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
The Conjuring
2013 film
Bill Simmons · Sean Fennessey · Chris Ryan · Ben Simmons
Aired July 21, 2020
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
The Vincent Chase Award: Are We Sure This Character Is Actually Good at Their Job?
Catherine Tramell as a killer
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
- Craig introduces the Vincent Chase flex for Catherine: her planning is admired but excessive stabbing, abandoned weapons and disregard for evidence are criticized; her authorial quality is debated using bestseller and review-blurb clues. — Bill Simmons
- The counterargument says Catherine gets away with everything; an ice-pick search before bed becomes a joking hypothetical. — Chris Ryan
The Bam Out of Bayo 83 Point
Sal Amato
The panel proposes a new category here.
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
- An explicit flex selects Sal for the Bam Adebayo unexpected-performance category, praising his smooth nightclub command. — Bill Simmons
- Craig confirms that his earlier Sal Amato choice was the Bam Adebayo flex, explicitly connecting the category with the 83-point game. — Bill Simmons
The Dan Campbell Scale for “Holy Shit, Are They Really Going for It Right Now?”
The extended sex scene
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (1)
- Craig introduces the Dan Campbell flex for the explicit sex scene’s sustained nudity and physical staging.
Franchise Tag: Should This Movie Have Sequels?
Protect Sicario from sequels; continuation disputed
The panel proposes a new category here.
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (3)
- Craig introduces a Movie Franchise Tag flex proposing that a small annual group of films, including Sicario and The Devil Wears Prada, be protected from sequels.
- Chris counters that once Sicario’s sequel exists the series should continue, while a prestige television version is discussed and Del Toro’s participation doubted.
- The franchise-tag proposal expands to Sinners, Barbie and Oppenheimer with disagreement; Limitless is explicitly exempted and its television series recalled.
The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie
“Mom, relax. It’s your husband, not Al Qaeda.”
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (1)
- Craig’s flex selects Robbie’s husband-not-Al-Qaeda line as best quote and a 2011 marker. — Bill Simmons
Female Sex-Killer Mount Rushmore
Xenia; Catherine Tramell; Sil; Amy Dunne
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (1)
- Craig’s female-sex-killer Mount Rushmore names Xenia, Catherine Tramell, Sil and Amy Dunne. Die Hard with a Vengeance, Mia Goth and horror alternatives are additions. — Bill Simmons
References You Missed as a Child
Love Boat; Crying Game; Star Trek; Binaca; Claude Rains; Poltergeist; Tone Lōc; Miami Vice; Connery
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (3)
- Craig introduces the Millennial Missed Reference Power Ranking flex, beginning with Love Boat, Crying Game, Star Trek and Binaca references; it is not yet a numbered ten-entry list. — Craig Horlbeck
- Craig’s missed-reference flex continues with Binaca, Claude Rains, Poltergeist, Tone Lōc, Miami Vice and Connery. Zach dislikes the exorcised-demons punchline and also missed several references when young. — Craig Horlbeck
- The hosts defend dated cultural references as entertaining later discoveries, contrasting Wayne’s World 2 relying on a whole-film Doors parody. — Bill Simmons
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (1)
- Craig selects the Devil Wears Prada flex; the film is judged perfect for what it attempts. — Bill Simmons
The Vincent Chase Award: Are We Sure This Character Is Actually Good at Their Job?
The Zodiac is judged surprisingly bad at his job because victims survive and he leaves conspicuous clues.
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (5)
- Two victims survive attacks. — Craig Horlbeck
- He wears a Zodiac-branded watch. — Craig Horlbeck
- He reveals a birthday clue over the phone. — Craig Horlbeck
- He claims left-handedness while wearing a watch inconsistently. — Craig Horlbeck
- Arthur Leigh Allen wears a conspicuous Lee name tag at the hardware store. — Craig Horlbeck
Is There a Porn Parody of This Movie?
The Zodiac Killer starring John Holmes
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (4)
- The category asks whether the movie has a porn parody. — Craig Horlbeck
- The title The Zodiac Killer and John Holmes are identified.
- The premise casts Holmes as a cop hunting a killer.
- Its 63-minute runtime is compared with the Century Club benchmark.
The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie
“If shit was worth something, poor people would be born with no assholes”
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
- The poverty-and-excrement line is the selected quote. — Craig Horlbeck
- The old-football-bet explanation and request to talk black people stuff are additional favorite lines. — Chris Ryan
Unintentional Comedy Award
The paramedic making injured Laurie take a “big step” into the ambulance
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
- Laurie has been unable to walk, yet receives no stretcher and must put weight on the injured ankle.
- Jimmy’s extreme injured acting is an additional low-key overacting joke; an alternate TV ending puts him beside Laurie in the ambulance. — Bill Simmons