What the corpus says about Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)

The 60 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 (26)

[Blank Check · Dune · 0:22:17 · John Hodgman (0.85)] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Dune (the host's read) · programming · Dune was positioned and released as the studio's answer to Star Wars, the next big space epic. · "Uh, this movie is released with the energy of, here you go, here's the new Star Wars."
[The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate · 1:26:04 · unknown (0.40)] Avatar: The Way of Water ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · programming · After the Fox acquisition it felt like Disney would alternate Star Wars and Avatar releases. · "oh, they'll alternate every other year between a Star Wars movie and an Avatar movie."
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 0:12:58 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.90)] Raiders of the Lost Ark ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · lineage · Bendis says his childhood pop culture was Lucas and Spielberg magic tricks, not Marvel. · "At this stage that wasn't Marvel was Lucas and Spielberg."
[Blank Check · Dune · 0:22:22 · John Hodgman (0.70)] Dune ⇒ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (the host's read) · lineage · The Dune book's messaging is credited as one of the things that inspired Star Wars. · "And not only that, the messaging of this is one of the things that inspired Star Wars."
[The Big Picture · The Top 10 Fantasy Films, The Toy Movie Hall of Fame, and ‘Masters of the Universe,’ · 0:23:25 · Griffin Newman (0.50)] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Masters of the Universe (the host's read) · lineage · He-Man (and the 80s toy boom) was a response to every company having passed on Star Wars merchandising. · "so much of He-Man and the 80s for toys is a response to every major company passing on Star Wars that Star Wars is the whiff that no one can live down."
[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."
[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."
[The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:46:32 · Mallory Rubin (0.85)] Seven Samurai ⇒ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (the host's read) · lineage · Mallory notes Lucas drew on Joseph Campbell, Seven Samurai, and Hidden Fortress, and the cycle of influence is now returning in Mulan. · "Obviously, Joseph Campbell, as mentioned a moment ago. 7 Samurai, Hidden Fortress."
[The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:46:32 · Mallory Rubin (0.85)] The Hidden Fortress ⇒ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (the host's read) · lineage · Mallory lists Hidden Fortress among Lucas's influences. · "7 Samurai, Hidden Fortress."
[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 · Guardians of the Galaxy · 0:38:14 · unknown (0.30)] Guardians of the Galaxy ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · lineage · A scummy alien bar full of background characters is like the Star Wars cantina. · "It's like a cantina from Star Wars."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Guardians of the Galaxy · 1:16:55 · unknown (0.30)] Guardians of the Galaxy ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · lineage · Rocket is a Han Solo and Chewbacca pairing: Groot is the one only Rocket understands, and Rocket pretends he doesn't care about the group. · "Oh, the way I'm also thinking now, like, how rocket is kind of like Han Solo?"
[Blank Check · Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World · 0:18:21 · David Sims (0.40)] Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · theme · The British naval officers in Pirates are stuffy prigs, likened to Star Wars imperials. · "They're Star Wars imperial."
[Blank Check · Twin Peaks: The Return (Episode 8) · 2:20:40 · Connor Ratliff (0.70)] Twin Peaks: The Return, Part 8 ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · theme · Adding Badalamenti cues to the Return's silences is compared to adding John Williams to a quiet-space-battle Star Wars. · "It would be like if they made Star Wars movies without John Williams music all of a sudden and it was just sort of like quiet space battles."
[Blank Check · Dune · 1:17:01 · David Sims (0.30)] Dune ⇒ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (the host's read) · theme · Dune's Fremen/revolution material is the denser source that Star Wars abstracts; the Force is Dune without the drugs. · "the Force in Star Wars is like doom without the drugs."
[Blank Check · Dune · 0:40:48 · unknown (0.30)] Dune ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · craft · Lynch's Dune looks as good as the original Star Wars films from a design standpoint. · "I think this film looks as good as any of the original Star Wars films."
[Blank Check · Dune · 0:41:20 · unknown (0.35)] Dune ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · craft · The sandworm-riding finale fails as an effects climax where Star Wars' Death Star trench run succeeds. · "Like, you know how Star Wars ends with the Death Star trench run?"
[Blank Check · Dune · 0:42:47 · unknown (0.35)] Dune ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · craft · Star Wars reuses sets cleverly while Dune builds a custom set for almost every scene. · "You think about, like, Star Wars from 1977 and part of the great, like, filmmaking magic of that movie is how strategic they are in reusing certain elements."
[The Rewatchables · 'Talladega Nights' · 1:22:10 · Danny Kelly (0.40)] Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · craft · Miniatures in Star Wars and 2001 look better than computer spaceships in Avengers. · "I think that the spaceship in the beginning of Star Wars and in Space Odyssey looks better now than the spaceship at the beginning of like Avengers."
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Nightmare Before Christmas · 1:01:07 · David Sims (0.40)] The Nightmare Before Christmas ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · craft · The film's background characters beat everything since Star Wars for feeling like a real ecosystem. · "I think since Star Wars, no better background characters."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Guardians of the Galaxy · 1:37:28 · unknown (0.30)] Guardians of the Galaxy ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · craft · The prison-break action sequence has clear rules like the Death Star trench-run style 'we got to get through there' setups. · "It's like Death Starship where it's just like, we got to get through there."
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 2:47:27 · unknown (0.40)] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ↔ Raiders of the Lost Ark · contrast · Star Wars merch got canonical names for every background character; Indiana Jones toys never do. · "None of these characters are ever named."
[Blank Check · Dune · 1:57:44 · unknown (0.35)] Dune ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · contrast · Dune is counterintuitive science fiction while Star Wars is fantasy. · "It's all this sort of counterintuitive science fiction stuff, which is why Dune is science fiction."
[The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate · 0:48:04 · unknown (0.40)] Avatar ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · contrast · Avatar is an efficient workmanlike story, not one with fascinating margin detail like Star Wars. · "And it is because it is not a movie like Star Wars where you're so fascinated by all these little things happening at the margins, right?"
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 1:09:42 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.80)] The Frisco Kid ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · people · Bendis's view of Harrison Ford was shaped by Frisco Kid, where Han Solo escorts a rabbi, shown in Jewish Cleveland. · "Han Solo is taking a rabbi across the, across the, uh, thing"
[Blank Check — Patreon · A Clockwork Orange · 2:33:51 · Alex Ross Perry (0.60)] A Clockwork Orange ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · people · The British casting looks like Star Wars casting six years later. · "this just feels like it lives in the same world of casting at Star Wars to me."

Films put beside it more than once (6)

[pairs] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ↔ Dune · said 8 times in 2 episodes
[pairs] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ↔ Jaws · said 3 times in 3 episodes
[pairs] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ↔ Raiders of the Lost Ark · said 3 times in 1 episode
[pairs] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ↔ Close Encounters of the Third Kind · said 3 times in 1 episode
[pairs] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ↔ Guardians of the Galaxy · said 3 times in 1 episode
[pairs] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ↔ The Lego Batman Movie · said 2 times in 1 episode

Fun items about it (3)

[The Big Picture · Physical Media Strikes Back · 0:36:14 · Tim Simons (0.55)] Star Wars · fun · Burned a fan de-specialized version of the originals onto a Blu-ray and shelved it, and hid VHS triple box behind Blu-rays on IKEA Billy shelves. · "I burnt them onto a Blu-ray and put them on the shelf because I'm a fucking psychopath."
[The Big Picture · The Oscars Schedule Changes, and Andrew Garfield On ‘Under the Silver Lake’ | Interview · 0:32:38 · Sean Fennessey (0.90)] Star Wars · fun · Sean casts Amanda as Rey of the podcast and himself as Kylo. · "I will say I have often thought of you as the ray of this podcast in me as the Kylo."
[The Big Picture · Steven Spielberg's Top 5 Movies · 0:23:24 · Chris Ryan (0.60)] Star Wars · fun · Lucas and Spielberg each thought the other's film would do better and bet back-end points; Spielberg owns a piece of Star Wars. · "now he owns a small piece of the Lucas Empire because he won that wager."

One hop out: what recommends the films most often joined to it (16)

[Blank Check · Dune · 2:50:47 · unknown (0.40)] Dune ↔ Dune: Prophecy · programming · An HBO Max Dune series is coming, which the hosts are excited for. · "10 hours at the HBO Max series coming?"
[The Big Picture · The Top Five Movies of 2022 · 1:31:29 · Sean Fennessey (0.85)] Close Encounters of the Third Kind ⇒ Nope (the host's read) · lineage · Sean says Nope is as much a Spielberg movie as any he has seen in a long time, with Close Encounters the usual touchstone, and notes the shared theme of looking up and trying to see. · "nope is as much a Spielberg movie as any movie I've seen in a long, long time."
[The Big Picture · The Past, Present, and Future of Superhero Movies | The Big Picture · 0:17:03 · Jason Concepcion (0.40)] Guardians of the Galaxy ⇒ Ant-Man (the host's read) · programming · After Guardians' success with unknown characters, Ant-Man was an easy next gamble. · "you do Ant-Man after that because you're just like, yeah, let's do Ant-Man."
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 3:01:39 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.90)] Raiders of the Lost Ark ↔ Jaws · programming · Bendis lives in Portland, where Raiders and Jaws play theaters every summer; his kids found both still work. · "I'm here in Portland where Raiders and Jaws plays on theaters, at least once a summer."
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 1:14:54 · unknown (0.40)] Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ↔ Raiders of the Lost Ark · programming · They devoted a whole episode to Crystal Skull. · "We devoted whole episode to it."
[Blank Check · Dune · 3:02:27 · Griffin Newman (0.50)] Dune ↔ Blue Velvet · programming · Next week's episode is Blue Velvet with Jamie Loftus. · "Tune in next week for Blue Velvet with Jamie Loftus?"
[The Big Picture · Steven Spielberg's Top 5 Movies · 0:19:05 · Sean Fennessey (0.85)] Close Encounters of the Third Kind ⇒ E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (the host's read) · theme · Close Encounters sets a template for science fiction and for stories about families and divorce. · "It sets a different kind of template for science fiction storytelling, for stories about families, for stories about obsession, for stories about divorce"
[The Big Picture · The Past, Present, and Future of Superhero Movies | The Big Picture · 0:52:39 · David Shoemaker (0.40)] Guardians of the Galaxy ↔ Avengers: Infinity War · programming · Guardians 3 is certain and Star-Lord is now a primary MCU figure. · "Chris Pratt, obviously, there will be a Guardians 3."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Friday the 13th’ · 0:46:35 · unknown (0.35)] Jaws ⇒ Friday the 13th (the host's read) · lineage · Friday took Jaws' device of music for a villain you cannot see. · "the Jaws music for the villain you can't see."
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 2:32:51 · unknown (0.40)] Sorcerer ↔ Raiders of the Lost Ark · programming · They will do Sorcerer one day. · "Source will probably do one day."
[Blank Check · Dune · 0:19:09 · unknown (0.50)] Dune ↔ Dune · lineage · The episode cannot be done without comparing Lynch's film to the Villeneuve movies. · "We can't do this episode without comparing this movie to the Villanova films"
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 0:25:05 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.70)] Raiders of the Lost Ark ↔ Close Encounters of the Third Kind · craft · The novelization written by Spielberg internalized the story, which Bendis loved. · "it internalizes the story for a young person who's only seeing externalizing it."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Guardians of the Galaxy · 0:59:57 · unknown (0.30)] Guardians of the Galaxy ↔ Captain Marvel · programming · Captain Marvel provides context for the Nova Corps Cree and a not-yet-crazy Ronan, and Jude Law's Yon-Rogg. · "But the idea in Captain Marvel is he's not crazy yet."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Twister’ · 0:54:51 · Chris Ryan (0.50)] Jaws ⇒ Twister (the host's read) · lineage · Jonas is the Jaws-mayor archetype, a money-motivated antagonist that became a stock character in every movie. · "The mayor in Jaws is the character that kind of pushes against our lead person."
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 2:34:57 · unknown (0.40)] Hook ↔ Raiders of the Lost Ark · programming · Hook is a movie they will cover and a defender will join that episode. · "We will have a defender on the episode."
[Blank Check · Dune · 1:58:13 · unknown (0.35)] Jupiter Ascending ↔ Dune · theme · Jupiter Ascending shares the palace-intrigue, gilded sci-fi mode. · "I think it's a goofier movie, but Jupiter ascending has the same thing of like palace intrigue."

Who said it, by their latest sketch (6)

[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
[speaker] Brian Michael Bendis · latest sketch, Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · Raised on Lucas and Spielberg and says the magic-trick-then-show-how-it-was-done openness of that era shaped his craft. Loves Raiders over Temple of Doom even though Temple of Doom met him at a pivotal age; adores Reds, Siskel and Ebert, John Williams, Karen Allen. Cannot stand writers telling the audience the theme outright and hates snakes. · stances: Raiders is the better film but Temple of Doom shaped him; Exposition must carry the character's own perspective; Lucas and Spielberg were the first open-source filmmakers; Spielberg is generous with credit and should be emulated; Marion Ravenwood is among cinema's great characters; Willie Scott is the anti-Marion mistake; The post-Fabelmans view reshapes Raiders
[speaker] Chris Ryan · latest sketch, The Rewatchables · ‘Friday the 13th’ · A franchise and genre scholar who likes Jason, the early sequels, and Manhattan; attention to trivia, tropes and critic reception. Treats slashers as a canon with tiers. · stances: Parts 1, 2, 4 and Manhattan are the good ones; The series finds its legs at 4
[speaker] John Hodgman · latest sketch, Blank Check · Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World · A boat man and old-fashioned nerd who loves wooden schooners, nautical procedure and Moby-Dick; he adores Patrick O'Brian and the film's authenticity but admits he is not a book expert. He is a sucker for sailing terminology and for explaining knots and anchors. · stances: The film gets sailing powerlessness and control right; Sleeping on a boat with no motor noise is creepy; Loves the sound design and rope work; Offers boating facts relentlessly
[speaker] Alex Ross Perry · latest sketch, Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club · Loves Fight Club as a formative film he saw at the AMC Marple on opening night and again on Saturday, and says it still ranks among his heart picks despite finding it juvenile now. Respects a movie that looks good. Cannot stand the Fincher perfectionist myth, and thinks his push for digital had a bad influence. A sucker for Zodiac, which he ranks first. · stances: Fight Club is a time capsule: deeply embarrassing to admire but loved spiritually; Fincher's perfectionist myth and digital proselytizing are overrated; The second half and Project Mayhem say nothing new; Zodiac is the best Fincher

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 Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) 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 IV – A New Hope (1977) 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 · Dune · 0:22:17 · John Hodgman (0.85)] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Dune (the host's read) · programming · Dune was positioned and released as the studio's answer to Star Wars, the next big space epic. · "Uh, this movie is released with the energy of, here you go, here's the new Star Wars."
[The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate · 1:26:04 · unknown (0.40)] Avatar: The Way of Water ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · programming · After the Fox acquisition it felt like Disney would alternate Star Wars and Avatar releases. · "oh, they'll alternate every other year between a Star Wars movie and an Avatar movie."
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 0:12:58 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.90)] Raiders of the Lost Ark ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · lineage · Bendis says his childhood pop culture was Lucas and Spielberg magic tricks, not Marvel. · "At this stage that wasn't Marvel was Lucas and Spielberg."
[Blank Check · Dune · 0:22:22 · John Hodgman (0.70)] Dune ⇒ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (the host's read) · lineage · The Dune book's messaging is credited as one of the things that inspired Star Wars. · "And not only that, the messaging of this is one of the things that inspired Star Wars."
[The Big Picture · The Top 10 Fantasy Films, The Toy Movie Hall of Fame, and ‘Masters of the Universe,’ · 0:23:25 · Griffin Newman (0.50)] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ⇒ Masters of the Universe (the host's read) · lineage · He-Man (and the 80s toy boom) was a response to every company having passed on Star Wars merchandising. · "so much of He-Man and the 80s for toys is a response to every major company passing on Star Wars that Star Wars is the whiff that no one can live down."
[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."
[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."
[The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:46:32 · Mallory Rubin (0.85)] Seven Samurai ⇒ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (the host's read) · lineage · Mallory notes Lucas drew on Joseph Campbell, Seven Samurai, and Hidden Fortress, and the cycle of influence is now returning in Mulan. · "Obviously, Joseph Campbell, as mentioned a moment ago. 7 Samurai, Hidden Fortress."
[The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:46:32 · Mallory Rubin (0.85)] The Hidden Fortress ⇒ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (the host's read) · lineage · Mallory lists Hidden Fortress among Lucas's influences. · "7 Samurai, Hidden Fortress."
[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 · Guardians of the Galaxy · 0:38:14 · unknown (0.30)] Guardians of the Galaxy ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · lineage · A scummy alien bar full of background characters is like the Star Wars cantina. · "It's like a cantina from Star Wars."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Guardians of the Galaxy · 1:16:55 · unknown (0.30)] Guardians of the Galaxy ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · lineage · Rocket is a Han Solo and Chewbacca pairing: Groot is the one only Rocket understands, and Rocket pretends he doesn't care about the group. · "Oh, the way I'm also thinking now, like, how rocket is kind of like Han Solo?"
[Blank Check · Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World · 0:18:21 · David Sims (0.40)] Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · theme · The British naval officers in Pirates are stuffy prigs, likened to Star Wars imperials. · "They're Star Wars imperial."
[Blank Check · Twin Peaks: The Return (Episode 8) · 2:20:40 · Connor Ratliff (0.70)] Twin Peaks: The Return, Part 8 ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · theme · Adding Badalamenti cues to the Return's silences is compared to adding John Williams to a quiet-space-battle Star Wars. · "It would be like if they made Star Wars movies without John Williams music all of a sudden and it was just sort of like quiet space battles."
[Blank Check · Dune · 1:17:01 · David Sims (0.30)] Dune ⇒ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (the host's read) · theme · Dune's Fremen/revolution material is the denser source that Star Wars abstracts; the Force is Dune without the drugs. · "the Force in Star Wars is like doom without the drugs."
[Blank Check · Dune · 0:40:48 · unknown (0.30)] Dune ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · craft · Lynch's Dune looks as good as the original Star Wars films from a design standpoint. · "I think this film looks as good as any of the original Star Wars films."
[Blank Check · Dune · 0:41:20 · unknown (0.35)] Dune ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · craft · The sandworm-riding finale fails as an effects climax where Star Wars' Death Star trench run succeeds. · "Like, you know how Star Wars ends with the Death Star trench run?"
[Blank Check · Dune · 0:42:47 · unknown (0.35)] Dune ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · craft · Star Wars reuses sets cleverly while Dune builds a custom set for almost every scene. · "You think about, like, Star Wars from 1977 and part of the great, like, filmmaking magic of that movie is how strategic they are in reusing certain elements."
[The Rewatchables · 'Talladega Nights' · 1:22:10 · Danny Kelly (0.40)] Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · craft · Miniatures in Star Wars and 2001 look better than computer spaceships in Avengers. · "I think that the spaceship in the beginning of Star Wars and in Space Odyssey looks better now than the spaceship at the beginning of like Avengers."
[Blank Check — Patreon · The Nightmare Before Christmas · 1:01:07 · David Sims (0.40)] The Nightmare Before Christmas ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · craft · The film's background characters beat everything since Star Wars for feeling like a real ecosystem. · "I think since Star Wars, no better background characters."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Guardians of the Galaxy · 1:37:28 · unknown (0.30)] Guardians of the Galaxy ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · craft · The prison-break action sequence has clear rules like the Death Star trench-run style 'we got to get through there' setups. · "It's like Death Starship where it's just like, we got to get through there."
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 2:47:27 · unknown (0.40)] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ↔ Raiders of the Lost Ark · contrast · Star Wars merch got canonical names for every background character; Indiana Jones toys never do. · "None of these characters are ever named."
[Blank Check · Dune · 1:57:44 · unknown (0.35)] Dune ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · contrast · Dune is counterintuitive science fiction while Star Wars is fantasy. · "It's all this sort of counterintuitive science fiction stuff, which is why Dune is science fiction."
[The Big Picture · The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate · 0:48:04 · unknown (0.40)] Avatar ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · contrast · Avatar is an efficient workmanlike story, not one with fascinating margin detail like Star Wars. · "And it is because it is not a movie like Star Wars where you're so fascinated by all these little things happening at the margins, right?"
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 1:09:42 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.80)] The Frisco Kid ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · people · Bendis's view of Harrison Ford was shaped by Frisco Kid, where Han Solo escorts a rabbi, shown in Jewish Cleveland. · "Han Solo is taking a rabbi across the, across the, uh, thing"
[Blank Check — Patreon · A Clockwork Orange · 2:33:51 · Alex Ross Perry (0.60)] A Clockwork Orange ↔ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope · people · The British casting looks like Star Wars casting six years later. · "this just feels like it lives in the same world of casting at Star Wars to me."
[pairs] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ↔ Dune · said 8 times in 2 episodes
[pairs] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ↔ Jaws · said 3 times in 3 episodes
[pairs] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ↔ Raiders of the Lost Ark · said 3 times in 1 episode
[pairs] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ↔ Close Encounters of the Third Kind · said 3 times in 1 episode
[pairs] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ↔ Guardians of the Galaxy · said 3 times in 1 episode
[pairs] Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope ↔ The Lego Batman Movie · said 2 times in 1 episode
[The Big Picture · Physical Media Strikes Back · 0:36:14 · Tim Simons (0.55)] Star Wars · fun · Burned a fan de-specialized version of the originals onto a Blu-ray and shelved it, and hid VHS triple box behind Blu-rays on IKEA Billy shelves. · "I burnt them onto a Blu-ray and put them on the shelf because I'm a fucking psychopath."
[The Big Picture · The Oscars Schedule Changes, and Andrew Garfield On ‘Under the Silver Lake’ | Interview · 0:32:38 · Sean Fennessey (0.90)] Star Wars · fun · Sean casts Amanda as Rey of the podcast and himself as Kylo. · "I will say I have often thought of you as the ray of this podcast in me as the Kylo."
[The Big Picture · Steven Spielberg's Top 5 Movies · 0:23:24 · Chris Ryan (0.60)] Star Wars · fun · Lucas and Spielberg each thought the other's film would do better and bet back-end points; Spielberg owns a piece of Star Wars. · "now he owns a small piece of the Lucas Empire because he won that wager."
[Blank Check · Dune · 2:50:47 · unknown (0.40)] Dune ↔ Dune: Prophecy · programming · An HBO Max Dune series is coming, which the hosts are excited for. · "10 hours at the HBO Max series coming?"
[The Big Picture · The Top Five Movies of 2022 · 1:31:29 · Sean Fennessey (0.85)] Close Encounters of the Third Kind ⇒ Nope (the host's read) · lineage · Sean says Nope is as much a Spielberg movie as any he has seen in a long time, with Close Encounters the usual touchstone, and notes the shared theme of looking up and trying to see. · "nope is as much a Spielberg movie as any movie I've seen in a long, long time."
[The Big Picture · The Past, Present, and Future of Superhero Movies | The Big Picture · 0:17:03 · Jason Concepcion (0.40)] Guardians of the Galaxy ⇒ Ant-Man (the host's read) · programming · After Guardians' success with unknown characters, Ant-Man was an easy next gamble. · "you do Ant-Man after that because you're just like, yeah, let's do Ant-Man."
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 3:01:39 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.90)] Raiders of the Lost Ark ↔ Jaws · programming · Bendis lives in Portland, where Raiders and Jaws play theaters every summer; his kids found both still work. · "I'm here in Portland where Raiders and Jaws plays on theaters, at least once a summer."
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 1:14:54 · unknown (0.40)] Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ↔ Raiders of the Lost Ark · programming · They devoted a whole episode to Crystal Skull. · "We devoted whole episode to it."
[Blank Check · Dune · 3:02:27 · Griffin Newman (0.50)] Dune ↔ Blue Velvet · programming · Next week's episode is Blue Velvet with Jamie Loftus. · "Tune in next week for Blue Velvet with Jamie Loftus?"
[The Big Picture · Steven Spielberg's Top 5 Movies · 0:19:05 · Sean Fennessey (0.85)] Close Encounters of the Third Kind ⇒ E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (the host's read) · theme · Close Encounters sets a template for science fiction and for stories about families and divorce. · "It sets a different kind of template for science fiction storytelling, for stories about families, for stories about obsession, for stories about divorce"
[The Big Picture · The Past, Present, and Future of Superhero Movies | The Big Picture · 0:52:39 · David Shoemaker (0.40)] Guardians of the Galaxy ↔ Avengers: Infinity War · programming · Guardians 3 is certain and Star-Lord is now a primary MCU figure. · "Chris Pratt, obviously, there will be a Guardians 3."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Friday the 13th’ · 0:46:35 · unknown (0.35)] Jaws ⇒ Friday the 13th (the host's read) · lineage · Friday took Jaws' device of music for a villain you cannot see. · "the Jaws music for the villain you can't see."
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 2:32:51 · unknown (0.40)] Sorcerer ↔ Raiders of the Lost Ark · programming · They will do Sorcerer one day. · "Source will probably do one day."
[Blank Check · Dune · 0:19:09 · unknown (0.50)] Dune ↔ Dune · lineage · The episode cannot be done without comparing Lynch's film to the Villeneuve movies. · "We can't do this episode without comparing this movie to the Villanova films"
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 0:25:05 · Brian Michael Bendis (0.70)] Raiders of the Lost Ark ↔ Close Encounters of the Third Kind · craft · The novelization written by Spielberg internalized the story, which Bendis loved. · "it internalizes the story for a young person who's only seeing externalizing it."
[Blank Check — Patreon · Guardians of the Galaxy · 0:59:57 · unknown (0.30)] Guardians of the Galaxy ↔ Captain Marvel · programming · Captain Marvel provides context for the Nova Corps Cree and a not-yet-crazy Ronan, and Jude Law's Yon-Rogg. · "But the idea in Captain Marvel is he's not crazy yet."
[The Rewatchables · ‘Twister’ · 0:54:51 · Chris Ryan (0.50)] Jaws ⇒ Twister (the host's read) · lineage · Jonas is the Jaws-mayor archetype, a money-motivated antagonist that became a stock character in every movie. · "The mayor in Jaws is the character that kind of pushes against our lead person."
[Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · 2:34:57 · unknown (0.40)] Hook ↔ Raiders of the Lost Ark · programming · Hook is a movie they will cover and a defender will join that episode. · "We will have a defender on the episode."
[Blank Check · Dune · 1:58:13 · unknown (0.35)] Jupiter Ascending ↔ Dune · theme · Jupiter Ascending shares the palace-intrigue, gilded sci-fi mode. · "I think it's a goofier movie, but Jupiter ascending has the same thing of like palace intrigue."
[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
[speaker] Brian Michael Bendis · latest sketch, Blank Check · Raiders of the Lost Ark · Raised on Lucas and Spielberg and says the magic-trick-then-show-how-it-was-done openness of that era shaped his craft. Loves Raiders over Temple of Doom even though Temple of Doom met him at a pivotal age; adores Reds, Siskel and Ebert, John Williams, Karen Allen. Cannot stand writers telling the audience the theme outright and hates snakes. · stances: Raiders is the better film but Temple of Doom shaped him; Exposition must carry the character's own perspective; Lucas and Spielberg were the first open-source filmmakers; Spielberg is generous with credit and should be emulated; Marion Ravenwood is among cinema's great characters; Willie Scott is the anti-Marion mistake; The post-Fabelmans view reshapes Raiders
[speaker] Chris Ryan · latest sketch, The Rewatchables · ‘Friday the 13th’ · A franchise and genre scholar who likes Jason, the early sequels, and Manhattan; attention to trivia, tropes and critic reception. Treats slashers as a canon with tiers. · stances: Parts 1, 2, 4 and Manhattan are the good ones; The series finds its legs at 4
[speaker] John Hodgman · latest sketch, Blank Check · Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World · A boat man and old-fashioned nerd who loves wooden schooners, nautical procedure and Moby-Dick; he adores Patrick O'Brian and the film's authenticity but admits he is not a book expert. He is a sucker for sailing terminology and for explaining knots and anchors. · stances: The film gets sailing powerlessness and control right; Sleeping on a boat with no motor noise is creepy; Loves the sound design and rope work; Offers boating facts relentlessly
[speaker] Alex Ross Perry · latest sketch, Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club · Loves Fight Club as a formative film he saw at the AMC Marple on opening night and again on Saturday, and says it still ranks among his heart picks despite finding it juvenile now. Respects a movie that looks good. Cannot stand the Fincher perfectionist myth, and thinks his push for digital had a bad influence. A sucker for Zodiac, which he ranks first. · stances: Fight Club is a time capsule: deeply embarrassing to admire but loved spiritually; Fincher's perfectionist myth and digital proselytizing are overrated; The second half and Project Mayhem say nothing new; Zodiac is the best Fincher
[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 Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977); name it the way the line names it. Don't recommend Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) 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.