CLUE & ASPECT RATIO: Reliving 'Clue'-Inspired Childhoods and Wrestling with Superhero Saturation

Join me as I whisk you away on a journey back to the carefree days of youth, where the simple act of watching 'Clue' could shape one's taste in cinema for a lifetime. Childhood was a different game back then—latchkey freedom, the early forays into cooking, and the bliss of unsupervised summers are the landscapes we explore, with a side of humor about my 'crap moods' and the quest for small victories like conquering laundry. We'll talk about these formative experiences and how they starkly contrast with today's hyper-vigilant parenting, revealing the layers of nostalgia that movies and memories can hold.

Wading into the more critical waters of film and humor, we reflect on the evolution of our laughter and how movies like 'Clue' have a timeless quality in their ability to adapt with us. Remember the days of scratched DVDs and the reluctant transition to Blu-ray? We cover that too, along with the importance of visual fidelity and a fun story about my widescreen evangelism with my dad. As we segue into superhero fatigue and the current cinematic landscape, we candidly discuss the quality of storytelling and my waning interest in superhero flicks amidst a sea of identity politics and checkbox diversity. Here's to hoping that the likes of 'Deadpool' can keep the creative spirit alive in an industry that's become a strange new world of superheroes.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:19

You are listening to the objective, jerk. And I am said, jerk, how's everybody doing? Hope everybody's doing. Well, I've Been alright.

Speaker 1: 0:31

I think I'm in my actual my, my crap mood. You know I talk about my crap mood, but it's gone though. Trying to stay busy doing something, do I don't know whether it's you know, load of laundry or whatever just do something, get something accomplished. But I, I Don't know, I just every once, while I just get like like I want to Talk. You know, sometimes I'm just not in the mood and sometimes I am, I don't know. But Anyway, the other day I was trying to watch Clue, the movie Clue that's based off the board game, the murder mystery, one of my favorite movies, one of them.

Speaker 1: 1:27

But I remember, I remember living in Utah, and how old was I? About 98, somewhere around there, seven maybe. But so I'd go to my uncle who was my, the brother of my mom. I go to his house on the weekends when he would have his son, my cousin. So we we hung out a lot, as we when we were kids, and so I'd go there a lot, we would just hang out, or especially during the summer, I think, is when we spent a lot of time and then. But the thing was, you know, back back in those days, kids we're, you know they call them latchkey kids, you know. You know you would Come home after school and you had a key to your house, you'd go in and lock it and you'd be home alone. You know, a lot, of a lot of kids Were like that. I mean, most kids were, I think before the helicopter parenting, I Mean, I wasn't, I wouldn't go as far as to say I was a latchkey kid, but I was pretty close.

Speaker 1: 2:42

And but I remember going to my uncle's house on the weekend or Maybe even during the week, like I said, because it was a summertime. But what I remember is I remember yeah, it was a weekday, because they were both gone, my uncle and his Fiancé, or I don't know. If they were married, then no, they weren't his girlfriend, so they would, they would go to work, so Me around nine ish, and then, which would leave my, my cousin, to be five, six, so he would yeah, he's three years younger, nine anyway, so we would just. You know, I learned how to make scrambled eggs, I Learned how to make grilled cheese there and stuff like that. I mean not by myself, my, my, I remember my aunt Debbie taught me but but yeah, so we basically had the house to ourselves, you know, and we'd be playing and and watch TV and just cook some food. So it was, it's kind of nice, but but I remember, you know, having the TV on and you know what's. This is the antenna days. Maybe there's cable, I don't know but, and TBS probably or something, but clue, clue would be on. So I swear I'd watch it at least twice the summer just because it'd come on TV. Probably even more than that, really.

Speaker 1: 4:07

But so that's when I started getting into it and I liked it. And you know I just it's a great movie. I'm sure I think most people know about it now. So I'm not like I'm not uh, you know the spear head or anything, but Not the yeah, spearhead, first one in right. So a lot of people love it and this and that, but but yeah, I just think it's a.

Speaker 1: 4:33

It's a pretty funny movie and actually it gets. You know what's cool about it is. When I was a kid, you know, the slapsticky stuff probably is what made me laugh, and then a lot of jokes I didn't get, because a lot of the jokes are kind of ahead of its time, like now it's like what. But even then it was kind of like it. It was more like 90s kind of humor and stuff, late 90s. It probably would have some of the jokes probably landed Better maybe, but maybe not, because people wouldn't, I don't know. Just kind of weird how that works. But some of the jokes were stupid and whatever, but some of it was, I think, ahead of its time, you know. So it's like as I watch, as I get older, oh, like, catch something new, like oh, crap, that's you know whatever. Blah, blah, blah yeah, that's my name on my podcast blah, blah, blah. So I went to watch it last night.

Speaker 1: 5:28

I have it on DVD and it's all scratched so I wouldn't play. I mean it was start, but then it it got, it wouldn't play. I didn't get like a little car buffer and some waxing. I guess that kind of you can get them back to normal. But anyway it's a DVD. So it's kind of.

Speaker 1: 5:49

It's kind of Anita, buy the Blu-ray version but before I ever, you know, I'm not gonna get rid of it because some movies aren't available or whatever. But so now I got by it on Blu-ray. So it's like all my, all my movies that were like my favorites. You know I start buying like, well, you know, back. I think 2009 was the first year I bought Blu-ray and had a Blu-ray player, and you know. So I'd buy new movies that I wanted and then I'd buy old movies that were like my favorite. So but now it's now. Now it's just everything. So, you know, blu-rays I mean crap. Now they got 4k and whatever. So it doesn't really matter. But Keep the DVDs. But like I even have VHS's.

Speaker 1: 6:34

But it's hard for me to watch a VHS, man, it's just it's too grainy and Like I'm kind of like nostalgic, I guess a little bit, and I'm a little old school, but I like a good, clear picture in a movie. So, yeah, it's just it's got to be. So I just I can't watch. I've watched a few VHS. I mean I could watch like a documentary maybe or I don't know, yeah, some sort of documentary, but to watch a movie On VHS is like I just it's, I can't, it's too hard, I don't know, it's just weird. I can watch an old-ass movie if it's good, pretty good picture, although a lot of it is grainy and stuff, but anyway.

Speaker 1: 7:21

But I remember I Remember the first time, kind of realizing how much I liked a good picture. And it was when the Matrix came out and I bought the. It was VHS and I bought the widescreen version, I remember, and it just it was a new VHS and I don't know, but something about it, just like, man, it looks really good, you know. I mean, you know the screen was smaller, he had the two black Parts because the ratio, you know, is squished down, and so I remember when that came out, I bought that and since then I've always been like into widescreen.

Speaker 1: 8:12

And then I'd go visit my dad and All of his stuff is like standard. You know, like we would go rent a movie and I I would Look for widescreen. I'm like, okay, I got their widescreen because you used to have both. They used to do that too in the video source. But so if there was an option, I would grab widescreen Without saying anything. And then we get home and you're like, oh man, he'd be off his top because it's widescreen. But and we used to get in argument, not like like a legitimate, you know, we wouldn't fight, but we would just get debates, okay, debates about it. And I was trying to explain to him yes, it's smaller this way, but you're still getting a bigger picture. And he just would not get it. And it was, it was.

Speaker 1: 9:00

He had a. It was a Steven Segal movie, I don't remember which one. It was Like hard to kill or something. But he had a DVD at price 11 actually, and you had, I mean, some of them you could do, you would flip them. One side was full screen, one side was a widescreen. I can't remember how this one was. I didn't know if you could just select it like you can answer. I think I had to flip it.

Speaker 1: 9:24

So I think what we did is we picked a scene in the movie and I, I, I Played, you know, standard that showed him the standard, and then watch the same thing on Widescreen. And then he saw how much he was actually missing, especially in, like those fights. You can't see the whole picture. It's like zoomed in so close, you know I mean. So then finally he was like okay, okay, I get it now, I get it now. And then it wasn't long after that, after he got like a flat screen TV, which are made for widescreen, so you know, didn't have the the black on top and bottom. So he was, you know. So he was good after that, but it was just kind of funny.

Speaker 1: 10:03

We stick argue about that all the time, dude, what am I talking about? I had actually put down notes. Where am I at? I'm just blabbing? 10 minutes, okay so, but anyway. So I was the reason I was talking about clue was just a little, I guess, my my part in it.

Speaker 1: 10:25

But the it's, it's popular. You know, it's still really popular and lots of even people younger than than I are Into it. And I just saw this article from the Nielsen's ratings. Right, which Nielsen's are? I forgot to double check. Like, are they tracking just what's on the on TV or is it everything, even streaming? It's gonna be streaming. Yeah, because the old show, yeah, well, I guess there's reruns, but anyway, yeah, this is the Nielsen ratings for the stream and Basically all the top streaming shows are like older shows from like the 90s or early 2000s. Nothing new is being watched and it's kind of funny.

Speaker 1: 11:25

But it's like, yeah, there's so much like I haven't been following really TV and all that kind of stuff. So you know, sometimes I'll watch like a list on YouTube it says like oh, shows that are being canceled, like I just watched one like a week ago or the other day. It's like these are the newest, the top 10 shows that are being canceled and whatever, and I didn't know any of them. Like they were like usually I was, I'd kind of know you would kind of they about watch, just enough to have an idea or whatever, but None of the shows. I was like. I have no idea what these shows are. I didn't know they existed.

Speaker 1: 11:59

And that's kind of, I think, for a lot of people, because you have people like myself. They're just kind of sick of the stupid crap, and so I'm not gonna waste my time and invest my time In these shows that are garbage. So I'm gonna watch the old shows or not watch anything at all. But then you have the younger individuals who Are doing it too, because they realize how much better the shows were. Everything is just such trash. I've been talking about this a lot lately, but it's true though, and it's just coming, it's everybody's seeing it now, so it's good, but but and then.

Speaker 1: 12:41

But the thing is too is like the younger kids, like my kids, they don't watch TV, they hate watching movies, like I have to. Well, one of them, he doesn't like movies at all. Really, we have to really force them and then the other. You know it's kind of hit or miss or whatever. But my oldest, he'll sit down and watch movies with me. I'll try and expose them, but expose them, but yeah, they're on their phones. They even had TVs in their room and they never used them and they could hook up to like YouTube and and stuff like that and, but they just they're on their phone. I mean, if I took their phone away, then they'd get on their TV.

Speaker 1: 13:16

Of course, except my youngest, though he's still, he likes Legos and so like that. So he's like, he likes to play with toys. My other one likes basketball, but yeah, so old shows, or what's that you know, I mean, so it's because they're and there's no message. No, no, there's always been messaging, I guess. I think, to be fair, there's always some sort of propaganda Push it into a show, whether you see it or not.

Speaker 1: 13:46

But man, it's just been so bad lately, you know, and then plus the writing is just bad, like they can't even make a show to support their identity or their politics, but make it good. It's like, dude, you would still it wouldn't be, it would not be killing it on the ratings, but it would be doing better than what it is now, but that's the thing is, though, they can't get anybody who's an actually good writer to take part in the BS, so they hire all these people that are more that are you know what's it called who they bitch and complain all the time they are you know, hey, hell, no, we won't protest her, but there's another term I'm looking for. But when they're a protestor before a writer, then you know they shouldn't be writing. You know what I mean? That's what a lot of them are now so, and it's obvious you can't. You know they tried hiding it. Oh, it's because of COVID, oh, it's because of this. Well, now there's no excuse, and everything that's was being pushed so much is just failing.

Speaker 1: 14:59

And then now they're seeing it so like there was a Spider-Man or in the Spider-Universe movie with the Madame Web, because I did like crap looked horrible. That's the thing, though, too, is like it did. It did not look good for my, at least, for what I want to watch Like I could see it kind of being like a, a thriller kind of movie, whatever, for for younger. I think if they would have took the Madame Web out of it, maybe it left everything else the same. There was no, no Spider-Man imagery, no, nothing Like it just looked like a straight up, like thriller kind of movie. People would have watched it. I think it would have done a lot better.

Speaker 1: 15:50

And then when, when they come to watch it, they're like, oh my gosh, this is a superhero movie. Like it becomes, you know, the very, very end, you find out it's connected with Madame Web or something, and then go off that way. I think it would have done better, but you know, the thing is is like you know, they're trying to make different types of superhero movies, you know, and, but they're just not very good. I guess, I don't know, I don't watch them. I haven't, I haven't seen. What was it? I don't know. I don't like, I wish, like I did. I watched the Deadpool trailer I think I talked about this already but and it looks good, like it looks pretty good, but there's a part of me that just doesn't care anymore.

Speaker 1: 16:39

There's a part of me that's like, oh, let's see how, what you know, when it comes out, let's really see, you know. So I don't know. I think you know people try and say it's like it's, it's superhero fatigue, which, yes, I think they're, you know, okay, they're, they're saying it's superhero fatigue, or or or a bunch of you know, and then you got people saying no, it's all crap and and all these different excuses, but they're, they're. They all play a part in it, they all do.

Speaker 1: 17:10

I'm a little burnt out of superhero, but it's mainly because of the crap that's been put out, though. You know what I mean. So if, if they never started doing the identity politics and all the BS that they've been pushing into it, I probably would still be a little kind of getting tired, watching a little bit less superhero movies, but it wouldn't be where I'm at now. You know what I mean. Yeah, I'm a little tired of it, but I'm also just like I'm sick of of getting excited and investing any kind of time and money and effort into you know, and then just being completely let down. So it's like we'll see. I'm sure I'm hoping it's good, you know, and I think it will be really, just because they had all the people you know, the people involved in that were not hired because of their politics. They were probably a lot of the same people that have been in the last two movies, and you know what I mean. But they wanted to, they wanted to and at least at the very, at the very least, ended the trilogy on. I know, you know so I don't know.

Speaker 1: 18:22

It's kind of strange, though, the way things are, but, like I said, it's, it's a combination, you know you got. You got, okay, a lot of superhero crap, yeah, because it's everywhere. You got shitty writing. You got people that are just getting older, like myself, and they all play a factor, I think, in my and I've said it before you know, I'm just kind of think I'm at that age where you just start to Be less interested in pop culture and movies and things like that. You know, because I used to be huge Movie buff. I was, you know, in the movies and In music. I still like music a lot, but it's still even even that's a lot less. It's just kind of weird. So I don't know, it's just, you know. So I have that going for me.

Speaker 1: 19:11

And then, plus the oversaturation, but more importantly, the oversaturation of crap films, because there were still movies, superhero movies, that did pretty good. So it's just, you know it's, if they put out the right movie, you know it's, it's like they're trying to cater to such a low percentage. You know the, you know action movies and sci-fi and superhero movies and stuff. They're like 70, 80% that's male, always has been right. And then you got the romantic comedies and the other Love stories and musicals. Their majority is like 60 women, 70% women. You know.

Speaker 1: 19:55

So to sit there and like take what's male dominated, whatever, and Try and push it to women. So now you had a male dominated thing that a lot of women loved the way it was. Now you made it all go towards women. So, yeah, maybe you're picking up a few of these other you know, feminist type women, but you're losing all the male and you're losing most of the women too that you had. So it's like, you know it's fine to do a movie like this, this madden web movie, but when the last movie before that was the marvels and the one before that was Whatever, but it's all just been crap, it's all just been.

Speaker 1: 20:39

You know, oh, look at this person's now gay. This person's now a different color, this person's now a woman. And you know, oh, look, it's directed by the first black woman. Oh, it's directed by the first black woman with bleached hair. Oh, look, it's directed by the first black woman that's over five feet tall. Oh, you know, I mean, it's like, who cares? Is she a good director? That's what you know, that's what should matter. But here we are right. It's like geez, but Dang it. I went off another tangent. I kind of lost my train of thought. Was I talking about Movies? They were sucking, I don't know, but I went off anyway. I think that's about it. My time is pretty close to it, that's it. I just wanted to kind of bullshit, I guess. Let me know and I will see you guys next time. Thanks, bye.