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'
Humor: Deadpan nerd asides and mock outrage about movie titles.
In their words
“It's a very well-regarded movie.” (2:18:48)
“Paul's 1st version, apparently, he has Jesus taking his heart out.” (0:46:13)
Loves 80s star vehicles and detailed Hollywood production history. Is a sucker for Paul Newman and for the idea of living inside a pool hall. Defends polished mid-budget studio work and is wary of Cruise's late-career legacy-sequel plans.
Stances
Hud is among the best screen performances
The first hour of Color of Money is like Citizen Kane; the rest is less thrilling
Cocktail is a dog shit movie but fun
Legacy sequels like Days of Thunder 2 are a mistake
Humor: Dry, quick asides and mock outrage, often pushing back on friends' takes with a deadpan correction.
In their words
“Yeah, my favorite's HUD.” (1:03:56)
“It's a dog shit movie for a stupid movie.” (1:33:18)
Reveres Scorsese's lesser-seen work, loves Addicted to Love and Practical Magic, and delights in awards trivia and box-office rankings. Is a sucker for Hitchcock/noir comparisons and Rosanna Arquette. Hates Weezer covers.
Stances
After Hours is his favorite Scorsese film
Griffin Dunn deserves a director series
Remakes pile on too much incident
Humor: Explosive tangents, trivia dumps and shameless transitions.
In their words
“This is my favorite Martin Scorsese film, unsurprisingly.” (0:11:34)
Loves The Elephant Man and Popeye and cites Altman and Casavetes as favorite directors. Interested in the history, box office and Oscar context around the film. Admires Raging Bull's sound and picture.
Stances
Raging Bull was robbed in Oscars cinematography
Oscars do not respect comedy
The film's moral ambiguity is by design
Humor: Dry, mock-indignant, with the box-office game guessing bits.
In their words
“It is my favorite.” (2:10:47)
“And we know how much Oscars just will not respect comedy.” (2:03:45)
This is his favorite or one of his ten favorite movies and he has seen it 15-20 times; he loves comforting, likable, steady-hand movies and the Aubrey-Maturin friendship. He is a sucker for the weevils dinner scene and ensemble craft, and an Anglophile who saw it at 17 in London.
Stances
This film is a miracle that could not be made today
It is best viewed as dad cinema, now lost to streaming
Praises Bettany's performance as arguably the best in A Beautiful Mind and a strong turn here
Rations rewatches of favorites so they stay special
Humor: Deadpan, quick with a callback and a tangent into Oscar-year trivia and box-office minutiae.
In their words
“It's my favorite movie ever.” (2:53:55)
“I saw it at the Odeon Leicester Square with Howard Amos.” (0:38:37)
A critic who prefers dossier-driven history. Loves action movies like Demolition Man and Jeff Bridges' earthy 90s era. Dislikes elite-school lionization, a recurring bit about Juilliard. Avoids flying since COVID and has twins.
Enthusiastic about Fargo's perfection and its nice-versus-good theme; tends toward film-criticism takes, Oscar history and 1990s box-office. Skeptical of the Dark Marge reading and fond of horror and genre follow-ups like Final Destination.
Stances
Fargo is about the difference between being nice and being a good person
Skeptical of the Dark Marge theory
A Final Destination sequel fan; distrusts stopwatch screen-time stats
Mr. Holland's Opus is trash
Humor: Chewing-ice gags and sarcasm; teases Ben and Griffin with off-handed jabs.
In their words
“I think if anything, this movie is about the difference between being nice and being a good person.” (0:40:48)
“I always question the way that people fucking stop watch these things.” (1:42:45)
Film critic who loves studio-era comeback stories (Sea of Love), Travolta in Get Shorty, and box-office archaeology. Dislikes Travolta's bad instincts, such as Hairspray. Loves the opening-weekend charts, and has strong opinions about Chevy Chase stories.
Stances
Travolta is undeniable when good and annoying when bad
Travolta's Tarantino rescue story is overstated
Sea of Love was Pacino's real comeback
Humor: Deadpan bits and rapid-fire tangents, often at the expense of the guest or a studio.
In their words
“I do think that is my single favorite Travolta movie star performance.” (0:57:48)
“It's Ridley Scott's Black Reign with Michael Douglas.” (2:11:14)
Enjoys Spielberg's crowd-pleasers and Indiana Jones; considers Last Crusade his favorite and his most successful comedy; likes Oscar speculation, Wall Street, Planes Trains and Automobiles, and Adrian Lyne. Dislikes Always.
Stances
Last Crusade is his favorite Indiana Jones
Lincoln is great
Williams should have won for Home Alone
Humor: Quick quip man; plays straight man to Griffin and mocks critics and awards bodies.
In their words
“It is my favorite, but I'm also like, I don't think it's a particularly deep film.” (0:21:06)
“Jurassic Park is the much better version of what the story that Huck is trying to do.” (0:24:09)
“I think he should have won for Home Alone over Dances with Wolves.” (0:38:53)
Marvel and comics devotee who treats Thunderbolt Ross as the best character in the Marvel universe. Loves Harrison Ford's craftsmanship, Bond, and chronicling career arcs; cares about movie-star persona and industry history.
Stances
Harrison Ford's grumpy era began around Hollywood Homicide
Raiders is the greatest distillation of Ford the movie star
Hook is clunky
Humor: Dry and deadpan, plays along with being called cranky and joking about turning into a Red David.
In their words
“Have you ever written Thunderbolt Ross, the best character in the Marvel universe?” (0:01:18)
“What if I become the red David in 2025?” (0:06:49)
He leans on film-critic comparisons (Oppenheimer, Fury Road, The Mist) and loves Lynch's visual-effects ambition and unvarnished plainness. He appreciates structure and ties up the episode's plot, and is skeptical of lore talk, saying it sounds stupid when talked about. He also cares about trivia and media-business details, like People's sexiest man list and ratings.
Stances
Lore is more fun to experience than to explain
Part 8 is both the most abstract and most straightforward episode
The last 15 minutes are among Lynch's best
Ratings and network context matter
Humor: Dry, trivia-driven asides that spiral into offhand references and bits.
In their words
“I will say that like the this stuff is all more fun to watch an experience than it is to talk about.” (1:10:43)
“it's one of the best 15 minutes of his whole career.” (1:43:39)
Treats Dune '84 as a David Lynch movie through and through and loves it as a strange object, with a particular fondness for Lynch's signature fingerprints in the margins. Is the one who flags the sleeper must awaken line as Lynch's invention. Loves Furiosa and has real affection for Alicia Witt.
Stances
It's 100% a David Lynch movie; Lynch overstates how little of him is in it
Sleeper must awaken is Lynch's most important contribution
Villeneuve cracked the populist-but-grown-up Dune
Humor: Big, quick riffs with absurd metaphors (the bracelet with a watch face).
In their words
“I'm David.” (0:05:35)
“It's 100% a David Lynch movie.” (0:08:52)
“I had a huge crush on Alicia Witt, specifically in Sybil.” (0:30:00)
Critic's taste: values craft and performance, loves a good-looking cheap movie. Admires Park as a sensual filmmaker and Tang Wei's inscrutability. Not a Cassavetes fan, but enjoys Eastern Promises and Stronger, and champions Javier Bardem in Lyle Lyle Crocodile.
Stances
Wants movies to be hot without being lurid
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile sucks but Bardem is incredible
Amsterdam is a film he walked out of in his head
Humor: Dry, deadpan deflation; goes along with the bits.
In their words
“He is absolutely more my guy.” (0:17:52)
“Yeah, that movie sucks, but Javier Bird has incredible in it.” (2:01:52)
Prepared with printed plot synopses and notes, and loves tight gag construction, Keaton's streamlined modernity and trivia (title-card puns, cast and box office). Has an eye for casting names and silent-era minutiae. He gets the box office game right and enjoys obscure film-history jokes.
Stances
Sherlock Jr. is perfect and Keaton's best film
Keaton's modernity and lack of indicating make him timeless
The Navigator is a series of boat bits, a step back after Sherlock Jr.
Humor: Dry, research-fueled asides, name jokes and affectionate teasing of his co-host.
In their words
“I do think it's his best film.” (0:58:11)
“I feel like it's supplanted the general as sort of the critic consensus, perfect Keaton movie.” (0:58:18)
“going on a honeymoon without a bride is like singing in the words of Kiss Me Again to the music of Alice, where art thou?” (2:00:45)
Critic who covers festivals; liked Wendell & Wild at TIFF after a sleepless night. Loves how it looks and the punk soundtrack, appreciates its political point about prisons, and is fond of Monkeybone. Rankings: Coraline 1, Nightmare 2, Peach 3, Wendell & Wild 4, Monkeybone 5.
Stances
Wendell & Wild is great but plotty
Studios should restore theatrical windows
Claydream is essential viewing
Voted Mad God first in the Critics Circle
Humor: Deadpan storyteller who spirals into bits, and owns his own stressed behavior in the Airbnb tale.
In their words
“I think it's great.” (1:53:48)
“I fully like it. But I also support the in spite of its selfness.” (1:53:06)
A film critic who respects movies that provoke a reaction but gives no credit for mere upset. Loves film-history trivia and box-office lore, responds to Star 80 strongly but wants to put it away, and calls Cabaret his sentimental top pick.
Stances
Cabaret is the top Fosse
Star 80 is the weakest Fosse for him
Emotional reaction is not the same as quality
Eric Roberts was seen as a talent in the 80s
Humor: Dry, quick-witted and sarcastic, leaning on movie-star gossip and trivia.
In their words
“I'm a film critic.” (0:55:09)
“There are movies that like upset me that I don't give any credit to.” (0:55:21)
Admires the film's matter-of-fact handling of trauma and its structure as a small-scale epic of one woman's life; anchors discussion with festival and release history. Likes heightened, bright movies and is a self-declared Annie fan. Comfortable gently ribbing Griffin over trivia.
Stances
Praises matter-of-fact restraint over trauma
Notes Campion's rise through film festivals
Believes The Power of the Dog rewards repeat viewing
Likes The Piano but conceded its score is divisive
Humor: Dry, quick ribbing and pop-culture riffs, often at Griffin's expense.
In their words
“I think it was, it's famously the 1st movie I ever saw.” (0:52:41)
“Perhaps the biggest discovery of this film for me.” (1:14:36)
Loves Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen and Oscar-season lore; a fan of Moulin Rouge-era Baz Luhrmann and of a good road movie. Mixed on Charles Martin Smith's role and finds the sex scene off the rack. A sucker for the Midnight Special comparison and the baby-prop weirdness.
Stances
Bridges is among the least pretentious great actors
The sex scene feels divorced from the emotion of the film
Karen Allen deserved a nomination
Box Office Mojo cannot be reformed
Humor: Dry, bit-loving, goes after Griffin with deadpan callbacks; a Hank the Cow Dog true believer.
In their words
“I think Karen Allen absolutely should have been nominated.” (1:00:36)
“Defund box office mojo cannot be reformed at this point.” (2:17:27)
Critic who likes ambitious and pop-oriented movies (Rogue Nation) and has strong opinions on directors; loves Demme but is blunt that Ricki disappoints. Can't stand Jason Reitman and bad-movie trends, and is a sucker for box-office trivia and the Monday-morning numbers game.
Stances
Ricki is disappointing but Demme is not the worst of his own career
Streep and studio interference hijacked the script
Loves Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation
Humor: Dry, contrarian one-liners and mock-outrage.
In their words
“But also, Jason Reitman directs a lot of her movies who I am increasingly cannot stand.” (0:02:39)
“Stephen Frere is the king of mediocrity.” (0:22:38)
A critic who reaches for franchise-career context and Hollywood politics; likes tidy thematic readings (Dune, WALL-E, Starship Troopers comparisons) and a trusted small-scale film. Hates press-trained performative behavior and bad films like The Hustle. A sucker for sandwiches, Spirited Away, and a good fan-theory.
Stances
Nausicaä is a beautiful-feeling world but not a kid's movie
The Farewell may be the movie of the year
Press fatigue and interview transcripts distort people
Ranks Nausicaä as the buggiest Miyazaki
Humor: Dry and conversational, he undercuts earnest moments with fandom needling and food tangents.
In their words
“I don't know what a kid gets from this movie.” (1:41:57)
“I think it's more of a movie for teens.” (1:42:05)
“It is nuts.” (0:31:20)
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 1–100 of 1,091 claims.
unmapped (controversy):
The Last Temptation of Christ → Kundun.
Kundun, via Chinese government anger, is offered as a rival for Scorsese's most controversial film.
“If you're going by pure numbers, I guess you could go for Kundu”
unmapped (controversy):
The Last Temptation of Christ → Benedetta.
Protest against Benedetta was six nuns, showing religious outrage has faded since Last Temptation.
“it kind of shows that they just can't be bothered anymore.”
lineage (origin of project):
Barbara Hershey → The Last Temptation of Christ.
Hershey also planted the book in Scorsese's head and told him to let her audition as Mary Magdalene.
theme (shared locations):
The Last Temptation of Christ → Ishtar.
Per Miriam Bale, it shares many Moroccan locations with Ishtar, shot around the same time.
“Yes, it shares a lot of locations with Ishtar, which was made around the same time.”
industry (business deal):
The Last Temptation of Christ → Cape Fear.
Universal's deal to make Last Temptation obliged a bigger film later, resulting in the Spielberg swap and Cape Fear.
“it gets fear is a direct result of his deal with Universal for this month.”
industry (Oscar oddity list):
The Last Temptation of Christ → Satyricon.
Collider's list of films with a lone director nomination includes Satyricon and Last Temptation.
lineage (legacy-sequel precedent):
The Color of Money → Return to Oz.
Reddit consensus calls Color of Money the first legacy sequel, with Return to Oz as a debated earlier candidate dismissed as too weird.
“Uh, color money is generally agreed to on to be the 1st legacy sequel. Some people are like, does return to Oz count?”
career (career pivot):
The Color of Money → After Hours.
After Last Temptation failed in the early 80s, Scorsese made cheap After Hours to prove he could finish something, then took Color of Money.
“Uh, it fails and so he makes after hours as a sort of pivot out of that of like, I'll just do something.”
lineage (legacy-sequel heirs):
The Color of Money → Top Gun: Maverick.
Gap-based legacy sequels like Top Gun Maverick, Tron Legacy and Blade Runner follow the template Color of Money invented, though in 1986 sequels were derided.
“now we get more and more like your your Tron legacies and your Top Gun Mavericks, where it's just casually... 37, 40 years later”
industry (box office rival):
The Color of Money → Crocodile Dundee.
Color of Money opened number two in October 1986; Crocodile Dundee was the year's number one hit.
“Number one at the box office. is a film we've covered, one of the biggest hits of 1986.”
career (career arc):
Addicted to Love → Election.
Broderick's 90s search for a new persona (Godzilla, Inspector Gadget, Addicted to Love) ends when Election cracks it.
“And then election is how he like closes out the decade where he's like, you fucking cracked it.”
verdict (rewatch-frequency / favorites):
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World → Jerry Maguire.
David lists Master and Commander among favorites seen many times, like Jerry Maguire (40 times), versus Late Spring, which he rates among the greatest but has seen 2-3 times.
“It's sort of like Jerry Maguire, I've seen 40 times. Master and commander have seen it many, many, many, many.”
theme (shared-motif):
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World → The Truman Show.
Asked how the studio sold a Weir boat movie, the hosts note the poster could not say 'from the director of The Truman Show' but both films have sailing scenes.
industry (dad-movie / theatrical-vs-streaming):
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World → Greyhound.
Greyhound, a naval Tom Hanks movie meant for theaters, went to Apple TV because of COVID, showing the dad audience now lives on streaming, unlike when this film got a major-studio release.
“the number one movie in the history of Apple Plus is Tom Hanks's Greyhound, which was meant to be a theatrical movie.”
verdict (teen-favorites-that-year):
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World → Elephant.
David's favorite movies at 17 in 2003 included Elephant and All the Real Girls, alongside Lord of the Rings, X2, 28 Days Later and Kill Bill; Master and Commander was liked but grew over time.
“My favorite movies of that year were elephant, which was a big movie for me then.”
lineage (marriage / origin):
Paul Bettany → Jennifer Connelly.
Bettany and Connelly met on A Beautiful Mind where his character is imaginary and shares no scenes with her; after 9/11 he called her and they married about six months later.
people (casting-ideal):
Russell Crowe → Richard Burton.
Weir's ideal Aubrey would have been Richard Burton; Crowe is the closest you get in 2000, and Hodgman says Burton lacks Crowe's humor.
“Weir says his ideal choice would have been Richard Burton. Unfortunately, he was very dead.”
unmapped (star-type):
Russell Crowe → Ben-Hur.
Quoting Lex G on Ben-Hur's Charlton Heston who could be larger than life yet steady, they say Crowe is the one modern guy who can do that.
“no one can hold a movie like this and sort of know how to be larger than life, but also just steady at the center.”
unmapped (only-guy-who-can):
Russell Crowe → Exodus: Gods and Kings.
When someone else, even a proven actor like Christian Bale, tries the big-epic role, audiences don't buy it; Crowe is the one who can pull it off.
“when they try to put someone else into this, even when it is a proven actor, like you get fucking Exodus gods and kings with Christian Bale is Moses and everyone's like not buying it.”
people (actor-other-work / career-trajectory):
Billy Boyd → The Lord of the Rings.
Dominic Monaghan said that while Billy Boyd was off on this ship of the line, his own career stalled after the LOTR films, then flipped.
“I have this like double act with Boyd. We make these 3 movies together. And then I couldn't book a gig for 2 years.”
people (cinematographer-return):
Russell Boyd → Picnic at Hanging Rock.
Boyd shot Picnic, Last Wave, Gallipoli and Year of Living Dangerously for Weir; he and Weir reunited by chance on an airplane for this film.
“Peter Weir made his 1st 4 films or no, 4 of his early films, though, with Russell Boyd, picnic, uh, wave, Gallipoli dangerously.”
career (career):
John Steele → Russell Boyd.
Weir used John Steele, Boyd's assistant on some of the earlier films, as his cinematographer before Boyd came back for this film.
“It's just like he started using John Steele, who was the assistant on some of the earlier stuff, and then the, you know, he went to Hollywood.”
unmapped (shared-technology):
Titanic → White Squall.
Ridley Scott made 1492 and White Squall in a Gibraltar tank, but it had fallen into disrepair, which is why Cameron's tank mattered.
“Scott had made both 1492 and White Squall, I think, in a tank in Gibraltar, but that tank was in disrepair.”
“I can tell you, according to Nathan McGillis, McGinnis from Asylum, another VFX company. There's not one piece of ocean in that storm sequence that isn't real.”
“Peter Weir, Wolfgang Peterson. Rob Reiner, Jonathan Demi, the great bad Brad Silverling, director of your favorite Casper, participate in a creative bake off”
verdict (tangent-from-review):
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home → Star Trek (franchise, generally).
Prompted by the review's Star Trek comparison, the hosts digress on Star Trek IV: Scotty talking into the Mac mouse, Chekov's 'nuclear wessels', and its box-office spike as the one entry needing no prior viewing. (No Wrath of Khan is mentioned in the episode.)
“it is fascinating to look at the box office spike on 4 because it was the one movie where they could just market it and be like, you don't need to have seen any fucking Star Trek.”
career (career guarantor):
The Year of Living Dangerously → Witness.
Year of Living Dangerously got Weir into Hollywood; Witness is the guarantor of his Hollywood run.
“I think witness is the guarantor for the next... for the Hollywood story.”
industry (awards competition):
Fearless → Schindler's List.
Fearless lost heat to that year's heavy hitters Schindler's List, The Piano and The Fugitive.
contrast (contrast):
Fearless → Flight.
Both are post-crash aftermath movies, but Fearless is in conversation with the intangible while Flight resolves into two pre-set systems (sobriety and faith).
“Whereas I'm like, this movie is spiritual because it's in conversation with the intangible.”
career (career):
Rosie Perez → In Living Color.
Perez came to acting from choreographing the Fly Girls on In Living Color; Do the Right Thing was her first movie.
“she's, of course, a Flygirl choreographer on a living color, right?”
unmapped (screen presence):
Benicio del Toro → The Usual Suspects.
In the 90s del Toro was almost too interesting, like a Philip Glass score in a movie.
“Like, you know, especially things like usual suspects is he is like a Philip Glass score in a movie where you're just like, he's almost too interesting.”
people (cinematography):
Fearless → Allen Daviau.
Daviau, fresh off Spielberg films, shot Fearless; the first American DP Blank Check covered with Weir.
“Alan Davio shot this film, who, of course, the 1st American cinematographer that we had worked with.”
craft (craft):
Peter Weir → John Seale.
Before Fearless, Weir mostly kept his Australian above-the-line crew such as John Seale; Allen Daviau was the first American cinematographer the show covered with him.
“He mostly kept his, like, above the line, Australian, John, John Seal, and guys like that.”
craft (craft):
Fearless → Allen Daviau.
The speaker praises how Fearless looks, a film about absorbing textures and the feeling in the air, tied to Daviau shooting it.
“this film looks incredible and this is a movie that needs to just look good because it's so much about like absorbing textures of things and and the space and the feeling in the air”
“They had to overdub him swearing because they didn't want it to if they wanted to be able to say he's still like he is not sullied by the swear words.”
fun, about
The Last Temptation of Christ:
Jesus building a crude cross opens the film; hosts riff on the chair-inventing scene in Gibson's film and the invention of chairs.
fun, about
The Last Temptation of Christ:
Watched the film then the Criterion vintage commentary, intercut among Cox, Schrader, Scorsese and Defoe, recorded as multiple interviews edited together.
“And it's intercutting between Cox, Schrader, Scorsese, and Defoe.”
fun, about
The Last Temptation of Christ:
Novel history: Kazantzakis published 1955, Orthodox Church tried to excommunicate him; Scorsese first heard of it as an NYU student and only read it around 1972-79.
“The novel, presented Deeply Human Christ, contemplating a normal life spent with Mary Magdalene”
fun, about
Paul Schrader:
Schrader's first draft had Jesus taking his heart out and a literal Last Supper of eating flesh; his big contribution was outlining 300-400 scenes from the book.
“Paul's 1st version, apparently, he has Jesus taking his heart out.”
fun, about
Casting Jesus:
Candidates for Jesus included Aidan Quinn, Eric Roberts, De Niro (who said he can't wear a robe) and Walken; Sting was to be Pilate in the first Paramount attempt.
“De Niro's response was, I don't think I can wear a robe.”
fun, about
Martin Scorsese:
After Scarface flopped with Hollywood audiences, De Palma asked Scorsese if they would become teachers; Scorsese says he couldn't do anything else.
fun, about
Willem Dafoe:
Dafoe first declined; at a second meeting Scorsese's explanation within minutes convinced him he was the only person who could play Jesus.
fun, about
Harvey Keitel:
Keitel's Brooklyn-accented, red-haired Judas earned a Razzie nomination, which hosts defend; Scorsese wanted him to embody violence and anger.
fun, about
The Last Temptation of Christ:
With only five centurions, Scorsese whip-panned among them to suggest twenty-five without ever showing them in one frame.
“And he reuses 5 centurions to make them 25 centurions.”
fun, about
Irvin Kershner:
Empire Strikes Back director plays Zebedee; hosts digress to the Magic Roundabout's Zebedee and spot the call-out of 'Judith' from the background.
“Yes, is Irving Kirschner, director of Empire Strikes Back.”
fun, about
Star Trek TNG 'The Inner Light':
Picard living fifty years in a village in minutes is the lens for Jesus' long dream life, ending with the creepy-girl Satan reveal.
“The whole episode is him living an entire episode.”
fun, about
The Last Temptation of Christ:
The final crucifixion film burn: a cameraman exposed the magazine too early, ruining film in the final shot, and the flashing light damage was kept.
fun, about
Peter Gabriel:
Gabriel did the score nearly free, mixing voices from around the world; it was released as Passion and is credited as breakthrough for world music in America.
fun, about
The Last Temptation of Christ:
Box office: opened August 12, 1988, number 13, about $8M domestic and around $30M worldwide; one Oscar nomination (Scorsese for director), Hershey and score got Globe nods.
fun, about
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World:
David states it is one of his ten favorites and Griffin says he texted it was the best movie ever made; David jokes he should have put it on his Sight and Sound ballot.
“I think I should just, like, next time I do sight and sound, stop being like, moo, I love, you know, some important movie, so just fucking put this on there.”
fun, about
Tom Rothman:
Rothman was a studio exec who had long wanted to make the Aubrey books; he handed Weir a captain's sword, saying take command of the HMS Surprise, and Weir asked to keep the sword.
“is take command of the HMS surprise. And Peter Weir is like, can I keep the sword?”
fun, about
Peter Weir:
Weir's directing patience: he rewrote the property into a friendship story, using the 10th book (The Far Side of the World) for the subtitle instead of the first book.
“I want it to be on the friendship of Aubrey Maturin.”
fun, about
Paul Bettany:
Bettany refused the boot-camp costume T-shirt with his character's name so Maturin would feel apart from everyone; he trained in amputations and fish-cutting instead of sailing.
fun, about
Sound design:
At the Academy Museum, Weir's featurette says the rough impressionistic sound pass beat the version where every sound was justified, which was cacophonous.
“when it became too justified and you were trying to account for everything, it was cacophonous and it didn't work.”
fun, about
United Flight 232:
The author was inspired by this crash, where a freak mechanical failure still left 180 survivors; simulations never match the result.
“And then he, in 89, reads about the notorious United Flight 232 crash.”
fun, about
Fearless casting:
Weir's first call was Mel Gibson, who was busy directing The Man Without a Face and, when told Bridges was second choice, said he wanted Bridges for his own film.
“And Weir says Jeff Bridges and Mel was like, fuck.”
fun, about
Winona Ryder / Jeff Bridges:
The studio wanted Ryder and a screen-test kiss; Bridges refused in front of the executives, saying he was way too old.
fun, about
Rosie Perez:
On the WTF podcast she said that crew asked if she was okay after takes because the emotion looked extreme, and that she only began processing her childhood after the film.
“And that it was Fearless was one of the things where everyone was just like, are you okay during the scenes?”
fun, about
Fargo / critics:
Halliwell's Film Guide (stingy with stars) gave Fargo four; Siskel and Ebert both rapturous, and Ebert's review ends with 'Films like Fargo are why I love the movies.'
“Films like Fargo are why I love the movies is how his review ends.”
fun, about
Bolt:
Travolta's second-highest worldwide grosser is Disney's Bolt, which was the rewritten, normalized version of Chris Sanders's weirder road-trip animal movie.
“It is Disney's Bolt, which made 328 million dollars worldwide.”
fun, about
Dune:
See the cat-and-rat milking scene: Thufir must milk a cat taped to a rat for the antidote; pure Lynch, not in the book, and Thufir is never seen again.
“Inside a space cat carrier, and you're going to have to milk this cat for the antidote to the poison.”
fun, about
Decision to Leave:
Chain mail glove: the detective puts on a chain mail glove in a rooftop chase against a man with a knife; the hosts note both men are too winded to move fast so he has time. David pulls up Amazon listings.
“The perp pulling the knife is him kind of saying like, so just give me like 90 seconds to catch up.”
fun, about
Tang Wei:
The hosts' joke pitch: a TV show where Tang Wei returns every season with a new husband who dies, like Sideshow Bob trying to kill Bart.
fun, about
Sherlock, Jr.:
Gillette's title card plays on razor brands (Gillette, Ever-Ready, Gem); the studio's name on screen, Veronal, was a sleeping drug.
fun, about
Sherlock, Jr.:
Walking into the movie screen looks like a miracle: it is a second set built behind the proscenium and lit differently so it reads as a flat projected image.
“And he just steps casually into the screen, and it feels like a miracle”
fun, about
Sherlock, Jr.:
Keaton matched his body position across cuts to wildly different locations, shots made hours or weeks apart, by overlaying the earlier film.
“they had an initial shot of him and then they like put the film over the film.”
fun, about
Sherlock, Jr.:
Keaton's baby-gag reading: every other movie cue he can copy in real time, but he cannot produce twin babies; contributors read it as a joke about movies skipping the 9 months.
fun, about
The Navigator:
A title card says going on a honeymoon without a bride is like singing 'Kiss Me Again' to the tune of 'Alice, Where Art Thou' (a fast waltz versus a slow plaintive song).
“going on a honeymoon without a bride is like singing in the words of Kiss Me Again to the music of Alice, where art thou?”
fun, about
The Navigator:
The last 20 minutes (island of cannibals) are old-school white panic racism, where Keaton's timelessness 'falls to the ground'.
“It's 20 minutes of old school white panic racism.”
fun, about
The Navigator:
A cut gag sent a starfish with a badge directing fish traffic; previews showed the audience was caught up in the story and it cost 10 grand.
“apparently they'd spent 10 grand on that gag and they had to cut it.”
fun, about
Wendell & Wild / David Sims:
David saw the film at a TIFF 9 AM press screening after a night of fire alarms and an accidentally armed security system in a Toronto Airbnb; he says it healed him.
“I'm gonna put my clothes on, and I'm gonna walk my ass over to the light box and just watch Wendolyn Wild, because at least there won't be a fire alarm.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Wendell & Wild ·
0:26:55 ·
David Sims
(0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about
Comedy Central / Review:
Comedy Central refused to license to streaming after Broad City boomed on Hulu, so shows like Review were stuck on a bad app.
“We are never licensing any of our shows to a streaming service ever again.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Wendell & Wild ·
0:55:45 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Wendell & Wild / Jordan Peele:
Originally the nun Sister Helley was the protagonist; Peele's note was to make teen Kat the lead so kids can identify. Selick: it took a while to convince him.
“It's the easiest note in the world, Henry Selling.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Wendell & Wild ·
1:02:20 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Wendell and Wild:
A hellmaiden's cold open: the car crash, the punk boombox with a bloodshot eye, and X-Ray Spex on the radio ground the first seven minutes.
“She's listening to x-ray specs on the radio.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Wendell & Wild ·
1:24:46 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Wendell & Wild soundtrack:
The punk and new-wave soundtrack includes X-Ray Spex, Fishbone, The Specials, TV on the Radio for the finale, and Special Interests.
“Their song, Young, Gifted Black and Leather fucking rules.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Wendell & Wild ·
1:30:04 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Wendell & Wild / Buffalo Belzer:
The giant puppet heads were built so the faces are articulated; Belzer's hand is built to scale, about 15 feet tall, and you can see it in the credits.
“The hand is like 15 feet tall.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Wendell & Wild ·
1:35:06 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Wendell and Wild:
The undead city council members are skeletons from past centuries, which David finds a clever, laugh-out-loud idea.
“Like, what if you brought back New York's city council from like the 18th century”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Wendell & Wild ·
1:40:33 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Wendell and Wild:
The trans character Raul's identity is handled quietly through context clues, which they praise over self-congratulatory progressive films.
“It's basically like stated only through context clues, you know?”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Wendell & Wild ·
1:55:14 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Black Adam:
Hosts mock a leaked-documents campaign to prove Black Adam profited, noting half the profit is Warner paying itself through HBO Max and billboards.
“Half of that profit is the amount of money that Warner Brothers pays itself through HBO Max.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Wendell & Wild ·
2:02:36 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Monkeybone:
Bit about Monkeybone's final sequence: it looks like rear projection, and Brendan Fraser is made up more monkeylike with a unibrow, bigger teeth and organs falling out.
“It looks like deliberately artificially like they're just in front of a screen kind of shit.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Wendell & Wild ·
2:14:22 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Bob Fosse:
After near-death experiences Fosse would try to live healthier for a month and then go back to chain smoking and squeezing nurses.
“smoking cigarettes until they're burning in his mouth and squeezing every nurse's ass”
fun, about
Fosse ranking:
Griffin: Cabaret, All That Jazz, Lenny, Star 80, Sweet Charity; David: Cabaret, All That Jazz, Sweet Charity, Lenny, Star 80; Julie argues Sweet Charity above Star 80.
fun, about
An Angel at My Table:
Made for TV as three episodes, but it conquered Venice: crowds chanted for the film for ten minutes, though it only won the runner-up prize.
“people were shouting angel, angel for 10 minutes”
fun, about
Janet Frame:
Days or hours from a lobotomy, Frame was spared when she won a literary prize, and the film tosses it off as the halfway point.
“It's completely bananas that she was like days or hours from a lobotomy.”
fun, about
Annie:
David says Annie is famously the first movie he ever saw; Dana saw original Broadway Annie at 12 and decided then to live in New York.
“I think it was, it's famously the 1st movie I ever saw.”
fun, about
John Carpenter:
Drew McWeeny's story: asked his favorite Carpenter movie, McWeeny said Starman and Carpenter said 'ah, a romantic'; Carpenter tests fans for being softies.
fun, about
Starman script:
Original script ended with Starman blowing up the government with his ray gun; Dean Reisner's rewrite humanized it; he got no credit but the film is dedicated to him.
fun, about
Jeff Bridges:
Oscar story: Pfeiffer recalled Bridges had broken capillaries painted on his nose for Baker Boys; 'doesn't read on camera' - 'yeah, but it helps me'.
fun, about
Ricki and the Flash:
A theory that the film would have worked better if cheaper and quieter, as a Meryl who agreed to be in a Demme movie, rather than Meryl hiring Demme.
“and it was Meryl agreeing to be in a Jonathan Demi movie rather than Meryl hiring Jonathan Demi.”
fun, about
Nausicaä's origin:
Miyazaki could not sell a new film after Cagliostro, so a manga publisher offered a life raft; after a couple of years of manga he finally pitched it as a movie, though he had never intended one.
“The publisher of the manga reaches out to him and says, I liked Castle of Cagliostro, would you want to try to do something in print?”
fun, about
King Kong (Broadway):
Both hosts say the Broadway King Kong musical is bad except for the enormous puppet, which they enjoyed more than anything else they did not like.
“the puppet is so fucking strong that I did not care that I did not care about the rest of it.”
fun, about
Warriors of the Wind:
The 95 minute US cut has no listed cast, a heavy metal style poster where Nausicaä is the smallest figure, and renames her Princess Zandra.
fun, about
Nausicaä's long action sequence:
David timed it: roughly 35 straight minutes of action, ending in the Ohmu stampede with the missile-pierced baby, and wonders what a kid gets from it.
“there's just this sort of bananas, like 35 minutes of action.”
fun, about
The Hustle:
The Hustle, the gender-flipped Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, was almost titled Nasty Women, which David thinks would have been the correct title.
fun, about
John Wick: Chapter 3:
The hosts argue Chapter 3 is the best Wick because Keanu is so natural in a heightened world and the scenes are choreographed with minimal cuts; a Twitter pile-on about 'not concluding a trilogy' followed.
“Barry Bosswick is the waspiest actor of all time.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Flesh+Blood ·
0:39:53 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Flesh and Blood:
Movie wasn't released wide and went quickly to HBO, where it became cult.
“It became like a somewhat well-known cult movie.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Flesh+Blood ·
0:43:09 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Susan Tyrrell:
Griffin did not know she was in the film, was glad.
“She's amazing in this movie.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Flesh+Blood ·
0:46:09 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Flesh and Blood:
The film sets a dog-meat plague scene and a flaming halo shot.
“I mean, there's also that incredible shot of later in the movie where he's got the burning wheel behind his head.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Flesh+Blood ·
1:08:41 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Bruno Kirby:
A mousy character actor in the film, always in film history by being in five beloved movies.
“he's been in like 5 of the most beloved movies of all time.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Flesh+Blood ·
1:27:03 ·
David Sims
(0.35 sure it was them)
fun, about
American Ninja:
What if we took ninjas, but made them more American; $3.2M opening.
“Well, it made, what if we took ninjas, but made them more American?”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Flesh+Blood ·
1:29:55 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Robert Altman:
Griffin would do Altman 1970 to 1980, not Buffalo Bill and the Indians.
“My pitch would be 1970 to 1980.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Flesh+Blood ·
1:39:16 ·
David Sims
(0.35 sure it was them)
fun, about
Michael Shannon:
David saw Michael Shannon eating a burger with a bunch of kids at Moo Burger, the first entry in the new Burger Report segment; Griffin followed with seeing Chivo Lubezki at Apple Pan.
“Oscar nominee, Michael Shannon, eating with a bunch of kids and a couple of adults eating his own bird.”
fun, about
Christopher Doyle:
Doyle is quoted as saying you cannot make a movie unless you've slept with a black woman and spent a night in jail; the hosts riff on it as the reason the party scene is illegible.
“a man who has said that you cannot make a movie unless you've slept with a black woman and spent a night in jail.”
fun, about
Lady in the Water:
Opened to 18 million, number three behind Pirates of the Caribbean and Monster House, and finished with 42 million domestic, 72 worldwide.
“It ended up with a grand total of $42 million, 72 worldwide.”
fun, about
Robert Downey Jr.:
On Inside the Actors Studio, Downey called Home for the Holidays the most relaxed performance in film history because of the heroin, and said Jodie Foster once confronted him.
“Yeah, home for holidays, which on that episode of Inside the Actor Studio, he refers to as the most relaxed performance in the history of film because of how much heroin he was on.”