Speed Review

This is M -Wire, movie we can review. M -Wire

is brought to you by Audible .com. Sign up today

to get a free audiobook download at www .audibletrial

.com slash pcastradio. Start today with a free

30 -day trial with over 100 ,000 titles to choose

from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or MP3

player. Don't forget to follow Audible on Twitter

at Audible underscore com. And now the latest

and greatest in movies with MWire. All right

pop quiz airport gunman with one hostage he's

using her for cover. He's almost to a plane.

You're a hundred feet away What do you think

shoot the hostage what go for the good wound

and he can't get to the plane with her Clear

shot. You're deeply nuts. You know that All right,

gentlemen what we have here are 13 passengers

in an express elevator Bombs already taken out

cables bomber wants three million dollars or

he blows the emergency brakes anything else that

will keep this elevator from falling You're in

the basement. They can strike anywhere, at any

time. Will the Mr. Guest please sign in? Why

are they messing with me? Do they think I'm doing

this for fun? For L .A. cop Jack Traven. Tell

me again, Harry, why did I take this job? Come

on, 30 more years than this, you get a tiny pension

and a cheap gold watch. Cool. The game began.

exciting Jack some close calls huh when someone

put the city of Los Angeles to the ultimate test

pop quiz hot shot there's a bomb on a bus once

the bus goes 50 miles an hour the bomb is armed

if it drops below 50 it blows up what do you

do what do you do He's the only solution. We

just got a ransom demand for your terror. It

says he's rigged the city bus. Where's Jack?

Where do you think? Stay on her, get off! Get

off! This is much better. Everybody hold on!

You have a hair trigger aimed at your head, what

do you do? What do you do? Speed. Get ready for

rush hour. Hello and welcome to MWIRE, a movie

we can review brought to you by the Geekcast,

Radio Network, and audible .com. I am one of

your hosts, Steve, Joe, and Mike, and joining

me is Steve Megatron. Holy hell, where the hell

have you been? Jail. That's a good place for

Joker. I'm joking. How is Arkham these days?

Exactly. It's a little dry. Of course, as you

heard, we also have movie revolt Dan back again

with us. Hello. Hey, how are you doing? Pretty

good, pretty good. And today the three of us

are going to be getting on a nonstop bus ride

through downtown LA as we continue the 90s flashback

episodes here on MWIRE with 1994's Speed. I honestly

don't remember if I saw this in theaters. What

about you, Steve? Oh, yeah, that's right. I didn't

see this until about five years ago. Really?

Yeah. Well, my wife introduced it to me. Yeah.

Which is actually funny because I'm big into

action films and she's not so much. What about

you, Dan? Definitely didn't see in theaters.

The first time I saw it was actually by VA VHS

It was like one of the few VHS I had growing

up as a kid that wasn't a Disney movie We had

this in Jurassic Park, but yeah, that's how I

first saw speed Yeah, I'm the same way I saw

it, you know through an old rental place or something

like that or whatever else and VHS and I think

I saw it when I was 15 or 16. So two years after

it came out Yeah, I like it. I think it's a really

interesting film. Of course, I find it so funny

that this film happened a year after Dennis Hopper

was King Koopa. So I guess he decided to go a

more serious role. I think he was trying to forget

that as much as possible. Yeah, pretty much.

The other thing I find interesting about this

movie is that, at least according to Wikipedia's

filmography for Keanu Reeves, this is the only

movie he did in 1994. Again, going by the Wikipedia

filmography list, and again, I'm not looking

at IMDB right now, but according to Wikipedia,

this was the only movie he did in the year 1994.

So that's that's interesting. Yeah, he wasn't

really a bankable sir as yet I mean at the studios

weren't really big on him for this role I mean

a lot of other people were up for it I mean before

this he was for Bill and Ted really so that doesn't

really surprise me but Yeah, it's kind of what

I think made him seem more legitimate I guess

I mean Bill and Ted was obviously a hit but no

one ever took him as a serious action star and

I think this is kind of the first time anyone

actually took him seriously Yeah, I would agree

with that. All right, so let's Send it over to

JT from Saskatoon with the just the facts for

speed The film begins with a mysterious man trapping

several people inside of a buoy trapped elevator

in a skyscraper in downtown LA The mystery man

demands a huge ransom in one hour or he will

blow the emergency brake sending the elevator

and the people therein plummeting to their doom

SWAT is called in, and among them is officers

Jack Traven and Harry Temple, who are ordered

by their commander to gain entry and reconnoiter

the elevator. While doing so, Harry and Jack

can play a unique way of problem -solving to

their current situation. Jack. Shoot the hostage.

What? Take her out of the equation. Go for the

good wound and you can't get to the plane with

her. Clear shot. You're deeply nuts, you know

that? Shoot the hostage. With the clock ticking

down, Jack and Harry are able to secure the elevator

with a crane and rescue some of the passengers

before the bomber notices their efforts and blows

the brakes. Jack is able to save one of the last

passengers trapped in the car before it falls

to the bottom, and they realize the bomber must

have been in the building if he could see what

they're doing. Jack and Harry head to the basement

to check the security office where the bomber

takes Harry by surprise and holds a gun on him.

When Jack confronts him, Harry slyly suggests

Jack shoot him based on their earlier conversation.

Jack pops Harry and the bomber runs into the

parking garage where another explosion goes off.

Jack and Harry both assume the bomber is killed

in the blast, and they are later commended for

their efforts in rescuing the hostages, with

Harry being promoted to detective first grade

and is given a desk to ride while he heals up.

The next day, Jack is getting a coffee when he

sees a commuter bus explode killing everyone

inside. A nearby payphone begins ringing and

Jack answers, surprised to hear the bomber on

the other end. The bomber tells Jack that another

bus is rigged to blow if it goes any slower than

50 miles an hour. He also demands another ransom

and warns Jack that he will detonate the bomb

if it is tampered with or if any of the passengers

leave the bus. Speeding off like a madman, Jack

wrecks his Bronco, but commandeers a man's Jaguar

and is soon able to get on board the bus. after

it goes past 50 miles an hour. After informing

the driver Sam about the bomb, one of the passengers

pulls a gun on Jack thinking he's there to pick

him up. Another passenger jumps the guy with

the gun, it goes off, hitting Sam in the arm.

Annie Porter, one of the last people to get on

the bus, takes control of it while Jack sees

to Sam. He also informs the other passengers

about the bomb and contacts the LAPD, informing

them about the situation. Jack then has Annie

get off the crowded freeway into the city and

police cars arrive to escort the bus to an empty

freeway under construction. Opening a service

panel in the floor, Jack looks under the bus

and locates the bomb. A passenger relays the

bomb's description to Harry via cell phone, who

starts researching potential suspects. The bomber

contacts Jack via cell phone to taunt him, but

Jack doesn't bite. Instead, he convinces the

bomber to let him offload Sam so he can be treated.

But when the other SWAT officers arrive with

a flatbed truck to take Sam away, another passenger

named Helen tries to get off the bus as well.

Somehow, the bomber sees this and activates another

explosive booby trap under the stairs sending

Helen down and under the bus's tires to her death.

Thinking that the bomber is watching the news,

Jack's SWAT commander, Lieutenant McMahon, clears

the air of all news choppers. Not only that,

but he also discovers a gap in the incomplete

freeway. In a desperate Hail Mary play, Jack

has Annie floored and the bus jumps the gap narrowly

crossing in one piece. Jack then has Annie head

for LAX where the runways will give them enough

room to circle while Jack and others try to figure

out what to do next. With the bomber's permission,

Jack gets off the bus to confer with Lieutenant

McMahon, and it's decided that Jack will go underneath

the bus on a service cart and attempt to defuse

the bomb. But the device proves to be too intricate

for Jack's skills, and at the same time, one

of Harry's team discovers the identity of the

bomber. His name is Howard Payne, formerly of

the Atlanta Police Department's Bomb Squad. Harry

learns that after he lost a finger in a bonch

defusal several years before, Payne had moved

out west to LA. Harry and his team go to a rest

pain while Jack is hauled out from under the

bus. However, scrap on one of the runways causes

the car to swerve out of control. Jack is nearly

taken underneath the tires of the bus, but manages

to cling on the underside of the bus by stabbing

the gas tank with a screwdriver for a handhold.

The passengers open the service panel from earlier

and rescue Jack before he falls. When Harry and

his team arrive at Payne's house, they find that

Payne has rigged the house with explosives, which

go off, killing all within the house. Payne calls

Jack to mock him, but the conversation clues

Jack into the fact that Payne has a camera hidden

on board the bus. Jack radios this into Lieutenant

McMahon, who works with one of the news crews

to key into the camera's wireless signal and

loop the video. The LAPD quickly move in and

offload the rest of the passengers, save for

Jack and Annie, who stay on board to keep the

bus steady. After reading the bus, Jack and Annie

slide out under the bus on the service panel

cover while the bus collides with an empty cargo

plane and explodes. Annie then tags along with

Jack when he goes to oversee the drop off of

Payne's ransom. However, Payne angrily discovers

the video loop and also sees that the police

are lying in wait from his roost near the garbage

can drop off. Disguising himself as a cop, Payne

leads Annie away from the scene and after the

drop is made and Payne doesn't show, Jack checks

the cannon and finds a hole underneath leading

to a subway station. Jack races down to the station

and finds Payne with the money and Annie. He

also sees that Payne has dressed Annie in a bomb

vest and he threatens to drop the dead man switch

if Jack interferes. Payne hauls Annie onto a

nearby train and forces the conductor to leave

the station before shooting him and handcuffing

Annie to a pole. As the train leaves the station,

Jack runs and is able to climb on board the train.

Payne sees Jack and goes to confront him, but

not before opening the bag with his ransom money.

A die pack pops and ruins the money, driving

Payne into a rage. He climbs on the top of the

train and fights Jack while still clutching the

dead man's switch in his hand. Payne attempts

to kill Jack for ruining his plans, but Jack

forces his head up into the path of an oncoming

signal light decapitating the villain. Jack manages

to get a hold of the switch and climbs back inside

the train, and after freeing Annie from the bomb

vest, Jack discovers that he doesn't have a key

to free Annie from her cuffs, and the train's

brakes are broken. Figuring the only way to survive

is to derail the train when the track curves,

Jack cranks the train's speed to max and he and

Annie hang on for dear life. Miraculously, the

train crashes into an incomplete tunnel and out

onto Hollywood Boulevard. Realizing that they've

survived, Jack and Annie kiss while other people

look on, ending the film. Directed by Jan de

Bont, who had previously worked on such classic

action films as Die Hard and The Hunt for Red

October. Speed open in theaters on June 10th,

1994. The film would rake in over $350 million,

nearly 12 times its original budget during its

run at the box office. The film starred Keanu

Reeves as Jack Travans, Sandra Bullock as Annie

Porter, Jeff Daniels as Harry Temple, and Hollywood

legend Dennis Hopper as the mad bomber Howard

Pate. Somewhat surprisingly, Roger Ebert not

only liked this film, he loved it. Mr. Ebert

gave the film 4 out of 4 stars, calling it a

smart, inventive thriller, and also saying that

we've seen this done before, but sell them so

well, or it's such a high pitch of energy. And

in Rolling Stone, film critic Pete Travers said,

The film even received an A rating from Entertainment

Weekly's Owen Gleiberman, who said, Now you may

not be aware of this, But Stephen Baldwin, yeah,

the dude from Biodome, was cast as Jack Traven

but left because the early version of the script

he was working with had Officer Traven set up

as a knockoff of John McClane. And he wasn't

the only one. Other actors quartered for the

role include George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Tom

Hanks, Tom Cruise, and even Kevin Flynn himself,

Jeff Bridges. And current geek god Joss Whedon

was brought in in the middle of filming to rewrite

the script almost entirely without any credit.

This is also what brought Keanu Reeves onto the

film as he almost passed on it before Joss was

brought in. Keanu Reeves also did almost all

of his own stunts for the film and Sandra Bullock

actually learned how to drive a bus for the role

passing the driver's test on her first try. And

finally, in the original die -hard draft of the

film, Jeff Daniels' character of Harry Temple

was supposed to be the bomber, but Dennis Hopper's

character was added because producers felt the

sudden twist wouldn't sit right with audiences.

I gotta say that I love this movie with an unholy

passion. Everything hits in this movie. The script,

the acting, the stunts, the effects, everything.

Like some of the critics' reviews said, it's

so rare when a movie like this fires on all cylinders

and isn't completely ridiculous. Seriously, this

is a must -have, must -buy, must -own for anyone

who enjoys quality action movies. It just is.

This has been Just the Facts for Speed. I'm JT

from Saskatoon. Now let's send it back to the

rest of the crew on M -Wire. So thank you once

again, JT, for all the hard work you do with

Just the Facts. This movie is a testament to

90s action, I think. It still holds up today

when I watched it back. Was like yeah some of

the stuff is a little bit dated obviously but

This could easily be a movie of the 21st century

as far as like today's action films Yeah, I completely

agree I mean it did extremely holds up really

well when watching it like I mean I've watched

it in over the years But this is like the first

time I've sat down to watch it I can analyze

it since I first watched it years ago, and I

was amazed on how well it stands up. Like this

could be literally released in theaters today,

and I think it'd be just as successful. It's

edited really well. The pacing is really well

done. The stunts, it's all practical stunts,

and I think that really makes it stand out. Like

this, if you look at action, there's all those

high watermark movies. Like you have First Blood,

you have Die Hard, and I put speed right in there.

I think that was, this was like... one of the

best action movies of the 90s and I think it's

still today. I would put it up there. It's everything

you want in an action movie. Good characters,

a decent enough story and then it's just the

action is well edited and it's really well shot.

I think that's the key here. It's just... The

director Jane Jane de Vaughn. I think that's

how you pronounce it He did the cinematography

for die -hard And I think he took a lot of that

a lot of that experience and he lend itself perfectly

to this movie And he is a big key to why this

movie works. Oh Yeah initial thoughts on the

movie Steve I Have to agree with you guys. I

mean, it's it's really well done. I do think

that this is one of the few Because there are

some action films that don't really hold up either

because they look dated or because they're just

The effects are dated but even in modern time

I Don't think that they could have done. I mean

they could have obviously done a little bit better

graphically, but as far as the acting and as

far as the you know practicality of it it just

makes more sense and I really enjoy this this

film And I think that it also kind of made people

think that you know Keanu Reeves is You know

actually has potential besides Bill and Ted Yeah,

and you know he also was in point break as well

So that was the other thing people might have

have known him for I Don't know I've never seen

and I don't intend to ever see Bram Stoker's

Dracula But he was also Jonathan Harker in that

before this. But no, I mean, he's, after speed,

he's pretty much gone on a tear in both good

and bad movies. Not only action, but also romantic

comedies and all that other stuff. Of course,

most of us, most of today's generation knows

him as Neo from the Matrix movies. I knew Kung

Fu. You know, but stuff like... What is it? Something's

Gotta Give. He was in that. He was in Hardball,

Sweet November. That was a strange film. The

Watcher, The Replacements, The Lake House. I've

always liked seeing him in films. I mean, I think

he's a really... Really good actor. I'm glad

that he kind of stepped away from the Ted role

The whole because as we all know in the 80s once

you're stuck in a role like that your typecast

forever whoa Was that Joker trying to be Ted

that's no if it was the Joker you would know

it you asshat Alright then So, I mean he's just

had an amazing career, you know, he's even got

stuff coming out later this year Man of Tai Chi

and 47 Ronin. 47 Ronin has been in like post

-production hell for a very long time. That maybe

was supposed to come out like a couple years

ago, but hopefully it'll come out this year.

I'm actually really looking forward to that.

It's a pretty good premise, but yeah, he kind

of has Taken that role of the stoner kid from

the 1980s and like I forgot earlier that yes

He was in point break. So that kind of helped

break him and I think speed He was probably the

next thing and then of course the matrix like

you mentioned and then he had some other roles

I I'd like to be Constantine. It's not great

by any means But I think it has its moments and

then he's been in some less and stellar films

like the day that earth stood still The greatest

remake in the world. He hasn't really done much

in the last few years, but Hopefully that if

47 Ronin does come out that will that will kind

of bring him back to the limelight Yeah the other

thing about Keanu is What I find so strange about

him is some of the some of the films that most

people won't like that he did is That they have

such great casts in them because he also did

chain reaction and I know a lot of people at

least a lot of people that I know and talk to

never really cared for that movie but I mean

that movie has Morgan Freeman it has all these

other people it has all these other great cast

members in it Rachel Weiss Fred Ward Kevin Dunn

Brian Cox I mean it's got all those people and

it's people just look at that movie and be like

oh what the hell was Keanu Reeves doing now What

are the smartest things he ever did was turn

down speed to so that was probably one of the

best We'll get into that closer to the end of

the show But yes, you're right Moving down the

list here to King Koopa himself Dennis Hopper

as Howard Payne. Oh my god, this guy was so good

just so so good it was just absolutely amazing

as this villain because we don't see it like

at first obviously we don't see him we just hear

him on the like in that in those few first scenes

you know when he's like pop quiz hotshot and

the whole whole elevator scene and all that so

there is that and it's like he's he plays the

villains so well I absolutely love love his performance

in this Yeah, he really like he enjoys being

evil, but he's not so over -the -top evil. There's

still some like realism to his character GT mentioned

in the just the facts that Josh Whedon did a

lot of touch -up on the script, especially with

the dialogue and I Don't know where exactly he

did it. He wasn't credited but I'm pretty sure

when watching this like Hearing his top like

that character. That's where I feel like he probably

had his most of his work was done just with his

witty Repartee his self -wrenching humor like

how he was kind of meta and moments. So I think

that like Dennis Hopper had a good script behind

him and then he really nailed it nailed it I

think he I put him as some one of the best action

villains bar none like up there with Hans Gruber

And other great action villains. Oh Yeah, I mean

he was just so great Any thoughts on Howard Payne

Steve he plays a dick very well, yeah, but he's

He's almost cold and calculating to the point

though that he is out thinking the rest of the

police Mm -hmm, so it's kind of interesting seeing

how he's Kind of getting his own way of sorts

Yeah, yeah And then of course the the next one

down the list is mrs. Sandra Bullock most people

Well, the first two things that most people would

know her for is 93's The Vanishing and 93's Demolition

Man. I also remember her, sadly, in Love Potion

number 9, 1992. So you're the person that watched

that movie? One of them, anyway. So that's how

I got ratings. Fuck you. No, you should be saying

that about the net, because the net in 95 sucked.

But I would say that this one was more so outside

of demolition man. This was really her Speed

was really her. Hey, look at me make me famous

role Because everybody remembers her in this

and since speed she's done an amazing she's got

an amazing Filmography, you know the net notwithstanding

but you know, she was in a John Grisham Book

turned into a movie a time to kill Sadly, she

did sign on for Speed 2. She needed the money.

Probably. Hope Floats, Practical Magic, Forces

of Nature, 28 Days, Miss Congeniality, Two Weeks

Notice, Murder by Numbers. I mean, she's got

a ton of credits and a ton of really great films

that she's done. She's in a movie in 2009 called

All About Steve. Apparently won a bunch of Razzies

and wasn't very well received. What's sad about

that movie is she plays a character named Mary.

I know. And my wife and I, I'm, you know, it's

Steve and Mary. So it's kind of we thought that

was hilarious. And that's pretty much the only

reason why we watched the movie. That's so funny.

Yeah, 2009 was a kind of a weird year for her

because she had that. Movie all about Steve,

but she also had the blind side which he wanted

outside what she won an Oscar for and the proposal

which was also a huge hit She had these really

two strong films and then she had all about Steve

which was a complete mess, but Yeah, she said

quite a career and I think and she says she has

gravity coming out this year Which I'm looking

forward to I think that could be really good.

So yeah, I think this is speed is what really

broke her I think in a lot of ways She helps

make this movie better and more than just die

hard on a bus. I think she brings a lot of personality.

Yeah, the proposal. I just can't get past certain

person's acting ability or lack thereof. Oh,

shut up. I actually tried watching it on it was

on USA over the weekend or something and Yeah,

no, you're just a dick. You hate Ryan Reynolds.

That's the only reason why you're bashing it

Dude can't act for sure you can No, he can't

You were banned from any Ryan Reynolds type of

movie that has him in it The only one I would

even want to talk about is safe house because

it's the only one where he actually acts Like

I said, you're banned from anybody that includes

him anyways next on the list of course is Jeff

Daniels you want to talk about a guy who's had

a film career holy crap he started in 81 with

ragtime terms terms of endearment let's see what

else people might know I'm from arachnophobia

in 90 I remember that movie that's why I don't

like spiders anymore and of course speed his

role is hairy to me i know it was a short -lived

role but it almost it didn't feel like he was

one of the main cast i know he is i know he's

like third build on the on the cast list but

it just felt like he wasn't like it wasn't like

with kiano and sandra where this is kind of speed

is kind of what elevated them i don't know what

did you guys think steve As far as who? Jeff

Daniels Harry Harry I liked his character although

He was very briefly in the film sadly I wish

that they would have given him a bigger part

or we had him last longer at least Because I

just I like Jeff Daniels as an actor and it was

kind of unfortunate he played like a throwaway

What I find absolutely funny about him in 94

is that in speed he plays Harry temple in dumb

and dumber he plays Harry done Yes, and in speed

he's like the smart, you know, he's he brings

the brains and then and dumb and dumber obviously

not so much What I do I do like his character

as well I mean the only bad thing about his character

is when he gives that speech at the bar when

he's like I'm not gonna be around forever that's

basically saying I'm gonna die very shortly because

it's just a speech any cop gives to any partner

in like all right, well he's gonna die and Which

is unfortunate but yeah, I did I did like the

way they used him as like this, you know the

person trying to figure everything out and Giving

Keanu Reeves someone, you know have an emotional

attachment because do you need a movie like this?

You need someone to die that you have some sort

of attachment with so the key was just that that

cog that they created But unfortunately, you

know, like they could have used them a little

bit better, but they did what they could I guess

And I uh, I must have of course this movie kind

of Was kind of like I had the same feeling with

the movie I'm about to mention as what I felt

about Inception. It was just there, but I completely

must have missed him in Looper. I do not remember

him. Who is it? He played the boss. He's the

person from the future. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah,

yeah. I remember. He was Abe. That's okay. I

remember it now. I don't know. He had that great

line when he's like, I'm gonna go to I'm gonna

go to France. It's like you should go to China

It's like I'm gonna go to France. I'm from the

yeah, you should go to China. Yeah His role was

small small, but I actually I loved him in that

he thought he was great And right now currently

he's he is. Oh God was his character's name.

It's will something Mac boy Will McAvoy on HBO's

The Newsroom, absolutely amazing show, but he

did a really good job with what they gave him

in this. I cannot believe, Steve, you're gonna

love this, that one guy on the bus, Doug Stevens,

is Cameron. I knew that. God damn it. I did not,

I like, I just completely blanked on that it

was Alan, that it's Alan Ruck. And it's just,

and again, for him, for as good as an actor as

he is he can take that kind of a small role and

it's just kind of like oh hey you know i absolutely

love that um overall the the the cast in this

is absolutely well done um let's get into some

casting news here because apparently um steven

baldwin was the first choice for the role of

jack jack traven i cannot see As much as I like

Stephen Baldwin, because I like him in... was

it 95 or 97's Fled with Lawrence Fishburne? I

like him in that. I cannot see him as Jack Traven.

I just could not see that. Let's see... You know,

so there's that. What are your overall feelings

of the plot? And the story of the film Steve

I Come back to me And What I really liked about

the plot was like the cat math mouse game that

that aspect every time Keanu Reeves or Jeff Daniels

characters would get You know would would find

something out or try to get ahead you had Dennis

Hopper Howard Howard character that would have

something else behind Like they there was just

this constant battle back and forth as they're

trying to one -up each other And it was really

great at averting expectations. You think it's

gonna go one way You think it's going to end

and then it doesn't like it can and what I liked

about it, too Is it consistently made things

more difficult for itself like every time they

try to save someone then another something that

other happened like what I love to like about

this is I think it really benefited from the

fact that it shot on location like it was on

that I forget the name of the highway but it

was yet to be built and so they had this huge

open freeway that they can actually film on so

it was on location an actual highway so that

I think it really benefited that and took advantage

of that and I think it was the 105 or the 405

out there in LA I could It's one of them damn

numbers. Yes, and I think that really benefited

for the film because that's when when you see

like Keanu Reeves racing up to the bus and it's

you you see the camera move as his camp is his

cars coming in and it's panning to the to the

speed limit and it's going getting close to 50

and it Kept it going and with the score behind

it. It really always kept up in the tension.

I think that was what this movie does better

than it Most action films is it establish tension

tension doesn't really let you go and every time

you think you're going to get a breath something

else happens to completely change it you think

this you know, like the moment where The one

lady is about to escape off the van and then

she ends up getting blown up and under You know

dragged underneath the van or the bus not the

van, but uh made a whole different movie Yeah,

but yeah, that's what I think that's what I loved

about the plot. It was just and how The ending

and how it kept all the false endings you think

it's over and then something else happens then

they go to Yeah, Sandra Bullock gets gets tied

up in all the all the explosives and then they're

on the subway and then the subway can't stop

it's like it just keeps upping itself over and

over again and Sometimes it's annoying but in

this film. I thought it really earned it You

know like you said this and I didn't think about

this Until I started watching it back and I started

reading the Wikipedia article and stuff like

that And this film could almost have been a die

-hard six or a die -hard 2 .5 or you know something

like that because it has that same element of

you never know what's gonna happen next just

like The only I can really compare it to as far

as like when you were saying about how the film

Like you think it's gonna end at one point and

then it doesn't is in Superman Batman apocalypse

when they go back to the farm and Everything

is quiet everything else and boom all of a sudden

dark sides just there and then the fight starts

So yeah, this film did that amazingly Steve yeah,

um, I I like the the whole fact that they As

Dan said the the cat mouse thing. I also kind

of like The the the rivalry and and yes it I

think that the reason why this resonates so much

is because die hard such a hit and it's very

similar in Writing style of die hard. It does

seem like it would be something that would fit

into that universe that you could see John McClain

taking care of But it also was kind of written

to be like a die hard it was too much like that

which is kind of why they had to kind of change

it a little bit. But I really liked the fact

that you have all these kind of tertiary and

secondary characters that kind of some of them

get a little bit more in the front line as far

as on the bus is concerned. And then you have

Dennis Hopper kind of playing like the Hans Gruber

running around. Watching the entire situation.

Yeah What I really like about it is How they

attempt to trick him with the camera and the

tape mm -hmm and that doesn't that works for

a while and then that's how we get to the train

sequence is is that he figures that out where

he's like shut Then he just has to go and do

something else As much as we love this movie

really and I I have to do this when I analyze

stuff when you boil the plot down It's just a

jaded cop who just thinks he hasn't gotten everything

he deserves for 20 years of service That's I

don't know. Like I said, I like the the execution

of the plot, but the plot itself is just like

Yep, I think plot can be overrated though. I

think people Think we boil most action movies

down or movies in general the plot To me tends

not to be the most important thing. It's it's

how it's the story is framed It's the characters.

It's how as well as executed and I I don't think

it hides the fact that it That it acknowledges

that the fact it's just as just frontal cop like

you have that thing with the watch and like the

gold watch is the timer and it's like oh that's

how they figure it out and like oh you can kind

of put those things in your head because they

mentioned it early in the film in the elevator

sequence and then you're thinking like oh I'm

figuring this out And then you have Dennis Hopper's

character commenting on that and talking about

how obvious that was. So you think you're being

smart and you're thinking, oh, this film is being

obvious. But then it comments on itself and it

points itself out saying, yes, this is that's

an obvious moment. And it was meant to be like

he was he wanted that watch to be found and he

wanted to be found out so he can then. You know

have people come to his house and then that's

how that explosion happened. So that's what I

appreciated that Yes, the plot like you said

is not that complex. It's just it's a simple

story And it's it's very heavily influenced by

diehard like we mentioned How did you guys feel

about you know, the iconic Jump the bus moment

in this that was awesome. Mm -hmm That's still

awesome. I know today that would probably be

done with CGI or something like that or models

or whatever. Well, it depends on the director

as well, though. Some prefer the 3D, some prefer

the actually blowing stuff up. It's a little

comes up obviously because it's you're jumping

a bus But it is it's kind of funny and it's like

they I think they refer to it in production as

they're a dukes of hazard moment and just which

is which is funny and it is kind of I know a

lot of people have issues with it and I can understand

that because you're not gonna jump a bus even

if you make it go 70 miles per hour But anyway,

but I think it was well executed and it looked

it looked great. Like you guys mentioned Was

just curious because I know a lot of people can't

stand that moment The moon I can't stand and

the one that I find to be really Like There's

no way that that would have lasted that long

is at the very end when they put the The the

piece of wood and they tie the steering wheel

to make sure the bus keeps going so they can

jump off There's no way in hell Once a person

is not, because trust me, I know, because my

dad used to work for a bus company and used to

work for a coach like that, there's no way tying

anything to the steering wheel and then fastening

it to something else to keep it going in that

direction and keeping a piece of wood stuck,

you know, wedged up against the pedal. There's

no way that would have lasted that long. I call

bullshit on that moment. Yeah, and it's very

convenient how it goes through all this this

hangar keeps going and then just Conveniently

hits an empty plane that just happens to be passing

by Yeah, but yeah. Yeah, I'm pretty sure if no

one's driving a bus It's probably not going to

go as straight as that busted for as long as

it did. Yeah. Yeah It's just nuts. All right,

so we are the IG and replacement crew zero to

four zero is you know You'd rather gnaw off your

own arm than watch this movie. One is, don't

watch it even if it's free. Two is worth a watch

if it's free on TV. Three is worth adding to

the Netflix list. I don't think it's on Netflix.

I don't remember if it is or not. It is not on

Netflix streaming. It's not streaming anywhere

at this moment. And of course four is, this is

one that must add to your DVD collection. I gotta

give it a four. I really enjoy this movie. This

is a movie I can watch maybe once or twice a

year. It's it's so good and I haven't seen it

in at least five or six years. So Since before

this recording What about you Steve? What do

you give it? Um, I would say it deserves a four

because it's it's I mean It still holds up fairly

well in today's age unlike other films in today's

age but Yeah, just overall I really enjoyed this

film. I mean, it's it's really good and I do

own it You started to sound like the Riddler

this is your this is the the higher slip I have

it He was talking over his wife What about you

Dan, what do you rate this one? Well, I guess

I will keep the pattern going and I will also

give it a four Funny before I watch rewatch that

I probably if you asked me just randomly I'd

probably say a three just from my memory but

rewatching it I was like, wow I really did not

appreciate this movie nearly as much as I should

it's so well better executed than I realized

and I just always kind of Put it in the realm

with other die -hard knockoffs, but it's so much

more than that. I think it is Legitimately assault

really solid action film and it's endlessly be

washable So yeah, if you're an action movie fan

or just in a fan of the 90s actions a genre specifically

and You've got to own this movie Yeah, I mean,

you know this may have started out as a die -hard

copycat, but it it Morphed into its own thing

and it's one of those films where like Blake

we've said we never expected the next Whatever

to happen even when rewatching it all these years

later like I remember when I first watched it

as a you know 15 16 year old kid I didn't expect

that first bus to blow up and even even now I've

completely forgot that the first bus blew blows

up. Yeah, I forgot all about that scene Honestly,

I forgot too about the the bus driver getting

shot. I'm like, I forgot that even happened Although

there's a lot of a lot of those smaller moments

that I completely slipped my mind and I forgot

the the end of the I always thought the end of

the movie is when they were sliding off the bus

into like the Keanu Reeves, you know holding

Sandra Bullock and forgot there were still like

30 minutes to go So yeah, this there's all these

little moments in the elevator sequence in the

beginning. That's also fantastic That was really

well done. Like there's all these great set pieces

over and over again that it was it's just it's

perfect Not perfect, but it's it's great. It's

everything you want in an action movie Yeah As

far as releases, of course, it's on I believe

it's on iTunes for rent or purchase. I don't

know I did search it out and I think it is available

for purchase on iTunes. Of course is available

on DVD As far as a legacy for this movie sadly

in 1997 a sequel speed to cruise control was

released Sandra Bullock agreed to star again

as Annie for a financial backing for another

project But Keanu Reeves declined to offer to

return as Jack. As a result, Jason Patrick was

written into the story as Alex Shaw, Annie's

new boyfriend, with her and Jack having broken

up due to her worry about Jack's dangerous lifestyle.

Willem Dafoe starred as the villain John... Giger

and Glenn Plummer who played Reeves's carjacking

victim also has cameos as the boat driver. The

film is considered one of the worst sequels of

all time. Barely reaching 2 % on Rotten Tomatoes,

Sandra Bullock herself mocked this film's performance

and is admitted to regretting being a part of

it. Do you know who has the only positive review

on Rotten Tomatoes of Speed 2? Roger Ebert. Actually,

I do like Roger Ebert, but I think that's pretty

hilarious that he's the only one with a positive

review of that movie what I find hilarious is

that a great actor like Willem Dafoe would even

Come near this pile of crap Yeah, I mean I could

kind of kind of understand it like speed was

such a hit. Sometimes you think it maybe it'll

be just as good and Willem Dafoe has been in

a lot of bad movies too, unfortunately. But yeah,

it happens. Sometimes you just don't know. Sometimes

the script may look great, and then when it's

actually filmed, it's not done well. So, I mean...

Just the whole premise of, oh hey, first movie

we had a bus, now let's have it on a boat. That's

just... We're so wrong. Alright, so we're gonna

go to a quick commercial break and hear some

other GCR and ads and other podcast ads and and

some stuff like that and we'll come back to close

the show after this. Coming to Grand Rapids,

Michigan on September 21st and 22nd is Grand

Con Gaming and Comics Convention presented by

Celebration Cinemas. Join us in playing or chatting

it up with fellow enthusiasts in a community

that understands your passions. Get lost in the

adventure of your favorite role -playing game.

Admire costumes and art from vendors and attendees.

Meet the creators behind your favorite mainstream

and independent games and comic books. Check

out unpublished games and sneak peek at things

to come. You can get all this and more at GranCon.

For more information, please visit www .grand

-con .com. Kid? Yes? Shut up. Beyond the Night

is the GCRN's latest review podcast. We are covering

everything in the Knight Rider television universe.

From the classic 80s TV series to the 1991 reunion

film, Team Knight Rider, and the 2008 relaunched

series as well. So join TF2 and Mike and Dion

the Music Man as they go in -depth in Beyond

the Night only on GeekCast Radio Network. find

me on the night in iTunes and on www .geekcastradio

.com Join us here on the telecast as we revisit

some of your favorite shows, such as Clarissa

Explains It All, Salute Your Shorts, Saved By

The Bell, and much, much more, only on GeekCastRadio

.com. So we are back. Dan, final thoughts on

speed? Speed is fun. It holds up very well. And

it's possibly, if you're looking at Action films

of the 90s one of the best it's up there with

the matrix is up there with Terminator 2 Maybe

not as high as those but it's it's right after

that. So yeah, it's and if you haven't watched

it, I honestly Do yourself a favor because I

really appreciated going back and watching this

movie Same for me. I mean this this movie holds

up so well The action it's great. The stunts

are great one thing we didn't mention was I assume

this was not it might have been a stunt double

at certain points, but obviously in the close

-ups It wasn't but Keanu on that on that slider

on the on the gurney that the piston breaks and

He's stuck under the bus The scene where they

lower him down to look at the bomb That just

that scene right there if that was actually him

the whole way down and not a stunt double. That

just goes to show you what a great action star

he was and still is nowadays. I mean, that was

just phenomenal stunt work right there. Steve,

final thoughts? I would say it's definitely one

of those films that you have to see. I definitely

agree that it does stand very well in today's

age. Keanu, in my opinion, It's kind of a hit

or miss actor. Just same thing with Sandra Bullock.

It just kind of depends on the film. But I think

that they nailed it in this film. And I think

that that's also what kind of helps put people

saying that, you know, hey, look, they actually

can do good movies. Well, you know, I mentioned

it earlier. This is one of the final note before

I close out the show here. I mentioned earlier

that. He was also in The Lake House. The Lake

House was also the film that technically reunited

them as far as working together. And I really

enjoyed that film as well. So, I mean, I love

the two of them together when they're doing the

character acting. I think they're really great.

A really great actor and actress and they have

such good chemistry with each other. So it was

very, very awesome. For you, the listeners of...

Oh, wait, I got to redo that shit. I'll do that

other way. We hope you enjoyed this episode of

M1. I wish you'll join us next time and we will

be continuing on the 90s flashback with episode

95 the bad boys franchise for now, I am TF2 and

Mike with leader Phil Dan and Steve Megatron

Phillips Thank you for listening until next time

keep those film reels rolling on geekcastradio

.com. If you would like to leave feedback on

the show, there are many ways to do so. First,

you can visit the website geekcastradio .com,

where you can comment on the episode and all

of our different podcasts. Be sure to rate our

show on iTunes and leave us feedback. You can

follow us on Twitter at gcrnmwire. Become a fan

of us on Facebook by searching Geekcast Radio

Network. You can email us at feedback at geekcastradio

.com. Call the voicemail line, 502 -526 -5821.

Please remember to tell us the show you're leaving

the message for, and your name. So until next

time, unleash the geek in you. In a world. There,

I said it. Happy?