iTunes Exclusive Episode The Choice

The following is a sooner orgator production.
The following is a sooner orgator production.
The following is a sooner orgator production.
The following is a sooner orgator production.
Greeting is an entire member and members.
If you are hearing my voice and the following conditions have been met.
It means at least once in your life you've listed in the Clubhouse podcast, your one-stop shop for all things sports and entertainment, live every Sunday, 7 Eastern for Pacific.
It also means you subscribe to the show on iTunes, because it is time for another.
Uh, too, just close.
Alright, alright, alright.
Welcome to iTunes exclusive number 181.
Or 182.
You don't know.
We're gonna likely 1802.
I can't count.
My name is Rob.
I am the executive producer of the Clubhouse podcast.
And, uh, when two roads diverged to the yellow wood,
I just turned around the window at home.
But I'm not alone for this particular episode.
Joining me across the desk as he tends to do is my co-host.
And in man, the nose is a little bit about making choices.
He is Chad.
Welcome, sir.
Indeed, I do, sir.
You're a little under the weather.
Yes, sir.
You'll have to forgive me.
Whatever we do one of these, it is to review something.
This particular episode is no exception.
Today, we are here to review for you.
The latest film from director Ross Katz.
Now, when you look at Ross's resume as a director.
He's done three things.
If you remember the HBO movie taking chance with the Kevin Bacon?
Yes.
He did that.
He did last year's adult beginners, which we got to check out.
And he is now the 11th person responsible for the 11th adaptation.
Anyway, of a Nicolas Sparks novel.
You familiar with his work.
Oh, yeah.
The notebook.
Things of its ilk.
And this is called the choice.
It's 111 minutes long.
Read a PG13.
And before we get rolling, we would like to say a special hello to our friends at
Morocco, Julie, who set this up.
And Candice, I believe, was there to help us out.
And all that good stuff.
Some of our favorite people taking care of us over there.
So we can screen these for you in advance.
So that by the time the movie hits theaters, you get to hear our opinions.
You're well informed.
I wouldn't go that far.
Well, you know, as well as we can inform people.
All right.
So here's what you need to know.
Travis lives in North Carolina.
And a coastal area, if you will, Travis is played by Benjamin Walker, who you would probably
know best as Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.
So that's who that is.
That is who that is, sir.
And he's kind of a lady's man, if you will.
He knows how to talk to the lady.
And he lives in a nice little house.
And he has a fish in boat.
And he's a local veteran of an area.
And a young lady moves in next door to him named Gabby,
who is played by Teresa Palmer.
I don't know if you're familiar with her work, but I will fill you in.
She was the girl in the movie.
If you remember the film, warm bodies.
Oh, yeah.
She was also in the sorcerers apprentice.
Yes, she was.
Okay.
So I want to say she was an item number four as well.
Yes, she was.
Well, played, sir.
Thank you.
I want to say she is a medical student.
And trying to study for her exams.
A little annoyed by the racket the kids next door are making.
She is also doing her residency at a local hospital where her boyfriend works.
As well as his father.
Her boyfriend Ryan played by a man you're probably fairly familiar with in Tom Welling.
Indeed.
Who apparently now was the size of a Mac truck.
Like he's huge now.
Hmm.
Can we say Superman shape?
Very possible.
I wonder why.
So he has to go away for a few weeks.
Down to Georgia to open up a new hospital wing that his family's name is on.
So while he's gone, gabby and Travis get to know each other.
And one thing leads to another as it does.
And they get together.
And after a time, Ryan comes back.
And then they have to confront themselves and the truth.
And other things happen from there that I don't want to spoil.
Because really the movie itself is about making choices.
But there's one big one that I'm not even going to talk about in this particular episode.
Because I don't want to ruin anything.
Okay.
I will forlorn you that this film is told kind of sort of in flashback.
So that you don't that may turn some people off right away.
You don't really know the thing that I'm not spoiling.
Because you don't know exactly where it's going until it gets there and then comes back around.
You know I'm not a fan of flashback films.
I feel that that is one of the things that hurt Carly those way more than anything else.
But they gave away more of that ending and Carly those way than they gave away here.
Although I can't say I'm not a total of, you know, a opponent of flashback film.
Because Tarantino does do quite a bit of that.
Yeah, but he does it well.
But there's a difference between a flashback film and he's jumping around film.
Yeah, true.
Where do I begin?
Can we just start by me saying I am a dude?
Really, I had noticed.
I had as well documented on this show.
I am a 40 something white guy who likes to do dude things.
I like to go while I like to watch sports.
I like to, you know, play golf.
I am not the demographic for this film.
Let's just put it out there.
We're going to put it out there on front street.
You are not the target audience.
That being said, this is not a bad film.
So we've been coming up on an awful lot of those examples of films that you really didn't
think would even come close to speaking to us.
I actually do somehow.
Yeah, not a fan of the Chick flick, but this is not bad.
And I really want to start.
We'll start with basics.
Cats is shooting style.
He shoots this in the way you expect a twin romance flick to be shot.
Not with like all of the violence scenes where maybe Fabio shows up.
Not like that.
But it's shot in a wave.
You know, I'll tell you what song kept running through my mind the whole time.
And I don't have it or we play it in this episode.
Michael Jackson's farewell.
My summer love.
Oh, wow.
Just a vibe that that song puts forward is how I felt watching this film.
I mean, because it's kind of about that.
That does it smack of of twin film.
I wouldn't say it's smack of it.
But it definitely doesn't hide from it either.
Okay, so it embraces it.
It knows what it is.
It knows what it's supposed to be.
And when you look at cats's resume, I mean,
it's really kind of all over the place.
This is a departure from his other two films that he's directed.
Yeah, he hasn't really established a wheelhouse yet.
It looks gorgeous.
It absolutely looks gorgeous.
I mean, you're talking coastal Carolina in the summertime.
I mean, any time you're going to be somewhere around the ocean.
In the summertime, you know, good, good times you're going to be had.
True.
When you're watching a movie.
From a grip sound standpoint, it's kind of what you expect from Nicolas Sparks.
This guy has made a career out of pulling at your heartstrings.
About emotional manipulation.
It's what he does.
Yeah.
So they'll say, given that point, there are a couple of moments in this film
that you're like, this could go either way.
So it's not necessarily predictable,
especially the big moment of the film.
When you find out what's really going on.
So I won't say I was like, oh, yeah.
Kind of saw that coming.
You know, when it gets about five minutes before the moment,
you pull it all together at one time.
Before the reveal, I will put, I will say that.
But knowing that it's a Nicolas Sparks film,
you do spend a lot of time going, where's the other shoe?
Dude, where's the other shoe?
Something bad is coming.
And again, I haven't really, not probably familiar with a lot of his work,
but I've seen trailers I can do math.
That's all I'm saying.
I mean, I will admit I have watched the notebook.
I have not.
I have watched the notebook.
But see, my mom talked me into it.
But see, in this day and age, though, 10 years ago,
I would have thrown this bottle cap at you,
that I'm holding in my hand.
But do you understand how in the minority I am?
Yeah.
I know a lot of dudes that haven't seen the notebook,
besides the guy sitting in this chair currently.
And I gotta tell ya, not a bad film at all.
Also the same sentiment I'm getting from the people that have seen the notebook.
But here, I don't know what to blame it on.
Because not a bad story.
It's gonna make money.
It comes out the week before Valentine's Day.
So gentlemen, you have a week to prepare for what your lady's gonna put you through.
Or who, whoever you're significant other may be.
Here's my thing.
Ben Walker.
I'm gonna call him Ben.
You know, we're good like that.
In this film, he can't decide whether he wants to be
McConaughey or whether he wants to be Eric Banner.
Because I'm gonna lay out,
I'm gonna lay out the opening voice over in this film for you.
All right, you ready?
Okay.
Man, people want no meaning alive.
I'm gonna tell you about meaning alive about choices.
So every choice you make,
I'm gonna take you down to another choice.
I was just waiting for, and you probably should do it with Shardah.
I have some barbecue.
I didn't realize that people aspire to be like Eric Banner.
But physically, like he's got a really young Eric Banner look to him.
He does a lot of the hair flipping and man,
I'm wearing my aerovated shades of drama.
I've got my private out of here.
I'm gonna take people out there.
I'm gonna go and bar out of the bears.
He's from Georgia.
So I know that the accent has to be there on a certain level.
But it gets to a point where you're just like,
Dude, just talk.
It's a distraction.
Man, I'm gonna tell you, I'm gonna do it, girl.
I'm gonna play music.
I'm gonna play real loud.
I'm gonna hang out with him.
Because I know that Tokyo drift is the least favorite of the fast-efficient series.
That's what bailed me on the series.
And for me, it's because of that guy's, and that's really his voice.
That's really how he talks.
It just grates on you after one.
And I'm from the south.
You're born and raised here.
And people will say that Texans aren't truth-subvenors.
Excuse me?
You only further south.
You're in a different country.
That is true.
So, or the Gulf of Mexico.
Yeah.
So, I can't handle an hour 35 hour 45 of that.
I know, this is an hour 51, sir.
And his crying is weird.
Like, you know he's emoting.
And you know there's crying going on, but there's no tears.
And it's really weird for me.
Then you get to Palmer,
who I felt like the producers went,
look, we couldn't get Kristen Stewart,
but here's what we need you to do.
You don't want Kristen Stewart.
Do that.
Because she also, like, if you look at a picture of her,
she resembles her very, very much.
So, the guy is trying to be Eric Bada,
the girl is trying to be Kristen Stewart.
Two people that I never thought other people aspire to be like.
And I'm just kind of like...
I know what you're doing,
and I'm not the right audience,
but I still have to lift through this through the right lenses.
But then you've got Maggie Grace,
is in this,
playing his sister,
if you remember Maggie Grace,
as the daughter from the Taken films.
Never saw the Taken films.
Really?
Actually, no, I didn't see the first one.
Yeah, I didn't see the first one.
You also have the great Alexandra DiDario,
who we know from True Detective Season 1.
She's in it,
playing his old flame kind of sorta,
and we mainly know her for one or maybe two reasons.
She was in a couple of episodes of that show.
Yes?
Oh, they were.
I'm just saying.
But you've all, you know,
wellings not in it a whole lot.
I didn't even realize that was him until I saw the credits.
I was like, that was Tom Welling.
But you also have the great Tom Wilkinson,
who you know,
I'm a huge fan of.
I'm a huge fan of Wilkinson.
In this.
And he has a really nice character arc.
I know how to use it.
He is.
And he's actually in it quite a bit more than you would expect him
to be in a film of this ilk.
He's really,
his character has a really nice story arc to it.
Because his story arc
on a certain level,
parallels the story of Travis.
Uh-huh.
But on a different level,
that makes any sense.
It does.
It does.
For as Swav and Deb owner,
as Travis is,
Tom Wilkinson's ship is kind of the other way of that,
but they're both trying to get the girl.
It's a real,
and it's,
the story's got a good heart, too,
and it's very, very sweet.
And I'm not going to lie to you and say there was
in a couple times that I might've gotten a little
misty a little bit.
Because,
not judging.
Well, because when you deal with relationships and things
that relationships go through,
you know,
being a married man,
you're a married man.
Indeed.
You, you send to see things in,
in films that maybe other people don't.
And I also have a 22 year old daughter.
So, again,
who is also currently in a relationship.
Exactly.
So,
this is where it gets weird for me,
because,
as we get to the final analysis,
which,
we do our final analysis a little bit different.
We don't give you thumbs up thumbs down.
We don't give you letter grades.
We don't give you a ranking.
We don't give you stars.
On our audience whom we affectionately refer to as the empire,
they like us to go a little bit deeper than that.
So, we are.
I'm going to ask myself two questions,
or Chad can ask me those two questions I don't care.
Whatever works.
Question number one is,
would I see this film again?
If the answer is no,
then we're done here.
Because you're the only one that's going to get asked.
True.
But if I say yes,
then I have to ask myself,
how far am I willing to go to see this?
Will I pay full price at a theater?
Will I go to a twilight, a matinee,
early morning on a Saturday?
Would I go second run to dollar theater?
Would I go to red box?
Would I stream on Netflix?
But are we found in cable?
Do tell sir.
Would you see this movie again?
Not by myself.
Good dance.
For the obvious reason.
Yes.
Now, if the lovely and talented Mrs. Irvin wanted to watch this,
and she had this untanny need to watch it with me,
then I might,
it might be worth a red box rental.
But only if she promised to help you fulfill a huge testosterone burst
afterwards with some action film or something.
There would have to be comic balance.
Yes.
You need to have a little bit of give and take.
It ain't guys night out.
Let's just put it down.
No, it's going to make its money,
because it knows its audience.
Yes.
But, you know,
if it's date night and, you know,
she gets to pick the movie guys,
you're going to sit through it and you're going to like it.
I am kind of surprised that they're opening it this week and set it next week.
Maybe it's like I said earlier.
It's more of a preemptive strike.
So that the guys have a week to prepare,
especially giving what it would be opening again.
Well, you know, in times they weekend,
look at the Kingsman.
Yeah.
But there wasn't nearly.
The anticipation for Kingsman that there is for Deadpool.
No.
Because there's,
Kingsman was kind of a niche thing that turned into a thing.
Uh-huh.
Deadpool is something people have been anticipating for multiple years.
If not decades.
Yeah.
So that's probably why they opened it this weekend,
because you know what guys,
she's going to make you see this weekend.
You can make her see Deadpool next week.
Exactly.
So that's that.
It is the choice directed by Ross Katz.
So once again, thanks to all of our friends at Maroc,
uh, Julie and Candace and the whole crew for a letting us letting me see this
because I was at Lobo Solo on this.
And I like to thank my other members of the cast of this show for doing that.
You're very welcome.
Ha.
Let's do the plugs.
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I am at yes.
That Rob Irvin.
That is spelled ERV.
I am at chat in PG69.
The official fact checker of this show is Don Ford.
You can follow him on Twitter at fund Don Go.
You can also email him for information on us coming in doing a live show for you.
We love doing live remote shows and hanging out with the empire.
You can email him at Don at the clubhousepodcast.com.
You can email me if you'd like.
Questions, comments, concerns.
Tell me to go pound sand.
I am Rob at theclubhousepodcast.com.
I'm chat at theclubhousepodcast.com.
Charlotte Parker is on Pinterest.
And maybe her and jewels want me to have like a gross night out and go see this.
No, no.
You have to go.
I'm sorry because I had to go.
You have to go.
Don't think that's going to happen.
Our normal show is your one stop shop for all things sports at entertainment live.
Every Sunday night, seven Eastern, four Pacific.
So until next time.
For Chad and for the empire.
I'm Rob.
Clubhouse is closed.
Now Brittany Palmer is one of the girls party in the cove.
You keep me, be focused just a little bit.
I'm just saying it.
The preceding was a sooner or greater production.
Gotta go.
Why?
Because I have to.