Obsessive about Color of Money since childhood and fascinated by working vocabularies, hustles, and movie-star craft. Loves Newman's ease, Scorsese camera movement, Warren Zevon, and 80s-90s prestige crime. Is a sucker for the lost American third space of bars and pool halls and distrusts phone gambling.
Stances
Sports betting on phones is bad; real gambling is better
The Hustler is the best young Newman performance
Color of Money's first hour peaks and the back half is a comedown
Warren Zevon's second album is the greatest rock album of the 70s
Humor: Conversational and self-deprecating, with long riffing monologues and pop culture hot takes.
In their words
“I think similarly any movie that introduces its own vocabulary immediately has me leaning in.” (0:38:33)
“I know this is gonna sound really corny, but it is a celebration of a certain kind of American 3rd space that is disappearing.” (2:47:05)
A franchise and genre scholar who likes Jason, the early sequels, and Manhattan; attention to trivia, tropes and critic reception. Treats slashers as a canon with tiers.
Stances
Parts 1, 2, 4 and Manhattan are the good ones
The series finds its legs at 4
Humor: Dry, listing, comfortable with riffing on tropes.
In their words
“But I think it finds its legs at four.” (0:03:55)
Loves 1970s realism and the film's patience and craft; admires Daniel Pearl's cinematography and the era's location shooting. Likes reality-rooted horror over supernatural. Gets to the research and context.
Stances
The film is a perfect achievement with intention and accident both
1970s films feel real
Reality-based horror beats demons
Humor: Dry, deadpan riffs on the research and film-school asides.
Defends movies that are entertainingly bad and invests in actors' career trajectories (Vaughn, Travolta). Loves From Hell staples and a good scumbag name. Sucker for supporting-cast pops.
Stances
Vaughn's drama phase explains the movie
Travolta is giving 10 out of 10 for the first hour
The movie needed an R rating and more Buscemi
Humor: Deadpan observational jokes and absurd movie-logic nitpicks.
In their words
“I think Vacuum Vince Vaughn's not bad in this movie as like a villain.” (0:12:55)
Loves the 80s/90s crime and Michael Mann-style movies of CR month (To Live and Die in L.A.), and Eyes Wide Shut-style deep dives. Can't stand Fever Pitch and animated films. A sucker for category nitpicking and detailed lineage stuff.
Stances
Dislikes Fever Pitch as inauthentic
Wants the Cruise Eyes Wide Shut pod
Would sit out all animated movies
Proud of his Peter North pod
Humor: Dry, theatrical self-mockery about CR month and about being load-managed.
In their words
“Just like, uh, it's like attending my own funeral.” (0:00:58)
“I think it's excitement for the Wayne Jet category.” (0:05:14)
“Yeah, anything animated, you might as well put me on the bench.” (1:31:49)
Gets sold on craft, character introductions and star careers. Loves Kerry Condon's character and the opening scene; dislikes a weak villain turn. Sucker for pubs, big-pint scenes and Tony Scott-style filming.
Stances
Kosinski inherits Tony Scott's style
Pitt and Damon are close but Pitt is a bigger star
Weak link is JP's manager
Baja ending is too much
Humor: Runs on running bits (Ebert, hottest take) and teases with ironic asides.
In their words
“he really is an inheritor of some of like his Tony Scott's like stylistic revelations.” (0:10:32)
“Give that character something. Make him a little sinister.” (1:11:36)
Craft-minded movie nerd who loves directors (Weir, Linklater) and categories like the rack-focus movie and death at sea. Loves a character actor roll call. Can't stand a movie that overexplains.
Stances
Weir is an actor's director with no overbearing visual style
Hanks or De Palma would make a different film
Ordinary People beats the rest for death at sea
Humor: Dry movie-obsessive asides, like mock-pitching a Ryan Murphy series.
In their words
“I always love like the category of like the rack focus movie.” (0:26:04)
“The 1st director attached, this movie was Brian DePalma.” (1:05:34)
Loves Michael Madsen, Sizemore-versus-Madsen debates, and scientist-fiction. Cares about craft facts: cinematographers, editors, who wrote it. Sucker for a TV-series what-if.
Stances
Species should have been an HBO show in 1995
Madsen could have played Shooter and Basic Instinct parts
Film camp taught him the editor matters most
Humor: Reporting production trivia with a straight face, then goofy.
In their words
“I just think this should have been a TV show.” (1:06:22)
“The movie should have had more fucking.” (1:05:36)
Admires Rocky's craft and the supporting cast, especially Gazzo and Joe Spinell; digs the history details of the Steadicam and Oscars. Despises Rocky V and Paulie. Sucker for the movie's structure and franchise lore.
Stances
Wants two more Gazzo scenes and two fewer Paulie scenes
Rocky 2 is the least original; Rocky 1 is superior
Despises Rocky V but likes its final 30 minutes
Cruise over Hanks as the challenger
Humor: Dry, riffs on the movie's absurdities with quick asides.
In their words
“If we had 2 more gazo scenes and 2 less poly scenes.” (1:16:50)
“I despise five, but I will admit that the last, like, 30 minutes of five” (1:45:20)
Loves Tarantino's character work, bits of editing and sound, and the lived-in nostalgia of drinking and cheeseburgers. Is skeptical of Cruise as Vincent and of Tom Hanks. Cares about detail of the heroin scene and the McGuffin.
Stances
Cruise as Vincent doesn't work
Foot massage is an intimate act
The briefcase is best left a McGuffin
Humor: Dry sideline commentary and deadpan nitpicks, plus 'Junkie Chris' running gag about being the heroin purchaser.
In their words
“Where'd you stand on the foot massage argument, CR?” (0:10:25)
“I would not give my mom a foot massage.” (0:10:32)
He loves a tight 90s studio movie, directors and craftspeople like Jan de Bont, and character actors such as Hoffman and Paxton. He is a sucker for the lived-in world, with the Aunt Meg meal, the drive-in and the crew of weirdos. He cannot stand blockbusters with stars too pretty to be believable.
Stances
Jan de Bont is his guy and the chaotic production still looks seamless
Hoffman is the most fascinating part of the film long term
Paxton could have led Out of Sight
Twister is closer to Jurassic Park than to superhero movies
Humor: Cinephile deep cuts and film-bro bits, with the others joking that he would live in the drive-in town.
In their words
“I think it's more aesthetically closer to like Jurassic Park.” (0:05:47)
“I think he could have been the lead guy and out of sight instead of Clooney and out of sight.” (0:19:37)
Chris is the film scholar of the group, reaching for 70s dirty-cop touchstones and the story of how the film was cast and cut. He loves a methodical bit, like the murders-to-sex ratio. He is a sucker for an attractive villain and a story told in the middle of the movie.
Stances
Internal Affairs is a one-of-one
Dirty cops as popcorn entertainment ended after this era
Gere's elevator and burger-joint scenes are the peak
Humor: Dry, stats-driven bits such as the John Hollinger advanced analytics award.
In their words
“I have the elevator fight just because it's almost like a horror movie scene.” (0:43:31)
“I have the John Hollinger Advanced Analytics Award.” (1:04:10)
Chris is the host of this installment and a Michael Mann devotee who frames the film's craft and context: the Pacino and Crowe careers, Mann's formal progression, the end of broadcast news dominance. He likes the exposition scene, Plummer and Pacino together, and the wild formal choices. He tends to read films through the movie business and what they say about their era.
Stances
The Insider is Mann's most restrained film
Pacino's best, finely calibrated performance may be in The Insider
1999 is a last year of a kind of movie being made
Humor: Dry and hosting-minded, steering the discussion with sports riffs and deadpan film trivia.
In their words
“It's his most restrained film in a lot of ways.” (0:08:50)
“Pacino gets 3 decades to be Al Pacino.” (0:18:33)
Sentimental about the film as his mom's movie and the Motown soundtrack. Loves American Flyers and ensemble friendship movies. A sucker for needle drops and domestic details like Nick's Porsche.
Stances
It's an inherited rewatchable from his parents' generation
Wants a cycling month
Cast what-if bits
Humor: Deadpan ribbing and long riffs on fake sequels.
In their words
“I'm super happy because I fucking love American Fires.” (0:38:30)
“Maybe we should do cycling month on the rewatchable.” (0:38:39)
Prefers He Got Game; passionate about the Sopranos and about how Bronx Tale influenced it; likes De Niro's softer performance. Notes father-son themes across films. Likes the biker bar scene most.
Stances
Bronx Tale influenced the Sopranos more than any movie
Palminteri won the movie
Double feature with This Boy's Life
Sonny is Vito, not Sonny Corleone
Humor: Dry, riffing on his own image as a loved person who would be exposed in a tell-all.
In their words
“He got game is my favorite father-son movie.” (0:02:37)
“I actually have now you just can't leave.” (1:03:09)
Loves studio-era comedy craft and character actors; is a sucker for movies that play against type. Is bothered by plot logic like the murder charge being a weak link.
Stances
Courtroom movies are sports movies
The movie is 15-20 minutes too long but the last half hour is lights out
Humor: Deadpan nitpicks and long fond digressions.
In their words
“It's 15 minutes too long. And the last half hours lights out.” (0:09:17)
“You know, the murder charge is the weak link of the film.” (0:51:44)
Loves the Rogan-Apatow comedy era and the friendship dynamics; admires its screenwriting. Is over weed humor now. A sucker for Larry Sanders-style meta-comedy.
Stances
Weed culture has aged worst
Jonah Hill is underrated
The film is a pretty moral movie
Humor: Dry and deadpan, with nitpicky geography bits.
In their words
“I'm pretty over marijuana culture.” (0:46:30)
“It's like actually a pretty moral movie.” (0:19:35)
Appreciates the Tony Scott action-movie side of Cop II, Rosewood and Taggart, and big 80s excess, and hard-to-pull-off action comedies. Annoyed by the alphabet-killer logic holes and the cement truck edit. A sucker for what-if spinoffs like Rosewood and Taggart in Detroit.
Stances
Rosewood and Taggart are as funny as Eddie and deserve a spinoff
The alphabet crimes could have gone to J
Cop II is a showcase for Eddie bits
Cop III is an abomination
Humor: Builds long mock pitches and absurd hypotheticals and stacks them on Simmons's riffs.
In their words
“All of this movie is essentially built around, like, let Eddie Cook.” (0:05:38)
“Is an Amazonian blonde woman the best front man for those crimes.” (0:57:50)
Fan of Bruce Willis's blend of action and comedy and an affectionate watcher of that-guy character actors. Loves airport nostalgia and the chaos of Christmas travel; dislikes the callous plane crash. Sucker for Janine Turner and Die Hard with a Vengeance.
Stances
Die Hard 2 is a Christmas movie
Willis was uniquely good at both action and comedy
Die Hard with a Vengeance is a perfect movie
Die Hard 2 is more action-movie-ish than 1 and 3
Humor: Deadpan escalating riffs and nostalgia stories, quick to turn an observation into a bit.
In their words
“This captures the anxiety of traveling during Christmas.” (1:15:27)
“He was so good at both the, the, like the thriller action stunt stuff and also the one-liners” (0:07:08)
Gets excited by pure cinematic storytelling, Hitchcock-style filmmaking and compressed exposition; loves Leto's overacting and House of Gucci; sucker for bearer bonds as a heist device. Hates unrealistic plotting only in passing.
Stances
Panic Room is a thrilling rewatch of pure cinematic filmmaking
Leto in House of Gucci is great
Takes the propane scene as the best in the movie
Fincher wins the movie
Humor: Self-deprecating and absurdist: jokes about being childless and going Krav Maga on burglars.
In their words
“Yeah, and I also would say just like coming out of Fight Club, and it was like the star making performances for Ed Norton” (0:22:37)
“I'm going to take the propane tanks.” (0:56:30)
“I'm going to say Noah Pacino.” (1:17:27)
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.
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.
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 301–400 of 854 claims.
craft (score echo):
Harold Faltermeyer → Fletch.
A speaker hears Fletch in the score as the drums come in.
career (yanked off a project):
Larry Ferguson → Mike Solak.
Being pulled off The Presidio is compared to yanking Solak off the NFL show to join the BS pod.
“This is like when you yank Solak off of the NFL show.”
what-if (alphabet killer what-if):
Beverly Hills Cop II → Zodiac.
Fincher could have taken the alphabet-crimes concept further, and the idea is likened to a limited series with an endgame of Z.
“I think Fincher could have taken this to a whole other level.”
unmapped (later TV role):
Valerie Wildman → Beverly Hills, 90210.
The gun club receptionist later played Dylan McKay's father's fiancee who turns out to be an FBI agent.
“who we would later see five, six years later as Dylan McKay's father's fiancé.”
what-if (what-if plot):
Beverly Hills Cop II → The Last Boy Scout.
Simmons's Lisa Bonet revenge subplot is called a competition of 48 Hrs. and The Last Boy Scout.
“Essentially, I'm competition of 48 hours and last Boy Scout.”
theme (scrapped premise):
Beverly Hills Cop II → The Rock.
The abandoned England/Scotland Yard concept with Sean Connery became the backbone of The Rock a decade later.
“initially written Beverly Hills Cop 2 to be Eddie Murphy in England, solving crimes with Sean Connery, actually, which basically, I think, winds up being like essentially the backbone for what the rock is 10 years later or whatever.”
what-if (Detroit what-if):
Beverly Hills Cop II → Beverly Hills Cop III.
Both suggest cop three should have sent Rosewood and Taggart to Detroit, with Axel in a hospital bed.
“I kind of think they always missed out on sending Rosewood and Taggart to Detroit.”
verdict (who won the movie):
Beverly Hills Cop II → Tony Scott.
Ryan argues Tony Scott could win the movie for his distinctiveness, even though the answer is Murphy.
“I think you could make the argument that Tony Scott does because it's just so distinctively.”
career (career strategy contrast):
Bruce Willis → Tom Cruise.
Willis was erratic and high-volume, not a Cruise who picks the best material and promotes it to death.
“this is not going to ever be like a cruise or somebody who's just like, I pick the best material.”
lineage (sequel contrast):
Die Hard 2 → Die Hard.
Ryan says the first and third Die Hard are baked into their locations, while this one is more generic action movie-ish.
“the 1st Die Hard and the 3rd Die Hard are characterized by their, like, this is really baked in.”
unmapped (unintentional comedy):
Die Hard 2 → Regarding Henry.
Simmons jokes the lesson of Die Hard 2 might match Regarding Henry: get shot in the head and be nicer.
contrast (contrast):
House of Gucci → Contact.
Sean jokes about merging two terrible movies, House of Gucci and Contact, into 'House of Contact, Gucci'.
what-if (what-if):
Panic Room → Michael Douglas.
Michael Douglas would have been a great cameo as Steven, though he wouldn't have agreed to the beating.
“I think Michael Douglas would have been a great cameo”
people (people):
Kristen Stewart → The Runaways.
Foster appeared in Foxes with Cherie Currie, whom Kristen Stewart's Joan Jett played alongside in The Runaways, so Panic Room's mother-daughter pair circles back.
“And then Kristen Stewart played Sherry Curry's bandmate Joan Jett in the runaways.”
industry (industry):
The Ice Storm → Prestige TV (streaming series).
The film was made for adults in a pre-prestige-cable era; Ryan frames it as just before cable TV gets incredible.
“It's before right before cable gets cable TV gets incredible and you start to get this revolution going on on HBO.”
theme (theme):
The Ice Storm → JFK.
Ryan asks whether decades had to pass before America could tell the story, as Simmons said about Oliver Stone's JFK.
“when we did the JFK pod, you talked a little bit about needing some time to go by for America to be ready to hear about that story”
theme (theme):
The Ice Storm → Basic Instinct.
Ryan says mass media (Basic Instinct) taught him about sex, like the kids learning from TV in this film.
“mass media had taught me like the basic instinct and whatnot had taught me everything I needed to know.”
what-if (what-if):
Natalie Portman → Léon: The Professional.
Cast what-if: Portman turned down Wendy, which would have made a trifecta with Professional and Beautiful Girls.
“completing the trifecta of sexualizing Natalie Portman characters before she's turned 18”
what-if (what-if):
Sharon Stone → Sigourney Weaver.
Casting Stone instead of Weaver would not work because Stone reads as a vixen, not a believable suburban housewife.
“Sigourney Weaver works because she's obviously very attractive in this movie, but is still like believable as a suburban housewife”
lineage (genre lineage):
Miracle → Slap Shot.
Slap Shot and Mystery, Alaska were among the few hockey movies before Miracle, which was a different level.
what-if (casting what-if):
Taylor Kitsch → Friday Night Lights.
Taylor Kitsch, Tim Riggins, could have played a hockey player given his Canadian background.
theme (character arc):
The Color of Money → The Hustler.
Eddie in The Hustler is a loser and drunk with broken thumbs, an anti-hero rather than a golden god, unlike Cruise's Vincent.
“What do we know about Eddie Felson from the Hustler is he's a loser.”
career (late-career move):
Paul Newman → Clint Eastwood.
Newman and Eastwood both chose to age themselves into reflective roles before Hollywood aged them out; Cruise did the opposite.
“before they age me out, I'm gonna age myself out.”
what-if (what-if):
James Brown → The Color of Money.
A host says Price's script had James Brown, not Werewolves of London, as the song for Vincent's dance scene.
“Well, in the script itself, it's James Brown. Price has it as James Brown.”
career (career breakout):
The Color of Money → Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
In 1986 audiences knew Forest Whitaker only as the guy from Fast Times, and this was his 'I'm on the map' part.
“hey, the guy from Fast Times. That was the reaction”
people (collaborators):
Richard Price → George Pelecanos.
Price was part of the murderers' row of writers on The Wire season 3 and co-wrote The Night Of and The Outsider.
“he's also part of the murderer's row that worked on wire season 3”
lineage (callback):
The Color of Money → The Hustler.
The mentoring conversation Newman has with Vince and Carmen mirrors the one George C. Scott has with Newman in The Hustler; both films also go on the road.
“that's basically the George C. Scott has the same conversation with Paul Newman and the Hustler.”
craft (craft):
Warren Zevon → The Color of Money.
A host wonders whether Warren Zevon was really big at Chalkey's and why Werewolves of London was on the jukebox.
“was Warren Zevon big at Chalkey's for real? Like, why was that on the box? Why was that on the jukebox?”
people (supporting actor overlap):
The Color of Money → Cocktail.
A bar actor here is Cruise's uncle from Cocktail, supporting the theory Cruise pulls his supporting players from film to film.
“Just that Cruz is kind of grabbing all of his supporting figures over the years.”
verdict (best that guy):
Bruce A. Young → Cocktail.
Competing 'that guy' nominees: Bruce Young (Moselle/Jackie), Cruise's Cocktail uncle, and Paul Herman, who wins.
“Bruce A. Young. This is a candidate for best that guy.”
unmapped (on-screen romance):
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio → Tom Cruise.
Chris calls this his favorite Cruise romance, ahead of Zellweger, Kelly McGillis, and Cocktail's rich lady.
“I think this is my favorite on-screen romance for cruise.”
industry (Oscar context):
The Color of Money → Gandhi.
Gandhi, Chariots of Fire and Out of Africa were huge Oscar-era films that nobody discusses today.
“So was Chariots of Fire, which is another movie nobody has conversations about it anymore.”