Shaun of the Dead / The Wiseman Bourbon

0:00 In 2004 director, Edgar Wright, and star Simon Pegg. Gave the role of wonderfully quirky and dark rom-com about the end of the world in 2022. Kentucky, owl gives us an accessible expression. The film is Shaun of the Dead. The whiskey is the wisemen bourbon and we'll review them both. This is the Freeland whiskey podcast. Welcome to the film and whiskey podcast, where each week, we review a classic movie and a glass of whiskey. I'm Bob book, I'm Brad G.

0:52 And this week we are starting a mini series of films by the writer and director Edgar Wright, starting with his two. Thousand four hit comedy Shaun of the Dead, Brad. It feels really nice to steer out of Martin Scorsese territory and into Edgar Wright territory man. I'm I am so glad that we did Silence because I said think that movie needs more, just just run and people need to hear about it more often but Shaun of the Dead is like just a little bit different of a movie. You know, not the least of which is that it's 90 minutes. It's long dude. One got good kid, we'd film directors.

1:34 Yes, let's sing the Praises of the short movie. Yes, I'm their man. You know, like, when I went to put this movie on, and I've seen it before but I didn't I didn't remember that. It was as short as it is. And I saw that with credits, it's like 97 minutes. And I'm like, man, I don't, I don't know how they're going to fit all these things. I remember into an hour and a half and I got to say, first of all, what an efficient and economical use. Of the script and the runtime that this movie needed to have. But also if they stretch this out to two hours, it would be too much movie. Like, yes, I got to be honest, man. They hit every note perfectly when it comes to the Rhythm and the pacing of this film. I think that if I had to spoil some of my thoughts on Edgar Wright as a director, I just think the pacing of his movies is spectacular.

2:27 He just has an ability. To keep things flowing in the right direction of where he wants things to go and it never feels rushed but it always feels. I don't know, man. There's just a flow to it that I love. I think we should start today's episode by trying to place this movie in the historical context as movie comes out. In 2004, which blows my mind, because I remember this movie coming out, I remember seeing it on cable for years and years after its release. It was on Comedy Central. All Time and, you know, it's been almost 20 years now. It's movies, 18 years old. And in a lot of ways, it is a relic of the mid-2000s, because it's doing things that I think it was kind of like the Forerunner to, but it has that like, How I Met Your Mother whoosh sound effect when they're panning and between scenes, you know, Edgar Wright loves to do that kind of whiplash effect throughout the movie. And so it's really cool to see that. This moofy feels very much of the moment that it was made but that's also because it helped make that moment, you know. Does that make sense?

3:38 Yeah 100%. I think that's one of the reasons this movie ages so well is because it doesn't rely on it in the way that future projects would like How I Met Your Mother. I think that a lot of times Sometimes there's certain like, you know, techniques and tropes that occur in cinema and, you know, the person who starts it as is known because they started it and then other people perfect it. But other times, I think the opposite happens where the first person to do, it keeps it the most streamlined, and other people kind of add on to it and that like almost like ruins at a little bit.

4:20 Honestly, Bob it, are you okay? If I get like wildly Ready for a second. Oh, please do it reminds me of in like our undergrad and grad classes, when we would talk about biblical texts and how if you had a text in order to date, like, when this text was found, you know, let's say they found a scrap of paper and had the Book of John written on it in order to figure out which text it was the the scholars would basically look and be like, alright, is this like really fancy Greek or Is it really short and like pared down? And if it's really short and pared-down, that's closer to the original text, right? Yeah.

5:03 And I feel like that you can kind of see the same thing in cinema that people don't just do the same Trope. They add on their own little Flair to it. They had on there a little bit to it and man was shot of the Dead. You just have a classic of mid-2000 Cinema that has zero fat on it. Absolutely. No fat on it and it manages to act as this giant functioning metaphor in. Again, it's such an economical movie. Like they could have really drugged out what they were trying to say. And if this was an American Comedy of that time, if this was a Judd Apatow movie, this would be 2 hours and 25 minutes long and it would be way too long and we'd be talking about how they could have cut an hour out of it. And this is just, it's almost perfect writing, it's almost perfect directing and pacing.

5:52 I cannot wait to jump into it with Brad. But go ahead before we get to Brad explains, you don't have just literally realized this is the British comedic version of Fight Club. It kind of is like to even if it's not raw, same Central metaphor yeah the entire movie is about how the average British citizen is a zombie in their life and they need to wake up and take charge of their lives. That's not at all. What I was going for, but that's okay. We'll talk about that in just a minute. Listen before we jump into our favorite segment, which is called Brad explains. We want to give a quick plug for our patreon.

6:34 You can find us at patreon.com film whiskey where you can support us at three different tiers, $3 $5 and $7 a month at each of our support tears. You get a ton of bonus perks at all of the support tears, you get access to a special discounted server that Brad. And I are on every single day talking with members of Of the film in whiskey patreon Community. Once again, you can find us at patreon.com slash film whiskey, and with that, it is time for Brad explains. This is the part of the podcast, where Brad breaks down the movie that he has just seen often for the first time. This was not your first time seeing this film, correct. Most definitely not awesome.

7:15 The Bob, I think that this film was actually on my list for season 5 and like as we kind of went over the list together, you were like man shot of the Deads on my like long-term list as well. Let's like it's gonna get on the podcast. Let's just wait for it. So this is definitely a movie that I was wildly excited for. All right, well then the pressure is on man, we've put 60 seconds on the clock. Can you break down the plot of Shaun, of the Dead? Shaun of the Dead is about a 29 year, old British, citizen named Sean, who is completely aimless in his personal life. He has a layabout deadbeat best Friend who holds him back in life and he has a dead-end job.

7:58 And the only thing going for him, is his girlfriend Liz, who breaks up with him at the start of the movie because he kind of sucks. And he's holding her back, and then zombies. And in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, he finds himself in a place of control and authority, and taking charge and doing something cool with his life. And they drink at a bar called The Winchester. And I think that's important to know that it is. All right? There's Brad explains. I think that's it, man. I do love it when Brad explains doesn't necessarily give away every twist and turn of the story, like they're still at this point of the podcast, a little bit of mystery.

8:40 So I guess, if you haven't seen Shaun of the Dead, you still have a chance to go, watch it and then, come back and finish this episode. Because as we go on, we will be getting into spoiler filled territory. Yes. Brad. Where do you want to start? Today because I if I dictate where we're going to go, I have a feeling I won't be able to avoid talking about the kind of deeper themes of the movie for very long because on its surface, like, this is a very surface level movie. It's a comedy, you know, it's about a down-on-his-luck guy but a ne'er-do-well kind of guy. Hmm. But there's a lot more going on than that. So I'm almost like, please take us in a different direction so that I don't give up all the goods away too quickly. Yeah.

9:24 I mean, let's let's start by talking about the performances and then I think it'd be worth while to talk about Edgar Wright. And, you know, we didn't really talk with Scorsese or Spielberg about like, I don't know, like ticks that they have as a director, you know what I mean? Like, certain styles that they always use in their movies and I think that's because they don't really need those well, and they're both, well, documented in the annals of And whiskey at this point two eggs. Yeah, and that's the other thing. Like we've talked about it enough at this point. Whereas like I think it'd be interesting to talk about Edgar Wright because he is a really interesting director. So, yeah, let's jump into performances first. Well, what would jump into the direction? The directing first, I feel like you did such a good job of setting that up.

10:11 Thanks, thanks Bob, let's talk about Edgar Wright. I think maybe it's fortuitous that he came on the heels of Scorsese here because even though his his kind of manic Style is much more lighthearted. And the way he whips between scenes is not exactly the same as Scorsese in 2004. If you were looking for somebody to compare him to there, really were probably only a few directors who directed with that kind of manic energy. One of them would probably be the British director Danny Boyle, but the other one would be Scorsese. Then I, it's really kind of obvious when you watch this movie having just come off of Taxi Driver Raging Bull and you know to a lesser extent Then silence, but you can see that kind of kinetic energy carry over into a new generation with Edgar Wright.

11:00 Yeah, the way he uses the characters and how they are always moving like Simon Pegg almost never stops moving in this movie and I love it like, even at the start of the film, The One Moment he sits down to play video games with his, you know, deadbeat best friend, Ed, he immediately goes, you've got work and he turns off the controller. And gets up and goes to work. Yep. And like you have a sense that that Edgar Wright is just obsessed with movement and I think we'll see that. Especially in the third film. We talked about baby driver but the way that they move in this movie is just beautiful. I think that the 1er that he does, with Simon Pegg, walking to the store and back. Yep.

11:47 Is brilliant. It doesn't belong in like, what should be an average? I'm calm of the mid 2000's and yet, there it is, like it almost feels like children of, man, but a comedy. Yeah. Like, and you're right, it is really brilliant, because the way they set it up, in the way, they pay it off, and that's something that I think. Can I keep coming back to when we get into the script, everything has a payoff and it doesn't have a payoff in the way that we talked about with Back to the Future where it's like a really tacky day off. But you see it with those two shots on successive days, he walks to the store and You see life bustling in the background and then the next day, he walks to the store with a hangover and the zombie apocalypse has started, he doesn't even notice it. But as the viewer it, you're watching this camera track in the exact same way and it is, it's such a great shot. Yeah.

12:39 That the beautiful thing is that the way he shoots those shots back to back rewards multiple viewings of the movie, right? Like this isn't a movie that you watch Once and you're like, oh, that's a great movie. I'll never watch together. Like, as soon as you watch it again, you start looking for the little things in the background. You look for the little callbacks to things that happened earlier in the movie. And I think, right? Just doesn't masterful job that you know in one you see a guy like mowing his teeny tiny little lawn in the background and in the next day you see him lying dead on the ground. Yeah. And it's and it's fast like you you would miss it if you blinked. Yep.

13:21 But as he walks past, there's a dude lying dead in the And, and Simon Pegg doesn't even come close to noticing it and it's just brilliant. Well, I think if Edgar Wright is part Scorsese, he's also part Tarantino because you do get a sense that his awareness of the genre and of Pop Culture, really informs the way this movie is made. And they really play it up with the kind of the cheesy sound effects on purpose to like, I don't know, say to diminishing returns but you know, it's very mid-2000s. I'm just going to keep saying that but in the first like third of the movie you as an audience member, no that a zombie apocalypse is going to come. And again, it's important to point out that in 2004, we hadn't had this new wave of zombie movies, and zombie TV and The Walking Dead and all of its random spin-off stuff hadn't taken over culture.

14:16 Shaun of the Dead really kind of brought that back in as did Zack Snyder with his Dawn of the Dead remake. And so this movie was really kind of fun. The Forefront of bringing the zombie story back into mainstream culture, but because Edgar Wright knows that you're familiar with the tropes of a zombie movie. Every time, someone kind of turns around slowly or glances off camera, they do that sort of like, dissonant violin chord where you think, like, this is gonna be the big reveal of the zombie, and then it's not and they do that fake out like eight times. And it's really funny and stupid, but I love that they build the cell. Awareness into the movie like that.

14:56 Yeah. And and the amount of references that they place to other, you know, precursors in the world of zombie movies is wild. I mean, the amount of stuff they do. There's even one point I was doing research, not for the movie, but for, you know, Canada's favorite segments to fax in the falsehood and There's a part where he's walking into the convenience store on the zombie day and there's a broadcast going on. The, the owner of the store is an Indian man, the broadcast is in Hindi and essentially, somebody translated it. And even the translation is like, people are saying prayers as dead rise from their graves. And I'm like, the wild amount of detail that they put into this movie Once.

15:49 Again, I think I'm just stunned that this mid-level low-budget, mid-2000s comedy has just so much attention to detail in it. Well, and one thing that I really love that they do and I guess we're just getting into scripting now, we're all over the place today and I'm cool with it is that they never explain the origin of it and they offer like little tidbits of what it could have been. But as Sean is walking into that store. The first time, you hear a radio report going on that At an American spacecraft like re-entered orbit and crashed outside of England somewhere. And so you're like, oh, maybe that's what it is. But then they, they cut away to the cover of two different newspapers. And one of them is talking about GMO produce and the other one is talking about some other calamitous thing. And so, you never find out the origin of this whole Zombie Thing.

16:43 And even at the end of the movie, there's the they return to that gag because someone on TV is like and you know who would have That the thing that caused it was, and right, then Sean turns the channel. So, I love that they are aware of the kind of MacGuffin and they don't, they don't care, you know what I mean? Like, it doesn't matter what caused it, but they also, I'm glad you brought up the end of the film, because I think one of my favorite parts of this movie is the commentary on society. And they basically said like, yeah, let's be really honest. If zombies came about, they wouldn't destroy us at this point. Like we have guns and we'd be able All to stop a zombie apocalypse. And what would we do with zombies? Then, you know somebody would not let us kill them because you know human rights and stuff.

17:28 So we're going to turn him into a game show. Like, tell me that that is not exactly what would happen, not just in 2004, but in 2022 like like that's likes would be raking it in with all the different reality shows. Yeah, dude. Be like, real life squid game, right happening with zombies. All right. Well, let's finally get into talking about these performances. I want to talk about, Simon Pegg, who co-wrote the movie. And this is the first in, what becomes kind of an unofficial Trilogy with the two stars of the film and Edgar Wright. And I still think this is the best of the three. And it's primarily because the performances are so good. I'm trying to hold off on talking about what this movie is really about.

18:13 But watching Simon Pegg. You know, come of age in this movie like grow up a little bit and experience emotion and offer, forgiveness and cut people out of his life who should be cut out of his life and you know, make difficult decisions. It's just bread a performance. This good has no business being in a movie like this and it was there's so much gravitas and emotion in some of these scenes. And it's only because Simon Pegg is such a good and committed actor, dude, can we just like, like Men on one scene really quick. I know exactly what scene is going to be go for it, Bill freaking night, he's so good.

18:54 He's so good in everything. It's so good at everything, and they're sitting in the back of that freaking car. And he's bleeding out by the neck. And he's crammed up with with Simon Pegg. And you know, even just the scripting decision to pick everybody up to shove him in the car and then use that as the moment because the camera has to be right up in Their face because that's how they feel is characters in the moment like like just beautiful cinematography and like scripting choices. But on top of all that you just have Bill Nighy. Who, at this point, might be the best dad in the history of all movies. We've watched in the film and whiskey podcast.

19:36 He definitely wins the award for dad who makes us cry. Yes easily. He and he's just like telling him, you know, and Simon Pegg. Sean is his stepson and he's Just baring his soul to him like about how hard it was, to be a stepdad and how he really loved him. And he saw how hard it was on Sean that his real dad had died and he, you know, he may be thought that he could be something of a role model for him. And and I'm just like and this isn't even the end of the movie. Bob, this is like 45 minutes in and I'm like weeping, it's so good. So good man. As like, Simon Pegg is Sitting there just weeping as he's like, receiving validation and, like, healing from childhood wounding.

20:26 I forget, love it, man. So, the rest of the characters in this movie, kind of orbit in and out of Sean's life. And as it should be, this is a study of Sean and his growing up process. And so even like you know ostensibly this the second lead Ed played by Nick Frost. He's important to the movie but I almost feel like I don't I want to spend as much time talking about his performance because that's ultimately not what the movies about. Do you know what I mean? Oh yeah, a hundred percent. I think that Ed has a really great Arc as a character because he definitely starts off as just. I mean, they write him as an orangutan, yeah. But you know what I mean? Like, they write him to be the the Jag weed ridiculous friend who's just the worst, but by the end of the film, somehow they transform him into What Shawn season him, which is a loyal, loving friend.

21:21 And he grows in his own way and I just, I think they kill it with him and I think Frost gives great performance. But his performance is great because of Sean's belief in him and the way Simon Pegg interacts with him. So I'm with you man, like, like Simon Pegg rules this movie he is to Shaun of the Dead, what? Tom Cruise is to Mission Impossible. There you go. All right, Brad. We go to break. Let's kind of round out talking about the cast, and we can just give very brief thoughts. I really do think pretty much everybody in this movie is excellent. I think Kate Ashfield is great as his girlfriend Liz. If there's a couple people, I would like to call out. It's mostly because people were in this movie before they became famous and then they became famous and it's like, oh, it's that guy, you know, one of them being their flatmate, Pete played by Peter serafinowicz, who has become a pretty, you know, pretty popular. British comedian.

22:15 You've probably seen him if You're an American on things like Parks and Rec and he's been in a ton of movies at this point. One person that I noticed Brad was the kid who worked in the store with him. I think his name is null is played by Rafe spall who we've had in a couple movies on the podcast. Now Chief among them, he played the journalist in Life of Pi a few years after this and you see him here and he's kind of like you know, a doughy teenager and he doesn't look hardly anything like what he looks like now. So it was really cool to see These people who have made appearances Elsewhere on the show when they were much younger and less famous Bob, I, you know, how little I remember from Life, of Pi border from you said the reporter from Life of Pi and I was like, there's a reporter and I think I said Life of Pi and Brad was like was he the tiger? Did he?

23:09 Did he play Richard Parker? Yes. Oh man, I don't know why that movie just hasn't stuck for me. It should to hasn't I think I think Dylan Moran who plays David is like the perfect bad guy for the movie. Like he kind of feels like a c-list, Alan Rickman a little bit and it's perfect like it fits so well for the movie. You know what's really funny is when he came on screen I was like I thought that he was Peter serafinowicz and I didn't realize that guy that Peter serafinowicz was in the movie. So I was like oh Man, he looks kind of different here, but I couldn't think of his name because he has a hard name to remember, and I was like, what's that guy's name?

23:52 I remember seeing him in parks and rec and and then I looked it up and I was like, Dylan Moran, who's that? And then right? Then serafinowicz comes on screen. And I was like, this is screwing with my mind. I don't, I don't like it. These guys look a lot alike and it bothers me. I am not going to lie, Bob, I think they look literally nothing alike. Honestly, Dylan Moran, looks like Colin Firth in. Bourne Identity. It had that Colin fun. See in The Bourne Identity. Is it isn't it? Colin Firth the he plays the Assassin. Oh, that's right. Let's go live Owen dude. Sorry Clive Owen, you know he looks like Clive Owen know you know who he looks like he doesn't look like serafinowicz. He looks like if you gave the guy from Pride and Prejudice a different haircut and put glasses on him. That's who he looks like 100%.

24:44 Yeah, I'm with you there. What's his name? Matthew McPhee McFadden. Macfadyen. Something like that. McConaughey McConaughey? That's the guy. Yeah. So, as you can tell, the cast is pretty much dominated by. Simon Pegg attack. Yeah, I will say if I would never have guessed known this most Americans wouldn't, but when the the the group, you know, how there's the other group that they run into led by Yvonne, who seems to be like an old flame, Or an old friend of Simon of Sean. Yes. So every single person in there that is like the the look-alike for the people in Sean's, right?

25:29 They were all in British comedies together. Oh nice. Like Martin Freeman. So like yeah. So like Martin Freeman and Liz's friend who's dating Matthew McFadden? Look alike, she and Martin Freeman. Were in the office together. She was Pam on the British author. Nice. Okay. And Simon Pegg and whoever plays Yvonne were in a show called spaced out? I think yep. We're just like a British British TV show. They were like the leads on that together. Literally, every single one of them was a British comedic pair of some sort, so it was like, the equivalent of the Anchorman, like, Alleyway fight.

26:11 Yes, got it. Yeah, yeah literally. Well, that's really cool. Shout out to all of Our British listeners, you guys knew that immediately and it took us some digging to figure that out. It sure did Bob, hey, Brad, what do you say? We press pause here because I do want to get into talking about, you know, if we can call them deeper themes, the deeper themes of this movie, but I think we need a little bit of a social lubricant here. Before we get there, this is for you. Patrons Lube me up daddy. There it is. Let's get to it. Bob Bob.

26:52 Alright, today we are checking out the wisemen bourbon. Now, first of all, before I say anything else about this product on the bottle, they kind of accentuate the m in Wiseman, so that it makes it seem like it should be the wise man, but it's one word, so then you got to pronounce it Wiseman. So I really have no idea what I'm saying is is basically what I'm getting at Brad. I don't know if it's the wise. Man, or the wise men, but everything I've seen calls it. One word Wiseman. This mean, I don't really care about that. Are the three of them know? They actually, they have their, there's a bourbon and awry. We need a movement of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

27:33 We need Homer flavored one. Come on people. So this is from Kentucky owl, which is now owned by the Stoli group about 23 years ago, they sold Kentucky owl for, I don't know what it is, you know, hundreds of millions of dollars. They Building an out. Now they're going to basically have a gigantic tourism destination at Kentucky. Owl friend of show. David Mandel has come on as CEO of Kentucky owl and he is like leading the charge on that build out and in the meantime you know Kentucky owl is a super premium whiskey that we have never had on the show because it costs a ton of money and is hard to find. And so Kentucky owl was like listen if we're going to be a tourism destination we have to have you know something that's a least kind of accessible to people.

28:17 And so, they've put out this product called the wise men. So, this product is a blend of different kinds of bourbon, it's a blend of four year, five and a half year, and eight and a half year Bourbons. It's diluted down to 90.8 proof. Fun fact. As we said, our friend, David Mandel is now leading the charge at Kentucky owl. He came from Bardstown bourbon company. Part of what is in this Mash, bill is a blend of Bourbons that Kentucky owl has contract distilled for them at Bardstown. Ben company so it's got their four-year-old wheat and high Rye Bourbons Blended in here. Okay, I'm pretty excited to try this Brad. I mean, even that only 90 proof. I think this has a really, really interesting knows.

29:00 I'm going to be drinking it live. I know that you have already taken notes so while I give it a nosing, why don't you tell us what you think of the nose? Yeah as I got into the nose it really just feels like a really nice classic bourbon with like a little bit of peanut and cherry on top of that. That. But yeah, I got caramel I got vanilla, there's bits of Oak and then like I said a little bit of peanut and cherry on top. It's not super deep. The depth isn't there? So I'm gonna give it a seven and a half, it's intriguing. Yeah, I'm there to like if we really wanted to get granular with our scores, this is like a 7.2 on the nose. Like it's a pretty good, it's got some very classic bourbon notes. As you said, I can tell that there is a weeded bourbon in here somewhere.

29:46 It has that. With peanutty and then also kind of root beer Sarsaparilla thing underneath that a little bit there's just a hint of fruitiness on this that it kind of accentuates. All that kind of dark peanut butter caramel e-notes. I can't put my finger on what it is and maybe a little bit of Pineapple but there's definitely a bright fresh summery fruit on top of this again. You're right. It's pretty subtle. And there's not a ton going on here so I'll also give it a seven and a half on the The nose. Yeah and then I got the taste and Bob, I mean, I had a full like two ounces of this and like I guess I'll say this, I used to have this recipe for is like a Pad Thai recipe, that I make, and it's really, really good. But at this point I just kind of throw whatever I want in there and like the the sauce stays the same, but everything else can kind of change and I'll always just Hayley will ask me what I made for dinner tonight.

30:46 And I'll be like, oh, generic Asian dish. Number 17 like you know and I would say a different number 2354 like you know it's just whatever, whatever it is. This is generic. Bourbon number 17 Bob. Yep nothing really is standing out for me like I like in the entire experience I tried to give it like 10 minutes. I drink like half of my glass. I gave it 10 minutes. I came back to it was like, man, am I missing something? This is going to sound bad. I, I don't even know if I could Could give any specific notes. Yeah. Like it's not bad. It's sweet. And it has some flavor to it, but I don't know if it's okey or yeah, buttery or this really doesn't this really doesn't present itself at all until like the mid palate.

31:33 The front palate is sugar water and then at the Midway point you start to notice like, oh, this has some alcohol in it and it's a little bit tingly and then you go to swallow and on the back of your palate is just some very basic Oak characteristics. And in a little bit of that, like brown sugar, but there's really not much going on here, and it's very thin on the mouthfeel. And for a major portion of the tasting experience, it really does drink like water and then it goes kind of bitter from the oak on the end. So, you know, unfortunately there's not a lot on this. That is a positive drinking experience. At least from the point of view of the palate.

32:13 Brad, I think I'm only going to give this like Five and a half on the taste. I'm given an A5. Yeah. On the tastes like, and I'll say this. It's not bad. No, like, it's not a bad tasting whiskey, but it's just generically sweet. And I couldn't put my finger on any specific tasting notes. When I got to the Finish, I got a little bit of that Cherry Cola finish that, you know, probably from the wheat, whiskey that's mixed in there and it's got some nice, okay. It's going on that. Get a little bitter at the end. I'm okay with the finish. I'll give it a 7 out of 10 there, but I don't know about what would your thinnest score be?

32:56 I think this is one of those areas where knowing the price of this is going to affect my objective score, but I will also say it this way. If you had put this in front of me, blind and asked me to taste it. And then tell you what, I think it costs. I would say that this costs between 20 and 24 dollars for a bottle of this. Is it is, it is very thin that is very mild that is not a negative thing necessarily, but then when you start to factor in how much it actually costs which we'll get into it. Use it starts to kind of take your opinion of it because you start to think well there should be more going on here at this price point and so when it comes to the Finish there's just not much there.

33:40 You're right. There's a hint of Cherry Cola, there's quite a bit of Oak and there's a nice warm. Sensation on the way down but that's kind of just par for the course with a weeded Bourbon. And so once again I think I'll just give it a six out of ten on the Finish. Yeah and that brings me to balance. I'm not going to knock it. It's not terrible but I'll give it a 5 out of 10 on balance. It's and it's not an interesting journey and I think that's the worst thing. I probably could say about it. Where were you at on balance? I'm gonna give it a six and a half on. Balance, like it's a well-balanced whiskey. Again, this is like a fantastic 23 dollar bottle of whiskey.

34:23 The problem is that it's not a 23 dollar bottle of whiskey. So, like, you know, the balance is not off and it's not awful and it's a six and a half. Yeah. When it comes to Value, that's where things get a little wonky, Brad. I have not actually looked up to see if this is sold in the state of Ohio. Did you find it in the database? It sure is. It is $49.99 all So yeah, we're talking about a 50 dollar bottle of whiskey here. Look, I know that this is a blend of at least four different kinds of Whiskey from what I'm seeing and that some of it is eight and a half years old. So if this was a majority eight and a half years old, I would say, okay, I understand the Forty Nine dollar price tag. There's a lot of you know lost to the angels at eight and a half years old but I don't know how much of each is Blended into this and even if it was it's been diluted down enough that there's just not a lot of Actor to this thing.

35:18 I can't get down with the 50 dollar price tag, Brad. And I'm, I'm only going to give this like It's going to be really low. And I feel bad saying this because I like David Mandel a lot, but I'm gonna give it a three and a half on value. Yeah, I'm being more harsh than you Bob. I'm gonna give it a 2 out of 10 on value that. I mean, the, this is, if this was a seventeen dollar bottle of whiskey, I think it'd be like a 9 out of 10 on value, like, like it's a really impressive whiskey, at $17, at $24, it's like a seven and a half, it's a solid value. That's about About right where it should be at Double that, it's a two out of ten. Bob. Yeah, I'm Brad.

36:00 I feel bad saying this and we've tried both expressions of it now, but I would say for sure, I would not recommend picking this up. I mean, I might recommend trying it at the bar if you are getting, if you're kind of like new to Bourbon and you're trying to find your favorite thing at a low proof point. But even then, this is going to cost you probably ten to twelve dollars for a poor of this at the bar. So it's not the cheapest thing that you can find at this price point and it's also not the best thing you can find. At this price point. Brad, I'm only coming out to a 29 out of 50. Yeah, I mean, before we factored in value, I was at a twenty four point five out of 50. So like, you know, if you had an 8 out of 10 on value that that be a decent score would be in the 30s. But as it is, I'm going to 26.5 out of 50 Bob. That's bringing us out to a 55.5. Out of 100 or a twenty.

36:54 Seven point seven. Five out of 50. Brad, I'm not going to recommend this one. Yeah, I'm not either Bob, which is unfortunate. Yeah. Now listen, I've heard fantastic things about Kentucky, owl. If you know, if someone would like to send us some samples of Kentucky owl, I would be happy to have that on the show, but when it comes to this new expression, the wise men, I, my recommendation is to pass, you'd be wise to spend your money. Elsewhere. Bob. All right, Brad. Let's get back into talking about Shaun of the Dead. What do you say? Aye. Ready, man. Let's do it. All right, everybody, that was Wise Wise Men was ma'am Wiseman. What bourbon whiskey? That we were a little disappointed with and we'll just leave it at that.

37:38 Yeah, now it's time as I mentioned before, for Canada's favorite segments to fax in a falsehood bread. I'm starting to resent this segment a whole lot. I'm not doing well this season Bob. It's just that it's just an opportunity for sanctification. Yeah, you're right, man. It's, it's Opportunity. For a lot of things. It's been an up-and-down season for me so far to say the least. Yeah. That's hey, man. That's like life. You just gotta learn how to like roll with the punches man. Learn how to be more like De Niro in Raging Bull. He's a great role model for you and this I've always thought that. All right man, hit me with those two facts. In a falsehood fact.

38:20 Number one, Sean's place of work is called for reelect Rick in the movie Ken foree starred in. Dawn of the Dead in 1978 and had a cameo in Dawn of the Dead release in 2004. Okay. Fax number two, Simon Pegg. Originally wrote the script by himself years before the, the film came out. But for a long long time, he felt like the script wasn't good enough and he was looking for a director and upon seeing Edgar Wright's. First film, A Fistful of fingers Peg says that he immediately knew that right was the Perfect person to collaborate with on Shaun of the Dead, they got in contact, they rewrote the script together and became Fast Friends.

39:06 Fact, number three, in March of 2011, this movie Shaun of the Dead was voted by BBC Radio listeners as their second favorite movie of all time. The first of which being the Shawshank Redemption. Oh interesting. Once again, nicely done. These all could be very plausible facts. Thanks man. I think one sounded the most like a fact or at least a very innocuous Falsehood to sounds like it could be true. Three sounds like it could be true. I have no idea what British people like. Let's just let's just assume they like this and Marmite.

39:47 You know I'm gonna say number three is the falsehood. That the BBC Radio. Yes, Bob, you are wrong. Oh my gosh, dude, the falsehood was about the script number two. Okay. All right. Yeah. I will say though, Edgar Wright's. First film was called A Fistful of fingers. And I thought, I thought that you would either not know that and if you didn't know it I was like Bob's going to pick this one as the falsehood because that's the most ridiculous name for a movie.

40:31 I just kind of figured that you wouldn't just pepper that in there. As the name of a movie, if it wasn't a real thing, no, it was a real thing that, yeah, that's his first movie. 1995 was a parody of, I'm assuming the Fistful of Dollars Trilogy and it was set in Wester. It was a Stern set in Western England. You got it. There it is. All right. Well, I am doing just horrendously at two facts, in a falsehood this season, you finally got something to Lord over me. Ya on the flip side though, I'm doing phenomenal on two facts and faucet. All right man, let's steer out of that and back into talking about this movie.

41:14 I think it's time for us to just talk about the fact that this movie is a really, really Ali, good metaphor for that time in life, when you know, you're in your late 20s, you are coming up on 30. You need to settle down, you gotta find a way to grow up a little bit. And this movie is a really poetic kind of visual metaphor for a young man or, you know, a man who's not so young anymore, figuring out what he needs to sacrifice to grow up and to put his eggs in the basket of a serious relationship and the Is that are trying to tear apart that relationship and what it takes, you know, in terms of adjusting the relationships in your life, to give somebody the Precedence that they deserve in your life. I really loved it.

42:03 Brad like, is it a super deep metaphor? Is it really subtle to pick up on? Absolutely. Not like, but I think this would be a really great movie, you know, aside from the, you know, disemboweling to show like a group of high school High schoolers when you're talking about writing and how you can use metaphor to tell an overarching story. Like this is just a really brilliant and again economical use of that in the script. Yeah I I don't want to get in the final scores yet but like I don't I'm not going to give this movie A 10/10. No and yet. It feels like when you just sit down and ask yourself, what is this movie trying to do? And then look at what they produced. It's like a 10/10 Phil.

42:51 Yeah. You know what I mean? 100% like it's just this little. It's like the little movie that could I totally. I just I just think that you're right. Like what they were aiming for with the script which is like this, this really weird and yet beautiful coming-of-age story disguised as a rom-com set in the world where a zombie apocalypse is happening. Like I just, I can't get over the fact and I've said it a million times. This movie shouldn't work, it just shouldn't be a great film. And yet, I just, every time I watch this movie, I walk away just going my God, like they pulled off so much in this movie so much emotion, so much humor, so much depth of character development and I just, I can't help but say that like Simon Pegg.

43:47 Edgar Wright wrote one of the best comedy scripts I've ever ever seen. Yeah, and I feel weird calling it a metaphor to because it's not really that metaphorical. It's just that they took the framing device of a zombie apocalypse and so like things that in real life would be kind of either unspoken or more subtly. Spoken have to be more explicitly folk spoken because people think they're going to die at any moment. So they just say their inner feelings out loud. And because you totally, Buy into the zombie aspect of it. It doesn't seem forced. It doesn't seem manipulative. It doesn't seem gimmicky like that kind of confession scene in the back of the car. With Bill Nighy is so beautifully done and it's the same thing.

44:31 Like when Sean's mom dies and I hate to talk about like Sean shooting his own mom in the head as like a beautiful metaphor but you kind of come to understand even though Sean never says it that part of the reason he's never introduced his girlfriend to his mom. Is that I mean, he's like a, he's a huge mama's boy and he's never really let go of that fact. And he has no beef with his stepdad. And so he doesn't want to introduce her into that relationship and into that Dynamic where his mom is probably a little too clingy and probably a little too overbearing. And again, like if this movie is about Shawn learning to be the boyfriend that he's supposed to be, then part of that process.

45:14 And, you know, anyone who has been A long-term relationship and had to deal with in-laws kit. A test part of that problem is finding ways to adjust some of those relationships in your life like a parent and child relationship so that you can prioritize somebody else above them. And as weird as it sounds to say like Sean's mom ends up becoming a zombie and therefore like by the way the metaphors working like she becomes one of them as in like a force that is trying to pull them apart at. So he has to Rid himself of that. It actually, like, it doesn't sound as gimmicky as I'm making it sound, it plays really sincerely and I think that it really is the strength of the acting performances, like even just talking about Barbara. His mom played by Penelope Wilton which if you have watched any Downton Abbey won't over her. Performance is so good.

46:13 Yeah, like she plays this scatterbrained mum. Who is like a little too clingy with her son and trying to get him to get along with her new husband. And you can tell that they've just been stuck in this pattern for decades. And yet by the end of the film you see how she has a much deeper grasp on what's going on, then you gave her credit for the start and the second part of this movie where I almost cried is when she hands Liz his girlfriend's ex girlfriend. Friend. Again, when his mom hands her, this necklace, that was given to her by his real dad. Yeah.

46:54 And like, passes on the significance of like his childhood wounding to her. Yeah. It's because listen, it's a really beautiful. And again, I don't want to call it simplistic but it's a simplistic metaphor. But if it works, it works like you can't, you can't fault it for that and it kind of all comes to a head at the end of the movie where he finally has to Choose Liz over Ed and the way the movie makes it happen is that Ed has gotten a bite taken out of his neck by the zombies. And so, again, if the zombies are a metaphor that like Ed is partially holding them back and the script forces Ed to confront, this fact, to Sean and tell him, I have been holding you back in life. Like I am kind of a loser, I have been keeping you from your potential and if we're being honest you would be better off leaving me behind and starting a life with Liz and man. Man, it's just, it's such a great representation of how you have to reframe relationships as you get into adulthood. They reminded me a lot of a movie that I've been wanting to do on the podcast that we haven't done yet from the late 90s, it's movie called swingers and the lesson of that movie is pretty much exactly the same as the lesson of this movie that like especially as men a you have to grow up a little bit but be that means you have to reconfigure some of these very immature and childish Friendships that you have in your young adulthood and the success of this movie is that they do all that, by Framing it,

48:26 inside of the zombie apocalypse package. But that the zombie apocalypse package, doesn't only function on the level of metaphor. Like, it is also a very well done zombie movie and there is yes. Real suspense at parts of it and I think that's the real success of this movie because I've seen way too many horror movies in the last few years. Two years that only work on the level of metaphor, and they don't work on the surface and this one. Does both. Yeah. And and on top of all that, you know, we kind of mentioned, like, some of the Edgar Wright tropes earlier, but, like, his trademark use of Music in this movie. And the way music is rhythmic to what happens on screen is just freaking hilarious and it and it's such a beautiful touch and then, you know, you have the Fast Cuts between slamming, the phone down and making toast and scraping it on and then suddenly it all comes to a stop and you have him eating the toes talking to his roommate.

49:27 Who wants to kick that out? Like, I just man, I'm so happy that we chose Edgar Wright this season. Like like doing Spielberg was great. Scorsese is just a to me, he is an enigmatic director. I never know if I'm going to like his movies or hate his movies, but I know I will always respect them. And now we're at Edgar Wright where I'm just like, I just he's just a blast to watch. Yeah, hundred percent. All right, man, let's move into final scores and we've both said that this movie isn't perfect. And I do think that, you know, there's obviously some jokes and some character traits that have aged very badly in 2022. I also think that if there is some pacing issues to the movie, They happen in the early going.

50:18 Like the the zombie stuff doesn't really kick in until about the 30 35 minute Mark, which is totally fine but it's definitely more deliberately paste and in the early going where it is deliberately paste. Some of the writing for the characters. Really shows itself, as being kind of thin, like everyone who's not, Sean is just a, an archetype and the way they talk to each other and interact. That's really a parent and You don't have the zombie stuff to distract you from those those like flaws in the writing, it definitely dings the movie a little bit for me. I still think this is a phenomenal movie part of me, wants to give it a 9 and a half, but that first half-hour really did have some pretty big bumps in the road once the plot kicks in in Earnest. It's like, all right, we're going now, and you're strapped in and there's nothing you can do about it, but I think ultimately, I'm going to say that this is a movie that this movie is a 9 out of 10, you know, Bob I I think I'm going to give it a 9 and a half out of ten. I like I sat down and for an hour and a half, I was utterly enthralled and what Pegg and Wright were giving us. And I just there's not a lot of movies that do that, especially in the comedy wrong, like comedies, often just can't engross your heart and soul as much as they do, just make you laugh.

51:44 Yeah, you know, like, I like, I don't watch Stepbrothers. Hours and feel the way I do. When I'm watching Bill Nighy die and Shaun of the Dead. So I man, I think this is one of my favorite comedies of all time. And I'm going to give it easily easily a 9 and a half out of ten. All right, that takes us to a nine point two five out of ten but we'd like to know what you think. Write in and tell us your thoughts on Shaun of the Dead. You can find us on our social media accounts, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at film whiskey. Or you can join our Discord. We are on there every single day talking to you guys, the people who listened to the film when whiskey podcast, so jump on there. You can find a link to our Discord at the end of every one of our show notes next week.

52:29 We're going to keep it rollin with more Edgar Wright and we're going to check out a movie Brad. That I have never seen all the way through before this is a very rare occurrence. So I'm filming whiskey podcast but we're watching Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. So join us next week for that one. But until then, I'm Bob book. I'm Brad G and we'll see you next time.