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 1,201–1,300 of 1,576 claims.
craft (craft):
JFK → John Williams.
Williams wrote six pieces without seeing the film and Stone cut to them.
“Oliver Stone cut the movie to the music that John Williams provided”
contrast (release-strategy contrast):
Trolls World Tour → The King of Staten Island.
Trolls World Tour had baked-in IP and marketing; Staten Island is a standalone comedy going to VOD with little awareness.
“This is a significantly different choice than something like Trolls World Tour, where there's a lot of baked in understanding of the IP.”
unmapped (theater reopener):
Tenet → Christopher Nolan.
Tenet is meant to reopen theaters on July 17 and Nolan was unhappy with the WarnerMedia comments.
“his new movie, Tennant, is supposed to be the movie that reopens theaters on July 17th around the country.”
unmapped (kids repeat-viewing):
Frozen 2 → Trolls World Tour.
Kids' movies bought on iTunes for endless rewatching, now moving straight to streaming services.
“has been buying movies on iTunes for his kids like Frozen 2 to watch over and over again.”
unmapped (streamer day-and-date example):
Let Them All Talk → Mank.
HBO Max could debut the Soderbergh movie directly instead of qualifying via theaters, hence streaming's Oscar ramifications.
“what happens when HBO Max debuts the new Stephen Soderberg movie rather than putting it in theaters to qualify”
unmapped (set tragedy):
Twilight Zone: The Movie → John Landis.
A helicopter stunt killed Vic Morrow and two children; Landis was prosecuted and acquitted.
“A helicopter crashed during a stunt and Vic Morrow, Jennifer Jason Lee's father, was killed along with 2 children during the making of this movie”
industry (awards upset):
No Country for Old Men → There Will Be Blood.
No Country beat There Will Be Blood for best picture, then ratings were low and the Academy changed the rules.
“And it beat, there will be blood, which is painful for me, but still, no country for all men, incredible film.”
people (same director / awards cautionary):
Mank → The Social Network.
Fincher's perverse films are hits but the Academy snubs them, as when The Social Network lost to The King's Speech.
“notably the social network, being defeated by the king speech, which is a result that should be should die in a fire.”
industry (awards upset):
The Social Network → The King's Speech.
King's Speech beat Social Network at the Oscars, which the speaker finds unforgivable.
“notably the social network, being defeated by the king speech, which is a result that should be should die in a fire.”
industry (release-strategy comparison):
The Irishman → Marriage Story.
Irishman, Marriage Story and Roma were positioned as theatrical releases, which got voters to buy in.
“The Irishman and Marriage Story and Roma as well were positioned as theatrical releases.”
industry (streaming effect):
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs → Coen Brothers.
Streaming access to segments may have helped it get nominations, or voters just love the Coens.
“I thought that movie actually got a few stray nominations because people were like, oh, I could just watch any segment of this I want”
verdict (favorite):
Jojo Rabbit → Archie Yates.
Archie Yates is Amanda's favorite person in the universe, though he is a supporting performance and Roman Griffin Davis is the star.
“This is Amanda's favorite person in the universe.”
verdict (head-to-head):
Uncut Gems → Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
In best casting, Uncut Gems beats the big shiny ensembles (Little Women, Once Upon a Time) because of the unknown faces it found.
“Uncut gems because not just because of the people you know, but mostly because of the people you don't know.”
people (producer):
Alita: Battle Angel → James Cameron.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron, yet it is the least-discussed successful film of 2019.
“It's a movie directed by Robert Rodriguez produced by James Cameron.”
verdict (head-to-head):
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum → Alita: Battle Angel.
The dog fight wins best action sequence on the strength of unprecedented design and what the director said was the hardest thing he had done.
unmapped (reprised role):
Spider-Man: Far From Home → J.K. Simmons.
J. Jonah Jameson from the Toby Maguire movies unmasks Spider-Man in the final twist, getting the loudest reaction of 2019.
“That was the loudest vocal reaction I had heard to a movie in 2019.”
verdict (head-to-head):
The Irishman → Portrait of a Lady on Fire.
Best ending: Irishman's landing justifies everything before it; Portrait's ending moves Amanda; Parasite is also argued; they pick three different endings.
“It not only sticks to the landing, but the landing justifies everything that came before.”
people (casting moment):
Triple Frontier → Ben Affleck.
Triple Frontier is nominated for casting partly because of what the culture was doing with Ben Affleck then; its best moment is Oscar Isaac in a helicopter set to Metallica.
“we see Oscar Isaac flying in a helicopter set to Metallica's For Whom the Bell Tolls, and I was like, oh, it's this kind of movie.”
craft (craft):
Triple Frontier → Metallica.
The film's high point is Oscar Isaac in a helicopter set to Metallica's For Whom the Bell Tolls, a needle drop that promises more than the film pays off.
“we see Oscar Isaac flying in a helicopter set to Metallica's for whom the Bill Tolls”
unmapped (trailer):
Us → Lupita Nyong'o.
The Us trailer, first seen on the Christmas NBA games, used a re-engineered song to make you want to leave dinner for the movies.
“I thought that was an extremely effective use of, of a trailer to like, make you want to leave, thank, or Christmas dinner to like go to the movies immediately.”
people (same actor):
Richard Jewell → Jojo Rabbit.
Sam Rockwell gave two better performances than his nominated one, in Richard Jewell and Jojo Rabbit.
“I like him in whatever mode he is in Richard Joel and in Jojo Rabbit.”
unmapped (voter perception):
Midsommar → Get Out.
Aster won't get a directing nod again because voters see him as having done that already; Get Out was more pop.
unmapped (joke):
The Farewell → Triple Frontier.
Amanda quips about which is better, The Farewell or Triple Frontier, while the farewell is being discussed as family.
industry (industry):
1917 → Joker.
Speaker expected 1917 rather than Joker to lead nominations, since 1917 is technically accomplished.
“I think I expected that to go to 1917, which is a little bit recency bias and also just because I expected 1917 to grab every single technical nomination”
contrast (contrast):
Joker → Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Most-nominated films that also win Best Picture tend to be noisy movies like Return of the King, and Joker is noisy too.
“Tends to happen with noisy movies like Lord of the Rings, the Return of the King.”
industry (industry):
1917 → Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Three films by already-celebrated directors (Tarantino, Scorsese, Mendes) each got ten nominations.
“3 people who made films who have been hugely recognized in the past Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Sam Mendes.”
contrast (contrast):
Parasite → The Irishman.
Parasite's craft nominations without acting nominations contrast with the star-driven recognition of The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
“maybe not the same kind of Hollywoodized star mastery that a movie like The Irishman or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood receives.”
career (career):
Marriage Story → Little Women.
Baumbach and Gerwig both got Best Picture and screenplay nominations but neither got Best Director, which the speaker finds fitting for a couple.
“Both of them were nominated for Best Picture, and both of them were nominated for screenplay in different categories.”
what-if (what-if):
The Two Popes → The Wife.
Speaker said The Two Popes would turn out to be this year's equivalent of The Wife, a back-door acting-nominee film.
“It's weird that the 2 popes turned out to be the new the wife.”
verdict (verdict):
Frozen II → Toy Story 4.
Frozen 2 makes no sense and does not deserve recognition just for being popular, whereas Toy Story 4 is among the year's best.
“Toy Story 4 is legitimately one of the best movies of the year.”
contrast (contrast):
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre → The Innocents.
Sean's horror test: supernatural or extraordinarily visceral. Chainsaw is gory, The Innocents ghostly.
“So Texas Chainsaw Massacre is not supernatural, but it is incredibly gory and violent.”
verdict (verdict):
Blair Witch (The Woods) → The Exorcist / Exorcist III.
Sean says Blair Witch's last half hour is scarier than anything else he's seen in a theater though the film isn't good, like the Exorcist III sequence versus the Exorcist.
“There's a part of Exorcist 3 that is scarier than any other moment in the Exorcist trilogy, but I wouldn't say Exorcist 3 is better than Exorcist.”
contrast (contrast):
Under the Silver Lake → It Follows.
Under the Silver Lake is a detective, paranoia, internet movie, a very different energy from It Follows.
“more of a detective movie, more of like a hipster examination of paranoia and looking for coded messages”
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.”