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Before Sunrise
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Founder and Managing Director, The Ringer
Bill Simmons
Founder of The Ringer and a regular voice on The Rewatchables. Appears in all ten episodes selected for this pilot.
Also referred to as Bill, Simmons
Stats
- Episodes credited in this archive
- 437
- Movies in this archive
- 419
- Attributed podcast choices
- 99
Across the table
Appearing on these Rewatchables episodes
Forrest Gump
1994 film
Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Sean Fennessey · Mallory Rubin
Aired February 13, 2024
Displaying episodes 133 - 144 of 437 in total
Mentioned in discussions
The most 1995 thing
BMW Z3; post-Soviet Russia; internet cafés; computers; workplace flirtation; theme-song team
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:49:11Read transcript
- Most-1995 choices include post-Soviet Russia, internet cafés, computers, workplace flirtation and the theme-song team; BMW Z3 is the leading choice.
- The Z3 marketing debut prompts Bill’s dislike of the design and a joking car-podcast/personal driving digression. — Bill Simmons
- The driving anecdote concludes and the Z3 period answer is reaffirmed.
Scorsese or Spielberg?
Split: Scorsese; Spielberg (Bill favors Scorsese)
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 02:28:27Read transcript
- The panel runs Scorsese or Spielberg as a named category. — Bill Simmons
- A Spielberg version is argued for through procedural clarity. — Bill Simmons
- A Scorsese version is argued for through obsession and moral decay. — Sean Fennessey
- No unanimous choice is reached. — Bill Simmons
Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake
All-Black cast, tentatively; prestige television with flashbacks.
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:40Read transcript
- An all-Black cast version is proposed and receives tentative interest as a Tubi movie. — Chris Ryan
- A prestige television version is proposed, with the amount of flashback and supernatural material left as key choices. — Mallory Rubin
- Fergie the Florist, Wayne, Buffalo Bill, Byron Mayo, Dan Orlovsky, and William Brimley are proposed in a joking cast. — Mallory Rubin
Just One Oscar
Bill Conti
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:42:46Read transcript
- Bill Conti receives the single Oscar. — Bill Simmons
- Apollo’s wife is offered as an alternative. — Bill Simmons
Is This Movie Better With…?
Mad Dog Russo; Buffalo Bill
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:31Read transcript
- Mad Dog Russo’s football rant and Buffalo Bill are suggested additions; Walter already resembles Byron Mayo. — Bill Simmons
Probably Unanswerable Questions
The NSA’s eventual surveillance powers, San Francisco status, hypothetical rewards, and Redford’s hair.
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:48:05Read transcript
- The panel questions the heroes’ victory in light of later real-world NSA surveillance. — Bill Simmons
- Sneakers is called a top-tier San Francisco movie, with a wish for still more recognizable city footage. — Bill Simmons
- Geographic discontinuities in other movie chases lead to questions about Giants-ballpark appearances on film. — Bill Simmons
- Liz declining a reward prompts hypothetical requests, including stopping Jordan’s baseball retirement. — Kyle Brandt
- Access to private screenings of new films is proposed as a reward. — Bill Simmons
- Bill speculates about whether Redford wore a wig; others suggest hair dye, and no conclusion is established. — Bill Simmons
- The speculation becomes a joking proposal for a podcast about actors’ hair, wigs, and cosmetic changes.
Is This Movie Better With…?
Bill Simmons podcasting about Luke’s growth
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:40:06Read transcript
- A mock Sunday-night podcast celebrates nineteen-year-old Luke’s untapped levels after his mentor falls. — Chris Ryan
Picking Nits
The new car creates ending inconsistencies.
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:46Read transcript
- The hacking possibility is weighed against the script’s pre-Internet origins.
- Bill is considered a bland character name, with more local-sounding alternatives proposed. — Ryen Russillo
- Why do friends collect Will for work after giving him a car, and why not notice that car is missing? — Sean Fennessey
- Taking a paycheck and flying to meet Skylar seems more practical than the drive; other criminal/gambling paths are jokingly imagined.
Picking Nits
Coincidences; police behavior; public racism; trafficking expertise
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:08Read transcript
- Picking Nits all-of-them joke/Bill top10intro but no formal ten-item ranked list: Bullock shouting racist locksmith claims within earshot, implausible recurring encounters across giant LA—Dillon/Newton, Phillippe/Howard then Cheadle brother.
- Interconnected vignette films rarely work, Magnolia and Playing by Heart defended; latter cast/architecture monologue appreciation.
- Nit Dillon might let assault witness die to avoid lawsuit/job loss; darker cigarette-drop murder imagined as better movie.
- Nit carjacking aftermath cops fail search car for slouching Ludacris; discussion distinguishes neutralizing advancing Howard first versus searching once controlled, no full agreement on procedural timing.
- Nit Cheadle collision where brother killed coincidence, rebuttal he may have been responding to scene.
- Nit van keys left12hours untouched, chop-shop operator instant expertise selling trafficked people despite earlier blood-spatter caution; joking chop shops most evil.
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Sex; romantic grand gestures; Jesse’s writing; literary interpretation
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:38:03Read transcript
- Whether the couple had sex is raised, with the later film said to supply an answer. — Chris Ryan
- The hosts wonder how many first dates copied Jesse's grand romantic gestures. — Chris Ryan
- Bill says he made similarly grand gestures when he was younger. — Bill Simmons
- Jesse becoming a novelist makes it puzzling that he never shows Celine any writing during the night. — Bill Simmons
- Jesse's distrust of the poet is connected to his difficulty surrendering his own vulnerability.
- The discussion turns into a question about a participant’s attraction to literary, metaphor-seeking characters despite his resistance to being one. — Sean Fennessey
The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film
Closing song — tentative
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:37Read transcript
- No actor is identified as a weak link, and two participants say they have none. — Bill Simmons
- Bill considers whether the closing song could have made the film feel more specifically 1995. — Bill Simmons
- The Jayhawks' “Blue” and Green Day's “Good Riddance” are rejected alternatives. — Bill Simmons
- The Innocence Mission's “Bright as Yellow” is Bill's proposed replacement. — Bill Simmons
- Bill concedes that the original song helps keep the movie timeless and that his answer is forced. — Bill Simmons
Jesse in Before Sunrise Award for the Character Who Should Have Smoked but Didn’t
Jesse; probably Céline too
The panel proposes a new category here.
Flex pick · Chris Ryan
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:01:37Read transcript
- Chris explicitly selects the category as his flex after Bill invites him to restore a cut category. — Chris Ryan
- Chris remembers Jesse as a smoker and argues that Hawke's real-life smoking makes the omission puzzling. — Chris Ryan
- The 1995 European setting and the smoking poet make the absence of cigarettes especially conspicuous.
- The lack of smoking now makes the movie feel unexpectedly modern.
- Julie Delpy is also proposed as someone who would plausibly smoke. — Bill Simmons
Displaying discussions 13 - 24 of 143 in total
Flex picks
Top Five List
Old guys schooling young guys scenes
Flex pick · Bill Simmons
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:06Read transcript
- The invited top-five flex ranks Joe Clark confronting Sams on the Lean on Me roof fifth, with the dangerous method questioned.
- Fourth is Rocky beating Tommy Gunn, whose provocation is said to justify the confrontation. — Van Lathan
- Third is Shep beating Kyle Watson one-on-one in Above the Rim; the deceased-friend subplot prompts a tangent. — Van Lathan
- Second is a tie between Yoda teaching Luke at Dagobah and Obi-Wan defeating Anakin in Revenge of the Sith. — Van Lathan
- After the rank is clarified as second rather than first, the top slot goes to the park-bench speech in Good Will Hunting, contrasting experience with intelligence. — Van Lathan
The most GIFable moment
I’m gambling again
Flex pick · Bill Simmons
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:13:55Read transcript
- The gambling-again declaration is proposed as an underused Pacino GIF or meme, alongside his established memorable screen moments. — Bill Simmons
- The choice is confirmed as Most GIFable Moment; Best Line is floated as another possible home for it. — Bill Simmons
Mallory Rubin Award: Did This Movie Need a Better Sex Scene?
The overhead hotel-room sequence prompts a wish for a more provocative background encounter.
Flex pick · Bill Simmons
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:22Read transcript
- The overhead hotel-room sequence prompts a wish for a more provocative background encounter. — Bill Simmons
Flex pick · Bill Simmons
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:30Read transcript
- Jackson and Irons each dial up their performances at times. — Bill Simmons
Best Dick Ever: Best Philip K. Dick Movie Adaptations
Blade Runner best; Total Recall most rewatchable
The panel proposes a new category here.
Flex pick · Bill Simmons
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:03Read transcript
- An invited flex asks for the best Philip K. Dick adaptations: Minority Report, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly, Blade Runner and The Adjustment Bureau are nominated. One ordering begins Blade Runner and Total Recall; another specifies Blade Runner, Minority Report and Total Recall, while Scanner is especially faithful in spirit. — Bill Simmons
- The Adjustment Bureau is defended by its proposer but rejected by two responses. Blade Runner is agreed to be best, whereas Total Recall is preferred for desert-island entertainment and rewatchability.
Kevin Spacey Limo Scene Award for Craziest Foreshadowing of a Real-Life Event
Pete’s tirade and San Diego State’s UNC loss
The panel proposes a new category here.
Flex pick · Bill Simmons
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:31:38Read transcript
- Craig’s flex compares Pete berating the team at halftime to San Diego State’s coach against UNC; the ensuing discussion says SDSU lost by 27 after trailing by about 38. — Bill Simmons
Best Possible Starting Five from the Actual Players in the Movie
Penny, Houston, Lynch, Cheaney, Shaq; Hurley sixth man
The panel proposes a new category here.
Flex pick · Bill Simmons
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:01Read transcript
- The flex asks for the best starting five from the actual basketball players appearing in the film, clarifying that the players rather than their fictional characters are eligible. — Bill Simmons
- An initial lineup includes Shaq, Penny, Bobby Hurley and Calbert Cheaney; Allan Houston joins the core. Pre-accident Hurley is praised, but wanting Penny to handle the ball pushes Hurley out.
- The final proposed five is George Lynch, Allan Houston, Penny, Shaq and Calbert Cheaney, with Hurley as sixth man. The lack of a conventional power forward is defended because Shaq anchors the team. — Van Lathan
- Ricky is suggested as a floor-spacing reserve; the lineup is criticized for insufficient shooting without Hurley, and Ricky is jokingly called a locker-room liability.
Steven Seagal Hard to Kill Award: Did This Movie Need a Better Intimacy Coordinator?
Yes: Rocky and Adrian’s first kiss
Flex pick · Bill Simmons
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:00Read transcript
- Steven Seagal Hard to Kill Award for needing better intimacy coordinator: first kiss feels mauling, Adrian trapped, phone request refused; saying going to kiss not sufficient freedom to decline.
Is There a Porn Parody of This Movie?
Zane’s World
Flex pick · Bill Simmons
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:30Read transcript
- Zane’s World is reported as an existing parody, featuring Biff Malibu, Tom Byron, Madison and Trixie Tyler. — Bill Simmons
- A fourteen-minute plot-only edit with the sex removed is described as unexpectedly entertaining; the Peter North casting question is a joke rather than a reported credit. — Bill Simmons
Flex pick · Bill Simmons
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:25Read transcript
- The newly introduced category is explicitly selected as a flex choice. — Bill Simmons
- The listening-booth scene is the winner and is called a successful test drive for the category. — Bill Simmons
Displaying flex picks 13 - 22 of 22 in total