What the corpus says about Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

You are a clerk at Video Culture, a video store. A customer just finished Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) 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 Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) 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 · Return of the Jedi · 0:20:11 · unknown (0.30)] Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi ↔ Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace · lineage · Lucas's goofy special-edition additions anticipate the broad humor of the prequels, such as Jar Jar. · "It's weird how many of the Lucas alterations are like really goofy broad humor."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 2:08:30 · unknown (0.30)] Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi ↔ Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace · lineage · The special edition's final celebration montage adds Naboo and the Gungans. · "you get to see some Gungans."
[Blank Check · Judging The Judge · 1:09:46 · David Sims (0.50)] The Judge ↔ Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace · theme · The Judge's characters announce their motivations in dialogue, which David says is worse than the Phantom Menace. · "I just want to say this movie is a lot worse than Star Wars episode one of the Phantom Menace."
[The Big Picture · ‘Gladiator II’ Is Here. Are We Not Entertained? · 1:23:55 · Mallory Rubin (0.50)] Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens ↔ Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace · contrast · As the start of a new trilogy, The Force Awakens is far more successful than The Phantom Menace. · "It is infinitely more successful than Phantom Menace was."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 0:13:37 · unknown (0.30)] Eric Bauersfeld ↔ Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace · career · The voice actor (transcribed Bowersfeld) who voiced Bib Fortuna and Akbar was originally supposed to appear in Phantom Menace. · "Initially, he was supposed to appear in Phantom Menace."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 0:20:34 · unknown (0.30)] Rick McCallum ↔ Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace · people · Producer Rick McCallum is blamed for not telling Lucas that one of the 14 Jar Jar bits was superfluous. · "it is crazy that Rick McCollum wasn't like, maybe just like one of these is superfluous."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 0:49:05 · unknown (0.30)] George Lucas ↔ Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace · what-if · Lucas's planned sequel outline, midichlorian-heavy, sounds like the prequels: wacky ideas, possibly unwatchable, dramatically inert. · "I mean, it sounds like the prequel trilogy and it would probably be at times completely unwatchable."
[Blank Check · The Lost World: Jurassic Park · 1:42:30 · unknown (0.30)] Colin Trevorrow ↔ Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace · insult joke · Closing rant says Trevorrow should not be allowed to make a Phantom Menace-style fan movie. · "You shouldn't be allowed to make a fucking fan of menace movie."
[pairs] Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace ↔ Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi · said 2 times in 1 episode
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 0:29:55 · unknown (0.30)] Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi ↔ The Mandalorian · programming · After The Mandalorian the speaker wants new characters, not known ones, as a model for future Star Wars. · "after Mandalorian, I'm like, don't give me characters we already know."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 2:22:02 · unknown (0.30)] Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi ↔ Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens · programming · The next Patreon commentary is Force Awakens, ten days later. · "The next commentary episode is the Force Awakens."
[Blank Check · Judging The Judge · 1:20:04 · Griffin Newman (0.50)] Man of Steel ⇒ The Judge (the host's read) · lineage · The tornado father-son fight echoes the father-son tornado scene in Man of Steel, another Warner Bros. film. · "an homage to everyone's favorite father son scene from Man of Steel."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 2:22:02 · unknown (0.30)] Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi ↔ Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens · programming · The next Patreon commentary is Force Awakens, ten days later. · "The next commentary episode is the Force Awakens."
[The Big Picture · ‘Gladiator II’ Is Here. Are We Not Entertained? · 0:24:06 · Chris Ryan (0.50)] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (the host's read) · lineage · The Force Awakens maps almost exactly onto A New Hope. · "Force Awakens, which will maybe come up later on this podcast is in almost every respect."
[Blank Check · Judging The Judge · 0:30:57 · Griffin Newman (0.40)] The Judge ↔ Men, Women & Children · theme · Both were overly earnest star-driven dramas that flopped, though The Judge made far more. · "I'm saying judge is a similar level of overly earnest big stars doing..."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 0:04:31 · unknown (0.30)] Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi ↔ The Hangover Part II · lineage · Death Star 2 is framed as a sequel that repeats the first one, like a Hangover sequel. · "It's like hangover two."
[The Big Picture · ‘Gladiator II’ Is Here. Are We Not Entertained? · 1:24:09 · Mallory Rubin (0.50)] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (the host's read) · lineage · It ports over Death Star, Tatooine and R2-D2 as Starkiller Base, Jakku and BB-8. · "in place of the Death Star, you have star killer base."
[Blank Check · Judging The Judge · 1:04:56 · Griffin Newman (0.40)] The Judge ↔ Meet the Fockers · theme · The naked-together bathtub gay-panic beat in the shower scene feels like a Fockers-style gag. · "Like it almost turns into like a fucking little fokker seat where like they're naked together in a bathtub"
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 0:04:32 · unknown (0.30)] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (the host's read) · lineage · A second, bigger Death Star is called a lateral remake of the first. · "We're kind of, it's like a lateral remake."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 0:29:00 · unknown (0.30)] Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi ↔ Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens · lineage · Luke's lost lightsaber (his father's) turns up again in The Force Awakens. · "Which then reappears, of course, in The Force Awakens."
[Blank Check · Judging The Judge · 1:08:29 · David Sims (0.50)] The Judge ↔ Big Daddy · theme · The Judge's climactic testimony scene recalls Sandler's courtroom speech in Big Daddy, which works only because that film is a ribald comedy. · "the scene in Big Daddy, where Adam Sandler tells his dad how much he loved him on the stand during..."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 0:12:57 · unknown (0.30)] Sydney Greenstreet ⇒ Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (the host's read) · lineage · Jabba is said to be visually based on Sydney Greenstreet. · "He's based on Sydney Green Street, right?"
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 1:23:31 · unknown (0.30)] Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi ↔ Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens · lineage · Han being over it and drifting back to old ways is what Force Awakens later does. · "Well, that's kind of what Force Awakens does"
[Blank Check · Judging The Judge · 1:15:12 · David Sims (0.40)] The Judge ↔ Steve Zaillian · theme · Dobkin seems to want to make an Ed Zwick or Steve Zaillian-style prestige drama. · "I want to make an Ed Zwick or Steve Zaleen or like a... What is the problem with this movie?"
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 0:13:00 · unknown (0.30)] Casablanca ⇒ Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (the host's read) · lineage · Jabba's court is conceived as Sydney Greenstreet crossed with Casablanca. · "The concept is he's sort of like Sidney Green Street and then Casablanca, yeah."
[Blank Check · Judging The Judge · 1:20:27 · David Sims (0.60)] Entourage ↔ The Judge · theme · David says the Entourage movie, which he watched the same day, is better than The Judge. · "I had to watch it the same day I watched Entourage the movie, which is a better movie than the judge."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 0:29:00 · unknown (0.30)] Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi ↔ Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens · lineage · Luke's lost lightsaber (his father's) turns up again in The Force Awakens. · "Which then reappears, of course, in The Force Awakens."
[Blank Check · Judging The Judge · 1:14:57 · David Sims (0.50)] The Judge ↔ A Civil Action · craft · The Judge looks like A Civil Action, a stately legal drama Duvall was Oscar-nominated for. · "the movie kind of looks like a civil action, which Robert Delwell was nominated for"
[Blank Check — Patreon · Return of the Jedi · 0:40:49 · unknown (0.30)] Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi ↔ Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker · lineage · Opening on the Emperor is an idea Rise of Skywalker did. · "But it's always one of these things you're like, guess what movie open with that?"
[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] Mallory Rubin · latest sketch, The Rewatchables · ‘Friday Night Lights’ · Devoted to the Friday Night Lights show and cares most about its marriage, character work and Texas setting. Loves a high school football film, small-town Texas and Billy Bob; a sucker for Kyle Chandler, Tammy and Eric. Can't stand the film leaving Sharon unused. · stances: The TV show can't be matched, but that does not slight the film; Coach Taylor's speeches beat Coach Gaines's; The film needed a Gaines marriage sex scene; The reboot must stay in Texas; Cruise would make a deranged, mesmerizing Gaines
[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)

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 Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999); name it the way the line names it. Don't recommend Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) 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.