Producer who had not seen the film; sleepy, lowkey and affectionate, cuddling his dog Pig during the screening. Engages with the mechanics of the show more than the film and brought the drinking-game format and the box-office game guesses (the Rainmaker).
Stances
Hardly weighs in on the film itself
Gets teased for falling asleep or zoning out
Humor: Understated and deadpan; most laughs come from others teasing him.
A producer and first-time viewer here; already steeped in industrial, chains, toxic waste barrels, and Nine Inch Nails. Has strong nostalgia for the Aliens toy line. Liked the movie a lot.
Stances
Alien 3 is 100 percent his lane
Disappointed the toy-line promise of many aliens never delivered
Humor: Deadpan and mock-serious, the object of many of the hosts' jokes about his aesthetic.
In their words
“this couldn't be more of my lane.” (2:24:27)
“Of course I remember because I had all of them.” (0:36:09)
A producer present in the room; prone to nosebleeds and quizzed on box office trivia, plays Star Wars games, likes lightsabers and Chicken Walkers. Hates the throne-room chair-sitter. Loves Max Rebo's keyboard-with-feet fact.
Stances
Throne rooms are stupid
Emperor sits in a chair, which gets Ben's goat
Rebo plays keyboard with feet
Humor: Deadpan interjections and being the butt of the quiz bits.
Producer in the room who presents his own joke awards. Cries at The Farewell, Cats (Memory) and the Mulan trailer; wants remakes with babies, animals, puppets, fruit, clowns and chains.
Producer in the room who has seen none of the MCU; contributes sparingly and is the target of drug jokes. Likes Nomad and Ghost Rider as outsider heroes.
Stances
Hasn't seen the Marvel movies
Questions whether mega-franchise story breaking is great art
Humor: Quiet deadpan, mostly the butt of the others' jokes.
In their words
“The thing you're describing is that great art?” (1:32:24)
Producer in the room who loves the sad, sweet beats (cries at the Rocket/Groot and 'I Want You Back' ending) and the light-show Infinity Stone scenes. A bit of a vaper and a fashion-bet running joke. Speaker attribution is inferred from others mentioning him.
Stances
Gets visibly emotional at the nice-space-friends beats
Humor: Is the target of running bits (buried jeans, vape juice, auditioning as Steve Agee) rather than the one telling them.
Ben Hosley, the show's producer. A casual viewer who barely remembers the film (he only remembers Cap's apartment and the cold base) and likes simple pleasures like hand-to-hand fights and magnets. Not a Marvel obsessive; fronts as the straight man whom the hosts try to impress.
Stances
Claims to have seen the film but barely remembers it
Mostly watches and reacts
Humor: Deadpan one-liners and honesty about not having seen things; target of many of the hosts' jokes.
In their words
“And now we're wondering if he actually has seen it.” (0:00:51)
A first-time viewer of the film who drifts through the commentary, says he likes dark movies and is won over by the portal fight. Not a high fantasy fan and says he has not watched Game of Thrones.
Stances
Likes brooding darkness
Likes the portal gimmick even after hype
Humor: Mostly the target of jokes about his silence, with occasional dry asides.
Producer; saw Iron Man 3 once on a plane and has not seen Iron Man 1 or 2. Has an enthusiasm for odd concepts like hacker witches and likes subtle patterned suits.
A newcomer to Thor and Cap before today, warming up to the Marvel movies during this viewing; favorite Marvel movie is Thor: Ragnarok (said by the hosts). Likes the scene where hammer meets shield; is on Raya during the film.
Stances
Skeptical, half-watching, cracks a closing mock 'I don't see the appeal of Black Widow' bit
Approves of the Hulk
Humor: Deadpan; delivers a staged 'end of Avengers episode' bit with feigned boredom.
In their words
“Um, I don't really see the appeal of just having like people who are sort of good at doing things, like black widow or whatever her name is” (2:18:57)
He loves the Nazi train and a mountain lair, and is a Nebula guy. He is seeing the film for the first time, so he reacts to it fresh. He's a sucker for his own fashion experiments like buried jeans.
Stances
Nazi science is kind of cool
Don't mind a Nazi train
Humor: Earnest deadpan about real strange projects that the hosts think are bits.
The producer in the room, a self-declared non-nerd who hated Thor on release and complains about color, Dutch angles, and the plot's spatial incoherence. Loves the Frost Giants, the hammer lab, and the Hawkeye fight scene. Collector of old Marvel cards and the X-Men cartoon.
Stances
Thor is a bad film he is tired of
Hates the muted color palette
Likes the open sets and the Warriors Three fight scene
Humor: Grumpy, blunt, and the butt of the hosts' running bits.
In their words
“I just already am tired of the visual.” (0:05:00)
Producer in the room who is into the parkour scene, a fan of the Strangers, and sleepy-tolerant of the film; asks questions like what Rick Jones and Electro were.
Stances
Likes the cannon-style set pieces
Asks for context on comics lore
Humor: Deadpan question-asking and sudden sidelines like Jersey Shore podcast news.
In their words
“Ben's actually, because Ben was leaning forward.” (0:22:09)
“Ben, do you know electro's origin and Amazing Spider-Man 2?” (0:31:00)
The producer in the room; he saw the film at a drive-in while making out, adores Stargate and sums up the film as the wish to relive a window of one's life. Quiet this episode and sad-sack in tone.
Stances
Has little to say, mostly deadpan interjections
Takes away the desire to relive a golden window of time
Humor: Deadpan, monosyllabic, comes alive for a single sincere takeaway.
Present in the room, dressed the table in Christmas tarp, is a Max Rebo Band superfan per the hosts, and says he loves Han Solo. Mostly silent.
Stances
Max Rebo Band fan
Humor: Laughs at the hosts' arguments; the hosts tease him with his many titles.
In their words
“Oh, I love Mizam Hans.” (0:12:38)
Their shows' recurring bits
Running bits, not opinions; a critic read aloud is cited, not present.
Blank Check with Griffin & David
The box office game: Guessing the film's opening weekend and what it was up against.
The sung theme: "Blank Check with Griffin and David", sung; the transcriber garbles it.
Their claims
Showing 1–34 of 34 claims.
contrast (authorship contrast):
Michael Mann → Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Ben Hosley's line quoted from a Reddit comment contrasts a one-person Michael Mann film with Marvel's committee films.
“when I watch a Michael Mann movie, I can tell this was made by one person, Marvel movies aren't made by one person”
programming (programming):
E/R → Miami Vice - Pilot (Brother's Keeper).
The E/R sitcom pilot aired the same night as Miami Vice with a rating of 23 versus 22.8.
“Airing the same night as Miami Vice, which is number two, with 22.8 million.”
career (career):
Edge of Tomorrow → Oblivion.
Oblivion is the other movie Cruise made in this stretch where he is messing with his persona: a man who looks and acts like Tom Cruise but does not know who he is.
“oblivion, the other movie he made in this time where he's trying shit”
programming (programming):
Edge of Tomorrow → RoboCop.
The hosts recorded a RoboCop commentary in the slot where Edge was originally scheduled, and the opening news montage reminds them of RoboCop's.
theme (shared theme):
Anthony Burgess → The Wanting Seed (novel).
Burgess's earlier novel is another dystopia, about overpopulation and food scarcity instead of violence.
“the Anthony Burgess novel before a Clockwork Orange is very similar in that it's a dystopian future”
industry (industry):
The Lego Batman Movie → Fifty Shades Darker.
Lego Batman opened to 53 and beat Fifty Shades Darker (46) and John Wick: Chapter 2 on opening weekend.
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Eclipse ·
0:12:41 ·
Ben Hosley
(0.60 sure it was them)
programming (programming):
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse → Toy Story 3.
Eclipse opened the same weekend as Toy Story 3, Last Airbender and Grown Ups (box office game).
“It's Toy Story 3, and it's the weekend.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Eclipse ·
2:10:08 ·
Ben Hosley
(0.50 sure it was them)
people (people):
Knight and Day → James Mangold.
The box-office game's last clue: a James Mangold action film with a huge actor; most forgotten entry in both filmographies.
“Which is one of those movies that I rewatch with being like, is this good, Mangold?”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Eclipse ·
2:10:49 ·
Ben Hosley
(0.50 sure it was them)
programming (programming):
Wong Kar-wai → Steve McQueen.
Wong Kar-wai beat McQueen 55-45; voters worried McQueen's films are heavy for the podcast.
“I think a lot of people were hesitant to vote McQueen because the episodes on 12 years of slave and hunger.”
theme (theme):
The Lighthouse → Dark Waters.
Golden Mops (Ben's movies-that-made-him-cry/wet): traditional pick is The Lighthouse, 'drenched in farts'; Dark Waters a dark horse.
unmapped (dismissed):
Motherless Brooklyn → Motherless Brooklyn.
Ben's No Thank You for Motherless Brooklyn: a friend who is a stuttering advocate found it offensive.
“My good friend is a stuttering advocate and was very offended by the movie.”
industry (industry):
Uncut Gems → Climax.
Ben's honorable mentions: Safdies for Uncut Gems for scum-bummery; Climax for best voguing scene of all time.
contrast (contrast):
Thor → The Lion King (2019 trailer).
The argument over Thor's desaturated palette turns into an argument over how bad the Lion King trailer's color looks.
“The color is so bad in that trailer.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:29:24 ·
Ben Hosley
(0.45 sure it was them)
Their fun items
Showing 1–27 of 27 fun items.
fun, about
Jan Hammer:
Ben says he went on a few dates with Jan Hammer's daughter, and the hosts propose a segment of David pumping arms to the theme.
“You know, I went on a few dates with Jan Hammer's daughter.”
fun, about
Volunteers:
Tom Hanks and John Candy Peace Corps comedy; Hanks met Rita Wilson.
“The movie's called Volunteers.”
Blank Check with Griffin & David ·
Flesh+Blood ·
1:32:52 ·
Ben Hosley
(0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about
Ben Hosley:
Running bit: the hosts try endless producer nicknames and pitch Benducer, Beniptanium and others, while Ben delivers a deadpan joke about being bald.
“I don't like to be referred to as a bald man, okay?”
fun, about
Doug Liman:
Liman's agent told him 'you don't always have to be the bad guy'; he has a bedside-manner reputation, tolerated while the movies hit.
fun, about
Ben Awards: remakes:
Films to remake with babies, animals, puppets, fruit, clowns (Ben's annual awards): baby Irishman, real-animal Lion King, puppet Souvenir.
“It's films that should be remade with either babies, animals, or puppets.”
fun, about
Iron Man 3 / Ben's pitch:
Pre-show bit: producer Ben pitches hacker witches as a million-dollar idea, then a Night Eggs villain idea (witches who hack by hand-waving).
“I just think that's a that's a $1000000 idea.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Iron Man 3 ·
0:05:13 ·
Ben Hosley
(0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about
Ben Hosley and the buried jeans:
Ben has buried three pairs of Levi's in his parents' backyard for 6, 9 and 12 months as a fashion line, and plans to put natural dyes and seeds in the pockets.
“I bought Levi's jeans, and I buried them in my parents' backyard.”
fun, about
Thor:
The hammer lab scene: SHIELD builds a lab around the unliftable Mjolnir and the hosts adore Jasper Sitwell showing up here five movies before his turn.
“Hammer lab.”
Blank Check — Patreon ·
Thor ·
0:56:02 ·
Ben Hosley
(0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about
Vanilla Sky:
Ben saw it at a drive-in in the back seat, making out, and absorbed very little.