Admires Eddie's subtlety in the film and the Detroit-set opening that sets it apart from other 80s blockbusters. Appreciates sly craft details like pop songs turning down for a scene. He is a sucker for the rival-duo moments and the soundtrack.
Stances
The opening feels like Mean Streets rather than an 80s blockbuster
Eddie's performance is quiet and sly, not stuck in a persona
Humor: Understated, pop-culture-reference humor.
In their words
“he's really sly in this movie” (0:06:13)
“Also, a secret trope of the 80s movie making is pop song playing over montage.” (0:35:52)
Loves big-picture film history and awards lore, brings printed research and Roger Ebert quotes, and likes comfort rewatches (Wedding Crashers, Beverly Hills Cop). Bad on moral outrage as a critical starting point. A sucker for pizza as a holy deity and for New York.
Stances
Do the Right Thing is a perfect screenplay and Spike's fiction apex
The Denby, Klein, and Crouch criticism missed the film
Tarantino lifted things from this movie
The worst New York pizza beats California food
Humor: Deadpan and procedural; reads 'half-assed Internet research' with mock apology, and picks fights over pizza.
In their words
“Half-assed internet research.” (1:06:03)
“Pizza is a holy deity to me.” (1:35:53)
“I have thought about this movie every day of my life since 1989, so ask away.” (1:32:24)
Sean is the one who treats Reservoir Dogs as a film education: the Melville and The Killing recommendations, the 10-year-old rewatcher who rented it. He loves the sound-and-image craft of the opening, Buscemi as the ideal Buscemi, and the commode story. Cannot let a bad accent go.
Stances
Reservoir Dogs is the film that shaped how he related to pop culture
Roth's accent is a pet peeve
Madonna's refutation is why the tipping theory wins the Ewing Award
Humor: Dry and unbothered, undercutting Bill's categories.
In their words
“Go rent the killing if you haven't seen it.” (0:47:22)
Cinephile with filmmaker-career knowledge (Todd Phillips' documentaries, Phillips-Cooper partnership). Loves Wayne's World 2 and rewards deep-cut details. Not a fan of The Hangover sequels or the Godfather compound mistake.
Stances
Todd Phillips won the movie
Hangover 2 and 3 are not worth revisiting
Fuck the South Shore, North Shore forever
Never said Frank Sinatra wasn't cool
Humor: Mock-wounded pride about his Godfather misses and hometown loyalty.
In their words
“I am from the northern shore of Long Island, and I'm north shore till I die.” (1:09:30)
“it's Todd Phillips for me because of everything I said.” (1:05:58)
Cares about behind-the-scenes lore and fair historical context; likes Kurt Russell's career arc and Westerns. Dislikes stereotypical bad takes. Provides the lore breakdown.
Stances
Tombstone is better than Wyatt Earp
Russell's apex is 1982-83
Ghost director story is the soul of the film
Kurt Russell wins spiritually
Humor: Dry, knowing asides, calls out cohosts' takes.
In their words
“The miracle of this movie is that so it was basically, let's just say it's directed by 3 people.” (0:09:03)
“He was nominated for best supporting actor, four, Silkwood” (0:48:04)
Obsessed with Brian De Palma and sees this as his last great movie; loves Carlito's Way, The Untouchables, Blow Out, and heist movies like Rififi. Dislikes masks that break the rules. A sucker for Henry Czerny and the Langley vault.
Stances
This is De Palma's last great movie
Langley heist is the most rewatchable scene
Villains' goals in the MI series are always vague
Humor: Enthusiastic, tangents about Usenet confessions and hypothetical senator IP.
In their words
“I love I love Brian De Palma's movie making.” (0:07:34)
“I realized that this is his last great movie” (0:06:56)
Loves gory, funny, fast genre movies with craft and confidence, especially 87-minute films that never overstay. Can't stand ponderous elevated horror that fills out its runtime with introspection and sad family history. A sucker for the Carpenter-era lineage, Die Hard homages, and directors who break studio dogma.
Stances
Resident Evil is one of the best films of the year
Horror movies have become a drag; fun genre experiences are needed
Short running times are a virtue
Video-game films work best when great filmmakers get creative license
Humor: Dry, self-deprecating banter and bit-building (mouse in Boston, Dion Waiters riff, cardigan mouse).
Loves slashers and the final-girl canon, and writes about them; holds Miasma up as an A-plus and Obsession as incomplete but provocative. Uses Smile 2 as a reference. Is a sucker for tonal gear-shifts and sincere-yet-silly filmmaking.
Stances
Miasma is sweet and sincere, not scary
Obsession is incomplete but its reaction is unusual
Horror is more mainstream than ever
Final-girl trope has run to the end of the road
Humor: Dry teasing, running gags with Adam about the Blue Jays and podcasting.
In their words
“as a certified slasherologist,” (0:30:16)
“I like camping miasma exponentially more, you know, like much, much more.” (0:39:49)
“Okay, Adam, one thing, one movie that I revisited this week in writing about Final Girls was Smile 2.” (0:44:06)
A lifelong He-Man collector who admits the film has his number even when he thinks it is flawed. He loves Henson fantasy, Excalibur, and unvarnished, handmade movie moments, and prizes sincere emotional entry points. He is allergic to Marvel-style end-credit teases and sequel bait, and is a sucker for Hensonian creature work and toy nostalgia.
Stances
The film is wildly flawed and too long but tonally interesting
Handmade, unpolished horror like Obsession is what the fandom wants
Fantasy canon is mostly the five things everyone says
Tired of sequel-bait end credits
Humor: Self-deprecating about being a broken fan critic, riffing on his own 'film critic or not' persona.
In their words
“I'm a bizarre broken person and this silly thing means a lot to me, right?” (0:42:31)
“I want to watch a movie finish itself.” (1:12:44)
“Yeah, I would I would throw Dark Crystal and Excalibur into that cannon.” (1:18:46)
Likes lean, formally controlled genre movies, prefers Sondheim to Lloyd Webber-era musicals, and respects cult phenomena once he understands them. He doesn't care for modern movie musicals, bad-good irony, or over-psychologized horror. He is a sucker for movie stars and celebrity mystique and for a good Letterboxd rating.
Stances
Mamma Mia is both very good and very bad and he's willing to join the cult
Camera work and direction in Mamma Mia are poor
Dislikes modern musicals like Wicked and over-performative choreography
Not fond of 'so bad it's good'
The Strangers is richer than its 81 minutes suggest
Humor: Dry, digressive and self-deprecating, building long riffs on sports fandom, marriage and Meryl Streep's filmography.
In their words
“I've never seen a film be so good and so bad simultaneously.” (0:52:28)
“I'm actually willing to join the cult, but it is extremely important to talk about the myriad ways in which this movie also kind of stinks.” (0:52:38)
“It's just not a bad idea for a movie and maybe there should be other movies like this.” (1:26:26)
Loves genre craft and auteur signatures: devoted to Sam Raimi, delighted by Send Help as exactly what he wants from any month, and fond of movie stars with range. Detests mean-spirited, incoherent studio product like Mercy, and likes making lists of underused stars. A sucker for Beatles, Chris Pine and scenes that feel like real fights.
Stances
Mercy is ugly, mean, immoral and structurally confused
Send Help is the model fun genre movie, and Rachel McAdams should be in more
Hollywood misuses stars, especially women over 40
Amy Adams is partly responsible for her own bad roles (low confidence in attribution)
Humor: Dry compliment-sandwich deadpan, with dramatic mock hosting and running bits like the list of 22 stars.
Loves ambitious, Hollywood-about-Hollywood spectacle and big-swing auteur messiness: Babylon, Nope, Avatar: The Way of Water, Barbarian, EEAAO. Likes genre mashups with sincere hearts, rewatches Zack Snyder's Justice League, and wants theatrical formats (70mm). Will follow a filmmaker for decades after one great film.
Stances
Babylon is a near masterpiece and he is obsessed with it
Peele's messier movies reward rewatching
Avatar: The Way of Water is a film he loves and was moved by
Awards campaigns should not define a movie's reputation afterward
Humor: Dry, performative magnanimity, grandly generous gestures, and teasing his co-hosts about pants.
In their words
“I love Babylon more than I love tar.” (0:31:21)
“I love, love, love this movie.” (0:43:31)
“I tend to not go back to films aside from Zack Snyder's Justice League, which I've seen 10 times.” (0:32:25)
“I think it's probably his most satisfying film for me since in Bruges.” (0:44:50)
Loves the apotheosis of Scorsese's style and long, ambitious movies, and champions Leo, blues-drenched needle drops and big Hollywood events. He is bothered by audiences who misread excess as celebration and by passion projects that take decades. He is a sucker for personal connections, like Long Island details, and for a rankable list.
Stances
Wolf is the culmination of Scorsese's hyperkinetic 21st-century style
Leo's performance may be his best of the century
Audiences who read Wolf as a celebration are misreading it
Silence is a serious rival pick
Humor: Dry and self-deprecating, deflating moments with a deadpan aside and teasing his co-host.
In their words
“it's like the final boss of a thing he developed in the 21st century as a director.” (0:03:29)
“So we continue to make mistakes throughout this experience.” (0:02:06)
Loves Wes Anderson's Rushmore best and treats Tenenbaums as the calling card. Responds to its imaginative-Texan, literary-pop sensibility, and to sad comedy. Admires showy camera moves and needle drops. (Attribution of individual remarks is low confidence.)
Stances
Tenenbaums is the right Anderson pick as a bridge from indie to institution
Hackman's resistance to the Anderson style makes the film
Humor: Self-deprecating banter about fantasy football punishment and eyeliner.
In their words
“I will wear the Richie Tenbaum headband.” (0:26:06)
Loves Moneyball as one of his favorite movies of the decade, a baseball obsessive, a fan of Pitt's movie-star presence and Sorkin's writing. Drawn to character studies about unfulfilled promise and process movies. Allergic to self-serious later Miller and to Oscar logic.
Stances
Moneyball is the best sports movie of the decade
Pitt's best performance
Bennett Miller is interested in characters, not sports
Oscars miss the right role
Humor: Deadpan, self-deprecating banter, running gags about Chris Ryan and pants.
In their words
“The best sports movie of the decade, one of the, for my money, the best performance by one of the great movie stars of our generation.” (0:02:37)
Loves tilted, genre-mixing movies (Wild at Heart, Gremlins 2) and mainstream crowd-pleasers he grew up with (Home Alone, Ghost, Total Recall). He kept the draft's logic and also took the Spike Lee Mo' Better Blues as a heartfelt late pick. A sucker for sequels with a point of view and for the Rewatchables tie-in.
Stances
Gremlins 2 is among the cleverest movies about the scary future of America
Wild at Heart is great but not top Lynch
Chose to skip five sequels to New Hollywood classics in the sequel slot
Humor: Dry, deadpan teasing, especially of his co-hosts' drafting mistakes and the Braves.
In their words
“I'm taking David Lynch's Wild at Heart.” (1:11:00)
“one of the cleverest, if not the most clever movie about like the scary future of America” (1:15:14)
“I think misery is the best movie of the bunch.” (0:57:28)
Sean is the Minecraft-business optimist who still admits it is a mediocre movie; he loves a theatrical crowd losing its mind, auteur exercises (Soderbergh), music movies, queer European arthouse thrillers and Canadian cinema (Egoyan). He recommends in bulk, with caveats ('mixed on this, but I want to recommend it'). He's a sucker for the macro story: globalization, China, IP, and the studio math.
Stances
A Minecraft Movie is not a good movie but is an important, essential one
Kids deserve their own movies; chicken jockey gave him life
Theatrical revival needs IP and eventization right now
Film critics (incl. himself) share blame for the superhero glut
Optimistic about April and the studio year despite a bad Q1
Humor: Deadpan thesis-mongering and self-mocking melodrama ('movie bleed out'), with a constant needle for Amanda's habits.
In their words
“I'm excited about what's happened over the weekend and I have so many reasons why.” (0:01:58)
“I'm ove indexed on caring about movies.” (0:52:38)
“But you're right that I am kind of paying a penance because my enthusiasm contributed to leading us to this place.” (0:46:09)
Saw Babygirl three months before the episode and again with his wife, and the second viewing made him want a dog. Names The Brutalist his favorite movie of the year and conducts the Halina Reijn interview. Attribution inside the Hall of Fame draft is uncertain, but the draft voice that reads the filmography, champions Dead Calm and wants to hold a listener vote is probably his.
Stances
Babygirl works best as set pieces, a comedy of manners played straight, not Basic Instinct
The Brutalist is the best film of the year
Pushes Dead Calm into the Hall of Fame (low confidence)
Humor: Dry and needling, prone to pretending to be wounded.
In their words
“I think we should get a dog.” (0:12:02)
“I'm very curious about, uh, the big needle drops.” (2:32:14)
Loves spectacle done with craft and the practical heft of the original Gladiator; counts it just under his top tier of Ridley Scott. Can't stand sloppy CGI animals, soft scripts and legacy sequels that merely restate the original. A sucker for actors committing, a big Mad Max: Fury Road partisan.
Stances
Gladiator II is a huge disappointment and also incredibly entertaining
Denzel Washington is the best thing in it, but Macrinus's villainy was telegraphed
CGI baboons and sharks pull him out of the film; real animals would be better
Wants Ridley Scott to finally win Best Director
Humor: Dry, ringleader-style needling of his co-hosts, with absurd escalations (method-acting baboons, Bitcoin vs. cranking it).
In their words
“how do you communicate that this movie is a huge disappointment to me and also incredibly entertaining.” (0:16:31)
A fan of Chazelle's showy, homage-heavy filmmaking and a self-declared proud member of the Babylon hive. Loves Singin' in the Rain, physical media, genre like Suspiria, and the Immaculate theatrical experience. Can't stand long bad blockbusters, though long ambitious films do not bother him. Hunts movie-night rituals and bits.
Stances
Babylon is a maligned masterpiece and the middle and ending montage hold up
Long movies are fine when they are good; the problem is long bad blockbusters
Movies are best with a crowd and a ritual of focus
Humor: Deadpan tangents and mock-solemn setups (snack lists, bridge-dog theory, fake complaints about the golf scandal) that pull the room off the film and back.
In their words
“Now, listen, I am a proud member of the Babylon Hive.” (2:57:53)
“who's going to show this kid? Suspiria, you know, if not me.” (1:52:01)
“Tell you what, I think I'm a pretty normal guy.” (1:09:04)
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 501–600 of 1,576 claims.
theme (shared theme):
Moneyball → Inside Llewyn Davis.
Both are stories about someone who never quite fulfills his promise or gets as famous as hoped.
“it's another story about a loser, we just did inside Lewin Davis in this series, which was a story about somebody who doesn't quite fulfill his promise”
people (prior collaboration):
Philip Seymour Hoffman → Capote.
Hoffman starred in Bennett Miller's first narrative feature and won the Best Actor Oscar for it, then brought gravitas to a small Moneyball part.
“Hoffman had had acted in Capote, Bennett Miller's 1st narrative feature film and won an Academy Award for best actor for that role.”
unmapped (anti-chemistry):
Philip Seymour Hoffman → Brad Pitt.
Hoffman is not intimidated by Pitt, giving their scenes of open contempt a rare tension.
“film Seymour Hoffman is not afraid of Brad Pitt.”
contrast (contrast on data):
Moneyball → Eddington.
Today we are skeptical of lives dominated by data, as in Eddington, which makes Billy's stance feel different now.
“pretty dubious of having our lives dominated by a data center if you've seen Eddington.”
unmapped (unmade version):
Moneyball → Reds.
Soderbergh's planned version was like Reds as a baseball movie, with to-camera testimony from real people.
“It was kind of like if you made reds as a baseball movie where he was going to use into camera testimony and real life people performing from the film.”
unmapped (authorial signature):
Aaron Sorkin → Moneyball.
The nobility-of-work and dad-daughter material is attributed to Sorkin's rewrite.
“the nobility of the work, which is so common in all of Sorkin's TV shows and movies, the idea of like just doing the thing in an honest and decent way.”
people (director filmography):
Bennett Miller → Foxcatcher.
Miller made Foxcatcher four years after Moneyball and has made nothing since, which may dim Moneyball's legacy.
“He makes Foxcatcher, a 4 years later, a movie that no longer exists.”
industry (Oscar consolation):
Brad Pitt → Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Pitt eventually won Best Supporting Actor for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but not for the right role.
“Pitt, of course, 8 years later, we'll eventually win best supporting actor for once upon a time in Hollywood.”
unmapped (critical reading):
Manohla Dargis → Brad Pitt.
Dargis wrote about Pitt's power as a movie star filtering Robert Redford-type strong, silent figures.
“Manola wrote at length about the kind of use of Pitt's power and what he kind of brings as a movie star type”
unmapped (similar subject):
Moneyball → Air.
Air is a similar movie about commerce, finance, and decision-making around sports, with movie stars and questionable pants.
“Air sort of a similar movie to this in terms of ideas and the relationship between commerce and finance and decision making around sports.”
unmapped (process procedural):
Moneyball → All the President's Men.
Both are process movies that take you inside a world and show how people do things and talk.
“taking you inside of a world that you don't totally understand and showing you literally how people do things, literally how people talk about things”
career (career):
Goodfellas → Oppenheimer.
Goodfellas came at the point in Scorsese's career where Oppenheimer came for Nolan, but Scorsese lost the Oscars.
“Nolan just won Oppenheimer at a very similar play time in his career to where Scorsese was when he made Goodfellas”
contrast (contrast):
Dances with Wolves → Driving Miss Daisy.
Unlike Driving Miss Daisy, Dances with Wolves is not offensive in its depiction of native people.
“It's not like driving Miss Daisy where there's something kind of offensive about it.”
contrast (contrast):
Total Recall → The Terminator.
The pick makes a case that Total Recall is Schwarzenegger's best movie, neck and neck with the Terminator films.
“strong case for it being Arnold Schwarzenegger's best movie, kind of neck and neck, I think, with the Terminator films”
programming (programming):
Sean Fennessey → Misery.
Pick 10 (round 4), category action/horror/thriller: Best of the bunch; Stephen King, Kathy Bates, Goldman, Reiner.
programming (programming):
Sean Fennessey → Gremlins 2: The New Batch.
Pick 16 (round 6), category sequel: Passes on five sequels to New Hollywood classics for Joe Dante's satire.
programming (programming):
Sean Fennessey → Mo' Better Blues.
Pick 21 (round 7), category wild card: Spike Lee's different follow-up to Do the Right Thing; love story about an artist's soul.
“Well, better blues is sitting at the top of my wild card list right now.”
what-if (what-if):
Home Alone → Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Had Home Alone not been taken, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would have been the comedy pick.
“if I had not taken home alone, I would have I would have considered teenage being Ninja Turtles”
unmapped (rowdy audience):
A Minecraft Movie → Minions: The Rise of Gru.
The last time Sean saw a theater this rowdy was Minions 2 (though that was teenagers doing memes).
“Now, the last time I remember this experience was minions 2.”
unmapped (in-joke crowd):
A Minecraft Movie → Marvel movies.
The Minecraft shout-along crowd reminded Sean of watching Marvel movies with Amanda, where he needs her to explain references.
“It reminded me of sitting with you during Marvel movies.”
career (kids-movie career):
Jack Black → Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
Evidence that Jack Black is the signature kids'-movie star of the last quarter century.
“Jumanji, Super Mario Brothers, Kung Fu Panda, School of Rock, Goosebumps, Ice Age, Shark Tail.”
unmapped (star promotion):
Challengers → Zendaya.
Challengers and Dune 2 needed star promotion, specifically Zendaya, so they were pushed to early last year after the strikes.
people (actor opportunity cost):
Marvel movies → Chris Hemsworth.
Comic book movies took great actors off the board; Hemsworth hasn't explored being a movie star because of Thor.
“Just have not had a chance to even explore his potential as a movie star because he has so much commitment as Thor.”
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.”