Suggestible - And Just Like That... Samantha is Back

Episode Date: June 8, 2023

Suggestible things to watch, read and listen to. Hosted by James Clement @mrsundaymovies and Claire Tonti @clairetonti.New Dates & Tickets for Claire Tonti’s UK & Ireland Tour this July 2023 available via https://www.clairetonti.com/eventsUkraine Humanitarian Appeal: https://donation.dec.org.uk/ukraine-humanitarian-appealThis week’s Suggestibles:06:15 Samantha Returns - Suggestible and the City Podcast18:45 Fatal Attraction 1987 Movie26:04 Fatal Attraction 2023 Series31:42 BlackberrySend your recommendations to [e-mail], we’d love to hear them.You can also follow the show on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook @suggestiblepod and join our ‘Planet Broadcasting Great Mates OFFICIAL’ Facebook Group. So many things. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing Uber Teen Accounts, an Uber account for your teen with enhanced safety features. Your teen can request a ride with top-rated drivers, and you can track every trip on the live map in the Uber app. Uber Teen Accounts, invite your teen to join your Uber account today. Available in select locations. See app for details. It's just a ball time. Hello, I'm Claireonti james clement is here also we are married this is a podcast where we recommend you things to watch read and listen to that's right and it's very exciting we're here we're here to recommend a few things what movie are you most looking forward to this year is it indiana jones 5 is it oppenheimer i don't know what that is the movie

barbie i don't okay controversially oh here we go i don't know what that is. Is it the movie Barbie? I don't, okay, controversially. Oh, here we go. I don't really care about the Barbie movie. What? Because as you know, I hate all films. I know. We've established that. No, I don't know why that is because the director's fantastic.

I love all the things about, you know, I should love apparently about what it's going to say. You love all the things that you should love. I don't know, but I just, I'm not, I don't know, just not interested. Can't get it up for the Barbie movie, which is, you know, what it is. Wow, what about The Flash? Because it actually revisits some earlier DC timelines, including both Man of Steel 2013, a movie I know you've seen,

and the Batman 89 universe, a movie I don't know whether you've seen. Can't really get it up for that either. I will say maybe it's because I just was never that into Barbie. Yeah, okay. I just was never that into her. You liked more magical stuff, didn't you? Yeah, I liked imagination stuff. I liked My Little Pony.

Sure. I was into that. But even then, I don't want to watch a movie about My Little Pony. Well, My Little Pony's got a huge fandom, Claire. I know. And like all fandoms, it's also filled with awful people. Yeah. Because when aony's got a huge fandom, Claire. I know. Like all fandoms. A lot of males. It's also filled with awful people. Yeah.

Because when a fandom goes to a certain size. It gets real weird. It's terrible. And impenetrable. Yeah, great. Look, I actually think I don't know a movie that I'm really looking forward to this year, to be perfectly honest. I really enjoyed The Little Mermaid, as we discussed.

We won't talk about it here, but we did talk about it on the Weekly Planet, your other podcast, your less successful one. Less successful. I did. But I thought it was a really interesting discussion. No, let me just clarify. The Weekly Planet is not less successful. This is the less successful podcast.

Whatever. Listeners, you be the judge. Is it quality or quantity of listeners? It's both. Yeah, fair enough. And again, it is the weekly planet. Everybody who listens to this is a rube. That's what you said to me.

What? I would never say that. Are you serious? You know how much I love the listeners of this show? I know because they're not as mean to you as they should be when you say things like I hate movies. I mean, I do get quite a lot of emails. You know what would happen if I said I hate movies on the weekly planet?

I'd be dragged into the street and beaten to death. But you would never say that because you love movies. I do love movies. That's like basically your entire personality. That's not true. I have other pop culture references that I use also. Yeah. Like commercials I saw as a kid.

I mean, if you didn't love movies, exactly, if you didn't love movies, what would you be? I do. Just like a shadow of a person. What would I love? That is literally 90% of your personality is movie loving. Thank you. You're welcome.

That's totally fine. But I don't really talk to movies about like I don't talk about movies. You don't talk to movies. I don't talk to movies because they're not real, Claire. I don't talk to people about movies. I don't have the urge to do it like in real life that much. I know, but then what you do is you come home and you say, this person said this thing about this movie and I pretended

like I didn't know anything about it, but actually I wanted to tell them that in 1984 that was incredibly inaccurate and there was another movie that came out starring Michael J. Fox. Nobody wants to talk to that guy. So then I have to listen when people tell me things that are wrong about movies. I actually disagree. I think people do want to listen to that guy. No, they don't.

People like when you're an expert in something. Well, then they can pay me because it's my job. You just like feeling mysterious. No, I don't like being mysterious. And like in your head feeling like you know more than everyone. Nobody thinks I'm mysterious. Yeah, that's true. Anyway.

All right. Shall we go on? Do your tour dates. Oh, yes. Okay, cool. So I am going on tour. I'm taking my album, Atrescence, to the UK and Ireland. Wow.

Tickets are available now to all of the things. So I will be playing at the Space UK in the Isle of Dogs in London on the 2nd of July. I will be playing in Exeter on the 4th of July. I will be playing in Dublin on the 6th of July. That's a Thursday evening at the Bello Bar. Whoa. So fun and candlelit and cool.

I will then be heading to Glasgow. I'm doing an afternoon show at 2 p.m. at the Broomhill Hinland Church Hall. So that'll be really fun. Then on the Saturday, Sunday, sorry, I will be heading, that's the 9th of July, I'll be heading to Edinburgh. I am doing a show in the caves there. It's so cool.

It's in Old Town. It's underground. I met a comedian over the weekend called Stock Brennan who had done a show there and he said it was totally haunted, which, you know, I love a haunted building, do I? Sure. Who knows? I don't know what's going to happen there.

Maybe we'll do a seance. Anyway, that's happening on the 9th of July. I am then on the 11th of July, I'm heading to Manchester. I'm going to be playing an evening show that's more like a traditional music gig. It's going to start at 8 o'clock. It's at the Eagle Inn. I'm going to be supported by two local

musicians. It's so exciting. Matthew Carey, he's a beautiful folk singer-songwriter. And then also a band called Vulva. They are a string quartet for women. Super cool. So that is happening in Manchester. Then I'm heading to Petersfield on the 13th of July. I'm playing there at the Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery. It starts at seven o'clock. That's going to be a really beautiful gig out in the courtyard there. If it doesn't rain, otherwise it'll be in the old courthouse. Very cool. And then I am heading to Sydney after that. So the 30th of July, I will be in Sydney at the Great Club in Marrickfield, back in Australia. I'd love to see you there. Oh, and one more I've forgotten about. I will be in Sydney at the Great Club in Marrickville back in Australia. I'd love to see you there.

Oh, and one more I've forgotten about. I will be in Basingstoke on the 16th of July. It's a Sunday afternoon. It's at the Willow Coffee House and it's just like a local coffee shop with a beautiful author, Lucy Jones, who's releasing a book called Matressence, just happened to be the same title. So that's going to be super special too. Yeah, low key. And that's it.

That's my tour dates. I'd love to see you there. For more details, head to claretongue. Yeah, low key. And that's it. That's my tour date. I'd love to see you there. For more details, head to claretongue.com slash events and there's a link in the below. All right. Enough of that. You go. I was wondering, Claire, just quickly, are you hungry?

No. Really? Because I have two options for you. You can either eat crow or a big slice of humble pie. I was hoping that you, I'm six. I was hoping you wouldn't bring this up. No, Claire. Oh, no. I don't care if you're sick.

As I mentioned on the Weekly Planet, I was going to make sure that I absolutely fucking rinsed you this week because if those people, because for those people who know or maybe do not know, Claire and I did a recap podcast called Suggestible in the City about, and just like that, which was the revival series of Sex and the City, and Claire was adamant. She said there is no way in hell due to morals there's no amount of money in the world that could get Kim Cattrall to return in any form to the Sex and the City saga.

And may I remind you, you did wait for every episode of Angels Like That thinking that she would arrive and appear. And she did not. Not in a single one. And I was right in that. And you were very disappointed. Well, here's the thing also. And you were adamant it was going to happen.

No, I wasn't. You were. All I did was leave the door open, was say that it's a possibility. And lo and behold, we got news this week that Kim Cattrall, who famously said, fuck everybody on this show who's ever been associated with it, I'll kill you all, she's returning to the role of Samantha Jones. All right, all right, all right, all right, all right. I know, I know.

I'm eating clothes. Thank you to everybody who has been contacting Claire via social media at Claire Tonti on Twitter or Instagram or sending an email to suggestible.com or whatever it is. I've had many, many people telling me. I'm like, I know, I know. And also what I will note too is that you've been very quiet around me about it too.

And I thought maybe he's just letting it slide. Maybe he's doing that classy James thing where he's like, I don't really care when you think he's going to really care. No, I do care. This is what I love. Smug James has arrived. Mr. Smug Bag Sunday Movies. I wouldn't have been so smug if you weren't so adamant, Claire.

Here's the thing. Here's how it's going to work. This is my suggestible one of them for this week. So Kim Cattrall apparently had two stipulations for working on this show for returning. One, that this is from an inside source, that she would not act with any of the other women in the show. I know.

You don't think I know this? I know all about this. This is like my bloody Star Wars episode whatever when it all came out. I know. I know all the show. I know. You don't think I know this? I know all about this. This is like my bloody Star Wars episode whatever when it all came out. I know. I know all the details. That was episode nine. I know everything. I went deep.

I know. Continue. And the other one was that she did not want to see Michael Patrick King like at all. I know. It was the creative force behind this. Yes. The source added that she will have gotten a shitload of money.

It just shows the power of Kim. They still need her on the show. I don't necessarily think that's true. No. But, yeah, the element was definitely missing. All right. Okay. Let me tell you, do you know, is that all you know?

No, no, no, no. And even though the many fans were thinking she'll be back for the next season, this is the next season, as in the next, next one. She won't be. She was treated poorly. I'm glad she gets to be the hero. I'm sure it took a lot of massaging to make the cameo happen.

Now HBO have even come out to get ahead of this to let people know that she's going to appear once in the final episode on the phone. I know. And she's probably getting like a million dollars to do it. Okay, so that is the thing that I'm hanging my hat on. That is what it's like. I'm salvaging a tiny skerrick of personhood and ego. That wasn't the deal though.

I know. I even mentioned this, I'm sure, like there might have been a scene where you look up and she's just at a distance and she waves. I know. You even just said a hand. A hand. You were just too blind with just two hands. I know.

It is so, I can't believe it it except that obviously I can believe it. This is how Hollywood works. Apparently millions of dollars. Of course. Millions of dollars. You said to me a million dollars and I was like definitely more than that. Maybe. Definitely more.

It's definitely more. So smart though to hold out and just do the bare minimum. Yeah, I know. Because also it's in – apparently it's being shot just in New York City. Yeah. Apparently she's on the phone in a park and Sarah Jessica Parker is not on the other end of the phone line. No, of course not.

No. So she's just like acting into a phone with like some guy on the other end being like, but Sam, I really miss you or something and she's just like acting hard at it. The other interesting thing to note about this, oh, my God, I've got a soda. Patricia Fields, who did all of the costuming for the original series and is like credited with so much of the success of Sex and the City

in terms of the aesthetic and the vibe. But, you know, we've talked about this on the show. If you're interested, head to Suggestible in the City. Sure, sure, sure. But she has famously refused to be a part of it just like that. However, she is dressing Samantha Jones for this one scene. I don't know. Because also weirdly when Like And Just Like That came out,

there was a photo taken of Kim Cattrall and Patricia Fields having dinner. So it's kind of like she's the one original cast member. Well, she's not a cast member member but she may as well be, the one in the original team. Well, the style was the character itself. Exactly. It was. Come on.

I mean all of the like big flower things. I love how you want to be like stop making fun of me but you're like, no, that's true. I know you're being sarcastic. I can't help it. That's true. So she's really like the only one from the team who sided publicly with Kim Cattrall, which I find really interesting.

What happened here? What actually happened? I'd love to know. I know. And also what I find interesting too is that she's agreed to dress Kim for this episode but no one else on the show. And I feel like that is such a baller smart move as well on her part because she will have to do maybe one outfit.

Yeah. And she will be paid. Maybe. It will be one outfit. Exactly. She will be paid in the squillions of dollars as well. Yep. So like between her and Kim, they probably per hour of work

are being paid more than anyone ever has in human history. I love it. For the amount of work that they're going to be doing for this scene. And I just love that. Even though it pains my heart that you are right and I really hate it and I cannot even bear the thought of anyone hearing how adamant I was in the previous Sir Jessamyn the City about how smug I was, about how certain I was. However, I also love this.

I say nonsense all the time and people always be rubbing it in my face. Well, now you get to be rubbing it in my face. See, I never say any nonsense. I'm never wrong. You're a big nonsense speller, spewer, whatever. Anyway, I find this like, yeah, kind of interesting. Also, it's very unclear. It's 25 years actually today since Sex and the City first came out.

25 years. Yeah, there's been all this stuff on social media. And I watched some of the videos of like the three women who aren't Kim Cattrall talking about it. And it's just so strange because obviously so much of the social media campaign includes Kim Cattrall. Yeah. Because it has to. Yeah. Like she obviously so much of the social media campaign includes Kim Cattrall. Yeah. Because it has to.

She's so pivotal in the show. So it's just so jarring because there's like all these, like they've got cut together pictures of all of them, the four of them doing all the things that they do, you know, being like, is there anything that you wouldn't say to a man around you? No, there isn't. What's his dick like?

You know, your standard Sex and the City episode. And I had to wonder. His dick's weird. It's either too big or it's too small. That's the answer to the question on Sex and the City. That is baby talk. Anyway, and then it cuts to the three women without Kim saying things like, we're so grateful to be a part of this wonderful show for 25 years.

Happy sex, happy birthday sex in the city. Except Kim's not there and it's very jarring. Anyway, I am going to watch this show. I love it. I'm going to be away. I love it. I know. You'll be able to watch it.

I know, I know. But I want to watch it with you. That's like part of my joy. I'll stop waiting. I don't care. I will say this as well i love that hbo got ahead of it just to be like do not get excited yeah she's not like coming to the coffee shop this is the episode she will appear in she will be on the phone they completely like

got ahead of expectations yeah because if they'd have said she's returning and then it was this people would have lost their minds yeah so it was smart, I feel like, and also hilarious to be like, she's returning and this is exactly when and how it's happening. Don't yell at us. Which they never do. What's also kind of interesting, I think, as well. Yeah, they kept big dying a secret. Yeah, sort of.

I mean, you predicted that. Everybody predicted that. I mean, I actually really genuinely think they did a brilliant job of that whole bit. And it was also a perfectly timed TV death. Yeah, it really was. It lined up with a real life death of a career. Correct. Yeah. Which is interesting, isn't it? And you'd have to think, was there plotting around that? Who knows? Strategy. What I will say is interesting too, is that Kim Cattrall has said that she has a lot of love for the character of Samantha. So it's not that she doesn't love that character.

No, she hates the people. Yeah, exactly. She hates the people in the show. And also she hated the storylines they gave her. They feel like she felt like they didn't give her character justice. I mean the second movie her storyline is atrocious. Atrocious. It's an awful movie.

But what also is interesting, I mean is it interesting to anyone else? I don't know. But Aidan is back. Yeah. A's an awful movie. But what also is interesting, I mean, is it interesting to anyone else? I don't know. But Aidan is back. Yeah. Aidan is back too. He's back to have his life ruined. Yes, again. Yes, again.

And I really, I just. Like a whipped dog. Yeah. I just feel like the shorts for the second season of this show look awful. Yeah. Like I really think the first one I got excited for, I was ready to be disappointed and actually there was a lot of stuff that I loved about it.

The first few episodes were like, okay. Yeah, we're here. And then it very quickly took a nosedive right off the cliff. There was some great writing as well, though. There was even some good new characters. Yeah, there really was. But the second season, the trailer just looks, oh, Lord, so bad. I'm excited.

So bad. Hey, listen, that's good. You just got to lean into how bad it is because often, like, you'll anticipate something, you know, and you've got to build it up in your head, but you've got to let all that go. Okay. James, James, James, James. But I'll say this.

Yes. Indiana Jones, the new one, it's going to be amazing. Sure, sure, James. I know it will be in my heart. Sure, sure. Because that always goes really will be in my heart. Sure, sure. Because that always goes really well when we like are adamant about a thing potentially. So I have just had an idea.

Go on. What if we actually do the Suggestible in the City recaps in real time and we do it over the internet? Because I do that. We could just do it over my program that I do and time it. We could probably do that. Yeah, because you're. It depends like on where you'll be in the world and it depends

on if I have the kids in bed. Exactly. And how exhausted you are to be able to do it. But I do, there is a possibility because in the UK, like 8, 9 o'clock at night is quite a good time for you. Yeah. To record. Like 8, 9 o'clock at night is quite a good time for you to record and then I will be somewhere in the world probably up and ready to go. I don't know.

It depends. Some of the days. Collings actually has been saying that he wants more work. So it's perfect. So it's good, yeah, because he's the hardest working man in podcasting, Collings. Anyway, well, that's something we could potentially do. Yeah.

Or we just wait until I get back. Yeah, either way. But I feel – Weeks a week would be better, I feel. I feel so too. And also I just am bursting to talk about it. And maybe we do that instead of regular suggestible. Oh, because we're –

Oh, yeah, I didn't even think of that. Yeah, maybe we should. It's only two and a half weeks. Yeah, maybe we should actually. It would only be two episodes. Yeah, because then we don't have to like pre-record them or whatever. Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's a good idea.

So maybe we do that. Okay, well, look out for Suggest Rule in the City, take two. Anywho, shall we actually get to some real recommendations now? That was a real one. You've been smug for like 20 minutes. That was a real one. My recommendation is email Claire and just actually just rinse it. Great, excellent.

It has an origin. Actually, to be fair, as is the want of our beautiful listeners on this show, everyone has been really nice. They've been sending me things in a way just being like, we're so sorry, Claire, but look at this. Look what's happened. Really? Because I get comments that are like racism isn't real.

We have very different experiences on the internet. People are really nice to me overall. Super interesting. So I want to talk about two things. I want to talk first about, and this is not actually, this is like an anti-recommendation, which I never do. Is it the idol? No, it's Fatal Attraction. Oh, an anti-recommendation. Yeah, no, but I just think it's really interesting. So I want to talk about it. So Fatal Attraction, you may remember, James, was released in 1987 as a film with Glenn Close and Michael Douglas.

At the time it was a smash hit. It's like a psychological thriller. It's fairly sexist. Yeah. And Glenn Close, however, is fantastic in it. Yeah. Is it good? I watched it recently.

Yeah, it is really good. It's really problematic. Obviously like of the era. Of the era, correct, exactly. The basic premise is that Dan Gallagher, who's a married lawyer, gets into an extramarital affair with his colleague Alex, who's played by Glenn Close and who's very sexy and like power suiting and very much your archetypal career woman, which I don't know if you remember in the 80s, there was sort of like a real

vibe undercurrent of like the career woman with shoulder pads as being like a man eater and like not a good thing to be. You know what I mean? Like there was a whole lot of sexism around women being in the workplace and being strong and smart and doing all the things. Anyway, and she gets obsessed with him after he breaks up with her and tries to sabotage his married life. And it becomes very clear. Why would she do that?

I know. Just leave him alone. Correct, exactly. Leave this poor man alone. The original film I thought was interesting in that Glenn Close played the character of a woman really on the edge of her sanity beautifully. Yeah. And you weirdly, even though she's terrifying, you also get this sense of someone who's incredibly

fragile, who you feel for, who you can see is really mentally unwell and unstable. And even though in the end, like, she does some really unhinged things. Like, for example, she boils a pet rabbit in a pot. Or you can eat a rabbit. Yeah, correct. Alive? Yeah, alive, yeah. That's more live, yeah. That's more live. Hi, this is Katnett Unfiltered.

If you know us, then you know that we do almost everything together, so accommodating seven kids and seven adults on vacation can be challenging. So we Airbnb it. And if you have a spare room in your house, you can Airbnb it. It's that simple. You can even Airbnb your whole house while you are away. You could be sitting on an Airbnb and not even know it. Whether you could use extra money to cover some bills or for something a little more fun, your home might be worth more

than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.ca slash host. That's good. I don't think you should do that. No, I don't think it's so good, right? And there's a lot of other things that she does that obviously, there's a famous line that she says, I won't be ignored, Dan, like his messaging machine. And, you know, she obviously is very unwell. But what I think was so interesting about it is that her performance really led to the film's smash hit success but also a lot of commentary around the idea of mental health and mental illness and how she's never supported.

She's just painted as crazy. Right, okay, yeah. And she clearly is someone who has experienced a lot of psychological damage in her childhood but they never go into that backstory. Yeah. So they don't really flesh out her character enough and really Michael Douglas is kind of painted as the main hero of the storyline.

And this is a spoiler alert but it came out in 1987. Maybe watch it maybe if you're interested. Maybe watch it. So there were two alternate endings to this which I think is really interesting and one was, and this is similar to the opera Madam Butterfly, which has a similar kind of storyline to the movie where Glenn Close's character Alex kills herself and frames Dan for the murder. Michael Douglas?

Yeah. And they originally finished it that way. Glenn Close was really happy with that storyline because she felt like her character was much more suicidal than she was murderous, actually. Okay, sure. The whole time she was really a woman tortured in her own head and mind. I feel like that would probably have been a more realistic than the actual ending.

Yeah, it absolutely would and way more interesting. Yeah. Whereas the actual ending, do you remember it? Vaguely, but I haven't seen it. So Beth, who is Dan's wife, who is kind of painted this picture-perfect domestic goddess kind of woman, she ends up shooting Alex in kind of self-defence because Alex turns up at their house with a knife.

So she murders her in the end. And they put it for test audiences and apparently at the time in the 80s the audiences preferred that ending. They felt like the first one they didn't really like. They felt like it was too much or whatever. Right, okay, yeah. But Glenn Close famously still is really annoyed that they finished it that way.

And also she, Glenn Close kind of regrets playing that character as well because she feels like the commentary around it was so, you know, she was really leaning into that trope of the mad woman really and also a really negative stereotype of career women too. Yeah, okay, yeah. Even though, I mean, obviously it's not saying that career women have mental illness but just that there was a real hatred of that kind of woman.

Yeah. And she feels like it kind of leaned into that stereotype. Contributed to that, yeah. Contributed to that. That kind of like she's crazy. Yeah, she's too much. And also it kind of painted it like Michael Douglas wasn't or his character Dan wasn't complicit.

Yeah. Where actually he was. There was a lot of things he did. Like he had the affair, you know, but really the blame lies squarely with Glenn Close's character, which as we know is a stereotype that often happens in that kind of thing. Like the woman is seen as seductress. You're saying that her actions are justified is what you're saying.

No. Anyway, it's complicated, but it's a really great movie. It still holds up. There's actually a third ending where Michael Douglas, he puts on the cape and he goes, now I'm Cape Fear and he flies off. It didn't test very well but I like it. I think it's the best ending. That's definitely the best ending of them all for sure.

Is he on like a wire? No, no, he literally flew off. Oh, Is he on like a wire? No, no. He literally flew off. Oh, like he learned how to fly. No, no. No. I mean, within the movie, he knew how to fly because he got the cape fear. I know.

But that's what I mean. Okay. Anyway. No, he can't fly in real life. All right. Okay. Don't be silly. Anyway, why I wanted to bring up this movie is obviously because there has been a-

Wait. I'm thinking of the movie Cape Fear. You really are. And not the movie Final Attraction. I'm like, I'm so confused by where you're going with that. I don't know why. And I laughed because I was like. I get those movies confused.

They're completely different. All right, great. Because I didn't know what the hell you were talking about. You know what I was thinking because I was looking it up. And I was like, Cape Fear, I'm like, okay. I was Googling Fatal Attraction. Yeah. And then they kind of came up in like thrillers and whatever.

Yeah, yeah. And then I'm like, I should watch Cape Fear. That's what I thought. Oh, my God. Thank God. Well, thank you for going along with it, Claire. You're welcome. Well, that's good to know in real life that you just let me just fall into a trap like that.

I just didn't know the reference and I thought I should know this reference from the movie even though I've watched it fairly recently. But I thought maybe I've got – I'm so sick, my brain's not working and I was like I've probably forgotten a reference to a cape. So I'll just let that go. Do you know what's interesting as well? The director recently rewatched it and he was saying like he watched Glenn Close in some of the scenes and the way she, you can see her

even though she's unhinged, she is such an incredible actress because she has the ability to then immediately you see the hurt in her, like you see her heartbreak like within her face while also clearly not being very mentally stable. And it's just I think a really interesting look at, it potentially could be borderline personality disorder is what they're kind of saying, but it's not painted in a good light. Even though Glenn Close, I think, does a good job of trying to do that within a script that Cooley does not cater for that. Yeah, absolutely.

But she's such a great actor for that reason. Anyway, what is interesting is in that context of that movie that did so well and is still a classic, Fatal Attraction, the TV series, has come out really recently starring Joshua Jackson as Dan Gallagher and Lizzie Kaplan as Alex Forrest, who was a standout in Fleshman is in Trouble. And she's brilliant. Both of them I really love. So I really was keen to watch. I think I mentioned last week I was really keen to watch.

It's on Paramount+. Unfortunately, it doesn't really hit the mark. What I understand about this show is that it's not good at all. Yeah, it's not great. Or not great. However, do you know what's weird about it? Good cast. Yeah, great cast.

And I did get drawn into it anyway and I don't know if that's because I haven't watched a TV series for quite a while. I don't know if it's because I haven't watched a TV series for quite a while. I don't know if it's because I haven't been that well this week. I don't know but I got into it. It's just there's really it's just not got the same kind of level of depth. I think what's interesting is they do have some women in the writer's room. It's not even too long. It's more just it's sort of confused. Okay. So I think in the writer's room I read an interview where they were talking about how they wanted to make it a more balanced look at this breakdown of the relationship.

Yeah, well, that's what you were talking about. That's interesting. Yeah, and they wanted to flesh out the character of Alex Forrest much more, give her more of a backstory, show why her actions kind of lead to that place, why the affairs really sends her over the edge. Right. And they do change, and this is a little spoiler,

but they do change the ending of the story so it's not the same as the film. They put on the cape fear. They do put on the cape fear and they all fly off as a group. They all fly off. And they say, I didn't think this was this movie, but maybe it is. Maybe it's a blending of Cape Fear and Fatal Attraction. I bet you didn't know we were in the Cape Fear universe also.

Correct. Do you know what I confuse? I got this from Robert De Niro who's in the movie Cape Fear. In my head, which I think actually makes more sense than Cape Fear, I confuse Fatal Attraction and and basic instinct because they've both got Michael Douglas in them. Yeah. And there is also a woman that goes crazy over him in both of those.

That's classic. So I feel like that is probably a more understanding. Classic Michael Duguay. Yeah. It's so weird as well to me. Watching that and then especially I rewatched Basic Instinct a while ago. It is so weird because Michael Douglas is clearly like an older Hollywood exec's kind of dream and then he gets

to be with this incredibly like Sharon Stoner, like the peak of her Sharon Stoneness. Yeah. And she's younger than him and it's so clearly the fantasy that goes badly obviously but the fantasy of some older Hollywood executive who they've put in to film. I just, the more you watch some of those movies from the 80s, you realise like how gross it is.

These like incredibly aesthetically, you know, beautiful looking women with these like decidedly average older dudes. Yeah. It's just creepy. Like the age gap is massive, all dudes. Yeah. It's just creepy. Like the age gap is massive, all of it. And it's just creepy. Anyway, to me. So anyway, back to the TV series.

I know I've been talking for ages about this. No, no. It's not that good but it is kind of interesting to watch it unfold and, you know, it's kind of interesting to do a comparison to see where they've kind of stuffed it up in places. The chemistry isn't amazing between Alex Price and Dan Gallagher. It's just not there. Yeah, because it's Joshua Jackson and Lizzie Kaplan.

Yeah. I don't know if I like even those two names. I'm like, what? Yeah, it doesn't quite. What, I say to myself? It sort of works in spots, but it's also like some of his decisions are quite strange. Like they clearly paint him as more unhinged than Michael Douglas' character

but even that goes from like zero to 100. Yeah. Like he goes from a fairly rational guy to like a really angry all-out sort of like he beats her up and it's kind of you can't really follow it. Like it doesn't really make sense. I don't know. There's just lots of things that are a it. Like it doesn't really make sense. I don't know. There's just lots of things that are a bit strange. She doesn't boil a rabbit.

Instead she just calls it a sea bomb and kicks it. I feel like maybe she should have boiled the rabbit. So it's not as dark either. I think the other point about it. It sounds like it's missing a lot of the good stuff in kind of changing the story. They left out like key elements that are necessary for that first movie to work.

Yeah, exactly. Because obviously the things that don't work are outweighed by the things that do, including like the casting and the performances and the chemistry. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And they don't go far enough in making more of a feminist statement about Alex's character, I feel. They try and kind of talk a bit more about how she's a fragile person

who really needs support, but they don't go far enough. So it's still very squarely centers on exonerating Dan's character. Yeah. And it becomes clear that he doesn't actually murder her in the show. And so like it starts off with him coming out of prison, trying to prove his innocence. And so really it's still squarely centred on his storyline and Alex is still painted as a peripheral character.

It takes ages for us to get to an episode where it looks from her perspective. Right. And even then she still isn't given enough of a storyline around why she does what she does. Like they do look briefly at her childhood but it's still quite brief and it just falls a bit flat. Anyway, but it's an interesting thing and it just falls a bit flat.

Anyway, but it's an interesting thing to kind of watch both and compare. I just think as an exercise I found it interesting. It's like watching the movie Total Recall and watching the movie Total Recall 2012. Yes, it must be. That kind of vibe. Anyway, over to you. What I did watch is a movie called Blackberry. Whoa, I've heard of this.

Blackberry, Claire. Here's the synopsis. Blackberry. Whoa, I've heard of this. Blackberry, Claire. Here's the synopsis. It tells the story of Mike Lazaridis and Jim Basile Balsile? I don't know. The two men that charted the course of

the spectacular rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone. The Blackberry, of course. It stars Glenn Howerton from It's Always Sunny, Jay Baruchel, Matt Johnson. It's directed by Matt Johnson with a screenplay by him and Matt Matthew Milner. Now it's based on the book Losing the Signal, The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of

the Blackberry. So are you familiar with the Blackberry, Claire? I certainly am. I remember it. It was before the iPhone. It was. So it was basically like they, it was introduced in 1999 and they were very prominent up until the second the iPhone was announced. Our friend David had one. He did, yeah. He did. For years. Well, that was because he works in finance or whatever.

Yeah, I just remember him having it and thinking it was so cool. I was like, wow, he's got a real grown-up job. The rest of us don't and he's got a blackberry. I never had, I A, didn't have the real grown up job. The rest of us don't. And he's got a BlackBerry. I never had, I, I, I didn't have the need for it and B, didn't have the money. Oh no, I had no, you know, I just remember thinking he was so fancy and had a big corporate job because he had a BlackBerry. He was like the only person in my life who actually had one. The only other people that had one were people on TV and like Spin City or something. Sure. Absolutely. Spin City. But basically the idea behind the phone was that you could email.

Like that was the kind of, and it didn't use data the way that we use data now. It used like phone signals or something. They explain it in the movie and I'm not explaining it because I don't fully understand it. So it's the latest in the long line of movies that are like, look at this product. Look at like, yeah, I talked about recently, which was like, look at the shoe. We're going to make the shoe for Michael Jordan. I know.

I was going to say, did you already talk about this? But no, you talked about the shoe one. Yeah. Object movies. What I love about this one is that the whole thing completely collapses in on itself. At its peak, BlackBerry had 46% of the market of phones. Wow.

Try and guess what they have now. Zero percent. That's right, zero. They have none. The whole thing collapsed. Why would you own a BlackBerry if you had a mobile, like an iPhone? I know, but you'd think that maybe they'd shift to like a touchscreen, whatever, whatever.

But they didn't. They couldn't. Like a touchscreen, whatever, whatever. But they didn't. They couldn't. So it's basically like it shows their rise and how, you know, this is exponential growth and it just absolutely explodes. But they're also limited because of the technology of the year in terms of phone service.

You can only sell so many before the whole thing would, like, collapse. So they're limited by that. And Glenn Houghton, who you might know from It's Always Sunny, I know the show that you don't watch, he gets to go just like full manic angry lunatic, which he's really excellent at. So he's really good in it as well. Now looking into it, like there's a bunch of liberties that are taken with like the characters and personalities.

Like some people are completely like reinvented because they there's one character in particular they don't know what he was what he's like in real life because he's never given an interview so they just made up just this just a personality for this guy there's a so there's a bunch of stuff that is not consistent with the story they build a prototype which is nothing like the actual prototype which they presented in the in the in real life and in the movie, they're completely different, but it's kind of like of, of the brand movies. It's probably, it's definitely up there. Like it's, it's not as good as Facebook, the Facebook movie, which,

which is terrific. But I did what I, again, what I love about is it's just like, we made this thing. And then like another, another company just goes, well, we made this thing. And then they're like, and then like another company just goes, well, we made this thing and then they're like, oh, no, we're in trouble. But it's, yeah, I really enjoyed it. It's not available in Australia but with VPNs it can be. So, you know, it's on various streaming platforms and the like if you are interested. I think it might be going to cinemas in some parts of the world.

So, yeah. So, yeah, BlackBerry. BlackBerry. Cool. All right. Let's checkerry. BlackBerry. Cool. All right. Let's check that out. I have. Cool.

Do you want to wrap it up now? Yeah, I think so. It's like 40 minutes. I reckon we save our recommendation for next week because we've both watched a show, but we will talk about it next week. Oh, yeah. Well, I did my two recommendations. One was the movie BlackBerry.

The first one was rinsing you about Sex and the City. Yes, I know. I've sensed it. You know what I love, though? Oh, no. I've sensed it. You know what I love though? Oh, no. One of the things I love. I thought you were done. One of the recommendations I have for people is actually to review this show.

Just like James Foxound who says, five stars. You can just do it in an app, by the way. In an app. You can do it via your BlackBerry. Via your BlackBerry. James has written, great, listen, Claire seems really sweet and James is hilarious as always. Thank you all.

That's true. But I like to think it's the opposite. Well, I'm very funny too. And I'm very sweet. You're not. No, you are actually. That's a little known fact about you. You're actually a big sweetie.

That's not true. I'm a grub. I'm in my grub era. Do you know my favourite? I feel like I'm in my grub era. My favourite thing at the moment is when we do our daughter's hair and then you look at me and you're like, oh. She looks grown up with a little bit of hair. You do like a little face and you're like, oh. She looks grown up with a little bit of hair.

You do like a little face and you're like, oh, she's the best. So fun. Do you know what? We roast parenting a lot but it's also bloody great. It's great. They're good kids. Everybody should do it even if you don't want to. That's my recommendation.

No, that's not my recommendation. Think about it deeply. A friend of mine said to me, she's like, what people should ask themselves is do they want to live with a 14-year-old? Great point. You know, and are you willing to like live with that person and walk them through the world and adulthood and all of that for years? It's not like do you like babies?

It's like do you want to deal with that complexity and that love and that level of like worry about them? It's worth it, but you know, you just think about it. On that note, I actually have a very interesting and it's kind of depressing email, but I do really want to read it because I'm really grateful that this person read it. Let's do it. It's called Suggestible Letter, but Without Sugions and it's by Yura Velikko. So, hey, Claire and James, how's it going? Long-time listener, first-time writer.

I came here from Weekly Planet Podcast and really enjoyed listening to you. It's been a very rough year in my life. I live in Ukraine and as you may have heard, there's a full-scale war going on. I did hear that, yes. That has been in the news. I know. I had to leave my home to move to a safer part of the country

and it's a nice place, don't get me wrong, but it's tough to live in another city with all the worst news coming at you every day and to keep normal life going. I work remotely as a salesperson and have to chat and smile on Zoom calls while my country gets attacked with rockets and drones every day. All the men between 18 and 60 can't live in the country while the war is going on. And every day I have a mixed feeling of shame for not going to the military and protecting my country and fear of being drafted

and getting injured or dying. Sorry for making this letter so grim, but I just felt like I really wanted to share it. And not to be all negative, I'm incredibly proud of my people and country who defended herself versus the much bigger threat that Russia is. I wanted to thank you for your wonderful podcasts. I usually listen to it while I walk with my dog and you always make me laugh and feel so much hope. I think your couple is wonderful, almost as James and May say. And I hope to find a partner who will share my interests and with whom I can grow old and grumpy. I wish you and your family all the best. Yura. Good. God damn, Yura. That's awful. I cannot, it's completely like outside my range of comprehension, like a situation like that. It's so far from anything that I could even.

Yeah. Yeah. I know. And I think that's part of it, isn't it, that you realise people going through the atrocities of war like what's happening in Ukraine. You forget because it's like it's not happening. Yeah, and we complain about just like the mundanest things. But I also think what a beautiful letter to write as well because it makes you remember that, you know, what people are going through, they're just ordinary people going through stuff anywhere and it's just luck of the draw.

Yeah, absolutely. The place that you're born and then what's happening in your own country. Completely random. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So thank you so much, Yura, if you're listening to this or writing in.

I hope you are enjoying your dog walks. Yeah. And we're sending you so much love. I know that's not very. Stay safe. Yeah, just stay safe and know that what you're doing, it sounds like it's the right thing for you. Yeah.

Absolutely. Life is complex, hey? It really is. And challenging. Especially in that particular situation. Oh, mate, I know. So I'm really glad that the podcast can just, you know, put a bit of a smile on your face, hopefully.

Hopefully. Hopefully. Who knows? I'm sorry about the Cape Fear thing. Yeah. To this email in particular, but nobody else. Yeah, just to Yura. Yeah, right, exactly.

You get a special apology for my mixed properties. And Yura, I am sure that you will also find someone to grow old and grumpy with. Absolutely. Just like I have with this grump old guy over here. You just got to find the grumpiest person you can and latch on to them. Correct. Exactly. All right.

Thanks, everybody, though. Thanks, everyone. See you next week for another Suggestable. Correct. Thank you to Collings for editing this week's episode and to Maisie for running our socials. And you too can write into the show at suggestablepod at gmail.com. We always love to hear from you.

And it's, yeah, really special to hear from people all over the world actually. It really is. Yeah, I feel really grateful. So sending lots of love to everyone this week. Thank you very much. Okay. Bye. Bye.

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