Stranger Things, Movie Critiques, and a Secret Episode? (Hour 2)

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Broadcasting live from the Civic Media Studios in Green Bay, this is Night Light with Peach Wabba.

Your inside source on everything entertainment from Wisconsin to Hollywood.

A guy who considers a silver medal, a participation award, Pete Schwabba.

All

right.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to hour number two of tonight's episode of Nightlight, starring me, Pete Schwabba, and the kid, Conrad Krieger, who is on the other side of the class.

If you missed the first...

I would say the first hour, the first episode, the first show.

We had a rip-roaring good time.

We were very proud of ourselves.

I did not make a joke about Wednesday being hump day.

We acknowledged hump day, but I will not lower myself to do like a, someone's got a case of the Mondays style joke for hump day, because that would just be rude.

But we are barreling through this show and we talked about friendly cities in Wisconsin.

That was fun, right, Con?

Yeah, Gotham number one Gotham, Wisconsin.

Well, wait a minute.

Is there a Gotham, Wisconsin?

Yes, there is.

Yeah, I think we've talked about this.

Where is it?

I'm a more middle kind of central Wisconsin.

It's unincorporated, I believe.

Okay.

I drove, you know, you drive through it a couple of times if you go.

I can't think of if you're going from Green Bay to Los or something or no farther

out.

But

yeah, it's I mean, every time I go through it, I'm just like, where's Batman?

You know,

was the real Gotham.

I need to see, I need to

see the

Joker and Batman.

I'm sure they've never heard that joke before either, by the way.

No, definitely not.

You should make that every time you stop there for gas or, hey, where's Batman?

Oh, that's great.

We never heard that

before.

It would be cool if the one, the one.

Like, because there's not that many buildings, you know,

it's

incorporated.

The one bar was actually like just a Batman bar.

The Batcave.

It would be hilarious.

It would

be

fantastic.

We talked to our friend, Melissa Kay, who told us all about the theater community in Central Wisconsin over there in Wisconsin Rapids, and about an issue trying to, as the news director there, she tries to engage people and get them

kind of find out where they are on local issues.

We talked about a few things going on in Central Wisconsin.

It was great to catch up with Melissa.

Coming up at 6.35 after the news, Milwaukee film critic Matt Miller will be here.

We'll talk about award shows.

Oscar nominations are coming out next week after the Golden Globes, which take place this weekend.

We'll talk about all of that with Matt and what to expect.

I think this is fun.

I like trying to predict what's going to win, which films will be nominated, because in my opinion, that is kind of a win.

And that'll be fun to talk about with Matt.

He's also seen quite a few films that I haven't.

So we'll talk to him about that as well.

We rarely have Matt and Rob on back to back.

So I'm going to try to cover some things with Matt that we did not cover with Rob last night.

But you know what I saw?

I saw the new Knives Out movie.

What'd you think?

I liked it a lot.

I think it's my favorite.

I would agree with that.

And I liked the first Knives Out.

The second one I was dozing.

It wasn't like it was bad.

It was just I just didn't hold my interest that much

the second one to me was more of like Let's try to make them laugh in this film.

Yeah, instead of actually having like a really good mystery,

right?

And I mean exactly that that was my least favorite like

I

got I got bored of it The beginning of it was hilarious.

I'll give him that like they caught my attention a little

bit the second

one right dragged after that.

Yeah, but the third one

that one was so good

It's great.

I love the whole Catholic angle was well done, I thought.

I love that actor.

I can't think of his name at the moment, but he was in Challengers as one of the tennis players.

Not what escapes me, but Daniel Craig was great.

Not Meryl Streep, but Glenn Close was outstanding in it.

It was a really fun movie.

So I like that and maybe I'm gonna see if Matt has watched that movie too and see what he thought about it.

But we'll talk to Matt at 635 Movies and award shows that'll be fun and then in hour number three writer comedian actor Daniel Keaney will be here We are gonna talk about a few things but we're gonna really dive into Albert Brooks and some of our favorite Albert Brooks movies Albert Brooks movies so if you if you're a fan of Albert Brooks or

just comedy from probably the last generation right before mine.

That will be a fun conversation.

Albert Brooks grew up, Rob Reiner was his best friend growing up.

Carl Reiner obviously was Rob Reiner's dad.

So Albert Brooks grew up around that.

Albert Brooks's brother was named, his real name was Bob Einstein, but he went by Super Dave Osborn.

Albert Brooks, Albert Brooks's father was a comedian.

who went by Park Your Carcass, I believe, and died at a roast in Beverly Hills.

So he's been around show business his whole life, and he parodies it very well.

And even when he's not parodying show business, his comedies are top notch.

So we'll talk about that with Danielle.

She's a big Alper Brooks fan as well.

And there's your show.

Our question of the night.

I think we should just reintroduce the con.

Let's quit messing around here.

The kidding around is pretty much over.

Here's the nightlight question of the night.

Let's talk about the question.

Okay, question.

Question.

Question.

Pregunta.

Question.

Question.

Okay, I have a question.

Questions.

This question.

Domanda.

Question.

Question.

It's a statement.

I admit tonight's question is a statement of the night.

Name an actor or celebrity whose fame you just don't understand.

8-5-5-7-5-2-4-8-4-2-8-5-5-7-5 Civic.

Let us know on the text line or on the app, or if you're watching the radio on the stream at YouTube, Facebook, or X. Tell us who's fame you just don't understand.

And we'll read it on the radio.

Great fun.

We've got a lot of texts we've got to get to, don't we?

Yes, we're actually getting a lot of texts about Gotham.

I saw that on the stream.

Casey James.

I was thinking about a different...

town name in Wisconsin between in Wapaka

area.

So, and it's, it's, um, embarrassed.

It's the other town name I was thinking about.

Then I drove through it.

Yeah.

So it's not where I was thinking about.

Okay.

And Gotham is close to Richland center.

Now that I'm looking at the text line

here, go thumb.

That's a big hitchhiker town, right?

So do you got to make sure you say go thumb?

There's no be on thumb.

It's go-thumb.

This is Casey James on the stream saying west of spring green Gotham not like Batman So are you thinking of a different town or is the town you were thinking

of?

I was thinking because I have gone through Gotham before But the city I was thinking about between Green Bay and And what can I think of?

Yes, yeah,

yeah, okay, so

you have a different time,

but yeah, it's not named Gotham though.

No, okay

Okay, well.

Do we get this now?

This

is

a topographical nightmare.

Casey, thank you for the information.

And Lil' Irv on the stream says it's between Spring Green and Richland Center.

Nightlight listeners, ladies and gentlemen, when it comes to geography in our state, they

don't mess

around.

Yeah.

And Lil' Irv did say, did say hi, Sid.

So he didn't leave you hanging, Sid.

He's out there.

Jim from Appleton in the 920 says Christmas tree.

Wait a minute.

Am I going back to yesterday?

God, no wonder I thought I had so many texts.

There's like 400 texts here, but a lot of them from yesterday.

Yeah,

you are- This

is the, uh- Our first text tonight is from Jack from Merrimack, if you see that.

Alright, why don't you read that one while I get caught up here, buddy?

Well, he's- Jack from Merrimack said, I learned to cut my own hair during COVID and haven't been to a barber since.

Do the

beard

to $50.

Do the beard to for $50 with a complete rechargeable kit that continues to work perfectly.

If that makes it.

So he does the beard as well.

But if he doesn't go to a

rechargeable kit.

So he does it

himself.

It costs him a $50 to get that

kit.

Oh, I thought he was like charging himself $50.

Michael, that defeats the purpose.

That's how good he is,

you know?

He keeps the money in the house.

That's how good he is.

Right, exactly.

All right, that was Jack from Merrimack.

Brett from the 920 says, actually, that's not true.

Dallas hosted Philadelphia too.

What am I reading here, Conrad?

I think he's talking about... No, I think he's talking about...

The fact the fun fact maybe you shared.

Oh, yeah, but the Bears and the Packers Last game of the year, but but the stat was that the two teams Their last loss in the regular season were against each other the Bears last loss was to the Packers the Packers last loss was to the Bears I think now they're meeting the playoffs I think that was the statistic that has had never been

he's saying that they faced each other the last two weeks in a row which is weird they said that

Philadelphia must have won one and then Dallas won the other one.

Okay,

but I That's weird that they played back-to-back

sports trivia and Wisconsin geography.

That's you don't mess with listeners Okay, Terry in the 401 forces the Kardashians

Correct,

and then uh and I agree the fame you just don't understand Brett from Brown Deer

Could Kardashians, all of them?

How are they so, I don't think I've ever met anyone who likes the Kardashians and they have billions of followers and billions of dollars.

I love them.

Okay.

Okay.

You're the guy.

Christie in Eau Claire says, Tori Spelling.

That's a good one from Beverly Hills 90210.

Excellent Christie.

Nice to hear from you.

Thank you very much.

Brett says stole my answer.

So I'll go Trump.

I figure we hear a few of those.

Tom from Hartford in the 262 says,

Number five, Sheboygan.

But it wasn't number five.

Sheboygan was not on

the list.

Yeah.

But Sheboygan's a good

town.

Maybe he thinks they're friendlier.

But is it a friendly town?

Yeah, I think people in Sheboygan are friendly.

And Tom says, happier on the water.

Yeah, that could be.

Monica in the 608 says, Mark Wahlberg.

Kind of with you there,

Monica.

Yeah, I was going to say, you definitely agree.

I do.

And it's not that I don't think he's talentless.

I just think he's one note.

Monica says, I also have hair that is hard to mess up because it's curly, unruly, yet several have taken the challenge and failed badly.

I pay $20.99 for a haircut in Madison at Simple Cuts.

They're awesome.

Also, you called me a pistol the other night.

You're right.

My grandma used to call my siblings and I pistols or piss ants.

What's a worse or better thing to be called?

I don't know.

Pistols, someone that, you know, they're not afraid to say stuff.

They're brash or bold.

I think that's a good one.

Pissance doesn't sound.

That doesn't sound as flat.

That

sounds bad.

It does sound bad.

But I'm glad you're okay with that, Monica.

Thank you.

And you are a pistol.

Steve from Florida, Conrad's dad says the Kardashians have proven through the years to not have any talent but are considered celebrities.

And that's kind of what I said too.

I understand their fame a little bit because they're outrageous, but I

They're their talent.

I don't think they're talented.

I agree with your dad once again Conrad.

I don't you know they have a lot of talent

John Murray you guys can talk this over off the air John Murray in the six away says last month It was Kim Kardashian But now after witness after witnessing her remarkable acting abilities in her new show.

It's Kim Kardashian Well done John John says my god I get why Kanye liked her because he's a lunatic but anyone else why promotes such activity

Well said.

Tom at Hartford in the 262 says, I have a 2005 Sony 27-inch Trinitron that needs a converter.

What is this?

A swap meet here or Facebook marketplace we doing here, Tom?

Tom's listening to Nightlight hoping to pick up a new tube.

A 2005 Sony 27-inch Trinitron that needs a converter.

Con, see if you can help him out.

I don't know such

technology.

Let's get a side hustle going here.

Jules Smith from Cross Plains is going to have to check out this time.

Going to have to check out this time team.

That was the show that Melissa was talking about.

Melissa K. Oh, time team.

Yeah.

It did sound really cool.

He says, is it a precursor to Oak Island?

That I don't know.

Melissa from Willy Street says, hi, Pete.

Remember Dinkelman, who bombed a so bad on American Idol that he blasted Ryan Seacrest into stardom.

Shake my head now.

You can't change the channel without seeing his face.

He doesn't impress me at all Melissa never disappoints.

That's awesome stuff.

All right, we are gonna come back and Let's talk strange with things.

This is weird is this secret episode that everybody everybody is talking about

So we're

like an hour away.

Yeah, 40 minutes.

All right, we'll let you know about that folks and I'm gonna tell you my story about

Trying to cancel a hotel room too.

Oh, okay.

It's pretty frustrating So you don't want to miss that it's night light with peach wobble.

We're coming right back on the civic media

radio network

You're listening to Civic Media.

Stay up to date on the latest news and information for your local community and Wisconsin by signing up for our free email newsletter.

Visit civicmedia.us slash email to get

started.

I'm Pete Schwab, this is Nightlight, and you've got the Civic Media Radio Network back on the home court tonight here in Green Bay.

Conrad Krieger working the board, working our way through many texts.

I did not realize people would jump on this bandwagon as much as they did tonight, but outstanding texts because our question tonight is a statement, name an actor or celebrity whose fame you just don't understand.

So that's what we're talking about here.

Robert on social media says, DJ T.

Don Joseph Turnbull.

What could DJT possibly stand for?

I don't know.

I don't know.

I don't know.

Donnie T. Donald Trump.

Thank you, Robert.

Ross Bigley says, Fallon.

I can kind of see that.

I mean, he's not a bad host.

I just, you know, every time he went on, the second he was in a sketch on Saturday in life, he'd just start cracking up.

I just never, he never knocked my socks off.

I think he's a better host than he was on Saturday Night Live.

Conrad says, uh, well, go ahead, Conrad, you take

it.

Well, I read this, I didn't, you know, I read it this morning and I didn't, didn't fully read it.

He said actor.

Yeah.

But I just put, just thinking about anyone who's famous.

Right.

Anyone who got famous off of being on Dr. Phil.

Yeah.

Because those people really annoy me.

Is Dr. Oz, is

he a spawn of Dr. Phil?

I

don't know how about dr. Phil just just I guess yeah, I mean just I mean there's some people who would go on branch off to like After they're done with it.

Yeah,

and they mess these messed up problems or whatever They don't they just go and then they're just famous and go on to like a reality show

We have Oprah to thank for dr. Phil who every time somebody would say something that was he would just have attitude Yeah, I'm sure he's a doctor, but he's a you need to get out like

of a relationship or whatever.

It's like, come on, man, you're supposed to be a doctor.

You know, and I do think the Dr. Phil's show was staged as well, obviously.

But I don't think

people stage a production like that.

No, Daniel Wheeler says Pete Davidson.

That's a good one.

He says, apparently, I'm open to being educated, but it may be harder to prove than the Beale conjecture, which is like, I think that's like a really complicated math thing that I don't understand either.

So, there you go.

Thank you, Danny Wills.

Good to hear from you, buddy.

Tim Baker commented on Daniel's comment and said, he has never even made me smile.

Okay, that's a... And then Amanda Nimmer, WGVW producer, says, every single Kardashian.

Even Khloe?

Of course, Khloe.

Even Kylie?

Even Kylie.

Even the guy who nobody knows?

Sean Boyce on social media says, as an actor, Richard Benjamin.

That's interesting.

He says, total ham in every role.

I barely remember that guy.

Sean, nice pull.

Jay Campbell on social media says Keanu Reeves is the definition of mid.

Okay.

I could see why people think that.

I don't totally, I think in the right role, Keanu Reeves is really good, but there's somewhere he's...

I think he was hilarious in that new film that came out.

Good Forge.

I haven't seen it.

Is he good?

Yeah.

I thought it was funny.

He's good as, you know, John Wick for whatever you think of those movies, but I could see why...

Why one would think that?

David in the 608 says between Madison and La Crosse and Highway 14, talking about, of course, Gotham.

It's pronounced Gotham, not Gotham.

Boy, you really riled some people up tonight,

Conrad.

Gotham.

I'll never pronounce it the other way

now.

Monica from Mount Horam says Gotham is kind of like, I was kind of by Richland Center, but I believe they say it with a hard O, Gotham.

Everybody, listen, look at this text line.

Conrad is blowing up.

You've gone viral.

For a mispronunciation.

Go with them.

We got to have you get into the Oxford comma one night and just hear what people say Tony the trucker says Pete God.

That's the same thing another one.

Everybody telling us where Gotham is He says oops east of Richland Center John Murray says John I got a wall clipper 17 years ago and saves enough To buy a car last year in cash for haircuts.

That was our haircut talk

John's

a good

looking guy, but he spends a little money on his hair I remember meeting him at the screening that night last month And he meant to say Conrad He also says I'm not anti-barber or Pro Bowl But you can figure it out fast if you try I just don't want to try Tom and Hartford said Melissa has the only one TV that she does not use Okay, Tony the trucker Pete.

I don't understand will Ferrell's comedy just not funny to me

My dad is in that camp.

And, you know, everything is subjective, but that kind of surprises me a little bit.

Will Ferrell, I mean, but he's got his detractors.

As funny as some people think he is.

All right, Stranger Things, what do you think, Connor?

What are we doing here?

There's no, there's no secret episode.

And the reason is I don't think the Duffer brothers are that smart to do that.

Who started it?

Who started the rumor?

Well, you know, there's things of people to saying, well, it was too easy to kill Vecna.

Yeah,

it took two minutes.

Okay.

He graduated really early on.

Okay, Steve.

No, Steve is not Steve or the other dude.

Well, I can't think of his name.

All

right.

Anyways, when he graduated, it was orange.

And that was in like the early 50s or something like that.

And in this, in the sequence where the kids graduate,

it was

orange.

So they're saying maybe if Vecna has these kids under his curse and are playing a fun scenario in his head,

when really they're actually under his curse in his little cave.

And fans are saying this is the reason they're gonna have a secret, I mean there's definitely more reasons, the people, evidence that people have found.

This is just a basic one I found, but that there's gonna be a secret episode.

And I don't give the Duffer Brothers that enough credit because I didn't like the last season.

I don't think they're smart enough for that.

I don't think it would get out, even if they signed NDAs.

You would have heard about this.

Somebody would have slipped a news item to somebody and Hollywood is all about hyping stuff and the build-up and marketing.

Now, it's a little different with streaming.

You could put it out there and people would find it instantly because they just go by impressions and streams.

I don't think it's real either, but

we'll know

in about a half hour, and if it's real folks, we'll let you know.

This is Peach Wabba Nightlight coming right back with Milwaukee film critic Matt Miller on Nightlight with Peach

Wabba.

I'm Pete Schwab, and this is Nightlight.

Great to have you with me, folks.

It is a Wednesday night here as we broadcast statewide from beautiful downtown Green Bay.

Halfway through this, we are at the hump day of the show, Conrad.

That's true.

That is making a joke so I can say that I'm just not gonna make a joke I'm day because that would be beneath me But it is hump day and we are at the hump day part of the show halfway through and What's really exciting about that is my next guest joins us now over the stream.

He is a really excellent film critic who lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

One of our state's biggest cities also kind of

not the friendliest but

according to that list of course But he joins us now over the stream Milwaukee based film critic and our pal Matt Miller Matt welcome back Hello friends.

How are you happening always buddy?

How were your holidays?

It was lovely.

Yeah very relaxed very very chill

haven't done much, which is great.

Other

than watching all the movies, which is, you know, 10 out of 10 holiday for me.

Can't beat it.

I'm telling you, that's I was racking my brain and I watched so many movies between Christmas and New Year's.

I forgot a couple.

And I'm like, oh, yeah, I watched that.

So I'm excited to dive into all of that with you.

But I have to ask you, I'm sure you're aware of this rumor about Stranger Things and the secret episode that might be coming out.

It would make sense that there would be a secret episode.

If there's one thing we know about Netflix, it's that they will squeeze every drop out of franchise out of a lot of a moneymaker.

So I'm sure they've got some loose footage out there.

I'm sure they've got some stuff to squeeze some final stranger things out of it.

And I know, I don't, they have spinoffs planned too.

Like Netflix is not special.

Netflix is no different from any other studio.

They will, they will, you know, they will mill

This cow until the cow has no more milk and then they will chop the cow up into states And then they will use it to decorate the house, you know

That is really interesting Matt if they took because I was talking about this with my son and then with Conrad when I got here

For something like this to be pulled off and the non-disclosure agreements and shooting something and getting no one to talk about it would be really tough but what you said makes sense if they had a show they put together with clips that they didn't use or Footage that's laying around.

I guess that could happen And with Netflix or streamers you go for views within a certain time It's not about like because everything is marketing and you want that first weekend that opening weekend But if they if they roll this out, that's kind of genius in a way

Yeah, and it'll be interesting because honestly, I feel like they're in a little bit of salvage mode.

Like I feel

like the

vibe coming off of this final season is not exactly, you know, thrilled.

I feel like everyone's pretty kind of...

middling about this for now?

I will say, I checked out of Stranger Things in season, I believe, I think four, when they did their five and a half hour long final episode, and I got like two hours in and I was like, I'm done, man.

Like, life's too short to spend five and a half hours watching a Stephen King rip off, you know?

Like, I just, I needed something, you know, that was less consumptive.

And that's, you listen, a lot of people out there like Stranger Things.

It's not a badge.

I did not disenjoy my time.

I was just, you know, it's, it's not my thing particularly.

And I frankly, I don't think it's many of the actor's things that he bore

either.

Boy, that's a great point.

And I think you're right about that because like, I know, here's why I think some critics and, you know,

I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

We may have talked about this in the past.

I think critics are much more forgiving than they used to be 30 years ago.

I cannot believe some of the reviews things get, and critics like Stranger Things more than the fans by a wide margin.

The fans seem more savvy about this show than critics.

Which is

I think some of it is the access thing that a lot

of

critics right now a lot of Particularly, you know blog critics and stuff like that.

They play the access game on sure level So, you know, you don't want to be that harsh if you want to get the access to the Netflix stuff if you want to do interviews and things like that So you're you're gonna soft pedal on things of that nature If you have a reason to I think a lot of it too is just

a little bit of, you know, recency bias in some cases for critics, where, you know, it's interesting the stuff that I mean, I remember on the movie side of things, people loved...

Star Trek into darkness at the time critics did it has like an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes It is now considered easily one of the worst Star Trek movies And like especially amongst Star Trek fans So it's the strange thing where I think critics are not immune from being caught up in the moment of having this sensation of like ooh I'm watching the show.

I'm very excited about and and wanting to not be disappointed by it critics are just humans You know,

yeah, we

are fans like anyone else when we watch

the stuff.

And you got to make a living.

I get that.

And that's what happens when studios are owned by, you don't want to piss people off.

It's not like, you know, a studio is just a studio.

It's part of this company and this company.

They don't want bad press.

You know what I mean?

Well, and some of it too is, you know, fandoms too.

I mean, you see that with albums of pop stars and stuff like that, where no one wants to be too critical of the new Taylor Swift album or the new Beyonce album or the new Taylor Swift movie or Beyonce movie, because you know that you are going to be absolutely

absolutely swarmed on social media behind the fandom.

And I don't know if the Stranger Things fandom has that kind of, you know, that kind of aggressive following that would, you know, I mean, we saw it with the Avengers when, you know, the film, Scott from the New York Times dared to give the Avengers a middling review.

And it became the whole story.

It became Samuel Jackson went after him.

And it's like, you know,

It's all very silly.

Yeah.

And I love The Avengers, but it is not a movie that you can't say doesn't have some flaws with it.

Of course.

No movie.

Of course.

Yeah.

So what did you think of the results of the critics' choice awards?

It seems like the big winner was one battle after another, best, I think, adapted screenplay, picture director, sinners took home some awards.

Anything we can draw from or any surprises from that night?

Yeah, so I think the number one thing to take away from the Critics' Choice Awards is that they don't matter.

And what I mean by that is that no critic votes for the Academy Awards.

They're utterly and completely different bodies.

You know, the Academy is people in the industry.

It is, you know, actors, directors, producers, below the line people, agents, it's a whole world.

Critics is national critics.

There are two different groups of people.

It's the same reason why when the Golden Globes happened next weekend, nothing can really technically be ascertained from it because the people who vote for the Golden Globes are completely different from the people who vote for the Oscars.

What you can take is that winning is a good look.

It is good to stay in front of people's minds.

It is good to look like there is a following for you.

It is a good idea.

It is good.

It behooves you to look like a winner.

And one battle after another is kind of the favorite going into the season, and they didn't lose any steam.

They won Best Picture, they won Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson, they won Best Adapted Screenplay as well.

And you could say the critic's choice.

Might have been a more populist group of people and maybe that was a place sinners could have gained some ground and sinners really didn't do that much at all except for you know kind of the best newcomer and kind of below the line kind of Oscars I think if there is something interesting.

It's it's that the supporting categories are Totally a free-for-all.

I don't think anyone has any idea who's going to win there on Sunday night

Jacob Elordi won for Frankenstein and Amy Madigan won for weapons for playing the villain of weapons.

She was

great.

Which I don't think anyone was sitting there watching weapons this past fall thinking of themselves Oscars.

I'm watching an Oscar performance.

That's not an insult, but it's just not the kind of thing that the Oscars tend to go

for.

I didn't know it was Amy Madigan until like later in

the night.

It was like, wow, this is a really, really fun, colorful, great villain performance.

And then it's like, oh, wow, like.

the Oscar thing is really going to happen.

We've got a little bit of a the substance style genre

and

grace of this performance.

We'll see how far that can go.

You know, we'll see the she got to believe a Screen Actors Guild nomination or the Actors Award nomination today.

We'll see what kind of happens with some of the other awards, BAFTA and things of that nature.

But

No one really knows this because no one's confident.

There's no obvious plant the flag this person's do there's no obvious narrative It's just a lot of really good interesting performances.

Yeah,

so it'll be fun to see that play out.

It's a great point Matt Miller is my guest He's a Milwaukee based film critic who joins us here periodically one of our best chums here at nightlight and we love talking movies with Matt do you What do you think about

If you're I said this last I know your pals with Rob Thomas another really good film critic, but like great credit If you're if you're Ryan Coogler What do you have to do like sinners whether you like it or not?

It has every element of filmmaking in it.

I loved it I think one battle after another like better But man what a year because he seems like that movie seems built for the Oscars even if he didn't intend to do it that way

Yeah, and I think what's tricky about Sinners is that it is not the kind of movie that the Oscars tend to embrace.

They have more in recent years in the past 10 years or so.

Embrace a genre movie.

I mean, that is a movie that ends with 30 minutes of bloody vampire violence.

But it's incredibly crafted.

But the Oscars, for all their changes, can also be a real

Prove it's organizations still they can be this group that really wants you to earn your nomination And then to earn the win you saw that happen with Leo you saw that happen You've seen it happen a little bit with Timothy Shalamet.

You got say it happened with Sersha Ronan and Margot Robbie where it's like No, no, no, you got you got to earn you got to get the the clips on your card before you get your Oscar nomination because

If I'm correct, I don't believe, I think Kugler's been nominated once before for Black Panther, maybe?

Nominated, yeah, I think for Best, well,

I think- I think they entirely missed out for the most part on Creed other than Sylvester Stallone.

And then Michael B. Jordan, this would be his first nomination this year, which is crazy to think about because he's so good in Creed.

He's so good in Fruitvale Station.

He's so good in Black Panther.

This would be his first nomination as well.

I think you have this tough place right now where, you know, Sinners should be the artistic populist movie that the Oscars surround because, you know, it made this blockbuster money, but it's also this super creative vision that was embraced by audiences.

But then you also have one battle after another, which is a populist similar hit where, you know, audience is really embraced.

This auteur's vision for what a blockbuster can be.

So, and you have somebody who's maybe even more overdue, Paul Thomas Anderson, who is also, I don't believe, everyone an Oscar.

So, it's a tough year to be, and this is not a part of, this is also a part of it.

Both movies are Warner Brothers movies.

And

Warner

Brothers has tons of, they've got lots at their disposal, but at some point a studio has to pick a horse.

It's very hard to push a lot of movies for awards at the same time.

That's why Netflix tends to fall flat a lot of times.

That's why A24 movies, a lot of them fall by the wayside some years.

At some point Warner Brothers, I think they're going to start putting their chips on one battle after another because that's the one that's got the heat right

now.

Great point.

We've got about a minute before we have to do a break map, but what, you know, thumbnail sketch from you, aside from centers in one battle after another, what else do you see being nominated potentially for Best Picture?

For best picture, yes, sinners, one battle after another.

You're still gonna see Hamnet up there, the Zoey Chow movie, and I think Jesse Buckley's probably locked to win Best Actress there.

Marty Supreme had a very good showing at the actor award nominations this morning.

I would expect to see that there as well.

What you didn't see at the actor award nominations, but I think what you will see at the Oscar nominations is international movies.

I think you're going to see the secret agent, the Brazilian movie starring Agna Mora.

I think you're going to see it was just an accident in the Jafar Panahi Iranian movie.

I think you'll probably see maybe a no other choice getting in there.

You know, there's an embarrassment of riches in the international feature category and between

Getting absolutely ghosted by the SAG award nominations this year and then also the critics choice awards giving secret agent best international film on the red carpet before the show Like even worse than the Oscars.

We're

coming on

beforehand.

Hold that thought.

I think there

may be a movement that people are like.

We're coming right back with Matt Miller folks this

night.

You're listening to Civic Media.

Find the latest news, information, and archives of all your favorite shows on the Civic Media website, civicmedia.us.

Welcome back.

This is Pete Schwabba and Night Light.

It is great to have you here, folks.

Tonight's question is really a statement.

Name an actor or celebrity whose fame you just don't understand we'll play catch up on some text in just a moment But right now we've got a few more minutes with our pal Matt Miller who I rudely cut off before the break and you were on a roll dude So let's talk about some movies Matt because you've seen some of the ones I haven't I have to I'm sorry.

I'm starting with this, but I really want to see anaconda.

It just looks fun Maybe not Oscar nominated but

All these riches out in theaters right now and you're like, gotta get that anaconda.

I gotta see another Paul Rudd movie.

Yeah.

I wish I could tell you it's, it's worth your while.

Um, I did not have a great time with anaconda.

I laughed a little bit more than I thought I would.

But it's got a real problem where it either should be funnier than it is, or it should be scarier than it is.

And

it kind of falls into this kind of like middling middle ground.

And so you've got this very sweaty meta premise about, you know, guys who liked Anaconda go out into the jungle to film an Anaconda like home video, but then they end up in Anaconda.

It's it's the kind of thing that you could imagine Lord and Miller, the guys who did 21 Jump Street pulling off really

and unfortunately the guy who directed this and the writing, they're not on par with Lord and Miller.

Those guys are very good at what they do, but there's a reason why when you normal, when Hollywood has a bad idea for a movie, they give it to them because they can spin it into gold.

Other people, it kind of just turns into a bad idea.

All right, more locally.

song sung blue i still have not seen it i'm embarrassed uh what did you think

are you even allowed to be a wisconsinite if you haven't seen song sung blue yet

listen that's one of a hundred things i still need to do as a wisconsinite but um yeah

i haven't seen it it's worth your while i i will i it's the kind of movie that i can be very resistant to it's a very sentimental movie it's a very you know unapologetic

tear-jerker, you know, crowd-pleaser, but it's very effective.

It gets the job done.

I was kind of happy to see Kate Hudson get nominated this morning at the SEG, or the actor award nominations.

I think she's really good in the movie.

She really pops well.

I don't think this is just the Milwaukeean in Meethal.

I desperately wish they actually filmed some of the movie here in Milwaukee.

It is the kind of movie that needs a sense of place and flavor.

Oh, wow.

And I'm sorry, but Belushi doing a obvious Midwestern accent just isn't enough.

Like, I want to spend more time in the world, more depth in the world of Milwaukee State Fair cover bands and, you know, the world of these

kind of cover artists.

You want a little bit more depth, but I know they've got a lot of story to run through in this movie of tragedy and success and all of that stuff.

So I get why they had to remove some flavor for that, but that's the kind of stuff that makes a movie like this incredible.

So the difference between a movie like South Paw that no one remembers and The Fighter, which got nominated for Best Picture.

Boy, that's interesting.

I didn't realize that.

They filmed none of it in Milwaukee.

As far as I know they filmed none of it in Milwaukee I'll

look

that up at the very least during the break But I and I'll be honest doesn't look like Milwaukee that much.

Okay.

I I did not It did not have a sense of the place that I wanted as much.

I'm with you though, dude I think you know if

Why wouldn't you utilize the location as like almost a character?

I think especially a city like Milwaukee would really that seems

the answer to that is tax credits

Exactly well said and then avatar thoughts

Speaking of blue.

Yeah

I love the Avatar movies.

If you are not a fan of Avatar, this won't be the one that wins you over.

It's very similar to the last movie.

It's still very, you know, earnest in its Peter, not Peter Jackson, it's James Cameron bombastic way.

Nobody makes epic cinema like James Cameron.

No one makes a world that looks

that incredible and puts the care and dedication into every element of his world, all of the creatures, all of the characters.

I get all the issues people have with the movie.

It's very long.

It feels like the script took a bunch of scraps from the last movie and kind of put them into this movie as well, because it was like, hey, piacon in the whale stuff was a big hit and way of water.

We should do more of that.

And then they forgot they had a whole fire and ash script that they had to.

That whole last part of the movie.

seem like they just took the ending from the second one.

It's

very familiar.

And if it wasn't impeccably crafted, I'd be more mad.

And if it didn't have giant whales.

crushing evil human whale hunters and, you know, giant squid beaks, you know, munching on those evil whale hunters.

I'd probably

be more upset, but James Cameron's very good at what he does.

You know, there's

a

reason why he just keeps making a billion dollars every time he comes out.

He's, I just read that this is, this will be his fourth movie that tops a billion.

Or was it that he had three that had two billion and no other

filmmaker?

in a row.

Yeah.

In

a row, he's had four in a row to make a billion dollars.

And that's not even including aliens and Terminator 2 and Terminator.

He's an incredible filmmaker.

I love the world he builds.

And yeah, I'm fine with more Avatar.

And here's a crazy thing.

Avatar, this Avatar, not even the best in the series, is going to make more combined than all three Marvel movies that came out last.

How about that?

Wow.

Yeah.

That's

How's that

for cultural impact?

Yeah.

Hey, Matt, we got about 60 seconds left before I let you go.

Bear Packers.

I'm going to fill 61 of them.

I cheated on the time because I knew when you get going, you get on a Matt Miller roll and I love it.

Bear Packer prediction?

You know what I'm gonna take the Packers because I want to be in a good mood today And I want to feel a sense of positivity in very unpositive times right now So I'm going to say the Packers get a win and bring some glow and some happiness to my to my bitter sad heart Go pack Well, I'm hoping to see it.

I wouldn't bet on it, but that is what I'm hoping for and what

does that was so melancholy from a guy who's usually pretty positive positive prediction though, that's

That's

good.

Bottom to your day.

I'm trying to end it on a positive note.

Well, you've helped us do just that, Matt.

Thank you, buddy.

Always fun.

We'll talk again as award season gets rolling.

Pete, and it's an absolute pleasure.

Thanks for having me.

You got it, buddy.

All right, Matt Miller, folks.

Always fun to talk to Matt, and we will definitely, as I just said, be talking to him as award season marches forward.

OK, we are coming back after the news.

Daniel Koenig is coming up in hour number three for some Albert Brooks talk.

It's Nightlight with Pete Schwamba.

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