Just What is Apex Mountain: Rewatchables discussion thread

Eric1984

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I'm just listening to the School Ties one, and the "football coordinator" (Simmons) just said that David Green wore number 42 as a QB because of Jackie Robinson, which someone suggested on the internet and he's endorsing. Sure, or maybe it's because it's set in the 1950s, and Sid Luckman and Charlie Conerly, two QB stars of the 40s and 50s, wore number 42. The prep school that David plays at wear something close to the NY Giants uniforms of that era, and the Giants were the team of all of NE since the AFL had not yet come into existence, so I think it's more likely that 42 was due to Charlie Conerly than Jackie Robinson.
Definitely not Robinson. Maybe Conerly. But more likely Luckman, who was Jewish like David Green. Benny Friedman was a HOF QB for NYG and he was Jewish, but he played in the 30s (no idea what number he wore). I did think it was weird that Simmons was surprised a QB in the 50s would be wearing #42. If he'd ever watched old highlights, the numbering standards in place now didn't exist then. "Backs" were usually issued numbers 10-49.

Anyway, I was kind of surprised to see School Ties on the Rewatchables in the first place. Seemed kind of random. I saw it in the theater in college and thought it was pretty forgettable at the time. Simmons and his two Jewish co-hosts billed it as being some sort of cultural touchstone experience for Jewish kids, but I don't remember it that way at all (and I don't remember any other Jewish people I knew talking about it that way). They said they also picked it because so much of its cast blew up into huge stars, which makes more sense, but they still pumped it up as this big movie for Jews that it wasn't, really. I did rewatch it after listening to the podcast and it was better than I remembered (Fraser and Damon were both really good). But this wasn't a movie I'd describe as particularly impactful or rewatchable.
 

Eric1984

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Jackie did also play football at UCLA, but few people know that or associate him with that sport. (And that wasn't his number at UCLA.) And number 42 was not retired all across MLB back in 1992 when the movie was released, so the renown of that number's connection to Jackie Robinson was not as high then as it is now.

When I saw this movie and saw Fraser in a uniform similar to those worn by the NY Giants in the 1950s wearing number 42, I immediately thought "Charlie Conerly", much as I thought "Joe Namath" when I saw Kurt Russell sporting white shoes and a green and white number 12 uniform in "The Best of Times". Just as if I see a movie from the 70s-90s in which a running back is wearing number 32, I think of Jim Brown, Franco Harris, Marcus Allen, or OJ Simpson; I don't think of Sandy Koufax* or Kevin McHale.

But you believe what you want to believe.

*Simmons not remembering that Sandy Koufax refused to pitch on Yom Kippur, not Rosh Hashanah, was another uncomfortable moment in his history on this podcast. You could feel Juliet and Mallory's discomfort in having to correct him.
I was waiting for them to correct Simmons when he described David Green's dad speaking "German" to him in the scene where the family was seeing him off and Green telling him, "come on -- you sound like Grandpa." He was speaking Yiddish, which is what the vast, vast majority of Jewish immigrants to the U.S. spoke and what I'd imagine Juliet and Mallory's own grandparents or great grandparents spoke. Most German Jewish immigrants came in the early/mid 1800s, other than the tiny number of refugees from Nazi Germany that were allowed in during the 1930s. They also assimilated much more quickly and came in much smaller numbers than the millions of Yiddish-speaking Jews from Russia, Poland, etc., who came later. It would be pretty weird to have an American Jewish guy in the 1950s speaking to his kid in German (unless the family was Holocaust refugees, but it didn't seem like it). I guess it's possible, but pretty unusual. I wouldn't expect them to understand what the dad was saying (or even recognize spoken Yiddish other than the phrases everyone knows. And in fairness, the two languages are pretty similar and the stuff the dad was saying are similar in both langauges). But I'd expect a little more cultural awareness, I guess. Nothing egregious, but it definitely stuck out.
 
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Remagellan

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I was waiting for them to correct Simmons when he described David Green's dad speaking "German" to him in the scene where the family was seeing him off and Green telling him, "come on -- you sound like Grandpa." He was speaking Yiddish, which is what the vast, vast majority of Jewish immigrants to the U.S. spoke and what I'd imagine Juliet and Mallory's own grandparents or great grandparents spoke. Most German Jewish immigrants came in the early/mid 1800s, other than the tiny number of refugees from Nazi Germany that were allowed in during the 1930s. They also assimilated much more quickly and came in much smaller numbers than the millions of Yiddish-speaking Jews from Russia, Poland, etc., who came later. It would be pretty weird to have an American Jewish guy in the 1950s speaking to his kid in German (unless the family was Holocaust refugees, but it didn't seem like it). I guess it's possible, but pretty unusual. I wouldn't expect them to understand what the dad was saying (or even recognize spoken Yiddish other than the phrases everyone knows. And in fairness, the two languages are pretty similar and the stuff the dad was saying are similar in both langauges). But I'd expect a little more cultural awareness, I guess. Nothing egregious, but it definitely stuck out.
When he talked about David's dad speaking German to him, I also immediately thought it must have been Yiddish, but I haven't watched the movie in years so I wasn't going to make a point of it. But if it was Yiddish, Mal and Juliet not pointing it out to him was another instance of them letting it go rather than correcting their boss. I don't think he appreciates that no matter how casual their relationships are around the office, that's still not an easy thing for some people to do, especially publicly.

To their credit, when he suggested that a possibly better title for this movie would have been "Star of David", they both had no problem swiftly shooting that down.
 

Eric1984

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A do have a Picking Nits from the movie that none of the hosts picked up on. The scene where David is alone in the school chapel reciting Rosh Hashanah prayers after playing in the game earlier that day. How would he even have a prayer book? There's no way he would have brought a High Holidays prayer book to school with him if he was trying to hide his religion/ethnicity (like the way he stashed his Star of David necklace in the band-aid box). And I can't imagine the school had one in the chapel. I could imagine them having copies of the Old Testament, but that's about it. Did they address it and I missed it?
 

Leather

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A do have a Picking Nits from the movie that none of the hosts picked up on. The scene where David is alone in the school chapel reciting Rosh Hashanah prayers after playing in the game earlier that day. How would he even have a prayer book? There's no way he would have brought a High Holidays prayer book to school with him if he was trying to hide his religion/ethnicity (like the way he stashed his Star of David necklace in the band-aid box). And I can't imagine the school had one in the chapel. I could imagine them having copies of the Old Testament, but that's about it. Did they address it and I missed it?
I don’t think he intended to hide his Judaism until he had already arrived and the coach told him to keep it on the down-low. He probably brought the book (along with his necklace).
 

Bozo Texino

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I was waiting for them to correct Simmons when he described David Green's dad speaking "German" to him in the scene where the family was seeing him off and Green telling him, "come on -- you sound like Grandpa." He was speaking Yiddish, which is what the vast, vast majority of Jewish immigrants to the U.S. spoke and what I'd imagine Juliet and Mallory's own grandparents or great grandparents spoke. Most German Jewish immigrants came in the early/mid 1800s, other than the tiny number of refugees from Nazi Germany that were allowed in during the 1930s. They also assimilated much more quickly and came in much smaller numbers than the millions of Yiddish-speaking Jews from Russia, Poland, etc., who came later. It would be pretty weird to have an American Jewish guy in the 1950s speaking to his kid in German (unless the family was Holocaust refugees, but it didn't seem like it). I guess it's possible, but pretty unusual. I wouldn't expect them to understand what the dad was saying (or even recognize spoken Yiddish other than the phrases everyone knows. And in fairness, the two languages are pretty similar and the stuff the dad was saying are similar in both langauges). But I'd expect a little more cultural awareness, I guess. Nothing egregious, but it definitely stuck out.
I've never seen the movie, but yeah - I sorta figured that might be the case.
 

Hoya81

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Definitely not Robinson. Maybe Conerly. But more likely Luckman, who was Jewish like David Green. Benny Friedman was a HOF QB for NYG and he was Jewish, but he played in the 30s (no idea what number he wore). I did think it was weird that Simmons was surprised a QB in the 50s would be wearing #42. If he'd ever watched old highlights, the numbering standards in place now didn't exist then. "Backs" were usually issued numbers 10-49.

Anyway, I was kind of surprised to see School Ties on the Rewatchables in the first place. Seemed kind of random. I saw it in the theater in college and thought it was pretty forgettable at the time. Simmons and his two Jewish co-hosts billed it as being some sort of cultural touchstone experience for Jewish kids, but I don't remember it that way at all (and I don't remember any other Jewish people I knew talking about it that way). They said they also picked it because so much of its cast blew up into huge stars, which makes more sense, but they still pumped it up as this big movie for Jews that it wasn't, really. I did rewatch it after listening to the podcast and it was better than I remembered (Fraser and Damon were both really good). But this wasn't a movie I'd describe as particularly impactful or rewatchable.
It's a movie that Bill has expressed affection for over the years and once the cast started to blow up (first Chris O'Donnell, then Damon+Affleck) it did seem to be in regular rotation on the premium channels and TNT. I've probably seen the various pieces of it a dozen times but never actually watched it start to finish.
 

Bongorific

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Definitely not Robinson. Maybe Conerly. But more likely Luckman, who was Jewish like David Green. Benny Friedman was a HOF QB for NYG and he was Jewish, but he played in the 30s (no idea what number he wore). I did think it was weird that Simmons was surprised a QB in the 50s would be wearing #42. If he'd ever watched old highlights, the numbering standards in place now didn't exist then. "Backs" were usually issued numbers 10-49.

Anyway, I was kind of surprised to see School Ties on the Rewatchables in the first place. Seemed kind of random. I saw it in the theater in college and thought it was pretty forgettable at the time. Simmons and his two Jewish co-hosts billed it as being some sort of cultural touchstone experience for Jewish kids, but I don't remember it that way at all (and I don't remember any other Jewish people I knew talking about it that way). They said they also picked it because so much of its cast blew up into huge stars, which makes more sense, but they still pumped it up as this big movie for Jews that it wasn't, really. I did rewatch it after listening to the podcast and it was better than I remembered (Fraser and Damon were both really good). But this wasn't a movie I'd describe as particularly impactful or rewatchable.
If a movie gets referenced on Family Guy, it’ll be on the Rewatchables at some point.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Bill's picking "Beauty School Dropout" for his pee break during Grease? Are you fucking shitting me?

The man is history's greatest monster.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlG6ibB7-_4
I'm no fan of the song myself, but if you're watching a musical, none of the songs should be the pee break moment (and if you have to pick one, it's "Hopelessly Devoted"). I think Amanda and Juliet nailed it with the trying out for different sports sequence as the pee break. But of course, the massive fan of the sports montage sequence isn't going to say that.
 

The Talented Allen Ripley

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I'm no fan of the song myself, but if you're watching a musical, none of the songs should be the pee break moment (and if you have to pick one, it's "Hopelessly Devoted"). I think Amanda and Juliet nailed it with the trying out for different sports sequence as the pee break. But of course, the massive fan of the sports montage sequence isn't going to say that.
Philistine.
 

Eric1984

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I'm no fan of the song myself, but if you're watching a musical, none of the songs should be the pee break moment (and if you have to pick one, it's "Hopelessly Devoted"). I think Amanda and Juliet nailed it with the trying out for different sports sequence as the pee break. But of course, the massive fan of the sports montage sequence isn't going to say that.
Haven’t seen Grease since 6th grade (1982) but based on what I remember, we agree.
 

Remagellan

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I just listened to the Grease one and I have to give props to Juliet and Amanda shooting down Bill's suggestion that Grease was the greatest movie musical in favor of older classics like Singing in the Rain, The Sound of Music, or West Side Story. I think it was a smart move by Simmons having the two of them join him on the pod, both because those two have a broad knowledge of musicals, and the two of them working together made it seem more like him guesting on their JAM Session rather than them invading his Rewatchables space, which I think emboldened them. Also props to the producer Craig, whose snippets at the end of these segments have shown him ready to co-host a few of these himself.
 

johnmd20

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I just listened to the Grease one and I have to give props to Juliet and Amanda shooting down Bill's suggestion that Grease was the greatest movie musical in favor of older classics like Singing in the Rain, The Sound of Music, or West Side Story. I think it was a smart move by Simmons having the two of them join him on the pod, both because those two have a broad knowledge of musicals, and the two of them working together made it seem more like him guesting on their JAM Session rather than them invading his Rewatchables space, which I think emboldened them. Also props to the producer Craig, whose snippets at the end of these segments have shown him ready to co-host a few of these himself.
Craig has already been on the Rewatchables.(not just as a guest spot at the end) He could literally replace Bill right now and the podcast would immediately be 20% better and 50% funnier.
 

Remagellan

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I just rewatched School Ties, and for those who wondered about the pod's nitpick about Dillon's brother showing up at the St. Luke's game when they had earlier announced that he was going to Harvard to continue playing football, I realized the answer while watching that scene: back in those days, freshmen were not allowed to play varsity sports. So if Gray Dillon were in his first year at Harvard, he could be their QB in waiting but not yet on the varsity team, and thus have his Saturdays free to attend a game at his old prep school.
 

Leather

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Episode: Scent of a Woman.

I still don't know where Bill is getting this unshakeable idea that Chris O'Donnell and Matt Damon were, like, interchangeable actors just because they happened to be the same age and in the same movie at one point. There's no fucking way O'Donnell works in "Rounders", as Bill suggests. It's central to the character that he be believable as having a rough-and-tumble history, and there's no way O'Donnell passes that test.

Another example of Bill having some strange Woke Blinders on what is objectionable and why: when Chris points out how ridiculous the Pacino character would appear through a normal observer's eyes, it goes over Simmons' head completely and Simmons thinks Chris is saying the character would have to be played by a blind person in 2022 Hollywood.

Finally, as someone that went to prep school myself, I did appreciate Bill kind of pointing out the overarching ridiculousness of the school courtroom scene. That shit would never happen for about a dozen reasons.

EDIT: also, just out of curiosity, I looked up Gabrielle Anwar's wiki and didn't see anything about her being an ice skater. She's from England, for one (not a big ice skating hotbed!), and was into acting, not sports. So Bill just took an episode of 90210 and transposed it to real life.
 

Vinho Tinto

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EDIT: also, just out of curiosity, I looked up Gabrielle Anwar's wiki and didn't see anything about her being an ice skater. She's from England, for one (not a big ice skating hotbed!), and was into acting, not sports. So Bill just took an episode of 90210 and transposed it to real life.
I needed a laugh and this provided it. Thanks to you and Bill Simmons.
 

johnmd20

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Chris Ryan talking about how ridiculous it is that a blind guy was driving in Scent of a Woman and Simmons drops the, "I may have driven with my eyes closed a few times to see how long I could do it."

Why say that? Who DOES that? Even Chris Ryan, on this podcast, "jokingly" dropped a, "Sometimes I worry about you." It seemed like a fair assessment. Simmons has become the guy he made his career out of mocking. It happens to almost everyone, I guess.
 

Leather

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Chris Ryan talking about how ridiculous it is that a blind guy was driving in Scent of a Woman and Simmons drops the, "I may have driven with my eyes closed a few times to see how long I could do it."

Why say that? Who DOES that? Even Chris Ryan, on this podcast, "jokingly" dropped a, "Sometimes I worry about you." It seemed like a fair assessment. Simmons has become the guy he made his career out of mocking. It happens to almost everyone, I guess.
Simmons has chronic insecurity that reveals itself by needing to still seem "cool" even though he's insanely rich, powerful, and comfortable. I don't know where it stems from (childhood? his treatment at the Herald?) but the fact that he still says stuff like the above, or feels the need to take shots at ESPN out of nowhere a decade after the fact, just makes him seem small.
 

cromulence

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You could tell it wasn't going to be a huge movie when they said it'd only be Bill and Chris. There's no way they'd do something like Pulp Fiction or Boogie Nights and leave off Fennessey.
 

PC Drunken Friar

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Episode: Scent of a Woman.

I still don't know where Bill is getting this unshakeable idea that Chris O'Donnell and Matt Damon were, like, interchangeable actors just because they happened to be the same age and in the same movie at one point. There's no fucking way O'Donnell works in "Rounders", as Bill suggests. It's central to the character that he be believable as having a rough-and-tumble history, and there's no way O'Donnell passes that test.

Another example of Bill having some strange Woke Blinders on what is objectionable and why: when Chris points out how ridiculous the Pacino character would appear through a normal observer's eyes, it goes over Simmons' head completely and Simmons thinks Chris is saying the character would have to be played by a blind person in 2022 Hollywood.

Finally, as someone that went to prep school myself, I did appreciate Bill kind of pointing out the overarching ridiculousness of the school courtroom scene. That shit would never happen for about a dozen reasons.

EDIT: also, just out of curiosity, I looked up Gabrielle Anwar's wiki and didn't see anything about her being an ice skater. She's from England, for one (not a big ice skating hotbed!), and was into acting, not sports. So Bill just took an episode of 90210 and transposed it to real life.
For shits, I looked it up. GB is 6th, 5th and 6th in number of ice skating Olympic medals (Men's, Women's and Pairs, respectively).
 

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Simmons has chronic insecurity that reveals itself by needing to still seem "cool" even though he's insanely rich, powerful, and comfortable. I don't know where it stems from (childhood? his treatment at the Herald?) but the fact that he still says stuff like the above, or feels the need to take shots at ESPN out of nowhere a decade after the fact, just makes him seem small.
You mean he wasn’t a pool hustler? Are you suggesting he hired Russilo because he wants to hang out with the cool kid?
 

Hoya81

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I have to say “Scent of a Woman”, while a fine (B-B+, imho) movie, was NOT what I was expecting for the 250th episode.
I'd be more surprised if we didn't get it this year. I might have posted this in the BS or Ringer thread, but if there's any kind of loose formula for the The Rewatchables, it goes something like this:

-Movie coming up on a milestone anniversary (SoTW 30 years in December)
-Features a BS favorite (Pacino, also includes DeNiro/Damon/Cruise/Costner/Affleck/Stallone)
-Actor/Director milestone (Pacino's first Oscar)
-Dovetails with BS personal experience (northeastern private school)
-Firmly in BS's genre wheelhouse (action/heist movies, sports, prestige dramas, horror, rom-coms, broad comedies)

There's a few more movies from '92 that I'd expect to see this year: Malcolm X/Sneakers/My Cousin Vinny/Lethal Weapon 3
 

Spelunker

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I'd be more surprised if we didn't get it this year. I might have posted this in the BS or Ringer thread, but if there's any kind of loose formula for the The Rewatchables, it goes something like this:

-Movie coming up on a milestone anniversary (SoTW 30 years in December)
-Features a BS favorite (Pacino, also includes DeNiro/Damon/Cruise/Costner/Affleck/Stallone)
-Actor/Director milestone (Pacino's first Oscar)
-Dovetails with BS personal experience (northeastern private school)
-Firmly in BS's genre wheelhouse (action/heist movies, sports, prestige dramas, horror, rom-coms, broad comedies)

There's a few more movies from '92 that I'd expect to see this year: Malcolm X/Sneakers/My Cousin Vinny/Lethal Weapon 3
And he gave the reasoning from the jump: The Rewatchables concept happened because of Heat (and he and Chris' pod on it) and this is the Pacino overacting companion piece.
 

Marciano490

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And he gave the reasoning from the jump: The Rewatchables concept happened because of Heat (and he and Chris' pod on it) and this is the Pacino overacting companion piece.
I’d love to hear “she’s got a great ass and you got your head all the way up it” back to back with “if I was the man I was 5 years ago, I’d take a flamethrower to this place.” Feel like they have the same tenor and cadence and are both amazing.
 
For shits, I looked it up. GB is 6th, 5th and 6th in number of ice skating Olympic medals (Men's, Women's and Pairs, respectively).
And that list doesn't include Torvill and Dean's 1984 Olympic gold in Ice Dancing - one of the most iconic performances in British sporting history, and one which was watched by 24 million people in the UK. (Which was approximately 42 percent of the country's entire population at the time.)
 

Leather

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There are just so many movies they haven't done yet! Glad that Bill is confident they can get to 500 (although we'll see if that actually happens!)

How have they not done Slapshot. Ye gads.
 

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Really looking forward to hearing Bill talk about hockey when they do eventually get to Slap Shot. That will be something.

If I was famous enough to appear on an episode, Slap Shot might be the movie I'd want to cover. That or The Last Detail.
 

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There are just so many movies they haven't done yet! Glad that Bill is confident they can get to 500 (although we'll see if that actually happens!)

How have they not done Slapshot. Ye gads.
Was listening to scent of a women and maybe it's me but Bill seemed concerned about running out of movies.

I think a rewatchables type show could easily go on for well over a thousand episodes but I do think we're rapidly approaching limits of movies where Bill would have anything interesting/fun to say. I enjoy the pods he's on but when you restrict the universe of movies you're going to talk about to with rare exceptions 1980 and later, no sci fi/western/animation/fantasy/comic book, no foreign films, oddly enough not even Bond movies and only a handful of rom coms, nothing more challenging than Shawshank or there will be blood, the pickings are finite.
 

Leather

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Really looking forward to hearing Bill talk about hockey when they do eventually get to Slap Shot. That will be something.

If I was famous enough to appear on an episode, Slap Shot might be the movie I'd want to cover. That or The Last Detail.
Bill doesn't seem to like talking about Nicholson or most of his movies (they tend to be a little darker and less obvious than Pacino's or DeNiro's), so I'm not sure The Last Detail will ever make it. I mean, aside from The Shining, he hasn't really delved into Jack's classic period.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Was listening to scent of a women and maybe it's me but Bill seemed concerned about running out of movies.

I think a rewatchables type show could easily go on for well over a thousand episodes but I do think we're rapidly approaching limits of movies where Bill would have anything interesting/fun to say. I enjoy the pods he's on but when you restrict the universe of movies you're going to talk about to with rare exceptions 1980 and later, no sci fi/western/animation/fantasy/comic book, no foreign films, oddly enough not even Bond movies and only a handful of rom coms, nothing more challenging than Shawshank or there will be blood, the pickings are finite.
I'm hoping that when they reach the point where Bill thinks it's done because he can't think of any more movies he wants to do, he lets other folks take the baton and cover all the rewatchable movies he'd never do.
 

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I'm hoping that when they reach the point where Bill thinks it's done because he can't think of any more movies he wants to do, he lets other folks take the baton and cover all the rewatchable movies he'd never do.
There's a yes but--I think despite being frankly kind of a dumbass about movies (neither clint eastwood's character in unforgiven nor any of the characters in Heat are the first antihero Bill) Bill is quite additive because he is funny, he is fun, he keeps it light, his odd insights prompt discussion, does a pretty good job letting the other hosts contribute I was just listening to Fennessy/CR/Amanda/Wos's Big Picture episode on licorice pizza and it was just boring.

* At least when it comes to talking movies, Wos sucks. He spends more time laughing at his own material (usually alone) than he does doing anything else and he's not nearly so profound as he thinks he is.
 
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Bozo Texino

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Bill doesn't seem to like talking about Nicholson or most of his movies (they tend to be a little darker and less obvious than Pacino's or DeNiro's), so I'm not sure The Last Detail will ever make it. I mean, aside from The Shining, he hasn't really delved into Jack's classic period.
For sure. If the pod ever covered The Last Detail, it'd likely just be Chris and Sean.
 

Leather

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For sure. If the pod ever covered The Last Detail, it'd likely just be Chris and Sean.
Can you imagine Bill doing "Five Easy Pieces?"

"So...what? This family is just a bunch of depressed music nerds? What am I missing?"
 

Bozo Texino

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Can you imagine Bill doing "Five Easy Pieces?"

"So...what? This family is just a bunch of depressed music nerds? What am I missing?"
Ha! I'd honestly rather not, thanks.

I wonder if Bill would enjoy Drive, He Said. At least there's some basketball in there.
 

Matthew McKinley

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Can you imagine Bill doing "Five Easy Pieces?"

"So...what? This family is just a bunch of depressed music nerds? What am I missing?"
"Recasting couch: Hear me out, what if they got somebody bigger, like Faye Dunaway, for the Karen Black role? It just would be better."

"Hmm, Bill, I would have trouble believing Faye Dunaway as some white trash girlfriend Jack instantly got hooked up with."

"Jane Fonda?"

"Hey, why not get Julie Christie while we're at it. Or your girl Bill, Jacquline Bisset?"
 

Hoya81

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There's a yes but--I think despite being frankly kind of a dumbass about movies (neither clint eastwood's character in unforgiven nor any of the characters in Heat are the first antihero Bill) Bill is quite additive because he is funny, he is fun, he keeps it light, his odd insights prompt discussion, does a pretty good job letting the other hosts contribute I was just listening to Fennessy/CR/Amanda/Wos's Big Picture episode on licorice pizza and it was just boring.

* At least when it comes to talking movies, Wos sucks. He spends more time laughing at his own material (usually alone) than he does doing anything else and he's not nearly so profound as he thinks he is.
I mostly agree that Bill bouncing his mostly half formed takes and surface level movie knowledge off of more learned co-hosts is usually one of strengths of the pod, but I think they've established a deep enough bench of guests who've been on the show who could fill that role for the types of movies that Bill avoids.
 

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There's a yes but--I think despite being frankly kind of a dumbass about movies (neither clint eastwood's character in unforgiven nor any of the characters in Heat are the first antihero Bill) Bill is quite additive because he is funny, he is fun, he keeps it light, his odd insights prompt discussion, does a pretty good job letting the other hosts contribute I was just listening to Fennessy/CR/Amanda/Wos's Big Picture episode on licorice pizza and it was just boring.

* At least when it comes to talking movies, Wos sucks. He spends more time laughing at his own material (usually alone) than he does doing anything else and he's not nearly so profound as he thinks he is.

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Serrano is the heir to the throne. Chris is who you would think but he can skew boring if he is surrounded by other boring people but if he has an ally he can be very fun.
 

88 MVP

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This should be good.

I’m kind of surprised they hadn’t already done The Hunt for Red October. If I had to pick a single film that best met the original premise for the podcast -- something I’ve seen a million times on TV and for which I’ll still stop when I’m channel surfing — Hunt for Red October might be my answer.

Saving Private Ryan will be fun, but now I hope they get to Red October soon
 

Shelterdog

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I mostly agree that Bill bouncing his mostly half formed takes and surface level movie knowledge off of more learned co-hosts is usually one of strengths of the pod, but I think they've established a deep enough bench of guests who've been on the show who could fill that role for the types of movies that Bill avoids.
By that you mean "good movies?" (I kid-mostly-but describe Coen brothers movies as arty-fartsy sticks in my Lebowski loving craw)
I was thinking exactly the same thing. Serrano is the heir to the throne. Chris is who you would think but he can skew boring if he is surrounded by other boring people but if he has an ally he can be very fun.
I listen to a movie podcast the sub beacon which has three people--a film critic, a kind of social critic who knows quite a bit about film, and the third a guy who doesn't know movies that well who plays the common man and talks about his gluttonous drinking and eating a lot who is half tanked for every movie and often can't recallt he plot at all. Like it can be with Rewatchables it's the non-film guy who makes the conversation fun and funny rather than just being a fairly serious talk about a movie.
 

johnmd20

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I’m kind of surprised they hadn’t already done The Hunt for Red October. If I had to pick a single film that best met the original premise for the podcast -- something I’ve seen a million times on TV and for which I’ll still stop when I’m channel surfing — Hunt for Red October might be my answer.

Saving Private Ryan will be fun, but now I hope they get to Red October soon
They did Crimson Tide. And Hunt For Red October is easily a candidate for the podcast.

And if Simmons does pack it in, the Rewatchables automatically gets at least 25% better. Maybe more. Bill's problem right now is that he's all catch phrases and he just falls back on the same 3 or 4 things he always says. He has no other moves, it's the same stuff jammed into whatever it is they are talking about.

"How about a young Leo for the 2 minute role that had no lines," says Simmons, earnestly.
 

Hoya81

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By that you mean "good movies?" (I kid-mostly-but describe Coen brothers movies as arty-fartsy sticks in my Lebowski loving craw)
Its more sci-fi/fantasy stuff than anything. I'm not even talking obscure stuff; Alien and Aliens are both pretty iconic movies from directors who have multiple eps of the Rewatchables, seems crazy that they haven't done them yet. It's possible that Bill thinks that Binge Mode/Ringer-verse feed sort of eliminates the need for those kinds of films to be covered but they'd be good pods.
 

Shelterdog

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On the question how long can this go--latest pod is Tango and Cash. You've got to love bad movies a lot more than I do to rewatch Tango and Cash.
 

Leather

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On the question how long can this go--latest pod is Tango and Cash. You've got to love bad movies a lot more than I do to rewatch Tango and Cash.
Yeah, not interested. Bill Simmons' reflexive need to include crummy movies strikes again.

But I'd maintain it's at least true to the original vision of the podcast, unlike, say, Focus.


They obviously work for him and are no doubt more than happy to ride his coattails to a hugely successful podcast, but I would love to hear Fennessy and Ryan talk candidly about Simmons' Rewatchable decisions, and how they'd feel about him just ceding editorial control over to them entirely. I suspect what movie gets picked is (except in certain, rare, circumstances like an online vote) almost entirely Simmons' whim*, with whomever agrees most fervently (or who lobbied for it the most) getting the co-host chair. It must be a weirdly frustrating and sometimes stressful dynamic.

*He never explains a process beyond a post-hoc "We've been circling this for awhile..." or "Oh it's on the list!" or "You want in on that one?"
 
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johnmd20

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Yeah, not interested. Bill Simmons' reflexive need to include crummy movies strikes again.

But I'd maintain it's at least true to the original vision of the podcast, unlike, say, Focus.


They obviously work for him and are no doubt more than happy to ride his coattails to a hugely successful podcast, but I would love to hear Fennessy and Ryan talk candidly about Simmons' Rewatchable decisions, and how they'd feel about him just ceding editorial control over to them entirely. I suspect what movie gets picked is (except in certain, rare, circumstances like an online vote) almost entirely Simmons' whim*, with whomever agrees most fervently (or who lobbied for it the most) getting the co-host chair. It must be a weirdly frustrating and sometimes stressful dynamic.

*He never explains a process beyond a post-hoc "We've been circling this for awhile..." or "Oh it's on the list!" or "You want in on that one?"
All of this to say, the Tango and Cash pod today was a blast. I recommend it.