Loves movie-star, over-the-top, kinetic filmmaking (JFK, The Verdict, A Few Good Men) and old-school craft; favors Paul Newman. Willing to admire films he doesn't believe in. Sucker for big speeches and taste-making directors.
Stances
Courtroom drama must be in the courtroom: no legal thrillers, no 12 Angry Men
JFK is a masterpiece despite being hogwash
Winner of the A Few Good Men scene is Tom Cruise
Humor: Mock-legalistic framing and affectionate hyperbole.
Loves the theatrical culture of places like Alamo Drafthouse, pedigreed auteurs (Fincher, Nolan, the Coens), and deep film-history binges. Can't stand corporate pettiness dressed as principle, and thinks The King's Speech beating The Social Network should die in a fire. A sucker for trivia glory and big awards-season structure (wants 75 awards).
Stances
Theaters will survive as a boutique business but wide-scale moviegoing will not last five years
Netflix's lead of finished movies makes it well positioned for the Oscars
Windowing will change and studios will test higher VOD price points
Humor: Mock-grandiose and self-aware, with bits like hosting a five-day awards festival and running out of frame during trivia.
In their words
“There should be 75 awards.” (0:50:42)
“I'm just trying to have a cinematic experience at all times.” (1:06:36)
Loves big, noisy, auteur and genre-bending work: The Lighthouse, Midsommar's ending, Alita and 6 Underground action, Gemini Man, Triple Frontier. Wants more categories and a nine-hour ceremony; adores Paul Walter Hauser and Uncut Gems. Can't stand news-anchor cameos in fiction and Oscar-bait homogeneity.
Stances
Wants more Oscar categories, not fewer
Spider-Man's post-credits scene counts as an ending
Defends Midsommar and The Lighthouse
Wants a casting Oscar and a best first feature
Humor: Cheerfully obsessive and self-mocking about his hobby-horse enthusiasms (the minute-by-minute Lighthouse podcast), with mock-legalistic rule enforcement.
In their words
“I will be starting one of those for the lighthouse.” (0:52:43)
“I personally would like there to be a 9 hours Oscar ceremony.” (0:12:22)
“Have you ever been sewn inside of a bear skin and lit on fire in a giant triangle.” (0:45:39)
Loves Parasite, Marriage Story, Little Women, Uncut Gems and champions Toy Story 4. Prickly toward Joker-style noisy awards bait, wants more fun and weirdness at the Oscars. Sucker for Hark segments and sporting analogies.
Stances
Academy has a taste gap against pop culture and women's stories
He loves The Cabin in the Woods, It Follows and The Witch and likes discussion-making horror like Get Out, but he distrusts elevated-horror branding. He wants to be physically dominated by a horror film, and says he is dead inside and cynical, so he is impressed when a film makes him feel something.
Stances
Get Out is the best horror film of the decade
Elevated horror is an ugly phrase
Horror needs something supernatural or extraordinarily visceral to qualify
Wingard is creative but ultimately disappointing
Humor: Deadpan needler of his guest who takes bits to their end, like the Tim Apple joke.
In their words
“I tend to think there has to be something either supernatural or extraordinarily visceral about the movie to qualify.” (0:10:18)
“I think I'm pretty dead inside and very cynical.” (0:11:46)
Loves big, event-level filmmaking and prizes one great movie over a great season of TV; he is a champion of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and of Tarantino and Anderson. Likes working through discourse and being a guide who tells friends what to see or skip. Has a soft spot for old-fashioned Hollywood comedy and for Mike Nichols.
Stances
One great movie beats prestige TV
Disney's dominance is overwhelming but not to be underestimated (Cameron)
Streaming may hollow out comedies made without theatrical money
Was surprised and moved by Luce
Humor: Dry deadpan teasing of co-hosts with running bits and impressions, such as PTA at D23.
In their words
“I still would always, always, always rather have one great movie than an experience like that.” (0:52:42)
“And that's why this is the big picture and not the watch.” (0:52:43)
Loves long things, big-tent Oscar movies (Ford v Ferrari, Once Upon a Time) and the business and career-arc angle of franchises. Skeptical of Tom Hooper and unclear streaming strategies; cares about artists controlling their image. As interviewer he probes how Garfield picks directors.
Stances
Homecoming is long, not boring, and great because of Beyonce the performer
Guava Island lacks a strategic purpose and sits outside Glover's mission
Under the Silver Lake has been slightly mischaracterized in the press
Humor: Self-deprecating wonk who plays his own wounded vanity for laughs and teases Amanda with Star Wars archetypes.
In their words
“I'm a big fan of long things.” (0:05:20)
“I am confused about what the strategic purpose of something like that is.” (0:11:33)
“This is upsetting how you have targeted my feelings.” (1:07:11)
Fennessey likes fun, audience-pleasing superhero movies that do something different and cares about tone and the business of the DCEU. He is curious about process, and is a fan of the filmmakers he interviews. He enjoyed Shazam!, though he found the final fight less effective.
Stances
DC's turn from interconnection to standalone movies is interesting and lower-risk
Shazam!'s first half works better than its punch-up ending
Wants to know how directors communicate what is in their heads
Humor: Dry and teasing, as in his mock-eager 'Can't wait for the trench.'
In their words
“I thought Shazam was a very fun and entertaining movie” (0:01:41)
“I don't think that part was as effective.” (0:05:55)
Loves origin-story craft done efficiently, Ben Mendelsohn, indie directors like Boden and Fleck, and Annette Bening. Bothered by surface-level 90s nostalgia, a rickety Marvel mythology load, and a character too powerful for stakes. Sucker for comic lore and for character actors.
Stances
Captain Marvel is rickety, overstuffed, and does too many jobs
Boden and Fleck taking a big-studio job is understandable, not a sellout
Captain Marvel is too powerful to build tension around
Wonder Woman did the origin story better
Humor: Dry teasing of Amanda's comic-book blind spots and deadpan asides about names like Yon-Rogg.
In their words
“I can't believe Jan Rag is the name of a character that I'm talking about on a podcast.” (0:07:03)
“he is one of my favorite living people.” (0:35:58)
“it's funny to see, you know, the McDonald's Happy Meal version of those movies in a lot of ways.” (0:25:50)
Defends Roma as a masterpiece worth reclaiming, loves Spider-Verse (the self-declared devotee), and takes Avengers: Infinity War seriously. Likes craft people with a through-line (Libatique, Corwin). Cannot stand the Oscars' song performances and the Green Book result.
Stances
Green Book winning is a farce
Bohemian Rhapsody should not be taken as great cinema
Spider-Verse beats Sense and Sensibility
Humor: Deadpan and bit-driven, with running gags like the Close Zone and the jar of cold fusion.
In their words
“I am putting my money down right now that says Spider-Verse better than Sense and Sensibility.” (1:00:25)
“green book winning best picture is a farce.” (0:22:56)
Loves GLOW and big, sincere genre movies, and is a hardcore former WWE kid who still lights up at Beyond the Mat. Treats wrestling movies as an industry phenomenon worth tracking. Is a sucker for lists and double features.
Stances
Fighting with My Family signals a more refined era of movies and wrestling
Rocky is the template for sports films
Wants guests' favorite lists (loves the 500-movie idea)
Humor: Dry, quick teasing, such as his joke about Michael B. Jordan in a Junkyard Dog biopic and Die Hard 8 or a Red Desert remake.
In their words
“I'm a huge fan of that show.” (0:03:35)
“I remember being a such such a hardcore WWE fan when that came out” (0:15:27)
“This is exactly my sort of thing.” (0:51:34)
“imagine Michael B. Jordan signing up for, you know, the junkyard dog biopic right now.” (0:09:47)
Loves a clear narrative and critics' consensus picks; Roma, Beale Street and Spider-Verse are his side. Cannot stand the HFPA and films that claim truth while drawing criticism. Sucker for Queen songs and Mahershala Ali.
Stances
Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody are not the best of the year
Globes versus critics is a problem for Roma and Star
Academy is lost without a plan
Humor: Mock-outrage escalation and self-aware yelling about a meaningless award show.
In their words
“I don't hate green book.” (0:10:42)
“We have to be able as a society and also as people who freaking vote on awards” (0:14:47)
Loves films that are sincere, meta and inventive, and praises vocal performance and rap on a soundtrack. Quick to dismiss the generic superhero origin slog and the lowered bar of Aquaman. A sucker for comic-book feel and a good casting parlor game.
Stances
Spider-Verse is extraordinary and unlike any animated movie
Origin stories are overdone, but the film subverts the trope
Rooting for it to win best animated feature
Having several Spider-Man continuities is a lot for a weekly film writer
Humor: Dry, self-deprecating, acting the aging man and the adult who tucks in his shirt.
In their words
“It's absolutely fantastic.” (0:01:29)
“I now find myself rooting for it for this strange silly award.” (0:29:24)
Loves Oscar-season contenders and deep conversations with filmmakers; says he just really loved Eighth Grade. Little else is stated in this trailer.
Stances
The Big Picture is moving out of the channel 33 feed into its own feed
Will cover more Oscar contenders and filmmaker interviews
Humor: Brief and promotional; no real jokes in the trailer.
In their words
“We're going to keep bringing you more banter about this year's Oscar contenders and more deep conversations with the filmmakers behind them” (0:00:17)
Loves the lean, tightly-told Spielberg entertainments like Jurassic Park and Raiders, and rates Close Encounters and Schindler's List highly. Is lukewarm on E.T. and Munich and a skeptic of the long-form Spielberg-as-prestige push. A sucker for Tom Cruise talk and Day-Lewis.
Stances
Jaws is the perfect movie
Munich is overrated
E.T. is fine but not a favorite
Close Encounters deserved a higher spot than he gave it
Humor: Dry, needling, and self-aware about the show's habits (Tom Cruise riffs, 'safe space').
In their words
“The more I look at my list, the more boring it feels to me.” (0:18:42)
“Will there ever be a podcast where you and I don't talk about what Tom Cruise should do next?” (1:02:21)
Admires the craft of this film and wants to know how directors build rhythm and performance. Interested in awards, box office and streaming. Ends interviews with a last-great-thing question.
Stances
Curious about how a chamber piece becomes propulsive
Presses on awards and box office
Humor: Dry and light; teases with a superhero question and the Friday sing-along.
In their words
“So no superhero movies coming from you anytime soon?” (0:22:54)
“I will start applying the Friday sing-along.” (0:19:03)
Loves the MCU best and thinks it is the most important film business now. Frames everything in industry terms: genre cycles, infrastructure, risk. Skeptical of DC's lack of voice and Snyder.
Stances
Superhero movies are the only movies of consequence in studios
Marvel's strength is infrastructure and filmmaker choice
Genres are most vulnerable when they seem strongest
Humor: Dry host asides and self-deprecation, like claiming empathy for Scott Summers.
In their words
“what matters is the infrastructure.” (0:55:28)
“are never more vulnerable than when they seem strongest.” (0:55:31)
Loves uncomfortable, unusual comedy and says he really loved Lemon. Draws lines from film to TV (Curb, Atlanta) and reaches for Twin Peaks as a tonal comparison. Likes ending interviews on what people are watching.
Stances
Lemon is awkward, fascinating and deeply unusual
Awkward comedy has evolved from Curb
Humor: Dry, teasing; jabs at the guests and himself.
Interested in directors' careers and the industry's shape; pushes on obsession, failure and reception. Notes how many filmmakers now pitch TV. Knows his jungle-film canon.
Stances
Frames Gray as a great American filmmaker deserving more notice
Curious how the Amazon release and streaming change moviegoing
Humor: Dry and light; mostly a straight interviewer.
In their words
“Yeah, Bird of Dream, sure.” (0:07:04)
“You have resisted the urge to make a TV project.” (0:30:24)
“I'm curious that you've partnered with Amazon to release the movie.” (0:26:31)
Calls himself one of America's preeminent Mank defenders and watched it four times in the 2020 Oscar season. Loves Citizen Kane, Paramount in the 70s, and the studio-hand-as-auteur idea. Dislikes Mank-mid takes that he thinks are phony and a Welles-defense posture he calls bullying.
Stances
Mank is a summation of Fincher's worldview and his father's influence
Welles defenders are bullying, not bullied
The Offer is compellingly bad but he finished all ten episodes
Netflix should not be Fincher's only home
Humor: Dry film-critic asides and confessions of excess, like watching Saw X at ten in the morning.
In their words
“I watched it 4 times in the Oscar season of 2020 to 2021.” (0:17:23)
“I don't do drugs.” (0:14:39)
“I not only watched it but I completed it.” (1:06:08)
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 1,401–1,500 of 1,576 claims.
career (career):
Ben Mendelsohn → Rogue One.
Mendelsohn played Director Orson Krennic in Rogue One, in a flowing cape.
“He played a character with just a phenomenal name named Director Orson Krenik.”
career (career):
Ben Mendelsohn → Ready Player One.
In Ready Player One he plays Nolan Sorrento, a basic evil corporate villain who still brings flair.
“where he plays a character named Nolan Sorrento, who's just a villain.”
career (career):
Annette Bening → American Beauty.
Bening is a 1990s emblem, star of The Grifters and American Beauty, whose character was compared to Hillary Clinton.
“Star of the Grifters and Star of American Beauty.”
lineage (lineage):
Captain Marvel → Guardians of the Galaxy.
As a prequel, Captain Marvel brings back Guardians characters Ronan (Lee Pace) and Korath (Djimon Hounsou).
“this is, of course, a prequel, so their characters appear in this film again.”
industry (industry):
Captain Marvel → Avengers: Infinity War.
Opening-weekend benchmarks: Infinity War opened at $257 million; under $150 million is called a disappointment for Captain Marvel.
“Avengers Infinity War, naturally, that one's $257000000 opening weekend.”
lineage (lineage):
Wonder Woman → Kingdom Come.
Sean points to Alex Ross's 90s comic Kingdom Come, where an elderly Wonder Woman and Batman had a thing.
“you got the sense that Wonder Woman and Batman had a thing, but they no longer got along anymore.”
theme (theme):
Bohemian Rhapsody → The Pianist.
Rami Malek's win reminds the speaker of Adrien Brody's win for The Pianist, a film by a controversial filmmaker with a sordid past.
“I thought a bit of Adrian Brody winning for the pianist, which was also made by a controversial controversial filmmaker with a sordid past.”
industry (industry):
Roma → The Irishman.
A Netflix ad for The Irishman put 'in theaters' first, which the speaker reads as the new paradigm for how movies are seen.
“There was a notable commercial in the middle of this show for the Irishman, a new film from Netflix, and Martin Scorsese that you pointed out.”
contrast (contrast):
The Shape of Water → Get Out.
Shape of Water won in a soft year because nobody was comfortable giving it to Get Out, Dunkirk, Lady Bird or Three Billboards.
“Nobody feels comfortable giving it to get out or to Dunkirk or to Ladybird, or even a 3 billboards.”
craft (craft):
Bradley Cooper → A Star Is Born.
Says Cooper performed as himself rather than as Jackson Maine, which is a mistake because the character's voice is indelible.
“Bradley Cooper, very notably, did not perform as Jackson Maine.”
industry (industry):
First Man → Avengers: Infinity War.
First Man won visual effects because the most high-toned action movie nominated for best picture tends to win the category.
“basically the most high toned action movie that is also nominated for best picture tends to win.”
industry (industry):
Green Book → Period. End of Sentence..
When women are not honored in big categories the Academy gives the award to the women's empowerment movie; for every Green Book there is a menstruation movie.
“Yes, for every green book, there is a menstruation movie and here we had one.”
verdict (verdict):
Hank Corwin → Bohemian Rhapsody.
The speaker expected Corwin to be honored for editing Vice, but Bohemian Rhapsody won the editing award.
“I thought that he was going to be honored here. And I should have known all along that Bohemian Rhapsody was going to win.”
theme (theme):
Alfonso Cuaron → Groundhog Day.
Cuarón's repeated thanks to the same Roma actors in each speech is compared to the alarm clock in Groundhog Day.
“it was that sort of the alarm clock going off in Groundhog Day.”
contrast (contrast):
Damien Chazelle → Moonlight.
Another split between best director and best picture: Chazelle won director for La La Land and Moonlight won picture.
“We had this a couple of years ago, of course, when Damian Chazelle won best director for La La Land, and then Moonlight went on to win best picture.”
career (career):
Yorgos Lanthimos → Population 1280.
Next project is an adaptation of a Jim Thompson novel, gritty stuff from the writer of The Killer Inside Me.
“adaptation of a Jim Thompson novel called Population 1280”
industry (industry):
Todd Phillips → Hulk Hogan.
Fennessey cites the news of a Todd Phillips and Chris Hemsworth Hogan biopic as evidence movies and wrestling are in the air.
“Todd Phillips and Chris Hemsworth are going to be making a movie about the life of Hulk Hogan, movies and wrestling just seem to be in the air.”
verdict (verdict):
Rocky III → The Wrestler.
Fennessey wonders whether Rocky III counts as a wrestling movie, in which case it might rank with The Wrestler.
“whether or not Rocky 3 actually counted as a wrestling movie because if so, that's obviously like, that might be up there with the wrestler is the best wrestling thing ever made”
what-if (what-if):
Paradise Alley → Michael B. Jordan.
Fennessey compares Stallone making a wrestling movie right after Rocky to Michael B. Jordan making a Junkyard Dog biopic now.
“imagine Michael B. Jordan signing up for, you know, the junkyard dog biopic right now.”
craft (craft):
Jules Dassin → Night and the City.
Fennessey notes Dassin set the tone for a lot of film noir and crime tropes, which is why this is a cool vibe for a pro wrestling film.
“set the tone for a lot of film noir and crime tropes over through his career”
industry (industry):
Fighting with My Family → Ready to Rumble.
Fennessey frames Fighting with My Family as the first stroke of a more refined version of the movie-wrestling crossover that Ready to Rumble attempted.
“fighting with my family feels like the 1st stroke of maybe a slightly more refined vision of how movies and the pro wrestling world intersect.”
theme (comparison):
David Arquette → The Umbrella Academy (TV series).
Fennessey compares seeing shirtless Arquette in spandex to the unbelievable gorilla-bodied character on The Umbrella Academy.
“unbelievable as seeing the guy with the gorilla body and umbrella academy”
career (career):
Fighting with My Family → The Office (TV series).
Fennessey says Paige is positioned not far from David Brent or Merchant's Hello Ladies character, with a presumed sense of accomplishment.
“not so far from David Brent or your character in Hello Ladies”
programming (programming):
Leave No Trace → Fighting with My Family.
Fennessey proposes Leave No Trace as an unlikely but reasonable double feature with Fighting with My Family.
“That would make an unlikely but not unreasonable double feature with fighting with my family.”
career (career):
Mahershala Ali → True Detective.
Ali is about to star in the third season of True Detective, so he can float above Green Book's problems.
“Mohershla is about to be starring in the 3rd season of True Detective on HBO.”
verdict (verdict):
Green Book → Three Billboards.
Asked if Green Book is this year's Three Billboards, the answer is probably yes, and there will be one every year.
“I think we're going to have a 3 billboards every year until we fix a lot of larger problems in Hollywood and the world at large.”
industry (industry):
Bohemian Rhapsody → If Beale Street Could Talk.
PGA nominating Bohemian Rhapsody while omitting Beale Street worries the speakers for Beale Street's Oscar chances.
contrast (contrast):
A Star Is Born → Bohemian Rhapsody.
A Star Is Born came out in October and Bohemian Rhapsody in November and stayed in theaters, so civilians saw one and not the other.
“And Bohemian Rhapsody came out in November and has just been in theaters.”
theme (theme):
A Star Is Born → Bohemian Rhapsody.
Star's schmaltz and old-fashionedness were expected to lift it, but that is what the night rewarded in Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book.
“it's the schmaltiness and old-fashionedness of Bohemian Rhapsody and Green book that we're really discussing tonight.”
what-if (what-if):
Christian Bale → Daniel Day-Lewis.
With Day-Lewis out of the frame, Bale becomes the consensus best actor and a second Oscar would make that official.
“Daniel DeLouis is out of the frame and now everybody's like, this is our best actor”
industry (industry):
Christian Bale → James Franco.
Last year's winner of the same award was James Franco, who was soon blown out of the frame, showing how frivolous the show is.
career (career):
Amy Pascal → Spider-Man: Homecoming.
After leaving Sony she negotiated a producing deal including the Spider-Man rights and made Homecoming with Marvel.
“Her 1st Spider-Man movie, she got to produce in conjunction with Marvel and made Spider-Man Homecoming.”
career (career):
Chuck Lorre → The Kominsky Method.
Lorre, creator of The Big Bang Theory, won for his Netflix show and was emotional, almost forgetting to thank Netflix.
“He's, of course, the creator of the Big Bang Theory”
people (people):
Roma → Alfonso Cuaron.
Cuaron won best director and Roma is bulletproof regardless; best director does not necessarily portend the Oscar.
“I think that no matter what Romo was going to be bulletproof tonight.”
verdict (verdict):
Regina King → If Beale Street Could Talk.
King's win was the one where critics' favorite got rewarded, since she won most of the critics awards.
“Regina King to me was the one person who I was like, this is a small film.”
“Like they're really at home in a world like this, which is kind of rife with meta commentary, but also incredibly sweet and sincere and empathic towards his characters.”
“it doesn't have any of the self-awareness or the, you know, it's not it's self-awareness, but not self-consciousness of Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse.”
“the movie that I kept thinking of, especially as this movie went on and it gets sort of more kaleidoscopic and more strange and more fun and high energy is who framed Roger Rabbit?”
verdict (verdict):
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse → Aquaman.
Aquaman made the speaker dread a sequel; Spider-Verse made him curious about where the story goes.
“unlike Aquaman, which as soon as the movie ended, I was like, I can't believe I have to go do this again 2 years from now”
career (career):
Jurassic Park → Steven Spielberg.
Jurassic Park is the midpoint of Spielberg's career, blending spectacle with childhood and humanity.
“it is kind of the perfect middle ground, the median point of Spielberg's career.”
craft (craft):
Ready Player One → ILM.
ILM artists slipped a gremlin into Ready Player One and Spielberg was annoyed, part of his trimming of self-referential Easter eggs.
“ILM people threw in like a gremlin in some place and like he was just like, god damn it.”
lineage (lineage):
Raiders of the Lost Ark → George Lucas.
Raiders fuses Spielberg's and Lucas's love of 30s-50s serialized hero comic strips.
“it is a neat fusion of his point of view and George Lucas's point of view and their fascination with the serialized hero comic strip stories of the 30s and 40s and 50s”
fun, about
Jack Black:
Sean's gloss on Black's character: Steve is the Christopher Columbus of Minecraft, an interloper colonizing a land he did not originate.
“He's sort of the Christopher Columbus of the Minecraft world, I would say.”
fun, about
Misericordia:
Murder in movies is elegant and thrilling; this film is closer to real murder: blunt, quiet, distancing. Sean calls it a movie for the sickos.
fun, about
The Ballad of Wallace Island:
A fan pays a once-famous duo to play on a private island for him alone; it sounds creepy but is the sweetest movie Sean saw all year, maybe too sweet.
“In fact, it's probably the sweetest movie I've seen this.”
fun, about
The Ballad of Wallace Island:
Sean's Franz Ferdinand story: he spent an afternoon in the lead singer's apartment while profiling them, and has loved the band ever since.
“I was hanging out in the lead singers apartment for the day.”
fun, about
The Assessment:
Alicia Vikander plays an adult assessor who acts as a three-year-old in the couple's house; she nails the tantrums and defiance.
fun, about
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl:
Sean saw it with a packed house; a woman finds her dead uncle in the road, with serious tone and absurdist touches.
“Um, I solicit idiots in a pack with a packed house and had a really good experience seeing it.”
fun, about
Presence (Soderbergh):
Soderbergh, as camera-ghost, tiptoeing around the house in grippy socks; a metaphor for how he sees himself, a ghost haunting humanity.
fun, about
Nicole Kidman:
Her Letterboxd four favorites were Clueless, The Piano Teacher, The Piano and A Woman Under the Influence, though guests are tipped off beforehand to prep.
“Um, you know, I love Letterbox, but they're, these people are getting tipped off beforehand that they're going to get asked by Letterbox, so they're prepping.”
fun, about
Moulin Rouge!:
A rant against the film, singing Smells Like Teen Spirit in a can-can, from a host who says it makes him want to be shot in the face.
“But with turn of the 20th century, France singing smells like teen spirit in a can can.”
fun, about
Babygirl:
The dog-and-cookie scene: Samuel calms a dog with a cookie, then offers her one. In Sean's screening that is where the laughter started.
“In my screening, that's when everyone started laughing was the, do you want one scene with the cookie?”
fun, about
Gladiator:
Chris calls the original arguably the last truly practical blockbuster, right before Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Spider-Man.
“it's arguably the last truly practical blockbuster.”
fun, about
Gladiator II:
Lucius being Maximus's son: Maximus slept with Lucilla while having his own kid, which the panel finds funny in a strength-and-honor way.
“Well, it's also just like, that means Maximus was like fucking Lucilla right when he was having his own kid.”
fun, about
Denzel Washington:
Denzel is both multi-Oscar-nominated and the surest box-office draw who skips Marvel, and here plays a bisexual, earring-wearing schemer.
“He's really struck this harmonious balance in his 70s of being wildly acclaimed multi-Oscar nominated actor.”
fun, about
Denzel Washington:
Denzel's Esquire as-told-to piece about getting sober, plus his Oscar-voting jabs, made this an unusually fun promo cycle.
“he did this esquire as told 2 piece that is fascinating about his life and getting sober”
fun, about
Gladiator II:
Real monkey business: Dondus the monkey really did nibble fruit and, per the panel, relieve himself on Fred Hechinger's shoulder.
“That was a monkey shitting on Fred Heckinger's shoulder.”
fun, about
Babylon:
The cold open joke: the show's tagline is replaced with a gag about who wants to see someone's dad fight a snake, referencing the film's rattlesnake scene.
“And this is the Big Picture, a conversation show about who wants to see my dad fight a fucking snake?”
fun, about
Babylon:
Framing of the whole movie as a 'we're so back, it's so over' manifestation: everything good and bad about Hollywood and the 21st-century promise of movies.
“this movie is the perfect manifestation of, we're so back, it's so over.”
fun, about
Oppenheimer 4K:
The Oppenheimer 4K and Blu-ray sold out; a Variety piece by Todd Gilchrist covered it, and Nolan urged buying physical copies over streaming.
“they had sold out and people were like, we've never seen this before.”
fun, about
Wings of Desire:
Wim Wenders told Sean the film's negative was wrong, and he and his DP and editor always knew; the restored version is the intended one.
fun, about
Black Hat:
The Arrow Black Hat 4K includes a recut with a significant sequence moved to the front, making it more coherent but maybe less disorienting.
fun, about
Zulawski box set (Eureka):
Eureka box with The Third Part of the Night, The Devil, On the Silver Globe; waited for a sale under $50 and loved all three.
“there is an Andrews, uh, Andre Zalowski box set that Eureka makes, but possession's not in it.”
fun, about
Indicator Boetticher box:
Daughter adopted the colorful Indicator Budd Boetticher Westerns box as her favorite toy without seeing any of the films.
fun, about
Oscars 2024:
Amanda delayed the birth of her child for the Oscar nominations announcement, and the hosts joke they are first responders for awards.
“the woman who delayed the birth of her child for the Oscar nominations announcement.”
fun, about
Mickey 17:
Mickey 17 (Bong Joon Ho, Robert Pattinson) has been undated by Warner Bros.; hosts debate whether it is awards timing, Dune 2, or Zaslav, and note Pattinson gets parental leave.
“my number one most anticipated movie of 2024 has been undated”
fun, about
Maestro (Bradley Cooper):
Cooper learned crane technique from del Toro for the On the Town sequence; the hosts joke about him buying a farm near Gigi Hadid and say they should remake Witness together.
“They should they should remake witness together.”
fun, about
Poor Things (script of the sex scenes):
Sean notes Emma Stone is in about 14 sex scenes and as nude as a major American star rarely is; second viewing, Amanda found there were too many.
“It's very, very unusual for an American movie star to be in like 14 sex scenes in a movie”
fun, about
Poor Things (Jerrod Carmichael):
The hosts agree Carmichael, a funny stand-up, is miscast; he is deadpan in a movie whose cast bounces off McNamara's rhythm.
fun, about
Poor Things (socialist line):
Bella says she and her friends are 'our own means of production'; the hosts credit it as a clever moment and tease Bobby and Amanda's politics.
fun, about
Poor Things / The Da Vinci Code:
A riff on Bella's inverted-triangle hair leads to asking whether Bella is Robert Langdon's great-grandmother.
“Is Bella, Dr. Robert Langdon's great grandmother.”
fun, about
The Big Picture:
A joke at the end: a live audition for the next producer, plus plans for an Iron Claw episode and a possible New Year's Eve Aquaman 2 solo.
“Raw audio. Maybe we should have a live audition for the next producer of the big picture.”
fun, about
The Killer:
Opening hit: the killer needs heart rate below 60, kills a woman instead of the target, then flees by rented scooter to change in a dirty tire-shop bathroom.
fun, about
The Killer:
The killer's work playlist is only The Smiths, on an iPod nano; others include a yoga playlist. He listens to Girlfriend in a Coma while buying a trash bucket at Home Depot to put a body in.
“he is listening to girlfriend in a coma when he goes to a Home Depot to buy a trash bucket to put a dead body in.”
fun, about
The Killer:
The killer's disguise is inspired by a German tourist: bucket hat and khaki jumpsuit, which is basically what Fincher wore to the Q&A.
“he wears a bucket hat in a kind of khaki jumpsuit, which is basically what David Fincher wore to the Q and A after the film.”
fun, about
The Killer:
The killer's aliases are all 70s sitcom character names (Archie Bunker among them), a gag the hosts say lands because nobody checks anything anymore.
“they are all names of 70s sitcom characters, which is an incredible joke”
fun, about
The Killer:
New Orleans: Charles Parnell's secretary zip-ties herself on his orders and begs not to be disappeared so her kids get the life insurance; the killer thinks 'forbid empathy.' Her car scream is the film's one non-subjective moment.
fun, about
The Killer:
The Green River killer quote at the open echoes the band Green River, who were not on Sub Pop, so 'it all comes back to grunge.'
“there was a band named Green River that was not signed to subpop.”
fun, about
Killers of the Flower Moon:
At 3:26 on 3,800 screens it may be the longest widely released movie of the century, and a live check of Gettysburg (4:21) gets no theatrical box office listing.
“I am live Googling Gettysburg, the movie, the 1993 film.”
fun, about
Killers of the Flower Moon:
The Lily Gladstone and DiCaprio dining-room promo still that became a meme for years turns out to be one of the movie's two or three most important scenes, and plays differently in motion.
“It is also like one of the 2 or 3 most important scenes in the movie.”
fun, about
Killers of the Flower Moon:
The coda is a 1930s FBI-sponsored radio show with sound-effects men, a live orchestra, and Jack White; Scorsese appears on screen reading Molly's obituary and adds that there was no mention of the murders.
“Martin Scorsese shows up on the screen. Um, as Marty, basically. And um, and reads her obituary.”
fun, about
Rodrigo Prieto:
The cinematographer also shot Taylor Swift videos and may DP her forthcoming directed feature; hosts float having him on during Oscar season.
“he's also shot a few Taylor Swift videos and may or may not be the DP on the forthcoming Taylor Swift directed feature film.”
fun, about
Jack Fisk:
Per an NYT Magazine piece, Grann saw Fisk had researched how billiard halls kept score; Sean wants him to build a billiard-room barbershop for the Ringer.
“every studio executive listening, you need to stop spending your $250 million on garbage VFX and you need to spend it on Jack Fisk, just building shit.”