Q&A with Jamie and Caitlin

have your tickets, get your tickets. We're starting on January in San Francisco as a part of s F Sketch Fest and we are covering the Social Network Yes, and then we were scooting on over to New York City. We will be there for the Brooklyn Podcast Festival on January. We will be at the Bellhouse and we are covering Black Swan. And then finally we'll be doing a stop in Philadelphia at our favorite Good Good Comedy Theater, doing the sixth Cents on January. So all tickets are live now.

Go to becktel cast dot com and click on live appearances click on live. Also on that page, I'm going to be doing a separate tour of some stand up and I'm doing Bostonmas Girl in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and New York the same exact cities. Imagine that those tickets will be there too, So yes, go to bucktele Cast dot com and check out the see at our shows and then Jamie, you had another thing you wanted to plug.

Have one last blagum. So if you have been following me online for the past year or so, you will know that I have been in mensa, Brad. I mean, it's no screenwriting degree because it only costs seventy five dollars. But I I have been doing a project where I've been in mensa and then I accidentally got targeted by like an old red group and it has been a

whole adventure of about eighteen months. And I just yesterday released a four part podcast series called My Year in Mensa that traces my wild experience but also traces the history of my que societies, which is not so great, but it's it's it was very interesting to me and if you enjoy the Battel Cast, I think you will enjoy it too, So check it out. It's My Year in Mensa on all the podcasting platforms except Stitcher for

some reason. Sorry, and yeah, reay review subscribe all episodes right now, not making it anymore, so please listen woo and now enjoy the episode do. On the beck dodcast, the questions asked if movies have women in them, are all their discussions just boyfriends and husbands, or do they have individualism? The patriarchy? Zef invest start changing it with the beck Del Cast. Hello and welcome to the Bechel Casts. Caitlin, my name is Jamie. This is our podcast about the

representation of women in movies. But today, Oh, first of all, happy happy, Hopefully this isn't the worst year of our lives. I hope in advance this is not the worst year of your life. Today, we are deviating from the format a little bit. We're gonna be doing a Q and A episode. But hey, if this is your first time listening and you just want to know things about us in our show, we've been that you've never listened, we'll

tell you what the podcast is. Sure. We talk about the representation of women in movies, and we use the Bechdel Tests sometimes cast test Um, and that, of course, is a media metric developed by cartoonist Alison Bechdel that requires two female identifying characters who have names talk to each other in a movie about something other than a man. Yes, so we're starting there's don't pass it. Yes, but you know progress that's very sl But we're not talking about

a movie today, we're talking about ourselves. Yeah, so we're going to constantly be taking up passing the Bechtel tests unless there's there's some questions about Molina. But I think a long time ago we decided that that does pass. The back are talking about it still passes. If you haven't listened to just don't don't listen to this episode. Uh so we we um. We asked our our Matreon patreon AK Matreon subscribers to get us a sick lineup

of questions for this episode. By the way, around about plug for if you can't get enough back to cast, we do two bonus episodes a month on our patreon a matren And if you want the privilege of being able to submit a question for a Q and a episode, just that well, this is going to be the start of many or something. I don't know. I hope people would want that. Um. But in any case, you're taking

from our from our loyal matrons. If you'd like to become a matron, it's patreon dot com slash back to cast. If you don't, well we will never know. Hey, was it your New Year's resolution to become a matron of our Matreon? Well it's not, so what go to the website and sign up today, But it's it's it's five bucks a month if you're interested. There's a backlog of over fifty this episode. So anyways, that's where the questions are coming from. Um, should we just jump into it?

I said, we do, all right, starting with the two first names. Yeah, first names. This comes from LINEA. They asked, how did you two meet? We met in Boston. We met in Boston doing comedy, do you I remember Maybe we've talked about this before, maybe just in the Matron and I remember, but I think the year would have been or maybe I had just started doing stand up twenty. You were cool and doing it. Was at that show in Jamaica, Jamaica playing Boston Comedy Chicks, and you were

doing it. I was doing it. I was still very new to stand up. You were like established in the Boston scene. And you literally because we were sitting at the same table. I think there's like free pizza, and I didn't. I just didn't talk to anybody, didn't know how to talk to anybody. But you talked to me and you were talking about your masters You're like, yeah,

I'm finishing grad school right now. I was like, wow, and it sounds like me, but that's classically that doesn't sound like me because I hate to bring up my master's So you're really breaking form by really talking about your master's degree. Where you mistaking me for someone else, because I don't think I would ever mention my master's degree in screen running from Boston University. That was Maybe that's not the first time we met, but that's the

first time I remember us having a conversation. Yeah. Same, And then we used to do you used to be in a sketch group at the theater that I worked at, Yes, at improf Boston. Yeah, we got to know each other a little better that way. And then I moved to l A I think a year before you did. And then literally as soon as you moved here, I was like, do you want to do a podcast with me? And

and the rest is history. Became very very close to doing the podcast you're listening to literally right now, indeed, here we are all right. Next question, Oh, I love this one comes from leon favorite Alfred Molina performance. Let me pull up as IMDb. I don't want to is anything. Sure, I have one off the top of my head, and it is his performance in the movie Chock a Lot. I knew you were gonna he's really good in that he's only really good and everything. He's really good and everything.

But in this movie he plays a villain. Um, he's a great villain. He's a great hero. He can do anything. He is doing a French accent. Just the scene where you get Okay, so if you haven't seen it, you got to see chocolat I mean, suspend your Johnny Depp Hatriod, we get it, and you should see there's a scene where he's so he's like very anti chocolate throughout the

whole movie, which sounds for pleasure. It's a metaphor for pleasure. Yes, So there's a scene where he accidentally gets a little fluck of chocolate on his lips and he licks them and then he's just like goes into this like horn when he eats the crappy patty. Sure, I have not seen Did you see there's a SpongeBob movie coming out? Oh yeah, I'm so excited. Okay, anyway, So, so Alfred Molina is you know, just he's horny, he's eating all the chocolate, and it's truly one of the best performances

of any actor. It's heaven time. He's so good. I think for me, the seminal performance will always be Spiderman too, counter Auto Octavia's, I think the best, the best villain performance I've ever seen, Sexual Awakening and all. But he's also I I rewatched his scene, and but I don't rewatch Boogie Nights very often. I rewatched his scene and Boogie Nights a lot like that famous Oh, it's so he's incredible in that scene. He's so good. Um. I also just he's been in so much usaw for Rosen too.

How was he in that? Um? His character is not on screen for very long, and it's just his voice. He was the only part of Vice that I liked. I'll say that I like the upcoming Robot Chicken sketch that he's in that I wrote that will maybe come out this week. I don't know. Oh, I did like him in Monster's University. Wait, he's in Monsters Universities. He's one of the professors. He does a lot of like Disney animation work. Then, because he's also in record breaks,

the internet. Yes, yeah, I mean, I mean he's he's first of all, got to get those checks, and he's he's directing his first, his first movie this year too. He's just I mean, we love at the cast. And also this episode is going to come out on our one year anniversary of meeting Billa. Really ye, because I remember his January second to nineteen. I'll never ever ever forget that day. Such a fun day. And if you live in the l A area, in February and March, he's going to be in a one man play in

Pasadena and I have tickets to opening. And then I think we're going to go in March when he comes. When I come back, Um, when I come back from New York. Among there are places that I will be on the East Coast. We're touring. When i'm yes, we're touring, so don't forget that. We come to ours dot com. But when I'm in New York, I'm seeing a play called Paddington Gets in a Jam. It is four ages, three to eight. How has Alpha Billiona not been in a Paddington movie yet? I don't know. It seems like

a perfect because he's from Paddington's. Yes, he's from Paddington. He's British, he's got the right vibe. He would be he could be a villain or hero. True, that's the best thing about it. I know he's really good in Frida. We can stop talking about it. He's good in everything. Yes, he's good in literally everything. He most certainly is I think no, But you know what, Leon, To answer your question, our favorite alpha billing performance would have to be the

Aaron Brockovitch episode Yes, really, career Maker. I think do you think he would have been in Frozen too if he hadn't done that? Of course? Not, thank you, thank you. The answer next question comes from Judy asks which film are you most surprised actually passed the test? Which episode do you think has the most outtakes due to tangents, laughing fits, et cetera. Okay, so two different questions here. Tough, Well,

I mean movies. I feel like most movies i'm surprised past the test are ones that barely pass the test, right, So like the I feel like we should have a shorthand for right now, but like the almost like the barely pass of like hi to use your name, Hi, Judy, look at this shoe? Awesome and then the rest is men killing each other. So those are always like, it's frustrating. I'm looking at our list of I always remember being surprised that the Room test Believe it or not, getg

Tommy wizzose. The Room passes the test, which is pretty amazing. Ground fairly passes. I'm just looking through our Oh, Gelie, that's when that is shocking and inappropriate. We've passed. What else do we have? Fair that You're just like, um, that can't be right. Manhattan passes. Um. Yeah, there's a lot of problematic movies that past effecteal test, which is you know, we're always reminding it's a law metrics. Yeah. No,

I think The Room was a shocker. Well. And then the second part of this question is which episode do you think has the most outtakes due to tangents, laughing, physic, et cetera. Um, I don't know. There was one where there was some where we truly just like go to another dimension the end of Like, I don't know what

happened to that there. Oh, I wish I remembered what it was, because there was one that I had like a separate editing file open four that I had just I kept putting out takes into that I was going to like edit into like a super cut I mean, but I don't. I don't remember what from a recent episode, the Santa Claus is one of the most wild recording experiences I've ever. I don't think we even cut that much from it. We didn't, which is why it was

two and a half our block. But like it was that I think was one of my favorite episodes to record because it was just like, where are we? What was happening? We're like, but we didn't cut that much. So that doesn't really answer the question what do I feel like when stuff gets wild? Unless it's like wild in a oh my god, what is this person saying kind of way, which is very rarely happened, we just

kind of leave it in. Yeah, yeah, yeah, So we haven't done Back when we used to have more male guests on the show, there would be more cutting sometimes to make our male guest not yet hate mail um, and which is why we have since enforced a very sparing, every once in a while honored mail guest policy. Indeed, but I think especially since we put the kabash on mail guests, for the most part, um, we haven't had to do that many outtakes. Yet next question comes from

Taylor asks when will you be gay? Um, I'm by which I did a soft come out this year in one tweet. But I also don't feel the need to explain myself. Yeah. Um my sexuality if anyone was curious. Um, my birth control is making me a sexual so that's something. But it's coming. Yeah, but I'm going to go off of it soon and you might be asking why can't you just like stop taking your pill or whatever. It's because it's an implant in my arm and I have

to get it surgically removed health care flags. Um. Yeah, I guess the answer to your question is I don't know. I guess we're both like question marks all around. Yeah, we don't know. Um, we're somewhere on the spectrum as everyone is. I know I've said I guess. I have said that the show that I'm straight a number of times, which has never been true. But who cares. I don't know.

It doesn't keep me up at night, nor should it you. Um. Yeah, I think here's an answer to your question because I feel absolutely no sexual feelings and have not for the past several years since I've been on this birth control. Um. I don't really know who I'm attracted to anymore. Um, but I think when I get new health insurance and can go to the doctor and get my thing taken out, I would definitely consider dating women. So there's that I'm

currently in a relationship with a man. Boo. No, I'm kidding. I think it's very nice. So I guess, Taylor. I hope that answers your question. Apart our next question, it comes from Katie. They ask movies you're most looking forward to in I don't know. I feel like I never know about a movie before two weeks before it comes out. Sure, what are you excited for? I'm I'm excited for Mulan. Yes, they don't that up. They funked up literally all of them so far. The truly have so fingers crossed. Yeah,

I would be great. I'm excited for Yeah, what is even coming out? Let me look it up. Okay, Wait, In spite of the fact that Scarlett Johansson is canceled, I am interested to see Black Widow. Um. Oh, the New Wonder Woman comes out next year. That'll be fun. The Harley Quinn movie, I guess kind of I'm getting a little burned out on Margot Robbie tb h even though she's my my favorite movie ever. Fast and Furious nine apparently, Sure, Dr Doolittle, I'll see it. I honestly

we should cover the Eddie Murphy one. Um, I oh god, the return of T. J. Miller new thing with Underwater? Underwater? Yeah? How a jew betrayal? Oh you know it is a movie that I genuinely think will be funny to watch because it looks really really bad. But Harrison Ford Call of the Wild, Oh my gosh, I'll see ironically, or Doctor Doolittle and Harrison Ford Call of the Wild. So a bunch of c g I animals the only wealthy men in CGI animals. The only movie with a c

g I animal that you should watch is Paddington. Obviously it looks so bad. Oh, Minions three, Yes, Scocoop, gotta see Scoop. Yeah. I don't know if the next year is going to be better, if this is going to be a good year for movies. Honestly, I will say twenty nineteen, I think it was a pretty solid year for movies. A lot of movies I really really liked came out. Um. Yeah, I guess, Oh, in the Heights

will be cool. I'm excited to see. And I think West Side Story comes out next year too, or maybe that's I know, the new Into the Spider Verses coming out, but I think it's good now, I know we'll be there it um but that, yeah, that doesn't come out sonic. I mean, honestly, it's a lot of bullshit coming out this year. Yeah. I guess there's a plenty of movies I'll see, but there's nothing like I feel like going into There was a bunch that I'm like, yeah, but

not so much so far. If if we're missing, if you have recommendations, drop us a line, please do Yeah. Next question comes from Allison, and they ask opinions slash Ideas on how to effectively combat reboot culture, which tends to perpetuate or trivialize regressive ideas regarding race, gender, sexuality, et cetera. Combatting it is difficult. I mean, it's just a very sinister cinematic track. I mean, I think that if you if you are not about it, don't go

like that's a great way to combat it. Is not is if you see it and you're unhappy with the way it's rebooting it make your thoughts known because like movie production places, for better or worse, are listening to fans now more than ever. Um. Social media is a useful tool. Literally ruined Star Wars. It's crazy, but but like for better where people are listening. UM. And if you're if you are unhappy with how properties being rebooted but it's not being done or don't see the movie

you know. I mean there's a lot of recent reboots that have flopped because no one wanted it. Yeah, money speaks very loudly in all industries, this one included. And if something doesn't do well, but that sucks because like what you should do is put your money towards seeing movies that you want to see. You want to see, but it's like I don't want to tell you just like don't go to this like all female reboot of x y Z movie because what's gonna well, I don't

know what's going to happen. I think is that executives are gonna be like, well, no one went to see this, so that means that no one wants to see, you know, female driven stories. And it's not that it's the we don't want to be get like the sloppy seconds of

what men want and stuff like that. Yeah, and I think that a similar thing was brought up with You're right, where like when the Charlie's Angels reboot wasn't a smashing success, it was like, well, this is a reflection on women, where it's like, no, this is a reflection on reboots.

But it is true that whenever property is rebooted and it's like an all female reboot or you know, not every character is white this time, but it's if it's still sloppily written, and I like and a lot of times the behind the camera diversity efforts aren't done, it comes out. I mean, yeah, it's it's tricky combating. It is really challenging, and I think unfortunately kind of requires that you do a little homework on your own of like, Okay, I don't want to see a reboot. What do I

want to see? Who is someone who's work that I really like, Who isn't getting the representation that they deserve, Who isn't getting the work they deserve? And you know, let people know like it it is. Unfortunately, it's like your money speaks very loudly, and word of mouth online speaks very loudly, so if there are people whose work you want to see more of screaming. But yeah, I don't know. I feel like in some ways we are

trapped in reboot culture for a while. Disney is uh is has literally taken over the they had of box office receipts. It's an actual monopoly and we live in hell. But baby Yoda right kidding? Didn't watch it, but he's cut are fine? Um? Yeah, I don't know. It's depressing, Allison. I don't know. Try everyone keeps supporting artists that you like. That are you know, trying different things? Yes? Uh, let's take a quick break and then we'll come right back

to answer more questions. Let's do it, and we're back. I hope you enjoyed that commercial break. Our next question comes, I love this one only for the Internet, asks what filmmakers should be legally barred from making any more movies? Okay, well, let's start with softballs like Woody Allen, duh, duh. Now let's take it out of the criminal sphere, Michael Bay That was gonna be my next way is a very obvious one. Um. Basically, any male director who has assaulted

or disrespected women and continue to have a flourishing career. Shouldn't. Yeah they're done. Yeah, they're done. We're if we're in charge, which we aren't, we never will be. They're done. Bye bye. Michael Bay just made a Netflix movie and I'm like, what was I don't know. It was just a very I'm like, Ryan Reynolds, is that? Who was a rent? I know? It's like, Ryan Reynolds, could you relax? You

have enough money? Were you doing? I would add? Is it the Fairly Brothers that's made all those horribly problematic comedies and like the nineties and two thousand's and then Green Book? Yeah? I think any white director that has written a white savior story and won an Oscar for it, Bye bye, done, bye bye, don't need that. And and Okay, my pie in This Guy at which people always give

me blown back for. But it's a sinister cinematic trend that I fucking hate is men who directed broad, often offensive comedies of the nineties and two thousands who are now experiencing a second renaissance directing more serious movies where they're mostly copying Adam McKay. Adam McKay can continue working as far as I'm concerned everyone copying Adam McKay. Let's say hangover guy, let's say bombshell guy. I'm sure they're perfectly nice guy, although Todd Phillips does seem like a

fucking dick. But I don't know about I don't know about ms your bombshell. But he directed all the Austin Powers movies and now he's like, I get to make the meat to a movie. No you don't, Bye bye, you don't get to make that movie. Are the I mean, so, if we're going all the way radical feminism, yeah, if you directed Austin Powers, you don't get to make the meato movie. You can make another movie that no one

gets to seem like, make awesome Powers. Fine. So I mean it's just it's just frustrated and it's like less personal, I guess. But the specificity of that trend is weird to me because the Fairly Brothers also fall into that trend.

The specificity of that trend is weird, and it is just like, why do these white guys who have been bajillionaires for twenty years get this second renaissance when so many directors of colors, so many female directors, so queer directors are still waiting for their first opportunity at a mainstream movie grow Up. I agree. Okay, next question, should

we just pick one or two of these? Oh, Lindsay, Lindsay, I will will answer two of these, first one being are there any previous spectael Cast episodes that you think you got wrong and would change your ratings? Um? I can't think of anything specifically. I stand by all of my comments in the Matrix episode. Uh, but I think just in general, Caitlin, I'm curious to your thoughts too.

But I mean, we started this podcast right after the election, which wasn't planned but depressingly well timed, which was over three years ago and before. I don't know, Like, I think that the discourse has kind of grown with our show and we have listened a lot, and so I think especially in the first year of the podcast, especially maybe the first six months, and a lot of like, I don't know, I mean, I just know that discourse wise, I I've grown a lot in the past three years.

I've learned a lot, and especially from just like talking to our guests and just seeking out the information more so, there's I'm sure and I don't go back and listen to them. I'm sure that, like, especially in the first six months the show, there were some things that either we missed entirely that will be very obvious to us now or we're just like, is that your take, Jamie? Is it? So? Yeah, we've We've we've been growing up definitely. Um, there's a few tropes too that I've learned about or

noticed more since we started. Like even for when we did the Force Awakens episode, that was after we had already been doing the podcast for over a year, But I wasn't that tuned into like the Merry Sue trope at that point, and I think we didn't really discuss that on that episode, about how while it is nice for a Star Wars movie to have a female protagonist, I didn't really acknowledge that she falls into like that Mary trope thing. So yeah, I think, yeah, it is

mostly our earlier episodes. We've been learning along with everyone else, and a lot of times just like it's been a slow process of just like making sure that we are fine the right perspectives for the right episodes. And yeah, like they think that there were early episodes where like if there was a queer storyline, we wouldn't always seek out the queer perspective on it, and it's kind of

freeball it and we know better. No, I don't know, we've definitely yeah, I mean we always acknowledge when we have blind spots, and I think our blind spots were I think we've narrowed them down a bit in the years of doing the podcast, but I think they were quite at first. So yeah, it hasn't been has been an educational experience for us, UM, and we are always learning. We're never the final word and anything. So another question, are there any movies that get requested all the time

that you simply refused to do? Caitlyen you said he had an answer for this, Yes you do. UM. I never ever, ever, ever want to do a movie directed by Ari Astor. I know you say. I feel like we're going to end up having to do it, though I'm sure we will, but after seeing well that that's been another question that it's not even that I hate him as a filmmaker, it's just that his movies punish his audience, and I hate movies that I feel punished by for just watching them. I don't mind movies that

are punishing you on purpose. Sometimes I don't like his movies m which is a question that we got. We got wide in either of you like Midsummer. I couldn't something about it for weeks. Well, I didn't like Midsummer, but I did see it three times? So what did I say about me? But it means I really thought about do I like Midsummer? I really thought about it.

I was also under the influence of Well told her who I had a real moment for him over the summer, Ari asked her, is doing the twenty nineteen thing that I don't like where he is? Like, women are front and center in my movies, but I never have a female co writer, and all my female characters are written weird, Like great, why didn't you like Midsummer? Horror movies just aren't really my genre, and his are so unsettling that I just you're awful after I've seen them. And I

don't like movies that make me feel awful. I like romps. I like movies that make me feel good, So I like horror movies and I like feeling awful. So that's not quite but I I didn't like Well, yeah, I think that that movie more than any other I saw this year. Hit that trope on the head of like touting this female protagonist, but so many tropes are present,

whereas she is strictly defined by her trauma. There's just it's just a lot of tropes that I feel like didn't really that everyone got to pass on because they're like, it's a breakup movie, and I'm like, but but but but but I just yeah, I didn't. I don't know. I I love how his movies look. They look good, and he gets really good performances. I think he also tends to demonize mental illness quite definitely demonize his mental illness.

Hereditary is where that is, and the horror genre has done well in some instances, but in others have really sold people with mental illnesses, just completely sold them out. Yeah. So I I just think that he has a lot of blind spots that he has maybe not been forthcoming with. And it's just like it's okay to have blind spots, but you know, it's a process and seek out. It is frustrating to me that he has not had any female co writers but only writes movies with female protagonists.

Like that is a glaring blind spot and I think it comes up in both of his movies very clearly, and it sucks because I think he's a good director and I would encourage him to maybe get over himself a little bit. Also, if you've listen to an interview with him, oh boy, the eyes are you're like, is this a freshman film seminar? Shut up? Um. So that's two answers in one. Yeah. Great. Next question comes from Amber asks can there be more people of color guests? Answer? Yes,

we should do that. Yes, more. We're always making an effort to make the show as inclusive is humanly possible. But obviously yeah, they're They're like, we always always room there and there will be. And if there's a specific person comedian, writer of color who you would love to see their perspective on the show, let us know and also tweet at them in case they don't know we exist. And I think that we're a fake podcast. Sometimes will happen.

But yeah, point taken. There's always more work and more perspectives and we'll keep on getting them. Yes, indeed, thank you for the question. Next one, Henry asks, if you could redo any of the movies you've already done, which would you do except Titanic? In doubt? Mean, Um, I would read. I mean, I think it's really just like some of our first episode. I would redo. I think we should redo Kill Bill, possibly with Zack Sherwin. Again. Interesting because I just know, first of all, we didn't

even give ratings for that episode. Apparently we didn't have the Nipple scale yet. And I just room giving that movie so much credit that I would no longer give it now. Um, with the perspective of time, I think that I would redo Kill Bill. I would redo Mad Max Fury Road because that has become truly one of my favorite movies of all time. And I watched this really good video essay series about it that brings up a lot of points that I don't think we discussed.

And yeah, it was another early episode. In the early episode. Yeah, I would probably redo that one too and give it more credit, even though I still don't enjoy the genre. Yeah, that was the steam Steam I mean, and I still don't like steep aesthetics, but I would give I would give the characters more credit this time. I actually might have us redo that one for a Matreon episode for my birthday month this year. Yeah that's fun. Yeah, Yeah,

I don't know. I mean, for the most part, it's I mean, you can definitely track our growth throughout the episodes, but I wouldn't redo the matrix. But that's for sure. Oh well, because I've seen that movie. We'll see what happens when my birthday month comes around. Don't don't. That's my I veto. I'm not going to do it, all right, I'm gonna do one by myself. Then, No, you can't tell one by yourself. That's cheating. Oh my god, Okay, we can do we can do. Okay, here's compromise. I'll

do a sequel. No, those are so bad, I won't want to at all. Okay, okay, wait, next question. Our next questions come from Douglas. The first question is are there any all female reboots? You actually want to say? Um, I don't know that. It would have to be really really good. I mean, I I always air on the side of just let there be new stories in general, but new stories about women and people of color and

queer people. At the work of updating a story that it very least has internalized misogyny to not have internalized misogyny, I feel like we've seen it a lot of times. It is rarely worked in a really really really affect to way. For me at least, I would much prefer to see new stories right, And we might have touched

on this even earlier in this episode already. But for me, the all female reboot, it's like the industries they have this notion that, oh, no one's gonna want to see a movie with a female protagonist unless it's already were tried and true recognizable property, which is not true. I don't know why they think that, And and there's so many, like proven box office things that are like, yeah, that's

not true, but just there's not enough female executives. I'll answer this question by saying that because this franchise is very problematic, but also like near and dear to me, I would like to see a female reboot of Indiana Jones and I went to play Indiana Jones Done. I'd see it, thank you. I don't. I can't think of a property off the top of my head that I would want to see an all female reboot. There's like some extended universes I would like to see female stories

inside of maybe, but not beat for beat. Yeah, just give me news stories. Give writers and directors a chance. Yes. Another question from Douglas quote. Also, as movies hopefully become more inclusive, should we assume that any conversation about a trans man passes the test? That a passing conversation could be between any combination of female, transmail and non binary

characters unquote. Interesting, very interesting question. I would imagine that the test should be on the gender you identify as. I also think that there is space in the test to be inclusive. I've seen versions of the Battel tests that it's like not just female identifying characters, it's also like it's open to like fems and like non binary characters, which I am totally four. Um. So if it's like two non binary people talking about another non binary person,

I would say that passes the Becktel test. I'm really interested to hear Alison Bechtel's thoughts on that too, just because she's still a working writer, still like an activist. I mean, I would imagine that she would have the test be as inclusive as humanly possible. Yeah, I mean, we don't make the rules in terms of the time,

We just choose the way we interpreted. And unfortunately, because there's not a lot of transport representation on screen, this is not really a question we've ever come up against in the movies that we've covered. Yeah, no, but I agree with you. I mean the test should and I think was designed to be as inclusive as possible, and it will, and it wasn't even designed for to actually be applied. The way that we're applying it is comic.

It's from a comic and to watch out for collection and um, the context of like the scene that it appears in is to lesbian characters talking about this test and they're saying, oh, I pay attention to see if women talk to each other in a movie, because if they're if they're talking to each other but not about men, then I can sort of ship them together and pretend that they are queer women because there's especially at the time that this was written and then also still today,

there there was so little queer representation. Yeah, I think that that for now is kind of like a person to person, how do you interpret the test? For our purposes, we want to make it as inclusive as possible and as you interpret it, I guess my my thing is just like, as long as you're comfortable with the way that the test is treating gender in regards to you and your identity. You know, we're not going to tell you you're wrong. So yeah, the test is open interpretation.

I think supposed to be inclusive as possible. Indeed, thank you Douglas, Yes, thank you. Grace asks is Robert Evans ever going to be a guest? Yes, at some point. The thing is Probert doesn't live here anymore, so it's hard. We don't get to see him very often. But when the stars align, you know he's going to be. We've had email chains about it and it's like, are we going to ask him to talk about what he wants

to talk about, which is guns or so. If you don't know who Robert Evans is, he's the host of Behind the Bastards and a part of the iHeart Radio family of podcasts, A dear friend. If you haven't listened to a show, it's wonderful. Also worse here ever with Cody Johnson and Katie Still. Yeah, I mean, we love Robert.

We want to have him in the show. I was pushing for him to do the Handam Montana movie, right, which I still if you want that episode tweeted Robert, remind him and then the next time we're in the same city will make it happen, but we're we haven't been avoiding it right to happy. He just doesn't live in l A anymore. He just doesn't and good and honestly smart. Grace also asked one of the most popular episodes slash order our favorite episodes popular episodes, I don't

really know, just a little peak behind the curtain. We really don't know much about our numbers, which we don't for a very long time. The Twilight episode was our most popular. I feel like Twilight and Spider Man two were up there with the most popular episodes for some time. I have to imagine that that has changed. I would

imagine the Aaron Brockovitch is probably up there at this point. Um. My best guess is the more popular the movie, the more popular the episode, because we've done movies that are a little more you know, off the beaten path, and those numbers were far lower. Believe it or not. Um, but yeah, like I remember, for the longest time, it was Twilight, Twilight a long time. I mean, honestly, I

kind of still hope it's storylight. But yeah, I would be curious to know, you know, beats us beats us to answer your question favorite episodes love actually is still going to be an all time favorite for me. I think one of my favorite a recent favorite would be the Santa Claus because like conversations that I really I really loved our Lion King episode with Now that was great. That was a really good cover. I love the also Black Panther episode witho A Class. I always am going

to love the snow White episode with Jack. That was when we were singing so much um. That was really fun. One of the funniest ones that we've done recently I think was good Will Hunting with Ya. That was so funny. One of my favorite live episodes we've done it was Waiting Exhale with Aaron Haynes Whack. That was so much fun. Lazy episodes favorite and I think I hate about you the best are always going to be. I just yeah, we have great guests and we always have fun. I

don't know, bringing on with Maggie is really fun. I just I love everyone. I love all of our guests. Yeah, I couldn't pick an all time favorite, but those are the ones that jump to mind of like, yeah, same, yeah, let's take another quick break. But I guess what gang We've got more questions when We're back all right. Next

question comes from Stacy. This one is rather long. It says, how do you feel the evolution of feminism, specifically second and third wave affected the portrayal of women in movies over the years, both positively and negatively through both the advancement of women and inevitable backlash. For example, there does not seem to be a linear improvement in the portrayal of women or minorities in film, and often seem to

be steps taken backwards. How much of that is a type of protest by those in power trying to stop any change in the status quo or recapture the good old days. This is an excellent, complicated question. Yes, so I do agree that the portrayal of women in movies has progressed as time goes on, especially through various waves

of feminism that have taken place. And I also agree that the majority of this progress has applied to the way that white women are, white hetero women are portrayed, that as we've discussed on the show many times, that they tend to be the first stop of who is afforded progress, and that women of color and queer women and trans women and just just everyone else kind of

gets left behind and the progress is much slower. And again, like that is it's very frustrating because you know, Hollywood is this huge bureaucracy, still majority patriarchy, still majority white. So you have to scream at the top of your lungs, you have to vote with your money, you have to like all this frustrating stuff just to get the bare

minimum accomplished. Um. And I think it's interestingly we've kind of covered a bunch of movies that I think would fall into second wave feminism recently, where it was like white women should be allowed to work in an office. That was part of what was accomplished First Wives Club, And as the show has continued, we've tried to contextualize

these a little better. Instead of I think maybe three years ago, we would have been like, oh, this is so this movie from nine seventy is horrible to women, right, and we've had criticism for that and like fairly taken. We we've been trying to contextualize. Okay, it doesn't read as narrative, right, but oftentimes those movies do the smallest bit of progress that allow more progress to take place later.

Obviously we would prefer radical change but there are I think we have covered movies that represent incremental change that doesn't read well today but does represent progress for that time of yes, yes, I agree. Yeah. And as far as like kind of the backlash that more progressive movies have been exposed to, I'm thinking, like all the backlash that the all female reboot of Ghostbusters got, every in cell boy on the internet was like, this is ruining

my childhood. It's very revealing. Ye Like, if there are executives out there, studios and networks who are listening to these shitty, regressive people and their bad opinions and they're like, well, you know, the in cells didn't like this movie, so we better not make any more of movies like it. Then I mean, I hope that doesn't happen, but I think it's very frustrating who executives choose to take seriously

and they don't. It's weird because I feel like now with social media, in some ways, we have more of a voice than ever in having a say, But then so do shitty guys, right, like little baby boys have more of a voice than ever. And you can see that reddit for some cinema trends and it's so it's you know, as with all things Internet, it is a

blessing and a curse. Yeah, it's about context. I think of how a movie reads now, and there's always I mean, anytime there's any sort of progress made or social change and cultural evolution, there's definitely going to be backlash, and we you just have to power through it. You just have to keep fighting the good fight and not succumb to the regressive tendencies in the status quo because they are harmful and I wanted to. I guess this is

a good opportunity to shout out. Are older listeners of the show too, It's like I always especially like I mean, our main chance to interact is online, but also at live shows of it is nice to see listeners who maybe we're growing up during the second or we were growing up during third wave feminism of like girl power, um, but to see women who grew up during various waves of feminism just sharing their experience and talking about how, like, okay,

I was a part of the second wave. Like I've had conversations with listeners who were like, I was a part of the second wave feminist movement. But now I see that you know, if you get stuck in a certain movement, then you're just denying yourself progress, and that's how we get turfs um, which is just like yeah, so yeah, we want to thank our older listeners who are keeping their minds open and we promised to do the same. Yes, thanks Stacy. Let's close up with a cup,

Let's close out with a couple of fun ones. Yeah. Yeah, Unfortunately we won't have time to get to every question. We've had to skip some. We read them all, We read them all and appreciate there's only so much time. I wanted to take this quick question from Jack. Would you ever consider writing a Becktel cast book? Yes, someone should contact us. But here's the t Jack no Ends asked. Here's a question from Michelle. When will you release an

episode about Santa University when someone asks me to make it? Oh? Right, because you have to. We have to have to exist first, let's be produced, and then we will do the episode. A few people asked, yes, A few people have asked, who's our dream guest? Even if it's not realistic, or maybe it is, who knows? We got Alfred, We got Alfred. We can do anything. Who want to have Alison Bechtel? Of course, Yes, Alison Bechtel would be a dream guest. Absolutely.

People always ask us also if we if she knows about the show. Um, we don't know, she should I hope by now, I would think by now she does. UM. So if anyone has any contexts out there and wants to hook it up to have her come on, we'd love to have her. Um. They're also Liz Wallace, who is the other half of the Bechtel Wallace Testament. Great. Um. I would love Rashida Jones. I would love to have of I would love to have Gloria Calderon Kellett. I'm not sure if she is one of the only female

Latin X showrunners working today. She's very online, she's very cool and we follow each other on Twitter and I'm always afraid to teeter her. She's really cool and she she's the showrunner for one Day at a time on Netflix. Um, and so I'd love to have her on for me. Another one would be Laverne Cox I think would be Yeah. I would love to have Jessica Williams. Yes. I would love to have Jenny Nicholson. She's a YouTuber that who I admire. Also Cat Black as one of my favorite YouTubers.

Who else, I mean just everyone, Weatherspoon, Meryl Streep, Meryl Streep, Nicole Brown. If that Nicole Brown would be an amazing guest. She's so funny, She's so funny, and she seems cool. I'm just picking people that I want to hang out with. Um. Yeah, I don't know. There's so there's so many people tweet at them and say, hey, have you heard of this? You should be on it, especially if you know that they live in our area. We have a whole thing where we have to convince people we exist a lot

um and so if you can be assist. Oh, anyone who was in a Christmas Prince Wow, I was not expecting you to say that, but I agree welcome them, especially the two different actors who play her dad, Rudy. It's Bernie Sanders can come on the podcast. Okay, let's do two more. This one's from Sarah. I'd love to know if you get any weird or funny reactions from people about the show. You can't be a male comment. You can't not not Actually we have I take that back.

We have a lot of wonderful male identifying listeners who have open hearts and minds, we're not talking about them, we're talking about the other ones. Uh. We've as I think early on, it's kind of tapered off. I think we've kind of found our audience and people who it's it's pretty clear what the show is about. And if you hate us and what we're talking about and are listening, why are you torturing yourself? Like, no need to do that, but we we used to get some male comments like

one star objectifies men. Oh boy, So that is a nice reminder to go on whatever podcast platform you use. Yes, give us nice things, same say nice things. Give us high ratings. Caitlin doesn't read our iTunes reviews, but I do because I didn't hate myself. I don't know, but it's reading our one star ratings can be fun, but please don't write one. Here's our most recent No, no, no, it's a nice one. It's five stars. The subject line

is p erasure from home alone. I guess so. I don't remember saying that, but someone said I literally spit out my coffee and someone said p erasure during the episode. I guess that. Yes. Um, well, a fun fact about me. I forget everything I say immediately after I say it. Um, a reaction that I still get quite a bit from people. And this This is sometimes people who know about the show, but people will be talking about a movie and they only want to know if it passed the Bechtel test

or not, and I'm like, my god. We spend two minutes maybe of every episode discussing the Bechtel test, and then the rest of it is everything else there is to talk about, but people still only seem to be concerned about whether or not the movie passes at the Bechtel test, and I'm like, I barely care anymore. I truly.

We don't. Sometimes forget to do it. I often forget to pay attention because it's just I think, with like the three years that we've been doing the show, three plus years, we've had so many more interest conversations and there's so many more important things to talk about. It's a jumping off point. We've been saying it from the beginning,

but we meet it now more than ever. It is funny, yeah, like when you especially because it makes me so uncomfortable to like, I don't know, like when you meet someone and they're like, what do you do? And then they're like, but what's it about? I'm like, I don't want to do this, please just let me sit here. Um. But like when you we're like, oh, it's about the vital test, and then someone's like and then they're like, so you just figure out it passes. I'm like, I'm not going

to have sex with you, please please stop. Um. Yeah, I don't know, but male comments and then people being like should it take two hours to figure that? I think we're stupid? I don't know. Um, people are wild. Everyone listening right now is great. It's great unless you're not unless you're in the middle of reading a one star all right, Well, uh one last question, very important, very strong answer comes from Chris. Can we start a team moist scabs for all these centrists out there? No? No,

we can't know so centrism. Who are you? Joe Biden? I don't like centrism. But know what I'm saying is that what if the scab thing is a spectrum and we're being too binary about it? No? Okay, well, Jamie says no, I say yes to say no by scats. It's team dry scabs, is the answer. If you like moist scabs, you're Joe Biden. Sorry. Centrism I gotta go. I think I'm leading. So I've always been team wet Scabs. Yes you have, but maybe because no, because I'm very

cool and smart. I like this team moist Gabs. This is the This is one of those things where you create something and then it becomes out of your control and it's very uncomfortable. I think that's what I'm experience. I understand. Um, I am very hesitant about moist Scabs. I'll try to keep an open mind, but I don't like thinking about it. Dry Scabs. Sound of shuffling cards all the way. Um, alright, folks, alright, we actually we have to go because we have to go back to

recording Matreon episodes. UM. So we hope you enjoyed this Q and A episode. Thank you for listening. Happy twenty twenty. We will be back on your main feed next week with a normal episode with a guest in a movie and all that chit you know and love from us. UM In the meantime, Yeah, I give us one of those five star reviews and join our matrio and join

the matri Matreon dot com slash beactel cast. Fun fact, we're about to what It's January, so we're doing um, what are we janet Flix, Jewary, Janetflix, Jewelry, janet Flix, the janet Flix months. We should have waited till November and done Netflix November. We couldn't wait. We couldn't wait, simply couldn't. So this month on the Matreon, in addition to all of our fifty episodes we've already published, we're doing someone Great on Netflix, and then we're about to

do the Kissing Booth on Netflix. So if that's appealing to you, hedn't ever check it out. You can check us out on all the social media places at bechtel Cast. You can shop some t shirts if you want, at t public dot com slash be bechtel Cast. We have upcoming live shows in San Francisco, in Philadelphia, in New York. Go to bechtel cast dot com shows. Yeah, we'll be back next week. Thank you so much