Podcast Manager, The Ringer
Craig Horlbeck
Producer who contributes to the discussion. In the Chicago live episode, he chooses Harrison Ford.
Also referred to as Craig, Bangkok Craig, Craig Grobeck, Craig Gahau
Stats
- Episodes credited in this archive
- 220
- Movies in this archive
- 217
- Producer credits
- 217
- Attributed podcast choices
- 13
Across the table
Appearing on these Rewatchables episodes
Boyz n the Hood
1991 film
Bill Simmons · Sean Fennessey · Van Lathan · Logan Murdock
Aired June 29, 2021
Mentioned in discussions
Most Rewatchable Scene
The Jonathan–Bartholomew argument during the tree-burning party
In the discussion (2)
- Producer Craig selects Jonathan's argument with Bartholomew during the tree-burning party as his most rewatchable scene. — Craig Horlbeck
- Craig also praises the party as the film's most interesting sequence. — Craig Horlbeck
Who Won the Movie?
Olivier
In the discussion (2)
- Olivier is chosen for bridging an older acting tradition and giving a brave performance.
- The third participant praises the film’s suspense, delayed explanations, and Diamond District sequence but does not state a winner choice. — Craig Horlbeck
Podcast choices
- Speaker not identified
- Laurence Olivier
- Speaker not identified
- Laurence Olivier
The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Unchecked movie-star control should return because singular stars can create unusually memorable movies.
In the discussion (4)
- Craig argues for restoring singular movie-star control because it can create memorable unintentional comedy. — Craig Horlbeck
- He contrasts that approach with market-tested films whose failures feel polished and predictable. — Craig Horlbeck
- The panel imagines giving Jason Momoa a blank-slate police movie with no notes or audience testing. — Craig Horlbeck
- The opening beret, freeze frame, and hot dog are cited as choices that modern focus groups would likely remove. — Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
- The panel splits over Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks, with Hanks supported by Road to Perdition and Cruise questioned for the accent.
- Craig breaks the tie for Cruise because his unintentional comedy and willingness to attempt the accent fit the role. — Craig Horlbeck
The Tom Cruise Award for Most Valiant Attempt to Emulate a Normal Human
Seagal pretending to know how to play catch
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
- Craig selects Seagal's attempt to look like he knows how to play catch with his son. — Craig Horlbeck
- The way Seagal holds the glove and inventories the bat and ball is treated as visibly inauthentic. — Craig Horlbeck
The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
The five-note musical exchange works, but the extended mothership improvisation becomes awkward.
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
- Craig says the initial five-note exchange works but the extended musical improvisation becomes awkward. — Craig Horlbeck
- He argues that Spielberg and John Williams overextended the sequence once the brass and tuba-like sounds begin. — Craig Horlbeck
Producer review
Craig enjoyed the unfamiliar film and especially Rogers.
In the discussion (3)
- The invited viewer says the hosts have converted him: this movie hits love triangle, twangy guitar and dance-club squares in80s movie bingo. — Bill Simmons
- The hair is praised but the lack of a strong sex scene or nudity is a miss.
- Rogers’s performance impresses a viewer who knew her name but not her face or work.
The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Venza may save the marriage; the film could have been a great erotic thriller.
In the discussion (3)
- The crisis might reinvigorate Mike and Ellie, though divorce within a year is an alternative. — Bill Simmons
- The strong premise could support a much more erotic film, with several additional intimacy scenes imagined. — Chris Ryan
- Buying Ellie a Claire-like dress is suggested as another way to dramatize the triangle; Craig compares the detailed pitching to sports analysis. — Bill Simmons
Producer review
Craig’s first viewing is mostly negative, with William and Tripp McNeely exceptions.
In the discussion (6)
- Introduced as producer Craig, the first-time viewer finds the earnest romance dated, the archetypes and casting weak, and the film caught between Say Anything and American Pie. — Craig Horlbeck
- He likes William getting drunk and especially Jerry O'Connell’s warning about peaking in high school, likened to Mike seeing his future. — Craig Horlbeck
- He wants a college follow-up with Mike and Tripp.
- He concludes that the apparent archetype satire instead feels sloppy. — Craig Horlbeck
- The other speakers call this a time capsule and a movie where you had to be there. — Joanna Robinson
- The others defend the film’s modest ambitions, cheap production, young cast and humorous execution as characteristic of the era.
What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?
Loveburger shirt, love kit, signed yearbook and goggles.
In the discussion (2)
- The Loveburger band shirt is a personal favorite. — Bill Simmons
- The love kit and signed yearbook are also wanted; the goggles are jokingly assigned to Craig rather than claimed as his own spoken choice. — Joanna Robinson
Cruise or Hanks?
Young Hanks as Preston is the final stated choice.
In the discussion (2)
- Young Hanks as Preston and Risky Business-era Cruise as Preston or Mike are considered; Craig supports Hanks leading and Cruise as Mike. — Joanna Robinson
- Cruise’s size is questioned for football player Mike; the final Hanks choice mistakenly says Mike and is immediately corrected to Preston. — Joanna Robinson
Just One Oscar
Catherine O’Hara; editing; Fred Willard
In the discussion (5)
- Guest’s directing and writing are considered for the single Oscar before editing receives support; improvisation is raised as a concern about choosing screenplay. — Mallory Rubin
- O’Hara is proposed for the Oscar because her comparatively understated performance grounds the more extreme caricatures, with the limp jokingly offered as her ceremony clip. — Mallory Rubin
- The contemporary supporting-actress nominees are compared, with disagreement over Kate Hudson versus Frances McDormand in Almost Famous. — Bill Simmons
- Willard is proposed for supporting actor, then reconsidered against O’Hara after reviewing a strong field; another response agrees with Craig’s editing pick, and the O’Hara case gains support. — Mallory Rubin
- O’Hara is separated as the Oscar choice from Willard as an anticipated movie winner; Posey, Levy, Coolidge and Lynch are also considered difficult to replace. — Mallory Rubin
Flex picks
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (3)
- Chooses the Kevin Costner award for worst American accent and gives it to Gerard Butler, whose Scottish accent falls out with every line. — Craig Horlbeck
- The hosts wonder whether he is even meant to be American, as a CIA operative. — Bill Simmons
- A speaker says actors should just keep their normal accent, citing Chris Hemsworth's Brooklyn accent in Blackhat and Costner in Robin Hood. — Bill Simmons
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (1)
- His drug-running, street-racing, absent-father backstory is imagined as a serious prestige series. — Craig Horlbeck
The Sean Penn “I Brought My Own Pack” Award for Excellence in On-Screen Smoking
Jean Girard’s poor cigarette technique
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (1)
- The panel calls the petite cigarette performance a five out of ten and a bad cigarette.
Sean Fennessey Award for Stealth Homage That Gives Every Movie Nerd a Criterion Orgasm
Possibly Ricky signing a woman’s chest as a Happy Gilmore homage
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (1)
- The participant explicitly says the resemblance may not be an intentional reference. — Craig Horlbeck
Marion Cobretti Pizza Cutting Award: Why Didn’t They Stop This on Set?
Ripley’s unchanged clothing style
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
- Craig questions why Ripley’s clothing style is unchanged after 57 years
- The group offers fashion-cycle and personal-style explanations
Willem Dafoe: This Creepy-Looking Guy Turned Out to Be Nice Award
Bishop — Craig’s proposed award
The panel proposes a new category here.
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
- Craig proposes an award for a suspicious-looking character who turns out to be kind
- Bishop is the example
Todd Parker Award for Best Character Entrance
Buzz and Neil arriving at the Lovell home
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (3)
- Craig chooses the understated arrival of Armstrong and Aldrin — Craig Horlbeck
- Their first names alone establish their stature — Craig Horlbeck
- Their silent presence raises the stakes — Craig Horlbeck
The Tom Cruise Award for Most Valiant Attempt to Emulate a Normal Human
Keanu Reeves discussing the Arizona Wildcats
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
- Reeves’s football-team recognition is chosen as an awkward attempt at ordinary conversation
- The moment also solves Howard’s camera clue
Five-Word Description of the Movie
Bus can’t stop
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (4)
- The flex picker explicitly revives a former five-word-description prompt — Craig Horlbeck
- Bus can’t stop reduces it to three words — Craig Horlbeck
- Bomb on bus is another three-word version — Craig Horlbeck
- Die Hard on a bus is recalled as the pitch — Craig Horlbeck
Best Race Horse Name from This Movie
One Wish Willow.
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (1)
- One Wish Willow is selected as a racehorse name. — Craig Horlbeck
The Bam Out of Bayo 83 Point
Jon Voight as Howard Cosell
The panel proposes a new category here.
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
- One speaker explains his millennial reference points for Voight and says the credits revealed the Cosell role. — Craig Horlbeck
- He praises Voight’s unrecognizable performance.
Mallory Rubin Award: Did This Movie Need a Better Sex Scene?
A more explicit encounter between possessed Dana and Louis Tully
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (3)
- The selected answer pairs the possessed gatekeeper with the actual Keymaster rather than Venkman. — Craig Horlbeck
- The film is understood to imply that Dana and Louis had sex, but the flex asks to see more of their physical mismatch without requiring nudity. — Craig Horlbeck
- The panel then reiterates that Venkman cannot ethically sleep with Dana while she is possessed. — Bill Simmons