Appreciates craftspeople and lesser-known directors (loves The Boost and City Hall) and attends Cannes. Scrutinizes plot logic and loves Buscemi's Fargo energy. Disdains the garage finale.
Stances
The movie works until the murder, then the investigation sinks it
Modern tech would have ended the plot
Harold Becker's career deserves a look
Humor: Wry, uses film-nerd references and dry understatement.
In their words
“I just saw it for the 1st time this year is amazing.” (0:30:27)
“I just feel like reverse image search alone on a photo of Rick just ends this whole thing.” (1:08:35)
Treats After Hours as a top-5 Scorsese and an all-time favorite; loves style, Pee-wee-adjacent oddballs, Frances Ha and film-history research. Can't stand lazy comic-book flatness or explicit violence for its own sake. A sucker for homage, trivia and a clean pace.
Stances
After Hours is a hinge in Scorsese's career
Goodfellas' look starts here
Pauline Kael misread it
Nighttime New York movies are a lineage
Humor: Dry, researched asides and a New Yorker's grumble about the city changing.
In their words
“It's just a hinge movie for him, you know?” (1:41:36)
Barely audible in the transcript; credited by Bill's live-show promo and addressed as 'Fantasy', he offers short remarks on Spider Rico. Little can be said about his taste from this episode.
Admires Walken's monologue craft and Tarantino's refusal to sell out. Likes movie stars taking risks in non-star roles (Stallone in Cop Land). Dislikes how the film ends up with Fabienne.
Stances
Walken wins the Dion Waiters Award
Travolta, not Day-Lewis, was right
Tarantino never sold out
Humor: Quiet, wry one-liners; takes the long view.
In their words
“Don't massage my wife's foot unless you're a professional masseuse is one of my takes.” (0:10:40)
“I love when movie stars play non-movie star roles.” (2:41:43)
“Having him play like just one normal hitman having a weird day would be awesome.” (1:39:01)
Likes the sketch-driven silliness and Mini-Me/Scott Evil feud. Annoyed by Fat Bastard's grossness and Felicity sleeping with him. Likes Rob Lowe's resilient career.
Stances
Fat Bastard scene is the worst-aged
Dr. Evil nipples age best
Heather Graham deserves credit
Humor: Dry, plays straight man to Bill's tangents.
In their words
“Felicity sleeping with Fat Bastard has just grossed me out in 1999.” (0:37:25)
Sean is the most film-critical of the three, with a theory of Pacino as broken by Scarface and an argument that The Insider is his most calibrated performance. He admires Plummer's non-impression of Wallace and values the Mann-Roth research. He is less into the score and the style when applied to a white-collar story.
Stances
The Insider is probably Pacino's best performance
Mann's style strains for individuality and sometimes ages him
The movie is a little masturbatory when applied to a hotel-room decision story
The score is not his favorite Mann element
Humor: Wry and observational, with film-critic asides and self-deprecating comments about being excommunicated from the Mann club.
In their words
“I think this is truly his last great masterpiece.” (0:07:22)
“I think that the insider is probably his best performance because it's the one that is the most finely calibrated between loud, crazy, and kind of subtle and stormy” (0:12:36)
A DVD head and Letterboxd regular who would cave on the deleted scenes. Likes the fact sheets, craft details like Ozu, and friendship movies. Dislikes the sequel idea and the Costner scene being sat on forever.
Stances
Would show the cut Costner scene
Doubts Grand Canyon
Humor: Dry quips and the straight man to the Letterboxd jokes.
Cares about directorial craft and homage; Scorsese devotee. Praises performances and lessons over the direction, which he finds first-time-filmmaker plain. Bothered by mixed Goodfellas homages.
Stances
Wonders if Goodfellas echoes are purposeful
Scorsese directing would be more thrilling but less breezy
Wants answers on who planted the car bomb
Humor: Plays straight-man with deadpan nitpicks and question lists.
In their words
“my obsession with Martin Scorsese is probably rooted in the fact that I didn't have that.” (0:08:56)
“I just want to know how much of what he was doing was a purposeful homage to Goodfellas” (1:32:47)
Altman is in his top five favorite filmmakers and he knows the filmography cold, from Tanner '88 to Cookie's Fortune. He's a sucker for Carver and Blu-ray collecting and defends Greta Scacchi. He has little patience for TV-style stretches of an asshole.
Stances
Altman's legacy is the filmmakers he influenced
The Player is one of Altman's three or four best
Movies have been good for 15 months
The oral biography is the place to start with Altman
Humor: Dry and a little snobby about his own collector habits; deadpan fact-drops.
In their words
“He is in my top 5 favorite filmmakers ever.” (0:08:57)
“I think it's really like definitely one of his 3 or 4 best movies.” (0:10:20)
“I think movies have been good for like 15 months.” (1:40:05)
Film-nerd who values Willis's daring taste in directors and takes seriously the craft and the cultural footprint. Fond of Renny Harlin's Long Kiss Goodnight, De Palma, and a good that-guy roll call; skeptical of the movie's incoherent plot and the 9/11-erased airport.
Stances
Willis took risks with unproven filmmakers
Die Hard 2 is still among the better action movies of its era
Long Kiss Goodnight is Harlin's coolest movie
Air traffic control access was problematic
Humor: Dry, specific and film-literate; sets up jokes with precise references.
In their words
“he was willing to take on projects with filmmakers who were maybe not as proven.” (0:07:32)
Film-nerd who builds the big readings (Hitchcock lineage, Fincher career arc) and loves camera moves through walls and Blu-rays. Won't love the accent in Silence of the Lambs; sucker for nitpicks about propane physics.
Stances
Panic Room is Hitchcock doing Psycho after North by Northwest
Silence of the Lambs is still Foster's best
Likes Adventureland best of Stewart
Nitpicks the propane tank and phone logic
Humor: Dry and literate; gets teased for loving cameras inside walls and Blu-rays.
In their words
“I still think is probably the best thing she's ever been a part of” (0:29:47)
“I would say Adventureland is my favorite, Kristen Stewart” (1:34:50)
“Sean loves when we take cameras inside walls.” (1:21:07)
Loves Ang Lee's range, Brokeback Mountain, tragedy with satire, and thinking about how industry changes. Can't stand over-explained text. A sucker for Joan Allen and small observed behavior.
Stances
Lee has the most varied filmography of any major director in 30 years
The film is more satire than bum-out
Joan Allen is the apex pick
Humor: Earnest and precise, then undercuts with a deadpan aside.
In their words
“He probably has the most varied filmography of any major director in the last 30 years.” (0:09:07)
“Joan wins out of all the actors.” (1:23:11)
“I thought that movie was good, and that kind of came and went, and it was almost in the wrong decade.” (1:12:00)
Film-history lens: loves the Method actors versus movie-star divide, Scorsese's visual flourishes, and Newman's integrity. Dislikes the idea that Ebert missed the ending's point. A sucker for Grady Seasons and Amos scenes.
Stances
It's a torch-passing movie in both business and story
Ending ambiguity is the point, not a flaw
Newman integrity explains the forfeit
Scorsese is great at making a small movie feel big
Humor: Dry film-nerd asides, like claiming he will be 'young and vital forever.'
In their words
“Just that I'm going to be young and vital forever, so I still don't relate to any of that stuff, you know?” (0:21:09)
“it's one of the most exciting and entertaining movies he ever made.” (0:16:10)
“Newman is one of the few guys who basically fused both disciplines.” (0:05:48)
Proud Bill Murray devotee who frames careers in eras; loves the 'from hell' genre and craft details like cinematographer and editor credentials. A champion of Julie Hagerty and Dr. Melfi. Gets a kick out of deep trivia and the Muppets.
Stances
Murray has two phases, pre- and post-Rushmore
The film is a successor to Pacific Heights
Anna may be a post-college adult
Dreyfuss finally plays the character he was destined for
Humor: Confident, nerdy deep cuts and theory-building that makes the others groan, such as the post-college Anna reading.
In their words
“Think of this movie as a logical successor to Pacific Heights.” (0:46:51)
“Sean, you're a Bill Murray guy. Proudly. Proudly.” (0:03:35)
Admires Mann's themes and the rich cinematic lineage; calls himself a weed smoker for Heat but loves Thief. Fond of Caan's volatile nuance, finds Weld and Nelson fascinating.
Admires Fincher as a control-freak craftsman and sees Hitchcock behind Se7en. Can't stand when the Academy rewards uplift over difficult genre filmmaking. A sucker for the Freeman-as-lead reading.
Stances
Se7en is the darkest mainstream American movie ever made.
Pitt is not top-tier here; it is Freeman's movie.
Fincher won the movie.
Humor: Dry and precise, deadpan asides.
In their words
“this is just about the darkest mainstream American movie ever made.” (0:05:59)
“it's also just completely a Hitchcock movie in so many ways.” (0:14:30)
Critic-minded and history-minded: loves the real SNL oral histories, Siskel, Ritchie and Chandler-style noir. Cannot stand weak acting, especially Dana Wheeler-Nicholson here, and defends Siskel over Ebert. A sucker for HBO Max old movies.
Stances
You have to get Chevy Chase to get Fletch
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson is a bad actress
Ebert missed the point
Humor: Dry, authoritative asides and long rants framed as scholarship.
In their words
“I think if you don't get Chevy Chase, you will never get this movie.” (0:02:14)
“You may recall from the Tombstone podcast that I noted that she is a bad actress and she's not good in flutch.” (0:51:31)
Loves the Cameron-Ferris friendship, Hughes's relationships, and the film as a closed system of perfection. Cannot stand overthinking about why it works; a sucker for people who keep it together while coiled. Defends innocent fun and Cameron.
Stances
Ferris is the movie but audiences relate to Cameron
The film works as an unreplicable perfect moment
Jeffrey Jones was the right choice over Paul Gleason
Hughes is a rare writer who channels all kinds of characters
Humor: Dry, deadpan, quick to drop a zinger; the host who delivers the Silent Judge side-eye.
In their words
“It's like a, this is a very closed system of perfection.” (0:19:12)
“Your dirtbag ethics have nothing to do with what makes Ferris Bueller beautiful.” (1:26:08)
Treats Tarantino as the central author, loves Leo DiCaprio's work here, and defends the movie's themes against online complaints. Loves the Bruce Lee roof scene. Can't stand criticism that misses the point about beginnings and endings of careers.
Stances
Quentin wins every Tarantino movie
Leo's performance is the best of his career
The Margot Robbie criticism missed the point
Humor: Dry, deflecting, and gets teased about Equinox and Leo.
In their words
“I think Leo decided in like 1992.” (0:15:50)
“I think Quentin wins all of his movies.” (1:17:39)
Self-described not a huge Bond person who finds Skyfall scratches the part of his brain other Bonds do not; loves the Silva rat speech and dialogue scenes. A Peter Morgan disciple and Anglophile who can pick out British character actors.
Stances
Skyfall's action is accessible and legible
Silva dominates the film
Hacking is the worst-aged element
Humor: Deadpan nitpicks and bits about vlogging villains.
In their words
“I am not a huge bond person.” (0:04:20)
Their shows' recurring bits
Running bits, not opinions; a critic read aloud is cited, not present.
The Big Picture
Drafts: Hosts and guests draft films in rounds; every pick is a recommendation with an argument.
Hall of Fame: A star's or director's best, ranked and argued.
Countdowns: Ranked lists, top five or top ten.
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 1,101–1,200 of 1,576 claims.
programming (programming):
Nancy Meyers → Alfred Hitchcock.
Director-filmography episodes (Hitchcock, every Meyers movie) dictate what the hosts have to watch.
industry (industry):
1917 → Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
A friend says 1917 may be the last big awards-worthy global release before the gate closed, alongside Joker, Once Upon a Time and Endgame.
“we might look back on 1917 as the last movie that got in before the gate closed”
what-if (what-if):
The Butterfly Effect → Steven Spielberg.
Sean wants the Butterfly Effect redone with Spielberg and Colin Farrell and a better script.
“what if this was Steven Spielberg and Colin Farrell”
contrast (contrast):
Alex Garland → Christopher Nolan.
Sean would trade a Nolan-size budget on Garland for another Garland film over another Nolan film.
programming (programming):
Dick Johnson Is Dead → Sean Fennessey.
Sean tells everyone to watch Dick Johnson Is Dead as proof small personal films still reach people.
“I would recommend all people just watch Dick Johnson as dead”
industry (industry):
Guardians of the Galaxy → The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
A famous guest's point: Marvel movies are comedies and Guardians effectively replaced mainstream studio comedies.
“Guardians of the Galaxy is a comedy, and Guardians of the Galaxy has effectively replaced mainstream comedies”
theme (theme):
Chadwick Boseman → Heath Ledger.
Sean says the only comparable unexpected Hollywood losses in 20 years were Heath Ledger and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
“the only 2 examples I could think of really in the last 20 years that were even close to this were obviously Heath Ledger and and Philip Seymour Hoffman's deaths”
career (career):
Chadwick Boseman → Da 5 Bloods.
Sean cites Boseman's choice of complex real-life roles (Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, James Brown) and Da 5 Bloods.
“if you look at his Portrait of Thurgood Marshall or Jackie Robinson or James Brown, and even his role in this year's The Five Bloods, the Spike Lee movie.”
lineage (lineage):
Mulan → Beauty and the Beast.
Sean places Mulan at the end of the 90s Disney peak run that included Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King.
“it is really kind of at the end of the peak of that 90s Disney run with Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid and Aladdin and the Lion King and Mulan.”
contrast (contrast):
Mulan → The Lion King.
Sean says the Lion King and Aladdin remakes hewed too close to the originals, while Mulan overcorrected by not knowing what was good in its source.
“I think Aladdin and the Lion King, I thought, worked a little bit too hard to retain the tone and the approach and story of the original films.”
lineage (lineage):
Mulan → Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi.
Sean says the remake made him think most of The Last Jedi and the sequel trilogy, turning Mulan into a Rey type figure.
“The movie I thought of the most while watching this movie is the last Jedi.”
people (people):
Niki Caro → Mulan.
Sean says Caro's earnest, humorless films centering women make her a logical pick but tonally wrong for Mulan.
“all of her films have one thing in common, which is they're kind of humorless. They're very earnest, dramatic stories that center women in the middle of the frame.”
industry (industry):
Mulan → Daryl Morey.
Sean compares the Mulan China controversy to the NBA's controversy after Daryl Morey's tweet last year, another Disney-style cultural flashpoint with China.
“we saw a version of this conversation in the NBA last year when Daryl Morey tweeted”
career (career):
David Lowery → Pete's Dragon.
Sean notes Lowery has already made a live action Disney remake, Pete's Dragon, before Peter Pan and Wendy.
“Peter Pan and Wendy from David Lowry, who has previously made a live action remake, Pete's Dragon”
lineage (lineage):
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World → Baby Driver.
Sean says Wright's music-synced action staging, perfected in Baby Driver, begins with Scott Pilgrim.
“The perfectly synchronized music to action staging the Wright Perfected and Baby Driver starts with Scott Pilgrim.”
lineage (lineage):
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World → The Matrix.
Sean breaks the staging down into influences: Bruce Lee, The Matrix, and Phantom of the Paradise.
“It's one part Bruce Lee, one part the Matrix, one part Phantom of the Paradise.”
career (career):
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World → Chris Evans.
Sean says the cast now reads like the greatest hits of Marvel, DC, Disney and HBO, and the movie seems to wink at their future work.
“This movie's linup now looks like the greatest hits of the MCU, DCEU, Disney and HBO lineups.”
industry (industry):
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World → Iron Man.
Sean says two years earlier audiences were stunned that a comic hero could be sarcastic, and Scott Pilgrim is self-aware and glib in a way Watchmen, Batman and Superman were not.
“only 2 years before that, people were blown away that Iron Man was kind of a dick with a sarcastic attitude.”
lineage (lineage):
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World → Deadpool.
Same claim: Deadpool's fourth-wall breaking was made possible by this movie breaking it down.
“Deadpool, for example, can't happen or like the Lego movie can't happen or into the Spider-Verse.”
what-if (what-if):
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World → Ellen Wong.
Sean and Jason suggest a sequel would have to decenter Scott and follow Knives and Ramona.
“Maybe that's the way to do the sequel is to make it the knives movie.”
career (career):
Edgar Wright → Spaced.
Sean says the pacing in the bread-makes-you-fat scene comes from Wright's 25 episodes of Spaced and from Shaun of the Dead.
“that's from doing 25 episodes of Spaced and doing Shauna the Dead.”
lineage (lineage):
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World → Baby Driver.
Sean says Wright used this film to work out his rhythm, pacing and use of music, so Baby Driver does not exist without it.
“there is no baby driver without this movie in terms of like the rhythm and the pacing and the way that he uses music.”
career (career):
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World → Last Night in Soho.
Sean notes Scott Pilgrim is an outlier because Wright mostly makes original stories, and that Last Night in Soho, his horror film, was bumped to next year.
“we were supposed to get last night in Soho in September and it got bumped to next year, his next movie, which is a horror movie.”
programming (programming):
To Kill a Mockingbird → A Few Good Men.
Left off the list as more homework than pleasurable; the list favors twisty, speechifying, overacting movies.
career (career):
Stanley Kramer → Inherit the Wind.
Kramer made issue-oriented parables: The Defiant Ones, Inherit the Wind, Judgment at Nuremberg, Mad World, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
“films that were sort of parables for ideas in the culture”
contrast (contrast):
The Verdict → ...And Justice for All.
Justice for All was tonally all over the place and didn't make the list; The Verdict is a diamond.
craft (craft):
Hank Corwin → JFK.
Corwin's aggressive flash-cutting across film stocks, the Zapruder film and archival footage defines JFK's editing, and he later helped Adam McKay on Vice.
“this incredible commercial influence flash cutting style that he does in this movie, which, you know, is liable to, you know, give you a seizure.”
fun, about
Bohemian Rhapsody:
Queen's opening felt like a Jones Beach concert you'd see with your mom; and there were as many cutaways to Brian May in the show as in the film.
“It was just sort of like a concert you'd see at Jones Beach, like with your mom.”
fun, about
Die Hard / Red Desert:
His list runs from Fellini and Antonioni to Predator and Die Hard; Fennessey sums it up as Die Hard 8 or a Red Desert remake.
fun, about
Close Encounters of the Third Kind:
Chris moved it up the list mid-conversation after realizing how many ideas are in it; the Lucas/Spielberg wager story.
fun, about
Peter Sellers:
Sellers received a best actor nomination for what are effectively three supporting roles; the speakers think it may be the only such nomination.
“It is such a unique nomination to be like, this guy is the lead of the film because he plays 3 supporting characters in an ensemble.”