We’ll See (Our 50th Episode Spectacular)
This is our 50th episode. A cause for joy! An occasion to celebrate! And we’re doing so by announcing our hiatus. After next week’s Off Script, Ron and Bram will take a little time off, to regain some perspective and recollect their thoughts. We will be back, don’t you worry about that, we’re just simply unsure about the capacity or shape or form in which we will return. So, for now: we’ll see.
In this episode we discuss the creative process, its difficulties and the pressures of creating content for the internet.
If you have any thoughts or questions, please let us know via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter or Instagram. We love you, goodbye (for now)!
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Off script: Outland (with Scout Tafoya)
Sean Connery runs around a mining facility on one of Jupiter’s moons, trying to unravel a conspiracy which causes the crew to become suicidal. Outland crawls at an almost contemplative pace to give its viewer all the time to really see these fantastic sets through these fantastic compositions. This time, Ron and Bram are joined by critic and filmmaker Scout Tafoya to help them gush over Sean Connery’s hunky hotness.
If you have any thoughts or questions, please let us know via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter or Instagram. We love you, goodbye!
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S02E05 – My Boss Doesn’t Even Want To Send E-mails
Bram went out of his way and rewrote all the scenes we’ve had so far, whilst adding two more scenes, whilst getting all the Arabic wrong. Luckily, there’s Ron to touch up and rewrite the rewrites which have been rewritten. Loads of fat being stripped and fluff being thrown out in this greasy new episode.
You can read this week’s scenes here (PDF). Ron’s touched up version can be found here (PDF).
If you have any thoughts or questions, please let us know via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter or Instagram. We love you, goodbye!
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S02E04 – I told you, I only do highway
A day on the job with Averie, a physical carrier of digital goods. We meet her right-hand Raniya (although only by voice), we meet her parents, and we enter skyscrapers, one thriving and one unfinished. And all the while we have an itching that Averie might be quite done with being a glorified USB-drive.
You can read this week’s scene here (PDF).
If you have any thoughts or questions, please let us know via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter or Instagram. We love you, goodbye!
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Off script: New Rose Hotel (with Kaj van Zoelen)
The second and final adaptation of a William Gibson text was seen by even fewer eyes than the first. The fact that it features Christopher Walken, Willem Defoe and Asia Argento (a cursed threesome) hanging around in beige hotels did not help. Ron and Bram are joined by critic Kaj van Zoelen to make sense of its tumultuous production history (it is directed by Abel Ferrara after all) and why it is largely forgotten in the annals of film history.
Sources: an interview with Abel Ferrara right around the release of New Rose Hotel and a video interview from 2012 in which Ferrara discusses his 1998 film.
If you have any thoughts or questions, please let us know via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter or Instagram. We love you, goodbye!
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S02E03 – And All the Bad Guys Look Like Me (with Rami Ismail)
For our third and final brainstorming episode we are joined by Rami Ismail (50% of Vlambeer) to discuss the misrepresentation of the Arabic language, culture and Islamic religion by Western media. Is the Pyramid of Giza actually surrounded by a desert? How accurate is the yellow filter? Does anyone get to finish their prayer ever? And what is up with these mountains everyone keeps talking about? All this, and so much more, to better understand the world we are building.
Sources: Not Arabic is a website where Ramsey Nasser collects instances of wrong Arabic. A Guideline of Performing Ibadah at the International Space Station can be found here (PDF).
If you have any thoughts or questions, please let us know via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter or Instagram. We love you, goodbye!
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S02E02 – A Couple of Solid Sips of Water
A lone whisperbike carries our heroine Averie over the tarmac of a desert highway, a setting in which introduces some advanced water technology. All because Ron went extracurricular on last week’s set-up and gave our film its very first scene.
You can read this week’s scene here (PDF). (Please bear with Bram’s audio quality this week as we had a malfunctioning recorder.)
If you have any thoughts or questions, please let us know via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter or Instagram. We love you, goodbye!
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Off script: Johnny Mnemonic
The very first adaptation of a William Gibson property was highly anticipated. Directed by a visual artist and music video director and adapted by the father of cyberpunk himself, this film could’ve, at the very least, been a singular piece of cinema. But there’s a reason why Johnny Mnemonic is not the film that comes to mind when you combine the words Keanu Reeves and science-fiction.
With their LoTek dreads and face tattoos on fleek, Ron and Bram travel down to The Free City of Newark to fight the corporations (they rule) and tackle the age old question: what the fuck is going on!?
If you have any thoughts or questions, please let us know via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter or Instagram. Jesus Time!
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S02E01 – Welcome Averie Nash
And so it all starts with a scene that has been floating around in Bram’s head for half a decade. A new screenplay, a new saga. This time, we’re discussing the origins of cyberpunk via William Gibson and Ridley Scott, and how we would like to go into a different direction with our (you’ve guessed it) science-fiction epic. Except, it’s not quite an epic.
You can read this week’s scene here. And the video for the Google Assistant AI Ron mentioned is sourced from here.
If you have any thoughts or questions, please let us know via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter or Instagram. We love you, goodbye!
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Off script: Michael Clayton
Tom Wilkinson goes toe-to-toe with Tilda Swinton, the new head of the fertilizer producing U-North, while George Clooney, the legal team’s fixer, tries to maintain Wilkinson’s cool as well as his own.
The 2008 legal drama Michael Clayton is another one of Ron’s favourites (exhibit a: The Crack Cocaine Entry. Bram, on the other hand, is not convinced. Whoever wins, will become Shiva, the god of death.
If you have any thoughts or questions, please let us know via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com. We love you, goodbye!
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Off script: Paddington
Instead of immediately diving into our next screenplay, we decided we needed a palette cleanser. We’re going off script, if you will. And our very first detour (of many) comes in the shape of a polite bear with an unhealthy craving for marmalade who makes our heart a happier place.
While Ron runs through every story beat, Bram chimes in with his thoughts on the visual language, while both agree Paul King has an unhealthy craving for paying off everything he sets up. It’s an episode fully dedicated to the cinematic event of 2014: Paddington.
If you have any thought or questions, please let us know via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com. We love you, goodbye!
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S01E39 – Lessons From The Screenplay (with Kaj van Zoelen)
For this very special episode, our first season finale, we are joined by Dutch film critic Kaj van Zoelen. Together we read the final scene of the film and discuss a season worth of stumbling while sipping on some whiskey. Just like in the old days.
Also in this episode: a continuation of last week’s Mad Max discussion; Ron doesn’t like musicals except for La La Land; Bram reveals the genre for season 2; Star Wars.
If you have any questions or remarks, don’t hesitate to hit us up via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com. We love you, goodbye.
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S01E38 – Kuwait Does Not Have An Extradition Treaty
Ron doesn’t enjoy older things. Or not as much as he should, according to Bram. So obviously, we lead with an extensive tangent.
In this episode: Winslow takes his magic flight. Over the course of 4 scenes we detail the ex-detective driving, drinking and talking his way closer and closer to Glenn Morris’ hideout.
If you have any questions or remarks, don’t hesitate to hit us up via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com. We love you, goodbye.
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S01E37 – One More and Then I’m Going to Buy a Ukelele
Into the digital realm we go! It may sound different because we’re recording remotely, but it’s the same show. And it might even be better.
In this episode: Winslow’s retirement takes center stage. Heart-to-heart conversations are shared with Larkin and Clement, Williamson finally gets his beer and even Shorty shows up. Lots of emotional character-work coming out of our quarantine.
If you have any questions or remarks, don’t hesitate to hit us up via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com. We love you, goodbye.
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S01E36 – Return to Paradise
Three times is the charm in this unedited extravaganza! We reread you Ginny’s run to Paradise as well as her arrival, and then take turns in arriving there again twice but from different perspectives. All the while honing in on Brazil.
With this episode we decided to give you our uncut recording. All our fumbling and mistake-making and having to reread sentences still in tact to imbue our usual program with a bit more humanity. We hope you appreciate that.
If you have any questions or remarks, don’t hesitate to drop us a line over at thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com. Thank you for listening. Stay safe and stay home.
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A Quick Update Regarding the Podcast
Due to everything that’s happening in the world right now we decided to not quietly miss a week in our uploading schedule. Instead here’s 15 minutes in which we give a little rundown on how we’re doing and what’s going to happen in the near future. Don’t worry, we’re still uncancelled! Thank you for listening and stay safe.
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S01E35 – We’re Now In the Endgame, Again
Good news, everybody. The podcast is uncancelled! Wait, was it cancelled? Definitely! But now it’s uncancelled, so you can stop worrying. Ron and Bram go on a big film-hopping tangent before asking themselves the age-old question: and now what? There’s still that unwritten second half which they’ll have to tackle one day. And that one day seems to be upon us, again.
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S01E34 – Casting Call
In this episode we cast our soon-to-be-finished screenplay. A lot of these roles are knocked out of the park, some being prettier than others, but always have a presence or the necessary gravitas. So, if you enjoy our more tangential work, then this episode full of name-shouting and filmography-digging will be an absolute delight!
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S01E33 – Writing Camp Day 3
The final day of writing camp brings us a big meet-up at the police station, Winslow being a workaholic, Larkin being a neat-freak and Ginny saving Joe from imminent death. We have a while to go still with a little less than half a screenplay to write, but hey, at least we know where we’re going now. Onward to the mansion!
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S01E32 – Writing Camp Day 2
Back at it again. The cards are on a stack now and we’re going through them one-by-one. And so, as dictated by the words on the white wall: Things are seen different(ly). Alban dies in his kitchen, Ginny goes to high school and Larkin gets introduced to Winslow. It’s another hour of two boys sitting in a stuffy room sealed off from fresh air and humanity part two: the reckoning!
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S01E31 – Writing Camp Day 1
Welcome to Writing Camp, in which we’ve locked ourselves up in a boring meeting room for 3 days trying to figure out what went wrong and what could go better. On this first day, we set out to stick flashcards representing all the scenes we’ll have to write or rewrite on a very blue wall. And along the way, we finally figured out how this puzzle fits together. Overview, ahoy!
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S01E30 – Draft Zero: The Last Note
It took us about 3 hours of podcasting, 2 of which will remain unaired, to figure out where to take our story. Because if our concept is so indebted to the idea of golden blood, why would we fight it? Why not lean into it? And leaning we do. Into the sincere but ridiculous. And into a long tangent about Pokémon. Because sometimes that’s necessary too.
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S01E29 – Draft Zero: The Age of Evaluation
What is this film about? This is a good question to ask yourself when you’re 29 episodes into a podcast in which you’re writing said film. And so we embark on the second half of the second act, inching closer towards that inevitable third. What is this film about? Indeed a question to be asked.
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S01E28 – Draft Zero: Dark of the Critique
As Joe tells Ginny and Dog that they should go, so do we go. Until we’ve reached the train station, that is. This week, we tackle the first part of the second act. But hey, fuck acts. It’s called chunks now, we’ve decided. So we tackle the next chunk. The chunk in which Joe and Ginny are on the run. And both of us realized that some things weren’t in the right place. *clang*
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S01E27 – Draft Zero: Revenge of the Feedback
New year, new us. And we have a screenplay! It’s 91 pages long. Is it cohesive? Not really. Is it complete? Nope. Is it good? It might be. But that was kind of the point of reaching a draft: to improve on it. So, this week we’re broadly tackling the first 30 pages. Scenarios become scenes, characters get more character. *robot sounds*
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S01E26 – Albert the Donor
While Winslow gets threatened with the only gun in the house, Ginny gets to peek into her future by way of Albert the donor. It may be the last episode of the year, but don’t expect an ending anytime soon. Because you see, screenwriting is a process akin to water. Big things change radically on a whim. And even now, on the eve of the 2010s, Bram and Ron retool the entire basis of their screenplay. You’re missing a grand opportunity here, Mr. L. Jackson!
No episode next week, as we’re off for the holidays. We’ll be back on the 6th of January.
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S01E25 – The Beginning of the End
The end is here, but not really, but it also kinda is… Let’s just say it’s very near. And it’s up to Bram to be the first. The first to tread the muddy waters of the third act. And the first to try to answer that age-old question: What happens in the mansion? Plus: they talk about guns. Again.
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S01E24 – The Boring but Necessary Glue
That third act. It’s looming over them, but they’re not quite ready yet. So, Ron hops back and forth in the screenplay, filling the gaps they’ve left behind. Bram and Ron also open up about their fears for that finale and talk about how to actually write a thing like this. Good insights, cozy ramblings.
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S01E23 – Deep Voice, Purple Shirt
And this is the episode in which Bram and Ron figure out the first half of the second act. You know, the one in which Joe and Ginny are on the run from the figure, slowly diving deeper into Joe’s criminal past. Yes, that one. There’s also lots of talk about Ginny as a human being as well as some Oscar speculation. So, hop on!
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S01E22 – F-bombs and Clock Staring
In this episode, Bram and Ron forego preparations to write a few scenes while recording the show. While Ron flexes his typing muscles and Bram reads out what is being typed, the hosts engage with Ginny’s pre-Figure high school troubles in this very special and experimental presentation. Live screenwriting! What will they come up with next?!
If you have any feedback or scene-ideas, please let us know via thescreenplaysofar@gmail.com.
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S01E21 – Flip’s Table
Ron explores two instances of retrieving an address which involves a fake badge and a Dylan Moran sketch respectively. But it is the continuation of Winslow’s storyline, the third scene of the day, that really gets the hosts going. Because lo and behold, that third act is being formed in this very episode. Plus a special announcement about an upcoming episode at the end. What fun!
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S01E20 – Forests, radios, and floral patterns
Bram continues Winslow’s story with an array of scenes, creeping the screenplay closer to that inevitable stand-off on the cliff. Also in this episode: An Islamic-themed interruption, cellphones, radios and romanticizing some good old-fashioned police work. It feels as if the boys are really picking up steam, now.
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S01E19 – Revisiting Rita’s Café
They agree they’re not comedians, but they do both agree the writing in this episode is pretty solid. Listen to Ron’s retooled Rita’s Café scene, Bram’s removal of the hatch and then back to the finale of the café-scene. There’s also Disney fatigue, Samuel L. Jackson possibly being replaced, and honest-to-God insights on screenwriting and creativity.
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S01E18 – Flailing Severely
Ron is starting to dabble in watching Asian cinema and confesses that he’s flailing severely. Then Bram returns to the fray with a few scenes about Ginny, Larkin, and Winslow having coffee and then he realizes he’s been flailing severely. And now that we’ve explained the title of this episode: enjoy!
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S01E17 – ’’Why did you give him the wrench?’’
Ron emerges from his self-imposed marathon-writing-session. He’s written four scenes featuring our favourite detective duo as they navigate a crime scene, another crime scene, not a crime scene, and Bluetooth. And why exactly did the handyman give Alban the wrench? Find out in an all-new episode of The Screenplay So Far.
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S01E16 – The Lost Episode Remade
Bram will elaborate on the drama which preceded the making of this episode, but let’s just assume remakes are made to improve on the original. This week: Ginny stabilizes her breathing, Dog gets a purpose, we name two characters, and the hosts get called out on their lack of research in a lengthy mailbag-section.
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S01E15 – We’re Wide Awake, It’s Morning
Welcome to the first-ever caffeine-fuelled morning edition of The Screenplay So Far! Ron is very excited to read his three scenes which reportedly took him many hours to write. These include a nuanced rewrite of that infamous interrogation scene, nightly muzzle-flashes and an unearthing of Joe’s past (which is overwhelmingly Italian-themed). What a start of the day!
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S01E14 – Passing Up On Passing Out
With newfound clarity provided by last week’s episode, Bram pitches (sort of) a new scene and a rewritten scene. While the former sparks some good creativity (including a tangent about sitcoms), the latter triggers a heated discussion in which Bram overuses the word agency, Ron refuses to kill a darling and there’s lots of talk of passing out.
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S01E13 – The Screenplay So Far – Part I
And as promised, here is the episode in which we recap the screenplay so far. Ron spent hours making a comprehensive document with a timeline and a scene-by-scene rundown. Both for your overview as well as for ours, because boy-oh-boy is this thing expanding quickly. Buckle up for some spreadsheet action!
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S01E12 – Throwing Stones, Not Wrenches
Ron pitches two scenes, both follow-ups on previously established ideas. But by the time all of it is discussed and properly feedbacked, hardly any time has elapsed. Meanwhile, the boys struggle with a problem greater than duration: an overview. Because what happened when and where? Will they ever get it back? And how do we go from here?
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S01E11 – A Cop, A Car and Impending Catastrophe
After being accused of playing it safe, Bram decides to shake things up a bit by introducing a character we’ve had trouble with fitting in. Oh, and come to think of it, what kind of dog is the dog? Whatever it is, this is an episode chockfull of progress, tangents, logistical problem-solving and talk of how to make better progress.
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S01E10 – Creating Ginny’s World
Bram returns to the fold, armed with too many scenes that help us understand Ginny better. What is her relationship with her dad like? Does she like ice cream or fries? And are we finally getting to our blood bank foreshadowing?
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S01E09 – How Hanna Could Inspire Ginny
A film about a fifteen-year-old girl fighting to stay out of the clutches of a woman who thinks she is doing the right thing? Ron and Bram saw enough similarities between their idea and the film Hanna (dir. Joe Wright, 2011) that they just had to check it out and then extensively talk about it.
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S01E08 – The One with the Interrogation Scene
It has been teased and now it is finally here. That scene. An entire episode focused on our scary antagonist. Is this scene as good as Ron said? How does waterboarding work? And how does it impact the overall narrative?
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S01E07 – Questions Left Unanswered
Instead of a scene, Bram throws a curveball: there are some plot holes that need to be paved over before the boys can continue on this rocky road, he finds. But what does Jurassic World have to do with all this? How deep does this bloody rabbit hole go? And are these episodes only getting longer? Guess you will just have to listen for yourself!
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S01E06 – Hitting a Ceiling
Ron has not one, but two scenes to pitch, and he’s intent on pitching them both, even if it means running into Bram’s worst enemy: overtime. Discussions ensue. Because what motivates Glenn Close? Which cop is it anyway? And what about a sequel? All this and much more in our longest episode to date!
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S01E05 – Everyone is Tired
Really tired. But you are still getting a brand new episode anyway. Don’t expect too much from the intro though. Or the outro. So, what does a girl do after her parents are murdered? Where and how do you kill off an entire squad of cops? And why is this episode so short? Let’s find out!
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S01E04 – Getting to Know Ginny Better
Ron’s scene introduces us to Ginny’s violent side by seeing her in her natural habitat: the boxing gym. But what is Joe Rogan doing there? What’s up with all these lists and notes? And why are these cops so profane? Maybe Ron went a little overboard, but you will never hear him admit to that. Either way, it’s time for episode double-oh four!
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S01E03 – Getting to know Ginny
It’s time to get to know Ginny: our redhead protagonist. Bram pitches multiple scenes in an effort to make sense of the little girl behind the boxing gloves. Because how does this work? Who is she to the figure? And are we suddenly at the end of the world? Find out!
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S01E02 – The End
Or is it? In this episode Bram takes a stab at an ending for the screenplay. Will Bram really manage to write a last scene that works? And why is Ron pitching a scene as well? And what the hell is a talisman? Get ready for a plot twist.
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S01E01 – The Beginning
And so it begins. The Screenplay So Far kicks into gear with Ron pitching Bram his opening scene. And no: neither have any clue what to do next, but it’s all part of the game. Who is the man behind the desk? And who is kicking down the door? Listen now!
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Episode Zero
A brief introduction to our podcast. Who is this Bram? And what is that Ron? And why are they embarking on this foolish endeavor. They are coming for you, Mr. L. Jackson. Listen please!
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