Sean loves collecting boutique Blu-rays, a Michael Mann completist, drawn to cult and exploitation titles, and a heavy supporter of Criterion and Arrow. He worries about space and cost, buys sale titles, and hates streaming's impermanence. He is a sucker for beautiful box sets and for completism by director.
Stances
Physical media matters as streaming becomes unreliable
Buy only what carries emotional weight
Be completist about core directors
Humor: Self-mocking addict bits about plastic, black tar heroin, and an ethical non-monogamy riff.
In their words
“I'm a little bit like teetering on the brink of like black tar heroin” (0:07:25)
“Really focus in on things that have emotional weight” (1:11:06)
Loves author-driven art cinema and international films (Fallen Leaves, Perfect Days, Taste of Things) and is moved by sincere, vulnerable movies like All of Us Strangers, though he stops short of calling it a five-star masterpiece. Respects Andrew Haigh's directness. Can be a sucker for the Rewatchables and Ringer in-jokes. Disdains flat, obviously written films like Rustin and the Oscars' short-term thinking about moments and speeches.
Stances
Predicts via chalk plus a few contrarian bets (Glazer over Payne)
Argues the director, not the producer-spouse, should give the final acceptance speech
Believes All of Us Strangers works only if you stay with the feeling and do not dissect it
Reluctant remake critic: gives IP echoing a pass for a new generation
Humor: Dry, deadpan banter with Amanda, running bits (7 AM garage pod, Yasi Salix promise) and mock-promos.
In their words
“It's not, it's not a sunbeam.” (1:04:29)
“I think if you, if you, like see the movie and respect the movie in its totality, I find it to be very effective.” (1:10:17)
“I have a dead mom and a weird relationship with my dad.” (1:10:38)
Loves auteurs and the desolate, we-are-all-alone Lanthimos films like The Lobster and Sacred Deer, ranks Killers of the Flower Moon a masterpiece, and is a big PTA, Haynes and Past Lives fan. Prefers stars with old-school physicality and wants Ruffalo and Sterling K. Brown honored. Gets irritated at shifts away from what he loves, e.g. Payne and Lanthimos pivoting.
Stances
Poor Things is excellent but 'lags' on second watch and the ship section is stuck in neutral
Zone of Interest is a borderline masterpiece but under-seen
Oppenheimer's third hour is the weak point
Questions the Oppenheimer frontrunner status: 'noted skeptic' of the clipboard
Humor: Deadpan, self-mocking bits about his own ego, fitness ignorance, and ranking-rule disputes with Amanda.
In their words
“I think it's a borderline masterpiece that like 180 people.” (1:34:15)
“It's very, very unusual for an American movie star to be in like 14 sex scenes in a movie” (0:36:57)
Loves the Mann of Thief and The Insider, and the dialogue-rich classical side. Has struggled with Mann's last 15 years, calling Miami Vice and Ferrari kin. Sucker for lists and the Mann mythology.
Stances
Thief is Mann's best
Ferrari is good, in the same zone as Miami Vice
Mann is in a late-career box office squeeze
Humor: Dry, needling and fond, especially at Chris's expense.
In their words
“I think Miami Vice and Ferrari are kind of right in the same zone.” (0:48:14)
“this is the last time he feels like young.” (0:51:55)
Loves Fincher fiercely and Fincher's control-freak process; reads The Killer as a repressed-emotion thesis statement. Delights in jokes, set pieces and filmmaking mechanics, and gets nervous about getting a beloved movie wrong. Can't stand cynical dismissals of the film as slight.
Stances
The Killer is an emotional movie about a man avenging a wounded loved one
It is his favorite film of the year and a complete piece of movie-making
Fincher's work is thematically coherent around people who repress feelings
Humor: Self-deprecating and performative, riffing on being compared to Fincher the control freak.
In their words
“I think this might be my favorite movie of the year.” (0:04:39)
“the second time I was like, this is the thesis statement for all of his repressed feelings” (0:07:07)
Loves Scorsese's big, immersive late-period epics and long historical megadramas (The English Patient is one of his favorites, he says); thinks Goodfellas will always outrank Silence or Killers for him. Wants studios to spend on practical craft such as Jack Fisk's sets instead of VFX. Can't stand excuses about runtime and Oppenheimer as a rival to Killers.
Stances
Killers of the Flower Moon is a masterpiece after two viewings
Runtime complaints are a non-argument
Making Ernest a conflicted figure is what makes it great Scorsese
Picks Killers' ambiguity about love as the central question
Humor: Dry needling of Amanda, mock-pompous pronouncements, and a running Oppenheimer bit.
In their words
“I think it's a masterpiece.” (0:02:23)
“It's a complete non-argument.” (1:19:03)
“So do you not want a Martin Scorsese movie?” (1:19:06)
Loves ambitious, big swings and craft: Nope at number one, Babylon, Tar, and big engineered blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick. Responds to blunt, shocking horror (he has recommended Speak No Evil repeatedly) and is wary of Park Chan-wook and Chazelle's La La Land. Less taken with quiet interregnum films like The Eternal Daughter. Sucker for theater experiences and auteurs spending studio money on something personal.
Stances
Nope is his number one and a better movie than Top Gun: Maverick in terms of what it asks of the viewer
Babylon is bold and bravura despite flaws
Top Gun: Maverick is a beautifully engineered vehicle he does not need to overthink
Tar is a Rorschach test film
Humor: Dry, self-aware; builds comic set pieces around his own mood and cocktail-party logistics and pretends to circle Nope like Mav circling a MiG.
In their words
“Okay, I don't know how I can match the energy of Top Gun Maverick, but my number one is nope.” (1:29:39)
“This film has that. It was really bad, though.” (0:40:57)
He loves Ryan Coogler's movies and rated the first Black Panther a major accomplishment inside a Marvel structure. He wants real-world themes and a clear sense of place, and gets disappointed when Marvel films feel contorted or overstaffed. He's a sucker for the idea of a leaner movie that says one thing well.
Stances
Wakanda Forever felt like it had a Chadwick Boseman shaped hole and was contorting itself
Strong bookends but a muddled middle
Ironheart felt like a cynical Kevin Feige insertion
Would rather a narrower film about Shuri, Wakanda succession and Namor
Humor: Dry host who needles his guest and co-host while conducting the show.
In their words
“I felt that there was a Chadwick Boseman shaped hole in the movie” (0:05:05)
“we're like an hour and 40 minutes into the movie before I'm like, oh, wow, this is actually about this” (0:19:18)
“Game of Thrones was very good at posing who should be the heir.” (1:06:00)
Sean loves Cameron the schemer who wins and is a Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar believer who rewatched Avatar in theaters. He is a box-office and awards-season nerd, dubious that the long tail Avatar had in 2009 can repeat. He is a sucker for a movie that simply works and for director talk.
Stances
Avatar is good and it works because its single story is engineered like machinery
Hollywood misread Avatar
The sequels' success depends on the long tail and not on franchise homework
Humor: Dry host banter, nicknaming Cameron 'Big Jim' and teasing Griffin and David about stealing material.
In their words
“Like, he is the ultimate, like, con artist whose con is real.” (0:30:08)
“I'm always so interested in high-level schemers who actually win.” (0:30:00)
“Okay, this leads me to the most important question of this podcast.” (0:56:49)
A music-journalist-turned-film-critic who loves Elvis's music as a skeleton key to American pop and loves Steven Soderbergh and Todd Haynes. He finds Luhrmann's maximalism overwhelming and Parker framing a failure, prefers biopics that skip the rise, and is a sucker for the performance-forward, auteur-driven ones.
Stances
Elvis is a mess, with Tom Hanks's Parker a baffling failure
Rises in biopics are dull; wants more Fat Elvis
Likes cerebral, conceptual deconstructions of musicians (I'm Not There)
Walk Hard is a five-star movie
Humor: Dry and exasperated, deflating pretension with throwaway one-liners and affectionate teasing of co-hosts.
In their words
“I do think of it more as that, you know, image deconstruction” (1:15:13)
“I wish there was a little bit more Fat Elvis in the film Elvis.” (0:47:24)
“I really didn't love the movie at all.” (0:05:00)
Loves Tom Cruise as movie star above all, and the old-style entertaining Hollywood movie. Pushes Scorsese, Kubrick and PTA, and pulls for Collateral and Magnolia. Can't stand Cruise coasting or being too reserved; sentimental about Legend.
Stances
Cruise is the movie star of his lifetime, not necessarily a great actor
Hall of Fame should combine importance, relevance, achievement and idiosyncratic love
Fallout must be in because it makes Maverick possible
Humor: Mock-politician bits about running the draft, and absurd cultural references.
In their words
“I think that there's probably 5 films in his career that are like locked down the greenest green you've ever seen in your life” (0:52:04)
Loves doom and bleakness in his movies and has a taste for cynical noir. Initially lukewarm on Nightmare Alley, he rewatched it four times and became a champion. Likes 70s noir revisionism and under-the-radar modern noir such as Under the Silver Lake.
Stances
Nightmare Alley is bigger, bolder and better than the 1947 version
Del Toro's visual excess is the point, not a flaw
Noir is coming back into vogue
Great movies often flop and get rediscovered
Humor: Dry and conversational; he teases Patton's range and drops film trivia as a quick aside.
In their words
“As listeners of the show know, I absolutely love doom in my movies.” (0:05:01)
“I watched it again. And then I watched a 3rd time.” (0:02:57)
Loves the 80s comedies, Ivan Reitman movies, Local Hero, Totoro and Pee-wee, and deeply moving small family films like Come On, Come On. Can't stand nostalgia strip-mined into product placement. Sucker for movies tied to when he saw them and for parent-child stories.
Stances
Afterlife betrays what made the original special
Feel-good movies are about when you see them
Come On, Come On is a highest recommendation
Humor: Wry, nerdy asides about production credits and mock-grandiose declarations.
In their words
“I feel very bent out of shape about it.” (0:03:14)
“this is like my highest possible recommendation.” (0:35:37)
Admires craft, spectacle and set pieces but is not a car guy or a Vin Diesel fan. Likes tonal wit and context from filmmaker careers. Can't stand needless world-building homework.
Stances
Fast is as good as its set pieces
Fast & Furious is not built for him
Hobbs & Shaw is last
Humor: Dry and ringmaster-ish, jokes about ruling the show with an iron fist.
Loves tightly engineered, kinetic filmmaking and sharp dialogue (Reservoir Dogs reorganized his brain chemistry) and filmmakers who arrive fully formed. Respects Soderbergh and Aronofsky. Quick to see craft lineage between directors and enthusiastic about unfussy, carefully built genre.
Stances
Reservoir Dogs is #1 despite it being a second feature
Sees Hard Eight as a great but harder first film
Glazer, Coppola, Singleton belong near the top
Oscars should try something weird this year
Humor: Dry and quick: sets up bits with Amanda and teases Brian for forgetting Soderbergh was born in the 60s.
In their words
“I probably would certainly not be doing it.” (1:17:53)
“I choose darkness.” (0:10:19)
“I wish that there was a movie like Mother coming out this year, honestly.” (1:06:59)
Loves canonical 1970s American cinema (Network, All the President's Men), the Hitchcock and Kubrick end of the dial, Japanese cinema (Mifune), and golf and sports documentaries as an avowed golf fan. He rewatches movies as comfort food even when they are not comforting (True Romance, Clerks, 12 Monkeys). He is a sucker for classic stars like Jimmy Stewart, Burt Lancaster, Ingrid Bergman and for rediscovering neglected directors like Preston Sturges.
Stances
The Academy is wrong more often than not, and it is the show's animating force
Classic filmmakers like Sturges are slipping through the cracks of the canon
Great actors should get their Oscars in their time
Unauthorized documentaries like Tiger trade access for candor
Humor: Mock-grandiose and self-aggrandizing, deadpan about his own obsessiveness (fact-checking Scorsese, threatening to lie on the floor).
In their words
“I think we're all agreed that more often than not, the academy is wrong.” (0:40:47)
“I have a poisoned brain.” (1:00:45)
“We need to reward the actors in their time for their great performances.” (0:44:17)
Prefers Sorkin on the big screen over the West Wing and ranks by sheer entertainment and rewatchability; loves Fincher-era Sorkin, A Few Good Men, Moneyball and Steve Jobs, and thinks Sorkin shines when paired with a dark-hearted collaborator. Skeptical of Sorkin's politics and of Chicago 7's smallness; wants the filmmaking sharper.
Stances
Sorkin is at his best with darker directors like Fincher and Bennett Miller
Chicago 7 is entertaining but politically small and Sorkin is not yet a filmmaker for action scenes
Social Network is the best movie of the decade and possibly Sorkin's best script
Humor: Dry and self-deprecating, with mock-grievance about not being invited on The Rewatchables.
In their words
“I would not put it in the top tier.” (1:29:59)
“He's an interesting counterweight, I think, to Oliver Stone” (0:30:43)
“he's he's not quite there yet as a filmmaker.” (1:42:37)
Sean wants command of everything: he watches about three movies a night, keeps a Netflix DVD queue and a 1000-plus film list, and treats director filmographies (Hitchcock, De Palma, Wachowskis) as projects. He champions unloved movies he thinks are secretly good (Last Action Hero, Mother!, A Cure for Wellness, Marie Antoinette), likes Garland over Nolan on a hypothetical budget, and admires effortless, tasteful careers like Paul Newman's. Not into 'so bad it's good' cult culture or into talking down animated films.
Stances
Bad movies worth loving are rescued reputations, not wrecks like Battleship
Would take another Alex Garland film over another Nolan film
Movie business as it was is over and will restart; theaters will come back
Streaming democratizes criticism but lowers the floor
Will not do a top five movies of all time
Humor: Dry, self-mocking obsessiveness: explains his absurd systems and then insists he is right, and trades jabs at Amanda and Chris.
In their words
“I'm a member of every significant streaming service.” (0:21:45)
“my version of a bad movies podcast is not me reveling in the badness, the shittiness of battleship.” (1:08:32)
“I'm never doing top 5 movies of all time.” (0:40:57)
“I'm always kind of obsessed with the Palma” (0:18:37)
Loves a charming 90s Disney musical and the music-driven storytelling he finds in them, big Christopher Nolan and The Last Jedi defender. Cannot stand tonal mush or movies made for everybody and nobody. Sucker for Donnie Yen and film business context like the Chinese box office.
Stances
The remake does not know what was good about the original
Magic and wuxia trappings read as a bid for the Chinese box office
Wishes the film were more grounded and historical
Interested in the business and politics around the release
Humor: Dry and self-deprecating, leaning on bits like 'a 38-year-old man' watching Mulan and Amanda's Tenet claim.
In their words
“I'm a 38-year-old man and I probably shouldn't be watching Mulan 1998 version at this stage of my life.” (0:17:57)
“I think Mulan is kind of what happens when you don't really know what's good about your movie.” (0:26:03)
Loves inventive, maximalist filmmaking where rhythm and music drive the staging, and film as a time capsule of future stars. Cares about directors' careers as a whole. Allergic to studio flattening of weird ideas.
Stances
Scott Pilgrim predicted a lot of pop culture
Baby Driver does not exist without it
A sequel should center Knives
Humor: Dry and wry, mostly through overstatement and tongue-in-cheek asides like comparing the sequence to a 2x podcast speed.
In their words
“I've never really seen that before, something that saw the future in this way.” (0:03:36)
“there is no baby driver without this movie in terms of like the rhythm and the pacing and the way that he uses music.” (0:39:06)
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.
The Rewatchables
Apex Mountain: The moment a star peaks; where on the mountain a performance sits.
Who Won the Movie: The hosts name the person who came out of the film best off.
The Ebert review: Roger Ebert's original review and star rating read aloud. Ebert is cited, never on the show.
Casting what-ifs: Who was almost cast, or who should have been.
Most rewatchable scene: The scene each host would stop on while flipping channels.
Aged best / aged worst: What holds up and what does not.
Picking Nits: The little things in a film the hosts love that they don't think totally work: the nits.
Double feature: The film each host would pair it with; a programming pick.
Their claims
Showing 1–100 of 1,576 claims.
lineage (lineage):
Disturbia → Rear Window.
Disturbia, the best of the decade's thrillers in the cycle, is a Rear Window remake.
craft (craft):
Domestic Disturbance → Swingers.
Vaughn's Rick in the first half echoes his Swingers character Trent: constant performing, false energy, bravado.
“He's always, you know, he's always got this like false energy, this bravado, and he's kind of doing that in the 1st half of this movie where he's trying to connect with Danny.”
unmapped (stylistic seed):
After Hours → Goodfellas.
Sean says the fast cutting, whip-pans and close-ups in After Hours are the seeds of Goodfellas' look, via cinematographer Michael Ballhaus.
“just seeing all the seeds of Goodfellas and all these little edits and camera shots.”
lineage (homage):
After Hours → The Wizard of Oz.
Dark-side-of-the-yellow-brick-road version; Dorothy walks into black and white instead of color, with 'surrender Dorothy' graffiti and Marcy's Seconal tie to Judy Garland.
“it is like very much a Wizard of Oz kind of homage, and it's like if Dorothy instead walked into the black and white darkness”
unmapped (same-year cycle):
After Hours → Desperately Seeking Susan.
Hosts group After Hours, Into the Night, Desperately Seeking Susan and Something Wild as 1985 cokey-screwball-paranoia New York-night movies.
unmapped (sliding door):
The Last Temptation of Christ → After Hours.
Paramount cancelling Last Temptation sent Scorsese to a small fast job; one of movie history's sliding doors.
“it is one of the massive sliding doors in movie history because him not making it leads to him making this movie”
career (career hinge):
After Hours → Goodfellas.
Bill says Goodfellas does not happen if After Hours does not happen first; the cancelled Last Temptation is the sliding door.
contrast (Oscar contrast):
Out of Africa → After Hours.
1985 Best Picture went to respectable, stuffy Out of Africa while the new-Hollywood audacity lived in films like this.
“the movie that won best picture in 1985 is out of Africa.”
unmapped (slower religious cut):
The Last Temptation of Christ → Kundun.
Scorsese's religious movies are slower and more painterly than the fast style of After Hours.
“His religious movies are more slower paced and more painterly, I would say.”
contrast (contrast):
Steven Soderbergh → Ryan Coogler.
Soderbergh can bang out movies fast because he shoots and cuts them himself, unlike Coogler's big-crew, big-star productions.
“Like Soderberg shoots and edits his movies. He holds the camera when he makes the movie.”
unmapped (tonal shift):
After Hours → Raging Bull.
Raging Bull is realistic, documentary-like black and white; After Hours is a surreal fever-nightmare with a moving camera, a shift for Scorsese.
“Raging Bull, shot in black and white, almost feels like documentaries.”
career (career bridge):
After Hours → The Color of Money.
The camera moves of After Hours carry into Color of Money's pool table, tied to Ballhaus; both lead to Goodfellas.
“that same thing, that camera is flying across the pool table.”
people (cinematographer lineage):
Michael Ballhaus → Goodfellas.
Ballhaus, with Schoonmaker's editing, built the new Scorsese look; seven films together.
“with Thelma Scoonmaker's editing style, they built this kind of new version of the Scorsese movie.”
lineage (stealth homage):
After Hours → Rear Window.
The neighborhood shooting seen through a window is a Hitchcock rear-window moment never mentioned again; Hitchcock and Fritz Lang noir are influences.
“there's Hitchcock and Fritz Lange Noir movies are a huge influence on this movie, and that's like such a perfect rear window moment”
lineage (production lineage):
After Hours → Baby It's You.
Without Baby It's You (Dunn/Robinson, Arquette, Ballhaus) there is no After Hours, since it brought Ballhaus to Scorsese.
“without that movie, we don't have after hours either because they bring Michael Bauhaus to Scorsese.”
what-if (casting what-if):
Griffin Dunn → Michael Keaton.
Keaton's 'I just blew a line' energy might beat Dunn for Paul Hackett; they played brothers in Johnny Dangerously.
“Michael Keaton does have that like, I just blew a line energy.”
career (personal projection):
After Hours → The Last Temptation of Christ.
Scorsese worked Kafka's Before the Law into the club doorman scene to reflect his frustration over Last Temptation.
“inspired by Franz Kafka's before the law. And Scorsese said the short story reflected his frustration toward the production of the Last Temptation of Christ.”
unmapped (late-night NYC exclusion):
After Hours → Dog Day Afternoon.
Every Lumet film is a night movie except Dog Day Afternoon, which takes place by day.
“except for Dog Day afternoon, because it only takes place during the day.”
people (people):
Thelma Schoonmaker → Michael Powell.
Powell, Scorsese's mentor, married Schoonmaker around the time of After Hours, and the two of them helped Scorsese.
“became a huge mentor to Scorsese at this time and married Thelma Scoonmaker right before this movie, I think, or maybe right after.”
unmapped (mentor):
Michael Powell → Martin Scorsese.
Powell, exiled British filmmaker married to Schoonmaker, mentored Scorsese and helped with After Hours' ending and tone.
“he was one of the people who helped him figure out the ending, helped him determine the tone.”
unmapped (lived-in New York):
Francis Ha → After Hours.
Sean says Frances Ha is the closest to his own New York life, as After Hours is to a different era.
“I didn't live through after hours, but what she is doing in that movie, plus Bombach being such a special filmmaker for us.”
lineage (lineage):
Pulp Fiction → Reservoir Dogs.
Pulp's opening two-song credits echo the radio dial concept from Reservoir Dogs.
“Well, the radio, the concept of the radio had been in Reservoir Dogs, but I think switching the songs in the middle, because you hear him change the dial.”
what-if (what-if):
Pulp Fiction → Daniel Day-Lewis.
Weinstein pushed Daniel Day-Lewis for Vincent; the speakers would not trade Travolta but would love one DDL hitman movie.
“Having him play like just one normal hitman having a weird day would be awesome.”
industry (industry):
Alison Jones → Barry (TV).
The famous casting director Alison Jones is in Barry season two, in the scene where Bill Hader auditions for Jay Roach.
“And Alison Jones, the very famous casting director.”
lineage (lineage):
Spotlight → All the President's Men.
Spotlight was closer to the spirit of the conclusions of All the President's Men, if not its style.
“it was closer to the spirit of the conclusions of all the president's men, if not the style.”
contrast (contrast):
The Insider → Spotlight.
Spotlight was a hit because it is a satisfying bad-guys-get-caught story, while The Insider is meditative and ambivalent.
“Spotlight is just like, let's get the bad guys with our reporting.”
craft (craft):
The Insider → Miami Vice.
Mann's pop-abstract music choices, such as the Linkin Park and Jay-Z cues in Miami Vice, are a recurring misfire for some.
“Is this your, is this a subtle dig at Lincoln Park, Jay-Z being used in Miami Vice?”
craft (craft):
The Rolling Stones → The Big Chill.
The Stones song at the reception, with Karen playing it on the organ, is called as well used as a song ever is in a movie.
“And then the fucking Rolling Stones come in and it's used as well as you're gonna ever use a song in a movie.”
career (career arc):
Robert De Niro → Midnight Run.
From Midnight Run through Goodfellas, This Boy's Life, Cape Fear and this film, De Niro played different parts each time.
“This is such a great De Niro stretch, basically, from Midnight Run.”
verdict (Apex Mountain: crap scenes / Italian):
A Bronx Tale → Goodfellas.
Apex for crap scenes and for father-son: Goodfellas and Casino are the competition.
verdict (Apex Mountain: racists burned alive):
A Bronx Tale → Django Unchained.
Apex Mountain for racists getting burned alive: this or the end of Django Unchained.
“Isn't Django unchained, really more the, you know, the end of Django unchained?”
lineage (homage question):
A Bronx Tale → Goodfellas.
Fennessey wonders whether the needle drops and the Pesci cameo are purposeful homage or accident.
“I just want to know how much of what he was doing was a purposeful homage to Goodfellas”
verdict (Apex Mountain: Palminteri):
A Bronx Tale → The Usual Suspects.
Apex Mountain for Palminteri: A Bronx Tale or The Usual Suspects, with Suspects bigger but this his whole life.
people (counterfactual director):
Robert De Niro → Martin Scorsese.
If Scorsese directed, the film would be more thrilling but less breezy and easy to rewatch.
“If Martin Scorsese shoots the movie, it's fucking exciting.”
programming (double feature):
A Bronx Tale → Rocco and His Brothers.
A Visconti-style Italian neorealist film is suggested as the other double feature.
lineage (lineage):
The Player → Singin' in the Rain.
Sean says movies about movies go back long before The Player, e.g. Singin' in the Rain, but this one is far more inside the joke.
career (career):
The Player → Short Cuts.
The Player put Altman back among world-class directors: a best director nomination here and another the next year for Short Cuts.
“he gets nominated for best director here and then gets nominated the following year for his next film, Shortcuts”
lineage (lineage):
Robert Altman → Tanner '88.
Tanner '88 is where Altman found the satirical tone he carried into The Player, using politics as the way into mocking egomaniacs.
“that's where he figures out this satirical tone that he's then going to follow into the player.”
lineage (lineage):
Robert Altman → Richard Linklater.
Sean lists Linklater with PTA among 90s directors who took Altman's interest in communities and worlds.
craft (craft):
Robert Altman → Michael Tolkin.
Altman changed Tolkin's screenplay and was unkind about it; the film's ending differs greatly from the book.
“And Altman was a little unkind about Tolkien's screenplay.”
craft (craft):
The Player → Touch of Evil.
The Player's opening nods to Touch of Evil's tracking shot by having Fred Ward's character talk about it, then reveal he never watches foreign films.
“Fred Ward talking about the tracking shot and touch of evil, but then revealing that he never watches foreign films.”
theme (theme):
The Player → The Larry Sanders Show.
Both treat agents and executives as the villains; Odenkirk's Larry Sanders finale line calls back to Griffin's wish to eliminate the writer and actors.
“So then in Larry Sanders, in the last episode, Bob Odenkirk, who plays, um, Sander's agent”
career (career):
Whoopi Goldberg → Ghost.
Whoopi's few scenes land as an Apex Mountain moment: Ghost was just before, and she holds an Oscar prop a year after winning one.
“And Ghost is right before this, and it's just, you drop her in a movie like a grenade for 15 minutes.”
career (career):
Randall Batinkoff → Ben Affleck.
Batinkoff was the odds-on favorite to be the biggest star of the Affleck/Damon/O'Donnell/Fraser class and peaked in 1992.
“Batenkoff was probably like the odds on favorite to be the biggest star of all of them.”
career (career):
Brion James → 48 Hrs..
Sean corrects the Blade Runner guess: Brion James is the Ice Pick/Iceman villain in 48 Hrs. and Another 48 Hrs.
“He turns out to be the Iceman at the end of 48 hours too, another 48 hours.”
career (career):
Sydney Pollack → Eyes Wide Shut.
Pollack's Player cameo ended an acting drought since Tootsie and set off a chain that led to Eyes Wide Shut.
“this sets off a chain of movies culminating in Him in the leather sleeveless vest and knives wide shut”
career (career):
Julia Roberts → Sandra Bullock.
After the Pretty Woman era Julia Roberts outran every actress for years, until Meg Ryan and Sandra Bullock got a foothold.
“And then Meg Ryan and Sandra Bullock finally like clawed their way in at least a tiny bit.”
what-if (what-if):
John Travolta → Pulp Fiction.
If Travolta had starred in The Player, the Pulp Fiction comeback might have gone differently, and Bill is glad it did not happen.
“It's a really interesting Travolta sliding doors.”
lineage (lineage):
The Player → Network.
In the meta-Hollywood movies discussion, Network, Argo, Tropic Thunder and Bamboozled are floated as the nearest cousins, none as acidic.
“But you have never seen a movie this acidic about, you know, the, and also involving the, the level of fit.”
career (later career):
Franco Nero → John Wick: Chapter 2.
Nero later reappears in John Wick 2, and in Django Unchained because he played the original Django.
“he shows up in Django and Chain because he played the original Django in the Italian movies.”
verdict (favorite of director):
Renny Harlin → The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Fennessey's favorite Harlin is Long Kiss Goodnight, though Die Hard 2 is his Apex Mountain.
lineage (lineage):
Panic Room → Psycho.
Panic Room is to Fight Club as Psycho is to North by Northwest: a small, single-location B movie after a big sprawling one.
“But really it's like, it's Hitchcock doing Psycho right after North by Northwest.”
contrast (contrast):
Panic Room → North by Northwest.
North by Northwest is the big cross-country picture; Fight Club plays that role for Fincher before Panic Room shrinks things down.
contrast (contrast):
Zodiac → Panic Room.
Zodiac is deep (obsession, meaning through someone else's experience) where Panic Room is a well-made B movie.
“It's one of those things where like zodiac is deep.”
fun, about
John Travolta:
Travolta's directorial debut: a 62-minute movie about the first time he flew on a plane; the speaker saw him wear a beret to every Cannes screening.
“he wore a beret to every single screening of the film.”
fun, about
Domestic Disturbance:
Becker's DVD commentary: Becker narrates the boats, praises credits designer Michael Hogarth, and never acknowledges the fiasco or bar fight.
“I watched the commentary with Harold Becker, which was apparently terrible. is a disaster.”
fun, about
After Hours:
Scorsese was the one who got hired after Paramount killed The Last Temptation of Christ; Aidan Quinn was to play Jesus and Harvey Keitel Judas; a Catholic letter campaign sent 500 letters a day.
fun, about
Life Lessons:
Underrated Scorsese: his segment of the New York Stories omnibus with Nick Nolte and Rosanna Arquette beats Coppola and Woody Allen.
fun, about
After Hours:
Categories 'most rewatchable scene': the second diner conversation with Marcy and 'surrender Dorothy'; Marcy's death with the arrow sign; the phone-number bit.
“He loved to watch the Wizard of Oz over and over again, surrender Dorothy.”
fun, about
Joseph Minion:
The writer wrote the script as a film-school senior thesis at 21; much of the first half is his, the back half 'Scorseseized.' Original titles: Lies and One Night in Soho.
“It was his senior thesis when he was in film school”
fun, about
Fran Lebowitz / After Hours:
On the Blu-ray, Lebowitz tells Scorsese the cab that takes off nails the 1980s shift from family-man cabbies to lead-footed maniacs.
“She said, you nailed it because at that time, there was a change in New York.”
fun, about
Scorsese's decades:
Hot take: his 80s (Raging Bull, King of Comedy, After Hours, Color of Money, Last Temptation, Life Lessons) beat his 90s and maybe his 70s; top 3 is Goodfellas, King of Comedy and After Hours.
“his 80s are better than his 90s and maybe even better than his 70s.”
fun, about
Linda Fiorentino:
The Last Seduction was sold to HBO when it couldn't get theaters, then ran its awards campaign and was ruled ineligible, the year Jessica Lange won for Blue Sky.
“And that was the year Jessica Lang won for Blue Sky, which had been made 4 years earlier.”
fun, about
After Hours:
Timeline unanswerable question: he leaves at 11:30, reaches Marcy at 12:15, a clock says 4:10, and he is back at the office around 6:30 to 7:15 with a vacuum running.
“The number one giveaway is that someone is vacuuming in the office when he gets there.”
fun, about
Scorsese / hosts:
Sean's verdict: a hinge movie, less fun than Color of Money but admired more; Jack Sanders says 5-star masterpiece and the best pace of any director.
fun, about
Christopher Plummer:
Plummer plays Mike Wallace not as an impression but as Plummer interpreting Wallace, with the pointing fingers and no prosthetics.
“he is just doing Christopher Plummer interpreting Mike Wallace.”
fun, about
The Insider:
Most 1999 moment: Pacino and Crowe faxing, payphones, and the New York Times in the lobby; plus the offhanded Ken Starr reference.
fun, about
The Insider:
The movie was originally called Man of the People; Roth and Mann wrote the first draft at the bar of the Broadway Deli in Santa Monica.
“Roth and Mann wrote the 1st draft of the screenplay at the Broadway deli in Santa Monica”
fun, about
Mike Wallace:
Mike Wallace detested the movie, and Don Hewitt criticized it in Page Six; Mann met Hewitt in the elevator of their shared building and Hewitt said 'that fucking Lil Bergman.'
“Hewitt had been criticizing the movie in page 6 throughout the production.”
fun, about
A Bronx Tale:
Nitpicks: the cops are at C's apartment seconds after the murder; 50 witnesses yet the nine-year-old is the star witness; C's mother and the baby sister vanish; why the Satan's Messengers are in the Bronx; who planted the car bomb.
fun, about
The Player opening scene:
The pitches within the opening are a Russian doll: Joan Tewkesbury and Alan Rudolph pitch, and Rudolph just directed Bruce Willis in Mortal Thoughts.
“He had just directed Bruce Willis in Mortal Thoughts the year before that.”
fun, about
Fred Ward:
In the opening, the executive talking Touch of Evil's tracking shot then admits he never watches foreign films, never seen The Sheltering Sky.
fun, about
Whoopi Goldberg:
Whoopi's tampon scene and her mini moments: lifting the Academy Award a year after winning for Ghost, and pushing a witness to pick number 3 in the lineup.
“she picks up the Academy Award and holds it and she's like, oh, this is heavy.”
fun, about
The Player running bit:
Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis get suggested for every movie; in 2022 the hosts still say Julia Roberts for everything, and Zendaya/Chalamet/Tom Holland for now.
“I feel like it's still Julia Roberts for everything.”
fun, about
The Player:
Nitpick: the LA Times has suspects and evidence of the Kahane murder by morning, only hours later; Even Tokyo Vice does not work that fast.
fun, about
Die Hard 2:
Casting what-if: McTiernan was supposed to direct but committed to Red October; the hosts think Harlin did a good job, with a goofier, grander tone.
fun, about
Panic Room:
Propane scene: Sean argues she should blow up in a closed room and the dive backward is unrealistic; Chris takes the propane scene as his pick anyway.
“I think everyone dies in the panic room the moment she lights the flame.”
fun, about
Panic Room:
Sean's nitpick: Foster never just opens the panic room door and grabs the phone when all three burglars are downstairs, and the movie would be over in 40 minutes.
“Just open the panic room, walk 5 feet and call the fucking police and the movie's over.”
fun, about
Grady Seasons scene:
When it goes sideways in the Grady Seasons segment, Scorsese runs the blues soundtrack in reverse to show things spinning out of control.
fun, about
The Color of Money:
Helen Shaver's character was added late before filming because they worried Eddie's fascination with Vincent could be misread; that's why she's in only a few scenes.
“they got worried that Eddie's relationship slash fascination with Vincent might be misinterpreted”
fun, about
Most rewatchable scene:
The 'He's not gone, he's never gone' freakout then opening the door onto Bob was both the trailer's hook and Sean's favorite scene.
“My favorite scene is definitely Dreyfuss just blowing his top and doing the he's not gone.”
fun, about
Casting what-if: Woody Allen:
Woody Allen was approached to play Dr. Marvin and possibly direct and co-write; the hosts reject it as too much neurosis on screen.
fun, about
Fran Brill / Frank Oz:
The sister is played by Fran Brill, a famed Sesame Street and Muppets puppeteer, in the film because she is friends with director Frank Oz (Miss Piggy, Yoda), which is why puppets show up.
“She's one of the Sesame Street and Muppets people”
fun, about
Se7en (Pitt/Fincher commentary):
The commentary mixes a Fincher-Pitt track with Freeman's solo track; Fincher and Pitt are mischievous and love McGinley's first shot.
“those 2 guys are hilarious together because they're old friends”
fun, about
Lorne Michaels:
Michaels's drug advice recalled in a Chase oral history: rotate them, and coke is God's way of telling you that you have too much money.
“Lauren used to say that coke was God's way of telling you that you have too much money.”
fun, about
Ferris Bueller's Day Off:
Nitpick: Bill's complaint that a senior cut day with no beer or joint is too innocent, and Sean's retort that the museum, Wrigley, and a Ferrari day is amazing. Chris calls it the most innocent cut day possible.
“Your dirtbag ethics have nothing to do with what makes Ferris Bueller beautiful.”
fun, about
Sean Fennessey:
Sean wins the most-rewatchable scene pick: Cliff on the roof in the Bruce Lee scene, which he looked forward to most on his third viewing.
“I'm going with Cliff on the roof in the Bruce Lee scene.”
fun, about
Smiley / Roger Guenveur Smith:
Smiley was not in the original script; Roger Guenveur Smith lived around the corner and begged on set every day until Spike wrote him in.
“because Roger Guinevere Smith, who knew Spike, and lived on around the corner in Bed Sty, came to the set every day and begged and begged and begged and begged to be in the movie”
fun, about
Show format:
Episode confirmed to feature only Sean Fennessey and Wesley Morris; Bill Simmons is not heard, though Sean says they will have to work on Bill to get Scorsese's After Hours and King of Comedy made Rewatchables.
“We're going to have to work on Bill to get those to be rewatchables.”
fun, about
Final sequence:
The only time Spike ever storyboarded: Spike and Dickerson storyboarded everything from Smiley, Buggin Out, and Radio Raheem entering the pizzeria to the end.
“And I think it might be the only example in Spike's history of where he storyboarded.”
fun, about
Tarantino:
Sean says Tarantino took two things from the movie: a line that reappears in Reservoir Dogs, and the Sicilians-and-Moors speech in True Romance.
“I think that Spike, and he's never said this, but I think Spike is like, this dude ripped me off a couple of times.”
fun, about
Rosie Perez nude scene:
Rosie Perez has said the nude scene's atmosphere was wrong and she was crying; Sean lists it, with her function in the movie, as what aged worst.
“That's obviously not how you want to make a movie.”
fun, about
John Savage / Larry Bird jersey:
Savage claims his sister dated Larry Bird and Bird gave him the shirt; Spike debunked it on a featurette: he bought it in a store and gave it to costume designer Ruth Carter.
“that is an untrue story because Spike bought that shirt in a store, gave it to Ruthie Carter”
fun, about
Do the Right Thing production:
Shot entirely on Stuyvesant between Quincy and Lexington; the block was repainted red and orange for heat; local crack dealers threatened the crew so Spike hired Fruit of Islam security; Sam Jackson mostly slept.
“So Lee hired fruit of Islam members to provide security.”
fun, about
Joey Pants Award:
For the 'that guy' award, Frank Vincent wins because it's always Frank Vincent; Giancarlo Esposito used to win until Breaking Bad; Frankie Faison is the alternative.
“I guess it's Frank Vincent because it's always Frank Vincent.”
fun, about
Sal's pizza:
The props department only had two pizzas, so the production reused them; Turturro was taught to cut with a roller but was seen just airing it. They say it looks like Play-Doh or claymation.
fun, about
New York vs. California pizza:
Sean claims the worst New York pizza beats any food in California; Wesley, a Philadelphian, pushes back with Koreatown. Running argument closes the unanswerable questions segment.
“The worst pizza I've ever had in New York is better than any food I've had in California.”
fun, about
Todd Phillips:
Phillips' first student documentary Hated, about punk singer GG Allin, got him an HBO internship; he helped develop Taxicab Confessions there, then made Frat House, later accused of staging scenes.
fun, about
The Hangover:
The story is Phillips skipped an upfront check on the first Hangover and took points, earning $50 million on the original alone.
“he did not take a check for ahead of time for the hangover and that he took only points and that he made $50000000”
fun, about
Snoop Dogg:
A four-minute Snoop performance in the film is a good snapshot of Snoop time: Warren G as DJ and Don Magic Juan in tow, rumored trade-off for Starsky & Hutch.
“Warren G is his DJ and it's when he went everywhere with Don Magic Wand.”
fun, about
Old School:
The closing credits have a story: Kilborn crashes over a bridge and kills fly-fishing Jeremy Piven, then there are other bits, about 2.5 minutes. Phillips mastered the trick with The Hangover Polaroids, rated number-one closing credits by one host.
“I would say that's for me, that's the number one closing credits of all time.”
fun, about
Elisha Cuthbert:
Aged-the-worst: Luke Wilson sleeping with a high school girl, who may be 17 or 18. Compared to the Stefania Simonetti situation in The Godfather.
fun, about
Juliet Lewis:
Dion Waiters Award winner (biggest heat check): she is only in two scenes, one the closing credits, and is basically an amateur porn star before amateur porn stars.
“She's basically like an amateur porn star before we even knew there were amateur porn stars.”
fun, about
Old School:
Best quote contest: 'Blue, you're my boy!', Frank's earmuffs and 'cockballs' bit, and Mitch's 'Columbus wasn't looking for America' line.
“well, Columbus wasn't looking for America, my man, but that turned out pretty okay for everyone.”
fun, about
Todd Phillips:
Who Won the Movie: Todd Phillips, who is arguably bigger than Apatow, is directing Joker, and might be on stage for A Star Is Born; he picks people at the right time.
fun, about
The Godfather:
Closing Godfather corrections: Corleone compound is in Long Beach, Sean is a proud North Shore guy, a reader notes Bobby Thompson's home run game on the radio, and a bit about the kids Kay was teaching.
fun, about
George P. Cosmatos / Kurt Russell:
Russell claimed he effectively directed Tombstone: shot lists the night before and hand gestures on set while the credited director stood in.
“The night before we would shoot, I would give Georgia a shot list.”