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Scroll.in
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scroll.in
‘The Phoenician Scheme' review: Benicio del Toro grounds the latest Wes Anderson whimsy
In the entry on Wes Anderson in The New Biographical Dictionary of Film (2004), British critic David Thomson said about the American filmmaker: 'Watch this space. What does that mean? That he might be something someday.' This brutal, terse dismissal came after such well-regarded films as The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004). The relentless whimsy, the meticulously designed and colour-coded sets that resemble dollhouses or model building kits, the grown-ups who behave like brilliant but emotionally stunted children, the gnomic humour – Anderson annoys some viewers but also has a loyal fan base. His latest film is equally divisive. The Phoenician Scheme is something of a return to form after the follies The French Dispatch (2021) and Asteroid City (2023). The new film isn't at the level of Anderson's superb The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), but at least it's grounded in something resembling the present. In the 1950s, the industrialist Anatole Korda (Benicio del Toro) decides to pass on his fortune to his daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton), who is training to be a nun. Liesl does not cast aside her habit but nevertheless starts following her father as he tries to fund his ambitious Korda Land and Sea Phoenician Infrastructure Scheme. The project claims to bring immense wealth to an underexploited region. Like the buccaneers before him and the Silicon Valley bros after him, Korda promises more than he can deliver. Underfunded and overleveraged – it is debatable what remains for Liesl to inherit – Korda charms an array of investors while dodging assassination attempts by his rivals. Within the predictable quirkiness is a cautionary tale about Western conquerors setting off to conquer far-off lands about which they know little and care even less. The film ever-so glancingly addresses American-style expansionism, whose effects are ricocheting within the present-day boundaries of the place that Korda seeks to exploit. The 105-minute confection is written by Anderson and based on a story by him and Roman Coppola. The packaging is typically impeccable: gorgeous production design by Adam Stockhausen, precise camerawork by Bruno Delbonnel, a charming score by Alexander Desplat. Korda's up-down relationship with Liesl creates tension within the perfectly symmetrical sets, also giving the 105-minute film something of an emotional core, especially in its dying moments. The cast has a staggering number of cameos, from Tom Hanks and Riz Ahmed to Scarlett Johansson and Benedict Cumberbatch. Michael Cera creates an impression as Korda's mysterious secretary. The film belongs to a lovely Benicio del Toro, who has a solidity that weights Korda, a sense of enigma that makes him unpredictable and the sleekness that befits a man with nine lives. The deceitful but also remorseful Korda's wheeling-dealing pauses only to build bridges with his estranged daughter. Del Toro creates layers of depth in a film that gives the illusion of being something more than the sum of its neatly assembled parts. Play
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wow. The 14 Must-Watch Owen Wilson Movies.
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." SOME PEOPLE ARE, to put it simply, balls of shining light. Those people exist here and there in our everyday lives, sure, but especially so when watching movies and TV shows. We're talking about the people who show up, and whether in a lead or supporting role, are someone we don't mind spending whatever time we can get with. For nearly 30 years, Owen Wilson has been one of those people. Wilson is best known for his work in comedy (starting with his debut role in Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket), but through the years he's also shown an innate ability to handle anything from an action movie to a psychological drama just as well. He's a versatile performer who can do just about anything a director or a viewer might want, and always make it happen with his signature laid-back, likable charm. Even when he's playing someone who's kind of a dick—like, say, in Zoolander or The Royal Tenenbaums—there's something about the guy that we can't help but come around to. In his latest project, Apple TV+'s Stick, he comes around to a genre he's dabbled in before—the sports story. As a co-writer of The Royal Tenenbaums (which prominently features tennis) and a star of James L. Brooks's How Do You Know (where he played a baseball player), this isn't uncharted territory. But while Stick hits most of the familiar sports movie beats, where it shines is in centering Wilson—once again, he's just a guy we want to spend some time with. And if you're watching Stick (or anything else) and want to spend more time with Owen Wilson, the list below will have you covered with some of his best and most versatile appearances. Owen Wilson—along with his brother, Luke Wilson—first came to fame in Wes Anderson's debut film, Bottle Rocket. While Anderson's style would become much refined from here, Bottle Rocket is an indie comedy heist movie that perfectly puts on display exactly what both Wilsons are capable of. It's fun, clever, funny, and extremely formative to Wilson's persona as a screen presence. Shop Now Shop Now See the original post on YoutubeWithout doubt one of Wilson's greatest partnerships has come with Ben Stiller (a relationship that lasts to this very day), and their dynamic is never better on display than in Zoolander. The film follows Derek Zoolander (Stiller), an empty-headed male model who's at the very top of his game—until a "so hot right now" newcomer named Hansel (Wilson) starts to steal his thunder. Add in a hilarious villain named Mugatu (Will Ferrell) and a funny Manchurian Candidate style subplot, and you have one of the signature comedies of the 2000s. Shop Now Shop Now See the original post on YoutubeThe Royal Tenenbaums tells the story of a narcissistic family patriarch named Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) who returns home with life-changing news for his family. Tenenbaums is, to this day, one of Wes Anderson's best films—it's arguably the point where his style most clearly and without question came into full focus—and clearly provided inspiration for shows like Arrested Development and Succession. Wilson plays the vital role of Eli Cash, who is a lifelong family friend of the Tenenbaum family who grows up into a Cormac McCarthy-esque writer of modern Western fiction. Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Owen's brother Luke are among the many others in this impressive and delightful cast. This may be the best movie on this list overall. Shop Now Shop Now See the original post on YoutubeLook, we said Wilson and Stiller were one of the great comedy duos of the 2000s, and that wasn't a lie. Meet the Parents focuses on Ben Stiller's Greg Focker as he tries to win over Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro), the deadly serious and highly skeptical father of his new fiancée. But that's not his only task—he's also got to compete with Kevin (Wilson), who's his fiancée's charismatic and highly-successful ex-boyfriend. The two, as usual, work some magic together. There are two other films in this series (Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers) with a fourth on the way, but for the purposes of this list we're going to have to stick with the OG. Shop Now Shop Now See the original post on YoutubeWhen Rush Hour became a major hit in the late '90s, replicating its success became a major priority. And so Shanghai Noon was born—and it's different enough from Rush Hour to still hold up pretty decently. Jackie Chan stars as Chon Wang (pronounced like "John Wayne,' ha ha) who is from the Chinese Imperial Guard and looking to save a princess—and is teamed up with a fun-loving cowboy named Roy O'Bannon (a perfectly cast Wilson, stepping into the Chris Tucker role). It's fun! So fun, in fact, that a second movie, Shanghai Knights came out a couple years later. Shop Now Shop Now See the original post on YoutubeWe said Zoolander was one of the signature broad comedies of the 2000s, and it certainly is. But part of the glory of Owen Wilson is that he's in more than one of the signature broad comedies of the 2000s, because Wedding Crashers is certainly that. Wilson and Vince Vaughn play a pair of attorneys who have an annual tradition: pretending to be people they aren't in order to get into weddings they were not invited to, and just have a ton of fun. Wilson and Vaughn's chemistry is for the ages, their love interests are played by Rachel McAdams and Isla Fisher, Christopher Walken is there, and you get a fantastic early Bradley Cooper performance as the film's villain. Truly what more do you need? It's a raunchy classic for a reason. Shop Now Shop Now See the original post on YoutubeThe Wes Anderson movies just keep coming. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is a movie about deep sea exploration, but at it's core its a story about a father (Bill Murray) and his son (Wilson). Come for Anderson's aesthetic and the movie's fantastic David Bowie covers, and stick around for a really touching relationship at the core and well-crafted characters. Shop Now Shop Now See the original post on YoutubePart of Wilson's greatness is that he can do a little bit of everything—and that includes voicing the lead character in an iconic Pixar film. Cars is a film about, well, cars, but Wilson plays the one and only Lightning McQueen. Lightning is stand-in for the typical hot-shot athlete who knows little more than winning and his own catch phrases before he needs to get humbled and meets a world-weary mentor named Doc Hudson (voiced by Paul Newman). There are three Cars movies, but the first remains the best, and a classic for all ages, to this day. Shop Now Shop Now See the original post on YoutubeFolks, we've reached the list's fourth and final Wes Anderson movie, and it's The Darjeeling Limited. The film features three brothers—played by Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and reigning Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody—as they take a trip through India with one another on the anniversary of their father's death. It's one of Anderson's most touching and personal films. Shop Now Shop Now See the original post on YoutubeWhen we say Wilson can do it all, we mean it—and that includes fun/sad dog movies. Wilson's two most vital co-stars in Marley & Me are Jennifer Aniston and the adorable canine playing Marley. You know what you're going to get with this one, but damn if it's not effective! Shop Now Shop Now See the original post on YoutubeYou've got Wilson the comedy star. You've got Wilson the family movie star. You've got Wilson the animation voiceover star. And in Behind Enemy Lines, you get the chance to see Wilson as the action star, once again opposite the great Gene Hackman. Is this the greatest action movie ever made? No, it's really not—it's a pretty standard military thriller. But he can do it, and it's fun to see these two actors go at it. Shop Now Shop Now See the original post on YoutubeWith Midnight in Paris, you can add a bit of romance and magical realism to the Owen Wilson portfolio. This film, which won Woody Allen an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, follows a writer (Wilson) who visits Paris with his fiancée (Rachel McAdams) and her family, where he becomes taken to long walks by himself. On these walks, he eventually finds a way to transport to the Jazz Age, where he meets figures like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and more. It's a touching, sweet, funny movie about rediscovering what's important to you and feeling alive—and Wilson proves to be one of Allen's great protagonists. Shop Now Shop Now See the original post on YoutubeWilson got to work with another fantastic modern director named Anderson in Inherent Vice, Paul Thomas Anderson's 2014 adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's novel of the same name. And keeping with the source material, Inherent Vice is a trippy, psychedelic neo-noir, with another stacked cast. The film follows Doc (Joaquin Phoenix), a private detective who is looking for numerous missing people—one of whom is a dude named Coy Harlingen (Wilson). Shop Now Shop Now See the original post on YoutubeOK. Not a movie. But we're going to make an exception on Wilson's list to include Loki, which got the actor into the Marvel world for the first time as time-travel authority Mobius M. Mobius. Wilson is a a natural fit in the role, because despite not looking much like himself—Mobius has short, light, almost gray hair, and a mustache—this role makes fantastic use of his feel-good go-with-the-flow vibe. Wilson fits perfectly with Tom Hiddleston (who plays Loki), and every scene with the two of them together is just a delight. "He's the best. He's actually the best," Hiddleston told Men's Health in a recent interview. "He's one of the great men. I love that guy." We're going to have to agree. Shop Now Shop Now Shop Now See the original post on Youtube You Might Also Like The Best Hair Growth Shampoos for Men to Buy Now 25 Vegetables That Are Surprising Sources of Protein
Chicago Tribune
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
‘The Phoenician Scheme' review: Wes Anderson and Co. embark on an elaborate save-a-soul mission
A peculiar tension exists inside nearly every frame created by writer-director Wes Anderson. The geometric visual preoccupation of the framing; the actors, sometimes in motion but more frequently motionless; the manifestation of storytelling as a series of the prettiest shoebox dioramas in modern cinema: It's more than a style or a look to Anderson. It's his way of seeing the world through a lens of comic stoicism, right at the edge of art-installation territory. The tension in those images comes from two places. The unfortunate place: When the comic banter or monologuing strains for laughs, or goes sideways, it sometimes dies an extra, tiny, momentary death because of the arch, extreme formality of the presentation. The more fortunate source of tension is where the actors live. In Anderson's lavishly talented ensembles, the majority of the performers fulfill the basic requirements of being in a Wes Anderson movie, which can involve spitting out long reams of dialogue quickly, directly, without a lot of sauce. It also involves the task of portraying a human in a specific realm of unreality and in a kind of permanent repose, even in motion. But hitting the marks and holding the pose isn't enough. There's movement, of course, in every Anderson comedy, and in the best ones, the movement and the sight gags are funnier because of the stillness surrounding that movement. Whatever you want to call Anderson's universe — I'll go with Deadpandia — it's not easy to activate as a performer. When the right actor wriggles free of the constraints and finds a rhythm, a heartbeat and a human spark, it's magic. Benicio Del Toro is the star of 'The Phoenician Scheme,' Anderson's 12th and latest. But the ringer is Michael Cera, as Norwegian tutor Bjørn Lund, employed as an all-purpose factotum by the shady, swaggering, death-defying entrepreneur played by Del Toro. In one go, Cera joins the top tier of Anderson alums, which includes Ralph Fiennes ('The Grand Budapest Hotel,' 'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar') and, from Anderson's earlier, looser years, Gene Hackman and Anjelica Huston ('The Royal Tenenbaums') and, of course, Bill Murray in everything (he has a brief cameo here, as God). Cera is terrifically subtle in everything he does, from pricelessly cheap dialect humor to sudden bursts of jealousy. He's delightful, even if 'The Phoenician Scheme' is only occasionally that. The movie's largely about other characters. A frequent target of assassins, forever surviving plane crashes in between business deals, Anatole 'Zsa-zsa' Korda (Del Toro) embarks on the riskiest development project of his life, indicated by Anderson's title. It consists of a dam, tunnels, a canal and a general colonialist ravaging of a desert region (fictional, but with plenty of real-world Middle Eastern inspirations). Funding this beast means negotiating with several investors, among them a French nightclub owner (Mathieu Amalric), a pair of American industrialists (Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston) and, above all, Korda's estranged daughter, Liesl, a cynical novitiate and Korda's intended heiress, played by Mia Threapleton. 'The Phoenician Scheme' is a tale of what money can buy, and what money can't. Stringing episodes together, screenwriter Anderson (working from a story co-created by Roman Coppola) treats Korda as a cocky survivor of fabulous riches. Through his adventures in fundraising, and realization that he won't last forever, Korda learns from Liesl a little about what makes a legacy important. Meantime, he negotiates family matters with his 10 young sons and his scowling brother, Uncle Nubar (Benedict Cumberbatch), who may be Liesl's father, and whose massive woodcut of a beard comes straight from Orson Welles' billionaire in 'Mr. Arkadin.' The overall vibe of fishy exoticism owes something to 'Mr. Arkadin' as well. Anderson works here with a cinematographer new to him, the excellent Bruno Delbonnel, shooting on 35mm film. Anderson regulars Adam Stockhausen (production design, first-rate) and Milena Canonero (costume design, brilliant and vibrant as always) evoke a dreamlike 1950s setting in every soundstage-bound detail. And the story? Well, it has a little problem with over-elaboration. 'The Phoenician Scheme' follows a relatively straightforward narrative line, ticking off chapters as Korda addresses each of his prized (and literal) shoeboxes of research and minutiae regarding the massively disruptive, slave labor-dependent construction project. It's easier to parse what's going on here compared to the hyperlinking and layering of 'The French Dispatch' and 'Asteroid City.' But the protagonist is a bit of a bore. And somehow, right now, on planet Earth in 2025, a movie about a craven oligarch on a spree hits a mixed chord, let's say. It is, however, striking to see what happens in the epilogue of this up-and-down Anderson film, when Del Toro — who looks splendid but struggles to locate a lightness of touch the material could use — finally gets a few moments of on-screen relaxation in the epilogue. That's by design: He is not the same person at the end of his story. But I wonder if Anderson erred in maintaining such a tight hold on Del Toro and Threapleton en route to the story destination. A beautiful mixed bag, let's say, all told. But I'll see 'The Phoenician Scheme' a second time sometime for Cera, who will surely return to the Anderson fold. 'The Phoenician Scheme' — 2.5 stars (out of 4) MPA rating: PG-13 (for violent content, bloody images, some sexual material, nude images, and smoking throughout) Running time: 1:45 How to watch: Premieres in theaters June 6
Calgary Herald
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Star of Vancouver-shot Stick Owen Wilson talks golf, gambling and the Grouse Grind
For a few months last summer, there seemed to be daily Owen Wilson sightings in the Lower Mainland. Article content Photos of Wilson riding his bike, hiking the Grouse Grind, or out enjoying a meal were everywhere. The Wedding Crashers, The Royal Tenenbaums and Midnight in Paris star was in Vancouver filming his new 10-part series Stick, which premiers on the streamer Apple TV+ on June 4. Article content 'I felt like people sort of would almost go, 'Oh god, there he is again',' said Wilson during a Zoom interview with his Stick co-star Judy Greer. 'It certainly felt, by the end of five months, that it wasn't, you know, how it felt in the beginning. When people are a little bit excited you're there.' Article content As for the Grouse Grind, Wilson said he was a regular on the challenging hiking trail, clocking his best time of 53 minutes just before the series wrapped shooting last September. Article content 'I don't know if there's a more beautiful place, you know, certainly in the summer,' said Wilson about Vancouver. 'I was so happy we shot there, because for a while it was going to be in Atlanta, which is nice. But Atlanta in the summer, it's hot, a totally different experience.' Article content Article content Article content Article content 'I've worked there so much over the years. I love it,' said Greer (Ant-Man and The Wasp, Adaptation). 'A great crew. Everyone I've ever worked with there from small-budget things to big-budget things — everyone in production there is so talented.' Article content In Stick, Wilson plays Pryce Cahill, an over-the-hill, ex-pro golfer whose career prematurely missed the cut 20 years ago. After his marriage to Amber-Linn (Greer) fails and he gets fired from his sports store job, Pryce discovers young-gun golfer Santi Wheeler (Peter Dager) and manages to convince the troubled 17-year-old and his single mom (Mariana Treviño) that he can help him make it to the show. Pryce convinces his former caddy and longtime friend Mitts (Marc Maron) to come along for the ride. Well, actually supply the ride in the shape of a motor home, to ferry the newly formed rag tag team of misfits toward golf greatness. Article content Article content 'Someone mentioned it reminded them of The Wizard of Oz, about this group of people who were travelling together that all had an empty space that they needed to fill. A hole they were trying to fill, something they were trying to get. And they were going to be together and try to get it,' said Greer. 'I thought that was really, really beautiful.' Article content Article content While the story could have used any sport, show creator and showrunner Jason Keller chose golf because it offered him a slate upon which to draw the human condition. Article content 'A lot of people are struggling, you know, with emotional baggage,' said Keller over Zoom. 'When I see golfers, especially at the elite level, out there alone on a golf course, that's what I see. I see someone who is very cut off from everybody around them, struggling with their mindset, hoping to sort of get it right on the golf course. Both those worlds kind of seem to fit together.'
Vancouver Sun
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Star of Vancouver-shot Stick Owen Wilson talks golf, gambling and the Grouse Grind
For a few months last summer, there seemed to be daily Owen Wilson sightings in the Lower Mainland. Photos of Wilson riding his bike, hiking the Grouse Grind, or out enjoying a meal were everywhere. The Wedding Crashers, The Royal Tenenbaums and Midnight in Paris star was in Vancouver filming his new 10-part series Stick, which premiers on the streamer Apple TV+ on June 4. 'I felt like people sort of would almost go, 'Oh god, there he is again',' said Wilson during a Zoom interview with his Stick co-star Judy Greer. 'It certainly felt, by the end of five months, that it wasn't, you know, how it felt in the beginning. When people are a little bit excited you're there.' As for the Grouse Grind, Wilson said he was a regular on the challenging hiking trail, clocking his best time of 53 minutes just before the series wrapped shooting last September. 'I don't know if there's a more beautiful place, you know, certainly in the summer,' said Wilson about Vancouver . 'I was so happy we shot there, because for a while it was going to be in Atlanta, which is nice. But Atlanta in the summer, it's hot, a totally different experience.' Greer too was quick to jump on the Vancouver-is-great bandwagon. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'I've worked there so much over the years. I love it,' said Greer (Ant-Man and The Wasp, Adaptation). 'A great crew. Everyone I've ever worked with there from small-budget things to big-budget things — everyone in production there is so talented.' In Stick, Wilson plays Pryce Cahill, an over-the-hill, ex-pro golfer whose career prematurely missed the cut 20 years ago. After his marriage to Amber-Linn (Greer) fails and he gets fired from his sports store job, Pryce discovers young-gun golfer Santi Wheeler (Peter Dager) and manages to convince the troubled 17-year-old and his single mom (Mariana Treviño) that he can help him make it to the show. Pryce convinces his former caddy and longtime friend Mitts ( Marc Maron ) to come along for the ride. Well, actually supply the ride in the shape of a motor home, to ferry the newly formed rag tag team of misfits toward golf greatness. Stick kind of defies a straightforward label as it successfully combines the family dramedy, road trip, buddy comedy, coming-of-age and comeback genres. 'Someone mentioned it reminded them of The Wizard of Oz, about this group of people who were travelling together that all had an empty space that they needed to fill. A hole they were trying to fill, something they were trying to get. And they were going to be together and try to get it,' said Greer. 'I thought that was really, really beautiful.' While the story could have used any sport, show creator and showrunner Jason Keller chose golf because it offered him a slate upon which to draw the human condition. 'A lot of people are struggling, you know, with emotional baggage,' said Keller over Zoom. 'When I see golfers, especially at the elite level, out there alone on a golf course, that's what I see. I see someone who is very cut off from everybody around them, struggling with their mindset, hoping to sort of get it right on the golf course. Both those worlds kind of seem to fit together.' For the golfing sequences, the production tee'd up a handful of golf courses in the Langley and Surrey area before wrapping up the show with the Pitt Meadows Golf Club standing in for a PGA event. Lots of locals were put to work as actors, golfing doubles, background actors and, of course, crew. Included on that list was Richmond teaching pro and former PGA Tour Canada golfer Nathan Leonhardt, who was the golf consultant for the series. 'I just like the guy a lot. We came to rely on him a lot,' said Keller. 'I really empowered him to speak up when he thought we weren't getting the golf right. He was key to the entire production, all the way through postproduction.' Leonhardt worked closely with Wilson. And, when the cameras weren't rolling, they could be found making some friendly golf-related wagers. 'Not surprisingly, he won money from me. But it doesn't take much for me to sort of want to bet on something,' said Wilson. 'So, in between takes when you're filming on a golf course, you got plenty of opportunities to bet. I'm just glad I didn't lose more money … I felt like I beat Nathan by just losing as little money as I did lose.' Losing only a little money to a pro is impressive when you consider Wilson headed into this job having only played games with his family and completing just one 18-hole round. He left the shoot, he figures, with a 14 handicap and is now eagerly trying to lower that number. 'I had never thought that I'd become a golfer. I thought I'd kind of missed that boat. Both my brothers are good. (I thought) they're too far along. I can never catch them. But I've learned that, oh yeah, I can catch them,' said Wilson. 'The idea that I got to sort of be a part of this show and tell this story and learn to play golf, in a way, kind of makes it one of the best creative experiences of my life.' Maron, a veteran standup comedian, actor and author, and the host of one of the original and still very successful podcasts, WTF with Marc Maron, didn't have any history with golf. Luckily for him, his role only required him to talk a good game. 'The first thing that went through my mind was, why me? I don't know anything about golf, really,' said Maron when asked over Zoom if he was a golfer. 'But you know, when it became clear that my role was not essentially about golf, that it was about the emotional counterpart to a friendship that has gone on for decades that was not necessarily strained, but definitely has had its ups and downs, and that these are a couple of guys that have been through a lot in life, on their own and together, I thought that was a very interesting dynamic, and something I wanted to be part of and to explore. 'Also, I'm not that unlike the guy.' For Keller, Maron was indeed like that guy. 'Marc is the only person I wanted for the role. I met him for coffee, and I think he was really sizing me up when we met,' said Keller. 'I think he was sort of wondering what kind of collaborator I would be with him. And I think I was very upfront with him, and I was throughout the development and shooting of the show, that I wanted his input. He's a very smart guy. He has a really interesting point of view, very funny … that character developed certain colours that weren't on the page because Mark gave his input.' When asked about the perils of being a comedian faced with other people's writing, Maron said: 'My policy is that, if the joke fits the character and it's not there just to sort of button a scene, I'll work with it.' And if he thought the jokes didn't work? 'There were definitely times where I thought that the jokes didn't fit the character, or were not really necessary,' said Maron, who just taped his latest HBO comedy special a few weeks ago. 'It's something that I thought about a lot when reading the scripts, because Mitts was a supporting character. In order to keep him real, I would opt for fewer jokes. And Jason and Chris Moynihan, we would talk about it, and we would sort of navigate that when there was an issue. 'Because I'd rather play it for the emotion than the joke. Because I don't think it's really that type of show. It's not a joke show.' While shooting Stick, Maron like Wilson, was spotted around Vancouver including onstage at a Jokes Please! show back in July. Fans of Maron's WTF know he is less than happy about what has transpired politically in the U.S. and has made it clear that he's open to making a move north. He has set the wheels in motion for gaining permanent residency in Canada. 'I'm waiting. I just heard from my guy today,' said Maron when asked about his PR status. 'The world is falling apart a little bit. I just hope that I have that option. I love Vancouver. I had a nice time up there. That was definitely the longest time I'd spent there. I did a lot of comedy.' And he also did the Grouse Grind with Wilson. 'I did it once,' said Maron. 'Owen didn't tell me that he had done it a lot. So, he had already adapted to it … he's just kind of going right up it like it was nothing. And I hike a lot, but that's hard. 'I was very mad at Owen for pretending like (he'd) never done it before.' 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