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 401–500 of 1,576 claims.
industry (industry):
Roy Lee → The Strangers.
Roy Lee called Bertino after The Strangers script placed in a screenwriting contest; Lee is known for getting in early with young talent.
“He got a call from super producer Roy Lee, who's gone on to be arguably the most successful independent producer in Hollywood last year.”
programming (programming):
The Strangers → The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
In 2008 horror favored slick remakes and torture porn, so a stripped-down original like The Strangers stood out.
“this was at a time when like Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake was happening, the Nightmare on Elm Street remake was happening, the last house on the left remake was happening”
contrast (contrast):
The Strangers → Saw.
The Strangers arrived amid the torture-porn wave (Saw, Hostel) but works by randomness and withholding rather than gore.
“there was also a kind of torture porn, uh, saw hostile, you know, those films were also very popular in the horror mainstream.”
contrast (contrast):
The Strangers → Funny Games.
Released a year after the Funny Games remake, The Strangers is similar in kind but is a pure experiential film with no meta commentary.
“But unlike funny games. This movie could not be less meta.”
contrast (contrast):
The Strangers → Scream (Ghostface mask).
The sack mask feels familiar but not commercialized into oblivion like the Ghostface mask.
“it's like familiar, but it's also not like the ghost face mask, like commercialized into like total oblivion at this point.”
people (people):
Scott Speedman → The Strangers.
Sean thinks real-world familiarity with Speedman and Liv Tyler enriches the film because celebrity itself is about cracking a persona, while Amanda finds their star quality the only thing keeping it Hollywood.
“So I think using Scott Speedman and live, Tyler, 2 beautiful people who you do have some sort of relationship to, like compliments, the themes of the movie.”
theme (theme):
The Strangers → The Strangers.
Critics read the film as a post-9/11 horror about random violence, set against the revenge-and-gore reading of torture porn.
“There are 2 ways of looking at horror in the aftermath of 911.”
contrast (contrast):
The Strangers → Friday the 13th.
Classic slashers punish teens for transgressions; The Strangers rejects that strategy and punishes no one for anything.
“a lot of horror movies are basically showing the trans, especially slashers are showing the transgressions of other people.”
career (career):
Brian Bertino → The Strangers.
Bertino looked like a major horror director after The Strangers but never reached the mountaintop again, partly because its spareness is hard to revisit.
“I thought he was going to be one of the most significant horror directors of his generation, and he's worked, but has never really kind of reached the mountaintop again.”
people (people):
Mamma Mia! → Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Director Lloyd was replaced on the sequel by Ol Parker, which the speaker thinks was for a reason.
“Which is an important thing because she very clearly was replaced for a reason.”
contrast (contrast):
Mamma Mia! → The Strangers.
Sean sets the loose, wander-around-and-pour-wine viewing of Mamma Mia against the locked-in, what-will-happen-to-them viewing of The Strangers.
“I contrast that with the strangers where I was like sitting in a movie again for 79 minutes, like what is going to happen to these people?”
people (people):
The Strangers → Mamma Mia!.
Both are 2008 films framed around a wedding and a daughter or couple at a wedding crossroads, and the hosts tie both to the marriage-skepticism joke.
“Are you, and again, this gets back to like our, should we be getting married?”
contrast (contrast):
West Side Story → Mamma Mia!.
Spielberg's West Side Story is a modern movie musical that works because it adapts an older musical, unlike the modern-musical style Sean dislikes.
“West Side Story, Spielberg's film. I think that's one of the best movie musicals of the last 50 years.”
lineage (lineage):
Stephen Sondheim → Merrily We Roll Along.
Sondheim is rarely adapted to film, but Linklater is in the midst of adapting Merrily We Roll Along.
“I would much prefer Sondheim, but Sondheim is almost never adapted for movie musicals, which is an interesting thing. Like, obviously, Linklater is in the midst of doing merrily we roll along.”
what-if (what-if):
Mamma Mia! → Twilight.
Adding vampires to Mamma Mia would have gotten Sean to see it in theaters, and could solve Mamma Mia 3's casting issues.
“You know what would have gotten me to go see Mama Me in theaters, putting vampires in it.”
career (career):
Meryl Streep → The Devil Wears Prada.
Mamma Mia followed Devil Wears Prada almost immediately, proving Streep in her 50s was a $100 million box-office draw.
“Yeah. You know, the greatest actress of her generation. In her 50s is commanding multiple $100 million movies.”
theme (theme):
Mamma Mia! → The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The older characters' drag-like performances make Mamma Mia like Rocky Horror for people who go to full-service resorts.
“it's like rocky horror picture show for people who like to go to, like, Cabo to all, like, to, you know, um, full service resorts”
verdict (verdict):
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again → Mamma Mia!.
Letterboxd consensus says the first film stinks but the sequel is like crack, with Fernando used breathtakingly.
“Everybody on Letterbox was like, this movie actually stinks, but 2 is like crack, like it's so good.”
industry (industry):
LaKeith Stanfield → Delroy Lindo.
Lindo's Oscar nomination without precursors reminds the speaker of Stanfield's Judas nomination.
“But what it really reminds me of is LeHeath Stanfield.”
industry (industry):
Mercy → Columbia / Coca-Cola.
Corporate product placement in studio films has precedent, which makes Mercy's Ring placement unsurprising but ugly.
“Coca-Cola being a product placement when Colombia is owned by the broader corporation.”
craft (craft):
Mercy → Mission Impossible (franchise).
Mercy's phone-and-drone-camera look is likened to a franchise opening stretched to feature length.
“It's like the opening 3 minutes of a Mission Impossible movie for 96 minutes.”
what-if (what-if):
Mercy → Back to the Future Part II.
Mercy's hover jet skis prompt the speaker to say they want the hover tech Back to the Future II promised.
“I stand on hovering exactly where I stood when Back to the Future 2 came out, which is give it to me now.”
people (people):
Send Help → Bob Murawski.
Murawski is the editor among Raimi's longtime collaborators reunited on Send Help.
“it's kind of reteems a lot of his uh, longtime collaborators, Bill Pope, the cinematographer, uh, Bob Moroski, the editor, Danny Elfman, the composer”
career (career):
Is This Thing On? → Maestro.
Cooper's small character piece was meant as a pullback from Maestro's grandeur toward a James L. Brooks movie.
“so that I can get away from the grandeur of Maestro as a filmmaker and I can do my James L. Brooks movie, right?”
craft (craft):
The Brutalist → untitled prison film.
The cinematographer of The Brutalist, Lol Crawley, is shooting Damien Chazelle's upcoming prison film.
career (filmography progression):
Nope → Get Out.
Get Out is a neat, legible, pop statement while Us and Nope are messier with more strands, which Sean likes.
“The get out is such a complete statement. Like, it's a movie that is very legible.”
industry (awards backlash pattern):
Everything Everywhere All at Once → Green Book.
Chris says EEAAO went through the same awards spin cycle backlash as Green Book, hurting its reputation.
“the movie went through the spin cycle in the same way we were just at a conversation on the last episode about Green Book.”
craft (style culmination):
The Wolf of Wall Street → Martin Scorsese.
Wolf is the apotheosis of a hyperkinetic style Scorsese developed in the 21st century.
“it's like the final boss of a thing he developed in the 21st century as a director.”
craft (music):
The Wolf of Wall Street → Robbie Robertson.
Scorsese and Robertson were obsessed with the hungry, lascivious blues records used in the soundtrack.
“a kind of like, um, Hungry, lascivious quality to some of those blues records that Scorsese and Robbie Robertson were obsessed with”
craft (craft):
The Royal Tenenbaums → Bob Dylan.
Two very obscure Bob Dylan songs are in the film, 'Wigwam' among them, which became well known after its use here.
craft (craft):
The Royal Tenenbaums → The Ramones.
A Ramones punk track plays over the go-kart racing, part of Anderson blending styles of music as he blends cinematic styles.
“while racing in the go-karts too, with the Ramones, like, and him blending all these different styles”
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”