Toss Popcorn is a production of iHeartRadio.

Hi, I'm Leon Holst and I'm Sienna Jacob.

Welcome to Toss Popcorn podcast, where two idiots watched every film, every film on the AFI's one hundred Greatest American Movies of All Time, the very slightly less racist tenth anniversary edition, which, by the way, you can still go back and listen to those episodes and are now watching films directed by women.

Yeah, oh women.

This podcast is a safe whale for people who don't know anything about movies.

Today you're gonna say it.

I didn't know that.

Oh.

I saw the pause and I said, please say and then you did.

Today we're watching Whale Rider.

Could you teach me praise.

About this?

At least get it on the An't I a podcast that not a podcast?

A movie that Leanna saw long ago, long ago, that's built as a family film.

Some could argue is different than that.

Not.

I wouldn't say.

It's that warning.

There will be spoilers about uh this.

Whale.

I love it.

I love it each time, might like that whale of a time.

Content warning for a bunch of whales wash up on a beach.

That's true beached whales, beach whale warning for beached whales, and really like dickish grandfathers.

Yeah, a tough, tough family relationships will be discussed.

Okay, okay, I can't wait to talk to you about this movie, but first time, let me please play you my prediction for it.

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

Oh my god, okay, alright, I'm right, yes.

Hi Sienna, it's Leanna.

I'm about to watch Whale Rider.

I saw this once when I was maybe ten, and all I remember is young girl and she has a turbulent relationship with I think her grandfather.

Nice.

Yeah, but I can only picture the dad from my big fat Greek wedding and I don't think that's right.

And I do think she does ride a whale.

I predict there'll be probably some beautiful vistas in this.

Love you ma boom boom boom one correct, except for the hit the dad from the correct's wedding.

But that, I I see where you're coming from with that.

That's really funny.

Put some windickx on it.

They should have put windecks on the whale.

Weleanna, here's my prediction of this movie.

Hi, Leanna, this is Sanna.

I'm about to watch Whale Rider.

I'm watching it with one of my friends who said that he saw it in theaters.

Oh so that's exciting.

I know, tell him sort of the three years ago.

I think that a girl in New Zealand, because I saw that already, will be friend of whale, could be confriended.

Maybe she'll have a special connection to the whales, and maybe there'll be some great, greater political stuff going on.

But oh maybe not.

Can't wait to find out.

I love you, goodbye, I love you, goodbye, I love you goodbye.

Yeah.

I think I was imagining that there might be some like interactions between like the Maori people and the government of some sort.

But it really was not that.

No, it was all within this or if any of that was it was like alluded to.

Yeah, isn't that crazy that he saw it in theaters.

He must have been like four years old.

Yeah, I was gonna ask how old is he?

I think he's twenty, so that can't be right.

Yeah, I don't think he should have a Whale Rider his family.

I think this was marketed wrong because I also was sent to it as a child.

That's what I heard.

Okay, so people I've talked to about this movie when when they have seen it, they're, yeah, I sat a long time ago.

I didn't really like it, or like it was kind of boring, or I think it's kind of bad, which is so funny because it was actually a really amazing movie.

I thought it was a fan like a really really good movie.

Thank you for recommending it.

It was.

It was amazing.

Oh my god, girl was such a good character Oscar nominee.

She really deserved it.

It was amazing.

All the symbolism was really working on me.

I was like, so I was really in it.

I was like just crying for their culture.

It was beautiful.

But a lot of people saw it when they were like five, and it was built as like free Willy or something, and I think it probably was like this was really boring.

This was not free Willy, and this will fall on useless ears if white children are sent to it too early.

And it's just like it's a very nuanced and emotional movie.

It was building you have like.

You have to have a capacity for reverence right to enjoy this film.

And children don't, no, not that, but it's not for them.

Well, I was a Catholic child, and I think I did well.

Yeah, okay, I don't think you'd whale.

No, no, no.

The reverence of a child is that they know that they're supposed to be kind of like behaving in a reverent way that adults.

Yes, that photo of you in the hallway of your home, that was my first communion.

I love that photo.

It's so funny me performatively reverent.

Oh my god, let's hate girl, Hey girl, Hey girl.

This is our segment hey Girl, where we hate girl, Hey girl girl.

I left my pilates class today at the new plates studio that had, yes, the one that has not yet closed permanently after my feet.

Have crossed its threshold.

And after I as I was leaving, I bumped into a friend of mine on the sidewalk who was in front of the movie theater in the neighborhood doing street interviews, and she was like, oh, let's interview you.

And I was like, I'm so ugly and I maybe have a camel toe like but they interviewed me about movies and I was and it was they were doing like hot takes kind of vibes.

Okay.

The question was what's your hot take about films?

And I said, girl, I have been training for years to answer this question.

Oh my gosh, this is so exciting.

You've just encountered the final boss of street interviewees for your little, your little project.

But as it was going on, I, of course my hot take was that men should not direct movies.

I believe that they're bad at it and it's we suffer as a result.

And as this interview was happening, twenty school boys like under tens walked past on the sidewalk in a group with some teachers.

And my friend, who was doing the interview, is much better as a person than I am, because I obviously shut down and looked it directly into the lens of the camera like I was in hell.

She interacted with them and was like, oh, do you want to sing a Christmas song?

And then I had to stand through twenty school boys screaming jingle bells.

This sounds like one of your stress dreams.

You're so right.

Everything that happened in it is like both the most amazing thing that also is kind of like, yeah, what we've been training for.

When people ask me that, I'm like, I have so much to say.

And then a bunch of children saying, and you had to stand.

And I looked a little ugly the whole time because I had just come from pilates an hour later.

My hair would have been shampooed, I'd have been in a street outfit.

The school children would have already gone by.

But yes, it was absolutely stress dream esque.

Well, that's amazing that happened.

Please tell me you mentioned the podcast.

I mentioned the podcast.

It is so funny if I forgot to again, like, I don't know why I feel this way, but movies are bad that they're dressed by man.

Anyway, there's no reason for me to know that.

I mentioned it almost immediately.

That is so it gets posted.

Apparently it was just like an audition video, so damn they'll view it at the little company.

But if they post it, wow, I said, tex, that's so fun Yeah, that's my little silly encounter.

Hey girl, Hey girl.

Yesterday I made myself an amazing salad and it was one of these times where I went, I can just be doing this.

I can just make myself things that taste this good whenever I want.

Because I wasn't using crazy ingredients.

I will say I got a really fancy tuna because I went to the fancy grocery store, and I was so mad because all the tuna was expensive.

No sprouts.

Oh okay, the tuna is so expensive there that I was like, this, screw this.

If it costs like six dollars for regular can, then I'm getting the seven dollars fancy one.

And even though it would have cost way less than that any other store, but I did get it as it was delightful.

Because when you make something and you say it was delicious, often ingredients end up in there that would horrify.

No, this one genuinely was.

Here's what it was.

The mass It was a little okay.

I started off with the bowl.

Put some parmesan at the bottom of there.

Oh uh, put some olive oil, Put some apple cider vinegar.

We have these.

My roommate made pickled onions that were quite delicious, so I put pickled onions in there.

I splashed a little of the pickled onion juice in there.

This is this is making a salad dressing.

To be clear, you're losing me.

Yeah, salad dressing.

Mixed that with the olive oil and the cheese.

Mixed salad dressing.

Then I made my own croutons with the bread that I have, which is quite delicious.

Yeah.

I made it with with just putting lots of lots of garlic, get an olive oil on there, toasted it in the toast ribon made some made some croutons.

Uh, put my fancy tuna in there.

Yeah, put a little dijon, mustard, stirst or stir.

Oh.

I made these these uh, these these roasted chickpeas in the air fryer that were kind of crispy and tasty.

I put those in there, and then I had some delightful fresh lettuce mm and it all tasted so good I couldn't believe it.

And then it took me like twenty five minutes to eat.

I would not salads long.

It take so long.

I had somewhere to be.

I was so late because of the salad I was eating.

I was like, I have to finish it.

It's not gonna be good later.

I eat more carbs now than I used to, solely because I got a b places earlier in the evening than before I was doing stand up.

It takes so I can't eat a salad quickly.

Why does it take some while just to get us to get a piece and fit it in your mouth.

It's so many little bites.

I alls.

I'm always making them with kale, which takes really long to chew.

Yeah, I can't do that, but I get that.

But I'm also so happy for you, thank you.

It was really a moment of I was like, I could eat meals.

This's delicious for every meal.

And I also was feeling like a little icky before and it just made me.

It was one of those like reviving freshod experiences.

But I know I won't do that because I just ate all my good ingredients eating that.

Yeah, it's so hard.

It's impossible.

It's impossible to eat things, to get the right amount and to eat them.

If anybody has any advice, right in.

But yeah, that's kind of uh, that's kind of my update.

Is that A.

That's I love that.

Maybe I'll go out and get some salad ingredients.

I'm at a stage now where I'm in denial about needing groceries.

I keep just buying, like doing little shops.

Yeah, little little shops.

Yep, that's what I did too.

I had I think of chickpeas and the lettuce was almost dead.

But I but I but I brought up.

You got it back.

I there's nothing more satisfying than getting in at the last minute with some lettuce.

I peeled back those those heinous outer layers, and beautiful, beautiful lettuce was inside, and I said, fine, I'm eating you.

Great, but I have to.

I'm going to eat you.

I'm going to eat Oh my god, speaking of communicating to something, I am going to eat you.

Sienna, could you please give us a synopsis of the film Whale Rider.

Yes, no, one ate a whale, by the way, but no, it is the whale.

That's how whales communicate with things.

Yeah, what I don't know.

No, it's when he's training the young boys and he's like, when you stick your tongue out, it's saying to your enemy, I'm going to eat you.

I just assumed that you were saying that.

Whales go like, I'm going to eat you.

Hi woo.

That's classic whales.

That's my end.

That's what whales are, right.

Yes, let me give you a synopsis of this film that I loved, Whale Rider.

Pi or Paikia is the eldest and only of her generation in a Maori family in which there is a thousand year old destiny slash curse slash myth of the whale Rider.

The first whale rider was named Paikia.

That's who the myth is based on.

And even though she's a girl, her father named her that.

Most people are cool with that except for her grandpa, who will hear more about right now.

Her grandpa or Kuro, is desperate's searching for a new chief, but he can't see beyond the strict rules that he believes tradition requires aka in this case, that the eldest born sons are the only ones who could be chief in his desperate but narrow sighted search for a new chief to lead their culture in the new generation, and in this modern day, he doesn't see what's right in front of him that his granddaughter is a little freak girl connected to the ancestors, who cares about him and her culture more than anything else, and who is clearly the next chief, yes the end, Yes, yeah, yes, little freak, little freak.

He's like, who could be the chief?

Who could be the next chief?

And she's like, I'm talking to the whales, and the whales came to the beach.

Yeah, I asked them to come.

There's a billion whales here it's obviously me beautiful.

Oh oh ugh, wow.

Have you heard that TikTok sound that?

Like, what do you want to do?

We could see a movie, we could get coffee, we could kill someone.

Oh I told you about this last week.

You did tell me the apple orchard.

I feel the apple orchard about this movie.

Yeah, this movie was amazing.

It was amazing.

I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

Oh my god, it's sure because I saw this at a young age and then saw it now and I was like, oh, this is beautiful.

It was really amazing.

But I don't know what it was like to see just the one time.

Oh, it was fantastic adult.

It was a reverend adult.

So I watched this after I watched it with my puppet group, all six of us, which we never do things together, and we had just done a show across the street.

And actually I had been lifting a paper mache hand for like probably an hour and a half.

And on the bright side, I am now strong enough to like lift correctly, so my neck and back don't hurt today.

But my arms were completely fatigued.

It was as if I had like really pumped them at the gym, and I couldn't move my arms like at all.

I was trying to eat pizza, and I was like, h it was quite strange.

It was quite insane.

This is what it would be like if I was like lifting all the.

Time getting a pump on.

Yeah, sorry, everybody, I have to go ride around on a bicycle with my grandfather who kind of hates it.

We'll be back in just a few minutes.

Who kind of hates me and blames me for the downfall of our community.

Yeah, yeah, he does.

As soon as it started and it said New Zealand, I was.

Like, oh, okay, okay.

I also, just like Tim, in movies that are really trying to like study culture and holding onto your culture and what it means to like uphold your culture but also be yourself and your own identity and stuff.

It's just such a complex thing that is like such a such an interesting part of human nature, and I really interested in movies that are studying that, and this one was so it was both really symbolic and then okay, the actors were all so good.

I could not believe, like just even like the kids, they had these boys who were like doing they were supposed to be learning these chants and stuff, and I was so impressed that all these little boys were doing such a good job because they're like thirteen, they could just be like, no, I'm not doing any of this bunch of teens.

Yeah.

And then the one boy who was also he was kind of like hoping would be.

Yeah HEMI yeah, yeah, he was great.

I was just yeah, he was really good.

I was amazed same because it already would have been so beautiful without that.

And then this main actor, this girl playing the pie, was really really just I couldn't believe it.

She was amazing.

Huh uh huh yeah, and.

It was so beautiful the whole time.

Also, the whales, I don't know what the budget was.

They had these big puppets, was wondering.

I hope they were whales, right, No, I think they had like enormous, enormous structures.

I hope, because the alternative is they got a bunch of whales and they put them on the beach.

They beached them.

Man.

Yeah, oh okay, Well let's get into our phone notes.

There's so much to discuss.

Welcome everybody to phone notes.

The segment of the puppet the other person dug on their.

Phone while watching the film.

Yes what, Yes, hello, Yes, your first note.

Is I love the surface of water.

I do.

I didn't know that.

I didn't know that about you.

I do.

Oh, I do.

I do remind you of the home the home now.

When I was little, when I would go swimming in various pools and bodies of water as a child, I I would I want.

I don't know if everybody did this, but I would try to go down in the water and try to flip over and make myself as non buoyant as possible so that I could open my eyes and look at the surface before I floated back up.

Oh, the surface of water from beneath, the water from top.

Okay, Oh okay.

Because I said this to my I I said this to my group, and I thought everyone was gonna be like, yes, of course we all did that.

But they were like, oh, that's cool.

It was like, what what else are you doing that?

Yeahot of like the sun from below the surface of the water.

It feels well.

I guess it's like being in the womb, isn't it.

Yeah, you're so right there you go.

But I also at the top of it, you know, slapping it.

I just think it's great.

What water is due?

I think it's great.

What water is up to?

Slapping it?

And this movie started and all of us were like, Okay, we're ready for this to be like kind of a I think when we imagined it being okay, it was just like that it was going to be kind of an interesting story that maybe they didn't execute that well hmmm it was and it was not that.

As soon as the surface of Water was on the screen, we were like, this is fantastic.

Oh okay, and one of my one of my friends immediately went, this is my favorite movie.

Did they make by the end?

Yes, I love that.

I really love that.

Okay, Leanna, you've said lmao, this guy sucks.

Are you talking about Quodo?

Yeah, the Granddad.

I went back and forth with him.

Me too, because there was part of the movie where I wrote down, oh, I really remembered him being that's like really scary evil presence.

But it turns out he's just stern.

But no, he also is a misogynist.

Yeah, he has a lot of problems.

He's just really sexist.

He's so very sexist in trying to uphold the traditions.

Yeah, I thought this was so interesting culture.

It was so interesting to hear everybody's point view because he's not.

He's sexist and generally, and you can tell that that changes generation by generation because others are like, this doesn't matter so much, but he's like, yeah, he's the one who cares so much about upholding things, and he's like, if I'm upholding it exactly as I was taught it, then yeah, girls can't do certain things.

And when he has that speech about like this is sacred and you are wrecking the sacredness, like you hear, you get his his side or that he it's a mix of that he is a sexist man and that he's like, this is how I see tradition, you know.

But on top of that, he doesn't have to be an asshole to deal with things the way he deals with them, because it's not all just him fighting for his culture.

It's like, okay, you're being an asshole.

Hey, yeah.

But also his son.

We for a long time were like, why did her dad leave?

But then when we see them interact, its like her hot dad, Yeah, her very hot dad.

The people in this movie they really the hot dad, awesome, super chill uncle, beautiful school teacher with braces whose only was going to be a huge part and then.

She immediately beautiful.

Yeah, she got bonped for a blonde German.

Huh, Sienna, Yes, you noted this girl spending too much time with her toxic grandpa.

I said that when she was telling the women not to smoke, because she's like, it's not good for the for our Maori line, for.

You to be a child, the child bearing women must not put their whatever systems at.

Risk, which and then that would prove to be Actually what the movie was about is that this little girl is spending too much time with her toxic grandpa.

Yeah, it's such an interesting depiction of that kind of relationship.

I guess would we call it abusive or there's I feel like it's it's a topic style.

It's a toxic relation where he's very distant from her, but that only makes her want his affection more, which I think is very common, especially for like a child parental figure dynamic.

It's interesting command they really portray it, like at the end when she's like, you're my guest of honor, please come.

Even though he's been like vile to her or just like so rude he.

Becomes at times because at first know at the beginning of the movie, you know, he picks up from school and he does really love her.

He doesn't think of her as like being able to be capable of like being the chief or whatever.

But he's like teaching her about her history and everything, and like I think he's he's feeling somewhat optimistic that like this is his lineage and that he can teach this child.

And then when his son comes, her father visits, he just like he's thinking about the way that this destiny supposed to be fulfilled and da da da, And then like he's so clearly it's tragic to him that his son has gone off and is just like not staying with the family anymore and he's starting a life in Germany and whatnot.

And then it's like she represents something to him, so he starts just treating her so badly.

He like ignores her.

He's like, you know, get out, leave and you can't be here, and mainly just like yeah, not picking up from school and being so like she's not useful to me.

Is that what he said, she has no use to me.

Yeah, it's like he's trying to be distant from yeah, just like normal human relations because it's just so cruel.

But he really does.

He like completely starts ignoring her.

It's like, I know that everything is symbolic to you and or is representative of something else, but like this is your granddaughter and you are one of the only guardians she has.

Yeah, it was so interesting all this.

They really they really pulled it off.

Okay, Leanna, Yes you did see say I see how this movie wouldn't appeal to a ten year old.

Yes, everything I just said, it's not really ten year old material.

If you think you're going to see a movie.

About whales, you got to see a little bit more of life to then appreciate this film.

Yeah, you've said.

Okay, we were kind of asking this too.

Leanna said, who came up with wales?

They are?

Why are they so big?

Big?

They're so big?

We were also that one was a big chubby whale.

It's like that guy is just floating around whale.

They are so massive.

Later when they wash up and the whole town's trying to move them, and it's like that is just a massive creature.

It's a mass, a huge mass.

Whales are saw so we need to protect them.

Why are they so big?

They were like the first thing come from whales.

Weren't they up there in terms of things that existed?

They're old as hell.

Dang, okay, let me look at all then, My bad, My bad.

In that case, how long the whale community?

Fifty five million years?

That can't be right frame of reference for Oh no, it starts with whales haven't always been around.

Their ancestors were four legged, right, because they walked into the sea.

What what I said was completely wrong.

They did do not I thought we walked out of the sea.

No.

They That's why they're mammals.

They know better than us.

So they're the mammals who saw earth life like landlife, and we're like nope, and turned around and went back into the sea.

Yeah.

Wow, good for them.

By the way, I was completely wrong.

It was like four million years ago or something.

Whales are crazy.

Speaking of whales walking into the sea, you've said this movie walked so Mawana could run.

What are your thoughts?

Yeah?

Also being a lady chief upholding the culture I have always been on this island.

Everyone's talking culture, I really think.

And no one leaves, and when they do leave, we get mad.

Yeah.

It was really a good girls.

The amount of similarities.

I mean, I think also in mo Wana too, there's literally a whale rider.

Really there's a guy who shows up on a whale.

I kind of think it's maybe the same, like from the same legend, and I do think was inspired, Oh this this is this is Moana but for adults with reverence.

Right, and where a child of that age is played by a child of that age.

And it's really notable how very small she is.

She's so small.

I think children were sent to whale Rider because they needed to Mawana at the time.

Yes, now they can watch Mawana as a child.

Now they can watch Mowana as a child, And then I have a bit of an understanding for whale Rider.

And in Moana, the grandma is teaching the children about their ancestors and the history and the legends.

I loved the grand There was like a threat to the community of some sort.

Yeah, I loved the grand The grandma was like, my husband is an asshole.

And she was like, I will divorce him if anybody tells me to blink once and I will divorce him.

Please somebody, anybody at all.

And when she finally is like, because they are in they are in this culture and culture is sexist everywhere.

So she's like, she's like when she's empowering Pie to like go and and just stay with at Chief School, She's like, figure it out, and it's not gonna be easy, but figure it out.

You can do it.

You can do it, honey girl.

Honey girl.

It's so sweets.

So I love her watching and just being like, you got this.

You're the one.

I know you're the one.

Yeah, Leanna, you've said pretty obsessed with this benevolent whale.

I'm loving that.

We had lots of shots.

Yeah, like just the concept of a benevolent whale who's looking out for you, You're watching over you.

I do think that's what when you call.

Them, the whale will come.

Yeah.

I just love I love the idea of there being a big, benevolent whale out it's out there, it's thinking about you.

I guess is that how people feel about God?

Yeah?

It would be actually probably a lot more helpful for people if we just admitted that God is a whale.

I believe God.

God, you believe God, You'll believe God is a whale.

Yeah, Siena, you wrote God, this is so true.

You said, by the way, it appears she is the one and only girl in town.

Oh my god.

By the time they were saving the whales, we pretty much saw everyone in town.

They didn't even pop one girl in there.

She wasn't like, oh hey Carrie, Carrie, Carrie, Like she didn't have anyone.

There were no girls.

Hey, Melissa.

All the girls were like sixty years old.

Wow do you wow?

And were there?

There must have been someone.

She was doing her little dance with everybody at the school.

Oh, yes, right, because we saw those girls do the girl dance, but a lot of them were at the end.

Yeah, I guess that's the only time.

I don't know where they were.

Maybe they were at girls school, maybe while this whales were being saved.

Because she didn't have one friend, she was forced to hang.

Out with Coro, and she had hemy kind of they have a burgeoning friendship.

Yeah, that's true, which is nice, that is good.

But she needs a little galpal because right now her only friend is the person who's like, you're not gonna be able to bear children if you smoke, which like is not a good vibe.

Yeah.

Yeah, now you know who's not a girl's girl, Coro.

Cora is not a Girl's girl for sure.

Yeah, everyone hates him.

The only person who likes him is Pie, and he's like why.

The woman he's the worst too.

The girl he's the worst.

Two.

Yeah, we always hurt the ones we love them out that woman, Pie, that twelve year old woman.

Leona.

You asked, are these real whales or I have to assume props?

They have to I have to assume as well.

I think they were big puppets and maybe they like have to believe they some of the production value in this.

Yeah, but they were all working on them at the same time.

So oh, I don't know.

It was really really, really quite amazing.

How would you build a whale if you had to?

It's a great question.

I was wondering what material they were using.

I can imagine how they did the giant whale, because I think they just got a piece.

They just had to have a piece of it.

Okay.

I noticed that they were spending a lot of time with the barnacles.

My assumption is because the builder was like, listen, I'm not gonna make an eyeball.

Is that fine?

Oh okay, yeah, yeah yeah, because they hadn't see a whale's eye, so instead they're like putting their nose on.

When she puts her nose to the whale's nose.

Oh, yeah, because they've been doing that greeting, like the dad and his son greet each other that way.

Oh.

This movie was very very good.

It was amazing.

This is an amazing movie.

I really am.

I'm so pleased with myself, even though I have no right now.

You should have said last week, I think it's bad.

But you also brought it to us.

But I brought it to us like she brought the whales to the beach, which was like what.

You said, Siattle, Would you ride a whale if given the opportunity?

That is such a good question, Thank you.

I think yes, I think certainly.

I think the reason for that, though, is that because I would, I would trust the whale to know that my human capabilities.

I would trust that it wouldn't take me down into the depths, because that would be the daycare.

Yeah, it would only be if I knew that the whale knew I was riding it.

Okay, And I'm not sure this whale did.

I think it did?

I mean he did.

He wouldn't get up until she wouldn't mount.

He was ready to die you're right, you're right, you're right.

Okay, that is what she did.

Yeah, she rode the whale.

I know.

He was like he didn't want he wanted to die.

He broke the ancestors.

But then he was like, he was like, I want to die unless you figure out the little secret.

And the little secret was that he just wanted he wanted their people to ride them.

Again.

I just have to figure out that Pie is the chief.

Yeah, it's Pie Day.

I would not ride a whale because I know that they would go deep immediately.

Okay, you don't have the trust that the whales.

Well, and I would get so cold and then I think I would explode.

What happen?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yes, because.

Whales surely they can go deeper than humans and not explode.

Yes, yes, is that right.

I guess I don't know that much about whales.

Interesting.

I don't know why I thought I really knew about whales.

I go to a lot of aquariums, as you might believe, but they don't have whales there, but they tell you about them.

Why so you know about them?

Just so you know, Leanna, that's really interesting.

Aquariums and zeus.

They're not all about just showing you animals and like having the animals dance.

They're about teaching you about what they do in nature and teaching you how we can help with conservation.

I just I assumed that I do think that's too But the ones that they have, right.

I was gonna say, I do think it's new.

I think that about seventy years ago.

They're probably making them dance and stuff.

Oh yeah, the penguins were dancing.

Happy feet came from somewhere.

I mean, hello, I do.

I wouldn't want to ride a whale.

I think the big eye kind of freaks me out.

I love them.

I think they're beautiful creatures.

I don't need to be I shouldn't be near them.

If I'm near a whale, something is very wrong for one of us.

Right, the whale is too clean, or I'm too close to whales.

I think that.

I think they're very benevolent, is my understanding.

They're curious.

The sad thing is we're well in.

Some whales are dicks to seals, and I struggle with that.

Are they really killer whales?

Well, they're not whales, they're purposes.

They're dolphins.

Worcas are not whales.

It's a myth.

It's just a named.

Nope, they're not whales.

They're not related.

Their thinkest to an aquarium and dolphins.

Dolphins can be crazy.

Dolphins are dicks.

Dolphins are dicks, and that's what they are.

We do know that.

Oh my god, Okay, fine, then absolutely fine.

Whales good with whales, all right?

Awal Whales are excellent.

I'm boarding a whale right now.

They are really excellent.

I think you would really love wales.

I do love whales.

I've been whale watching a lot.

I watched them.

I love them so much.

I watch them.

Call so I like, you know, you go on the boat, you watch them.

I don't mean to say that you don't know about whales.

You know more than I do.

I haven't seen what I've said.

I don't know about whales.

You haven't seen whale.

We're fighting, we are.

I have not been whale watching.

Isn't that crazy?

When I'm from Washington State?

Big thing there, yeah, which is short for whale, Washington state.

Yeah, Washington state, whale, Washington State.

It's true.

I can't believe you haven't been whale watching.

So you've never seen a whale?

No?

What?

Maybe from very far away.

Oh my god, I'm like a fairy.

But no, I just have to believe they're really there.

I I've seen so many whales.

Okay, whales.

You God is a whale.

To you, God is a whaling God.

Whales are God.

I have to believe.

I do a lot of reading on them.

I think about them often.

Wow.

Wow, Oh Cianna, Yes, you wrote weeks of training versus the raw and violent masculine urge to mask one's emotions.

Yeah.

That when they thought they had their duel.

Yeah, yeah, but she won.

She I loved when she went training with her uncle was fun and she was like, I need my uncle to help her.

Uncle's like smoking weed.

He's like, what what do you need?

Hey?

Does Corol know about this?

She's like nah, he's like, no problem.

Can you imagine getting to be the cool Austin' stuggle.

That'd be pretty fun and it's different from being the fun aunt.

Yeah.

Yeah, we'll never have that.

We'll never experience that.

Crap.

If you'll excuse me, I called to my ancestors last night, and now there are a thousand whales on the beach and I gotta go take care of this.

We'll be right back Leanna.

You've said, girl, you can simply dismount the whale, and then you've said, Queen, I'm gonna need you to let go of the whale and head back to land.

When she was like I was ready to die, I was like, no, no, no, let go, no need for that.

And when she does like, if you can release the whale at any time.

I have to say one thing about this movie also, that we were all observing.

I had no idea what was going to happen at any given time.

I was on the edge of my damn seat.

And because it was so like mythical and legendary, I was like, they might sacrifice this girl.

They might have her go to the bottle.

And I was like, man, she might die in this.

I don't know.

But they wouldn't call it a family film if the protector died.

If she was swallowed up in the bottom of the seat.

I mean they called it that for everything else, and it's about like a sexist grandpa.

Yeah, fun for the whole family.

Do I have any notes about her on the whale?

You said you must see that it's you who is toxic, sir.

The whales consense that, Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, that's when he's.

Like, why are all these whales on the beach?

Get away from me, little girl, And it's like it's you.

You're in touch because of you, you're in touch with things like that.

You know.

You also wrote I would also not know how to deal with this situation of a town child riding a whale into the sea.

Yeah, guys, the town girl.

Ah, which is the only response.

You're like, the whales are back.

Just good, there's something interesting happening here.

This is crazy.

But she shouldn't be that far in the sea, Like, what do we do?

She's going so quick and so fast, And you did also your final note is it's undeniable that she's riding that whale.

Undeniable because Coro has ignored everything else.

He's ignored every single facet of her personality that is perfect for what he's looking for.

And then she rides a whale and it's.

Like she's like, okay, I will become literally a whale rider.

Are you now getting it?

The things that we do for attention to impress the people in our lives who won't give us a toime to.

Impress, and just like prove to the men who refuse to a woman has to ride a whale before you give her the damn job.

Yeah, give her the job.

Oh my god, I'm on a whale.

I'm riding the whale.

I swear, I promise I'm qualified for the job of whale rider.

I'm riding a whale.

Yeah.

And so she she rides the whale.

She finally does let go, and then they don't find her.

No, they don't find her until someone calls and they're like, hey, we have a little girl who was like washed up.

Yeah, we assume she's yours because there's just the one girl as we know.

Yeah, there's one girl, and she's yours.

Presumably it's yours.

Anyway, Oh, should.

We badge and try?

Let's do it.

Okay, we're gonna ride a whale into our segment Badges and Trages, where we give badges for Bileen and trages for trapped whales.

My first badge is for, as we've said, really great actress, I mean really one of the best performances we've seen in all of our movie watching.

Oh yeah, when she's doing her speech, I couldn't believe she was a child, like I know.

That speech was so amazing.

It was so sad.

Yeah.

I have an immediate badge for New Zealand.

Yeah, come on, give it up, come on, we all love that place.

It is so gorgeous.

It's amazing that it exists on this earth.

I have a badge for so Lush because it was so lush and green and gorgeous.

Yes, my next badge is for Vista's smiley face.

Yeah, it's just where someone said at one point They're like, this would be such a great place to be this stoner uncle, because when you're sitting on your couch and you're looking at that gorgeous, lush shore, there was so much land.

I have a badge for Chubby Whale.

Loved this chubby whaleh.

I have a badge for I Love the Grandma and that she keeps threatening to divorce him.

I also my next badge was also for I Love the Grandma.

Yeah, she was so awesome and from the beginning when she goes up to him at the hospital and she's like, acknowledge your granddaughter.

Every time we.

Were starting to she's got an ally feel stressed.

Yeah, she was such an ally.

She would come up and be like, Okay, you didn't did you tell her that you didn't pick her up and he's like, uh no, and she's like, you picked her up every day for her whole life, and now you don't, You're a dick.

I love her.

Yes, A badge for dang.

I do see why she was nominated for an Academy Award.

She really deserved it.

Mm hmmm, she did great.

Badge for the acting generally, hm was so good.

I don't Yeah.

This was also I think because this movie was such like a love letter.

I think that this person who made it, this was like a story that she'd been writing for a while.

It's just so I mean, I guess that's why she made it so amazing.

But to be able to also have a pre auction value this high and like bring in so many great actors, it's just like it was just able to be a masterpiece.

I was really impressed at the kids, because kids are usually just such so hard to watch act They were all doing a great job.

Yeah, they were cute.

My final badge is honestly hell.

Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

My next badge is yes girl, yeah, yes, oh yeah, that's my last badge too.

Yes.

Oh, we're saying tragic tragis.

I think I have to me as well.

Oh my god, we're synced up.

Okay.

My first trage is an immediate trag for dead mom.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's the only way to have then experienced things is by just killed.

Yeah.

Trage for Coro is a dick.

He was such a dick.

He was actually so mean.

Yeah that's true.

My other trag is a just really really big frowny face for a whale dying.

That was so so sad, and my version of this I was also very sad about the whale dying.

But I've said trage for sad children.

When h Hemy was sad about his dad.

Oh yeah, he's crying and right his dad came to watch him and then he leaves and he's like, well, is you for dinner?

Like they're just trying to get them to notice them.

Nobody cares so sad.

What I will also say is this movie handled the death of an animal in such a directed by a woman way where it was really beautifully communicated and there was no gore.

Yeah, and there was so much like love and respect.

Everyone was true.

Trying to help but they could and they were also sad.

Yeah.

There were a lot of things in this where I was like Damn, this is really directed by a woman in an amazing way.

Women.

Oh yeah, well, let's beach ourselves on our next segment.

How to pretend you've seen this film?

This is for you.

Are on the beach, yeah, the beach, looking at your favorite thing, the surface of water.

Yep, yep, and coral comes up to you.

Yeah, he says, I hate you.

Oh, he says, get out of here.

Girls in the back, Girls in the back, Get out of here, girls in the back, girls in the back.

You say I have the right to be here, sir, he says, girls in the back, get out of here.

Go go, go go.

You're like your energy is very aggressive, insane.

And he says, you know, if you want to understand anything, if you want to understand what I'm like, then you'll go watch a movie Whale Rider, in which there is a man who nobody understands and everybody is being really annoying to h and he's just standing up for what's right.

Bye bye by saying rude things to women the whole time.

And in order to hit Chorro with a sacred stick, We're gonna give you a few sentences you can say to pretend you've seen the film Whale Rider.

Yes, Chor, I've seen Whale Rider.

Could you please actually just let me know really quickly where in New Zealand this was?

And do you have room on your couch for me to come stay there?

And actually by your couch, I mean your son who smokes weed?

Oh damn.

Direct director Nikki Carro insisted the Wariri, uh, paratine partene, stay in character, who has played like grandpa?

Oh, stay in character throughout the shooting process.

That is all unfortunate.

Oh no, Hey, don't get me wrong.

He did a great job acting, but uh, he was so mean.

I wonder if that just meant that he had to be cruel.

Or at least stern.

I guess when you're working with a child actor, it's like you gotta take measures.

Yes, Coro, I've seen Whale Rider, and I'm not getting in that boat with you to go get the necklace you just threw into the sea because I'm here with my friend Bubba and Bubba's got a cold and I can't swim.

That was so funny.

That line was, so Bubba's going to cold and I can't swim.

Can't sweet, well, can't sweet?

Yes, Coro, I have seen the film Whale Rider.

At the time, thirteen year old Keasha Castle Hughes was the youngest ever nominee for a Best Actress Academy Awardesome.

You know, I do think it's good that she was nominated but didn't win, because I don't think we should give awards to children that adults are also nominated for.

Uh huh oh.

Psychologically, that's crazy.

I forgot to say.

That is crazy.

I forgot to say.

A trage of mine, generally is that I was looking her up and a lot of the things she was awarded for was like most Promising Actor, and that could not as somebody who was a precocious child who became a burnout.

That is like the worst thing that you could give to a child.

I'm sorry.

And she had some success later as well, and she's like a great actress, but like that's terrible to.

Be, like, you're really gonna be somebody like okay, right, I'm let me just get on a way.

Yeah, just say like best Child Performance or something not like you're gonna be really good.

And if you fail, because this industry isn't good to children child actors, then you should feel really bad about it.

Yes, Coro, I've seen Whale Rider, and then I, in somehow a reverent and not culturally appropriative way, stick out my tongue at him in a way that says I'm gonna eat you.

Yes, Carol, I have seen the film Whale Rider.

This answers our question.

The whales in the movie are a combination of footage of real whales self no life size models, some with humans creating the movement.

That makes sense and cgi U Kasia Castle Hughes said that the key whale riding scene, I guess where she goes underwater and it's like really hmm, took place fifteen to twenty miles off shore and was terrifying.

Okay, I assumed it was like in a in a pool or something that red riding in the water.

Holy moly.

So the footage must have been of when they were underwater, the footage, you know, when they would cut back and forth.

To wait, Yeah, yeah, yeah, that one, I think.

But then the beached ones that was all props, yes, yeah right, yeah, okay, but then the herb god, yeah yeah yeah, that's nuts.

Her riding the whale whatever they did, it was probably twenty miles left and she had to be like, oh my god, wow, that would be so scary to be twenty miles offshore in the ocean.

No, thank you.

I guess wales move real quick.

I would need to go miles quick someone else in the water with me.

I would not want to be all alone.

I would be so scared of being that far in the water.

Oh my gosh, yeah.

No, thank you, ah, Sienna.

Let's let's spout into our next segment.

Should you watch this or where we tell you, beloved and Benevolent Whale listeners, if we think you should watch this movie or if you should do something else with your whale time?

Sienna, what do you think?

I think you should watch it?

It was awesome.

It was really beautiful.

You have to be in the mood for a dramatic movie, but it was great.

Yeah, Leona, what about you?

Are I recommend watching Whale Rider?

Absolutely?

It's very Gorgentina Gorgentinita.

Mm hmm.

Yeah, oh oh la la, Well.

Thank you.

I guess we watched it.

No, we have to write it.

Yeah.

What would you rate this movie?

Leonna?

I would give Whale Rider four point five benevolent whales out of five.

It would have been five, but they killed the mom and childbirth, and y'all, I was thinking about this earlier, and what really bugs me about it is they do that because it's like, oh, well, you know, that is part of life.

But the more we portray that as part of life, the more we accept it as part of life, and it shouldn't be part of life.

We need to invest in medicine and safety protocol so that people don't die in childbirth.

Yes, we have the technologies.

This doesn't need to happen.

It's very very sad.

Thank you, Thank you.

Four and a half Benevolent Whales.

What would you rate the film.

I'm gonna give the movie five whalebone necklaces out of five.

I loved it.

I thought it was perfect.

Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah.

Uh well, everybody, thank you for listening to this review of Whale Rider.

What a what a what a sneaky success.

We are Popcorn, or as whales say, and you can find us on Instagram at toss Popcorn.

We are also on patreon dot com slash toss Popcorn, where very soon you can watch a video of us talking about the biggest movie of the year, uh huh, and join us next week for our last episode of twenty twenty five sounds right where we probably join us next week when we will be watching.

Happiest season.

Yay, thank you, we love you, Bye bye.

You can find us on Instagram as at Sienna Jaco and at Leanna Holsten.

Please check the description for the spelling of our dumb names.

We put out episodes every Tuesday, so make sure to subscribe so that you don't miss an episode.

See you next week on Tossed Popcorn.

For more podcasts from my heart Radio, check the iHeartRadio app.

Instead of having teeth and stuff, I'm just gonna be big and round, huge, big, round, and with a hairbrush for teeth.

Yeah.

Baileen, Baileen, Baileen Bailey.

Bailey Bailey.

That's nice.

That is good.

I like that.

Thank you.