David Sims

95 sketches, 1,091 claims, and 378 fun items attributed to them. What was said about them.

Personality, episode by episode

Showing 1–20 of 95 sketches.

Blank Check with Griffin & David: The Last Temptation of Christ with Jamelle Bouie (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: The Color of Money with Chris Ryan (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: After Hours with Alison Sivitz (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Raging Bull with David Krumholtz (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with John Hodgman (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Fearless with Timothy Simons (host)

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.

Stances

  • Jeff Bridges is the best consolation movie star
  • Fearless's first 30 minutes are transcendent
  • Fearless is the final boss plane crash movie
  • doesn't care where someone went to school

Humor: Deadpan dossier recitation, aggrieved rants, ribald asides.

In their words

  • “This is the final boss plane crash movie.” (1:36:04)
  • “I do not like people's lionization of Juilliard.” (0:18:18)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Fargo with Zach Cregger (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Look Who's Talking with Hillary Busis (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Empire of the Sun with Bilge Ebiri (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Raiders of the Lost Ark with Brian Michael Bendis (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Twin Peaks: The Return (Episode 8) with Connor Ratliff (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Dune with John Hodgman (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Decision to Leave with Tatiana Maslany (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Sherlock Jr. / The Navigator with James Urbaniak (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Wendell & Wild (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Star 80 with Julie Klausner (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: An Angel at My Table with Dana Stevens (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Starman with Katey Rich (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Ricki and the Flash with Bobby Finger & Lindsey Weber (host)

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)

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind with Lulu Wang (host)

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

Blank Check with Griffin & David

Their claims

Showing 401–500 of 1,091 claims.

  1. lineage (lineage): Eraserhead → The Meteors. The Meteors are named among the bands who covered the Eraserhead song.
    “The meteors would do it.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eraserhead (Ad-Free) · 0:02:47 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
  2. lineage (lineage): Eraserhead → The Pixies. The Pixies covered the Eraserhead song, on one of the John Peel records.
    “Yeah, the pixies, it's on one of the John Peel records, I think.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eraserhead (Ad-Free) · 0:02:53 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
  3. career (career): Jack Fisk → Killers of the Flower Moon. Fisk's latest Oscar nomination was for building a town for Flower Moon, but he lost to Poor Things.
    “Which is he built a fucking town.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eraserhead (Ad-Free) · 0:34:07 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  4. people (people): Caleb Deschanel → Gardenback. Deschanel wanted to shoot Lynch's Gardenback script at AFI.
    “The cinematographer wants to shoot this film.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eraserhead (Ad-Free) · 0:43:23 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  5. people (people): Jack Fisk → Terrence Malick. Fisk, who plays in Eraserhead, worked with Malick, who was friends with a man Lynch showed footage to.
    “Obviously, Jack Fisk has worked with Terrence Malik.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eraserhead (Ad-Free) · 0:51:09 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  6. career (career): Frederick Elmes → Blue Velvet. Elmes replaced the first cinematographer on Eraserhead and later shot Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart and worked with Ang Lee.
    “shot blue velvety, shot wild at heart, works with Ang Li.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eraserhead (Ad-Free) · 0:54:25 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  7. craft (craft): Pleasantville → Randy Newman. Pleasantville is described with a tree catching fire under the swelling strings of Randy Newman, who scored it.
    “It teaches his mom how to masturbate and then a tree catches on fire to the swelling strings of Randy Newman.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eraserhead (Ad-Free) · 1:27:12 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  8. lineage (lineage): H.R. Giger → Eraserhead. Giger called Eraserhead one of his big eye-opening moments, and Lynch later accused him of stealing his ideas.
    “H.R. Gigger, loves this movie, says it's one of his, like, you know, big eye-opening moments in his life”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eraserhead (Ad-Free) · 1:29:28 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  9. industry (industry): Ben Barenholtz → Pink Flamingos. Barenholtz of Libra Films, a midnight-movie distributor, had already handled Pink Flamingos before he bought Eraserhead.
    “He had distributed like pink flamingos, the John Waters movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eraserhead (Ad-Free) · 1:44:28 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  10. industry (industry): Ben Barenholtz → Eraserhead. Barenholtz phoned to buy the film halfway through a screening and it played 15 to 20 cities by word of mouth.
    “Halfway through the screening, he gets on the phone and is like, by this movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eraserhead (Ad-Free) · 1:44:31 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  11. industry (industry): Eraserhead → Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In the box office game, Close Encounters was the number one film in the Eraserhead period.
    “Number one of the box office is a film that came out in 1977.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eraserhead (Ad-Free) · 1:45:48 · David Sims (0.55 sure it was them)
  12. industry (industry): Eraserhead → Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Star Wars was only number nine in the box-office game for the Eraserhead release period.
    “Not Star Wars, which is number 9 at the box.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Eraserhead (Ad-Free) · 1:46:00 · David Sims (0.55 sure it was them)
  13. craft (craft): Antonio Banderas → The 13th Warrior. Banderas is miscast in a realism-minded role: the film tamps down his flamboyance and musicality.
    “I think this movie's aiming for sort of realism that hurts him.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The 13th Warrior with David Lowery (Ad-Free) · 0:48:51 · David Sims (0.55 sure it was them)
  14. craft (craft): The 13th Warrior → Tom Savini. McTiernan's R-rated reshoots bolted on gore effects in the vein of Tom Savini, though there are not many of them.
    “just doing like Tom Savini gags, which, yeah, there aren't even that many.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The 13th Warrior with David Lowery (Ad-Free) · 1:00:32 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  15. people (people): Michael Crichton → Jerry Goldsmith. Crichton, who took control of the cut, replaced Graeme Revell's score with one from Jerry Goldsmith, whom he called his guy.
    “We're getting Jerry Goldsmith, who's like my guy and we'll give you swelling orchestral medieval music”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The 13th Warrior with David Lowery (Ad-Free) · 1:02:39 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  16. people (shared writer): Seven → The Killer. Andrew Kevin Walker had no proper screenwriting credit on a Fincher film since Se7en.
    “he had not gotten a proper screenwriting credit on any of his films since seven.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 0:14:21 · David Sims (0.55 sure it was them)
  17. people (casting origin): Prometheus → The Killer. Fincher said at the Q&A that seeing Prometheus made him note Fassbender as a good sociopath for later.
    “I go to see Prometheus and I go, hmm, sociopath.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 0:31:01 · David Sims (0.55 sure it was them)
  18. unmapped (shared work ethic): Michael Fassbender → Daniel Craig. Fincher says Fassbender is like Daniel Craig: both keep asking for more takes.
    “He says, Fincher says he's like Daniel Craig.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 0:55:43 · David Sims (0.55 sure it was them)
  19. people (casting origin): Haywire → The Killer. Fincher cited Haywire, with Prometheus, as the Fassbender movies that made him cast him.
    “He said it was Prometheus and Haywire, which makes sense.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killer with Marie Bardi (Ad-Free) · 1:17:06 · David Sims (0.55 sure it was them)
  20. people (casting-director crush): Arliss Howard → Men Don't Leave. Laray Mayfield told David she has had a crush on Arliss Howard since Men Don't Leave.
    “She cited this movie that he's in as like a romantic lead, I think.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:03:12 · David Sims (0.70 sure it was them)
  21. industry (Oscar season 2020): Mank → Nomadland. Nomadland and Mank are both nominees in the pandemic Oscar year.
    “Nomadland certainly fell into that trap, I think.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:05:01 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  22. unmapped (rebuttal): Pauline Kael → Peter Bogdanovich. Bogdanovich wrote a big rebuttal essay to Kael's Raising Kane.
    “Peter McDanovich famously wrote a big rebuttal essay.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:38:45 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  23. unmapped (subject): William Randolph Hearst → Citizen Kane. Mankiewicz's script was a thinly veiled attack on his friend Hearst.
    “I'm going to make fun of my my pal, Jordan, you know, William Randall first.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:39:21 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  24. unmapped (documentary then drama): The Battle Over Citizen Kane → RKO 281. David says the documentary was then remade, and he watched both; he means RKO 281.
    “Battle over Citizen Kane is also the excellent documentary that then was remake.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:42:18 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  25. unmapped (history as Shakespeare): The Social Network → Mank. Sorkin's Social Network uses Zuckerberg like Shakespeare riffs on kings, as the Mank makers use film history.
    “I think, like, uh, the Finchers and Eric Roth and old men are all doing the same thing here”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:02:33 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  26. people (shared crew): Erik Messerschmidt → David Fincher. Messerschmidt shot Mindhunter and then Mank, his first Fincher feature.
    “It's the 1st time he's working with Venture film wise.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:12:44 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  27. lineage (visual influence): Citizen Kane → Mank. Messerschmidt told the interviewer he wanted low, deep-focus photography evoking Citizen Kane, not noir.
    “He's like, no, I want to do it low to the ground, lots of deep focus, evoking citizen Kane.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:13:08 · David Sims (0.80 sure it was them)
  28. people (same writer-director question): Mank → The Social Network. Griffin says Mank is a talkie without the entertaining dialogue of The Social Network.
    “It's a talkie movie, but a talking movie without having the kind of like wildly entertaining dialogue of a social network.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:14:55 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  29. people (shared actor): Tuppence Middleton → Possessor. Tuppence Middleton was in Possessor and Mank, then Downton Abbey 2.
    “Instead, it's like, she was in possessor and mank.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:17:34 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  30. unmapped (Netflix black and white): Mank → Roma. Netflix is where you go for a script nobody else wants and for a black and white movie: Roma, Mank, Blonde, Maestro.
    “Not only is Netflix the place you go to for your script that nobody else wants to buy, but it's where you go and you want to make your black and white movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:18:33 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  31. unmapped (black and white): Mank → Nebraska. Studios' old resistance to black and white (TV, VHS, foreign sales) shown by Nebraska's regrade for Paramount.
    “Especially when so much of Studios opposition to black and white movies was it doesn't play on TV.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:18:42 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  32. craft (score style): Bernard Herrmann → Trent Reznor. Reznor and Ross wrote a 1940s-style old-school score using period instruments.
    “this like 40s style old school Edward Herman score”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:23:06 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  33. craft (score pastiche): Max Steiner → Trent Reznor. Reznor and Ross's score is called a self-conscious recreation of 1940s scoring, as if doing Max Steiner or Miklos Rozsa.
    “It's obviously like a self-conscious recreation of something, but to just be like, yeah, I'm doing Max Steiner.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:23:22 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  34. unmapped (rosebud theory): RKO 281 → Mank. David asks whether Mank's denial of the Rosebud explanation answers RKO 281; Sean says it is a really popular theory instead.
    “Do you think that's just directly responding to a 20-year-old HBO TV movie”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:42:23 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  35. unmapped (Hollywood scum): Babylon → Mank. Both films treat the decision-makers of old Hollywood as scum who exploit creative people.
    “I think that both of those movies are about the people who are effectively in decision making roles in Hollywood are scum.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:53:14 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  36. unmapped (drunk movies): The Lost Weekend → Leaving Las Vegas. Speakers list drunk-protagonist films: Leaving Las Vegas, The Way Back, the Hangover trilogy.
    “There aren't enough movies these days about guys who get hammered drunk.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mank with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 2:04:11 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  37. unmapped (gaffer to DP): Erik Messerschmidt → Ferrari. Gone Girl's gaffer is now the director of photography on Ferrari (and Mindhunter, Mank, The Killer).
    “He also is now the DP on Michael Mans Ferrari.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 2:43:35 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  38. unmapped (hired a lighting mind): Michael Mann → Erik Messerschmidt. Mann told the speaker he likes Messerschmidt because he was a gaffer and cinematography is lighting.
    “And he was like, you know why I like that guy because he was a gaffer. And to me, cinematography is all lighting and no one understands lighting anymore.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 2:43:43 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  39. industry (opening-weekend rival): Gone Girl → Annabelle. Gone Girl and Annabelle opened to almost the same money.
    “Two movies opening to the same amount of money, essentially.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Gone Girl with Esther Zuckerman (Ad-Free) · 2:50:30 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  40. unmapped (template): The Muppets → Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. The Force Awakens uses the Muppets' fan-driven legacy reboot as its template.
    “it feels like Force Awakens is using that as the template.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with Fran Hoepfner (Ad-Free) · 2:38:36 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  41. theme (attitude / genre): The Social Network → Dumb Money. Dumb Money has no pretension of being the next Social Network but its attitude is that of the earlier film; the speakers say the film became a genre.
    “there's nothing about that movie's attitude that's like, this is the next social network, but the attitude of that movie is like social network.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:11:03 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  42. lineage (closest descendant): The Social Network → Blackberry. Blackberry is named as the only movie to come close to The Social Network in the 13 years since.
    “I think Blackberry is the only thing that has come close and then now 13 years since this movie came out.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:11:24 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  43. people (shared writer): The Social Network → Moneyball. Moneyball is set aside as a Sorkin script written after The Social Network, so it does not count as a successor.
    “Don't count those, right? Because those are Sorkin scripts.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:11:39 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  44. people (shared writer): The Social Network → Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs is set aside as a Sorkin script written after The Social Network, so it does not count as a successor.
    “Don't count those, right? Because those are Sorkin scripts.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:11:39 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  45. lineage (ripped off): The Social Network → The Big Short. David says The Big Short is the most obvious movie ripping off The Social Network, and that people do not make the connection enough.
    “I think the big short, which is not a movie I love, is the most obvious movie that's ripping off the social network, even though people maybe don't make that connection enough.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:11:44 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  46. unmapped (adapted from): 21 (Ben Mezrich book) → 21. Kevin Spacey bought the rights to Mezrich's book, which became the movie 21.
    “Kevin Spacey bought the rights to Ben Mazrich's book that became the movie 21, which he costarred and produced.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:14:53 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  47. lineage (loose adaptation): The Accidental Billionaires (Ben Mezrich book) → The Social Network. The film is technically an adapted screenplay but the speakers say Sorkin was working from the same research and the book proposal, not using the book as a template.
    “But it's basically like this movie is using the same research that the book has called rather than Aaron Sorkin reading this book and using it as a template if that makes sense.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:15:37 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  48. unmapped (adapted from): The Killer (graphic novel) → The Killer. Paramount acquired the graphic novel in 2007; the film is Fincher's latest.
    “In 2007, Paramount acquires the rights to some little graphic novel called The Killer.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:18:42 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  49. unmapped (title sequences): Tim Miller → David Fincher. Miller worked with Fincher a lot and did many of his title sequences.
    “Tim Miller, who eventually makes the Deadpool movie, but worked with Fincher a lot and did a lot of his title sequences and such.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:20:19 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  50. unmapped (became): Seared (unmade) → Kitchen Confidential (series). Fincher's Seared later became the TV show Kitchen Confidential, based on Anthony Bourdain's writing.
    “One point Fincher was attached to a movie called Seared, which later becomes a television show called Kitchen Confidential, because it is based on Anthony Bourdain's writing.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:21:05 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  51. unmapped (became): Chef (Fincher/Keanu Reeves version, unmade) → Burnt. Fincher's unmade Chef project eventually becomes Burnt.
    “Uh, that transmutes and takes form and eventually becomes burnt.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:21:31 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  52. people (performance model): Max Landis → Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. David's pet theory is that Eisenberg chose to play Max Landis as Lex Luthor.
    “It also feels like he chose to play Max Landis more than he chose to play.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:44:48 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  53. contrast (contrast): David Fincher → Aaron Sorkin. Fincher's technical precision is set against Sorkin's play-it-fast-and-loose habits.
    “Fincher's technical precision, very difficult, uh, very different from Sorkin's hole, play fast and loose.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:46:37 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  54. unmapped (obsessive detail): The Social Network → Zodiac. Fincher's Bex for the beer in The Social Network is linked to his stickler's hunt for the pen Graysmith would have used in Zodiac.
    “I remember reading some piece about zodiac when it came out and they talked about him being a stickler about like, what is the actual pen that Robert Graysmith would have used at his desk.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 0:49:46 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  55. contrast (tonal contrast): The Social Network → 21. The Social Network is set against 21, a fun story about rebels, in tone.
    “in opposition to something like 21 where it's like a fun story about a fucking a bunch of rebels.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 1:08:05 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  56. unmapped (many takes): David Fincher → Stanley Kubrick. Fincher's 100 takes are compared to Kubrick as a search for something that surprises the director, not a fixed target.
    “It's sort of, much like we talked about, Kubrick, where it's like, he's not doing 100 takes looking for them to achieve a thing he's waiting for.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 2:35:26 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  57. lineage (sequel): Wall Street → Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is a long-awaited legacy sequel to an Oscar-winning 80s drama.
    “a much minded sequel, long-awaited, a legacy sequel of sorts, to a Oscar winning 80s drama.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 2:46:56 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  58. lineage (remake): Let Me In (original film, unnamed) → Let Me In. Let Me In is called one of the better American remakes of a perfect movie that never needed remaking.
    “Obviously not as good as the original, but one of the better American remakes of a perfect movie that never needed to be remake.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 2:50:13 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  59. unmapped (cheap knockoff joke): Alpha and Omega → Balto. Alpha and Omega is joked to be Balto runoff.
    “It's sort of Balto runoff?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 2:50:47 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
  60. unmapped (cheap knockoff joke): Alpha and Omega → The Land Before Time. Alpha and Omega is joked to be the new Land Before Time.
    “Alpha Omega is the new land before time.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Social Network (Ad-Free) · 2:50:51 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
  61. verdict (verdict): Quentin Tarantino → The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. Tarantino said on a Video Archives episode this was the Wilder film to end on.
    “this is the one he should have ended on.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Zodiac with Leslye Headland (Ad-Free) · 0:05:09 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  62. people (first-choice director): Michael Mann → Shame (The Motels video). Martha Davis first wanted Michael Mann (after The Keep); he was unavailable and her agent suggested Fincher.
    “originally expressed interest in working with Michael Mann after seeing his 1983 film The Keep.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 0:13:44 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  63. unmapped (song in film): Gypsy Kings → Toy Story 3. The Gypsy Kings did a Spanish rendition of You've Got a Friend in Me for Toy Story 3.
    “the Gypsy Kings did a rendition of, you've got a friend in me for Toy Story 3”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 0:56:52 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  64. industry (awards rival): Real Love (Jody Watley video) → Express Yourself (Madonna video). Real Love lost the best-direction VMA to Express Yourself, also Fincher's.
    “because he lost to a video directed by, let me check my notes here. David Fincher.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:05:39 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  65. lineage (visual homage): All That Jazz → Cold Hearted (Paula Abdul video). A host reads that Cold Hearted was inspired by All That Jazz, and another says it directly references it.
    “this film was uh, inspired by all that jazz, her belly button's exposed.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · David Fincher Music Videos · 1:14:36 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  66. unmapped (novel adapted): James Ellroy → The Black Dahlia. Fincher circled the Black Dahlia, which is based on an Ellroy novel.
    “And then Fincher starts circling the Black Dahlia, based on a James Roy novel, Elroy novel.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 0:38:33 · David Sims (0.70 sure it was them)
  67. unmapped (replaced Fincher): The Black Dahlia → Brian De Palma. After studios balked at a miniseries, De Palma took over the project.
    “Back then, studios balked at that kind of idea, and Brian de Palma takes over.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 0:39:11 · David Sims (0.70 sure it was them)
  68. unmapped (made by someone else): Catch Me If You Can → Steven Spielberg. Fincher was linked to Catch Me If You Can, which Spielberg made.
    “which Spielberg makes.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 0:41:24 · David Sims (0.70 sure it was them)
  69. unmapped (made by someone else): Confessions of a Dangerous Mind → George Clooney. Fincher was linked to Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which Clooney eventually made.
    “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which George Clooney eventually makes.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 0:41:26 · David Sims (0.70 sure it was them)
  70. unmapped (carried-over injury): Moulin Rouge! → Panic Room. Kidman's knee was injured on Moulin Rouge and not healed, and she reinjured it on Panic Room.
    “The whole thing with her knee was that she had actually injured at making Milan Rouge and not known.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 0:50:06 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  71. theme (comparison (Fincher's words)): Nicole Kidman → Grace Kelly. Fincher compares Kidman to Grace Kelly, glamour and physicality, versus Foster, who is about her eyes.
    “as Fincher puts it, you know, your, you know, Nicole Kidman, Grace Kelly.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 0:55:00 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  72. unmapped (turned down): Jodie Foster → Hannibal. Foster turned down $15 million to be in Hannibal, calling it gross, and was attacked in the press.
    “Jody Foster had famously to turn down $15 million to be in Hannibal because she thought it was.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 0:59:13 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  73. unmapped (offered to direct): Forest Whitaker → Panic Room. Whitaker was offered the Panic Room script to direct before Fincher came on.
    “Do you know, at one point, he was offered this script to direct earlier before Fentrick came on?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Panic Room with Eva Anderson (Ad-Free) · 1:10:30 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  74. unmapped (formative pick): Alex Ross Perry → Fight Club. Perry's last three picks are called the building blocks of his entire personality, Fight Club among them.
    “It's a new trilogy of movies that basically are the building blocks of your entire personality.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fight Club with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 0:06:04 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  75. unmapped (brought Fincher on): Kevin Spacey → The Social Network. The hosts say Spacey optioned the book and got Fincher on board.
    “And was the one who got Fincher on board.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:06:00 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  76. theme (Douglas persona): The Game → Falling Down. Fincher, in the dossier, lists the Falling Down fascist among Douglas's friction.
    “he stole the fascist from falling down.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:28:04 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  77. theme (Douglas persona): The Game → Fatal Attraction. Fincher, in the dossier, lists the Fatal Attraction adulterer among Douglas's friction.
    “The adulterer from Fatal Attraction.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:28:09 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  78. unmapped (R-rated proof): Seven → The Game. Se7en's hit status as an R-rated film convinced the backers to fund The Game.
    “I think convinced, um, people like, okay, like, you can make an R-rated movie a hit.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:33:16 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  79. industry (distributor): Polygram → The Game. The Game was Polygram's main attempt at a blockbuster distributor.
    “No, this was basically their main attempt at becoming a blockbuster distributor themselves.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:33:30 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  80. industry (control and budget arc): Alien 3 → The Game. Alien 3 had money but no control; The Game is where Fincher gets both.
    “Alien 3 is a lot of money, but they don't give them a lot of control.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:34:40 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  81. contrast (budget contrast): Panic Room → The Game. Panic Room cost 48 million five years later, against The Game's 70 million.
    “it is wild that 5 years later, panic room costs 48.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:35:16 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  82. unmapped (tried to revive): The Sky Is Falling (unmade) → Gore Verbinski. Verbinski later tried and failed to launch it as well.
    “Gore Verbinsky later tries to take it up”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:39:39 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  83. unmapped (attached then passed): The Crowded Room (unmade film) → Joel Schumacher. Schumacher first tried to make The Crowded Room with Pitt and kicked it to Fincher.
    “Joel Schumacher was also was first trying to make it, I think, with Pitt.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:40:43 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  84. unmapped (wrote spec script): John Brancato → The Game. Brancato and Ferris wrote The Game on spec before Fincher took it over.
    “it was written on spec by these guys, John Brancato, Michael Ferris”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:40:59 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  85. unmapped (company): David Fincher → Propaganda Films. Propaganda was Fincher's music video company.
    “David Fincher's music video companies.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:42:58 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  86. unmapped (company): Dominic Sena → Propaganda Films. Dominic Sena was a Propaganda co-founder.
    “Yes, along with Dominic Senna.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:43:00 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  87. unmapped (ownership): Polygram → Propaganda Films. Polygram invested in Propaganda Films and eventually bought it outright.
    “They eventually bought propaganda outright.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:43:24 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  88. theme (dismissed comparison): The Game → The Most Dangerous Game. Fincher first wondered if the script was a Most Dangerous Game thing, and was relieved it wasn't.
    “oh, is it like a most dangerous game kind of thing?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:43:29 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  89. unmapped (script doctor): Andrew Kevin Walker → The Game. Fincher brought in the writer of Se7en to fix the script.
    “Andrew Kevin Walker, the writer of seven.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:44:09 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  90. contrast (contrast): The Game → Panic Room. Fincher called Panic Room the experiment in keeping the audience in perfect lockstep, unlike The Game.
    “that's my experiment making a movie where you're in perfect lockstep.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:44:43 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  91. unmapped (star power): Brad Pitt → Seven. Pitt's wish to make Se7en bumped it ahead of The Game.
    “Brad Pitt's like, I want to make seven, and so seven like happens, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:47:28 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  92. unmapped (commercial lead-in): Seven → The Game. Se7en's success gave Fincher an absurd budget for The Game.
    “this is better for me because now I can make this movie at an absurd budget.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:47:35 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  93. unmapped (template): The Game → A Christmas Carol. Fincher's own framing, as quoted in the dossier, is that The Game is A Christmas Carol and Nick is Scrooge.
    “it's a Christmas carol.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:47:52 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  94. theme (genre mashup): The Game → It's a Wonderful Life. Calls the film Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life.
    “Kafka's it's a wonderful life.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:50:34 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  95. unmapped (led to): Jodie Foster → Panic Room. The Game casting fell through, and Panic Room happened because she still wanted to work with Fincher.
    “Panic room ends up happening because of how badly she still wanted to work with Venture”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 0:56:56 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  96. people (composer): Howard Shore → The Game. The score is by Howard Shore.
    “Great Howard Short score.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 1:08:16 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  97. craft (early scores): Howard Shore → David Fincher. Shore does all of Fincher's early scores.
    “He does all of Fincher's early scores and they're so good.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 1:08:19 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  98. unmapped (successor): Howard Shore → Trent Reznor. Shore scored Fincher before Reznor takes over.
    “before he jumps over to Rezner.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 1:08:22 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  99. career (career start): Howard Shore → Lorne Michaels. Shore was Saturday Night Live's first music director, a Lorne Michaels guy.
    “He is a Lorne Michaels guy who then became like weird, like thriller score guy”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 1:09:16 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  100. unmapped (same city): The Game → Zodiac. Both are San Francisco movies.
    “I mean, obviously Zodiac is another... This is 2 SF movies.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Game with Brendan Hines (Ad-Free) · 1:22:41 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Their fun items

Showing 201–300 of 378 fun items.

  1. fun, about The Addams Family 2: The oddest trailer tagline: next year things return to normal, in a 2020 trailer.
    “the weirdest trailer tagline I've ever seen.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Doctor Sleep · 1:32:53 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
  2. fun, about Doctor Sleep (title): The title comes from Danny's humane way of easing people dying in a hospice, a minor thread; some say it should have been Shining 2.
    “It's funny that the title of the movie comes from like his very humane way of helping people be at ease before they die, a very sort of minor plot thread.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Doctor Sleep · 1:33:43 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  3. fun, about Gustav Hasford: Kubrick insisted on meeting the scary Marine author, then passed Herr a note at dinner saying he could not deal with him.
    “there was a dinner during which Kubrick passed her a note saying, I can't deal with this man.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Full Metal Jacket with Jon Gabrus (Ad-Free) · 0:41:52 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  4. fun, about R. Lee Ermey: A car accident left him unable to film for four and a half months and explains the arm he does not move.
    “Arlie Ermy got in a really bad car accident and couldn't film anything for 4.5 months”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Full Metal Jacket with Jon Gabrus (Ad-Free) · 0:47:51 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  5. fun, about The Shining: The original epilogue, with Wendy and Danny in the hospital, screened briefly before Kubrick cut it.
    “There was the original ending that he cut out pretty quickly, but that did screen originally, right?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Shining with Timothy Simons (Ad-Free) · 2:24:22 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  6. fun, about The Shining: It opened in roughly ten theaters before going wide, against The Empire Strikes Back on Memorial Day weekend.
    “This movie was like 10 theaters opening weekend and then like a thousand.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Shining with Timothy Simons (Ad-Free) · 2:37:02 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  7. fun, about The Shining: It was nominated for two Razzies and got mixed-ish reviews in its day.
    “it was famously nominated for 2 Razzies and got like mixed-ish reviews at the time.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Shining with Timothy Simons (Ad-Free) · 2:37:08 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  8. fun, about Leonard Rosenman: Rosenman, who picked the classical cues and won an Oscar, hated the finished film.
    “When I saw this incredibly boring film with all this music as I that I had picked out going over and over again.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Barry Lyndon with Karina Longworth (Ad-Free) · 1:49:04 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  9. fun, about A Clockwork Orange: A girl fainted and hit her head on a desk when David's class watched it; they had to call an ambulance.
    “A girl in my class when we watched it, fainted and hit her head on the corner of a desk, and they had to call the ambulance.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · A Clockwork Orange with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 0:15:18 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  10. fun, about A Clockwork Orange: Kubrick pulled the film from Britain a year after release and it stayed out until his death; it was banned in Ireland until 1999.
    “Kubrick withdrew this film from Britain.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · A Clockwork Orange with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 0:17:31 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  11. fun, about A Clockwork Orange: The eyedrop man was a real doctor, given a line by Kubrick, and fumbled the drops because he fixated on the line.
    “And then the guy was so obsessed with the line.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · A Clockwork Orange with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 2:15:18 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  12. fun, about A Clockwork Orange: McDowell scratched his cornea during the eyedrop scenes and the numbing wore off in the car; a speed bump felt like a razor blade.
    “And then he had scratched his cornea.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · A Clockwork Orange with Alex Ross Perry (Ad-Free) · 2:16:15 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  13. fun, about Dr. Strangelove: The release was delayed by the Kennedy assassination; a speaker also notes the President is the last reasonable president in an American satire, because Kennedy was in office.
    “this movie was delayed because of the assassination of Kennedy.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:23:11 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  14. fun, about Dr. Strangelove: Failsafe was released later because of a lawsuit, though Columbia put out both films.
    “And Columbia put out both movies so they didn't care.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:50:42 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  15. fun, about Terry Southern: Sellers gave Kubrick The Magic Christian, which brought Southern in; the dossier read is that Kubrick wrote it, George inspired it, and Southern made it funny.
    “JJ's read on the screenplay, though, is that it's Dubrick wrote it.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:53:10 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  16. fun, about Dr. Strangelove: The first page of the screenplay says the story will be played for realistic comedy and the acting will never be so-called comedy acting.
    “The 1st page of the screenplay says, the story will be played for realistic comedy”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:53:20 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  17. fun, about Gene Kelly: The original plan for Jack D. Ripper was Gene Kelly. Kubrick then cast George C. Scott, who asked to play Turgidson instead, and brought in Sterling Hayden.
    “You know who the original plan was to cast for Jack D. Ripper, the Sterling Hayden Row?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:58:19 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  18. fun, about James Earl Jones: Jones had a big role questioning the mission; Kubrick decided he did not want the protesting crew member to be a Black actor and cut it. Jones told him he took the part for the cut material.
    “eventually Kubrick decided he didn't want the guy protesting to be a black guy and cuts everything out.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:02:27 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  19. fun, about Dr. Strangelove: Kubrick wrote down about thirty alternate titles, including Wonderful Bomb, Dr. Doomsday, and Dr. Strangelove's Secret Uses of Uranus.
    “The weird one is Dr. Strangelove's secret uses of Uranus.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:35:46 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  20. fun, about The Cardinal: The future Pope Benedict XVI was the Vatican liaison on The Cardinal, and it was the first 35mm blow-up projected in 70mm.
    “Pope Benedict, the later to be Pope Benedict the 16th, was the liaison officer from the Vatican for this movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 2:05:07 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  21. fun, about Marlon Brando: Brando's quote about Kubrick as a creative thinker, not a repeater.
    “He is an adroit intellect and is a creative thinker, not a repeater, not a fact gatherer.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Spartacus with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:40:02 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  22. fun, about Marlon Brando: Brando and Kubrick wrote together at Brando's house, shoeless; Kubrick in dress shirt and underwear; Brando struck a gong.
    “Brando would sit in a lotus position on the floor and strike a gong with a leather mallet if he thought discussions were getting off track”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Spartacus with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 0:43:28 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  23. fun, about Woody Strode: Kubrick, unable to direct Strode conventionally, played a Prokofiev concerto on set and watched his face change.
    “I'll never forget the power of the music, what happened to Strode's face as the music played, you could watch his face as it was happening.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Spartacus with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:14:05 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  24. fun, about Stanley Kubrick: In contemporary press Kubrick said shooting a movie is a terrible environment for an artist.
    “shooting a movie is the worst milieu for creative work ever devised by man.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Spartacus with Richard Lawson (Ad-Free) · 1:22:15 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  25. fun, about Paths of Glory: Harris-Kubrick got an MGM deal to write, produce and direct in 40 weeks for $75,000.
    “they get a deal at MGM to write, produce, and direct a film in 40 weeks for a fee of $75,000”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Paths of Glory with Sarah Marshall (Ad-Free) · 0:32:31 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  26. fun, about Paths of Glory: Kirk Douglas's name alone got a $1 million budget, and he took $300,000 of it.
    “$1000000 budget based on Kirk Douglas's name, $300,000 goes to Kirk Douglas.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Paths of Glory with Sarah Marshall (Ad-Free) · 0:35:13 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  27. fun, about Kirk Douglas: In Munich the rewritten script had a happy ending; Douglas threatened to walk. Kubrick calmly said he wanted a commercial hit.
    “he said, I did it to make a commercial.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Paths of Glory with Sarah Marshall (Ad-Free) · 0:42:03 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  28. fun, about Adolphe Menjou: Menjou fought Kubrick over 42 takes; Kubrick quietly kept going until it was right.
    “It isn't right, and we're going to keep doing it until it is right, and we'll get it right because you guys are good.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Paths of Glory with Sarah Marshall (Ad-Free) · 1:06:17 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  29. fun, about Timothy Carey: Kubrick shot Carey's close-ups first and let him go the moment they were done.
    “they essentially fired him the moment his final close-up was done”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Paths of Glory with Sarah Marshall (Ad-Free) · 1:25:39 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  30. fun, about Timothy Carey: During production Carey staged his own kidnapping in Munich for publicity.
    “But during the making of this film, he fakes his own kidnapping.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Paths of Glory with Sarah Marshall (Ad-Free) · 1:26:13 · David Sims (0.55 sure it was them)
  31. fun, about Timothy Carey: In the death scene Carey bit the priest actor's arm; Emile Meyer hated it.
    “Timothy Carey would do things like bite his arm and like, you know, harass him, essentially”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Paths of Glory with Sarah Marshall (Ad-Free) · 1:27:28 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  32. fun, about Paths of Glory: Not shown to the French censors and pulled from Berlin because of protest.
    “It was apparently not even shown to the French censorship board because they knew there was no chance that France would allow it.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Paths of Glory with Sarah Marshall (Ad-Free) · 1:43:31 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  33. fun, about The Killing: The racetrack documentary footage was shot behind cinematographer Ballard's back.
    “He went behind his back.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killing with Patton Oswalt (Ad-Free) · 0:19:53 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  34. fun, about Lucien Ballard: Kubrick's ultimatum over the 25mm lens: move the camera or leave the set; silence, then Ballard moved it.
    “you either move that camera and put it where it has to be to use a 25 millimeter or you get off the set and you never come back”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killing with Patton Oswalt (Ad-Free) · 0:22:44 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  35. fun, about Kola Kwariani (Nick the Wrestler): A former wrestler Kubrick met through chess circles, he died at 77 after fighting five teenagers outside his chess club.
    “He was 76 years old and he was leaving his regular chess club where he played and he was jumped by 5 teenagers”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killing with Patton Oswalt (Ad-Free) · 1:01:40 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  36. fun, about The Red Balloon: In 1956 a 35-minute short won best original screenplay over The Ladykillers and La Strada.
    “The red balloon winning best screenplay.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killing with Patton Oswalt (Ad-Free) · 1:10:53 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  37. fun, about The Killing: The clown mask that Johnny puts on looks basically the same as the Joker one, and Griffin loves that it also looks foolish.
    “Nolan obviously pays homage to in the Dark Knight”
    Blank Check — Patreon · The Killing with Patton Oswalt (Ad-Free) · 1:28:00 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
  38. fun, about Fear and Desire: The poster sells a 'half animal girl' with an illustration of a kissed neck, making the war movie look supernatural.
    “An illustration of, uh, Paul Mizurski kissing her neck that makes it look consensual, and says, fear and desire, trapped for desperate man, and a strange half animal girl.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fear & Desire / Killer's Kiss (Ad-Free) · 0:03:19 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  39. fun, about Stanley Kubrick: His uncle wanted a percentage of his whole career; Kubrick refused, then caved a month later for one film.
    “And Kubrick, stubborn fuck that he was, was like, I'm not fucking signing right with my career.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fear & Desire / Killer's Kiss (Ad-Free) · 0:33:21 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  40. fun, about Call Me Madam: Ethel Merman's autobiography gives her marriage to Ernest Borgnine one blank page.
    “In her autobiography, Merman, the chapter titled My Marriage to Ernest Borg 9, Ernest Borg 9, consists of one blank page.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fear & Desire / Killer's Kiss (Ad-Free) · 0:53:09 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  41. fun, about I Love Melvin: Donald O'Connor plays a Look magazine photographer in a 1953 hit, a coincidence for ex-Look man Kubrick.
    “And in this movie, Donald O'Connor plays a look magazine photographer.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fear & Desire / Killer's Kiss (Ad-Free) · 1:02:32 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  42. fun, about Blood Alley: Chinese characters, and hardly a Chinese name in the cast list.
    “Scanning the cast list here, and I'm not seeing a lot of Chinese names.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Fear & Desire / Killer's Kiss (Ad-Free) · 1:33:13 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  43. fun, about Marvel Comics: Stan Lee invented the No-Prize for explaining continuity errors.
    “This is why Stanley invented the no prize”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Marvel Nerdfest · 0:21:16 · David Sims (0.55 sure it was them)
  44. fun, about X-Men: Krakoa era: mutants become a nation; issue one ends with Magneto saying we're your new gods.
    “the 1st issue ends with Magneto just saying we're your new gods.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Marvel Nerdfest · 0:23:46 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  45. fun, about Gambit (unmade): Tatum wanted a New Orleans neo-noir Gambit; Gore Verbinski was attached.
    “Tam wants to do a fucking like New Orleans. Oh my god. Neo-Noir, gambit movie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Marvel Nerdfest · 0:27:45 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  46. fun, about Black Widow: Should have been a $6 million-style stripped espionage film.
    “Black Widow was the exact moment they should have done it”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Marvel Nerdfest · 0:33:39 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  47. fun, about Marvels (comic): Four-issue story of a photojournalist through Marvel history.
    “Which Marvel's Ben is a comic book about like a photographer”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Marvel Nerdfest · 0:36:30 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  48. fun, about Bryan Adams: The original Bryan Adams song sounds, to a host, like the Toy Story song.
    “He's just doing the Toy Story song.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · OLD DOGS - Blank Check LIVE! at the Bell House (May 12, 2022) · 0:14:03 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  49. fun, about Old Dogs: The $47 million acquisition prompts a podcast-industry joke.
    “That's like, I mean, that's like podcast acquisition money.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · OLD DOGS - Blank Check LIVE! at the Bell House (May 12, 2022) · 0:23:28 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  50. fun, about Old Dogs: The film is called Old Dogs and Charlie's old dog dies off screen, followed by a dog funeral.
    “I just can't believe that this movie is called Old Dogs, and it ends with the fucking dog funeral.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · OLD DOGS - Blank Check LIVE! at the Bell House (May 12, 2022) · 1:39:14 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  51. fun, about Old Dogs: Griffin's wrap-up on why it fascinates: it was made by veterans, not amateurs.
    “There's no inexperience here.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · OLD DOGS - Blank Check LIVE! at the Bell House (May 12, 2022) · 1:57:45 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  52. fun, about Batman (TV series, 1966-68): During NBC's attempt to poach the show, they discovered most of the Batman sets had been destroyed.
    “they found out that for some reason, most of the Batman sets had been destroyed.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:09:05 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  53. fun, about The Batman: Semple wrote the screenplay in a week and they shot it in a month.
    “simple writes the screenplay in a week.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:11:54 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  54. fun, about Cesar Romero: Romero refused to shave his mustache, so makeup covered it; on a movie screen it still pops.
    “The movie, the mustache is pretty clear.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:12:56 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  55. fun, about Batman (TV series, 1966-68): Mr. Freeze was played by three people (Preminger, Sanders, Wallach), whoever was available that week.
    “Three different people play Mr. Freeze.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:20:43 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  56. fun, about The Batman: Rubber shark visibly leaking water, then Batman reaches for shark repellent bat spray.
    “Water leaking out of the shark, the rubber shark, you can see.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:21:52 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  57. fun, about Burt Ward: They had to round out his underwear bulge because it was too prominent.
    “they had to, uh, round out his bulge in his underwear because it was too prominent”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:26:55 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  58. fun, about Frank Gorshin: Gorshin's first language was Slovenian, spoken at home.
    “He was this of Slovenian ancestry.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:47:48 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  59. fun, about The Batman: Alfred drives the Batmobile in a harlequin mask so nobody connects it to Bruce Wayne's butler.
    “A little harlequin mask.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:54:59 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  60. fun, about Jason Todd (comics): Readers phoned in a 900 number vote on whether the second Robin would live, and he died.
    “They do a thing where you had to call in on the phone if Robin should live or die.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 0:58:10 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  61. fun, about Burgess Meredith: Stallone supposedly called Meredith one of the all-time great stick men; the phrase became a running gag.
    “One of the all time great stick men.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:12:58 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  62. fun, about The Batman: The mattress truck under the falling Batman is the classic funniest-obstruction shorthand.
    “It's the classic like the fucking mattress truck.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:28:30 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
  63. fun, about Condiment King: Mandela effect: people assume Condiment King was a real comics or 1966 villain; he was a 90s animated series parody.
    “they introduced Condiment King as a parody of this type of villain.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:34:28 · David Sims (0.35 sure it was them)
  64. fun, about Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue: The anti-drug cartoon special's villain is a sentient cloud of smoke voiced by George C. Scott.
    “His name is Smoke.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:40:04 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  65. fun, about The Batman: The UN joke: the dust is rehydrated but everyone speaks a different language.
    “So basically the joke is, everyone has been physically reconstituted, but just speaks a different language.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Batman (1966) · 1:57:02 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  66. fun, about Fool for Love: Altman's Fool for Love is about to get a Blu-ray, with Shepard, Quaid, Stanton.
    “It's got Sam Shepard, the world's biggest hottie.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:06:21 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  67. fun, about Karyn Kusama / Jane Campion: Pun about rounding up mecca-like opponents, riffing on Brendan Gleeson in A.I.
    “we're going to be like Brendan Gleason and AI artificial intelligence.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:12:19 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  68. fun, about Steve McQueen: Small Axe films: Alex Wheatle and Education are an hour long, could be combined.
    “maybe you could combine uh, Alex Wheedle in education”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:14:01 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  69. fun, about Her: Critics' top choice: five of six Film Spotting panelists named it number one.
    “Five out of the 6 had her as their number one.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:30:17 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  70. fun, about Oliver Stone: Stone defined the 80s and 90s; Alex Ross Perry campaigned but is not on Twitter.
    “the man defines the 80s in so many ways.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:35:42 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  71. fun, about Harmony Korine: Joke that Korine would be the most trustworthy babysitter.
    “Harmony Current would be the best.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:40:18 · David Sims (0.30 sure it was them)
  72. fun, about Rocky IV: The robot given to Paulie is a favorite character; Paulie keeps trying to find a way to be intimate with it.
    “The robot Rocky 4 is one of my favorite characters in the history of cinema”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:51:52 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  73. fun, about Saw: Billy the puppet would beat Rocky because he is too small to reach.
    “I just imagined like the puppet's bicycling around him.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · March Madness 2021 Recap - Round 2 · 0:52:26 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  74. fun, about Alien: Covenant: Originally titled Alien: Paradise Lost; Damon Lindelof was going to write it before bailing, then John Logan, with a first script by the Transcendence writer and a Michael Green rewrite.
    “Initially, it was going to be called Alien Paradise Lost.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Covenant · 0:08:57 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  75. fun, about Ridley Scott: Scott gave interviews saying there would be no aliens or xenomorphs, then reversed; the hosts wonder if it was him or the studio telling him to put aliens in.
    “initially Scott was giving these interviews where he was like, there won't be aliens”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Covenant · 0:09:33 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  76. fun, about Alien: Covenant: The online prologue with James Franco and Noomi Rapace is not in the film; the initial cut ran about 2.5 hours and Scott trimmed the franchise stuff.
    “it was this thing with James Franco, who is not in this movie, although you see him in like photos.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Covenant · 0:12:52 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  77. fun, about Jed Kurzel: The score echoes Jerry Goldsmith's notes from the first Alien; Kurzel is the brother of Justin Kurzel and scored Macbeth.
    “it uses a lot of the Jerry Goldsmith notes”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Covenant · 1:47:50 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  78. fun, about Alien Resurrection: Production trivia: Danny Boyle and Peter Jackson and Bryan Singer were approached and passed before Jeunet.
    “They ask Peter Jackson.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:10:12 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  79. fun, about Joss Whedon: Whedon's script ended with a battle on Earth and the studio planned to split it into two movies, with an Alien 5 set on Earth.
    “There'll be an alien 5 that's set on earth.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:11:29 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  80. fun, about Sigourney Weaver: The Ripley 8 tattoo: she's the 8th clone, the first one to take.
    “She's the 1st one to take.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:23:50 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  81. fun, about Ron Perlman: The basketball shot: Weaver actually sank it over her shoulder on a quick take and Perlman's reaction is real; no visual effects.
    “That shot is 100% real.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:41:55 · David Sims (0.70 sure it was them)
  82. fun, about Clint Eastwood: The Cry Macho gag: Eastwood announces his own Alien movie shot in real time.
    “What if they announced Clint Eastwood announces plans to star in and direct next alien movie?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:50:13 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  83. fun, about Dominique Pinon: Jeunet spoke no English to the actors; Pinon likely did the film phonetically.
    “He probably did this movie phonetically.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 0:56:57 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  84. fun, about A Very Long Engagement: Jeunet's follow-up was seen as an Oscar play until Warner's financing disqualified it as a foreign film.
    “And so it was disqualified as being a foreign film.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 1:00:28 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  85. fun, about Alien Resurrection: The worst-case scenario joke: aliens loose on Earth becomes a Kenner toy line of animal mashups.
    “create an entire early 90s Kenner toy line of fun alien animal mashups.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 1:35:39 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  86. fun, about Sigourney Weaver: Weaver would not let toys be made with guns for years; Resurrection was the only time, and no collector figure for 15 years after.
    “one of the key reasons was because she didn't want her action figures coming with guns.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 1:44:51 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  87. fun, about Alien Resurrection: The newborn's chest cavity was a hybrid genital design cut from the film as too intense.
    “it's supposed to be kind of like this sort of like hybrid genital thing.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 1:47:58 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  88. fun, about Alien Resurrection: The newborn was originally designed to look like Ripley.
    “Originally, they wanted it to look like Ripley, which would have been crazy.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 1:49:27 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  89. fun, about Alien Resurrection: Ending gets read as acting out: alien movies are violent so Jeunet shows how violent.
    “Also, it's acting out, which I support.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 1:57:01 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  90. fun, about Alien Resurrection: Credits: personal stunt trainer, movement coach and drama coach to Weaver, all separate.
    “Personal stunt trainer, Ms. Weaver, movement coach to Ms. Weaver, drama coach to Ms. Weaver.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 2:02:06 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  91. fun, about Alien Resurrection: Opening weekend at Thanksgiving 1997: number two, 25 million, behind Flubber.
    “All right, so number 2 alien resurrection.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 2:03:28 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  92. fun, about Alien Resurrection: The second-to-last credit is the video game.
    “The 2nd to last credit on the movie is play the video game.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien: Resurrection · 2:05:49 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
  93. fun, about Alien 3: The dog alien was originally an ox; Fox thought it goofy and asked for a dog.
    “it's not a cow specifically, but it's like an ox like creature that they have on the, on the prison.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 0:43:25 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  94. fun, about Alien 3: The movie opened at number two behind Lethal Weapon 3 and dropped 65% in week two.
    “Uh, yeah, it fell off 65% in its 2nd weekend.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Alien 3 · 2:09:50 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  95. fun, about Tom Hollander: Scene with Hunt and the PM in Blenheim Palace, which a speaker visited.
    “This is in Blenheim Palace, which I have visited.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation · 1:52:15 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
  96. fun, about 1998 Golden Globes: David's guessing game: name the five best comedy actor nominees; Michael Caine won for Little Voice.
    “Did Michael Cain win best actor in a comedy for Little Voice?”
    Blank Check — Patreon · You've Got Mail with Bobby Finger & Lindsey Weber (Ad-Free) · 1:47:29 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  97. fun, about You've Got Mail: The box office for December 18, 1998: You've Got Mail at number one, ahead of Prince of Egypt, A Bug's Life, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Jack Frost.
    “So number one, though, it's you've got mail, $18 million.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · You've Got Mail with Bobby Finger & Lindsey Weber (Ad-Free) · 1:50:48 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
  98. fun, about Jack Frost: The animatronic Jack Frost snowman was built from the likeness of George Clooney, who dropped out late; Michael Keaton replaced him.
    “But they built it off of the likeness of the actor who was supposed to play the title role who dropped out very late.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · You've Got Mail with Bobby Finger & Lindsey Weber (Ad-Free) · 1:54:19 · David Sims (0.55 sure it was them)
  99. fun, about Cloris Leachman: Leachman's 20-second scene as the abandoning mother is called the Thanos of parenting.
    “She is like the Thanos of parenting.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Hanging Up with Sonia Sarayia · 0:20:37 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
  100. fun, about Sonia Saraiya: The running bit is "Sonia magazine" with a giant banner behind her.
    “You do have hanging behind you a giant Sonia banner.”
    Blank Check — Patreon · Hanging Up with Sonia Sarayia · 0:23:37 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)