How Everything Everywhere All at Once Was Suddenly Eveything Everywhere All at Once [TALKING IMAGES]

[St. Gloede]

In this episode we explore how Everything Everywhere All at Once was suddenly eveything everywhere ... all at once.

You Can Listen Here:

Sounder: https://talking-images.sounder.fm/episo ... ll-at-once

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4H3pQ2us1QmMBappeWWemC

Apple Podcasts: https://talking-images.sounder.fm/episo ... ll-at-once

Participants:

• Matthieu / Teproc

• Sol / Sol

• Chris / St. Gloede

Join the Conversation

Does Everything Everywhere All At Once belong in the conversation about the greatest films of all time?

What makes Everything Everywhere All At Once the most impressive to you (if anything at all)?

Did you manage to see Everything Everywhere All At Once before the hype and regardless if yes/no, how do you think this impacted your feelings about the films?

Why do you think it managed to garner the amount of popularity and critical acclaim it did rather than becoming a more modest cult hit?

Sci-fi action comedies are usually not thrust into this degree of acclaim, iare there things these genres could learn from Everything Everywhere All At Once and if so what?

Do you think Everything Everywhere All At Once is an enlightened counter to nihilism or is this just empty window dressing?

Would Everything Everywhere All At Once have been more impressive to you if the multiverse had not already been popularised by the biggest current blockbuster machine, Marvel, or is the spin on it creative, original and/or engaging enough to overcome this?

How would you rank Everything Everywhere All At Once against other films about the multiverse? Is it actually the best take we have seen so far?

Bonus question: Are we just too cold/focused on the form, or is the form/creativity more impressive than the family dynamics?

[Good_Will_Harding]

Does Everything Everywhere All At Once belong in the conversation about the greatest films of all time?

Of all time? Nah. Furthest I'm willing to go at the moment is maybe the last ten or so years.

What makes Everything Everywhere All At Once the most impressive to you (if anything at all)?

Its ambition mainly, as well as the various different tones and visual styles its able to successfully switch back and forth between, while still managing to remain a consistent pace throughout.

Did you manage to see Everything Everywhere All At Once before the hype and regardless if yes/no, how do you think this impacted your feelings about the films?

Saw it right around the time it started getting released wide in the US (around mid-April, if memory serves), so my opinion wasn't impacted by the mega hype surrounding it.

Why do you think it managed to garner the amount of popularity and critical acclaim it did rather than becoming a more modest cult hit?

A24's release and marketing strategy mainly, since they seem to be the only studio left that knows how to handle the rollout of films aimed at adult audiences, at least in our current post-COVID times

Sci-fi action comedies are usually not thrust into this degree of acclaim, are there things these genres could learn from Everything Everywhere All At Once and if so what?

My biggest hopes in terms of trends this can set are an emphasis on earnest, sensitive emotional journeys, and the casting of minority/non-white actors in central roles - both of which US films have struggled with for a very long time now.

Do you think Everything Everywhere All At Once is an enlightened counter to nihilism or is this just empty window dressing?

For my own tastes, the former. But of course it's worth remarking that a decent chunk of this film's humor does fall into the whole "le epic Reddit meme" irony poisoned sensibility. It's just that the emotional core of the final act goes out of its way to refute this line of thinking.

Would Everything Everywhere All At Once have been more impressive to you if the multiverse had not already been popularised by the biggest current blockbuster machine, Marvel, or is the spin on it creative, original and/or engaging enough to overcome this?

Probably not. This really does stand on its own quite well, and having a Marvel film tackle the same subject mere weeks after this hit US theaters further cements that.

How would you rank Everything Everywhere All At Once against other films about the multiverse? Is it actually the best take we have seen so far?

One of the better ones, that's for sure.

Bonus question: Are we just too cold/focused on the form, or is the form/creativity more impressive than the family dynamics?

From what I've seen, both aspects of the film have been recieving equal amounts of praise from both critics and general audiences.

[OldAle1]

Hopefully will listen to the podcast within the next day or two, but for now -

Does Everything Everywhere All At Once belong in the conversation about the greatest films of all time?

My first thought is, eh, that's silly. But then I remember that back in February 2017 I picked a brand-new film as my personal favorite so - I don't know. Certainly it is one of the more distinctive American films of the last few years, something we don't see every day. And given that the new S&S list just came out - well, I'd put it above at least a couple in the new top 100. SO, sure, why not

What makes Everything Everywhere All At Once the most impressive to you (if anything at all)?

Basically the way it integrates the family story with the crazy multiverse/FX/action stuff - I wouldn't say it's seamless but it's rare that a film manages to deal with personal issue stuff, AND be a wild and zany piece of nonsense at the same time. This is a tribute to the focus on the acting, and the fact that it is starting to get nominations (and awards) for several members of it's cast shows that this is a widely-shared opinion. Looks Ke Huy Quan in particular is going to be the odds-on favorite throughout awards season.

Did you manage to see Everything Everywhere All At Once before the hype and regardless if yes/no, how do you think this impacted your feelings about the films?

I think it was starting to get some hype for sure - I saw it towards the end of April in the cinema, and then saw it a second time in the cinema a few weeks later.

Why do you think it managed to garner the amount of popularity and critical acclaim it did rather than becoming a more modest cult hit?

Really because of the focus on the characters, and the quality of the performances

Sci-fi action comedies are usually not thrust into this degree of acclaim, iare there things these genres could learn from Everything Everywhere All At Once and if so what?

Be about something and try to have real-seeming characters, rather than just trying to amp up your action or laughs.

Do you think Everything Everywhere All At Once is an enlightened counter to nihilism or is this just empty window dressing?

Well I think it certainly tries to present a positive attitude in the face of a nihilistic world. I'm not sure it entirely succeeds but I appreciated the effort. Bela Tarr probably thought it was shit though.

Would Everything Everywhere All At Once have been more impressive to you if the multiverse had not already been popularised by the biggest current blockbuster machine, Marvel, or is the spin on it creative, original and/or engaging enough to overcome this?

I don't think too much of the MCU's multiverse dynamics, so nah, that had no real impact on me. What this does with the concept is very different in any case.

How would you rank Everything Everywhere All At Once against other films about the multiverse? Is it actually the best take we have seen so far?

Well, against all the MCU films it looks pretty great. What other multiverse films are there? If put up against other films about virtual reality in general (i.e. the Matrix films) - it still looks pretty great, with only Fassbinder's Welt am draht in the same league or maybe better.

Bonus question: Are we just too cold/focused on the form, or is the form/creativity more impressive than the family dynamics?

Well like I said, haven't listened to the podcast yet so can't say for sure. But I think the film has gotten the praise it has, and delivered the box office it has, in large part because critics and audiences do appreciate both things, and do appreciate that this film does something different enough to be notable, and yet remains accessible with a very human center.

[Lakigigar]

I have to see this film yet, i have been less into films as of late so i haven't gotten to it. I shared the podcast on discord with some people who like liked this film.

[Fergenaprido]

In this episode we explore how Everything Everywhere All at Once was suddenly eveything everywhere ... all at once.

You Can Listen Here:

Sounder: https://talking-images.sounder.fm/episo ... -strangest

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4H3pQ2us1QmMBappeWWemC

Apple Podcasts: https://talking-images.sounder.fm/episo ... ll-at-once

The links are wrong here. The Sounder link is to The Straight Story episode, and the Apple Podcasts link is to the Sounder platform.

Plus, on both Spotify and Sounder, there's a typo in the title (Eveything instead of Everything the second time), presumably it's wrong on Apple too.
Edit: also in the descriptions on both pages.

[Fergenaprido]

Join the Conversation

Does Everything Everywhere All At Once belong in the conversation about the greatest films of all time? Sure, why not? It's a great innovative film with a strong emotional core that a lot of people enjoyed.

What makes Everything Everywhere All At Once the most impressive to you (if anything at all)? Most impressive? That none of it feels superfluous or wasted. Every part of the film, no matter how bonkers it is, seems to serve more than one purpose in the narrative. Raccacoonie, as mentioned in the episode, could have just been a one-off gag, but it developed into something more.

Did you manage to see Everything Everywhere All At Once before the hype and regardless if yes/no, how do you think this impacted your feelings about the films? I saw it in mid-June, so yeah, the hype was real by then, and honestly it's a large part of what pushed me to go see it in theatres instead of waiting for it to be available on streaming. I'm glad I did, and I probably liked it more by seeing it in the cinema instead of at home on my laptop, but more because of the experience than because of any hype. Also, the movie was only released in late March, so I'm not sure how sol was seeing it in his recommendations at the bottom of his LB stats page before that.

Why do you think it managed to garner the amount of popularity and critical acclaim it did rather than becoming a more modest cult hit? That honestly baffles me. Nothing on paper made it seem like it would be a hit, even if there were a lot of fans of the Daniels' previous film or music videos. One factor I think might have worked in its favour is that it's an original story: not a sequel, or a reboot, or even an adaptation, and I think audiences are looking for more than just the regular fare.

Sci-fi action comedies are usually not thrust into this degree of acclaim, are there things these genres could learn from Everything Everywhere All At Once and if so what? I think a large part of why this film resonates with folks is the heart at the centre of it. A lot of scifi action comedies are just fluff with no real stakes, that you watch and enjoy to pass the time, but this one has more heft than most.

Do you think Everything Everywhere All At Once is an enlightened counter to nihilism or is this just empty window dressing? Something in between. "an enlightened counter to nihilism" sounds like such an imposing thing, whatever it's supposed to mean. EEAAO does counter nihilism to some extent, but it also has a lot of fun doing it.

Would Everything Everywhere All At Once have been more impressive to you if the multiverse had not already been popularised by the biggest current blockbuster machine, Marvel, or is the spin on it creative, original and/or engaging enough to overcome this? I don't consider the MCU to have popularized the multiverse. I never felt this movie was derivative of No Way Home (which I haven't seen yet) or Multiverse of Madness (which was released after EEAAO) or even Spider-verse or The Matrix. There are plenty of other films over the years that have dealt with the subject of multiple universes, including non-MCU blockbusters. Jet Li's The One comes to mind, and you could argue there are some plot points similar to that film as well.

How would you rank Everything Everywhere All At Once against other films about the multiverse? Is it actually the best take we have seen so far? I rated Spider-verse 8.2 and EEAAO 8.0, so I guess I like the former more? I think the latter is more interesting, though, and a rewatch of both films would be needed before deciding. Plus, I still have to see the two recent MCU multiverse films. Any others I've seen don't come close, or I've already forgotten about them.

Bonus question: Are we just too cold/focused on the form, or is the form/creativity more impressive than the family dynamics? The form and creativity are excellent, but would ring hollow without the family dynamics to anchor the film, imo. I think if you're only looking at the form, you're missing out on half the picture.

[St. Gloede]

In this episode we explore how Everything Everywhere All at Once was suddenly eveything everywhere ... all at once.

You Can Listen Here:

Sounder: https://talking-images.sounder.fm/episo ... -strangest

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4H3pQ2us1QmMBappeWWemC

Apple Podcasts: https://talking-images.sounder.fm/episo ... ll-at-once

The links are wrong here. The Sounder link is to The Straight Story episode, and the Apple Podcasts link is to the Sounder platform.

Plus, on both Spotify and Sounder, there's a typo in the title (Eveything instead of Everything the second time), presumably it's wrong on Apple too.
Edit: also in the descriptions on both pages.

Thanks Fergen, fixed (will take a couple of hours before updated outside of Sounder)

[Lakigigar]

Does Everything Everywhere All At Once belong in the conversation about the greatest films of all time?
Hmm, is it up to me decide that? Personally i would say not. But if it's someone's opinion, it always belongs there. I personally do not think The Godfather belongs there too, but it belongs there because others say so.

What makes Everything Everywhere All At Once the most impressive to you (if anything at all)?
The fact that the chaos is combined with underlying meanings.

Did you manage to see Everything Everywhere All At Once before the hype and regardless if yes/no, how do you think this impacted your feelings about the films?
No, don't think it would have impacted my viewing, and if it would have, perhaps more negatively.

Why do you think it managed to garner the amount of popularity and critical acclaim it did rather than becoming a more modest cult hit?
It is a modern film that describe younger generations quite well, and appeals to it, and also appeals to a large amount of diverse groups who are often not highlighted in films (LGBTQ-community, Asian-American community, young people and in particular the protagonist is a Chinese-American mom, and these are often not to see in main roles). The themes (nihilism, multiverse) also appeal to them, with interesting themes, and chaotic fast-paced films appeal to younger demographics. This is to a larger extent often the case for A24 films, given that they are on the alt/artsy side but appeal to younger and diverse demographics.

Using the multiverse as a gimmicky metaphore of course and taking itself not too serious (being a nothing matters - full randomness) film made it garner the amount of popularity and critical acclaim it did compared to other A24 films.

Sci-fi action comedies are usually not thrust into this degree of acclaim, iare there things these genres could learn from Everything Everywhere All At Once and if so what?
Originality, and not the 1000th sequel/spin-off film
Daring to take risks while making films, instead of safely wanting to cash in.

Do you think Everything Everywhere All At Once is an enlightened counter to nihilism or is this just empty window dressing?
The former

Would Everything Everywhere All At Once have been more impressive to you if the multiverse had not already been popularised by the biggest current blockbuster machine, Marvel, or is the spin on it creative, original and/or engaging enough to overcome this?
No, because EEAAO does it better.

How would you rank Everything Everywhere All At Once against other films about the multiverse? Is it actually the best take we have seen so far?
Best take i would say
Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse also did it well tho.

Bonus question: Are we just too cold/focused on the form, or is the form/creativity more impressive than the family dynamics?

Mixed. If there were no family dynamics, the form/creativity gimmick would start to get annoying and you would lose attachment to the story, and it becomes a random clusterfuck you wouldn't care about. That might be the film biggest achievement.

[jal90]

Does Everything Everywhere All At Once belong in the conversation about the greatest films of all time?
Personally not. Not even close. But who am I to dictate that, I just found a derivative Marvel-adjacent meme-ridden experience, but it seems to have clicked perfectly.

What makes Everything Everywhere All At Once the most impressive to you (if anything at all)?
I think it is a genuine surprise that a movie with this budget has met this huge popular success in this day and age of blockbuster budgets crowding the box office and the subsequent talk.

Did you manage to see Everything Everywhere All At Once before the hype and regardless if yes/no, how do you think this impacted your feelings about the films?
After, I'm afraid. I kind of wanted to see what was all the fuss about, but I don't know if that would have changed my opinion. Its heavy reliance on a very specific, chronically online type of zany humor does not fit my shoes.

Why do you think it managed to garner the amount of popularity and critical acclaim it did rather than becoming a more modest cult hit?
Now allow me to be incendiary and say: there is nothing remotely spontaneous about this hit. EEAAO has been carried from day one. It has been fed like a snowball as the next great cult experience in every festival it was presented at, Letterboxd as a platform was fully invested in making it a cultural event. It's also true that the movie talks to the audience in the language they are more willing to hear. It understands perfectly the sense of humor that is rising among the new generations of cinephiles and the specific demands that people fed up with the current blockbuster events (mainly from the MCU) have: something that retains the comedic touch but feels more human, less grandiose and politically less muddled with shady corporative crap.

Sci-fi action comedies are usually not thrust into this degree of acclaim, iare there things these genres could learn from Everything Everywhere All At Once and if so what?
It's honestly not going to be easy to replicate what this film did. I don't think it's worth. As a cult hit it reads the specific moment perfectly, but it also has an illusion of spontaneity that has been exploited by the distributors and every actor involved in making it a cult hit and that would lose its steam if it was replicated.

Do you think Everything Everywhere All At Once is an enlightened counter to nihilism or is this just empty window dressing?
Lol, not even close. Why do people think that? It's not particularly empty either, it's just super derivative.

Would Everything Everywhere All At Once have been more impressive to you if the multiverse had not already been popularised by the biggest current blockbuster machine, Marvel, or is the spin on it creative, original and/or engaging enough to overcome this?
No. Not only because I haven't watched the newest phase Marvels, but also because you can make very interesting settings with multiverses. It's a very promising concept, I've seen a few animated DC movies that do an awesome work of dealing with parallel universes, and in general it has a lot of potential? If EEAAO doesn't live up to this potential is because it lets itself grow stale with no proper emotional payback for it.

How would you rank Everything Everywhere All At Once against other films about the multiverse? Is it actually the best take we have seen so far?
It's a fine movie, respectable entertainment, not even close to the best take. I don't have a rank in mind but the animated Spider-verse and the mentioned DC movies have a better understanding of what a multiverse reality can bring, both narrative and emotionally.

Bonus question: Are we just too cold/focused on the form, or is the form/creativity more impressive than the family dynamics?
Allow me to be disrespectful again: the family dynamics in EEAAO are like made for LB users who want to make big numbers with a snarky one-liner. That's what I think about its emotional depth, so yeah, let's better talk about the form/creativity

[mjf314]

How would you rank Everything Everywhere All At Once against other films about the multiverse? Is it actually the best take we have seen so far?

I haven't seen it, but I guess my favorite multiverse film is probably Mr. Nobody. Spider-Verse is good too. There might be some others that I'm forgetting. Does anyone have a list of multiverse films?

There are a lot of time travel films and series that involve changing the past. I'm not sure which ones, if any, count as multiverse.

[Fergenaprido]

How would you rank Everything Everywhere All At Once against other films about the multiverse? Is it actually the best take we have seen so far?

I haven't seen it, but I guess my favorite multiverse film is probably Mr. Nobody. Spider-Verse is good too. There might be some others that I'm forgetting. Does anyone have a list of multiverse films?

There are a lot of time travel films and series that involve changing the past. I'm not sure which ones, if any, count as multiverse.

I hadn't thought of Mr. Nobody, but that makes sense. I suppose films like Run Lola Run, which explore alternate realities/outcomes, could be considered multiverse films as well.

[mjf314]

I just remembered another good multiverse film, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (be sure to watch the TV series before you watch the film). I think this might actually be my favorite multiverse film.

I think this Youtube video deserves a mention as well: SM64 - Watch for Rolling Rocks - 0.5x A Presses (Commentated). It's the origin of the But First We Need to Talk About Parallel Universes meme.

[jal90]

I just remembered another good multiverse film, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (be sure to watch the TV series before you watch the film). I think this might actually be my favorite multiverse film.

I didn't recall it at the time, but this one may be my favorite as well! It's also kind of prohibitively long (2 hours 42 minutes for an animated film, only one minute close to the world record at the time) and it is mandatory that you watch the series (the two seasons) before, but it's the most rewarding experience for anybody who gets into the Haruhi franchise.

[jibuti]

I just remembered another good multiverse film, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (be sure to watch the TV series before you watch the film). I think this might actually be my favorite multiverse film.

I think this Youtube video deserves a mention as well: SM64 - Watch for Rolling Rocks - 0.5x A Presses (Commentated). It's the origin of the But First We Need to Talk About Parallel Universes meme.

I also liked The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, it really is one of the best movies in the multiverse.

By the way, "Everything and everywhere and at once" is one of the best films of the last 1-2 years.

[Torgo]

I was a bit surprised (and then not) that EEAAO has about 4000 checks on ICM - which is the absolute most a film of the current year will achieve at the site, so fast - and has 624 likes, which is a LOT, but also 55 dislikes, which is also a lot for a movie so universally beloved and hyped especially in film buff circles.
And it shouldn't be a wonder, given how exhausting it is.

1. Did you manage to see Everything Everywhere All At Once before the hype and regardless if yes/no, how do you think this impacted your feelings about the films?

2. Why do you think it managed to garner the amount of popularity and critical acclaim it did rather than becoming a more modest cult hit?

3. Would Everything Everywhere All At Once have been more impressive to you if the multiverse had not already been popularised by the biggest current blockbuster machine, Marvel, or is the spin on it creative, original and/or engaging enough to overcome this?

1. Far into the hype and what should I say; it's been the Letterboxd #1, is still in the Top 20, ranked immensely high on IMDb and I expected it with a 100% certainty to be my movie of a year, so much that I saved it for last. Anything below 9/10 would be a disappointment.
That's a bit much to shoulder.

2. Good question, eh? Marketing definitely plays a role here - not to say that it's not an amazing film, and in addition to just being lucky. Otherwise, it would become THE cultest cinephile film of them all.

3. Totally, and you're bringing up a good point of why I feel a bit betrayed, hehe. FU, Spiderman NWH and Doctor Strange 2!