What the corpus says about Total Recall (1990)

The 58 lines php artisan corpus:ask hands a model, in the order it gets them, and nothing else. The model writes a clerk's answer from these and only these.

What was said about it (15)

[Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:43:43 · David Sims (0.40)] RoboCop ↔ Total Recall · lineage · The Wiseman remake of Total Recall is cited as an equally boring office-building finale, a remake sibling to this film. · "This is so similar to the Wiseman Total Recall."
[Blank Check — Patreon · 2025 March Madness Update 1 · 1:05:15 · unknown (0.40)] RoboCop ↔ Total Recall · theme · The RoboCop remake and Total Recall remake are emblematic of peak shitty 2010 remakes. · "That era kind of total recall robocop."
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Game · 1:16:12 · Griffin Newman (0.40)] The Game ↔ Total Recall · craft · The test-then-start gag is like Total Recall's malfunction. · "It's it's the total recall thing where they tell you exactly what's going to happen right at the moment where the thing is supposed to start."
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:35:45 · Sean Fennessey (0.70)] Total Recall ↔ The Terminator · contrast · The pick makes a case that Total Recall is Schwarzenegger's best movie, neck and neck with the Terminator films. · "strong case for it being Arnold Schwarzenegger's best movie, kind of neck and neck, I think, with the Terminator films"
[Blank Check · Flesh+Blood · 0:19:25 · David Sims (0.45)] RoboCop ↔ Total Recall · career · RoboCop, Total Recall and Basic Instinct let him have cake and eat it: deconstructions that also work as straight entertainment. · "What I've called before, movies where he gets to have his cake needed too."
[The Rewatchables · ‘The War of the Roses’ · 1:05:42 · Bill Simmons (0.60)] The War of the Roses ↔ Total Recall · career · One 'that guy' in the dinner scene is the sweating man from Total Recall. · "One is the guy from Total Recall."
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:36:30 · unknown (0.40)] Total Recall ↔ Basic Instinct · career · Total Recall predates Sharon Stone's appearance in Basic Instinct (a question about Verhoeven's intent). · "The predates her appearance and basic instinct?"
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:41:02 · Bill Simmons (0.60)] Die Hard 2 ↔ Total Recall · shared that-guy · Robert Costanzo is in both Die Hard 2 and Total Recall. · "He's in total recall, too."
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:35:45 · Sean Fennessey (0.70)] Sean Fennessey ↔ Total Recall · programming · Pick 3 (round 1), category blockbuster: Verhoeven masterpiece, sci-fi satire, Schwarzenegger's best. · "In Blockbuster, I'm gonna go with Total Recall"
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:36:12 · Sean Fennessey (0.70)] Total Recall ↔ Paul Verhoeven · craft · The film walks the line between schlock and incisive satire. · "really walks this very delicate line between schlock and incisive satire"
[The Rewatchables · ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ · 1:04:34 · unknown (0.40)] Michael Champion ↔ Total Recall · career · Champion was in Total Recall and everything in the 80s as the slimy sidekick to the heavy. · "he's in like total recall, history blues."
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:35:45 · Sean Fennessey (0.70)] Total Recall ↔ Paul Verhoeven · people · Verhoeven's Total Recall is called one of his masterpieces. · "one of Paul Verhoven's masterpieces"
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:36:12 · Sean Fennessey (0.70)] Total Recall ↔ Sharon Stone · people · Sharon Stone plays a wife who is not to be trusted, before Basic Instinct. · "very funny performance from Sharon Stone as a wife who is not to be trusted"
[Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:06:27 · Griffin Newman (0.40)] Paul Verhoeven ↔ Total Recall · industry · Almost every Verhoeven Hollywood film got a remake or sequel, including Total Recall and RoboCop. · "almost every one of his Hollywood films was either sequelized or remade."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ · 1:10:25 · Bill Simmons (0.60)] Ronny Cox ↔ Total Recall · what-if · Ronny Cox's 83 to 90 run playing guys in charge makes him a Rooney candidate, tied to a past Total Recall episode. · "You guys just talked about him on Total Recall."

Films put beside it more than once (1)

[pairs] Total Recall ↔ RoboCop · said 3 times in 3 episodes

Fun items about it (1)

[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:36:03 · Sean Fennessey (0.50)] Total Recall · fun · Sean notes the three-breasted woman and Sharon Stone as the unreliable wife. · "Not one, not two, but 3 breasted woman."

One hop out: what recommends the films most often joined to it (34)

[Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:11:50 · Griffin Newman (0.40)] Darren Aronofsky ↔ RoboCop · programming · Aronofsky was first choice, stayed three years, then left because MGM could not fund the film, the start of his flirtations with franchises. · "Yes, Darren Aronovsky is the 1st choice."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Internal Affairs’ · 1:30:06 · Bill Simmons (0.30)] Internal Affairs ↔ Basic Instinct · lineage · Offered as a double-feature partner for Internal Affairs: a Basic Instinct coded movie. · "Pretty good coded, basic instinct coded movie."
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 1:08:20 · Amanda Dobbins (0.85)] Amanda Dobbins ↔ Die Hard 2 · programming · Pick 14 (round 5), category sequel: Takes it off the board and avoids Look Who's Talking Too. · "And I'm going to take Die Hard 2."
[The Rewatchables · ‘The Truman Show’ · 1:34:20 · Chris Ryan (0.40)] The Truman Show ↔ The Game · programming · Double feature: The Game. · "I'd go to the game, the game."
[The Big Picture · The 10 Best Horror Movies of the Decade | The Big Picture · 0:19:20 · Chris Ryan (0.50)] The Guest ↔ The Terminator · lineage · The Guest plays more like the first Terminator than expected. · "it was a little bit more like Terminator one"
[Blank Check — Patreon · Edge of Tomorrow · 1:05:18 · Ben Hosley (0.40)] Edge of Tomorrow ↔ RoboCop · programming · The hosts recorded a RoboCop commentary in the slot where Edge was originally scheduled, and the opening news montage reminds them of RoboCop's. · "I mean, we just saw it with like Robocop."
[The Big Picture · The Nicole Kidman Hall of Fame, and ‘Babygirl’ · 2:16:04 · Halina Reijn (0.90)] Basic Instinct ⇒ Babygirl (the maker said so: Halina Reijn, interviewed on the episode) · lineage · Reijn set out to converse with the 90s and early-2000s sexual thrillers she loved but found sexist. · "I wanted to be in conversation with all the sexual thrillers that I so loved in the 90s and the early 2000s, but then I also thought were incredibly sexist and not human."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:15:44 · Chris Ryan (0.80)] Die Hard 2 ↔ Die Hard · lineage · Ryan says the first and third Die Hard are baked into their locations, while this one is more generic action movie-ish. · "the 1st Die Hard and the 3rd Die Hard are characterized by their, like, this is really baked in."
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Game · 1:04:58 · Griffin Newman (0.40)] The Game ↔ The Player · programming · Two 90s satirical thrillers about soulless titans of industry caught in a trap of their own design. · "In terms of like 90s, uh, sort of vaguely satirical thrillers"
[Blank Check — Patreon · Blue Steel · 1:20:21 · unknown (0.30)] Blue Steel ↔ The Terminator · theme · By the end Ron Silver is an unstoppable Terminator. · "And he's like, the terminator at this point."
[Blank Check — Patreon · 2025 March Madness Update 1 · 1:04:32 · unknown (0.40)] RoboCop ↔ Psycho · programming · Robocop has one good covered movie and three bad; Psycho offers more to discuss. · "it is one good movie we have covered and 3 bad, whereas Psycho, it's like, there's a lot of interesting shit there."
[The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ · 0:21:57 · Bill Simmons (0.60)] Basic Instinct ⇒ Color of Night (the host's read) · theme · Bruce Willis's Color of Night was another Basic Instinct era noir with a famous full-frontal moment. · "Everyone, remember Bruce Willis did that movie where he showed his penis?"
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:18:01 · Bill Simmons (0.75)] Die Hard 2 ↔ Lethal Weapon 2 · lineage · It arrived in the run-it-back era of sequels like Lethal Weapon 2. · "it is right during the era of everybody looking at each other and going, let's just run it back."
[The Big Picture · The Oscars Schedule Changes, and Andrew Garfield On ‘Under the Silver Lake’ | Interview · 1:01:20 · Andrew Garfield (0.95)] Under the Silver Lake ↔ The Game · theme · Garfield says people crave mystery and decoding, citing The Game as a favorite modern film about that. · "the game is one of my favorite like modern films of all time that deals with this issue."
[Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:38:34 · Griffin Newman (0.50)] Avatar ⇒ RoboCop (the host's read) · lineage · The robot-waking sequence is beat for beat the first act of Avatar, down to testing the new body's powers. · "It is crazy actually how much this sequence is like beat for beat, the Avatar, right?"
[The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ · 0:22:30 · Van Lathan (0.60)] Basic Instinct ⇒ Body of Evidence (the host's read) · theme · Mid-90s sexy noir all followed Basic Instinct; Madonna's version was a spoof-level bust. · "That was literally like a basic instinct spoof."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:19:50 · Bill Simmons (0.80)] 58 Minutes ⇒ Die Hard 2 (the host's read) · lineage · The screenplay was adapted from Walter Wager's 1987 novel with a similar plot. · "Screenplay was adapted from Walter Wagers."
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Game · 0:28:04 · David Sims (0.40)] The Game ↔ Falling Down · theme · Fincher, in the dossier, lists the Falling Down fascist among Douglas's friction. · "he stole the fascist from falling down."
[Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:47:48 · Griffin Newman (0.50)] Batman Begins ⇒ RoboCop (the host's read) · lineage · The remake is part of the grounded-and-serious wave that followed Nolan; the speakers say this film marks the end of it. · "The Batman begins effect."
[The Rewatchables · ‘The Ice Storm’ · 0:48:57 · Chris Ryan (0.60)] The Ice Storm ↔ Basic Instinct · theme · Ryan says mass media (Basic Instinct) taught him about sex, like the kids learning from TV in this film. · "mass media had taught me like the basic instinct and whatnot had taught me everything I needed to know."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:20:16 · Bill Simmons (0.70)] Manuel Noriega ⇒ Die Hard 2 (the maker said so: the screenwriter admitted it) · lineage · The writer admitted the script grabbed smoke from Iran-Contra and Manuel Noriega. · "there's definitely some Iran Contra, kind of, they're just grabbing smoke from that whole scandal and shoehorning into this with Manuel Noriega in real life."
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Game · 0:28:09 · David Sims (0.40)] The Game ↔ Fatal Attraction · theme · Fincher, in the dossier, lists the Fatal Attraction adulterer among Douglas's friction. · "The adulterer from Fatal Attraction."
[Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:47:57 · David Sims (0.50)] RoboCop ↔ Terminator Salvation · lineage · Non-Nolan grim-and-grounded reboots like this one end up self-serious but made by a dumb person and noted to death. · "you get Terminator salvation, you get these movies that are just like self-serious but made by a dumb person"
[The Rewatchables · ‘Do The Right Thing’ · 1:13:20 · Sean Fennessey (0.60)] Do the Right Thing ↔ Basic Instinct · theme · Basic Instinct raised concern about its effect, a different kind of fear than Do the Right Thing. · "There was concern, though, about whether or not basic instinct was going to what effect it was going to have."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:43:06 · Chris Ryan (0.50)] Die Hard 2 ⇒ Positive K (the host's read) · lineage · Positive K's song 'I Got a Man' samples a line from Die Hard 2, so the song now brings the movie to mind. · "And then that line got sampled on, I got a man, the positive K song. So now every time you hear that song, you hear that line from that movie."
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Game · 0:40:56 · Griffin Newman (0.40)] Joel Schumacher ↔ The Game · theme · One host says The Game feels very Joel Schumacher. · "Because the game feels very Joel Schumacher to me."
[Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:48:47 · Griffin Newman (0.50)] RoboCop ↔ Casino Royale · lineage · Filmmakers sell the remake as the Casino Royale or Batman Begins of RoboCop while the Easter eggs sneer at the original. · "It's like the Casino Royale."
[The Big Picture · The Top Five Movies of 2022 · 0:45:18 · Sean Fennessey (0.85)] Decision to Leave ↔ Basic Instinct · theme · Sean likens Decision to Leave to Park's version of Basic Instinct, a perfectly directed little romantic noir. · "I liked this one as like his basic instinct, you know, like, this is a perfectly directed little romantic noir."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:22:49 · Bill Simmons (0.60)] Die Hard 2 ↔ Indiana Jones series · theme · The critic grouped it with Indiana Jones as thrillers that leave your arm black and blue. · "this is one of those thrillers, like the Indiana Jones series that I categorized as bruised for our movies"
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Game · 0:43:29 · David Sims (0.40)] The Game ↔ The Most Dangerous Game · theme · Fincher first wondered if the script was a Most Dangerous Game thing, and was relieved it wasn't. · "oh, is it like a most dangerous game kind of thing?"
[Blank Check · Flesh+Blood · 0:36:39 · Griffin Newman (0.50)] RoboCop ↔ Jesus Christ · theme · RoboCop is described as American Jesus, reflecting Verhoeven's Jesus fascination. · "like, RoboCops about American Jesus."
[Blank Check — Patreon · In the Cut · 1:15:22 · Jourdain Searles (0.50)] In the Cut ↔ Basic Instinct · craft · In the Cut's sex scenes are very intimate and real, unlike Basic Instinct's. · "The sex is very intimate and real."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:41:35 · Bill Simmons (0.70)] Die Hard 2 ↔ First Blood · theme · Franz's 'I taught him everything he knows' line is joked as Richard Crenna in First Blood. · "like Richard Crenna in 1st Blood."
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Game · 0:50:34 · David Sims (0.40)] The Game ↔ It's a Wonderful Life · theme · Calls the film Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life. · "Kafka's it's a wonderful life."

Who said it, by their latest sketch (4)

[speaker] Sean Fennessey · latest sketch, The Big Picture · ‘Resident Evil’ Absolutely Rips! · Loves gory, funny, fast genre movies with craft and confidence, especially 87-minute films that never overstay. Can't stand ponderous elevated horror that fills out its runtime with introspection and sad family history. A sucker for the Carpenter-era lineage, Die Hard homages, and directors who break studio dogma. · stances: Resident Evil is one of the best films of the year; Horror movies have become a drag; fun genre experiences are needed; Short running times are a virtue; Video-game films work best when great filmmakers get creative license
[speaker] Bill Simmons · latest sketch, The Rewatchables · ‘Friday the 13th’ · Loves the Friday series as a communal, rental-era memory and tells childhood stories about the ads and theaters. Likes casting what-ifs and sports analogies for everything. Skeptical of horror at Christmas and of anything that wastes the premise. · stances: Friday the 13th is not the best entry but the origin story had to be told; Friday 2 is a leap over the original
[speaker] David Sims · latest sketch, Blank Check · The Last Temptation of Christ · Prepares history: novel, casting, budgets, box office. Reveres the film and thinks it reads as a normal ground-level story. A sucker for Hollywood deal backstory and box office game. · stances: Praises Keitel and Dafoe casting; Respects Scorsese's persistence and Corman discipline; The film is now well regarded though not 'canonical Marty'
[speaker] Griffin Newman · latest sketch, Blank Check · The Last Temptation of Christ · Calls Last Temptation his college-era favorite Scorsese; loves Scorsese's smaller 80s and the film's closing transcendence and Gabriel score. Cannot stand fundamentalist outrage at it. A sucker for casting trivia and Tom Cruise-silliness. · stances: Hot take: Last Temptation structurally mirrors New York, New York as a better version; Outrage over the film is stupid; it is respectful to Jesus; Scorsese's smaller 80s work beats his later baroque phases

The shows' running bits (3)

[bits] The Big Picture: Drafts (Hosts and guests draft films in rounds; every pick is a recommendation with an argument); Hall of Fame (A star's or director's best, ranked and argued); Countdowns (Ranked lists, top five or top ten)
[bits] Blank Check: The box office game (Guessing the film's opening weekend and what it was up against); The sung theme ("Blank Check with Griffin and David", sung; the transcriber garbles it)
[bits] The Rewatchables: 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)

The whole prompt

As the model gets it, from app/Ai/Prompts/CorpusAsk.md

You are a clerk at Video Culture, a video store. A customer just finished Total Recall (1990) and wants to know what to watch next.

Below is what people who love movies said on three podcasts (Blank Check, The Rewatchables, The Big Picture) about Total Recall (1990) and the films around it, one line each. Every line starts with where it came from, in brackets: [show · episode · time · speaker (how sure we are it was them)]. A [pairs] line says how often two films were put side by side. A [speaker] line says what that person likes. A [bits] line lists a show's running bits: a format, not an opinion.

[Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:43:43 · David Sims (0.40)] RoboCop ↔ Total Recall · lineage · The Wiseman remake of Total Recall is cited as an equally boring office-building finale, a remake sibling to this film. · "This is so similar to the Wiseman Total Recall."
[Blank Check — Patreon · 2025 March Madness Update 1 · 1:05:15 · unknown (0.40)] RoboCop ↔ Total Recall · theme · The RoboCop remake and Total Recall remake are emblematic of peak shitty 2010 remakes. · "That era kind of total recall robocop."
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Game · 1:16:12 · Griffin Newman (0.40)] The Game ↔ Total Recall · craft · The test-then-start gag is like Total Recall's malfunction. · "It's it's the total recall thing where they tell you exactly what's going to happen right at the moment where the thing is supposed to start."
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:35:45 · Sean Fennessey (0.70)] Total Recall ↔ The Terminator · contrast · The pick makes a case that Total Recall is Schwarzenegger's best movie, neck and neck with the Terminator films. · "strong case for it being Arnold Schwarzenegger's best movie, kind of neck and neck, I think, with the Terminator films"
[Blank Check · Flesh+Blood · 0:19:25 · David Sims (0.45)] RoboCop ↔ Total Recall · career · RoboCop, Total Recall and Basic Instinct let him have cake and eat it: deconstructions that also work as straight entertainment. · "What I've called before, movies where he gets to have his cake needed too."
[The Rewatchables · ‘The War of the Roses’ · 1:05:42 · Bill Simmons (0.60)] The War of the Roses ↔ Total Recall · career · One 'that guy' in the dinner scene is the sweating man from Total Recall. · "One is the guy from Total Recall."
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:36:30 · unknown (0.40)] Total Recall ↔ Basic Instinct · career · Total Recall predates Sharon Stone's appearance in Basic Instinct (a question about Verhoeven's intent). · "The predates her appearance and basic instinct?"
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:41:02 · Bill Simmons (0.60)] Die Hard 2 ↔ Total Recall · shared that-guy · Robert Costanzo is in both Die Hard 2 and Total Recall. · "He's in total recall, too."
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:35:45 · Sean Fennessey (0.70)] Sean Fennessey ↔ Total Recall · programming · Pick 3 (round 1), category blockbuster: Verhoeven masterpiece, sci-fi satire, Schwarzenegger's best. · "In Blockbuster, I'm gonna go with Total Recall"
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:36:12 · Sean Fennessey (0.70)] Total Recall ↔ Paul Verhoeven · craft · The film walks the line between schlock and incisive satire. · "really walks this very delicate line between schlock and incisive satire"
[The Rewatchables · ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ · 1:04:34 · unknown (0.40)] Michael Champion ↔ Total Recall · career · Champion was in Total Recall and everything in the 80s as the slimy sidekick to the heavy. · "he's in like total recall, history blues."
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:35:45 · Sean Fennessey (0.70)] Total Recall ↔ Paul Verhoeven · people · Verhoeven's Total Recall is called one of his masterpieces. · "one of Paul Verhoven's masterpieces"
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:36:12 · Sean Fennessey (0.70)] Total Recall ↔ Sharon Stone · people · Sharon Stone plays a wife who is not to be trusted, before Basic Instinct. · "very funny performance from Sharon Stone as a wife who is not to be trusted"
[Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:06:27 · Griffin Newman (0.40)] Paul Verhoeven ↔ Total Recall · industry · Almost every Verhoeven Hollywood film got a remake or sequel, including Total Recall and RoboCop. · "almost every one of his Hollywood films was either sequelized or remade."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ · 1:10:25 · Bill Simmons (0.60)] Ronny Cox ↔ Total Recall · what-if · Ronny Cox's 83 to 90 run playing guys in charge makes him a Rooney candidate, tied to a past Total Recall episode. · "You guys just talked about him on Total Recall."
[pairs] Total Recall ↔ RoboCop · said 3 times in 3 episodes
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 0:36:03 · Sean Fennessey (0.50)] Total Recall · fun · Sean notes the three-breasted woman and Sharon Stone as the unreliable wife. · "Not one, not two, but 3 breasted woman."
[Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:11:50 · Griffin Newman (0.40)] Darren Aronofsky ↔ RoboCop · programming · Aronofsky was first choice, stayed three years, then left because MGM could not fund the film, the start of his flirtations with franchises. · "Yes, Darren Aronovsky is the 1st choice."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Internal Affairs’ · 1:30:06 · Bill Simmons (0.30)] Internal Affairs ↔ Basic Instinct · lineage · Offered as a double-feature partner for Internal Affairs: a Basic Instinct coded movie. · "Pretty good coded, basic instinct coded movie."
[The Big Picture · The 1990 Movie Draft · 1:08:20 · Amanda Dobbins (0.85)] Amanda Dobbins ↔ Die Hard 2 · programming · Pick 14 (round 5), category sequel: Takes it off the board and avoids Look Who's Talking Too. · "And I'm going to take Die Hard 2."
[The Rewatchables · ‘The Truman Show’ · 1:34:20 · Chris Ryan (0.40)] The Truman Show ↔ The Game · programming · Double feature: The Game. · "I'd go to the game, the game."
[The Big Picture · The 10 Best Horror Movies of the Decade | The Big Picture · 0:19:20 · Chris Ryan (0.50)] The Guest ↔ The Terminator · lineage · The Guest plays more like the first Terminator than expected. · "it was a little bit more like Terminator one"
[Blank Check — Patreon · Edge of Tomorrow · 1:05:18 · Ben Hosley (0.40)] Edge of Tomorrow ↔ RoboCop · programming · The hosts recorded a RoboCop commentary in the slot where Edge was originally scheduled, and the opening news montage reminds them of RoboCop's. · "I mean, we just saw it with like Robocop."
[The Big Picture · The Nicole Kidman Hall of Fame, and ‘Babygirl’ · 2:16:04 · Halina Reijn (0.90)] Basic Instinct ⇒ Babygirl (the maker said so: Halina Reijn, interviewed on the episode) · lineage · Reijn set out to converse with the 90s and early-2000s sexual thrillers she loved but found sexist. · "I wanted to be in conversation with all the sexual thrillers that I so loved in the 90s and the early 2000s, but then I also thought were incredibly sexist and not human."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:15:44 · Chris Ryan (0.80)] Die Hard 2 ↔ Die Hard · lineage · Ryan says the first and third Die Hard are baked into their locations, while this one is more generic action movie-ish. · "the 1st Die Hard and the 3rd Die Hard are characterized by their, like, this is really baked in."
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Game · 1:04:58 · Griffin Newman (0.40)] The Game ↔ The Player · programming · Two 90s satirical thrillers about soulless titans of industry caught in a trap of their own design. · "In terms of like 90s, uh, sort of vaguely satirical thrillers"
[Blank Check — Patreon · Blue Steel · 1:20:21 · unknown (0.30)] Blue Steel ↔ The Terminator · theme · By the end Ron Silver is an unstoppable Terminator. · "And he's like, the terminator at this point."
[Blank Check — Patreon · 2025 March Madness Update 1 · 1:04:32 · unknown (0.40)] RoboCop ↔ Psycho · programming · Robocop has one good covered movie and three bad; Psycho offers more to discuss. · "it is one good movie we have covered and 3 bad, whereas Psycho, it's like, there's a lot of interesting shit there."
[The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ · 0:21:57 · Bill Simmons (0.60)] Basic Instinct ⇒ Color of Night (the host's read) · theme · Bruce Willis's Color of Night was another Basic Instinct era noir with a famous full-frontal moment. · "Everyone, remember Bruce Willis did that movie where he showed his penis?"
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:18:01 · Bill Simmons (0.75)] Die Hard 2 ↔ Lethal Weapon 2 · lineage · It arrived in the run-it-back era of sequels like Lethal Weapon 2. · "it is right during the era of everybody looking at each other and going, let's just run it back."
[The Big Picture · The Oscars Schedule Changes, and Andrew Garfield On ‘Under the Silver Lake’ | Interview · 1:01:20 · Andrew Garfield (0.95)] Under the Silver Lake ↔ The Game · theme · Garfield says people crave mystery and decoding, citing The Game as a favorite modern film about that. · "the game is one of my favorite like modern films of all time that deals with this issue."
[Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:38:34 · Griffin Newman (0.50)] Avatar ⇒ RoboCop (the host's read) · lineage · The robot-waking sequence is beat for beat the first act of Avatar, down to testing the new body's powers. · "It is crazy actually how much this sequence is like beat for beat, the Avatar, right?"
[The Rewatchables · ‘The Edge’ · 0:22:30 · Van Lathan (0.60)] Basic Instinct ⇒ Body of Evidence (the host's read) · theme · Mid-90s sexy noir all followed Basic Instinct; Madonna's version was a spoof-level bust. · "That was literally like a basic instinct spoof."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:19:50 · Bill Simmons (0.80)] 58 Minutes ⇒ Die Hard 2 (the host's read) · lineage · The screenplay was adapted from Walter Wager's 1987 novel with a similar plot. · "Screenplay was adapted from Walter Wagers."
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Game · 0:28:04 · David Sims (0.40)] The Game ↔ Falling Down · theme · Fincher, in the dossier, lists the Falling Down fascist among Douglas's friction. · "he stole the fascist from falling down."
[Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:47:48 · Griffin Newman (0.50)] Batman Begins ⇒ RoboCop (the host's read) · lineage · The remake is part of the grounded-and-serious wave that followed Nolan; the speakers say this film marks the end of it. · "The Batman begins effect."
[The Rewatchables · ‘The Ice Storm’ · 0:48:57 · Chris Ryan (0.60)] The Ice Storm ↔ Basic Instinct · theme · Ryan says mass media (Basic Instinct) taught him about sex, like the kids learning from TV in this film. · "mass media had taught me like the basic instinct and whatnot had taught me everything I needed to know."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:20:16 · Bill Simmons (0.70)] Manuel Noriega ⇒ Die Hard 2 (the maker said so: the screenwriter admitted it) · lineage · The writer admitted the script grabbed smoke from Iran-Contra and Manuel Noriega. · "there's definitely some Iran Contra, kind of, they're just grabbing smoke from that whole scandal and shoehorning into this with Manuel Noriega in real life."
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Game · 0:28:09 · David Sims (0.40)] The Game ↔ Fatal Attraction · theme · Fincher, in the dossier, lists the Fatal Attraction adulterer among Douglas's friction. · "The adulterer from Fatal Attraction."
[Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:47:57 · David Sims (0.50)] RoboCop ↔ Terminator Salvation · lineage · Non-Nolan grim-and-grounded reboots like this one end up self-serious but made by a dumb person and noted to death. · "you get Terminator salvation, you get these movies that are just like self-serious but made by a dumb person"
[The Rewatchables · ‘Do The Right Thing’ · 1:13:20 · Sean Fennessey (0.60)] Do the Right Thing ↔ Basic Instinct · theme · Basic Instinct raised concern about its effect, a different kind of fear than Do the Right Thing. · "There was concern, though, about whether or not basic instinct was going to what effect it was going to have."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:43:06 · Chris Ryan (0.50)] Die Hard 2 ⇒ Positive K (the host's read) · lineage · Positive K's song 'I Got a Man' samples a line from Die Hard 2, so the song now brings the movie to mind. · "And then that line got sampled on, I got a man, the positive K song. So now every time you hear that song, you hear that line from that movie."
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Game · 0:40:56 · Griffin Newman (0.40)] Joel Schumacher ↔ The Game · theme · One host says The Game feels very Joel Schumacher. · "Because the game feels very Joel Schumacher to me."
[Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:48:47 · Griffin Newman (0.50)] RoboCop ↔ Casino Royale · lineage · Filmmakers sell the remake as the Casino Royale or Batman Begins of RoboCop while the Easter eggs sneer at the original. · "It's like the Casino Royale."
[The Big Picture · The Top Five Movies of 2022 · 0:45:18 · Sean Fennessey (0.85)] Decision to Leave ↔ Basic Instinct · theme · Sean likens Decision to Leave to Park's version of Basic Instinct, a perfectly directed little romantic noir. · "I liked this one as like his basic instinct, you know, like, this is a perfectly directed little romantic noir."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:22:49 · Bill Simmons (0.60)] Die Hard 2 ↔ Indiana Jones series · theme · The critic grouped it with Indiana Jones as thrillers that leave your arm black and blue. · "this is one of those thrillers, like the Indiana Jones series that I categorized as bruised for our movies"
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Game · 0:43:29 · David Sims (0.40)] The Game ↔ The Most Dangerous Game · theme · Fincher first wondered if the script was a Most Dangerous Game thing, and was relieved it wasn't. · "oh, is it like a most dangerous game kind of thing?"
[Blank Check · Flesh+Blood · 0:36:39 · Griffin Newman (0.50)] RoboCop ↔ Jesus Christ · theme · RoboCop is described as American Jesus, reflecting Verhoeven's Jesus fascination. · "like, RoboCops about American Jesus."
[Blank Check — Patreon · In the Cut · 1:15:22 · Jourdain Searles (0.50)] In the Cut ↔ Basic Instinct · craft · In the Cut's sex scenes are very intimate and real, unlike Basic Instinct's. · "The sex is very intimate and real."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Die Hard 2’ · 0:41:35 · Bill Simmons (0.70)] Die Hard 2 ↔ First Blood · theme · Franz's 'I taught him everything he knows' line is joked as Richard Crenna in First Blood. · "like Richard Crenna in 1st Blood."
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Game · 0:50:34 · David Sims (0.40)] The Game ↔ It's a Wonderful Life · theme · Calls the film Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life. · "Kafka's it's a wonderful life."
[speaker] Sean Fennessey · latest sketch, The Big Picture · ‘Resident Evil’ Absolutely Rips! · Loves gory, funny, fast genre movies with craft and confidence, especially 87-minute films that never overstay. Can't stand ponderous elevated horror that fills out its runtime with introspection and sad family history. A sucker for the Carpenter-era lineage, Die Hard homages, and directors who break studio dogma. · stances: Resident Evil is one of the best films of the year; Horror movies have become a drag; fun genre experiences are needed; Short running times are a virtue; Video-game films work best when great filmmakers get creative license
[speaker] Bill Simmons · latest sketch, The Rewatchables · ‘Friday the 13th’ · Loves the Friday series as a communal, rental-era memory and tells childhood stories about the ads and theaters. Likes casting what-ifs and sports analogies for everything. Skeptical of horror at Christmas and of anything that wastes the premise. · stances: Friday the 13th is not the best entry but the origin story had to be told; Friday 2 is a leap over the original
[speaker] David Sims · latest sketch, Blank Check · The Last Temptation of Christ · Prepares history: novel, casting, budgets, box office. Reveres the film and thinks it reads as a normal ground-level story. A sucker for Hollywood deal backstory and box office game. · stances: Praises Keitel and Dafoe casting; Respects Scorsese's persistence and Corman discipline; The film is now well regarded though not 'canonical Marty'
[speaker] Griffin Newman · latest sketch, Blank Check · The Last Temptation of Christ · Calls Last Temptation his college-era favorite Scorsese; loves Scorsese's smaller 80s and the film's closing transcendence and Gabriel score. Cannot stand fundamentalist outrage at it. A sucker for casting trivia and Tom Cruise-silliness. · stances: Hot take: Last Temptation structurally mirrors New York, New York as a better version; Outrage over the film is stupid; it is respectful to Jesus; Scorsese's smaller 80s work beats his later baroque phases
[bits] The Big Picture: Drafts (Hosts and guests draft films in rounds; every pick is a recommendation with an argument); Hall of Fame (A star's or director's best, ranked and argued); Countdowns (Ranked lists, top five or top ten)
[bits] Blank Check: The box office game (Guessing the film's opening weekend and what it was up against); The sung theme ("Blank Check with Griffin and David", sung; the transcriber garbles it)
[bits] The Rewatchables: 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)

Recommend three to six films, and only films that appear in these lines. A series, a TV film, or a franchise counts too when a line recommends it or pairs it with Total Recall (1990); name it the way the line names it. Don't recommend Total Recall (1990) itself. For each one, give one short reason in your own words and say whose reason it is: the show, named exactly as the brackets name it, and the speaker when the line names one (an "unknown" speaker is just the show). If the lines are thin, say so plainly rather than stretching them.

Keep a contrast a contrast. When a line sets two films apart, the reason is how they differ; never turn it into a way they're alike. A line with ⇒ puts the source first and what drew on it second, and one marked "the maker said so" is still the host reporting it: say who said it, and never state an influence as fact.

You know only what's on these lines. Add no fact they don't state: not who directed a film, not what kind of film it is, not when it came out, unless a line says so. Say nothing about the store or how anything rents here.

Talk the way a clerk talks to a customer at the counter: plain text, titles written plainly with no asterisks or other markup, no headings, no lists of more than six, no JSON.