Sardonicast 163: Kung Fu Panda 4, Civil War, Mars Needs Moms

[@cameron2069]

Ralph couldn’t make this episode because Saturn needed Sepes.

[@henri3170]

Mars needs moviemakers?

[@Tyler.the.contentcreator]

RIP Ralph. It’s a shame that he died in the Civil War

[@mabusestestament]

Why isn’t he along anymore, anyway?

[@tonywords6713]

His letters from the front lines of Facebook were so beautiful

[@Tyler.the.contentcreator]

@@mabusestestament He died in the Civil War

[@mabusestestament]

@@Tyler.the.contentcreator Ah okay, thanks for clearing that up 👍

[@mabusestestament]

@sarcasticdude2320 Are you sure? I recently heard he died in the Civil War.

[@ayubnor0]

Xavier Renegade Angel is more visually appealing than Mars Needs Moms.

[@HarshTakes]

Someone had to say it😂

[@nabilkhan2971]

Also funnier.

[@CinephileStudios]

1:05:49 thanks for the shout-out! Glad to see this “discovery” still makes the rounds!

[@alechats5184]

great vid

[@guycoolSpore2]

At first I thought Kung Fu Panda 4's subtitle was "Civil War".

[@carter_lovejoy]

I could definitely see that potentially being the subtitle for a potential fifth film lol.

[@theSwoderman]

now i know why alex went "yeah, i've seen mars needs moms" like that

[@RickRaptor105]

That timing on them mentioning the Lion King prequel is amazing

[@GodDamnRider]

Uncanny

[@ShrekNoScpe_NoOnions]

For kung fu panda to me the idea of a spin off being based on Tai Lung learning from events of 1 and being on his own hero journey of learning that he can change and become special even if he's not the dragon warrior sounds cool

[@rennythespaceguy7285]

My first thought coming out of Kung fu Panda 4 is how they couldn't get the voices of the two villains from sequels. Gary Oldman I get but this film could somehow not get JK Simmons? He was in Rock Dog and Marmaduke

[@juanyanez8156]

Both Shen and Kai were extremely late additions to the film, so there wasn't room for them to actally speak without delaying the animator's work. The film also had a lower budget hence why a lot of actors wouldn't come back regardless. The production was quite troubled, it's an interesting read.

[@_biggycary]

I really enjoyed Civil War. I've been so dumbfounded with the reaction it's got because I think it's a subtle movie but one with a pretty clear intention and message. I really lost a bit of faith in audiences' ability to parse out complex themes or to pick up on filmmaking that doesn't just straight up tell you what it's about.

[@matthewbob6966]

Completely agree, so tired of the “☝️🤓” criticisms

[@rashotcake6945]

so the way i took it, it’s a movie that’s pretty much the exact opposite of the whole “‘murica fuck yeah” attitude, portraying it as weak and divided rather than powerful. But i’m curious as to how you took it?

[@DBCooper01]

@@rashotcake6945 Having americans arm themselves and fight of a dictator president doesn't sound weak to me , it's in their DNA. I think you're right about showing America as divided though.

[@Oldhandlewasabitcringe]

“The movie was well shot, well acted, the soundtrack and effects where amazing, the set pieces were really engaging….. but I don’t understand who are the good guys? 4/10

[@SlipNJimmy]

I lost faith in most people’s media literacy abilities a while ago. There are even some mainstream studio movies that a lot of people completely missed the point of.

[@Ghoulif]

This is going down in history as the episode where they discussed the cult classic Mars Needs Moms

[@Hi-fd4cw]

To answer the question of what Dan Fogler was eating on Mars ever since he was a kid, Mars Bars actually grow out of the ground in surplus on Mars. This is science

[@tyldrthepark64]

I hate them

[@publicnuisancez]

In 2011 my parents took me to go see Rango in the theaters, but for some reason they were having trouble playing back Rango so they gave everyone in the theater free tickets to go see MnM. I have managed to go 13 years without having to think about this movie, until now. Thanks Alex

[@tonywords6713]

My QAnon friend was saying the movie was "predictive programming" Im like bro I had an idea for a civil war movie like ten years ago lmao. If this is illuminati predictive programming they need to get with the program already

[@spacebassist]

i'm patiently waiting ten thousand years to ride sandworms on some shit-hole sand planet :D, that's what they're priming us for right? edit: 9000! that's less time to wait!

[@dannymarie]

QAnon and friend sounds like an oxymoron

[@ddash96]

Why do u have a qanon friend?

[@fromvault801]

If you guys ever need another punishment for each other, there's always the Baby Genius films. Tried getting through the one where they go to Egypt just so i could see Jon Voight in brown face. But couldn't last more than 5 mins.

[@RedUmbre]

the only part of kung fu panda 4 that made me laugh is when the fox character tries to yell to get the attention of the thieves but mr goose screams what sounds like "FUUUUUUUCCCKK!!" and everyone stops. Me and my brother watched that part over and over again and died laughing because every time it sounded more like he said fuck

[@barnowl97]

Thanks for answering my question guys, made my day 🌳 Your podcast makes mowing the grass a bit more interesting!

[@GOLDFISH817]

Alex should recommend Antz next

[@Calebchads]

Cillian Murphy looks like the main ant 😆😆

[@KrausHaus0]

Yee-ouch 😉👉

[@carter_lovejoy]

They should also do A Bug’s Life as well considering that they were released around the same time.

[@davidyurch4446]

Ever since Adam gave Moulin Rouge a 1 out of 10, there's been almost like a joke I tell myself where I sort of pretend I'm Confused Matthew listening to him giving other films the same rating, so that I can go like "Wow, so Mars Needs Moms is as good as Moulin Rouge!? Sold!"

[@ajzeg01]

I think we know Alex’s favourite plant. DURR PLANT!! DURRR!!!

[@thecinematicmind]

One of a kind Plant best of all.

[@oclictis1]

Magnolia is one of my favorite films, can't wait to hear your thoughts!

[@jonfro-mez]

Maybe in early stages kung fu panda 4 was meant to be straight to streaming, like the new megamimd movie. Then somewhere along the line they figured they could bump up kung fu panda to a theatrical release because its big enough of a brand.

[@thecinematicmind]

Never did I had to say this but Kung Fu Panda 4 needs an extended cut it had scenes missing. It felt like I was watching a trailer.

[@DrChocolite75]

Alex is deeply, deeply disturbed by Mars Needs Moms

[@DBCooper01]

Seems like people just wanted Civil War to vindicate their political beliefs but this movie more about the chaos and horror that comes with a Civil War.

[@RextheDragon881]

I don't watch a ton of this show but this is the best audio Ralph has ever had. Props to him

[@Pagan_Fears]

You guys should talk about 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas with Nic Cage, Elisabeth Shue, and the late Julian Sands.

[@tcarroll777]

Great movie I second this motion

[@moviemakersam04]

Great film I third this motion

[@Sodomythical_Frostgoat]

Great film, I fourth this notion.

[@aarongutierrez7705]

Haven’t seen it yet, I fifth this motion

[@uphillwalrus5164]

Never ask me to stop drinking alcohol

[@thebogking666]

Dear god finally something good was recommended

[@vincenttapia2037]

I think a good compromise is if companies release stuff they don't want anymore to archieve centers like library of congress or universities. I would prefer that because then it clears storage and library of congress will always have it.

[@APPictures9]

Having not seen Kung Fu Panda 4 yet, the animation didn’t look that bad in my eyes. It does look cheaper than the previous films, but there still looked like there was effort to make the movements snappy and expressive. It doesn’t look as uniquely stylized as Puss in Boots 2, but I don’t think every DreamWorks movie going forward has to look like that, because then it would make Puss look less special. Even though I expect to not like this film as much as the first three, I am glad that it has done well in theaters. Given all that’s been going on with DreamWorks in terms of focusing more on outsourcing animation after The Wild Robot, Kung Fu Panda 4 showed that DreamWorks is far from being an irrelevant company. I hope the animators who were laid off can find new work.

[@superanxiety261]

I love the Tintin movie I think it was a great use of the tech, and it's just a fun ass movie

[@iamnotthatguy7166]

it’s an example of a 3D mo-cap kids movie that isn’t shit lol

[@JD3Gamer]

I agree with you now that I’m an adult that the Robert Zemeckis Polar Express is creepy but I loved that movie as a kid. I never saw Mars Needs Moms but I do remember seeing ads for it and thinking it looked like crap.

[@CoIIecting-Dust]

Can't believe they didn't bring up Monster House. It's still not great, but it's the best of them all because they recognized the uncany look and built a kids horror movie around that.

[@stevebutters306]

I wish Ralph could be here for this one, but as you all know, Mars needs moms. Godspeed, ralph.

[@tonywords6713]

John Waters is a genius, everyone should seek out his stand up comedy special "This Filthy World". I learned so much about movies and just everything from that special.

[@ameenabedrabbo4147]

Dude I just watched Magnolia a month ago (just looked at the date I logged the movie on Letterboxd, it was on March 30th of this year.) I cant wait to hear the conversation on this one cuz my first watch of this movie, I was so glued to the intertwined storytelling that PTA pulled off.

[@S1nwar]

Ki jumped after Milo 2 times to safe his ass with no hesitations, but a few scenes later she was suuuper hesitant to jump after him down the (way less dangerous) trash chute

[@goregrindisthebestgenre]

46:50 is a bad take. You should actually listen to some Alex Garland interviews and see where he’s coming from before saying stuff like he’s capitalizing off anything or being disingenuous. Especially considering he wrote the script around 2014.

[@coomstick]

The first emotional Mom-Type film

[@Blue.1889]

Not many mother son movies out there

[@ad-sd-vids5332]

King fu panda 4 is so forgettable no one even noticed that ke huy quan was in it

[@MichaelMichael-us6wq]

(In response to the question about bad movies should be forgotten) That’s why I appreciate film preservers like Arrow, Shout, and Vinegar Syndrome. Where even if it’s inherently bad, theirs something nice watching them in the best quality.

[@Necrotheos]

That final 2nd to final question is an issue I have with behind the scenes and concept art. I love physical copies of shows and movies because they have extras. I expect these options on streaming services, and so few movies have that. I loved looking at concept art and how they rendered toothless and all that. Same goes for video games. I want to see behind the scenes, music and concept art as unlockables so badly, it's really not common anymore. Really sad stuff.

[@robertflinch2447]

I wanted to see Mars Needs Moms so bad as a kid and I loved it. I was surprised how much of the plot I can remember because I never watched it again

[@attackofthecopyrightbots]

also i get what alex is saying ive seen so many cancelled movies that sound great and yet this got funded and released

[@attackofthecopyrightbots]

i love that theres great stuff like the buzz lightyear tv show that isnt on disney plus but this is

[@CatManThree]

Ralph not being here is so jarring

[@Slop_Dogg]

he left 10 months ago

[@CatManThree]

@@Slop_Dogg That doesnt make it any less jarring than it has been.

[@ShadowRubberDuck]

I think the reason why Awkwafina has so many roles is producers think: “She has a voice that kids relate to being her annoying voice that was made for Tik Tok! Cast her!”

[@tofutoph]

Hell yeah! I just needed a reason to watch Magnolia again. Love PTA films.

[@ozymandias2540]

Alex should recommend yoga hosers if he really wants revenge

[@aidanevans5239]

Easy fix for Mars Needs Moms; have the aliens need to actually grow their babies inside the mothers they kidnap. Then it can really compliment the animation.

[@jackniccol]

I for some reason was the one in the family who wanted to see Mars Needs Mom with my mom and ever since I have blocked out the film from my brain.

[@allywon]

guy who’s only watched red notice: getting big red notice vibes from this one…

[@domj.m.410]

Do 'I Hate Mars Bars'.

[@downspiral]

That was a great point that was on the tip of my tongue with Kung Fu Panda 4, there is a lack of scope to the world despite being the fourth movie in the franchise creating that world. Not to mention something I don't see being talked about that despite having FOUR movies, Po is still a dumbass. It's reasonably competent at fighting but has to go through another arc where he doesn't know how to be a master. I wished the film time jumped where Po is at least Oogway status.

[@kidwithaphonecamera]

Patiently waiting for the lalaland episode

[@JohnnyBurnes]

Men was one of the funniest movies I've seen in years.

[@JojosCrazyChannel]

The Legend of Zelda live action film IS confirmed, with Sony Pictures distributing and Wes Ball (Maze Runner, Kingdom Planet of Apes) directing the project.

[@zeebooboo9663]

Why?

[@nabilkhan2971]

God help us all.

[@ajzeg01]

The Borderlands movie actually SHOULD’VE been done with motion capture animation/rotoscoping. Make it cel shaded like the games and do it in the style of Richard Linklater’s animation. That would’ve been way better.

[@Blue.1889]

Probably would’ve struggled to make its budget back without a big studio backing it. I haven’t seen any animated films with a unique look in theaters recently

[@S1nwar]

that "mars needs botox" was such an LA bubble line

[@johnplhak1739]

Thank you for the time stamps

[@zoomboy5672]

I would like to hear you talk about Generation Kill.

[@hpalpha7323]

did you just call Godzilla "Dingle"?

[@LightWingStudios12]

Fun fact, outside the states, Kung Fu Panda 4 got an high frame rate release in 48fps to cope any tech shortcomings. Did an interpolation test to see and its a marginal improvment, but it still looks like shit kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJfVaXaDbsSkhtkfeature=shared

[@somuchsalt2810]

Comparing Mars needs moms to the lion king 2019 only makes sense in terms of misunderstanding the art of animation. MNM was a gigantic flop whereas Lion king is in the top 10 highest grossing movies EVER, which still doesn’t feel real to me.

[@maubpp]

To answer the question of would Mars Needs Moms be a film that a child would want to watch, I can confirm the answer is fuck no. I'm pretty sure I was a child when the movie was first being advertised on Disney channel and it was the most horrid thing I'd ever seen. So yeah no wonder this thing single-handedly killed an entire animation studio

[@hpalpha7323]

On the subject of preserving ALL art, I fully understand the urge for artists to replace things they created with a "better" version, more in line with what they wanted to create in the first place but couldn't because they didn't have the tools or experience at the time. No matter how bad you think something you created is, somebody somewhere will like it. No matter how much the updated version is improved by any metric, somebody somewhere will prefer the old version. Does the audience decide when something is finished, or does the artist? Like, which version of Star Wars is the REAL Star Wars? Lucas's original unedited concept? The edited version that was released in theaters? The modern remasters? Should every stage in the creation of any piece of artwork be saved and evaluated as its own separate, distinct creation? Does an artist's intent not actually matter?

[@thecinematicmind]

The original ending to Mars Needs Moms is so much better than what the film did.

[@Zay-e5p]

OMG I feel like I noticed the lack of quality in animation in films recently. Like inside out 2 looks CHEAP af

[@madhousestudios5214]

2:00:39 which film is this?

[@zuzziereborn5233]

Gribble is my last name 😢 Mars needs mums ruined my life

[@polygonvvitch]

Watching this series has made me realize that a lot of very mediocre animated movies get saved by the amazing dubs we get in Brazil, that elevate it from something horrible mid to something at least worth your time.

[@ChatterboxFM]

They kept making Gribble-isms and I thought they were referencing King of the Hill and got mad that it wasn’t. ALSO, Kevin Hart 100% does not work in Borderlands dunno what they’re talking about. In fact, Kevin Hart does not work in any movie.

[@TenaciousP45]

I don't think Awkwafina is the James Cordon of anything those are fighting words. Shes more of a Chris Pratt, which is to say they're not bad but they've quickly become overused

[@emPatheticShow]

HARD DISAGREE. She's dreadful in Mermaid, not great in Kung Fu Panda 4, insulting in Renfeld, Nora from Queens was the beginning of the Comedy Central downward spiral. The most positive comment I have is that she has the potential to be a decent entertainer / voice actor, but for some reason they give her the most unlikable roles

[@Blue.1889]

@@emPatheticShowI’d say maybe she needs a better agent but she’s always in big budget projects. Maybe she’s just trying too many things that don’t play to her strengths while trying to find her profitable niche in movies, sort of like Sydney Sweeney being miscast in Madame Web and Anyone But You 💀

[@dr.aisaitl7439]

Awkwafina's quirkyness gets old fast

[@EJ-bq1nu]

Out of all the interesting movies and genres that exist that these guys have never seen, they keep choosing shitty movies as if its on purpose. There's so many classic films they've never seen but every other episode is about some 3d animated shit...

[@Pagan_Fears]

I’ve been requesting Leaving Las Vegas for eons now. A movie that Adum hasn’t seen which won Nic Cage an academy award. Would love to hear they’re takes on it, especially Adum’s because he’s eluded to the fact that he’s struggled with addiction issues before but nope, here we are listening to them talk about Mars Needs Moms directly after “A Talking Pony” and “A Talking Cat.”

[@HarshTakes]

Who cares? These guys are so entertaining that I could listen to them talk about any movie! Besides, you’re the one who keeps coming back.

[@EJ-bq1nu]

@@HarshTakes It's mostly just weird that a podcast that supposed to be for film nerds barely ever covers genre films or works by auteur filmmakers. No giallo, quinqui, spaghetti western, tokusatsu, women in prison, or anything actually fun but yet there's so much time for movies that are personal memes or inside jokes and shitting on low hanging fruit.

[@albedo5455]

@@EJ-bq1nu The only Tokusatsu Adum will be watching is Lion Maru.

[@thecinematicmind]

It amazes me that Mars Needs Moms never got nominated for Razzies.

[@SydneyTravellersGuide]

I havent seen KFP4 but isnt viola davis the villain?!

[@polus2494]

Why are Alex's "mmhmmm"s so aggressive?

[@jameer7565]

People say the same about gaming, how everything sucks. I disagree.

[@toothbrushfromnisemonogatari]

Based Adam episode. 46:35 YEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!

[@dannycazola8953]

Adum, you are wrong about civil war.

[@Lucid_Avery]

About Civil War (spoiler ig), I didn't buy Kirsten Dunst's character becoming disillusioned with Journalism. Are their many starry eyed war photographers out there?

[@RancidKill64]

Polar express movie is solid adaptation of the kids book, everything about the movie is pretty good… except for the animation, I dig the 1930’s art style it goes for but the CG animation realism holds it back

[@ddash96]

Idk, i didnt feel like the main character was an adrenaline junkie at all

[@S1nwar]

i still hope Tarantino goes for a Star Trek movie as his last^^

[@Poetboyy]

I strongly disliked Civil War. In making the film politically ambiguous, Garland sacrifices intricate world-building. I believe a film can have a similar message about war and violence, but still elaborate on the universe of the world i.e. Dune or Children of Men. Also much like Adam, I just wasn't invested in the story. The plot feels very repetitive and each scene feels more like a drive-by incident, literally.

[@S1nwar]

we never got a reason why the martians threw away males like junk^^ and in the end the also threw away the nannybots for no good reason, like use them for something else^^

[@stumbleswith40]

The cast is really good since....

[@redwaytoo]

You just put some le awesome sauce on an epic podcast of bodaciousness

[@TheRocketLombax]

I was so fucking hyped for mars needs moms in 2011 but, it sucked. Second disappointment only topped by The Last Airbender the previous year

[@RedUmbre]

*homer voice* mmmmm kentucky fried panda....

[@BillTettly-vc3hw]

MAGNOLIA!!!!!!!!!!!!! LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@alyssacandle5106]

Mars need help

[@ColombianThunder]

I wonder if the KFP 4 budget was halved because they decided to put more faith into the next Shrek movie?

[@johnwise9811]

Day 75 of asking for an episode on the Evil Dead trilogy

[@haveyoureadumineko]

I know we are all still grieving at Ralphs unfortunate passing but I really think we need a third person back in the podcast. If I wanted to hear Adam whine uninterrupted I'd just watch his quicky reviews.

[@bat1579]

Eh a much prefer Adum talking instead of Ralph repeating surface commentary. A third host could be cool as long it isn’t Ralph(great person, bad podcaster)

[@blobmarlis6180]

Crazy Lazy

[@historical_punk]

Focus on the moviessssssssss fuck the tv showssssssss

[@what1fun1v3rs3]

Kung Fu Panda 4 is like Shrek the Third for Kung Fu Panda hard cores. Honestly listening to this podcast had made me glad I chose not to see this.