FURRY FRIENDS & VILLAINOUS CHARMS; Exploring Animal Bonds and the Allure of Movie Antagonists

Ever missed out on an April Fool's prank that you wish you'd pulled off? I come clean about the shenanigans that could have been with my kids and reflect on an Easter adventure that went beyond the usual chocolate egg frenzy. Amid the laughter, we slide into a more sobering conversation sparked by a social media post - a candid exploration of the perplexing ways society sometimes values pets over people, migrants, and even our own neighbors. Even as my dogs test my patience, their unswerving loyalty is a stark contrast to the complexity of human bonds. We also can't help but share a chuckle over an elderly relative's poolside predicament that turned our family outing into an unforgettable comedy of errors.

Now, let's kill the lights and talk about the dark corners of horror cinema. Have you ever found yourself cheering for the slasher rather than the doomed teen on screen? I confess to this guilty pleasure, especially when faced with the temptation to switch off a film like the latest Texas Chainsaw Massacre. We wade into the murky waters of horror movie tropes and why they're making villains more appealing than ever. Further dissecting the silver screen, I discuss Hollywood's dance with representation, questioning if a mirrored image is necessary for my enjoyment - Denzel Washington defies that need every time. We'll also break down the true measure of a film's worth: the rewatchability factor, and how it shapes the movies that make it into our personal pantheons - a fresh lens through which we also examine the movie industry's approach to diversity and its impact on audiences.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:20

white people care more about dogs than they do migrants.

Speaker 1: 0:26

It's like, well, no shit, I care more about dogs than most people who are us citizens or whatever you know. Dogs aren't douchebags, like people are. Anyway, this is the objective, jerk, and I'm said jerk, how's everybody doing? Happy late Easter. It was Easter the other day and it was for me, it was April Fool's Day yesterday. I didn't even realize it. I could April Fool's my kids and just didn't even. I wonder if, maybe because we we went and had like a an Easter day hanging out and then we let the kids have Monday off, so they didn't go to school yesterday. So maybe if they had, they would have learned that it was April Fool's. I don't know if they do April Fool's here in the Philippines, though, but anyway. So I could have gotten got, cause I didn't even realize it. And then when I, you know, I saw something and I was like, oh man, it was April fool's day yesterday, um, but yeah, I missed out, whatever, I don't know. Maybe I'm just so disgruntled with life that, uh, that April Fool's Day means nothing anymore.

Speaker 1: 1:47

Anyway, I was on Twitter. I don't get on Twitter very much, basically just to post my podcast, and then I'll get on there real quick, maybe in the morning, just to see if there's any notifications which usually I don't, but you know and then I'll scroll through real quick. But I try not to stay on because it's just, you just see how stupid people are. And I saw that um, it was a screenshot, or somebody tweeted that white people care more about dogs than migrants and it's like, well, yeah, no shit, migrants are fucking garbage. No shit, migrants are fucking garbage. Most people are fucking garbage, sorry, they just are. Man people are horrible, and dogs, what do dogs? You know dogs are. The only time a dog is aggressive is if they're in like fight or flight. You know, now, I'm not the most patient when it comes to dogs. My dogs drive me nuts and some days I have patience for it, but a lot of days I don't. Um, but I still appreciate dogs and I I like dogs and I have dogs. I'm not like a huge dog lover.

Speaker 1: 2:59

I would let my I have four dogs, two shih tzus and two German short-haired pointers and I would let my German short-haired pointers come in why am I wearing my headphones? Come in and uh in the house, but they, they're just, they don't know how to behave in the house. They get in the trash, they get. They can't sit still. They can't just like, oh, I'm inside the house, I'm gonna lay down and chill, they't sit still. They can't just like, oh, I'm inside the house, I'm going to lay down and chill. They got to get into everything and it's just like so. They don't come in very often during the summer, when it gets really hot, I'll let them in during the hot time of the day, but then I have to put the trash up and I don't know just various things. But right now I got like a cat that has some young kittens, so it wouldn't work anyway. But yeah, so that's that.

Speaker 1: 3:52

Yes, dogs are better than migrants, sorry, dogs are better than US citizens. Dogs are better than anybody. Dogs are better than me. So that's a stupid remark, I think, to say. Anyway, whatever, let's see, I tried.

Speaker 1: 4:13

Well, like I said, yeah, I went to like a little resort for Easter. Originally I just wanted, just like my family and, you know, my wife's dad, to go, but it turned into more people which it always does, not, not the whole side of her family, but a large portion of it and just went to a place and they got some pools right next to the ocean. So if you want to go to the ocean, you can, but it's not really a swimming area. It's like a lot of coral and stuff, but you know, decent pool and it's kind of a cool place that I guess they were building up and then it didn't really get any attention during covid. So now it's back open and they're trying to get it back up to snuff. So it needs some work and stuff, but it was a cool place. You can see the potential in it and they had pretty good food and stuff. So that's what we did on easter.

Speaker 1: 5:16

And then, um, we were a lot of us were like in the pool playing around, doing you know, and then they one of them thought it'd be a good idea to grab one of the elderly matriarchs of the family, and I remember they did it before, but she's not doing the greatest health wise, so it probably wasn't smart, but they brought her to bring her in the pool, you know, and she kind of has COPD and stuff like that, and so it's like she started freaking out and then she started panicking and then she couldn't, you know, hyperventilating and everything like that. So I mean she was fine once they got her out and calmed her down and everything. But I guess there for a minute they were a little worried. But um, it's just kind of funny, you know, she's like I can't breathe. Well, I mean I, you know she was speaking in their native tongue, so I don't know what she was saying exactly, but afterward it was like she was, you know, like saying she couldn't breathe, but she kept talking it. Afterward it was like she was, you know, like saying she couldn't breathe but she kept talking. It's like, well, stop talking and just breathe in your nose, out your mouth, calm down. You know what. I mean it was almost kind of like my kids, when my kids hurt themselves and they start freaking out and it's like, okay, relax, first of all you got to relax, don't panic, just relax. And you know. But it was all right.

Speaker 1: 6:42

And then, uh, yesterday just kind of didn't do anything. It was hot yesterday, man, it's like every time I mean I did a little little little task, but it's like I'll be in my room like I am now or something and it's, and I'm like in the mood to kind of get something done. But then I go outside and it's so freaking hot and I'm just like, oh, screw this, and I just go back in my room. Kind of sucks. I mean, I don't have to deal with shoveling driveways and being cold and stuff.

Speaker 1: 7:15

But man, the heat sometimes is just and you know what's funny is and sometimes just you know it's funny, and it doesn't even get as hot here and humid as it does in Louisiana, like it's in the 90s here. Maybe that, you know, during the summer gets in the high 90s and the humidity is not even that high, but it just still feels so hot. I don't know if it's because we're on an island and maybe that's kind of why it feels hot, but it's not as hot because you got the breeze from the ocean, so it won't get as hot. But then at the same time, I don't know, I don't, I'm not a geologist or whatever, but it's, it's just kind of weird, like it feels hotter here than what I remember in Louisiana, but it's actually it's not temperature wise and humidity wise, it's not. It's weird.

Speaker 1: 8:05

I remember hating Louisiana, though in the summertime, man, yeah, it sucked, but um, and that was one of the reasons why I was like when we were looking to come here, to move here, I was like, oh, do I want to do? I want to go there and live in the humidity again. But I was like, well, I'm going to be, you know, retired, basically, so if it's hot I can go sit in the room with the AC, which is easier said than done. I mean, there are some days I got no problem doing it, but some days it's like I just want to get some stuff done, and so I'll get all prepared and I'll go out and I'll start doing something, and then I'm just like drenched in sweat, and then I get irritable and I'm just like annoyed and I don't know. But it's the battle, right.

Speaker 1: 9:24

I tried, um, tried watching, um, one of the scream movies I can't, I can't watch. I just can't watch movies about teenagers anymore. They're so stupid, I don't know. You know, I remember seeing scream the original scream in theaters and I imagine it was probably the same for, like Halloween, you know, younger people, oh my gosh, you know, cause it was teenagers too, but as a kid they were always older, so they didn't seem like teenagers to me, they were adults, you know what I mean. And then scream comes out and it's like like teenagers to me, they were adults. You know what I mean. And then scream comes out and it's like they're um, what do you call it? You know the same age as me, but you call them like your peers, you know. So it was like I could kind of relate to them and then, but now it's just like oh man, man, just anything like slasher movies, and most of the slasher movies have teenagers and it just drives you nuts.

Speaker 1: 10:33

You know, I talked about the, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre that they put on Netflix, and I didn't even finish the whole thing because it was just like I just couldn't stand the people. And then a little while ago me and my family watched whatchamacallit Thanksgiving, which is like a horror from what's-his-face, the hostel and stuff. Eli Roth and his movies are crazy and gory and funny, you know. So it's kind of. I know you guys are thinking, god, you watch it as a family. Yeah, we do. We watch a little of everything, but it seems like less and less. So the kids are just not interested in movies. And I mean, and honestly, I'm, I am either, I'm not either. You know, it's just.

Speaker 1: 11:24

You know, we watched that movie and it was okay, it was entertaining, I guess, but it's like a lot of the teenager crap was just kind of annoying and then so it's like they have to be a little older in high school. It's just, I can't take it. I just can't take it. Or it just has to be like very little. But when the main cast are in high school, then it's just, you know, what are you gonna do? I don't know it. Just it's like they say you start, the older you get, the more you start rooting for you know, jason and Freddy, to kill them all. Because you're like god, shut up, die already. You know, it's just, I don't know. It's just kind of a weird thing.

Speaker 1: 12:16

Let me know, I don't know, does anybody else feel the same way? Or they have the same? Because it seems like there are some people that just they love horror movies and will watch it all. But it's like and I guess I'm I don't know if I'm being hypocritical or not but it's like you know the whole representation, you know everybody wants representation. It's like, well, yes and no, like you don't have to have, I don't have to have a middle-aged, bald white guy that was a veteran. You know what I mean to enjoy a movie or to have somebody to, to feel represented it or feel that can represent me and or that I can connect with or whatever. You know what I mean. It doesn't have to be I mean I can't. I can't connect with teenagers, obviously, or a woman necessarily, but as far as race goes, with a guy, that never was an issue for me.

Speaker 1: 13:08

You know, like Denzel, I just watched a Denzel movie that I'd never watched before the devil in the blue dress. I'd never watched that before and I watched it last night and it was good and it's like I can. There's no, I'm not like, oh my gosh, I wish there were some white representation. No man, it's just you, you know I'm not like, oh my gosh, I wish there were some white representation. No man, it's just you, you know. I mean, I guess he was a veteran so I could feel some sort of connection there or I don't know.

Speaker 1: 13:33

But it's like you know, for my generation and stuff, it's like you didn't have to have, you know, I mean, even though I guess most movies had white um characters that were like the primary protagonists or whatever. But to be fair, yeah, that's what the majority of the country is is white. But like I said, dude, my favorite actors back in the day were like Denzel Still is Denzel. I mean, he's getting pretty old now. That last Equalizer movie was good, but you can just really see his age. You know, denzel. Will Smith, you know what I mean.

Speaker 1: 14:15

It's like they don't have to be a white guy to feel I don't know. It's just If it's a good movie and it's a good main character that's a heterosexual male I think I'm fine with. I can get why some people maybe like to have a gay character because they're gay and they want, they want some representation or whatever. But you have to realize that you are a very low minority and so you're not going to get it very often, except for now when everybody's gay and then. But that's why everybody everything's failing. You know what I mean? Nobody watches it because no one can relate. The majority of the people can't relate to the BS that's out right now, basically because they're catering to the lower percentage, which is stupid. It's like dude, make a movie about gay characters, that's fine.

Speaker 1: 15:10

We're not going to watch it, I mean. I mean you know I've talked about before the Brokeback Mountain. Um, I watched it. It's a good movie. I mean you know I've talked about before the Brokeback Mountain. I watched it. It's a good movie. I mean, it's not Like I can appreciate the movie but I can't relate to it really.

Speaker 1: 15:27

I've seen it, I think, twice. That's kind of how I rate movies too. It's either OK, it's worth watching once, worth watching twice, or worth. So if it's worth watching once, it's pretty good, if it's worth watching twice, it's good. Worth watching twice, it's pretty good. And then if you want to buy it, it's really good, right, that's kind of how I rate movies. Like, oh, I'll watch, or yeah, I liked watching that, but I wouldn't watch it again. That's kind of like what movie did I watch recently? Well, like the Thanksgiving movie I was just talking about, I enjoyed it. There was things that are annoying. They could have done better this and that, blah, blah, blah, but I wouldn't watch it again.

Speaker 1: 16:13

Scream I saw a lot when I was younger and I would watch that again. I don't own it, but I would watch it again just because it's been a while. But yeah, so this, I guess that's where I started and I kind of went off. So I started watching the newest I don't know if it's the newest Scream, but it's a more recent one and know if it's the newest scream, but it's a more recent one and you know it has the chick that's in. She's kind of popular right now. She's in the adams family show or whatever. Um, so she's at the beginning. The beginning scene that was drew barrymore scene or whatever, and it was actually pretty good the way they did it. I mean it was like at like at first.

Speaker 1: 16:57

You know the landline rings and you're like what, who has a landline anymore? I mean I wish I had a landline. I mean I do technically, I guess. Wait, no, I don't, because we switched providers so I don't Don't have a landline. I would like to get one, though I'd actually like to get a legit landline with cordless phones throughout the house, because I hate my cell phone. I don't use it like. This is my cell phone. Can you see that for those that are watching or for those that are listening, it's just like an old type of basic cell phone from the early 2000s. Well, this phone is new but it's like from the early 2000s. I do have an iphone that's older, but it's basically like my little, you know, uh, travel computer or whatever. I listen to music on it or if I want to lay in bed and watch something or whatever you know, but I just I don't know, I don't, uh, I don't know, technology's getting more and more annoying as I get older.

Speaker 1: 18:02

Anyway, okay, another tangent, uh, so scream. So it starts off pretty good, but then it immediately kind of introduces like the high school characters and them talk and I'm just like I don't know man, I just like I just can't. I stopped watching it and I just like I just can't. I stopped watching it and I was like right after that I was like, yeah, maybe I'll watch it with the family later, another time or whatever, I don't know, but it just, and I guess maybe it was like that, for you know my parents and my grandma, I know my grandparents for sure, but like they, they didn't watch the movies that I was into cause they couldn't relate, I guess, necessarily. But I mean, there are other movies. You know I watched seven that came out around the same time.

Speaker 1: 18:47

I want to say is the scream. I remember seeing that in theaters and that you know there was no high school kids, but it still was a good movie and enjoyable, you know, um, but it's. It really kind of takes a lot for me to watch something that is not you know, I'm not the target market, you know, which is understandable. You know, I think that's just kind of people get older, they're, you know, less inclined to watch movies. I mean, some people always watch movies, but especially though, now though, it's just, it's just, it's all crap. It's so bad, like, what's like? The Godzilla Kong movie is pretty popular. My son wants to go see it. You, you know, I enjoyed watching the last one, but like, I don't have to go out and see it, or, you know, if it comes on Netflix I'll watch it maybe. But my son he's, he's big into Godzilla, so he wants to go see it. So, um, sometime this week or next weekend he's going to go see it, but I'm not, I'll just drop them off, or I don't. I don't know.

Speaker 1: 19:57

I've talked about before the last two times. Well, the only two times I've been to the movie theater since I've been here, you had people just yapping yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, and I, just I, it doesn't take much to get me pissed off and I just I don't even want to put myself in that situation. Um, the last time I yelled at the person. I mean, they shut up, they quit talking. But you know what, if there was somebody that was like what, huh, fuck you, you know. And then then, I don't know, it's not gonna end well, but um, anyway, so I guess no more eas.

Speaker 1: 20:37

Now it's trans, what do they call it? But they're so stupid. I know I always got to talk about trans, don't I? But it's just because the shit is ridiculous. Man, like they get pride month, they get, they get so much crap. There's like slowly trying to take any attention to the traditional Christian values away. You know what I mean. Oh, look at us. You know, I don't know. It's just and which is fine, I guess.

Speaker 1: 21:06

Sometimes, like I said, I think like it makes me wonder if it's actually like conservative Christians that are behind it all, you know, because the people that are for all this BS, do they not just see how it's just ruining their argument and reputation? You know what I mean. Like how do they not see it? It just makes me think that they're being duped. Or are they just that stupid? Or they think that the people, the things on twitter are actually correct. You know, I know that was for a while. They were like oh, look at everybody on twitter. Yeah, see, there's this many people like this crap and it's like no, twitter is not the rest of the world, it's not the rest of the country, it's hardly anybody.

Speaker 1: 21:56

Um, I, I think Twitter's gotten a little better, but it's still just full of clips of garbage, human beings and the stuff that some people say is just like ah yeah, they're so stupid and it's obvious that they're bots for, you know, the gay community or or for whatever political party, and they're just regurgitating the same crap. And it's just like nobody has their own like, their own idea, their own like. They can't get their own view of something. They always have to take a view of someone else. You know, no one is no everybody's so stupid anymore. That's why, like, like on YouTube you'll see videos are like oh, this is what the ending means, this is what this movie means. It's like people can't even figure stuff out for themselves anymore. They got to watch videos to explain to them the ending of seven or something. This is what it means. Like dude, and nobody thinks for themselves anymore. They just don't YouTube and social media think for them, and it's just sad and disgusting and I don't know everything all at once.

Speaker 1: 23:18

Anyway, but that's about my time. That's a 23 minutes right now. Well, actually I think that's a little ahead, but it's coming up anyway. Um, thanks for listening. Appreciate your time. Hope you all had a good Easter and you remember what Easter is actually about. And let me know what you think about anything I said in the comments. Preferably not people trying to sell me on marketing for my podcast, because I don't care. I'm not going to spend money to market my podcast, just not. Anyway, have a wonderful week and I'll see you guys next time. All right, bye.