Loves Marvel's cosmic, ragtag-team side and the animated Rocket/Groot heart; affectionate about the sillier comic characters. Dislikes humorless gray franchise filmmaking and bad needle drops. A sucker for a ragtag group, a Trek-style space comedy, and a Han Solo type inside an ensemble. Speaker attribution in this transcript is uncertain.
Stances
Gunn is a real filmmaker who won his arguments with Marvel
Quill is the best Han Solo since Han Solo
Rocket and Groot are one of the best big/small duos
Humor: Talks in self-aware bits (the countdown clock, chronic lateness) and makes dirty-minded pile-ons with the room.
In their words
“I just don't get how, like, people saw this movie who had not seen every Marvel movie for sure.” (0:24:45)
“That's the other big thing is that gun was a troma guy.” (0:36:18)
Marvel completist who loves the series' smaller character beats (Agent Carter, Peggy, Falcon, Sam Jackson's Fury) and defends Infinity War. Loves action built from hand-to-hand fights and movie-star dialogue scenes. Allergic to bad-faith villain motives and to the cheap CGI leaps. Suckers for old tech, spy-bureaucracy aesthetic and New Hollywood stars.
Stances
Winter Soldier is great until the final Helicarrier act
Prefers small-scale hand-to-hand action to CGI set pieces
Loves Agent Carter and wants it back
Mild on Bucky/Winter Soldier himself
Humor: Rapid riffs, character voices, self-deprecating anecdotes and overlong running bits that derail the commentary.
In their words
“I just love this sequence” (0:08:33)
“I think this movie's basically terrific until the final seppies” (0:12:41)
Loves lore-heavy, dorky, earnest sci-fi fantasy with real sets, tactile design and a spaceship in it; likes the Thor mythos and Sif. Dislikes things that mock their own source material (Ragnarok) and thinks the first Thor is too clean. A sucker for spectacle that dumps lore on a simple hero's journey.
Stances
Dark World is the most underappreciated Marvel film
Ragnarok disrespects the mythos
Practical, tactile design beats cartoony CGI
Humor: Rapid riffing wordplay and long running bits (Tony Lip as pizza), eagerly undercutting his own sincerity.
In their words
“I'm defenseless before any dizzyingly silly sci-fi epic that downloads gigabytes of lore into the viewer's brain by means of a simple hero's journey narrative.” (1:38:17)
Loves Iron Man 3 as his favorite MCU film for its character study and how it turns superhero loneliness into anxiety and panic. Collects $20 off-the-shelf action figures and Hot Toys Robocop, and cherishes buddy-cop 80s action and well-built set pieces. Dislikes suits that are just mush CGI and wet-cement final fights.
Stances
Iron Man 3 is a masterpiece and anyone who dislikes it is wrong
Tony should be out of the suit; the film works because he is not Iron Man for most of it
Marvel should have let the Rebecca Hall villain stand
Loves Whedon-era dialogue, Buffy and Firefly, Kenneth Lonergan, and character-driven ensemble action; sucker for actors having fun and clever setups paid off. Dislikes homogenized Marvel visuals, rock-song tags, and Grindelwald's Crimes. Allergic to a Christmas tree and moose.
Stances
Whedon's script is the star; the film is not visually distinguished
Ruffalo is the movie's best performance
Costume detail (neckcloth) bothers him
Grindelwald should be as fun as Loki
Humor: Spends bits on celebrity impressions (Downey, Timberlake, Tom Waits) and mock-pompous asides.
In their words
“I'm still like a big Buffy fan, a big old-fashioned Wii. I love Firefly, right?” (0:04:21)
“This is what I want Grindewald to be like...” (0:40:51)
He loves heightened-but-not-kitschy design, period movies, Peggy Carter, and actors who underplay. He is a sucker for old-fashioned adventure and a Fantastic Four fan. He doesn't like the reasonable-Nazi Zola or the digital-video look of early-2010s effects.
Stances
The film feels like it ends in the middle
Bucky does not work as an emotional anchor
Actors' behavior in food scenes reveals pros from novices
Humor: Self-deprecating personal stories, about being 90 pounds and eating four cheeseburgers at his Disney store job.
In their words
“I was so grossly underweight and I felt like it was a hindrance to my career because I looked skeleton.” (0:18:15)
A Masters of the Universe devotee who reaches for He-Man as the template for Thor, loves the hammer payoff, and is a sucker for Cat Dennings and Sif. Dislikes the desaturated palette and the cheap-looking Jotunheim. Has the clearest pop-culture and actor-career recall, with skits and personal anecdotes.
Stances
Thor is a remake of Masters of the Universe
The movie looks ugly and desaturated
Hemsworth's performance and chemistry work
Not yet sold on Thor as a character until Avengers and Dark World
Humor: Escalating bits that run for minutes, like the Skarsgard-nudity search and buried jeans.
In their words
“It's mostly just a remake of the live action masters of the universe movie.” (0:03:54)
“I'm searching Stellen Starsgard full frontal nudity.” (1:12:14)
Loves comic-book lore (Crimson Dynamo, Demon in a Bottle) and Iron Man 3, Galaxy Quest, Garry Shandling. Cannot stand a movie that pads out its middle with self-impressed banter. A sucker for Tartakovsky action.
Stances
Iron Man 3 is the great Iron Man movie
Iron Man 2 mistakes riffing for story
Dark World is a joke best American film
Humor: Riffs and impressions, pumps up bits like the Expo is an element.
In their words
“Iron Man 3 is the greatest movie ever made.” (0:25:19)
“I love Larry Sanders too, but it's Gary Shandling show is like my favorite.” (1:30:55)
Loves Ang Lee's Hulk and is quick to defend Iron Man 2's ambitions; hates bad CGI faces and generic action presets; a sucker for chain restaurants, pizza and Marvel lore.
Stances
Ang Lee's Hulk is good and this one is a corrective with no point
Edward Norton is miscast and unengaged
Iron Man 2 fails more interestingly
Humor: Absurdist riffing, sung bits, and escalating food and chain-restaurant tangents.
Loves Marvel comics deeply (Ultimate line, Ms. Marvel, Franklin Richards), actor-driven performances, and looseness; hates a studio-polished formula and a reporter sleeping with the subject trope. A sucker for comic-book film process scenes, the Comic-Con trailer era, and the Tick.
Stances
Iron Man is solid but not beloved; the post-credits Fury scene blew his mind
Prefers Iron Man's visible machinery to nanobite suits
Thinks Infinity War is a triumph, others disagree
Humor: Riffs and bits about his own history (Times Square apartment, 99-cent pizza, Avatar audition).
In their words
“I remember liking this movie. I didn't love it, but I remember feeling... Oh, I fucking loved this movie.” (1:13:42)
Obsessive about National Treasure and the minutiae of movie culture, and a Nancy Meyers admirer who frames her as a souffle filmmaker. Cares about Oscar-season lore and montages. Likes that Nicholson is vulnerable and unvain in this film.
Stances
Nancy Meyers is a souffle filmmaker whose perfectionism serves a fantasy for the audience (attributed at moderate confidence)
The film is a deconstruction of Nicholson's persona and aged better than It's Complicated (speaker uncertain)
Humor: Fast riffing and bits (Keanu impression, Transformers totems), plus running gags about Brenton Thwaites and National Treasure 3.
In their words
“Interesting bringing that up because I'm going to actually draw a big national treasure parallel in this episode to something that's got to give.” (0:11:12)
“And I feel like Nancy is like a souffle filmmaker” (1:33:22)
Loves high-concept, big-swing filmmaking and sees deep emotion in the fights of CTHD; adores sword-and-flight spectacle, dumb-sweet characters like Inspector Tsai, and Lady Bird comparisons. Can't stand Brett Ratner and tired-looking Marvel fights; a sucker for bit-heavy tangents.
Stances
CTHD's fights carry story and character
US action movies are bad because they lack talent and time
Disliked CTHD at 11, later realized it is great
Humor: Escalating riffs and callbacks, crude and silly puns, voices.
In their words
“I was so literal minded where I was like, but they don't explain why they can fly.” (0:17:40)
“11 year old Griffin was laughing and like 29 year old Griffin was crying.” (1:00:34)
Loves The Ice Storm and defends Hulk-era Ang Lee; treats it as a sad Fantastic Four movie. Hates the see-the-ending-first structure in general. A sucker for Elliott Gould and comic-book metaphors.
Stances
Ice Storm is a masterpiece and the best Lee film not starring a Marvel hero
Fantastic Four deserves a sad, isolated, family movie
Dislikes in-media-res openings but accepts this one
Humor: Dry riffing, running bits, and confessional anecdotes about his own near-misses.
In their words
“He put his hand on my shoulder and he went, you're family.” (0:29:17)
“this movie does make me wish that he gotten the chance to make a sad, fantastic four movie.” (1:34:30)
Loves Bigelow's tension and iconography, and Curtis's grounded, empathetic underplaying. Dislikes Mother!'s lack of an anchor. A sucker for character actors and the way a movie's scenes hold the whole thing in micro.
Stances
Blue Steel is top-tier Bigelow and a rediscovery candidate
The movie is about gender and tension, and every scene plays differently if she were a man
Humor: Riffs on nicknames and bits, running gags like 'David and I' variations.
In their words
“My father's a professor at NYU, and he needed guest speakers, and so we talked about podcasting to his class.” (0:26:44)
Loves the film's loneliness and the hardcore Crowe-ness; he's a defender of this movie after rewatching, gives it A minus or B plus. Can't stand the way Cruz is shoved into a romance with no chemistry. A sucker for Kurt Russell, Jason Lee and a good bit.
Stances
Vanilla Sky is the loneliest movie ever made
Defends the movie after first seeing it two years ago on Netflix
Is going through a breakup and keeps working it into the episode
Humor: Self-lacerating, prop comedy and long running bits (sunglasses, catchphrases).
In their words
“It's the loneliest movie ever made.” (0:34:00)
“I'm going through a psychological free fall.” (0:00:55)
Attribution to Griffin versus David is low-confidence (no labels). One host loves Muppets and puppetry and rewatched this on video as a child; the same side loses patience over CGI special-edition changes and the Marcia Lucas theory. Likes conclusions and wrapped-up stories; can't stand Lucas's digital embellishments.
Stances
Special-edition CGI additions hurt Jedi most
Puppets and practical creatures are the movie's strength
Lucas is a sympathetic, wounded figure
Humor: Escalating comic fury, bits about the Empire as a workplace comedy and Santa-hat table dressing.
In their words
“I fucking love Muppets, as you know.” (0:09:53)
“I think the puppetry's so good.” (0:57:07)
Their shows' recurring bits
Running bits, not opinions; a critic read aloud is cited, not present.
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.
Blank Check with Griffin & David
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.
Their claims
Showing 1,001–1,100 of 1,162 claims.
verdict (verdict):
Tommy Lee Jones → Ad Astra.
A 'sweater and a fretter': in space fretting while wearing a good sweater.
programming (programming):
Black Panther → Avengers: Infinity War.
Griffin loved Black Panther just before, then felt Infinity War was one Marvel movie too big.
“Having, you know, loved Black Panther, which came out right before this.”
verdict (verdict):
Avengers: Infinity War → Avengers: Endgame.
Griffin's frustration with Infinity War in theaters came from dreading what Endgame would do; having since loved Endgame he likes this film more on rewatch.
“I feel like a lot of my frustrations with this movie when I saw it were also based on me anticipating what I thought they were going to do with Endgame”
contrast (contrast):
Doctor Strange → Avengers: Infinity War.
Doctor Strange has the worst joke writing in any Marvel film, while the Avengers films do his comedy better.
“I think Doctor Strange also suffers from the worst joke writing in any Marvel film.”
lineage (lineage):
Jack Kirby → Avengers: Infinity War.
Kirby's cosmic creations at Marvel, Galactus and the Silver Surfer, are the ancestors of this material.
“he creates galactus and silver surf and all these parrots”
what-if (what-if):
Avengers: Infinity War → Avengers: Endgame.
Mantis proves Thanos can be mentally manipulated, so Endgame should have used Wanda against him.
“you have a very powerful mental manipulator in Wanda, and she doesn't do it.”
what-if (what-if):
Avengers: Infinity War → Avengers: Endgame.
Would have preferred Wanda going into Thanos's head in Endgame, a Mysterio-style nightmare sequence.
“I would have enjoyed her more going into his head”
contrast (contrast):
Avengers: Infinity War → Cobweb.
The movie is a glove thriller the way The Cobweb is a drape drama: a huge story about accessories.
“So they were filming this movie at the same time in Cleveland, Ohio, and the suburbs outside of Cleveland that we were filming a motion picture called Draft Day.”
what-if (what-if):
Thor: The Dark World → Patty Jenkins.
The film fired original director Patty Jenkins and replaced her with Game of Thrones TV director Alan Taylor.
contrast (contrast):
Thor: Ragnarok → Thor: The Dark World.
Ragnarok flushes nearly all the mythos out of Thor other than Thor and Loki, which the speakers dislike.
“And they flush almost everything out of the mythos other than Thorn Loke.”
craft (craft):
Michael Giacchino → Thor: The Dark World.
The speakers ask whether The Dark World is the first Marvel film to open with the Giacchino Marvel Studios fanfare.
craft (craft):
Thor: The Dark World → Thor.
The Dark World goes further in both directions on design (older looks plus more tech) while Branagh's Thor split the difference in a murky middle.
“I think, like, Branagh is splitting the difference too hard and staying in a weird murky middle ground.”
lineage (lineage):
Thor: The Dark World → The Avengers.
The Dark World is the correction to Joss Whedon cracking Loki: he becomes co-lead, Thor 1A to Loki 1B.
“This is the correction to Joss Whedon cracking Loki, where they're like, we get it now.”
theme (theme):
Thor: The Dark World → Crazy Rich Asians.
The fish-out-of-water romance with a world of high society and Frigga as the mother echoes Crazy Rich Asians.
“Well, because this is also her kind of crazy rich Asians where it's like, this is a world that I don't know.”
what-if (what-if):
Thor: The Dark World → Patty Jenkins.
What Jenkins wanted to make was a romance first and foremost, and the romantic comedy half of the finished film is read as that movie surviving.
“She kept on saying she really wants to make a romance 1st and foremost.”
career (career):
Stellan Skarsgard → Thor: The Dark World.
Skarsgard is naked in more movies than clothed; he must have negotiated a nude scene in his Marvel deal.
“Scott Scarsgard is naked in more movies than he's clothed.”
career (career):
Alan Taylor → Boardwalk Empire.
Taylor has long been a top HBO director (Boardwalk, Sopranos, Game of Thrones) before moving to blockbusters, and was tapped for the Sopranos prequel.
“Because he's sort of been a top HBO director for a long time.”
industry (industry):
Thor: The Dark World → Idris Elba.
Heimdall is where it shows Elba is too famous for the role; the franchise gives him an action scene to keep him.
“Idris Elba is officially too famous for this role.”
what-if (what-if):
Black Panther → Idris Elba.
Elba, stuck as Heimdall, could have played the Forest Whitaker part or the Daniel Kaluuya part in Black Panther.
career (career):
Idris Elba → The Wire.
Elba got very famous through The Wire's late-arriving HBO Go audience, so he is now too big for Heimdall's small part.
“The wire got really big around this time because of HBO Go.”
craft (craft):
Thor: The Dark World → Doctor Strange.
Doctor Strange does tactile magic well, with sparks, whereas Thor's magic read as CGI doodles elsewhere; the Dark World's has texture.
“I think Doctor Strange does really well, but they make magic look tactile, which is hard to do.”
contrast (contrast):
Thor: The Dark World → Black Panther.
Black Panther does Thor-style city-under-attack better than Asgard, which never reads as a city or a planet.
“You never really understand if Asgard is a city or a planet.”
industry (industry):
Christopher Eccleston → The Story of G.I. Joe.
Eccleston jumped in at the last second here as he did for G.I. Joe's Destro, replacing the originally cast Mads Mikkelsen.
“This was supposed to be Mads, and then it became Eccleston.”
industry (industry):
Joshua Dallas → Once Upon a Time.
Joshua Dallas played Fandral in Thor but could not return because Once Upon a Time was renewed, bringing Levi back.
“Then they hire Joshua Dallas. Then he can't come back for this because once upon a time gets renewed.”
people (people):
Jason X → David Cronenberg.
Cronenberg is claimed to appear in Jason X and is recommended as an actor in the Canadian film Last Night.
industry (industry):
Your Name → Marc Webb.
Marc Webb is directing an American Your Name remake about Native American culture; the speakers say it's a bad idea.
“Mark Webb is directing an American remake of your name.”
verdict (verdict):
Thor: The Dark World → Doctor Strange.
Doctor Strange fails on comedy, trying too hard to make Strange like Tony Stark; they should have owned being po-faced like this earnest film.
“That movie conclusively fails on the comedy front.”
people (people):
Thor: The Dark World → Don Payne.
Don Payne wrote the original draft, his last script; the portal-fight gimmick likely came from his comedy and Simpsons background.
“I wouldn't be surprised if this was a thing that Don Payne brought in.”
craft (craft):
Thor: The Dark World → The Fate of the Furious.
The London flat where Thor and Jane land looks like the penthouse where the Fast & Furious gang drinks Budweisers at the end of Fate.
“It sort of looks like the flat where they Fast and Furious gang gathers at the end of fate.”
what-if (what-if):
Benicio del Toro → Avengers: Endgame.
They hope Endgame has Benicio del Toro's Collector and Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster together as the Space Brothers.
“If Endgame doesn't have Space Necio and Jeff Spaceblum together as the Space Brothers.”
people (people):
Ender's Game → Harrison Ford.
The box office game answer is Ender's Game with Harrison Ford in a supporting role and Gavin Hood directing.
career (career):
Joss Whedon → Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Speaker's Buffy/Firefly fandom is why Whedon's exposition and Fury's crackling lines register as his signature.
“I'm still like a big Buffy fan, a big old-fashioned Wii. I love Firefly, right?”
people (people):
Robert Downey Jr. → Joss Whedon.
Downey pushed to be the star of the team movie in his first meeting with Whedon, then admitted he was wrong.
“I know you think you're making a team movie, but I'm the big star.”
career (career):
Mark Ruffalo → 13 Going on 30.
After his illness he went for rom-com leads and got stuck as the nice pushover, the Bill Pullman of rom-coms.
“At this point, it's like he's becoming like the Bill Pullman of rom-coms.”
career (career):
Mark Ruffalo → Sympathy for Delicious.
His directorial debut, a low point (hosts disagree on degree) when he claimed he might quit acting.
career (career):
Mark Ruffalo → The Kids Are All Right.
A role of under 5 working days brought his first Oscar nomination and the comeback, then Shutter Island with Scorsese.
“I believe he worked less than 5 days on that film.”
people (people):
Samuel L. Jackson → Kong: Skull Island.
Jackson holding court about director Jordan Vogt-Roberts as an amateur, illustrating Jackson's professionalism standard.
“he was loudly holding court over what a fucking disaster Jordan Vote Roberts was on Kong Skull Island.”
career (career):
Samuel L. Jackson → Jungle Fever.
Jackson used his real crack addiction in Jungle Fever, which made his career and earned a first-ever supporting prize at Cannes.
“Right, which is the 1st time that the con film festival is ever given out a supporting award.”
programming (programming):
Kevin Feige → Inhumans (announced film).
Feige's Phase 3 keynote, staged like an Apple unveiling, announced Captain Marvel, Boseman, and a joke 'Inhumans movie with Vin Diesel'.
“Feige doing that weird keynote address where he was doing like his Steve Jobs impression and announcing the phase 3 films.”
programming (programming):
The Avengers → Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..
Coulson was brought back for the TV show but kept out of the movies, signaling the TV show is only loosely connected.
“you can be in the TV show, like, because we need, you know, a star for the show”
craft (craft):
The Avengers → Idiocracy.
Black Widow's origin tangent: Tony's rushed Iron Man 2 pitch reminded Griffin of the endless slides gag in Idiocracy.
“Do you know what one of my favorite jokes in the history of movies is?”
fun, about
Willem Dafoe:
Opening bit: the podcast says 'If I was a woodcutter, I'd cut' (the Norman Osborn line), prompting an old-Willem versus young-Willem riff.
fun, about
Pontius Pilate (David Bowie):
Bowie plays Pilate as an exasperated, tired bureaucrat taking one side-room meeting; it reframed the villain for a churchgoing viewer.
fun, about
Martin Scorsese:
Scorsese storyboarded every shot and timed how long each could take, a Corman discipline, because the budget left no room to fail.
“he drew out every single storyboard, every shot of this movie”
fun, about
The Last Temptation of Christ:
Jesus' trick of raising a cup became a meme; the water-into-wine scene shifts into Scorsese's Mean Streets rhythm of two guys needling each other.
“It is so funny that it's the one scene where Marty goes into like Shinebox rhythm, right?”
fun, about
Paul Newman / Cars:
Griffin explains Cars as Doc Hollywood beat for beat, with the reveal that the grumpy old man in town used to be the best racer, and jokes Doc Hudson invented drifting.
“Cars is Doc Hollywood basically beat for beat. But the reveal is that the grumpy old man in town who's like, I force you to community service is like, actually, I used to be the best racer in the world.”
fun, about
Nobody's Fool:
Griffin recounts being rounded up with kids from PS 87 to audition for Nobody's Fool in 1994, his only audition, part of New York's flyers-in-every-school casting.
“They came to PS 87 and they just talked to a bunch of kids.”
fun, about
Jackie Gleason / Nothing in Common:
Griffin and David's friendship origin: Videology trivia night where Griffin could picture the poster of Gleason and Tom Hanks but couldn't name Nothing in Common until looking at teammate Kamen.
“I looked at one of our teammates whose name is K-A-M-E-N. And I went common.”
fun, about
Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend:
A licensed Sega Genesis and Saturn game shares the book character's name while using some other fat guy on the box, with full motion video.
“We're not going to pay the Jackie Gleason likeness rights, but can we just get the name of the character from the book and put some other fat guy on the card?”
fun, about
Blank Check lexicon:
Adding stabilizer to the show lexicon: a hit that guarantees future blank checks, distinct from a comeback; Color of Money is Scorsese's stabilizer.
“But stabilizer is a term we haven't used before. And you're right. Let's add it to the lexicon”
fun, about
Martin Scorsese:
A story from Vinyl set: Scorsese says Ovitz told him at a party, there is a way to make money doing this, the line that lured him into Color of Money, and that he never made a film just for money.
fun, about
Pool and snooker:
Chris Ryan's British upbringing: snooker was prime-time TV, with a pro-Brexit celebrity hosting a snooker game show called Big Break; darts is the funniest televised sport.
“All I know is I used to watch when I was a kid, the game show, the big break hosted by Jim Davidson”
fun, about
Blake Edwards:
Blake Edwards was only in Blank Check's Oscar-winners vs. Razzie-winners bracket because they could not fill it otherwise; he made three more Pink Panther films after Peter Sellers died.
“Because it truly we could not fill out the bracket unless Blake Edwards was in there.”
fun, about
Griffin Newman:
Newman's parents had incompatible name lists (Gaelic names vs Rufus and Tyrone); Griffin was the compromise, and they'd tell people he was named for Griffin Dunn.
“My parents would joke that I was named after Griffin Dunn.”
fun, about
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World:
Griffin saw it at 14 in theaters with his oldest friend, was bored, and only later was converted; Derek has now seen it 20 times.
“The movie starts, and like 3 minutes in, I was like, oh, right, I don't like this kind of movie.”
fun, about
Peter Stormare:
Stormare thought 'where's pancakes house' was a script typo and changed it to 'pancake house' on take one. Joel came over to say the script said what it said.
“And he changed it on take one. He goes, where's the pancake house?”
fun, about
William H. Macy:
Macy's ad-lib was calling the car 'Siena burnt umber' (not in the script), and the doodles Jerry makes were Macy's own between setups.
“he kept calling the Siena burnt umber, which was not in the script, but the Cohens were amused and let that in.”
fun, about
Fargo (NBC pilot):
An unaired NBC pilot directed by Kathy Bates with Edie Falco as a pregnant Marge existed, with no Coen involvement; the hosts joke about a Bates feud.
“There was like an NBC pilot directed by Kathy Bates with Edie Falco playing Marge Gunderson.”
fun, about
Frances McDormand / Mike Yanagita scene:
The Yanagita scene was reportedly added at McDormand's request for a scene showing Marge relating to someone besides husband or case; she also refused to make Marge too saintly.
“I want to avoid the temptation of letting this character be too saintly”
fun, about
Ethan Coen:
Ethan said he never consciously directed an actor, and that directing is about tone management, which Griffin sees as Fargo's essence.
fun, about
William H. Macy:
Macy read for a deputy, was told to try Jerry, then flew back from the West to read again for fear someone else would be hired, 'jolly Lutheran ass on an airplane.'
“I got my jolly Lutheran ass on an airplane and walked in and said, I want to read again”
fun, about
Roger Deakins:
The Coens first told Deakins they wanted only fixed shots; the opening credits shot was among the last filmed after snow failed to appear and they had to go to North Dakota.
“Deacon said the opening credits shot is one of the last things they shot.”
fun, about
Fargo true-story card:
Macy reportedly learned mid-production that Fargo wasn't a true story, protested, and the Coens just said they could.
“And he goes up to the cones, he's like, you guys, this is not true.”
fun, about
William H. Macy / Finding Nemo:
Macy was reportedly the original Marlin in Finding Nemo, but test audiences hated him as too much of a loser.
fun, about
John Carroll Lynch:
Lynch's only direction from Joel: he was paying too much attention to what Marge and Lou said; 'you don't care, just finish your meal.'
fun, about
Steve Park:
Park wrote an op-ed about racism on a Friends guest arc and says he was soft-blackballed for years, despite the Fargo scene; credits dried up until the mid-2010s.
“says that he was like soft blackballed from the industry for a number of years.”
fun, about
Fargo wood chipper:
The VHS release came with a promotional wood chipper snow globe with red snow, which yellowed; Griffin keeps a reproduction with white snow on his desk.
“this was the promotional novelty snow globe they made of the woodchipper that came with the VHS”
fun, about
Fargo ending:
The three-cent stamp ending is read as a metaphor: Marge is a three-cent stamp, a small contribution against ugliness that still matters when prices go up.
fun, about
Carter Burwell:
Burwell had never thought of scoring; to learn he rented Hitchcock, picked The Birds by chance, and learned from its lack of score that sometimes you zag.
fun, about
Fargo release:
Fargo opened March 8, 1996, on 36 screens, peaked near 700, behind The Birdcage, Homeward Bound 2, and Up Close & Personal; Griffin runs the weekend box-office game.
fun, about
Ben Hosley:
Griffin says Ben is a lifelong David S. Ward completist who loves Down Periscope and King Ralph (a live show on King Ralph was planned), and was offended by a Malibu's Most Wanted joke.
“Ben quietly realized that he is a David S. Ward, a tourist over the course of doing this podcast”
fun, about
Spielberg face:
Griffin: Empire subverts the Spielberg face, shooting Bale from below looking up at the plane so we are on the ground, not sharing the wonder.
“You are on the ground looking at a kid, look up at something unseen ominously, and it's like, fuck, he's figuring it out.”
fun, about
Cannes press conference:
Laszlo Nemes asked at a Cannes press conference whether he gave Dolan the Grand Prix because Dolan had been on his jury; Griffin riffs it as a denial.
fun, about
David Lean / Nostromo:
Lean had Spielberg ask about Ballard rights, lost interest; Spielberg offered to produce Nostromo and sent notes on the screenplay and was told off.
“And Lean was like, fuck you, you don't give me notes.”
fun, about
Bilge Ebiri:
Griffin resolution for 2025 is to become a produced playwright; riff on Ben's past big resolutions (Guggenheim, horse, fashion brand).
fun, about
Christian Bale:
Spielberg auditioned 4000 kids; Bale, recommended by Amy Irving, was the one exception to Griffin's theory that Spielberg fails at breaking male stars.
fun, about
Tropic Thunder:
Ben Stiller, in a small role, watched actors on the Empire set seeking suffering while having trailers and craft services; it became Tropic Thunder 20 years later.
fun, about
Spielberg's childhood:
Griffin recounts a 60 Minutes interview where Spielberg said he had no happy childhood memories, and ties it to Fabelmans and his collecting of arcade machines and Casper rights.
“I do not have a single happy memory of my childhood.”
fun, about
Pauline Kael / critics:
Contemporary reviews: Sarris loved it, Hoberman hated it and called it The Sorrow and the Pity remade as Oliver; Kael-style line was majestically made but unclear what it is about.
“Hoberman called it the sorrow and the pity remade is Oliver, which is pretty funny.”
fun, about
Heartbeeps:
Griffin's childhood obsession with the Andy Kaufman robot movie turned out not to work when he finally saw it, with a hated cigar-smoking robot.
“Catskills is the least funny character in the history of movies, the cigar smoking robot.”
fun, about
Decision to Leave:
Park's gentleman-cop concept: a detective who carries wet wipes and eyedrops rather than a gun, a walking vending machine of a man.
“his concept is a police officer who doesn't carry a gun, but it says, carries instead carries wet wipes”
fun, about
Decision to Leave:
Park spoke for 90 minutes pitching the whole film to Park Hae-il, who needed to pee halfway but was too immersed to interrupt.
fun, about
Decision to Leave:
Park's ending: he had wanted to end a movie with a person burying herself for about 30 years; he considered an epilogue but cut it.
“I have been trying to put that as the end of a movie first. So for like 30 years.”
fun, about
Decision to Leave:
On the opening mountain climb, two cops go up horizontally on a winch, one strapped to the other; Griffin says the moment he fell in love with the movie and that Park does one bizarre scene like it ten times per film.
“And it will happen 10 times in each of his films.”
fun, about
Decision to Leave:
Griffin's research: Park wanted an old-fashioned, restrained approach with vintage lenses and fixed setups, and had actors run with camera body mounts for the chases.
“vintage lenses, fixed camera setups, natural lighting.”
fun, about
David Fincher:
Next miniseries: Fincher, with The Curious Cast of Benjamin Buttcast as the title; a Reddit user had guessed it a day before.
“And then someone yesterday on Reddit fucking said they're probably going to call it the curious pot of Benjamin Butt cast, right?”
fun, about
Alien 3:
Next week is Alien 3; the Patreon covers Brosnan Bond and then the two Alien vs. Predator films, one fun and one the worst movie in the world.
“One of them is really fun and one of them is the worst fucking movie in the world.”
fun, about
Sherlock, Jr.:
In the Sherlock Jr. jump through the old woman's suitcase, a disguised Gillette is the old lady, a vaudeville magic bit that startled a 1990s Film Forum audience.
“that really is a what the fuck moment when you see it with an audience.”
fun, about
Sherlock, Jr.:
In the gag where Gillette falls off the motorbike, it is really Keaton doing the stunt for the actor, and the handlebar ride mixes real shots and process shots.
“So Keaton did the stunt for the actor who played Gillette.”
fun, about
The Navigator:
Breakfast gag: she puts unground coffee beans in a kettle, he drinks it, silently leaves to vomit and returns miming a phone call.
“he makes a gesture saying, I had to make a phone call.”
fun, about
The Navigator:
Studio gave Crisp the dramatic scenes; they reportedly told him the film was done and then shot the deep-sea-diving sequence without him.
“Apparently they literally told him the film was done and then filmed the deep sea diving sequence”
fun, about
Claydream:
The Will Vinton documentary is called phenomenal supplemental viewing: depositions, the Nike takeover, and Vinton once being offered Pixar shares that Steve Jobs eventually took.
fun, about
The Shadow King:
Pitch: nine-year-old New York orphan Hap with long fingers makes shadow hands fight a monster that wants to eat New York; Selick wanted to blend stop motion with cut-out and shadow animation.
“a deliciously magical tale about a nine-year-old New York orphan named Hap, who hides his weird hands with long fingers from a cruel world.”
fun, about
Henry Selick / The Shadow King:
Disney shut down his Pixar-campus stop-motion film a year into production with 40 percent animated, took a $50 million write-down, then handed him the rights; nobody bought it.
“Disney took a $50000000 write down on the Shadow King.”
fun, about
Wendell & Wild / Key and Peele:
Selick was channel-surfing, saw Key and Peele's sketch with 3D-printed guns and insane wigs on the plane, and decided Wendell and Wild were a comedy duo vehicle.
“He likes the, um, the sketch prepared for Terry's, which is like the guys getting on the plane with the 3D printed guns”
fun, about
Wendell & Wild / Phil Knight:
Selick kept the replacement-face seam lines because he is free of Nike's Phil Knight, who reportedly hated them.
“Phil Knight, apparently, really hated the seam lines is one thing Selak said.”
fun, about
Wendell & Wild / Pablo Lobato:
Selick chose a flat, cutout caricature style almost perversely, then told the team to figure out how to build it in 3D.
“here are Pablo's flat drawings, figure out how to build this.”
fun, about
Wendell and Wild:
Griffin says a Republican version of the council skeleton gag is that they could consult dead founders to learn exactly what they intended.
“We now know exactly what our founding forefathers intended because we brought them back to right here.”
fun, about
Danny Boyle:
Next miniseries announced: Danny Boyle, the first proper English director; first up is Shallow Grave. Griffin was going to joke he was Irish.
fun, about
Bob Fosse:
Fosse expected All That Jazz to be his last act; his planned follow-up was nothing, and he turned down Chicago because he could not get it up for old material.
fun, about
Paddy Chayefsky:
At Chayefsky's funeral Fosse kept a promise to dance publicly, doing it for about 30 seconds, and E.L. Doctorow called it the most touching moment.
fun, about
Bob Fosse:
Late projects: Chicago, Dreamgirls, a Vampire Lestat musical with Bowie and Jagger, interest in Good Morning Vietnam, and a Winchell film with De Niro.
fun, about
Mariel Hemingway:
She campaigned for the Stratton role; Fosse said she was not voluptuous and she famously got a boob job, which she says was not for the movie.
fun, about
Mariel Hemingway:
Fosse asked Hemingway to seduce De Niro into the role; she refused, and she said Fosse took De Niro's rejection very hard.
“He asks Hemingway to try and like seduce Robert De Niro to like convince him of the role.”
fun, about
Hugh Hefner:
Sam Shepard was first choice and Fosse wanted Harry Dean Stanton; Hefner vetoed Stanton by threatening to deny Playboy archive access, so Cliff Robertson played him.
fun, about
Star 80:
Roger Ebert liked it and called Roberts's performance the year's best; Hefner hated the intercutting of the photo sessions with the murder.
“Hugh Hefner thought it was disgusting the way it linked sex to violence.”
fun, about
Robert Wuhl:
Griffin's friends bought him a Robert Wuhl cameo after surgery; Wuhl told a story of Glenn Frey vowing to live so well after a heart attack, a counterpoint to Fosse's reaction after his.