Loves the Friday series as a communal, rental-era memory and tells childhood stories about the ads and theaters. Likes casting what-ifs and sports analogies for everything. Skeptical of horror at Christmas and of anything that wastes the premise.
Stances
Friday the 13th is not the best entry but the origin story had to be told
Friday 2 is a leap over the original
Humor: Digressive, sports-analogy heavy, and self-teasing about his office and Rewatchables running gags.
In their words
“There was 2 commercials, spring, summer, 1980 that scared the fuck out of me.” (0:07:38)
Loves Halloween and the 1970s; admires the film's craft and rewatchability, especially Leatherface's unintentional comedy. Hates Franklin, hitchhikers, and unlikely logistics. Uses sports and pop-culture analogies for everything.
Stances
The film is a rewatchable, not just a great movie
Leatherface is the hilarious favorite slasher
The hitchhiker is scarier than Leatherface
Hooper won the movie
Humor: Runs sports, NFL and podcast-world analogies and mock-outrage bits against Craig and the staff.
In their words
“I think it is a rewatchable, but I'm willing to hear the other side of it” (0:01:29)
Loves from-hell thrillers and movies that are fun to talk about even when they fail; a Boston guy who remembers where he saw things (Zoolander two weeks after 9/11). Can't stand a movie that wastes a good premise. A sucker for hoops details and stars' career arcs.
Stances
Domestic Disturbance is bad but a rewatchable good-bad movie
Vaughn and Travolta are mismatched to their roles
Cut footage and PG-13 killed the movie
Humor: Dry, trivia-heavy, with self-mockery about his own research and notes.
In their words
“I'm so relieved that this is how you're framing it.” (0:03:10)
“I saw Zoolander in the theater in Boston.” (0:11:47)
Loves ranking, tallies and lists (Pantheon, Hall of Fame, Mount Rushmores), and treats the show like a sports franchise with categories as awards. Hates inauthentic, silly-looking athletics and bad stinkers, and has always disliked narration (now conceding). Sucker for Midnight Run, Almost Famous, and sports analogies for everything.
Stances
Concedes narration is fine when the movie is good
Wants to build a Rewatchables Hall of Fame with plaques
Wants to rewatch Midnight Run
Treats the cell-phone conspiracy as plausible
Humor: Self-deprecating bits about his own mispronunciations and sports-metaphor overreach.
In their words
“Okay, these are all actual emails from actual listeners.” (0:04:36)
Loves sports movies, tropes and underdog arcs; loves racing movies more than real racing. Can't stand people who throw cards. Sucker for Pacino speeches, Pitt as an old-school star, and hot takes about better endings.
Stances
F1 is the movie of the 2020s on feel
Sonny should have crashed and JP won
Brad Pitt is above Matt Damon in culture
Nobody should throw cards for fun
Humor: Dry listmaker who stages bits and fake categories with deadpan.
In their words
“This is a better movie if Sonny crashes.” (0:55:40)
“I don't like anybody in real life or in movies that throws cards for fun.” (1:19:45)
Loves 1980s teen comedies and the Hughes run, ranking The Breakfast Club an all timer; lists teen movies by year and tracks careers and what-ifs. Rates the movie fun but is bothered by how Lisa is written and by the age gap in the kiss.
Stances
Weird Science is a super fun watch with weird elements you must factor in with the 80s
Anthony Michael Hall should have been a bigger star
Hottest take: Lisa sucks
Humor: Dry list-making and award names, reading research aloud like a deadpan docket.
In their words
“And I mentioned this because I was 15 years old when I saw this movie in the theater.” (0:03:11)
“They're both pantheon for me, but breakfast club's an all timer for me.” (1:23:34)
Loves sprawling statistics and lists (genre-checkbox years, Carrey's run) and a good Oscars grievance. Cannot resist a bit about bars, themed restaurants and sports metaphors. A sucker for the 1990s and for movies that hold up on repeat.
Stances
Carrey's 94-2000 run is the best by a comedian
1998 checked every genre box
Movies should run about 100 minutes
Humor: Rapid-fire riffs that fold sports and gambling into movie talk.
In their words
“Carries the star, obviously, and carries in this heater from 94 to 2000.” (0:27:23)
“I think 1998 is in the running for the greatest checking all the boxes movie year we've ever had.” (1:06:05)
Loves 80s TV that wrecks him (China Beach), cool-guy actors like Madsen, and big dumb 90s movies sold on a single premise. Teased for being a sucker for the Hollywood Hills guy's lifestyle. Dislikes Sil-adjacent logic holes less than he enjoys them.
Stances
Species is a great B movie that gets a pass
Wants Madsen and Helgenberger to have been a TV duo
Would be Robbie in another life
Humor: Deadpan sports-and-pop-culture analogies and self-aware sleaze.
In their words
“I fucking love China Beach.” (0:07:15)
“Bill, you see yourself as Robbie, huh?” (0:37:46)
Loves 80s and 90s crowd-pleasers, Goodfellas as his favorite movie, and a good Hollywood backstory. Can't stand pot smoke and bike traffic in modern New York, Pee-wee, or Jade. A sucker for actresses who deserved better careers (Arquette, Fiorentino) and sports-brain comparisons.
Stances
Fiorentino and Arquette were robbed of better careers
80s Scorsese is the best
Warriors is superior to After Hours as a night movie
Tom Hanks or Keaton would improve the lead
Humor: Breathless riffs, absurd hypotheticals (kill Reagan for Arquette) and sports analogies.
In their words
“I don't know how Linda Fiorentino was never on the Sopranos.” (1:09:50)
“Would you have killed Ronald Reagan for Rosanne Arquette?” (0:33:25)
Loves the pop-culture web of the 80s: songs, TV, sports ads and movie stars tied together, and reads Ebert and old press clippings. Will take a bold contrarian stance (Tess may be the villain) and invents award categories. Cannot stand an unexplained plot hole or a premise that ruins itself, but forgives absurdity when the emotion works.
Stances
Tess might be the villain; she took Catherine's idea, boyfriend and job
The Pointer Sisters' 'I'm So Excited' is secretly the most important pop-culture song
Humor: Runs deadpan bits and invented awards, and teases co-hosts' obsessions.
In their words
“is secretly the most important pop culture song of all time.” (1:27:43)
“Are we sure Tess isn't the villain of this movie?” (1:59:14)
Loves Rocky as a cultural phenomenon he lived through in 1976, and the sports-movie recipe it created. Loves the casting what-if games and the running categories. Can't stand slow courtship scenes in 2025 terms. A sucker for Stallone and for lore.
Stances
Rocky is one of the most important movies of the last 50 years
Rocky was a phenomenon in 1976, comparable to Jaws and Star Wars
Stallone wins the movie
All the President's Men should have won the Oscar
Humor: Drops running bits (Ebert, hot takes, categories) and teases the others about Boston and doo-wop.
In their words
“I saw in Dedham, Massachusetts with my dad.” (0:08:57)
Loves football, sports movies and the long run of sports books and shows; likes nitpicks and ranking lists. Fond of Billy Bob Thornton and the TV show, with a Grantland-era sense of history. Enjoys odds, lines and fantasy-football talk.
Stances
Friday Night Lights is a top-six football movie, behind The Longest Yard
Movies where the good guys lose are great for rewatchability
Billy Bob should have been the TV Coach Taylor, as a career move
Coach Gaines is arguably a bad coach
Cruise is too small and not Texan, so Hanks wins
Humor: Banter, tallies and running-bit award names, plus deadpan wagers and career-strategist asides.
In their words
“I think Billy Bob should have played the coach in the TV show.” (1:17:08)
“I think longest yard is just number one.” (1:39:56)
Loves the whole texture of Pulp Fiction and builds the whole show around categories and awards. Cares about specific lines, casting what-ifs, and bits that tie to sports (Paul George, Dion Waiters, NBA draft). Can't stand lazy nitpicks and the weak link of Fabienne's 12 minutes. A sucker for diners, milkshakes, and the lifestyle nostalgia of the movie.
Stances
Fabienne's 12 minutes is the weakest part of Pulp Fiction
Dump 8 of those minutes for a real Wilson vs Coolidge boxing sequence
Vincent Vega is completely incompetent
Cruise as Vincent or Butch is the Apex Mountain casting pick
Humor: Runs category gags and sports analogies, and escalates absurd 'unanswerable questions'.
In their words
“Well, we have some bonus categories for this one.” (0:02:34)
“I will say that for as awesome as this film has so many great shots.” (1:11:22)
“I hate to tell Tarantino what to do, who's incredible creative achievement, but if you dump 8 of the 12 minutes with Butch's girlfriend,” (1:36:04)
He disliked Twister in 1996 because it felt like the start of the effects-driven blockbuster era but now loves it for the old-school feel of real danger. He is a sucker for summer-calendar history, box office numbers, and a movie you can leave on for three days. He reads casting and career arcs through NBA and NFL analogies.
Stances
Twister is underrated and he held it unfairly in 1996
Practical effects make the actors feel in actual danger
1996 is the year the summer blockbuster calendar was set
Jonas should have had more scenes
Disaster movies should be natural disasters and not star the Rock
Humor: Sports analogies for everything, dry running bits, and mock-outrage over the group's picks.
In their words
“I watched it twice in the last week.” (0:03:10)
“I actually like it more than I've ever liked it in my life.” (0:03:12)
“I treated it this time around, like basically tried to recreate the circumstances of an old school rewatchable” (0:10:05)
Loves the 90s Myers era (Wayne's World, Axe Murderer) more than the Powers films. A sucker for Heather Graham and Garth-style sidekicks. Dislikes the rap song and the Fat Bastard sleeping bit; wants comedians to stay comedians.
Stances
Myers era best in Wayne's World/Axe Murderer
Comedians should not go serious
Mike Myers won the movie
Humor: Digressive trivia dropper and conspiracy-tangent jokester.
In their words
“We never want them to become serious actors.” (0:15:47)
Loves 80s movie-star careers, studio and box-office lore, and Kathleen Turner as a teenage ideal. Cannot stand wasted runtime and the DeVito framing scenes. A sucker for production trivia, deleted scenes and Phil Collins-style what-ifs.
Stances
The DeVito framing scenes are the weak link and could be cut
Turner is the better performer in the Douglas/Turner combo
The dog should have been made into pate
Roses is 'hall of fame' evidence that they don't make movies like this anymore
Humor: Dry, list-making and rhetorical, with sports analogies and running-bit category names.
In their words
“But man, when I was growing up in the 80s.” (0:08:23)
“She was like my platonic ideal for like someday I hope I get to marry somebody like Kathleen Turner.” (0:08:26)
“The Danny DeVito scenes, even though there's good wisdom in them” (0:48:09)
“I think it's more important that they both actually die than that you know for sure that the dog died.” (1:05:02)
Bill loves Richard Gere's charisma at full power and a movie that gets more unhinged as it goes. He keeps the categories moving and loves sports analogies and long-ago junket stories. He is a sucker for a villain you end up rooting for, and he is dismissive of Bad Lieutenant for trying too hard.
Stances
Gere's Dennis Peck is his best performance
He actually wants more dirty-cop movies
Bad Lieutenant is not a rewatchable
Humor: Sports-flavored riffs and mock-awards, like the Rick Dalton Award, and impressions.
In their words
“I think this is his best performance in a movie.” (0:09:09)
“Little like Kenny Pickett on the Steelers.” (0:18:52)
“I interviewed Ron Silver at the Ali Junket in 2001.” (0:51:48)
Bill loves Pacino's swagger and Any Given Sunday, loves Heat, and treats the Michael Mann signature as a thing he can pick at, calling out the slow-motion ending and score as dated. He is a sports guy who can't let go of the Knicks 'semifinals' line, and he has little patience for stray bad casting like Wings Hauser. He is a sucker for scenery-chewers like Bruce McGill.
Stances
Pacino's Any Given Sunday is his favorite Pacino performance other than The Godfather
The slow-motion ending is bad and tacky
Cigarette smoking in movies makes people look cool
Pacino should have smoked in this movie
Humor: Digressive and comic, uses sports analogies (LeBron, Knicks, Dion Waiters) and bits that run on.
In their words
“The Inch's speech is all time for me and that movie's terrible and he's carrying it like LeBron carried the 2007 caps.” (0:09:36)
Loves The Big Chill enough to make it his birthday movie and has seen it more than almost anything. Cares about football-movie accuracy, soundtrack craft and the 80s ensemble dramedy. Can't stand bad touch football scenes and the Oscars' snubs.
Stances
The Big Chill is a movie he returns to again and again
Touch football in movies is never done right
Kasdan's first five years are the greatest screenwriting run
Humor: Runs bits and riffs, jokes about the show's low bar and his own friends.
In their words
“Every year on my birthday, we do a movie that I love, and this year we're doing the big chill.” (0:00:58)
“I've never been satisfied with the movie touch football scene.” (1:34:03)
Loves quotable, rewatchable movies (Godfather, Goodfellas, Casino, Speed), the Sopranos, and craps and sports analogies. Hates narrators generally, but allows this one. Sucker for lists, categories, and made-up channels.
Stances
Lessons from the movie are the best part; 'nobody cares' wins
Bar-intro scene is a Goodfellas rip
Chazz Palminteri won the movie
Hasn't seen John Wick 4 yet; will wait for the perfect time
Humor: Runs the format as a bit machine, with channel pitches, rankings, and teasing his co-hosts.
In their words
“I hate narrators.” (1:10:32)
“I always wanted an all-jail movie channel called Bars, B-A-R-Z.” (1:05:05)
Their shows' recurring bits
Running bits, not opinions; a critic read aloud is cited, not present.
The Big Picture
Drafts: Hosts and guests draft films in rounds; every pick is a recommendation with an argument.
Hall of Fame: A star's or director's best, ranked and argued.
Countdowns: Ranked lists, top five or top ten.
The Rewatchables
Apex Mountain: The moment a star peaks; where on the mountain a performance sits.
Who Won the Movie: The hosts name the person who came out of the film best off.
The Ebert review: Roger Ebert's original review and star rating read aloud. Ebert is cited, never on the show.
Casting what-ifs: Who was almost cast, or who should have been.
Most rewatchable scene: The scene each host would stop on while flipping channels.
Aged best / aged worst: What holds up and what does not.
Picking Nits: The little things in a film the hosts love that they don't think totally work: the nits.
Double feature: The film each host would pair it with; a programming pick.
Their claims
Showing 1–100 of 1,295 claims.
industry (industry):
Friday the 13th → The Shining.
Spring and summer 1980 TV spots for Friday the 13th and The Shining both scared a ten-year-old; Friday's ad showed every murder.
“There was 2 commercials, spring, summer, 1980 that scared the fuck out of me.”
lineage (ancestor):
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre → Halloween.
Halloween felt like it invented modern horror, but on rewatch Chainsaw is the real ground zero.
“whenever I watch Chainsaw, I'm like, no, actually this is ground zero.”
unmapped (unintentional comedy):
Gunnar Hansen → The Silence of the Lambs.
Leatherface's unintentional comedy scores 98 on a 100 scale, just behind Buffalo Bill at 100.
“If Buffalo Bill is a 100 at a 100, Leatherface is like a 98.”
theme (1970s genre birth):
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre → Dirty Harry.
Chainsaw is one of eight 1970s films (Dirty Harry, Deep Throat, Last House, Godfather II, Jaws, Rocky, Star Wars, Superman) that spawned the next 50 years of genres.
“if you just go those 8 movies, that's kind of what would become the next 50 years of movies.”
lineage (real-life source):
Ed Gein → The Silence of the Lambs.
Ed Gein had a big Hollywood footprint; Silence of the Lambs and Manhunter touched on him.
“A lot of people, silence the lambs, touched on Ed Geen.”
unmapped (peer cluster):
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre → The Last House on the Left.
Ebert said Chainsaw belongs with Night of the Living Dead and Last House on the Left as films better than the genre required; also listed as indie-horror example in the 70s genre run.
“it belongs with 9 Living Dead, last house to the left, films that are really a lot better than the genre required.”
craft (craft):
Robert A. Burns → The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
The art director's scavenged animal parts and bones built the chicken room, called maybe the creepiest room in horror history.
“there's a lot of research about the, uh, the art director, just going around Texas and picking up decomposing animal parts”
craft (last shot):
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre → Halloween.
Chainsaw's last shot is an all-time ending, rivaled only by Halloween's empty Myers shots; Chainsaw is judged better.
“It's an all-time greatest last shot other than possibly Halloween, Myers not being there at the end.”
people (casting test):
Dennis Peck → Internal Affairs.
Craig's relationship test: could Internal Affairs' Dennis Peck have charmed Leatherface's family out of the house.
“You think Dennis could have gotten out of that house?”
industry (financing):
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre → Deep Throat.
Chainsaw was financed by a mob-linked company that also did Deep Throat and needed to launder its profits.
“this company that also did Deep Throat and had money that needed to wash the money from Deep Throat”
verdict (final girl ranking):
Marilyn Burns → Halloween.
Lori Strode is the more iconic final girl by body of work, and Ripley is up there; Sally is the underrated one.
“I think Lori's a more iconic final girl, ultimately.”
verdict (killer ranking):
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre → Psycho.
On the movie-murderer Mount Rushmore, Norman Bates and Lecter go up there; Bill picks Myers because of the body of work.
“I think the answer is probably Myers because of the body of work.”
programming (double feature):
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre → Halloween.
Bill pairs it with Halloween to compare how much Halloween cribbed from Chainsaw.
“I went Halloween just to compare and contrast like how much Halloween, crib done, chainsaw, all that stuff.”
lineage (lineage):
Domestic Disturbance → Fatal Attraction.
Domestic Disturbance is the late, bad entry in the 'from hell' thriller cycle that began with Fatal Attraction.
“We had this really good run that starts with fatal fatal attraction into the 80s.”
industry (industry):
Lakeview Terrace → The Dark Knight.
Lakeview Terrace might be the last 'from hell' movie before The Dark Knight took over the villain slot.
“It could be the last, it could be the last from hell, and then Dark Knight comes along and cleans up hell, you know?”
industry (industry):
Domestic Disturbance → Zoolander.
After 9/11, Paramount moved Zoolander up and pushed Domestic Disturbance to October, where it was cut by 22 minutes.
craft (craft):
Harold Becker → Michael Hogarth.
On his commentary Becker praises the film's credits and their maker, Michael Hogarth, as relayed by the host.
“I really like these, these, these credits that we made for this film, you know, great credit maker. His name's Michael Hogarth. He's a wonderful guy.”
what-if (what-if):
GoldenEye → Dennis Quaid.
In the GoldenEye pod Chris Ryan suggested Dennis Quaid for Joe Don Baker's role and Bill shot it down as not old enough.
“CR says, I think Dennis Quaid is just as good a suggestion as Nick Nolte, and it gets a little testy.”
craft (craft):
Tim Robbins → Bull Durham.
Bull Durham is the proposed namesake for a horrible-on-screen-athleticism flex category, though Tim Robbins is defended for his idiosyncratic windup.
“I nominate Tim Robbins as the namesake for Bull Durham.”
lineage (lineage):
Top Gun → Top Gun: Maverick.
Maverick's dogfight football is compared with the original's volleyball scene, which hides its doubles in wide shots.
“I mean, I went back and watched the volleyball scene from the original Top Gun.”
craft (craft):
War of the Worlds → Tom Cruise.
A Reddit thread defends Cruise's awkward ball toss as a character choice, a father easy on his son.
“there was Reddit thread defending Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds that's saying that. That's what the character, that's how the character would have thrown the ball.”
craft (craft):
For Love of the Game → Kevin Costner.
Costner told the speaker that John C. Reilly was the catcher and the film cut carefully around him.
“which I asked Costner about once, and he is basically like, he was the catcher, and they very carefully cut around him.”
verdict (verdict):
Sicario → The Godfather.
Godfather beats Sicario for best dinner-scene assassination because it is the bigger, more important movie.
“Godfather is just a bigger, more important movie.”
theme (theme):
Vision Quest → Sicario.
Secret Handshake category: Vision Quest's red wrestling high-tops and Sicario's blue and pink money bands as props only fans recognize.
“Vision Quest, Loud and Swain's red Asex wrestling high tops, which we talked about on that part for 5 solid.”
what-if (what-if):
Sicario → Tom Cruise.
Cruise could play the lead if the Blunt role were a man, since studios wanted a male lead and 90s Cruise fits.
what-if (what-if):
Heat → Gangs of New York.
Listener's 10-percent-better idea: Heat without the Portman storyline or with Vincent doing coke, Gangs of New York with Cameron Diaz recast.
“how heat would be 10% better if they either dropped the Portman storyline, or had Vincent doing coke, or gangs of New York, if Cameron Diaz was recast.”
theme (theme):
The Shawshank Redemption → Goodfellas.
Listener's list of narrated Rewatchables: Shawshank, Goodfellas, Apocalypse Now, Ferris Bueller, Fight Club, Stand by Me, Big Lebowski and more.
people (people):
Ernie Anderson → Paul Thomas Anderson.
The 70s/80s ABC promo narrator is PTA's dad, and the hosts imagine trailer narration for The Town.
programming (programming):
To Live and Die in L.A. → Bad Lieutenant.
Date-night worst movie lists: To Live and Die in L.A. starts one, then Bad Lieutenant, Happiness, 8MM, Come and See.
“He said, uh, he nominates Bad Lieutenant, Happiness, 8 millimeter and come and see.”
people (people):
Catherine Hahn → Step Brothers.
Hahn is a Hall of Fame 'Dion Waiters' inductee for Step Brothers; the speaker recalls 25 minutes on the Catalina wine cooler.
“We did like 15 minutes on how good she was in that movie.”
industry (industry):
Heat → Die Hard.
Bearer bonds: the tax-lawyer listener accepts them in post-82 movies like Beverly Hills Cop and maybe Die Hard but not in Heat or Panic Room.
“he can look past it for some post 82 movies like Beverly Hills cop, maybe even die hard.”
theme (theme):
Phantom Thread → Little Miss Sunshine.
Dave Toshki (as transcribed) Animal Crackers Award for niche tastes: Reynolds Woodcock's poisoned mushrooms, the Little Miss Sunshine character, Neil McCauley in Heat.
“Reynolds Woodcock's fondness for poisoned mushrooms and Phantom Thread.”
contrast (contrast):
Denise Richards → Elizabeth Shue.
The award is renamed for Denise Richards as nuclear physicist Christmas Jones, since it's more absurd than Shue as an astrophysicist.
“Denise Richards playing a nuclear physicist is 100 times more absurd than Elizabeth Shoe.”
craft (craft):
The Social Network → Inglourious Basterds.
The best line reading category: Eisenberg's 'That's good, you should be proud' alongside 'Everybody in the German army has heard of Hugo Stiglitz'.
“It's an all-time line reading that could base smarminess, jealousy, and resentment without showing much emotion.”
programming (programming):
Zodiac → Almost Famous.
AI cut-your-own-runtime fantasy: trim Zodiac to 97 minutes; instead Bill watched the bootleg Almost Famous with 35 extra minutes.
“we watch the bootleg cut the 2nd time, which has like 35 minutes of additional scenes.”
what-if (what-if):
Just One of the Guys → Judd Nelson.
Joyce Hyser nearly played Dr. Melfi; equivalent to Judd Nelson almost being Walter White; the 'hammer' of internet research.
“He said this to me was the equivalent of finding out”
fun, about
Beverly Hills Cop II:
Trivia: the license plate 2GAT123 is apparently the license-plate equivalent of the 555 phone number, appearing in other LA stories.
“is apparently the license plate equivalent of the 555 phone number.”
fun, about
Brigitte Nielsen:
Nielsen, who had affairs with Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Tony Scott, Mark Gastineau and Flavor Flav, is called a rainbow of romances.
fun, about
Beverly Hills Cop II:
Double-feature style pitch: Axel is brought to LA as a consultant on a cop movie and discovers it is laundering drug money. Simmons adds Don Simpson with a giant pile of cocaine.
“Then we could have just had Don Simpson in the movie with a giant pile of cocaine.”
fun, about
Robert Altman:
Studio offered full financing if Altman got a bigger star than Tim Robbins; he told them off and self-financed, hence Spelling Entertainment in the credits.
“Altman was offered full studio financing of the player if he had a bigger star than Tim Robbins, and Altman said, fuck you”
fun, about
The Player cameos:
Altman got 65 celebrities to do cameos by saying only that it was about an executive who murders a screenwriter and gets away with it.
“I only told them, I'm making a film about a studio executive who murders the screenwriter and get away, gets away with it, and they all wanted to be in it.”
fun, about
The Player opening shot:
The 7:47 opening tracking shot took 15 takes and they used the 10th; it holds the Buck Henry Graduate II pitch and the meta quiet-on-the-set start.
“The opening scene, 7 minutes, 47 seconds, 15 takes were required.”
fun, about
Habeas Corpus (inside The Player):
The pitch is no stars, an unknown cast and a depressing ending; a year later it stars Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis with a happy ending.
fun, about
Sydney Pollack:
Sydney Pollack in suspenders and no shirt in Eyes Wide Shut is the text-thread photo and the energy Bill says he strives for.
fun, about
Vincent D'Onofrio and Greta Scacchi:
Six degrees: their daughter Leila George married Sean Penn, whom Tim Robbins directed in Dead Man Walking.
“They have a daughter named Leila George, who's married to Sean Penn.”
fun, about
Greta Scacchi:
Scacchi refused nudity after Presumed Innocent, so the sex scene is shot from the neck up; Cynthia Stevenson's nude hot tub scene is the counterpoint.
“Skocky said no nudity. So that was why they filmed the sex scene from the neck up.”
fun, about
Die Hard 2:
Most rewatchable scene: McClane fights two guys in a restricted baggage area, a cluttered multi-room fight setup nobody does anymore.
“John fights 2 guys in a security restricted baggage area.”
fun, about
Die Hard 2:
Most rewatchable: Carmine Lorenzo meets McClane and is unimpressed by the Nakatomi hero; the hosts joke about the Sully equivalent.
“Yeah, we're not at the Nakatomi building anymore, McQueen.”
fun, about
Die Hard 2:
The plane crash is the craziest, most horrifying scene in action movies and why the hosts hadn't done the movie; memorable, not rewatchable.
“I wouldn't call it rewatchable, more like memorable”
fun, about
Die Hard 2:
Christmas movie debate: Simmons holds firm that Die Hard and Die Hard 2 are not Christmas movies; the others say this captures holiday travel anxiety.
“In my heart of hearts, it's not a Christmas movie.”
fun, about
Will Smith:
On the Oscars: Bill says the first 2.5 hours were boring but the slap was the most must-see TV in five years; Kimmel compared it to Tyson biting Holyfield's ear.
“as soon as that happened, that was the most must see TV thing that has happened in, what, 5 years?”
fun, about
David Fincher:
Fincher's lessons from Panic Room: don't shoot 100 days in one place; he ended up two years in thinking nothing was worth it.
fun, about
Jodie Foster:
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976) is one of the five craziest movies you could ever rewatch; there's a dead person in the basement.
“which is one of the 5 craziest movies you could ever rewatch.”
fun, about
Panic Room:
Nicole Kidman was first cast as Meg, hurt her knee, and Foster replaced her on a week's notice because her Flora Plum shut down; then Foster got pregnant and production stopped again, which is why it took two years.
fun, about
Panic Room:
Bill reads Roger Ebert's three-star review (Fincher a visual virtuoso, Foster spellbinding) and asks why not 3.5; the Ebert running gag.
fun, about
Panic Room:
Most rewatchable scene candidates: robbers show up, Jody finds out they're in the house, Jody gets her phone (slow-mo), Leto screws up the safe talk, the switcheroo, the propane-tank sequence.
fun, about
Panic Room:
Bearer bonds explainer: bill Googles it; bonds are owned by whoever holds them, so they're 'the original Bitcoin' and a lazy heist-movie staple.
fun, about
Forest Whitaker:
Bill calls him 'the Jeff Green of actors' because of his baffling career: Oscar winner who is also in Taken 3, ER, and a Fast Times linebacker.
fun, about
Forest Whitaker:
He passed on directing Panic Room, wanting to act in it; he was prepping First Daughter, starring Katie Holmes, which he directed.
“He also directed 1st daughter starring Katie Holmes.”
fun, about
Dwight Yoakam:
Casting what-if: Maynard from Tool was first choice for Raoul, the greatest what-if in Rewatchables history; Yoakam was number two.
fun, about
Panic Room:
Kristen Stewart grew more than three inches during shooting, towering over Foster; Bill wants a database of child actors who grew mid-production.
“Kristen Stewart grew more than 3 inches during the filming.”
fun, about
Panic Room:
Craig asks about SOS flashlight signaling; leads to Kitty Genovese and the bystander effect and the Halloween neighbor who won't help Jamie Lee.
fun, about
Miracle:
Simmons listened to the Sweden game on a clock radio; the broadcast was tape delayed and he overheard the score in a grocery store.
“I swear to God, in my room, in Brooklyn, Massachusetts, I listened to us tie the Sweden game on my clock radio.”
fun, about
Al Michaels:
Michaels re-recorded his narration so the third act is narrated by him; his real last ten seconds call is higher and more excited.
fun, about
Bill Simmons:
Simmons's 2004 ESPN The Magazine column was rewritten by editors because Disney owned both; the new ending was 'by the way, I'm seeing it on Friday.'
“You can't, like, trash the idea of the movie in your column.”
fun, about
Father of the Bride (most rewatchable scene):
Annie announces she is getting married at the first family dinner. It sets up all the dynamics, and Steve Martin's expressions and Diane Keaton's welling-up are the payoff.
“it's got to be that 1st family dinner scene because it sets up all of the dynamics of the movie and everybody's very funny in it.”
fun, about
Kieran Culkin:
Best 'what ages the best': a child Kieran Culkin in the dinner scene whose face already looks like Roman Roy. Simmons and wife waited for the 8-year-old equivalent of a dick pic scene.
“It is so fucking hilarious to watch this and think that kid's going to be Roman Roy.”
fun, about
San Marino:
Both hosts give San Marino, the film's suburb, a best-aged vote; Simmons says it is a secret like Fight Club, with old-school drugstores with ice cream sundaes. The house exteriors are actually in Pasadena.
fun, about
Father of the Bride (basketball scene):
The kid montage into the father-daughter basketball scene set to a Darlene Love song. Simmons grades it an eight against Teen Wolf's one, and notes dads do not play one-on-one with a 5-foot-2 daughter.
“So if that's a one, this is like an eight, I would say.”
fun, about
Phoebe Cates:
Casting what-if: Phoebe Cates was offered Annie Banks but was pregnant. Simmons says she and Demi Moore would have split the Demi Moore parts.
“Phoebe Cates. Offered the role of Annie Banks. had to turn it down because she was pregnant.”
fun, about
George Newbern:
Best That Guy (Joey Pants Award) debate: Brian the son-in-law is George Newbern, who has hundreds of credits and over 350 audiobook credits on Audible as of September 2020. Simmons gives him the award over B.D. Wong.
“As of September 2020, over 350 credits on Audible.”
fun, about
George Clooney:
Recast-and-catch: George Clooney as the son-in-law, in 1991 Facts of Life mode, which Simmons says would make him a bit more of a threat and make a fun wrinkle.
“I can't believe George Clooney was the son-in-law, just would have been a fun wrinkle.”
fun, about
Tom Irish:
Trivia: an actor debuted in the 1950 Father of the Bride and made his last film appearance in the 1991 remake, playing Ben Banks in both.
fun, about
Father of the Bride (the house):
The house exterior is in Pasadena and the rest is sets or another house; the reception house sold for $1.998 million in August 2016. Fans take photos like at the Michael Myers house.
“It's like the like the Michael Myers house and a bunch of other ones.”