Another Pass at Murder on the Orient Express
Is there a secret to crafting a good Kenneth Branagh movie? To tackle this mystery, Case and Sam are joined by Melissa Meli from the Amateur Detective Club podcast. Will they get to the bottom of the “Murder on the Orient Express”?
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Another Pass Full Episode Originally aired: July 21, 2022
Music by Vin Macri and Matt Brogan
Podcast Edited by Matt Storm
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⏱️ Chapters
00:20 Welcome and Guest Intro
02:07 Melissa and Amateur Detective Club
03:05 Overall Thoughts on the Movie
03:46 Kenneth Branagh’s Style
06:18 The Movie’s Pacing
07:21 Tracking the Characters
08:14 Spoiler Warning and Cast Clarity
10:33 Melissa’s Agatha Christie Perspective
12:12 Branagh’s Poirot
13:20 The Mustache
14:43 Poirot as Action Star
16:10 Catherine and the Portrait
18:06 Johnny Depp as Ratchett
19:49 Book as Poirot’s Foil
21:36 The Jerusalem Opening
22:43 Poirot Steps in It
25:04 The Ensemble Cast
27:34 Willem Dafoe’s Performance
29:10 Josh Gad
30:06 Camera Work and Overhead Shots
34:01 The Murder Reveal
35:35 Poirot’s Moral Dilemma
39:07 Black, White, and Gray
40:23 Poirot Brandishes a Gun
42:44 The Lindbergh Baby Connection
43:51 Everyone Was In On It
45:46 Updating the Story’s Race Dynamics
50:08 Final Thoughts Before Another Pass
51:31 Saturday Morning Confidential Promo
52:38 Another Pass Begins
53:10 Sam’s Another Pass
58:45 Melissa’s Another Pass
01:03:42 Case’s Another Pass
01:04:54 Book’s Version of the Movie
01:08:40 Cutting the Count
01:10:34 The Missing Passenger
01:13:40 The Plan’s Fragility
01:15:28 Why Not Hide the Body?
01:18:26 Final Fixes
01:20:21 Melissa’s Plugs
01:21:39 Sam and Case’s Plugs
01:23:07 Next Time: Highlander II
01:23:20 Credits
01:23:49 Post-Show
Transcription
00:00
Melissa Meli
Yeah.
00:00
Case Aiken
And I will say, 30 years later, Branagh has more control over the camera lens than he did for Frankenstein. And the very nature of the story being set on a train does force him into tighter confinements and at the very least, more interesting camera work.
00:20
Sam Alicea
No, what you're saying is right. In comparison, this was reserved.
00:26
Case Aiken
Welcome to certain POV's, Another Pass podcast with Case and Sam where we take Another look at movies that we find fascinating but flawed. Let's see how we could have fixed them. Hi, everyone, and welcome back to Another Pass podcast. I'm Case Aiken and as always, I'm joined by my co host, Sam Alicea. Hello. And today we are diving into a mystery. We are trying to crack open the secrets of murder on the Orient Express. And to do that, we are joined by Melissa Meli.
00:56
Sam Alicea
Hello.
00:57
Melissa Meli
It's nice to be here.
00:58
Case Aiken
Yeah, it's nice to have you on. We've talked about doing podcast stuff for a while, ever since we started doing little bits of podcast stuff. And then were at a wedding together and talked about doing it, and then we just never did. And now, several years later, it's finally happening.
01:11
Sam Alicea
It's happening.
01:12
Melissa Meli
Yes. I'm so happy we finally made it work. There was a little thing called a pandemic somewhere in there as well.
01:19
Case Aiken
Yeah.
01:20
Melissa Meli
That just really threw everything off. So, yeah.
01:24
Case Aiken
All those like, yeah, we'll get to it eventually. And then. Well, eventually did happen, so.
01:28
Melissa Meli
Yeah, eventually. Yeah, exactly.
01:32
Sam Alicea
Listen, you both win. You both win because it happened. You made it work. You're adulting. Congratulations.
01:38
Melissa Meli
Yes, of course, Sam. It really is. You were really the catalyst, though, because then I met you at a party later.
01:45
Sam Alicea
Yes.
01:45
Melissa Meli
It was like, oh, right, I'm supposed to be on that podcast.
01:51
Sam Alicea
And I was like, then come and do it. Hey, Melissa, who, you know, wants to do it.
01:56
Melissa Meli
Right. Let's do it. Thank goodness.
01:59
Case Aiken
On that note, though, since this is your first time on, give some quick plugs. Like, what do you got going on? Where can people find you?
02:06
Sam Alicea
Okay.
02:07
Melissa Meli
I also have a podcast. It is called the Amateur Detective Club and we review murder mystery media. So things like Agatha Christie's Poirot, only Murders in the Building. What was that show called? I watched all episodes of. Yeah. And we've done other stuff here and there, like Murder She Wrote and a really wonderful series that was on HBO called the Number One Ladies Detective Agency with Jill Scott and Anika Noni Rose. Just awesome, actually.
02:39
Sam Alicea
Nice.
02:39
Melissa Meli
Yeah.
02:39
Case Aiken
Only Murders in the Building I loved as such, a meta commentary on podcasts and murder specific podcasts Absolutely.
02:48
Melissa Meli
Yeah. We're not a true crime podcast, but I listen to a lot of true crime podcasts as well. So doing a podcast about watching or listening to true crime podcasts was very like. Yeah, it was quite a trip.
03:04
Speaker 4
Yeah.
03:04
Melissa Meli
Yeah.
03:05
Case Aiken
I frankly wish that were talking about that because that was such a fun show versus this movie, which, you know, C plus, B minus. That's about where I kind of feel with this whole thing, like, it's, you know, it's attractive looking.
03:16
Melissa Meli
Exactly.
03:18
Sam Alicea
It is very pretty. It is a very pretty. It is very pretty movie. It is. It needed some more editing. It's a little long. And there's a lot of Kenneth Brenna, so. There's a lot of him.
03:32
Melissa Meli
So much Kenneth Brennagh. And, yeah. Sweeping landscape shots just coming at you all the time. Just so much interesting camera angles.
03:45
Sam Alicea
So many.
03:46
Case Aiken
The last time we talked about Kenneth Branagh on this podcast was for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, where it was an opera. Yeah, it was. There kept on being spots in that where it was like, so are they about to break out into song? And then they don't. But you feel like it should. And, like, the sets are all, like, these big, very open, grand locations that feel like. It feels like you're shooting an opera, and not just like you're doing a film that happens to be an opera, but, like shooting the stage show of an opera to put out into theaters.
04:19
Sam Alicea
And it definitely showcases one of the most dangerous staircases I have ever seen, constructed, like just large and no handrail with very thin stairs. And. Yeah, no, it is. It is scary. It is not even gothic. It's just. It's just a health hazard.
04:37
Melissa Meli
Oh, my goodness. That sounds terrifying. I'm fascinated by that.
04:41
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
04:42
Melissa Meli
The aesthetics are really just. There's so much of them. Of the aesthetics.
04:49
Case Aiken
Yeah. And I will say, 30 years later, Branagh has more control over the camera lens than he did for Frankenstein. And the very nature of the story, being set on a train does force him into tighter confinements and at the very least, more interesting camera work.
05:10
Sam Alicea
No, what you're saying is right in comparison, this was reserved.
05:15
Melissa Meli
Right, okay.
05:15
Case Aiken
But it is still Kenneth Branagh.
05:17
Sam Alicea
Yeah, yeah. And, like, once they get off the train. Well, like, once they get off the train, he has to give the operatic, you know, the tunnel, the Last Supper homage. You know, just all of those visual feasts. I believe he believes they are in his mind.
05:36
Melissa Meli
Yes. So they're there.
05:37
Sam Alicea
They're there. The Brennach mark is on there. But not the way that Frankenstein Was because, you know, sweeping sets and.
05:47
Melissa Meli
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I kept thinking about like I was watching it and I'm like, well, I mean, can we just take it down a notch? And then I started to question myself and think about, you know, Shakespeare. It reminded me of Shakespeare a bit. And like, what is the context in which you can do their most dramatic thing? Like, if not now, when. And. And I kept coming back to not now.
06:18
Sam Alicea
I think it's interesting though, because I think, like, yeah, there were things that were definitely dramatically shot in the first half of the film, but I feel like the film actually paced itself well in the very beginning. Well, once he gets on the train, I mean, there was a couple of. There are a couple indulgences before he gets on the train. But in the train, the pacing of introducing the people on the train and that kind of thing, that's all like, pretty good. You know, it kind of moves quickly. Where I feel like it starts falling apart is when he starts his interrogation and it feels like this is a moment for everyone to have monologues and. And then it gets like, kind of like I feel like I'm in a stage production rather than a film. And from there it just starts.
07:02
Sam Alicea
Soars into getting infinitely more Shakespearean and.
07:07
Melissa Meli
Brenna sign off operatic. Like towards the end I was just.
07:12
Sam Alicea
Like, okay, yeah, let's write the 11 o' clock number. Because he should be singing it when he reveals who the murderer is.
07:21
Melissa Meli
Oh, absolutely. One thing that I will give him credit for, there are a few things, but one thing in particular, because I've been with the podcast, I do. I've been consuming a lot of Agatha Christie in many different forms. Book form, TV form and movie form and audiobook form. And it's hard to keep track of the characters. It is hard to keep track of the characters. It always is. And in this one's no different. He introduces them in a way that is actually pretty helpful and good. He's pretty constantly checking in to be like, remember who this person is. And at first you're like, I don't, I really don't. But then he does remind you. Maybe it's a little heavy handed, but at least you are able to track everybody in the movie.
08:14
Case Aiken
Yeah. Like this is a movie where the casting is to its benefit in that everyone is so recognizable and such a name actor in it that at the very least, even if you don't remember the character name, and even if the big stuff that we're like glomming onto are big surface detail Things which, you know, kind of plays into the actual story. Side note, spoilers, by the way, for a murder mystery. So if you don't want to know, we haven't said anything yet.
08:39
Melissa Meli
One of the most famous murder mysteries.
08:42
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
08:44
Case Aiken
I actually, like, I managed to avoid knowing the twist until. Until we got into watching it. And I was like, cool, all right, good. I'm glad that I. I've avoided that. And maybe that it's causing me to be a little bit happier with the production as a whole. But it was like, all right, this is. I recognize every one of these actors. I'm not going to lose track of. I'm not going to get anyone mixed up. Is the nice part and the fact that they all have a surface detail that is kind of a standout thing. It's like, all right, that's pretty good. And we've got nice moments like that tracking shot as we go through the dining car to sort of establish everyone really well. Like, all right, cool, we have our players. That part is good.
09:22
Melissa Meli
Yeah, absolutely. It sure is.
09:24
Case Aiken
Yeah. Now, the fact that almost everyone has Another name makes it harder to really track.
09:29
Melissa Meli
And it's like a Russian novel, right? Yeah.
09:34
Case Aiken
And then these big monologues and so forth give us time to kind of forget how the details are supposed to fit together very well. And, you know, some of that's intentional because it's the discontinuity that's supposed to really, like, strike you. But it's fine. Like, compared to what he's done before, this is a B minus. I was like, yeah, it's fine. It looks nice.
09:56
Sam Alicea
Yeah. I mean, this is an okay movie. If you're sitting at home and you turn on the TV and it's playing and you want to watch it while you're folding laundry or like doing chores, this is a perfectly fine. There's some really good performances in it overall. I mean, like, again, like, some of the stuff that Kenneth Reno does himself is a little heavy handed. And there are moments in the script for other. Some of the other actors that's heavy handed. But, like, overall, everyone's pretty, you know, they're not dialing in, they're doing their jobs. It's fine. Like, this is a fine movie. Like, if you turn it on, it's fine.
10:33
Melissa Meli
It really is. It really is. And it's actually, it's very interesting because the very first episode of Amateur Detective Club was about this version of Murder on the Orient Express. So we came into it having not read anything or been really knowledgeable about the character. Of Poirot. And since watching a lot more different performances, mostly David Suchet, who plays him in the TV series for the BBC. And then, like, coming back to this and also hearing feedback from people who are, like, deep into the world of Agatha Christie. People have, like, problems with the way that Kenneth Branagh plays Poirot. And I get what they're saying, and I don't have as many problems with the way he plays it as the way it's either written or directed.
11:28
Melissa Meli
But there's also the part of you that has to go, okay, this is a movie, and not everyone going to see this movie is going to have, like, really strong opinions about the character of Poirot, which is how I approached it the first time. So just like, the change in that for me was very interesting, but also just like, as a. As a standalone movie, watching it, you know, fortunately, the source material is very good and has earned a lot of renown for a reason. So he was starting from a place of this is an exciting script or an exciting story to tell. So it does benefit from that, for sure.
12:12
Case Aiken
Yeah. And he's not trying to reinvent the wheel. Like, again, were talking about Frankenstein before, and that was very much like, how do we do it as differently as possible from the pop culture kind of understanding of the character? And in this case, you know, Poirot, like, the character first shows up in, what, 1920 is the first time, the first short story.
12:33
Melissa Meli
Yes. Yeah. 1929Ish. Yeah.
12:36
Case Aiken
I mean, and it has, you know, goes on to have tons and tons of novels. You know, this is the fourth time that Murder on the Oriented Express itself has been adapted onto screen. You know, there's plays, there's so, like, so much material with this character. Again, you cited the Poirot TV show. Like, there's lots of definitive things, but they're all a couple decades old at this point. You know, this is like, all right, here's a chance to sort of do a slightly. A newer take on it, but it's not necessarily trying to be like. But everyone knows so much what it's supposed to look like, and how are we trying to purposefully be different? Like, I think the biggest differences that Branagh, like, kind of brings to this poro is the vanity of Kenneth Branagh,.
13:16
Sam Alicea
Which he's willing to bring to any role, really.
13:20
Melissa Meli
Yes. So what's actually really interesting is that the way she describes, the way Agatha Christie describes the mustache is actually the mustaches in the novels and the short stories. And so Like, David Suchet has, like, the tiny. A tiny little mustache. And I always have been like, okay, I mean, you've really got the character down. But those. That's not how. And Kenneth Branagh does mustaches. Like, it is multiple. And I do appreciate that very much.
13:50
Sam Alicea
But I appreciated the little mustache bonnet he wore as he slept. I really appreciated that he was keeping that nice. And he really. I was like, wow. I also use a hair bonnet at night, and maybe if I had a mustache, I would do a. I would. I would do a mustache bonnet. I was like, is this a real product? I wanted to look it up. I don't need one. But I was just like, did they make this for the film? I didn't Google it, though, guys. I didn't want Google to wonder what was wrong with me.
14:21
Melissa Meli
Oh, goodness, my. My searches are already dead. Maybe. Maybe I'll search it for you later. But there is that Poirot is also, like, just as a character, he's very fussy. And that is definitely something that shines through in this portrayal.
14:41
Sam Alicea
Oh, 1,000%.
14:43
Melissa Meli
It's funny because the criticism that I've seen about it is that this Poirot is an action star kind of thing. I'm making quotes with my hands, and it's much more reserved. He would not climb up on the top of that terrain. And that's just like, all right. I mean, it's cool to look at all the snow. And that's, again, where. Where, you know, the. The desire to have, like, a really pretty shot comes in. So it's. It's a. It's a different take on the character, and that's kind of neither here nor there, but, like, Poirot brandishing a gun for a while is. Is pretty. Pretty out of character towards the novels. But. But. But, yeah, I mean, it's fine for the movie.
15:26
Case Aiken
Yeah. Like, it's not as extreme as, like, the, you know, The Robert Downey Jr. Like, Sherlock Holmes kind of like, we're going to make it ramped up to an 11, like, combat character. But he is excessively competent in a way that, like, my understanding is that Poirot is. But doesn't necessarily come off that way to everyone. Like, there's a little bit of a bumblingness to him in what I've read in descriptions of, you know, more work for him. And also, like, apparently they even, like, had a whole reason for why he's not plumper as a character. Like, there's a deleted scene where he had, like, a pretty extensive girdle. That he was putting on to allow for Kenneth Branagh to, like, still look more of, like, you know, a dashing figure of, like, mystery solving.
16:06
Melissa Meli
Oh, yeah. No, that makes sense.
16:09
Sam Alicea
Yep.
16:10
Melissa Meli
The thing that is an addition that is a bit confusing for me is that is, like, the whole. Like, he would look at his picture of an old flame a few times. Like, a fair few times, like, someone named Catherine, and that feels like too much. It feels unnecessary. Like an unnecessary addition to me.
16:35
Sam Alicea
Yeah, absolutely. The entire scene where he. I guess this is. I don't know. In their mind, I'm sure, because we can't have inner monologues. Why don't we have him just talk to a portrait? But that whole scene where he's just like, I am so lost. I don't know what I'm doing right now. I. I've always been so certain. I was, like, rolling my eyes. I was like, please. This scene does not. This scene doesn't need to be here, like, at all.
17:01
Melissa Meli
Right. And that's like. No, exactly. And he has his accomplice. No, he has Book there, who is the person that is working with him on the. On the case. Like, he always has a friend character that he bounces things off of and, like, has them go around and help him. And Book is that person in this iteration and in this particular novel as well. But he could have just said Book. I truly don't know the answer. And we would have gotten the same thing, and it would have been much more. It would have been much more to the point.
17:40
Case Aiken
Yeah. Less of a monologue.
17:43
Sam Alicea
It would have been more grounded because in that moment, he's talking to her, but he's also talking to God and himself and all the things. It's so dramatic. So for no reason, like.
17:52
Melissa Meli
Yeah, exactly. You don't need it.
17:56
Case Aiken
Right. Yeah. But again, Bran is going to Branagh if. If Brad. If Branna is directing. Branna. Branna's gonna. Branna. Branna.
18:03
Sam Alicea
Absolutely.
18:05
Melissa Meli
For sure. For sure.
18:06
Case Aiken
Why don't we talk about Johnny Depp for a second? Since we'll have to eventually. So, you know, not a beloved figure in the media anymore. I don't know the timing of when this was filmed versus everything, but apparently this line of act. Agatha. Agatha Christie adaptations is just plagued by, like, problematic people being in it.
18:28
Melissa Meli
Yeah.
18:29
Case Aiken
Noting the prominent role of Armie Hammer in Death on the Nile.
18:33
Melissa Meli
Yeah. There's a lot of questionable people in Death on the Nile, but.
18:36
Case Aiken
Yeah. Yeah. But at least in this case, it's a shitbag character who dies pretty fast.
18:42
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
18:43
Melissa Meli
Yeah, I mean, if you're going to put Johnny Depp in this, you might as well have him just be the person that everyone hates. But, yeah, no, he. All that aside, I think that he does a good job with what he's given. And, I mean, he really does make himself very unlikable.
19:02
Sam Alicea
Yeah, I mean, he does a fairly good job of being a gangster who's changed his name, who's become an art dealer that's actually a counterfeit art dealer who's being hunted by someone or many people. Spoiler alert. And he is, like, a convincing douchebag. So, I mean, kudos.
19:29
Melissa Meli
Absolutely.
19:30
Case Aiken
And it sets up a nice spot where we can kind of see Poirot having a real distinction between the kind of scumbag that Depp's character. Do we call him Cassetti? Do we call him Ratchet? I don't know.
19:43
Sam Alicea
Cassetti. Ratchet. Stupid. Oh, who renames themselves Ratchet? Come on. Go on.
19:49
Case Aiken
All right, so compared him to Book, who is presented as being, like, culturally kind of bad. Like, he, you know, he's introduced by breaking into a bakery with a whore, trying to find a place to, like, have some private time when we have that whole encounter.
20:06
Sam Alicea
Book lives in the morally gray, but he's generally a decent person who just likes to have too much fun.
20:13
Case Aiken
Yeah. Like, the back and forth with Book is, like, really nice. And I think it also helps us set up, like, things later on in terms of, like, when things are revealed, where it's like, all right, well, this is how he relates to the people who are legitimately shitbags versus the ones, like, where it's a little more complicated. Like, he has, like, this little bit of a game talking with Book about how, like, oh, he's a terrible person and, like, everything about, like, everything he breathes is awful. But Book is actually, like, fairly morally righteous throughout the whole thing. When we actually get into the things about, like, personal harm and so forth.
20:42
Melissa Meli
Right. He just kind of doesn't see. See why society doesn't like certain things that he does. Like, he can't justify why he shouldn't go around with a sex worker and break into a bakery. He's like, I don't know. It seems fine. But he does draw the line at a certain point. And Poirot can clearly see that because Poirot likes him. It says things about both Book and about Poirot. The setup is actually quite good in this one. And the whole thing, not to derail from the characters, but just to kind of bring it back to the Intro a little bit. They take like the resolution of a short story and use it to kind of set up the whole movie and kind of showcase what Faro is like. And, you know, also with some beautiful landscapes as well.
21:34
Sam Alicea
It's all about the landscapes.
21:36
Case Aiken
Yeah.
21:36
Sam Alicea
I was curious.
21:37
Case Aiken
So the Jerusalem scene is taken from a short story, then?
21:40
Melissa Meli
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I forget which one. But, yeah, it's taken from a different plot and I think it works really quite well to set up everything and just be like, hey, here is this character. If you've never met Poirot before, maybe it goes a little far with the setting up. How fussy Poirot is. Like, the egg measuring is definitely a good indicator. But, like, then when he steps in the poop and then needs to put his other shoe, it's like, all right. I don't know. Yeah, that might be a little too. Too much.
22:16
Case Aiken
It's a bit much. Although I do get like, the, like. Oh, it's the balance part, right. That's more upsetting. I don't know. I really like that scene overall. It's does contribute to the whole, like, this dashing man of mystery kind of aspect of. Of this particular version of Poirot. And particularly with him being like, oh, I'd like a guard positioned here because he figured where, like, it was going to run and he'd, like, jab his cane into the wall. Like, those are. Those are moments where it's like setting up this, like, this hyper competent version of this character.
22:43
Sam Alicea
And I do want to circle back to the poop because, you know, as someone who now has watched at least two, although I have watched more, but definitely two directed and acted Brenner films. I will tell you that this is definitely a film school moment. And it is also symbolism that Perot is willing to get a little dirty. He's willing to step in the shit a little bit. There's a gray area there for him because this is how Brano thinks. We've now watched two different movies and he loves some film school literature in his film. These, like, classic film student shit. This is literally classic film student shit for sure.
23:27
Melissa Meli
For sure. No, that. That definitely does make a lot of sense. The thing is, with the character of Poirot in general, he is very competent and a lot of people tend not to perceive him as such based on his appearance. But you can't really get away with that as much because in this one he looks like Kenneth Ranoff with some over the top mustaches.
23:49
Sam Alicea
But, you know, those are beautiful mustaches. They're beautiful. They're very well kept.
23:55
Melissa Meli
Absolutely.
23:56
Sam Alicea
Possibly the best thing about it.
23:58
Case Aiken
I mean, they make the choice to lean into it. Like, everyone knows of Poirot. Like, he is not shy at saying that he is probably the best detective in the world. You know, like, it's like, all right, cool. Like it's a take. I don't. I'm not necessarily bothered by it, but it is the take that I would expect of Kenneth Branagh.
24:16
Melissa Meli
Yeah. And you do. Yeah. It's not an unusual thing for him to say, but I think the way it's presented is a little bit, I guess, more Kenneth Branagh. If we're gonna use that as just a style point. Yeah, it's usually a little bit. It's like the greatest detective in the world or when he has to make the point, you know, like Taro is much more like, he says things when necessary, but yeah, it's a little bit more over the top in this case.
24:49
Sam Alicea
Yeah. I mean, I think what we're kind of saying is that Kenneth Branagh is a mood and we have now named it a Kenneth Branagh mood. And we get it.
24:59
Melissa Meli
We get it. Yeah, for sure.
25:04
Case Aiken
Looking at the rest of the cast, it's a whole list of like, fairly big names. And like we said, it kind of like works really well in terms of like establishing or like keeping the audience, like aware of very clearly who these people are. Unlike, for example, we're recording this the week before the episode on 13th Warrior Drop. So I've re listened to it and we keep talking about how all the characters in that movie, aside from Antonio Banderas, like, you get mixed up with and it's one of these, like, you know, it would have been nice to explore more of that by virtue of this giant cast. You're not going to confuse Judi Dench with Willem Dafoe. They're just different people. Your brain's never gonna do that. But is there anyone that like, particularly stands out to each of you, like, who.
25:44
Case Aiken
Who's like the who of this, like star studded cast shines the brightest.
25:52
Sam Alicea
Goodness.
25:52
Melissa Meli
I mean, when I first saw it was a little bit more recently after Hamilton had first come out. So it was like Leslie Odom Jr. S in this one. That's fun. And also Rafe from Star Wars. Great. And Leslie Odom Jr. And Daisy Ridley are lovely at it and really do a great job. I mean, obviously when Judi Dench steps into a movie, you're like, well, okay, everyone else can go home now.
26:20
Sam Alicea
Judi Dench is Followed by Olivia Colman. And I'm like, oh, well, they're both on screen, so everyone else is just crap. Yeah, okay, great, wonderful. No, I think there are a lot of really strong performances in this film. I think that everybody has a moment to kind of shine for themselves. I think Penelope Cruz actually did a really good job. Her performance is a little more understated than some of the others, and I feel it's a little more grounded where, like, I feel like she didn't get sucked into all of the opera. I think she's still in the same movie. Like, it's not like she's, like, totally in a different movie the way that Robert Jr. Was in a different movie in Frankenstein. She's still in this movie because I think this movie is still more grounded.
27:02
Sam Alicea
But I feel like her character definitely has a really lovely, quiet edge to it. So I think that even though she's not on screen a lot, I think that she has done a very good job with what she has. So I would say, for me, she was one of the standouts because it was just kind of. Kind of nice and quiet and, like, unexpected, and then, like, you know, everyone was good. Everyone was fine. I just think that, like, it wasn't something that I was necessarily expecting from her.
27:34
Case Aiken
I want to give a shout out to Willem Dafoe, being the only American actor who, like, could come on screen playing a Nazi, and I would be like, yeah, that makes sense. They would. Yeah, I guess that works fine. And then it's like, oh, he's not actually. Oh, okay. That also makes sense. Just. And, like, his shift from, like, the fake Austrian accent to being, like, back to, like, a Brooklyn accent. I was like, oh, yeah, that's a nice little bit right there. And, like, you know, he did. I mean, obviously, he. Obviously, he's not caught in a voice the way that, like, sometimes if I'm in a voice, I can't break it. Ask my wife about the night where I just couldn't stop being Towelie.
28:08
Sam Alicea
Carter. Please write into our discord. Tell us all about that night.
28:11
Case Aiken
She doesn't listen,.
28:15
Sam Alicea
So we can say whatever we want. No, I'm joking.
28:18
Case Aiken
No substances in my system. I just couldn't. Like, I was stuck. And the more she asked me to stop, the harder. Like, I just couldn't. I'm sorry.
28:24
Melissa Meli
I mean, once you get into a cadence, it just. It just really clicks in. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. No, I agree with all of those. I was going to say the exact same word, understated for Penelope Cruz. I mean, she has like a. The benefit of her character kind of lending itself to that by being a missionary, so. So, yeah, it's lovely. And she's actually. I don't know, I don't know if she's an underrated actress, but I always just forget how good she is. And then I see her and I'm like, oh, yeah, she's great, isn't she?
28:55
Sam Alicea
Yeah. I think it's because they're just. There's so many people to talk about and I do think that she's not always included in those conversations, so.
29:04
Melissa Meli
Yeah, absolutely. And of course, we also have Josh Gad in this movie.
29:10
Case Aiken
Yeah, I thought he was pretty cartoonish in terms of being this alcoholic, which, like, he's. So he wasn't my favorite part of any of these actors, but it is Josh Gad, so he's like, really memorable. And maybe some of that's just like. I'm used to thinking of him as more of like a Disney type guy.
29:25
Melissa Meli
Sure, sure. I mean, he's. He is a cartoon character in that. He is Olaf. Like, you know, it's hard to. It's hard to come down from that. But like, overall I, I really thought it was a strong cast.
29:38
Case Aiken
Yeah, I definitely don't want to put anyone down. The worst I could say about anyone is that because they all have these. Hang your hat on this particular character thing that some of them are. I feel like Josh Gad specifically being an alcoholic is kind of a little heavy handed, but that's the worst I would say about it all. And this is not a subtle movie.
29:57
Melissa Meli
No. In no way.
29:59
Sam Alicea
No.
30:00
Melissa Meli
It is very beautiful, for sure.
30:03
Sam Alicea
But you must build the drama.
30:05
Melissa Meli
Yeah.
30:06
Case Aiken
So speaking of beauty, I found the. Some of the camera work really interesting, but at other. But at points it was like too much of it. Like the overhead shots that they would do moving through the. The train cars. Many of those takes were like a little long for some of the shots or the scenes that they were doing where like, it was like, here's all the clues, but like, it's too zoomed out to like really see them very well. Even like I was like watching on a pretty big screen TV and I was like, I can't. Like they're talking that there are a lot of clues here and I'm like, not really picking up on where they are. And it would have been nice to have like, cuts to like indicate what we should be paying attention to.
30:40
Case Aiken
Especially because they're supposed to be red herrings and for them to be Red herrings. I need to remember them.
30:45
Melissa Meli
I thought the exact same thing with the overhead shots. It was kind of. It feels very much like, look what we can do kind of idea. And it's. And it's also a. I think that what you were saying before about this film school kind of idea and also feeling like, okay, it's closed in. And that's. Kind of had the feeling of the overhead shot, really gave us that feeling. But it was. It was just like, okay, I get it. We're still in an overhead shot, though.
31:16
Sam Alicea
Yeah, yeah. Like, I think the one that I like, if they were like, kill all of them and you have to keep one. The one I might keep is just when Book, right after cassette, his body is found, and Book pulls Pearl into, like, his cabin and starts, like, talking to him about, like, you know, basically, like, you've got to help me out, that kind of thing. Like, maybe you could leave that one because it's, like, desperation and they're closed in and that kind of thing. But other than that, every. For the clues, I was just like. Just like he said, I can't see anything. I don't know what's happening. And I started to be like. I started to reach for my phone. I was like, no, do not. Do not get distracted. Do not get bored. Like, don't stay on task.
32:01
Case Aiken
Stay on target. Stay on target.
32:03
Sam Alicea
Stay on target.
32:04
Melissa Meli
I don't know what the targets are.
32:06
Case Aiken
Yeah. Again, like, I like the existence of that shot or that style of camera work in this. It's that it's overused in and maybe not even in the right spots because, like, him talking to Book, like, this would be a great opportunity to like, run through the train and just sort of, like, just quickly establish the geography of all the characters, because those would be. Those are the times where it's, like, really useful to have that because, like, that kind of a shot is like. All right, so here's the context outside of just the. The tight scene that we're, like, really paying attention to.
32:33
Case Aiken
But then, like I said, like, when that tight scene should be him looking around, trying to identify things, it would be nice for the camera to work with the audience's eyes because, you know, we're not the world's greatest detective or probably not the world's greatest detective.
32:48
Melissa Meli
Exactly. Yeah.
32:49
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
32:50
Melissa Meli
It's just. It's always too much. Right. And I have also recently seen the Branagh Death on the Nile. So it's very hard for me not to just start talking about both of them, comparatively. But Yeah, I noticed a lot in Death on the Nile. A lot of shots, like, through things or like through a mirror. And they just stay on it for such a long time. And there's one in this one that I noticed in particular where they're like. It's like a shot through a window. And like, the window makes the. Makes the faces kind of break up a little bit. And we just stay on it for such a long time.
33:26
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
33:27
Melissa Meli
And. And it's like. I got it the first couple seconds when we're in the shot. We can. Yeah, we can do a. You know, we can do a two shot now or we can do some over. Over the shoulders. And really, we already got the point.
33:41
Case Aiken
Get some shot reverse. Like, you know, just do any of the things.
33:46
Melissa Meli
Yeah.
33:47
Case Aiken
Sometimes Indulgent is the Branagh staple right there.
33:51
Sam Alicea
It's his mood. It's. It's. It's on brand.
33:54
Melissa Meli
Right?
33:55
Case Aiken
Yeah.
33:55
Melissa Meli
We don't always need it to be fancy.
33:57
Case Aiken
What?
33:58
Melissa Meli
I know what a surprise I do.
34:01
Sam Alicea
Want to talk about. So I'm going to say this. Spoiler alert for anyone who does not know the twist end of this film. Okay, guys, like, it's this. This book has been out forever. This is the fourth film that's ever made. If you don't know this, stop the podcast now. Go watch it. Maybe even this version. So you know exactly what we're talking about. But I'm going to talk about the music played over the reenactment of everyone coming together to murder Cassetti. Because it's inspirational. Why is the music inspirational? Like, it's like. Like, I get it, okay? Like, he's a scumbag, okay? He killed a child. He, like, he did this horrible, horrible thing and he got away with it, you know? And. And him getting away with it destroyed so many people's lives.
34:46
Sam Alicea
And also, like, a woman was falsely accused and killed herself. So many things happened because Cassetti is a scumbag. However, these people basically planned an entire production to get him trapped on a train so that they could murder him. And I understand that, yes, this is like a call to justice, but why the inspirational music? Like, you're not making them into better people. Like. Like, this is not. I don't even. Is this is what. Is this what Brenna. Brenna thinks Agatha Christie's message was? And I would like your thoughts on that. Do you guys think that he thinks that this is like a Kumbaya come together for justice moment? Because they. It's like an airplane line. They, like, each take turn Stabbing this dude.
35:33
Melissa Meli
Okay, go on.
35:34
Sam Alicea
I'm sorry.
35:35
Melissa Meli
No, no, that's. I mean, that's like the whole. That's like the whole thing about this, right? Because what happens and Poirot's reaction to it is like a departure from the character, right? So he always gets the guy or people or whoever is the murderer and reports them to the authorities and they go to jail. And this is like the one and only time that he's like, oh, well, you know what? I get it. That's fine. I'm just going to let you all go live your lives. So in response to your question about, does Kenneth Branagh think that this is an inspirational moment? Like, kind of maybe? Yeah. Also, just the way it was directed and everyone's determination going into it is like, well, this is what we're doing now.
36:30
Melissa Meli
And all except for, you know, at the end, Michelle Pfeiffer's, you know, big, dramatic stab, everyone just kind of goes in pretty matter of factly, like, well, this is what we have to do. It's very. It reminded me of. Reminded me of Julius Caesar.
36:49
Sam Alicea
Yeah, it does. It's kind of like. Like I was actually, like, sitting there and I'm watching it, and it made me think of that scene in Airplane where the woman's hysterical and everyone's lined up to smack her, and it's just something that they're. They're just telling her to shut up, and it's just like the next person online. That's what it kind of felt like. It just kind of like. I mean, there were some moments of, like, you would see it on their face, like, but then they would just, like, stab him. Like, okay, well, here you go. Here's the knife.
37:15
Case Aiken
Yeah, it's like a ritual aspect, I think that's sort of like. I didn't take it as inspirational so much as, like, holy or, you know, it was like a mission for them all.
37:26
Sam Alicea
But the music felt. Felt like. Like, I don't know, like the music was giving me, like, inspo. Come together. Like. Like we're together in this kind of moment. Like, you know, like a. Like a showcase for some digital new wave. Like, guys, this is the future of meta. Like, that's what the music was giving me. And they were like, in black and white, like, just up angles at them stabbing at what I assume is a dummy. Just like cloth, just stabbing it. And like, just like, now I've got to stab this guy for the child. Like, it was like.
38:09
Melissa Meli
It was weird, guys.
38:10
Case Aiken
It just.
38:10
Melissa Meli
Weird.
38:11
Case Aiken
Well, I mean, like, the actual, like, ending of the story and like, the way that like Poirot takes it all is very interesting from the standpoint of like, well, none of these are bad people outside of the fact that they have all been grievously hurt by this individual and they all came together collectively to enact their vengeance. It. It is kind of transformative. And like Poirot interpreting that and deciding to not position himself or you know, to, you know, not to. To allow for a shade of gray is in its own way, like kind of this like cathartic experience for him. Like the person who, like, they are all scarred by the fact that they've all committed murder because none of them are inherently killers.
38:49
Case Aiken
And then he is kind of scarred by the fact that he fully relates and sympathizes with them in this situation.
38:56
Melissa Meli
Absolutely, yes, for sure. And I did find the music bizarre in a lot of points or just too much.
39:06
Sam Alicea
Too much.
39:07
Case Aiken
Too much is the, you know, the general.
39:10
Melissa Meli
A little Kenneth Branagh, if you will. But. But yeah, just. And that also, though, Case, what you were saying, like, this is allowing for a shade of gray for Poirot. For the first time we really get that message. Because at the beginning he says there is only wrong or right or something along those lines.
39:31
Sam Alicea
It's only black and white.
39:33
Melissa Meli
You said that. And then at the end, right before the big parlor or train tunnel reveal, as it were, he does Another. Maybe there is a shade of gray. And it's like, I get it.
39:45
Sam Alicea
Thank you. The actual line is. The actual line was. Before I thought there was black and white and now there's you a shade of gray. Like, like it was so heavy handed that my brain memorized that shit. And I was like, really? Really? You set them up like the Last Supper as like you're going to. For you to reveal it. And then you say this.
40:12
Case Aiken
Yeah, well, he needed the most elaborate scene possible for him to chew it. Yeah, well, of course, you know, again, it's Kenneth Brant.
40:23
Melissa Meli
I was trying to remember and I decided not to look it up because, you know, let the movie exist on its own. But like, I was trying to remember if in the book he has a gun trained on him, on them the whole time. And I can't imagine that is what is in the book. Like, it just seems like so much because he's walking around during the reveal with this gun in his hand and it's very. It's very jarring. Like they're all gonna sit there. I mean, I know we just had a moment where you know he was assaulted by one of them, but I feel like that's been pretty well subdued at this point. And if he doesn't think that these people are a threat, it just, it. It again, seems like.
41:07
Sam Alicea
Yeah, it's interesting because you're right. And if you're going to let them go, Right, you're going to let them go anyway, then why the gun? Right. Like. Like, if, like, I know you're revealing to them that, you know that they're murderers. So maybe that is the. Maybe that's the thing. Like, he's like, well, I don't know how they're going to react to being called out completely for murdering this guy and knowing that they're all in cahoots with each other.
41:31
Melissa Meli
So maybe that's the gun. I don't mind him having it and then, like, putting it on the table. And the whole moment with, like, even this moment where he says, you know, you. You're going to need to kill me to let you if I'm going to let you go. Because that's clearly a test, the most obvious test. And the fact that she then tries to kill herself instead of him, maybe that's the deciding factor where he's like, no, no, I really do need to let all these people go because they're not bad people. But, like, he had it trained on him the whole time that he was talking to them, and he could have just brought it out at the end. Yeah, that's my little edit for that scene is why the brandishing?
42:14
Case Aiken
I mean, it's like what Michael Scott said on the Office. There's nothing more dramatic than a gun, you know?
42:21
Sam Alicea
You know,.
42:25
Melissa Meli
Except maybe other parts of this movie, but.
42:27
Sam Alicea
Yes, except for Kenneth Branagh.
42:29
Case Aiken
Yeah, right. There's nothing more dramatic than a gun. Unless you're Kenneth Branagh, then you're more dramatic than a gun.
42:36
Melissa Meli
Yes, yes.
42:37
Case Aiken
But what if you could combine those powers? You'd feel like God must feel when.
42:41
Sam Alicea
He's holding a gun, this movie.
42:44
Melissa Meli
Yes.
42:44
Case Aiken
Yeah, so I mentioned that I wasn't super familiar with the. Like, I knew of Hercule Poirot and as like a detective character in literature, but, like, I never read any Agatha Christie and I was not familiar with this specific story beyond just that. Oh, it's a famous thing that takes place on a train. I didn't realize it was about the Lindbergh baby. Like, it's a riff from the headlines situation.
43:05
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
43:05
Melissa Meli
Yeah, it sure isn't it?
43:07
Case Aiken
Yep.
43:09
Sam Alicea
It's a law and order based on true story.
43:11
Melissa Meli
It Absolutely is.
43:14
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
43:15
Melissa Meli
Yeah.
43:15
Sam Alicea
Thick Wolf has been Agatha Christie all along. I.
43:21
Melissa Meli
You know, that, like, hadn't even occurred to me, but, yeah, of course it is.
43:27
Case Aiken
That was the. As soon as, like, he started talking about, like, their child was kidnapped, I was like, wait, is this. When was this written? And then I looked it up, actually. It is directly supposed to be a nod to it.
43:35
Melissa Meli
Yeah, no, it is like, oh, wow.
43:36
Speaker 4
All right.
43:37
Case Aiken
Especially because at first I was like, oh, it's his, like, personal thing. And it's like, they hadn't, like, started drawing the connections to everyone else. I'm like, that's a weird poll just to tie in the Lindbergh baby. And it's like, oh, it's all tied into the Lindbergh baby.
43:51
Sam Alicea
Yes.
43:51
Melissa Meli
Yes. That is the secret of this. Yeah, it is cool. Like, it is a cool thing to have everyone be in on it. Right. Like, there is not a person on this train who isn't part of it, except for Poirot and Book. Like, everyone else knows what's going on. And that's a very cool idea as well, because it's. I mean, it's very neat.
44:15
Sam Alicea
I mean, honestly, the true victim in this movie is Book, whose insurance rates on this train is gonna go up, and his uncle, who's given him this job, is totally gonna chew him out for the bad press. I mean, Book is the real victim. Cause Cassetti had it coming, but he's the real victim of this film. And I hope that he just finds a really nice sex worker to take.
44:39
Melissa Meli
Away all of those fears. Yeah, he'll be fine. He'll be all right.
44:43
Case Aiken
Find a nice bakery, an indulgent shot.
44:46
Sam Alicea
The. The.
44:47
Case Aiken
The almost Kenneth Branagh shot in this is like, that. The. The swoop in on the bakery and, like. And you just, like. And you pull up to see Poirot, like, looking at them all.
44:55
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
44:56
Case Aiken
Like, nothing else in this movie comes close to it. And that's actually is sort of, like, in its favor because they're like, okay, good, you got it out of the way. But, yeah, have. Have Book find a nice bakery, get some hot pastries, go find his private room with some lady. Like, eat. Have fun. It'll be great. Let all the cares go away and get out of this franchise.
45:19
Melissa Meli
Yes, indeed.
45:21
Case Aiken
Yeah. Because he's inserted in Death on the Nile, right?
45:23
Melissa Meli
Yeah, he is. And I've only seen two iterations of Death on the Nile, and I have not read the book, but I'm pretty sure that he is not originally in Death on the Nile. I think It's Hastings who's in Death on the Nile in the book. But yeah, they do bring him back.
45:38
Case Aiken
Yeah. As a hedonistic version of Watson.
45:44
Melissa Meli
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
45:46
Case Aiken
Yeah.
45:46
Melissa Meli
There is Another cool thing. Not a cool thing, but like Another thing that this movie does is they have made some adjustments in terms of the way that. The way that it talks about race, because Agatha Christie does not talk about race in a great way. There's some moments in her books and in her stories that are always a little like, yikes. They're not, you know, by the standards of the day, I don't think they were horrible. But certainly in. In our day and age they're very outdated.
46:17
Case Aiken
Yeah. Woke in the 20s and 30s is not necessarily going to cut it in 2000s and 2000s.
46:23
Melissa Meli
Exactly. So there are some nods, of course, to Leslie Odom Jr. As the doctor and the other gentleman. What is his. I can't even remember his character name. But there is Another actor of color. Another character of color.
46:40
Sam Alicea
Oh yeah, the. The Spaniard.
46:42
Case Aiken
Yeah, Marquez.
46:43
Melissa Meli
They make some comments about them. There is, there are a couple characters who say disparaging things and then they are corrected. And I don't mind that, like, I don't mind that as an addition to these movies. Yeah, I think that is. And I also don't think it's done in a way that is terribly distracting.
47:03
Sam Alicea
Yeah, it's actually surprising how not heavy handed that is considering that so much of this movie is heavy handed. It's actually very seamless and they definitely use the right characters to kind of push those narratives. You know, they. They use Willem Dafoe's character, who is the German eugenicist, kind of. Kind of to say those very negative things about Leslie Odom Jr's character. And that is corrected by Daisy Ridley's character right away. And later on, Josh, his alcoholic character who some has interesting ideas on Stalin apparently says some stuff about the Spaniards and kind of. That it's kind of played as a joke. But he's like, I thought you're open minded. He's just like, yeah, but you know, it depends on the race, you know, and so it's like very like really weird.
48:06
Sam Alicea
But right in the next scene they go into a space where like this character is able to show and defend themselves and kind of be. So it is the. At least address it by using the characters and then the actual correction is not heavy handed, which is kind of nice because they use other characters to do that too.
48:26
Case Aiken
Yeah. And I think that one of the benefits of it being an adaptation of a work that is, you know, so. So trodden and also so old in its original source, relatively speaking, is that, you know, I don't think anyone's really that upset about relatively minor race bending that's going on with some of these characters. Like the. The composite nature of Leslie Odom Jr's character, who is two characters that have been brought together. The Colonel. I cannot pronounce this. Arborthot AR Constantine. Yeah. Being brought together as into one form and having them actually, like, oh, I. My background was. I was a. I was a Batman during the war. And now. Now I'm a doctor.
49:01
Melissa Meli
Yeah.
49:01
Case Aiken
Cool. Penelope Cruz's character was supposed to be Swedish. You know, like, changing that, none of it feels, like, very jarring. And like, again, it might just be one of those things where Brannon's like, should probably do something. I don't know how hard I want to commit to some of this stuff because, like, if I. If it backfires, it's real bad if it backfires. And, like, may have been a spot where he was more subtle by virtue of not feeling too confident in this one specific area.
49:26
Melissa Meli
Sure, yeah, absolutely. And, like, you gotta. You gotta play to your strengths. Right? And wild to say, but he. He definitely had the awareness that was not one of his strengths. So that was a good instinct on his part.
49:43
Sam Alicea
I mean, maybe it's also not played up because it's not about him. Sure, sure.
49:50
Melissa Meli
Yeah, yeah. But no, I think overall that it comes across that there is some redemption for the story in terms of how it speaks about race. And we don't get too in the weeds with it either. So.
50:08
Case Aiken
Yeah, I mean, it just, like, in general, the movie is, like, fairly competent. Like, there's.
50:16
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
50:17
Case Aiken
There are moments where I'm like, this is too much. And there's like, little bits where I'm like, we could have reigned this in. But, like, I keep on saying it's a C plus B minus movie. Like. Like, it did not offend any sensibilities to watch. And, like, it was just spots where I'm like, you know, could have been a little bit better here and there again.
50:33
Sam Alicea
Rainy Saturday home doing laundry. This is. This is. This is the movie for you? Like.
50:39
Melissa Meli
Yeah, yeah, no, for sure. It absolutely is. It's worth a watch. It's a fun time. You don't have to pay attention too hard. You're going to get a nice little murder mystery because they're not going to.
50:52
Sam Alicea
Show you the clues so you don't have to pay attention too hard at all.
50:55
Case Aiken
As it is. As it is. But the clues that we should show to the audience is perhaps some of the clues on where they can find other amazing podcasts. So we're going to take a break. We're going to shout out one of the other shows on our network, and when we come back, we're going to try to figure out how we can put a magnifying glass up against some of the things that were overlooked in the actual theatrical cut of this. So we'll be back in a minute. Enjoy one of these other great shows.
51:31
Speaker 4
Nostalgia is one of the strongest forces in the human psyche and is responsible for the continued existence of some of our favorite fandoms. From the Minds behind the Dole up in Dreams podcast and Isolation cast Voices from Quarantine, Saturday Morning Confidential takes you on a deep dive into the properties that helped influence the artists and creators of today. So whether you are a Goonie, a gym girl, a digidestined, or you just want to return to Oz, New episodes release on Fridays, BI weekly starting January 1st of 2021. And join us on the Wednesdays after the main show for the Serial Killer Radio Hour, where we sit down with the people responsible for the toys, shows, and fandoms that you love. Now, you can find Saturday morning confidential@ certainpov.com smc pod or on your favorite podcast platforms.
52:27
Speaker 4
So don't forget to tune in for Another deep dive into the files of Saturday Morning Confidential.
52:38
Case Aiken
And we're back. All right, so I am not allowed to go first by. By decree of Sam.
52:46
Sam Alicea
Yeah, it's the rules.
52:47
Case Aiken
However, I'm gonna be real honest. All, all of my stuff is nitpicky. So it's not like I, I don't have like a. Here's, here's my thesis on how we fix this movie. Because it's like, it's a B minus. I don't, I don't know how to really push it over the edge because.
53:01
Sam Alicea
Normally it usually is a thesis.
53:04
Case Aiken
Well, Melissa, you are our guest. Would you like to take a crack first or would you like to force Sam to go first?
53:10
Melissa Meli
You know, I want to hear what Sam has to say because I have. I almost know too much.
53:18
Sam Alicea
That's fair. That's fair. Sometimes one does. I say the beginning of the movie is fine. I think that the short story is fine. I think that the way that they introduce the characters is fine. I actually think that everything up until when he starts interrogating people is probably fine. The first half of this film is fairly grounded. I think that there are a couple of scenes that can be cut a little shorter because they're a little indulgent. And I do think that some of his camera angles just. Let's be a little more boring with it. How about that? Okay, so that's the easiest way I can say it because sometimes I'm just like, why? But I would say once you get into the interrogation, there's some really amazing scenes. But I think that some of the monologues go a little long.
54:05
Sam Alicea
So I would just like shave off here or there, just a couple of places. And I would make clues more accessible. I would actually. I think that what this script does really well is the interrogation scenes are actually done pretty well. Like he asks the right questions. Like one of the things that I hate about Batman movies is. Or the last set of Batmans. I didn't see the new one, but. But the Dark Knight Batman, supposed to be a good detective, but he's a terrible detective. He never asks the right questions. He only asks one question. Where is she? I hate that. And at least Kenneth Brenner asks the right questions. He's always asking questions. And I do think that the film really highlights things that are very intelligent and intuitive about this character. So I think that is really, really good.
54:55
Sam Alicea
I do think that it's so heavy handed on him being super duper intelligent at times. And I know that's kind of like the character. But I would like a little more pushback from the actual cat, the cast, rather than making them all so one dimensional caricatures which I feel like a lot of them become throughout the course of the film. I don't know how. There's just so many of them. And that's the big issue is that there's so many characters that they made the right choice of blending two characters from the book. But there's a lot. There's a lot of people on this train.
55:34
Case Aiken
Yeah, they frankly could have done more.
55:36
Sam Alicea
But there is a lot for a film. Like honestly. So I feel like maybe cut back one or two. Like you know, zero in and do some more real things and let Book be his sounding board. Like that's. I think that's where this movie fails the most. Having Brenna just have self reflection in dark corners of the train talking to himself is far too indulgent and far too weird. Let Book be with him. Maybe stop him from being super active. Maybe let Book do it. Who knows what the rest of his journey Was let him be the fun sidekick that maybe saves him and knocks him down. Like, when he's about to be shot. I just feel like they're friends. They're fun friends. Let me have that.
56:23
Sam Alicea
Because I feel like what this movie is missing is that there are clever moments, but it's never really fun. Like, it's never really a fun movie. Like, it's interesting and there's a back and forth and all the performances are good, but it's never really fun. We don't get breaks from that. And much like Perrault, I felt like I was never gonna get a vacation from this film. So let me have Book a little more. Let me have that fun person who looks a little lost. That's like, what? This is gonna ruin my business. Like, my uncle's gonna be so mad at me. Give me that. Let there be moments of comic relief so that someone like Josh get is not a cartoon character on screen, but just an alcoholic because he shouldn't be my comic relief. Like, let Book do that.
57:10
Sam Alicea
And then the end, I would just cut down a lot of it. And I would change the music. I wouldn't necessarily make it foreboding. Okay. But I would make it sad. I would make it melancholy. I would just have it be cello. Like. Like, it can still be them coming together, and it can still be. But, like, taking a life, even if it is a piece of shit, life should still not be like a inspirational coming together moment. It should be like, this is a toll. Because when you take a life, you're marring yourself, right? And so we need to understand that these people who are already damaged are doing this because they're damaged and this is damaging them further. And that should be the precipice to why Perot feels like he can't further punish them.
58:00
Sam Alicea
Because they've lived in punishment knowing that this man is free. And then on top of that, now they've taken a life. So now they've done exactly what he did, and are they actually satisfied? And I would rework that end monologue to be less about him and his discoveries and more about why he's letting them go. What the empathy and what the impetus for that is, so that we who are not in his brain as we would be in a book, can understand that. So, yeah, I say Michelle Pfeiffer's speech was fine. She can still protect everyone. And. And, yeah, and then I do, like, the end bit where he's called off to Egypt because I felt really bad for him never getting his vacation. So I would keep that mostly.
58:44
Case Aiken
You want to go?
58:45
Melissa Meli
Sure. Yeah. Okay, great. It's interesting that you're picking up on basically all of the stuff I'm picking up on in terms of what. What needs to go. Yeah. The whole addition of this long lost love of Poirot's that he talks to in a photo needs to go away. Mostly this is editing. Mostly it's just taking stuff out of the movie. I really liked what you were picking up on with him needing to talk to Book more, because he has that in the novels, in the TV show, and he has someone to bounce things off of. Poirot can definitely get a little pompous and know it all, but he does it in kind of a charming way. And everyone under. Underestimates him.
59:34
Melissa Meli
And these characters did not underestimate him as much as I wished they would have, because that's kind of also Another one of his superpowers, is that he's understated. Like, he seemed a little bit infallible, even though he couldn't quite figure out what was going on, because they really did concoct a really interesting scheme. Like, it is a wild idea to think that, like, everyone did it, right?
01:00:01
Case Aiken
No, the whole train. Everyone.
01:00:03
Melissa Meli
Yeah, the whole train. It's almost too perfect, which is why he can't pick up on it. But, yeah, And Book is a really interesting character. Like, he's got a lot of really interesting qualities about him that we're introduced to, and then we never get to see that kind of come out. Like, it'd be great if Poirot would go to him and be like, what do you think? And then he can tell him what he thinks, and Poirot can be like, that is ridiculous. And shoot that town. But yeah, and I also think that because at the beginning of the movie, Cassetti Ratched, towards the beginning of the movie, asks Poirot for protection. And Poirot says, no, thank you. I do not want any part of that. I do not like your face. And like, the fact that he already is like, okay.
01:00:50
Melissa Meli
I mean, that's, you know, it's part of the plot, but at the same time, like, there is no one there that seems to really doubt him. So that would be nice to see. We can have the over the head character angles, but then. Stop it. Show us what the clues are, please.
01:01:07
Case Aiken
Yes.
01:01:07
Sam Alicea
Yes, please.
01:01:08
Melissa Meli
Yeah. And then just every time you want to do a big, long, sweeping shot, shave, like, I don't know, 10 seconds off of it.
01:01:20
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
01:01:23
Case Aiken
God, that's. This is so similar to babies. Like, one of the first episodes we did was on Star the Motion Picture. And I was like, almost every single shot just needs to be 10 seconds shorter because they're all too sweeping. And, like, if you just do that, the movie's just infinitely better.
01:01:39
Melissa Meli
Yeah, yeah, it's. And I was. I was saying this too, when I was talking with my. My friend about death on the Nile. There was advice, fashion advice that I once picked up from like a magazine or something. And it stuck with me for a really long time because, like, okay, get dressed, Put on all of your accessories, look in the mirror and take one of the accessories off and then leave your house. It's like no one took the. The last accessory off. And actually maybe we had three too many.
01:02:08
Sam Alicea
Yeah, yeah. They should have done that in every scene. They should have been like, okay, this is everything. We gotta edit one thing out. They probably did, actually, because Brenna.
01:02:18
Case Aiken
That's true. I mean, were talking about how it's like, it's impressive that it is so much more restrained than the last time were looking at a Brenna thing. So. Yeah, it's possible that this is the edited version already, but, like, that's a scary thought.
01:02:32
Melissa Meli
Yeah, no, for sure. And then, I mean, yeah, I didn't want him to brandish the gun. I need him to not do that. As I was mentioning before. And Kenneth Branagh shouldn't direct it. Yeah, done.
01:02:47
Case Aiken
Yeah.
01:02:49
Sam Alicea
Like, honestly, a disclaimer for the people listening. I actually like him as an actor as long as he's not directing himself.
01:02:57
Case Aiken
Yep.
01:02:57
Melissa Meli
Yes.
01:02:58
Case Aiken
And as a director, I don't mind him as long as he's not acting in. In it as the lead. Like, you know, I really like the first Thor movie. Like, may. Maybe that's like a really, like, basic kind of thing or example to bring up. But you know what? It works. It's great.
01:03:12
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
01:03:12
Melissa Meli
It's not bad. It's not bad.
01:03:14
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
01:03:14
Melissa Meli
No, he. I just wish he wouldn't direct himself.
01:03:17
Case Aiken
Yeah. I mean, that wasn't going to happen because it's sort of why this movie got made the in fully. But it is like, it is the basic rule of, like, Kenneth Branagh should not both star and direct. I mean, maybe if he wasn't the star, but I can't imagine Kenneth Branagh being like, I'm the director and I'm going to have a character who's not the main character because that's Kenneth Branagh, you know.
01:03:38
Melissa Meli
Of course. Yeah. But it would make for a better movie.
01:03:42
Case Aiken
Right. And like, my Takes are pretty similar to. Well, the main one I had was basically what you said, Melissa, verbatim, which is just like, shave off some scenes a little bit better camera angle stuff. Mostly that, like, I don't really have a lot else to really say. That would just like kind of nudge it into the solid B territory right there. Like, you know, again, B minus movie. Like it's already like mostly fine. Like maybe not have quite as the last supper, but on a snow covered up mountain for a finale scene. But, you know, whatever. Just, you know, feed the audience's attention to all these like red herrings, like clues that are in it. As opposed to just kind of like mentioning that.
01:04:23
Case Aiken
Mentioning that they're there and then having it not really matter so that the whole time you're like, wait, what? Which thing am I supposed to glow onto? In the sense that like, as opposed to being confused about what are the relevant clues, like, I could barely pay attention to what the clues were, period. Which is the problem. But Sam, you mentioning like a little bit more focus on Book actually makes it really interesting to think about. Like, can you imagine if this whole movie was entirely from Book's point of view and Paul Rowe just happened to be on the train? And I think that would actually be really cool. It doesn't set up the franchise as well because, like, it's just he's the detective that's there. But like, that actually would be really fucking dope.
01:04:54
Case Aiken
Like, if Book is going crazy trying to figure out like, there's a murder and I have to like deal with this thing and I'm going to be in so much trouble. Like, that actually is really cool. And now I can't stop thinking about how fucking fun that would be.
01:05:04
Sam Alicea
Movie starts in the bakery with you kind of.
01:05:08
Melissa Meli
Yeah, yeah. And like his experience of this, this weird man who comes in and solves mysteries.
01:05:17
Case Aiken
Like, imagine at the opening scene instead, what like, you know, like have them already know each other, you know, whatever. Like that part's like. But like, have it start off where he's like at his office or something. And then he goes out to get the. And then he goes out to like find where he's going to go and.
01:05:30
Sam Alicea
He like stumbles into you just go right into them. Like stumbling into the bakery.
01:05:35
Melissa Meli
Having Pierrot find him, make fun of him.
01:05:38
Sam Alicea
Start from exactly where the movie starts.
01:05:41
Case Aiken
Well, I was going to say, like, give. If we're going to have Book be the main character, like have a little bit more of a character. Establishing beat of him being, like, actually professional at his job, however that is. And then immediately be like, also, I'm going to get a sex worker. And it is going to be like, I'm like, everything's good for the next two hours, so I'm fucking off. It's your problem. Now, underlings or whatever kind of, like, vibe you're supposed to give with it. All of that would just be fun. And, like, that gives us a chance to, like, have everyone's innocence be presumed and actually have Book, because he's working for the train line, have to kind of pay a little bit more respect to all these people.
01:06:14
Case Aiken
And that, Poirot, is the opportunity to sort of, like, get into their dirty laundry. Because, you know, now it's this. This outside agent that Book is bringing in. But, yeah, like, so have Book, like, maybe get uncomfortable with the amount of snooping that Poirot is doing to a certain degree, but also understand that it's important, and you can kind of play that up. And then, like, Poirot can kind of take over the movie halfway through, which would be kind of interesting, particularly because then that prevents Branagh from being quite so bombastic. And, like, the having to monologue all the time because, like, he has to be talking to Book because, like, yeah, you don't need all those monologues. Like, he doesn't need to be talking to a picture all the time. He can just talk to the person who's.
01:06:50
Case Aiken
Who he's working with on this case. And you can do that or cut a lot of those scenes full stop.
01:06:56
Sam Alicea
Yeah, you're just. You got to remember, you're not Hamlet.
01:06:59
Melissa Meli
There's no soliloquies there. Yeah. And also having more of Book's perspective, just, like, with the other characters, his interaction with the other characters can be to kind of vouch for Poirot if they're not seeing him as this genius kind of deal.
01:07:15
Case Aiken
Right?
01:07:15
Sam Alicea
Yeah, actually, it was a lovely scene. I mean, it was actually one of the more fun scenes, I think, when Book is serving people in the dining room, he's pouring champagne for everyone. You're getting their perspective of who's on who's who on the train. And he goes to offer Penelope Cruz's character some champagne, and she's, like, says some really crazy out of pocket, like, very religious. Like, I don't touch it because I don't drink sin. And he's just like, okay, well, not talking to you anymore, and walks away. And it's. It's just really funny. Like, he's just like, okay. So I guess we're not buddies. Okay. Book is out.
01:07:54
Melissa Meli
Like, you know, and it's like, a.
01:07:57
Sam Alicea
Fun moment, which is why I'm saying, like, it would have been nicer to incorporate more of him. He is managing this train line. Like, this is. He would be the mo. He is honestly the most concerned about what's happened. Because, honestly, this is really bad. I mean, he does give a kind of explanation that he doesn't want the minorities on the train to also be the people that are automatically assumed when they get to where they're going. And he feels that the cops will do that. But I think. I think there should also be, like, a. And also, like, the press is not so good. My uncle. It's like my cushy job. Like, I just hang out with people and pour them champagne. I need to keep it.
01:08:39
Melissa Meli
Thanks.
01:08:40
Case Aiken
Yeah. Oh, we don't. We never talked about the Count Rudolph adrenaline. I don't know, the. The ballet dancer, which was actually the one scene that I was like, that's a bit over the top. When they, like, get into the fight with the photograph. He's such a non character in the whole of the movie that I forgot that there's that scene early in the movie. And then he, like, shows up again, like, close to Act 3. And so it's like, oh, right. Yes. This. This other character.
01:09:07
Melissa Meli
Yeah, I was gonna. I was gonna mention that, too, but I kept forgetting because I kept forgetting about them.
01:09:13
Case Aiken
Yeah.
01:09:13
Sam Alicea
Yeah, both of them totally can cut him.
01:09:17
Melissa Meli
Oh, yeah.
01:09:18
Case Aiken
Doesn't do anything for the story.
01:09:19
Sam Alicea
Yeah. Honestly, he's a glorified bodyguard as her husband because, like, he does. He's very overprotective of her, but that's pretty much his only character trait. I mean, we know that he's a ballet dancer because they say that in the beginning. And he does a fun jump spinny kick at someone, which is really lovely, but other than that. And he lashes out, you know, at Perot, but that's it.
01:09:49
Melissa Meli
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It's one of those, like. I feel like they almost cut him. Like, they cut out most of his stuff that he was gonna do and then just left him in, though.
01:10:03
Case Aiken
Yep.
01:10:04
Melissa Meli
Because they really wanted to get that spinny kick at the beginning, right?
01:10:07
Case Aiken
Yeah. Because it's. It's such an over the top, like, spin kick. Like, it's straight up. Something that, like, you. Like Power Rangers or something like in the. Okay. Oh, it's a putty fight. Oh, no, they're photographers.
01:10:18
Melissa Meli
Yeah.
01:10:18
Sam Alicea
Although it does have one of the funny moments because when his wife walks back over to him, someone takes a picture even after he's kicked a bunch of other photographers, and then he looks at them and he. The photographer just drops his camera, just like breaks it. That was actually funny.
01:10:33
Melissa Meli
That was funny.
01:10:34
Case Aiken
That was a good button. At the end of that scene, it occurs to me that Poirot got his seat because someone was running late for the train and was not allowed, like 30 minutes. The tickets forfeit was the deal for how he gets in. And it occurs to me, was that guy also a conspirator? Were they missing someone from their conspiracy?
01:10:50
Sam Alicea
Huh?
01:10:50
Melissa Meli
Oh, my goodness. I don't remember.
01:10:52
Sam Alicea
I think it's very likely. Also, Josh Gad was his. His roommate, right? Like, he's never in the room with him, like, other than the first moment when he like, shows up and it's like, oh, I'm with you, we're bunkies.
01:11:04
Melissa Meli
This is the word he uses.
01:11:06
Sam Alicea
I was like, is that slang at that time?
01:11:08
Melissa Meli
But we're bunkies.
01:11:09
Sam Alicea
And like, Josh Gavin was like, oh, okay. And then like, you never see him in the room again. Like, you never see him in that cabin.
01:11:16
Case Aiken
Yeah. I think he's more in the bar car for the rest of the movie.
01:11:20
Melissa Meli
But I also thought of that because he's like, lying in bed and giggling at his Dickens book, which I think was a thing that was supposed to be fun. And it kind of is. But. Yes. No, when he's doing that, I was like, wait, isn't Josh Gad in his cabin too?
01:11:37
Sam Alicea
No.
01:11:37
Melissa Meli
All right. We just don't. We're not going to address that.
01:11:40
Sam Alicea
Yeah. I was like, if I was like, sharing a cabin with a stranger and they were giggling to Dickens underneath me,.
01:11:46
Melissa Meli
I'd be very afraid of them. Maybe I too would spend all my time in the cafe car. Yeah. Super weird.
01:11:54
Case Aiken
Yeah. The specific logistics there are a little funky. I mean, also just that everyone on the train would be from this one thing and it's a fully booked up train. It's like that. That. That requires a lot of conspirators or someone who's wealthy enough to buy up extra seats, which I guess could be the other scenario. They could have had, like several people who didn't check in that they had bought tickets for who were, you know, like fake, you know, just to keep the train empty of anyone who wasn't part of the conspiracy. But why.
01:12:20
Melissa Meli
But then everyone feels like they're on top of each other at the same time.
01:12:23
Case Aiken
Right.
01:12:24
Melissa Meli
So it's very like. It's a really weird Contrast there. Like, I don't. It seems in conflict with. With itself.
01:12:31
Case Aiken
Yeah. I mean, I have to imagine there's at least, like, one guy who just was supposed to be there to also stab Johnny Depp and, like, missed his chance because he was like, he arrived 15 minutes before the train and they're like, oh, we already gave away your seat and then didn't have a chance to warn everyone that, like, oh, hey, someone isn't. Who isn't one of us is going to be on the train.
01:12:50
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
01:12:50
Melissa Meli
If we had gotten like, a moment of someone mentioning to someone else, like, oh, I guess they can't.
01:12:57
Case Aiken
Or just very aggressively when they. They cut back to them, like. Like being conspirators, like, looking at the footage and like, talking about how they're going to murder in, like, the flashbacks if there's just like an extra person there in every shot.
01:13:08
Melissa Meli
Yeah. Oh, gosh, that's so funny.
01:13:13
Sam Alicea
Just a one single lone tear running down their face. Yeah.
01:13:18
Case Aiken
No, it's totally like Jack Black in Community. He's, like, always been there.
01:13:24
Melissa Meli
Oh, my goodness.
01:13:25
Case Aiken
Until you get to this moment and then he's just not there. And then like, maybe like the post credits teaser could be like, one person, like, holding his ticket. The train has just left, and you see that he's, like, got some crucial part of the plan or something with him.
01:13:40
Melissa Meli
My goodness. Because, yeah, it's such a tight plan. Like, so many things could have gone wrong.
01:13:47
Case Aiken
Yeah.
01:13:48
Melissa Meli
And one big thing did, and it was Poirot got on the train.
01:13:51
Case Aiken
Right.
01:13:52
Sam Alicea
And improvised. Yep. They still managed to do it even though they were right next door. Yeah.
01:13:59
Melissa Meli
They're like the world's greatest detectives on board, but damn it, we're going to kill this man anyway. There's.
01:14:06
Sam Alicea
There's no other chance.
01:14:07
Melissa Meli
No, of course not. I mean, you spend that long making a plan that elaborate, like, you've got to do it. You gotta take your shot. And in this time, I was thinking about this because the forensics were not as good as they are now. Like, this is nothing that could happen today because just the blood and the DNA and all sorts of things would be too advanced now for this to be a plausible thing they could get away with.
01:14:34
Sam Alicea
None of them were wearing gloves at all. I saw the stabbing scene. None of them?
01:14:38
Melissa Meli
No, the stabbing scene, though what's interesting is it doesn't seem like they're covered in blood.
01:14:43
Sam Alicea
Oh, there's no. There's no blood. He didn't cry out. Like, all the things that would have normally happened, like, okay, we can say he did get a copy that was laced with drugs and maybe he was passed out when they started, like, stab him.
01:14:56
Case Aiken
Yeah. So that actually would probably lend to less blood pressure.
01:15:00
Melissa Meli
Oh, I suppose.
01:15:01
Case Aiken
And they make a note that the big, like Michelle Pfeiffer's stab, for example, which is like one of the big last ones, like those big, deep ones, didn't have a lot of blood come out of them because they were so late. Like, he. He was already, like, basically dead at that point.
01:15:12
Melissa Meli
Sure, yeah, that makes sense.
01:15:14
Case Aiken
So it is. Whoever. Whoever stabbed first would have gotten the most squirted on that. So I don't know if they. I don't know if we just didn't really, like, see too closely the first couple stabs. So I don't know. Yeah, I mean, there would be way more blood.
01:15:28
Melissa Meli
What. What did they do with their bloody clothes? Like. Yeah, but, yeah, no, this. This was never have worked in today's day and age. But my boyfriend was like, why don't they just throw the body out the window? They're like, I don't know what happened to him.
01:15:45
Case Aiken
Yeah, I was circling back to that one. And this is just a larger question about the story as a whole of, like, wait, what? Like, are they trying to have the body be declared murdered by someone and they want people to know that he's dead? Or was the goal just to kill him? Like, because he could also just disappear.
01:16:02
Melissa Meli
Yes, absolutely. Yeah.
01:16:05
Case Aiken
Like, if they threw him out and they had the window shut and no one ever, like, questioned, like, hey, where. Where is that guy? That's weird. Maybe he jumped off when our. When we ran against that avalanche.
01:16:14
Melissa Meli
Yeah, exactly. I mean, they weren't counting on the avalanche. Right. So maybe. Right, yeah, they couldn't. But, like, you know, Poirot eventually lies to the police and says, hey, it was, you know, someone came on the train, killed him, and then peaced out. And instead of them just being like, all right, just. Just kind of before the train moves again, just get rid of them.
01:16:39
Sam Alicea
So, yeah, they opened the window. They could have easily just. There was enough of them. They could have hoisted him out.
01:16:45
Melissa Meli
Yeah, absolutely.
01:16:46
Case Aiken
It's a big team effort. Like, it makes sense to leave the body if you're one person, but when you have everyone is able to, like, including the conductor. Like, yeah, we haven't really talked about this. Like, Book is literally the only person that's not involved. I mean, maybe the engineers. Because we never see anyone at the front of the train.
01:17:01
Melissa Meli
No, no, we don't Right.
01:17:02
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
01:17:02
Case Aiken
But as far as we know, including the actual staff on hand is all in on this. Except for Book.
01:17:08
Melissa Meli
And Poirot.
01:17:09
Case Aiken
And Poirot. But he's not like the.
01:17:11
Melissa Meli
Yes. Yeah.
01:17:11
Case Aiken
Yeah.
01:17:12
Melissa Meli
He wasn't supposed to be on the train, right. Yeah.
01:17:14
Case Aiken
Supposed to be a different murderer, right?
01:17:17
Melissa Meli
Exactly. Exactly.
01:17:18
Sam Alicea
This.
01:17:18
Melissa Meli
This mystery person. Gosh, that's funny.
01:17:21
Case Aiken
Like, maybe the guy who was supposed to be on the train that missed it had, like, the body bags that they were gonna stick him in to, like, hide the evidence.
01:17:27
Sam Alicea
That's what happened. It was that. It was that guy, and they just.
01:17:31
Melissa Meli
No, I think. Do you know what? I bet. I bet it was never supposed to be anyone. They just bought up that last ticket, right?
01:17:40
Case Aiken
Yeah. Like that. That scenario.
01:17:41
Sam Alicea
Yeah, yeah.
01:17:42
Melissa Meli
That. It was a. Yeah, it was a fake person. So the fact that Book wanted to get Poirot on this train. Right.
01:17:50
Case Aiken
I mean, that makes the most sense. But then I'm wondering, like, part. Part of it is like, I'm like, how many people are supposed to be on a train like this? Did they buy a bunch of fake dick? It's like we said, or is this the only one? And if it's, why is it the only one? Is it just like, exactly that count of what, like, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5? Like, what, like, 15, 20 people total that could fit on the Orient Express? Like, that feels small.
01:18:11
Melissa Meli
It does feel small. Yeah.
01:18:13
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
01:18:13
Melissa Meli
That's weird. But that's a question for Agatha Christie, I guess.
01:18:16
Case Aiken
Yeah.
01:18:17
Sam Alicea
Yeah.
01:18:18
Case Aiken
Again, like, and at this point, we're getting into, like, nitpicky terr story for, like, the. The source material, which is not worth it for this conversation because, you know,.
01:18:26
Sam Alicea
Especially because we already fixed the movie by just editing it down.
01:18:29
Melissa Meli
Yeah, it's true.
01:18:32
Case Aiken
Yeah. Just haven't have some establishing shots of, like, his eyeline to Clue every now and then. And, like, slightly shorter shots would. Would do wonders and really push this movie. Again, I. I keep saying this C plus B minus movies. Like, it's fine. I'm not mad I saw it at all. Like, I'm glad I watched it. I've heard Death on the Nile is not as good as this.
01:18:53
Melissa Meli
It is not. Yeah, it is not as good.
01:18:56
Case Aiken
That's a bummer. You would hope that if it was, like, a little bit better, it'd be like, okay, cool. We're getting into, like, new murder mystery stuff, but this one's fine. It's just, like, a little too much.
01:19:06
Sam Alicea
Yeah. And to your point, also, like, if we saw the clues, you know, and all the red herrings. Then at the end when Book is like, but that doesn't add up. It doesn't make sense.
01:19:18
Melissa Meli
It would have made a lot more.
01:19:19
Sam Alicea
Sense to me why he was so unhappy. Because at that point, like, I was like, yeah, probably doesn't. But, like, honestly, like, I'm not even really sure, like, other than the conversations,.
01:19:28
Melissa Meli
What's going on here.
01:19:30
Sam Alicea
Because then you would have been there, like, in Books mindset. Like, no. But there was this.
01:19:35
Melissa Meli
It's.
01:19:35
Sam Alicea
Right. It doesn't match up. Like, but we don't. We didn't see the clues, so we can't feel that. I think we're supposed to feel the way Book feels in that line. And I did not. I was just like, please just end this. Like, just tell me who did it.
01:19:48
Melissa Meli
So we can go.
01:19:49
Case Aiken
I could not hold on to all those clues that they tried to present it, you know, because it's supposed to be this cacophony. But instead it just felt like silence at the end of, like, the things I was supposed to care about. And that was a bummer. But again, that, you know, we've talked about that. So if listeners at home like to hold on to clues and solve mysteries and think about those things a little bit better, they can check out stuff that Melissa's working on. So, Melissa, thank you for coming on the show. Give your plugs again so people know where to find you, follow you, all the good stuff.
01:20:21
Melissa Meli
Thank you for having me.
01:20:23
Sam Alicea
This has been so much fun.
01:20:23
Melissa Meli
The Amateur Detective Club podcast is Dcpod on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. And you can search Amateur Detective Club on pretty much any social media thing. And you can follow me personally, Melissa J. Melee. So that's M E L I S S A J M E L I. My first name is. My last name is the first four letters of my first name. So. Melissa J. Maylee Underscore is my Instagram handle. And I'm on there a lot. And if you. If you like running, you'll like my Instagram account. I do. I do post about other things, though.
01:21:03
Case Aiken
Yeah, you ran a race recently and it was like, at Disney and I was like, wow, there are so many pictures.
01:21:09
Melissa Meli
Oh, and I haven't even posted most of them. Yeah, no, it's. I've been coming off a high from that race, but. But yeah, no, I do other stuff. It gets a little. It gets. Just get a little excited sometimes.
01:21:22
Case Aiken
Well, that one just. Cause, like, I do. I, like, I do follow your stories and stuff. And I was like, oh, wow, that's a lot of pictures. Was was the surprise on that one. But you are a great follow so everyone should definitely check out the check out all your stuff and watch your things. It's fun to watch.
01:21:38
Melissa Meli
I'm so glad. Thank you.
01:21:39
Case Aiken
Then after that, Sam, where can they find you?
01:21:41
Sam Alicea
They can find me here and nowhere else because I'm on a train avoiding being part of a conspiracy to murder an innocent person or a not innocent person. But if you have any complaints about anything I said or anything we said here, you can find Case at.
01:21:56
Case Aiken
Well, you can find the my I was trying to make a train reference and I'm like, I don't know trains well enough.
01:22:02
Melissa Meli
Really went off the tracks there.
01:22:04
Case Aiken
Yeah, really went off the tracks there. You can find me at Case Aiken. You can find the podcast on Twitter N Other Pass. You can find more episodes of this show and tons of other great shows on our network@ certainpov.com, great shows like Saturday Morning Confidential. Matty Limerick has such a wonderful show looking at the depths of nostalgia and just how influential that is on people and their artistic journeys today. Like, he brings on wonderful guests to really explore what's going on behind, like, why these materials have resonated with the guests that they bring on. And I think that's such a cool, fun show. And Matt is just like a wonderful person. So check that out. And then, you know, While you're@ certainpov.com you can find a link to our Discord server, where we often do these calls on Discord.
01:22:52
Case Aiken
But even if you just want to, like, come and share a meme or like shoot us a message like it's a great place to be, like, we're we have a really open and fun Discord community. So check that out and then, you know, look and see what we got coming up for this show. Sam, what do we have coming up next?
01:23:07
Sam Alicea
Next time on Another Pass, we'll be talking about Highlander 2 the Quickening. But until then, if you enjoyed it, pass it on. Foreign.
01:23:20
Case Aiken
Thanks for listening to Certain Point of View's Another Pass podcast. Don't miss an episode. Just subscribe and review the show on itunes. Just go to certainpov.com.
01:23:33
Sam Alicea
Another pass is a certain POV production. Our hosts are Sam, Alice and Case Aiken. The show is edited by Matt Storm. Our logo and episode art is by Case Aiken. Our intro theme is by Vin Macri, and our outro theme is by Matt Brogan.
01:23:49
Case Aiken
And that should be enough for Matt, our editor, to get them lined up roughly right and then nudge it as appropriate.
01:23:54
Sam Alicea
Ozzy's wonderful.
01:23:56
Melissa Meli
I'm excited that he's wonderful. Amazing.
01:24:00
Sam Alicea
I could go on and on, but we do have a podcast to record.
01:24:04
Case Aiken
Fancy CPOV certainpov.com.