Categories & segments

Poltergeist The Rewatchables
Poltergeist poster
Poltergeist

What’s Aged the Best?

Window fear; evil developer; family ghost films; title; family setup; marijuana; Spielberg’s reassurance; DirecTV parody

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:39Read transcript
  • Fear of something outside the bedroom window remains timeless.
  • The callous developer fits a memorable era of evil businessman characters.
  • Family ghost films returned and expanded into a major genre.
  • The word poltergeist is praised as an effective name for a noisy ghost.
  • The opening establishes an ordinary three-child family before the supernatural events begin.
  • Smoking weed in bed while the parents hang out has aged well.
  • Spielberg is reported to have joined Williams in the skeleton pool to reassure her.
  • A 2008 DirecTV parody with Nelson and Carol Anne prompts nostalgia.
Poltergeist The Rewatchables
Poltergeist poster
Poltergeist

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Rubinstein’s acting questioned; stronger-actress alternatives; ghost-world racial dynamics

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:08Read transcript
  • Rubinstein may look perfectly cast as a medium while giving an unconvincing acting performance.
  • The response defends the importance of looking like someone who could contact another world.
  • Sally Field with unusual makeup is proposed as an alternative medium.
  • Shirley MacLaine is proposed as a potentially stronger medium.
  • Viola Davis is imagined commanding the room as the medium.
  • Meryl Streep is another imagined medium, with an objection that the role may be too small.
  • A comic theory imagines reversed racial power dynamics in the ghost world to explain why these ghosts target white families.
  • A counterargument attributes the shortage of Black ghost stories to limited opportunities and investment for Black filmmakers.
Poltergeist The Rewatchables
Poltergeist poster
Poltergeist

Casting What-Ifs

King; Spano; unverified MacLaine rumor; Barrymore

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:11Read transcript
  • Spielberg is reported to have asked Stephen King to co-write the screenplay, but King declined.
  • Joe Spano is said to have been wanted for the father but unable to leave his television contract.
  • An online claim that Shirley MacLaine declined a role is explicitly unverified.
  • Drew Barrymore was considered for Carol Anne before being placed in E.T., which is judged the better career outcome.
Poltergeist The Rewatchables
Poltergeist poster
Poltergeist

Van Lathan Award for Did This Movie Need More Black People?

Lawson appreciated; developer and doctor alternatives debated

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:10Read transcript
  • Richard Lawson’s presence is appreciated, with surprise that his character remains in the haunted house.
  • The evil businessman knocking down headstones could have been Black; the reply jokes that this would not happen.
  • The doctor is suggested as another role that could have been played by a Black actor; the response ultimately expresses satisfaction with Lawson.
Displaying discussions 3481 - 3492 of 7108 in total