FMC 064: Death Wish 2018 Directed by Eli Roth

Full Episode Transcript
This episode of Filmmaker Commentary the 2018 film *Death Wish*, directed by Eli Roth, discussing its box office performance, critical reception, and comparisons to the original, alongside a comprehensive review of recent film news, what the hosts have been watching, and filmmaking advice.

Opening Discussion & Box Office Analysis
Reginald Titus Jr.: Filmmaker Commentary, episode 64. Welcome to Filmmaker Commentary, where we give you insights from our favorite filmmaking commentaries. These commentaries can be heard on your DVD and Blu-rays of your favorite movies. We'll show you how you can use these commentaries and apply them to improve your video production and filmmaking techniques. All of this here on Filmmaker Commentary. I'm your host, Reginald Titus Jr.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Welcome to Filmmaker Commentary. I'm Reginald Titus Jr. I'm joined with...
Casey G. Smith: Casey G. Smith. Welcome back, sir.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Good to be back, sir. And today we're going to go over *Death Wish*, directed by Eli Roth, 2018, written by Joe Carnahan. We have a theatrical performance of 34 point, 34, just 34 million domestically, and we have 14.5 internationally for a worldwide box office of 48.5 million. What was the budget? What was the production budget?
Casey G. Smith: Uh, got a production budget of 30 million.
Reginald Titus Jr.: 30 million. Ooh.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. I mean, once you add in, you know, you know, P&A, that's that's that's maybe they broke even, but probably they took a little bit of a loss on this one. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Not enough to because I know they were going to try to do a part two, right? They alluded to it.
Casey G. Smith: They they alluded, yeah. They was, you know, potential there, but...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Probably not.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, we have a home market performance for DVD sales, 3.3 million, and uh, Blu-ray, 4.6 million. And this is just domestic video sales, almost 8 million bucks.
Casey G. Smith: Like we were talking off off uh, off mic, about it'd be fascinating to be able to see numbers for SVOD and VOD when you get into those other windows of distribution, uh what that looks like. Um, but those numbers are few and far between.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah. And they probably keep that close to the vest because I think when we realize that they're really crushing it outside of the theater, you know, a lot of distributors, that's kind of like the, like some of the distributors kind of keep, especially independent distributors, that's how they are really making their money and kind of swindling other filmmakers out of their films because they know that they're going to be able to flip flip it on the iTunes and the transactional stuff. Yeah. I know Blumhouse, they know even if their um, their movie doesn't perform well theatrically, and they pull it in enough time and they know it's not going to perform well, they know they're going to be able to get two or three million off a bad title.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. They just, he just knows that. He's got it down.
Reginald Titus Jr.: They got it down to a science, Blumhouse, they they I think uh, you know, I think I'm quoting it right, but I think it's about 3 million that they know that they can get off of a title that's even not performing well theatrically.
Casey G. Smith: They keep that budget low enough.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Shoot, yeah. Yeah.

News and Movies Watched
Reginald Titus Jr.: But at any rate, before we dive further into *Death Wish*, let's talk about, let's talk about, What the heck is going on? Let's talk about news and movies watched.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So, news. Do you have any news for us today?
Casey G. Smith: A little bit of news, uh so *Toy Story 4* has had a uh a strong second week at the box office. Uh its its initial opening uh was considered a little bit weak, but it it uh bounced back and made around an additional uh 58 million um during this weekend. Uh *Avengers* had its its its quote-unquote re-release at the box office, uh attempting to try and overtake *Avatar*'s uh record worldwide, pulled in about uh, I want to say about 5.5 million, which was a boost to what it had been doing, but uh not quite enough to topple *Avatar*. Uh and then *Spider-Man: Far From Home* opened in China, Japan and Bangkok and brought in uh uh, I want to say 101 million. Um over there. And of course it'll have its official domestic release this Tuesday. So, uh it's expected to do pretty well. Uh and well that's also what *Avengers: Endgame*, its its quote-unquote re-release did was to bolster bolster up uh, you know, preparing for the launch, uh because *Spider-Man: Far From Home* is the official last film of of uh Phase 3 of the MCU. Of the MCU, yeah. This is the end of Phase 3 and the whole Infinity uh saga. Well, I won't I won't put it that way, who knows what we'll see in in credits. But uh, but yeah, that's what I got for news.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, my son, he's like, we're going to see *Spider-Man*? That's like his thing. Then *Spider*, of course, the *Spider-Verse*, *Into the Spider-Verse* and that's just on Netflix. So he's like, he's waiting, like, hey, when are we going to watch this? Like, hey, it's on, it's here now. Also kind of going what you were saying with the whole uh *Endgame* thing, you know, a lot of people were kind of comparing it to see if it was going to be able to topple *Avatar* and all that. Uh but on one of the articles I read that they were some of the countries that *Avatar* was really doing well in, in this uh *Infinity Endgame*, right? It's not it's not performing well in those countries that *Avatar* was doing at the time. And so it's like kind of like a bad calculation based on the countries that that are doing well.
Casey G. Smith: And also again, the big thing, I think one of the big things is that it is is when it was released. *Avatar* came out in, I want to say like in December, which or maybe even January. So *Avatar* did not have a bunch of competition. It didn't it wasn't a summer release.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Right. I went out of my way to see it because of the whole 3D craze, because I remember 3D with the red and blue glasses and this was the first time 3D you could see it clearly without having the color version of 3D. I think hands down that has that little trend thing that really allowed it to launch out.
Casey G. Smith: Well, and here's the thing, *Avatar* did not have a big opening weekend. It just it had legs.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's word of mouth, man, because I told everybody.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. And so but it had legs, but then also it didn't have, it didn't have any major competition. Like during its its initial run, not a lot of like not a lot of competition. *Avengers* dropped in April, or maybe it was end of April, and then within weeks, we had *Detective Pikachu*. And then there's there's been we went into the summer. Like, and there's been a lot of pretty big movies this summer, not all of them have been blockbuster killers, but that truly definitely, you know, would have eaten eaten into uh *Avengers*' run at the box office. Because again, you go up to like *Detective Pikachu*, that's, you know, and then *Aladdin* drops and then just so on and so forth. So a lot of competition whereas *Avatar* had a had a a nice runway, but...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I might have seen *Avatar* twice, but like how I see movies is like, even if there is a lot of options, I just go to the one that I want to watch, you know, it's not, yeah. So even with like with with all those options of movies being out, I only went to to watch the *Infinity* movie.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I think I think um, I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And it was mind-blowing, like straight up. Like *Avatar* was mind-blowing. Like...
Casey G. Smith: So I've watched it in the theater, but I had a like, I think which one contact in, so the 3D wasn't working as well as it should have for me.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh, man. Yeah. So like for like an experience, I was like, what is this? Like it like my brain was tripping. You know, story, basic story. But from like just straight visual effects, like I was like, this is next. Yeah, it was next level.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I mean, clearly it it it it encapsulated the world. Again, it was like literally lightning in a bottle. It's going to be very fascinating to see what happens uh with these next three sequels. Um they, I mean, again, I won't I won't bet against James Cameron. Because he's he's shown he's got two on the list. Yeah. He's he's shown that he can do some amazing things. So we'll see.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: But yeah, that's all we have for news and that came via The Playlist.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Movies watched. I only got one show that I watched. I didn't really have that much time this week, but um I watched *The Chef Show*. I think you tell me about that with uh Jon Favreau, director...
Casey G. Smith: I've seen the movie *Chef*. I I did see I did see that plugged on on Netflix, but I didn't I haven't I haven't...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Just watched two episodes. Seems like he was just, well, he was hanging out on set and things like that. He just he wanted a reason to hook back up with uh um the actual chef that showed him how to cook. That's who he's partnered up with in this show. He just like, you know, showing people how to do some of the dishes that he that that he made in the movie. And it's cool. It's like it's freestyle. You could tell he just had some cameras around like, hey, let's shoot some real quick. Uh so I saw two episodes of that. And I saw that with the wife. She likes like cooking shows, so.
Casey G. Smith: Okay.
Reginald Titus Jr.: It was pretty cool. And then you on the the first uh episode is with who's Iron Man's wife? What's the actress' name?
Casey G. Smith: Pepper I was going to say Pepper Potts. That is Miss Gwyneth Paltrow.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Paltrow. Um, the name of the dish they were making was called Pepper Potts. And it was like jalapeno, habanero stuff and then it looked kind of gross. It looked very gross, but and spicy. Uh, and because I guess you has like this like vegan restaurant or something like that.
Casey G. Smith: She's got a whole she's got a whole brand business thing going on.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow.
Casey G. Smith: She she's not she's like entrepreneur straight up. Like clothing line and...
Reginald Titus Jr.: So when when they were talking, she was like, uh Jon Favreau was like, you know, in *Spider-Man* when you were like, she's like, I was in *Spider-Man*? You like, I was in *Spider-Man*? And he's like, yeah, the scene when you when...
Casey G. Smith: In *Far From*, yeah, in *Homecoming*. She's got a real quick...
Reginald Titus Jr.: So she started laughing. She said that was *Spider-Man*.
Casey G. Smith: That that would make sense though. There's there's so much uh, you know, I guess if you're trying to schedule an actor or actress and you know they're going to be in a couple things and you know you got to you got to block them out. You might have them like shoot a couple things back to back. And then, you know, they go about, you know,
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah. She was unaware. She was like, okay. Okay.
Casey G. Smith: And they're so secretive, too. So she she may have had, you know, just, you know, sides for whatever scene that she's going to perform with Tom Holland and with, you know, RDJ and and, you know, and Favreau and then she's gone. Because again, it's literally she's just there for like one scene. When I think about it, it's just one quick scene. So I I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't realize.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, that's funny. But any how, uh some other actors probably would know they were in there.
Casey G. Smith: Marvel's very uh...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But then also like when did they record, you know, the uh the show, the the *Chef Show* because, you know, because they could have been right in the middle of it or who knows?
Casey G. Smith: True true. That's a that's a good point.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, so hey, man, you know, who knows, who knows? But um, and then in uh the second episode, you see like Robert Downey, you got Tom Holland, you got Kevin Kevin Feige.
Casey G. Smith: Feige. Kevin Feige.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Sorry. Um, and some more producers of like the whole Marvel Universe. And they're just at the table.
Casey G. Smith: Pastry and um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: They're just having a good time just eating, man. It looks I was like, oh man, that's cool table to be at.
Casey G. Smith: Yes, sir.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Anyhow, that's all. That's all I've seen.
Casey G. Smith: Okay, okay. I got a couple of things that made the list. So first off, Reginald.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yes.
Casey G. Smith: Based on your recommendation last episode.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: You pulled me to watch *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yes. Not not the whole thing. Just one episode.
Casey G. Smith: Yes. And uh, so I I I watched I watched the first episode of season, is it five?
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah. We're on.
Casey G. Smith: First episode of season five. Um, fascinating concept.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Uh, you know, the the the so...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Filmmaker Commentary. Yeah, if um, you haven't reviewed any watched any of the things that that we're talking about, just want to let you know that there could be in this portion spoilers.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yes, indeed.
Casey G. Smith: Um you've been forewarned.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah. If fast forward if you don't want season 5 of *Black Mirror* spoiled, just fast forward 30 seconds, you'll be good.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. So, uh Anthony Mackie, uh in this particular episode, you know, you know, they start off, you know, it's earlier in life, him and his future future wife and kind of have like they how they like to role play, you know, when they're at bars and stuff like that. And then, you know, him and his his best friend, you know, they all live together and, you know, his best friend keeps him up late and they like to game play. This fighting game, you fast forward years later where, you know, they've kind of, you know, him and his buddy have kind of grown apart. His, you know, buddy's recently divorced and shows up at Anthony Mackie's birthday party and as a gift, gives him this little virtual reality headset to go along uh with the brand new edition of the fighting game they used to play back in the day. They end up connecting, you know, online, you know, he invites Anthony Mackie to jump into the fighting game.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Right.
Casey G. Smith: And but to put on the little virtual reality piece.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Which has been introduced from other seasons.
Casey G. Smith: Sure, yeah. But no, you're familiar with the technology.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Exactly.
Casey G. Smith: *Black Mirror* is all about, you know, technology with a twist. And uh, and so they show up and boom, they're actually in the game and Anthony Mackie is in the is in the body of his favorite character, the Asian dude and you know, but it's like, you know, when you're in the game, you know, it's like now real actors. And of course, um, man.
Reginald Titus Jr.: It was a trip to see that. I was like, this is cool.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. And then and yeah and then his his his his best friend, who's also the actor from uh who he's in actually *Aquaman*. He plays Black Manta.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Haven't seen it. Sorry, I haven't seen it.
Casey G. Smith: Dude's a talented actor, man. He's also in the uh *The Get Down* on Netflix. He plays one of the main bads uh in that. Dude dude's real talent. He's he might have a uh African name. His his name is unique. Um but so he shows up in the game as a uh a female character that he likes to play as. Who the actress who's playing that female character is the one who plays Mantis in the *Guardians of the Galaxy* movies.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Ah, There you go. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, we got all kinds of like, yeah, it's it's wild. Um and so they're both in the game and like you know, Anthony Mackie's just trying to get adjusted and he said the the game simulates like all aspects of physicality. So it's not even though they're fighting each other and he can get an injury but he'll like heal up. But you can feel everything.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, that's terrible.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. So they begin to like, you know, mess around with like fighting and Anthony Mackie's trying to get adjusted and then all of a sudden out of nowhere like they they kiss. You know? And uh, they're like, you know, kind of taken back by it and so anyway, long story short, what ends up happening is that they they end up, they end up going at it like, you know, again, this simulates all aspects of physicality, which includes sex. And uh, they end up, you know, their characters in this game end up having sex. And so you cut to the guys at, you know, in their respective homes on the couches just like, you know, eyes glazed over, zoned out, you know, connecting to this virtual world. Actually, the first time they don't do it. The first time...
Reginald Titus Jr.: It's not as fresh in my brain, but...
Casey G. Smith: I don't I don't think they have sex the first time. I think maybe it's the second time. But I think I think they just kissed the first time. Anyway, eventually it ends up where they end up going at it. And it it ends up becoming this thing and and he begins to become more distant from his wife. He had a real passionate relationship with his wife. They had a good thing. And she just begins to notice how it's like just he's changing and she's like, is it is it me and they're trying to get pregnant again. They have one child and they want another. And anyway, they end up um finally Anthony Mackie ends up ends up just kind of like saying, telling his friend like, you know, we can't do this anymore. We can't. And they they kind of have this distance. And then years pass and his wife, thinking she's been a good wife, she invites, you know, his old friend to come back through. She doesn't, you know, know why they're not hanging out. She doesn't realize anything that's been going on. She invites him to come through to dinner and, you know, they're there having dinner and his friend is telling him that he's tried to he's tried to, you know, find other ways of other other avenues in this game. He's he's slept with other other people virtually in the game.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. That's right. I forgot about that.
Casey G. Smith: He slept with a polar bear. Polar bear. But for whatever reason, it's it's not it's just not the same with other characters.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Polar bear. That's hilarious.
Casey G. Smith: And uh, so yeah, again, this has gone longer than 30 seconds, but...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that, guys.
Casey G. Smith: It was um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: It was a doozy.
Casey G. Smith: It was it was it was something else, man. It just it it was kind of just blurring these these lines virtual reality. And of course, it's it's then then dealing with things of sexuality. But the crazy thing is that they finally kind of have this confrontation in person and and and he says, you know, let's just, you know, kiss and get it over with. Uh to find out, you know, you know, I guess you know, they're gay or bi or whatever. And they do that and they're like, nope, nothing. And they even like and like even like kind of come to blows like and get put in jail and uh and long story short, they end up at the end of the day, he finally tells his wife what's going on when she bails him out of jail. And they end up reaching this compromise where he gets one, I don't know, I don't know, once a month or once a year or something like that. I think it's once a month. They got it arranged where he gets to go online with his buddy and they do what they do. And then she gets to go out to a bar somewhere and play this role playing game and pick up some random dude.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah. So they basically get like a free pass for whatever day that is.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. And I'm just like, what?
Reginald Titus Jr.: What?
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, that was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smith: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smith: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smith: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smith: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smith: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smith: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smith: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smith: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smith: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smith: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smith: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smith: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smith: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smith: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smith: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smith: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smith: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smith: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smith: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smith: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smith: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smith: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smith: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smith: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smith: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smith: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smith: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smith: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smith: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smith: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smith: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smith: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smith: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smith: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smith: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smith: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smith: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smith: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smith: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smith: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smith: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smith: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smith: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smith: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smith: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smith: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smith: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smith: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smith: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smith: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smith: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smith: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smith: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smith: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smith: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smith: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smith: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smith: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smiths: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smiths: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smiths: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smiths: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smiths: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smiths: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smiths: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smiths: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smiths: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smiths: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smiths: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smiths: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smiths: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smiths: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smiths: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smiths: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smiths: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smiths: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smiths: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smiths: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smiths: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smiths: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smiths: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smiths: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smiths: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smiths: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smiths: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smiths: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smiths: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smiths: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smiths: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smiths: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smiths: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smiths: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smiths: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smiths: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smiths: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smiths: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smiths: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smiths: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smiths: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smiths: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smiths: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smiths: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smiths: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smiths: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smiths: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smiths: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smiths: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smiths: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smiths: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smiths: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smiths: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smiths: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smiths: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony...
Casey G. Smiths: It was it was a shock. It was well done, well acted, well executed, but yeah, it was a shock.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That was a shock. Yeah.
Casey G. Smiths: It was something else. So, um, yeah, *Black Mirror*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Season 5 episode 1. Yeah, man. That's a doozy. Um some lady uh there's a lady, she's in Houston. I was on Instagram on her filmmaker page and uh she's a writer. She's like she had put up like an image from that episode and says, is this cheating? Like it like like a whole debate. I was like, I was like, yeah, it is, but it's weird though. That's what I told her. I was like, yeah. I said, yeah, it is cheating, but it's weird though.
Casey G. Smiths: I guess I guess it comes down to um, I I guess, you know, I guess how you define cheating whether it's actual like physical like is it the actual physical act of is it is fantasizing cheating? Is it an illicit conversation? Is that cheating? Then again, some things could be stepping blocks, too. Um is is getting yeah, it's it's it's all kinds of a can of worms.
Reginald Titus Jr.: I think from a yeah, it is. From like a because I kind of see what uh this is a tangent. This is the future of pornography basically, you know, VR glasses and do all and simulating all that stuff.
Casey G. Smiths: Simulation, simulation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's going to be the future. But what makes it cheating what I think women um what classified as treatment cheating is because you know the person on the other side and you're like developing this like uh, connection.
Casey G. Smiths: A connection. Yeah, it is.
Reginald Titus Jr.: What is it called when you have like a like a um, I'm looking for a word. It's not like straight up cheating, an affair. So it's like here you're having an affair.
Casey G. Smiths: An emotional.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, an emotional affair. Like I think a woman, you know, I'm just generalizing, would prefer if this thing was like a real thing to to just be strangers. No emotional connection. Yeah, versus like somebody you know and you're like planning on the meeting time and you're developing and talking and doing.
Casey G. Smiths: And keeping it a secret.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, so you're online, you know, having this having these conversations and these landscapes and all that stuff. It's like, yeah, I think most women would probably like kill off the.
Casey G. Smiths: Yeah. I I say it's just yeah, it's straight up. I say it's definitely cheating. Yeah again, relationships are a combination of all these things, you know, the emotional, the physical, the mental. And you if you if if your relationship is supposed to be based on trust, honesty, uh, then you're breaking those things. Then yeah, that's I think that's that's is a form of cheating. Um, fascinating. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smiths: So, man. It's a can of worms you opened, Reginald. But I I did check it out and now that I'm now that I'm like removed from it, you know, a little bit. I can I can appreciate I can appreciate it more as a standalone episode. But I was I'm I'm not going to lie. I'm just I was a little uncomfortable. But that's that's that's that's, you know, just where I'm at. But you know, you do what you do. Uh but it was a it was a well done episode and uh yeah, it was fascinating.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah, I did. But I I think uh I think it makes a difference when you get when you got uh competition. If you if you've seen something and you have an option to maybe go see it again, but there's something else you want to see, then you're going to go see the other thing you want to see. There's not any competition, you're like, oh, well, you know, we're here. Let's go watch this again.
Casey G. Smiths: Yeah. That was no, I was like Anthony...
Reginald Titus Jr.: No, I was like Anthony हृदया

Filming *Death Wish*: Synopsis and Initial Reactions
Reginald Titus Jr.: Welcome back to Filmmaker Commentary. We are covering *Death Wish*, starring Bruce Willis, directed by Eli Roth, 2018. Let's jump right into the synopsis.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Dr. Paul Kersey is a surgeon who only sees the aftermath of his city's violence as it's rushed into his ER until his wife and college-aged daughter are viciously attacked in their suburban home. With the police overloaded with crimes, Paul, burning for revenge, hunts for his family's assailants to deliver justice. As the anonymous killings of criminals grab the media's attention, the city wonders if the deadly avenger is a Guardian Angel or a Grim Reaper. Fury and fate collide in the intense action thriller, *Death Wish*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And if this is your first time, once again, listening to Filmmaker Commentary, as we cover this film, please know that there will be spoilers. You've been forewarned.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Did you like this movie? And what were your thoughts?
Casey G. Smith: Okay. Um, you know what? Uh, it was it was enjoyable. I I I I yeah, I I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The trailers didn't do much for me. The trailers were too cute.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: You know, and I and I've seen the original *Death Wish* with Charles Bronson. I watched that a couple of years ago. And I thought that and that was that was actually pretty good. You know, it's a solid film. Uh spawned multiple sequels. But yeah, I enjoyed this I enjoyed this film uh more than I thought I would. And I didn't mind going through it again for the for the commentary. How about you?
Reginald Titus Jr.: I have two kind of responses. From a just straight up entertainment standpoint, purely entertainment, me and the wife, we enjoyed it.
Casey G. Smith: Okay.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, like the blood lust, get him. We enjoyed it. Uh but like from like an artsy, kind of bougie filmmaker standpoint, not so much.
Casey G. Smith: Okay.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, there was there's some, you know, some some interesting things there like, I know Eli Roth is he's the horror guy. And just kind of like with the thriller, you know, is a thriller, but then he's also kind of throwing in the horror elements. Sometimes it comes off as comedic.
Casey G. Smith: Okay, I I I will yeah, that's that's fine. I I'll give I'll give you that, definitely on some of the some of the comedic timing of some things.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um and then with the I know we talked about this before, and there's a scene where uh the scene where they in a in the original *Death Proof*, I haven't seen the original *Death Proof*, is the *Death Wish*. I'm tripping. Even though Eli Roth is in *Death Proof*.
Casey G. Smith: Aha.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Is it more graphic when the guys come in and kill the did they kill the wife in the original?
Casey G. Smith: Mhm. In the in the in the original, cuz I actually went back and and read up a little bit on the on the original just to kind of have some some some points. Uh, yeah, in the original, Kersey's wife is is killed and his daughter is raped. Like and it's actually like actually Jeff Goldblum is in the original as one of the assailants, like three gang members. Uh, it's clearly him, he's uncredited, but yeah, they yeah, she gets she gets raped. And it is, I think she gets might get sodomized, too. But it's anyway, it's yeah, it's definitely it's definitely more graphic. That's why I was kind of shocked with this one, especially with Eli Roth. I I thought for sure they were going to show something, but they didn't. You know, they they pulled out and even even the the actual gunshots, you know, are uh you know, kind of off off camera, which I thought was was fascinating. Nothing you had to see it. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: Uh, you know, it's kind of off off camera, which I thought was was fascinating. Nothing you had to see it. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: That's fascinating. I I guess in this one that maybe because I had seen the original and I don't know, had had that contrast that I was kind of I was surprised that it wasn't there, but it but I was like, okay, it still works. Yeah, I was like, oh, it's just a different a different a different take. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's there is there definitely is an argument to to be made for that. Not that, you know, you see the wife's body, you know, you see the wife's body, Elizabeth Shue's body after the fact, uh and the fact obviously that, you know, his daughter continues to live. But also here's a different twist from the original to this one is his profession is different. So *Death Wish* actually, there's three it comes in three forms. Okay. First off, it's a book.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. Based off a novel.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, based off a novel. And in the novel, he's an accountant. Then when the movie comes out in '74, they change it to an architect.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: Then now in this remake, he's this trauma surgeon. Uh, so different professions.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Three very different professions. But uh, accountant, architect, uh but what with all these professions, are they are they uh are they leaning more toward I'm a more of affluent family or I'm well-to-do family because of the profession?
Casey G. Smith: He seems to be doing all From what I remember, it's been a while since I I saw the first *Death Wish*, but he seems to be doing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: They don't they are yeah, they seem that at least like upper middle class. And I'm trying to remember where the if if it if the original one is set in Chicago also. Yeah, they don't they don't they didn't seem like they were hurting by by any means. But it's also, you know, it came out in '74, so sometimes, yeah, they didn't they weren't they weren't in poverty. Again, they were being, you know, the place being attacked and and and, you know, again, his wife and daughter being attacked. I think that attack was like kind of random. Um, because these were just thugs and I think I think I think they saw his wife and daughter at the store and they were they were they were primarily going to to rape them. Like that was like their primary. Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. That was their primary. Versus robbery. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. They were out to assail. And then...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But we did have a creepy guy in this film that were that wanted to do more.
Casey G. Smith: And that was kind of the that was kind of I think the homage where you thought, if you had seen the original, you thought, oh, it's going to go this way. But then you you actually have his daughter actually, you know, trying to fight back, which is a different twist where his daughter and other one was like, yeah, she didn't have a she didn't have a chance. And she ends up not even like in a she's not even in a coma in the first one, in the original. She's just comatose. She's just in shock from what happened to her. She's comatose.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. Yeah, so just the graphic thing, but I think it works from just an entertainment standpoint. But what I wasn't aware of, just like some of the worst reviews this film when it came out. And it wasn't on my radar at all. Like I've seen the trailer, I was like, no, why? I'm tired of remakes. Like, why do they keep doing this?
Casey G. Smith: Mmm.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So that's what I'm like from a subconscious standpoint, I'm just like, why are they doing this? But it's Eli Roth, I like Eli Roth. Okay, I'll check it out one day.
Casey G. Smith: Sure.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but I think the movie it still works, but it got they got creamed with the...
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I I I remember hearing that Yeah, I I heard about the development of the film and all that and they were remaking it. I was like, and then in my mind I was like, kind of your take, I was like, why would they have to remake *Death Wish*? I mean, I mean, the tale can can work in any generation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: Um, and then when I saw the trailer, I was like, no. Again, it it just it seemed too cute. I'm like, this is this is a tragic story.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And then you got the little finger at the end like bang bang bang.
Casey G. Smith: I'm like, this is a tragic story. To me, there's nothing funny about it, you know, you're dealing with such real subject matter. Yeah. And yeah, I think there are a couple of times, I think with the way that this film is made, it it it it kind of the the the totality of it bounces some of those little bits, uh and they really try to avoid being melodramatic. But I think that's just kind of Eli Roth's his his styling. Uh, you know, he always has, yeah, he always has some elements of, you know, the wink kind of in there.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You see the rose. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Even in his horror stuff.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So yeah, that's the only problem that I kind of had, you know, I had issue with just the kind of graphic, the balance of what are we doing here, you know, because I think since we went that way at the beginning, I think some of the like head squishing and all that stuff, like that could have been kind of taken out in a way. Not not we do the close-up of the face squashing. We do the close-up of the neck breaking. It's like cut that part. And it would give that balance, you know, it can kind of we see the blood and we see them like, nah, but I don't know. That's just my thought. That's just the bougie stuff like I was saying. That's just filmmaker stuff that who cares. But um, but then there was like a couple of continuity things like uh when uh Bruce Willis was sitting down with the psychiatrist in the scene. At first, he's like sitting back when he's first talking to her. And then we cut to see her and then all of a sudden he's up. And so it's like there's a couple of times where these little continuity things like, I caught that, but I wonder if the audience cares.
Casey G. Smith: Hmm. I may have seen something like that, I think in the film. I think I think there was a scene I saw where there seemed like there was a quick shift and the position of the body changed. I don't remember what part it was in, though, but. Yeah. But also, I know they had a real tight shooting schedule with with him. Um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: He didn't really say much about uh Bruce Willis during the commentary if he had a good time or...
Reginald Titus Jr.: He talked a lot about like the other actors, especially the daughter. And I thought he complimented Bruce Willis multiple times throughout.
Casey G. Smith: Did he? Yeah. Yeah. He did he to me, he constantly talked about how much he how much of a professional he was. He worked with him and let him kind of just do his do his do his thing. Like I didn't I didn't get any hints. You know, because sometimes we hear, you know, things about obviously Bruce Willis. Uh I know your boy Kevin Smith has has things to say, but I I didn't I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: A lot of people just kind of keep it quiet.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, I was listening for, I was like, I wonder how, you know, how it went, but he didn't really He said they had some doubles and they seemed like they were just trying to get him shot. Just get him shot.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. He did mention towards the end when he was thanking the uh producer he had worked with. Um, he did mention that they had that that there was a challenging film to shoot at the end. He said that specifically and I was like, huh. And that made me think about, you know, some of those bad reviews and yeah, not performing well box office wise.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah. Not performing well box office wise.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And I think the only thing with just the authenticity, you know, it being in Chicago, kind of talking about the violence, stuff like that, there's no way in heck this surgeon is going in the middle of Chicago's hood and shooting a a drug the drug dealer at day at broad daylight. No, no way in Chicago this is happening. No way. That happens at all. Cause you hear stories like if you're driving up the street, they don't know your car and you're playing the wrong music, people have been shot just because of that stuff. So when you read the stories of what goes down over there, there's no way that's happening. But you know, we'll we'll just suspend belief. Yeah. So it's it's fascinating that, you know, Eli talks about in the commentary how over the hospital, they, you know, they had a lot of extras who were doctors or physicians or actual medical personnel. Uh and they asked different questions. Even with the police officers, you know, they're asking them questions how would this be handled or that handled and they went to some stations to find out, oh, this is, you know, closed by, you know, arrest and all that kind of stuff. Um, but maybe when it came to some of the crime and hood things, like, you know, where do you where do you find the hood? Who's your source to make sure that they're not screwing up.
Casey G. Smith: Suspend belief. Yeah.
Reginald Titus Jr.: They'll probably keep that close to the vest because I think when we realize that they're really crushing it outside of the theater, you know, a lot of distributors, that's kind of like the, like some of the distributors kind of keep, especially independent distributors, that's how they are really making their money and kind of swindling other filmmakers out of their films because they know that they're going to be able to flip flip it on the iTunes and the transactional stuff. Yeah. I know Blumhouse, they know even if their um, their movie doesn't perform well theatrically, and they pull it in enough time and they know it's not going to perform well, they know they're going to be able to get two or three million off a bad title.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, they just, he just knows that. He's got it down.
Reginald Titus Jr.: They got it down to a science, Blumhouse, they they I think uh, you know, I think I'm quoting it right, but I think it's about 3 million that they know that they can get off of a title that's even not performing well theatrically.
Casey G. Smith: They keep that budget low enough.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Shoot, yeah. Yeah.

Filming *Death Wish*: Synopsis and Initial Reactions
Reginald Titus Jr.: Welcome back to Filmmaker Commentary. We are covering *Death Wish*, starring Bruce Willis, directed by Eli Roth, 2018. Let's jump right into the synopsis.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Dr. Paul Kersey is a surgeon who only sees the aftermath of his city's violence as it's rushed into his ER until his wife and college-aged daughter are viciously attacked in their suburban home. With the police overloaded with crimes, Paul, burning for revenge, hunts for his family's assailants to deliver justice. As the anonymous killings of criminals grab the media's attention, the city wonders if the deadly avenger is a Guardian Angel or a Grim Reaper. Fury and fate collide in the intense action thriller, *Death Wish*.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And if this is your first time, once again, listening to Filmmaker Commentary, as we cover this film, please know that there will be spoilers. You've been forewarned.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Did you like this movie? And what were your thoughts?
Casey G. Smith: Okay. Um, you know what? Uh, it was it was enjoyable. I I I I yeah, I I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The trailers didn't do much for me. The trailers were too cute.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: You know, and I and I've seen the original *Death Wish* with Charles Bronson. I watched that a couple of years ago. And I thought that and that was that was actually pretty good. You know, it's a solid film. Uh spawned multiple sequels. But yeah, I enjoyed this I enjoyed this film uh more than I thought I would. And I didn't mind going through it again for the for the commentary. How about you?
Reginald Titus Jr.: I have two kind of responses. From a just straight up entertainment standpoint, purely entertainment, me and the wife, we enjoyed it.
Casey G. Smith: Okay.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, like the blood lust, get him. We enjoyed it. Uh but like from like an artsy, kind of bougie filmmaker standpoint, not so much.
Casey G. Smith: Okay.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, there was there's some, you know, some some interesting things there like, I know Eli Roth is he's the horror guy. And just kind of like with the thriller, you know, is a thriller, but then he's also kind of throwing in the horror elements. Sometimes it comes off as comedic.
Casey G. Smith: Okay, I I I will yeah, that's that's fine. I I'll give I'll give you that, definitely on some of the some of the comedic timing of some things.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um and then with the I know we talked about this before, and there's a scene where uh the scene where they in a in the original *Death Proof*, I haven't seen the original *Death Proof*, is the *Death Wish*. I'm tripping. Even though Eli Roth is in *Death Proof*.
Casey G. Smith: Aha.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Is it more graphic when the guys come in and kill the did they kill the wife in the original?
Casey G. Smith: Mhm. In the in the in the original, cuz I actually went back and and read up a little bit on the on the original just to kind of have some some some points. Uh, yeah, in the original, Kersey's wife is is killed and his daughter is raped. Like and it's actually like actually Jeff Goldblum is in the original as one of the assailants, like three gang members. Uh, it's clearly him, he's uncredited, but yeah, they yeah, she gets she gets raped. And it is, I think she gets might get sodomized, too. But it's anyway, it's yeah, it's definitely it's definitely more graphic. That's why I was kind of shocked with this one, especially with Eli Roth. I I thought for sure they were going to show something, but they didn't. You know, they they pulled out and even even the the actual gunshots, you know, are uh you know, kind of off off camera, which I thought was was fascinating. Nothing you had to see it. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: That's fascinating. I I guess in this one that maybe because I had seen the original and I don't know, had had that contrast that I was kind of I was surprised that it wasn't there, but it but I was like, okay, it still works. Yeah, I was like, oh, it's just a different a different a different take. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's there is there definitely is an argument to to be made for that. Not that, you know, you see the wife's body, you know, you see the wife's body, Elizabeth Shue's body after the fact, uh and the fact obviously that, you know, his daughter continues to live. But also here's a different twist from the original to this one is his profession is different. So *Death Wish* actually, there's three it comes in three forms. Okay. First off, it's a book.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. Based off a novel.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, based off a novel. And in the novel, he's an accountant. Then when the movie comes out in '74, they change it to an architect.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: Then now in this remake, he's this trauma surgeon. Uh, so different professions.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Three very different professions. But uh, accountant, architect, uh but what with all these professions, are they are they uh are they leaning more toward I'm a more of affluent family or I'm well-to-do family because of the profession?
Casey G. Smith: He seems to be doing all From what I remember, it's been a while since I I saw the first *Death Wish*, but he seems to be doing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: They don't they are yeah, they seem that at least like upper middle class. And I'm trying to remember where the if if it if the original one is set in Chicago also. Yeah, they don't they don't they didn't seem like they were hurting by by any means. But it's also, you know, it came out in '74, so sometimes, yeah, they didn't they weren't they weren't in poverty. Again, they were being, you know, the place being attacked and and and, you know, again, his wife and daughter being attacked. I think that attack was like kind of random. Um, because these were just thugs and I think I think I think they saw his wife and daughter at the store and they were they were they were primarily going to to rape them. Like that was like their primary. Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. That was their primary. Versus robbery. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. They were out to assail. And then...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But we did have a creepy guy in this film that were that wanted to do more.
Casey G. Smith: And that was kind of the that was kind of I think the homage where you thought, if you had seen the original, you thought, oh, it's going to go this way. But then you you actually have his daughter actually, you know, trying to fight back, which is a different twist where his daughter and other one was like, yeah, she didn't have a she didn't have a chance. And she ends up not even like in a she's not even in a coma in the first one, in the original. She's just comatose. She's just in shock from what happened to her. She's comatose.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. Yeah, so just the graphic thing, but I think it works from just an entertainment standpoint. But what I wasn't aware of, just like some of the worst reviews this film when it came out. And it wasn't on my radar at all. Like I've seen the trailer, I was like, no, why? I'm tired of remakes. Like, why do they keep doing this?
Casey G. Smith: Mmm.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So that's what I'm like from a subconscious standpoint, I'm just like, why are they doing this? But it's Eli Roth, I like Eli Roth. Okay, I'll check it out one day.
Casey G. Smith: Sure.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but I think the movie it still works, but it got they got creamed with the...
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I I I remember hearing that Yeah, I I heard about the development of the film and all that and they were remaking it. I was like, and then in my mind I was like, kind of your take, I was like, why would they have to remake *Death Wish*? I mean, I mean, the tale can can work in any generation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: Um, and then when I saw the trailer, I was like, no. Again, it it just it seemed too cute. I'm like, this is this is a tragic story.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And then you got the little finger at the end like bang bang bang.
Casey G. Smith: I'm like, this is a tragic story. To me, there's nothing funny about it, you know, you're dealing with such real subject matter. Yeah. And yeah, I think there are a couple of times, I think with the way that this film is made, it it it it kind of the the the totality of it bounces some of those little bits, uh and they really try to avoid being melodramatic. But I think that's just kind of Eli Roth's his his styling. Uh, you know, he always has, yeah, he always has some elements of, you know, the wink kind of in there.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You see the rose. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Even in his horror stuff.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So yeah, that's the only problem that I kind of had, you know, I had issue with just the kind of graphic, the balance of what are we doing here, you know, because I think since we went that way at the beginning, I think some of the like head squishing and all that stuff, like that could have been kind of taken out in a way. Not not we do the close-up of the face squashing. We do the close-up of the neck breaking. It's like cut that part. And it would give that balance, you know, it can kind of we see the blood and we see them like, nah, but I don't know. That's just my thought. That's just the bougie stuff like I was saying. That's just filmmaker stuff that who cares. But um, but then there was like a couple of continuity things like uh when uh Bruce Willis was sitting down with the psychiatrist in the scene. At first, he's like sitting back when he's first talking to her. And then we cut to see her and then all of a sudden he's up. And so it's like there's a couple of times where these little continuity things like, I caught that, but I wonder if the audience cares.
Casey G. Smith: Hmm. I may have seen something like that, I think in the film. I think I think there was a scene I saw where there seemed like there was a quick shift and the position of the body changed. I don't remember what part it was in, though, but. Yeah. But also, I know they had a real tight shooting schedule with with him. Um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: He didn't really say much about uh Bruce Willis during the commentary if he had a good time or...
Reginald Titus Jr.: He talked a lot about like the other actors, especially the daughter. And I thought he complimented Bruce Willis multiple times throughout.
Casey G. Smith: Did he? Yeah. Yeah. He did he to me, he constantly talked about how much he how much of a professional he was. He worked with him and let him kind of just do his do his do his thing. Like I didn't I didn't get any hints. You know, because sometimes we hear, you know, things about obviously Bruce Willis. Uh I know your boy Kevin Smith has has things to say, but I I didn't I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: A lot of people just kind of keep it quiet.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, I was listening for, I was like, I wonder how, you know, how it went, but he didn't really He said they had some doubles and they seemed like they were just trying to get him shot. Just get him shot.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. He did mention towards the end when he was thanking the uh producer he had worked with. Um, he did mention that they had that that there was a challenging film to shoot. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: That's fascinating. I I guess in this one that maybe because I had seen the original and I don't know, had had that contrast that I was kind of I was surprised that it wasn't there, but it but I was like, okay, it still works. Yeah, I was like, oh, it's just a different a different a different take. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's there is there definitely is an argument to to be made for that. Not that, you know, you see the wife's body, you know, you see the wife's body, Elizabeth Shue's body after the fact, uh and the fact obviously that, you know, his daughter continues to live. But also here's a different twist from the original to this one is his profession is different. So *Death Wish* actually, there's three it comes in three forms. Okay. First off, it's a book.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. Based off a novel.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, based off a novel. And in the novel, he's an accountant. Then when the movie comes out in '74, they change it to an architect.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: Then now in this remake, he's this trauma surgeon. Uh, so different professions.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Three very different professions. But uh, accountant, architect, uh but what with all these professions, are they are they uh are they leaning more toward I'm a more of affluent family or I'm well-to-do family because of the profession?
Casey G. Smith: He seems to be doing all From what I remember, it's been a while since I I saw the first *Death Wish*, but he seems to be doing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: They don't they are yeah, they seem that at least like upper middle class. And I'm trying to remember where the if if it if the original one is set in Chicago also. Yeah, they don't they don't they didn't seem like they were hurting by by any means. But it's also, you know, it came out in '74, so sometimes, yeah, they didn't they weren't they weren't in poverty. Again, they were being, you know, the place being attacked and and and, you know, again, his wife and daughter being attacked. I think that attack was like kind of random. Um, because these were just thugs and I think I think I think they saw his wife and daughter at the store and they were they were they were primarily going to to rape them. Like that was like their primary. Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. That was their primary. Versus robbery. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. They were out to assail. And then...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But we did have a creepy guy in this film that were that wanted to do more.
Casey G. Smith: And that was kind of the that was kind of I think the homage where you thought, if you had seen the original, you thought, oh, it's going to go this way. But then you you actually have his daughter actually, you know, trying to fight back, which is a different twist where his daughter and other one was like, yeah, she didn't have a she didn't have a chance. And she ends up not even like in a she's not even in a coma in the first one, in the original. She's just comatose. She's just in shock from what happened to her. She's comatose.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. Yeah, so just the graphic thing, but I think it works from just an entertainment standpoint. But what I wasn't aware of, just like some of the worst reviews this film when it came out. And it wasn't on my radar at all. Like I've seen the trailer, I was like, no, why? I'm tired of remakes. Like, why do they keep doing this?
Casey G. Smith: Mmm.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So that's what I'm like from a subconscious standpoint, I'm just like, why are they doing this? But it's Eli Roth, I like Eli Roth. Okay, I'll check it out one day.
Casey G. Smith: Sure.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but I think the movie it still works, but it got they got creamed with the...
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I I I remember hearing that Yeah, I I heard about the development of the film and all that and they were remaking it. I was like, and then in my mind I was like, kind of your take, I was like, why would they have to remake *Death Wish*? I mean, I mean, the tale can can work in any generation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: Um, and then when I saw the trailer, I was like, no. Again, it it just it seemed too cute. I'm like, this is this is a tragic story.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And then you got the little finger at the end like bang bang bang.
Casey G. Smith: I'm like, this is a tragic story. To me, there's nothing funny about it, you know, you're dealing with such real subject matter. Yeah. And yeah, I think there are a couple of times, I think with the way that this film is made, it it it it kind of the the the totality of it bounces some of those little bits, uh and they really try to avoid being melodramatic. But I think that's just kind of Eli Roth's his his styling. Uh, you know, he always has, yeah, he always has some elements of, you know, the wink kind of in there.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You see the rose. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Even in his horror stuff.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So yeah, that's the only problem that I kind of had, you know, I had issue with just the kind of graphic, the balance of what are we doing here, you know, because I think since we went that way at the beginning, I think some of the like head squishing and all that stuff, like that could have been kind of taken out in a way. Not not we do the close-up of the face squashing. We do the close-up of the neck breaking. It's like cut that part. And it would give that balance, you know, it can kind of we see the blood and we see them like, nah, but I don't know. That's just my thought. That's just the bougie stuff like I was saying. That's just filmmaker stuff that who cares. But um, but then there was like a couple of continuity things like uh when uh Bruce Willis was sitting down with the psychiatrist in the scene. At first, he's like sitting back when he's first talking to her. And then we cut to see her and then all of a sudden he's up. And so it's like there's a couple of times where these little continuity things like, I caught that, but I wonder if the audience cares.
Casey G. Smith: Hmm. I may have seen something like that, I think in the film. I think I think there was a quick shift and the position of the body changed. I don't remember what part it was in, though, but. Yeah. But also, I know they had a real tight shooting schedule with with him. Um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: He didn't really say much about uh Bruce Willis during the commentary if he had a good time or...
Reginald Titus Jr.: He talked a lot about like the other actors, especially the daughter. And I thought he complimented Bruce Willis multiple times throughout.
Casey G. Smith: Did he? Yeah. Yeah. He did he to me, he constantly talked about how much he how much of a professional he was. He worked with him and let him kind of just do his do his do his thing. Like I didn't I didn't get any hints. You know, because sometimes we hear, you know, things about obviously Bruce Willis. Uh I know your boy Kevin Smith has has things to say, but I I didn't I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: A lot of people just kind of keep it quiet.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, I was listening for, I was like, I wonder how, you know, how it went, but he didn't really He said they had some doubles and they seemed like they were just trying to get him shot. Just get him shot.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. He did mention towards the end when he was thanking the uh producer he had worked with. Um, he did mention that they had that that there was a challenging film to shoot. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: That's fascinating. I I guess in this one that maybe because I had seen the original and I don't know, had had that contrast that I was kind of I was surprised that it wasn't there, but it but I was like, okay, it still works. Yeah, I was like, oh, it's just a different a different a different take. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's there is there definitely is an argument to to be made for that. Not that, you know, you see the wife's body, you know, you see the wife's body, Elizabeth Shue's body after the fact, uh and the fact obviously that, you know, his daughter continues to live. But also here's a different twist from the original to this one is his profession is different. So *Death Wish* actually, there's three it comes in three forms. Okay. First off, it's a book.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. Based off a novel.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, based off a novel. And in the novel, he's an accountant. Then when the movie comes out in '74, they change it to an architect.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: Then now in this remake, he's this trauma surgeon. Uh, so different professions.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Three very different professions. But uh, accountant, architect, uh but what with all these professions, are they are they uh are they leaning more toward I'm a more of affluent family or I'm well-to-do family because of the profession?
Casey G. Smith: He seems to be doing all From what I remember, it's been a while since I I saw the first *Death Wish*, but he seems to be doing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: They don't they are yeah, they seem that at least like upper middle class. And I'm trying to remember where the if if it if the original one is set in Chicago also. Yeah, they don't they don't they didn't seem like they were hurting by by any means. But it's also, you know, it came out in '74, so sometimes, yeah, they didn't they weren't they weren't in poverty. Again, they were being, you know, the place being attacked and and and, you know, again, his wife and daughter being attacked. I think that attack was like kind of random. Um, because these were just thugs and I think I think I think they saw his wife and daughter at the store and they were they were they were primarily going to to rape them. Like that was like their primary. Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. That was their primary. Versus robbery. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. They were out to assail. And then...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But we did have a creepy guy in this film that were that wanted to do more.
Casey G. Smith: And that was kind of the that was kind of I think the homage where you thought, if you had seen the original, you thought, oh, it's going to go this way. But then you you actually have his daughter actually, you know, trying to fight back, which is a different twist where his daughter and other one was like, yeah, she didn't have a she didn't have a chance. And she ends up not even like in a she's not even in a coma in the first one, in the original. She's just comatose. She's just in shock from what happened to her. She's comatose.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. Yeah, so just the graphic thing, but I think it works from just an entertainment standpoint. But what I wasn't aware of, just like some of the worst reviews this film when it came out. And it wasn't on my radar at all. Like I've seen the trailer, I was like, no, why? I'm tired of remakes. Like, why do they keep doing this?
Casey G. Smith: Mmm.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So that's what I'm like from a subconscious standpoint, I'm just like, why are they doing this? But it's Eli Roth, I like Eli Roth. Okay, I'll check it out one day.
Casey G. Smith: Sure.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but I think the movie it still works, but it got they got creamed with the...
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I I I remember hearing that Yeah, I I heard about the development of the film and all that and they were remaking it. I was like, and then in my mind I was like, kind of your take, I was like, why would they have to remake *Death Wish*? I mean, I mean, the tale can can work in any generation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: Um, and then when I saw the trailer, I was like, no. Again, it it just it seemed too cute. I'm like, this is this is a tragic story.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And then you got the little finger at the end like bang bang bang.
Casey G. Smith: I'm like, this is a tragic story. To me, there's nothing funny about it, you know, you're dealing with such real subject matter. Yeah. And yeah, I think there are a couple of times, I think with the way that this film is made, it it it it kind of the the the totality of it bounces some of those little bits, uh and they really try to avoid being melodramatic. But I think that's just kind of Eli Roth's his his styling. Uh, you know, he always has, yeah, he always has some elements of, you know, the wink kind of in there.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You see the rose. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Even in his horror stuff.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So yeah, that's the only problem that I kind of had, you know, I had issue with just the kind of graphic, the balance of what are we doing here, you know, because I think since we went that way at the beginning, I think some of the like head squishing and all that stuff, like that could have been kind of taken out in a way. Not not we do the close-up of the face squashing. We do the close-up of the neck breaking. It's like cut that part. And it would give that balance, you know, it can kind of we see the blood and we see them like, nah, but I don't know. That's just my thought. That's just the bougie stuff like I was saying. That's just filmmaker stuff that who cares. But um, but then there was like a couple of continuity things like uh when uh Bruce Willis was sitting down with the psychiatrist in the scene. At first, he's like sitting back when he's first talking to her. And then we cut to see her and then all of a sudden he's up. And so it's like there's a couple of times where these little continuity things like, I caught that, but I wonder if the audience cares.
Casey G. Smith: Hmm. I may have seen something like that, I think in the film. I think I think there was a quick shift and the position of the body changed. I don't remember what part it was in, though, but. Yeah. But also, I know they had a real tight shooting schedule with with him. Um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: He didn't really say much about uh Bruce Willis during the commentary if he had a good time or...
Reginald Titus Jr.: He talked a lot about like the other actors, especially the daughter. And I thought he complimented Bruce Willis multiple times throughout.
Casey G. Smith: Did he? Yeah. Yeah. He did he to me, he constantly talked about how much he how much of a professional he was. He worked with him and let him kind of just do his do his do his thing. Like I didn't I didn't get any hints. You know, because sometimes we hear, you know, things about obviously Bruce Willis. Uh I know your boy Kevin Smith has has things to say, but I I didn't I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: A lot of people just kind of keep it quiet.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, I was listening for, I was like, I wonder how, you know, how it went, but he didn't really He said they had some doubles and they seemed like they were just trying to get him shot. Just get him shot.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. He did mention towards the end when he was thanking the uh producer he had worked with. Um, he did mention that they had that that there was a challenging film to shoot. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind-of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: That's fascinating. I I guess in this one that maybe because I had seen the original and I don't know, had had that contrast that I was kind of I was surprised that it wasn't there, but it but I was like, okay, it still works. Yeah, I was like, oh, it's just a different a different a different take. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's there is there definitely is an argument to to be made for that. Not that, you know, you see the wife's body, you know, you see the wife's body, Elizabeth Shue's body after the fact, uh and the fact obviously that, you know, his daughter continues to live. But also here's a different twist from the original to this one is his profession is different. So *Death Wish* actually, there's three it comes in three forms. Okay. First off, it's a book.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. Based off a novel.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, based off a novel. And in the novel, he's an accountant. Then when the movie comes out in '74, they change it to an architect.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: Then now in this remake, he's this trauma surgeon. Uh, so different professions.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Three very different professions. But uh, accountant, architect, uh but what with all these professions, are they are they uh are they leaning more toward I'm a more of affluent family or I'm well-to-do family because of the profession?
Casey G. Smith: He seems to be doing all From what I remember, it's been a while since I I saw the first *Death Wish*, but he seems to be doing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: They don't they are yeah, they seem that at least like upper middle class. And I'm trying to remember where the if if it if the original one is set in Chicago also. Yeah, they don't they don't they didn't seem like they were hurting by by any means. But it's also, you know, it came out in '74, so sometimes, yeah, they didn't they weren't they weren't in poverty. Again, they were being, you know, the place being attacked and and and, you know, again, his wife and daughter being attacked. I think that attack was like kind of random. Um, because these were just thugs and I think I think I think they saw his wife and daughter at the store and they were they were they were primarily going to to rape them. Like that was like their primary. Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. That was their primary. Versus robbery. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. They were out to assail. And then...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But we did have a creepy guy in this film that were that wanted to do more.
Casey G. Smith: And that was kind of the that was kind of I think the homage where you thought, if you had seen the original, you thought, oh, it's going to go this way. But then you you actually have his daughter actually, you know, trying to fight back, which is a different twist where his daughter and other one was like, yeah, she didn't have a she didn't have a chance. And she ends up not even like in a she's not even in a coma in the first one, in the original. She's just comatose. She's just in shock from what happened to her. She's comatose.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. Yeah, so just the graphic thing, but I think it works from just an entertainment standpoint. But what I wasn't aware of, just like some of the worst reviews this film when it came out. And it wasn't on my radar at all. Like I've seen the trailer, I was like, no, why? I'm tired of remakes. Like, why do they keep doing this?
Casey G. Smith: Mmm.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So that's what I'm like from a subconscious standpoint, I'm just like, why are they doing this? But it's Eli Roth, I like Eli Roth. Okay, I'll check it out one day.
Casey G. Smith: Sure.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but I think the movie it still works, but it got they got creamed with the...
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I I I remember hearing that Yeah, I I heard about the development of the film and all that and they were remaking it. I was like, and then in my mind I was like, kind of your take, I was like, why would they have to remake *Death Wish*? I mean, I mean, the tale can can work in any generation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: Um, and then when I saw the trailer, I was like, no. Again, it it just it seemed too cute. I'm like, this is this is a tragic story.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And then you got the little finger at the end like bang bang bang.
Casey G. Smith: I'm like, this is a tragic story. To me, there's nothing funny about it, you know, you're dealing with such real subject matter. Yeah. And yeah, I think there are a couple of times, I think with the way that this film is made, it it it it kind of the the the totality of it bounces some of those little bits, uh and they really try to avoid being melodramatic. But I think that's just kind of Eli Roth's his his styling. Uh, you know, he always has, yeah, he always has some elements of, you know, the wink kind of in there.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You see the rose. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Even in his horror stuff.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So yeah, that's the only problem that I kind of had, you know, I had issue with just the kind of graphic, the balance of what are we doing here, you know, because I think since we went that way at the beginning, I think some of the like head squishing and all that stuff, like that could have been kind of taken out in a way. Not not we do the close-up of the face squashing. We do the close-up of the neck breaking. It's like cut that part. And it would give that balance, you know, it can kind of we see the blood and we see them like, nah, but I don't know. That's just my thought. That's just the bougie stuff like I was saying. That's just filmmaker stuff that who cares. But um, but then there was like a couple of continuity things like uh when uh Bruce Willis was sitting down with the psychiatrist in the scene. At first, he's like sitting back when he's first talking to her. And then we cut to see her and then all of a sudden he's up. And so it's like there's a couple of times where these little continuity things like, I caught that, but I wonder if the audience cares.
Casey G. Smith: Hmm. I may have seen something like that, I think in the film. I think I think there was a quick shift and the position of the body changed. I don't remember what part it was in, though, but. Yeah. But also, I know they had a real tight shooting schedule with with him. Um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: He didn't really say much about uh Bruce Willis during the commentary if he had a good time or...
Reginald Titus Jr.: He talked a lot about like the other actors, especially the daughter. And I thought he complimented Bruce Willis multiple times throughout.
Casey G. Smith: Did he? Yeah. Yeah. He did he to me, he constantly talked about how much he how much of a professional he was. He worked with him and let him kind of just do his do his do his thing. Like I didn't I didn't get any hints. You know, because sometimes we hear, you know, things about obviously Bruce Willis. Uh I know your boy Kevin Smith has has things to say, but I I didn't I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: A lot of people just kind of keep it quiet.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, I was listening for, I was like, I wonder how, you know, how it went, but he didn't really He said they had some doubles and they seemed like they were just trying to get him shot. Just get him shot.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. He did mention towards the end when he was thanking the uh producer he had worked with. Um, he did mention that they had that that there was a challenging film to shoot. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind-of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: That's fascinating. I I guess in this one that maybe because I had seen the original and I don't know, had had that contrast that I was kind of I was surprised that it wasn't there, but it but I was like, okay, it still works. Yeah, I was like, oh, it's just a different a different a different take. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's there is there definitely is an argument to to be made for that. Not that, you know, you see the wife's body, you know, you see the wife's body, Elizabeth Shue's body after the fact, uh and the fact obviously that, you know, his daughter continues to live. But also here's a different twist from the original to this one is his profession is different. So *Death Wish* actually, there's three it comes in three forms. Okay. First off, it's a book.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. Based off a novel.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, based off a novel. And in the novel, he's an accountant. Then when the movie comes out in '74, they change it to an architect.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: Then now in this remake, he's this trauma surgeon. Uh, so different professions.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Three very different professions. But uh, accountant, architect, uh but what with all these professions, are they are they uh are they leaning more toward I'm a more of affluent family or I'm well-to-do family because of the profession?
Casey G. Smith: He seems to be doing all From what I remember, it's been a while since I I saw the first *Death Wish*, but he seems to be doing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: They don't they are yeah, they seem that at least like upper middle class. And I'm trying to remember where the if if it if the original one is set in Chicago also. Yeah, they don't they don't they didn't seem like they were hurting by by any means. But it's also, you know, it came out in '74, so sometimes, yeah, they didn't they weren't they weren't in poverty. Again, they were being, you know, the place being attacked and and and, you know, again, his wife and daughter being attacked. I think that attack was like kind of random. Um, because these were just thugs and I think I think I think they saw his wife and daughter at the store and they were they were they were primarily going to to rape them. Like that was like their primary. Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. That was their primary. Versus robbery. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. They were out to assail. And then...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But we did have a creepy guy in this film that were that wanted to do more.
Casey G. Smith: And that was kind of the that was kind of I think the homage where you thought, if you had seen the original, you thought, oh, it's going to go this way. But then you you actually have his daughter actually, you know, trying to fight back, which is a different twist where his daughter and other one was like, yeah, she didn't have a she didn't have a chance. And she ends up not even like in a she's not even in a coma in the first one, in the original. She's just comatose. She's just in shock from what happened to her. She's comatose.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. Yeah, so just the graphic thing, but I think it works from just an entertainment standpoint. But what I wasn't aware of, just like some of the worst reviews this film when it came out. And it wasn't on my radar at all. Like I've seen the trailer, I was like, no, why? I'm tired of remakes. Like, why do they keep doing this?
Casey G. Smith: Mmm.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So that's what I'm like from a subconscious standpoint, I'm just like, why are they doing this? But it's Eli Roth, I like Eli Roth. Okay, I'll check it out one day.
Casey G. Smith: Sure.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but I think the movie it still works, but it got they got creamed with the...
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I I I remember hearing that Yeah, I I heard about the development of the film and all that and they were remaking it. I was like, and then in my mind I was like, kind of your take, I was like, why would they have to remake *Death Wish*? I mean, I mean, the tale can can work in any generation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: Um, and then when I saw the trailer, I was like, no. Again, it it just it seemed too cute. I'm like, this is this is a tragic story.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And then you got the little finger at the end like bang bang bang.
Casey G. Smith: I'm like, this is a tragic story. To me, there's nothing funny about it, you know, you're dealing with such real subject matter. Yeah. And yeah, I think there are a couple of times, I think with the way that this film is made, it it it it kind of the the the totality of it bounces some of those little bits, uh and they really try to avoid being melodramatic. But I think that's just kind of Eli Roth's his his styling. Uh, you know, he always has, yeah, he always has some elements of, you know, the wink kind of in there.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You see the rose. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Even in his horror stuff.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So yeah, that's the only problem that I kind of had, you know, I had issue with just the kind of graphic, the balance of what are we doing here, you know, because I think since we went that way at the beginning, I think some of the like head squishing and all that stuff, like that could have been kind of taken out in a way. Not not we do the close-up of the face squashing. We do the close-up of the neck breaking. It's like cut that part. And it would give that balance, you know, it can kind of we see the blood and we see them like, nah, but I don't know. That's just my thought. That's just the bougie stuff like I was saying. That's just filmmaker stuff that who cares. But um, but then there was like a couple of continuity things like uh when uh Bruce Willis was sitting down with the psychiatrist in the scene. At first, he's like sitting back when he's first talking to her. And then we cut to see her and then all of a sudden he's up. And so it's like there's a couple of times where these little continuity things like, I caught that, but I wonder if the audience cares.
Casey G. Smith: Hmm. I may have seen something like that, I think in the film. I think I think there was a quick shift and the position of the body changed. I don't remember what part it was in, though, but. Yeah. But also, I know they had a real tight shooting schedule with with him. Um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: He didn't really say much about uh Bruce Willis during the commentary if he had a good time or...
Reginald Titus Jr.: He talked a lot about like the other actors, especially the daughter. And I thought he complimented Bruce Willis multiple times throughout.
Casey G. Smith: Did he? Yeah. Yeah. He did he to me, he constantly talked about how much he how much of a professional he was. He worked with him and let him kind of just do his do his do his thing. Like I didn't I didn't get any hints. You know, because sometimes we hear, you know, things about obviously Bruce Willis. Uh I know your boy Kevin Smith has has things to say, but I I didn't I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: A lot of people just kind of keep it quiet.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, I was listening for, I was like, I wonder how, you know, how it went, but he didn't really He said they had some doubles and they seemed like they were just trying to get him shot. Just get him shot.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. He did mention towards the end when he was thanking the uh producer he had worked with. Um, he did mention that they had that that there was a challenging film to shoot. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind-of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: That's fascinating. I I guess in this one that maybe because I had seen the original and I don't know, had had that contrast that I was kind of I was surprised that it wasn't there, but it but I was like, okay, it still works. Yeah, I was like, oh, it's just a different a different a different take. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's there is there definitely is an argument to to be made for that. Not that, you know, you see the wife's body, you know, you see the wife's body, Elizabeth Shue's body after the fact, uh and the fact obviously that, you know, his daughter continues to live. But also here's a different twist from the original to this one is his profession is different. So *Death Wish* actually, there's three it comes in three forms. Okay. First off, it's a book.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. Based off a novel.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, based off a novel. And in the novel, he's an accountant. Then when the movie comes out in '74, they change it to an architect.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: Then now in this remake, he's this trauma surgeon. Uh, so different professions.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Three very different professions. But uh, accountant, architect, uh but what with all these professions, are they are they uh are they leaning more toward I'm a more of affluent family or I'm well-to-do family because of the profession?
Casey G. Smith: He seems to be doing all From what I remember, it's been a while since I I saw the first *Death Wish*, but he seems to be doing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: They don't they are yeah, they seem that at least like upper middle class. And I'm trying to remember where the if if it if the original one is set in Chicago also. Yeah, they don't they don't they didn't seem like they were hurting by by any means. But it's also, you know, it came out in '74, so sometimes, yeah, they didn't they weren't they weren't in poverty. Again, they were being, you know, the place being attacked and and and, you know, again, his wife and daughter being attacked. I think that attack was like kind of random. Um, because these were just thugs and I think I think I think they saw his wife and daughter at the store and they were they were they were primarily going to to rape them. Like that was like their primary. Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. That was their primary. Versus robbery. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. They were out to assail. And then...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But we did have a creepy guy in this film that were that wanted to do more.
Casey G. Smith: And that was kind of the that was kind of I think the homage where you thought, if you had seen the original, you thought, oh, it's going to go this way. But then you you actually have his daughter actually, you know, trying to fight back, which is a different twist where his daughter and other one was like, yeah, she didn't have a she didn't have a chance. And she ends up not even like in a she's not even in a coma in the first one, in the original. She's just comatose. She's just in shock from what happened to her. She's comatose.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. Yeah, so just the graphic thing, but I think it works from just an entertainment standpoint. But what I wasn't aware of, just like some of the worst reviews this film when it came out. And it wasn't on my radar at all. Like I've seen the trailer, I was like, no, why? I'm tired of remakes. Like, why do they keep doing this?
Casey G. Smith: Mmm.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So that's what I'm like from a subconscious standpoint, I'm just like, why are they doing this? But it's Eli Roth, I like Eli Roth. Okay, I'll check it out one day.
Casey G. Smith: Sure.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but I think the movie it still works, but it got they got creamed with the...
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I I I remember hearing that Yeah, I I heard about the development of the film and all that and they were remaking it. I was like, and then in my mind I was like, kind of your take, I was like, why would they have to remake *Death Wish*? I mean, I mean, the tale can can work in any generation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: Um, and then when I saw the trailer, I was like, no. Again, it it just it seemed too cute. I'm like, this is this is a tragic story.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And then you got the little finger at the end like bang bang bang.
Casey G. Smith: I'm like, this is a tragic story. To me, there's nothing funny about it, you know, you're dealing with such real subject matter. Yeah. And yeah, I think there are a couple of times, I think with the way that this film is made, it it it it kind of the the the totality of it bounces some of those little bits, uh and they really try to avoid being melodramatic. But I think that's just kind of Eli Roth's his his styling. Uh, you know, he always has, yeah, he always has some elements of, you know, the wink kind of in there.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You see the rose. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Even in his horror stuff.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So yeah, that's the only problem that I kind of had, you know, I had issue with just the kind of graphic, the balance of what are we doing here, you know, because I think since we went that way at the beginning, I think some of the like head squishing and all that stuff, like that could have been kind of taken out in a way. Not not we do the close-up of the face squashing. We do the close-up of the neck breaking. It's like cut that part. And it would give that balance, you know, it can kind of we see the blood and we see them like, nah, but I don't know. That's just my thought. That's just the bougie stuff like I was saying. That's just filmmaker stuff that who cares. But um, but then there was like a couple of continuity things like uh when uh Bruce Willis was sitting down with the psychiatrist in the scene. At first, he's like sitting back when he's first talking to her. And then we cut to see her and then all of a sudden he's up. And so it's like there's a couple of times where these little continuity things like, I caught that, but I wonder if the audience cares.
Casey G. Smith: Hmm. I may have seen something like that, I think in the film. I think I think there was a quick shift and the position of the body changed. I don't remember what part it was in, though, but. Yeah. But also, I know they had a real tight shooting schedule with with him. Um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: He didn't really say much about uh Bruce Willis during the commentary if he had a good time or...
Reginald Titus Jr.: He talked a lot about like the other actors, especially the daughter. And I thought he complimented Bruce Willis multiple times throughout.
Casey G. Smith: Did he? Yeah. Yeah. He did he to me, he constantly talked about how much he how much of a professional he was. He worked with him and let him kind of just do his do his do his thing. Like I didn't I didn't get any hints. You know, because sometimes we hear, you know, things about obviously Bruce Willis. Uh I know your boy Kevin Smith has has things to say, but I I didn't I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: A lot of people just kind of keep it quiet.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, I was listening for, I was like, I wonder how, you know, how it went, but he didn't really He said they had some doubles and they seemed like they were just trying to get him shot. Just get him shot.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. He did mention towards the end when he was thanking the uh producer he had worked with. Um, he did mention that they had that that there was a challenging film to shoot. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind-of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: That's fascinating. I I guess in this one that maybe because I had seen the original and I don't know, had had that contrast that I was kind of I was surprised that it wasn't there, but it but I was like, okay, it still works. Yeah, I was like, oh, it's just a different a different a different take. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's there is there definitely is an argument to to be made for that. Not that, you know, you see the wife's body, you know, you see the wife's body, Elizabeth Shue's body after the fact, uh and the fact obviously that, you know, his daughter continues to live. But also here's a different twist from the original to this one is his profession is different. So *Death Wish* actually, there's three it comes in three forms. Okay. First off, it's a book.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. Based off a novel.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, based off a novel. And in the novel, he's an accountant. Then when the movie comes out in '74, they change it to an architect.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: Then now in this remake, he's this trauma surgeon. Uh, so different professions.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Three very different professions. But uh, accountant, architect, uh but what with all these professions, are they are they uh are they leaning more toward I'm a more of affluent family or I'm well-to-do family because of the profession?
Casey G. Smith: He seems to be doing all From what I remember, it's been a while since I I saw the first *Death Wish*, but he seems to be doing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: They don't they are yeah, they seem that at least like upper middle class. And I'm trying to remember where the if if it if the original one is set in Chicago also. Yeah, they don't they don't they didn't seem like they were hurting by by any means. But it's also, you know, it came out in '74, so sometimes, yeah, they didn't they weren't they weren't in poverty. Again, they were being, you know, the place being attacked and and and, you know, again, his wife and daughter being attacked. I think that attack was like kind of random. Um, because these were just thugs and I think I think I think they saw his wife and daughter at the store and they were they were they were primarily going to to rape them. Like that was like their primary. Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. That was their primary. Versus robbery. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. They were out to assail. And then...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But we did have a creepy guy in this film that were that wanted to do more.
Casey G. Smith: And that was kind of the that was kind of I think the homage where you thought, if you had seen the original, you thought, oh, it's going to go this way. But then you you actually have his daughter actually, you know, trying to fight back, which is a different twist where his daughter and other one was like, yeah, she didn't have a she didn't have a chance. And she ends up not even like in a she's not even in a coma in the first one, in the original. She's just comatose. She's just in shock from what happened to her. She's comatose.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. Yeah, so just the graphic thing, but I think it works from just an entertainment standpoint. But what I wasn't aware of, just like some of the worst reviews this film when it came out. And it wasn't on my radar at all. Like I've seen the trailer, I was like, no, why? I'm tired of remakes. Like, why do they keep doing this?
Casey G. Smith: Mmm.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So that's what I'm like from a subconscious standpoint, I'm just like, why are they doing this? But it's Eli Roth, I like Eli Roth. Okay, I'll check it out one day.
Casey G. Smith: Sure.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but I think the movie it still works, but it got they got creamed with the...
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I I I remember hearing that Yeah, I I heard about the development of the film and all that and they were remaking it. I was like, and then in my mind I was like, kind of your take, I was like, why would they have to remake *Death Wish*? I mean, I mean, the tale can can work in any generation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: Um, and then when I saw the trailer, I was like, no. Again, it it just it seemed too cute. I'm like, this is this is a tragic story.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And then you got the little finger at the end like bang bang bang.
Casey G. Smith: I'm like, this is a tragic story. To me, there's nothing funny about it, you know, you're dealing with such real subject matter. Yeah. And yeah, I think there are a couple of times, I think with the way that this film is made, it it it it kind of the the the totality of it bounces some of those little bits, uh and they really try to avoid being melodramatic. But I think that's just kind of Eli Roth's his his styling. Uh, you know, he always has, yeah, he always has some elements of, you know, the wink kind of in there.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You see the rose. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Even in his horror stuff.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So yeah, that's the only problem that I kind of had, you know, I had issue with just the kind of graphic, the balance of what are we doing here, you know, because I think since we went that way at the beginning, I think some of the like head squishing and all that stuff, like that could have been kind of taken out in a way. Not not we do the close-up of the face squashing. We do the close-up of the neck breaking. It's like cut that part. And it would give that balance, you know, it can kind of we see the blood and we see them like, nah, but I don't know. That's just my thought. That's just the bougie stuff like I was saying. That's just filmmaker stuff that who cares. But um, but then there was like a couple of continuity things like uh when uh Bruce Willis was sitting down with the psychiatrist in the scene. At first, he's like sitting back when he's first talking to her. And then we cut to see her and then all of a sudden he's up. And so it's like there's a couple of times where these little continuity things like, I caught that, but I wonder if the audience cares.
Casey G. Smith: Hmm. I may have seen something like that, I think in the film. I think I think there was a quick shift and the position of the body changed. I don't remember what part it was in, though, but. Yeah. But also, I know they had a real tight shooting schedule with with him. Um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: He didn't really say much about uh Bruce Willis during the commentary if he had a good time or...
Reginald Titus Jr.: He talked a lot about like the other actors, especially the daughter. And I thought he complimented Bruce Willis multiple times throughout.
Casey G. Smith: Did he? Yeah. Yeah. He did he to me, he constantly talked about how much he how much of a professional he was. He worked with him and let him kind of just do his do his do his thing. Like I didn't I didn't get any hints. You know, because sometimes we hear, you know, things about obviously Bruce Willis. Uh I know your boy Kevin Smith has has things to say, but I I didn't I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: A lot of people just kind of keep it quiet.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, I was listening for, I was like, I wonder how, you know, how it went, but he didn't really He said they had some doubles and they seemed like they were just trying to get him shot. Just get him shot.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. He did mention towards the end when he was thanking the uh producer he had worked with. Um, he did mention that they had that that there was a challenging film to shoot. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind-of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: That's fascinating. I I guess in this one that maybe because I had seen the original and I don't know, had had that contrast that I was kind of I was surprised that it wasn't there, but it but I was like, okay, it still works. Yeah, I was like, oh, it's just a different a different a different take. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's there is there definitely is an argument to to be made for that. Not that, you know, you see the wife's body, you know, you see the wife's body, Elizabeth Shue's body after the fact, uh and the fact obviously that, you know, his daughter continues to live. But also here's a different twist from the original to this one is his profession is different. So *Death Wish* actually, there's three it comes in three forms. Okay. First off, it's a book.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. Based off a novel.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, based off a novel. And in the novel, he's an accountant. Then when the movie comes out in '74, they change it to an architect.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: Then now in this remake, he's this trauma surgeon. Uh, so different professions.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Three very different professions. But uh, accountant, architect, uh but what with all these professions, are they are they uh are they leaning more toward I'm a more of affluent family or I'm well-to-do family because of the profession?
Casey G. Smith: He seems to be doing all From what I remember, it's been a while since I I saw the first *Death Wish*, but he seems to be doing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: They don't they are yeah, they seem that at least like upper middle class. And I'm trying to remember where the if if it if the original one is set in Chicago also. Yeah, they don't they don't they didn't seem like they were hurting by by any means. But it's also, you know, it came out in '74, so sometimes, yeah, they didn't they weren't they weren't in poverty. Again, they were being, you know, the place being attacked and and and, you know, again, his wife and daughter being attacked. I think that attack was like kind of random. Um, because these were just thugs and I think I think I think they saw his wife and daughter at the store and they were they were they were primarily going to to rape them. Like that was like their primary. Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. That was their primary. Versus robbery. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. They were out to assail. And then...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But we did have a creepy guy in this film that were that wanted to do more.
Casey G. Smith: And that was kind of the that was kind of I think the homage where you thought, if you had seen the original, you thought, oh, it's going to go this way. But then you you actually have his daughter actually, you know, trying to fight back, which is a different twist where his daughter and other one was like, yeah, she didn't have a she didn't have a chance. And she ends up not even like in a she's not even in a coma in the first one, in the original. She's just comatose. She's just in shock from what happened to her. She's comatose.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. Yeah, so just the graphic thing, but I think it works from just an entertainment standpoint. But what I wasn't aware of, just like some of the worst reviews this film when it came out. And it wasn't on my radar at all. Like I've seen the trailer, I was like, no, why? I'm tired of remakes. Like, why do they keep doing this?
Casey G. Smith: Mmm.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So that's what I'm like from a subconscious standpoint, I'm just like, why are they doing this? But it's Eli Roth, I like Eli Roth. Okay, I'll check it out one day.
Casey G. Smith: Sure.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but I think the movie it still works, but it got they got creamed with the...
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I I I remember hearing that Yeah, I I heard about the development of the film and all that and they were remaking it. I was like, and then in my mind I was like, kind of your take, I was like, why would they have to remake *Death Wish*? I mean, I mean, the tale can can work in any generation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: Um, and then when I saw the trailer, I was like, no. Again, it it just it seemed too cute. I'm like, this is this is a tragic story.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And then you got the little finger at the end like bang bang bang.
Casey G. Smith: I'm like, this is a tragic story. To me, there's nothing funny about it, you know, you're dealing with such real subject matter. Yeah. And yeah, I think there are a couple of times, I think with the way that this film is made, it it it it kind of the the the totality of it bounces some of those little bits, uh and they really try to avoid being melodramatic. But I think that's just kind of Eli Roth's his his styling. Uh, you know, he always has, yeah, he always has some elements of, you know, the wink kind of in there.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You see the rose. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Even in his horror stuff.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So yeah, that's the only problem that I kind of had, you know, I had issue with just the kind of graphic, the balance of what are we doing here, you know, because I think since we went that way at the beginning, I think some of the like head squishing and all that stuff, like that could have been kind of taken out in a way. Not not we do the close-up of the face squashing. We do the close-up of the neck breaking. It's like cut that part. And it would give that balance, you know, it can kind of we see the blood and we see them like, nah, but I don't know. That's just my thought. That's just the bougie stuff like I was saying. That's just filmmaker stuff that who cares. But um, but then there was like a couple of continuity things like uh when uh Bruce Willis was sitting down with the psychiatrist in the scene. At first, he's like sitting back when he's first talking to her. And then we cut to see her and then all of a sudden he's up. And so it's like there's a couple of times where these little continuity things like, I caught that, but I wonder if the audience cares.
Casey G. Smith: Hmm. I may have seen something like that, I think in the film. I think I think there was a quick shift and the position of the body changed. I don't remember what part it was in, though, but. Yeah. But also, I know they had a real tight shooting schedule with with him. Um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: He didn't really say much about uh Bruce Willis during the commentary if he had a good time or...
Reginald Titus Jr.: He talked a lot about like the other actors, especially the daughter. And I thought he complimented Bruce Willis multiple times throughout.
Casey G. Smith: Did he? Yeah. Yeah. He did he to me, he constantly talked about how much he how much of a professional he was. He worked with him and let him kind of just do his do his do his thing. Like I didn't I didn't get any hints. You know, because sometimes we hear, you know, things about obviously Bruce Willis. Uh I know your boy Kevin Smith has has things to say, but I I didn't I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: A lot of people just kind of keep it quiet.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, I was listening for, I was like, I wonder how, you know, how it went, but he didn't really He said they had some doubles and they seemed like they were just trying to get him shot. Just get him shot.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. He did mention towards the end when he was thanking the uh producer he had worked with. Um, he did mention that they had that that there was a challenging film to shoot. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind-of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: That's fascinating. I I guess in this one that maybe because I had seen the original and I don't know, had had that contrast that I was kind of I was surprised that it wasn't there, but it but I was like, okay, it still works. Yeah, I was like, oh, it's just a different a different a different take. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's there is there definitely is an argument to to be made for that. Not that, you know, you see the wife's body, you know, you see the wife's body, Elizabeth Shue's body after the fact, uh and the fact obviously that, you know, his daughter continues to live. But also here's a different twist from the original to this one is his profession is different. So *Death Wish* actually, there's three it comes in three forms. Okay. First off, it's a book.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. Based off a novel.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, based off a novel. And in the novel, he's an accountant. Then when the movie comes out in '74, they change it to an architect.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: Then now in this remake, he's this trauma surgeon. Uh, so different professions.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Three very different professions. But uh, accountant, architect, uh but what with all these professions, are they are they uh are they leaning more toward I'm a more of affluent family or I'm well-to-do family because of the profession?
Casey G. Smith: He seems to be doing all From what I remember, it's been a while since I I saw the first *Death Wish*, but he seems to be doing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: They don't they are yeah, they seem that at least like upper middle class. And I'm trying to remember where the if if it if the original one is set in Chicago also. Yeah, they don't they don't they didn't seem like they were hurting by by any means. But it's also, you know, it came out in '74, so sometimes, yeah, they didn't they weren't they weren't in poverty. Again, they were being, you know, the place being attacked and and and, you know, again, his wife and daughter being attacked. I think that attack was like kind of random. Um, because these were just thugs and I think I think I think they saw his wife and daughter at the store and they were they were they were primarily going to to rape them. Like that was like their primary. Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. That was their primary. Versus robbery. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. They were out to assail. And then...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But we did have a creepy guy in this film that were that wanted to do more.
Casey G. Smith: And that was kind of the that was kind of I think the homage where you thought, if you had seen the original, you thought, oh, it's going to go this way. But then you you actually have his daughter actually, you know, trying to fight back, which is a different twist where his daughter and other one was like, yeah, she didn't have a she didn't have a chance. And she ends up not even like in a she's not even in a coma in the first one, in the original. She's just comatose. She's just in shock from what happened to her. She's comatose.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. Yeah, so just the graphic thing, but I think it works from just an entertainment standpoint. But what I wasn't aware of, just like some of the worst reviews this film when it came out. And it wasn't on my radar at all. Like I've seen the trailer, I was like, no, why? I'm tired of remakes. Like, why do they keep doing this?
Casey G. Smith: Mmm.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So that's what I'm like from a subconscious standpoint, I'm just like, why are they doing this? But it's Eli Roth, I like Eli Roth. Okay, I'll check it out one day.
Casey G. Smith: Sure.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but I think the movie it still works, but it got they got creamed with the...
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I I I remember hearing that Yeah, I I heard about the development of the film and all that and they were remaking it. I was like, and then in my mind I was like, kind of your take, I was like, why would they have to remake *Death Wish*? I mean, I mean, the tale can can work in any generation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: Um, and then when I saw the trailer, I was like, no. Again, it it just it seemed too cute. I'm like, this is this is a tragic story.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And then you got the little finger at the end like bang bang bang.
Casey G. Smith: I'm like, this is a tragic story. To me, there's nothing funny about it, you know, you're dealing with such real subject matter. Yeah. And yeah, I think there are a couple of times, I think with the way that this film is made, it it it it kind of the the the totality of it bounces some of those little bits, uh and they really try to avoid being melodramatic. But I think that's just kind of Eli Roth's his his styling. Uh, you know, he always has, yeah, he always has some elements of, you know, the wink kind of in there.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You see the rose. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Even in his horror stuff.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So yeah, that's the only problem that I kind of had, you know, I had issue with just the kind of graphic, the balance of what are we doing here, you know, because I think since we went that way at the beginning, I think some of the like head squishing and all that stuff, like that could have been kind of taken out in a way. Not not we do the close-up of the face squashing. We do the close-up of the neck breaking. It's like cut that part. And it would give that balance, you know, it can kind of we see the blood and we see them like, nah, but I don't know. That's just my thought. That's just the bougie stuff like I was saying. That's just filmmaker stuff that who cares. But um, but then there was like a couple of continuity things like uh when uh Bruce Willis was sitting down with the psychiatrist in the scene. At first, he's like sitting back when he's first talking to her. And then we cut to see her and then all of a sudden he's up. And so it's like there's a couple of times where these little continuity things like, I caught that, but I wonder if the audience cares.
Casey G. Smith: Hmm. I may have seen something like that, I think in the film. I think I think there was a quick shift and the position of the body changed. I don't remember what part it was in, though, but. Yeah. But also, I know they had a real tight shooting schedule with with him. Um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: He didn't really say much about uh Bruce Willis during the commentary if he had a good time or...
Reginald Titus Jr.: He talked a lot about like the other actors, especially the daughter. And I thought he complimented Bruce Willis multiple times throughout.
Casey G. Smith: Did he? Yeah. Yeah. He did he to me, he constantly talked about how much he how much of a professional he was. He worked with him and let him kind of just do his do his do his thing. Like I didn't I didn't get any hints. You know, because sometimes we hear, you know, things about obviously Bruce Willis. Uh I know your boy Kevin Smith has has things to say, but I I didn't I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: A lot of people just kind of keep it quiet.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, I was listening for, I was like, I wonder how, you know, how it went, but he didn't really He said they had some doubles and they seemed like they were just trying to get him shot. Just get him shot.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. He did mention towards the end when he was thanking the uh producer he had worked with. Um, he did mention that they had that that there was a challenging film to shoot. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind-of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: That's fascinating. I I guess in this one that maybe because I had seen the original and I don't know, had had that contrast that I was kind of I was surprised that it wasn't there, but it but I was like, okay, it still works. Yeah, I was like, oh, it's just a different a different a different take. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's there is there definitely is an argument to to be made for that. Not that, you know, you see the wife's body, you know, you see the wife's body, Elizabeth Shue's body after the fact, uh and the fact obviously that, you know, his daughter continues to live. But also here's a different twist from the original to this one is his profession is different. So *Death Wish* actually, there's three it comes in three forms. Okay. First off, it's a book.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. Based off a novel.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, based off a novel. And in the novel, he's an accountant. Then when the movie comes out in '74, they change it to an architect.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: Then now in this remake, he's this trauma surgeon. Uh, so different professions.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Three very different professions. But uh, accountant, architect, uh but what with all these professions, are they are they uh are they leaning more toward I'm a more of affluent family or I'm well-to-do family because of the profession?
Casey G. Smith: He seems to be doing all From what I remember, it's been a while since I I saw the first *Death Wish*, but he seems to be doing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: They don't they are yeah, they seem that at least like upper middle class. And I'm trying to remember where the if if it if the original one is set in Chicago also. Yeah, they don't they don't they didn't seem like they were hurting by by any means. But it's also, you know, it came out in '74, so sometimes, yeah, they didn't they weren't they weren't in poverty. Again, they were being, you know, the place being attacked and and and, you know, again, his wife and daughter being attacked. I think that attack was like kind of random. Um, because these were just thugs and I think I think I think they saw his wife and daughter at the store and they were they were they were primarily going to to rape them. Like that was like their primary. Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. That was their primary. Versus robbery. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. They were out to assail. And then...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But we did have a creepy guy in this film that were that wanted to do more.
Casey G. Smith: And that was kind of the that was kind of I think the homage where you thought, if you had seen the original, you thought, oh, it's going to go this way. But then you you actually have his daughter actually, you know, trying to fight back, which is a different twist where his daughter and other one was like, yeah, she didn't have a she didn't have a chance. And she ends up not even like in a she's not even in a coma in the first one, in the original. She's just comatose. She's just in shock from what happened to her. She's comatose.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. Yeah, so just the graphic thing, but I think it works from just an entertainment standpoint. But what I wasn't aware of, just like some of the worst reviews this film when it came out. And it wasn't on my radar at all. Like I've seen the trailer, I was like, no, why? I'm tired of remakes. Like, why do they keep doing this?
Casey G. Smith: Mmm.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So that's what I'm like from a subconscious standpoint, I'm just like, why are they doing this? But it's Eli Roth, I like Eli Roth. Okay, I'll check it out one day.
Casey G. Smith: Sure.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but I think the movie it still works, but it got they got creamed with the...
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I I I remember hearing that Yeah, I I heard about the development of the film and all that and they were remaking it. I was like, and then in my mind I was like, kind of your take, I was like, why would they have to remake *Death Wish*? I mean, I mean, the tale can can work in any generation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: Um, and then when I saw the trailer, I was like, no. Again, it it just it seemed too cute. I'm like, this is this is a tragic story.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And then you got the little finger at the end like bang bang bang.
Casey G. Smith: I'm like, this is a tragic story. To me, there's nothing funny about it, you know, you're dealing with such real subject matter. Yeah. And yeah, I think there are a couple of times, I think with the way that this film is made, it it it it kind of the the the totality of it bounces some of those little bits, uh and they really try to avoid being melodramatic. But I think that's just kind of Eli Roth's his his styling. Uh, you know, he always has, yeah, he always has some elements of, you know, the wink kind of in there.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You see the rose. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Even in his horror stuff.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So yeah, that's the only problem that I kind of had, you know, I had issue with just the kind of graphic, the balance of what are we doing here, you know, because I think since we went that way at the beginning, I think some of the like head squishing and all that stuff, like that could have been kind of taken out in a way. Not not we do the close-up of the face squashing. We do the close-up of the neck breaking. It's like cut that part. And it would give that balance, you know, it can kind of we see the blood and we see them like, nah, but I don't know. That's just my thought. That's just the bougie stuff like I was saying. That's just filmmaker stuff that who cares. But um, but then there was like a couple of continuity things like uh when uh Bruce Willis was sitting down with the psychiatrist in the scene. At first, he's like sitting back when he's first talking to her. And then we cut to see her and then all of a sudden he's up. And so it's like there's a couple of times where these little continuity things like, I caught that, but I wonder if the audience cares.
Casey G. Smith: Hmm. I may have seen something like that, I think in the film. I think I think there was a quick shift and the position of the body changed. I don't remember what part it was in, though, but. Yeah. But also, I know they had a real tight shooting schedule with with him. Um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: He didn't really say much about uh Bruce Willis during the commentary if he had a good time or...
Reginald Titus Jr.: He talked a lot about like the other actors, especially the daughter. And I thought he complimented Bruce Willis multiple times throughout.
Casey G. Smith: Did he? Yeah. Yeah. He did he to me, he constantly talked about how much he how much of a professional he was. He worked with him and let him kind of just do his do his do his thing. Like I didn't I didn't get any hints. You know, because sometimes we hear, you know, things about obviously Bruce Willis. Uh I know your boy Kevin Smith has has things to say, but I I didn't I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: A lot of people just kind of keep it quiet.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, I was listening for, I was like, I wonder how, you know, how it went, but he didn't really He said they had some doubles and they seemed like they were just trying to get him shot. Just get him shot.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. He did mention towards the end when he was thanking the uh producer he had worked with. Um, he did mention that they had that that there was a challenging film to shoot. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind-of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: That's fascinating. I I guess in this one that maybe because I had seen the original and I don't know, had had that contrast that I was kind of I was surprised that it wasn't there, but it but I was like, okay, it still works. Yeah, I was like, oh, it's just a different a different a different take. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's there is there definitely is an argument to to be made for that. Not that, you know, you see the wife's body, you know, you see the wife's body, Elizabeth Shue's body after the fact, uh and the fact obviously that, you know, his daughter continues to live. But also here's a different twist from the original to this one is his profession is different. So *Death Wish* actually, there's three it comes in three forms. Okay. First off, it's a book.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. Based off a novel.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, based off a novel. And in the novel, he's an accountant. Then when the movie comes out in '74, they change it to an architect.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: Then now in this remake, he's this trauma surgeon. Uh, so different professions.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Three very different professions. But uh, accountant, architect, uh but what with all these professions, are they are they uh are they leaning more toward I'm a more of affluent family or I'm well-to-do family because of the profession?
Casey G. Smith: He seems to be doing all From what I remember, it's been a while since I I saw the first *Death Wish*, but he seems to be doing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: They don't they are yeah, they seem that at least like upper middle class. And I'm trying to remember where the if if it if the original one is set in Chicago also. Yeah, they don't they don't they didn't seem like they were hurting by by any means. But it's also, you know, it came out in '74, so sometimes, yeah, they didn't they weren't they weren't in poverty. Again, they were being, you know, the place being attacked and and and, you know, again, his wife and daughter being attacked. I think that attack was like kind of random. Um, because these were just thugs and I think I think I think they saw his wife and daughter at the store and they were they were they were primarily going to to rape them. Like that was like their primary. Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. That was their primary. Versus robbery. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. They were out to assail. And then...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But we did have a creepy guy in this film that were that wanted to do more.
Casey G. Smith: And that was kind of the that was kind of I think the homage where you thought, if you had seen the original, you thought, oh, it's going to go this way. But then you you actually have his daughter actually, you know, trying to fight back, which is a different twist where his daughter and other one was like, yeah, she didn't have a she didn't have a chance. And she ends up not even like in a she's not even in a coma in the first one, in the original. She's just comatose. She's just in shock from what happened to her. She's comatose.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. Yeah, so just the graphic thing, but I think it works from just an entertainment standpoint. But what I wasn't aware of, just like some of the worst reviews this film when it came out. And it wasn't on my radar at all. Like I've seen the trailer, I was like, no, why? I'm tired of remakes. Like, why do they keep doing this?
Casey G. Smith: Mmm.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So that's what I'm like from a subconscious standpoint, I'm just like, why are they doing this? But it's Eli Roth, I like Eli Roth. Okay, I'll check it out one day.
Casey G. Smith: Sure.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but I think the movie it still works, but it got they got creamed with the...
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I I I remember hearing that Yeah, I I heard about the development of the film and all that and they were remaking it. I was like, and then in my mind I was like, kind of your take, I was like, why would they have to remake *Death Wish*? I mean, I mean, the tale can can work in any generation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: Um, and then when I saw the trailer, I was like, no. Again, it it just it seemed too cute. I'm like, this is this is a tragic story.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And then you got the little finger at the end like bang bang bang.
Casey G. Smith: I'm like, this is a tragic story. To me, there's nothing funny about it, you know, you're dealing with such real subject matter. Yeah. And yeah, I think there are a couple of times, I think with the way that this film is made, it it it it kind of the the the totality of it bounces some of those little bits, uh and they really try to avoid being melodramatic. But I think that's just kind of Eli Roth's his his styling. Uh, you know, he always has, yeah, he always has some elements of, you know, the wink kind of in there.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You see the rose. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Even in his horror stuff.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So yeah, that's the only problem that I kind of had, you know, I had issue with just the kind of graphic, the balance of what are we doing here, you know, because I think since we went that way at the beginning, I think some of the like head squishing and all that stuff, like that could have been kind of taken out in a way. Not not we do the close-up of the face squashing. We do the close-up of the neck breaking. It's like cut that part. And it would give that balance, you know, it can kind of we see the blood and we see them like, nah, but I don't know. That's just my thought. That's just the bougie stuff like I was saying. That's just filmmaker stuff that who cares. But um, but then there was like a couple of continuity things like uh when uh Bruce Willis was sitting down with the psychiatrist in the scene. At first, he's like sitting back when he's first talking to her. And then we cut to see her and then all of a sudden he's up. And so it's like there's a couple of times where these little continuity things like, I caught that, but I wonder if the audience cares.
Casey G. Smith: Hmm. I may have seen something like that, I think in the film. I think I think there was a quick shift and the position of the body changed. I don't remember what part it was in, though, but. Yeah. But also, I know they had a real tight shooting schedule with with him. Um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: He didn't really say much about uh Bruce Willis during the commentary if he had a good time or...
Reginald Titus Jr.: He talked a lot about like the other actors, especially the daughter. And I thought he complimented Bruce Willis multiple times throughout.
Casey G. Smith: Did he? Yeah. Yeah. He did he to me, he constantly talked about how much he how much of a professional he was. He worked with him and let him kind of just do his do his do his thing. Like I didn't I didn't get any hints. You know, because sometimes we hear, you know, things about obviously Bruce Willis. Uh I know your boy Kevin Smith has has things to say, but I I didn't I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: A lot of people just kind of keep it quiet.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, I was listening for, I was like, I wonder how, you know, how it went, but he didn't really He said they had some doubles and they seemed like they were just trying to get him shot. Just get him shot.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. He did mention towards the end when he was thanking the uh producer he had worked with. Um, he did mention that they had that that there was a challenging film to shoot. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind-of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: That's fascinating. I I guess in this one that maybe because I had seen the original and I don't know, had had that contrast that I was kind of I was surprised that it wasn't there, but it but I was like, okay, it still works. Yeah, I was like, oh, it's just a different a different a different take. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's there is there definitely is an argument to to be made for that. Not that, you know, you see the wife's body, you know, you see the wife's body, Elizabeth Shue's body after the fact, uh and the fact obviously that, you know, his daughter continues to live. But also here's a different twist from the original to this one is his profession is different. So *Death Wish* actually, there's three it comes in three forms. Okay. First off, it's a book.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. Based off a novel.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, based off a novel. And in the novel, he's an accountant. Then when the movie comes out in '74, they change it to an architect.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: Then now in this remake, he's this trauma surgeon. Uh, so different professions.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Three very different professions. But uh, accountant, architect, uh but what with all these professions, are they are they uh are they leaning more toward I'm a more of affluent family or I'm well-to-do family because of the profession?
Casey G. Smith: He seems to be doing all From what I remember, it's been a while since I I saw the first *Death Wish*, but he seems to be doing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: They don't they are yeah, they seem that at least like upper middle class. And I'm trying to remember where the if if it if the original one is set in Chicago also. Yeah, they don't they don't they didn't seem like they were hurting by by any means. But it's also, you know, it came out in '74, so sometimes, yeah, they didn't they weren't they weren't in poverty. Again, they were being, you know, the place being attacked and and and, you know, again, his wife and daughter being attacked. I think that attack was like kind of random. Um, because these were just thugs and I think I think I think they saw his wife and daughter at the store and they were they were they were primarily going to to rape them. Like that was like their primary. Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. That was their primary. Versus robbery. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. They were out to assail. And then...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But we did have a creepy guy in this film that were that wanted to do more.
Casey G. Smith: And that was kind of the that was kind of I think the homage where you thought, if you had seen the original, you thought, oh, it's going to go this way. But then you you actually have his daughter actually, you know, trying to fight back, which is a different twist where his daughter and other one was like, yeah, she didn't have a she didn't have a chance. And she ends up not even like in a she's not even in a coma in the first one, in the original. She's just comatose. She's just in shock from what happened to her. She's comatose.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. Yeah, so just the graphic thing, but I think it works from just an entertainment standpoint. But what I wasn't aware of, just like some of the worst reviews this film when it came out. And it wasn't on my radar at all. Like I've seen the trailer, I was like, no, why? I'm tired of remakes. Like, why do they keep doing this?
Casey G. Smith: Mmm.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So that's what I'm like from a subconscious standpoint, I'm just like, why are they doing this? But it's Eli Roth, I like Eli Roth. Okay, I'll check it out one day.
Casey G. Smith: Sure.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but I think the movie it still works, but it got they got creamed with the...
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I I I remember hearing that Yeah, I I heard about the development of the film and all that and they were remaking it. I was like, and then in my mind I was like, kind of your take, I was like, why would they have to remake *Death Wish*? I mean, I mean, the tale can can work in any generation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: Um, and then when I saw the trailer, I was like, no. Again, it it just it seemed too cute. I'm like, this is this is a tragic story.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And then you got the little finger at the end like bang bang bang.
Casey G. Smith: I'm like, this is a tragic story. To me, there's nothing funny about it, you know, you're dealing with such real subject matter. Yeah. And yeah, I think there are a couple of times, I think with the way that this film is made, it it it it kind of the the the totality of it bounces some of those little bits, uh and they really try to avoid being melodramatic. But I think that's just kind of Eli Roth's his his styling. Uh, you know, he always has, yeah, he always has some elements of, you know, the wink kind of in there.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You see the rose. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Even in his horror stuff.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So yeah, that's the only problem that I kind of had, you know, I had issue with just the kind of graphic, the balance of what are we doing here, you know, because I think since we went that way at the beginning, I think some of the like head squishing and all that stuff, like that could have been kind of taken out in a way. Not not we do the close-up of the face squashing. We do the close-up of the neck breaking. It's like cut that part. And it would give that balance, you know, it can kind of we see the blood and we see them like, nah, but I don't know. That's just my thought. That's just the bougie stuff like I was saying. That's just filmmaker stuff that who cares. But um, but then there was like a couple of continuity things like uh when uh Bruce Willis was sitting down with the psychiatrist in the scene. At first, he's like sitting back when he's first talking to her. And then we cut to see her and then all of a sudden he's up. And so it's like there's a couple of times where these little continuity things like, I caught that, but I wonder if the audience cares.
Casey G. Smith: Hmm. I may have seen something like that, I think in the film. I think I think there was a quick shift and the position of the body changed. I don't remember what part it was in, though, but. Yeah. But also, I know they had a real tight shooting schedule with with him. Um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: He didn't really say much about uh Bruce Willis during the commentary if he had a good time or...
Reginald Titus Jr.: He talked a lot about like the other actors, especially the daughter. And I thought he complimented Bruce Willis multiple times throughout.
Casey G. Smith: Did he? Yeah. Yeah. He did he to me, he constantly talked about how much he how much of a professional he was. He worked with him and let him kind of just do his do his do his thing. Like I didn't I didn't get any hints. You know, because sometimes we hear, you know, things about obviously Bruce Willis. Uh I know your boy Kevin Smith has has things to say, but I I didn't I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: A lot of people just kind of keep it quiet.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, I was listening for, I was like, I wonder how, you know, how it went, but he didn't really He said they had some doubles and they seemed like they were just trying to get him shot. Just get him shot.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. He did mention towards the end when he was thanking the uh producer he had worked with. Um, he did mention that they had that that there was a challenging film to shoot. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind-of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird. Sometimes it's off balance when you do that.
Casey G. Smith: That's fascinating. I I guess in this one that maybe because I had seen the original and I don't know, had had that contrast that I was kind of I was surprised that it wasn't there, but it but I was like, okay, it still works. Yeah, I was like, oh, it's just a different a different a different take. And yeah, I don't know. Yeah, that's that's there is there definitely is an argument to to be made for that. Not that, you know, you see the wife's body, you know, you see the wife's body, Elizabeth Shue's body after the fact, uh and the fact obviously that, you know, his daughter continues to live. But also here's a different twist from the original to this one is his profession is different. So *Death Wish* actually, there's three it comes in three forms. Okay. First off, it's a book.
Reginald Titus Jr.: That's right. Based off a novel.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, based off a novel. And in the novel, he's an accountant. Then when the movie comes out in '74, they change it to an architect.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: Then now in this remake, he's this trauma surgeon. Uh, so different professions.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Three very different professions. But uh, accountant, architect, uh but what with all these professions, are they are they uh are they leaning more toward I'm a more of affluent family or I'm well-to-do family because of the profession?
Casey G. Smith: He seems to be doing all From what I remember, it's been a while since I I saw the first *Death Wish*, but he seems to be doing.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Okay.
Casey G. Smith: They don't they are yeah, they seem that at least like upper middle class. And I'm trying to remember where the if if it if the original one is set in Chicago also. Yeah, they don't they don't they didn't seem like they were hurting by by any means. But it's also, you know, it came out in '74, so sometimes, yeah, they didn't they weren't they weren't in poverty. Again, they were being, you know, the place being attacked and and and, you know, again, his wife and daughter being attacked. I think that attack was like kind of random. Um, because these were just thugs and I think I think I think they saw his wife and daughter at the store and they were they were they were primarily going to to rape them. Like that was like their primary. Yeah, it wasn't it wasn't.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Oh. That was their primary. Versus robbery. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, yeah. They were out to assail. And then...
Reginald Titus Jr.: But we did have a creepy guy in this film that were that wanted to do more.
Casey G. Smith: And that was kind of the that was kind of I think the homage where you thought, if you had seen the original, you thought, oh, it's going to go this way. But then you you actually have his daughter actually, you know, trying to fight back, which is a different twist where his daughter and other one was like, yeah, she didn't have a she didn't have a chance. And she ends up not even like in a she's not even in a coma in the first one, in the original. She's just comatose. She's just in shock from what happened to her. She's comatose.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Wow. Yeah, so just the graphic thing, but I think it works from just an entertainment standpoint. But what I wasn't aware of, just like some of the worst reviews this film when it came out. And it wasn't on my radar at all. Like I've seen the trailer, I was like, no, why? I'm tired of remakes. Like, why do they keep doing this?
Casey G. Smith: Mmm.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So that's what I'm like from a subconscious standpoint, I'm just like, why are they doing this? But it's Eli Roth, I like Eli Roth. Okay, I'll check it out one day.
Casey G. Smith: Sure.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Um, but I think the movie it still works, but it got they got creamed with the...
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I I I remember hearing that Yeah, I I heard about the development of the film and all that and they were remaking it. I was like, and then in my mind I was like, kind of your take, I was like, why would they have to remake *Death Wish*? I mean, I mean, the tale can can work in any generation.
Reginald Titus Jr.: True.
Casey G. Smith: Um, and then when I saw the trailer, I was like, no. Again, it it just it seemed too cute. I'm like, this is this is a tragic story.
Reginald Titus Jr.: And then you got the little finger at the end like bang bang bang.
Casey G. Smith: I'm like, this is a tragic story. To me, there's nothing funny about it, you know, you're dealing with such real subject matter. Yeah. And yeah, I think there are a couple of times, I think with the way that this film is made, it it it it kind of the the the totality of it bounces some of those little bits, uh and they really try to avoid being melodramatic. But I think that's just kind of Eli Roth's his his styling. Uh, you know, he always has, yeah, he always has some elements of, you know, the wink kind of in there.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You see the rose. Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: Even in his horror stuff.
Reginald Titus Jr.: So yeah, that's the only problem that I kind of had, you know, I had issue with just the kind of graphic, the balance of what are we doing here, you know, because I think since we went that way at the beginning, I think some of the like head squishing and all that stuff, like that could have been kind of taken out in a way. Not not we do the close-up of the face squashing. We do the close-up of the neck breaking. It's like cut that part. And it would give that balance, you know, it can kind of we see the blood and we see them like, nah, but I don't know. That's just my thought. That's just the bougie stuff like I was saying. That's just filmmaker stuff that who cares. But um, but then there was like a couple of continuity things like uh when uh Bruce Willis was sitting down with the psychiatrist in the scene. At first, he's like sitting back when he's first talking to her. And then we cut to see her and then all of a sudden he's up. And so it's like there's a couple of times where these little continuity things like, I caught that, but I wonder if the audience cares.
Casey G. Smith: Hmm. I may have seen something like that, I think in the film. I think I think there was a quick shift and the position of the body changed. I don't remember what part it was in, though, but. Yeah. But also, I know they had a real tight shooting schedule with with him. Um...
Reginald Titus Jr.: Yeah.
Casey G. Smith: He didn't really say much about uh Bruce Willis during the commentary if he had a good time or...
Reginald Titus Jr.: He talked a lot about like the other actors, especially the daughter. And I thought he complimented Bruce Willis multiple times throughout.
Casey G. Smith: Did he? Yeah. Yeah. He did he to me, he constantly talked about how much he how much of a professional he was. He worked with him and let him kind of just do his do his do his thing. Like I didn't I didn't get any hints. You know, because sometimes we hear, you know, things about obviously Bruce Willis. Uh I know your boy Kevin Smith has has things to say, but I I didn't I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: A lot of people just kind of keep it quiet.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah, I didn't get that vibe at all from uh from the commentary from from Eli.
Reginald Titus Jr.: You know, I was listening for, I was like, I wonder how, you know, how it went, but he didn't really He said they had some doubles and they seemed like they were just trying to get him shot. Just get him shot.
Casey G. Smith: Yeah. He did mention towards the end when he was thanking the uh producer he had worked with. Um, he did mention that they had that that there was a challenging film to shoot. I thought that that still, I guess, you know, worked well enough. Um, but yeah, more graphic.
Reginald Titus Jr.: But more graphic, okay. So my problem with that is that from an entertainment standpoint, it works. Cause we talked about it like if you're going to show, you know, the graphic nature of how you're killing people and how bloody and how intense you go into that, you know, what do you show with the family that you're going after, what they went through, you know, are you going to kind of fudge on that or are you going to be rated R in that way, same as you're doing with the kills? And so like, I know we kind-of talk about with the balance, but I think um, what movie was that? Uh, *Irreversible*. When you show that and then you saw you show how bloody the murder is when you're doing the revenge, it kind of balances out. But when it feels more justified to go that extreme of that.
Casey G. Smith: It feels more justified.
Reginald Titus Jr.: Or to just show it. Or just to show how graphic you're killing people. You know, I feel like that has to be balanced and this one it felt like we were kind of leaning more to like, we got to show every single kill, how graphic and horrific that is. And it's kind of it's weird.