Best Picture Countdown to the Oscars: "Frankenstein"

All right, folks, Oscar's weekend, let's keep this thing going. Movie number four we have for you now and our cliff notes manyisodes to get you caught up before the Oscar ceremony on Sunday night. This movie is Frankenstein and Robes. This was one I was really really excited to see.

I was excited to see it too.

And look, we all, I believe at this point know the story of Frankenstein. This is adapted from Mary Shelley's incredible book that has had so many different adaptations. I mean, how many times from the theater to the movies. So many people have attempted this. But leave it to Guillermo del Toro to try and make it the best it's ever been done, and certainly he achieved, at least in part that because it's yes nominated for Best Picture, and

Now, this one stars Oscar, Isaac Jacob Ellerdy, who is our favorite actor now Christoph Waltz. I love that guy Mia goth in here as well. And of course the director, famed director Guillomo del Toro, who just this. I guess he's He's not a jump scare horror movie guy. He is an elevated horror movie guy.

Yes, I mean I was actually looking to remember all because he has dipped his toes into the horror genre more than once. So Pan's Labyrinth is the one that I remember. Crimson Peak, you remember that, yes, and then The Shape of Water, which won obviously that was an odd movie. That was a very odd movie. That was not my favorite movie of Karma del Toro. I love Pan's Labyrinth though, I remember that. Yes, he in perfect gear model Toro style. Took this to two and a

Yeah, you get twenty nine, But you know what, if there's ever I just did a quick google and this is a Wikipedia how many feature films with Frankenstein four hundred and seventy oh mine. So it's been done over and over and over, and some of them have been really good. And this was one when I hear there's gonna be another Dracula or Frankenstein movie, I go, okay, fine, been there, done that. When I hear Giermo del Toro is attached to it, robes that's worth paying attention to.

Absolutely, and that absolutely was I'm sure part of the draw. In addition to mister Jacob, I'm fairly certain a lot of young girls or young women who might not have otherwise wanted to see this movie came just to see him in this movie. And look, I don't even know if we need to give the synopsis, but let's go ahead.

For those of you who have never heard of Stein is.

Yes, Oscar winning director Giermo del Toro adapts Mary Shelley's classic tale of Der Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist who brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.

That's a good synopsis. And this one radar, Yes, but this is one that it went directly to Netflix, so this did not get a chance to do any box office growth. This was a Netflix film. Yes, Jacob Ellerdy is a big draw. He is nominated as Best Supporting Actor for his role as Frankenstein, and he was the central excuse me, he's the monster, but yeah, Ropes, I mean you he was. You couldn't stop paying attention when

And I think that probably was the biggest draw. I have to admit I didn't know. Why wouldn't this have gone to the box office? I'm curious something that ultimately ends up being nominated as Best Picture.

It seems odd to me that it wouldn't have gotten especially with.

Someone like Germa del Toro attached to it, Jacob Elherty attached to it.

Why wouldn't that not have gone to the theater?

You remember Coda, right?

I loved Code.

Netflix has had several wins. They have a business model that does not include the cost of having to put movies into a movie theater. Knock yourselves out, do you think? But it has been working for them and their model sometimes robes as you know, the model they will adjust at times because they had to do with K pop demon.

Hunters, right, that was true.

A mega hit, and then they threw it in theaters for a little bit after it became a hit to make a little more money sing alongs.

The bight the way.

I don't think you're gonna get a sing along for Frankenstein. But yes, that does make sense that they realized, hey, wait, we this has been a phenomenal success.

Let's try and capitalize on that.

Now put it back into theaters in a way that maybe wasn't expected.

And I get that you could take a.

I don't know, some sort of a themed Halloween esque type of Friday the thirteenth even and put it back out maybe and try to drum up.

But this is their model. This is they make movies for their for Netflix, and that is where they go, wow, you.

Know, it's funny. I was looking at some of the reviews of this and they they were mixed because this was epic, this was this was uh, this was a long performance, as we pointed out, but they said some people complained that they what they missed. There wasn't that line. Is there a line that you can think of that you remember? The four hundred plus Frankenstein movies that are out there, there is always one.

Thing that visually, it's a lot.

Yes this For whatever reason, Giermo del Toro isci I did not to include that famous line it's alive in this movie, and some people were upset about that because they were expecting it, they wanted it. That was that thing you always attach and associate with Frankenstein.

I did not think about it to this exact moment, that line. I hadn't thought about that line in years. But to your point, just amazing it. Everybody knows that line. Look, the critics and the audience were about the same on this eighty five percent and ninety four percent, the audience being the ninety four percent. But you said you read I think you've read through more of these reviews. That was a complaint, but any other complaints necessarily people that jumped out about this movie.

Now, I just you know what, I think, it's hard to stand out when you have from a critics standpoint, right, they're looking at things critically. They've got all of the perspective. Perhaps that we don't how many Frankenstein movies if I seen not many.

I was in the play in high school.

So I'm familiar with the theatrical version of it on a very amateur level. But it's just such a known story it does take something significant to bring it or to make it exceptional when you've got so many things to compare it to. That's a tough thing to be up against when it comes to critics, and it's just how do you make a different I know there was a little bit of a prequel to the story that we're used to hearing when they started out, but other than that, you know, it was good, but it didn't

A god to claim it's him, Guielmo del Toro, he gets a certain level of respect. And you put Jacob Elerdy in a body suit for half of the movie. That don't work too.

And I think the other complaint that I saw from a lot of folks is, yes, we know the story, but what makes a good story when you're emotionally involved. They said that this felt a little detached, like you didn't feel emotionally connected to the story, and that is when you start, like, if you're like especially going to tell a story, we all know, make me care more than I ever have before. Make me root for this, uh whatever, the monster, the creator, the lovengerest, make me

There was Wasn't there so much talked about in this one about the makeup and whatnot. And I'm looking that they are nominated for costume design, makeup and hairstyling, production designstography. That all makes that all reads it. It is kind of it. It's dark, but it is beautifully shot.

I was just going to say, it's a beautiful film to watch and to experience, but it is missing a little something that for me would put it to the top of because this is in the horror genre, correct, so is it? Is it?

Frankenstein has to be in the horror It's supposed to be. It didn't. It wasn't scary.

This did not feel like a horror movie.

It wasn't scary.

Damn. I did not didn't even cross my mind that this was a horror movie. Yeah, and this is one we also did not, even though it was only a click away. We didn't watch this movie until we had to do.

You remember how many times we would be scrolling through.

This is true you tried to give me.

I tried to get you to watch this so many times. I'm like, there's Frankenstein. I mean, Frankenstein's available. It's on Netflix. It's free, because that's another one of your caveasts that you don't like to pay for things that you don't have to because we have so many streaming.

Services, why would you purchase something? So I'm like, here it is, it's free, let's watch it, and you're always.

Like, oh, maybe later, okay, but watch it or skip it? Is the question I was about to ask you for your opinion there if after I finally said okay, let's watch it, did you then think to yourself, yeah, it was worth it. That's a question rogues Because I love Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I love this story. I love all the movies that were ever made, good, bad, nother. I was so looking forward to this one. But how do

Would say you can skip it?

Really go on completely, I would.

I would say you can skip it. I mean, look, if you want to watch it. I just feel like, compared to other movies that are original or different or unexpected, like you already know how this end, you already know this story, and for me to watch, I wanted it to be scarier. I wanted to care more about the characters, and I wanted to be a little bit more frightened. So for me, this would be a It wasn't a I'm not I don't regret watching it, but I wouldn't recommend why.

And it's not a bad movie obviously, so that's not the suggestion at all. This robes eye was shocked and how much I didn't like this movie. Wow, I was shocked because I wanted to like it, Like everything is there and Oscar Isaac. I love that dude, love him. I could not. I didn't know what was going on in terms of me, like, why don't I like that? Why am I not enjoying this movie?

I'm gonna be honest. I fell asleep during a little bit of it.

I couldn't underwhy was it baby that? I don't know everything was there or should have been there. And maybe it's just us, Maybe it's our our horror movie leanings. I don't know. I don't know. I liked how it started, like I was loved how it Oh, yes, that's a good call. I was like, oh, where's this story? They're going to take it a whole new way. And then the whole movie ends up being a flashbag? Does it not?

Yes? And so that was a little difficult.

You know what is amazing this story was first they say nothing in top the nineteen thirty one classic of Boris Karlov.

Do you remember watching It's been.

A long, long, long long time, but black and white Boris Karloff as the as the monster Frankenstein. That is what everyone is comparing it to. And that is a tall order. When you have a classic that people love, that people refer to that people remember when they think of Frankenstein and look if like to your point, if anybody could do.

It, you would think someone like here model Toro could do it.

And again it's a nominated for an Oscar.

It didn't hold my attention.

Obviously, it was loved by Planting and this is an absolute quality movie for us and the Jacob I'm not sure what I was expecting from my monster, but that was there was a way that he was trying to I guess weave a story of the humanity of this character, of this monster that I just to your like you said, Robes, I didn't end up at the end, I didn't care if Frankenstein died. I didn't care if the monster died. I didn't care if Elizabeth died.

About any of it, I have, but I do like what you just pointed out. The beginning of the movie was amazing. It was gorgeous, It was interesting, and it was something we hadn't seen before because it, like I said, it began with a prelude. And so you're in the North Arctic Sea and you've got this ship heading to the North Pole and you've got it's trapped with the ice. It can't go anywhere and all of a sudden find it wounded Victor Frankenstein and.

And you don't know that following him is the creature, you.

Know, I think that you know what that I'm thinking back to those scenes with the ship and the guys, because they had it at the end as well. A lot of that was cool. A lot of that did work. It really really did. I guess it was the chunk of something in the middle of the creation. Yeah, and Oscar Isaac wasn't likable. He played an arrogant ass of a doctor Frankenstein and I love Oscar. I'm like, no, Oscar,

Him to me might have been almost as good as it's alive.

Maybe that was the replacement line because I'm sitting here, ah see. Yeah, he's more brilliant. He's just so elevated we can't even follow. But yes, that was our take on Frankenstein. Brope said, you can skip it. I would say watch it depending on what day it is, what time it is, and what mood you're in. Don't make this your feature film for your Friday or Saturday night.

Just at least have lowered expectations that it gets slow in the middle, and if you go into it with that, maybe I always feel like expectations have such an impact on what my overall feeling is leaving the theater, and so if you just maybe keep your expectations to a little bit of a lower level, I had really high expectations, and that might be weighing into my feeling.

Everybody's going to love it now because we just said expectations pretty low. Number five on the list is going to be Bogonia. I look for that one right after this one. It should be there for you. And Bogonia is one that even we're surprised we liked as much as we did.