The crew dives into Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element—a wild mix of futuristic fashion, flying cars that never showed up, and Chris Tucker stealing scenes. With Amber Wyatt back as guest, the panel unpacks the movie’s casting, its campy-but-clever comedy, and the timeless weirdness that makes it a sci-fi cult classic.
This week on Never Seen It, we’re taking a hyperspace trip back to 1997 with Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element. Joined once again by Amber Wyatt (aka that Denver girl of Millennial Matrix Media), the crew breaks down one of the most eccentric, stylish, and endlessly debated sci-fi films of the 90s.
We cover everything from:
Leeloo’s look: why Milla Jovovich’s orange-haired, bandage-suited heroine remains an icon of sci-fi fashion.
Comedy done right: how the film’s visual humor and surreal tone outclass modern superhero quip-fests.
Futuristic promises we never got: where are our flying cars, pneumatic tubes, and Jetsons-style upgrades?
Casting surprises: from Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman to Chris Tucker’s unforgettable Ruby Rhod—and even a cameo connection to Björk’s ex, Tricky.
Behind-the-scenes magic: miniature cityscapes, Jean-Paul Gaultier’s legendary costumes, and the made-up language Jovovich helped create.
Villain talk: why Zorg never actually meets Korben Dallas, and what that says about evil as an abstract, political force.
Themes of love and power: Leeloo’s role as more than a love interest, Zorg’s greed as a metaphor for corporate corruption, and the parallels to other “stone-seeking” villains like Thanos and Doctor Doom.
Of course, we veer off into personal stories (Comic-Con antics, wild Coachella parties, and kettle-corn-induced sugar crashes) because that’s what we do. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a first-time watcher, this episode is packed with laughs, insights, and a reminder of why The Fifth Element remains unlike anything else.
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Welcome to the Never Seen It Podcast, The only podcast called Never
Seen It Worth listening to tonight With us is Mr.
Arnie, The One Man Party, aka.
Arnold Ko.
Of course, Mr. Daily Dares, aka.
Filipino Grigio, aka
Alex Kleo, the Brothers Calleo, and a returned
guest three times in a row now, Miss Amber Wyatt, aka
that Denver girl, Millennial Matrix Media, she does a lot of stuff media related.
So check her out on on those different social media pages.
Amber, right off the top, is there anything you want to plug really quick?
Anything you're working on currently?
You want to get out of the way right now?
In September, the magazine that I work for is doing a
cocktail series.
So all month, I've they've been having me go like
to like cocktail loues and like write about my experience and stuff.
So it's going to be really cool.
I have been to some really like cool, like high end places.
So I would definitely check that out
Nice.
What's the most interesting I' drink you've had so far?
Have you not done anything?
I all these names of all these drinks, but there was one that was like in a bathtub.
It was like it was a little bathtubub, like almost like a Wney or something, and the drink in the
ice was in there and the gummy bears were like in the bathtub and it had a straw in.
Oh, that's funny.
Some gender drink.
Nice.
Well, you'll have to drop the link to that once that's out,
and we'll be glad to share that on the social medias.
That's.
But tonight, we're discussing the movie, and I
believe it it was you and Amber who picked this movie, the Fifth Element
Major Dallas, selected for a mission of the utmost importance.
Oh, what mission?
Save the world
the 1997 film directed by Luke
Bassan in 22257, a taxi driver is
unintentionally given the task of saving a young girl who's
part of the key that will ensure the survival of humanity.
So the fifth element, I believe, Arnold, you're
the only one here, who hasn't seen it, but before we get to that, Amber,
tell us really quick, why did you choose this movie?
Ah, perfect time.
That is one of my favorite.
Can y'all hear that when a message come through?
My bad.
Yeah, I heard it just.
That's my favorite movie. movies.
Like, I love Lilu.
And, like, I used to think, it's Mila Jovovic or something.
Am I saying it right?
She was so lot. her and Angelina
Jolie, when I was coming up, I thought they were so hot.
So I was obsessed with this movie
And, um it's just, like, so imaginative.
Like, I love, like.
I love that kind of stuff.
It's just like, you know what I mean?
Futuristic.
But like, even sometimes people can do it in the past where it's, like,
just like a different world.
I like that.
It's like a different world
And Luke Ban, I was looking at his filmography.
He did one of my other favorite movies, Leon, Leon,
theig Leonessional.
The professional.
Leon the Professional.
The poster on Letterbox just as Leon, but yeah, Leon.
But then he did like one of the worst movies I've ever seen, which is Lucy.
Did you guys ever see Lucy?
The one with Scarlett Johansson?
Scaro.
Yeah.
I actually kind of didn't mind that one.
I kind of got what they were trying to do, but like
yeah, I can see why it was so like, critically panned..
Yeah.
You didn't just watch it and get interesting.
Oh.
Yeah, well, I mean, he's done so
many movies, but like, they're all over the place.
Like, I don't know.
He did the Valerian City of a Thousand Planets.
Like, that was him, but that movie was like a huge flop
He did Arthur, he did Dogman.
He did Dracula like he did a Dr. I don't know, I didn't know he did a Dracula movie..
Such an interesting filmography he has, but, I mean, I don't know.
I feel like this is probably his more famous movie
maybe closely followed by Leon.
But yeah. um good stuff.
I feel like there was nothing like this in the late 90s, right?
Like you had this in 97 and then you had the Matrix a couple years later.
And I feel like as far as sci-fi goes, like big sci-fi from that era,
I don't know if there was anything as distinct as the fifth Element and
the Matrix, but we're talking about the fifth Element, obviously.
So, yeah, good stuff.
I mean, you got Bruce Willis, Milo Jovich, Gary Oldman,
Ian Holm, Chris Tucker, who is in an unforgettable role.
Luke Perry.
Luke Perry.
So many of you, so many McKay.
Yeah.
Who's Is that a wrestler?
No, that's his character on Beverly Hills 910.
You know, the funny thing is, Luke
Perry's son did go on to become a pro wrestler.
His name is Jack Perry.
Oh.
Yeah.
His son.
Huh.
He's known as when he first started out, he was known
as Jungle Boy Jack Perry
And he'd come out to, I can't remember the name of the song, but
I was like, oh, oh, oh, oh.
Oh, I know that song.
That song, you know?
I love that song..
I didn't know that was him.
Such a small world.
WW. yeah.
No, he was in AEW.
I just got to go.
I just went to AEW.
They were here up at Miss.
Powers.
Oh, yeah?
What'd you think?
I saw, what's my name?
The one I like Tony Storm.
Oh, she's my favorite.
Yeah, I got to see her.
It was crazy.
Yeah.
Oh, Oh, my God..
That's dope.
Yeah, she's And she's the best. came out.
I think right now she's the probably.
You know the guys in the suits
Oh, the hurt business?
A Hertz syndicate?
They're awesome.
They're cool.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We'll have to do.
You guys will have to do like some kind of a wrestling thing at some point, you know?
Have you seen the wrestler?, Amber
Oh, yeah.
Oh, we got to do that movie.
Is that the one with..
Or that or the Iron Claw?
Or the Iron?
Iron Claw's great. the wrestling movie and then we can watch Nacho Libre
Yeah, Hell, yeah.
That's another good one.
Oh, yeah.
But, Bessin apparently conceived the story
for Fifth Element at 16 years old, and he
brought it to the screen over two two decades later. iconic
bandage bodyuit for Lilu remains a high watermark in cinematic fashion, emphasizing both minimalism
and sci fi flair.
Milovich's fluorescent orange chair,
which was meant to be striking, caused significant damage.
She eventually wore a wig, introduced subtly after a shower scene to maintain continuity.
That's so interesting.
What kind of chemical we are in the hair.
Just to touch on the costuming and the design.
Jean- Paul Gautier, he was the designer for that.
And
I remember when that came, like a
few years later, during all the hype during Comic-Con, or
not Comic-on, sorry, got Comic-Con on the brain.
Coachella,
they would do stuff.
Jean Paul Gautier and Adidas would always throw a party annually.
It was like an after party, and they
would have it hosted at this secluded
you had to be invite only type of deal and
I was able to go to one and
it was it was just kind of like, so one of my friends, she was producing the show at the party, right?
And I was this is when I was working at the Ace
and I she's like, hey, if you want
to go to the Adidas party, just let me know.
And then
like three friends of mine who are in a band,
they came to town he's like, hey, what are you doing?
He's like hey, you going want to go to this party?
And all of a sudden, like, they had like four other people with them.
So there was like eight of us.
And like, I called my friend up and I was like, hey
can you get like eight of us in?
She's like, oh, I can only do you and three other people.
I go, well, can you do four and four?
And she's like, well, let me see what I can do, right?
So I go and I hang up and then she calls me back
and she's like, okay, just go stand in line and they'll let me know that you're here.
So we have to show up at the
Palm Springs Art Museum, right?
And there's this big line and these buses are shuttling everybody to the party.
It's the Sinatra bungalow.
That's where it's supposed to be at, right?
And we get to the front of the line
and he's like, yeah, I'm on the list.
My friend said, my friend was
Jesse who was producing it and she's like, let me call her.
They're like, let me call him.
So she called, he called the security, they had a security calls.
He gets an answer from him.
He's like, she says, Alex and party.
And like, it is like, is there like a number?
And he's like, no, just Alex and party.
So it was like me and like the other seven people.
And, like, people knew, like, there were some people who kind of knew me.
They were acquaintance, and they are standing in line, and they're like, hey, come on, Wood, let me get it.
I was like, no, I can't.
Sorry.
I wasn't. going to take advantage of her generosity, but like, it was so funny.
And then so we get there,
we get to the party, we get into the party and,
you know, it's I know it's going to be a wild night already.
And I know it because you
walk in there and they're already handing out these like Jean Paul Gautier designed beach towels.
And I'm like, to each person who is leaving.
I'm like, get there.
And they have a swimming pool that's in the shape of a musical node.
And there's people naked swimming around in the pool.
And then I see some other friends.
And Arld one of them..
Actually, Snoop Dogg Snoop Dogg was there.
What?
Like, he was in a Rt off VIP section.
How come you never told me this story?
This was in the desert?
I told you..
I don't know if I told you the story.
If I've told the story.
You told you just forgot.
Before this we're talking about.
So we get there.
I said, What's that?
Dol's wiener.
No, he was he
was not participating in the nude swimming.
Unfortunately.
But, like, and then, all of a sudden, you know it's a Jean Paul Gautier
party because a couple of my friends who,
like, who who were in bands were there already
too, and they were dressed in like
like, costumes that were out of the fulfillment.
I was like..
Whoa.
This is You know, this is Jean Paul Gaautier.
And it was kind of awesome to see that at the same time because like, um
you know, they had some wings that are all lit up, like
that would be something straight out of the movie.
It was kind of crazy.
Did a lot of people have orange hair?
No.
No.
Unfortunately.
Oh.
I is what I love about doing this show, by the way.
Although Lindsey Lohan Lindsay Lohan had locked herself up in a bedroom
and boyfriend was like trying to figure out a way to get out.
Oh, she locked herself like on accident.
Acc?
No.
Oh, yeah.
That sounds sounds, that tracks for Lindsay Lohan, I think.
When you This is about in like 2011, 2012.
When you were starting to tell the story, I thought you were going to say that, oh,
yeah, we went to this party and then we all had to dress like Lilu.
It's not what I' been a sight to behold.
I like this show because you'll
mention something from a movie, and Alex will always be like, well, you know, I was in Portland, Oregon 10 years ago.
And I's's always a good story.
Like, this is the beauty of doing this show.
But by the way, have you guys, did you guys ever watch Norm
MacDonald on Conan on old Conan episodes back in the day?
Oh, yeah. clue.
There's a bit again. joke he does where he uses the name John.
I'm not kidding you, John Paul Gautier, and I thought he completely made it up.
But now you're telling me this is a real person.
So
I'm going to have to add that in the show notes because that's a pretty crazy.
I don't know Jean Paul Gautier once again from American Psycho.
What was the connection there?
Because, you know, he's got like these fascinations of like,
oh, yeah, I guess this is a very nice suit and all these nice glasses and stuff.
And then like that one guy has some, oh, who's Let's see Paul Allen's car.
Yeah, he's like,
uh, where'd you get that suit?
And he's like, who made that suit?
And he's like, Jean- Paula Gaautier.
I don't know.
And he's like, I just I don't
remember that moment, but that sounds right, though.
I love that movie.
I'm glad that you've seen that movie, because that's a great movie.
But as much as I want a
quote American cycle, because I could do that all night, back to. to reality.
No, dude.
So
one of my other favorite things about this movie is
that they built an entire miniature New York 85
model makers poured in five months of high detailed
model making to make of a futurist in New York to make this movie.
And you know, they combined it with CGI map paintings and all that, but
I don't know if that movies really do with that much.
I feel like everything nowadayays is just done CGI.
Like you don't see as much model building in movies anymore, and I think that's a shame.
So that's one of my favorite aspects of it.
But Arnold, I think you since you're the only one here who has not
seen it, and you're fresh off the presses
what are your first reactions?
Actually, let me start with this.
What was your perception of this movie before you watched it?
What did you know if anything about it this movie?
Okay, so I actually, I did watch it a
long time ago with Alex, but I really didn't remember anything.
The only thing that I remembered was
multipass.
I don't know for whatever reason, that's all I remember.
I didn't remember the story or anything.
But
and just what you said right now.
So it just shows
my lack of knowledge about like this stuff.
So that was all like models that they just
like, they built a model and then like they do the models?
Yeah,
Yeah, it was a combination of stuff.
They do models and then they blend it with computer generated imagery.
Yeah, there was some pretty, you know, I
mean, for that time, I mean, it was what, 97, so some kind of old school
effects there.
Right.
More so than nowadays.
But, like, did you kind of, like, what was your thoughts, like, before you watched it?
Like, did you think this looked interesting at all, or did it look weird to you?
No, so,
I must have started watching it on TV or
something because, like a while back, because
I was like, wait, this looks familiar.
And because I but then I had only watched up to like
maybe like the first 15 minutes and then, and that was it.
And because I remember the part with like
Luke Perry because I remember seeing it and I was like, wait, what?
Luke Perry's in this.
The Luke Perry?
The Dylan McKay.
Yeah,
He has like thever Model face.
You know, how people were like, all right, Samile.
Okay, have your eyebbrows up, stop smiling.
And, uh He's got a very serious space card, right?
And he's got that old last few voice, but then he was like the artist drawing all that stuff.
Anyways, I thought they were going to bring him back on
for whatever reason, but like, that was it.
It was just at the beginning.
And for those of you watching and listening that are
under the age of 30, Luke Perry Perry was kind of a hug commodity in the 90s.
Beverly Hills now 21100.
That wasn't even the show..
Yeah.
902102100.
That was a hot show in that hero.
Like, I don't know.
You got to understand, like, we're talking early 90s until whenever that show ended.
Oh, yeah.
That was one of the hottest shows on TV at the time.
And
Oh, yeah.
90s was like peak teenage drama and then it sort of dropped off.
But Luke Perry was probably like one of the few cast members.
It did pretty well for himself even after that show.
Yeah, he was Him and and Shannon Doherty.
Shannon Doherty?
That's right, yeah.
Was it't she in Charmed?
Or who am I thinking about?
That was her in Charmed.
There was a few girls.
Yeah, she was in.
Okay.
Yeah, but she, I guess she got ousted from that show just
because she was hard to work with a year..
Both of them, R.I.P.
Damn.
There's two reasons you would get ousted in Hollywood.
Either you were hard to work with or you refused to kowtow to Harvey W, unfortunately.
I mean, it's sad, but but that's the reality of that business at the time, you know.
But anyway, but Luke Perry, yeah, Luke Perry was a hot.
He was going on to buy him and he had like, what, like 10 minutes in the movie.
Yeah.
Like he's like the main character or something.
But if it weren't for him, you know,
wait, if it weren't for him, then..
Well, if they do a sixth element, it'll start Luke Perryring, I think.'ll see.
But hold on.
So now that you've seen it, now that you've seen it, give me
your initial just for free wave thoughts on it.
Yeah, so I thought, you know, it was very
If they would have changed the
music a little bit, some of the music
sound effects that they, it sounded, um, almost like
a little fun, a little like playful, but if they change it,
it could have all all of a sudden been like, um,
uh, like if it was more serious, it could have been, um,
for that time, uh, like, like more sci-fi, more dramatic.
But, um, yeah, uh, I don't know.
It was an interesting choice. um It's interesting you say that.
I kind of like the campy vibe, though.
You know what I mean?
I don't know.
Like, for me, it works, but that's interesting to say that.
This was like a.
This was like a very 90s film.
Yeah.
Like the music choices, even like,
like the aesthetic of the future, you know?
It's very like, you know, like what people in the 90s thought
the future would be like, you know, like, weird
hair, like, like even more so.
Because like, you know how like in older TV shows
and films, they had that sort of thing, right?
Weird hair, like, jutting out everywhere.
But this seemed to be a little bit more taken
to the next level, you know, with the fashion and everything
you know, I just feel like we were robbed of flying cars.
Back to the Future promised it.
This movie promised it.
So many sci-fi movies from before the 2000s promised us flying cars.
And we were robbed of that.
But
The Jetsons promised it.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's the one thing we didn't get.
You know on the Jets they had Arnold tube that like, you like travel around in, like, you don't even
Oh, yeah.
I the pneumatic thing.
That was like riding in a slide all the time.
I want those.
I want those to come out.
Dude, they have those at Costco.
They have them at the cash registers.
And I think that's the craziest thing that any store can have is pneumatic.
It's just like to send up like deposits and stuff like that?
They have pneumatic tubes.
Yeah.
Like, no other retailer does that.
It's like such a quirky thing.
But Arnold, really quick, tell me, did
you notice, did you notice that neither Bruce
Willis or Gary Oldman have any scene or any interaction in the entire movie?
Did you notice that?
Oh.
Did I just blow your mind?
Yeah.
There was one part where it blow your mind. almost did, like when they're getting off the elevator.
They almost did., yeah.
When he's walking out and then Gary Elevan walks out right behind him.
Yeah, no, I didn't even think about that.
I don't see this is why we do this show.
Is that significant?
I don't know.
Alex, let me defer to you know, you're the deep thinker of the group.
What do you think about that?
Because I still don't fully understand.
I think it's cool, but I don't fully.
Like, what do you make of that?
I like that idea of the
the protagonist and the antagonist never
truly meeting as this sort of thing where
the idea of the threat
doesn't necessarily have to mean like that
they ever have to face to face.
Like Think about it this way.
Politics.
There's
There's, say, a president that
that's doing bad things, and, you know...
No, there isn't.
What?
Yeah.
You know, that kind of stuff happens.
It's in my mind right now.
And it's Is that's a thought crime?
It's more of a. existential thing than it is
this sort of..
But that, like, Gary
Oldman represents that sort of existential threat.
But he's just more so an arm
a limb, you know, per se, to
the actual threat that's going to happen at the very end, right?
He's representative of that.
So it's kind of like,
it's unnecessary really for that sort of thing
to really connect.
And I'm fine with that.
I totally and the way that Luke Man did it was just so seamless.
Like, you don't, that's why when you bring up the question, it's like,
oh, yeah, they never really do meat, right?
It's like, yeah.
You know, that's interesting.
And it works.
Like, you don't even notice it, but like in a good way.
Like,
Corbin Dallas is the hero.
Zorg, is that his name?
I' probably get his name.
Zorg..
Zorg is the bad guy.
Yeah, Zorg.
And in most classically told good
versus evil, like, eventually Luke meets Darth Vader.
Eventually, you know,
I guess Frodo doesn't really meet Sauron.
But you know what I'm saying?
Like, normally they meet.
In this movie, they don't.
They have that almost, that quick little moment
that Arnold mentioned and then they still don't ever actually
come face to face.
So that's an interesting aspect of of this movie anyway.
And we need to do like a carousel
of all movies where bad guys and good guys don't ever meet.
I think that'd be interesting.
But,
anyway.
Yeah.
And yeah, so we were talking about fashion fashion earlier.
Why do you guys think that that
LeL's character's outfit is so iconic?
Do you think it's because
it's like, you know, Skimpy or whatever?
Or do you think there's like, is it just because it's futuristic and it feels part of the story.
Like, what do you guys think about that?
Amber, I'll defer to you.
What do you think about her costume and how icon, why it's icon?
I think the most like interesting things about this movie is the personification of like
um he eats every time.
Yeah, let's get this out of the way.
What are you having this time, Arnold?
What is that?
that pasta?
Oh, no, it's a papusa.m No, you're good.
Sorry.
It's
It's not from a restaurant.
It's from Maria out in DHS on the Hood.
She made it from her own kitchen...
Nice.'s what?
What kind of is it?
Oh.
Yeah.
Arnold's got.
That's the producer talking in his ear.
Go ahead, Anna.
Think about other movies.
Like, let me see if I can think of like.
Like Princess Leia's outfits and Star Wars are pretty iconic.
For example, like, there's like personification of like
things that typically in other movies wouldn't be personified.
So, like, Lilu, for example, is an element.
She's not really a human being
So you have to think about it that way, as well as the thing, like the planet thing's true.
You know what I'm talking about?
That, like, doesn't he call?
Like, the planet can talk.
Like, it's like, even the planet is personified.
Like, um,
So I think that's why she's dressed like
that because like, she's not really a human.
Like, if you really think about it.
And the, like analogy or, like the
comparison that I'm trying to make is like, I think that in other
movies, like, of this, what makes this unique and what
makes this interesting is that they did that.
Because there are other movies where like
you know, I think like, um, what's the one, like,
with the, like, it might be like national treasure or something,
but like they're like, like looking for this thing that like opens this thing.
And it's like, none of those are humans or none of those are like actors.
Like none of those arerayed by an actor.
They're like a book or like a code or like a scripture or like something like that.
Isn't that known as a't that known as a MacGuffin?
Yeah.
Yeah, well, that's just like a literary device
where it's like that's the thing the characters are looking for, but the story is more than that.
It's not about that.
It's about
the why, it's about the how it.
Kind of like the suitcase in Pulp Fiction.
Exactly.
That's a great another. great example.
It's not about the suitcase, it's about the characters and why they need to get the suitcase.
And what the suitcase sort of represents.
There's a theory, and I won't get too sidetracked here, but this is because I love Pulp Fiction.
There's a theory that it's Marcellus Wallace's soul, because when you see the back of his head, he's
s got a Band-Aid.
They're supposed to say like that's where like the devil takes your soul from the back of your head.
Very interesting theory.
And then other people say, oh, it's the the jewels from Reservoir Dogs, and I don't think that works as well.
Yeah, I still never figured it out.
So let my imagination.
And we may never figure it out.
Even Tarantina-like has been very coy about
about it.
I think he's.
I think he's said that like it is whatever you make it to be.
So you think about her, like her body too.
Like, she's not like, Wonder Woman or nothing.
She's slim, you know, she's a human, but she's just like,
you know, she could be more human.
She could be more human, but it's like, that's not really what it's about.
And like, that's why I think that she doesn't she's not wearing like,
you know, like Bruce Willis wears like that orange tank top.
It's like, she's not wearing clothes like that because she's not like him.
She's something else.
Right.
Yeah.
She's like, that machine that creates
her, I think like that whole machine, it creates human
esque bodies for
whatever it gathers its DNA from or the..
Like, what do they call it?
The memory cells?
Like, it was like the memory cells that like helped create not just the body.
Or like.
So the body is just a vessel
but to house
all these memories that this one hand originally held.
And was it taken from
those big things, like the handle that at the very beginning?
It was from one of those.
Or one of them anyways.
She is the element.
Those things.
You know what I mean?
It's like, she's the same thing as water, air, wind, fire.
Like, that's what she is.
She's not really
if you think about it.
Yeah.
And talk about that casting, right?
Like, Mila Joovic just has a certain look.
I don't know that any other actress at the time could have pulled that off the way she did.
Like, she just has
a look..
She has sort of.
Even the language. that she was speaking like.
Yeah. that's.
Which was a made up language that she helped develop develop
along with with Luke Bisan.
I didn't know that.
I thought I thought she was just speaking Russian the whole time. all these years, I assume.
Oh, she's just speaking Russian, but no, she's speaking like a made up
a made up language.
We're just great..
They never show it in Russia to get it translated.
Oh, they show it.
Only in Putin's chamber, zone.
Not in anywhere in the world. then they change that to like Mandarin or something.
Yeah.
I think the thing, Milo Jovovich is,
like, she's model pretty, but she was smarter than that.
So she she didn't just take the model route.
Like, she's an excellent actor and like, she,
like you said, like developed a language for this and like, is part of like being a producer.
Like
she's like, that's why she's so unique because like,
I feel like usually you have one or the other.
And she's like, that pretty.
Yeah, that's a good point.
I feel like, I feel like the in the this whole movie,
the casting was like, almost perfect for every single role.
Like, I thought, like, you look at the
president played by Tiny Zeus Lister.
On paper, it shouldn't make sense.
But it does.
He makes perfect sense for the
president that he's representing, the kind of like
hard nosed, take no, like shit kind of like president.
And then you get like, you know, Chris Tucker playing
that flamboyant, you know, ambiguous sort of sexually
character, because, like, you know, you see him do,
like, um, have intercourse with a woman,
like, they don't see it on screen, but then he, like, obviously
has these, these moments that I feel like
that he's kind of also like
shows that he's kind of bi, you know?
Right.
I feel like that might be the way that like they predicted
things will be in the future, like more like, um,
like maybe there's like a there's like a space for men to be more flamboyant in the future, but not now.
Yeah.
It's good point.
Yeah, they even show them like..
They didn't even show them like with their nails colored.
I think even Zorg, he
didn't have his nails colored, but they were like, it had, you know, what's that, clear?
It was clear.
Clear coat.
Clear coat on his nails.
Yeah.
And which which kind of now is.
You see a lot more people do that.
A lot more guys doing that.
Yeah, it seemed like everything was everybody was just like sexually fluid, you know, like within their sexuality.
It was like, yeah, it's like,
within the context of a 90s film, it still felt like very
binary.
But in a
forward thinking sense, like possibly how maybe how Luke Bassan
wanted it to be, like, in the future,
this would feel like a normal thing, right?
Yeah.
That's a good point.
He sort of like helped redefine like,
in a way, like sort of like, what masculinity and femininity
can be, you know, in an age where we're not worried about
gender roles and whatnot.
And I have to say that I read that Prince was supposed to play that part.
And for whatever reason, they couldn't get him.
So Chris Tucker got the part.
And I think it works better with Chris Tucker.
because he just brings the energy he brings to that character.
And think about it too.
Lilu, the character, they
don't really say that she's like a she or he, really.
They see a body
and they instantly think, woman,
but she doesn't say, like, Lilo of
the character doesn't specifically say that I'm a woman.
I'm the Fifth Filament.
That's all she says.
You know?
She doesn't like She does that amazing amazing laugh.
She doesn't does a sexuality
herself.
Yeah.
I love the lab.
Ha ha ha ha ha
That was so good.
Yeah.
Okay, but Arnold, let me go back to you now for a second.
You know, you've watched a lot of movies, right?
You watched the good guys versus Batman.
Bad guys.
Yeah.
What do you think of Gary Oldman as
See?
Perfect time.
Someone's pie is ready.
What do you think about Gary Oldman as the bad guy?
Like, how did that strike you, Ronald?
You're kind of like a dumb bad guy or always.
I don't know how many times he opens a suitcase.
He's like, there's nothing in it.
Yeah.
But, uh they
didn't show his face until like a little bit later.
And they just showed like the back of his head, right?
And, um, it was and
he almost seemed Asian like just because of the
the, maybe the the suit that
he was wearing, it seemed to me, especially when
he had that one Asian guy that was like following him and and
asking him, I forget what it was, like 500,000?
He's like, one million.
He's like, one million.
All right.
um.
Then that's.
Then there's kind of a twist because then
he has like this like Southern accent or
like Southern D or like, not
an accent that I would have thought, but like, um
Yeah.
It is a bit of a southern twain.
Yeah.
And I like that.
What's that scene where
he's like talking about the little robots that are running around and he's like, you see that thing?
Somebody had to make that thing.
And the person had to make that thing.
And that whole monologue was so great.
Like he's just him explaining that to him in a very, very, like,
I don't know,antic way, but one thing
that really creeped me out about his character in general was just like that black stuff that drips down his.
What is that, by the way?
Is that hair dye?
Or is that when I was a kid, I thought it was blood.
I get it.
I thought it was blood.
I's not.
But I think that it it was kind of like a blood-like substace.
You know what?
You know how that planet is black, right?
I think he's like a cousin of the planet, but he's personified too.
Like, inside of him is that stuff.
Because that's what he's made of.
But he's got like a.
Oh.
That's so interesting.
I could see that.
Yeah, because
But it happens when he's under duress, though.
Remember when he's on a phone call and it's dripping down.
Here's the thing, though.
When he stresses out.
What is his motivation to get
the stones, right?
He wanted those stones, I'm still kind of like, I can't I can't really
It's not really clear to me to why he really wanted those stones.
Like, like, it would serve him best.
It seems it would seem to serve humanity best if
you know, Lilu and that that like sort of religious,
like sect were to have
it in hand, you know, to protect everybody from that threat, right?
I
He's a dealer?
Is he like some sort of like artifact sort
of like thief and just wants to keep this stuff and hoard it?
I don't know.
That's one of those things that like, I still
have yet to grasp.
Like, maybe you guys could explain it to me.
Well, so he's working for the Mr. Shadow character
who hired him to get the stoneones.
And if he gets the stones, he gets
wealth, he gets power.
He gets influence.
But beyond that, I mean, yeah, like his
whole role was kind of, it almost felt kind of surface level in a sense.
I think Gary Oman as an actor brings something more to it, but
But Mr. Shadow is that threat, right?
I. Yeah, yeah.
Well, yeah, because he's, he's the great evil.
He needs the stones to do his bidding or whatever.
Or to like, so he needs the stones to not be in the
possession of the people who would like,
empower the the Fth Fament, right?
Absolutely.
I think they're evil.
Like, they just a violation.
Like, they don't care if they die too, or, like, maybe they don't die because they're not human.
Like, they just want that to happen.
Like, they just want this thing to eat the world up
Like, they don't give a fuck.
They're just evil..
Because they're not human.
Yeah.
Yeah, I mean, I can't think of any other reason.
To destroy the world.
Or isn't human either, then?
So Z is just like, like you said, is
an embodiment of another kind of like offshoot
of the big threat?
Mr. Shadow or?
It's kind of like an analogy I would dare make
would be looking at it through a 2025 lens, obviously
Imagine you're a politician these days and
you're in the pocketets of big corporate interests that don't want
want you to pass any sort of, you know, climate change laws, right?
I feel like that's kind of what Zorg is.
He's just like doing the bidding for somebody
more powerful than him because he's an opportunist.
And he only cares about money and he only cares about power.
But it's not even real power, right?
Because real power are the forces that are hiring him to
do this job, which is to get the stones in this case.
So I don't know.
To me, he just has like the affectation of like a very
futuristic, futuristically evil politician.
That's my take anyway.
But again, you know, that's biased, right?
Because I'm looking at it from the lens of modern times, you know, at the time,
I don't know, I feel like it would have just been, he just would have been another bad
guy who's only in it for himself, which is, you know, which you could still say the same about most politicians, right?
So
that analogy kind of works, I guess, in a way.
I don't know.
What do you guys think?
Yeah, and maybe a
little obsession that kind of just
needs to get them, get the stones to
to destroy.
I don't know.
Yeah.
Well, yeah, exactly.
I mean, think about it.
If you're rich and you're powerful, right, but you still want to keep
getting more power.
And if that means like selling your soul to the devil.. even
if it means that eventually like the world's going to be inhospitable, like, some people are just that fucking greedy.
I think.
And I think Zorg is a representation. like
an exaggeration of like things that we deal with.
Like, they're not that bad, where like
they're going to let the whole planet mess up, but, like, they kind of are.
Like, but it's not in that way, but it's like, you know what I mean?
It's kind of just like, this is what's happening.
Like, but we're just showing you like a really exaggerated version
of it kind of satirical version of it, but it's like,
that's pretty close to what's actually happening.
Like, you know
Yeah.
It always has, always has been.
That's a great point.
It's interesting that,
in the Avengers movies, Thanos wants the five stones
to snap his fingers and make half the living
creatures living beings in the universe die because
he thinks it'll be better overall for the universe.
So it's like there's there's this sort of like running
theme I'm not using here, you in movies.
Ting the Stones.
You know.
Well, even Dr. Doom, the character of Dr. Doom in Marvel Comics,,
the reason why his reasoning for wanting to
rule the world the universe is
because he was able to foresee like multiple features, right?
Multiple universes, all the possibilities, right?
And
in every, in every
scenario that he saw, the only good outcomes ever
came when he had complete control
in his mind, like what he saw.
Like, and what what does that mean?
Like, the only good outcomes well, the good outcomes that suit
your needs or the needs of humankind?
And it kind of seemed like, well, that's the big question, you
know, who's, you know, who''s
best suited?
You know, like, you look at Thanos as a character and
he's like, well, it suits his needs, right?
What he wants to, um, see for
himself, you know, peace, what peace is, right?
But for Dr. Doom, it was actually about, he was like,
I will save humanity if you let me control everything
And, you know, that's.
That's a great thing to say when your name is Dr. Doom.
Yeah, right?
Not Dr. Optimist or Dr., you know. uttopia.
Dr. Boom is going to say, boom.
Boom.
Ear comic comic
book writers are pretty on the nose and they came through there.
A little on the nose.
Yeah.
Who's going to save humanity?
That guy over there.
What's his name?
Dr. Doom.
The guy in the creepy Mask?
The name Dr. Doom?
Okay.
The guy that.
But in this, there's no real real, like..
I love that.
Okay, so, if the planet, if Earth did get destroyed,
so then it's just. everything
else out there, I guess.
I mean, you know, this movie has like an interdimensional sort of element, I thought.
So, you know, it's sort of like that thing where, you know, like the rich are building themselves
doomsday bunkers, you know?
Maybe like there's like a cosmic excuse me, a cosmic
version of like a doomsday bunker out there, you know?
Because the Earth is just one planet of many.
Like, you know, if you're a cosmic being, who cares about one planet?
I was thinking, what I mean?
That's. part of that thing, like, he just goes back into it.
Like, it just absorbs him and, you know, whatever, he goes back to being the ball of whatever he is.
joined back in Exactly..
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Are you saying Plato the philosopher or Plato the.
It would just come and then it.
Oh. the earth out and he would just stick to it and be like, I'm part of this now.
I don't..
I thought you said Plato, the philosopher I like, oh, I'm getting real deep with that.
That's good.
Either way it works, though, you know?
I like that.
Both.
Only Only philosophers on those is Dan Learhart.
I'm just
just kid.
Bruce Lee, which they brought up.
Bruce Lee.
Which I thought that was interesting, you know?
Dirty Martial arts.
What?
And then Bruce Lee comes up.
I was like, yeah.
Arnold, so tell me more.
What else?
Name one other moment in this entire movie that stood out to you?
Um.
Bes Besides the nudity?
All right, so I'll
probably get into it like later on with the Z rating.
So and then we were talking about it before.
So I started watching it last night and I did it to myself.
I started eating kettle corn.
And you know, kettle corn is that sweet and salty
and we just can't stop and sugar crashed and fell asleep.
And so so then, um.
Yeah, so, yeah, that kind of.
I should not have done that.
That was stupid.
But, I mean, you know, that's how you..
I think that's how you process stories.
That's Arnoldld Arnold being.
And he's like acting shameful.
I like, I I literally want to be you when I grow up.
Like, you live the most extravagant life.
You're always eating good food and like napping.
I'm like, are you a king or what?
Like, actually, like that.
I woke up and
I was like, like, man, I'm just going to finish this tomorrow.
And I went upstairs I'm like, oh, damn, I even forgot a soda in the freezer.
Because I was like, okay, I'm going to put the soda in the freezer so that would be nice and cold.
But then
so I went back down and took it out before it explodes, which I'm I'm.
Arnold, would you say you're an introvert or an extrovert or a hybrid?
I'd say I'm very, I'm a
hybrid, but a lot more extroverted.
I'll go in these
Oh, really?
like I want to be I going and do
all kinds of stuff, but then when I get tired, I just want to just chill.
I mean, Mar went out and
partied during a Comic-Con on a bum leg, so come on.
Oh, that's right.
Well, Donald and I went back to the hotel and crashed at like 11.
Yeah, I like that Arnold had more energy
on a bum legning, you got it was it was out of pure passion.
I just had to go out and do it.
Be the first time ever in the club with a cane.
Actually, I actually needed it.
Do you dance?
Are you a dancer, Arnold?
Do you know how to dance?
Yeah, yeah, I get dance, but you get down yet.
Well, you dance on this show, so I don't know why I ask that.
Arnold's big dance move is like taking up insurance shirt and in there.
Also Carolina.
He's done that several times during Comic Con.
lot of.
Didn't We went to like the Whiskey Girl, and I remember you did that.
Yeah, the bouncer was like, you got to put your shirt back on.
And then You're like, why?
I actually can do.
Because
You know what?
And I think that was the same night that we met in Milana Ventre.
Oh, probably.
Oh. we went to it.
From AT&T. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, on my cousins
in Philippine culture, you know, in
Mexicans, they have quinceaneras when they turn 15 Filipitos.
They have a debut or debutante
when they turn 18.
And they make a big old deal and
then they have like a choreographed dance and everything.
And then
like you have like her whole court, so you have like a a
bunch of her friends and guy friends as well.
But the best dancers, they got to be with her because she's like the centerpiece.
And when we're doing like these. practices.
Did you say the centerpie?
Did you say the center?
Did I actually say that?
The?
Yeah, switch the F at the P and the P of the F's.
Well, the teacher was like..
He's like, we need to have you be her partner because.
Because.
Because I guess you're best out of all of them.
That's good stuff.
And And so, yeah, we did like swing.
We did.
What do you call that?
Charleston?
We did a little bit of Charleston, which we did salsa.
Charleston.
Nice.
Didn't they let you do the shovel too?
That was just
the partying part afterwards.
But yeah, getting a little off track.
No, you're good.
I'm not sure how.
That's what we do on this show.
This is the
piece de resistance of the Never seening podcast is We'll talk about one thing and we'll go off.
We'll be off on a completely.
Inegalue the Feast Resistance.
Bring me the back.
What did throw me off was the
blue character, the one that was singing the opera.
The opera singer?
Yeah.
What did you think about that?
So, I don't know.
Did I fall asleep on that part?
Or was I not paying attention?
So, like, yeah, who was that?
But they had the stones hidden in her.
Yeah.
I think that was that was the point of that, right?
She has this sort of emotional performance and then it kind of like picks up a little bit.
But then she gets shot, I think.
And if I remember correctly, you
just saw the stoneones were or a stone was in or what was it?
Something was inside.
Right.
It was all of the stones.
All of the stones.
Yeah.
Like..
Which I don't understand.
Wow.
That was one of the things that even to this day, like, kind of confounds me.
I don't know.
I guess
why did she hide the stones inside her?
What was the point of that?
I get that they she was
meant to be like, protecting them, but like, I don't understand.
Wasn't that like a superpower that
she had to like to hide stuff like that?
I don't The internet machine says that she
is a guardian of the stones
and Father Vito Cornelius.
Great name, by the way, explains that the stones are entrusted
only to those that the Mondoshuans,
the ancient alien protectors believe, can keep them safe
until the fifth element is ready to be reunited with them.
The diva
as a respected and presumably incruptible figure in the galaxy, was chosen to safeguard them.
So there you go.
So she was biz already stones.
Which kind of makes sense, Which kind of makes sense why she entrusts
Dallas, Corbin and Dallas, to give the stones to, right?
Like, she sees him as,
like, the protector of the stones because, you know, he I
think she sees that he loves
Lilo in a way that he doesn't
even understand until, like the very end, you know?
Did she understand that that
he had to love her in order for the thing to work?
And that's what made me think of the Matrix.
I think he
I think he knew.
I think Lilu knew and
that was part of the knowledge that she had.
The protector of the stones, whoever was going to give them.
Like, you know, they,
it was like ultimately this love that was
greater than just
like, I'm just going to protect you, you know, like
But here's the thing, too.
Like, one of the things that I kind of questioned, and I I
thought about it, I even like, did some a little bit of research on it.
And like, do you think that Lilu is,
well, I didn't ask you, I'm not asking you guys, but I asked myself this question
is Lilu a manic pixie dream girl?
You know?
A what?
And I did some research and well, to
give some context to Arnold,
like, you're probably not very familiar with the idea of the Manic Pixie Dream girl.
It's this character that has no agencies.
It's usually a female character who
is basically there to
help a male character become
the better person that he wants to be.
Did you ever see 500 Days of Summer, Arnold?
Oh, actually, I think so.
Yeah.
With Joseph Gordon-Levitt and
Zoe Dashchnell..
So that's like the prime example of a manic pixie dream girl.
It's that trope that Alex is talking about, yeah.
Oh, okay.
Yeah..
Okay.
But I looked it up and like there's like, like they
they were saying like a lot of these articles were saying like, oh,
she, we could see how some
people could perceive Leu as this man see
Dream girl, but she does have agency.
She's like the one she chose to.
And she doesn't have bangs, so.
And she doesn't listen to the Smiths.
Yeah, she's more punk rock than that.
Can we go back to the opera lady for a second?
I thought that she was The diva.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Because I don't really understand what you read to us from the internet, but I always thought she was just a different race.
Like, we don't have that race here right now, but in that year, like, in the future, that race will live here.
But
now I'm starting to think she's a personification of something else too.
Like, like because she was carrying all the stones.
Like, what did you say?
She's like a maternal thing?
Like she's like a maternal, like alien or something?
Like a guardian,
and it sort of works out because she's
able to smuggle them without being caught with them.
And so it's a very stealthy thing where she's able to physically hide them inside of herself
And while moving through pretty precarious
situations and people would trust her, that she would guard
them with her life, which she does.
And I think she just serves as a vehicle
to be like, to play that role in the story.
And yeah, it's a very maternal thing, right?
Because if you think about it thematically, it's like
you know, it's like a woman carrying her a child for nine months, right?
It's like, it's like that sort of vibe, I think.
And here she is carrying these very important.
Does she just look things inside of her?
I guess you kind of brown people and like different
a blue person or is she another planet?
Is she an alien?
I always assumed she was an alien, because
the guys that worked for Wor are alien creature looking.
Let's don't. equal in West Virginia.
They were exposed to too much...
No. silver and their water
and they're actually blue.
Oh.
So I didn't know if that's something like that's where we're headed because
like people, because the pipes are fucked up and like, I don't know, people are consuming
things that are toxic to them and yeah, they're actually like blue like that.
Crazy.
shit, it's funny bring that up because
they're building all these AI data centers that are poisoning the
local water table wherever they're building them.
And, you know, it's like Flint, Michigan all over again, but even worse, actually.
But go ahead.
Sorry.
Yeah..
She had those like things that were like growing out of her
Like, they kind of seemed like, um..
Shoot, reminding me of the aliens like a Star Wars.
Yeah, like.
Exactly, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Well, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think Luke Basan got a lot of inspiration from a lot of different sci-fi.
I think to me, anyway, Star Trek, Star Wars.
I honestly feel like Luke Basan was trying to create
a new universe, like, possibly for like more stories.
Yeah.
And that's, I'm glad you bring that up because I was going to
say that this movie was not super well received at the time when it was released
You had some critics saying, so for example,
I was going to just read some movies, a largely misfired
European attempt to make an American style sci-fi spectacular.
The fifth element consists of a hodge podge of elements that don't comfortably coalesce.
And I'm like, wait a minute, but isn't that kind of the point?
Isn't that kind of an interesting thing that you have a sort of a blend of American and European style
of storytelling?
Like, why is that a bad thing?
Some of these critics, I tell you, they don't know what they're talking about.
They wrote it at a back then.
Back then, in 1997.
And that's the funny thing is like, isn't that sort of also
the idea of what the future should be
where like. everything is kind of like a blur.
Like how we talking about?
Sexuality is like fluid.
You know, even nationalities are fluid, you know, like, there's like no such thing.
Like, even, what is that?
I was.
Somebody was talking about like, how in Star Trek, right?
Star Trek, they don't have racism
because they eliminated it like long ago.
Like, you see aliens
mixing with other aliens, you know?
Like, having children with other aliens.
And, you know, and that was kind of like, um, what's what's
the the creator's name of Star Trek?
Rod's, not Rod Serling.
Was it Rod Serling?
I can't remember, but anyways, it's his caption of of
the future of like Spcraft.
Gan Roddenberry.
Rod Sterling did Geneilbury.
Gene Roddenberry.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Arno that.
He had pictured this sort of like
Gene Roddenberry.
future where
it wasn't like, like, you didn't have a second thought
about people like, like intermixing.
He had a very optimistic
outlook on what future society could be.
Yeah.
And that's kind of like what the fulfillment
is kind of in a way, you know?
There's still
battles and, you know, people struggling for power,
but it's not over like, you know, this
sort of like, like
like, fictionally made,
you know, wall between like people with dark
skin and light skin or people from Mars versus Jupiter or whatever, you know?
It's like actually about resources
and, you know, a threat from the you know, from
far off that is actually wanting to destroy everything
you know?
And that's why this
movie is somehow very relevant today, just looking at
it from that point of view, you know, just given the current
cultural political landscape we' in.
Yeah, yeah.
And unfortunately, Gene Roddenberry was
too optimistic, and he couldn't have predicted just how
bad things could. made me really think about..
Oh, you talking about Star Trek?
or the fifth element?
I mean, just in general, you know like, if
you really, like, like, we were younger, but like, if you were really thinking
about it and, like, paying attention, like, it's it's always been fucked up, like, before now, too.
Like, you know what I mean?
It's not ever been equal for everybody.
So that's kind of what, you know, they're showing, like, I don't know.
Yeah.
No, that's a good point.
You know, a lot of young people are
looking at the 90s and thinking like, oh, the 90s were this great time.
And they were, but it also wasn't all sunshine and rain.
There was still a lot of inequality even in
There.
Let's be fair.
A lot of these countries,
these civilizations that had not yet
seen or made contact with white
Europeans, once those white Europeans
tried to colonize or, they made contact with these
societies, that's when
things went awry, because it was always about power stealing
resources, you know, and that's what tainted a
lot of these like societies, you know?
Like they came into these countries and they a lot of them had like
pretty healthy and like functioning
without any sort of need for, like money, right?
Capital.
It was a lot of it was done barter system, like trade or you need this?
Okay, I'll give you this.
And there was nothing asked for in return.
It was because, oh, you know how to make shoes.
I'll make shoes for you.
Oh, you know how to cook, I will cook for you.
It was never like, I'll make shoes, but you got to give me something in return
You know?
Like, even that barter system is like, wasn't like a thing.
They just.
Like, that was also still a
You know, communism is the big, dirty C word, so unfortunately.
Not the other C word, which is capitalism.
Oh, I was thinking of something different.
I'm not trying to get too below.
We're not doing politics on this show.
There isn't a podcast to do that.
Go listen to one of those.
We're only talking about movies.
Yeah, we're not talking politics.
Well, hey, going back to the blue alien, I definitely think that the alien was democratic.
What' you think?
Yeah, yeah.
No, I think she voted for Nader, honestly.
We're being real with ourselves.
She would have voted for Nader.
Okay, guys.
Well, hey, I think we did it.
I think that's been a great wrap up of this.
Arnold, did you have any other..
Let's say here for your final thoughts, right?
Oh, you know what?
So we'll have a final
And I'll save it for my final thoughts.
thought.
You
But yeah, that's the fifth element.
It's a great sci-fi ride from the
late 90s that if you haven't seen it, you should check it out.
It's very much a space opera.
It's got a little bit of everything.
Slapstick, high fashion, that crashed together and some I make.
It all coalesce into something that I think is actually a great movie.
It's a little messy and weird, a little over the top, but I think that's what makes it unforgettable.
That's part of its charm.
Kind of like this show.
And all these decades later, we're still talking about it.
It still feels fresh, fun.
And like, unlike anything else is out there right now, right?
Everything out there right now is
not great.
But, you know, this movie, I think, stands out is like
with the Matrix, is a sci-fi film that we're going to keep talking about for years to come.
So that's the fifth element.
Let's go around the room really quick.
Alex, I'll start with you.
Let's get your final thoughts, your socials
or anything else you want to yap about?
You could find me at Daily Dares on
Instagram and then you can go by Instagram and buy bio and find find
the link to all the other stuff I'm involved with, including
Collectible Galaxy on Dop.
Go buy some stuff from me, please.
I. I really like this movie a lot.
I actually, I don't know if you remember it Arnold.
I had the poster for Fifth Element in my room
that I got it from when I was working at VDD..
Nice.
I. What?
Your room was covered with posters.
I remember that..
Fargo.
Oh, yeah.
There's no white you can see.
It was just like from one poster to the next.
That's cool.
Yeah,
I had too many posters.
I even had posters of movies I hadn't seen seen yet.
Although..
I would eventually see them, but I
would put them up because I was like, oh, that's a cool looking poster.
But yeah, some
interesting notes, like I was saying the casting
in this movie was like really well done, including
Bj's ex-boyfriend,
Tricky, who plays Zorg's right
handand man who ends up getting blown up by because he.
It all goes back to New York, I'm telling you.
Yeah, yeah.
I mean, but he partnered with like
York to to produce some songs, like, right around that era, too.
So, hey, shout out to Bjork.
I love Shout out to Bjork.
Let's see.
The comedy in this movie is great.
The comedy.
I wish.
Marvelvel would actually take
note of how to do comedy in a film from the Fulfment.
Like, it wasn't like, so like, ha, punch punchline.
you know?
It was, like, sometimes a visual,
like comedy, and it wasn't, like, so, like,
Get it?
Ha ha.
It was like, oh, that's funny, you know?
It was clever.
It was very clever.
And I really feel like a lot more.
I feel like sci-fi and superhero movies
could take a cue from the style
of comedy that Luke Pasad put into the fulfillment.
There's a lot of stuff, I feel like, a lot of modern
sci-fi, you know, superhero movies could take
from, you know, like, hey, let's take a risk just making it look very
surreal.
Like, I think Superman, the new Superman movie, what
is the first, like, superhero movie to kind of go that direction.
You know?
Like, they made Superman look like a comic book movie
And this looks like a comic book.
It reminds me of like, like a lot of the cool sci-fi manga, a Japanese manga.
I love the color palette.
Yeah.
It's like, so vibrant.
And again, like, you talk about it all the timing, Adrian, put more color into the world
Like, every, it's like beige and stuff like that.
It's like, to be like, it's funny.
I started a new job.
I'm kind of the, my dress
code is kind of relaxed somewhat, but
the rest of the front of house, they have to wear these,
like, like beies and like neutral tones
Like, like JunkCO jeans.
Yeah.
JCo.
Yeah.
Well, a few people do-wear those, but like, they're like Ben Davis.
Brown.
Where's Donnie?
Yeah, right?
But, you know, it's, I feel like, you
know, hey, movies, again, let's pop it up with some more color, man.
I really, I miss that in film, you know?
You know what it is?
Is that nothing shot on film anymore.
Film used to be about color.
And since we've gone digital, let's just color grade everything bluish grade.
That's in general.
Like, they made all this shit up.
Like, they made all, like, you know what I mean?
And some of these things and the flying, like, that's so cool.
That really took a lot.
Like, that's, I don't think anybody does that anymore.
Yeah.
Nobody really does that.
I mean, comic books, they certainly still do.
Like, there's, you know, that's
the sad thing, too, is like with comic books
um, I remember there was a time, like during the,
like 2010s, you know, when producersers.
I read a story somewhere that
during that time, a lot, especially in Hollywood,
producers every week would go into comic book shops.
This is when everybody was trying to find
the new, the big new comic book movie
or TV show.
And they would go into the comic book stores and buy an
issue of of every book and try to be like, is this the next new series?
You know what I mean?
And that's kind of like
a good thing to do.
Like, you're fine trying to find original stories that are like, unique and like, awesome.
Yeah, at the same time, a lot of those people,
they would buy these stories and just sit on them.
Like, there's that there was that comic book called Why the Last Man.
Sorry, I'm going on a rant about like the industry right now.
But why The Last Man, they bought it like I can't remember.
Some studio bought it and they sat on it for like years.
And it was such a great story.
and then they finally released the, they finally made the
show and then it didn't perform well and then they just canned it.
I was like, it's it's awful.
Like, the things that these people do.
So it's like, but like, if they give the
If Hollywood gave the more you
know, I don't money.
I don't know.
Just give it more like, like more of
a a presence to give like better, well-told stories
that are risk-taking.
You'd get, like people invested more.
You know, like, there's so much, there's so much.
Let these people tell these cool stories.
Don't, like, don't handcuff them.
You know, to like, oh, this marketing research team
like, they didn't like this because it was.
Then it becomes this, like sort of like pared down version
of like, and H.
We let the marketers take control.
Yeah.
Who's ever respected anyone?
Yeah.
by a marketer?
Yeah.
There's a And Here's the thing.
You think about this.
You said the fifth Element didn't perform well in the theaters, right?
But the cool thing about that era,
it's had a second life on VHS, and it probably did crazy well, you know?
Like Office space.
Office space.
Speed Racer
was another one.
It didn't do well in the theaters, but because of DVD,
it did super well, you know?
Like, I remember that.
Like, I was working for FYE,
I believe, at the time, and this was like the last vestiges of like DVD
And, like, I remember people
coming in and buying that movie, like, crazy as I like, really wasn't that good?
I heard it wasn't.
But then, I guess it was, you know, and I ended up buying it myself.
Yeah, it was really good.
But yeah, I think Fifth Element, I'm
glad it had that second life on
VHS because that's how I discovered it.
I didn't go to watch it in the theaters when I first came out.
I watched it on VHS.
And I loved it, you know Even with like
some of the stuff I didn't comprehend until now, you know?
it still was just a fun movie.
Even with like like I said, like the stuff that I didn't understand.
For me, I gave it a I
think it was like a three and a half or a four.
And yeah.
On letterboxed.
On Letterboxed.
Nice.
Doesn't it go to 10 or am I tripping?
Oh, okay, okay, go.
It's out of five.
It's out of five.
Back to what you were saying earlier, dude.
Like, there's like the E. Eon Flux comic
book, and her world is like completely different.
Yeah.
But like in the movie, like, she was just not the anime
series, but in the movie, she was just like in our world.
But like in the book she lives in a different type world
and they could have done that.
They had the opportunity to do that.
I don't know if it's budget, like marketing.
Like I don't know what goes on, but they just didn't do that.
And I'm like, that was cool, like that's what the part I wanted to see.
Like that's one of the coolest parts.
Yeah.
Like, they don't get, like, they don't get what makes a character cool.
I think they see that something
is popular, but it just doesn't connect.
Like these studio execs are just.
Super shallow, too.
They'll be like, let's get the girl with big tits and it's like, maybe she
sucks at acting, but like, that's where their mind is.
It's like, dude, like, what about quality
Yeah.
Don't talk about Sidney Sweeney that way.m kidding.
Yeah, I did.
It does feel like these Hollywood executives are swiping through IP like they're on Tinder.
Like, nope, nope, nope, next, next, next.
Right swipe.
I should not be a exec.
No, you.
Not Arnold.
What?
No, I would I know talent
when I look for talent.s.
Yeah.
Teen Explorers at Comic Con?
I don't know don't even know what that is.
I couldn't find her.
I don't know what it does.
Alex found her.
So did L.
What?
At least it's not as bad as Mint Romney where he's talking about binders of women.
You know what I mean?
Just binders full of.
Who says that anyway?
Alex, what else you got, for us?
Binder.
Oh, that's.
Sorry.
That's.
Okay, cool.
Where do people find you?
Yeah.
That's it.
What's your socials?
Oh, I already said it.
Oh, nice.
I'm not paying attention.
I'm sorry.
Let's go to you next.
Final thoughts, where can you find you?
I can find me on Instagram at that Denver girl
or at Millennialation Matrix Media.
And
I give this movie a five because
like one of my top five, like favorite movies.
Like I know there's some things that didn't make sense, but I
just feel like down to the makeup, like it's the makeup, the hair.
Like, you know, like they have the Orville and they have like other space
shows, but like people just look like regular people
Like, they really transformed, they take you to a place that doesn't exist.
Like, they really created this place and like
transformed everybody.
Like, like the makeup, the lashes,
like the hair, like the, the wardrobes, like
the sets.
Like, I feel like even when you go back in the
ancient times, like with the in like the tomb or like the temple or
whatever that was, like that too, like, was done so well.
Like they have like those, they wear like those brown thing, like those freaking, uh,
is it Han Solo?
I don't know.
They wear little brown things that are like Han Solo.
What it?
The vest?
Like a burlap.
Obi-Wansan.
They wear those, and then they're like.
Yes, the clothes.
Oh, the.
You know, that's what they wore back then, like Jesus type stuff
And then they had the, the drawings, like, that's just like so cool.
And then like they remember they had like, I think think they had lanterns in there or something like that.
So like, I don't know.
I just feel like that's so cool.
Like I think did it like multiple times in the film and like, I'm
so impressed by that and I won't like we were just talking about like, I won't more
movies to be like that.
And it's just so like, it's like peak creativity to me.
I think, yeah, I think, I
think on that note, I think it's easy to say this for me was kind of ahead of its
time because of like how we're talking about the way it was received at the time
versus, you know, how people feel about it nowadays.
Tom, it's like its own time, too, honestlyly.
It's like, nobody's doing that now, and nobody's doing that before.
Like, in my opinion
this is a totally unique thing.
I agree.
I agree.
Like, you have a look at everybody involved in that.
They were kind of ahead of a time.
Jean Jean Paul Gautier, you know,
Fashion, he's still ahead of his time, you know, like, even to this day, I mean I don't
know if he still designs, but, like, you
know, like, you look at his design
work, it's futuristic through and through, you know?
Like, it's just like oozes like futurism, you know?
Yep.
All great thoughts, all great thoughts.
Arnold, is that you have anything more, Amber
Okay, cool.
Well, Arnold, now we're on to you, my friend.
All right.
You You are the only person that hasn't seen it.
You watched it.
You're fresh off the presses.
Give us your final thoughts.
Well, the last just Okay, the last couple things in addition
to it, there was one thing.
There was one other thing.
Am I losing it?
I think I lost it.
But okay.
But the one thing, like towards Z, remember how she would like
learn?
We're
going to need a food sponsor on the show, god damn it.
I don't know right now.
Domino's, I don't care who it is.
Hey, even liquid Death.
Come on, man.
Check your DMs.
Oh
Dixie, come on.
Only the best.
Yeah, let's get some Dixie in here.
All the best thing are you.
I
thought it was interesting, Tow the end, she's
learning, still learning things she picks W in the officephabet
and then and then she types in war
and then you see her like, like,
you know, it shows all kinds of different things of war
is happening and then, you know, just the sadness that you see in
her face and and tears coming down her eyes.
And, you know, like, you know, it was it was
just what, what war brings, just a lot of a lot of sadness.
But, but what conquered and
what saved everybody was the love was,
you know, at the very very last second, you know, Bruce Willis
you know, he did he kiss her?
And that's when the magic
happened with all the elements with the fifth element.
I thought that was a beautiful
a beautiful part.
And that was one of my.
I believe there was one more thought prior to that.
But this was the main final thought that I had.
I probably should have wrote it down or something.
But..
Very fun movie, very imaginative,
creative, and a world that
I think definitely could have been built
and done moron by maybe taken up by some other company.
Definitely grew a huge following
of people who are even to this day, fans.
I was looking through my phone to see if I, because I know I took a picture.
There was somebody who cosplayed as Lilu
with the orange hair,
but with the stripes as
her costume. walking in front
of the convention center, and
you know, I probably fumbled the phone like, oh,
gosh, my finger, are like, all right, I think I got it.
But then my finger was over the lens.
So that's why I was searching in photos.
I was searching orange girl with orange hair
Skimpy skimpy cosplay costume.
I was looking through all these different ones and I
guess I didn't get it.
But
really, really great movie.
Oh, did you.
Oh, you got it. it.
Nice.
What year was that?
It was this year.
Oh.
Well, the one I captured was years ago.
Or tried to.
I mean, every year they have a one...
There's always one person that does Lilu.
In the heads.
In your memoryory prison?
Yeah.
But my overall rating.
like, in this movie made me think of the main Matrix and The
Matrix is one of my all-time favorite movies and The Matrix to me is a five.
But then this was because
you know it had a lot more like comedy and like I have mentioned
at the beginning, like the kind of like playful music and
kind of of that time, though.
And so, but I really enjoyed it and I I
get this a Letterbox solid three and a half out of five.
I definitely re-watched it a high rewatchability
And I kind of did mention it about how I
screwed myself over with the kettle corn.
Well, let me slow you down.
Let me slow you down.
Because now we're entering the part of the show that's my favorite part of the show
And we're calling it the Arnold Snooza Meter
All right.
Arnold, it's that part of the show where
you give us your snooze on the movie.
So where does the fifth element lie on the snooze a meter?
If
I would have I
and like I had mentioned earlier, this, it was a
self-inflicted...
I don't know why I did that.
Self-inflicted
ome snooze action that
that I did to myself.
And yeah.
I even I told myself, like, don't do it, don't do it.
And I'm just like, a little bit.
Come on.
bags gone, next thing you know.
Kind of insane.
Insanity, you know, like you know not to do it,
but then you tell yourself, like, no, maybe this time, this time, I won't fall asleep.
I'm just going to let because my neck kind of hurts.
I'm going to rest my head a little bit.
And inside of you, there are two Arnolds, Sleepy
Arnold and Hungry Arnold, I feel like this And your life is dictated by one of those.
There's a couple of other Arnolds. mention some of the other ones.
No, yeah.
Yeah, we're want to get into the.
Not tonight.
I feel like at Comic
Con, those are all of them are in full display.
Yes.
Yes.
The full breath of Arnold is displayed to Con.
See, you don't need a costume, Arnold.
You are just you..
You know what I mean?
Am I a vibe?
Arnold is Arnold., yeah, you are a vibe.
Someday someone's going to dress up as you and go to Comic Con.
You know what I'm saying?
shirt off and the helic.
Yeah.
And then the shovel. him like
carrying around a plate going like, a whole whole pie.
While doing the roller coaster.
The shovel with like shoveling pie into his mouth.
Yeah
Yeah, exactly.
Now, wouldn't that be fun?
Yeah.
That's a great gesture to make.
No.
Um.
Yeah.
And y'all, you can find me and
on Instagram, I'm at Arnie Ko.
That's where I'm at. on TikTok.
Same name, everything.
Arnie Collo.
What do you call the Instagram one?
Threads.
Threads.
Threads.
Threads.
Yeah, see everything I'm up
to from this, from the podcast stuff to cooking, to eating, to
walking in the dog.
Yeah, everything.
I've been posting just, I've been trying to trying
to do a little bit more videos and stuff that would post to the feed.
But, I don't know.
Stuff that I just posted the story is just quick and easy.
And, uh, that's kind of like what I had the time for
what I'm able to fit these days.
Hey, you know, with the full time job and everything, I mean, I get it, you know?
But, you always got to make the time.
Yeah.
And you do make job.
Muck bangs, bangs.
Trying to figure out what to eat next..
Man, that's a lot.
That's a full-time
job.
No, no.
There'd be some more papooas.
Wait, but Arnie, that was a relevant point that you made.
I forgot about that part where she was like crying, but I
think that with you talking about that, like, I feel like this is really,
like, like, actually, like,
a commentary on, like, what, like only love can save us and like, look what people do to.
Like this, it's not just, that's what war is.
It's like, look what people do.
Like, be so nasty, you know?
Yeah, yeah.
That's even the theme in Interstellar,
which is another great film about love, you know, love between
a parent and their child.
So, yeah.
And by the way, in the Avengers movie,
going back to that, Thanos sacrifices his daughter in order to get that stone.
He has to sacrifice the one person he loves
to get that stone.
And I'm like, that's such an interesting..
It'siblical running the thing here about, you know, love and yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Thank you.
Sacrifice.
All right.
Well, good stuff, Arnold.
Thank you for that.
And I pretty much already gave my final thoughts, but, you know, like I said, this is one of.
Oh, did you have a?
Oh, I was about to say, and all we have left is you, Mr. Books Too Big.
Like I said, you know,
Yeah.
this is one of my favorite movies.
It's It's fun, it's weird.
It's very dynamic between all the characters, the story.
I would put this up there but with like one of the top sci-fi
movies of the 90s, you know,
going back to The Matrix, I would put it up there with Matrix is a
much better movie in a lot of other ways, but still, you know, definitely up there.
And, you know, after discussing it tonight, I'd already had it rated on Letterbox.
I had three and a half, but I'm going to bump it up to four.
Nice even four
on Letterbox.
You can find me on Letterboxd and Boots Too big, and you can find the show everywhere.
We're on everything, guys.
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We'd love to hear from you.
What's your favorite Bruce Willis movie?
We've talked about Hudson Hawk and Die Hard on this show.
I love both those movies as well.
Hudson Hawk was fantastic.
And, you know, obviously poor Bruce Willis can't really do stuff anymore,
but, hey, you know, he's left a long lasting legacy, I think, in the movie world.
So definitely like to hear from you about that.
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Thanks for listening.
Do we have any?
I know Justin's not here tonight, but do we have any final thoughts?
Happy birthday, Justin.
Oh, I'm going to good time.
Happy birthday, Julie.
A Happy belated birthday.
Yep.
Don't get tooothp.
Yes.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Is Is that a little?
Oh, no, that was Chris Tucker and Lilu.
Chris Tucker is.
And then Lilu.
Thank you.
Oh, yeah.
That's my favorite scene when he puts the microphone up to to Bruce Wilson's mouth.
He's like, oh, yeah.
And everyone's like...
S a good one.
All right.