Going to the modern movies with Max and Allen

We never have more fun on the Maryland Crab Cake Tour than when we’re laughing with old friends who have become new friends. Our OG Orioles ballpark reporter and symphony man Allen McCallum joined legendary movie critic and Baltimore Magazine Editor-In-Chief Max Weiss taking Nestor to the modern movies and cinema at Koco’s Pub in Lauraville. Who needs Siskel and Ebert?

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

film, movie, love, people, netflix, hitman, tennis, baltimore, critic, theater, max, happen, alan, year, film critics, weiss, industry, coming, friends, tom hanks

SPEAKERS

Nestor J. Aparicio, Allen McCallum, Max Weiss

Nestor J. Aparicio  00:00

Welcome home we are W n s t test Baltimore. Baltimore positive. We’re positively in Lawrenceville in Baltimore City, I don’t get to city no more. I’m here six days a week. Come back to the city. It’s fantastic. Where you’re Coco’s we got parents all over the door only nice people allowed in Coco’s which shocked me every time I get into yours only one door says only nice people allowed. Nice people are here getting the gold rush. doubler sevens were given these way. Max Weiss is our defending champion, honorable guest and the editor in chief of Baltimore magazine, Alan McCallum is the editor in chief of me, has been for 30 years and I deny that Symfony background love of baseball. But let’s be honest, I mean, you guys are movie people. Alan grew up listening to max on WB hl. I sort of put them together a couple years ago with Don, and we did movies, and now they’re friends. So this is this is the movie segment of the summer. Go First things first, you gave her this? Can you speak to what this is here? Sure. So

8

Allen McCallum  01:04

this is a film by Ava. It’s a it’s a Blu ray. I didn’t mean they didn’t make the 4k Apparently, this movie called origin. This is based off of the creation of a book called caste. Which is an examination of race and segregation. subjugation of society of various cultures, and how it happens. But the movie is about the journey the author took in writing the book and the personal losses she had while it while it happened while she was she was writing the book. I think it’s a beautiful film. I don’t know if it’s an award winning film, per se. But there are some really lovely things in the story. And maybe more importantly, the journey is really wonderful. And I bought several copies because I want wanted to support it beyond its life in theaters, which didn’t last long.

Nestor J. Aparicio  02:03

I did but then with Dan Rodricks play last year, I bought a bunch of tickets and just took everybody okay, I literally just I took 40 people for Christmas. I said, this is our Christmas gift night. crabcake night I invited everybody out. The blu ray part is the interesting part for me. So somebody gives you a Blu Ray, you have a machine that makes this right? I

Max Weiss  02:20

do I do. Okay, I’m one of the rare people who still has, that’s why I was asking about it, you know? Anyway, I didn’t expect to get a gift. But I appreciate because I’ve not seen this film. And I was saying the album that some people, maybe even me had this feeling that this was going to be the kind of film that was more good for you than good. You know that it was yes, it’s an important film. But am I going to be cinematic masterpiece? Am I going to be diverted entertained? Or am I just going to be edified by it? That’s my question.

Allen McCallum  02:49

8

I it’s not a movie that makes you want to want to jump up and down into a dance. But it it it’s moving. And it’s it’s certainly educational and some impact. It’s funny. After seeing the zone of interest in seeing this is not like the zone of interest. Okay, after seeing and then seeing here seeing an examination of how these things happen. It was an interesting

Max Weiss  03:15

John Burns all in it. Who did one of the best Baltimore accents. A non Baltimorean has ever Danny DeVito tried it didn’t really work. Yeah, usually they sound terrible. I’m trying to say AIG a Yeah, it’s working on both calls from Philly. So he comes close. He comes by and honestly,

Nestor J. Aparicio  03:31

that’s different. I

Max Weiss  03:32

always hear affiliate here Pittsburgh or your Baltimore You can’t hide. Yeah, right. No, Bernthal he’s just a very tough, my fair lady. You know, I

8

Nestor J. Aparicio  03:38

can tell cockney from you. Um,

Allen McCallum  03:40

you know, we’re coming out of the, the dead fit period in in of the year for film. So in January and February are traditionally the dump months, right. So you don’t you don’t get high quality films? A lot. This came out in February, I guess probably because they figured nobody was gonna see it. And they were right. But you know, I think Dune was probably the first high quality big money making movie that came out in March of this year, they got pushed back because of the the strike was supposed to launch I think November, December last year. And then you’ve seen over the last six weeks, the summer movies start to come out and not a lot of them have hit the way that the industry wants. But what the bad boys for life, I guess, just had a big box office this weekend. Right? But action

Max Weiss  04:32

Furiosa did not do very well. The Fall Guy did not do very well. And these are two good movies. Well,

Nestor J. Aparicio  04:39

8

I’m gonna ask you so I feel like if I had half ago, me I could sit back and just pretend you’re Siskel and Ebert. In the modern era, you know, I would just say for the industry and for people like me have a gummy.

Max Weiss  04:54

Yeah, am I Siskel and Ebert? I’m trying to

Nestor J. Aparicio  04:57

figure that out. That’s exactly where I’m at. You’d

05:00

write value the dolls? No, I

8

Max Weiss  05:02

guess I guess you’re okay.

Nestor J. Aparicio  05:04

Well, I mean, in that way educate me as to the industry. I mean, at large we got baseball fans. I don’t go to the movies a lot. I’m on the periphery of it because of Oscars and you watch television and I know who stars are. And I kidded you about Glen Powell. Although I’ve never seen Glen Powell in a movie. I spend more time with him. Now, because he’s in a big show.

Allen McCallum  05:26

He’s just he’s just dropped what over the weekend? Yeah, Netflix hitman. My wife said

Max Weiss  05:31

8

he’s gonna be like a huge star. Right? You know, it’s so funny. If you read my review, I talked about this, it, it seemed like they were trying really hard to make him happen. And it was like stop trying to make this dude happen, like, let it happen organically. Well, I think with hitman, it’s happening organically now because he’s so good in it. And it’s like, I get it. And it’s like when

Nestor J. Aparicio  05:52

Tom Hanks went from being like, the bosom buddy guy to being like the guy. Like sort of like that. No, seriously after you have not I think Ryan Reynolds. I mean, look,

Max Weiss  06:02

I don’t like Ryan Reynolds. That’s so funny. You mentioned him I love Tom Hanks, by the way. Amazing. I think Tom Hanks crafted his own career and the most amazing way you know, going from TV to then doing movies like splash and, you know, a league of their own and big and then getting into like more serious films like Saving Private Ryan. I mean, he just really invented his own career. He’s Clooney did a lot of the same. Yeah, maybe following in his footsteps a little bit. But um, anyway, Hitman is on Netflix. Now. On the one hand, it’s sad, because this is the kind of film that used to play in theaters.

Nestor J. Aparicio  06:34

I was going to ask you about that. There’s a lot of things. You’re doing something on Netflix that seems so unmatched to me. Like if it doesn’t come to a screen in the theater with popcorn, it’s not really a film Well,

8

Max Weiss  06:45

Richard Linklater, the director, the great director who did Dazed and Confused who did boyhood, before the School of Rock, right, he did all before sunrise movies at night. I mean, this is where the industry is. Right? So so this is a director who I love and admire. Personally fidgety, so yeah, it’s I’m always fidgeting. Oh, it’s it’s a shame that the film did not play in theaters. On the other hand, interestingly, I think it’s getting more of an audience on Netflix. I think that more people are seeing it, discovering this film, which is funny and sexy and clever and extremely entertaining. I think if it hadn’t played in theaters, it would have bombed. So

Nestor J. Aparicio  07:31

what makes that happen, though, is Hollywood knows this. The people that spend the money on this, they don’t

Max Weiss  07:37

know. They don’t know what they’re doing. That’s why they’re trying to figure it out. Yeah. Look

Allen McCallum  07:41

8

at I mean, COVID sped this up? I mean, we were already moving to an on demand where look, it costs for family of four. It will cost what $150 Just for the tickets. You’re talking about parking. Popcorn, soda. 250

Nestor J. Aparicio  08:01

Maddix. How expensive Do you think movie tickets? Cheapskate he’s

Allen McCallum  08:05

going if he’s got if you’re going to IMAX or D box, okay. Okay, it jumps up dramatically. And that’s they’re trying to play these kinds of movies in those situations. Right. So you can do that, or you can do I mean, and I still go to the movies, but I bought a 4k projector and 120 and love real love and and stereo in theater quality speakers so that I have a movie cinema in my house.

Nestor J. Aparicio  08:33

So when you watch this film, you’re getting that experience. Absolutely.

8

08:38

And sometimes

Nestor J. Aparicio  08:40

if he doesn’t invite me to his house, friends you don’t

08:42

watch movies.

Nestor J. Aparicio  08:45

8

I would maybe my probably wouldn’t. But what is this? This Max I’m not gonna kiss your ass and when your words but this is the God’s honest truth. I’ve known you 25 maybe longer, maybe maybe 30 years I’ve known you. But I’ve known use the movie queen. Since I was on web al as the music critic guy in the world. When did you start to be a 90 something something? Yeah, I’m

Max Weiss  09:09

gonna say like 92 Okay, so I was on the Dave durian. Dave during 19. Late. Great. Dave, we love Dave

Nestor J. Aparicio  09:17

9192. I was the person that they reached out to about the Rolling Stones concert last night to come on for two minutes, and just do a little tap dance because I was the evening some music critic. So I’ve known of you that long. As long as I’ve known you. I’ve never been a movie person. But there’s never ever been a time where I’ve gone to a movie. And that speaks. I can tell you the movies you’ve sent me to, you know, year after year, because I’ll go to one movie a year and I would call you back in days I call you and say what’s the movie and she would give me a two minute review and say go see, snatch. You know you would tell me to go see a movie right? And I would go see the movie. That’s how much I respected your movie thing. So like to learn about this. As a guy who doesn’t go I’m sort of blown away as to where because usually they don’t know what they’re doing. Baseball doesn’t know what it’s doing, right? I’m on that, you know, baseball does as I figured this out. I thought the movie people will be sharper than this. Well,

Max Weiss  10:10

you know, Barban Heimer happened last year. And you know, they just take all the wrong lessons away from it like apparently they’re coming up with Barbie to No, we don’t want Barbie to it wasn’t Barbie. It was that film. It was the creativity and the originality Greta Gerwig intelligence of that film that people loved. And you know, big stars Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie, but it was the ingenuity behind that film. Then you take Oppenheimer, first of all that was just lightning in a bottle. But these two diametrically different films open on the same day. But you know, now it’s like, are we going to start seeing films about like other, you know, physic, you know, like Albert Einstein and stuff,

8

Allen McCallum  10:54

Rice Krispies and Tetris. And right,

Max Weiss  10:57

yeah, so so they just, instead of understanding that when people go to the movies, it’s because they’re enjoying the quality of these films, they try to repeat the formula over and over and over again, or SQL after SQL after SQL, or using, you know, intellectual property like Marvel stuff, and DC Comics over and over and over. Whereas like everything everywhere, all at once, that had sort of like a comic book feel to it, but it was so fresh and original, it broke through. So it’s like, if you keep trying to repeat what you’ve done, you’re going to fail, if you see that the things that break through, are the ones that are fresh and original and creative. That’s how you’re going to sustain the movie industry.

Allen McCallum  11:42

I mean, Netflix changed so many things, right? I mean, Netflix, as opposed to Blockbuster, we had to go and you’d find the movies. Did

Nestor J. Aparicio  11:50

8

Netflix make you build that studio in your house? Or were you on the road to that anyway?

Allen McCallum  11:53

COVID made me built that. Okay. All right. Fair enough. But, I mean, look, I’m still wearing my mask in many situations. So I mean, I take it a little more serious, a little more intensely than other people do. But it also it’s just, if you want to go to the doorbells, three or four times a year, and I’ve tried to go more than that, plus the movies, plus the theater, I mean, I’m sort of involved in all these things to one degree or another. I know how much it costs. And it’s you need to consider where you’re going to where you’re going to make things work efficiently for yourself, right. Plus, I really enjoy the experience. So even I mean, I have a I

Nestor J. Aparicio  12:34

like movies enough that I would watch a movie, I can’t stand being in the movie theater where I can’t stop it. I can’t go to the bathroom. I pee during people talk people drop things, the phone goes I hate I haven’t you know, I go through this concerts, route. People in concerts have really diminished my enthusiasm about concerts.

Max Weiss  12:55

Yeah, I love going to the movies for the very reason that you mentioned, because when I’m home, I can’t help it. I’m gonna pause the film. I’m gonna look at my phone. I’m gonna go read the refrigerator for snacks. I like being completely I like being isolated, darkness, focused, being sort of almost forced to focus. That’s what I love. Now, when you’re with people who are obnoxious and looking on their phones and coming late and talking, okay, that ruins it. But you know, that when I go to the movies, I tend to go at like off times, like, I’ll specifically choose like a Tuesday matinee instead of a Saturday night, you know, I try

8

Nestor J. Aparicio  13:33

to so you don’t experience full movie houses much. Not that often.

Max Weiss  13:37

No, sometimes with the screenings they give to critics, they’re also open to the general public, and those can be pretty filled. But those tend to be people who love movies, because they’re coming Tuesday, Thursday. Yeah. But you know, there’s, to me, there’s nothing that can replicate that experience of like that suspension, that moment when the lights go out. And the film comes on, and you just don’t know what your experience is going to be like, for the next two hours. And you can’t just like say, oh, you know, I’ve got to go do my laundry or something, you know, you’re just you’re locked in. And I think, as our attention spans are so scattered right now, there is something really to be said, for the beauty of like, sitting in the dark and just focusing on these moving pictures. So I’m always gonna love the theatrical experience. But you know, I mean, Alan thinks it’s about the money. I think it’s partly the money. It’s also just the convenience of so many films are on streaming right now. So many films are on prime or Netflix and, and these films that come out in the theater, all you have to do now is wait a couple of weeks, and they’re going to be on your home television set. So what’s the incentive? Unless you’re a cinephile, who like just really treasure and spends a lot of money through it’s expensive. You have to treasure the experience, but if you don’t, it’s like, Oh, why should I go see that? It’s going to be on my TV screen. In three weeks.

Allen McCallum  14:57

I went to the fall guy the second weekend, first week weekend. He was considered a huge disappointment. I liked it. It’s a fun film. Yeah, that’s, I mean, I’m old enough that I remember Lee Majors sure in the show that I’m sure no one who’s 20 years old even knows existed. But I was waiting for them as like if they don’t do an update on the theme song, I’m going to be mad because I have never spent much time in school. But I’ve taught ladies plein air. Like, I know that that song is baked in my brain, right? I was in the movie therapy four or five people. It was fun. And I was just curious. I it was a Saturday night after after a show when it’s like at 11 Midnight Show. The Tuesday the next Tuesday. I checked on demand it was there. That’s like it’s been out for like for, like 11 days.

Nestor J. Aparicio  15:43

8

Yeah, yeah. So how many movies come out of here that you want to see Max? And how many do you see? And then to Alan, but first with you? How many movies a year? Because there’s zero for me that I feel like I have to see ever until you tell me or he told me both. You told me to see a movie. So it’ll be the next movie. I see. Here’s my literally,

Max Weiss  16:00

I follow a lot of film critics on Twitter on me now x but it’s the same thing. And it’s called film, Twitter. And a lot of these people, they’re full time film critics, as opposed to me. It’s my, you know, second job, you have a gig. I have a full time job running the magazine. So they go to the Cannes Film Festival. They go to the Sundance Film Festival, the Telluride, the Toronto and you

Nestor J. Aparicio  16:27

never been any of those.

Max Weiss  16:27

No, I have I thought Yeah, but I don’t get to go every year. But you know, Telluride is it’s it’s heaven on earth as far as I’m concerned. But, um, and they’re coming back with reports about these films. And I get so excited about the films and then I also get kind of jealous because they’ve seen it and I haven’t seen it so I anticipate films quite a lot you know based on reports coming out of can based on reports coming out

8

Nestor J. Aparicio  16:57

of it as they all see it stinks Do you see it anyway?

Max Weiss  17:01

Um, no, not as much like if something has been absolutely critically lambasted I tend to not see it now because I don’t have a regular movie review gig the way I used to I continue to have to watch pipes kick in, I pick and choose which isn’t to say everything that I watch is good, but I am my own editor I assigned myself right so I don’t assign myself to the films that I think I’m not going to like um you know not to say that I’m not capable of liking a film that other critics hate or vice versa of hating a film that other critics really love that certainly does happen but you know, you kind of have a hunch about a film so yeah, I

Nestor J. Aparicio  17:38

just wanna make sure gives you gives you two hours you know what, what inspires what’s the delineation point of what you have to see and what you want to see and what you’ll shelve and see later and probably will never see so I got books I think I’m going to read I’m gonna we’re gonna read them back

Max Weiss  17:52

8

when I was reviewing films every single week on WB HL TV WB al radio I’m sorry to plug a competitor Hi Dan. Um I would have to go see the you know 20th Marvel film that was released and doing that night to just drag myself to those things I didn’t want to I will not the target audience you know,

Nestor J. Aparicio  18:13

and be like if I were a music critic and I had to go do country I

Max Weiss  18:16

just it just right exactly. I

Nestor J. Aparicio  18:18

don’t want to spend the evening mechanics

8

Max Weiss  18:19

the fact that I don’t that I don’t have to go see everything well I can pick and choose and curious

Nestor J. Aparicio  18:26

movie lately. Give me a give me a movie. Well, I

Max Weiss  18:28

loved Hitman which is on Netflix and I love challengers the the tennis the Luke aquatic Nino’s day tennis film wonderful about like a love triangle if you love tennis, it was kind of sexy. That day is a star. It’s a sports movie, but it’s not really tennis has never been shot more. I mean, we could talk about tennis by the way one day that’s like what my other favorite sports.

Nestor J. Aparicio  18:52

8

I put the the French Open. I’ve been to New York. Yeah, okay.

18:54

My sister goes to us open every year. Yeah,

Max Weiss  18:57

I love tennis. It’s probably my it might be my this is

Nestor J. Aparicio  19:01

one of his closet fan things like I know a bunch of people love tennis. Yeah, they don’t ever talk to me about it, but I know they’re watching it and then we’ll talk to anybody. That’s part of being tennis. I’m talking about

8

Max Weiss  19:10

why tennis, you know, we work from home. We haven’t we have a shared office space that we use for meetings. But basically I spend my day in my kitchen in front of my computer, and I have the TV on in the background. And a lot of times I’ll have the Tennis Channel on because there’s just almost always tennis action happening so I like no obscure players at this point. Like I have

Nestor J. Aparicio  19:30

got such unique friends. I have a wild mix a hitman anything else give me give

Max Weiss  19:35

me one of the challengers? I thought Furiosa was excellent although you know only if you like action films only if you’d like George Miller films if you’ve liked the other Mad Max then it’s fantastic. I as I said it didn’t pass the Susan Weiss test Susan Weiss being my mother, like your mom who doesn’t like action films is not going to like this film but your buddy who loves action films. Heck yes.

Nestor J. Aparicio  19:59

8

In the box, Alan, you got to film.

Allen McCallum  20:04

Dune part two is the isn’t the best movie I’ve seen this year. challengers is amazing. Hitman is really good. Parenting Max. I would tell everyone to go find origin. It’s it’s a movie that is enlightening and worth your time.

Max Weiss  20:21

You are not selling it. Alan,

Allen McCallum  20:23

I know. I’m trying. He doesn’t want you to want I’m trying not to make it more not enlightened. Oh, it’s a it’s a party film. It’s not I mean, that’s why No, of course, of course. Yeah, I mean, we’re just entering the Planet of the Apes the most recent planet apes, which I thought was pretty good. I mean, just the technology that they do that to put that together is really amazing. I remember the original meeting. So

8

Nestor J. Aparicio  20:50

it was realistic to me, then I see some of the flying monkeys and the Wizard of Oz.

Allen McCallum  20:55

I don’t know how many movies I see a year, but I go out of my way. Not I don’t want to see everything. But I know I have a sense of what I like. As we get into awards time. I want to see everything that’s that’s going to be relevant. I try I don’t just see blockbusters. I love small independent films. How to blow up a pipeline from last year that nobody saw was really fascinating movie. Past Lives was was wonderful. Again, not like oh, let’s jump up and down and watch this movie kind of thing. But I love past lives there. They’re small films out there that that showing up. I mean, they’re just there’s all kinds of films out there that you just independent filmmakers doing really smart, interesting stories that have nothing to do with with with superheroes, in case you don’t do

Nestor J. Aparicio  21:41

Morgan Spurlock on the next one. I bet that well. Our McCallum is here Max Weiss is here. Baltimore magazine is there it’s at your checkout. It’s everywhere. Max is on social media and Alan’s down running Symphony things. Let’s see, man, we’ve done Symphony Star Wars Orioles movies. crabcakes like we covered it. We had a good one here. It is juicy. And I love bringing people together and I guess the background of baseball and symphony and your music and your movies. It’s nice to create and friendships here

Max Weiss  22:11

8

as I think I just said Alan, did we just become best friends?

Nestor J. Aparicio  22:16

Well, that would make this the podcast of the year and would make us best off maybe. Go that’s it. I wouldn’t know what to do with the awards. I don’t have enough room on the wall. I am Nestor. We are wn St. Damien authorities. Here we’re at Coco’s pub. We’re in laurelville Marcellus here I get coconut shrimp and may get a Greek salad me I’m taking a crab cake home to my broken ankled wife. It’s all brought to you by the Maryland lottery. We have the Gold Rush doubler sevens have to learn to say that gold rush double sevens were the top prizes $10,000 I’ll be giving these away on Friday at Cooper’s North will be at Costas next Thursday. We will be at Pappas on the 25th back for more courtesy and liberty pure solutions and our friends at Jiffy Lube live. We’re at cocoas