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 1,001–1,091 of 1,091 claims.
career (career):
Joe Johnston → The Wolfman.
Cap was a comeback for Johnston after the calamity of The Wolfman.
“This was a real, like, comeback for Joe Johnson, because this was after the calamity of Wolfman.”
career (career):
Captain America: The First Avenger → The Rocketeer.
The movie was a comeback for Johnston after The Wolfman and is essentially what he wanted The Rocketeer to be, with the culture now caught up.
“This is basically what you wanted to do with the rocketeer.”
verdict (verdict):
Captain America: The First Avenger → Matt Hatch.
A past guest argues this is the best Marvel movie; the hosts think it's the most individual in tone and look.
“has continues to argue that this is the best Marvel movie.”
programming (programming):
Captain America: The First Avenger → Thor.
Cap opened to about 65 million like Thor, finished near 176 worldwide domestic and around 370 vs Thor's 450.
“Cap opens pretty much exactly the same as Thor, 65.”
career (career):
David Yates → Fantastic Beasts (films).
Yates saved the Potter franchise but doing Fantastic Beasts is a couple that should have broken up years ago.
“Like the Yates doing the Fantastic Beast movies is like one of those like couples where you're like, they should have broken up like 4 years ago.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:02:45 ·
David Sims
(0.35 sure it was them)
industry (industry):
Thor → Kenneth Branagh.
Marvel hired Branagh for Shakespearean gravitas to signal seriousness, then handed him a goofball script.
“let's hire Kenneth Brown out to show people were making a serious movie because he's a Shakespearean guy”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:03:43 ·
David Sims
(0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage):
Thor → The Avengers.
The Ultimates reimagined Thor as a possible revolutionary claiming to be a god, versus the film's real Thor.
“in the ultimates, Mark Miller's take is like Thor is sort of like this revolutionary guy who claims he's a god”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:05:58 ·
David Sims
(0.45 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage):
Thor → Stan Lee.
The Donald Blake identity came from Stan Lee's 60s devotion to the secret-identity trope; the movie keeps it only as a fake ID gag.
“in the 60s, Stanley was a little slavishly devoted to like the classic superhero comic trope, so you needed a secret identity”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:08:08 ·
David Sims
(0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage):
Thor → J. Michael Straczynski.
The film borrows heavily from Straczynski's celebrated Thor run, including Thor spending time in the Midwest.
“the celebrated Thor arc was J. Michael Stratinsky, which is this is borrowing from heavily.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:08:28 ·
David Sims
(0.50 sure it was them)
industry (industry):
Anthony Hopkins → Tommy Lee Jones.
Casting a gravitas-bearing famous actor as the elder is Marvel's repeat playbook, as with Tommy Lee Jones in Captain America.
“It's also the same thing they did with Tommy Lee Jones and Captain America”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:09:27 ·
David Sims
(0.50 sure it was them)
career (career):
Thor → Red Dawn.
Hemsworth was nearly unknown, with leads in two shelved films, Cabin in the Woods and Red Dawn, plus Star Trek.
“Red Dawn had been shelved.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:09:49 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
people (people):
Joss Whedon → Chris Hemsworth.
Whedon, having worked with Hemsworth on Cabin in the Woods and signing on to Avengers, urged the studio to consider him for Thor.
“Whedon had done Cabin in the Woods, and he was signing on to Avengers while they were casting this and he said, you should really consider that Hemsworth guy.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:12:26 ·
David Sims
(0.50 sure it was them)
industry (industry):
Joss Whedon → Kevin Feige.
From Thor through Age of Ultron Whedon acts as the MCU's other creative force and number-one script doctor, butting heads with Feige.
“Whedon, and we're going to talk about this a bunch, is a major creative force on the level of Kevin Feige from Thor through to Age of Ultron.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:12:26 ·
David Sims
(0.50 sure it was them)
career (career):
Kenneth Branagh → Joel Schumacher.
Branagh is cast as this generation's Joel Schumacher, a big silly hammy director, which is meant as praise.
“He's like, our generation's like Joel Schumacher.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:18:12 ·
David Sims
(0.50 sure it was them)
industry (industry):
Thor → Ike Perlmutter.
Perlmutter kept early Marvel budgets low, so these movies lack grandeur and the Jotunheim CG looks poor.
“Ike Pearlmutter is keeping the budgets pretty low, so these movies just don't have the grandeur”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:20:23 ·
David Sims
(0.50 sure it was them)
craft (craft):
Thor → Kenneth Branagh.
Branagh built action with no spatial coherence, cut in a seesaw, and canted every angle.
“Kenneth McRanaugh constructing big action set pieces with no spatial coherence.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:20:43 ·
David Sims
(0.45 sure it was them)
craft (craft):
Kenneth Branagh → Henry V.
Branagh's Shakespeare films handle epic battles well, but in Thor he chases flashy action instead of classical staging.
“Henry V is good.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:20:54 ·
David Sims
(0.45 sure it was them)
career (career):
Sam Raimi → Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
Raimi's frustrated 90s Thor pitch is read as the origin of Hercules on TV, like Darkman after losing The Shadow.
“So like he really wanted to direct the shadow.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:22:21 ·
David Sims
(0.50 sure it was them)
career (career):
Sam Raimi → Darkman.
Raimi wanted to direct The Shadow, was refused, and made Darkman instead.
“So like he really wanted to direct the shadow.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:22:21 ·
David Sims
(0.50 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if):
Thor → Matthew Vaughn.
Vaughn was hired after leaving X-Men and wanted Kevin McKidd, but exited in 2008.
“He loved to quit movies because he exits in 2008.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:26:16 ·
David Sims
(0.45 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if):
Thor → Guillermo del Toro.
Del Toro was attached post-Pan's Labyrinth but left for The Hobbit, which he also did not make.
“Guillermo del Toro is brought in.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:26:18 ·
David Sims
(0.45 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if):
Thor → Daniel Craig.
Before Hemsworth, Daniel Craig was offered the part of Thor and turned it down.
“Daniel Craig is offered the role.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:27:17 ·
David Sims
(0.45 sure it was them)
people (people):
Tom Hiddleston → Kenneth Branagh.
Hiddleston worked with Branagh on stage before Thor and was cast to bring gravitas.
“Hiddleston, who has worked with Brana on stage.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:27:29 ·
David Sims
(0.45 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if):
Tom Hiddleston → Josh Hartnett.
Josh Hartnett was widely reported as the Loki frontrunner, a bigger name, until two unknowns were cast.
“smart money is all on Josh Hartnett.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:28:29 ·
David Sims
(0.45 sure it was them)
industry (industry):
Natalie Portman → Black Swan.
Thor landed four to five months after Black Swan, so Portman's Oscar gave the film star power Marvel was lucky to get.
“This comes out like 4 months after Black Swan, 5 months.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:32:01 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
career (career):
Thor → Don Payne.
Comedy writer Payne came from The Simpsons and wrote Fantastic Four 2 and My Super Ex-Girlfriend before Marvel brought him in to make Thor funny.
“he was big into this, like, I know how to make Thor funny, so that'll be more approachable.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:39:00 ·
David Sims
(0.45 sure it was them)
career (career):
Thor → The Avengers.
Loki's Thor performance is a Shakespearean tragedy turn; the charm and menace arrive in Avengers.
“He's kind of doing like, like, you see, Branaugh cast him to bring the gravitas, and he's kind of giving mostly an emotional performance.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:43:03 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
craft (craft):
Thor → Iron Man 2.
Both force S.H.I.E.L.D. world-building into the plot; Iron Man 2 does it worse, and Captain America saves it for the end.
“Iron Man 2 has it worse than this, but this and Iron Man 2 have that right where they're sort of like, PS, like, Hawkeye's coming.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:48:53 ·
David Sims
(0.45 sure it was them)
industry (industry):
Thor → The Lord of the Rings.
Studios expected a Thor movie would have to be a serious sub-Lord of the Rings; post-LOTR C-list fantasy launches had been failing.
“anytime Post-Lord of the Rings, anyone was trying to launch a C-list, B-list, Lord of the Rings style fantasy thing.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:58:16 ·
David Sims
(0.35 sure it was them)
theme (theme):
Thor → E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
For Selvig, Thor is proof of aliens, his own E.T., and the reason he will not let go of him.
“Thor is like his ET.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:07:56 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
career (career):
Clark Gregg → Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..
Coulson's death in Avengers and revival for the show cheapen his arc, debated here.
“Let Carl Craig have his paycheck, man, the mentor.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:24:34 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
industry (industry):
Thor → Natalie Portman.
Portman had director approval and a multi-film contract but did not want to do more, so Marvel stopped forcing her.
“she got director approval over these movies.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:28:08 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict):
Thor: The Dark World → Thor.
Dark World is the better brother movie; Thor's Thor-Loki rivalry feels underdeveloped.
“Dark World is better. They tapped into the brother dynamic.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:39:18 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
career (career):
Tom Hiddleston → Midnight in Paris.
2011 was Hiddleston's breakout year across Thor, Midnight in Paris, and War Horse.
“So those were his 3 performances.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:41:54 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
career (career):
Anthony Hopkins → Noah.
Hopkins in the gravitas role is an uncreative choice, same reaction as in Noah.
“I had the same reaction when he was in Noah.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:45:28 ·
David Sims
(0.35 sure it was them)
career (career):
Idris Elba → Luther.
Elba's low billing hides that he was becoming an internet boyfriend via Luther, and the Wire rediscovery.
“he was so clearly becoming like an internet boyfriend.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:46:05 ·
David Sims
(0.40 sure it was them)
programming (programming):
Thor → Fast Five.
Thor's opening was the Memorial Day-season release, with Fast Five as the number two film in its 2nd weekend.
“Number 2 is one of the best movies of this year.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
1:50:54 ·
David Sims
(0.50 sure it was them)
craft (craft):
Jack White → Iron Man 2.
While reading the credits, a host notes that Jack White is credited on Iron Man 2 and jokes that he played the element.
“Iron Man Jack White is credited?”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Iron Man 2 ·
2:00:42 ·
David Sims
(0.30 sure it was them)
“It was like if somebody made a Western, but it also was implicitly built to and engineered to appeal to a worldwide audience as much as it appealed to an American one.”
lineage (lineage):
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon → King Hu.
CTHD plays in the milieu of King Hu and the wuxia classics, but with a more modern sensibility.
“this movie is playing in a, in a Milu that is inherent to like King Hu movies and Musha, like the classics”
career (career):
Chow Yun-fat → The Replacement Killers.
Chow's US run: The Replacement Killers, The Corrupter, Anna and the King, then Bulletproof Monk.
“And Cha-Yon Fat was doing, like, the replacement killers.”
“I mean, I just remember when the Tomorrow Never Dies came out and it was the 1st of 4 consecutive, like, finally, a Bond girl who's even tougher than Bond.”
“choreographing it had a time that he never really had before. And so he like busted out the big guns, all like the kicks that he had been holding in his back pocket for all those years.”
lineage (lineage):
The Ice Storm → Hulk.
After loving Hulk, a host went back to the Lee filmography and read The Ice Storm as the family psychodrama behind it.
“And then this movie is like, oh, here's all the weird family psychodrama, which is already contextualized through the Marvel Comics prism.”
career (career):
The Ice Storm → Ride with the Devil.
Lee made two straight films about outsiders looking in on America at a crisis point, both starring Maguire.
“I think it's very interesting that Angley made 2 movies in a row about America at a crisis point”
lineage (lineage):
Blue Steel → Halloween.
Calls Blue Steel a slasher with Ron Silver as Michael Myers and cites Ebert calling it the best Halloween sequel.
“I read back to Roger Ebert's review, and he said, this is actually the best Halloween sequel that's ever been made.”
lineage (lineage):
Vanilla Sky → Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes).
Vanilla Sky is nearly the same story as the Spanish original, except the hero is a magazine magnate friends with Spielberg.
“So the film is actually pretty much exactly the same as Abri Lozojos, except for the main character of that movie is not a magazine magnate who's friends with Steven Spielberg.”
theme (theme):
Vanilla Sky → Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes).
The Spanish original keeps the ending ambiguous, while this version spells out what the dream state is.
“And Abri Lo Sojos does not have this problem so much, is that I think the ending is supposed to be ambiguous”
lineage (lineage):
Vanilla Sky → Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes).
The ending follows the original beat for beat, down to the jump and the 'open your eyes' last line.
“Yeah, again, it's how Abri Lo Sojos works to a T down to him jumping and open your eyes, like being on last lines.”
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...”
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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.”
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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?”
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”