Press-screening veteran who found Winter Soldier merely fine at release; likes political-thriller texture and Redford's calm, character acting. Dislikes Marvel villains who justify genocide with logic. Loves Samuel L. Jackson, spy-game lineage and the Russos' TV pilots.
Stances
Looks up facts (the computer guy)
Winter Soldier was a nonplus at release but improves on rewatch
Redford's underplaying is the movie's best asset
Regrets Civil War stops being a Captain America film
Humor: Dry deadpan asides, mock-serious pedantry and a willingness to play along with Griffin's bits.
In their words
“This is the 1st Marvel movie I started press screening.” (0:02:54)
Loves Sif, mythology, the practical-looking gold Asgard and the sibling story between Thor and Loki. Hates the first Thor and likes Dark World far more than Ragnarok. A sucker for spaceships and gap-toothed actors.
Stances
Dark World was the movie where Feige took over
Doctor Strange fails on comedy
Spaceships make any movie better
Humor: Deadpan escalation and gross-out one-liners, throwing a pillow to steer the room.
Also calls Iron Man 3 his favorite MCU film; a critic who tracks box office, awards ballots, contracts and Hollywood history. Likes character actors, Shane Black wit and clean action stakes. Sucker for ensemble casts and set-up/payoff.
Stances
Iron Man 3 is the best-structured sequel because it answers the previous film
The one flaw is the rushed Killian monologue and the sidelined Maya
Tony Stark should have ended here
Marvel's Atlanta wet-cement look is a problem
Humor: Dry, dead-pan and confidently over-informed, then deflates himself with a dumb aside.
In their words
“This is how you do a sequel.” (0:41:23)
“It's a really good 3rd movie.” (2:10:08)
“Anyone who dares criticize it, you know, is my enemy and I will meet them on the field of glory.” (0:56:30)
Treats Avengers as a model for plotted ensemble blockbusters; loves Samuel L. Jackson and Hulk, wants Marvel's cinematic conveyor belt held up to Justice League. Knows Hollywood trivia, box-office figures. Dislikes Man of Steel's destruction and Age of Ultron's continuity.
Stances
This is one of the best-structured blockbusters
The film looks cheap while being expensive
Age of Ultron can't be a sequel to this one
Jackson is undervalued
Humor: Dry, ironic, quick with box-office game-show bits and wry commentary on his own travel plans.
In their words
“I think this movie looks kind of cheap while being very expensive.” (0:03:02)
“Avengers 2 can't be a sequel to Avengers one. It has to be a sequel to 5 other moments.” (1:39:42)
He loves Marvel comics lore, the Golden and Silver Age versions of the characters, and period production design. He is a sucker for ensemble character actors like Neal McDonough and Tommy Lee Jones. He is dismissive of the movie's generic last third and of unearned endings.
Stances
The first third is perfect, the second solid, the third perfunctory
The ending teaser for Avengers cheapens the movie
The classic Bucky death was better than the film's
Humor: Dry deadpan asides and physical bits like rocking the couch for Tommy Lee Jones.
In their words
“The 1st 3rd is perfect.” (0:51:45)
“I think the 3rd 3rd is, you know, a little perfunctory.” (0:51:48)
The comics and film-history reader: knows Thor lore (Straczynski, Simonson), casting and development history, and Marvel's behind-the-scenes politics. Loves Hopkins at ease, Branagh as ham, the hammer-return sequence and the Patrick Doyle score. Dislikes chaos cinema and the Marvel pipeline's flat look.
Stances
Branagh is a hammy director he likes, but weak at action
Marvel's side-character sprawl hurts unfocused ensemble movies
Dark World is a better brother movie
Whedon over-kills characters
Humor: Deadpan fact-drops and interruptions that deflate Griffin's bits.
In their words
“I'm a big fan of Kenneth Bran as a director.” (0:18:10)
Film-history minded and well versed in studio politics (Feige, Perlmutter); likes Wes Anderson books but not Isle of Dogs. Dislikes hollow universe-building. Loves Galaxy Quest and Rickman.
Stances
Nick Fury's cameo derails the movie
Favreau lost The Avengers by making this film
Universe-building should serve story
Humor: Dry, mocking asides with pop-culture comparisons.
A Marvel and Hulk comics reader (Rick Jones, Peter David, Greg Pak) who loves Ang Lee's Hulk and trusts Tim Roth as the only good performance; hates bad CGI and generic Europa Corp action.
Stances
This film is the worst early MCU entry
Marvel quality control is fast food
Unleashed is the best Europa Corp film
Humor: Blunt put-downs and long, detailed story retellings, such as the Electro origin.
In their words
“Rick, you know, man, you got to read your 60s Marvel.” (0:17:51)
“Unleashed is my favorite of the Europa.” (0:11:09)
Pro-Iron Man, loves Downey's improvisational energy, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges' performances, and the Marvel comics of the 60s; dislikes Terrence Howard and generic Marvel scores. Cares about industry business details.
Stances
Iron Man is the best of the early Marvel films
Bridges is underrated as a Marvel villain
Hulk and later Marvel films feel generic
Humor: Self-deprecating New York landlord and apartment bits, deadpan Bill Maher mock-defense.
Attributions to David are low confidence because the transcript has no speaker labels. He argues about Nicholson's box office record, tracks the Oscar races of the era, and has a Transformers opinion (3 is a masterpiece, per a speaker who may be him). He is skeptical of Haunted Mansion.
Stances
Nicholson was not guaranteed money in the bank before this film (speaker uncertain)
Early-2000s Oscar races were set pieces worth remembering (speaker uncertain)
Humor: Dry corrections and numbers, plus a playful challenge to the guest's choices.
In their words
“Well, I'm going to dispute you on Jack being money in the bank.” (0:03:28)
“it did open to 16000000 and finished at 124” (1:52:03)
Box-office and awards nerd; loves Michelle Yeoh and the craft of fight choreography; is dismissive of Rush Hour as a boring sweaty cop movie and of Gladiator winning. A sucker for trivia and Oscar-night lore.
Stances
CTHD's release was a careful balancing of global audiences
Oscar race lore matters
Gladiator winning was weird
Humor: Dry, precise, and deadpan fact-bombs that undercut sillier riffs.
In their words
“Rush hour 2 is still the 4th biggest opening in August.” (0:46:50)
“Rush Hour is kind of a boring, sweaty cop movie.” (0:47:12)
Defends Hulk, owns Ice Storm on DVD and Criterion, and likes facts, production history and box-office context. Skeptical of easy characterization such as Weaver's.
Stances
Ice Storm gets cold weather as Do the Right Thing gets hot weather
Weaver's role feels easy; Lee's film is not about a craze
Reads out box-office top five in the closing game
Humor: Deadpan quiz-master and wry riffs on casting and careers.
In their words
“I think this movie gets cold weather as right as do the right thing gets hot weather.” (0:10:53)
“I mean, this podcast is just an excuse for me to buy Blu-rays.” (0:36:45)
Adores Richard Jenkins and critic-style takes; reads Blue Steel as a Bigelow B-picture that unifies her style. Loves a good box-office trivia quiz. Sucker for actor-career arcs.
Stances
Blue Steel is better than Point Break
Jenkins's entrance shifts the film into a representational register
Went in with the Spanish original in his head and thinks Vanilla Sky is essentially a remake of it with American excess added. Likes the genre-inflected last act more than the first half but rates the whole C plus. Sucker for British film magazine nostalgia.
Stances
The film is a remake of Abre los ojos with added Crowe preciousness
C plus, three out of five
Wants the sci-fi explained earlier
Humor: Dry, nitpicky, pushes catchphrase bits like 'island woman' and 'blowjob lady'.
In their words
“Yeah, C plus.” (1:55:12)
“I was a dedicated empire magazine reader.” (0:27:30)
“I think this movie's problem is it doesn't introduce it earlier enough.” (1:37:39)
Attribution is low-confidence. One host insists films should stand on their own merits, hates behind-the-scenes theorizing and complaining nerds, and is a fan of Admiral Piett. Likes the first 40 minutes at Jabba's palace; critical of Leia's handling and the Yoda deathbed scene.
Stances
Films should stand on their own merits
Don't read behind-the-scenes lore into the movie
The Jabba sequence is the best part; the Ewoks overstay
Humor: Dry deflation of the other host's rants and Empire workplace-comedy pitches.
In their words
“I think films should stand on their own merits.” (0:32:22)
“I hate nerds and they're always complaining.” (0:30:51)
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 901–1,000 of 1,091 claims.
unmapped (dismissed):
Meryl Streep → The Laundromat.
Worst Putters and Murmurs: dislikes her slightly haunted older lady mode and the brown-face.
career (career):
Don Cheadle → Devil in a Blue Dress.
His late-90s emergence in Devil in a Blue Dress and Out of Sight made every appearance worth waiting for.
“he was in like devil in a blue dress and out of sight and things like that.”
contrast (contrast):
Joaquin Phoenix → Benedict Cumberbatch.
Cumberbatch is a classically trained actor who can make pretend feel real; Phoenix is an autodidact who cannot.
“classically trained theater actor who is like, I can make pretend things feel real.”
craft (craft):
Tom Hardy → Joaquin Phoenix.
Like Hardy jumping into the lobster tank, Phoenix likes surprises in front of him that a green-screen movie cannot give.
career (career):
Alan Taylor → Game of Thrones.
Taylor was hired as the Game of Thrones helmsman; the studio's note was to make the film feel more like Game of Thrones.
“We want to make this feel more like Game of Thrones.”
craft (craft):
Thor: The Dark World → Game of Thrones.
The film aims for a grounded, muddy fantasy in the Game of Thrones manner, away from Branagh's version.
“We want to make a more grounded fantasy away from the bran off.”
what-if (what-if):
Thor: The Dark World → Patty Jenkins.
Jenkins is described as the director Natalie Portman wanted, and Portman left the franchise after Jenkins was fired without her approval.
what-if (what-if):
Thor: The Dark World → Natalie Portman.
Portman had approval over director and script; the Jenkins firing is why she was done with these movies.
“She didn't have anything on the Alan Taylor thing, and she was like, I'm done with these.”
industry (industry):
Thor: The Dark World → Iron Man 3.
This and Iron Man 3 are the first Marvel films with no Paramount logo before the Avengers logo.
“this and Iron Man 3 are the 1st 2 movies fully devoid of Paramount, right?”
theme (theme):
Thor: The Dark World → Crazy Rich Asians.
Like Crazy Rich Asians, the real romance is the lead and the mother figure; Thor's love is figurehead-level.
“Crazy Rich Asians is really the romance between her and the mother”
industry (industry):
Thor: The Dark World → Thor.
Dark World opened to 85 million, up from 65 for the first Thor, but is the lowest grossing sequel in the MCU.
“It's also the lowest grossing sequel in the MCU.”
what-if (what-if):
Thor: The Dark World → Thor: Ragnarok.
Thor: Ragnarok also loses Sif and Natalie Portman's Jane; the speakers wish Sif had returned for Endgame.
craft (craft):
Thor: The Dark World → Kramer Morgenthau.
After naming the cinematographer, the speaker says the film has its own look, palette and cinematic language, distinct from Iron Man 3.
contrast (contrast):
Thor: The Dark World → Guardians of the Galaxy.
The next film, Guardians, becomes candy colored, which is what that film needs, versus this serious look.
“you get to like Guardians next and it like becomes like candy colored”
contrast (contrast):
Thor: The Dark World → Iron Man 3.
Each Phase 2 film has its own look: this one is serious, Iron Man 3 resembles a 90s action film, Winter Soldier approximates a Sydney Pollack movie, Guardians is candy colored.
contrast (contrast):
Thor: The Dark World → Thor: Ragnarok.
The Dark World's palette feels like watercolor fantasy illustration; Ragnarok is full Kirby comic book.
“closer to like watercolor illustrations in a fantasy novel.”
industry (industry):
Thor: The Dark World → Avengers: Infinity War.
The ether is the second Infinity Gem; the speakers tally the stones across Mind, Space, Power, Reality, Time and Soul films.
craft (craft):
Thor → Thor: Ragnarok.
The first Thor looks too clean; Ragnarok overcorrects to cartoony comic splash page; the Dark World's polished gold sits between.
career (career):
Anthony Hopkins → Red Dragon.
After Hannibal money, Hopkins appeared in Red Dragon, which is a remake of Manhunter but worse, ruining the franchise per his son.
industry (industry):
Bohemian Rhapsody → Bryan Singer.
The speakers say Bohemian Rhapsody's critics are partly about its director, and joke about Singer becoming president.
theme (theme):
Thor: The Dark World → While You Were Sleeping.
Jane's fake-out (it was all a dream) is likened to While You Were Sleeping with Peter Gallagher and Bill Pullman.
theme (theme):
Thor: The Dark World → Alita: Battle Angel.
Griffin's line from his Alita review frames this film: he is defenseless before silly sci-fi epics that dump lore through a simple hero's journey, like Jupiter Ascending, Valerian, Aquaman.
“Think of films like Jupe, ascending, Valerian, Aquaman, colorful mega budget, nonsense splash into a grand canvas.”
programming (programming):
Thor: The Dark World → Guardians of the Galaxy.
The Collector mid-credits scene already shows the Guardians' comic space weirdness; the speaker thinks James Gunn directed it.
lineage (lineage):
Thor: The Dark World → Doctor Who.
Marvel in general is indebted to Doctor Who's tone of lightness, comedy, hope and teamwork, especially the Russell T Davies era.
“I think Marvel in general is very kind of indebted to Doctor Who with the same tone of like lightness and comedy and hope and team teamwork.”
craft (craft):
Joss Whedon → Serenity.
Answers the 'TV guy' worry about the Avengers trailers by pointing at Serenity as proof Whedon can direct with visual panache.
“Serenity is an incredibly well-directed movie with a lot of visual panache.”
people (people):
Tom Hiddleston → Thor.
Notes Loki's first-film look/context; Ben hasn't seen Thor or Cap in the lineup, which is why they watched them today.
“We've recorded these 3 episodes, Thor, America, and Avengers.”
industry (industry):
Jeremy Renner → Iron Man 2.
Hawkeye is set up here in Thor and Avengers rather than earlier; Renner is brainwashed for most of the film and complained about it.
“for like the 1st one hour and 50 minutes he's brainwashed and he's just as like, yes, Loki, whatever you say.”
craft (craft):
Joss Whedon → Iron Man 2.
Whedon told Marvel that Black Widow had not really been set up in Iron Man 2 and the character foundations were shaky.
“I took a look at that Iron Man 2 picture. you had, didn't notice a lot of character work.”
contrast (contrast):
The Avengers → Olympus Has Fallen.
The opening tunnel car chase is dismissed as Olympus-Has-Fallen-level dull, though later Marvel films do it more elaborately and no better.
industry (industry):
The Avengers → The Incredible Hulk.
Pre-Avengers grosses (Iron Man ~300, Hulk ~150, Cap ~170) suggested a glass ceiling; the unaccounted factor was the movie being very good.
“And then the X factor I wasn't considering was, what if movie very good?”
what-if (what-if):
Mark Ruffalo → Joaquin Phoenix.
Ruffalo and Phoenix were the short list to replace Norton; Feige keeps courting Phoenix (Doctor Strange too) and Phoenix only did Joker because it was twisted.
“Kevin Feige is always trying to get Joaquin Phoenix to do one of these movies.”
career (career):
Scarlett Johansson → Iron Man 2.
The Avengers uses Johansson (and Black Widow's Russian-scene vulnerability-as-weapon) better than anything since 2003, and better than Iron Man 2's secretary-spy version.
“This is the better version of that where he's like, she has been trained in a weird Russian program to be able to manipulate anybody.”
programming (programming):
Captain Marvel → The Avengers.
Captain Marvel is a 1990s prequel in which Fury still has both eyes, bringing back Coulson/Fury; they predict nineties-reference gags.
industry (industry):
Harry Dean Stanton → The Avengers.
The cameo was written as a nine-page Hulk conversation, shot in full, cut to a beat; the long version is on the DVD.
“there should be like a 9 page dialogue scene with the Hulk talks with an old security man about the nature of humanity and they shot all of it”
programming (programming):
The Avengers → Guardians of the Galaxy.
Thanos' Chitauri subcontracting sets up the cosmic films; Guardians is next on their Marvel list.
contrast (contrast):
The Avengers → Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Age of Ultron opens with the team already together and Fury in hiding, so it is a sequel to five films rather than to Avengers.
“Avengers 2 can't be a sequel to Avengers one. It has to be a sequel to 5 other moments.”
contrast (contrast):
The Avengers → Man of Steel.
Man of Steel's similar downtown destruction finale feels unreal with random civilians; Avengers grounds it in the street.
industry (industry):
Joss Whedon → Justice League.
Warner brought Whedon in after filming to retroactively make it more like Avengers, with reshoots adding jokes and replicated family cutaways.
“they bring in Joss Whedon after they've filmed the entire movie and go like, can you retroactively make it into more like Avengers?”
craft (craft):
Captain America: The First Avenger → Thor.
Both Marvel origin films avoid dropping the audience straight into a stylized world and open on a grounded genre set-up.
“This is the exact same structural thing as Thor, where it's like, let's not drop people into crazy stylized world.”
craft (craft):
Hugo Weaving → Werner Herzog.
Weaving built his Red Skull on a Herzog impression, with the same merciless anthropological view of humanity.
lineage (lineage):
Captain America: The First Avenger → Iron Man 2.
The Stark Expo of the 1940s is the origin of the Expo seen in Iron Man 2, now as the full World's Fair version.
“Like what we see in Iron Man 2, but now it's like the full like 40s World Fair version.”
fun, about
Force Awakens press screening:
David missed the Force Awakens critics' screening while at the Atlantic Wire, after a year of weekly Star Wars podcasting.
“I didn't get in to that screening, I was still working at the Atlantic Wire.”
fun, about
Rebecca Ferguson in Doctor Sleep:
Plays the most evil force in the world like a middle-aged woman at the Litchfield Jazz Fest, Tanglewooding out of control.
“Her decision to play the most evil force in the world, like a middle-aged woman at the Litchfield Jazz Fest.”
fun, about
Richard Schiff and Joe Pantoliano:
'The 2 benchmarks I'm setting for the next 30 years of my career': Schiff in Clemency and Pantoliano in Bad Boys for Life; Pantoliano has a 'guess the horse' scene.
“Those are the 2 benchmarks I'm setting for the next 30 years of my career.”
fun, about
Avengers: Infinity War:
Look at the chip shop in the Edinburgh scene: a sign says they will deep fry your kebab, which leads to Scottish deep-frying and a prank-call album bit.
“there's just a sign in the chip shop that just says, we will deep fry your kebab”
fun, about
Avengers: Infinity War:
Kevin Smith screamed 'no' at the press screening the second Tony was stabbed, and posted a tearful selfie; later he cried again at Cap shaving his beard in Endgame.
“And that person was Kevin Smith, who was in our audience”
fun, about
Thor: The Dark World:
The climactic portal fight, set up as a gimmick for forty-five minutes: characters zap between Greenwich, Vanaheim and Frostland; a Frost Beast turns up; Thor throws a car at Malekith.
fun, about
Max Landis:
The sun-sets-multiple-times 'one day' fight: host argues Christmas is a season.
“This was the movie I got in the fight with Max Landis.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Iron Man 3 ·
2:13:18 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
The Avengers:
Paramount still has its logo on a film Disney bought; they joke Paramount staked its territory and Disney got the last laugh by earning more.
“Paramount made so much money for selling these movies, but Disney got the last laugh because they made even more money buying these movies.”
fun, about
The Avengers:
Whedon's addition that was not in the Penn draft: the heroes must fight each other first; see the Thor/Iron Man/Cap forest fight at 0:47-0:50 and Cap's shield versus Mjolnir.
fun, about
Jeremy Renner:
Renner's defense of Hawkeye: he's there to tranquilize the Hulk; they find that depressing. Also Renner complained about being brainwashed for ~1:50.
“he's got the arrow so they can tranquilize Hulk.”
fun, about
Harry Dean Stanton:
See the scene (1:32) where Harry Dean Stanton talks Banner round: shot as a nine-page conversation, trimmed hard; the full version is on the DVD.
“So there's like a very long version of this on the DVD”
fun, about
Robert Downey Jr.:
Downey asked to pick the magnetic bracelets in the final suit-up and ad-libbed the Gallagher-at-the-computer riff that became a real shot.
fun, about
Grand Central / New York:
They scanned every building from 34th to 45th Street for the battle and 'make sure it doesn't get bigger than this' keeps the geography clear; the worm goes through Grand Central at 1:58.
“they scanned every fucking building in this area and just rebuilt like a perfect, like, grid of like 34th to like 45th.”
fun, about
Ashley Johnson:
Cap's original introduction was a cafe scene with a waitress (Johnson) flirting; the cut payoff is her looking up at the Avengers.
“So it's supposed to be payoff for that, but it still works”
fun, about
Marvel studio:
The Chitauri were minor aliens invented for this movie; Thanos reveal in the credits left a Paris friend asking who the purple guy was.
fun, about
The Avengers:
Opening weekend box office: $207 million (May 4), then Think Like a Man, The Hunger Games, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, The Lucky One in the top five.
“Avengers breaks the box office record makes 207.”
fun, about
Bucky death:
The classic comic Bucky death is on a rocket Cap can't disarm; the film instead has Bucky fall from the train. David calls the movie's version lamer.
“The classic Bucky death is so good, which they're on the rocket.”
fun, about
Dum Dum Dugan:
See the scene where Neal McDonough walks on in a bowler hat and mutton chops; the hosts cheered because the film embraced the silly comic look rather than toning it down.
fun, about
Bucky (comics maxim):
Old comics maxim: Uncle Ben, Gwen Stacy, Jesus and Bucky are the characters who would never be brought back; Bucky stayed dead about 64 years.
“Spider-Man's Uncle Ben. Spider-Man's girlfriend, Gwen Stacy. And Jesus. And Bucky.”
fun, about
Peggy Carter red dress:
At the Times Square opening night, when Peggy walks in wearing the red dress amid drab fatigues, the whole audience yelled holy shit in unison.
“she comes in with this burst of color and the whole audience went, holy shit.”
fun, about
Captain America (title):
Marvel feared the name Captain America would hurt overseas in 2011 and retitled the film The First Avenger; almost every territory passed on that and only about one country released it under the alternate title.
“Captain America won't be in the title, and almost every territory passed on that.”
fun, about
Thor:
The hosts open on how every cut in the lab scene swings the camera 45 degrees the opposite way, a literal seesaw; Branagh's one idea is the tilted world, and they keep returning to the Dutch angles throughout.
“Isn't this crazy, though, that every time they cut, the camera is 45 degrees in the opposite angle of the previous...”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:03:17 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Chris Hemsworth:
Casting lore: Hemsworth beat Hiddleston, who thought he was ripped but looked narrower beside him, because he absorbed muscle better and looked broader on camera.
“Hemsworth is just broader shoulder.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:11:50 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Thor:
Hemsworth's dyed eyebrows in Thor are Kevin Feige's biggest regret in the whole MCU; watch Thor in Asgard where he almost looks to have none.
“Do you know that Kevin Feige said his, what his number one biggest regret in the entire Marvel cinematic universe is?”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:14:42 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Thor:
Loki's hand turns blue on touching the Frost Giant king's forearm in the Jotunheim fight; the hosts note the film forgets it and later reveals he is a Frost Giant.
“one of the blue guys, the king, touched Loki's forearm, and then Loki's hand turned blue, and they don't know why.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:24:56 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Thor:
Thor's development hell: Raimi, a UPN TV show, Sony and Goyer, Paramount, Vaughn, del Toro, DJ Caruso, Daniel Craig offered it before Hemsworth took it.
“Then, as we all know, DJ Caruso is hired.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:26:36 ·
David Sims
(0.45 sure it was them)
fun, about
Thor:
Mjolnir is cast as Excalibur: the lifting-the-sword-from-the-stone scene is the hammer in the New Mexico crater that nobody is worthy to move.
“So, you know, the hammer becomes like Excalibur.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:37:54 ·
David Sims
(0.35 sure it was them)
fun, about
Thor: The Dark World:
After the nudity-search tangent, they recall Skarsgard is naked in Dark World but the film blurs it out.
“I forgot he's naked in Dark World, but they blur it out.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:06:47 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Thor:
See the scene where Thor finally gets Mjolnir back: the hosts shout over the Patrick Doyle score and say the transformation is the film's biggest success.
“I will say, I think that is the biggest success of this movie is they do sell you on the importance of the hammer.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:29:29 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Thor:
See the scene where Thor flies by holding on to the thrown hammer; the speaker loves that the hammer does the flying and Thor grabs on.
“I like how Thor flies with his... The hammer is what's flying.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:34:42 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Thor:
Loki's illusion trick works in the Frost Giants fight; the hosts see the fake Loki, praise it, and grumble it plays worse in green screen CGI goopland.
“I think that type of effect doesn't play as well when they're in just like green screen CGI Goopland.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:39:38 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Thor:
Thor smashes the Bifrost to cut off the Frost Giants; the hosts say the comics have a literal rainbow while the film makes a prismatic Tron light-cycle runway.
“they just try to make it like a weird, like, sort of glassy Tron light cycle runway that's a little prismatic”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:41:33 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Thor:
Watch the end-credits stinger: Selvig with Fury and the Tesseract, a scene Whedon wrote and directed; Branagh reportedly claimed not to have seen it.
“Right, because Bran was like, I haven't seen this scene.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:55:57 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Ang Lee:
Grosses compared: this grossed 128 domestic vs Hulk 132 and Life of Pi 124; worldwide Life of Pi 609, this 213, Hulk 245.
fun, about
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:
The four leads speak different accents on camera; Yeoh learned her Mandarin lines phonetically and took a year of no other work.
“Right. One of them is one of them is essentially speaking lines phonetically.”
fun, about
Michelle Yeoh:
Debilitating knee surgery at the start of filming; she flew back and forth for surgery, action pushed to the end.
“Right. And she had to keep on flying back to the States for surgery and then she'd fly back to set, do dialogue scenes while she was recovering, fly back to the States for further surgery.”
fun, about
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:
Bar fight trivia: the stuntman who falls off the banister is the same man later holding an abacus because he broke his arm.
“how the guy who does that immortal fall off the banister is the same guy who has the abacus”
fun, about
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:
Nominations: Gladiator got 12, CTHD 10; CTHD won score, art direction, cinematography, foreign language film.
“Best art direction, best cinematography, and foreign language film.”
fun, about
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:
Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker realized they'd crossed $100M when two kids at a mall raved about the cool subtitles.
“they were like, man, the fucking subtitles were so cool.”
fun, about
How the Grinch Stole Christmas:
The number one movie the weekend CTHD opened; top five: Grinch, Vertical Limit, Proof of Life, Unbreakable, Dungeons & Dragons.
“It's the number one movie of 2000, and it is called Dr. Seuss is How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
fun, about
Kevin Kline:
Kline's story: he saw Joan Allen intensely preparing on location and went to the craft service table.
“Kevin Klein tells this story on like one of the retrospective criterion documentaries where he walked by Joan Allen and she was sitting somewhere around location”
fun, about
Blue Steel:
Opened number five with 2.8 million dollars and made 8.2 on a roughly 16 million budget; debuted at Sundance and came out through MGM after Vestron went bankrupt.
“It opens number five at the box office with 2.8 million dollars.”