iTunes Exclusive Episode Pixels
Robin, Chad, and Don review the Adam Sandler film Pixels, directed by Chris Columbus and based on a 2010 French short film. The movie follows a former video game champion who must battle aliens that have taken the form of classic arcade characters. The hosts found it to be an enjoyable, fun experience with strong visuals, though they noted familiar Sandler tropes and felt some supporting characters were underutilized.
About this episode
Key takeaways
- The film's visual effects and 3D presentation excel particularly in the Donkey Kong and Centipede scenes, making viewers feel immersed in the game world
- Adam Sandler delivers a subdued performance, and Peter Dinklage elevates the material, though Josh Gad's manic conspiracy theorist character dominates screen time
- The movie follows a familiar Adam Sandler formula of an unmotivated protagonist who matures and gets the girl by the end
- Supporting cast members like Jane Krakowski, Brian Cox, and Sean Penn have minimal screen time with little narrative purpose
Q&A
What is Pixels based on?
A two-minute short film from 2010 by a French filmmaker that went viral, showing pixelated video game characters emerging from a discarded television and attacking New York City
How do the hosts feel about watching Pixels again?
All three would watch it again—Chad for the subject matter, Dom at a matinee or twilight showing in standard format, and Andrew at a special venue like Alamo Drafthouse, but none would pay full price
What do the hosts criticize about the performances?
They felt several well-known actors like Brian Cox and Jane Krakowski had minimal screen time with unclear purposes, and noted Sandler reprises his typical romantic storyline
Read Transcript
The following is a sooner orgator production. The following is a sooner orgator production. I got a pocket full of photos and I'm here to do the arcade I don't have a lot of money Green's Empire Remember And Or Members If you are hearing my voice it means the following conditions have been met Means yet at least once in your life you listen to the clubhouse podcast live every Sunday night at 7 eastern for pacific your one stop shop for all things sports entertainment And also means you subscribe on iTunes because it is time for another I don't exclude Welcome!
My name is Robin I am the executive producer of the clubhouse podcast and I remember it's time When quarters were worth their wait and go But I'm not alone for this particular episode joining me across the desk as he tends to do Is a man who may have at least spent as much of his childhood in anywhere that had video games as I did He is Chad welcome sir. That's a great of a zero off chance Also joining me across the desk is the official fact checker of the show And a man that we cannot guarantee had arcades in Montana You may know it was fun don go, but it's my name and I'm done for it I'm gonna call him Don for the welcome sir I lived at Aladdin's castle at Remark Mall and Billy's Montana when as a kid As soon as I got out We had two of them, two arcades, one in robots, one in buildings, but we had him We had an Aladdin's and a tilt here. We had him on every corner Also joining us for this particular episode He is the ginger teenie's mutant ninja turtle He is the king of bowling.
He is in your back and welcome sir. Thank you Well, once they get a member in this town, they banned a lot of arcade games Really? Yeah, like they used to have them like in every jack in the box and stuff like that and every pizza place And they took them all out.
They just stuck them strictly in arcades at the mall That's the best thing about this funny that we read masters of doom. It gets into it Wow, okay, fair enough Whatever we do one of these high tunes exclusive It is usually to review something and today is no different. We are here with you in this particular episode Our 119th one of these To review the latest movie from Adam Sandler directed by Chris Columbus based on a short film from 2010.
It is called pixels Here's what you need to know in the 80s Sam Brenner was a video game wizard not like Fred Savage was a wizard cold totally different kind of video game wizard But kind of the same He actually went to the video game world championships and finished second To a guy by the name of Eddie Which really bummed him out Fast forwarded today Adam Sandler has taken his genius and invested it in being an installer for home theater systems in his 40s Kevin James has best friend from childhood is now the president of the United States Now after these video game championships happened The footage from those video game competitions was launched into space To hopefully find life on other planets to show the kind of things we do in those video game footage is we're in there Well, the alien race took those as an act of war and Since ships to our earth That looked like video game characters and decide they're gonna take over our planet in a series of challenges So the president has to call in his friend Sam Brenner and then and some others to try to battle these forces with their video game knowledge It's about as deep as I want to go Before we begin. Yes, sir. We got to think ashton and everybody at Merock in every Columbia pictures for Biden is to this thing We got to see it in 3D Yes, we did And so thanks again everybody at Merock Ashley who's so good to us and everybody at Columbia pictures for Biden this is thing thanks again guys All right, so let's start with If the film itself the story line itself Chad will start with you Has anybody other than may seem the short film that this thing was based on I have not had the chance yet.
No, how long is it? No, no about two minutes. Okay.
It's very very brief I Go into the I break it down and in my written review Where is that it? Which is at www.clubispodcast.com Which is a website he got it right I've been practicing But it's very very brief. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you You just see somebody put a track of an old 80s era color television sit down out with the trash and then The classic animated looks like the bomb from bomber man comes on the screen fuses lit blows up and a cloud of pixels comes Belowing out of it and it makes a a mad dash for the New York City skyline and it just starts spawning space invaders and Pat man goes for the subway system and he eats the trains and Donkey Kong starts hurling barrels from the for the top of the Empire State building up up man this thing's brilliant It was done by a French filmmaker and And Apparently shortly after this thing hit the web and went viral in April of 2010 They started negotiating the film rights for this thing do a feature link version of it So this thing's been in in in in a form of pre-production for the bed of part of five years Interesting, it's been kind of just turning over. So it's so long.
Or I don't know. I really don't know I tried you know, I tried digging into that because I know that there was a while there that Adam Stanley was was Optioning all these all these all these uh rights for like old board games like he was talking about making shoots and ladders into Yes, he was To the movie. I'm kind of glad he went this route Now I know that that the short film versus this was kind of apples and oranges Yeah, but how did you feel about when you saw when you saw pixels?
Well when I In being such a fan of the short film on the like how the heck are they gonna make this into You know how they're gonna expand this into a narrative which I like I guess the question that the short film ask you is okay, well, why are they attacking us? Where did they come from? So I guess that's they went that obvious route um and I was encouraged by the look of the film but considering that Sandler and James have had a really spotty track record in the box office.
I had my concerns There know the one saving grace that I felt like was gonna make this thing pull through was gonna be Dinklage because he's Dinklage who's not a fan of Dinklage right done the storyline In I put on my written review at the clubhouseplacass.com. That's our website for me. It was a lot of fun Now you're not gonna expect a serious drama in this film you know you're not gonna expect You're not you're not getting so much choice.
Yeah, or Schindler's list or something like that, you know the intensity You're not gonna get a rain what is it rain down rain on me or rain over me rain over me go on through the the Plot though I was really interested. I thought it flowed well. I thought the idea was good and Yet be you have to go in that mindset say and this is just gonna be a fun movie now my worry was with this in a being a stupid movie Not a fun movie and in a nutshell I really thought it was enjoyable fun time and it brought back a lot of Memories and of the times me playing the arcade games on Saturday after Newins and Billings Montana Alliance Castle Remot Mall Andrew I think this would be like the best way we just to see how creative someone can be Taking into a video game and also I just wanted to see like what would they do like what How would the I guess the aliens invade and how would we beat them that was that that's the most fun part for me And part of the reason we have Andrew on this particular review is this is a guy who hasn't seen the film So we want to compare with his visions of the film are versus what we saw because I'm always interested in people that You know Have a marginal interest in a film having their versions Not necessarily reviewing or viewing a movie you haven't seen but more of your expectations versus what you hear from us That makes any sense the more of the more us all in the trailer the less interested I was and see I stopped at the first trailer I didn't want to see any more after the first trailer hit because I was like I feel like if I see too much more It's gonna ruin too much for me and even the hours leading up to our screening of This I was really concerned I was like man to let this suck just only two 100% I felt just like you did, you know I'm not saying that history has shown us But I mean we actually had Adam Sandler as a as a an episode of POI on our normal show on Sunday night It's just a person of interest and we went through his resume and Trying to find the last movie that we all enjoyed and that was the water boy in 1998.
No, so we all like 50 first dates I don't think there's just as okay, but I'm talking about movie that I really enjoyed I like to soundtrack the 50 first dates better than I like the film. It was good. It wasn't great.
No, no So I think we all agreed that going in we were a little apprehensive but still excited to see it Let's talk about the vision of it once you finally got to it Chad. How did you feel visually in the story telling ones? They nailed the look of it very very well.
Absolutely, I agree. I mean that they they gave them a Manacing look that really wasn't there in the short film. They put a lot more polish on to the Under the characters that really was they probably had the budget to do.
Of course. Yeah, you could tell they spent a ton of money on it 110 million dollar budget if I'm not saying that French people I don't know what that means well, but but remember it was made in Canada, so we really can't talk too bad I'll take that America's hat America undefeated in world wars what Dom, what did you do visually? I On the 3D we got seen 3D we did there were two scenes that just hit it out of the park in the 3D I thought which was And this is gonna be you know spoiler free.
This is absolutely The Donkey Kong scene, which is in the trailer and the centipede scene. Okay, I'm not giving anything away Both of those are in the trailer. Yeah, so I'm not you know we were we're very proud of being spoiler free on this film Those two scenes really made it for the 3D.
I thought that was incredible I mean the setpins coming at you through and in the look of the centipedes scene Specifically at night and it lit up and everything. I loved it. You felt like you're in the game Personally and it give you that good look, but overall 3D.
I don't think that they really need 3D it enhanced it incredibly unless two scenes, but beyond that the look was incredible The scenes of the London and around the world were very good But I really have to give a to him for make me feel like you were in that video game You're not playing the video game from the outside all of a sudden you're in the video Yeah, if you played an Oculus Rift version of centipede, I think that's probably what it was Yeah, I agree with done in the cent in the sense of I don't think the 3Ds and that's this I'm right there with you, but you know the only and this is gonna sound really weird But do you know the only thing in the film that to me the 3D looks cool in Was the incredible the credits and the opening credits? Yeah, they both did it both didn't the kind of saying they look like a But I was in the screen of an ace game, but but the end credits actually had the full screen thing Whereas in the beginning it was over it was going on. I thought it made the centipedes scene incredible though I really I'm sure about I just to me it didn't do much for me.
Yeah, there were some great Obscure references to video games I mean, I don't know that I would ever see a reference to robocheron 284 in a film But but there you have to watch for a lot of the really cool more obscure off the beaten path characters Which are really dug. Yeah, I loved I love the the brief appearance of the egg and the pickle from burger time and and the Pepper and the paper boy. Yeah, you never saw the hot dog in Frogger You know, you know, you know, we as we record this it is national hot dog days.
So maybe that's what was going on Oh, yeah, something with some thoughts on it quick and remember Now we get to The the question on everyone's mind that they're listening to this. I'm sure The performances and I'm just gonna go ahead and kick this off Thank you Adam Sandler for doing a film Everything is not about the piece of We're you're not the living breathing original Eric Cartman I'm really enjoyed him in this he was he was really subdued and there was like what he was trying to accomplish and click But he never got there There from a performance standpoint I really really dug everybody have. Dinklage is Dinklage and Dinklage is gonna make anything great.
Oh, yeah, he's incredible. You know, and if you've ever seen Fistful the quarters the king of Kongs. Well, if you haven't you need to yeah, have you seen it?
Yeah, I haven't he has Billy Mitchell. Yeah, they based him on Billy Mitchell bigger than life And there's some nice little twist cameo that they put in this thing that you that you kind of go Okay, so that happened you know Well, they can bedroom that's I'm gonna say there's no doubt in my mind that Kevin James was channeling Chris Christie And a little bit of George W when he couldn't pronounce words. Yeah.
Oh, yeah, oh, I combined that with Dan Coel and the potatoes thing. Yeah, yeah But was weird for me though is you had some people in this film Who I don't know if they just owed Adam Sandler a favor and did a day on the set people like Jane Crickowski and Brian Cox Were you Sean being and Sean being were you just like you're in this movie for like five minutes and there's no Like Brian Cox's character I thought was gonna go somewhere and then it just didn't yeah and as much as I enjoy them on the screen Don't get me wrong which is somehow becoming my catchphrase, I guess I just it was like what are you doing some of the surprise cameo has had almost as much screen time as they did Yeah, but the surprise cameo is at least sort of the purpose yeah Where the there's was just like hey, she's the first lady. Oh, okay, okay.
He's a general. Oh, okay You know he's another general from a different country. Oh, okay.
I mean it was weird to me You've done if I can on this again, but the art or website the cobbastplacast.com. That's our website See you screwed it. Oh, that's right I put on there that this still had that same thing of what I call Adam Sandler romance 101 Where he acts like the Unobotivated person who's just getting by in life who all of a sudden matures and gets the lady in the end Give you examples like Kate Beck and so yeah, yeah, Billy Madison.
I mean the list goes on and on where it's that same thing That's hoping to see this apart But you know, he plays the unmotivated guy then I'll send my chers and gets the little girl at the end Well, what's what's harder to believe in this film that he could get Michelle Monahan? I'm just Michelle Monahan That he could get Michelle Monahan. Oh, you don't that we could be invaded by alien arcade characters or that Kevin James could be the president State I guess in the great scheme of things that's a fair point.
What's the more far-fetched concept here, but as just saying it that's kind of the How was Dan Acroid in this all 32 seconds that he was in it? Oh, he was fine He's in the very beginning Okay, but that's my one thing. I didn't want to see but the same thing happened the unmotivated Dan Acroid was playing the same character.
He played and taught me boy If you think about it. Yeah, so are there any cool hands on a part by acroid or just by Parts or the American man No, he was that's what I am That's what and that's what I care about. Yeah Love them and that's one of my things in the movie.
I didn't like it's just that Adam Sandler romance 101 again And it happened that didn't really bother me. It did on me for some reason. I knew it was coming so it was just like this is gonna happen So I'm just gonna get what was the price of the plot and in the acting.
I really did enjoy chat. I feel like they gave way too much Way too much If it's on Josh Gads manic over the top crazy Conspiracy theorist and not enough on Dinklage to tell you the truth. See, I think the Josh Gad is a guy that's just In my opinion is overdue for some really good Solid roles in Hollywood.
I think comedically he's great Granted, he's gonna live on frozen money for the rest of his life literally figuratively, but I just I think we need to get him out of that shell because he's getting to that where he's getting into that Sandler type cast Uchudakapishabha kind of thing and it's kind of tired. It's funny to me. I still find him funny because I loved him on 1600 pen But I need more from him.
Yeah, and I think you're gonna see more from him down the line because he's gonna He's starting to get these bigger roles, but yeah, I just I want more for him Dinklage as much as you think he was underutilized. I think for that character was just about right because you didn't have to care about it And I agree with you on that. I do.
I just like Dinklage Yeah, I'm a big fan. They read an overdue or underdo it. I thought that you'd like to rob a scene They had them in just the right amount in right parts.
You was there for the right moments Anything else we want to add before we get to the final analysis How was the family scene use was it uses a motivation for and Adam Sandler to actually go out and we know cuz how he's in the kitchen in the trailer Do they use the family and in the in the trailer? Yeah, he's in the kitchen. Yeah, that was that sets up the Michelle monahan thing Okay, that's all that does she's she's a customer of it So the way we do the final analysis on this show We don't give you stars or thumbs-up thumbs down or letter grades or one to ten our audience the empire is better than that We have a two-prong question question number one.
This would you see this film again if the answer is No, then we're done here if the answer is yes, then I ask you how would you see it again? Would you pay full price in the movies? Would you wait for it on a matinee?
Would you go early morning on a Saturday? Would you wait for it in second run at the dollar theater? Would you travel to red box to get it?
Would you stream it on Netflix or would you wait for it on cable? Chad, would you see this film again? I imagine so if for no other reason because of the subject matter Okay, how far you want to go to do it not vary One of the I think one of the most enjoyable ways to watch something like this would be something like Alamo draft house when they do their serial parties What are just to see the free show for it?
Yeah, and maybe watch it in a double feature with like Record Ralph you know or the wizard or the wizard or the wizard or King of Kongs, you know Fish full of corners just board games. Yeah. Yeah, that's another one Dom, would you see this film again?
Yes, I would okay. How far you want to go do it? Well, due to I really liked that the comedy Was very good throughout the film and it flow well, and I think the movie moved very well I'm gonna give it some more between at twilight in a matinee, but not in 3D Even though it enhance those two those two scenes with the sentipede Donkey Kong.
I'd still say just regular run not 3D Save your three to five dollar three. Yeah, I would I would see this again, but I want to combine with both of you said I would go to a matinee at the Alamo I think that would be a really fun way to do it, but I don't know that I would pay full price I disagree with the panning. It's getting from the critics.
This is a fun movie. Oh, yeah Leave your brain at the door and just go in there and have a good time and the gauge Once the first time we look at you watch Or how many times? It was pretty much an hour in.
Yeah, that's a time. Yeah, yeah, I would very well Very quick in the first one. It's an hour forty four fun movie.
I really like the storyline is really into it And lastly, we got to think Ashton again and everybody at Columbia and Merock for inviting this this this thing It's been incredible time. Thank you so much. And by the way Sony we know it's your movie You don't have to like placor it with all of your products Like I think tend to do now this was this Sony?
No, it's Columbia. It's Sony Sony is the same company I just under Columbia. They were playing a PlayStation 4.
He was installing a PlayStation 4. Yeah, let's do the plug Visit our website www dot the clubhouse podcast dot com find that everything you need to know in some stuff You don't follow our like our Facebook page if you would look up the clubhouse podcast on Facebook Make sure you put the V in front and the podcast on the end or something completely different Follow this show on Twitter at clubhouse show you can follow me on Twitter I am a yes that Rob Irvin that has spelled ERV. I am at chat in PG-69 I am at King of bowling.
I'm at fondango and you could email me at Don at the clubhouse podcast dot com email Don for details And how we can do a live show for you at your establishment. We love doing live remote shows You can email me if you like questions comments concerns something to go Pounds say and I am Rob at the clubhouse podcast dot com. I am Chad at clubhouse podcast dot com I am going Pounds and the Gmail dot com Charlotte Parker is on Pinterest because we are morally obligated to say that And jewels won't make could be playing video games right now.
There's a great zero chance Probably the Sims our normal show every Sunday night 70's from for Pacific We are live on you stream your one stop shop for all things sports entertainment plus just keep subscribing on iTunes And you get the extra stuff too Don't see the problem here. So until next time for Andrew for Don for Chad for the Empire the clubhouse is closed Britney Palmer could have played the samurai check them just say The preceding was a sooner or greater production