Perfect Days, Robot Dreams, Late night with the devil and Good One: A Show About Jokes

Full transcript of Perfect Days, Robot Dreams, Late night with the devil and Good One: A Show About Jokes.

0:00KT: It's another week in the For Your Reference household. It's been many weeks of the rap beef, Oti, but you didn't know about that. Um, we have another Ref Max friends and lovers. Um, we are catching up. So, um, everything that we're covering, uh, has been released. Thank you to all of the PR. Let's get on with the show.

0:27KT: Hey, friends and hip hop lovers, which side are you on Oti?

0:31Oti: Well,

0:34KT: you got your K.Dot, Kung Fu Kenny, King Kunta fans, KT.

0:43KT: I'm excited. I mean, I'm excited about the collection that we have today. Um, a couple of them we've done interviews for, which is very exciting. Uh, and one of them is, I would say one of my favorite films. I said, I'm going to corrupt the Splooshies and make sure that it's going to be the best. Definitely nominated and by God and by sword, at least with one award shout outs to Liv and the team at Madman.

1:14KT: We are talking as well as Nixco, we are reviewing Perfect Days, as you know, friends and lovers, if this isn't your first round in the FYR beef, um, you will know that we don't spoil in this particular format. So first impression, sir.

1:31Oti: A beautiful peek into Hirayama's life, Perfect Days captivates with subtle beauty, the essence of being, and celebrates life's little joys. Truly moving.

1:42KT: Wow, I found it quite beautiful too. The beauty of Perfect Days is its confident decision to breathe throughout the highs and lows of life.

1:55Oti: Oh, a hundred percent agree with you. I think it's just navigating and knowing its space and allowing us to experience everything without any judgment or whatever and unveiling everything that he has come to accept that, you know what, this is what my life is.

2:18Oti: This is how I live it. And just, I've never seen anyone more comfortable.

2:24KT: We can't all live like Quentin Jerome Tarantino. That's for sure.

2:28KT: If I may quote Kendrick Lamar from 6:16, I'm sorry, I live a boring life. I love peace. You didn't think that was going to be related to the review. Did you?

2:41Oti: Okay.

2:42Oti: Timestamp, KT.

2:45KT: Okay. The Heart Part, Oti. Um, No, I, I just, I loved it. Um, cause you know, I'm sure like slow burn can get attributed to this film, even like a slice of life. Um, if you're really chasing the thrills of life, you might even call this film boring. But, um, You know, I think one of the most beautiful things that we've discovered individually and as a unit, um, the FYR unit, if you're nasty, um, is that we don't need other people to enjoy things that we enjoy.

3:26KT: Um, and I absolutely loved everything about Perfect Days. It was beauty. It was gorgeous. And we said we wouldn't spoil things, but there was definitely something in regards to the capturing of life and allowing the haphazardness to. Conjure up that certain sense of beauty, if that makes sense.

3:47Oti: Yeah.

3:49KT: I'm feeling like J. Cole now, but just cause you ran out of steam.

3:56KT: Um, but I just really enjoyed, uh, the notions, but I will say. I, this is a perfect film by the way, I do have some baby qualms. Um, I, the, the only one that I feel strongly enough to mention is they set up the premise of a beautiful life, a little life, perfect days, if you will. Um, And I, I loved it. Like there's structure.

4:33KT: Sometimes you might have a switch up, but it's very much structured in the way that you want to live your life. And then they did that thing of like, Oh, he's happier now because he's around people. And I'm like, like that could be true, but it's one of those things of like, Oh, they weren't really happy until they had a child.

4:53KT: You know what I mean? They weren't really happy until they got married and it's like, okay, but for like, Yeah, millions and hundreds of millions of people, they didn't need that or they like your life can be complete even without the lovable misfits along the way.

5:11Oti: Agreed. And even before he got to interact with different people, I thought he was sufficiently happy.

5:23Oti: It wasn't as if it wasn't as if we were experiencing his life and feeling that there was a deficit.

5:29KT: Mm hmm.

5:30Oti: And that's what I loved about it, because in himself, he found ways to capture or to enjoy the little things too.

5:39KT: Cause then it undoes everything, doesn't it? Yeah. Yeah. It's like, he wasn't really happy.

5:43KT: He just had no other option because he was alone.

5:47Oti: Until he experienced something different. And

5:49KT: yeah,

5:49Oti: I'm with you on that.

5:51KT: Yeah. Otherwise it would be called poetry days, but there you go. Um, let's move on.

5:57KT: We have Robot Dreams, friends and lovers. I had the opportunity to speak to Pablo. Um, and we had a really great interview.

6:05KT: It was a lot of fun. I talked about shaking off the cynicism of being an adult. And I felt that in my old bones. Um, But yeah, so let's, let's talk about Perfect Days. Thank you again to the team at Madman as well as Nixco.

6:24Oti: Deeply moving, Robot Dreams masterfully portrays the battle with loneliness and the quest for connection.

6:31Oti: Its animation superbly encapsulates this poignant yearning, a standout for this year.

6:39KT: Ooh, a standout for this year. Are we seeing some contenders for the Splooshies, Oti? We are. Robot Dreams brings joy and fun through friendship and memories. Dog and Robot find their way to express themselves in the most heartwarming ways.

6:57KT: That's nice. It is nice. I'm known to be nice.

7:02Oti: Like watching this movie and, and this is quite the juxtaposition between Perfect Days where one in this set in themselves in Perfect Days, they were perfectly fine living life without the external sort of presence until because until because, but with Robot Dreams are introduced and there's this loneliness from the get go and we see the yearning.

7:28Oti: And. And. Once the connection is made, then everything in between on trying to get back to that from both ends. Oh man. It was, it was a tearjerker. It was moving, heartwarming. And every single time I just wished that every different scenario was fulfilled in some way.

7:56KT: Mr. Lonely.

7:59Oti: Oh, wow. Hey, Mr. Akon, what happened to your city?

8:05KT: Friends and lovers get in on the ground room floor of KT city.

8:14KT: Oh, but you're absolutely right. Um, I think having Earth, Wind & Fire was also a beautiful way to underscore it. Um, what did you think about? Well, I, I guess, I guess the way I would pose it is, would you say it was a challenge or an opportunity that it didn't have dialogue and how do you think that built to the success?

8:35KT: Cause I think we're both saying it did it very well. So what do you reckon about that?

8:39Oti: Oh, it did it excellently. I think, I don't think I've ever not wanted anyone to speak. Never before

8:49KT: you're looking at me. So I I'm definitely, it's clear who the message is for, but I'm not sure if I'm going to digest that.

8:56KT: So,

8:57Oti: uh, but yes, um, it added more to the movie. I feel, I think we connected deeper with them because everything is experienced through the emotions and the, and the, you know, even if you're looking at dogs and a dog and a robot.

9:15KT: Yeah.

9:15Oti: It's still portrayed in such a way that, and this is the perfect thing about animation.

9:20Oti: You can do so much.

9:21KT: You can stretch because I think sometimes when you have something in live action and I'm the most literal person here, but I think some people find it hard to, to buy into the bullet train of it all, unless it's animated, but then even then there's that barrier of entry as well. But I absolutely.

9:42KT: Um, and it's on my long list of things that, um, I would want to read as well, along with Scarygirl, um, that does have dialogue in the feature film, but in the graphic novel, it doesn't have dialogue. All right, well, let's move on to produce dialogue.

10:02KT: This is Late Night with the Devil. Thank you to Nixco as well as Maslow Entertainment.

10:08Oti: Late Night with the Devil weaves an intriguing, twisty story while perfectly capturing the 70s vibe. Edge-of-your-seat thrilling.

10:15KT: I heard twisty and edge, Oti.

10:19Oti: Ha, ha,

10:19KT: ha. Ha, ha, ha. Late Night with the Devil deliciously balances skepticism versus belief through interesting characters and dynamics.

10:30Oti: Oh, this movie

10:33KT: Wow.

10:34Oti: Yes. Wow. I really loved it.

10:37KT: Uh huh.

10:38Oti: You could tell while we were watching it, I was enthralled by it.

10:43KT: You like, I, we'll get into like discussion, but something that was interesting watching it together. Um, Was that we knew that the, um, the needle was going to drop. Like we knew that there was going to be some sort of tonal change in the film, but you were enjoying yourself in that seventies TV format.

11:06KT: Like I think you would have been fine just watching a whole, like a whole live show taping.

11:12Oti: I would have, I think, and it's, it's every aspect, we're not big on the technicalities of moviemaking. In this movie, everything worked in that regard. Every decision that they made from a cinematography point of view just made sense.

11:34Oti: It added to the atmosphere. It added to every single thing that happened. And even the quacky effects, Oh, I was living for it. And even to the twist, even knowing that the shoe would drop at some point, it didn't negate the intrigue and you wanting to just consume every single wicking moment of this movie because it was that good.

12:02Oti: It will be, if people are appreciating it now, it's definitely one that will be a cult classic. Absolutely. Because of just how, from a foundational point of view, oh my wad.

12:16KT: But just have fucking fun. Hey, I think that's the bottom line. I think in regards to storytelling, you know, you might gravitate to stories that you've never heard before.

12:28KT: Um, you might gravitate to stories that, you know, feel very familiar or is a way to, I don't know, turn your brain off. Some people might say, but like. reinvigorate us man, get us excited about the storytelling of film, you know, we, we constantly carry the reference of Quantum Cowboys. I feel like Late Night with the Devil.

12:51KT: We'll be that as well, because sometimes you can surprise audiences, you can come with a wholly encompassing insular film that doesn't have necessarily anything to do about race or diversity and that sort of thing, but it's still fun. You know what I mean? Like you can still explore themes in it without it being, I guess, the flavor of the month, if that makes sense.

13:18Oti: Yeah.

13:21Oti: Every single character played to a tee. And it's, I don't think one of the best casting for the lead as well.

13:31KT: Dastmalchian. Yeah.

13:33Oti: Um, I don't know.

13:36KT: This is great.

13:38Oti: I would actually, and this is where I rank like to me, rewatchability is such an important thing. There's some movies that I tend to really like, but I would never go back to them, but there would never be one of the highest ratings, in my opinion.

13:55Oti: But this movie, whoo, I cannot wait to rewatch it

14:00Oti: and I feel like I'll get something different from it every single time. And that's what I love about it.

14:06KT: I want to explore skepticism versus belief. Did we have as our resident Catholic boy? Did you, did you feel the tethers of not necessarily Catholicism or religion, but just the want to believe, or were you very aware that we were watching a film and anything goes?

14:28Oti: Oh, no, I was very aware. It's just a movie. Um, I don't think my Catholicism background added anything to it.

14:36KT: You know, like with the overwhelming presence of the devil. In Catholicism or even in the Bible. Did that turn you a particular way in how you think the film would've went in Late Night with the Devil?

14:53Oti: I thought I knew how it would end. Okay. And that didn't transpire.

14:59KT: Okay.

14:59Oti: I think that's what also adds to the entry of it.

15:02KT: Okay.

15:03Oti: Because they took a left field where I thought. Uh, I really do not see that coming. Uh, but no, like my days of tying my religion or background sort of ended back in my primary school days where they'd release like something like Omen or what, something like Omen or Exorcist and be like,

15:28KT: and that hasn't,

15:29Oti: I need to go to church tomorrow.

15:33Oti: That doesn't happen anymore.

15:35KT: I get you. Um, I think of the two of us, I'm the skeptic, or would you, would you disagree with me? I think of the both of us, I am the skeptic. So it was very confronting to see I'm the dickhead man in the movie. I don't think I was ready to make peace with my own personal demons.

16:00KT: Um, but I think one of the interesting things with me is like, when I watch a film, I'm inside of the matrix. So if you tell me this world is what this world is. And, and devils are here and that sort of thing that I'm in,

16:15Oti: but I loved how they played with everything. They didn't leave anything to, they gave you a different archetype for every situation.

16:25Oti: And that played into how the twist unfolded and quite beautifully. Yeah. Wow. It's, you just have to watch this. It's amazing.

16:39KT: Just watch it, watch it, enjoy it. Grab some snacks

16:43Oti: and forget about the AI bullshit.

16:45KT: Well, I kind of wanted to talk about that.

16:48KT: Um, you know, friends and lovers that have been interviews and Cameron and Colin have addressed it, like in a statement, I personally, and we both made a decision not to bring it up in the interview.

17:01KT: Um, because first of all, they've already talked about it and it didn't, it didn't It just didn't feel right to bring it up in an interview sort of format personally for me. Um, but I did want to talk about it on the review, um, and you've kind of already started hit them up, Oti. Um, so do you want to finish that thought of yours before I get into mine?

17:25Oti: I think people are trying to fight an inevitable thing that has to happen in the industry.

17:34KT: Oh, you might be walking on your own, Oti.

17:38Oti: It is going to happen, whether you like it or not, at the end of the day, you have to look at these things as products and money making things.

17:49KT: Boo! Oti Zaslav! Boo! What?

17:53Oti: We're living in a capitalistic world.

17:55Oti: Do you think they're just making this for the pure art of it?

17:59KT: And that's why you didn't fucking get Parasite, motherfucker.

18:03Oti: No like!

18:06KT: That's why you thought you could win El Hoyo, motherfucker.

18:11Oti: Yeah, because, yeah, I would win El Hoyo. I would so win. In fact, they're making a sequel.

18:19KT: There's no winning. Do you not understand, sir?

18:21KT: There is. We are all in this What was it vertical? Management building or whatever.

18:29Oti: Haha. Yeah,

18:30KT: it's a fucking rat cage, Oti. Do you not get it deep it fan?

18:34Oti: I'll be the rat king then.

18:36KT: Is that is that how you wanna be?

18:41Oti: Yeah,

18:42KT: and I think it's bringing out Late Night with the Oti Devil right now.

18:45Oti: Seriously though like They used it for a single shot, like very minimal.

18:52KT: Okay.

18:53Oti: They, people didn't get angry when Disney did a whole thing with it.

18:59KT: Do you mean the intro for a Secret Invasion?

19:02Oti: That and even juxtaposing, what was it? Um,

19:07KT: uh, Carrie Fisher.

19:08Oti: Yeah.

19:08KT: Yeah, people are like,

19:09Oti: Ooh, look how cool it is. If she didn't move her mouth, it looks so awesome.

19:14KT: Okay. I'm sure there'll be another time where we talk about AI stuff, but we might as well have this conversation here.

19:20KT: There's a few things that you said that I want to pick up on, sir. Um, and I think you've also reversed Uno'd us because I think you're the most. Cynical or maybe I'm the skeptic and you're cynical, but it's interesting the way that you frame that. You're just like, you might as well just bend over and get comfortable.

19:39KT: That's essentially what you're saying.

19:43Oti: Not to that extent. I'm not saying no Vaseline. I'm not asking

19:49KT: you here. See now you're doing it. Now you're the hip hop.

19:54Oti: I'm just saying there's a level of what will happen to the industry. And you can either try and negate or, or, or find a solution where it's beneficial to both parties and not be like,

20:11Oti: Oh, we're going to boycott this because they did it.

20:13KT: Wait, that, that, so those are two different things that I want to come to. And so let's just focus on you saying it's inevitable.

20:21Oti: Yeah,

20:22KT: I actually agree. I don't have the same black capitalist, um, view that you have.

20:28Oti: To be black. Capitalist.

20:30KT: You tell me, take that base out of your mouth, Ice Cube, take that base out of your mouth.

20:39KT: Um, but in regards to that, I do agree. And you know, there may be even things that we don't even realize is AI that's already been used in the industry.

20:50Oti: Right.

20:50KT: So there's a broader conversation. It's interesting that it got funneled to an indie film for a few slides in their film. It wasn't as if they had a whole.

21:01KT: Um, sequence of it, or maybe the conversation is whether it's small or whether it is, they've used it anyway. Um, but in, in that regard, not to the same level of cynicism, but I do agree with you that it is inevitable, like all sort of technological ages, we're going to see. Instances of that. There's so much scary talk about AI, but AI is integrated into a lot of quote unquote, smart devices we use already day to day.

21:33KT: It's just, people have like an I, Robot sort of, um, perception of what the AI looks like as if it's not already part of our everyday lives and smart devices, um, living memory. And see, this is going to come back to the rap beef because I, the, the, the, the, the brown person in me believes when you die, when, when you, when you shake off your mortal coil, Hamlet reference, you're done.

22:07KT: Live in peace, rest in peace, friends and lovers, leave, leave people that have died alone. Right. Whether it's Carrie Fisher, like you were saying, or BBL Drizzy. BBL Drizzy. This is for our Australian audience for Late Night with the Devil. Um, put me on the seventies late night show. Um, but to use like Tupac's voice in an AI in a diss track, but like in an AI that feels villainous to me, that feels exactly what you're saying.

22:49KT: It's all about corporate gain. That's what that feels like to me. Because people aren't ever really going to die. Right?

22:56Oti: No, but that's the thing, right? Like it's, it's uncharted territory and there'll always be pushback for anything new. It's more,

23:10KT: but there needs to be some sort of respect because I'm not going to name particular actors or creatives, but we've had people in the industry in Hollywood that have passed away.

23:22KT: And that part of me, that cynicism that I have is like. Not now, but eventually it's going to get to a point where talent passes away, but we're just going to continue to see them in a franchise, in a sequel, because that's how their contracts are set up. That's the commercial viability of that. You said product, like they're literally, their whole life essence is becoming a product and it's disgusting.

23:52Oti: I hear that. I hear that. But this is where we get into the territory of, who's the chef of the Mang Fu, or what was it?

24:02KT: David Chang, Momofuku, you know who he is. You've spread enough hate about David Chang, but hurry up.

24:09Oti: No, it's, it's, it's, his documentary was, uh, for the love of feed. Oh my god, you will not use rubbers to make food.

24:18Oti: Oh my god, it's in the passion, you can taste the love. I'm like, bruh, are you paying your people well? Are you, people, like, what the fuck? I'm just saying, there has to be, there has to be a dissonance around the people portraying it as, Oh, we're just doing it for, we're doing it for the art versus this is my actually benefit.

24:42Oti: Oh,

24:43KT: boo, go home. You literally nah, fuck off, man. Fuck you and the hypocritical clique you claim, man.

24:54Oti: Uh, yeah.

24:57KT: No, boo. You literally, you just did a drink. You're like, whoever told you was an idiot. Yeah, it was me.

25:10KT: You told me to dip out of the beef, but here you are, sir. Um, I guess just wrapping up this AI and I am coming back to Late Night with the Devil, personally, the silence. On genocides that are going on right now, particularly in Palestine, in Gaza and in

25:33Oti: Rafah

25:34KT: is wild. You know, you're only seeing it now in like SNL where they'll like whisper it, but not really address it in any way.

25:42KT: But it's been like seven months, 200 over 200 days. So they have to have some sort of, you know, tangential whisper of it. Right. And then to also have. Like really out of touch, idiot, including Tiffany Haddish. Fuck Tiffany Haddish. I'm on a third tomatoes when I go to the Bad Boys screening. Uh, not, not at Mike Lowrey.

26:08KT: Um, but like when you have. You know, powerful people in the industry that are actively trying to silence the voice of Jonathan Glazer with Zone of Interest. Why the fuck are you getting mad over a few slides of AI, which like you say is inevitable technology? Are you, be so fucking for real.

26:30Oti: Layers. That's what I'm telling you.

26:32KT: Like you, you really want to get mad at that? Like with your Amy Schumer's and shit? And you're going to get mad about this AI about an indie production? Yeah. You nah fuck off.

26:43Oti: Beep it. That's it, right? There's shit happening all over the world and this is like the lowest of low bars you can try and start fighting for.

26:55Oti: Because A, it's fu Bruh, you can't run away from technology. I'm just saying. Yeah, but there's shit happening and make a stance. Pick a cause. That actually benefits peoples life, who are not dying or being killed all over the fucking world. There's shit to be upset about. This ain't it.

27:19KT: Whop, whop, whop, whop, whop.

27:21KT: Urty, fuck em up. Hahahahahaha. Okay. Alright, friends and lovers. Um, let's get into the last review, um, of this episode.

27:35KT: Shout outs to Ricky and the team at Civic Entertainment Group, um, for the screeners of Good One: A Show About Jokes.

27:44Oti: Ooh, intriguing peek behind the comedy curtain, Good One explores the craft of joke-making.

27:50Oti: A deeper dive into Mike's process would have elevated it, but still a must-watch for comedy fans.

27:57KT: Interesting. It's always fun to learn how the comedic sausage is made, especially with a comedian as thorough as Mike. A great reminder of craft over business.

28:11Oti: Oh, you don't stand on business. Wow.

28:16KT: Not that the business is exploiting people.

28:21KT: Oh, you don't think we got enough of an in depth? Like he had, he had all of his cards. He had like a lot about his process. I enjoyed that. I did.

28:31Oti: My, so maybe this is just me. I felt the celebrity cutaways just distracted me from the overall process of actually listening to Mike. I enjoyed seeing him with his brother and sister and like the back and forth and how he'd come up with a joke and how it.

28:53Oti: originated or how he thought about it and how he wrote it, why he delivered it. That's what I was intrigued by. I agree. And every time we had a cutaway of Seth Meyers or whoever, it was so insistent throughout that

29:07KT: it seems like you're pinpointing Seth Meyers specifically. I love Seth Meyers. Hasan Minhaj.

29:11Oti: Yeah. It just felt, yeah, we know Mike be doing it. Let's see Mike do it. Like let's, that other shit I don't care about.

29:24KT: Yeah,

29:24Oti: I just want to focus on Mike and his brother and sister and the whole process behind.

29:29KT: I agree.

29:30Oti: Because that's what intrigued me. And it just felt like every single time we wanted to go a little bit farther, we'd be like, whoop, here's a celebrity.

29:39Oti: Anytime we want to go. Like a celebrity telling us how cool he is.

29:41KT: Yeah. We know he cool. Yeah. Like you, you, we know you stand on business. Let's continue with that. This is not the comedy jam.

29:58KT: I absolutely agree with you. Um, I assume it's too for other people that are like, Ooh, like I know this name. So like I'll watch this documentary. Um, but I think in some sort of way it is about standing on business as you say, because I think Mike's process, his way of navigating, you know, he was described as the comedian's comedian, right?

30:23KT: His process and, you know, even his like life story, the way he would write in those journals and stuff. I thought that was interesting enough.

30:32Oti: Right.

30:33KT: Yeah.

30:34Oti: Let's go through, let's dive into that.

30:36KT: Uh huh.

30:37Oti: I'll just, my qualm is very minimal compared to how the show was executed overall. And I think there's a lot of interesting stuff around just, and that's why I would never be a fucking comedian because I just don't have that.

30:54Oti: Uh huh. It was so intriguing just Watching the whole process and even the dynamic between him and his siblings was funny. You could see that. Um, I know my brother would think that he's the funnier one, even though I'm the one that kills it all single time. But you know what?

31:18KT: I'm nodding my head.

31:24KT: I was actually going, Hey, don't heckle the heckler. What's going on here? Oh, brother. This guy stinks.

31:38KT: Um,

31:40Oti: Are you a baby? Because I'm going to kick you out of the arena, bro.

31:45KT: Arj Barker, friends and lovers, um, is the reference that Oti is making. Um, but yeah, I thought it was a lot of fun. I, you know, because it reminds you, you know, unlike our review that we were talking about, um, earlier, but it reminds you that there is a craft to it.

32:04KT: Yeah. And there also can be a lot of fun along the process and, you know, truth telling in some sort of senses as well.

32:10Oti: Yeah. And a lot of journaling.

32:22KT: I enjoyed your Oti Made Freestyle.

32:24Oti: Thank you. I enjoyed your multiple rap references.

32:30KT: You're the one that said no Vaseline brother.

32:34Oti: Yeah, there was a quadruple entendre there.

32:37KT: Oh wow!

32:47KT: Thank you friends and lovers for joining us another week in the For Your Reference household. We usually don't do our For Your Reference segment, but if you want to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Spill, Bluesky, TikTok, we are @ForYourRefPod.

33:04Oti: Write us an email at hello@fyrpodcast.com.

33:07KT: We're also on Colin Amberland's podcast.

33:13KT: Uh, I would have been laughing even if you didn't find that funny. Um, podcast, if you'd like to leave a rating and review, and also if you want to hear us cover the hip hop. Um, let us know, and we'll see you guys on the next episode.

33:30Oti: See ya! Mwah!