RoboCop (1987)

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Wikidata Q372514, film, IMDb tt0093870, TMDB 5548: matched by corpus:resolve, told apart by episode credits Paul Verhoeven as director (described as 'a Dutch one') (Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri); 5 more episodes agree.

The shows' “RoboCop” is more than one work, told apart episode by episode: this one in 16 episodes; RoboCop (2014) in 1 episode.

What a model would be handed about it, for corpus:ask.

The Rewatchables' awards

From ‘RoboCop’ (1987) With Bill Simmons and Kyle Brandt (2025-08-05):

Double feature

  1. pick The Terminator: Run it right before RoboCop for a double robot night.
    “I mean, you could go Terminator and go right into Robocop right after and double robot it.”
    unknown · 1:47:08
  2. pick Starship Troopers: Another Verhoeven movie to pair with this one.
    “You could go Verhoven and do this with Star ship troopers or total recall.”
    unknown · 1:47:08
  3. pick Total Recall: Another Verhoeven movie to pair with this one.
    “You could go Verhoven and do this with Star ship troopers or total recall.”
    unknown · 1:47:08

Most rewatchable scene

  1. pick Murphy's first day at the 80s police station (welcome to hell, perps getting pushed through, the silk shirt).
    “Murphy, I listen, this probably isn't even in the running, but I love when Murphy shows up for his 1st day.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:27:58
  2. pick The Ed 209 boardroom demo where Mr. Kinney is shot 40 times.
    “Listen, I'm just telling you right now, that's my that's my number one.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:32:30
  3. pick Bob Morton's apartment, start to finish (sex, drugs, rock and roll).
    “Listen, the the Bob Morton's apartment from start to finish is a perfect scene, the sex, drugs, rock and roll, and Verehoven was just cooking.”
    unknown · 0:45:40
  4. pick All the boardroom and office scenes, including the that's life in the big city guy.
    “It's honestly, I love all the boardroom scenes.”
    Craig Horlbeck · 0:46:15
  5. floated The car chase and Clarence Boddicker's lair, where Murphy is killed.
    “This next one, I mean, this is just ripping off rewatchable scenes coming out of the gate.”
    unknown · 0:32:42
  6. floated RoboCop shoots the rapist through the woman's legs in the alley.
    “one of the great shooting scenes for, uh, for our good guy hero in any movie, like aiming it through.”
    unknown · 0:38:47
  7. floated RoboCop crashes the cocaine party and the cocaine factory.
    “Robocop crashes the Clarence cocaine party, and then the cocaine factory.”
    unknown · 0:41:20
  8. floated The big steel mill shootout and Emil's toxic waste death.
    “Let's talk about toxic waste a meal.”
    unknown · 0:44:40

Apex Mountain · Where a person, place or thing sits on the career or cultural mountain.

  1. pick Detroit as 1987 sports and culture peak, with early 90s Bad Boy Pistons and Barry Sanders named as the real apex: Floated early (87 peak) and settled later on the early 90s.
    “Early 90s, Bad Boy Pistons, Barry Sanders, Lions.”
    unknown · 1:29:31
  2. pick Lisa Gibbons as TV anchor in the film: Not yet; getting her own daytime talk show for seven years is probably the apex.
    “No, I think getting your own daytime talk shows, probably Apex.”
    unknown · 1:29:19
  3. pick Peter Weller as Murphy / RoboCop: This is his apex.
    “I love Weller, but this is all I got.”
    unknown · 1:29:42
  4. pick Paul Verhoeven: Basic Instinct, five years later, is his peak.
    “But I think it's basic instinct for him.”
    unknown · 1:29:47
  5. pick Ronny Cox as Dick Jones' rival at OCP: RoboCop plus Beverly Hills Cop 2 in the same year.
    “This is this is this is Ronnie Cox Apex Mountain.”
    unknown · 1:30:50
  6. pick Kurtwood Smith as Clarence Boddicker: Probably That 70s Show.
    “Probably that 70s show.”
    unknown · 1:31:13
  7. pick Blade Runner as futuristic cop movies: Still the apex of futuristic cop movies.
    “I think it's Blade Runner still.”
    unknown · 1:31:45
  8. pick Characters named Dick: The 80s and 90s were the heyday for dicks.
    “This was the heyday for dicks.”
    unknown · 0:54:06
  9. pick Ford Taurus as the film's police cars: The 86 Tauruses are probably the peak for the Taurus.
    “Probably the peak from Fort Taurus, I guess we'll cover an apex ball.”
    unknown · 1:28:05
  10. pick Murphy's execution as a hard-to-watch violent scene: Offered a list of comparison scenes (Casino, Saving Private Ryan, True Romance, American History X, Irreversible).
    “For violent scenes that are hard to watch.”
    unknown · 1:34:15
  11. pick Worst new technology rollout ever as Ed 209: Asked whether Ed 209 is the apex of bad tech rollouts, alongside Google Glass and Quibi.
    “Is that 209 Apex Mountain for worst new technology rollout ever?”
    unknown · 1:39:34

Most 1987 Thing · The most 1987 thing about the movie.

  1. winner Lisa Gibbons as the TV anchor: Named the winner and talked through the Mary Hart comparison.
    “But your winner is Lisa Gibbons.”
    unknown · 0:47:59
  2. nominee Stop-motion robot effects: Charming, and better than the CGI that would replace it.
    “The stop motion robot special effects, which were very, do you like them?”
    unknown · 0:46:47
  3. nominee Someone watching 8 TVs through a store window
    “Somebody watching 8 TVs through a window on the street is very 80s.”
    unknown · 0:47:23
  4. nominee Murphy's silk patterned button-up shirt
    “I almost thought about picking it for the most 1987 thing.”
    unknown · 0:28:41
  5. nominee News break saying rebels have taken over Acapulco: Acapulco was the St. Bart's of the mid 80s; it would read as plausible today.
    “But now I guess that could have been for most 1987 thing about this movie.”
    unknown · 0:46:07

What Aged the Best · What about the movie has held up or become more true.

  1. winner Having two villains as Dick Jones and Boddicker: Two villains means killing one still leaves business to do.
    “Yeah, I'm passionate about 2 villains in a movie is awesome.”
    Kyle Brandt · 0:50:25
  2. pick Gas costing $5.79 at the Emil gas station
    “So a meal stops to get gas for his motorcycle.”
    unknown · 0:51:21
  3. pick Media Break, the futuristic news show: Reads like a YouTube channel; Verhoeven loved the American two-anchor news style.
    “Media Break as a futuristic news show.”
    unknown · 0:51:39
  4. pick The 6000 SUX commercial: Satire of the arrival of SUVs: this car sucks, but bigger is better.
    “The 6000 SUX is fucking hilarious.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:52:31
  5. pick A villain named Dick: The pause before saying dick works every time.
    “Anytime a movie character is named Dick, which we don't really have anymore because nobody would name their kid Dick, but in the 80s and 90s, we had a lot of dicks.”
    unknown · 0:53:06
  6. pick The RadioShack Valley 4plex marquee photo as Lost Boys, RoboCop, Predator, Full Metal Jacket: A photo of one weekend's lineup at a four-screen theater.
    “The caption is take me back.”
    Kyle Brandt · 0:56:22

What Aged the Worst · What about the movie, or its aftermath, has aged badly.

  1. pick RoboCop (2014 remake) and the sequels: Against remaking movies when the original is still on Prime.
    “Don't rewake make movies when I can watch the original movie and it's still really good.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:08:41
  2. pick Police strikes: None in America since the 1910s; it did not go great.
    “We haven't had one in America since the 1910s.”
    unknown · 1:09:22
  3. pick RoboCop costume appearing at WCW with Sting: Possibly meant as an aged-best joke; a wall comes off the cell in the clip.
    “Robocop joining staying in 1990 for WCW.”
    unknown · 1:09:31

Best Music Moment · Best needle drop, or the song the movie missed.

  1. pick Nightclub scene where the henchman kicks RoboCop in the balls as missed song choice: No best needle drop; instead lists songs they should have used (Rockwell, Peter Murphy, XTC, Def Leppard, Duran Duran).
    “I feel like they've really missed a great song choice possibility for that scene.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:57:44

Big Kahuna Burger Award · Best use of food and drink.

  1. winner The organic food paste RoboCop eats: Tastes like baby food; reportedly parsnip, tomato puree and crushed Butterfingers.
    “Well, the organic food paste that Robocop eats.”
    unknown · 0:56:39

Great Shot Gordo Award · Most cinematic shot.

  1. winner RoboCop's shadow growing on the wall in the alley: The actor walked backward so the shadow would get bigger.
    “I have when the 2 hooligans are with the woman in the alley and he shoots between the legs when Robo gets out and the shadow is projected against the wall behind them and he looks huge and it keeps getting bigger.”
    unknown · 0:56:57

Best Character Name · Best character name.

  1. winner Dick Jones: Name your villain Dick; the name is dying out.
    “It's obviously Dick Jones.”
    unknown · 0:58:48

Fortune 3 Clap Award (most giffable moments) · The most giffable moment in the movie.

  1. winner New RoboCop in the factory chair having dreams, mouth open: Used as a reaction GIF whenever something terrible happens, like the Red Sox trade deadline.
    “Um, all right, no, my real flex category is, uh, I'm actually going to go with the Fortune 3 clap award for most giffable moments.”
    Kyle Brandt · 1:00:53

Did this movie need a sports scene · A random sports scene the movie should have had.

  1. pick Clarence's gang playing pickup 3-on-3 in the warehouse: A half-court game or shooting contest; in a remake, pickleball.
    “I think it's Clarence's whole extended gang, little pickup 3 and 3 hoops.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:01:51

Butch's Girlfriend Award · The weak link of the film.

  1. winner The movie is too short as 102 minutes: Wants a chase scene with the big guns and a cemetery scene where he sees his own grave.
    “The week link of this film is that this movie is too short.”
    Kyle Brandt · 1:05:35
  2. winner No scene where Murphy's wife finds out he is RoboCop: Wants the wife to confront him at the police station.
    “How is there not a scene where Murphy's wife finds out that Murphy is not robocop and she shows up at the police station?”
    Bill Simmons · 1:07:02
  3. pick Murphy as underdeveloped family life: Agrees the movie doesn't develop Murphy enough; theorizes the wife moved on fast because the marriage was bad.
    “However, you make a you make a compelling case, I thought the movie is so tight, I think they literally don't even develop Murphy enough.”
    Craig Horlbeck · 1:06:27

Overacting Award · Who overacts in the movie.

  1. nominee Miguel Ferrer as Bob Morton
    “Miguel Ferrer kind of dows it up a few times as Bob Morton.”
    unknown · 1:12:40
  2. winner Ed 209 as falling down the stairs: Followed by a Freudian read of Ed 209 as Dick Jones' penis substitute.
    “You know who overacts?”
    unknown · 1:12:46

Hottest Take · A hot take about the movie.

  1. pick The Dick Jones puppet falling out of the window as last shot: The movie chokes at the goal line with the bad puppet effect; likely cost it an effects nomination.
    “My hottest take is that this movie chokes.”
    Kyle Brandt · 1:14:15
  2. pick Kyle Brandt as would have made a great RoboCop: Out of every movie they have done, this is the one Kyle's acting career could have fit.
    “I think you would have been a great robocop.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:16:06
  3. pick RoboCop as not that impressive an invention: Slow, one handgun, can barely turn, never seen getting in a car.
    “Is that RoboCop, not that impressive of an invention.”
    Craig Horlbeck · 1:24:08

Casting What Ifs · Almost-castings and recasts, including Recasting Couch and Director City.

  1. pick Actors considered to play Murphy as Schwarzenegger, Ironside, Rutger Hauer, Tom Berenger, Armand Assante, Keith Carradine, James Remar: Spent six to eight months searching; Weller won partly on his chin. Also notes Michael Ironside turned down Boddicker and Stephanie Zimbalist was cast as Lewis but had a Remington Steele conflict.
    “They, speaking of Kyle Brant, they spend 6 to 8 months searching for an actor to play Alex Murphy, you were too young.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:17:28
  2. winner Steven Seagal as RoboCop: Seagal would never be shot, so the movie would be funnier.
    “It's just a better movie.”
    unknown · 1:18:37
  3. pick Wes Anderson as director of a RoboCop remake
    “I would love to see a Wes Anderson version of Robocop where he's in like a corduroy suit and he goes into the Grand Budapest Hotel and beats people up with ironic banjos and typewriters.”
    unknown · 1:23:00
  4. pick Tom Cruise as RoboCop (over Tom Hanks): Cruise getting shot and the bald cap would be funnier than Hanks.
    “I think it's probably cruise.”
    unknown · 1:32:20
  5. pick Martin Scorsese as director (over Spielberg): The hard R and the cocaine scenes make it Scorsese.
    “Scorsese has to do it.”
    unknown · 1:32:56
  6. pick Philip Seymour Hoffman as a lab tech with two lines: A scene-stealing young Hoffman as one of the people who works on RoboCop, or as Kenny.
    “Like, one of the, like, people in the lab.”
    unknown · 1:33:31
  7. pick Brad Pitt as RoboCop 10 years later (also floated Channing Tatum, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe)
    “Good chin, like he would have fit it.”
    unknown · 1:50:27

Best That Guy · The best that guy in the movie.

  1. winner Ray Wise as the henchman who kicks RoboCop in the balls: Spent 40 years thinking he was Sosa from Scarface.
    “But I think the winner is Ray Wise, who is the one of the other bad guys, the guy who kicks Robocop in the balls.”
    unknown · 1:21:00
  2. nominee Paul McCrane as Emil, who ends up in toxic waste
    “So we already mentioned Paul McCrane, who is Toxic waste a meal.”
    unknown · 1:20:53
  3. nominee Alan Graff as background guy in everything: A shout-out to the most legendary background guy.
    “Our guy, Alan Graff.”
    unknown · 1:21:43

Dion Waiters Award · Small role, big impact.

  1. winner Ed 209: Three scenes and he takes it away.
    “To me, and I'm just like, I got to go back to my guy, Ed 209.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:22:08
  2. nominee The I'd buy that for a dollar guy
    “I had buy that for a dollar guy, but you could go either.”
    unknown · 1:22:20

Okay Motherfucker Award · The exact moment the movie goes up a notch.

  1. winner Murphy's execution, starting with the hand being shot off: Argues it beats the Ed 209 demo, which is still fun and comic.
    “I think this is the okay motherfucker award for the exact moment when this movie goes up a notch.”
    unknown · 0:35:20
  2. nominee Toxic waste guy hit by the car: One of four or five such moments in the film.
    “Jesus, they just did it again.”
    unknown · 0:35:50
  3. nominee RoboCop shoots through the woman's legs
    “See, to me, that's another okay motherfucker.”
    unknown · 0:39:03

Marion Cobretti Cutting Pizza With Scissors Award · A moment where someone should have stepped in on set and said this would never happen.

  1. winner The drug lord with an estate cabernet at the coke house who keeps drinking after Clarence puts his fingers through the glass: Invented on the spot as a new award.
    “It's the, uh, Marion Cobretti cutting pizza with scissors award for someone has to step in and say this would never happen.”
    unknown · 0:43:09

Roger Ebert Review · The reading of Roger Ebert's review.

  1. pick RoboCop: Ebert gave three stars; the reader thinks it could have been 3.5.
    “The Roger Ebert 3 stars.”
    unknown · 0:26:33

Picking Nits · Nitpicks of a movie they love.

  1. pick Ed 209 demo uses real bullets
    “Whose idea was it to give Ed 209 um, actual bullets for the boardroom demonstration?”
    unknown · 1:35:58
  2. pick Murphy and Lewis going into the warehouse without backup: Asks whether Murphy deserved to die.
    “Did Murphy deserve to die?”
    unknown · 1:36:31
  3. pick Lewis as doesn't figure out RoboCop is Murphy for 30 minutes
    “How do you feel about Nancy Allen's character not figuring out that robocops Murphy for like 30 minutes?”
    unknown · 1:37:11
  4. pick Murphy's idyllic family flashback: No family is that nice; the wife in a robe on a Tuesday saying she loves him.
    “Like, that when he goes in that flashback, that is such a bullstit demonstration of what a family is like.”
    unknown · 1:37:51
  5. pick The RoboCop costume leaving the mouth and jaw exposed
    “So why do you have the mouth and the jaw exposed?”
    unknown · 1:38:47
  6. pick Ed 209 as can't go downstairs
    “Ed 209 not being able to go downstairs.”
    unknown · 1:39:24
  7. pick Clarence Boddicker as wanted criminal who strolls into Dick Jones' office
    “Was he wanted criminal or not?”
    unknown · 1:39:54

Bonus: Steven Seagal Shitting on Himself Award (most unbelievable anecdote) · The most unbelievable anecdote from the actual film shoot.

  1. winner Peter Weller only responding to Verhoeven when addressed as Robo
    “Just Weller, um, only responding to Verehoven when he was addressed as robo when he was in the robocop.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:25:21

Craig's Flex Category: Dr. Tyler shout-out · A shout-out to a character the movie underused.

  1. pick Sage Parker as Dr. Tyler: Wished there was more of her in the second half.
    “I want to use a little bit of my time to shout out Dr. Tyler, played by a woman named Sage Parker.”
    Craig Horlbeck · 1:23:34

Sequel, Prequel, Prestige TV · The sequel, prequel or prestige TV show they would make.

  1. pick RoboCop video games as the arcade game where you fight Ed 209: Dismissed a Murphy prequel and an all-Black-cast version; the real answer is the games.
    “The real answer to this category is none of it's video game and they made a shitload of video games and they're pretty cool.”
    unknown · 1:40:56

Unanswered Questions · Questions the movie leaves open.

  1. pick What year the movie is set in: A home video ad said 1991; guesses of 2005 to 2011.
    “So we have no idea what year this movie is in.”
    unknown · 1:43:31
  2. pick Bob Morton as scouting cops to transfer into rough districts: Concludes it was likely masterminded and Murphy fit the profile.
    “Yeah. Like he's almost like scouting combine it.”
    unknown · 1:44:45

Oscar · Who should have won or been nominated.

  1. pick RoboCop as visual effects: Won for sound effects but was not nominated for special effects.
    “Well, the sound effects actually won.”
    unknown · 1:43:22

Memorabilia · A prop or piece of memorabilia they would own.

  1. pick The RoboCop mask
    “Um, I probably want the mask.”
    unknown · 1:46:22
  2. pick Nuke 'Em, the home game
    “I want Nukem, the home game, the best.”
    unknown · 1:45:38

Best Life Lesson · Best life lesson from the movie.

  1. pick You can kill somebody, but you can't take their humanity
    “You can kill somebody, but you can't take their humanity.”
    unknown · 1:46:36
  2. pick Put blanks in Ed 209 the next time you demo
    “Or put blanks in Ed 209 the next time.”
    unknown · 1:46:42

Who Won the Movie · Who won the movie.

  1. winner Paul Verhoeven
    “We need the horny blood soaked Dutchman, Paul Verhoven.”
    unknown · 1:48:30
  2. pick The villains as Dick Jones and Boddicker: Says they are genuinely terrible people and take the personality of the movie; the leads he could take or leave.
    “I think the villains in this movie are awesome and they seem like genuinely terrible people and you really want them to die.”
    Craig Horlbeck · 1:49:41

Who talked about it

Blank Check with Griffin & David

Blank Check — Patreon

The Rewatchables

Came from

What the speakers say it drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.

Avatar: 1 line the host's read ×1

  1. lineage (lineage): Avatar ⇒ RoboCop (the host's read). 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?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:38:34 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Batman Begins: 1 line the host's read ×1

  1. lineage (lineage): Batman Begins ⇒ RoboCop (the host's read). 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.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:47:48 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Flesh and Blood: 1 line the host's read ×1

  1. career (career): Flesh and Blood ⇒ RoboCop (the host's read). Flesh+Blood is the failure that led Verhoeven to Hollywood and RoboCop, where he built entertainment around his interests.
    “from this film on, he figures out how to take everything he's interested in and put it into the body of a conventionally entertaining Hollywood movie”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Flesh+Blood · 0:49:14 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

The Wizard of Oz: 1 line the host's read ×1

  1. craft (craft): The Wizard of Oz ⇒ RoboCop (the host's read). The training-sequence song joke riffs on the Tin Man and If I Only Had a Heart.
    “If I only had a heart is what it's.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:46:51 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)

Led to

What the speakers say drew on it, marked the same way.

No line says another film or person drew on it.

Connected to

Total Recall: 3 lines career ×1 lineage ×1 theme ×1

  1. career (career): RoboCop → Total Recall. 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.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Flesh+Blood · 0:19:25 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)

Batman Begins: 2 lines lineage ×1 craft ×1

  1. craft (craft): RoboCop → Batman Begins. The black rubber suit and the motorcycle read as Nolan's Batman, not as a robot.
    “And then the suit looks very Nolan Batman.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:52:38 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Flesh and Blood: 2 lines contrast ×1 career ×1

  1. career (career): Flesh and Blood → RoboCop. Flesh+Blood is the failure that led Verhoeven to Hollywood and RoboCop, where he built entertainment around his interests.
    “from this film on, he figures out how to take everything he's interested in and put it into the body of a conventionally entertaining Hollywood movie”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Flesh+Blood · 0:49:14 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Alien 3: 1 line theme ×1

  1. theme (thematic): Alien 3 → RoboCop. Both franchises have a looming company willing to feed people into the grinder.
    “Like, like, alien and Robocop as franchises both have these like big looming companies that are willing to throw like any human beings into the grinder.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 1:54:13 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)

Avatar: 1 line lineage ×1

  1. lineage (lineage): RoboCop → Avatar. 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?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:38:34 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Batman: Arkham Asylum: 1 line craft ×1

  1. craft (craft): RoboCop → Batman: Arkham Asylum. The scanning and target-tagging scenes feel video-gamey, specifically like the Arkham games.
    “Like this is like Arkham Asylum.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:54:31 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Casino Royale: 1 line lineage ×1

  1. lineage (lineage): RoboCop → Casino Royale. 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.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:48:47 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Chi-Raq (transcribed 'Shyraq'): 1 line career ×1

  1. career (career): RoboCop → Chi-Raq (transcribed 'Shyraq'). Jackson's direct-address monologues here recall Chi-Raq, where he has fun as a meta narrator; here he is muzzled.
    “Samuel Jackson has a character who similarly is doing like direct address to the camera monologues, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:09:17 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

Darren Aronofsky: 1 line programming ×1

  1. programming (programming): Darren Aronofsky → RoboCop. 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.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:11:50 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

Decision to Leave: 1 line craft ×1

  1. craft (visual gag comparison): Decision to Leave → RoboCop. The husband's cartoon fall off the mountain is compared to the Dick Jones stop-motion fall at the end of Robocop.
    “He does like a like a end of Robocop Dick Jones fall, basically.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Decision to Leave with Tatiana Maslany · 1:14:03 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Edge of Tomorrow: 1 line programming ×1

  1. programming (programming): Edge of Tomorrow → RoboCop. 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.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Edge of Tomorrow · 1:05:18 · Ben Hosley (0.40 sure it was them)

Focus: 1 line craft ×1

  1. craft (craft): RoboCop → Focus. The training sequence plays Focus's 'Hocus Pocus' as the Tin Man 'If I Only Had a Heart' joke.
    “Hocus pocus by focus.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:46:51 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Iron Man: 1 line industry ×1

  1. industry (industry): RoboCop → Iron Man. The remake arrives six years after Iron Man nailed the cool-guy-in-a-robot-suit idea and gets nowhere close.
    “Iron Man has nailed what they're trying to do and they're coming to the party 6 years late and not getting anywhere close, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:56:30 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)

Jesus Christ: 1 line theme ×1

  1. theme (theme): RoboCop → Jesus Christ. RoboCop is described as American Jesus, reflecting Verhoeven's Jesus fascination.
    “like, RoboCops about American Jesus.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Flesh+Blood · 0:36:39 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Joel Kinnaman: 1 line career ×1

  1. career (career): Joel Kinnaman → RoboCop. Kinnaman's mixed accent, English with his dad and Swedish with his mom, gives Murphy an odd rhythm that stands in for the monotone.
    “that gives him a version of the kind of weird Robocop monotonous voice, you know?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:57:59 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

John Carpenter: 1 line industry ×1

  1. industry (industry): John Carpenter → RoboCop. Carpenter got better at accepting executive-producer money on remakes of his ideas, while Verhoeven gets no checks.
    “I will happily be a nominal, stupid executive producer or whatever if you pay me.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:07:21 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Legacy Effects: 1 line craft ×1

  1. craft (craft): Legacy Effects → RoboCop. After the first suit photos went over badly, the production gave Legacy Effects about two weeks to build a second suit closer to the 1987 look, per what the shop told the speaker.
    “the production panicked when the 1st photos came out and the response was so bad and we were given like 2 weeks to make a new suit that looked more like the 80s movie”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:34:47 · Griffin Newman (0.70 sure it was them)

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World: 1 line unmapped ×1

  1. unmapped (host-passion-episode): Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World → RoboCop. Like RoboCop, this is an episode where a movie means so much to one host the question was whether a guest was needed at all.
    “Sometimes there is a movie like Robocop, you know, where it's just like, this means so much to one of us.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with John Hodgman · 0:08:03 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)

Miguel Ferrer: 1 line career ×1

  1. career (career): Miguel Ferrer → RoboCop. Ferrer is the ultimate 80s asshole and a classic Shane Black type, pointed to via RoboCop.
    “He's like the like ultimate 80s asshole.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Iron Man 3 · 1:17:28 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Ouija: 1 line verdict ×1

  1. verdict (verdict): RoboCop → Ouija. One-star Patreon-feed comparison: the hosts rate this film worse than Ouija.
    “I think this is worse than Ouija.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:22:26 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

Peter Weller: 1 line verdict ×1

  1. verdict (verdict): RoboCop → Peter Weller. Griffin's recurring gripe that RoboCop 2 should not put the mask back on Weller.
    “Robocop 2 should never put the mask back on Peter Weller.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · 2025 March Madness Update 1 · 1:04:44 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Psycho: 1 line programming ×1

  1. programming (programming): RoboCop → Psycho. 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.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · 2025 March Madness Update 1 · 1:04:32 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

RoboCop 3: 1 line verdict ×1

  1. verdict (verdict): RoboCop → RoboCop 3. They rank the sequels against each other: 2 is better than 3, though both beat this film.
    “Robocop 3 is like Lunchables Pizza?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:29:39 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

Robocop 2: 1 line contrast ×1

  1. contrast (contrast): RoboCop → Robocop 2. The speakers say RoboCop 2's satire goes big where this film does not.
    “The fun of Robocop 2 is how big they can go with the satire.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:04:40 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

Ronny Cox: 1 line career ×1

  1. career (career): Ronny Cox → RoboCop. Cox's 'that guy' run includes Vision Quest, Cop and Cop 2, RoboCop and Total Recall.
    “he ripped off Vision Quest, cop and cop two, Robocop, total recall”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ With Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:04:09 · Bill Simmons (0.40 sure it was them)

Starship Troopers: 1 line career ×1

  1. career (career): RoboCop → Starship Troopers. Starship Troopers is the most extreme form of the deconstruction-as-entertainment approach.
    “Starship Troopers is sort of the most extreme version of it where they're like, we won.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Flesh+Blood · 0:19:38 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: 1 line verdict ×1

  1. verdict (verdict): RoboCop → Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Ranked against another 2014 one-star Patreon pick, the host likes this less than either it or Ouija.
    “I think I like this less than either.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:22:17 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Terminator Salvation: 1 line lineage ×1

  1. lineage (lineage): RoboCop → Terminator Salvation. 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”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:47:57 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)

The Avengers: 1 line industry ×1

  1. industry (industry): RoboCop → The Avengers. The film is pre-Marvel franchise filmmaking that landed two years after The Avengers and feels out of touch with trends.
    “this movie comes out 2 years after the Avengers.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:21:08 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

The Mandalorian and Grogu: 1 line theme ×1

  1. theme (theme): RoboCop → The Mandalorian and Grogu. A stoic armored parent who secretly cares is called basically RoboCop 3.
    “It's basically RoboCop 3.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:34:19 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)

The Wizard of Oz: 1 line craft ×1

  1. craft (craft): RoboCop → The Wizard of Oz. The training-sequence song joke riffs on the Tin Man and If I Only Had a Heart.
    “If I only had a heart is what it's.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:46:51 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)

Venom: 1 line craft ×1

  1. craft (craft): RoboCop → Venom. Keeping his face visible is a studio note, like Topher Grace in Venom, so the visor keeps swinging up and down.
    “So in this, it's like Topher Grace Venom where they're like, well, his visor comes up anytime he speaks.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:33:41 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)

Where it came up

What was said about it, by kind

career (7)

  1. career (career): RoboCop → Total Recall. 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.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Flesh+Blood · 0:19:25 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  2. career (career): RoboCop → Starship Troopers. Starship Troopers is the most extreme form of the deconstruction-as-entertainment approach.
    “Starship Troopers is sort of the most extreme version of it where they're like, we won.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Flesh+Blood · 0:19:38 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. career (career): Flesh and Blood → RoboCop. Flesh+Blood is the failure that led Verhoeven to Hollywood and RoboCop, where he built entertainment around his interests.
    “from this film on, he figures out how to take everything he's interested in and put it into the body of a conventionally entertaining Hollywood movie”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Flesh+Blood · 0:49:14 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  4. career (career): Ronny Cox → RoboCop. Cox's 'that guy' run includes Vision Quest, Cop and Cop 2, RoboCop and Total Recall.
    “he ripped off Vision Quest, cop and cop two, Robocop, total recall”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ With Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 1:04:09 · Bill Simmons (0.40 sure it was them)
  5. career (career): Joel Kinnaman → RoboCop. Kinnaman's mixed accent, English with his dad and Swedish with his mom, gives Murphy an odd rhythm that stands in for the monotone.
    “that gives him a version of the kind of weird Robocop monotonous voice, you know?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:57:59 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  6. career (career): RoboCop → Chi-Raq (transcribed 'Shyraq'). Jackson's direct-address monologues here recall Chi-Raq, where he has fun as a meta narrator; here he is muzzled.
    “Samuel Jackson has a character who similarly is doing like direct address to the camera monologues, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:09:17 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
  7. career (career): Miguel Ferrer → RoboCop. Ferrer is the ultimate 80s asshole and a classic Shane Black type, pointed to via RoboCop.
    “He's like the like ultimate 80s asshole.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Iron Man 3 · 1:17:28 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

contrast (8)

  1. contrast (contrast): Flesh and Blood → RoboCop. Unlike Flesh+Blood, RoboCop, Total Recall and Basic Instinct have an arc and some resolution.
    “Whereas in Robocop, in total recall, in basic instinct, even, like, right, he's, you know, these are movies with more of an arc for a character.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Flesh+Blood · 0:19:12 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. contrast (contrast): RoboCop → RoboCop. In the original, Murphy loses his identity and must rediscover it; here he never does, and the host calls that stupid.
    “he never loses his identity.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:18:05 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. contrast (contrast): RoboCop → RoboCop. A remake that pushes seriousness and cuts the humor, though the humor is what people remember about the original.
    “you're like, huh, because the humor's the stuff that people remember.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:30:20 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  4. contrast (contrast): RoboCop → RoboCop. The remake keeps the hand as a clever Easter egg that inverts Bob Morton's order to junk the hand.
    “in this one they keep the hand.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:35:42 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
  5. contrast (contrast): RoboCop → RoboCop. The remake's Easter eggs, like the hand and the I'd buy that for a dollar line, feel dismissive of the original.
    “Like all the jokes they make feel dismissive of the original film.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:48:26 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  6. contrast (contrast): RoboCop → Robocop 2. The speakers say RoboCop 2's satire goes big where this film does not.
    “The fun of Robocop 2 is how big they can go with the satire.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:04:40 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
  7. contrast (contrast): RoboCop → RoboCop. Keaton's villain stays the same until a rooftop face-off; the speakers imagine Ronny Cox's version in his place.
    “if Michael Keaton is fucking Ronnie Cox, you know. The movie like doesn't have a villain.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:19:44 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
  8. contrast (contrast): RoboCop → RoboCop. The original's villains were iconic and specific; this one has a gangster, corruption, and a businessman, but no physical antagonist.
    “He has no physical antagonist.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:19:58 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

craft (8)

  1. craft (visual gag comparison): Decision to Leave → RoboCop. The husband's cartoon fall off the mountain is compared to the Dick Jones stop-motion fall at the end of Robocop.
    “He does like a like a end of Robocop Dick Jones fall, basically.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Decision to Leave with Tatiana Maslany · 1:14:03 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. craft (craft): RoboCop → RoboCop. The original's way of showing the conversion was good, but the remake skips the time lapse and wakes him already built.
    “the way they did it was really a good way to do it.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:33:17 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
  3. craft (craft): RoboCop → Venom. Keeping his face visible is a studio note, like Topher Grace in Venom, so the visor keeps swinging up and down.
    “So in this, it's like Topher Grace Venom where they're like, well, his visor comes up anytime he speaks.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:33:41 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  4. craft (craft): Legacy Effects → RoboCop. After the first suit photos went over badly, the production gave Legacy Effects about two weeks to build a second suit closer to the 1987 look, per what the shop told the speaker.
    “the production panicked when the 1st photos came out and the response was so bad and we were given like 2 weeks to make a new suit that looked more like the 80s movie”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:34:47 · Griffin Newman (0.70 sure it was them)
  5. craft (craft): RoboCop → The Wizard of Oz. The training-sequence song joke riffs on the Tin Man and If I Only Had a Heart.
    “If I only had a heart is what it's.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:46:51 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)
  6. craft (craft): RoboCop → Focus. The training sequence plays Focus's 'Hocus Pocus' as the Tin Man 'If I Only Had a Heart' joke.
    “Hocus pocus by focus.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:46:51 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  7. craft (craft): RoboCop → Batman Begins. The black rubber suit and the motorcycle read as Nolan's Batman, not as a robot.
    “And then the suit looks very Nolan Batman.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:52:38 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  8. craft (craft): RoboCop → Batman: Arkham Asylum. The scanning and target-tagging scenes feel video-gamey, specifically like the Arkham games.
    “Like this is like Arkham Asylum.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:54:31 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

industry (3)

  1. industry (industry): RoboCop → Iron Man. The remake arrives six years after Iron Man nailed the cool-guy-in-a-robot-suit idea and gets nowhere close.
    “Iron Man has nailed what they're trying to do and they're coming to the party 6 years late and not getting anywhere close, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:56:30 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. industry (industry): John Carpenter → RoboCop. Carpenter got better at accepting executive-producer money on remakes of his ideas, while Verhoeven gets no checks.
    “I will happily be a nominal, stupid executive producer or whatever if you pay me.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:07:21 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  3. industry (industry): RoboCop → The Avengers. The film is pre-Marvel franchise filmmaking that landed two years after The Avengers and feels out of touch with trends.
    “this movie comes out 2 years after the Avengers.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:21:08 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

lineage (5)

  1. lineage (lineage): RoboCop → Avatar. 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?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:38:34 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (lineage): RoboCop → Batman Begins. 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.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:47:48 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. lineage (lineage): RoboCop → Terminator Salvation. 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”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:47:57 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  4. lineage (lineage): RoboCop → Casino Royale. 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.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:48:47 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  5. lineage (lineage): RoboCop → Total Recall. 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 · RoboCop (2014) · 1:43:43 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

programming (3)

  1. programming (programming): Darren Aronofsky → RoboCop. 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.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:11:50 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. programming (programming): Edge of Tomorrow → RoboCop. 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.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Edge of Tomorrow · 1:05:18 · Ben Hosley (0.40 sure it was them)
  3. programming (programming): RoboCop → Psycho. 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.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · 2025 March Madness Update 1 · 1:04:32 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

theme (5)

  1. theme (theme): RoboCop → Jesus Christ. RoboCop is described as American Jesus, reflecting Verhoeven's Jesus fascination.
    “like, RoboCops about American Jesus.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Flesh+Blood · 0:36:39 · Griffin Newman (0.50 sure it was them)
  2. theme (theme): RoboCop → RoboCop. The OCP change to OmniCorp is read as a change made because the original seems corny today.
    “the differentiations they make feel driven by like, well, if you watch the original now, it's kind of corny.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 0:22:35 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
  3. theme (theme): RoboCop → The Mandalorian and Grogu. A stoic armored parent who secretly cares is called basically RoboCop 3.
    “It's basically RoboCop 3.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:34:19 · Griffin Newman (0.30 sure it was them)
  4. theme (theme): RoboCop → Total Recall. The RoboCop remake and Total Recall remake are emblematic of peak shitty 2010 remakes.
    “That era kind of total recall robocop.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · 2025 March Madness Update 1 · 1:05:15 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  5. theme (thematic): Alien 3 → RoboCop. Both franchises have a looming company willing to feed people into the grinder.
    “Like, like, alien and Robocop as franchises both have these like big looming companies that are willing to throw like any human beings into the grinder.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 1:54:13 · unknown (0.50 sure it was them)

unmapped (1)

  1. unmapped (host-passion-episode): Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World → RoboCop. Like RoboCop, this is an episode where a movie means so much to one host the question was whether a guest was needed at all.
    “Sometimes there is a movie like Robocop, you know, where it's just like, this means so much to one of us.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with John Hodgman · 0:08:03 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)

verdict (4)

  1. verdict (verdict): RoboCop → Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Ranked against another 2014 one-star Patreon pick, the host likes this less than either it or Ouija.
    “I think I like this less than either.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:22:17 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. verdict (verdict): RoboCop → Ouija. One-star Patreon-feed comparison: the hosts rate this film worse than Ouija.
    “I think this is worse than Ouija.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:22:26 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
  3. verdict (verdict): RoboCop → RoboCop 3. They rank the sequels against each other: 2 is better than 3, though both beat this film.
    “Robocop 3 is like Lunchables Pizza?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · RoboCop (2014) · 1:29:39 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
  4. verdict (verdict): RoboCop → Peter Weller. Griffin's recurring gripe that RoboCop 2 should not put the mask back on Weller.
    “Robocop 2 should never put the mask back on Peter Weller.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · 2025 March Madness Update 1 · 1:04:44 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Fun items about it

None.

Who the speakers said made it

As said on the shows, not checked against the real credits.