Pearl (Dead Meat Podcast ep. 183)

[@itstept]

I love that, chronologically, the films can be read as "Pearl x Maxine"

[@oddscomedy7128]

Fanfic writters: Write that down! Write that down!

[@TheRealTylerJCurtis]

Also x is used for ‘and’ so it’s Peral and Maxine because they are they same person in some sorts

[@thatbighat3714]

Does that technically count as selfcest🤔

[@σεα-ψ9ε]

That's nasty dude

[@tomoko7584]

@@σεα-ψ9εmind ur business, dude

[@tuckershuff1441]

I don't think I blinked during Mia Goth's seven minute monologue. She had me so enthralled. She joins Toni Collette in the sisterhood of women robbed of a Best Actress nomination.

[@dre7103]

so true

[@dre7103]

so true

[@imissimeem]

100% truth

[@cheerios-9464]

I agree. The academy doesn't like horror tho :(

[@zedwerdgorey]

Justice for Tandi Wright as Ruth. Goth gives a tour de force, but it's eclipsed all the other exceptional performances in this movie. Tandi goes tf off in her own monologue. “You dare sit there and talk to me about regret! I was supposed to be his wife, not his mother! Perhaps I shall kill him for you? That way you don't have to care for him any longer. Then we both can go to the dance audition! Your husband is gone so is mine!” That shit had me terrified and heartbroken at the same time.

[@mylamename14]

Pearl’s mother having those lavish-looking dresses makes me wonder what her youth was like. Her mom clearly had the means and desire to buy and wear those dresses at some point. But, just like Pearl, life ruined her desires and left her with remnants of broken dreams in a closet.

[@nicoleelbin9701]

I'm wondering if the pictures older Pearl shows Maxine in X are actually of her mother. Very briefly there are dancing pictures in Pearl's house shown as well even though she's never really danced. It's like a repeat of the cycle of trauma and failed dreams with mother and daughter.

[@popppy113]

also something you guys didnt mention is in X where Howard asks Pearl if she wants Bobby Lynne, she says "you know i don't like blondes" referring to his sister and the audition situation

[@plaguedoctorjamespainshe6009]

But pearl wasn't released back them

[@InnovativeSkyy]

@@plaguedoctorjamespainshe6009no but the script for pearl was written basically alongside filming for X

[@eggsmungling7960]

Pearl's father did get sick from Spanish Flu. During the big argument at the kitchen table Ruth refers to the virus and says "You've seen what it did to your father".

[@skyofthelivingdead]

Indeed. A severely high fever can result in a stroke, amongst other types of brain damage, especially back 100+ years ago. That is, if it didn’t kill you. I’m assuming that’s what happened to him.

[@mctheplaywright]

Surprised that was missed, because it’s crucial for understanding the relationship between Pearl and her mother. They had a buffer between them very recently, and the amount of work they have to do has ramped up and tensions have followed in kind. It’s no wonder Pearl’s desperate want for escape and violent tendencies have boiled over in this moment, she is in a newly doomed situation

[@maxmosher04]

some corrections; - the pot of water pearl threw on her mother was indeed boiling. you can see the water bubbling when pearl first retrieves it - it *was*, in fact, a gator - pearl never bought candy. she spent the money on the movie ticket, but she didn’t want her mom to know, so she lied and said she bought candy - Mitzy actually didn’t get rejected (mentioned in a BTS video) and even mentions that she hopes Pearl can come see the show

[@mikepenwis3362]

yeah i think the reason why mitzi lied about not getting the part at first is because she saw how heartbroken pearl is after getting rejected

[@katkitters]

hey, do you have a source for the mitsy getting the part thing? i didn't see it in the BTS for the blu-ray so i'm super interested to know where you found it!

[@Killer1984able]

@katkitters same here, I've read that Pearl manipulated Mitzy instead

[@Nexils]

Right? Can you imagine being on fire and then getting a pot of boiling water all over you to extinguish it. Damn...

[@mylamename14]

I think the scene with Pearl crushing the alligator egg implies she killed her baby. It wasn’t a miscarriage, that baby was born and she killed it. At first, she cares for the egg and she claims to have taken care of the baby in her monologue. But then she immediately turns back to crush the egg. Symbolic of Pearl having “crushed” the baby who “died”.

[@nicoleelbin9701]

The crushed egg is supposed to mean it was never born. She probably induced miscarriage or could've gotten a back alley abortion. She was relieved that it worked.

[@mctheplaywright]

⁠@@nicoleelbin9701in a small farm town in the 19teens, I don’t think Pearl is going to have access to even a back alley abortion. She would probably know several old world recipes and methods for terminating a pregnancy

[@moisesmunguiafalloutmoises112]

Holly Faust, that is dark

[@MorriganReads]

@@mctheplaywrightyeah, there’s always been women who finds ways to terminate unwanted pregnancy. In this time period, it would probably be something herbal, like tansy or pennyroyal.

[@thehound6437]

I think Pearl caused the miscarriage from her habit of drinking her father's morphine.

[@ameliathornhill7131]

X and Pearl are 2 of my favorite movies of '22. Mia Goth was incredible in both. Can't wait for Maxxine.

[@PoppyL99]

Lol Pearl was the first movie I went to watch in theaters with my boyfriend and when we left I was like damn hes gonna break up with me that was intense. And apparently he went home and told his friends that night that he was dating someone cool that was showing him crazy awesome movies. I love Pearl so so much. She is a star ⭐️

[@bondfall0072]

Horror movies: bringing people together since the dawn of cinema

[@PoppyL99]

@@bondfall0072 honestly a good chunk of our relationship has been "show me movies or books that are important to you"

[@thefinalboyy]

Here’s me hoping you two will dress up as Pearl and American Pyscho for Halloween 🫶🏽

[@krypticunlimited6925]

@@thefinalboyy they'd make an insane toxic power couple ngl

[@Odile.the.swan.]

She actually a quite relatable character (except for the murder parts) she is after fame and an aspiring dancer and this time period we live in a lot of us are after fame.

[@run2thestore]

After listening to this, I went back and listened to the X podcast again. In that James mentions the radio says something about the impending “60th anniversary” of an event. I went back to the movie and listened closely, and it’s the 60th anniversary of the dance troupe that Pearl auditions for. The radio ad tells people that auditions are on Saturday and “don’t miss your chance to tour the state!”

[@masoncook103]

That’s a really sick catch, just watched X and Pearl back to back today for the first time. Genius duo of movies and I’m so hyped for maxxxine

[@PR0MAN01]

Pearls face is the credits is like... you're watching a shape shifter losing hold over its human disguise. Her face is melting to where there's no humanity left

[@ryantoscano9739]

One of my favorite wrinkles in the movies.. Being an X-Factor means that you have something no one else has. Yet Pearl describes herself as a person who is missing something everybody else has. Pearl and Maxine are actually the antithesis of an X-Factor.

[@bondfall0072]

Holy crap thats brilliant

[@christineexe]

the projectionist is also clearly the wizard. he’s literally the man behind the curtain. he’s the man who promises her all of her dreams and ends up not being honest or able to live up to expectations.

[@benh4579]

her smiling for over two minutes straight at the end should get SOME award, maybe the scariest thing I say all of last year (to be clear her face isn't scary but the way she started crying and her face twitches we're)

[@tash4270]

There was a movie with a runaway bride and a bus I can't think of the name of, and the director told them to keep sitting there until he yelled cut. So they just sat there feeling increasingly more uncomfortable for longer and longer... It was genius because of how sincerely uncomfortable it was.

[@bemiatto67]

​@@tash4270 The Graduate?

[@tash4270]

@@bemiatto67 yes!!! Thank you! I'd forgotten about this comment and also forgotten I was going to google it 😂

[@Cinderwings_]

Anyone who has had to smile like that. To staple on the mask despite everything inside you screaming for the other to acknowledge the sorrow and say "it's okay, you don't have to smile, I'm here for you," but they... don't. It hurts as it becomes more comfortable to smile, so you ignore the blur in your eyes and try to relax the pinch in your cheek to keep the smile up, and life just keeps going, with no one telling you when it's okay to stop. Shouldering everything. It's honestly the best depiction of isolation and gilded despair my heart. Mia NEEDS a proper award! (ocsars aren't worth shit anymore)

[@Spider-ManHQ]

It’s an absolute crime that MIA Goth wasn’t nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress. People will say all she did was yell and scream for the whole movie but it’s much more than that. She conveyed this character and all her struggles and hopes with passion. Showing off innocence, while also hiding an evil. It was an incredible performance and balancing act that not many other actresses could’ve successfully pulled off.

[@anajumn]

I honestly don’t understand what’s up with the Oscars and horror movies, they always manage to ignore any kind of great performance when it comes to the genre. I feel that Pearl was robbed of an award just like Hereditary was, and so many other movies as well

[@erichfiedler1481]

@@anajumn Thank Damballa we now have the DEAD MEAT HORROR AWARDS to appreciate all things SPOOKAY

[@weirdguy1495]

That stare at the end is haunting.

[@bowlensage2038]

​@Ana Julia Nogueira if I'm not mistaken they didn't submit x or pearl so it couldn't of been nominated

[@interestingusername306]

My father is the perfect encapsulation of that. He hated Hereditary despite usually liking slow burn horror because quote "the mom screamed too much" which annoyed him. My guy gets annoyed by realistic depictions of grief because he thinks the marvel version of tragedy is what it looks like in real life.

[@lionblaze0384]

52:22 I felt this SO hard trying to get a particular villain role in a local theatre production, and couldn't conceive of why they wouldn't pick me after I'd done so good as another villain beforehand. Then I heard the voice of the person they cast in a role with multiple songs and realized I was an idiot lmfao. Sometimes you just aren't it, and it REALLY stings, but in the end someone else is actually a better choice and even you can't deny it. The agonies of acting

[@stephenmoney4722]

the "bucket of water" was actually the soup they were eating. so she got covered in fire, then doused in boiling soup. you can see the spilled food on the floor next to the mother

[@wilburson]

RIGHTT, it was the pot of boiling corn.

[@UnboxingAlyss]

This. It was the corn they were eating.

[@stephenmoney4722]

@@UnboxingAlyss ah, my memory was a bit off on it. thanks!

[@hobojon23]

Yeah, before they got up from the table you can see the steam coming from the pot in the background

[@mr_noah7819]

Yes. I even yelled "WRONG WATER!" when Pearl grab the pot and pour the water on her mom.

[@cellavb447]

I, for one, support James's "hanging out near schools" aesthetic

[@gravejello2331]

perfected the “23 year old who still goes to high school football games” look

[@moniquesalazar1708]

I knew it wasn't just me 👀

[@brookesargent8249]

😅😅😅

[@teralhebertgriffin7681]

Not the only thing hanging out......

[@dennismiller2630]

@@teralhebertgriffin7681 what does this even mean

[@raylolpez]

I bet audiences in 1917 would’ve found that early technicolor to be as beautiful as Pearl is to us now

[@Wander85942]

This is a franchise that took me by surprise over how much I enjoy it. It’s fresh, relevant, and a good time because there is so many ways to interpret it

[@madisonharper8491]

Is it me or is Mia Goth seriously starting to feel like Horror’s new princess? 😍

[@krypticunlimited6925]

Jenna Ortega is the princess, Mia is the dutchess

[@StormDatIsApproaching]

James giving off Warhol vibes with the glasses, hair parting and the chill attitude. Also loving Chelsea's hair, it's gorgeous

[@mylamename14]

Pearl is on the same level of iconic villain as Annie Bates for me. She’s terrifying because she could be real.

[@tannerhuotari2937]

I know I’m late but just watched Pearl tonight! The first time she goes into town, there is a guy walking around before she goes into the pharmacy with a sign that says, “We shall not accept a life we do not deserve.” Thought that was another cool addition

[@padtrickkeys3261]

That's So Cool They Have That In There,

[@patrickcharles6983]

"Pearl": a Nightmarish Norman Rockwell painting in Technicolor. This flick was worth watching in theater. Mia Goth was pure gold in it.

[@imissimeem]

I think they lean so hard on Howard's naive sense of duty and honor so hard because it explains why he stuck around. He's married to Pearl, so he's going to stick with her and help her no matter what. I don't think he stayed out of fear, I think he stayed out of duty.

[@josh_a_pet7871]

I have very high hopes for Maxxxine. I think it'll be terrific

[@eggsmungling7960]

In a recent interview Mia said the script for Maxxxine is her favourite of the three movies. Consider me excited!

[@padtrickkeys3261]

@@eggsmungling7960 Super excited for maxxxine hopefully she'll be star ⭐

[@Olivia-iv8kd]

@@eggsmungling7960 well don’t get hopes up to much just because it’s her favorite not everyone will agree but I hope Maxxxine will do awesome

[@klinksss]

"Toni Collette level performance" YES! Give Toni her flowers!

[@ScarletCharlotte]

Pearl's closing monologue made me cry. The stuff she said about having to hide large parts of herself out of a fear of rejection, of her loneliness and sadness and isolation, hit really close to home. I didn't expect a slasher film to hit me harder than a therapy session.

[@duplicarus]

I just watched Pearl for the first time last week, and I was absolutely captivated. I’m a man, but I absolutely sympathized with the themes that Pearl represents. Feeling like you have talent, but beholden to your family, wanting to break free and be all that you can be. I feel stuck right now. Having to be this supportive son, fixing familial relations on my own, but unable to pursue my own goals because of it. It’s not me, but it feels like my duty to be that person in my family because no one else will. I leave and I guarantee everything falls apart. It’s the whole reason I joined the National Guard instead of Active Army. I felt I needed to be here for them, to keep everyone together. I won’t go as far to kill my family, obviously lol. But it’s inspired me, maybe I should pursue my dreams, maybe my constant efforts to keep the family together is pointless. I mean every year it’s something and I have to bring them back together. I need to focus on myself for once, but it’s scary. I don’t know what to do. Be selfless or selfish

[@artemis2227]

Now that the podcast is back, I can officially plead for a Skinamarink episode

[@HunterHerne]

Just remember that they don't take requests from the Comment section.

[@billielizeth]

You gotta send it to their email so they can put it on their list

[@lunacy9825]

They read all the comments but they can’t keep track of all the movie requests accurately that way

[@RealBradMiller]

@@lunacy9825 Well, they could search for terms/movies in their comments, but it's SO much easier to just have one place to keep track of.

[@Milla4life2]

PLEASE

[@CinematicInsanity]

Oh yeah! And Pearl’s red dress must also be a connection to the Ruby slippers in Wizard of Oz

[@skunksdontcry]

i am not kidding when i say that i literally jumped when i saw y'all were finally talking about PEARL. such a good movie.

[@shorthairkorra]

same haha

[@MattDelhauer]

World War I has always been horrifying to me in the sense that it was the war that happened while they experimented and created new technology through out it. It was a war that started with people riding into battle on horseback, and ended with them flying fighter planes.

[@zlmatthews]

I needed you guys today. Glad to see you back. Edit: really diggin' Shades A. Janisse.

[@Qu33nMary444]

Howard served in both world wars didn't he? It would be cool to see a movie about what their life was like in between the two wars and what Pearl got up to while he was deployed overseas for the second time...

[@danielsims9499]

Mia Goths smile in the credits now lives rent free in my nightmares. I think her smile might've killed Freddy Krueger

[@__DY__]

Very Too Many Cooks vibes for sure

[@a.a.g.h.1679]

Lol imagine Freddy showing up to spook Pearl, seeing her smile like that, and him going “oh fuck I gotta get outta here”

[@damonterrell27]

1. Wizard of Oz is the best known film of all time 2. Chelsea’s outfit is iconic! 3. Thank you James and Chelsea for delivering top quality content for everyone!

[@keavs4564]

I’d agree with the Wizard of Oz take. Many of my teachers growing up would play Oz, they never played Star Wars, lmao.

[@baydiac]

@@keavs4564 I'm rooting for Wizard of Oz too but I'm surprised no one suggested Titanic as the most well-known movie. As generations pass, less and less people seem to remember WoO (woo!) but Titanic remains well... a titan.

[@des1279]

@@baydiac I think the fact there are soo many re-imaginations and homages to WoO vs Titanic that it beats it out a bit. But the next generation will definitely help solidify which one is better known. I definitely see the point you're making tho bc it is iconic for sure.

[@shorthairkorra]

SO HAPPY U MADE THIS!!! the 7 minute monologue made me cry because it was worryingly relatable and mia goths acting is incredible i loveeee her.

[@bobbykeniston7240]

Mia Goth gives such a brilliant and brave performance. Not every actor could do a monologue like that, or that smile at the end... just amazing! Also--- I couldn't help but think if that high school boy who turns into a scarecrow in "Scary Movies to Tell in the Dark" had seen this, he would have thought, "Well, there could be an upside to this..."

[@marlee_oh_noo]

This was such a good discussion as usual, you guys kinda forgot to just mention Mitsy being fed to the croc just like Britanny Snow's character, and Pearl mentioning she hates blondes, these movies are so amazing, long reign Mia Goth, our current de facto scream queen! Pearl X Maxxxine is gonna go down as one of the best horror trilogies of the modern times, if they nail Maxxxine, which I believe they will.

[@cbb3480]

They already mentioned the blonde thing before

[@keavs4564]

I actually think Mitsy DID get the part. At the auditions, the judges tell her they are looking for someone younger, all American, and BLONDE. All of the girls lined up to audition were brunettes except for Mitsy and ONE other girl. But the other blonde girl was taller, and y’know with American beauty standards being what they are, it’s probably safe to say that they chose Mitsy over the tall girl.

[@Colby_Purrins801]

WOOOOW I am so shocked that they didn’t even mention how the judges change into her dead mom, dad, projectionist and Howard. 🤯 Like what? I thought that was such an awesome idea in the movie. Her imagination shows her biggest fear, her mother proving her right and hearing the words come from her corpse was just fanfuckingtastic.

[@bmbxiii2045]

Its hard to remember everything when your just having an open conversation

[@JSPokemonYT]

Pearl (2022) was phenomenal & also it's a baffling crime that Mia Goth has been robbed of an academy award for best actress.

[@raineambrosini7750]

Ive been thinking about this since I saw Pearl and I think it’s both sweet and ironic that she wanted to become a star so badly, and it didn’t happen, but by having a movie about Pearl the character has become the star she wanted to be.

[@InkAndPoet]

I love how Chelsea has notes on her phone while James has a notebook for his notes.

[@peach_total]

the thing u guys said about mia goth playing two characters with the same motivation but going about it in such a different way is also how the movies function and i think that’s a really interesting parallel

[@3456heyheyhey]

Howard probably didn’t leave Pearl because he just came back from war and killed people himself so if he judges Pearl for what she did, he also judges himself. Maybe they aren’t so different?

[@UnboxingAlyss]

You can't really compare a serial killer and a soldier.

[@xtrordinarygrl15]

Well she killed her parents, his sister and the film projectionist she cheated on him with. I think he was afraid to leave her but in her monolouge she did say she will change for him and never do it again as long as he stayed with her.

[@eylonavraham8921]

Sheltered take

[@smells1e.-_]

@@UnboxingAlyss no one is comparing them… they’re saying that Howard might have conflicting feelings about the things he’s done in war that make him feel like he can’t judge pearl for what she did.

[@madfish45]

i am a huuuge fan of pearl not only for the plot but how relatable she is. I am a person who has always been in dance and theatre and all these fine arts and her story really resonated with me because of how my family doesn't really appreciate what i do and how i feel like i am type casted because i am not what the directors want me to be.

[@i4isaac286]

James' Ian Malcolm laugh at 1:09 was on point

[@pusheenqueen519]

This movie made me feel so many things, I cried, laughed, became genuinely disturbed and squirmed in my seat, I couldn't look away. I'm so glad I saw this on theaters.

[@envymordecai4429]

I don't think Pearl accidentally miscarried her child. I think she lost the baby on purpose. Our biggest hint is the scene with the gator egg. Pearl is clutching the egg and picturing Howard when it bursts, symbolizing the family she's destroyed. Whether it was something she drank or something she did, she made sure that baby wasn't coming out of her alive.

[@captainchaos4265]

love that this channel makes me watch movies. I saw that they uploaded and i was like idk this movie hey lets watch it before the podcast absolute banger of a movie. I love this channel so much thx dead meat for being the best thing on the internet!!!!

[@josephstjohn5840]

I just wanted to take a second and say Chelsea, you look so good. Like you just seem so glowy here idk what it is. The fans appreciate you and all of your contributions to the channel and ESPECIALLY the podcast❤️❤

[@newwwdle]

This is the first movie that has actually terrified me. One of my fears is being with a person who is legitimately insane and seeing pearl forcing a smile for 2 minutes straight made me so scared I actually refused to go to the damn bathroom at night. Just the thought of someone’s sanity declining throughout a show or a movie is so damn scary.

[@peach_total]

i think it’s so interesting the way that there are scenes that ALMOST frame pearl as sympathetic but only if you remove the context. like the barn scene with the hunky guy, where she said the wrong thing and caused this guy to totally change up and abandon her and that’s a very empathetic relatable thing………..until you remember that it’s because she got caught in a lie about banging in the cellar and the guy is rightfully afraid of her and what she’s capable of

[@simonvanderwerf]

Mia Goth is actress of the year and does not need an award because we all already know she is the best anyone has seen in a long time. Congratulations in being the new Queen of horror. That is way better anyway and to work for someone with such amazing vision.

[@Sunset_Shimmer_Fan_]

It’s actually kinda funny, cause… In both X and Pearl, Mia Goth plays 2 totally different characters, and both of them are thinking like: “I’m gonna be famous one day!” Mia Goth even says stuff like that on the camera: Maxine: “I’m a f*cking star!” Pearl: “THE WHOLE WORLD IS GONNA KNOW MY NAME!!!” Like, Mia Goth plays 2 characters that KNOW and BELIEVE that they’ll be a star; and in real life there’s some irony with her saying those things because it might actually make her a star

[@apickleonamission8961]

Really love that you can tell when they really really love the movie they’re talking about but also just love the effort put into this podcast and that you can tell they still enjoy and love doing it. Your guys channel has introduced me to a lot of great films so thank you for all of this

[@FrostySalt]

I like X, but I love Pearl. What a movie experience. Mia Goth deserves all the awards for it. Side note, in defense for Twilight, it has a beautiful soundtrack. All the films in the series do. The first one has Linkin Park, Paramore, and original songs by Robert Pattinson (plus Bella's Lullaby is so iconic).

[@andthentherewasyou]

I think Mitzi is more of a Glinda. She’s classically pretty and has that “all American look” that the directors are looking for. In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy was shocked that Glinda identified as a witch because she was so pretty and she believed witches were ugly. Mitzi is also a GOOD character and person. She is charitable when giving the pig to Pearl and the family, and gives Pearl a chance to go into the audition before Pearl. Obviously, she’s nervous and dare I saw cowardly, but it ultimately allows Pearl to have a chance to audition (and live out her fantasy) before Mitzi can immediately get the role (if she even DOES get the role, it’s ambiguous) and kill Pearl’s opportunity to even perform for actual people. Glinda doesn’t help Dorothy get to the Wizard or home directly, but simply guides her to the opportunity to get her wish. She even stays by Pearl, in her despair after everything with the projectionist and her family takes place instead of just leaving with the mentality that it’s no longer her problem, as a person in Mitzi’s position probably would be more inclined to do. Both Dorothy and Pearl could also read as being slightly annoyed and resentful of Glinda because a lot of time could have been saved if Glinda said she had the power all along. Dorothy had to discover it for herself, just as Pearl had to discover that she wasn’t destined to be a star all along.

[@bayersbluebayoubioweapon8477]

1:09 James and Chelsea demonstrating why they married eachother. How clear their love is, I hope I find something like that someday

[@0Hammerhead0]

I didn't think Pearl was lying bc she had a photo of herself on stage. I assumed she did have a dancing stint a little later in life

[@des1279]

After seeing Pearl, I now assume that she just has a random photo of another woman up and says it was her bc she is so delusional and crazy that I'm sure as she got very old she would do something like that.

[@0Hammerhead0]

@@des1279 That was her in the photo. It's very likely life gave her other opportunities to dance on stage. She just never made it big

[@ИванСавинов-э2д]

@@0Hammerhead0 no she DIDN'T!!!! All photos on wall was in opening sequence of Pearl, watch carefully. Howard made this photos before he left on war , and later when Pearl gets old she really believe what she WAS a dancer💃, but deep inside she know she ruined her own life.

[@0Hammerhead0]

@@ИванСавинов-э2д You're saying him making a fake photo before WWI is more plausible than her finding her way onto a stage somewhere

[@Vitasaurus]

​@@0Hammerhead0 i think they're pictures of her mother based on the fact that she had all those nice dresses and also her being so sure that pearl will fail, maybe cuz she was like that once too

[@angeltrinidad7855]

So happy to see you back, James. Hope everything's doing fine now. Love from the Philippines.

[@brookesargent8249]

Wow I had NOOOOOO idea that that's what Mia Goth sounds like in real life, I love the voice she chose for Pearl, I talk to my cats in her voice all the time 😅 Also, Wizard of Oz is 1,000% more famous and well-known than Star Wars 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@geer8315]

I saw Pearl opening night, stoned on edibles in a completely empty theatre with reclining seats. Was truly one of the best experiences I’ve had in a long time. Mia Goth’s goddamn soliloquy really resonated and I love this movie dearly.

[@MooTelevision]

The Wizard of Oz is definitely the most known movie worldwide. It’s been around since 1939 and it is still talked about and referenced to this day. That’s almost 80 years.

[@gracieliz95]

I might have missed some of the Wizard of Oz parallels that you mentioned, but I actually saw her dad as the tin man (frozen/rusted in place) and the projectionist as the wizard. The projectionist is telling her what she wants to hear, inspiring her with stories, but ultimately she sees him as a fraud. Even when he cuts that frame out for her, it’s a lot like a gift the wizard would give 😂 representative of her greatest wish, but ultimately kinda useless

[@RonnieStewartJr]

I know there’s a Maxine movie coming, but I would really love to see a movie about the time between Pearl and X….60 years of that couple living on that farm???? I need the tea.

[@Justinrombough]

Pearl and X were so well-made, cant wait for MaXXXine!

[@sheren_b]

I'm glad yall are back and mia goth really has been having such a great run of movies she's quickly becoming a toni collette type actress where shes gonna be putting out iconic performances with not as recognition as her peers, bc its kind of insane that not just academy nominations but not even critics choice or any other award show circuit has given her a shot, but i think this year with maxxine and infinity pool studios will probably put together FYC despite any genre film hesitations.

[@denlue9058]

I think she got one for Best Lead Performance at the Independent Spirit Awards for Pearl, but Cate, Michelle and the usual suspects are also up for that one. After the whole nominations debacle at the Oscars this year with Andrea Riseborough, I think it’s quite obvious, that the major factor behind these nominations is hustling for it with the right people. A24 put all their resources into making the awards push for EEAAO and Michelle Yeoh.

[@goblinKNG24]

For the Wizard of Oz/Star Wars debate: I hate to say it but I gotta say Star Wars is more well known simply because in college I had to give a presentation and one of the slides was titled "Lions, Tigers, and Bears: Oh My!" and after the presentations all of the foreign students (from Spain, Korea, and one other place I can't recall) asked me what that meant. I said from the Wizard of Oz and they told me they'd never seen it. Made me really think about all the vernacular I use in my day to day that other people from around the world might not understand.

[@ВладШипило-э4к]

I hope you and your dad is doing good!!

[@Musse930115]

Dammit James 😂😂 I am down with Covid atm. You made me laugh so hard at around the 43:03 mark and my cough nearly killed me 😂😂

[@rouenrobinson]

My anxiety for the dad was intense throughout the film until his inevitable end. Thank y'all for thinking that Mitsy was not picked because that is what I thought, but I heard others mention that it was not the case because she was the type they said they were looking for. Pearl feeding Mitsy's remains to the alligator felt like a nod to how she set up Bobby-Lynne to end up as alligator food. One of the reasons Howard stayed with Pearl was probably due to the fact that he may have seen worse in World War 1 so he may have been taken aback but not completely horrified by what she had done. I understand why it would be thought that the Wizard of Oz is the most popular but I do believe Star Wars has cemented itself in the current pop culture zeitgeist due to how inundated modern audiences have been exposed to its imagery. However, there are grounds for the argument that it is Star Wars as a brand that is more popular than the original film where The Wizard of Oz film is more popular than its source material or different iterations like The Wiz, Return To Oz & Oz: the Great and Powerful. Great start to the podcast in 2023. B~)

[@Colby_Purrins801]

I’m like 99.5% sure that the bucket of water with corn that Pearl dumps on Ruth IS super hot water, considering that’s how they cooked the corn. COULD YOU IMAGINE having your body scorched in flames, only to have it put out with scorching hot water?! Fucking HORRID. Pearl and X were easily my favorite films of 2022. Such incredible characters that Mia Goth embodies.

[@nathandavis7666]

I love to show this movie to any friend who comes over for a visit. Almost everyone I have shown it to has loved it and will have in depth discussions about the plot the acting the strange and fantastical dance audition the last 15 minutes the first 15 minutes, the boiling water and patricide this whole movie is one of my favorites, and I was nearly dragged to the movie not really wanting to go. Knowing nothing about it, hadn't seen X at that time and I left a HUGE fan of everything West Goth Pearl Maxxxine and X!

[@WCRfan126]

23:00 Not to be the annoying nerd on main, BUT World War 1 films actually *were* extremely intense and gory. Part of the early WW1 propaganda was showing the brutality of it, with filmmakers contributing to the whole “war of end all wars” mindset. They believed that if audiences saw what war was like they would no longer support it if the country was ever tempted to join or be at war again. Idk if the directors/writers knew that making this movie, but props to them since not a lot of people address that kind of propaganda nowadays. While on that topic, I also appreciate how the movie touched on anti-German propaganda too. That was a really big thing back then and a lot of German immigrants were being relentlessly attacked in the states. Again, something I don’t really see addressed since not a lot of media taken place during WW1 is made much nowadays.

[@FalonPersley]

The Mitzy head chopping scene, with the realness of it, reminded me of the fx they used for Olga’s body in the suspiria. Like having the actress lay there and doing another shot of a dummy being decapitated, then combining and editing the shots. I’m wondering if that’s what they might’ve did.

[@jacksonellis5865]

Chelsea dressing up as Mitzi is so cool

[@InkAndPoet]

Ummm, who's that?

[@D0CT0RS133P]

@@InkAndPoetHoward’s sister in Pearl.

[@InkAndPoet]

@@D0CT0RS133P she's the blonde, right?

[@cupcakeangelkitty]

@@InkAndPoet yup

[@bmbxiii2045]

This movie was something special. Not my favorite by any stretch, but i love how it looks, i love the descent into madness, i love that end scene. How unsettling it was. Its just a brilliant piece

[@UMR98]

Some corrections 1. The water was probably hot seeing as it was holding the corn they were eating for dinner 2. The projector said “what’s wrong with you?” when they were in her room 3. Pearl screams at the projector “nothings gonna keep me here” before she kills him. This review honestly felt rushed and I was really hoping you guys would go more into depth for this movie because I feel like there were way more deeper themes and things to think about than the obvious things and themes that were already mentioned in X.

[@LuxuryPossum]

Saw both movies at a Drive in with Pearl playing before X. I hadn't seen either before going in, but I was familiar enough with X. I'm not sure if it was the order I viewed them, but I really liked Pearl a lot more than X. I enjoyed the Daylight horror of Pearl, but I think the dark cinematography of X might have been hurt by the drive in experience, because their is much more ambient light in that setting that makes it difficult to see all the details in some of the darker moments in X. Extremely excited for Maxxxine! I think since X and Pearl are two different types of horror movies, Maxxxine should be a third type of horror movie. I keep coming back to the idea of Maxine needing to fight her way through a hoard of enemies. Maybe religious zealots who follow her father's Televangelism, that could be an interesting angle to go in.

[@yardmarley]

The Projectionist car was still in the water on X..did yall peep that? Big Respect to Dead Meat.

[@loveangelo29]

I also watched this by myself in a empty theatre and it was glorious. This movie spoke to me and instantly LOVED this movie. I relate to Pearl so much in an almost unsettling level. The costume design was also impeccable to her red dress to the mothers thin little red choker that I noticed on a second watch

[@bean_man9955]

I don't think the Projectionist is the "bohemian" Howard mentioned to Jackson. I think, in X, it was the guy who was in the basement. The car in the lake was probably his, and I noticed a peace sign on a bumper sticker. Idk it just makes more sense to me personally

[@imaginewagon6280]

Anyone else notice while the end credits were rolling the credits never covered her eyes too?

[@MorganVsTheInternet]

James feeling like he didn't get his money's worth from LASIK with sunglasses on. Is just! A mood!

[@STEMwithMrN]

I loved all the links to Wizard of Oz, but one I think you missed (or you may disagree with me on) is the projectionist in part representative of the Wizard himself. He's the man behind the magical pictures, and he says he will take her away, just like the Wizard being behind the screen and then saying he'll take Dorothy with him. In the end, Pearl discovered the projectionist is just like everyone else and he tries to leave without her (like the Wizard inadvertently left without Dorothy). Thoughts?

[@cchristianjeremy]

They should make a movie titled "Pearl & Howard" thats set in the 30's or 50's, and show their other murderous exploits lmao kinda like a more darker, subtler and creepier Bonnie & Clyde type of story.

[@matthewdemoor4170]

James is rocking that Billy Loomis haircut and I am here for it

[@jonsrecordcollection7172]

"Bohemian" is also accurate in the historical context of X, because a lot of old pre-World War II guys like Howard who were still around in the 1960s and 1970s refused to dignify hippies by calling them what they wanted to be called, so they called them "beatniks" or "bohemians" instead.

[@spacesage533]

Something I else I noticed was the reference to opiates…when it comes to Dorothy in the wizard of oz , getting high unknowingly in a poppy field to Pearl openly drinking her fathers Laudelum( probably spelled wrong, it’s like morphine really) Damn I wish I had some of that in a dark movie theater alone.

[@DesiSJ]

I know Star Wars. I can quote the Wizard of Oz. I feel like the WoO appeals to more people. Truly, I thought that the father represented the TinMan in a way. He couldn't move and he had to be cared for and she truly loved him. Plus the scene where she looks in his face reminded me of her knocking on the Tin Man. The mother was more the Cowardly Lion in the fact that she never wanted to try for different, never wanted Pearl to try for different and was angry that she was so confined to these notions. She never left her 'forest'. She never wanted anyone inside of it. She was scared of everything. Even though we had a Scarecrow, I truly feel like Howard is the Scarecrow because 'she missed him most of all'. He was the wide eyed innocent one. Obviously Mitzie is Glinda. The pretty one. The one who is loved by all. Instead of stealing her shoes, she stole her gig. I love how Pearl transformed from Dorothy to Ms. Gulch (The Wicked Witch) throughout this movie. You see it in the posture when she rides the bike and you see it in the color of the dress being the color of the smoke of the wicked witch. Instead of a broom she has a pitch fork. I equated the man at the theater to the Wizard. He opened the curtain so to speak to this new world and that changed who Pearl was in a way that was more detrimental than just a girl having hopes and dreams. Had she not been given a taste of that immoral world so to speak, would she have continued on that path or would she have leveled out once Howard returned? There was obviously regret for what she had done so she isn't a monster. After her mother, which was somewhat accidental, she was simply covering up to keep her life at least calm. Plus, he was a bohemian and the Wizard never stayed in one place. For real though, I have questions on how Howard gets from this Howard we see at the end of the film to the Howard we get in X. Also, the pig, for me, is a metaphor of Pearl's decline. The more disgusting it gets, the crazier she gets.

[@winstonpapstein6871]

This is a nice unexpected birthday present to wake up to; thank you James, Chelsea & the entire crew of Dead Meat!

[@NoleFan74]

I laughed so hard when y'all were talking about the pig being just left there and the projectionist at the farm! LOL!! Great Video! You guys blow me away with the details you find.

[@Nexils]

In case they ever decided to make a new adaptation of Misery in a decade or two, Mia Goth would be absolutely perfect as Annie Wilkes.

[@TheScorpia12]

Jamea saying "the whole world's gonna know my name" imagine the same movie but james did all the lines for pearl. Hilarious

[@Jay-ug8kl]

Welcome back!!! I love these podcasts so much, they're so nice to listen too

[@ryebread9299]

Obsessed with Chelsea’s outfit today

[@robertwild9447]

Her outfits have been on point lately!

[@weewoo8905]

I rlly wanna see how the deleted scenes from the trailer would have fit in like the one of the bathtub was so disturbing