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
From Chaos to Balloons: Reviewing "A Clockwork Orange" & "Up"
What makes a film truly unforgettable? Join us as Natey grapples with the disturbing world of Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange," describing it as an unsettling and bizarre experience with a storyline he found hard to connect with. Meanwhile, Katy offers a fresh take by examining the film's themes through the lens of psychology and Christianity, sparking a deep conversation about human redemption and the possibility of change. We also draw interesting parallels between the film's chaotic protagonist and Heath Ledger's iconic portrayal of the Joker.
Switching gears, we then dive into the emotional rollercoaster that is Pixar's "Up." From the tear-jerking opening montage of Carl and Ellie's life together to the whimsical adventures that follow, we explore the film's perfect blend of humor, sadness, and adventure. Katy shares her first-time reactions to the film while Natey critiques its pacing, particularly in the latter half. Despite some fantastical elements, we highlight how "Up" resonates deeply with both adults and children, ultimately giving it a glowing five-star recommendation. Stick around for a sneak peek at our next episode, where we tackle yet another Stanley Kubrick classic.
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 on today's episode is my good friend Katie. Hi Katie, how are you?
Speaker 2:I'm doing great. I'm actually not eating something right now. I know it's shocking. I did just have some tres salaces cake, so I'm full, but I am excited to review with you today. It's a Saturday, which means you didn't have to go to work.
Speaker 1:Well, but yes, the by the time we're recording this, this is Saturday, but by the time this episode drops, it'll be a Tuesday. Cause our episodes show up every Tuesday, except when it's a surprise Saturday episode. Then, yes, that episode would have dropped today. But today, by the time you listen to, this, is actually Tuesday.
Speaker 2:Right, and we didn't do it last Tuesday because of scheduling, so it's yeah, it's every Tuesday, except for when it's not.
Speaker 1:Well, but and to confuse listeners even more, today's Tuesday episode is actually what our Saturday episodes usually are, which is a double feature. We're episodes usually are, which is a double feature. We're talking about two movies today. Yeah, we are. Katie couldn't be bothered to watch the movie that we originally just were going to watch, but I watched it, because last episode, uh, with katie, I discussed that actually rented this movie because it was no longer on a streaming service. So, yeah, yeah, I had to rent it. And that movie is A Clockwork Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick, who also directed the Shining and also directed our first episode of October, which we will reveal later in this episode. So before I give my thoughts on A Clockwork Orange, I have to go over the synopsis.
Speaker 1:Alex DeLarge and his droogs barbarize a decaying near future. A Clockwork Orange stars Malcolm McDowell, patrick McGee, michael Bates and Warren Clark, and it's crazy that Malcolm McDowell is in this movie, because he is known for other movies that he's actually pretty good in, like halloween, the halloween remake, which was actually pretty good. He was also in star trek generations. He's, uh, spongebob squarepants. He's been in other random things, but he's usually known as, like, a more sophisticated actor, and this movie was, um, let's just say, interesting. It was an interesting movie, and I'm not saying that because it was good. It is not the shining, because the shining actually has a storyline and somewhat compelling characters jack nicholson's in that and it's not the next movie we're going to be talking about in october, directed by stanley kubrick, which I will not reveal what it is because, yeah, that's what I'm going to do at the end of the episode.
Speaker 1:It was. It was just a very, not a very straightforward movie. Obviously it still had a storyline. It has malcolm mcdonald's character who goes around, like it said in the synopsis, with his cronies droogs, and basically they just go around beating people up and raping women and just doing really vile, bad things. He's introduced to like a psychiatrist or something who offers up doing like this experiment to try to get him to not want to do bad things anymore and it actually works and gets physically sick when he thinks about those things, and so it stops him from doing that until it doesn't stop him from doing that and by the time it doesn't stop him from doing that, he gets offered a government job. Yeah, the movie is weird, random, and it was so weird and random that, granted, I did watch this kind of late, but I fell asleep.
Speaker 2:It was weird enough to be boring.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was weird enough to be boring. Yeah, it was weird enough to be boring. There wasn't so much of a structured storyline that it kept my attention enough to make me stay awake.
Speaker 2:What you're describing feels like. The storyline is extremely simple he's a bad dude and they try to turn him good and then he kind of starts turning bad again. But I agree with you, that's not very complicated. I do remember now that you say the mental illness thing or the issue. I feel like I remember learning about this when I was teaching psychology. I think there maybe could be a lot to analyze in this movie of what's in a human psyche, what's in a mind and what makes us do what we do, what makes us think. Are people maybe let's bring a christian aspect in are there? Are people redeemable? Can people's minds change? Um, can they truly move on and be a different person? So that sounds interesting, but I'll tell you right now. I, like I told you, you warned me that it was not good watch Watched trailer, not interested, and so thank you for your synopsis. I think I'll just learn from that and not watch the movie.
Speaker 1:Which I think is funny, because I kind of criticized you for doing the same thing about the Sting, like texting me and warning me about it. But I honestly think, like if you would watch this Clockwork Orange movie, you would have been really mad at me for including it on our list well, and I would have been mad because then I couldn't watch the one I'm doing, which we'll get to yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1:But one thing that is interesting it's not really about this movie itself, it's heath ledger played the joker and he actually from like, either he actually said this or it was rumored that he took some of his jokerness from a clockwork orange, and how he was just about utter chaos and no reason for the chaos, just for chaos for chaos sake, and that's really what a clockwork orange is. There's no, there's no motivation for him doing this, these things. He just does it because he thinks it's fun. And that's kind of what the joker is like. He he kills people and he does all these evil things because he sees it as like the punch line of a joke. And that's kind of what you can get from alex delarge whatever however you say, his name from this movie, and so that's kind of interesting, that heath ledger.
Speaker 2:And then we know what happened to heath ledger eventually reminds me of the um the one we watched, the no country for old men. Similar concept, I guess, did you like anything there's no redeem, redeeming factor.
Speaker 1:This I will say. Uh, doing some research, this, this movie is based on a book and apparently the book does give a more positive ending for the character than the movie does, which kind of leaves it open to the fact that now he's part of the corrupted government with this mind for chaos. So what would a person with that kind of mind be like in a kind of more important position, government wise? Because yeah, it's just crazy, it's just random, it's not a, it's not a movie I would recommend. Yeah, it's just crazy, it's just random, it's not a movie I would recommend. So I would probably give A Clockwork Orange maybe a 1.5. I mean, maybe even a one, because there wasn't really anything entertaining about it for me.
Speaker 2:I fell asleep yeah, if it's depressing and violent, not interested, and that's literally the total opposite date of what I got to record. So I think we should go to that. Uh, I got to watch. Now, remember, we're pulling from a list, so I didn't just choose a movie that I liked. Uh, it is one that I had seen parts of, not all of, and it's the movie disney's pixar up, which is ranked, uh, right about the same. I think it's maybe ranked one or two spots higher than Clockwork Orange. I don't know who it's starring. I guess I should look all that stuff up, huh.
Speaker 1:Ed Asner plays Carl. Yeah, carl, carl. But I'll go back a little bit. You said that there's a polar opposite of Clockwork Orange. Obviously for reasons it is. But you said you know, clockwork orange is depressing and violent. Well, the beginning of up is super depressing and carl does hit someone in the head with his walking stick. So there is some violence there, boom, and the bad guy kind of wants to kill them in the movie yeah, the bad guy is pretty terrifying, um, okay, so, uh, I'm gonna do katie's version of a brief synopsis.
Speaker 2:this is a movie about an old man falls in love with a woman. They get grow old, she dies, and then he's sad and the movie is about basically a redemption story for him and what it's like to have loss, and this is more of it. This is not a good synopsis.
Speaker 1:Before we talk about it even more, I'll give my synopsis. 78-year-old Carl Fredrickson travels to Paradise Falls in his house equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway, which kind of sounds really creepy if you read it like that he takes a young stowaway.
Speaker 2:He abducts a child.
Speaker 1:So yeah, basically the movie starts with a young Carl watching a movie about this adventurer guy that he really looks up to and he meets this girl who also looks up to this adventurer guy.
Speaker 1:They fall in love. Like Katie said, they do this whole montage about them getting married, then her finding out she gets pregnant, finding out that they lost the child which was really like a big thing for Pixar to do, to represent that in a movie and so they deal with that through, with leaning on each other, and this whole time they're trying to raise money to go on this big adventure. Then she finally does die and Carl is like alone, but he still wants to go on this big adventure and before he can do that, this construction company is trying to, and before he can do that, this construction company is trying to bulldoze his house, but he won't let them. And then he knocks a guy in the head with his walking stick, almost gets sent to a retirement home, but then he decides to get these balloons and go on an adventure and does accidentally take Russell on this adventure and they find the adventurer guy and they find this random bird and the guy wants the bird yes, listen so no one needs to watch the movie.
Speaker 2:Now nathan has given away the entire plot. It's been out forever.
Speaker 1:So if you don't know the plot, if you've never seen this movie, like katie, then sorry well, fair.
Speaker 2:Well, some of the ones from the 50s, but anyway, I digress. I was one of the people you're talking about had not seen the movie up. I'd seen parts and, to your point, nothing was like total shock, like I knew that you know everyone always talked about oh, it's so sad. I mean so sad. It's like I had a feeling I know you know what happens and you see a lot of kids talking about there's lego sets for all you know. It's a very iconic movie now and, man, you went into great detail about the beginning 10 minutes of the movie but to be honest, it really sets up the whole rest of the movie.
Speaker 2:I think pixar did a great job. So, to go right in my likes, this storyline was absolutely incredible. I loved how that montage at the beginning of their married life really serves as sort of this metaphor in watching Carl grow and everything kind of alludes back to things that he experienced in that time. So I really like it. It definitely made me tear up. I looked at my husband and watched it with me and he was just like tears streaming down his face. I looked at my husband, watched it with me and he was just like tears streaming down his face. Because if you have someone that you love very dearly, it is a sad concept to think of losing them and I mean, like you said, pretty, pretty shocking in a kid's movie to include something like you know having a miscarriage. But I bet people that have experienced that also seen I think this was an incredible representation of how Pixar used to be.
Speaker 2:Or maybe some people would argue that they still have their magic, but this is proof that you can have a sad and very real movie while also having something as whimsical as Doug, this ridiculous bird and like a house that's flying from balloons, like the way Pixar can make everything so ridiculous. And yet we're like all on board Cause I think they, they capture you within 10 minutes of like I'm invested in these characters. So whatever you tell me they're going to go, do I'm. I'm on board and I love that. Yeah, I don't the acting, obviously the voice actors I will take it or leave it Like I think they did a good job, I guess.
Speaker 2:But visuals were great. Lots of silly, funny scenes. Didn't feel too forced. Sometimes Disney movies I'm like, okay, you're trying too hard. There was plenty for me to laugh at, as well as my three-year-old. You know I feel like some of the more goopy humor he was like cackling laughing. I don't know if I have a critique, nathan, other than I don't know if I want to watch it again. I don't love how sad it made me in the beginning, but I don't know if it's like one that is quotable for me or one that I'm going to be in a mood to watch a lot.
Speaker 1:Well, first off, I've got to correct you about something you said that was wrong. Doug is the dog.
Speaker 2:That's not possible.
Speaker 1:Doug is the dog and Kevin is the bird.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Doug the bird. So that was incorrect. So minus, let's say two points for that. Fine, but um, but yeah, I remember watching this. I didn't re-watch it for this episode because I I mean, as you heard earlier, I basically summarized the whole movie without having watched it in a while. I remember it. I do remember by the time they get to Paradise Falls, for me it always felt like it dragged a little bit, like it went on a little too long, especially with how much it seemed like the bad guy literally wanted to kill them and I felt like that went on a little too much.
Speaker 1:Doug was funny. He wasn't the annoying character that he could have been, which is a good thing, uh, but I mean, I don't know, I think the beginning of the movie was really good, the introduction of Russell. That kid was a really funny character. I remember when I taught at another school there was a student who literally looked like russell and he. He left the school and so I took a picture of him and I put a picture of russell right next to the picture and it was really funny because he looked just like him.
Speaker 1:But yeah, I thought the second half the movie just went off the rails a little bit and it kind of lost the, the, the sentimental focus, and then it got it right back at the end where, where russell is by himself at like a boy scout thing and his dad's not in the audience and so spoiler carl shows up and they share an ice cream together. So that the I think the beginning and the end for me were the best parts of the movie, because it focused on what I feel like the main story was supposed to be about and then the middle kind of muddled with it because of how I guess fantastical and over the top.
Speaker 2:I do agree with you. I think the beginning and the end are definitely the best parts. The middle is just pretty kind of crazy and wild. It's good in entertainment, it's an adventure. So I think you have to have both to really make it a more dynamic story.
Speaker 2:But, man, I I think I really underappreciated because, like I said, I've watched bits and pieces of it and in fact I had watched the.
Speaker 2:I think I watched the last 30 minutes of it before I'd ever watched the rest and I didn't, I guess, make the connection of, had I I'd ever watched the rest and I didn't, I guess, make the connection of, had I not watched this whole movie to the?
Speaker 2:No, the miscarriage scene of, like you know, he never got to be a father, and just it affected me even more watching the ending now, getting to see him turn into that role of a mentor and a parent, and I also had not made the correlation that Russell so much embodied the things he loved in his wife so much. It wasn't until watching all this again in one sitting that he's talking super fast, just like her, he sounds just like her, all excited and wow, adventure. And I think that's another beautiful thing that Carl catches on to is he gets to see a little bit of his wife in that. But I just think it is a very powerful story and watching someone go through grief and work through grief, not ignore grief, acknowledge the grief, sit in the grief, but also be able to not stay there forever and have hope, and so it's one that's entertaining and also makes you cry, and I also think that it it teaches you something so what would you rate up?
Speaker 1:I'm not going to rate it because I didn't re-watch it oh, that's yeah, that's fair.
Speaker 2:Um, probably the other one you that you watched. Um, I'm going to give this a, a five. It's not like going to go down in the classics category for me, but I also have really no big edits. I think you're right that it does slow down. I almost forgot about it, because they go out with the bang and they start with the bang, so it kind of helps you forget the middle when you're looking back. But yeah, I would recommend, if you haven't seen up, go see it and, like Nathan said, probably not a spoiler, a lot of it but it is still entertaining, even though you know those facts.
Speaker 1:So that is our double feature of A Clockwork Orange and Up, so coming up next episode is the other Stanley Kubrick movie, and here's a clip of it right now.
Speaker 3:Private Pyle, why is your footlocker unlocked, Sir? I don't know. Sir, Private Pyle, if there is one thing in this world that I hate, it is an unlocked Footlocker. You know that, don't you Sir? Yes, sir, If it wasn't for dickheads like you, there wouldn't be any thievery in this world, would there? Sir? No, sir, Get down. Well, now let's just see if there's anything missing. What is that? What is that, Private Pyle? Sir? Jelly donuts, sir, A jelly donut, Sir. Yes, sir, how did it?
Speaker 1:get here.
Speaker 3:Sir, I took it from the mess hall. Sir, is Chow allowed in the barracks? Private Pyle Sir. No, sir, are you allowed to eat jelly donuts? Private Pyle sir. And why not? Private pile, sir? Because I'm too heavy, sir, because you are a disgusting fat body. Private pile sir. Yes, sir. Then why did you hide a jelly donut in your footlocker? Private pile, sir.
Speaker 1:Because I was hungry, sir, because you were hungry we're taking on full metal jacket, starring vincent d'onofrio and a bunch of other people, including the famous drill sergeant actor, which I'll reveal his name next episode. So there you have it, folks, our first double feature. Tuesday episode a clockwork orange and up. And because it's a double feature, I have double the quotes. So this one is from A Clockwork Orange. It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen. And this one is from Up. This is crazy. I finally meet my childhood hero and he's trying to kill us. What a joke. This is crazy. I finally meet my childhood hero and he's trying to kill us. What a joke. Hey, I know a joke. A squirrel walks up to a tree and says I forgot to store acorns for the winter and now I am dead. No-transcript.
