Up next in 10
Adventures in Movies! Looks at... 'Watch List'
Aug 15, 2024
Danny is out doing research as Blake and Nathaniel look at 'Watch List'. This is one of the most interesting movies and episodes ever done for the show. How do you talk about a movie that does nothing wrong but you still do not care for? Where do you draw the line between what is good and what is entertaining? Can something be so depressing it sucks all enjoyment out of an otherwise fantastic movie? Adventures in Movies! is hosted by Nathaniel Muir, Blake, and Danny. You can find Nathaniel on Instagram at nathaninpoortaste. Danny can be found on Twitter @default_player and on Instagram at default_player. Blake can be found on Twitter @foureyedhorror and on Instagram at foureyedhorror. You can reach us personally or on Twitter @AiPTMovies.
View Video Transcript
0:00
Welcome to another episode of Adventures in Movies looks at dot dot dot
0:17
This week I'm joined by one of the hosts of Adventures in Movies
0:22
Just one. It's just me, Blake. Sorry, everybody. And my name is Nathaniel, by the way
0:28
So this week we are looking at Watchlist. So let me get my notes here for this
0:35
Watchlist is about a couple initially named Maria and Arturo. They live in the, I guess the slums of the Philippines
0:42
They're kind of vague about it. But it's definitely in the Philippines. And it's definitely not a high income area
0:49
One night Arturo is mysteriously killed. Maria is given a chance to basically get off the government's drug watchlist, which
0:59
she reluctantly accepts, which sets up the movie. So before I even ask a question, you had some very, very strong feelings about this movie
1:08
as soon as it was over. I did. I did. So I hate to pepper the whole rest of the review by saying this, but this is a movie
1:18
when it was over, I was upset with the movie. I was upset with it
1:27
And I think maybe that was a little bit harsh in a retrospect to hindsight 2020, but I still
1:33
feel very much the same way. And yeah, it left me wanting a lot
1:40
I think this movie is fascinating. And not for— It is. It's for the reasons of like, what is entertainment and good and bad and where do we draw the��
1:49
It's really high level stuff that idiots like us shouldn't be talking about, but we'll get
1:54
into it anyway. And you know what's funny? When the movie was over, I think I texted you, I was like, wow, that was a downer
2:00
And spoiler alert, we won't get into exact detail about this, because there are some
2:04
pretty heavy spoilers in it, I guess. But we won't ruin anyone's viewing of it if you choose to watch this movie
2:13
Yeah, you— I'm sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Yeah, I thought that was a downer
2:21
And then you said something to the effect of, I really hated that, or I really just��
2:25
And then I thought about it, and I was like, yeah. So let's kind of get into this here
2:32
So first of all, this movie is so weird. I guess we're going to talk down about it, but we're going to say a lot of good things
2:38
about it too. I'm thinking— What did you think of the— I— Yeah. I thought the performances were decent to great
2:46
Oh, it's such a— This was such a polarizing movie to me in such a multitude of ways
2:54
By far the most was how awesome I thought the performances were
2:59
By like, literally everybody. As you say decent, like, okay, some of the kids were decent kid actors
3:06
Right, exactly. That kind of stuff. Yeah, good actors. The lead, Maria? Amazing. Unbelievable. Right
3:13
Incredible performance. And so, yeah, this movie was— I was conflicted by it a lot
3:20
The performances themselves, incredible. The emotion that she— And this kind of story, it's really easy to over the top
3:30
It does give you chills. It's a really great performance. And then I'm— And this is one of those shades of gray movie
3:37
I'm guessing the main villain, the one who kind of recruits her into it, like he was
3:42
a really good actor also. His performance was— I mean, this movie, spot on with the performances
3:49
It's amazing how good it was. At no time was I like, ah, this is unbelievable
3:54
You know, the— Right. Even the cousin, the primo character that was like, you know, like a kind of a shady
4:01
drug dealer, like, totally believable. And then there were times where he was supposed to be like high on drugs
4:07
I actually thought he was high on drugs. You know what I mean? Yeah. It was really well done
4:11
Everyone did an excellent job in it. So you're talking about the realism
4:15
So this is about— Well, it's about Duarte in the Philippines. Were you aware of this issue that they had with drugs and how they were handling it
4:25
Man, only vaguely. And because I'm kind of like one of those internet weirdos, stays up late reading stuff
4:32
on Reddit and stuff. And so you'll stumble across some of this kind of things. No
4:36
I didn't realize it was this bad. If this is an actual portrayal of how bad it is in the Philippines, then it's extremely bad
4:45
It's extremely bad. So it starts like a documentary. It has the news clips— I think we were all fooled
4:52
I think we were all fooled by it. Yeah. It gives you all this archival footage
4:57
And then it cuts into the movie proper. So immediately I look up the dude's name, and yeah, it's a real character
5:02
And he got to power on his war on drugs. And then it became a real thing
5:07
It was extrajudicial killings that were going on. It's crazy. Honestly, I plead ignorance
5:14
I had no idea that that was going on. No. Yeah. Nothing to that extent
5:20
I hate to say this, I guess, but you have a stigma, I guess, in my head about how certain��
5:29
Is the Philippines a third world country? To me, they aren't. But in this movie, it was portrayed as such, I guess
5:35
I don't think it is, but I guess— because they were— I know it was— well, they mentioned
5:39
Madrid, and they were obviously in the poorest parts of it. Of any place, yeah
5:45
Yeah, I don't know. And you even asked, like— I think you said something to the effect that this place looks
5:50
like horrible. It looks like hell. I don't like it. Truly, yep
5:54
I don't know if it is a third world country, but wherever the setting is, it's as close
5:59
to third world as you possibly can get without being there. Dire living circumstances
6:05
It's the kind of stuff that, like, I mean, you can't even imagine
6:10
And it's not just the setting and the poverty of it. It's the way the people are treating each other
6:16
It's just the whole thing. It's really— so I guess my next question kind of falls into, did it ever make you��
6:22
these types of movies that deal with realism, and especially with drugs, they tend to give
6:26
you a feeling of discomfort. Did you ever have that? Yes. The entire time
6:32
I mean, did it do that to you? You know what? It really didn't, actually. Really? Okay
6:40
Yeah, the closest— like, the story, I was like, okay, this is crazy what they do. And like, they have a recovery dance in the beginning
6:46
Like, if you're a drug addict, you get in this line dance and you'll be okay type of thing
6:51
Like, stuff like that, it was— That was actually hilarious. Yeah, in the beginning, I was like, wow, this movie is— it had a lot of hope, no pun intended
7:00
at that time. That's a good point, though. This movie does a lot of kind of bait and switch with you
7:07
It does, in the beginning. So and then one of the bigger bait and switches, I thought that it looked like— and I think
7:12
I joked with you, I was like, is this going to become an action movie? Right
7:17
Because it looked like it was going to be like an Avenging Mom type of movie for a while
7:21
It looked like it was going in that direction. Never happens. No. No. No
7:28
Well, you kind of said it. No, no, no. But I never had so, um, Requiem for a Dream
7:34
Yeah, go ahead, sorry. No, Requiem for a Dream, very uncomfortable movie
7:39
Like, rooted in real world problems, the story is completely fiction. Right
7:44
So I wasn't uncomfortable like that. I wasn't uncomfortable like that. I was more like, I went to go get ice out of my freezer, like, for my drink, and was
7:52
like, I felt guilty because I was like, man, I have ice in my freezer, and these people
7:56
have, like, no running water. And that I can actually see because it's, going back to the way the setting is depicted
8:05
it's, it is so horrible. It's sad. It really is. Which is another good thing about this movie
8:11
It really gets across the severity of the situation that they're in
8:17
So a lot of times we see movies, they're marketed as the story that had to be told
8:22
Like the story no one wanted, but now you're hearing it for the, do you think that this
8:26
story had to be told? No. No, this is where we start to run into like my major issues with this, with this movie
8:35
is, it's, no, this story has been told a thousand times in different ways
8:41
I think I, I think I texted you, I said, this is Blood In Blood Out. You know, it's Philippines, Blood In Blood Out
8:47
In a lot of ways, it's exactly that. And one of the things that, well, Blood In Blood Out is, found by Honor, is a good movie
8:55
Oh, you did it. Sorry, I had to exaggerate. You need to, because in the Northeast it's Blood In Blood Out, found by Honor
9:02
So when you just said Blood In Blood, I got kind of confused. I'm like, oh
9:05
Blood Out, found by Honor. Yes, yeah. Meeklo. Meeklo, bro. So yeah, it's, that has, that has like these, these glimpses of hope
9:15
And so like, this is like a brutal tale. And I guess the word brutal is used too often these days, but it is brutal
9:24
And it's, it's never, there's no like light at the end of the tunnel
9:31
And if you're going to tell me a story that I've seen multiple times, I want it to be different
9:38
Or I want it to be, maybe just these times have changed me and made me soft
9:44
I want like something to look forward to. And this movie doesn't do that
9:49
I kind of see where you're coming from, because yeah, this is, a lot of times you see a movie
9:55
and there's some crazy topic that you're like, you know, it's marketed as the story that
9:59
had to be told. Maybe I've heard it before, but I like the way that they did it
10:03
I like the point at the end or I like the word, whatever, you know? Yeah
10:08
Like this one, like, I hate to sound, I hate to sound like an insensitive person, but unless
10:14
you you're there, you know, someone who's there, like, I just don't think this is a
10:19
story that needs to be told. I don't know. It's, yeah, drugs are bad and governments, corrupt governments are worse
10:28
Yeah, for sure. Things are terrible. But this story didn't bring anything new to the table
10:35
So ultimately, what do you think was the point of Watchlist? I've thought about this, actually
10:41
As soon as it was over, I like sat in the dark and like contemplated why this movie
10:46
was made. And I think it is, I think it's to make you feel extremely sympathetic and empathetic
10:53
with the people that are in that position in the Philippines. I think that's the end goal
10:59
And does it do that? Yeah, it does. But it doesn't. And we get back to what you said earlier
11:07
It doesn't do it. Things that stick with you are like, are the things that were like, wow, that was entertaining
11:12
whether it was bleak or dark or the documentary was, boy, that sure was dark. But man, I was entertained by it
11:17
This wasn't entertaining to me. And so that may sound really harsh and maybe real cold, but like it didn't make me feel
11:28
any which way because it was a story I've seen a thousand times and it was bleak and
11:32
depressing and it doesn't ever do anything else. It's one gut punch after the other
11:40
Yes, it is. And they're tough punches, too. You can't roll with them
11:44
These are hard hitting punches. And some movies that do that, they're really, yeah, you said blunts overused
11:51
Frank in your face, however you want to describe it. It works sometimes. It does
11:55
Like one act, in this case, I don't know. So in the beginning, we kind of started it with differentiating between
12:03
So what's the line between the story, the performance, not so much the story, but the
12:07
performances and the setting being really good? Where do you draw the line? Like, OK, that's all good, but it's not entertaining
12:14
That's an interesting question because I was like kind of like fighting with this the entire time
12:20
I don't know. Like when it's when it's a steady step downward, I guess when like when I don't get any relief
12:29
from the slip into the pit, I about halfway down, I'm like, all right, I'm done
12:35
I don't I don't need to get here. There's a movie called Back to Malaysia
12:40
Joaquin Phoenix, Anne Heche and Vince Vaughn. And it is about a guy who got me the same part of the world, gets arrested for possession
12:51
of narcotics and drugs. I think it's just marijuana. And he gets sentenced to death
12:56
Oh, it's very Midnight Express. It's very Midnight Express. But it's nothing but bleak
13:06
And when it's over, you're left with these incredible performances by all three that
13:10
I just mentioned. Literally, I really do think it's an incredible performance by everyone
13:15
But it ends with like this. They tear your heart out. And so in essence, it didn't mean nothing
13:22
In fact, I steer people away from that movie. Don't ever watch it
13:26
Don't ever watch it. Because I mean, does the movie accomplish what it was setting out to do is to make you
13:31
feel sad? Yeah, it does that. Is that entertainment to me? No, no
13:37
That's, you know, that's a really good point, because I was thinking about it. I'm going back to what we're talking about in the very beginning how when it was over
13:43
I was just like, wow, that was and I just thought, well, what a depressing movie. But then when you, you know, you just you kind of throw away line that you and then
13:50
I thought about it. I was like, there really, I don't know if there is no entertainment value out of it
13:56
I was kind of desensitized by the end and people talk about, you know, violence and media
14:00
So yeah, and it wasn't that it was super violent, though it does have its moments. It just I got to a point where it was just one thing after another
14:07
And I guess at the end, like there, it wasn't so much that I wasn't entertained that I was just like, okay, that was depressing
14:12
And then when you brought it to my attention, I was like, well, so depressing that I don't
14:17
think I was. Like, I don't know where you draw that line, because I also thought that the performances
14:23
were great. I thought the setting was so so well shot and so well done
14:27
But at the end, yeah, the entertainment value just isn't there and not entertainment in
14:32
the traditional like, you know, that's entertainment, Hollywood thing. Just like, hello, my baby
14:37
It's just, I don't know. This is one of the hardest. I mean, just to review, think about Raiden, it's just so difficult
14:46
It's so funny because like, as we sit here and talk about it, we we've had nothing but
14:50
good things to say about it. But we just don't feel good about it
14:54
It's it's so strange. That's and that kind of, you know, segs perfectly into the ending
14:59
So opening night, rental, stream or completely avoid this watch list, this very interesting
15:07
movie, fascinating. Watch list. Crime, drama, thriller. Minute and 34 seconds. It's going to be a pass for me
15:15
I can't I can't recommend it. And it's not because it's not filled with incredible performances by literally everybody
15:25
Even the mediocre ones are pretty good. I can't recommend it. No. Pass
15:33
I think this is the I don't know what number episode this is of this little YouTube experiment
15:39
we're doing, but this is the episode where we finally realized that this is a movie could
15:45
be good, but it doesn't mean you should watch it. And it's yeah, what you said, like, yeah, if you want to see awesome acting, if you
15:56
want to get what I think is an accurate I mean, I'm not sure, but what looks to be an
16:00
accurate picture, maybe not of the Philippines, but of a country coming apart at the seams
16:06
then yeah, this is a family falling apart. Yeah. And a family even more so because it's kind of a slice of life type of thing
16:13
So this is that movie. But I would I agree with you
16:16
Like I would not recommend this to anybody at all. And not because it didn't do anything wrong technically
16:23
As a matter of fact, it did everything right. But um. Right
16:28
I would agree. I would say pass on it. So sorry, Watchlist
16:33
Sorry Watchlist for everything you did right. You just didn't impress Blake. What a dud
16:39
So every week here at Adventures in Movies looks at dot dot dot
16:46
Open review policy. We'll look at anything. If you have something in the comments, let us know
16:50
We will check it out. Drug war in the Philippines, documentaries. Recently we did a survival thriller that you might end up seeing, Centigrade
17:01
Like we do it all. We really honestly don't care, even if we don't talk highly about it
17:06
We'll watch it. The risk you take. That is the risk. If you have an open review policy, then you're kind of, you know, leaving yourself open to stuff
17:16
So definitely let us know. Check us out every week. We'll be here. Thank you very much
17:20
Danny may or may not be back next week. So for Danny, I will say like and subscribe
17:26
We'll talk to you next week. Adios, everyone
#Arts & Entertainment
#Documentary Films
#Drama Films
#Movies
#Music & Audio
#Music Videos
#Romance Films
#TV Shows & Programs