How Did This Get Made? - Communion LIVE!

Episode Date: October 4, 2024

This week Paul, June & Jason are diving into the 1986 alien 'experiencer' film Communion, starring Christopher Walken. Recorded live at The Wilbur Theatre in Boston, the crew digs into the Steven Spielberg connection to this film, the incredible choices and improvisation of Christopher Walken, and the question "what's the deal with these lil' Doctors?!"  We're coming to NYC on Nov 15th & Philly on Nov 16th! Go to hdtgm.com for ticket info, merch, and for more on bad movies.Order Paul’s book about his childhood: Joyful Recollections of TraumaFor extra content on Matinee Monday movies, visit Paul's YouTube page: youtube.com/paulscheerTalk bad movies on the HDTGM Discord: discord.gg/hdtgmPaul’s Discord: discord.gg/paulscheerFollow Paul’s movie recs on Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/paulscheer/Check out new HDTGM movie merch over at teepublic.com/stores/hdtgmPaul and Rob Huebel stream live on Twitch every Thursday 8-10pm EST: www.twitch.tv/friendzoneLike good movies too? Subscribe to Unspooled with Paul and Amy Nicholson: listen.earwolf.com/unspooledSubscribe to The Deep Dive with Jessica St. Clair and June Diane Raphael: www.thedeepdiveacademy.com/podcastCheck out The Jane Club over at www.janeclub.comWhere to find Paul, June, & Jason:@PaulScheer on Instagram & Twitter@Junediane on IG and @MsJuneDiane on TwitterJason is not on social mediaGet access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using the link: siriusxm.com/hdtgm.

Tonight, there will be plenty of Christopher Walken impressions. We saw communion, so you know what that means. I'm the man who's got the best body, I'm the man who's got the best body I'm the man who's got the best body, how you standin' alive They call me when they're badass and he's on the line Crankin' 8-K, livin' is cause they cool as ice Cause they're bad, Jim Bonny lookin' kind of nice Callin' June, gettin' literal, Jason is gettin' lame Julis makin' sure all the monkey shots get the pain They're just a bunch of movies while they makin' the grade

Here's a real question for you, how did this kid pay? We're a question for you out of this kid's pants Hello people of Earth and hello people of Boston! We are live at the Wilbur Theatre talking about the 1989 Christopher Walken classic, Communion, which I think might be his best movie ever made. Based on a true story written by the man who had the encounter, Steven Spielberg said, I want to direct it. This man said, no. I want my friend to do it instead. And what is it about?

Well, on December 26, Whitley Stryber had a strange nightmare. In the following days, plagued by a painful headache, his behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Later, under hypnosis, he realizes that his dream was not a dream at all. It was motherfucking aliens. And he dances with them.

And that's not even the weirdest part of the movie. Now I do have to share one thing before I bring out our co-hosts. This movie holds a very special place for me because in my book, Joyful Recollections of Trauma, which is available wherever you get your books, your e-books, your audiobooks. I talk about meeting Christopher Walken, and it was on the set of this movie. I've never seen it before, just hours ago. And when I met him him he looked very weird and when I saw him in the outfit that he was in which is the magician outfit my entire childhood came running

back I had not seen that image since I was alone with that man in an empty, dark warehouse. That is a true story. I was brought into an empty, dark warehouse to meet Christopher Walken, who was dressed like that fucking crazy magician. walking who was dressed like that fucking crazy magician. And this is the first time I'm seeing this movie. I don't know why, but man oh man it brought me back to my childhood.

And I cannot wait to break down this movie with all of you, but more importantly with my co-hosts. Please welcome your very own Jason Manzoukas what's up Jerks yeah come on let's go Boston let's go! That's right! Woo! What's up, balcony? That's right, wow! You hear that?

They're making you guys look like dog shit. Wow, wow, wow. Wow. Here we are, back in my hometown. What's up, Boston? That's right. Yeah! Yeah! This is...

I won't claim, I mean, I'm from the North Shore, I'm from Nahon. I'm not from Boston. Yeah. Oh, oh yeah? A lot of Nahon residents tonight? Or a lot of North Shore? Give it up, North Shore. Yeah!

Fuck yeah! Fuck yeah! Now Jason, I wanna check in with you really quickly. Have you ever seen this movie? Never. Okay. Oh no, a hundred percent never. And I know that because I never realized that Christopher Walken had his own vampire's kiss

for Nicolas Cage. This is that movie. This is a movie where somebody was like, hey man, go nuts. Just full-blown walking this. I mean this is... He is diagnosed as full-blown walking. You hope it never happens but sometimes you wake up in the middle of night you come out with a full-blown case of walking. This was nuts. Times nuts. The best part about this movie is that I was about an hour ahead of my next co-host watching it. So I could watch her reaction

to the black fedora, the outfit on the meeting, on the ship, and I cannot wait for her to tell you her thoughts. Please welcome June Diane Raphael! Welcome, June. How are you? I'm well. How are you, Paul? I'm very well.

You know, June and I left our home, 4 a.m. wake up, 5 a.m. we're in the car to come here tonight to do this show. And I can only describe that what you had to watch would be like the best way to encapsulate how your body must be feeling after having no sleep and then traveling all day and then doing a show. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So many feelings. I've... Oh, gosh. I felt, like, chaotic watching this. I felt like I couldn't...

I certainly didn't feel safe. I didn't feel safe. And, you know, Jason and I were backstage during your... Not to brag. Yeah. But we can get backstage. We've got that kind of access. you guys you have badges. Can you just quickly show this just make sure she is I don't know if I have credential. We're in this show. We're actually in the show. Yeah get him out here And we heard your description your synopsis of the movie

right before Jason came out and We beg to dip that's not the movie that's not the movie right before Jason came out. And we begged to differ. That's not the movie. That's not the movie I saw. Not what we saw. What you described? Not the movie I saw. I took notes about a very different movie.

I didn't see headaches. I didn't see also. I saw very little from the boy's point of view. I didn't know he had that same dream. I'll be honest. The trailer also made it look like William Friedkin shot this movie. The whole trailer is basically exorcist style shots, which are not in the movie.

I don't think. Watching that trailer, I was like, well, first of all, I thought the first encounter was right before Halloween. It was. It was. Except until later, we find out it happened to him originally when he was a little kid in the kind of Stand By Me episode. But why are we focusing on December 26?

Who cares? What happened on December 26? December 26 is when he was anally probed. When he what? He was anally probed on December 26. You don't think that happened in October when he was, when he saw the light, when the one armed man from the fugitive was there?

That guy's, I thought for sure that guy was to blame. I was like, why aren't they looking at the villain from the fugitive? He's right there. He's behind the whole thing. All I'll say is this, every log line of this movie neglects to mention the Halloween encounter and only focuses on December 26th. And the other tagline is,

a close encounter of the fourth kind, which... Tell me what that means! I think it's the anal probe. I think that the third kind is like, I'm meeting someone. The fourth kind is like, now they're jabbing me. What's interesting is that the movie, what year, by the way? 1989. Oh, oh, wow.

Okay. So way later than Close Encounters or ET or this is many, many years later. Oh, yeah. Starman. OK. Oh, so that makes even less sense. There's nothing. OK. I don't know where to start.

I don't know where to start. I'm in a dream. I'm in, like, I think the little doctors have me right now. I think the little doctors have me right now. The wide-eyed kind of pink guys who just mostly do, who mostly just do like those things that are inflatable in front of car dealerships. That's all these guys are doing. But I think they're the bosses?

I feel like- I never understood. I never. That's, that's their whole thing they those traditional looking oval faced They're like the grays right they look like they were kites that were hanging from the ceiling They were floating but they really had like it was and I have a lot of respect for puppeteers really had, like, it was, and I have a lot of respect for puppeteers, the worst puppeteers of all time.

Okay, I love this disclaimer. Now take these fuckers to task. But these puppeteers were not doing a great job with that alien. Yeah. I have no respect for puppeteers. And I'm thinking this looked just like inflatable stuff flapping around. I just didn't understand what the difference between all of those creatures. Well, we're gonna get into that, I hope, because there are two that we know of,

plus one of them is wearing a mask, and underneath the mask is another face. That seems to be true, but then they seem to also suggest that that also is not true. That that is... He... Right. Walk in, I think, like, a quarter of the way through the movie appears to just be improvising every scene. Well, he's just doing wild stuff.

When they get to the point where they're doing, like, dances and high fives and stuff, I'm like, I think this is just captured footage they put in the movie. I don't think this is real at all. I in the movie. I don't think this is real at all. There's one moment where he is reading a magazine and I'm like, well, this is clearly behind-the-scenes footage that they put into the movie. Yes, yes. Absolutely.

He did. He did improvise. Why does he get all dressed up to write? Why? Why does he get all dressed up in a hat and glasses to write his novel, which he mostly dictates to a video camera on a computer that's showing him his own image? I never, well see this is what's so hard.

What's the process at work here? And this is what's so hard, is like you want aliens, you want them to come down and capture an everyman. Yes. You know, capture somebody who's just like going about their life, going to their job, coming home, raising their kids. Normal, normal, normal. Yes, like Richard Dreyfuss in... Yes, exactly.

Close encounters of the third kind, not Richard Dreyfuss currently. Wow. A normal man. Now... He starts off psychotic. He gets probed, still psychotic, becomes like is in communion with the aliens at one point, still psychotic, ends the movie, psychotic. So there's no I did not understand, especially when she's screaming at him, like, what's happened to you? You've lost your mind. I'm like, did you see that man's office set up?

He was already gone, girl. He was gone. He is donezo. And then when he, in the middle of the movie, he's like, you know what? I just realized this happened to me as a kid. If I'm Lindsey Krause, I'm like, get this kid and goodbye. What are you doing?

Listen, I would be, the night he took, by the way, he should not be a man who owns firearms. Yeah. This is way before Alien Probe. I don't care about Alien Probe. I don't want this man to have access to firearms. Now, I will say that you both are right. The director did let Christopher Walken

do whatever he wanted. Of course, yeah. He said he gave him complete creative freedom, allowing the actor to improvise his idiosyncratic quirks and lines of dialogue freely, to which the author of the book and the writer of the movie, the writer of movie the person that this is based on said he did not like Christopher Walken's portrayal he said you made me to be a little too crazy to which Walker replied if the shoe fits

yeah If the shoe fits yeah, yeah This is the closest that we'll ever get to a rom-com With Christopher Walken. I mean because he is like you want to fool around like he's doing it He did every second of that. I did not like it He I mean there's so many things happening. First of all, they established this couple. He is married to his wife. And that opening shot when he lights the apartment on fire. Oh, I'm talking about the shot even before that.

When everybody's coming into the apartment that is very visibly on fire and is acting like, Hey, we're here. How's it going? I mean, on fire again, the police, the fire department shows up. Oh, what do we got a fire here again? Okay. But I did have questions about that fire department though. NYFD because they start they yell as they're leaving false alarm. And I was like, well, no, there was a duck on fire. Oh, yeah. It was on fire in here. No, no, there was a duck on fire. There's something that was on fire in here.

No, no, it was real. It was real. Take this seriously. Yes. I will say that a 1026 is, or code 26 is a food fire in an apartment, but they said a code 23, which is an abandoned derelict vehicle is on fire. So I don't think they're real firemen. I would believe if that way,

if the movie had pulled all the way out at the end to just Christopher walking in a car that's on fire on the side of the road and everything's happening in his head, I would believe that, why not? Why not? I don't know. I don't have many clips,

but the ones I do have are long. Um, I... The movie was endless. I will say, this is one of those movies where whenever I stopped it, I was like, no. No. There can't... Somehow, every time I stop it, there's still 45 minutes left in the movie. That is impossible.

I could not... I wanted it longer, but I just want to, I want to set the baseline for the performance for those who have not seen it. Can we play clip one? This is just, and again, Walken as an everyman, like you said June, this is before Any Contact, this is the great American novelist Christopher Walken here we go I don't know. I don't know. Hats. So many fedoras.

Ah, I got you. I got you. What's the problem? The computer or you? I had such a terrible day. First the computer turns off. Then the wolf paint thing jumps off the wall. It attacks me without provocation. Then your mother calls.

The toilet explodes. The duck I'm cooking tries to tell me how to live my life. anything jumps off the wall, it attacks me without provocation, then your mother calls, the toilet explodes, the duck I'm cooking tries to tell me how to live my life, the computer completely erased itself when it turned off. No wonder that I can't write my great American novel. Now this is also part of his Netflix is a joke stand up special. This is, this is, and this is before any of the alien shit happens. Right. Yeah.

And what's clear now in rewatching is this guy's done. This guy is fully cooked and we just don't know it yet because everything he's up to there is straight nuts. Yeah. And he's also... Here's the other thing about him. He's also a dick. Oh, yeah.

He's so rude. He's so fucking rude. Oh. And he's so rude. He's so fucking rude. And he's so selfish. Like, after he almost shoots his wife, he's like, I thought you were an alien. Or how about his excuse when he doesn't want to go to a therapist?

Hey, her. I'm more interesting than her. Like, as if he's paying to go see a show? Yeah. Yeah. Like, wild stuff. And I mean, like, look, this is Kyle McLaughlin's mom from Sex in the City, okay? So you know you're in good hands. I mean, he is...

Trey's mom? Is that it? By the way, I did... I thought she was wonderful and I love watching her. I did question, I did question why she never seemed to be able to get anyone out of hypnosis. Yes. Like they were always just waking up. They all bring themselves out. And she's like, I have to say to her, I think I'm not hypnotized anymore. And she's like, I think not say to her, I think I'm not hypnotized anymore. And she's like, I think not.

Yeah, I think you're awake. Seems like a really important part of the process. Yeah, to keep people under. It seems like they went under so quick. Like, here's my finger. In a ship. I see it. Like, she didn't do anything yet.

They immediately. I love that in this interpretation of hypnosis, a lot of times when you see hypnosis portrayed in movies, it really is like they go into like a separate almost state or a kind of like it becomes a little monotone or it becomes a little just reporting or whatever. They are just as conversational as, it's just their eyes are closed and they're like,

I'm having the best time at home. And then we were just suddenly woken up by the brightest of lights. But this first moment where they go up to the cabin and everyone is disturbed by the bright light, right? Everyone's disturbed by the bright light. And it doesn't seem like anyone wants to talk about it or deal with it.

And the other couple leaves as if Christopher Walken and his wife did something bad to them. Like they suggested a three way, like we're out, we're leaving, we'll take a bus, we'll go. Take a bus? They look like they're in. Wait, suggesting a three way means they wanna leave one of them out.

Oh. Ha ha ha! Which I understand. That's offensive. Leave out the one armed man from the fugitive. He's a villain. He's gonna, he just, Christopher Walken's gonna tape it on his camcorder. Hey, we're interested in flucking.

I'm just gonna watch. We just wanna fuck one of you. Well, sometimes it was so exhausting watching this movie knowing everyone studied with David Mamet and they're all like those scenes. Lindsay Krauss, David Mamet's ex-wife. But you could tell because there's especially in that scene it was all like there was a it wasn't the moon it was a moon it wasn't there wasn't a moon it was a moon you're saying there wasn't a moon but I was saying wasn't a moon but you're saying there is a moon.

It was. There's a lot of just Meisner repetition going back and forth. It was maddening. It was maddening. It was maddening. My... That's what it was. It really was. My favorite...

Come on, Boston! One of my favorite things about this movie, though, is Walken's reactions to the alien. Because when he first sees that little head peeking out behind a dresser, like, meh, like that little like. So that's what I couldn't figure out. You know? I understood when it's like, hey, little guys are coming. They're picking you up.

They're taking you out. Little guys are doing experiments on you. I got it. The little guy behind the dresser, I was like, whoa wait a minute yep now what's this guy up to this guy seems like he's rogue he's doing his own thing why is he behind the dresser why is he hiding why is he peeping and creeping we can take walk and we can get the little doctors bring him up and plug him straight into the fucking probe guys like popping up behind a dresser as if he came in and looked through an air

vent. Like, what is that? Why was he just creeping like a little weirdo? Walken's reaction to aliens is like the way the Sopranos are like, bada bing! It is like a very, like, hey, oh, don't you, come on, hey, you, don't, get me! Wait a minute! Whoa, whoa, don't you come on. Hey, you don't get me. Wait a minute. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Now I will say, I will say that this

was one of the most evocative, ineffective probing scenes I've ever seen in all my days. When that probe came out of that hole. Holy shit. I thought we were maybe watching it. I guess we're going to that hole. Holy shit. Do we have? I thought we were maybe watching it. I guess we're going to watch it. We do. June just threw to a cliff.

Clip three. Listen, 14 years never happened. June. Here we go, Boston. Here we go Boston, here we go! Get ready Boston! Boston, you asked for this! He's making so much direct eye contact!

Uh oh! Here it comes! Oh Here it comes this is the moment where it starts to get really upsetting They're taking off his pants He wants to smell You know this is just walking just being like, let me smell you. And here. Oh. Here we go. No, don't look away, Boston.

Don't look away Boston Don't look away Boston Yeah Mezzanine what's terrible That's right Boston! I think what's so disturbing about that anal probe scene is his hands. Because when it goes in, he clenches. Oh, and that's when he says, I'm going to kill you, right? I'm going to kill you.

But then it also seems like he wants it because he kissed that alien in the face. He goes, let me smell you. Okay, I did not hear that part where he asked to smell that doctor. I thought he was just making out with the doctor. I love that you guys are calling them doctors. That's what they're called in the movie.

I get it, but you're giving them what that- That's what the little boy calls them. That's what they said, blue doctors. They're not doctors. They are doing a procedure. By the way, if they're doing the procedure effectively, that trough that you're laying down in the the anal probe should be connected to that It looks like it's coming out of the wall

It's like when I'm traveling an extension cord my god, it's not gonna reach this I know but like we gotta move it closer like let it come It is so hard though because and this is also walk-in but it's like it's at some point it really does seem like he's enjoying It it seems like he's enjoying it. It seems like he's at a Russian spa. Whatever happens, happens. Part of it is him being like, ha ha ha ha. He's like, oh, okay.

I don't understand what it means when he has eyeliner on. True, and I'm being honest right now. And that's when I met him. There's another thing. What is it? That's when I met him. There's another thing. What is it? That's when I met him. With eyeliner. That's what I mean. And there are moments where he's saying things that are like,

you're the dream of me, and I'm the dream of you, or whatever. And I'm like, oh, have they replaced him? Is he really with that? Is there a guy without eyeliner and a guy with eyeliner? And they are two different. I couldn't figure it out. Thank god. I mean, the fact that he's playing multiple roles, but there is something really interesting.

The magician with the drawn on mustache is absolutely the most nuts of all. The year, 1988, young Paul Sheer meets that version of that man. Hand drawn mustache, slick back hair. I was told it was the bad guy from James Bond. It did not look like that when I met him in a dark room. What I love about... And he gave you that watch. He did. Apparently he was able to... the probe pushed it way high up. That's how he was able to hold it for so many years what I love about him getting probed and being visited what do you love Paul you were saying backstage wait'll you hear what I loved about him getting probed it's like you brought Christopher walk into a funhouse like oh

wow what's this like oh man touch you. He's like, oh, wow, what's this? Like, he's like, oh, may I touch you? Like, it's just like, everything is like soup. That's soup. I'll eat hot. It's like food, but water. Like, everything is a new environment. And I will tell you that that sequence in the movie, when he first sees what you call the doctors,

and he starts laughing, was because he told the director, don't show me the aliens until we're rolling. And that was his natural response. I don't blame him for that. And the director left it in because he thought it was like organic. No. Gosh.

I'm curious what the aliens wanted from him. I mean, he's one of the greatest writers of our time, obviously. You can hear it from just the snippets that he monologues, which is how one writes. I thought he was like an actor trying to do an audition. I did too. The Walkman on it, he's like, yeah, yeah, that's a joke.

I'm like, what are you doing? But I still don't understand in any world the camera on his face. I don't understand the camera on his face. I don't understand the Walkman. I don't understand the hat and the glasses. The glasses are the only part that makes sense for writing. Yeah. But everything else, I I'm like what is this choice? What I love is that it is Christopher Walken given

unlimited choices We saw all of them. I think yeah. Yeah, he took them all possible choices Like nobody interceded at all to be like maybe we don't need all this stuff on your body. He was like, no, no, no, I want to wear all of this. There's a great quote Darren Aronofsky in making The Wrestler said that before every take, he would have them go through all of Mickey Rourke's pockets and take out all of the glasses

because invariably he would pull out glasses during scenes and put them on, play with them, do stuff, sunglasses, stuff that would obscure his eyes. And he's like, I don't know where he hid them. He would always just somehow miss, we'd take three pair of glasses off of him and suddenly he would just put glasses on in the middle of the scene. This is Christopher Walken giving unlimited glasses. Like I also like, you know it's so funny because I think that often times you'll say like,

oh here's an actor and he's like, I'm going to play a, you know, a sanitation worker. What are they like? And it's a lot of choices. Here's an actor playing a writer, a screenwriter and a novel writer. He's like, at all they must be naked wearing cowboy boots it's like like as if it's a crazy and I'm so far removed from this world they must be insane it's like I feel like it was like no it's gonna be boring if I'm just sitting in front of a computer a type

writer typing let's externalize it all so when I'm writing about the wolves maybe I'm dressed as a wolf. I've got a wolf mask, I've got cowboy boots. Even the sets have too much on. There is a scene where they, I mean, there's so much art in this movie. Which I, you know what I want to talk about, I don't know if we have a screen, if I just go like this, if something's gonna pop up, but the art in the therapist's office. Oh, good.

The tapestry. I mean, there was too much art in the therapist's office. There's art everywhere, though. You're right. There's not a single frame that doesn't have a giant painting in the background. I mean, the final act of the movie is both of them standing in front of six-by-seven-foot paintings. Just monologues in front of murals is most of the last quarter of the movie.

But the one thing that I was stuck on, I don't know if either of you saw it, in the kitchen when he's having a scene with his wife, the wife, thank you, good. Good eyes, Mez. The wife is standing in front of a plate that's hanging on the wall that has a filet of fish, two sausages, two hard-boiled eggs, and two string beans on it. In no world is that a meal that anyone is eating. But also, what the fuck is that? And why?

I was obsessed with that kitchen. I could look at it for two days. There's also a bathroom cabinet in the middle of the kitchen with a mirror on it. And I stared at that thing for a long time, and I was like, oh, it's just a mirror. There's just a mirror in the kitchen. No, it's a cabinet.

That's a bathroom cabinet that has just a mirror in the kitchen. No, it's a cabinet. That's a bathroom cabinet that has somehow been placed in this kitchen. Yeah. Yeah, it's a medicine cabinet. Medicine cabinet, thank you. It's an actual, it's just a medicine cabinet. The best thing would be if they opened it up and it took out some tile at all.

I am 90% sure that the therapist's office is the same apartment that Andre, I'm 90% sure that the therapist's office is the same apartment that Andre, my character in the league had in one of the seasons because I knew the floor layout enough. It's different, but there's enough defining elements. I know that one apartment I had had been in multiple shows, but this one was above an art gallery. And it made me go, I bet you somehow,

they said, can we take all your art? Because there was a ton of art in that one too. And I feel like that's part of the thing. It's like, you can rent this for your movie if you put my art in it. You wanna put my art in it? But that, I believe, I have to do some more deep digging. And it would be even weirder if I met him in

Andre's apartment as a child But here's what I'll say about this movie the art is weird everything's weird Nothing he does is normal the way that Christopher Walken sleeps with his wife is abnormal crazy crazy sleeps with his wife is abnormal. Crazy. Crazy. It's like his head is on her stomach and he's like wrapped in her and then also out.

It's like a referee's gonna slide in and be like, one, two, three, you win. Every, again, every choice is the most nuts choice. I really, there's one shot that will haunt me for the rest of my days. It's when it's during the sequence, but I didn't see it here. But it's it's sort of a shot behind Christopher Walken. It's not when his pants come down. I saw that his legs are wide open. Yes.

You know what I'm talking about. And you see pubes. Like he's in stirrups. Yes, he's in stirrups. And I don't ever want to see a man that way, ever, ever. I was so rattled. But truly, real talk, real questions. What is this movie about?

Like, what is this movie about mental illness and how mental illness is passed on from generation to generation? I have two strong theories. One, this is a... Well, we know it's a true story, and I'll talk about what this guy's true story is, but what this movie posits is two things. A husband in a relationship where he starts to have an affair,

and then he starts to destroy his home life. Because I think he's actually having a, hold on. I think. With who? I love it, but with who? Aliens. He's having so much fun with those aliens. He's dancing, he's in a jacuzzi with them. I love aliens. He's having so much fun with those aliens. He's dancing, he's in a jacuzzi with them.

He wants to go back to them. I do not think that's a jacuzzi. I'm so sorry, I have to disagree. The first time. That that tub where he is probed is not a jacuzzi. That when he's reading the magazine, and his arms are up, and he looks like he's in like a sauna.

Sorry. And like at one point there's aliens dancing around, he's high-fiving them. Like, I think this is about a man. And I will say, Paul, when he walks up to have that encounter, this is when he takes back the night and goes himself. And when he goes in there himself.

This was the original take back the night. It's moving. This is it. But as he's walking up to the light, there's like really sexy synth music that's playing. Eric Clapton. Oh, it's all Eric Clapton. Every time he's like being sexually assaulted and it's like, Weeeeeeewww!

Beep beep beep beep! just know that it's vaccine denier, Eric Clapton, absolute piece of shit, Eric Clapton, noodling all this guitar. Would you know my name? If I saw you in spaceship? Okay, so that's one of your theories. Okay. My other theory. Multiple theories, by the way.

My other theory is we have spent our entire lives hearing stories about aliens abducting people, aliens taking advantage of people. And this is the first person who goes, I'm taking it back. Like, he's like, I'm gonna rewrite the, you're not taking advantage of me, I'm going to you. I'm gonna go to you. And that's how the movie kind of ends.

He's like, no, no more. Fuck you. Okay, but- Like, and I feel like there's a funny, I've never seen that before. I agree, I agree. But then the movie is unreliable in that context because the scene where he like leaves the thing and gets on the bus alone and then he's looking around and everybody on the bus has

bug heads and he's like, okay, nice try. Okay, I see what you're doing. I'm like, oh, this is an allegory for mental illness And that's what's going on But no the movie's not positing that at all the movie I think genuinely is at the end of the day like aliens did this to this guy. I Think would you would you like me to tell you what? Whitley striper believes the movie is about real name. Yeah. Yes

Okay Whitley Stryber believes the movie is about? Real name? Yes. Okay. Get this guy out of here. I mean Whit, well I guess not what the movie is about, but what his experience is. Deputy Dog? Can I take a guess? Yes. What? And again, it's not that different from what you've said, but it is the idea of being in communion with the aliens that, yes, we do think of it as like very transactional experience,

and the encounter group all has this trauma around their encounters with the aliens, and around their encounters with the aliens and their multiple in utero babies have been taken by these aliens. That's a whole other I guess conversation. But I do think that there's something that there's a switch that he turns which is like I am meeting them on my own terms and that seems to be giving him some amount of peace. The end? The movie... The pro... Yeah, I agree with you.

He seems at the end more at peace with something, but he seems to have also, dot, dot, dot, lost his entire mind. Well, because here's the thing. And what I'm not following is this poor little boy who seems to be inheriting the whole thing But here's the movie does open up if we go back when he drops the bomb on his wife that he had been raped He goes I was raped and she's like well what he's like yeah I was raped and so then at the end it seems like he is like going like well I will now be I will I'll go to you, and then you can still rape me, but I'm going.

I'm making the choice. And I think that that is, there is an element to that. Because he's calling police. He's like, I need to investigate this rape on me. That's what he says. It's not even bad. It's not even sidestepped. He goes, I was raped.

Yeah, he does say that huh. I mean a lot of a lot of alien abduction narratives are like molestation stories in a lot of ways and I thought that this movie was getting at that in some way when they cut to him as a child experiencing the same alien situation but they never go there and it is very much just like, no, no, no, aliens are doing only this. There is no other scary thing. There is no other villain. The villain is the aliens who are saying over and over to everybody, it's okay. We don't mean you any harm. We just need to like run a couple of times.

Get some information. Right. And I get that. Like what? Well now, here's what I'll tell you. Okay, yeah, what does Whitley say? Whitley is like, this is not a story about aliens. He's like, a lot of people have drawn that comparison and it kind of makes me mad.

Oh, fuck you, Whitley. Whitley wrote a book called Communion. It was number one on the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list. Then it flopped to fiction because people were like, well, it seems like he might have made it up. I don't know. But here's- Are you willing to say right now that you will never flop your book to fiction? I will never. By the way, if you can get one of each on the same book, it's pretty impressive. Oh, that would be pretty great. Double New York Times bestseller.

For fiction and nonfiction, the same book? Yep. So, Stryber concludes that the human species is being shepherded into a higher level of understanding and existence within an endless multiverse of matter, energy, space, and time. And he believes this is more about him being shown the multiverse, but then also says... So is that... wait, hang on. I'm interested in that. Only because does that mean Walk-In Prime, Eyeliner Walk-In, and Magician Walk-In are three versions of the same Christopher Walk-In?

By the way, I love this movie. Well, because what he says is, since I published this in 1987, science has determined that parallel universes may be physically real and that time travel may in some way be possible. I don't know if that's totally 100% right, but the book is a consolidation of UFO sightings and phenomenon, but it, but he believes it's about the multiverse and then adds this. When I was in that house upstate in the 80s, I was regularly drinking myself to sleep when I was there and I would listen to the radio until late hours, drinking vodka, dot, dot, dot.

Now we're getting to it. Yeah, now we're getting a little bit closer. Out of curiosity, just by applause, has anybody here had an experience with aliens? Okay. A couple of maniacs. Okay. The little robot guy I had real problems with. The Lego man?

Okay, so... The little robot guy who runs around on little robot legs with the universal symbol for hypnosis on his chest couldn't make heads or tails out of him. Here's what's interesting. Well, first of all, when that robot guy ran in, I laughed so hard. It's so jarring. It's like, we got one of these now? It was so shocking. And I thought for a second it was animated. Like all of a sudden there was animation in the movie.

And that little guy gets put on the the probe table too. That's what I was just gonna say, like but then later on it seems that he's being probed as though he's a part of our universe. Agreed. That's what I mean. Like that's the multiverse. I guess that is the multiverse. I almost feel like Walken somehow made that scene happen too. Like his spirit, his chaotic spirit influences even like the animation elements. I mean when he looks at that alien dead in the face and goes, what do I call a book about you? When he oh what do I call a book about you? The alien will be like can we talk this over? It looks like you're gonna sing white Christmas. These are lines. He's high-fiving

aliens. When he smells the alien he he goes, let me smell you. And then he goes, are you old? What? I feel like he's doing Brando in Apocalypse Now. If he said you're an errand boy, come to collect a bill, I would be like, OK, this makes sense. This is an absolute nightmare. But the fact that he gets dressed up, does a dance routine in the house, and

then tells his wife, I'm getting cigarettes, to which she takes a solid 30 seconds to go, but he doesn't smoke. Also, I'm going for a pack of cigarettes is the universal line for I'm leaving forever. If someone ever said to me, I'm going out for a pack of cigarettes, I'd be like, oh no, they're not coming back. If someone dresses like Matt Drudge from the Drudge Report, you would have to get out of that marriage.

Lindsay Krause just like between this and House of Cards, or House of Games, can't just catch a break, always being conned by one of these nightmare guys. Here's a thing, if you thought the movie was long. Was it interesting or weird that when he goes under hypnotherapy, he just, we flash back to about five minutes of the movie with no extra like, it wasn't like, oh, here's a different thing. We're going to tell you the story of the movie that you just saw 20 minutes ago. The entire movie is discussing an event.

Well, I think two events, one that did happen in October and then the other one in December. And everything is discussing and going over and turning over those two nights. That's it. That's the whole movie. Even Lindsay Krebs needs to be hypnotized at one point. We need her perspective on that night. We need the kids' perspective on that night. We need the friends' perspective on that night. We need the kids perspective on that night.

We need the friends perspective on that night. It's like Rashomon for that night. And meanwhile, no one answers the biggest question. Why on December 26 did they take the bike that kicked down for Christmas, which they rode outside, and put it back under the Christmas tree? Also, why? It's already used. It's not even keep it there. Why when everybody's

in therapy in hypnosis therapy rather, do the terrace doors keep opening? Like what was that? Are the aliens coming in? Like what? Well, by the way, the aliens came to visit her. The therapist. Yes. Remember, she saw the big white light too at one point. Did she? Yes. I believe you but I'm just like I think I saw the big white light. I don't know. I mean, I don't know. Like give me the big white light. I'm ready to go. But when he first meets that therapist, he goes, I had an experience with aliens and she's like, huh. And then she shows up at his apartment. I loved him telling his regular doctor about what's going on.

And him being like, uh-huh. By the way, that's a great example of an 80s doctor. 80s, I mean, when he's telling that story to that doctor. But the therapist hears his story. She looks at, when he's telling that story to that doctor, but like, the therapist hears his story. She looks at him like he's insane. She says, you have a problem with your brain, this and that, and then he runs out and she's like, let him walk it off. Then she's at his house, and then it's revealed that she runs the group.

Oh, she tried to get him into the group earlier. But I know, but that was after she said, check your brain out, do all this other stuff. You run a group of people who've been abducted. Oh no, she has for sure seen this before. His doctor, his GP is like, oh, you got to go to this, you got to go to talk to these guys. And she's like, I've got a whole group of people who have the exact same story, which would be interesting

because they all genuinely have the same touch points as him, but they don't explore that at all. He hates them, he's like, fucking idiots. No, no. And why? Why does he hate them so much? Actually, because he's starting and he's not a victim. He's starting to feel connection and Lindsay Crouse is like,

I want to get out of here. She says I just want to go home and he's like, yeah, yeah, I don't know. I'm not dealing with what you're dealing with. Spoiler alert, you are. And he says like the most consonant, I have a family too. Okay, what's going on here, bud? Again, this is where improvising goes bad. Like, it's too much improvising,

because he hates these people. They should have some, like, oh my gosh. He wants his own relationship with the little doctors. He doesn't want them to have their own relationship with the little doctors. The more they're like solidifying the fact that they've had the same experience, the more he's like, actually, no. Mine mine is I want the primacy of my own experience.

Here's something. What happened at school with his son and that airship apparatus that was outside on the playground? Oh, yeah. What happened? My guess would be that he also was taken aboard the ship in the first iteration, the October event. Right. We see the boy almost getting pulled out the window or whatever. Yes, on his bed. We see him trying to be taken. My assumption is that he had a spaceship experience that is making him afraid to play on the spaceship

playground. Well, what a tip your hat to playground designers that they've nailed the interior of a real spaceship that well. Normally it's... It's triggering. Like, that's like saying like, wow, that playground has a really effective airplane. Like, I've been on those playgrounds. It doesn't look like it.

It doesn't look like the interior cockpit of an airplane. I'm sorry. The movie is kind of like The Shining, but with aliens. Yeah. Yeah, you're right. One single clap from the mezzanine. A Rudy-esque clap from the mezzanine. Thank you for your service.

Well, let me find out what the audience is thinking here. Alright, did you have your hand up? Alright, you stand up. I always say I will go to people in costume, and these two people are in costume. They're in Davy Crockett coonskin caps here. I love it. They're in Davy Crockett coonskin caps for what reason? Because the friends that were never identified in the entire movie...

Oh, Alex. ...wore them in the restaurant after they were catching up after the movie. Great. Great job. And you guys were like, we need to be as hot as possible at the Wilbur We need to make it hotter at the Wilbur Okay, so what is your question? I was just gonna say we're covered for winter now Will maintain oh well good for you, but my question is is oh, that's wicked smart I know My question is when he walked at the end of the movie, when he walks into the spaceship, he has the camcorder in hand.

Ostensibly, he's the only person in New York City that has a camcorder. But he walks with the camcorder, never once records anything. What's your name? Jordan. Jordan, yes, give it up for Jordan. This is an incredible point.

They established the video camera in the beginning of the movie. You would think at some point he would capture video of an alien encounter and that would be part of the movie. He brings it into the ship and that alien's like, no, no, no, sweetheart. Give me that. We're turning this off.

We'll put this over here. And that's just the director being like, have an alien take that away from walking. Christopher, don't let Christopher walk on with the camera. He's already on set. Have one of the aliens take the camera away from him. I would not have been surprised if he picked up a little clapboard and said, take two.

You know, like, I really. He's constantly making direct eye contact with the I did not like it one bit constantly because I was clearly thinking we're not gonna use this but spoiler alert we used it all to that point yes he's reading a magazine right we see that But he's next to just the head of a doctor. Yes. Which is a lot. There it is. Every time. Every time this. There's a bunch of these. These are just behind the scenes shots.

These are shots not meant for the movie that they were like, fucking throw it in. Because, like, they're- Why else would this happen? These are props. This is a list of props and Christopher Walken. I do believe they're in the middle of it because there's no reason why that's ahead and it's moving its mouth. So I bet you they were like, Chris, let me show you. We can control the mouth and eyes of this puppet. Here, and then he- and then Christopher goes, Hold on, let me go meet Paul Scheer I have to I'll be right back he's like hang on I'm reading this issue of Premiere magazine Gaff squad okay yes your

name right right what's your question my question is if we think Eric Clapton watched the movie yes yes a hundred percent well so Eric Clapton watched the movie? Yes. Yes, 100%. Well, so Eric Clapton is friends with the writer. Whitley, they met in New Mexico. I love how like, aww, everybody is, Eric Clapton is friends with the writer. Aw, really? Very invested. Boston audience. I don't want to put this person on the spot, but this person is a younger person than we normally get. So, alright. How young? Is it a baby? No. No baby.

Any babies in the crowd? Okay. Oh, there's a baby up there? Okay, go ahead, Paul. Sorry. Alright. What's your name? Foster. Foster, okay. I'm going to hold the mic. Foster, here we go. Foster, what's your question? Do you think this movie could be considered a Christmas too? Christmas movie? Foster, that's right.

Give it up for Foster, everybody. This kid gets it. Absolutely, it's a Christmas movie. Watch it with your family every Christmas, Foster. Make your family every Christmas foster. Make your family watch it. I do feel like at some point that's why they started that's why they started describing this movie as as taking place in December 26. Also like what is Santa Claus but an alien who creeps into your goddamn house, rummages around.

I am in the mezzanine. Oh boy. Oh wow. There is a baby over there. All right. FYI, there's a baby over there. I would love it on Father's Day if someone would just give me a baby. Could you just give me a baby for Father's Day, please?

All right, what's your name? My name's Avery. Okay, Avery, what's your name? My name's Avery. OK, Avery, what's your question? I was wondering, besides the art piece, how they're actually living is fascinating, because there's one scene where they go down in an elevator, have a conversation, and just go back up. And it makes no sense.

Well, then the kid says, you left me. And yeah, we just had to, just for a couple seconds. Yeah. Like, yeah, they have to. I had so many questions as the movie was going on for five hours. I had so many questions about how they were sustaining themselves in New York City.

And what she did for a living, like, he does not seem to bring in any By the way, I don't I forgot the titles but he did write two very successful Books that were turned into feature films. Alright, so he wrote the day after tomorrow We're talking about that the real person or Christopher Walken? The real person wrote the day after tomorrow, a wolf in and the hunger, the David Bowie movie. Well that's fine, that's all well and good, but I'm talking about this movie we saw

in which this guy does not seem to have written anything. Oh no, he's a fucking clown. No, to me he wrote those three things and now he's having writer's block and he's trying to write the new thing and then the aliens suck his brain out and he can't write again. And I agree and I would love if any as you continue on if anybody can answer like what is the thing back here? Like what is this?

What did it do? Which happened in October? This happened in October. This part? Like, what is this? What did it do? Which happened in October. This happened in October. This part of it, what is it? Like, what is it? Like, and how is it related to his creativity? No, it doesn't happen in October because- Paul, it happens in October.

No, because- Wait, wait, wait. Well, it happens right after Halloween when he yells at the 13-year-old dressed as an alien. But, yes, when the kid falls off the bike, that's Christmas. He goes, I'm sick! And he goes home. That's when he goes to the doctor. And then, and he's like, yes, when the kid falls off the bike, that's Christmas. He goes, I'm sick! And he goes home. That's when he goes to the doctor. And then, and he's like, look, and she's like, oh, it's a little red.

And the doctor's like, yeah, it's a little red. Like, he has a zit behind his ear. He's like, it's so big! Look, look! And, but that is, I think, the second time. The first time they jumbled it. Well, also, the first time, too, the alien thing touched it, seems to touch the magic wand on his forehead and he's like get out of here and he seems to make

Contact with it at which point I was like, oh, whoa, this is physical. This isn't like in his head This isn't like yeah, so you're saying he they didn't actually get in there in October. I think that the thing behind his head Well, it's interesting because Either way, what is it? What? A microchip. A tracking device? A microchip? A tracking device?

A microchip? Boston, very into tracking. And microchips. Okay, okay. What's your name? A lot of preppers. My name's Elizabeth. Okay, Elizabeth has a question over here.

So I think one of you earlier mentioned that when this lady in the group when she was three months pregnant had her baby taken away from her and later you see a little boy pointing out like a little girl sit on the ship saying she wants she's looking for her mom was that her child and why are they taking children? Yes, agreed. The latter half of the movie really exits from any narrative structure. It truly becomes kind of a tone poem of images and kind of just that.

And the scene you're describing is that. It's just vibes at some point. The one we just had up where Walken is reading a magazine and the characters' masks are off is part of this same section, the period where there are just babies and children hanging out, that's part of it. He's hanging out half naked with babies and children.

Like, and they're all kind of like, and I'm not saying that in the weird thing, but he's just like, they're all at peace. They all have let it go. But it doesn't seem like they're doing any experimentation on them. They just want company on that ship. I don't know what they're doing with those kids.

I never got to the bottom of what this whole thing, what they were doing, the why of it. What's it all about? What's it all about? Boy, would that have been satisfying. What's it all about? What's it all about? Boy would that have been satisfying. What's it all about? What's it all about? What's your name and what's your question? Hi my name's Cal and I'm wondering if based on his performance in the movie does Christopher Walken believe in aliens? Yes, yes. So that actually... He told me that personally.

He did, not a joke. I didn't know this was based on a movie. I did a book. I didn't know that this was also based on a true story. And I watched most of this movie thinking like, oh, this is just Christopher Walken telling us about his, the actor's experience with aliens. Like that was the only thing I could hang on to. At one point he says, I'm seeing things from my whole life. Yep. And I was like, oh, well, that's him.

That's all him. And then at one point I was like, oh my gosh, he's an alien. Christopher Walken. And I was like, oh, he's always been an alien. How did I not see it before? I thought that too. In fact, it's the scene, like I said before, when he seems to confront himself with, he's talking to himself with eyeliner and he's saying something to the effect of I'm you and you're me or blah blah blah.

And I was like, oh, as a little boy, was he replaced with an alien clone and the alien has been trying to accumulate the information of what it is to be human. And I genuinely was like, oh, we're about to find some threads here and connect some things and no, we're about to find some threads here and connect some things and no we're not gonna do that This is just gonna be cuckoo coo for the rest of the movie I would have liked it if he also played the magician's assistant So he was both but when I loved it if Lindsey Krause She wasn't the magician that's what I I was like, it must be someone, or someone we know.

I didn't recognize her. Because I couldn't make heads or tails out of whether the movie wanted me to understand these were dream states or actual events, or I don't know. When I met him, the first question he said to me was, do you believe in aliens? And I said yes, and he said good. I'm in the balcony.

Be careful, Paul. By now, they've fully pissed that thing through. You're welcome, Mezzanine. All right, your name and your question. Oh, you're in a, are you in costume? An homage, I was going to say, yeah, okay. in a car. You are you in costume an homage. I was gonna say yeah Okay, I didn't want to insult you. They get it is like you look very good. All right Your name and your your question. My name is Brendan and my question is couldn't he just sell that house in the California Mountains?

Yeah, it's technically New York State Mountains But yeah, like why keep on going back? Like clearly something happened. It's a nice house. In October. Yeah, why not just sell it? Now Beth, I believe it's slide, the last slide. This is the last slide of the movie or it's the one that says what happens.

It basically says 19 more people oh yeah I don't think I saw by October 1989 19 other people had encountered similar unknown beings there was this part I didn't see this this slide I didn't see this in the movie um different cuts of this movie exist so there are things. Wait what? There are different cuts. What are you talking about Paul? Like I read a bunch of things that were cut out but they were all in my version but then this was not in my version. Oh okay this was not in my version. I didn't see any of this. Show all three sides here we go so it starts like this at the end of the movie goes, based on the true experiences

of one American. Did not see this, but can you keep this here? This alone is a movie I desperately want to see. This is a movie about Christopher Walken being, like, a very hip, Hasidic Jew. All right, then the next slide is the Stribers continue to live in their cabin in upstate New York followed by 19 other people had encountered similar

unknown beings there. So they're like, so the aliens are location based? They're like, as long aliens are location-based? They're like, as long as you're in that house... They always have been, Jason. As long as you're in that house, we're intrigued by you. Yeah. Somebody needs to check that house out. Like, something actually is going on there.

Yeah, they're doing something weird in that... Like, there's definitely a gas leak in that house. And I saw it, the lights, sound. I wrote it in my notes that I was like, I genuinely believe that someone in the movie is trying to fuck with him so that his next book is good. That's what I wanted the story to be. Go ahead, Paul.

I don't want to freak you out, June. And I'm just going to take you out of this equation. But if I was losing my mind, and I accidentally almost killed my wife with a shotgun, I'd also make up the best alien story of all time. There's no way to walk yourself out of almost killing your spouse with a shotgun. June, you know you're in trouble. If you ever hear, I swear to God,

the little doctors came for me. I had to get the gun. Obviously we have opinions about this movie, but there are people out there with a different opinion. It is now time for second opinions. The lights arrived just the other day. They came to this world in unusual way. They said, I am the dreamer and you're the dream.

Their white Christmas cover is not what it seems. And since alien abduction is genetically passed, Kid says, I'm gonna be like you, Dad. kid says I'm gonna be like you dad you know you know I'm gonna be like you and the wolf's on the mantle and the ducks on fire. The Halloween mask and a possible spider. You've broken my mind, but you traveled so far. So I'm gonna give you five stars. Yeah, you know I'm gonna give you five stars. Yeah, give it up for H.O.B.!

What's your name? What's your name? Pete. Give it up for Pete. Get the fuck out of here. What's your name? Pete. Give it up for Pete. Get the fuck out of here.

The average Amazon review is 4.1 out of five stars. How? Genuine question, how? 62% are five star reviews, and it starts off like this. From Samuel B. King King written in 2010 great film Christopher Walken is the only person who could have played this guy so genuinely in my view This is the weirdest a most convincing alien abduction film out there

unsettling yes Go see it because it asks more questions than it answers Which is why we like these films, correct? Catherine writes also in 2010, title of the review, gift from my husband. He was very happy with it. He is really into alien history and reads a lot of novels by Zachariah Sechin. I would recommend this movie to anyone that is into those kind of things. There's also a book adaptation. A duh, it's

not a book adaptation. This is a movie adaptation of the book, you dummy. Um... This one, uh, written by Amazon customer in 2020. It's, uh, titled simply, Freaky. This movie freaked me out so much, I took it out of the DVD player near the end and threw it away. I took it out of the DVD player near the end

and threw it away. All right. I'm gonna go ahead and say that. I'm gonna go ahead and say that. I'm gonna go ahead and say that. I'm gonna go ahead and say that. I'm gonna go ahead and say that. I'm gonna go ahead and say that.

I'm gonna go ahead and say that. I'm gonna go ahead and say that. I'm gonna go ahead and say that. I'm gonna go ahead and say that. I'm gonna go ahead and say that. I'm gonna go ahead and say that. I'm gonna go ahead and say that. I'm gonna go ahead and say that. Wow. Did they think it was gonna restart itself or? I also just like that that's the perfect way to watch a movie. If I throw the media away,

I love the album, I tossed it right out the window. Melee Grove in 2021 writes, very good indeed. My father and his friend and the mayor of my hometown once had their own close encounter on a lonely road. So I'm fairly open to these stories. Title, okay, not great, but... And finally, Rose Knight in 2018 writes this.

I had a hard time watching it on my computer, trying to figure out which icon to click on, but once I figured it out, I enjoyed it a lot. The title, but once I figured it out, I enjoyed it. Which icon? All right, so the question goes to the two of you. Oh, boy. Would you recommend this film?

I want to take just a brief moment here at the end to once again reiterate how truly insane it is at the very end of the movie that they just cut to the, to Lindsay Krauss and Christopher Walken hardcore making out in front of paintings in a museum, delivering monologues to each other in front of paintings at the museum, then it hard cuts to them and their son dressed up in weird clothes outside at night, like on top of a building or something. And I was like, what's up here? I truly feel like at the end of all of this we have no further understanding of what this movie was about, what this movie's topics or themes were.

I don't understand what happened. Absolutely five stars. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I don't think I could,

I can't recommend watching this movie sober. Like, it's not- This would be a wonderful movie to watch stoned. Here's the thing. Truly, like, take a gummy and put it on. June, I can tell you it is. Okay, great. Because I watched this movie in this hotel today, and it was

dynamite yeah, I Will say this Art is subjective you go to a museum you look at a piece what it might mean to you It might feel different to me, and I think that's what this movie is saying. Alien abductions are subjective. What do we get from it? Maybe power. Maybe the inspiration to write the next great American novel.

Maybe we get depressed by it, by its beauty, and we know it will never achieve. Maybe we use it to grieve. All these things can be true. Alien abductions need to be a personal experience. And for that, I give it five stars. Wow. It was really interesting.

I love it. The movie is only interested in Christopher Walken. And the reality is this kid, Alex, is having a way. The movie should be about Alex and Lindsey Krause, right, the way that The Shining is about Shelley Duvall and the little kid, you know? Like that's what's crazy. Yeah, he's a dad.

He's a villain, he's a villain in the movie. Here's what I'll say. Every choice that Christopher Walken makes, there's no better movie that he has ever been in. If you want to edit the rest of the movie, and just give it to him, they give him an elephant nose. For a Halloween party, he looks at it, and then sniffs it.

Yeah. And that choice alone... Yeah. ...is better than what most actors will ever do in their career. Oh, everything about this movie. Every choice you're watching him make is electric to watch, but confounding in helping you understand the plot of the movie. Absolutely confounding.

And the good news is this, Whitley has announced that he is working on a TV adaptation of it. So there is more communion for us. We're going to let you take out your cameras in one second. I'm going to say one thing to you all. Boston, thank you. We've been doing this show for 14 years. You guys always come out.

You come out on a Sunday. You bring the best energy. We thank you for being here tonight. Happy Father's Day, Boston. Happy Father's Day. Oh, yeah. That's our show. Thank you so much to the staff of the Wilbur Theater,

our amazing tour manager, Beth Thomas, and everyone in Boston who came out to that show. You all bought so many books that night and what a great tie-in, my book and that movie. That was unintentional. We've been wanting to do Communion for such a long time, but maybe now this is your moment. Go grab my book.

It's available as an ebook, an audio book, and even as our actual book. You can do whatever you want. If you want me to personalize a book, you go to my website and you can get a book for list price and it will be personalized. Just go through Chevalier's. Thank you so much for everybody who has bought my book.

I know I talked about it a bunch in the show, but it means the world to me. And it really makes a difference that you are sharing it online, you're writing reviews, and you're just letting people know about it because books are weird and it's a little bit more work but it's been so fulfilling and because of you all I became a New York Times bestseller and I want to thank you for that and I want to thank Christopher Walken because if I had never met him that's one of my

favorite stories in the entire book and maybe the book would be a little less good without this movie and Christopher Walken. And anyway, I don't want to just say Christopher Walken is the only reason why this movie is good. I want to say that The Little Doctors are really the reason why this movie is fantastic. And that's why we created a t-shirt for this episode that says little doctors can I smell you if you want that as a coffee mug a sticker a t-shirt a hoodie whatever you want go to tpublic.com slash stores slash HDTGM and if you have a correction or omission from this episode god I know you're gonna have a ton leave me a voicemail at 619 P-A-U-L-A-S-K or write a comment on our discord at discord.gg slash HD-D-T-G-M.

Then make sure you tune in next week to listen to our last looks follow-up to hear me respond to your messages, announce our next movie. And Jason and I will always be there chatting with our friends, talking about what we're into. If you've not listened to last looks in a while, give us a listen.

We're doing deleted scenes. We got a lot of stuff going on there. You're missing out, honestly. Like last week, we had the writer of Jack Frost tell us what happened. Yeah, that's right. But if you didn't listen, you missed out. Anyway, we will be in Philadelphia. We're coming back to the Miller Theater on November 16th. Tickets are on sale now at HDTGM.com. And if you want to see Jason, myself, Lisa Gilroy, Carl Tartt, Rob Hubel, Nicole Beier, all do improv under the moniker of Dinosaur. Well, come check us out in Boston and Washington, D.C. Brooklyn is already completely

sold out. We also do shows monthly in LA, but it's a great time. Maybe even a little cheaper ticket than how did this get made, but it's like 10 amazing improvisers on stage for you in Boston and DC. Buy those tickets now people. It's going to be a blast. I mean financially it's an irresponsible tour to tour with 10 people, but it's a great night out. Remember, if you listen to us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please make sure that you are subscribed to our feed and have automatic downloads turned on in the show settings. It helps us and we appreciate a lot. Now, last but not least, I got to thank our entire team to who this show could

not be done without. I'm talking about our producers, Scott Sonny and Molly Reynolds, our movie picking producer, Averill Halley, our engineer Casey Holford, and our associate producer Jess Cisneros, and our EP Cody Fisher, who stepped back into the ring to help out with this episode. Cody, we love you. You're the best. That's all we got. We'll see you next week on Last Looks. Bye for now.