Natey & Katy: At the Movies
Natey & Katy are two friends who love movies and love talking about them. Join them on their cinematic journey!
Natey & Katy: At the Movies
Interstellar: Journey Beyond the Stars
Theatre teacher Grace Jones joins us to share her deep love for cinema, kicking off with a playful conversation about the musical "Wicked," which Natey and Grace are fanatical about. With Grace's vibrant passion for film, we shift gears to discuss Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar," a movie that blends jaw-dropping visuals with Hans Zimmer's powerful score. Grace gushes over the film's exceptional sound design, while Katy adds a dash of humor recounting her husband's succinct review: "long and quiet." Together, we dissect unforgettable scenes like the heart-stopping water planet and unite in our distaste for Matt Damon's character, exploring the film’s rich emotional and cinematic layers.
Our character analysis explores how "Interstellar" intertwines science and storytelling, with insights into Kip Thorne's role in grounding the film's cosmic concepts in scientific reality. The discussion ventures into the ethical and emotional challenges that the characters face, especially Matthew McConaughey's, as they balance personal desires against the fate of humanity. We examine the moral quandaries introduced by the choices of Matt Damon's and Michael Caine’s characters, questioning their motives and the resulting impact. As we wrap up, excitement builds for our next episode on "The Godfather Part II," promising another round of captivating film discussions.
Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new episode of Nadie and Katie at the Movies. I'm your host, nathan aka Nadie, of course, and with me today is not just one, but two special co-hosts. Well, katie's here sometimes, so she's semi-special. So, katie, hi, how are you?
Speaker 2:I'm great Happy to be here Still on vacation from you know, the same vacation I was on last episode, but we celebrated Thanksgiving and so I'm just full of all the foods leftovers for days. Happy. I'm so thankful to be on a podcast with you today and with our special guest.
Speaker 1:Yes, so, special guest, go ahead and introduce yourself, please.
Speaker 3:Hello, I'm Grace Jones and I am a theater teacher who had the honor of meeting Nathan at a theater conference where we got talking about movies and found out that we both love watching movies. And then I found out that he had not seen so many of the most important movies of our time. And then he was telling me what movies, um, you both do your podcast on. I was like, oh my gosh, this is so cool. Can I join?
Speaker 2:okay, this is completely unrelated to our topic of the movie today, but music. Your teach theater, and I'm on the line with another music you taught.
Speaker 1:You teach theater, but study musical theater, bro nathan right well, I, I majored in theater, theater, okay, so my question to you okay.
Speaker 2:See, I wasn't sure if it's musical, but my question to you all is have you seen Wicked yet? Was it good?
Speaker 3:yes, oh my goodness. So I actually saw it like a few days early, because I saw that Prime had a like on the 18th you could go see it if you have Amazon Prime. So I sent it to my husband. I was like we have to go. So I cried, I wanted to scream with it. I clapped after every song. It was phenomenal.
Speaker 2:Oh my goodness never seen wicked, never seen in in the theater, never seen it in in the movie forum. I have no idea what the storyline is, other than it has to do with wizard of oz characters yes, it was fantastic.
Speaker 1:Um, I actually reviewed it this past saturday on our surprise saturday episode triple feature. So if you haven't listened to that, go ahead and listen to that. I thought it was fantastic. I thought it was a very, very good adaptation of the musical. I had seen it a couple times when I lived in Florida. It's one of those shows that I watched. I'm like man. I wish I could just audition and go and do theater for the rest of my life, because it's just such a breathtaking show. The story is compelling. It is based on a book that I have not read. If you've listened to the show, you know I'm not a book reader, but it is fantastic. I highly recommend it for all theater. And you know what? Even if you're not in the theater, go see it. It's a fun time. Yeah, on music. Okay.
Speaker 2:On in a sort of this is my best transition I can come up with. Unlike wicked, which has lots of singing, this movie we're reading today has, like, not a lot of talking. In fact, my husband said I don't want to watch it with you because all I've heard is it was long and quiet. That was, I mean, that was this uh, two word review. But we are. We are watching or we are reviewing today the movie interstellar yes, I'm interested to talk about it after what you just said.
Speaker 1:But before we can talk about our likes and dislikes, I have to go over the synopsis.
Speaker 4:When Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future. A farmer and ex-NASA pilot, joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.
Speaker 1:Interstellar stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenzie Foy and the worst character I've ever seen in my entire life, played by stupid head Matt Damon. Oh my gosh, I know I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just going to go ahead and tell you the number one I think thing I did not like but I it's probably a plus, because I don't think you're not supposed to like his character is how angry I got at matt damon when he became a stupid head.
Speaker 2:So let me just tell you right now spoiler alert spoiler alert.
Speaker 4:Spoiler alert Spoiler alert.
Speaker 1:Because I got so aggravated at this movie. But, grace, what did you think? Because when I talked about this movie being on our list, you got really excited about it, so I'm assuming you liked it. So what are some things that you really liked about this? So I'm assuming you liked it. So what are, like some things that you really liked about this movie?
Speaker 3:oh my goodness. So this movie is one of my probably one of my favorites, but like it's my husband's all-time favorite movie and he is like a movie snob, so you know it's got to be good. But the fact that you say quiet though, katie, is baffling to me because like the first thing when I think of interstellar is the music. And like Hans Zimmer, his like sounds when they're on the planet and the wave is coming and just the music builds, is probably my favorite part, because just the sound and it's also helpful that we have surround sound, so I'm like shaking on my couch with it, the war, and it's just beautiful. So that whole.
Speaker 2:That scene you're talking about. I literally just watched some commentary on this and it was so. There's so many, I guess, easter eggs that during that scene there's like a clicking sound in the background and it's supposed to be like every 1.25 seconds, which is equivalent to a day. So, like, go back and watch that scene, I guess, and there's this like sort of light clicking in the background that represents like every click of the day. That is wild, but you're okay, you're right. The music score, I guess quiet meaning in terms of dialogue, but there is, I will agree with you. The score hands down very beautiful, very powerful, made every scene stronger. Do you love this movie for? Are you a sci-fi movie person? Do you love any like? Are you Anne Hathaway, matthew McConaughey fan? All of the above.
Speaker 3:So I love anything with Matthew McConaughey. He loved him Also. Anne Hathaway. Obviously I grew up on Princess Diaries, come on, but then just the Hans Zimmer as well, like I love Dune and the music he did on that, and sci fi, and so all of the above yes.
Speaker 1:The science side of it hurt my brain, like all the science talk hurt my head. When they were talking about things. They they made me feel really dumb. I don't know if that was the point, I don't know, maybe I don't know. But yeah, matthew McConaughey, his performance was great and and this is this is that movie that they made memes about. When the part that he watches all the videos but as a parent of a son and a daughter, like it did, it did hit me different. You know, when I first saw that meme in that video, I didn't get the context, I didn't know exactly what was going on, so I was like one of the people that made fun of it. But watching it in the context of the film, yeah, his, his performance was phenomenal, even though there is one part where he says this building is a centrifuge and it's like classic Matthew McConaughey accent.
Speaker 2:It is hard picturing. I could see Matthew McConaughey playing a pilot.
Speaker 1:I cannot see him playing an extremely intelligent engineer astronaut pilot astronaut pirate pilot, like, well, I don't, I don't think he was supposed to be, I don't think he was supposed to be, like a over-educated astronaut. I think they picked him because he was such a good nasa pilot and and because they even talk about that when his son has the meeting with the principal, and how they're basically saying, like, your son's going to be uneducated, he's just going to be a farmer just like you. And that's why he's so offended by that, because he's like, yeah, I may not be educated, but I've done all this stuff for NASA. You know he's like Elon Musk, but a farmer. You know, I don't know if Elon Musk went to college, I would not make that correlation, but I'm just saying like but.
Speaker 1:but I think I think I don't think they're portraying him as this overeducated guy. He's just a guy who knows how to pilot a ship really well and that's why he's chosen based solely on that, not because of how much he knows.
Speaker 2:Right, guys, I am with Nathan here. The science really broke my brain. Granted, I started a three hour movie movie close to midnight and that's never good. One of my dislikes would be the length of the movie. I mean, my goodness, I was just like it dragged a little bit for me, but the science was so complex, complicated. It's all to do with black hole. You know don't want to give everything away but black holes and gravity and understanding gravity and then time travel.
Speaker 2:And I was fascinated to know there was a book companion written alongside this movie. Kip thorne is a nobel prize astronomer, science, physics guy. He actually helped produce this movie, which is why, supposedly, this is one of the most accurate scientific, astronomical, physical physics, blah, blah. It's a smart science movie. That's what I'm trying to say, uh, but yeah, the man that's helping write the science on the movie is one of the leading people of the whole world on Black Holes, so like, even though it's all complex and crazy sounding, I don't feel so bad now because this is like the smartest person in the world about Black Holes trying to explain Black Holes. I don't expect to understand.
Speaker 1:But does he say, what happens to Matthew McConaughey's character can actually happen?
Speaker 2:I'm a little bit curious because, yeah, so apparently all this guy's whole life work. I was reading up on Kip Thorne and, yeah, he's dedicated his whole life to study on gravity and he's one of the leading people in the world on black holes, which I guess. I've just never researched them. I always see them in movies but I forget that. I'm like is that that's a real thing, a real life thing in the space, in the space world?
Speaker 1:I mean I would hope they would do some research on a movie. That is all about that, like if they didn't do any research and they're, like you know what most of the audience is like matt mcconaughey's character. They're not overly educated, so they won't care. I appreciate that they brought someone in who you know knows what they're talking about I do.
Speaker 2:The only most unrealistic part to me is the idea, so the premise of the movie is they're leaving planet earth because it's being destroyed. Like I do find it unbelievable in the story that they're they have enough science to do all this space travel, nasa, blah, blah and they don't have the science to like get rid of blight on their crops or like do better for earth. I just I find that hard to believe grace. Are you a science person? Is your husband a science nerd? Like where were you at with this? You said it's one of your favorites. Is your husband a science nerd? Like where were you at with this?
Speaker 3:You said it's one of your favorites. Yeah, I am kind of at the point that I'm not super knowledgeable on the science aspect, so if they were making all of the science sayings up, I would totally, 100% believe it. I'd be like, yeah, they know what they're talking about. Like to know that it's actually someone that knows what he's talking about.
Speaker 1:Helping out is awesome, but either way, they could be telling complete lies and I'd go along with it and speaking of complete lies, we've already said we're going to spoil the crap out of this movie, so I don't care what we talk about. There are two characters that made me super angry, and I kind of already talked about one at the beginning. Okay, that was mad damon's character. The other character that made me super angry and you're supposed to feel bad when again spoiler when this character dies, you're supposed to feel bad. I didn't feel bad because he lied and he made matthew mcconaughey leave his whole family on a maybe and it was a big, fat lie and that is the legendary actor michael cain, who apparently has been in eight of the 12 Christopher Nolan movies. It's crazy. So what did we think of that big twist when they revealed that he had literally just made all of that stuff up?
Speaker 2:Here's my thing. I found it very I mean, going back to what you said about Matthew McConaughey scene where he's basically reviewing and watching videos of his kids grow up, and I'm like sobbing as well, nathan, totally, which I think speaks to Matthew McConaughey's acting I found myself thinking about that very big question, like would I be able to put my own children second to the human race? Like, on one hand, what's it to me? I'm not like obsessed with being human, like I don't identify. Human is not my number one thing I'm being excited about.
Speaker 2:I identify as a Christian or as a mother, but so I don't know. I don't know what I would do. But I do also have the other side of like two people's importance versus thousands of people's importance. So on that hand, I have grace for him because I understand he's playing a numbers game. He's saying if I can save a thousand people or two people. So again, I don't know what I would do with that situation. It goes back to the train tracks that would you move the train over to save one? I'm not as mad about it, nathan, I think. Grace, what are your thoughts on the implications of a decision like that?
Speaker 3:I think he, like, truly believes that this is the only way and sometimes like with lies, you know you can convince yourself that it is truth, because it is the one thing you believe may be the only thing to save us. So I think, to his detriment, that was partially what was happening. He believed that was the only way. When it comes to Matthew McConaughey's character, though, I'm like I don't even have kids, but I couldn't imagine just like leaving my husband like that one person. He'd be fine without me, but I'm like I could not. I don't think.
Speaker 2:Well, and close to your point.
Speaker 2:He's the only one that had attachments, right? Somebody I can't remember which character. Somebody says that they're like you're the only one, which means they're all like. We don't have guilty conscience, only you do. I did not like his character like the beginning I'm. I had a really hard time fully ever investing in him because I thought how could you, you're choosing, feeling relevant because his, his motivation was never to save the world. You, you guys, could agree with that, right, like? In no part is he thinking they, the world needs me. He was like I want to feel relevant again. I've been relegated to being a farmer, dad, and I can't get on board with that I didn't think about that when I was originally watching it.
Speaker 1:I thought he did actually care about saving the world. But I can. I can also see that point because the the movie starts with him dreaming about a horrible crash that it he caused, basically, and so he has to like redeem himself in a way, and that's what he feels like he's doing with this. But then once he realizes what is actually going on, he actually cares a little bit more about saving the world, even though he realizes he left his family behind. But I'm gonna go back to my hatred of michael cain's character real quick, because he literally admits on his deathbed that he never thought it was gonna work like he literally says that he's like it was never gonna work. I I hoped it would, but I tried it once and I already knew when I sent him off to space I knew it wasn't going to work.
Speaker 2:He literally says that which includes his own daughter. But see, he included his daughter, so maybe that's just.
Speaker 1:That's what's messed up about it. And he didn't tell his daughter about it because she didn't know. So that's why I don't like his character. So that's why I don't like his character. And then I didn't like the part where Matthew McConaughey didn't listen to Anne Hathaway's idea about going to the Edmund planet, because she only wanted to go because she loved him. And so they went to the stupid guy's planet, matt Damon's character and literally almost died. Oh my gosh, oh. I watched this with my wife, who said she had seen it before, and I was like yelling at the TV. I was yelling, I was like and I'm glad I didn't see this on theaters, cause I probably would have yelled at the theater it's like Matt Damon's character is so stupid. He's stupid.
Speaker 2:Wow, okay, that's your least favorite grace. Who is your favorite character? Do you have one? My favorite one was Tars the robot. I thought it was so clever. I'm curious to know like where, maybe going back to the science, like is this just the imaginations of like sci-fi author, or was there some like would that be a prototype? I don't know, I just thought he was really.
Speaker 1:I think it means heavy on the sci-fi part, because you go back to shows like um lost in space and shows like that where they had that robot companion. They always have a robot companion in star wars, so I think that was christopher nolan's like a little nod to this is science fiction. This isn't real so we're gonna have a little side robot character to just ground you a little bit.
Speaker 2:No, stop. You say that, but have you not watched these commercials that come out now where people are just like talking to their phones because they're lonely? I'm just saying all you have to do is put PT inside of a robot.
Speaker 1:Don't make fun of me, because I do that Listen.
Speaker 2:Grace is with me on this. Go ahead, Grace.
Speaker 3:I hope Like it's coming, guys. I see it already. But I agree with you, the robot is phenomenal, especially when they bring up his humor, like just this subtle little moment. It's, it's amazing. But I'm obviously basic and my favorite is Matthew McConaughey and I just love him so much and I don't know if I'm biased to him because I love him as an actor. So of course everything I see is like oh, you're wonderful. But also, like kid Murph, her acting ability is phenomenal as well, Like the emotion she draws out of you is very well done. So I really like her character as well. Older, her is kind of rude, but I mean, to an extent she has a reason to be, so it's fine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is again we're going back. Sorry, matthew McConaughey's character, cooper, but I'm like, I totally with her. Like not only did you leave me, you left me when I'm 10. You like we're okay to leave on a bad note. And then when I'm, and then you lie to me and say I'll be back when you're my age, and then I'm like the one thing I could hold on to you also let me down on. I'll just say it like she had every reason to be sassy. Also, how about Timothy? I'm like, watching the beginning of this movie, I'm like Timothy Chalamet is in this. That's like the kid.
Speaker 1:I was like wait and John Lithgow is in this. Uh, topher Grace is randomly in this movie again. This is like the second movie I've seen that Topher Grace randomly shows up and he gets a little smooch yeah.
Speaker 1:so was there anything about this movie? I mean, obviously, see, I say I didn't like matt michael cain's character and matt damon's character, but I don't necessarily count that as a dislike, because I think you're supposed to not like their characters, because they're both liars and you know, mike michael cain at least admits and feels bad about it. Matt Damon, the whole freaking time is like I don't care that, I lied to you, I want to kill you all. So I don't necessarily think I count that as a dislike. I think you're supposed to not like this character. So they did a very good job. So was there anything that we did not like about?
Speaker 2:this film. Just the length. For me, I think, was the big one, the length. And then, like you said, anything I didn't like from the story standpoint. I felt like maybe I was supposed to not like and I'm supposed to feel conflicted, not supposed to be a full. No one's the hero here, 100%, in fact, I guess you can call the heroes the future world who made all this happen. I still don't understand the ending. Somehow people came back from the future to do all the things and I guess they're the show.
Speaker 3:I don't know if there's really anything. I don't like the time. I guess I can get behind katie with the time.
Speaker 2:It is really long, but I just feel like everything's so good, like it's worth the three hours I could see that this, this is the theater coming out in you, that the music seems to have be a big part for you.
Speaker 1:Yes, 100 well and I think because music has that way of helping with the emotional setting of what's going on, and I think that's part of why the matthew mcconughey scene with him watching those videos hits even more because of the music surrounding it and it's just, it's just a really good scene. It's probably my favorite scene in the movie, which is funny because again, it was once used as like a funny meme and, and you know, to make jokes out of it. But I really think it's like the most impactful and meaningful part of the whole film. So that is interstellar grace. Thank you for coming on the show. We have to rate this thing. We do one to six stars. I'll quickly explain why. Our first season we did the marvel cinematic universe. In chronological order, there are six infinity stones, so we stuck with. So now we do one to six stars. What would you give? I can probably guess what would you give interstellar one to six stars.
Speaker 3:I do 5.8 because it's basically perfect, but I always feel like everything can do a little bit better. I'm also a theater teacher, so it's like that mindset of oh this, but you can do better. I don't know how I respect that.
Speaker 2:I respect that yeah, I do too, and and for me it was a great movie, but it doesn't. It's not making me think a ton like I. Just it was entertaining and interesting, but not my genre.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna have to give it a five yeah, I'm surprised because the last three movies I've gave I've given perfect sixes, and so I thought I was going to give a perfect six to this, but the science hurt my brain. It was a very long movie. It made me yell at the tv, which I guess is a good thing. I'm going to give it a 5.5 out of six, kind of because of the same reason as grace, but I'm gonna give it slightly lower than 5.8 because I it really did hurt my brain. So that is interstellar. The first movie of december. It's crazy. It's already december. We only have three movies left, katie, in this season.
Speaker 2:It's crazy yeah, what are they?
Speaker 1:I don't even remember well, here's a little don't be quiet. Here's a little ear peek of what we're going to be talking about next week. Take a listen.
Speaker 4:There's a plane waiting for us to take us to Miami in an hour. They'll make a big thing about it. I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart. You broke my heart. You broke my heart.
Speaker 1:We're talking about part two of the trilogy of Godfather.
Speaker 2:Oh geez.
Speaker 1:We're in the Godfather era, the Godfather Part 2, which is actually a prequel, so it makes sense that we're watching it before Part 1. And no, we're not watching Part 3 because it's not on our list, because I've heard that it's terrible. Well, let's just go ahead and end this show with a quote from Interstellar Once you're a parent, you're the ghost of your child's future.
