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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

Memento

2000 film

Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan

Aired June 1, 2021

The Rock

1996 film

Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Mina Kimes

Aired May 25, 2021

Goodfellas

1990 film

Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Sean Fennessey

Aired May 18, 2021

Lethal Weapon 2

1989 film

Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Van Lathan

Aired May 11, 2021

What About Bob?

1991 film

Bill Simmons · Sean Fennessey · Van Lathan

Aired May 4, 2021

Predator

1987 film

Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Shea Serrano · Kyle Brandt

Aired April 26, 2021

Mrs. Doubtfire

1993 film

Bill Simmons · Shea Serrano · Amanda Dobbins

Aired April 20, 2021

Manhunter

1986 film

Bill Simmons · Sean Fennessey · Chris Ryan

Aired April 13, 2021

Lethal Weapon

1987 film

Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan

Aired April 6, 2021

Thief

1981 film

Bill Simmons · Sean Fennessey · Chris Ryan

Aired April 1, 2021

Commando

1985 film

Bill Simmons · Shea Serrano · Kyle Brandt

Aired March 29, 2021

Insidious

2010 film

Bill Simmons · Sean Fennessey · Chris Ryan

Aired March 23, 2021

Displaying episodes 277 - 288 of 437 in total

Mentioned in discussions

It Follows The Rewatchables
It Follows

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

One night with the It Follows girl is worth it; better than Obsession, Hereditary and Weapons; it would make $180 million today; Maika Monroe holds the Scream Queen belt; the sequel should be a comedy

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:50Read transcript
  • Rolling the dice for a one-nighter with the It Follows girl: at every point from age 18 to 27 the answer would have been fuck it, worth the demon STD.
  • It goes straight into the doctrine of bet on yourself, counting on scoring again in the next couple of nights; there is no time limit to pass it along.
  • Changing the Catherine Trammell would you throw your life away award to the would you have sex with the It Follows girl award, or the Bill Simmons I would award, is floated.
  • Another take: this movie is better than Obsession, Hereditary and Weapons, the elevated horror of the last 15 years, because it has a lot on its mind and peels back more every time, down to her broken hand holding Paul's at the end.
  • Piggybacking, if it came out right now with a big studio it would make $180 million, at least 100, and it is very similar to Obsession.
  • Part of what people respond to with horror is newness and surprise, so for the sequel no trailer is wanted, just the title and one second.
  • The sequel's title is argued as They Follow or They Follows, and Paul is not in it.
  • Micah Monroe (as transcribed) still has the Scream Queen belt, with competition from Jessica Roth (as transcribed) and Samara Weaving, after Jamie Lee in the 80s, Neve Campbell in the 90s and Naomi Watts in the aughts for Ring, Ring 2, the Funny Games remake and Mulholland Drive.
  • Funny Games is not a rewatchable because it's not a fun hang, and the dad, Tim Roth, is a zero out of ten on the protect my family scale.
  • The last take is that the sequel should change genres into a straight comedy, just Paul trying to get laid as people come towards him, made by the This Is the End crew.
Friday the 13th

Most Rewatchable Scene

Marcy and Jack's deaths

In the discussion (19)
Approx. transcript time · 00:29:43Read transcript
  • The walk-through starts with the opening scene set in 1958, where counselors sing Michael Rode, Roll the Boat of Shore (as transcribed) before Jason's mom takes them down, and the sex scene never comes.
  • Because of that song it may be a religious camp, which leads to a riff on over the pants contact and the acronym OTPHJ, which one participant, who grew up in Baton Rouge, had never heard.
  • Annie's car ride to Camp Blood, the journey to Crystal Lake, is a good horror setup: a local who coexists with the evil tells her to stop and get out, and the truck driver who gives her a ride grabs her ass as she gets in.
  • A participant who left the Sycamore office imagines being told that Simmons' house is where people go to die, and refusing to come over.
  • She heads to a camp in the middle of the woods while a whole diner warns her off, with a left at the cemetery as another red flag; the butt grab is thought to have been directed, and one participant got nervous the driver was another Texas Chainsaw guy.
  • Starting the killing with a character outside the main narrative shows how much danger everyone else is in; the sequels, especially two and three, open with the last 10 minutes of the previous movie to get a kill in, because the next 40 minutes are kids hanging out.
  • Her scene ends in a graphic throat cut; it is her second hitchhiking ride, and after getting away from the first guy she seems comfortable with the next person, whose car keeps going past the sign.
  • The mom as the villain was a zag in the theater, and it makes sense because every victim greets the killer from the killer's POV; it later became legend, with a film bro kid in middle school explaining that it is actually Jason's mom.
  • Jack, Kevin Bacon's character, and Marcy buying it are a couple of good deaths: the through-the-bed death was filmed with his head over the bed and a fake body, and Jack probably died happy with a quick arrow through the throat.
  • Marcy getting the axe to the forehead is a disappointing death because she saw it coming, and the last thing she sees is the scariest thing in the world.
  • Jason's mom is called one of the greatest female athletes ever, killing since 58 and getting better over time like Derrick Henry, versatile enough to throw a body through a window and keep her blue sweater clean.
  • At the end she explains her reasons like she is doing a podcast, a gimmick Fruising (as transcribed) also had, prompting an impression of Matt Bellany (as transcribed) asking whether one death is a good enough reason to kill the counselors.
  • Alice finds Bill and the rest of the bodies, Bill with an arrow through the eyeball, and builds a barricade compared to Minecraft Mike Tomlin; then Jason's mom shows up saying they were making love while the young boy drowned.
  • Betsy Palmer loses what is scored like a UFC fight, 50 to 45; Alice sitting with her back to the house after leaving her attacker is called a strange choice and a trope, topped only by Jamie Lee Curtis dropping the knife in Halloween.
  • The fight is a lot of shin and box kicking and a frying pan, ending in a good slow-motion decapitation with the machete and the music.
  • The second ending in the canoe is one of the scariest things one participant ever saw; the newcomer whose reaction is requested calls it legitimately shocking, the only scary part for them, having expected a little tease with two minutes left.
  • The ending is thought to be influenced by Carrie's hand coming out at the end and to have been Tom Savini's idea for one more button; Jason was not yet envisioned, his disfigured body is called great, and the jump scare was often imitated afterwards.
  • The pick is Marcy and Jack dying, where you just know you're in Friday the 13th, called the biting of the apple, and another participant had the same scene; it is funny that it is Kevin Bacon, with the softball line quoted.
  • The last participant asked for a most rewatchable scene agrees with the others.
Speed The Rewatchables
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:44:34Read transcript
  • Bill proposes selected years of Hawn, Stone, Diaz, Bullock, Johansson and Sweeney, with Navarrette added in discussion — Bill Simmons
  • The others ask what the category is meant to decide — Bill Simmons
  • Mid-1970s Hawn is considered plausible as Annie — Bill Simmons
  • The panel prefers Bullock to all suggested replacements — Bill Simmons
  • The prompt remains a proposal rather than an established award — Bill Simmons
Speed The Rewatchables
Speed

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Sean calls Speed the last truly great American pure-action movie

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:49Read transcript
  • A participant suggests Jack’s de-escalating language as an alternative to aggressive policing
  • Sean distinguishes pure action from science fiction, superheroes, secret societies and mythology
  • Mission: Impossible, The Rock, Ambulance, Taken and Bad Boys are offered as counterexamples
  • Bill provocatively argues the destruction costs could outweigh saving the bus; the others push back
  • The hot-take framing and objections are retained rather than treating this as advice
Ali The Rewatchables
Ali

What’s Aged the Best?

Jamie Foxx and Giancarlo Esposito together, James Toney’s acting, the Foreman heavy-bag image, sports-media cameos, “The Champ Is Here” sample, Smith’s fighting credibility, the Malcolm X structure, and the opening music staging

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:32Read transcript
  • Foxx and Esposito sharing the screen is the first candidate. — Bill Simmons
  • James Toney’s acting and the Foreman heavy-bag shot are separate choices. — Bill Simmons
  • Jim Gray and Bill Plaschke cameos are enjoyed. — Bill Simmons
  • The “Champ Is Here” sample is selected. — Chris Ryan
  • Smith’s credible fighting and the film functioning partly as a Malcolm X movie are praised. — Chris Ryan
  • The Sam Cooke performance recreation and call-and-response staging are praised. — Chris Ryan
  • The actors playing fighters were allowed to hit Smith hard short of knocking him out.
Eddie and the Cruisers

Producer review

Likable, compact musical entertainment

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:32:34Read transcript
  • The first response describes a great time and a very likable movie. — Craig Horlbeck
  • An unsuccessful attempt to persuade Liz to join the viewing becomes an anecdote about how much she might have enjoyed it. — Bill Simmons
  • The others joke that sponsorship or Bill appearing in the movie might have persuaded her. — Bill Simmons
  • The compact running time and music are offered as reasons the movie is reliably enjoyable. — Bill Simmons
  • Modest expectations make enjoyment easier; LA Confidential is contrasted as a movie liked less than its reputation led the viewer to expect. — Chris Ryan
Sicario The Rewatchables
Sicario

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Foreign-policy allegory; Yellowstone’s cost to cinema; Del Toro’s romantic reputation

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:51:16Read transcript
  • A hottest take ranks the crossing alongside Heat’s robbery and The Dark Knight’s truck chase; the hosts recall the chaotic Grantland period. — Chris Ryan
  • A hottest take reads the film as an allegory of American foreign policy exploiting crises and desires for justice.
  • Another hottest take calls Yellowstone’s success a major loss for film screenwriting, with Mike White discussed as a different film-to-TV example. — Chris Ryan
  • Bill’s hottest take is that Del Toro’s reputation as a ladies’ man is underrecognized; purported relationships are recited as hearsay rather than independently established facts.
Sicario The Rewatchables
Sicario

Floyd Gondolli Enjoyment Award

Tunnel rumors; thick glasses on an armed operator; debrief; night vision

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:01:41Read transcript
  • Bill introduces a listener-proposed Floyd Gondolli personal-enjoyment award and uses rumors of a tunnel. Other answers are an armed operator with thick glasses and a debrief, with Donovan’s reported visual inspiration discussed. — Bill Simmons
  • Research reports a replica border crossing, practical thermal camera use, heated shoe soles, the word’s Latin origin, Blunt’s food poisoning and Brolin’s effective pause after forgetting dialogue. Night vision is an added personal-enjoyment answer.
GoldenEye The Rewatchables
GoldenEye

Apex Mountain

Brosnan; Scorupco; BMW Z3; Perrier qualified

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:23:40Read transcript
  • Brosnan receives an apex yes for reviving Bond, with Mamma Mia and The Thomas Crown Affair alternatives. A Hot Fuzz attribution is also made in the discussion, without independent verification.
  • Scorupco and the BMW Z3 receive apex yes answers. — Bill Simmons
  • GoldenEye’s song is called a possible worst Bond theme; better songs are debated. Janssen is assigned X-Men and Bond overall the Connery era versus Skyfall. — Sean Fennessey
  • Baker’s apex is debated between Walking Tall and Mitchell/Mystery Science Theater; Perrier receives a tentative yes followed by sparkling-water comparisons.
  • Cumming is assigned The Traitors as a later apex, leading to hypothetical casting of Bill or Rachel Lindsay on that show and Survivor. — Bill Simmons
GoldenEye The Rewatchables
GoldenEye

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Data-driven M; Bond/006 prequel; Campbell directing every Brosnan film; Farrell as Bond

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:53Read transcript
  • Hottest takes include M anticipating data-driven management and a missed opportunity for a Bond/006 buddy prequel built on their chemistry. — Bill Simmons
  • Another hottest take argues Brosnan would rank second among Bonds if Campbell had directed all his films, praising Campbell’s energy and criticizing the sequels.
  • Bill’s hottest take proposes Farrell as a potential best post-Connery Bond. Hypothetical career trades and Neeson’s reported family objection follow. — Sean Fennessey
Displaying discussions 1 - 12 of 143 in total

Flex picks

F1 The Rewatchables

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

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
Minority Report

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.
Blue Chips

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
Blue Chips

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.
Wayne's World The Rewatchables

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
Displaying flex picks 13 - 22 of 22 in total