REPETE: Ben Lomas And E.T.

Hey there, this is a bonus episode of You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet. I know there are parts of the world and indeed Australia, in particularly my home state Victoria, that are in lockdown again, so we wanted to hopefully give a little bit of cheer with a fantastic episode of You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet. There is a warning there is some Saudi language and some sexual references in this episode as we drift off our favorite extra terrestrial

They life is lack a box at Choco. Let's haven't right now You seen nothing?

Ben Lomass is a joy of a human being, a big hearted bloke with an even bigger heart. A stand up comedian. We often get compared to be honest, I'm told where our voices are strikingly similar. I can't tell. Maybe you can let me know. I've known Ben for quite a few years, having bumped into him on the stand up scene and doing the podcast rounds. He's also one of the best warm up guys in the business and he always has the projects crowd up and about.

Hi, I'm Ben Lomas. My favorite films in order, go ace Ventura already that Blues Brothers. We're on a mission from God and Police Academy one, okay, Mahony. Till this date, I am yet to see ET.

Do I really need to give a synopsis for ET. A space full of aliens arrive on Earth, but we only give a shit about one of them. Et is discovered in the cornfields and befriended by Henry Thomass Elliott, who now with the occasional help of Drew Barrymore and his brother Mike have to keep the authorities from getting their dirty mits on our extraterrestrial. John Williams score is as iconic it's almost anything in this movie, which may

So when I was a kid, I grew up in North Carl and there are only two video stores. There's one Movie Land in Brunswick, and there was one art house, one on Rapdown Street called Wrapdown Rhythms. And the only video that I was able to borrow that wasn't R rated was Police Academy one, And that was the only one available, and I think I reckon. They laughed at us because I would hire it every time we'd go

Did you become obsessed as a result with a The Police b sound effects out of the human mouth?

Yes?

Or be blowjobs from Turns?

Yep? That well, I didn't understand what that was till the fiftie time. I didn't understand. I was like, is she punching in there? Like I had no idea. I had no idea for those here.

I think you'll find the presentation interesting as well as very very stimulating.

Could we have the lads turned down?

So?

Yeah, so this is around the time of pork Is and this is not how I thought the ET episode would would start to be honest, So we'll get back to our favorable extra terrestrial or extra testicle as we used to laugh and joke back in the day. But so around Porky is Zappt was another one that was a big one in my house because that featured some boobs as well, Scott Bayo and Williams yep, some fine work later teamed up in Charles in Charge.

The other one in that era I remember was weekend of Bernie's Yes Yeah, which is also like it was that era of those like they just started pumping them out like Fletch Fletch leave. The was a little bit.

Later, but well, the idea of going to the video store is so foreign now, the idea that the whole trip to the video store are browsing. Sometimes you would know exactly the video that you wanted, but often there's a bit of browser because sometimes you wouldn't just come back with one, you'd come back with seven five six seven exactly what a deal. You can't walk past that, So you know, you take out, you take a chance

Took a pun on Turner and Hooch Turner and.

Well took a pun on the Tom hanks film.

Well, all I do was Academy. Yeah, this Tom Hanksky. Can you do no noises out of his mouth? No, he can't. Not interested.

I remember hearing about Revenge of the Nerds.

Hey gaes.

Wondering Joint, And this is literally before I knew what the term nerd even meant. I actually thought it was a horror film. My my friend across the road said, oh, I want to see Revenge of the Nerds, and I was like, oh, I sound scary.

Well, I remember I didn't like that, And I remember as a kid the reason why I didn't like it. I was like too much overacting, Like I didn't believe the characters like police Academy. You know there's a guy who can convinced everyone that there's a chopper Land. How could you not believe Booger no, Yeah, I couldn't believe it. I just didn't. I never warned those films like no, it's one two third.

Oh, I think there's like a serven. Yeah, yeah, they really went for it. Just before you move on. Michael Winslow is an interesting character who plays what's his character name in Jones Jones? Yeah, so he have you ever? Have you met him?

Or yes? I have.

He will not put the sound effects away. No, he won't even when you almost had to say okay. I've interviewed him on television on the project and it's like, okay, you can you can stop that. It's almost like it's okay. It's almost like you need that good will hunting moment where you're going to it's it's not your fault, it's okay. We're just asking you about how you start. You don't need to land a helicopter in this answer.

But it reminds me of that. You know, there's comics who like backstage just keep doing gear like they're still in that rhythm of when they come on stage that's still and you go, mate, you're upstage, you can just talk like a normal person. I was backstage with him once at a company club. And I was like, Wow, I get to meet him. I'm going to get a photo. And the same thing is I went to go to

There needs to be an intervention. There needs to be a Michael Winslow intervention. Let's put Michael Winslow and the crew of the Police Academy aside, because there's another eighties film we want to discuss today. How has it taken you this long to see et?

Wow? Some think it's pretty easy. There's only Police Academy that.

I mean, now that I know it's your favorite films, I'm not surprised it was weird.

It never like I remember kids talking about it at school. I remember people going to the movies. I didn't go to the movie as much as a kid, like, so did you grow up? So? I grew up in one of the toughest neighborhoods at North Carlton, Batman was just Italian families and my parents have a local business, so

Appeared like how old are you?

Because it's so I'm thirty nine.

You're thirty nine. So yeah, this was I think eighty two. Yeah, so you would I was two too, Yeah, okay, and.

Then so but then it wasn't until like I was six or seven. Everyone would talk about it, yeah, and I'd be like, oh, I don't get it. You know, does does the alien make noises out of its mouth?

You know?

Is it friends with high Tower? Like I'm not interested, Like I think largely I just wasn't interested. But also I remember seeing images of Et as a kid, and I just didn't like it. It made me feel uncomfortable. I couldn't put it in context. It reminded me a little bit of the Bookworm. Do you remember the Bookworm? There was a kids thing that taught kids how to read. Anyway, it kind of looks like ET, and I never liked that thing.

It's really interesting. So I've got three boys, and I showed Lee and my oldest, he's he's about ten seventeen or he has turned seventeen, and he I showed him Et when he was about four, and I kind of thought, this is fine. It's it's kind of a kids film. It's everyone loves Et. And it freaked him out for so long up until the point, like we could not say his name. If you saw him like in the

Closed, yeah, because then your imagination doesn't.

Go like, yeah, wild, So I think he imagined may have been in his closet.

Well, it's it's funny because the closet is the moment in the film when I started watching it that I started to realize that I was watching it in adult mode, because as soon as the closet appears in the film, I'm like, what kid has a walk in water? Like? This thing is huge, Like I've got one coming in my house. And there's like another room in Mike's rooms on the other side, and then and then Elliott's rooms on that side, and this is this gigantic walking like water.

I'm surprised that's the first thing you picked up because the opening sequence is, of course the spaceship landing and the ets kind of about et gets left behind. But then you go to Elliott's home and his brother who oh, it assumes probably fifteen Mike Young fifteen, fourteen, yeah, fourteen, yeah, man's smoking at the smoking Yeah.

But is he smoking or you just see the ash tray.

You don't see them smoke, but you see the smoke from the extra So unless it's the mum's smoke, But why is it on the kids table?

Because at first I might these kids seem a little bit too young to be smoking and playing poker.

Like that.

Just that blow me away.

And then then the mum hits one of the other kids around over the head because you know when they come up and they dropped the pizza and they yeah, the CVTs and he's not there.

Or I thought the mum was dating one of the boys. I was like, wow, there's a really weird dynamic here. But what I want to add is, even when you get to that scene, because I've got young kids, so I realized that this is the first film I've watched by myself from start to finish since my firstborn five years ago.

Oh wow. So that's the gift of the podcast.

This because the first opening scene, I haven't had to sit down and watch a film because the first open to me, I'm like, okay, there's the spaceship, he's running around. Oh can we hurry this up?

Well, That's really interesting because I when I watch older films now, and I'm sure he's probably happening, you know, to a lot of people, they feel slow. I watched a couple of years ago, watched the Conversation, and that felt like forever to start. I watched a cot where car range for a Christopher Pine He's going to watch a cocker Grange forest and I watched that and that felt slow, you know, for for quite a while, and then it kind of paces up. You go, Okay, this

Yeah. Well see this is this is This is what I love as well because in that opening scene where it's because then afterwards the film picks up, pays like there's no tomorrow. Yeah yeah, so this is what through me because I'm like, come on, let's go where's the alien? Show me? And then but also there's still I was in the parent mode, so I couldn't let go because I'm like, okay, I get it. In the suburbs, where

Yeah, yeah, yeah, well it's it's a suburb on the edge of town. It's Springsteen territory perhaps in Los Angeles. But yeah, you're right, because it's an opening sequence, which I think is great. And Spielberg re released it with some alterations little bit of a George Lucas in two thousand and two for the twentieth anniversary. Because the first I'm not sure which version you watched, if it was the the original one, I gave you one on DVD, and then you realize you have a DVD player.

Because the first time I trying to watch it, I was like, oh, I sat down. I was like, oh, I got my cup of tea, here we go. I don't have a DVD fight.

Now people have like vinyl record players in the houses, but no DVD players. We're in a weird situation. But so, okay, do you remember when the later on the film, when the ET takes off over the over the cops when they're waiting, are they holding guns or are they holding walking to he said, you notice walky talkies? Okay, so you saw the two thousand and two version and it's really great. Like Spielberg I think did a good job of not.

I'm surprised I remember that. Yeah.

Well yeah, well it's because he felt later on because he'd had kids a few years after and he said he got serious backguns and he's like, I don't want guns in the in the movie, So he took the guns out, replace them with walky talkies. Still get the kids smoking, and ET still gets on the cans.

That's another one where I had I had a parent moment and where you know, where he's drunk at school and then she calls up and you know, it's like, oh this is this doesn't sound like Elliott and he's been drinking and then she sayes the empty beer cans. That's it comes home like, No, I didn't tell him if you're not grounded or anything to pick you up. I couldn't believe it. I was like, where's the aftermath of this?

Elliott when he gets drunk in class because he's feeling the effects. I assume everyone who's listening to this, you should watch the film and then listen to this. But when he's feeling the effects of ET because he's basically feeling whatever very t feels and he looks behind at that young girl is it was very close to being me too.

It was just but that was it. I realized at that moment that so many turns around. He goes, he said, he goes, how you said that? Look how you doing. I was like, that's some good acting.

Oh okay, well let's yeah, we need a chat about Henry Thomas. Yeah, that's one of the best young actor performances I've seen. It's Hayley Joel Osman.

Yeah, that and with Drew Barrymore, those two together, like Drew Barrymore like right at the last scenere's another one where she's like, you know, they're going off to the playground to this where the spaceship is and she's fighting to put it. She's acting like like a perfect two year old.

Would so Spielberg, which you know, let's you can judge you more you like. He basically created an atmosphere because the et is basically a combination of robotics, and when you're se him walking, there's actually was an actor who was a ten year old actor who was born with that legs, who actually was inside the suit when you see him walking around.

Yeah.

Yeah, he tried to hide that as much as they can. So he actually had convinced them, particularly I think Drew Barrymore playing Gerdy, that he was real. And so when he's dying and they kind of I think Drew Berry Moore has said that she kind of knew that he wasn't real, but then Spielberg said, no, this is he's real and he's going to die like he's a puppet, but he's going to die.

Now we are jumping around a bit with the film. Yeah, so just back on Henry. How old is he when that was filmed?

I don't know. I don't know, but I'll tell you this on YouTube. In fact, we might even play a bit of it now on YouTube. His audition because they could not find Elliott for years. And then Cissy Spacek's husband, who must be a producer of something, had worked with Henry Thomas in another film. He said, you should have

A man comes to a grown man and that whole brother, and he's from NASA, you know, the National Aeronautics Space Administration, and he has found out.

That you have a creature. He doesn't know exactly what he has thought.

You have a creature in your closet, a creature that he's been looking for for a long time. And you've had this stitching over three or four whiks. You become best friends with it. He wants to take the creature of where, and he's come with a search warrant, and he's come with permission to take the creature of where. And you're not going to let it.

Okay, now, young man, I understand that you have an alien somewhere in this house.

Is that true? Well? Is it true. Is there an alien in this house?

Yes, Well, as you.

Know, I am from the government.

I'm part of the United States government, and I am empowered to take that alien with me.

But you can't take him away. He's mine.

Well, but the government is bigger than you are, Elliott, and I really I have all the authority to take him, and I gotta tell you I'm gonna take him.

You can't take.

Him, Well, I'm afraid I have to Son.

You can't take him away mine, but it's.

Not my choice. The President asked me to come here and to get him.

Don't killing the President's my best friend, and you can't get you away.

Well, it's real possible, Elliott. You'll come back and you can have him again. But we just want to talk to him and see where it came from, and try to find out about other planets.

And he probably is the key to a lot of things that we have to know.

But how do I know you're going to bring him back?

Well, afraid side, I can't guarantee you.

I think he's afraid of you.

That may be true, but the government tells me what to do. I just follow their orders.

Well, he's mine, and then he lives with me. He likes me, and he wants to stay here. He likes it here.

Well, we wouldn't hurt him or anything. All I want to do is.

Talk to him.

But I don't want you to take him away.

You know, I've had to talk to your mom about it, and she knows that the government has the right.

To do it.

And who told you all this?

Well, we learned about it. We know that he's somewhere around here. I mean, I do have a search one. I could look around the house. Tell me to keep doing.

Right. Well, I'll tell you what, if you let me talk to him for five minutes, I'll tell my boss.

That you can keep it.

Would that be okay with you? If I could just talk for five minutes, would you feel better?

Then?

Would you be happy? If you could keep me?

Well, I had to talk for five minutes. That might make your hold anyhow might make your whole life?

Huh? Then you be your friend forever and I wouldn't take them away? Okay, Okay, you got the job?

How that is phenomenal?

Now as we speak. Right now, I'm auditioning a few kids a very different ages for for how to say married. And I look at them and I kind of before they even start them, like, I like, I'm feeling for them, and I'm like, how brave are you just to do this? And like they're yeah, they're kids of different talents and all that. If in at that age to go in there and listening, to be taking direction and.

Then to be so in the moment to them be able to cry and it's improvising.

He's out improvising the producer, the producer. One that's going on. Bloody hell yea.

That is. And what's really interesting is I did cry in the movie, and I wasn't expecting to. But what was really interesting is I was crying at that bit where they're both on the table where they don't take him away. It's like pretty much in that scene. But the reason is, I'm curious if I would have cried if I was little, because I just see my son and I see how he gets so attached to his toys that I just see my son talking and how

Then absolutely it was phenomenal. What I loved about the film. He could have easily have been just about Elliott and Et, but I do love how they included Mike and Gertie, Like they all do a really nice and satisfying Like there's a great scene, you know where Mike, you know, like he's you know, he's got a smart you know, he's a bit of a smart ass, and he's got you know, the little shit of her little brother. You know that he's setting out to get the pizza and

You want to cast somebody.

I didn't think, like when I was watching the film, I didn't think Mike would find out till Ages and then before you know it, all three of them are found out within the first twenty minutes. I was like, I didn't know that was part of the film, because the thing with like such a big hit like that, if you haven't seen it, you've seen all the images like what the bike's going over through over the moon, Like I didn't know when I knew that was coming.

I wanted to ask you, what were your impressions and images and scenes that you kind of knew of the film?

So Et itself always just looked like, I know, this sounds weird. It just always looked like a coffee table with eyes, like I had this kind of coffee table, are you out look, I've got European parents, we got some weird furniture at home, okay, But he just he just looked like a coffee like we'd sort of like side table of a couch. I never, I never, I never really like that. I just never believed, right, but in the image of kids on a bike flying over

No, and even in that scene, it happens quite quickly. I think nowadays you'd they'd be riding for like a minute or so they'd really build up that kind of tension. But like they ride for a few seconds and it's like et and it's.

Really funny because all those BMEX scenes are amazing. It's the only time I stopped and rewinded the film, like I was like, I won't let it go. But because I was convinced towards the end that they didn't fast forward, because I was like, I don't remember being able to ride a bike that quick, Like I wanted to check that it wasn't sped up, because they like it is

For Aulet's yeah, the way that the way they're synchronized, and the moon scene is kind of like, you know when he finds in the moon in the background, it was almost the image to the artwork they for the film. So you cried.

I did cry, And it wasn't where I expected. I was assuming at the ending because I knew that I kind of knew what the ending was going to be like that he eventually goes home. I'd grasp that bit. But it's just when they turn the house into like some lab slash hospital with again that I love that where they there's a great scene because there are I want to watch it again and look for all the

Yeah, it's it's and it's yes, Spielberger said, it's his most personal film, and it's it's hard. I mean, it's probably his best film. I mean, She is absolute masterpiece. But but this is an absolute gem. It's really a personal film because he was his parents, his parents were divorced. Now he done it undaws before this, I think close

Really what did he do?

Nothing? I didn't even know how to use the phone? So and was it Richard Attenborough or and he even said that this ET deserved the win, like it was a better film than the one, the one I made, but.

Also like like because because after I finished watching it, I was like, I was trying to think like I was attached to ET, but I was surprised. I was attached more to Elliott's relationship with ET than ET itself. But then that's kind of a blessing disguise, because if ET did more and was more animated, then you'd probably

Well, it's it's it's really funny because Et. I like the way they reveal Et because Et, it's at the start, is kind of scary, even though you still might find him a bit scary, and I said, my son certainly did. But the idea is that he kind of get glimpses of him. He's scary, even the noises he's making, and it's it's quite like a deep kind of growl. And then you learn to love him.

But he comes in different shapes and forms.

Well, yes, because he and he has the neck that kind of you know, the glow of the heart. It's a great nice moment.

That's that's really nice because I mean as simple as that, that like that sort of just showing that imagery. It really because I didn't know that was coming and I forgot about that. So that's how good the film is that even as an adult, I was fooled. Towards the ends, I'm like, oh, this sucks, Like why is he in an eski? I was like this is no good. And then when his heart keicks in, I was like, oh,

They?

They they can you explain that? Because they I was like, here we go, he's calling home, They said, up the gadgets, Elliott's seeking. He falls asleep and then he just disappears and it's next to next to a drain, like did he go on another bender?

He got in the cans again? If you live where I live, if you do it down the local aquidut, you'll always find you cans down there. No, well, I mean this, it's funny some people and we when I'm writing scripts, it's often often a discussions. You'll have what's allowed to happen off camera? And what can what do we need to see? And some people and producers and directors and other writers are really finicky about needing to know the details of what happens. And sometimes they're absolutely

And maybe and maybe that's the psychology of out today that like maybe thinking, hey, you got to get home. How do you get home? Well, that's your clear focus. Okay, you are stuck in another country, whereas you find your embassy and you make that call and you get out of that country. With him, I was like, what are you doing? What are you doing next to a creek fishing? Halfway through I tried to.

Ma guy for himself. Here, you fine with the speak and spell and you know the blade?

Yeah, so that, like I thought, yeah, like I questioned it. But then already even if you question it for a split second, you are lost to oh no, he's sick, and then and then and then oh that's another one. The like is it a montage with the with the with the astronauts, So you know there's that scene where all the astronauts appear. Are they real people.

Or is that a no? They're they're they're they're they're real. They're they're real people. I'm not sure why. I think there sposed to be like hazmat suits are okay, but basically but they were astronauts.

Yeah, okay, which because I thought there was they had.

That written on there, so there they are.

Because I thought that was a dream sequence, right, So when that happened. I was like, oh, no, he's dreaming, it's not happening. I was like, no, it is happening, happening now.

Like but but even within that scene, and I'm really in script because we are literally like finishing scripts for say, married so, but there's a bit where she she goes to the door and a daughter's a national let's call them a national even though they're not national. There's a nationnaut there screen. They run back the other way through the kitchen, there's another astronaut, and then they it looks like the astronauts almost got them, almost like got their

It doesn't help that the astronauts are moving like zombies. They really slowly, like there's a monsters from amount of space.

What I do love about Spielberg is his ability to kind of like, no, it's a movie, so it's about entertainment. Like that shot of the the next shot is like like six astronauts walking along the street kind of coming up over the horizon of the road, and it's brilliant and it's nobody who's walking like that? Where are they coming from? Yeah, nobody ever walks in a road like that, you know.

And also like it's the team And I love that because I questioned through it throughout the start. It is like the shot of the keys, the keys of the guy to start because.

These characters called keys. Yeah yeah, yeah, they got keys. Yeah. Well he's the actual character's name, but it's who what is credited as who?

Then I love it. At the end of the film, you're like, you're like I love it because you go from who's this guy? Because I think is it a cowboy? Like is it a cowboy hunting aliens? Like is he official? Is he not? And then everyone else is hanging around him. It just seems like like a group of guys from the pub where let's go get some aliens.

Well, it's really funny because you're in the first scene whether it especially takes off and there's like six or seven again kind of FBI agents who who kind of run with their torches and stuff. They're all that silly weather because you don't see an adult's face until the mum and they Yeah, they keep adults kind of away until.

They really need stroke of genius.

It's brilliant, it's so good. But they're all like the same shape, the same size, same light. It's that was kind of weird. Do you ever feel like you're watching Stranger Things?

Haven't seen it? And this is and this is and I and I and I've been holding off because I wanted to see Et before Stranger Things. So I've actually been holding off because everyone's been talking about it, and I didn't want that to claud my judgment of ET and I reckon I'd probably even look at it differently or go, oh, maybe it's not as good as Stranger Things. That's what I was. I just wanted to see it it's entire and then just go, Okay, that's the film.

I thin he's the right way to do it, because now you can just enjoy Stranger Things. No, yeah, it's a homage to ET and Spilberd.

Then I love it with keys because at the end I'm like, and again again you can you come back to script mode. But right then you're like, oh, Keith, he's hooking up with them. I was like, I mean, where's this? Like even then he doesn't weird. Look, I was like, I mean, after everything's gone, I mean, what a story to start a relationship.

But it's funny to say that. I didn't think of it quite in the same way. But I did think that he is almost a father figure that Elliott kind of needs it, you know, like because his dad's you know, he's in Mexico or wherever he is. And yeah, he is, you know, he's he's a good guy.

Yeah. Yeah, And then and like you don't know he's a good guy. And even then you think he's tricking him at the start, going hey, I've been looking for someone like this since I was a ten year old boy, Like you can't, I've still I didn't believe it. Yeah, and then right at the end where he's like, oh no,

One of those keys for yeah, really like who's getting around with that many keys if you are in a position of power.

And keys with a little leather patch behind it. Also because I had, like I said, of keys with like you can flip them over like a pocket knife, which it was like this, you know every second person in Brunswick has one. And then I was like in his keys And then I was like and once you get out of film made, I was like, I'll tell you what, there's a lot of shut of the keys, Like this is going to have to be something down the track like yeah, it was like, there's more keys, there's more more keys.

Yeah, what does it open make the keys of the spaceship? Getting back to the writing, Melissa Matheson wrote that that the shooting script was basically the first draft that she wrote. What which that makes you a little bit sick, doesn't it? It makes it sicken and it gives you little bit of weird home.

But then is it is it one of those things where and I've been reading a couple of books on writing, is it one of those things where everything you wrote leading up to that led to that moment that day where you sat down and it was just there and it was going to come out well.

I think the way she wrote it was she would write for she would work with Spielberg. They would like brainstorm and come and get and then she would write for three weeks and then have another three weeks of work with Spielberg, write for another three weeks, which actually sounds like a great way to work because you are working with obviously the man himself, and then you're basically blocking out scenes and you're kind of working out you're breaking them down, and then you just go and write

Yeah, And how much I assume because he was so good at improv in there, like, did they let him do much improv on set? Because I assume back then, like as much as time frames are I mean, when they spend half the time with mechanical problems with that that thing, rather than having time to improve, Like.

I don't know much about Henry Thomas's improv I've heard Drew barrymore improvd a little bit, yeah, quite a bit. I think there's a famous one where she says, you

It's just and I was saying that to my partner. It was the one scene that blew me away. It is all the cute scenes, but the one scene is her in the car on the way there, where you know, and your kid is just clamoring all over you and you just want to just shut up and be able to talk to the adult. It's like in that scene, I was like, you are the mom. You are the mom. Like the chemistry that's so simple. But I was just

Yeah, it's I feel like ET could be the most like magical film, so like the perfect balance yeah, of feeling like it's real, and I think it holds up really well. Like I was watching it this morning, I gave it a quick another you know, I flicked through a little bit. But I'm not sure if you can make films that are set in contemporary times of kids cheekly evading the police on bmx's or you know, yeah whatever,

But also when looking through the lens of nostalgia as well, which I think, you know, whether films can be made nowadays that in you know, thirty forty years time, that they'll be able to do the same because everything has changed. Yeah, so it's just you get lost into that world. That's what I enjoyed. It was like ordering pizza with a landline that is so long, that can stretch so far. It just brought back such beautiful memories. I was like

I remember seeing it at the at the movies we went into the city. I remember for two reasons, one because of the film and just crying my eyes out, but before we went to see it, and I remember this for years, and I think I only just worked through that recently. I kind of spun around. It was my mom, my brother, sisters, and that's another family friend. And I spun around this on the spot, just kind

But it's really interesting because, like I remember seeing Rob Williams Toy Story with my grandparents.

So, which is when we used that.

So that's the one way he's worse than a toy.

Factory, right, is it's just called toy.

It's just called toy, Okay, so it's just got toy. But I remember my grandparents told me that, and then my grandfather Imil was quite moved. It was quite It's got a bit of a dark but I remember watching it. And then we turn around and my grandma Grandpa's disappeared, right, and he's like, he just left the cinema?

Did he spin around?

This is so funny. We walk out, Grandma is just yelling, can't find him anywhere, and then his she visually comes out of another cinema, which was that that movie with Jeremy Iron's Damages, that sexda. I just remember just going because he walked down with the potion next to it, with his hers straddling him and they're having sex pitch.

A tent was he My dad went like we're on very few, very few interstate trips. But he went to occasionally he would go to Canberra and he he said, ye had a night off, so he went and saw a movie. And he went and saw a crash like the idea of my David seen movie by himself. I it would be the only time I could ever imagine. But he went to the David Cronaber Crash. He got like an erotic people were turned on by buying car accidents. Yeah, the car crash is a fertilizing rather than a destructive event,

It's funny you bring that movie out because when I was a kid, I when we go to the video stores, I would just be looking for a nudity and look at the title. That is all I would look at. And I remember I was able to get Crash and slip it in there, and that was the first time I was like, oh, this is gonna be a good movie. And I was like, I'm not enjoying this. There's nothing about this that you know, he's they're making love next to a car while she's stroking the scars.

Don't find car accidents sexy at all, they would have thought, So can you understand? And you get I feel it. I feel like maybe answered. Do you feel that you can understand why this is considered the classic movie?

Yes, totally, because well it's uh, well I can. At first, because I did the same thing. I looked at a little bit this morning. I looked at a cover of my favorite scenes. And then the fact that and that sort of hit me. The fact that I already had favorite scenes from a movie I just watched made me

Oh, it's really funny.

It's so funny because my daughter has done it with every doll, she's done it with a little brother, and I was just like, of course you would do that with an alien.

And it was really one of the changes I made in two thousand and two the version was to just change ET's the eyes because and this is like this goes to show that Spielberry wasn't looking at completely like he said, nothing's wrong with this film. There are just a few things that if I had an extra hour and a day here or the extra hours or the technology, I would have done it like this, and he just he gives in two thousand and the two version, which

And also the other touch I really like, is he the genius he is? And I don't think I've ever spoken about that about the Spielberg. I've never been I've never gone out going, Oh, he's made this film, I'm

Nothing of that, There's nothing Murray Bill Murray Murray or the other.

One with that was that the one with Chunk Candy Catton Ball. There is another one, like like I love those classic once. I never went to see the Beg like I'd see a couple of the Bee hitters, But with this one, I was like the use of light in the room in Elliott's room is just that for me, it was just like, you know, not to go all you know technical on it. I was like every time I was in there, I was in his room, like I felt like I was sitting in there sharing the

Well, that came from the idea that they couldn't find I think a hospital too, because I think it was written that they were going to move them off to a hospital. They couldn't find a place to shoot, And I think Spielberg was flying into La and saw these a bunch of houses being renovated and had those sheets on them. Okay, that's what. Yeah, it's like a makeshift. They basically come out. So again that's talking about.

Being able to just make a movie on the run, like you know what it's like making television and you have to make those decisions. But nowadays, you know, you know, you know, and I work forbid in television. You know, the scripts, the production, the money's already signed off. There's very little to move. Yeah, But as you're developing it and you be able to change it like that before you get.

Very rarely though, when you are giving boundaries and they might be budgetary or they might be you know, we can't find the location, you come up with a better way of doing it. Yeah, So it happens more often than that.

And it becomes exciting because it's a problem to fix creatively that you're already creating. Yeah, but then it's a problem that you're fixed in that same mindset and.

You realize what's inant to actually to this scene. A lot of people have this image of Bilberg having this kind of idealic kind of view of suburbia, but it's actually reasonably bleaks. I'm not sure if the blea's wrong way, but it's kind of realistic, Like the house isn't it's not like a beautiful house. It's like a nice house, but the drinking soft drink, smoke. It's a messy house. There's broken toys.

Yeah it felt real. Yeah, yeah, real in the sense.

That it's a broken home, you know, as a family set up goes.

Because I think I like that sense of suburbia. I've always grown up in a city, but I had that sense of community. I had friends across the road would all get together and go to the local park, and I feel like that's what I want from my kids as well, like we've got family next door. But it's that thing where people are moving around so much, like so much more that you kind of lose that sense

There's bella clava and there's like ann for doora but one of those old old star kind of racing caps on. My granddad used to wear one of these through.

Me and I was like, okay, they help, No, they're gonna rob a back.

Did you like some of the Star Wars references as a couple in there? There's you a Star Wars fan.

I wouldn't say I'm a huge Star Wars fan. I've watched I've watched them.

But you saw Yoda, Yeah, yeah, Halloween and the Halloween that was I thought that was a nice bit and also very figure the figurines, the figurines as well, which he starts playing with the figurines to show him. I thought it would have been nice though as a Star Wars fan, because he gets squeido and then he gets hammer hair and if you like the Cantaeen creatures from Star wars. But if he and then he has a little gun battle between Grido and Hammed, surely you put

A genius, but he wouldn't have done it is if the guy delivering the pizza was Han Solo.

Well, funny enough, Harrison Ford had a scene in the film after Elliott gets drunk in class. He goes to the principal's office and Harrison Ford is going to be the principal telling him and he and Elliott levitates about it. He's got his back. Never you were never going to see Harrison Ford's face. They shot it, they didn't put it in, and he levitates as Harrison was kind of looking at the window talking to him about responsibility and stuff like that. But the Spielberg thought would be too

I wouldn't lie to your son, see your own away, your own best friend or your own worst enemy's thing.

Like I'm always curious now after watching it, like what are the deleted scenes? Like like other I assume there's a lot of them. It's a film. They always shoot too much. But it's like what could you have left in? What did you leave out? Because otherwise, yeah, as it flows like there was a bit where because you get sucked in at the start and then the pace picks up. I had to get used to the pace, like and I'm watching kids shows like I should be used to

Yeah, they really, they really do bang the idea of phoning home home home.

Yeah, home. And then and whether if you were to put your child like you know, say, you know, when Minka turns eight years old, I'll stick with the go you need to watch ET.

I don't say what age one of those what age.

I reckon eight just now, because I mean, I reckon more than ever. We do wrap our kids in cotton ball like like, you know, they like the fact that Minka was scared at Toy Story. Oh my god. Our childcare they had a movie night. They'd rat it to you. I've never seen most kids scream and cry. It was just it was everyone like even and they're like, yeah, we've made a mistake because at the start, it's my

I mean, if you if you weren't going you weren't going there. Why I mention it because.

It's stereotype, that's true, but it's it's where it's like they just cry easily. They just they feel other people's feelings.

Still will because I mean, certainly the Australia's MBN wouldn't cover a phone call from a phone or any kind of communication between Australia and wherever ET's planet is. But it's still the idea that you need to have coverage, Yeah, Sue ET's home planet.

Yeah yeah yeah. And also and then understanding like when I was watching it as well, it's like it was part of me. I was like, but how far is it? How far is your home?

Like?

Are they watching?

Like?

It was nice to have those questions go and again again. It shows the side of a good film. Is I know what the ending? I just knew because of I know what the ending was going to be, Yet I was still sucked in to the emotion of losing et.

Yeah, have you become more emotional? I feel like this is a thing that's developing. Are you becoming more emotional watching movies post kids like that you've had kids?

It is phenomenal?

Yeah, isn't it is?

It is bizarre And I think I have cried more in the last especially even with my son, with the second one, I've cried more in the last three years than I have I reckon the rest of my life.

What's the film that you've cried in that you're a little bit embarrassed about.

Well, the last time I cried with watching it was it was just a television series and the kid goes missing. And as soon as the kid goes missing, it wasn't a build up to it. I was like, what do you mean? The kid's missus? Like, I can't. There's is a scene when the door opened, there's no kid in there, and bang I was. I was just couldn't stop crying, like and it's like and we're halfway in, like we haven't even we don't even know what's having the start.

Was, why is that guy crying at the lectern? Sorry I brought in the moment.

Why is it so much spitt us? Look at this slide for a moment without comment.

I think it speaks for itself.

So yeah, so I'm looking forward because that's the thing. It's a great website I forgot what it is call where you can actually look up the title of the movie for kids, and it gives you, Yeah, it gives you marking and what bits to look out for, and it does make you realize that a lot of movies fully dated and there are references that you need to explain that we had to get the new versions of The Magic Faraway Tree.

Recently because there's characters You're like, WHOA, come on to eat a light and come on in rate it in.

So I'm looking forward to, you know, because ET is another one, and there's a couple of other kid movies that I haven't seen, but now after seeing AT, I mean, holds up, we are there any others? There? Any other big ones?

I say, I think AT is is, like I think, clearly, I'm going to say clearly the best because it works on both levels quite clearly. You have watched it, and what you said before, I think is worth this going over again, Like you watched it in a period where you just were trying to, you know, squeeze your shoehorn it into your day to do this podcast, and which

Yeah, And I know and it really because in the end I was like I thought, yeah, if I'm comfortable enough, but it was just like you know that thing where I was like, you're running around kids, and and also I really wanted to watch it at night, but as we work every.

Night, absolutely some of the picks up films are up is incredible.

Yeah.

And the opening sequence to that is that will that has you in tears. Yea to begin me as the starting point yeah for that movie. Then it kind of works in reverse where you kind of makes you feel better by the end.

Because I did. I did cry when I watched Up and that's that sequence. But then it's amazing where your mind goes, because when I watched that, I was like, oh, this is so much better than Roger Rappers. I was just watched I know where I went there, and I was like, this is just so much better.

I'm not bad, I'm just strong that way.

Well done. It's just so weird where your mind goes.

Well man, Thank you so much for it, first of all watching et for us where you ain't seen nothing yet, and for coming in and being so open and honest.

Yeah, I wasn't expecting that, Pete. Thanks for having me. It was I actually did not know where this was gonna go.

And because yea, we are recording this before we release them, so you haven't yeh, haven't even had to listen to episodes as a reference.

Yeah, but it's also that same thing where it's like, it's great and it's the one thing I've forgotten about film, and it's really like, I think I'm gonna go book a movie night a day night with my partner because when you get it's the one time where you can generally escape and people always want to escape, but also be able to get in touch with feelings that you

Cry more, cry more. Yeah. Well, Mask is one that I remember at around the same time. Eric Daltz shir plays his mum. You know the basic story, dude, so he's got a certain disfigurement and and it's just kid having a No, don't get the two films confused. Alright, I'm not sure why thought he was so sad. Yeah, no, thank you so much, mate, and maybe we can find another film for you to watch. And yeah, come on another time. But thanks for joining us.

Awesome. You Ain't Seeing Nothing.

Hope you enjoyed that bonus episode of You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet with my great mate Ben low Mass. Check out the fit bet podcast he does with another great made of mind Derek dry Singer. They are fantastic comics and it's a delightful podcast. I've even guested on myself. Thanks to Castaway Studios for all your podcast needs, Derek Mayer is Amanda c also the Boys Jimmy and Tom at Circus Trees for your boutique podcast, film, TV commercials,