As the gears of memory wind back, I find myself engulfed once more in the enchanting world of "The Iron Giant," together with Juddy, a director whose heart has long been captured by this animated gem. Katy, too, brings the freshness of recent discovery to our table, weaving her adult perspective into our nostalgic tapestry. We examine the multi-layered performances from the stellar cast, including Jennifer Aniston and an unexpectedly tender Vin Diesel, and we reflect on how this box office underdog emerged as a cult classic, touching hearts with its humor and profound messages of friendship, choice, and sacrifice.
This episode is a treasure trove for those who cherish the deeper cuts of film analysis. We scrutinize the film's most powerful moments, chuckle at the director's clever sidestep from Disney's musical tradition, and speculate on the tantalizing "what-ifs" of a sequel. Our collective rating of "The Iron Giant" might just break the scale, and we set the stage for our next foray into the suspenseful realm of Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca." Join us as we honor the powerful choices and identities forged within this animated masterpiece, and take away a renewed appreciation for the stories that shape us.
As the gears of memory wind back, I find myself engulfed once more in the enchanting world of "The Iron Giant," together with Juddy, a director whose heart has long been captured by this animated gem. Katy, too, brings the freshness of recent discovery to our table, weaving her adult perspective into our nostalgic tapestry. We examine the multi-layered performances from the stellar cast, including Jennifer Aniston and an unexpectedly tender Vin Diesel, and we reflect on how this box office underdog emerged as a cult classic, touching hearts with its humor and profound messages of friendship, choice, and sacrifice.
This episode is a treasure trove for those who cherish the deeper cuts of film analysis. We scrutinize the film's most powerful moments, chuckle at the director's clever sidestep from Disney's musical tradition, and speculate on the tantalizing "what-ifs" of a sequel. Our collective rating of "The Iron Giant" might just break the scale, and we set the stage for our next foray into the suspenseful realm of Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca." Join us as we honor the powerful choices and identities forged within this animated masterpiece, and take away a renewed appreciation for the stories that shape us.
One's a movie buff, one watches movies, just enough Together. Fun will be had by all. This is Nady and Katie at the Movies.
Speaker 3:Hello everyone, Welcome to a brand new episode of Nady and Katie at the Movies. I'm your host, Nathan aka Nady, of course, and with me on this episode it's a twofer. Not only do I have my good friend Katie here, but, because of the movie we're talking about today, my other good friend, brilliant director extraordinaire Judi. Oh, and here's Katie. Hi, Katie.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I'm just shopliver. Now I'm folding laundry and recording a podcast at the same time. I mean, that takes talent right.
Speaker 3:But you know what really takes talent? What really takes talent is to make a brilliant cartoon, and that's what we're going to talk about today, on our first episode of March. We're talking about the classic 1999,. I believe it came out the Iron Giant, directed by Brad Bird. I believe this was his directorial debut in the animated film verse. But before we can talk about this movie, we got to go over the synopsis. So the Iron Giant is about a young boy who befriends a giant robot from outer space that a paranoid government agent wants to destroy.
Speaker 3:The Iron Giant stars Eli Moranthigl probably said his name wrong Harry Conant Jr, jennifer Aniston and surprise voiceover of the Iron Giant himself. I don't know if you knew this, katie, but it is Vin Diesel or I am grouped Wait that's totally.
Speaker 5:I mean, I didn't know that until I looked it up and it totally checks out. I feel like that is the group voice.
Speaker 3:Yeah, this movie had like big, pretty big name people in it. I mean, it got Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore plays the paranoid agent, which was incredible. I think it was Frasier's dad plays the general, and so you just got to. It's like an all star cast of people. And I'm just going to go ahead and say it before we talk about our lives and dislikes, this is probably one of my favorite cartoons of all time. Like seriously, just watching it again gave me all the giggles, gave me all the feels that I had when I first watched it. I just think it's brilliant. So let's just get right into Katie and Judson's likes and dislikes.
Speaker 5:Well, yeah, and I want to know so you obviously watched this like growing up, did you watch it like close to when it came out? And then I want to know the same for Juddy If you'd watched it, I'd never seen this before, so I didn't have maybe the nostalgia feel. It was me seeing it for the first time as an adult.
Speaker 3:I don't think I saw it when it first came out, but I saw it like later on and I just loved it. I thought it was hilarious, I think the story is great. I think the voice like the people who did the voices just were perfectly cast as these characters. I just I loved every second of it. Judson, did you see this when it first came out in 1999? How old were you?
Speaker 6:I was actually born in 1999, so it's kind of meant to be so you saw it when you first came out.
Speaker 6:Yeah, straight out of the womb into the theaters. That's part of the destiny. No, I think I first came across this it was a blockbuster rental and so it was really early on and it was a big touchstone. Growing up, you know, you can't really explain why you latch on to certain media as a kid, but I latched on to this and I'm very glad for it because it's just incredible and I'll just get right into the full review.
Speaker 6:Like it is, every time I watch it and it's quite often too, I would say like monthly, I would have a monthly viewing I still get hit with every single beat, even though I know what's about to come around the corner in the story, it still gets me every single time, every comedic beat, every sweet somber moment and, of course, that ending. It's just it's fantastically written. It's actually really I know it's an all-star cast and it's not just Jennifer Anderson is doing is like phoning it in, like they are delivering the morals and the story, the political aspect, how it taught me just a little bit about history. Oh, my goodness, it was just absolutely fantastic. So, yeah, this is this is my favorite movie of all time too, and I know nostalgia is tied to it, but over the years it still holds up. Over time is what I'm trying to say. So it is easily come through and became my favorite movie of all time.
Speaker 5:So, yeah, see that is incredible and I feel like the. I looked up some reviews online just curious what people thought and that was a big thing. It's exactly what you said. It's like part of their life, like since they saw it. So it is interesting. Both of y'all have seen it. I'm coming out from totally different perspective and I can validate. You know what you're saying.
Speaker 5:Sometimes we do give a little too much credit to those childhood movies because you know, this hit us when we were kids. I will say right now I'm not going to call it my favorite movie of all time, favorite cartoon, but it was an incredible movie and I have not stopped talking about it since I watched it. I have, like every friend group I've hung out with them like have you seen Iron Giant? You should see Iron Giant, and that says a lot. That says a lot that I've been promoting it a lot. Man, it is good. It is right in my category of made me laugh, made me cry, so entertaining for sure. So I mean there's too many good things. I don't anticipate a lot of negatives. I'm sure, judson, if this is one of your favorites, can you share a little bit about the total flop this thing was. I mean, it's just interesting to hear what it is now and what it was when it came out.
Speaker 6:It tragically flopped when it first came out. I think I want to say there is a history with Disney not wanting to buy it or something like that, and then Warner Brothers eventually picking it up and it just absolutely bombed. I also want to say another Disney movie came at the same time as this and that kind of outdid it. I might be wrong in my history, but that's what I want to say. And it really is unfortunate that it never kind of got its flowers except years and years down the pipeline. And some would even argue that it still has it. Well, yeah, I looked it up, there's no, I mean.
Speaker 5:So we're going on our 250 IMDB movies and I mean it's definitely not the bottom. It's, first of all, it's in the top list of movies and it beat out Aladdin, which I mean my mind is classic, but yeah, no awards, like I mean random small awards but no major awards given to this. And, like you said, the box office was like terrible. One of my big likes was the story and I think you said this just in the morality, like this is a movie I could show my kid and have so many different conversations about what it means to be a friend to someone different than you. Right, this is kind of based on, like the Red Scare time with you know communism and how he chose to interact with, how Dean the older guy chooses to just interact with the giant and the devil, like the giant and the child.
Speaker 5:I feel like it chooses, shows you how you can choose if you're a good person or not. I mean I think it's a huge theme is like you decide there is nothing, no one's going to tell you who to be, and that's another huge, huge theme. And then, of course, being a Christian, you know the sacrifice of someone sacrificing themselves to save others. I mean, if that doesn't hit you, then you're like, not human. I mean, I'm going to tell you guys right now, my husband and I, full blown, there are tears streaming down both of our faces when we watch this movie.
Speaker 3:Last week, I just looked it up. Basically, the big reason why this movie flopped was because Warner Brothers didn't really want to promote it, because it was an original idea and it wasn't attached to a franchise Kind of like. Today, a lot of original movies don't do that well, because it's all about franchise, it's all about what the next one's gonna be, which I will talk about. One of my dislikes that I didn't originally put on my list, it's the fact that they teased the crap out of a sequel and they never delivered.
Speaker 3:That ending left it open for a second Iron Giant and they never frickin' delivered, which I think it might be just that mindset of today is I need another one, because the movie was really really good and the characters were just really really good and they set up, like I said, they set up a sequel and it never happened and it's probably because of how badly they did at the box office and it just comes to show you that Warner Brothers has just never learned. They just have never learned. But another dislike I had is this is a cartoon and there is some language. There is some language which surprised me the first time I watched it because again, it was a cartoon. But that would be. My only real dislike is I wouldn't be able to show my kids until they're like a certain age because of some of the things that are said.
Speaker 5:I think that was what makes it WB, and I've watched some interviews of the director and he just kept talking about how he's like we're not Disney, we're not gonna put a sidekick character you can make a plush doll out of. Like we're not gonna play those little games, we're not gonna make it all P like SuperDuperPG or G and we're not gonna make it a musical. There was supposedly this was supposed to be a musical and the director was like never, we're not doing it.
Speaker 3:I mean, I can't imagine Vin Diesel as the robot just starting to sing. This movie is just perfect. I think this is a perfect movie. It's perfect.
Speaker 5:I know, katie what is it your favorite part about it? I mean, is it the characters or is it the story?
Speaker 3:All of the above. If this is a multiple choice, I'd say D, all of the above. I think the animation holds up. It's 2024 and the animation is still beautiful. It's just pristine. Another dislike is that I wasn't able to see it on the big screen. I think this would be amazing to watch. I think they need to re-release it on the big screen. It would help the Warner Brothers a lot because they're sucking at movies nowadays. The story we've already talked about I think it's a timeless story. It's something we've probably seen before, but it's just perfect. And the voice acting I think it was just wonderfully cast. I will say Harry Connick Jr. At first it kind of takes a little bit to get used to his voice for the character. If you know Harry Connick Jr and his voices, I don't know. But as the movie goes on, you start getting more and more comfortable with his voice as that character.
Speaker 5:So, jettie, you love this movie. Wanted to be on. You said you guys are doing Iron Giant. I have got to get on the episode. So if we love everything about it, what's? Maybe a particular scene that strikes you or a moment that you feel like hits you the most?
Speaker 6:Especially as I get older, because, of course, watching it as a kid, it's gonna be that ending moment. And also I was talking earlier about this movie being written so well. When I was watching this as a kid, I really was Hogarth, who you know. If you had a giant robot at your disposal, you're gonna wanna sit in a car and then go really, really fast. You're gonna wanna play lasers with him, and it's so well written. And not the obnoxious kid that has to be brave and do the thing. You're just being a little kid and having fun and I think it's really well written that way. And so I identified with those fun moments as a kid.
Speaker 6:But as I get older, to answer your question, it's the quieter moments that have been really really touching for me. So, for instance, specific scenes the deer scene is really intimate and sweet any time that the hogar had that hogarth and giant are talking. You have this kid who Is very immature and, you know, living his best life and doing Arguably irresponsible things, is trying to teach the way of the world to the, to a giant, and he's being the mature one in this situation is really, really interesting to see in that dynamic. So I would. I would definitely have to say the, the quiet, intimate moments. You know, you stay, I go when they first are talking and sitting rock and tree. Those scenes have been really, really hitting for me on the more recent watching and that's just, that's just of the dynamic and voice line delivery and just you can really tell that there's something special there with the, the connection, and, yeah, I absolutely love it.
Speaker 3:Just, and I'm actually surprised you didn't mention one of the best parts of the movie, when the giant robot hand is in the kitchen and Hogarth is praying.
Speaker 5:Oh, my god, every time I watch this movie.
Speaker 3:I die laughing at that part, like and if you don't know what I'm talking about, stop the podcast, watch this movie. Just watch it, because I'm immature, so I like the immature funny moments, but that the prayer, the prayer part, is seriously one of my favorite parts and I, I, I didn't know it was shooter MacGavin playing the Agent until I looked it up for this podcast, but I, I think he's hilarious, I think, I, just, I just love this movie. I.
Speaker 5:Love it. The prayer was hilarious, but I'm gonna have to say the big, the big ending, as corny as it is, that's, that was the big part for me. I mean again, husband and I both just full on tears coming down our faces, because there's, it's the idea of the sacrifice, it's the like, callbacks to the quotes that, like Judson said, of where he says you stay, I go, and I'm just like, oh, it's such an intense moment and then you even just can think more deeply about it. Like he does another call back to Superman. So he's, it goes back to that, giving it given a choice of like you have the ability to change you, you decide who you are. And so he's like, decides I'm not gonna be the evil Killing machine, I'm gonna be Superman. And like, right before he takes his life by saving everybody, he like does the little like Superman. It's just too good. It's just too good. I Really, really liked it. I think some of those quotes are just very, very weighty. Have you heard about the deleted?
Speaker 6:scene. I don't know what you guys watched this on. I'm sure there's, it's on a streaming site somewhere, but before I, you know, wanted to look up exactly where streaming, I just pulled out my good old Signature collection blu-ray and pop that guy in and watch the signature version of it, which included the deleted scene in the in the movie, and where it's placed is when they first bring giant to the junkyard. And mild spoilers. If You're watching this without watching the movie again, go, just go see it. If you don't know what it is, the giant is having a nightmare and it's kind of giving giving us little teases and glimpses of his home planet and there's like a whole bunch of a plethora of giants and they're all Nuclear war machines and they're marching through and it's and we're seeing that through Dean's TV and he wakes up in the middle of it and is like oh, what's going on? And then it just kind of fades out. But it's really interesting. I'm glad they cut it because it adds more mystery to the Giants origins.
Speaker 6:Yes, but, rewatching it or rewatching the scene and spliced in there is really really neat to Kind of see what more is there, what more visuals and what? Where did you know get more of the lore from the Giants Origins? But watching it for the first time, click, katie, I'm glad you didn't I see that during the first initial cut of it.
Speaker 5:Well, I think it takes away from the innocence that you're sensing from the the giant.
Speaker 5:I mean truly you're. You want someone who you really want a full fledged vote for or root for, and I think that would make it difficult and it skits your brain, thinking the wrong direction. Like Now, I'm thinking about where these other robots are and are. They all are as if he gets fixed or the other one's coming and Is that the going to be the sequel. So yeah, I think it would have distracted a ton from Um but, like you said, you definitely leave the movie being like okay, but really like what? What is his purpose and why was he gonna do like really bad stuff and I don't know. Like Nathan said, there's no sequel. So what happens when he reassembles? He's not near Hogarth. What's he fitting to do?
Speaker 6:And I did want to ask, while we're talking about that sequel, like, as much as I want to see more Hogarth and more Giant, I am thinking about the possibility of, like what would his sequel come from? He's over in Iceland and, um, yeah, that's it. Even if they never meet up again, you kind of know he's okay and I don't. I didn't want to see anymore and in fact if we never got that scene in Iceland, I still would have been equally happy. You just see the little screw rolling out, autobots roll out and roll credits. I just think like what, what would that mean if he were to come back and there? What would the story be for Iron Giant too? And I think it would kind of undo um, his, his choice in the ending.
Speaker 3:So I'm glad we don't have it. He's the people of Iceland, Judson.
Speaker 6:He's the people of.
Speaker 5:Iceland. Actually, I was kind of thinking more the biblical route, right? So if he's Jesus, you know three days later comes back, he would probably just appear to everybody and that's and at the end he would just ascend into space, exactly All right. Well, should we rate this incredible movie?
Speaker 3:Yes, let's Katie, since this was your first viewing, what would you rate the Iron Giant? One to six stars?
Speaker 5:It's not one I'm going to watch once a month, like Judson said, just because I am a very joyous, cheerful, want dumb, silly things that make me smile kind of movie watcher. But I will watch it again and I will show it to my child. So I'm going to give this a 5.5.
Speaker 3:Judson, what do you think?
Speaker 6:So this is going to be a one out of six stars. I don't know I'm kidding. No, it's, it's easily six out of six. It's my favorite movie ever and I also want to clarify that it took me many, many watchings for me to solidify this is my favorite viewing. Like I made sure to sit with that and I can't, I can't, stay for any other movie. So, yeah, six out of six.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's not my favorite movie of all time, that it is my favorite cartoon of all time, so I'm gonna give it a big old six out of six as well. I think it's perfect. Story animation, voice acting it's just great. It's a great movie. So that is the iron giant. It is fantastic. Judson, thank you for joining us. Judson is also gonna be joining us on our Oscar prediction episode. Can't wait for that. It's coming up soon. Just got well, by the time this episode drops, I will have finished my Journey of watching all those movies. And speaking of watching movies, we got another one coming up. Take a listen to what we're gonna be revealing next week.
Speaker 4:Announcing the return of the most glamorous motion picture ever made. David O's sells, nick and Alfred Hitchcock bring you the grand slam prize winner that made motion picture history winner the Academy Award, voted by America's critics as the best picture of the year and now, as a result of a national poll, winning new honors as audiences throughout the country vote to see it again. The sales Nick studio's successor to gone with the wind. Rebecca brought to the screen with all the warmth and emotion that made millions of readers acclaim Daphne de Moria's bestseller as the most exciting Love story of our time. The fascinating Max do winter lives on the screen in the person of Lauren Solivier. Why, it's next to me tough, how do you know? The shy, unsophisticated young girl who dared to follow in the footsteps of the beautiful Rebecca is portrayed by lovely Joan Fontaine. Oh, could I ask you to love me when I knew you love Rebecca still.
Speaker 6:Whenever you touched me, I knew you were comparing me with Rebecca.
Speaker 4:What is the mystery of Rebecca? What dread secret is hidden within the silent walls of Manderley? Not only in this room, it's in all the rooms in the house. Clomart, here at now, using the dead, come back and watch the living. Tell me, yes, mrs Van Hopper, a friend of yours or just a relation?
Speaker 6:No, she's my employer. I'm what is known as a paid companion. I didn't know companionship could be bored.
Speaker 4:There is mystery, love and laughter in Rebecca. The motion pictures still unsurpassed for suspenseful romance.
Speaker 3:We're diving right into the classic classics with an Alfred Hitchcock classic, rebecca, starring Lawrence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, two names that Katie probably has no idea who they are, can't wait, I'm excited I Come on so my kids not gonna watch this one with me, got it.
Speaker 3:I mean, from what I remember watching it, there's no like language. It's not bad, you can probably sit through it. He'll probably fall asleep. So that is what we're gonna be reviewing next week. Katie Judson or myself, we have anything we want to say at the end of this episode.
Speaker 5:You are who you choose to be where's the giant man's Lee?
Speaker 3:get out of here.
Speaker 1:Satan. Thanks for listening to Nadie and Katie at the movies. Feel free to leave us a review so people can find the show. Follow us on all our social media platforms and if there's a movie that you want us to watch, feel free to contact us at Nadie and Katie at gmailcom. Thanks for listening and have a great day.