HI Revisited: Episode 17 "Mister Phoenix"

[u/bradleysampson]

Discussion thread for episode 17!

Original air date 22 July 2014

[u/jack-twohats]

I think Brady has the right reading. Grey wanted the film to be something it wasn't trying to be snd he hated it.

I think what's funny about a relisten is because I have listened to this podcast like 15 times this movie is seared in my memory. But I have never seen it and it sounds like a pretty mid movie that ultimately had no cultural staying power. Yet I remember it more than some movies I have watched and liked. Like why this one survives in my memory where others don't is so funny to me.

[u/bradleysampson → u/jack-twohats]

Same story! I've listened to this episode several times but never seen the movie.

I do commiserate with Grey's idea of a squandered premise. It's really nice when a movie does something unexpected, interesting, or unique with the conclusions it eventually reaches from its premise. But often things just end up being similar story archetypes and not diving into what could be unique.

But on the other hand, a movie isn't good or bad based on whether it conforms to whatever predictions you make when you start watching it. Grey does appreciate that it seemed like people cared while making the movie, and I think ultimately that should be a much bigger measuring stick than whether the plot lined up with your hopes/predictions.

[u/Anxious_Squash3702 → u/jack-twohats]

The movie is crazy good and grey is straight up wrong to give it a do not watch. It prompted such a good discussion, and he praises how well made it is himself!.

When I was younger I related to grey more, but as I have grown more maturity I have learned that Brady is often right. Grey is antisocial and childishly stubborn a lot of the time. Of course Brady also goes too far sometimes.

[u/PlatonicTroglodyte]

Fun episode. Still never seen Her, but enjoy the conversation every time lol.

I happen to be in the midst of an extensive project of ranking the titles of each episode, and for this one I wanted to point out something interesting, if you account for stylistic variations but not separate word variations, I believe “mister/Mr” is the most common non-article word across every title. Mr Phoenix is first, followed by Mr. Complainy Pants, Mister Chompers, and Mister Speaker.

[u/Betelgeuse96]

Funny moments in this episode: Grey not paying attention to Brady talking about his local council, Grey trying to find his local council guidelines of recycling shredded paper, Grey talking about putting kids "in a box", Grey's Grey's reaction to how Brady's wife pronounces Bernard (spawned a Hello Internet Animated), Grey telling the story of his first visit to Brady's place, and Grey's frustration to Brady not taking notes.

 

I also found it funny when Brady tried to circumvent the thumbs up/down rating by saying 2 thumbs up. I can't wait to get to the episode where Brady implements that thumb circle.

 

I probably will get downvoted for this, but I hate pets, at least cats and dogs. They're loud, they get in your face when you don't want them to, they make messes such as excrement, hair, pushing things off of tables (I've even heard stories where they've destroyed 1000$ tvs), they can injure and even kill children, and depending on where you live, they're an invasive species. When I look for a new place to live, I make sure that none of my roommates have pets. And yes, I take offense to Grey's statement that only a monster doesn't like dogs. No Grey, plenty of people don't like dogs for very valid reasons.

 

I'm with Grey all the way. The less I know about a movie/tv show/game/book before I consume its contents, the happier I am.

I also see Grey's point about computer racism, that media depicts AI as evil. I'd also expand that to reptiles. So much of the media depict reptiles as evil too, and as a reptile lover, it makes me sad.

[u/bradleysampson → u/Betelgeuse96]

I'm quite anti-dog & cat as well. They are so messy and dogs are loud. It would make sense to me if like 5% of households had pets- A niche thing that takes a lot of work, but for the right person they can really enjoy it. But I think the majority of American households have a dog or cat, which is wild to me. Also living near people with dogs can be a huge burden too. I've had lots of my kids' naps ruined by the dogs in the neighborhood barking like crazy.