EPISODE 538: SENSE AND PLAUSIBILITY with SCOTT NYE
In this episode, Tyler and David are joined by Scott Nye to discuss the extent to which it matters that movies make sense.
Recent Theatrical Reviews
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The Substance: ‘Til the Screaming is Gone, by Scott Nye
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Am I Racist?: Be Better, by Tyler Smith
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Edinburgh International Film Festival 2024: *smiles and kisses you*, by Simon Read
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Edinburgh International Film Festival 2024: Steppenwolf, by Simon Read
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Edinburgh International Film Festival 2024: Timestalker, by Simon Read
Recent Home Video Reviews
COMMENTARIES
PREMIUM EPISODES
Fucking love Scott Nye (single cookie, Tupperware, backpack).
Where’s Fadem
I’d never heard of The Minimalist, but despite being a fairly loyal BP listener, I’m basically living as The Minimalist recommends. Part of it is that I just watch everything on my laptop (I know that makes me a bad cinephile), but another part is that I rarely rewatch films because I feel like there are so many movies I still need to see but haven’t (listening to podcasts like this contributes to that).
I regard film noir & suspense films as being at least partly plot-based. There is some leeway for holes that can just be ignored, but less so than in something like horror where the incomprehensibility is part of the scare, or absurdist comedy where it’s part of the joke.
I think I’m more bothered when there’s an obvious plot-hole the movie doesn’t address, so a tossed off explanation can put my mind at ease. ADR isn’t ideal, but I think I’d prefer that to nothing.
I had no problem with Breaking Bad’s reveal of the plant. We can figure out what happened and don’t need a flashback to show the actual procedure behind it (even though lots of other stuff does have the procedure shown). It’s not a “lie”, it’s just something we didn’t see revealed until later.
I grew up thinking the continuity error in Jurassic Park was something they missed in editing, and always wondered how that was possible. I guess the real problem was a script error, if they had to add a scene because they changed their mind about what they wanted? As a perfectionist, the thought horrifies me.
For me this issue can be a huge deal-breaker in my enjoyment of a film. My mental processing ability is hyper-focused, so if the setup of the story doesn’t make sense I get confused. If the characters are interesting enough it might not matter, otherwise my mind can dwell obsessively on it. Also if things are happening for reasons that appear to be stupid, especially if it seems unintentional, I can easily feel distanced and lose interest.