Loves the rewatchable ones that snuck up on him and the last half hour of courtroom movies; is a sucker for stat-style trivia and Oscar conspiracies. Dislikes lazy car endings only mildly; mostly he cannot resist digging up oral-history detail.
Stances
Believes the frozen-envelope Oscar theory over Jack Palance
Pesci was the most improbable A-list star of his lifetime
Humor: Dry, sports-metaphor-heavy riffs and relentless trivia.
In their words
“I believe the David Stern thing, the frozen envelope way more than the Jack Palance.” (0:17:18)
“The most improbable A-list movie star I think we've had in my lifetime.” (0:25:57)
Loves ensemble comedies and a great one-line movie pitch, and believes in the McBride gospel. Can't stand Hitler-adjacent hand-wringing and sequels that disappoint (Fletch 2). A sucker for sports analogies (Dion Waiters, Stephen A.) and Kenny Powers bloopers.
Stances
Danny McBride is the funniest since Ferrell
Rogen and Goldberg did the right thing by not making sequels
Release the Hitler cut
Humor: Drops sports-radio-style asides and rapid callbacks to running Rewatchables gags.
In their words
“I said he was the he's the funniest guy since Ferrell.” (0:26:30)
Loves survival and wilderness movies, bears, and plot-heavy 90s star vehicles, and has read Art Linson's book on the making of the film. Won't rewatch The Revenant and dislikes bad casting. Sucker for nitpicks like the watch engraver and for sports analogies.
Stances
The Edge is the best mainstream bear movie
Bart the Bear won the movie
A real actress should have played Mickey
Baldwin is a prick on set but a good actor
Always in on survival movies
Humor: Rapid sports analogies, deadpan nitpicks, and elaborate hypothetical bits.
In their words
“Bart the Bear won the movie.” (1:34:04)
“Sadly, it's Elle McPherson's acting, for sure.” (1:02:43)
Loves ensemble casts throwing 98 miles an hour, office thrillers, and A-listers used from the bullpen. Dislikes weak links and weak titles. A sucker for a good rewatch category.
Stances
Margin Call is better than The Big Short
Margin Call is a horror movie more than a drama
Irons is the worst human being
Margin Call is a bad title
Humor: Runs bits and games, poking at colleagues and his own diet.
In their words
“I dig that it's more of a horror movie than a drama.” (0:01:48)
“I just like this movie more than the big short.” (1:04:08)
Loves tidy, perfectly executed genre movies and the Rewatchables test of whether you can roll in midway. A Goldman and Stephen King devotee; hot-take prone about Kathy Bates. Can't stand slow first hours and logistical plot holes. A sucker for Knicks tangents.
Stances
Misery is a perfect thing but only a tier 2 or 3 rewatchable
Bates is the best Best Actress performance of the last 30 years
Loves hangout comedy where friends rip each other, improvised bits, and a well-timed needle drop. Sucker for sports analogies and for the stars-who-have-it argument. Wary of bloated runtimes and subplots that go nowhere.
Stances
The com-rom era (2004-2011) is a real genre shift from the 89-05 rom-com boom
Knocked Up is too long and should be about 1:40
The fantasy-baseball cheating subplot and the labor sequence are the weak links
Heigl and Lohan are the decade's two lost superstars
Humor: Dry, list-and-stat-driven riffs and sports comparisons, plus teasing his producer.
In their words
“I just think her and Lohan are the 2 lost superstars from this decade.” (0:25:19)
“That's got to be the best comedy producing run anyone's had.” (0:10:54)
“It is 7.5 minutes that you could cut so easily.” (0:54:05)
Loves 80s excess, star-power movies, Eddie Murphy, Simpson-Bruckheimer productions, and magazine research on set chaos. Cannot stand Axel being asexual again and plot holes like Jan. A sucker for action-comedy, theme songs, and sports analogies.
Stances
Cop II is more rewatchable than Cop I, though not better
Eddie Murphy is on his all-time favorites short list
The movie should have been 10-15 minutes longer
Villains are overstuffed (five villains)
Humor: Delivers deadpan 80s-coke-era jokes and sports analogies, and riffs on producer Don Simpson excess.
In their words
“So, yeah, the 80s are the fucking best.” (0:17:59)
“I don't think it's a better movie, but I actually think it's a more rewatchable movie because it's sleeker.” (0:21:30)
Loves early-90s LA-mystique movies, cameo spotting, and rewatching favorite sequences. Admits Altman's Popeye turned him off as a kid and he loves Striking Distance and Sarah Jessica Parker. Can't connect with Greta Scacchi's character and says Scacchi is not that good here.
Stances
The Player is where meta-Hollywood storytelling starts
Greta Scacchi's character is underwritten and he doesn't get her
Randall Batinkoff deserved a career
Hollywood execs are always the bad guys in these stories
Humor: Runs bits (Striking Distance week, rookie cards, Total Dunk) and plays the straight man to the others' riffs.
In their words
“I remember seeing presumed innocent in the theater with my buddy Bysch.” (1:05:50)
Loves movies of his own youth, the 1990s theatrical-era blockbusters and John McClane's mix of comedy and action. Cannot stand the Die Hard-as-Christmas-movie take and finds the plane crash a conflicted, joyless moment. A sucker for NBA metaphors, Regarding Henry as a cult comedy, and bad-movie tangents.
Stances
Die Hard and Die Hard 2 are not Christmas movies
the plane crash is memorable, not rewatchable
Regarding Henry is now a hilarious comedy
the plot and getaway plan do not make sense
Humor: Rapid-fire running bits, sports analogies, self-deprecating dad jokes and stubborn contrarian takes.
In their words
“In my heart of hearts, it's not a Christmas movie.” (1:16:22)
“I wouldn't call it rewatchable, more like memorable” (0:30:15)
Loves rewatchable ensemble thrillers, box-office and calendar context, and sports analogies; delights in bad-guy-as-star casting what-ifs. Can't stand Contact. A sucker for production trivia and record-setting script sales.
Stances
Contact is an awful movie
Fincher's movies are rewatchable and date-movie friendly
Panic Room is a well-made B movie elevated by its director
Loves adult 90s movies, period detail on set walls (Planet of the Apes, Doors, Nixon posters), Sigourney Weaver and Joan Allen, and any chance to rank things. Can't stand water beds, Elijah Wood's one move, or an unearned plot beat. A sucker for nostalgia, sports analogies, and the key party as a gimmick.
Stances
Ice Storm has almost no standalone rewatchable scenes beyond the key party
Joan Allen deserved an Oscar nomination
The film needs the mid-90s to make sense
Humor: Turns everything into sports analogies and running bits like premature-ejaculation jokes.
In their words
“There's really almost no rewatchable scenes other than, um, other than the key party.” (0:03:10)
“What was fun about a water bed?” (0:55:34)
“I love bong scenes in movies, just I'm always in bong scenes.” (0:51:14)
Loves sports movies, speeches, and tight dramatizations of events he lived through; remembers 1980 in detail. Cannot stand wet-blanket wives and sports movies that run long. A sucker for Remember the Titans and memorabilia.
Stances
Third period of the USSR game is most rewatchable
The wife character is one of the worst of its kind
Disney sports movies run 20 minutes too long
Pacino in Any Given Sunday is the top sports speech
Humor: Anecdotal, self-deprecating tangents tied to his own life.
In their words
“I said this was the greatest moment of my entire childhood.” (0:01:33)
Loves Steve Martin's whole career and sentimental family movies; a sucker for dad-daughter material now that he has a 16-year-old. Cannot stand Martin Short's one-note gag, mis-cast Diane Keaton in The Godfather, and sloppy wedding logistics. Loves celebrity trivia, rating scales, and 90s nostalgia.
Stances
Father of the Bride is the default my-daughter-is-getting-married movie
Steve Martin's second-career peak starts here but his true apex was 1978-79
Annie is a bad daughter
Martin Short is overacted and one note
Teen Wolf has the worst basketball scene ever
Humor: Deadpan self-deprecating dad humor plus sports analogies (Apex to Nader, Patriots losing).
In their words
“This is the only my daughter is getting married movie that I think is the default for everybody.” (0:01:54)
“The worst, the worst basketball scene ever in a movie is in Teen Wolf.” (0:42:02)
Loves films that capture a time and place and treats the Bee Gees soundtrack as untouchable. Cares about the production mechanics and the behind-the-scenes deals (Stigwood, Paramount, the Steadicam). Can't stand weak casting and unfinished payoffs such as the dance contest and the hollow Rocky-style moment. A sucker for dance-floor takeover scenes.
Stances
Travolta wins the movie; Grease was his apex
The dance contest should have been better
Karen Lynn Gorney was miscast
The movie may be more self-aware than it looks
Staying Alive is bad but he is glad it exists
Humor: Dry deadpan on production oddities and blunt about miscasting; reads trivia like a prosecutor.
In their words
“Fuck up the legacy of Saturday.” (0:43:22)
“I'm so confused why she got cast for this movie that I actually spent like a half hour Googling it” (0:55:09)
“I think the 1st 5 minutes of it are among the 5 funniest moments minutes of the entire 80s.” (1:17:53)
Loves Newman, a rewatchable sports-movie structure, montages, and 80s style, and was a serious pool player. Wants a sports movie to show who won, and gripes about the forfeit logic. A sucker for Cruise committing to a bit.
Stances
Newman might be his favorite actor of all time
The ending's forfeit never added up
Wanted to see who won the final match
Pool deserves a TV comeback
Humor: Self-deprecating pool-hustler boasts and long running riffs like a White Lotus sequel.
In their words
“I actually think he might be my favorite actor of all time” (0:42:49)
“I hate the forfeit in the tournament.” (1:08:52)
“Did you model your game after anyone you saw in this movie?” (1:00:11)
Loves mainstream, star-driven 80s and early-90s comedies and sports-flavored framing; admires Bill Murray. Skeptical about the film's morals, raising whether Bob is a sociopath, and nitpicks plot logic. Sucker for box-office year lists and trivia.
Stances
Considers What About Bob? almost perfect yet asks 'what was the point'
Believes Murray had three career phases
Full team Bill Murray over Dreyfuss
No recasting needed because everyone is perfect
Humor: Dry, list-heavy riffs, teasing his co-hosts about their weekend habits and the crew, and sports metaphors.
In their words
“This movie kills me. I think it's almost perfect.” (0:01:41)
Loves ensemble crime movies and gets sentimental about the 1981 era; relishes procedural detail and tough-guy actors. Can't stand muddled endings but is easy on style. Sucker for Chicago movies and Running Scared.
Stances
Thief and Heat are a Mann family
Ferris Bueller best Chicago movie
Humor: Rapid-fire riffing and ad reads.
In their words
“I'm literally the number one fan of running scared.” (1:09:04)
Loves a patient procedural that sucks you in on cable, and ranks Freeman's contributions highly. Likes trivia like diner locations and casting what-ifs, and sports analogies for everything. Sucker for the last forty minutes of a great movie.
Stances
Wants to come in halfway through; the last hour is the rewatch.
Brad Pitt is good here but not top-tier; Freeman's apex is after Se7en.
Sly in Se7en would derail it.
Humor: Escalates a nitpick into a long mock-forensic bit, with sports metaphors.
In their words
“Seven lives are saved.” (0:59:59)
“How do you mail someone a severed head, Chris?” (1:14:04)
Loves 80s cable comedies that wear you down on rewatch, Lakers lore, and character-actor trivia. Defends The Saint and Val Kilmer against everyone. Can't stand misses of what a movie is trying to be; a sucker for sports detail and Mystery Science Theater.
Stances
Fletch is a stone cold classic and one of the most quotable movies of the 80s
Chevy Chase's career is a fascinating drug-era casualty arc
The Saint is underrated
Humor: Deadpan trash talk of his co-hosts and a running self-owning bit about his own obsessions.
In their words
“This is a stone cold fucking classic, and we need to put respect on Fletch's name.” (0:02:50)
Loves cars, sports analogies, and the first half of Ferris; fixated on timelines, nitpicks, and category structure. Can not stand Cameron's decision to destroy the Ferrari. A sucker for big iconic cars and 80s teenage girl nostalgia.
Stances
The first half of the movie is better than the second
Cameron should not have destroyed the car
Hughes won the movie
Parade traffic would make the timeline impossible
Humor: Mock-serious obsession with logistics and trivia, running gags like Mount Rushmores and Hall of Fame inductions.
In their words
“It's like, honestly, watching a perfect game all the way, even at the Wrigley Field, the baseball game.” (0:18:08)
“It a replica, as it turns out.” (0:40:45)
Their shows' recurring bits
Running bits, not opinions; a critic read aloud is cited, not present.
The Big Picture
Drafts: Hosts and guests draft films in rounds; every pick is a recommendation with an argument.
Hall of Fame: A star's or director's best, ranked and argued.
Countdowns: Ranked lists, top five or top ten.
The Rewatchables
Apex Mountain: The moment a star peaks; where on the mountain a performance sits.
Who Won the Movie: The hosts name the person who came out of the film best off.
The Ebert review: Roger Ebert's original review and star rating read aloud. Ebert is cited, never on the show.
Casting what-ifs: Who was almost cast, or who should have been.
Most rewatchable scene: The scene each host would stop on while flipping channels.
Aged best / aged worst: What holds up and what does not.
Picking Nits: The little things in a film the hosts love that they don't think totally work: the nits.
Double feature: The film each host would pair it with; a programming pick.
Their claims
Showing 101–200 of 1,295 claims.
craft (craft):
Martin Donnelly → F1.
The crash that ends Sonny's career was based on Donnelly's real crash, and he advised on the film.
“The crash that ended, Sonny's career was based on the actual crash of Martin Donnelly in the 1990s Spanish Grand Prix.”
contrast (contrast):
Weird Science → Better Off Dead.
Weird Science is one of eight 'semi-deranged' 1985 teen movies; Better Off Dead parodies the teen movie while being one.
“Um, which is almost like parodying the teen movie as they're making a teen movie.”
theme (theme):
Weird Science → Can't Buy Me Love.
Can't Buy Me Love is another version of the 80s premise of guys trying to get laid, by buying a fake girlfriend.
“And you left out Can't Buy Me Love, which is another version of this where the guy's like, what if I used all my lawnmower money for a couple years and bought a fake girlfriend for a couple months?”
industry (industry):
Pump Up the Volume → Weird Science.
Pump Up the Volume is named as a movie that clearly created podcasts; the question is whether Weird Science created Alexa.
“And we've talked about this in the past, like pump up the volume, clearly created podcasts.”
theme (theme):
Weird Science → Her.
Derek Thompson's male-loneliness podcast ties the 1985 premise to today: kids who cannot meet anybody would not leave the house.
“Derek Thompson just did a podcast for us about male loneliness”
theme (theme):
John Hughes → Taylor Sheridan.
Bill's notes pair Hughes and Taylor Sheridan as the two greatest creative forces, as if on the limitless drug.
“Hughes and Taylor Sheridan are the 2 greatest creative creative forces we've ever had.”
what-if (what-if):
Anthony Michael Hall → Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Hall turned down Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller; Ferris would have been the move away from the dork side.
career (career):
Anthony Michael Hall → Johnny B. Good.
Trying to escape the dork typecast, Hall became the jock in Johnny B. Good, which the speaker finds boring.
contrast (contrast):
Kelly LeBrock → Phoebe Cates and Kevin Kline.
Phoebe Cates is the happy version of a lost 80s actress who found love; LeBrock's is the depressing one.
“So the 2 the 2 lost actresses of the 80s for falling in love were her and Phoebe Cates.”
verdict (verdict):
Danny Elfman → Weird Science.
Elfman is not a fan of the title song and is dismissive of it in interviews, though the speaker likes it.
“So Elfman, like not a fan. He's kind of dis about it, which is really annoying.”
lineage (lineage):
Weird Science → The Breakfast Club.
Weird Science was shot at the same high school as The Breakfast Club, here called Shermer High School.
“You mentioned this movie was filmed at the same high school as the Breakfast Club and it was actually called Shermer High School.”
contrast (contrast):
Weird Science → Dazed and Confused.
Ilan Mitchell-Smith as lead is compared to Wiley Wiggins as Mitch Kramer: a lot put on a young unproven lead.
“very similar too, is the Wiley Wiggins dazed and confused performance as Mitch Kramer.”
craft (craft):
Weird Science → Oingo Boingo.
The speaker imagines the title song was written after the band was told the plot and shown the film, Frankenstein vibe included.
“I'm making this movie. It's about these 15 year old kids that create basically like the perfect woman and she comes out of the computer and has sex with them.”
contrast (contrast):
Weird Science → Home Alone.
Chet is a top asshole older brother in a comedy; his competition includes Home Alone's Buzz, though Uncle Frank is worse.
“He's competing against the Home Alone, older brother.”
theme (theme):
Weird Science → Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Hughes always adds a sentimental scene at the end, like Ferris, and Weird Science's 'like me for me' speech.
“Like Hughes will always give you a little bit of green beans on the side.”
contrast (contrast):
The Truman Show → 7 Up (Michael Apted series).
Like Apted's series, lives play out inside a film framework, but Truman does not know he is participating.
“the crucial thing about Truman is that he doesn't know he's participating in something that everybody else does.”
contrast (contrast):
The Truman Show → Top Gun: Maverick.
Powell contrasts the first AD's nightmare on Truman Show with Top Gun: Maverick, the biggest people-count movie he made, with Navy briefs.
“Top Gun Maverick was probably the that was probably the biggest, most amount of people movie you made.”
industry (industry):
Roger Ebert → Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
Siskel and Ebert had said after Ace Ventura that Carrey would never have a movie career, then apologized on air for Truman Show.
craft (craft):
The Truman Show → Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Truman Show has a major plot beat every ten minutes, passing an invented Raiders-style screenplay test.
“This movie passes the Raiders of the Lost Arc screenplay test that I'm inventing”
programming (programming):
The Truman Show → The Running Man.
1998 is praised as the year that checked every genre box, with Truman Show as sci-fi, a model for movie-year variety and Powell's Running Man.
“I think 1998 is in the running for the greatest checking all the boxes movie year we've ever had.”
career (career):
Michelle Williams → Manchester by the Sea.
Wish to ask Williams about Species on the Manchester by the Sea junket; she disavowed the film.
“I would have loved to have been like on the junket for Manchester by the sea.”
craft (craft):
H.R. Giger → Species.
Giger designed the creature; he objected to the ending, so the filmmakers used a headshot kill that had not appeared in an alien movie.
“So then he threw his body in front of whatever the ending initially was and they ended up doing the headshot kill instead because that hadn't been in an alien movie.”
industry (studio retreat):
The King of Comedy → After Hours.
King of Comedy bombing and Fox pulling it set up Scorsese's retreat to small-scale After Hours; he said 70s directors had lost to studios.
“And that was when I really understood that the 70s were over for me”
industry (Oscar upset):
Ordinary People → Raging Bull.
Raging Bull lost Best Picture to Ordinary People, which Bill still rates better than Out of Africa.
“I think for when he lost Raging Bull, 2 ordinary people, when he lost the best film.”
unmapped (slow vs fast):
Martin Scorsese → Stanley Kubrick.
Hosts wish great directors like Scorsese and Coogler would bang out quick movies like Soderbergh; Kubrick is cited as another who took his time.
what-if (what-if casting):
Rosanna Arquette → Desperately Seeking Susan.
Bill says Arquette could have had Meg Ryan's career parts, citing Susan as a Meg Ryan role.
unmapped (same-year role):
Linda Fiorentino → Vision Quest.
Fiorentino is also in Vision Quest in 1985, whose premise is a high school kid and the hot lady upstairs.
unmapped (critical dissent):
Pauline Kael → After Hours.
Kael called it a hired-hand vacuous piece of consumer goods; the hosts say that misses the movie.
“Scorsese's using his skills and even his personality like a hired hand.”
fun, about
Fletch (cut scenes):
Original posters showed Fletch as a hockey player; a cut fantasy had him pitching in the World Series until Lasorda pulls him, explaining his later grudge against Lasorda.
“There's another fantasy moment that was cut where he pitches in the World Series and Lasorda pulls him from the game.”
fun, about
Fletch (Apex Mountain):
Apex Mountain: Chevy's apex is SNL or the 85-86 comeback; Harold Faltermeyer's is Beverly Hills Cop into this into Top Gun; Kareem's is 1980 or 1985.
fun, about
Fletch:
Lakers jersey, the Magic-Bird poster in the apartment, and the faded purple; Fletch jersey became a thing people wore; Chick Hearn's street named maybe because of Fletch.
fun, about
Matthew Broderick:
Casting what-ifs: first choice for Alex P. Keaton, cast then dropped out of The Flamingo Kid (Matt Dillon's breakout), turned down Johnny Utah in Point Break. Hosts say he is not a quarterback.
“He turned down the role of Johnny Utah, point break.”
fun, about
Ferris Bueller's Day Off:
Bill's 2009 mailbag timeline test: fit the whole day (Sears Tower, exchange, art museum, Chez Louis, Wrigley, parade, car repair) into under 8 hours. He challenged readers to reenact it; no one did.
“I challenged everyone in 2009 to to, I was like, all right, 3 high school or college people, just try to reenact this and see if you can do this in 8 hours.”
fun, about
Ferris Bueller's Day Off:
Most Rewatchable Scene nominees: the they bought it monologue, Cameron deciding to leave, Ferris picking up Sloane, the Abe Froman call, the Star Wars Ferrari joyride, the art museum, Cameron destroying the car, and Ferris sprinting home.
“My winner for this is I'm going to break rewatchables tradition for the 1st time in 110 episodes”
fun, about
Ferris Bueller's Day Off:
Bill's pick: the parking attendants' joyride in the Ferrari set to Star Wars music, one of the hardest he has ever laughed.
“It probably made me laugh top 4 hardest ever in a movie”
fun, about
Robert Smith (The Cure):
The art museum scene bombed with Robert Smith's original music; they swapped in an instrumental of a Smiths song and it worked.
“they even said in the test screening for this, they use different music and it just didn't work.”
fun, about
Mia Sara:
Mount Rushmore of mid-80s teen girls: Bill inducts Mia Sara alongside Kelly Preston, Joyce Hyser, and Elizabeth Shue; Chris is accused of taking it too far.
“I do want to induct her into the mid 80s Mount Rushmore with Kelly Preston, Joyce Heiser, and Elizabeth Shu.”
fun, about
Richard Edson:
Joey Pants Award (best that guy): both parking attendants. Edson's filmography is notable, including Stranger Than Paradise, Platoon, Do the Right Thing.
“Edson is in more important movies than almost any actor in the 80s.”
fun, about
Charlie Sheen:
Dion Waiters Award (small role, big impact): Charlie Sheen in the police station. Reportedly stayed up over two days for the look.
fun, about
Ferris Bueller's Day Off:
Deleted scene: Ferris takes a bond bought at his birth from his dad's closet and cashes it, funding the day. Cut because it made him look like a thief.
“It was removed because it made him seem like a thief.”
fun, about
Matthew Broderick:
Broderick hurt his knee in the running scene, which was shot before Twist and Shout, so he could not do much choreography; a blessing because the scene would have run longer.
“thank God, because then that scene would have been longer.”
fun, about
Ferris Bueller's Day Off:
The post-credits bus scene was supposed to be in the film; Hughes loved it and threw it at the end, so the school bus of kids coming home at 6 makes no sense.
“I think John his is just like, fuck it, I'm putting it in.”
fun, about
Ferris Bueller's Day Off:
Hosts say the car in the movie is a replica; maker Modena Design was sued by Ferrari and went bankrupt. A real 1961 250 GT California sold for around $18 million.
“Ferrari ended up suing them and they went bankrupt because of this movie.”
fun, about
John Hughes:
Cameron wears a Red Wings jersey, not Blackhawks, because Hughes grew up in Michigan and idolized Gordie Howe, which still bothers Bill.
“John Hughes grew up 1st 12 years of his life in Michigan, loved the local hockey team, the Red Wings.”
fun, about
John Hughes:
Who won the movie: Hughes first, Broderick second, Cameron third. Bill argues Hughes is the most-seen, most-loved director since 1980 and had no rival in his lane.
“I think you could make the case that since 1980, he is the director who more people have a serious relationship to his movies than any other person”
fun, about
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood:
Tarantino's 10-film plan and the idea of 300 minutes of Bounty Law: he has threatened to make five episodes of it, possibly on Netflix, though Leo may not agree.
“he's been threatening doing 5 episodes of bounty law. like for real.”
fun, about
Eddie Murphy:
On Letterman after this film, Eddie came on in a Michael Jackson suit and behaved differently; after buying Bubble Hill, the speaker says, a mansion every night is death for comedy.
“He was one of the biggest stars in the world and he had reached a point where there was no way to have normal interactions with anybody.”
fun, about
Beverly Hills Cop:
Eddie was hired about two weeks before shooting on a script that had been kicking around since the 70s, and he improvised large swaths of it. Brest said every time they hit a jam he asked Eddie for something.
“every time we got into a jam, I turn to Eddie and say, can you come up with something?”
fun, about
John Ashton:
In the super cop scene, Ashton looks pained but is actually trying not to laugh, Carol Burnett Show style. Ronny Cox can be seen fighting it off too.
fun, about
Eddie Murphy:
Axel's checking-in-at-the-Beverly-Palms bit: a Rolling Stone writer doing a Michael Jackson cover story, crying racism without saying it, and getting a room at half price. Watch his wordless take when he hears the price.
“he gets like one of the all-time, like, wordless takes where they give him the price of a single room.”
fun, about
Beverly Hills Cop:
The banana-in-the-tailpipe line became a playground catchphrase, used at Little League, then revived when Tiger Woods arrived in 1997.
fun, about
Beverly Hills Cop:
Mumford Phys Ed t-shirts were a mid-80s thing and a high school got flooded with requests; Cop 2's lion jacket was intentionally merchandised.
“The Mumford Phiz ed t-shirts were really a thing in the mid 80s.”
fun, about
Mickey Rourke:
Don Simpson reportedly tore a picture of Mickey Rourke out of a magazine and said 'isn't he great?'; Rourke then signed a $400,000 holding deal and left the project.
“Mr. Simpson tore it out, held it up and said, isn't he great?”
fun, about
Martin Scorsese:
Scorsese was offered the directing job while trying to get The Last Temptation of Christ made, and was reportedly bewildered by the script.
“According to the research, Scorsese was, quote, bewildered by the script.”
fun, about
Michael Eisner:
Eisner says the idea came from a 1975 speeding ticket: stopped in a beater, he decided he needed a Mercedes. Simpson claimed he had the idea in 1977 and the two argued until Simpson died.
“But they've, they argued about it until Don Simpson died about who came up with that idea.”
fun, about
Beverly Hills Cop:
CBS made a pilot for a Beverly Hills Cop TV show from the creator of The Shield, with Brandon T. Jackson as Axel Foley's son. It didn't work.
fun, about
Lisa Eilbacher:
Apex Mountain pick: Lisa Eilbacher 'one hundred thousand percent'; she is also named most aged-well and the winner of the movie.
fun, about
Beverly Hills Cop:
The movie never lets Axel have a love scene, and the guys read Axel and Mikey as the love story. 'Is Axel Foley gay?' is described as a long-running Reddit conspiracy theory.
“And the axe is Axel gay is like a long term, that's like a Reddit board conspiracy theory thing that's been going on for years.”
fun, about
Reservoir Dogs:
Ewing Theory Award for best theory: Madonna, Madsen's Ladera Heights joke, the finger-cutting theory, or Buscemi's tipping. Chris picks the tipping.
fun, about
Reservoir Dogs:
The 2006 video game used only one actor's likeness, Madsen, who 'needed the paycheck'; GameSpot called it an out and out failure.
“GameSpot called it, quote, an out and out failure.”
fun, about
Reservoir Dogs:
Budget trivia: actors wore their own clothes, Chris Penn used his own car, and the soundtrack budget went to 'Stuck in the Middle with You.'
“the entire soundtrack budget was spent on securing, stuck in the middle with you.”
fun, about
Tarantino:
Pulp Fiction was to follow the Vega Brothers: Vic Vega is Vincent Vega's brother; a prequel 'Double V Vega' never happened because the actors aged.
“And then Tarantino said he always wanted to do a prequel called Double V Vega.”
fun, about
Reservoir Dogs:
Origin of the title: at Video Archives he recommended Au revoir les enfants and a customer mockingly said he did not want to see no reservoir dogs.
fun, about
Reservoir Dogs:
Best quote: Bill leaves it blank because the whole movie is the best quote; Chris's pick is 'let's get a taco' after the finger speech.
fun, about
Mean Girls:
Most rewatchable scene picks: the talent show (Jingle Bell Rock), the sabotage montage, the four-way phone call, the lunch scene, the burn book blowup, Tim Meadows in the gym; Simmons picks the burn book blowup into the gym.
fun, about
Jonathan Bennett:
Aaron Samuels' IMDb is aged worst; running gag that Juliet will be trained by Aaron Samuels and a Mark Ruffalo road-trip indie.
fun, about
Mean Girls:
The reverse Vivian Award for worst clothes: wide-waistband mini skirts, kitten heels, blue eyeshadow, the party dress; the Henley top and short skirt also hated.
fun, about
Regina George:
Lohan originally wanted to play Regina but the director insisted Katie (Cady) was the heroine; the irony is she really was Regina.
“So I had a war with the director and he said, no, Katie is the heroine and that's who you are.”
fun, about
Lindsay Lohan:
Lohan has repeatedly pitched and treated a Mean Girls sequel; direct-to-TV Mean Girls 2 aired on ABC Family January 23, 2011.
fun, about
Lindsay Lohan:
Apex Mountain: Lohan's 2004 is the highest peak anyone has reached, unanimous; Tina Fey, McAdams, Seyfried, Chabert and Poehler also considered.
“It's the highest peak anyone may have ever reached on their apex mountain.”
fun, about
The Natural:
Bill's 1997 website list of the 30 greatest sports movies graded each film on whether it had a chill scene; The Natural's fireworks home run is the best.
“This movie has, I think, the best chill scene of any sports movie, which is the home run with the fireworks”
fun, about
The Natural:
The film maps onto Greek myth: Max Mercy as Vulcan in red and brown, Pop as Zeus with uniform number one, the Judge as Hades, Memo as Calypso, Gus as the cyclops, Iris as Penelope.
“Max Mercy is the Vulcan god of fire who could make or break you.”
fun, about
The Natural:
Bill's 2001 Page 2 piece estimating Roy Hobbs's stats; hosts redo it by freezing newspaper dates, landing near 70 games and 28 homers.
“This one, I just tried to figure out his stats and people loved it.”