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 101–200 of 1,576 claims.
career (career):
Panic Room → Zodiac.
Five years between Panic Room and Zodiac; the effect on Fincher shows in how he tells stories afterward.
career (career):
Jodie Foster → Mel Gibson.
In the last decade Foster has directed Mel Gibson and worked with Polanski, taking on complicated collaborators.
“Like in the last 10 years, she directed Mel Gibson in a movie.”
what-if (what-if):
Nicole Kidman → Panic Room.
Kidman was cast as Meg, then injured her knee (aggravated from Moulin Rouge) and was replaced by Foster.
“Nicole Kidman was cast as the role in the role of Meg.”
contrast (contrast):
The Ice Storm → Michael Clayton.
Michael Clayton has several standalone scenes you watch when it airs; The Ice Storm must be seen as a whole.
“The ice storm kind of needs to be seen as a total package.”
lineage (lineage):
The Ice Storm → Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.
Fennessey pairs the 1969 Mazursky satire of the early sexual revolution with Ice Storm, which comes at the end of that era.
“I think there's a really interesting movie to pair this movie with that's called Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice.”
theme (theme):
The Ice Storm → The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Fennessey places the film between Deep Throat (1972) and Texas Chain Saw (1974) as culture coarsened after Watergate.
“This movie takes place right in between those 2 things.”
theme (theme):
The Ice Storm → Brokeback Mountain.
The shared superpower is what is unsaid between characters; in both, characters feel lonely even with their partners.
“This movie is all about what is unsaid between characters.”
programming (programming):
The Ice Storm → The Squid and the Whale.
Fennessey says Squid and the Whale was the biggest near-miss for Fucked Up Family February.
“I think was probably the biggest one that could have made it.”
industry (Oscar context):
The Color of Money → The Verdict.
Newman lost for The Verdict in a brutal year (Hoffman in Tootsie, Kingsley in Gandhi) then won in 1987 against a weaker slate.
“In 87 when they give out the 86 Oscars. You know, it's it's a much weaker slate”
people (writer-director fusion):
Richard Price → The Color of Money.
Price, Scorsese and Newman each count as authors; Newman hired the director and badgered Price to keep fixing the script.
“He hired the director. He badgered Richard Price to fix stuff, make stuff better”
career (career context):
The Color of Money → Absence of Malice.
Newman's early-80s over-the-hill roles (The Verdict, Absence of Malice) led into choosing this role.
“he had already been doing over the hill parts for like 5 or 6 years.”
theme (movie-star persona):
Tom Cruise → Cocktail.
Cruise in Top Gun, Cocktail, and this film plays with no wink or self-awareness, unlike later movie stars.
“In all 3 of those movies that you just mentioned, cocktail, Top Gun, and this movie. There's no self-awareness.”
craft (directorial style):
The Color of Money → The Departed.
The fast-cutting montage with a blues soundtrack explosion in the Grady Seasons scene is a Scorsese move they also discussed on The Departed and Wolf of Wall Street.
“This like super fast cutting montage blues soundtrack explosion thing that he does”
craft (craft):
Eric Clapton → The Color of Money.
A host says the Clapton song playing before Werewolves of London is great and gets the audience hyped, even if 80s Clapton has aged unevenly.
“that song is when they're playing that before werewolves of London, you're just like getting so hype.”
lineage (sequel/continuation):
The Color of Money → The Hustler.
Newman's Eddie Felson in 1986 becomes the George C. Scott hustler-mentor character of the original, and the sequel answers rather than remakes it.
“the Newman character in the color of money becomes the George C. Scott character in the Hustler.”
lineage (callback):
The Color of Money → The Hustler.
Newman getting drunk and hustled by Amos is the first time he plays the Jackie Gleason role of the original, drunk and overconfident.
“it's basically the 1st time he plays Jackie Gleason and the hustler where he's just like wasted and thinks he's going to win and then gets gets hustled.”
lineage (source material):
The Color of Money → The Hustler.
The film is theoretically based on Walter Tevis's follow-up novel to The Hustler but has almost nothing to do with it; Minnesota Fats was in the novel.
“this is theoretically based on Walter Tevis's follow-up novel to the Hustler, but the movie has almost nothing to do with the novel”
career (career):
Eric Clapton → The Color of Money.
A host says the film's use of Clapton was about as good as his comeback got after the drug years, before MTV Unplugged.
“Clapton, comeback, Clapton, I think this is about as good as it got for him after he'd gotten through all the drug stuff.”
career (career phase):
Bill Murray → Rushmore.
Sean splits Murray's career into pre-Rushmore (1980-1995, star vehicles) and post-Rushmore (character actor).
unmapped (straight man / crazy man):
What About Bob? → The Odd Couple.
The premise is another straight-guy-vs-crazy-guy movie like The Odd Couple and The In-Laws, but Murray makes it special.
“We've seen movies like this before, the odd couple, the in-laws.”
theme (talent on silly premise):
What About Bob? → Analyze This.
Both are silly-seeming comedies staffed by hugely accomplished crews, which makes them better.
“a ton of people that are incredibly accomplished working on a movie that seems really silly and it makes the movie that much better.”
craft (craft):
Anne V. Coates → Lawrence of Arabia.
Sean notes the editor of What About Bob? is the woman who cut Lawrence of Arabia, part of an unexpectedly accomplished crew on a silly comedy.
“It's got Ann Coates as the editor, the woman who cut Lawrence of Arabia.”
people (actor persona):
Richard Dreyfuss → Jaws.
In the 70s Dreyfuss was the audience POV for nerdy filmmakers (Close Encounters, Jaws), a nice-guy hero, before becoming a true asshole in What About Bob?
“He was this like POV character for all of these nerdy filmmakers, right?”
unmapped (age check):
Kathryn Erbe → Kiss of Death.
Three years later Erbe plays David Caruso's wife in Kiss of Death, so she reads as an adult, supporting Sean's post-college theory for Anna.
“Catherine Erb, 3 years later, plays David Caruso's wife in Kiss of Death.”
craft (craft):
Michael Ballhaus → What About Bob?.
Sean says Ballhaus shoots the scene of Siggy scaring Bob like a horror scene, with two heads in the frame, one in back and one in front.
“that's Michael Bauhaus. He's shooting that scene like it's a horror scene, you know, like the 2 heads in the frame, like one in the back and one in the front.”
lineage (comedy-mom lineage):
Julie Hagerty → Lost in America.
Hagerty has been a consistent comedy presence from Airplane! to Lost in America to this film to Marriage Story.
“the mom of our lives from airplane to Lost in America to this movie”
people (shared writer):
What About Bob? → Ordinary People.
Alvin Sargent, who wrote Ordinary People, provided the story for What About Bob?, which signals respect for therapy.
“the story for the movie comes from Alvin Sargent. Alvin Sargent was the writer of ordinary people.”
lineage (genre lineage):
What About Bob? → Pacific Heights.
Sean calls What About Bob? a logical successor to Pacific Heights, part of the late-80s/early-90s 'from hell' subgenre where a transactional acquaintance won't leave your life.
“Think of this movie as a logical successor to Pacific Heights. It is it is the same thing.”
unmapped (friendship / Muppets):
Fran Brill → Frank Oz.
Fran Brill, a Sesame Street/Muppets puppeteer, is in the movie because she is friends with Frank Oz.
industry (Oscar year):
Bugsy → What About Bob?.
The loaded 1992 Oscars (Hopkins, De Niro, Nolte, Williams, Beatty) explain Murray's lack of a nomination for Bob.
“we've talked in previous episodes about how loaded the 1992 Oscars was.”
lineage (lineage):
Seven → Alfred Hitchcock.
Se7en is a Hitchcock movie in its pulling-your-chain structure of mystery, reveal and anxiety, and Hitchcock is Fincher's biggest influence.
“I think as much as this seems like a modern movie, it's also just completely a Hitchcock movie in so many ways.”
career (career):
Brad Pitt → Inglourious Basterds.
Pitt does better work once writers like Tarantino give him funnier material that suits his twitchiness.
“I think later on when Pitt starts working with writers who are a little bit funnier, he does better work in some ways”
career (career):
Morgan Freeman → Driving Miss Daisy.
Freeman's 1989 trio of Glory, Driving Miss Daisy and Lean on Me made him a star after Street Smart.
contrast (contrast):
Seven → Copycat.
Copycat, a similar thriller one month later, is fine but forgettable; Se7en persists because of the people involved.
“There was a movie that came out one month after this movie called Copycat with Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter.”
people (people):
Darius Khondji → Seven.
A Se7en revival without Fincher, Pitt, or Darius Khondji would not interest the host, because the film persists on the strength of those people.
“if you're telling me that we're bringing 7 back, and Fincher's not a part of it, and Pitt's not a part of it, and Darius Kanji's not a part of it.”
theme (persona aspiration):
Chevy Chase → Cary Grant.
Early on Chase seemed to think he was Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart in lighthearted mystery and mix-up movies, a miscasting of himself.
“It kind of seems like he thinks he's like Carrie Grant or Jimmy Stewart”
what-if (career what-if):
Chevy Chase → Johnny Carson.
A sideways comment about not wanting a nightly TV job and Carson's jab back may have cost Chase the Tonight Show path; a Carson clip shows tension between them.
“you can sense that Johnny just thinks that Chevy Chase is an asshole”
fun, about
Brendan Fraser and John Lithgow:
They show up as lawyers in the last 30 minutes in what feels like a different movie, with Fraser cut to erupt thunderously.
“They're doing an old timey lawyer thing. There's like this thundering explanatory.”
fun, about
Killers of the Flower Moon:
The Masonic Hall spanking scene, a Jack Fisk construction with a checkerboard floor, is called funny and strange.
fun, about
Killers of the Flower Moon:
Awards forecast: nominated for lots (Leo, Gladstone, Scorsese, production design, costume, adapted screenplay, maybe score and editing) but no real shot at Best Picture.
“I just don't think it really has any chance to win best picture.”
fun, about
Sight and Sound poll:
Sean notes that the Sight and Sound poll ballots include a Looney Tune and a 14-minute film on Adam's list, which includes Duck Amuck and Meshes of the Afternoon.
“I mean, Adam had a had a had a looney tune and a 14 minute film on his list.”
fun, about
The Eternal Daughter:
Sean saw it at the New York Film Festival about five feet from Tilda Swinton and bumped it half a star for it. Amanda had slept on it because Sean did not respond to it at the festival.
“the movie was bumped up half a star for me by seeing it in the front row and then being less than 5 feet away from Tilda Swinton.”
fun, about
Babylon:
Sean's backstory: he left a holiday party at Amanda's, in a bad mood, to drive to Century City for a three-hour-eight-minute screening, and was blown away anyway. He relays a Letterboxd review asking if it's a love letter to cinema or a suicide note.
“Is this a love letter to cinema or a suicide note?”
fun, about
Babylon:
Sean says Margot Robbie is one of the only truly fearless young stars, glorious and disgusting at times, and might deserve a best actress nod.
“She is one of the only truly fearless young stars we have.”
fun, about
The Fabelmans:
Amanda asks if she would trade having her son be as successful as Spielberg for the movie he'd make about her; Sean says to take the Jurassic Park money.
“But could you be sitting on Jurassic Park money?”
fun, about
Tár:
Sean says the opening Q&A scene with the New Yorker interviewer is how to use Blanchett: ten minutes of her talking about things she likes. A hosts' joke imagines a Todd Field and Adam Sandler pairing.
“that opening scene, as I wrote in the Ringer piece, where she's taking questions from Gopnik, from the New Yorkers, like, that is how you use Cape Blanchett.”
fun, about
Nope:
Sean admires the premise: an invented family that may be descended from the Black jockey in Muybridge's film strip, launching 100 years of film history and people whose names we don't know.
“that's a genius idea for a drama, let alone a UFO movie.”
fun, about
Clash of the Titans:
Argument over Clash of the Titans, the Harry Hamlin original versus the Sam Worthington remake, with a side note that Hamlin is Lisa Rinna's husband.
fun, about
Elvis:
Sean's contrast: Elvis was shot with one camera on Ed Sullivan; the movie cuts a hundred times in two minutes to match his magnetism.
“it literally cuts a 100 times in a 2 minute period of performance because that's almost sort of what it takes to match the Elvis Presley magnetism.”
fun, about
Love and Mercy:
Director Bill Pohlad is the son of Twins owner Carl Pohlad; he produced Brokeback Mountain, 12 Years a Slave and Tree of Life, a benefactor for filmmakers.
“a guy named Bill Polad, who is the son of Carl Polad, the billionaire owner of the Minnesota Twins.”
fun, about
Bird:
Warner Bros. and Columbia traded Revenge for the Charlie Parker rights, and Adam jokes Revenge is a gift to history that social media should avoid.
“Revenge and Bird would be quite a double feature.”
fun, about
Mission: Impossible – Fallout:
Henry Cavill and Cruise punch each other in the bathroom and later on a cliff after a helicopter chase; the Henry Cavill speech about being disavowed is remembered.
“how many times can a man be disavowed, discarded and ignored by his government?”
fun, about
The Firm:
Chris loves The Firm for Hackman, Wilford Brimley and Holly Hunter, a Hollywood movie aspiring to nothing but entertainment; Sean calls his Wilford imitation the best Rewatchables bit.
“That might be the best episode of the rewatchables ever, in my opinion.”
fun, about
The Mummy:
The Dark Universe cast photo (Russell Crowe, Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Angelina Jolie) was taken and then no more movies were made because The Mummy was so bad; Chris says it is the only non-festival movie he walked out of.
“I think this is the only non-festival movie I've ever walked out of.”
fun, about
Errol Morris:
Idea for the Oscars: hire people like Morris to make short documentaries, like the one with Donald Trump misreading Citizen Kane.
“he completely misreads Citizen Kane and misunderstands it”
fun, about
Oscars 2021:
The hosts catalogue the thirteen awards movies not yet widely seen and where to stream them, with Nomadland the clear frontrunner.
“There are 13 more movies that most people have not seen that I think are going to be meaningful to the Oscar conversation.”
fun, about
Pretend It's a City:
Scorsese's on-screen role is mostly laughing at Lebowitz; the one time he talks over 20 seconds, he corrects her Penny Arcade into Penny Serenade and explains Grant's career.
“Martin Scorsese's role on the show, his physical role, is largely just to laugh at the things that friend Leboitt says.”
fun, about
Penny Serenade:
Sean fact-checks Scorsese on air: Cary Grant was nominated twice, for None but the Lonely Heart and Penny Serenade, not once; Amanda dubs it very un-Cary Grant energy.
“And when a person says a fact about a movie that I know to be not correct, even if it is perhaps the greatest living filmmaker, I just have to note that.”
fun, about
A Muppet Christmas Carol:
Sean's wife Eileen, who will never appear on the podcast, has an unhealthy addiction to the film, and also yells Heat Miser at dinner.
“she has like an unhealthy addiction to a Muppet Christmas carol.”
fun, about
Eyes Wide Shut:
Sean's pick for a day on a historic set: a long shoot, one of the greatest filmmakers, two stars in the midst of a marriage, and some of the wildest scenes ever shot.
“just some of the wildest scenes ever shot in the history of movies occur in that film.”
fun, about
Aaron Sorkin:
The 'I'm never, ever sick at sea' line turns up in Malice and again in Charlie Wilson's War; the references are like a drinking game.
“I'm never, ever sick at sea, shows up in malice, and then it shows up in Charlie Wilson's war”
fun, about
Transformers:
Sean's first adult LA trip was a Transformers premiere, driving an Escalade supplied by the film's car sponsor; it hooked him on movies.
“going to a movie premiere as an adult with a VIP ticket talking to the people that were in the movie”