front of the

[2:05:24] shiny celebrities

[2:05:26] that are about

[2:05:26] it is a lot

[2:05:27] that also like

Elliott Kalan

[2:05:27] the sun is exploding

[2:05:29] in front of your face

[2:05:30] and there's like

[2:05:30] a kid doing a cute thing

[2:05:31] and you're like

[2:05:32] what the kid was doing

[2:05:33] the sun was exploding

[2:05:34] in front of me

[2:05:34] yes exactly

[2:05:35] exactly

Natalie Walker

[2:05:35] I have never been

[2:05:36] so hyper aware

[2:05:38] of myself

[2:05:39] in a space

[2:05:40] while also being

[2:05:41] attacked with

[2:05:43] I like had no idea

[2:05:44] what anyone else

[2:05:45] around me

[2:05:46] was dealing with

[2:05:47] I could only

[2:05:48] only like the audible

[2:05:50] things

[2:05:50] I could really

[2:05:52] pick up on

[2:05:52] but

[2:05:53] I wish that I had

[2:05:55] looked down

[2:05:55] more often

[2:05:56] at Miss T Swift

Stuart Wellington

[2:05:57] you didn't want

[2:05:59] to be the one

[2:05:59] like leading the audience

[2:06:00] in like a group

[2:06:01] cheer

[2:06:02] or anything

[2:06:02] right

Natalie Walker

[2:06:03] the closest I came

[2:06:05] was that gasp

[2:06:05] for Judi Dench

[2:06:06] because I kind of

[2:06:07] thought we all

[2:06:07] were going to be

[2:06:08] like wow

[2:06:09] he did it

[2:06:10] and instead

[2:06:11] it was only me

[2:06:12] I was fist bumping

[2:06:16] during Jellicle Cats

[2:06:17] which did lead

[2:06:18] like a very old man

[2:06:20] in the row behind me

[2:06:21] to come up to me

[2:06:22] after and was like

[2:06:23] I like watching you

[2:06:24] more than the movie

[2:06:25] aww

[2:06:27] it was a sweet old man

[2:06:28] thing to say

[2:06:28] yeah it was a very

[2:06:29] sweet old man

[2:06:30] thing to say

[2:06:30] because I really

[2:06:31] was like during

[2:06:32] the high energy

[2:06:33] moments I was

[2:06:33] trying to be like

[2:06:34] yeah

[2:06:35] yes

[2:06:36] sure

[2:06:37] there was a man

[2:06:39] in my row

[2:06:39] who was dressed up

[2:06:40] as Grizabella

[2:06:41] which I felt like

[2:06:42] was the correct

[2:06:42] vibe

[2:06:43] it was in like

[2:06:44] a floor length

[2:06:45] fur and

[2:06:46] full on

Stuart Wellington

[2:06:47] I'm assuming

[2:06:48] they did not

[2:06:48] play trailers

[2:06:50] before the movie

[2:06:51] usually at premieres

Elliott Kalan

[2:06:52] they don't have

[2:06:52] the trailer

[2:06:53] well they didn't

[2:06:54] show a trailer

[2:06:55] for In the Heights

[2:06:56] the upcoming

[2:06:57] Lin-Manuel Miranda

[2:06:58] Tom Hooper's like

[2:06:59] thank you so much

[2:07:00] thank you to everyone

[2:07:01] and now

[2:07:02] my big production

[2:07:03] this is a movie

[2:07:04] I've spent years on

[2:07:05] Cats

[2:07:05] but first

[2:07:06] what else is coming

[2:07:07] to a theater

[2:07:08] in the Sonic trailer

[2:07:09] that would be great

Natalie Walker

[2:07:11] also he did say

[2:07:12] that he finished

[2:07:13] the movie

[2:07:13] at 9 a.m.

[2:07:15] the day before

Stuart Wellington

[2:07:16] oh wow

Natalie Walker

[2:07:17] that was a cool

[2:07:19] thing to hear

[2:07:21] before

[2:07:21] yeah

[2:07:22] so much speed

[2:07:23] right now

[2:07:23] this magnitude

[2:07:24] look guys

Dan McCoy

[2:07:26] I don't want to do

[2:07:27] a traditional

[2:07:28] final judgments

[2:07:29] because I think

[2:07:29] we all

[2:07:30] really loved

[2:07:31] ourselves

[2:07:31] but

[2:07:32] that sounds weird

[2:07:33] loved

[2:07:34] seeing this

[2:07:35] but

[2:07:36] I just want to say

[2:07:38] like

[2:07:38] I want to give

[2:07:39] a little space

[2:07:40] for some like

[2:07:41] final like

[2:07:42] outpouring

[2:07:43] about Cats

[2:07:44] because I want

[2:07:44] I want to

[2:07:45] I will tell this story

[2:07:46] I came home

[2:07:47] from Cats

[2:07:48] having a great time

[2:07:49] with Stu

[2:07:50] and Charlene

[2:07:51] and Audrey

[2:07:51] as I was going

[2:07:53] to bed

[2:07:53] I have sleep apnea

[2:07:55] as many know

[2:07:56] the last thing

[2:07:58] you're Dan

Elliott Kalan

[2:07:58] the sleep apnea cat

[2:07:59] the last thing

[2:08:00] before

[2:08:00] there's a certain

[2:08:01] cat who doesn't

[2:08:02] sleep well

[2:08:03] sleep breathing

[2:08:04] for him

[2:08:05] is a sort

[2:08:05] of a hell

[2:08:06] he's Dan

[2:08:07] the sleep apnea

[2:08:08] cat

[2:08:08] what's that machine

[2:08:10] on that cat's face

Dan McCoy

[2:08:12] no but like

[2:08:14] so like

[2:08:15] I make a decision

[2:08:16] you know

[2:08:17] like

[2:08:17] I'm going to bed

[2:08:18] this is the last

[2:08:19] thing I'm going to say

[2:08:19] before I put a mask

[2:08:20] on my face

[2:08:21] and I said

[2:08:21] I wonder what dreams

[2:08:23] I'll have tonight

[2:08:24] and then the next

[2:08:25] the first thing

[2:08:26] I said the next

[2:08:27] morning was

[2:08:27] it was something

[2:08:29] I can't remember

[2:08:30] what it was

[2:08:30] but like

[2:08:32] she has videos

[2:08:33] of me like

[2:08:33] two days afterwards

[2:08:34] hysterically laughing

[2:08:36] about the word

[2:08:37] jellicle

[2:08:38] and why they

[2:08:39] kept saying it

[2:08:39] over and over again

[2:08:40] like me singing

[2:08:42] songs

[2:08:43] these were like

[2:08:43] half secretly

[2:08:44] taken

[2:08:45] maybe I'll post

[2:08:46] them after the

[2:08:46] thing comes out

[2:08:47] but like

[2:08:47] my social media

[2:08:49] was all about

[2:08:50] cats

[2:08:50] I just descended

[2:08:51] into cat madness

Elliott Kalan

[2:08:52] you did get

[2:08:53] cat scratch fever

Dan McCoy

[2:08:54] Dan

[2:08:54] your twitter

[2:08:54] was just about

[2:08:55] cats

[2:08:55] but I have not

[2:08:56] laughed at something

[2:08:58] so hard

[2:08:59] and had such

[2:09:00] a fun time

[2:09:01] in years

[2:09:02] and years

[2:09:03] and you have

[2:09:03] to just like

[2:09:05] face yourself

[2:09:06] at a certain

[2:09:06] point

[2:09:06] if you've had

[2:09:08] that good

[2:09:08] a time

[2:09:09] watching a movie

[2:09:10] you just like

[2:09:11] that movie

[2:09:12] yeah

[2:09:12] you know what

Elliott Kalan

[2:09:14] Dan

[2:09:14] I'm gonna suggest

[2:09:15] we skip straight

[2:09:16] to recommendations

[2:09:17] because my

[2:09:18] recommendation

[2:09:18] for this episode

[2:09:19] is cats

[2:09:20] like I think

[2:09:22] maybe it's the

[2:09:22] first time

[2:09:23] I've ever said

[2:09:23] you know what

[2:09:23] movie I'm gonna

[2:09:24] recommend

[2:09:24] the one we

[2:09:25] talked about

[2:09:25] in this movie

[2:09:26] we gotta

[2:09:26] people gotta

[2:09:27] go out

[2:09:27] and see cats

[2:09:28] I would recommend

Jenny Jaffe

[2:09:29] seeing cats

[2:09:29] while you can

[2:09:29] see it in the

[2:09:30] theater

[2:09:30] that is not

[2:09:31] expressly a

[2:09:33] call and response

[2:09:34] thing because

[2:09:34] when we went

[2:09:35] to Alamo

[2:09:36] in LA

[2:09:37] last night

[2:09:37] and the

[2:09:38] showing after

[2:09:39] ours was the

[2:09:40] quote unquote

[2:09:41] rowdy screening

[2:09:41] and they were

[2:09:42] already starting

[2:09:43] to do the

[2:09:44] like call and

[2:09:44] response type

[2:09:45] things but I

[2:09:45] think it's

[2:09:46] really fun to

[2:09:46] go with a

[2:09:47] group of

[2:09:47] people where

[2:09:48] some people

[2:09:49] might still

[2:09:49] be there to

[2:09:50] see cats

Elliott Kalan

[2:09:50] you want to

[2:09:51] be part of

[2:09:51] that legendary

[2:09:52] first generation

[2:09:53] of film

[2:09:53] to see cats

[2:09:54] sincerely

[2:09:55] you want the

Stuart Wellington

[2:09:55] assholes to

[2:09:56] get shushed

[2:09:57] when Jennifer

[2:09:58] does her solo

[2:09:59] when these

[2:10:00] two fucking

[2:10:00] nutsacks

[2:10:01] sitting behind

[2:10:02] me

[2:10:02] at once

[2:10:03] like right

[2:10:04] in the final

[2:10:05] scene of the

[2:10:05] movie one

[2:10:06] of the guys

[2:10:06] like this

Dan McCoy

[2:10:07] is going to

[2:10:08] be the next

[2:10:08] rocky horror

[2:10:09] picture show

Stuart Wellington

[2:10:11] not if you're

[2:10:12] fucking there

[2:10:12] dude

Elliott Kalan

[2:10:13] you want to

[2:10:15] see it when

[2:10:16] you're laughing

[2:10:16] and someone

[2:10:17] behind you

[2:10:17] goes show

[2:10:18] Skimble Shanks

[2:10:18] some respect

Dan McCoy

[2:10:19] no but I

[2:10:21] yeah I came

[2:10:22] to a realization

[2:10:22] I'm just like

[2:10:23] you know I

[2:10:24] could see this

[2:10:24] movie again

[2:10:25] and again

[2:10:25] I kind of

[2:10:26] want to own

[2:10:27] it when it

[2:10:27] comes out

[2:10:28] I want to

Natalie Walker

[2:10:29] watch all of

[2:10:30] the special

[2:10:30] features

[2:10:31] I want the

[2:10:31] commentary

[2:10:32] I want

[2:10:32] everything

[2:10:33] you want that

Dan McCoy

[2:10:34] criterion

Natalie Walker

[2:10:35] collection

[2:10:35] yes I want

[2:10:36] to consume

[2:10:36] everything about

[2:10:37] this

[2:10:37] there like

[2:10:38] there will be

[2:10:39] moments where

[2:10:40] I'm going

[2:10:40] about my day

[2:10:41] and just images

[2:10:42] from this movie

[2:10:43] pop into my

[2:10:44] head and it

[2:10:44] just makes

[2:10:45] my whole day

[2:10:46] when I think

[2:10:47] about Skimble Shanks

[2:10:48] spinning into

[2:10:49] dust it makes

[2:10:50] me laugh so

[2:10:51] much I will

[2:10:52] just be

[2:10:54] into the

[2:10:55] fell when I

[2:10:55] like the way

[2:10:56] that I could

[2:10:57] not get through

[2:10:57] it even on

[2:10:58] this podcast

[2:10:58] there was like

[2:10:59] a whole day

[2:11:00] where out of

[2:11:00] nowhere I

[2:11:01] started thinking

[2:11:02] about it on

[2:11:03] the street and

[2:11:04] I had to

[2:11:05] stop and get

[2:11:06] into like I

[2:11:07] crouched down

[2:11:09] in the middle

[2:11:09] of the sidewalk

[2:11:10] because it was

[2:11:11] making me laugh

[2:11:13] so hard

[2:11:13] classic Manhattan

[2:11:14] moment

[2:11:15] it's truly just

[2:11:16] like the most

[2:11:17] joy that I

[2:11:18] can possibly

[2:11:19] have

[2:11:20] there's something

Elliott Kalan

[2:11:20] about this

[2:11:21] it's like

[2:11:22] seeing cats

[2:11:23] is the first

[2:11:23] time I really

[2:11:24] felt like I

[2:11:24] understand the

[2:11:24] characters in

[2:11:25] Ringu where

[2:11:26] it's like oh

[2:11:26] yeah they saw

[2:11:27] something and

[2:11:28] it infested

[2:11:28] their brain and

[2:11:29] they can't deal

[2:11:30] with anything

[2:11:30] like stumbling

Stuart Wellington

[2:11:31] out of that

[2:11:32] theater I was

[2:11:32] like how do I

[2:11:34] just go on

[2:11:35] and do normal

[2:11:36] stuff like it's

[2:11:37] so boring

[2:11:37] I mean yeah

Dan McCoy

[2:11:43] that's cats

[2:11:44] guys

[2:11:48] I have a

[2:11:49] it feels

[2:11:49] kind of

[2:11:50] anticlimactic

[2:11:50] but it does

[2:11:51] sort of tie

[2:11:51] into musical

[2:11:52] theater

[2:11:53] what

Elliott Kalan

[2:11:54] she says

[2:11:56] she also

[2:11:57] has a

[2:11:58] that ties in

[2:11:59] as well

[2:11:59] it's not

[2:11:59] five recommendations

[2:12:01] for cats

Dan McCoy

[2:12:02] I just can't

[2:12:03] remember having

Jenny Jaffe

[2:12:04] ever seen

[2:12:04] another movie

Dan McCoy

[2:12:05] I would like

[2:12:07] to recommend

[2:12:07] there's a

[2:12:09] documentary called

[2:12:10] best worst

[2:12:11] thing that could

[2:12:12] have happened

[2:12:12] is that your

[2:12:13] is that literally my

Natalie Walker

[2:12:14] holy shit

[2:12:15] it's a perfect

[2:12:15] title for this

[2:12:17] movie as well

Dan McCoy

[2:12:18] well we can

[2:12:19] talk about it

[2:12:19] sort of in

[2:12:20] tandem

[2:12:21] you know it's

[2:12:22] about the

[2:12:23] production the

[2:12:24] original production

[2:12:25] of merrily we

[2:12:26] roll along the

[2:12:27] Stephen Sondheim

[2:12:28] musical that

[2:12:29] legendarily

[2:12:30] closed it was

[2:12:31] like six days

[2:12:32] or eight days

Natalie Walker

[2:12:33] yeah yeah

[2:12:34] and it was in

[2:12:35] 1981 so it's

[2:12:36] coming off of

[2:12:37] the huge success

[2:12:38] of Sweeney Todd

[2:12:39] it was him and

[2:12:40] Hal Prince

[2:12:40] this movie basically

[2:12:41] like destroyed

[2:12:42] their working

[2:12:42] relationship

[2:12:43] this musical

[2:12:44] basically destroyed

[2:12:45] their working

[2:12:46] relationship for a

[2:12:47] little bit it was

[2:12:47] like a really

[2:12:48] personal loss for

[2:12:49] Hal Prince because

[2:12:49] his daughter was

[2:12:50] in it he cast

[2:12:51] his daughter in

[2:12:51] this cast

[2:12:52] because it's

[2:12:53] this musical

[2:12:54] that goes

[2:12:57] backward in

[2:12:57] time and

[2:12:58] sort of long

[2:13:00] before the last

[2:13:00] five years and

[2:13:01] like especially

[2:13:02] before that

[2:13:05] became like a

[2:13:06] more popular

[2:13:06] structure for

[2:13:08] most like

[2:13:09] movies and

[2:13:10] musicals but

[2:13:11] it was a

[2:13:13] colossal failure

[2:13:14] and because

[2:13:15] you're supposed

[2:13:16] to be tracking

[2:13:16] the trajectory

[2:13:17] backwards of

[2:13:18] this group of

[2:13:19] friends and you

[2:13:20] meet them when

[2:13:21] they're these

[2:13:21] like unbelievably

[2:13:23] bitter cynical

[2:13:24] middle-aged

[2:13:26] people and then

[2:13:27] you go backwards

[2:13:29] so the finale of

[2:13:30] the show is

[2:13:30] meeting them as

[2:13:30] these like bright

[2:13:31] eyed bushy

[2:13:32] tailed college

[2:13:34] kids but the

[2:13:36] conceit of the

[2:13:36] show they cast

[2:13:38] all of these like

[2:13:39] 20 year olds

[2:13:39] because they

[2:13:40] cast it like

[2:13:41] it was gonna

[2:13:41] start when

[2:13:42] they're 20 and

[2:13:43] so then the

[2:13:44] show began with

[2:13:45] seeing 20 year

[2:13:46] olds in like

[2:13:47] drawn on

[2:13:49] wrinkles like

[2:13:50] old person

[2:13:51] cosplay like

[2:13:52] doing this

[2:13:53] stuff and it

[2:13:55] just is such a

[2:13:56] failure but the

[2:13:57] lead guy also

[2:14:00] had like

[2:14:00] filmmaker

[2:14:01] aspirations and

[2:14:02] thought this was

[2:14:03] gonna be a huge

[2:14:03] deal so he took a

[2:14:04] ton of behind

[2:14:06] the scenes footage

[2:14:07] during the

[2:14:07] rehearsal process

[2:14:08] yeah and you

Dan McCoy

[2:14:09] may know you

[2:14:10] may know the

[2:14:10] director of this

[2:14:11] film as the

[2:14:13] guy who wants

[2:14:14] to be a

[2:14:16] Broadway producer

[2:14:17] in the Muppets

[2:14:18] take Manhattan

[2:14:18] the the human

[2:14:20] being male lead

[2:14:22] in that movie

[2:14:23] not Daphne Coleman

[2:14:23] no but the

Elliott Kalan

[2:14:25] he said human

[2:14:26] being Elliot

Dan McCoy

[2:14:27] but yeah he's a

[2:14:28] coal man

[2:14:29] but the thing

[2:14:29] about this

[2:14:29] but the thing

[2:14:30] about the

[2:14:31] documentary is

[2:14:32] because these

[2:14:33] people were

[2:14:33] basically kids

[2:14:34] when they're

[2:14:34] a cast

[2:14:37] like they're

[2:14:38] old people now

[2:14:38] looking back on

[2:14:39] their career and

[2:14:40] looking back on

[2:14:40] this experience

[2:14:41] it's like the

[2:14:42] it's flipping

[2:14:43] the musical

[2:14:45] you know it's

[2:14:46] it's not you

[2:14:47] know young people

[2:14:48] playing old people

[2:14:49] looking back

[2:14:49] it's old people

[2:14:50] actually looking

[2:14:51] back at the

[2:14:51] time that they're

[2:14:52] young people

[2:14:52] playing old people

[2:14:53] looking back

[2:14:54] and so there's

[2:14:55] all this like

[2:14:55] genuine you

[2:14:57] know emotional

[2:14:58] feeling about the

[2:14:59] way time passes

[2:14:59] and what it

[2:15:00] means and also

[2:15:01] it's interesting to

[2:15:01] see like they're

[2:15:03] very successful

[2:15:04] people in the

[2:15:04] cast Jason

[2:15:05] Alexander was

[2:15:06] in the cast

[2:15:06] John Carlo

Elliott Kalan

[2:15:07] Esposito was

[2:15:08] in the yeah

Dan McCoy

[2:15:08] another people

[2:15:10] who for whom

[2:15:10] this kind of

[2:15:11] was a dead

[2:15:11] end in their

[2:15:12] career and

[2:15:13] both of those

[2:15:15] groups of people

[2:15:16] have major

[2:15:17] regrets about

[2:15:18] their lives and

[2:15:19] it's sort of

[2:15:19] in a depressing

[2:15:20] way like it

[2:15:21] shows that you

[2:15:23] know you can

[2:15:24] do anything

[2:15:25] with your life

[2:15:25] and still kind

[2:15:26] of look back

[2:15:27] on these things

[2:15:28] with regret

[2:15:28] but still also

[2:15:30] you know have

[2:15:30] wonderful memories

[2:15:34] yeah even if

Elliott Kalan

[2:15:35] you're all alone

[2:15:35] in the moonlight

[2:15:36] yeah

Natalie Walker

[2:15:36] no it's just

[2:15:38] great it's just

[2:15:39] great I'm also

[2:15:40] I'm so glad that

[2:15:41] that was yours

[2:15:42] too

[2:15:42] that's funny

[2:15:43] it's a really

[2:15:43] good one it's

[2:15:44] available to watch

[2:15:44] on Netflix

[2:15:45] anytime

[2:15:46] it's really

[2:15:47] really excellent

[2:15:49] and heartbreaking

[2:15:50] and also the

[2:15:51] score of

[2:15:51] merrily we roll

[2:15:52] along is great

[2:15:52] so there is a

[2:15:54] very good song

[2:15:54] for you and

[2:15:55] merrily we roll

[2:15:56] along Elliot

[2:15:56] you would do a

[2:15:57] very good

[2:15:57] Franklin Shepard

[2:15:58] Inc

Jenny Jaffe

[2:15:58] he would be

[2:15:59] an awesome

[2:16:00] Franklin Shepard

[2:16:01] Inc

[2:16:01] I've been saying

Elliott Kalan

[2:16:01] it for years

[2:16:02] I love

[2:16:03] merrily

[2:16:04] it's one of

[2:16:05] those shows

[2:16:05] that I've

[2:16:05] always been

[2:16:06] meaning to

[2:16:06] like listen

[2:16:06] to music

[2:16:07] and I just

[2:16:07] haven't

[2:16:07] it was one

Jenny Jaffe

[2:16:08] of my high

[2:16:08] school year

[2:16:09] book quotes

Natalie Walker

[2:16:09] I was

[2:16:11] deeply

[2:16:12] unpopular

[2:16:12] no it was

[2:16:13] one of mine

[2:16:14] what a time

[2:16:15] to be starting

[2:16:15] out what a

[2:16:16] time to be

[2:16:16] alive

Dan McCoy

[2:16:17] I like that

[2:16:18] song very

[2:16:19] much and I

[2:16:21] saw what I

[2:16:23] think is a

[2:16:23] pretty good

[2:16:23] production of

[2:16:24] the musical

[2:16:25] recently but

[2:16:27] I don't really

[2:16:28] like the musical

[2:16:29] that much despite

[2:16:30] liking a lot

[2:16:31] of Sondheim's

[2:16:32] stuff but like

[2:16:33] but the documentary

[2:16:34] on it like

[2:16:35] made me appreciate

[2:16:36] it a lot more

Natalie Walker

[2:16:37] absolutely I also

[2:16:38] recommend the

[2:16:39] there's a video

[2:16:40] of Rala Esparza

[2:16:41] doing Franklin

[2:16:42] Shepard Inc

[2:16:42] that is I think

[2:16:43] the best version

[2:16:44] I think you'll

Jenny Jaffe

[2:16:45] relate to it

[2:16:46] because it's

[2:16:46] about somebody

[2:16:46] who cannot

[2:16:47] stand their

[2:16:47] writing partner

[2:16:48] and that's

[2:16:49] very much our

[2:16:49] relationship

Elliott Kalan

[2:16:50] finally someone's

[2:16:52] put my thoughts

[2:16:52] and feelings

[2:16:53] into words and

Stuart Wellington

[2:16:54] music yeah

[2:16:55] outside of I

[2:16:56] don't know when

[2:16:57] it comes to my

[2:16:57] recommendation this

[2:16:59] week outside of

[2:17:00] Disney Plus's

[2:17:01] Encore I don't

[2:17:02] have much musical

[2:17:03] theater related

[2:17:04] but I really want

[2:17:05] to see that

[2:17:06] Stuart we have

[2:17:07] to do it's

[2:17:07] great it's

Natalie Walker

[2:17:08] great between

[2:17:09] younger the last

[2:17:11] time we'll do

[2:17:12] our younger

Stuart Wellington

[2:17:12] podcast and

[2:17:13] then our

[2:17:14] Encore podcast

[2:17:14] I'm going to

[2:17:16] recommend a

[2:17:17] classic Stuart

[2:17:19] movie I'm going

[2:17:19] to recommend the

[2:17:20] 2019 remake of

[2:17:22] the movie Black

[2:17:23] Christmas

[2:17:23] this is a

[2:17:26] you know the

[2:17:27] original Black

[2:17:28] Christmas was a

[2:17:29] foundational slasher

[2:17:30] movie it was

[2:17:31] remade back in

[2:17:32] what like 2001

[2:17:33] or two and it

[2:17:34] was recently

[2:17:35] remade it was

[2:17:36] co-written by

[2:17:37] a friend of the

[2:17:38] Flophouse and

[2:17:39] Max Fun alum

[2:17:40] April Wolf it

[2:17:42] is a kind of a

[2:17:43] modern take on

[2:17:45] the sorority

[2:17:46] slasher it's

[2:17:47] fun it's gross

[2:17:49] and it provides

[2:17:51] like a different

[2:17:52] perspective on

[2:17:54] that kind of a

[2:17:54] horror movie I

[2:17:55] don't want to go

[2:17:56] too into the

[2:17:56] plot and I

[2:17:57] also recommend

[2:17:58] not watching the

[2:17:58] trailer because it

[2:17:59] kind of goes too

[2:17:59] into the plot but

[2:18:00] if you get a

[2:18:01] chance if you

[2:18:02] like horror movies

[2:18:03] and you also are

[2:18:05] interested in

[2:18:06] watching horror

[2:18:06] movies from a

[2:18:07] female perspective

[2:18:08] I would totally

[2:18:09] check out Black

[2:18:10] Christmas anyone

[2:18:13] else or just

Elliott Kalan

[2:18:14] cats Jenny do

[2:18:15] you have a

[2:18:16] sincerely just

[2:18:17] cats okay

[2:18:18] that's two for

[2:18:19] cats yeah all

Stuart Wellington

[2:18:20] right I feel

[2:18:20] like just cats

[2:18:21] is underselling

[2:18:23] it Dan oh

[2:18:24] I mean I

[2:18:25] only it was

[2:18:27] my theater

Dan McCoy

[2:18:27] experience of

[2:18:29] the decade

Jenny Jaffe

[2:18:30] just while it's

[2:18:32] still in theaters

[2:18:32] go in theaters

[2:18:33] have that

Elliott Kalan

[2:18:34] experience the

[2:18:35] image that was

[2:18:35] on all the ads

[2:18:36] and the posters

[2:18:37] is like these

[2:18:38] two cat's eyes

[2:18:39] and the pupils

[2:18:39] are people

[2:18:40] dancing and

[2:18:41] it's like I

[2:18:41] feel like that's

[2:18:42] what my eyes

[2:18:43] must look like

[2:18:43] all the time

[2:18:44] it's just cats

[2:18:44] dancing in them

[2:18:45] constantly I

[2:18:46] want to go

Natalie Walker

[2:18:46] again it was

[2:18:47] like a ride

[2:18:47] yes oh also

[2:18:48] please watch

[2:18:49] there's a

[2:18:50] commercial for

[2:18:51] the Broadway

[2:18:52] production of

[2:18:52] cats where

[2:18:52] they did like

[2:18:53] a tie-in

[2:18:54] against drunk

[2:18:55] driving and

[2:18:57] it's all the

[2:18:57] cats warning

[2:18:58] people against

[2:18:59] drunk driving

[2:19:01] like if you're

[2:19:02] a drunk driver

[2:19:02] you could kill

[2:19:03] a child a

[2:19:04] child a child

[2:19:05] please don't

[2:19:06] let a child

[2:19:07] be just a

[2:19:08] memory

[2:19:10] like it literally

[2:19:11] comes in

[2:19:12] it's insane

[2:19:13] and I hope

[2:19:14] that you do

[2:19:14] that as the

[2:19:15] play out of

[2:19:16] this because

[2:19:16] really just the

[2:19:17] audio even

[2:19:18] will give it

[2:19:19] to you

[2:19:19] it's incredible

[2:19:21] it's incredible

[2:19:22] everything related

[2:19:22] to cats is my

[2:19:23] life now

[2:19:24] cats is my

[2:19:24] god and my

[2:19:25] disease

Dan McCoy

[2:19:25] we'll quickly

[2:19:30] do some

[2:19:30] you know just

[2:19:32] plugging to the

[2:19:33] show in the

[2:19:33] network before

[2:19:34] saying goodbye

[2:19:35] to everyone

[2:19:36] and thanking

[2:19:37] our guests

[2:19:37] but you know

[2:19:38] go to

[2:19:39] maximumfun.org

[2:19:40] listen to the

[2:19:41] other shows

[2:19:42] on our network

[2:19:43] they're all

[2:19:44] wonderful

[2:19:44] like I don't

[2:19:45] know

[2:19:45] switchblade

[2:19:46] sisters

[2:19:46] yeah do it

[2:19:47] April wolf

[2:19:47] who shot you

[2:19:48] yeah other

[2:19:50] movie podcasts

[2:19:51] if that's your

[2:19:52] thing man

[2:19:53] go to

[2:19:55] iTunes

[2:19:56] you know

[2:19:57] give us a

[2:19:58] good review

[2:19:59] we hope

[2:19:59] tweet about

[2:20:00] us

[2:20:01] tweet about

[2:20:01] cats like

[2:20:02] I've been

[2:20:02] doing for

[2:20:03] the past

[2:20:03] two weeks

[2:20:04] you know

[2:20:06] leave a nice

Stuart Wellington

[2:20:07] review for us

[2:20:07] on iTunes

[2:20:08] why not

[2:20:09] and we should

Elliott Kalan

[2:20:11] thank our two

[2:20:12] guests

[2:20:12] oh yeah

[2:20:12] Jenny Jaffe

[2:20:14] and Natalie

[2:20:14] Walker

[2:20:14] our great

[2:20:16] editor is

[2:20:17] Jordan Cowling

[2:20:17] we are a

[2:20:18] product of

[2:20:19] us on the

[2:20:20] Maximum Fun

[2:20:20] Network

[2:20:20] as Dan said

[2:20:21] listen to

[2:20:21] those

[2:20:22] and

[2:20:23] oh guys

[2:20:25] I hate to

[2:20:25] break it to

[2:20:25] you

[2:20:26] but

[2:20:26] what were you

[2:20:28] going to say

[2:20:28] Dan

Dan McCoy

[2:20:28] I wanted to

[2:20:30] extend our

[2:20:31] guests a bit

[2:20:32] more of a

[2:20:32] fulsome

[2:20:33] thank you

[2:20:33] for being

[2:20:34] on the

[2:20:35] show

[2:20:35] because it

[2:20:35] would not

[2:20:36] usually you

[2:20:37] don't even

[2:20:37] want to

[2:20:37] introduce

[2:20:37] it would

[2:20:38] not be

[2:20:38] surprised

[2:20:39] we would

[2:20:39] not have

[2:20:40] had

Stuart Wellington

[2:20:40] yeah I

[2:20:41] hand you

[2:20:41] their

[2:20:41] credits

[2:20:42] and you

[2:20:42] throw it

[2:20:43] in the

[2:20:43] garbage

Dan McCoy

[2:20:43] we would

[2:20:44] not have

[2:20:44] had such

[2:20:45] a fun

[2:20:45] time

[2:20:46] nor would

[2:20:46] have been

[2:20:47] such a

[2:20:47] good show

[2:20:48] without

[2:20:49] Natalie

[2:20:49] and Jenny

[2:20:50] do you

[2:20:50] guys have

[2:20:51] anything you

[2:20:52] want to

[2:20:52] plug before

[2:20:53] we sign

[2:20:54] off

Elliott Kalan

[2:20:54] no

[2:20:55] truly just

[2:20:56] the movie

[2:20:56] cats

[2:20:57] just

[2:20:58] spreading the

[2:20:59] gospel

[2:21:00] cats

[2:21:00] well guys

[2:21:02] I unfortunately

[2:21:03] have to go

[2:21:04] I was

[2:21:04] chosen as

[2:21:05] the

[2:21:05] jellicle

[2:21:06] choice

[2:21:06] no

[2:21:07] you

[2:21:07] you're

[2:21:09] the

[2:21:09] worst

[2:21:09] yeah I'm

[2:21:12] Elliot the

[2:21:13] culturally

[2:21:14] Jewish cat

[2:21:14] I have

[2:21:16] there's been

[2:21:17] a hot air

[2:21:18] balloon with a

[2:21:18] chandelier under

[2:21:19] it waiting for

[2:21:19] me

[2:21:19] there's gotta be

[2:21:20] some kind of

[2:21:20] you're just

Dan McCoy

[2:21:22] batting at a

[2:21:22] dreidel

[2:21:23] putting it under

[2:21:26] the sofa

[2:21:26] you have the

[2:21:28] curls

[2:21:29] yeah

[2:21:30] oh wow

[2:21:31] wow

Elliott Kalan

[2:21:32] yeah we've

[2:21:32] really we've

[2:21:33] really figured

[2:21:33] out this

[2:21:33] Jewish cat

[2:21:34] um but I

Dan McCoy

[2:21:37] guess that's

[2:21:38] it guys

[2:21:38] yeah

[2:21:39] thanks for

[2:21:40] cats is

[2:21:41] coming out

[2:21:41] forever

[2:21:41] this is it

[2:21:42] oh sorry

Stuart Wellington

[2:21:43] I've been

[2:21:44] Dan McCord

[2:21:44] I've been

[2:21:45] Stuart

[2:21:45] Wellington

[2:21:46] and I'm

[2:21:48] Elliot Kalin

[2:21:48] the ending

[2:21:49] the show

[2:21:49] cat

[2:21:50] see ya

[2:21:52] bye

[2:21:53] bye

Elliott Kalan

[2:21:53] now

[2:21:54] Macavity

[2:21:56] ineffable

[2:21:57] magic

[2:21:59] all the

Stuart Wellington

[2:22:13] sky is dark

[2:22:14] for all the

[2:22:14] stars are in

[2:22:15] flophouse

[2:22:16] theater

[2:22:16] maximumfun.org

Dan McCoy

[2:22:30] comedy and

[2:22:31] culture

S6

[2:22:31] artist owned

[2:22:32] audience supported

Ep. #302 - Cats

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