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Hardcore
Hardcore
Shot Caller
The Fugitive
The Fugitive
The Fugitive
The Fugitive
The Fugitive
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Aliens
Aliens
Apollo 13
Speed
Speed
Obsession
Ali
Ghostbusters
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
Displaying episodes 145 - 156 of 220 in total
Mentioned in discussions
Picking Nits
The reel discovery; Mast’s fees; short flight; public shooting; snuff film
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:32:15Read transcript
- The theater reveal is declared the best scene. Mast's theatrical surprise, discovery of the reel and delayed response to 'turn it off' are nitpicks. Scott's reaction and Mast's warning about wanting his daughter back expose unresolved forgiveness questions.
- Craig's text notes Jake's abrupt wig-and-shirt transformation; the panel asks why an unknown furniture maker needs a disguise and compares the look to Body Double. — Bill Simmons
- Nitpicks revisit Mast finding the reel and whether he is prolonging the case for fees; the panel concludes he is both skilled and milking the situation.
- Nitpicks: flying from Los Angeles to San Diego rather than driving, and Mast shooting in a public street without evident consequences. His dropped ankle-holster gun is praised.
- Nitpicks question whether the shown snuff film depicts a real killing; the panel corrects confusion that Kristen is the woman shown. — Bill Simmons
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:54Read transcript
- Racehorse/band/wrestler/fantasy name: Jism Jim, after correcting the reversed Jim Jism; they joke Craig is absent. — Bill Simmons
Most Rewatchable Scene
The theater reveal; Ramada’s office alternative
In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 00:30:29Read transcript
- Andy Mast's diner introduction is a scene nominee; his weekly fee and months of work prompt inflation and financing questions. The Grand Rapids family gathering and Kristen's friend establish repression and misdirect expectations. — Bill Simmons
- The theater reveal is declared the best scene. Mast's theatrical surprise, discovery of the reel and delayed response to 'turn it off' are nitpicks. Scott's reaction and Mast's warning about wanting his daughter back expose unresolved forgiveness questions.
- Great Shot Gordo: the distorted high-angle image of Scott losing his bearings and adult storefronts surrounding him convey immersion in the unfamiliar world. — Bill Simmons
- The motel filming scene is praised as deliberately funny, especially the UCLA director, Scott's undercover look and dialogue; Serena's appearance prompts a biographical aside.
- The seedy 1970s hotel setting is praised and linked to later homages such as True Romance. — Bill Simmons
- Jake's Hollywood drive, ominous recurring score, shop admission and high camera angle are praised. CSNY's Helpless is singled out as an incongruously funny needle drop. — Bill Simmons
- The auditions of Big Dick Black and Jism Jim are scene nominees, with exaggerated credentials, stage names and Scott reaching for a lamp praised for comedy.
- Craig's text notes Jake's abrupt wig-and-shirt transformation; the panel asks why an unknown furniture maker needs a disguise and compares the look to Body Double. — Bill Simmons
- Nikki and Jake's San Diego life talks and airport discussion of TULIP are praised for writing, chemistry and changing the film's energy.
- Nikki's perspective and Hubley's comfort opposite Scott are praised; his softness in their scenes is distinctive.
- The bondage-house wall breakthrough, slowed motion and green neon are memorable; the steep-hill fight and physical stunts are praised.
- The theater reveal is selected again for its iconic impact; the first Mast meeting remains a favorite. Another choice shifts to Bill Ramada's office and right-man exchange, compared to The Big Lebowski's Ben Gazzara.
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:50Read transcript
- Cruise is initially outvoted 2–1 by Hanks supporters; the debate weighs unlikeability against comedy and the interest of casting Hanks against type.
- Craig chooses Cruise, citing Hanks’s underlying lovability; Collateral and early Jerry Maguire illustrate the alternative.
- A recent Jerry Maguire rewatch prompts a Hanks voter to switch to Cruise, making the final result 3–1. — Bill Simmons
Producer review
Frightening and enjoyable; stronger heist and characterization wanted
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:38:55Read transcript
- Craig enjoyed the film’s frightening prison-survival logic and deep supporting cast. He relays his former police-lieutenant father’s view that the depicted housing after a fatal DUI was plausible; that remains a reported opinion rather than verified legal guidance. — Craig Horlbeck
- Craig wants a better planned heist and clearer pre-prison characterization; a basketball scene could dramatize Jacob’s transformation, and cafeteria material is again missed. — Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:46:47Read transcript
- Bill and Chris choose Tommy Lee Jones — Mallory Rubin
- Craig and Mallory choose Harrison Ford — Mallory Rubin
- The hosts explicitly call it a stalemate — Mallory Rubin
- Audience shouts are mixed and are not a measurable fan vote — Mallory Rubin
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Escape plan, Kimble’s fame, the cat and alternate futures
In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 01:35:51Read transcript
- Effectiveness of the fake seizure escape
- Craig asks how famous Kimble would become
- How much cash Nichols gives Kimble
- Mallory asks what happened to the Kimble family cat
- Gerard as an NFL coach
- Craig asks why the river cannot be dyed blue
- A shared Chicago movie universe
- Whether faster emergency dispatch could have saved Helen
- The logic of the incriminating call
- Kimble and the woman who offers him a ride
- A twist making Kimble guilty after all
- How quickly Sykes would be caught through social media
The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Kill Sykes; rethink the one-arm story; defend the marriage
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:32:22Read transcript
Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake
Untouchable versus Nichols or prison-doctor series
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:31:07Read transcript
- Craig favors leaving the movie alone — Chris Ryan
- A Breaking Bad-style Nichols origin series — Chris Ryan
- A prison-doctor alternate path for Kimble — Chris Ryan
Picking Nits
Disguise, defense attorney and conspiracy logic
In the discussion (18)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:40Read transcript
- Craig questions Sykes’s security role and corporate fishing trips
- Chris questions Kimble’s minimal disguise
- Stolen clothes fitting Kimble is debated
- Mallory questions the fundraiser’s swimsuit show
- Kimble fails to request counsel promptly
- Craig questions water falling on the gun
- Nichols’s conference patter is missing
- Mallory challenges the defense’s handling of Helen’s call and circumstantial evidence
- Shaving a large beard with a disposable razor
- Craig questions Kimble’s janitor performance
- Gerard’s shooting choices in the courthouse
- Nichols’s incriminating photos
- A rollerblading nurse
- Instant train-audio identification
- Mallory corrects the earlier podcast’s too-handsome Jon Hamm objection
- Craig asks why Kimble does not take the evidence straight to Gerard
- Kimble helping patients is defended
- Cosmo’s implausibly minor head wound
Producer review
Craig Horlbeck calls it the number-one dad movie
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:06Read transcript
- Craig says he loves the movie and calls it the number-one dad movie — Craig Horlbeck
- He imagines appreciating it even more as a father — Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:35Read transcript
- Lab-grown diamonds are added as the clearest thing that aged well. — Craig Horlbeck
- The producer had not seen the film and responds positively to its mix of action and difficult subject matter. — Craig Horlbeck
- Modern difficult-topic awards movies are contrasted as smaller and sadder rather than large star vehicles. — Craig Horlbeck
- Kanye West’s Diamonds from Sierra Leone was the producer’s first exposure to conflict diamonds. — Craig Horlbeck
- A modern Zwick might make a documentary because a hundred-million-dollar studio feature is hard to greenlight. — Chris Ryan
- DiCaprio is praised for still using stardom to mount expensive issue-oriented films. — Chris Ryan
- The Siege is used to show how quickly current-affairs films can be overtaken by history. — Chris Ryan
- Global studios’ need for broadly marketable antagonists is cited as another constraint. — Chris Ryan
Displaying discussions 61 - 72 of 110 in total
Flex picks
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:13:07Read transcript
- 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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:35Read transcript
- 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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:35Read transcript
- 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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:35Read transcript
- 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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:40:00Read transcript
- 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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:39:34Read transcript
- 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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:34Read transcript
- 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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:35:11Read transcript
- 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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:34:48Read transcript
- 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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:01Read transcript
- 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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:17Read transcript
- 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)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:26Read transcript
- 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
Displaying flex picks 1 - 12 of 35 in total