The Rewatchables: ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins

Published 2019-11-21; 1:34:30 by the feed.

As extracted (engineer-sonnet-2026-10-13)

The extraction calls the show “The Rewatchables (The Ringer)” and the episode “'Skyfall' With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins”.

Hosts: Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins. Guests: none.

Subject films: Skyfall (2012).

On the transcript: No speaker labels and heavy ASR errors; the speaker mapping is inferred. Hosts address each other by garbled names ('John').

Awards and segments (73)

Most rewatchable scene

pick Silva's first scene with Bond: the rats-on-the-island monologue
“I don't I think this is a category of one.”
unknown · 0:27:04
pick The Silva intro / rats speech, confirmed as the pick
“Rats has to be the Silva intro.”
unknown · 0:41:25
floated The Shanghai skyscraper shootout
“Um, so that be that with that in mind, the Shanghai skyscraper shootout.”
unknown · 0:19:10
floated The new MI6 introduction in Churchill's tunnels, with Bond's word-association training
“The new MI6 Churchill's Tunnels bond training scene of like the, you know, Word Association doing sit-ups while Rory Kinnear is trying to explain the state of the world.”
unknown · 0:19:17
floated The tube chase through London
“The tube chase.”
unknown · 0:20:15
floated The church scene at the end
“And the church scene at the end.”
unknown · 0:20:18
floated Bond's first meeting with Q in front of the Turner painting
“Part of what connects me to the movie is some of the smaller stuff like the 1st meeting with Q.”
unknown · 0:20:32
floated M reading Tennyson at the inquiry, cut to Bond sprinting through London
“When she's doing Tennyson and she's reading it and then they just cut to Daniel Craig sprinting through London with, I think, one of the monuments, I think it's Big Ben in the background and they're landed on thick, but I find it so moving every time.”
unknown · 0:21:44
floated Mallory and M arguing about the shadows and who the enemy is
“And one of my other favorite sequences that is mostly just dialogue is Mallory and M having a kind of philosophical conversation deeper into the movie, where they're talking about who the enemy is.”
unknown · 0:23:26
floated Bond and Kincaid planning at Skyfall lodge: men are coming to kill us, we kill them first
“I have 2 more suggestions.”
unknown · 0:24:48
floated The fight on top of the train, ending with Bond adjusting his sleeve
“And then I think I would be remiss if I didn't do once they're on top of the train.”
unknown · 0:25:23

Aged Best · What about the movie has held up best.

nominee Judi Dench as M: Gravitas and restraint: just enough to give a scene meaning without taking it over.
“Number one, Judy Dench, literally, has aged the best.”
unknown · 0:41:31
nominee The London-centric locations: Sensible, grounded locations rather than volcano lairs; tied to the 50th anniversary.
“It's very London centric.”
unknown · 0:42:34
nominee The waning of empire and the Brexit-era British government: A running joke that the theme reads as very 2019.
“Brexit, James Brexit.”
unknown · 0:43:40
nominee The Deakins cinematography: It still looks cutting edge.
“It has not it doesn't look dated at all.”
unknown · 0:44:07
nominee Casting a prestige director and cast for a franchise movie
“I think the idea of casting a prestige person to make a franchise movie is aging quite well.”
unknown · 0:44:10
nominee Albert Finney as Kincaid: His last performance in a movie.
“One other thing that's aged well is this is Albert Finney's last performance in a movie.”
unknown · 0:49:05
winner Adele's "Skyfall": Chosen as the winner because it had the highest approval rating among the hosts.
“So let's go with Adele's song wins...”
Chris Ryan · 0:50:00

Best Clothes · Favorite outfits in the movie.

pick Ben Whishaw's sweater and little parka as Q
“Uh, the sweater that Ben Wishaw wears?”
unknown · 0:47:06
pick Daniel Craig's suits: The cut allows movement while looking handsome.
“Anyway, the literal way the suits are cut.”
unknown · 0:47:34
pick Bond's wool training tracksuit and low-top Adidas at MI6
“Your sweatpants should fit the way that Daniel Craig's sweatpants fit in the MI6.”
unknown · 0:48:55
pick Bond's Barbour jackets and boots for the final Skyfall look in Scotland
“I mean, you have to love the barber jackets and all this stuff.”
unknown · 0:48:01
pick Moneypenny's business casual
“Um, I, you know, Money Penny is like business casual is nice for her.”
unknown · 0:47:54

Aged Worst · What about the movie has held up worst.

nominee The hacking plot: Hacking is inherently uncinematic and M clicking the link is silly.
“The hacking's pretty stupid in this movie.”
unknown · 0:50:10
winner Severin and the shower scene as Severin: Bond sneaking up on a sex-trafficking survivor in the shower and then discarding her; the hosts agree the plot line is the tough one.
“It really jumped out at me last time I watched it when he's like, I'm going to sneak attack you in the shower after you told me that you're a survivor of a sex ring is pretty wild.”
unknown · 0:53:53
nominee Imperialism
“Imperialism?”
unknown · 0:55:50
nominee Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny: Not much chemistry with Bond and a jaunty tone out of step with the sedate film.
“I'm not wild about Naomi Harris's money penny.”
unknown · 0:55:51

Casting What-Ifs · Almost-castings and recasts, including the Recasting Couch for who plays Bond next.

pick Sean Connery as Kincaid: Discussed for Kincaid, then rejected because the stunt casting would pull people out of the movie.
“They were in discussions with Sean Connery to play Kincaid.”
Chris Ryan · 0:57:07
pick Kevin Spacey as Mallory: Said to have been approached because Mendes directed him in American Beauty.
“I think I think Kevin Spacey was originally approached to play Mallory.”
unknown · 0:57:19
pick The Peter Morgan version of the script: A behind-the-scenes what-if rather than a casting one: release the Peter Morgan cut.
“Release the Peter Morgan cut.”
unknown · 0:58:49
pick Idris Elba as James Bond: Dismissed as too old now, the conversation being over.
“I think Idris Elba is like way older now than any bond who had been previously cast at that point.”
unknown · 1:15:09
pick Daniel Kaluuya as James Bond
“That wouldn't stop someone like Daniel Kaluya, being a potential bond is an interesting talking point, he kind of fits some of the profile.”
unknown · 1:15:16
nominee Richard Madden as James Bond: Floated, then judged a little wooden and lacking Craig's layers of pain.
“Anyway, Richard Madden is not my particular pick for James Bond, because I think he's a little, he's a little wooden, is evidenced by Chris just screaming Vicki a lot.”
unknown · 1:16:02
pick Tom Hardy as James Bond
“I mean, like, I would like Tom Hardy to play James Bond.”
unknown · 1:16:43
pick Kano as James Bond: Wild card: a grime MC from Top Boy as a Bond nobody has seen before.
“Kano, who is a grime MC who's in this show, top boy is fucking awesome.”
unknown · 1:17:03
pick Emily Blunt as James Bond: If they ever cast a woman: charisma, British, and action credibility (Edge of Tomorrow, Sicario).
“But Emily Blunt.”
unknown · 1:17:44
pick Ruben (Rubeneck) as M: Wishes the film had brought in the person named Rubeneck as M; the name is unclear in the transcript.
“Um, I wish they would have brought Rubeneck in as M.”
unknown · 1:18:27

Dion Waiters Award · Doing the most with the least; the heat-check award.

nominee Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva: Floated as a question of whether he qualifies at all.
“I mean, so basically, is Bard does Bardem qualify?”
Chris Ryan · 0:59:28
nominee Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory
“And if not, I think it's fines, right?”
Chris Ryan · 0:59:31
nominee Albert Finney as Kincaid
“Yeah, I mean, but you could also make a case for Finney and Wishaw.”
unknown · 0:59:35
winner Ben Whishaw as Q: A good reinvention of a younger Q, overqualified for the part, like everyone in the movie.
“Okay, Dion Waiters Award goes to Ben Wish.”
unknown · 1:00:09

Apex Mountain · Where the movie sits on the mountain of a star's or filmmaker's career.

winner Daniel Craig as James Bond: Opens the Olympics and stars in the billion-dollar best Bond; in terms of actual power, it has to be Skyfall.
“But in terms of actually having power, I think it has to be Skyfall.”
Chris Ryan · 1:00:52
nominee Sam Mendes as director: Argued that Mendes's apex was earlier, right after American Beauty.
“Yeah, Daniel Craig Apex Mountain, Sam Mendes, I would probably say this was an earlier point for Mendes, like coming out of American Beauty doing jarhead.”
unknown · 1:00:58
nominee Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva: Hard to call it his apex after No Country for Old Men; the joke is that The Counselor is the true apex.
“And then to the wonder and then the counselor, which is the greatest performance in the history of movies.”
unknown · 1:02:05

Denholm Elliott Award (Best That Guy) · The Joey Pants Award, renamed for this episode after a British character actor: the that guy who is in everything.

nominee Rory Kinnear as Tanner
“Roy Kinnear, in pretty much every good television show to come out of England last year.”
Chris Ryan · 1:02:35
nominee Nicholas Woodeson as Doctor Hall: Does the word association with Bond in the psychological evaluation.
“Nicholas Woodison, who is doing word association with Bond in the psychological evaluation, is in everything.”
Chris Ryan · 1:02:49
nominee Albert Finney as Kincaid: Sort of, because he is behind the beard.
“Uh, I guess Albert Finney sort of, because he's behind the beard.”
Chris Ryan · 1:02:56
nominee Ola Rapace as Patrice: Noomi Rapace's ex-husband, a well-known actor in Sweden; Bond tosses him off a building.
“Uh, Ola Rupas?”
unknown · 1:03:03
winner Helen McCrory as Clair Dowar: Plays the minister questioning M; you hear her voice and think of Polly Shelby from Peaky Blinders, even without a close-up.
“Helen McCrory, who goes on to play Polly Shelby in Peaky Blinders plays the minister, who's questioning Judy Dench.”
Chris Ryan · 1:02:42

Linda Partridge Award (Don't Call Me Lady) · The overacting award, formerly the Saul Rubinek award, now named for Julianne Moore's Linda Partridge in Magnolia; hosts note it is not an insult.

nominee Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory: Said to be the one who loves to chew scenery in every scene, in a sedate movie.
“But he's he is the thing that Judy Dench is not.”
unknown · 0:57:40
nominee Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny: Banter at a different register from everyone else, as in a screwball comedy.
“I was going to save her for whatever the overacting category is called now.”
unknown · 0:56:35
nominee Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva: Argued that he is outsized in a muted movie and that overacting is a skill, though others insisted he is acting just right.
“Overacting is a skill unto itself.”
unknown · 1:05:16
winner The boat captain who says they should push off as boat captain: Given the award as a compromise so that everyone stays friends, with Bardem declared off limits.
“How about we give it to the boat captain who sticks his head and is like, we should push off?”
Chris Ryan · 1:05:00

Picking Nits · Nitpicks of a film they love.

pick Bond's scorpion tricks at a Turkish bar while supposedly dead and keeping a low profile
“Uh, just the idea of like keeping a low pro and you're like, the British guy in Istanbul and like a Turkish beach, just scorpion tricks?”
unknown · 0:35:03
pick Bond in khakis in bed right after sex on a Turkish beach
“And then the next shot is he is wearing khakis in bed.”
unknown · 1:19:08
pick MI6 selling Bond's apartment
“I would just be really fucking mad if they sold my apartment.”
unknown · 1:22:00
pick Hackers needing 3 to 4 months to decode one list of agents, and the list of NATO agents being on one hard drive
“Uh, it takes 3 to 4 months for hackers to decode one list of agents, I think, at the timeline situation.”
unknown · 1:22:18
pick The hacker posting the reveals on YouTube
“The hacker is using YouTube.”
unknown · 1:22:36
pick Q running the unofficial breadcrumb trail on the giant screen at headquarters, on the computer that just got hacked
“But so Q's doing like the top secret where like a breadcrumb trail.”
unknown · 1:23:28
pick Bond strangling a man underwater with his knee
“Can you strangle a guy with your knee?”
unknown · 1:23:56
pick Bond always saying his name, dressed impeccably, and never simply shot in the face; Silva lures him to an island to explain his plan: The hosts answer that Silva wants M's attention, not a quick kill, like the Joker plot.
“Um, I, so James Bond, um, is an international secretive operative, who tells everybody his name, who is always saying his name, and who's always dressed impeccably, and is incredibly handsome, and sleeping with strangers all the time.”
Chris Ryan · 1:24:53

Best Quote · Favorite line from the movie.

nominee "Orphans always make the best recruits."
“Orphans always make the best recruits.”
unknown · 1:26:29
nominee The rats line: "Now they only eat rat. You have changed their nature."
“Now they only eat rat.”
unknown · 1:27:15
nominee Q to Mallory: "But what if the PM finds out?"
“And I also just love when Q says to Mallory.”
unknown · 1:27:27
nominee Bond to Kincaid: "Some men are coming to kill us. We're going to kill them first."
“Best quotes.”
unknown · 1:27:49
winner "Mommy was very bad."
“Uh, let's go with that for best quote then.”
Chris Ryan · 1:28:02

Netflix Remake · Could this be remade as a 10-episode Netflix show, and which spinoff or prestige TV show would the hosts watch.

pick A Peter Morgan Bond Netflix show, filmed on location at this production level
“If this was just like Peter Morgan, make the bond Netflix show.”
unknown · 1:28:11
pick An MI6 show centered on a reckless alcoholic asshole
“I, as a spy head, kind of a spy guy, would love an MI6 show where there was just this reckless alcoholic asshole who is sort of the centerpiece of it.”
unknown · 1:28:31
pick A show about Judi Dench's M and the internal politics of MI6, with a set piece every other episode
“Well, when you said MI6 show, I was like, I would watch Judy Dench's M and kind of all the internal politics and then, you know, every other episode, there's some, like, extended set piece, but it's Judy Dish and Rafe finds playing like, like going to Whitehall and having to go to hearings and like doing backroom deals.”
unknown · 1:29:00

Unanswerable Questions · Open questions the movie leaves unanswered.

pick What Silva's relationship to M was beyond being an agent she screwed over: Another host says the movie gives only a perfunctory explanation (she cut him loose in Hong Kong for six agents), and a Silva prequel could be interesting.
“Like, what was Silva's relationship to M beyond, if anything, he was just an agent that she screwed over.”
unknown · 1:29:40

Who Won the Movie · Who came out ahead from the movie.

nominee Barbara Broccoli
“Barbara Broccoli?”
unknown · 1:31:56
winner Sam Mendes: Resets his career after Away We Go and reaffirms him as top tier: he took a franchise property and got it more awards and more money.
“I don't think that you get the same movie without Bardem, but I still think Mendy's won the movie.”
unknown · 1:33:40
winner James Bond, the franchise: Rejuvenated and made exciting again; Chris Ryan is convinced by this answer.
“No, I think I think the broccoli family, the James Bond, the franchise.”
unknown · 1:33:48

Films that came up

Claims (50)

people (people): Jez Butterworth → Skyfall. Butterworth is suspected of writing the Bond-and-Silva scenes uncredited and also worked on Spectre.
“who I reckless, recklessly suspect, wrote these scenes between Bond and Silva”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:01:51 · Chris Ryan (0.70 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Skyfall → Christopher Nolan. Bond producers wanted their own critically acclaimed thriller since Nolan was having all the fun with Bond-esque movies.
“Let's do it ourselves.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:02:35 · Chris Ryan (0.80 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Casino Royale → Quantum of Solace. Casino Royale sung by Chris Cornell and Quantum by Jack White and Alicia Keys, both strange compared with Adele.
“theme song in Quantum of Solace is sung by Jack White and Alicia Keys, and it's actually quite strange.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:05:17 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Adele → Skyfall. The Adele song feels both a century old and incredibly modern.
“The Adele song, it feels like it's 100 years old and also incredibly modern”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:05:24 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Roger Deakins → Skyfall. The shot-from-behind-Bond's-shoulder Silva intro is Deakins photography, and the movie is candy for movie nerds.
“The movie is shot by Roger Deakins.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:05:29 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): Javier Bardem → The Social Network. Not nominating Bardem is her number 2 Oscar outrage of the decade, behind The Social Network not winning.
“That's my number 2 outrage of Oscar outrage of the decade behind social network, not winning.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:07:35 · Amanda Dobbins (0.80 sure it was them)
career (career): Javier Bardem → No Country for Old Men. Bardem's recent Oscar may have counted against a nomination for Skyfall.
“he just won 3 years or 5 years before this for no country.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:08:43 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Javier Bardem → Christoph Waltz. Bond villains are now Oscar winners: Bardem, Waltz, Malek.
“Bardem being an Oscar winner on Waltz being an Oscar winner.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:09:20 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): John Logan → Rango. Logan wrote one of the speaker's favorite movies, Rango, and Gladiator.
“He wrote one of my favorite movies ever, Rango.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:10:02 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Javier Bardem → Hannibal Lecter. Silva is a blend of Lecter, Julian Assange and Robert Shaw's Red Grant.
“Silva essentially plays Hannibal Lecter meets Julian Assange, meets Robert Shaw's blonde Adonis from Russia with love.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:10:18 · Chris Ryan (0.70 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Silva → From Russia with Love. Silva's mouthpiece nods to the Jaws-style henchman.
“And he even has the Jaws-esque mouthpiece going on.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:10:27 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Peter Morgan → Skyfall. A discarded Morgan script held the blueprint of M as empire stand-in with a rebelling son.
“there was another script for the 23rd movie that was written by Peter Morgan.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:11:20 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
theme (theme): Peter Morgan → The Crown. Morgan made empire and the monarchy his life's work, echoed in Skyfall's M.
“Peter Morgan has made that his life's work and the crown and and the queen”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:12:09 · Chris Ryan (0.45 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Skyfall → Casino Royale. Skyfall is the payoff of the first Craig movie, where Vesper's betrayal shows Bond can feel.
“it's also the ultimate payoff of what starts in the 1st Craig movie”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:12:29 · Sean Fennessey (0.45 sure it was them)
theme (theme): Skyfall → Unforgiven. Skyfall is a reckoning with everything that came before in its franchise.
“Skyfall is like the unfor is unforgiven to me.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:15:34 · Chris Ryan (0.55 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Cary Fukunaga → Spectre. Fukunaga directs the next Bond and is formally dynamic, so might break things; Spectre didn't fulfill Skyfall's promise.
“Spector didn't really fulfill the promise.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:15:53 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): Sean Connery → Daniel Craig. Craig is a legitimately great actor, which wasn't true of most Bonds; Connery hadn't yet built his chops.
“They were great movie performers, but not necessarily great actors.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:17:24 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Daniel Craig → Tom Cruise. Craig is a fantastic movie runner, maybe number two behind Cruise.
“Daniel Craig, like, is a fantastic movie runner, might be number two behind the cruise.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:22:49 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Skyfall → Danny Boyle. Bond's Olympics opening with Craig made the character a point of pride months before release.
“he his James Bond, like as a character kicked off the Olympics and the Danny Boyle opening sequence.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:22:59 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Skyfall → Quantum of Solace. Quantum has nothing like Skyfall's deep thinking about what Bond means, partly because it was written during the writers' strike.
“there's nothing that has that kind of Christmas, that kind of like deep thinking about what these movies mean.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:24:38 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Albert Finney → Clint Eastwood. Craig and Finney's 'men are coming to kill us' exchange is straight out of Eastwood.
“That's like right out of Eastwood.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:25:20 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Adele → Skyfall. The Adele song is cued at the pivot where M orders Moneypenny to take the shot in Istanbul.
“I think that's in the trailer and it obviously cues the great Adele song.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:26:14 · unclear host (0.30 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Skyfall → Goodfellas. Scenes can be great for camera work and music, like the Copacabana scene, as Silva's intro is.
“great because of a piece of camera work, like the Copacabana scene in Goodfellas.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:27:19 · Chris Ryan (0.55 sure it was them)
people (people): Sam Mendes → Roger Deakins. Mendes shoots Silva's entrance with Deakins right behind Bond's shoulder.
“But the fact that he shoots it, the Mendy shoots it the way it is with Deacons, where it's just right behind Bon's shoulder”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:27:44 · Chris Ryan (0.55 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Skyfall → Austin Powers. Silva's early villain speech inverts the cliche that Austin Powers parodied.
“movies like Austin Powers parodied it till no end”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:30:12 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Skyfall → Mission: Impossible. Bond now has 'Mission Impossibleitis' of topping set pieces; MI is the action gold standard.
“to me, the gold standard is the Mission Impossible movies on this stuff right now”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:37:14 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Skyfall → Pacific Rim. Skyfall's action is legible and grounded, unlike Pacific Rim.
“rather than like either Pacific Rim, what the fuck is the going on right now?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:39:00 · Amanda Dobbins (0.80 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Casino Royale → Skyfall. The Casino Royale Uganda opening is incomprehensible about who is chasing what; Skyfall is clear.
“There's that whole big opening sequence in Uganda.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:39:46 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Roger Deakins → Skyfall. Deakins's photography keeps Skyfall looking cutting edge and undated years later.
“And the deacons of it all. Yeah, it has a, it looks if a movie, if this movie came out today, I'd be like, this is cutting edge shit.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:43:59 · unclear host (0.30 sure it was them)
career (career): Sam Mendes → Away We Go. Away We Go flopped and sent Mendes back toward theater before Skyfall reset his career.
“He had just made away we go.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:44:22 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): Sam Mendes → American Beauty. Mendes was riding a hot streak from American Beauty through Jarhead and Revolutionary Road.
“American Beauty, massive hit, best picture winner, the Road to Perdition”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:44:29 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Skyfall → Creed. Bringing a prestige director to a franchise leads to Coogler doing Creed and Black Panther.
“It leads to things like Ryan Kugler does Creed in Black Panther”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:45:54 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Skyfall → The Dark Knight. Mendes openly lifted the Dark Knight aesthetic and the orphan-avenging-sins idea.
“Mendy's just very openly lifted a lot of the Dark Knight aesthetic for these movies.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:46:30 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): The Dark Knight → James Bond series. Nolan's Batman films are read as a commentary on Bond.
“I think Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight movies are also a commentary on James Bond, if you look at them from one direction”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:46:41 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): Adele → Skyfall. The theme song is picked as the best-aged element of the movie and an Oscar winner.
“That song is fire. I, that's, that's got the highest approval rating. So let's go with Adele's song wins”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:49:56 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): Naomie Harris → Eve Moneypenny. Harris's Moneypenny reads as girl-power and out of tone with the sedate movie.
“It's almost like she's doing like girl power Money Penny.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:56:33 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Sean Connery → Skyfall. Connery was in talks to play Kincade but stunt casting was rejected.
“They were in discussions with Sean Connery to play Kincaid.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:57:07 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Kevin Spacey → Skyfall. Spacey was originally approached to play Mallory because Mendes directed him in American Beauty.
“I think Kevin Spacey was originally approached to play Mallory.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:57:19 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
theme (theme): Sean Connery → Marvel Cinematic Universe. Connery cameo would feel like Marvel interconnection, which Bond movies are not.
“having Sean Connery in there is sort of like the Marvel interconnecting universe of it all.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:58:23 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Ben Whishaw → The Hour. Whishaw was starring in The Hour at the time of Skyfall.
“this is right when he's starring on that show, the hour, that BBC show”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:59:57 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): Daniel Craig → Knives Out. Craig's Skyfall is his Apex Mountain; Knives Out lacks equal power.
“He's pretty great in knives out.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:00:28 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): Javier Bardem → The Counselor. Bardem's The Counselor is the true apex mountain of apex mountains.
“And then to the wonder and then the counselor, which is the greatest performance in the history of movies.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:02:05 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
career (career): Helen McCrory → Peaky Blinders. McCrory goes on to play Polly Shelby in Peaky Blinders.
“Helen McCrory, who goes on to play Polly Shelby in Peaky Blinders plays the minister”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:02:42 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): Rory Kinnear → Black Mirror. Most people know Kinnear from Black Mirror; Southcliffe is the better show.
“I would recommend if anybody wants to watch a really great Rory Crunier show, they look up South Cliff.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:03:47 · Sean Fennessey (0.55 sure it was them)
theme (theme): Skyfall → Rocky (series). Best entries show the hero coming to terms with aging, which Skyfall pairs with the permanent hero.
“some of the best movies about those things are about the person coming to terms with the fact that they're not as powerful as they once were.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:08:15 · Chris Ryan (0.60 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Tom Hardy → Inception. Hardy would be a Bond pick but won't be the movie-star version of himself outside Inception.
“I would like Tom Hardy to play James Bond.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:16:43 · Sean Fennessey (0.45 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Charlie's Angels → James Bond series. A female Bond marketed to women risks becoming dumbed down like Charlie's Angels.
“I just saw Charlie's Angels, which is such a depressing example of what happens when they try to market these things to women”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:17:28 · Amanda Dobbins (0.80 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Emily Blunt → Edge of Tomorrow. Blunt as a female Bond because of action credibility in Edge of Tomorrow and Sicario.
“She's the biggest badass and you buy it.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:18:07 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Silva → The Dark Knight. Silva's plan to be captured and gain M's attention is the Joker plot.
“essentially the Joker plot from Dark Knight.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:26:07 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
people (people): Sam Mendes → Roger Deakins. Mendes reteams with Deakins on 1917.
“he's got 1917 coming out this winter also with Roger Deakins.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:32:07 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Fun items (20)

fun, about Skyfall: The Silva intro is a single sustained take shot over Bond's shoulder; the speaker says the filmmakers knew what they had.
“They knew what they had.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:27:55 · Chris Ryan (0.55 sure it was them)
fun, about Skyfall: The rat speech: Silva's monologue ends the first act rather than the movie.
“But this one is like, it's just playwriting.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:30:40 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Javier Bardem: He is called the greatest Bond girl.
“Javier Birdem is the greatest bond girl.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:31:43 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Daniel Craig: The training tracksuit made of suit wool and low-top Adidas.
“he's just in 2012 rocking that with like low top Adidas”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:48:33 · Chris Ryan (0.45 sure it was them)
fun, about Skyfall: Severin scene: Bond sneaking up on her in the shower after she says she was in a sex ring, flagged as the film's worst-aged moment.
“It really jumped out at me last time I watched it when he's like, I'm going to sneak attack you in the shower”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:53:53 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Naomie Harris: Stray tone: Moneypenny banter in a depressed film.
“It's like everyone's really depressed.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:56:56 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Skyfall: Casting what-if: Connery as Kincade rejected; Spacey approached for Mallory.
“I think Kevin Spacey was originally approached to play Mallory.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 0:57:19 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Ben Whishaw: Wins the Dion Waiters Award for doing the most with the least.
“Okay, Dion Waiters Award goes to Ben Wish.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:00:09 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Daniel Craig: Apex Mountain: opens the Olympics and stars in a billion-dollar Bond.
“Opens the Olympics, stars in a $1000000000 James Bond movie that is considered the best James Bond movie ever.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:00:17 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Skyfall: Award for overacting goes to the boat captain, because the group will not name Bardem.
“How about we give it to the boat captain who sticks his head and is like, we should push off?”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:05:00 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Skyfall: Half-ass research: anagram of Raoul Silva is 'a rival soul'; 'think on your sins' is 'your son isn't in HK'.
“Raul Silva is an anagram for a rival soul.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:06:37 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about James Bond series: Code name theory: Bond is a title passed to different men.
“It's called code name theory.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:07:04 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Skyfall: Alternate titles included Silver Bullet and A Killing Moon.
“A killing moon, which I enjoyed, although not really sure if there's that many moons in this movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:13:37 · Chris Ryan (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Skyfall: The Golden Dragon Casino interior was built at Pinewood.
“The interior of the Golden Dragon Casino in Macau, where Bond meets Severin, was actually Pinewood Studios.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:13:50 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Skyfall: Bond gets a Heineken and khakis after sex, a long running nitpick.
“And then you're like, I'm gonna get a Heineken and put on some khakis.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:19:27 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Skyfall: Hacking nitpicks: a list of NATO agents on one hard drive, villain posts reveals on YouTube.
“The hacker is using YouTube.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:22:36 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Skyfall: Best quote pick: 'Mommy was very bad.'
“Mommy was very bad.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:27:01 · Chris Ryan (0.45 sure it was them)
fun, about James Bond series: Stunt-casting what-if: a Bond Netflix show would mean movies are dead.
“that how we know movies are dead. If Bond goes to Netflix.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:28:45 · Sean Fennessey (0.35 sure it was them)
fun, about Judi Dench: Most screen time of any M in the series.
“I read that this is the most screen time by far that Em ever had in a movie.”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:31:42 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Sam Mendes: Wins the movie: Mendes reaffirmed as top tier.
“it reaffirms his place as the top, top, top tier”
The Rewatchables · ‘Skyfall’ With Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Amanda Dobbins · 1:32:18 · Chris Ryan (0.50 sure it was them)

Who's talking

Chris Ryan (host): Treats Skyfall as a rich text with real ideas about empire and trauma and loves a Bond that still delivers set pieces at the highest level. Cares about film lineage, Mendes' career arc, and Nolan. Enjoys the Connery-era films for their bite size.
Sean Fennessey (host): Self-described not a huge Bond person who finds Skyfall scratches the part of his brain other Bonds do not; loves the Silva rat speech and dialogue scenes. A Peter Morgan disciple and Anglophile who can pick out British character actors.
Amanda Dobbins (host): The biggest Skyfall fan on the show, owns it and rewatches it; loves Bardem, the Adele song, and Judi Dench. Protective of Bardem's performance, can't stand criticism of it, and finds modern Bond sexual politics rough.

The show's recurring bits

Apex Mountain: The moment a star peaks; where on the mountain a performance sits.
Who Won the Movie: The hosts name the person who came out of the film best off.
The Ebert review: Roger Ebert's original review and star rating read aloud. Ebert is cited, never on the show.
Casting what-ifs: Who was almost cast, or who should have been.
Most rewatchable scene: The scene each host would stop on while flipping channels.
Aged best / aged worst: What holds up and what does not.
Picking Nits: The little things in a film the hosts love that they don't think totally work: the nits.
Double feature: The film each host would pair it with; a programming pick.

Names the transcriber got wrong

Sean Fantasy / Sean Fenn is young → Sean Fennessey
Javier Bar Adam / Barnett / Birdem → Javier Bardem
Judy Dench → Judi Dench
Ray Fines / Rafe finds → Ralph Fiennes
Ben Wishaw → Ben Whishaw
Severin / Severine → Severine (Berenice Marlohe)
Kincaid → Kincade
Neil Purvis → Neal Purvis
Jess Butterworth / Jazz → Jez Butterworth
Mendy's / Mendys → Mendes
Deacons → Deakins
Rory Kinnear: Roy Kinnear / Rory Crunier
Mads Mickelson → Mads Mikkelsen
Ryan Kugler → Ryan Coogler
Carrie Fukonaga → Cary Fukunaga
Denhole and Elliot → Denholm Elliott
Numir Rapasa → Noomi Rapace
Pinewood: fine
Inglorious Bastards → Inglourious Basterds