Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign welcome to Five Minute Film Finder, brought to you by Pioneer Library System.
Hello, and welcome to Five Minute Film Finder. This is the podcast where we take five minutes to sell you on a movie that's available on the streaming services Hoopla or Kanopy. I'm Jamie and I'm here today with Amanda.
[00:00:28] Speaker B: Hi, Jamie.
[00:00:28] Speaker A: Hi. So today we've got a couple of movies that I think pair really well together. Both kind of about, like, yeah, women on a mission, women on kind of road trips. I guess one of them she's not. Shouldn't travel far, but, you know, so we are. We're going to start the clock. We've got Wilhelm keeping time. And so we are going to just try to. Try to wrap it up in five minutes. And I think, Amanda, you're going to go first. So. What? Well, first, Wilhelm, will you start the timer and. All right, Amanda, what did you watch?
[00:01:05] Speaker B: So I watched Thelma from 2024, and it was directed by Josh Margolin, and it's based on his relationship with his grandma.
And it's starring June Squibb as Thelma, our title character. And I know her from, I think the first time I saw her was in a movie about Schmidt from 2002. But you said she had an Oscar nomination from Nebraska.
[00:01:25] Speaker A: Yes, I think that's when I first, like, kind of became aware of her.
[00:01:28] Speaker B: Okay, got it. So, yeah, she's great. Richard Roundtree plays Ben, who's kind of her partner in crime.
And he's most well known, I think, as the lead in Shaft from 1971, which is a really popular blaxploitation film from the 70s.
[00:01:44] Speaker A: He looks familiar to me, but I didn't look him up.
[00:01:46] Speaker B: And he is so good. And unfortunately, it was his last film.
[00:01:48] Speaker A: Really?
[00:01:48] Speaker B: Yes. He passed away in 2023. And so, yeah, it's just. That's a bummer, actually. He's so good in it. Her grandson is played by Fred Hechinger, and I think it's how you pronounce his last name. That's how the Internet said to pronounce it. He plays the grandson, Daniel, and I know him from Gladiator, too. He played one of the twin rulers of Rome. Parker Posey and Clark Gregg play Daniel's parents. And you might have spotted Nicole Byer as one of the retirement home staff. I saw her and I was like, she looks so familiar. And I finally looked her up and, you know, she's like the host of Nailed it on Netflix.
[00:02:21] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah.
[00:02:22] Speaker B: And she's just a comedian and just, you know, and tons of stuff. But she's so smart, so funny. Love her. So I was really excited to see her. So the movie starts out. We're introduced to Daniel, the grandson, and his grandma Thelma. And he's helping her with the computer. And it is just the sweetest scene because you can tell he's just being, you know, so patient and kind.
And she's trying to look up something in her email, and it turns out to be a recording of her late husband Ted singing a song. And they're just sitting there listening, and he's. She holds his hand, you know, holds Daniel's hand. And, you know, they're just enjoying it. And just. You get the feeling right off the bat that this is a really close relationship between grandson and grandma. So they're watching. They're, you know, the time moves on, and they're in the family room and she's doing some cross stitch. And, you know, this is the grandma life I aspire to someday as a single person with no kids, no grandkids.
[00:03:14] Speaker A: Yes, I'll be your retired life.
[00:03:16] Speaker B: Yes, retired life. Yes. She's enjoying her. And she mentions that in the film she enjoys her time alone, even though she's a widow now. She's been living.
[00:03:22] Speaker A: She misses her husband.
[00:03:23] Speaker B: She does, but she's enjoying her time alone. But they're just hanging out and they're watching a Tom Cruise movie together, and they're talking about, like, I think it's one of the Mission Impossible movies. And he's like. She's like, wow. He just runs all over the place. Yeah, he does all of his own stunts. Oh, wow. And so we'll see. That's kind of the. An inspiration for the journey, the adventure that Thelma goes on later in the film. So as he's leaving, he asks her to wear her, like, Life Alert type bracelet and in case she falls and.
And she kind of begrudgingly puts it on. And he says, for my mental health. And so we also get the impression that she's kind of reluctantly accepting help, you know, reluctantly maybe starting to accept that she's got limitations. And that is very real to my experience with my grandma. And so, yeah, it just. This whole movie just really felt like it was made for me.
So anyway, so, yeah, so we see the rest of her day. She, you know, watches some movies on YouTube or some videos on YouTube. She has one of those little bicycle things that exercise her feet. My grandmother Thomas had one of those.
[00:04:26] Speaker A: She plays mahjong. I noticed that on her computer.
[00:04:30] Speaker B: So you know, she just has fun doing her own thing, doing what she wants to do. And then she gets a phone call, and it's from Daniel, and he's been in an accident. And there was a pregnant woman there. And I said, oh, my gosh, Grandma, you gotta. You know, somebody's gonna call you. You gotta give him some money, and you gotta follow, do what they say. And the editing is so good. The music is so great. It really builds the tension. And she gets a phone call. They need $10,000. And then there's a really funny scene where she just happens to have $10,000 squirre.
She finds it in various different places, and she puts it all together. And she doesn't drive, so she has to take a taxi to the post office. And this whole time she's trying to contact Daniel, trying to contact Daniel's parents, and she's not having any luck. So she just. She pauses a little before she puts that letter in the mailbox. But then she goes ahead and sends it. And so she finally. She contacts somebody in her family and realizes, oh, Daniel's fine. Well, then she admits them, she sent the money. And so that's the catalyst for the adventure that she ends up going on. She feels embarrassed. Her family's kind of chattering about. Maybe it's time to let her realize she's got to go back and to accept help and go into a living. Such a living situation. And so she wants to prove that she can still solve problems. And so we're almost out of time. But I just really loved this movie. It was just so. Like I said, it was so made with love. It was so.
So she. So much humanity for people that are older. And I feel like there's not enough of that in films today. Oh, there we go. So what did you think about it really quick?
[00:06:04] Speaker A: Yes, I really liked it. I thought she was a delightful character. She's a lot of fun. And, yeah, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed it and I.
[00:06:14] Speaker B: Didn'T want to reveal too much in the movie. I think that beginning part of the catalyst for her whole. The inspiration for her whole adventure is pretty much. You can see that in the trailer. But there's just so many great parts and there's a lot of humor in it. And Richard Roundtree is so good when you meet him in the.
[00:06:30] Speaker A: Their dynamic was really good. Yeah.
[00:06:32] Speaker B: And the theme of, like, knowing when to accept help, not being too proud to accept help is throughout the whole film. And there's one scene, okay, this doesn't give anything away. Sorry, I'm out of my time.
[00:06:41] Speaker A: There's one great scene, ten Minute Film Finder.
[00:06:43] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Where Daniel's parents are getting onto him about, like, losing his license and not getting a license. And they're just kind of not really heckling him, but they're definitely, like smothering him with love.
Yeah. And he kind of gives her a look and she gives him a look. And you can tell they share this moment of like. Yeah, that's right. And they're doing the same thing to her as well. And so it's just a really great. It's a great movie about the special relationship between a grandson and a grand grandma, but then also her, you know, going off and having her own adventures without him. So it's a great movie. I recommend it to everybody. I do talk a lot about films that are like, grandma approved. And I think this would definitely be a grandma approved movie. It does have some strong language from sometimes from Thelma herself.
[00:07:24] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:07:25] Speaker B: But I feel like it's a great movie.
[00:07:27] Speaker A: Which service is it on?
[00:07:28] Speaker B: It is on Hoopla.
[00:07:29] Speaker A: Okay, cool. All right. Well, thanks, Amanda. Thank you, Jamie. We are going to take a quick break, but we'll be back and then I'll tell you about my choice.
Okay. And we're back with Five Minute Film Finder. So Amanda just told you about Thelma. And so now I'm gonna talk about another Thelma. My movie choice was Thelma and Louise, which is available on Kanope and Hoopla. It is an American crime drama, came out in 1991. It is rated R. And I had never seen this film before. Like, at least not it's an entirety. I've seen, you know, bits and pieces. But it is directed by Ridley Scott and written by Kali Corey. And she actually won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. And the film was also nominated for. For six Oscars total, including. Well, it stars Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon and they were both nominated for best Actress. Also stars Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald and Brad Pitt in his breakthrough role. So. But this is also a film about women on a mission, I guess, although it doesn't start out that way. They're two friends who are gonna go away for the weekend. They're gonna go on a fishing trip and they get a little sidetracked, though, I guess is an easy way to put it. I already knew, like, kind of the gist of the plot and I. I knew the ending. I think probably lots of people do, but. But yeah, so they. They st on the way to this cabin they're going to to fish, they stop at a bar, they have some drinks, they meet a man and things kind of quickly go awry on this trip. And so they. There's some crimes that happen. I don't want to say too much. I'm sure most people really know, but crimes happen and they decide. They flee to Mexico and along the way they pick up a drifter named JD Played by Brad Pitt, and is.
[00:09:31] Speaker B: On the way to Oklahoma City. Is that where they come from?
[00:09:32] Speaker A: Yes, they're coming to Oklahoma City, which I was like, I didn't know that they were.
That anything took place in Oklahoma City. But yeah, so some more things happen. I don't want to say too much, but pretty soon they're being pursued by the Arkansas State Police and the FBI.
One thing I thought was interesting, I think Harvey Keitel plays an Arkansas State police officer. And I think it's interesting that this, in this role, he kind of is more of like the nice guy. And I'm so used to him playing bad guys. Mafia guy. Yeah, so. So I really, I really like this name. But yeah, I never seen it in its entirety, but I read Geena Davis's memoir recently and she talks about the making of it and I guess she really wanted to be in the movie. When she first read the script, she thought it was great. But Michelle Pfeiffer and Jodie Foster were originally cast and. But pre production took so long that they ended up taking other roles. Jody went on to do Silence of the Lamb, so I think that worked out for her. Yeah. But, yeah, I think this is a really iconic movie. Definitely. Some people say it's. It's a feminist movie, but it's listed as a crime drama. But I think it has some humor, it has some action. I really like that it's a, It's a female driven movie. I mean, it's written by a female.
Davis and Sarandon have got great chemistry. I, you know, I like. They kind of. They stuck by each other, like, no matter what. I don't know that I would have been that friend that would have, like, you know, go along with everything. But. But I think they really give meaning to the term ride or die, so.
But, you know, it also had an emotional impact. I think again, it just, it also kind of struck me like how quickly, like you make plans, you have plans, and how quickly things can go awry in life. I think the cinematography is great. Like, it was filmed, I think mostly in California and Utah, but it's. It's beautiful. The score, the soundtrack, I think Hans Zimmer, I think, did the score. But I noticed that, like, the beginning, the opening notes, the music at the very beginning, the guitar notes, it almost sounded kind of ominous to me. Seems like a hint of, like, what's to come.
You know, it's a little over two hours, but I felt like it felt very fast paced because, I mean, there's a lot that happens and it seems like the action happened, started quickly. I was kind of surprised that there wasn't more buildup. But, I mean, you still. You kind of get to know these characters pretty quickly and, like, kind of see what they're about. Like, Thelma is more. She's a housewife who's been married to her high school sweetheart. She's seems very naive.
Louise is a waitress, kind of more cynical, but they do kind of complement each other, I think. And you can kind of like, maybe see. See why they're friends.
One thing also, I had in Gina's book, she talks about how, like, you know, she. They were able to give their input into the movie. And, like, she kind of learned from Susan, like, how to speak up for herself. And, you know, like, I guess there was something that Ridley Scott wanted her to do a shot she wanted her to do and she didn't want to do it. And she went to Susan and kind of in. Susan sort of gave her advice like, oh, wow, don't.
[00:12:40] Speaker B: That's cool.
[00:12:40] Speaker A: You don't have to do this, you know, so. But yeah, I just think it's a good movie. I mean, it's about. Good movie about friendship and. Yeah. What did you think? Have you. Had you seen it before?
[00:12:50] Speaker B: I had seen it before and I. I know we're about out of time, but I'd seen it before and I wasn't. You know, I was like, man, it's okay. You know, it was an iconic film, but I'd seen bits and pieces of all over the place. That's pretty much. Oh, that's it. It's pretty much a part of popular culture. Right, Right. Yeah, if.
[00:13:06] Speaker A: Definitely.
[00:13:06] Speaker B: If you were born, like, after Thelma and Louise, you probably already know what happens in the movie because it's just those iconic scenes are such part of the culture.
[00:13:15] Speaker A: Yeah, it's been parodied a lot. I realized. I think I want to say they parried it like in. In Wayne's World or Wayne's World 2. One of them. I don't know why that's the one that popped in my head, but. But in this Because I'm on an SNL kick lately.
[00:13:26] Speaker B: And so when I. We were talking about it and we decided you were going to cover that one, I knew, like, it was a good recommendation, a good one for us to cover because it'd be lots to talk about. And then because it was so popular and so critically acclaimed, but I wasn't. Didn't have high expectations for it. But when I watched it this time, I was so, like, tuned in. Oh, yeah. And I was going to like, knit and like, half pay attention. But no, it drew me in.
[00:13:47] Speaker A: Right.
[00:13:48] Speaker B: And maybe it's just because I'm at the right time of life for, like. Cause, yeah, they have things that happen to them and they kind of rebel against establishment or whatever, but they're also just fed up. And so I think maybe just at the time in my life where I've had enough life experience where I can really understand that feeling. And so, yeah, it just. I just thought it was amazing. It's a great film.
[00:14:08] Speaker A: I was definitely.
[00:14:09] Speaker B: Both of the characters or the actors are so good. Yes.
[00:14:11] Speaker A: I couldn't. I mean, Michelle and Jodie are great actresses, but I couldn't really picture them in these parts. But, yeah, I was a kid when it came out, so I wouldn't have seen it then. And I don't know why I never. Just maybe because I already knew so much about it, knew how it ended, that I just never was.
[00:14:25] Speaker B: Yeah, I feel like. Yeah, that's what I thought, too.
[00:14:26] Speaker A: I'm like, I know this movie.
[00:14:27] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't need to watch, you know, I don't need to pay attention to.
[00:14:30] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:30] Speaker B: Viewing. But after I loved it.
[00:14:32] Speaker A: Yeah. After reading her book, I was like, I should watch that.
[00:14:34] Speaker B: So, yeah, that's really good.
[00:14:36] Speaker A: But. Okay. Well, thanks, Amanda, for joining me today. Thank you all for listening. And if you enjoyed listening to our show today, be sure and leave us a like subscribe to our channel from wherever you receive your podcast. If you have any questions or you want to share your thoughts on the films we've covered, feel free to leave a comment in a rating, if you will. You can also email us@podcastioneerlibrary system.org Again, that's podcast singular podcastioneer library system.org all right, thanks again for listening and we'll catch you next time.
