Mahershala Ali

Made films the shows talk about.

Counted as actor. The films the hosts said they acted in, which the two lists below run through too: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008); True Detective (2014); Green Book (2018); Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018); House of Cards (TV series).

Draws on

What the speakers say they, or a film of theirs, 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.

F. Scott Fitzgerald: 2 lines

  1. lineage (adaptation) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they acted in: F. Scott Fitzgerald ⇒ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the host's read). The film is adapted from Fitzgerald's short story, though the speakers say it shares little with it.
    “It's quite, it's, it doesn't have too much in common with the film, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:01:30 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (adaptation distance) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they acted in: F. Scott Fitzgerald ⇒ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the host's read). By the time Roth finished, the film resembles the story in name only.
    “By the time he's done with it, the movie has no resemblance to Benjamin Button apart from, it's called Benjamin Button.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:42:01 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Forrest Gump (1994): 2 lines

  1. unmapped (anti-Gump answer) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they acted in: Forrest Gump ⇒ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the host's read). Griffin reads Benjamin Button as a pointed answer to Gump, showing the death behind the Americana.
    “But I think it's almost like pointedly an anti-gump.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:22:50 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (attempt at a Gump) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they acted in: Forrest Gump ⇒ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the host's read). The speaker says the cultural narrative is that Benjamin Button is Fincher trying to do Gump.
    “but I do think this is like the cultural narrative of this movie is he's trying to do Gump, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:10:05 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

Love Is Strong (Rolling Stones video): 1 line

  1. lineage (technique precursor) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they acted in: Love Is Strong (Rolling Stones video) ⇒ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the host's read). A host guesses the Stones' giant-scale effects helped Fincher on Benjamin Button.
    “Well, and I bet this helped for Benjamin Button eventually.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:59:12 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Orville Redenbacher commercial (Fincher, Digital Domain): 1 line

  1. unmapped (proof of concept) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they acted in: Orville Redenbacher commercial (Fincher, Digital Domain) ⇒ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (the maker said so). Fincher used a Redenbacher commercial to test whether the film was makeable.
    “I'm basically stealing money from Orvell Redbocker to figure out whether this film is makeable or not.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:52:07 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Panic Room (2002): 1 line

  1. unmapped (set the template for) · through Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), which they acted in: Panic Room ⇒ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (the host's read). A host says Fincher's all-previs approach on this film created the pipeline for how blockbusters are made.
    “But that disc 2 is so much about that he basically created the pipeline for how all fucking blockbusters are made on this movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 0:31:38 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), which they acted in: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World ⇒ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (the host's read). Sean says Deadpool, the Lego movie and Spider-Verse could not happen without this film having broken the fourth wall first.
    “Deadpool, for example, can't happen or like the Lego movie can't happen or into the Spider-Verse.”
    The Big Picture · Celebrating ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ 10 Years Later With Edgar Wright · 0:17:53 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)

Seven (1995): 1 line

  1. lineage (lineage) · through True Detective (2014), which they acted in: Seven ⇒ True Detective (the host's read). Se7en's influence shows in True Detective from the title sequence to the characters, though True Detective's first season flinches at the dark ending.
    “you can see the influence of of 7 on things like True Detective from the title sequence to the characters.”
    The Rewatchables · ‘Se7en’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan · 0:15:19 · Chris Ryan (0.55 sure it was them)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): 1 line, within their own work

  1. career (career step) · through House of Cards (TV series), which they acted in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ⇒ House of Cards (TV series) (the host's read). Fincher moved Mahershala Ali from Button into House of Cards.
    “But I mean, look, Fincher puts him from this into House of Cards, which is one of the things that definitely levels him up.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:05:36 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

Drawn on by

What the speakers say drew on them or a film of theirs, marked the same way.

House of Cards (TV series): 1 line, within their own work

  1. career (career step) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they acted in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ⇒ House of Cards (TV series) (the host's read). Fincher moved Mahershala Ali from Button into House of Cards.
    “But I mean, look, Fincher puts him from this into House of Cards, which is one of the things that definitely levels him up.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:05:36 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013): 1 line

  1. unmapped (parody) · through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which they acted in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ⇒ The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (the host's read). The speaker says Walter Mitty parodies Benjamin Button, as if to say Button got the Gump wrong.
    “And Walter Mitty parodies Benjamin Button, almost as if to say, they fucked up.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:10:46 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)

What the speakers said they did

Acting (7) everyone in acting

Other (1) everyone in other

What was said about them, by kind

career (1)

  1. career (career): Mahershala Ali → True Detective. Ali is about to star in the third season of True Detective, so he can float above Green Book's problems.
    “Mohershla is about to be starring in the 3rd season of True Detective on HBO.”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:05:34 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)

verdict (2)

  1. verdict (verdict): Mahershala Ali → Green Book. Ali has better work ahead than Green Book and is one of the best actors around.
    “He's got better work in front of him than Green book.”
    The Big Picture · Oscars 2019: Instant Reactions to ‘Green Book’ and the Two Warring Academies | The Oscars Show (Ep. 131) · 1:04:57 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. verdict (verdict): Mahershala Ali → Green Book. Ali is a star people like and can float above the movie's problems.
    “I think that he can float above the other problems of the movie and probably will.”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:05:41 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)

Fun items about them

  1. fun, about Mahershala Ali: Husband's most-anticipated moment: seeing Mahershala on stage because people just like him.
    “most people would say, yes.”
    The Big Picture · Oscars 2019: Instant Reactions to ‘Green Book’ and the Two Warring Academies | The Oscars Show (Ep. 131) · 1:04:00 · Amanda Dobbins (0.35 sure it was them)
  2. fun, about Mahershala Ali: Before Button he had done a lot of television, and he lost the last part of his first name only years later.
    “And it is wild that like he chops the final 25% of his 1st name off and immediately has the transcendent year where people are like, who the fuck is this guy?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:05:26 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)