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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 Good Son

1993 film

Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Sean Fennessey

Aired June 26, 2026

Animal House

1978 film

Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan

Aired May 26, 2026

Borat

2006 film

Bill Simmons · Kyle Brandt

Aired May 19, 2026

Tropic Thunder

2008 film

Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Van Lathan · Joel Anderson

Aired May 12, 2026

Ghostbusters

1984 film

Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Van Lathan

Aired April 28, 2026

Basic Instinct

1992 film

Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Mallory Rubin · Van Lathan

Aired April 14, 2026

L.A. Confidential

1997 film

Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Sean Fennessey · Andy Greenwald

Aired March 31, 2026

Displaying episodes 13 - 24 of 220 in total

Mentioned in discussions

Hardcore The Rewatchables
Hardcore

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
Hardcore The Rewatchables
Hardcore

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
Shot Caller

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
Podcast choices
The Fugitive

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 Fugitive

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
  • The category is initially almost skipped but is then completed
  • Mallory argues Nichols should have Sykes killed
  • Chris argues Kimble’s one-armed-man account sounds incriminating
  • Craig has no prepared take
  • Bill proposes an attraction-based defense argument
The Fugitive

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
Blood Diamond

Producer review

Producer Craig praises lab-grown diamonds, the movie’s educational action form, and DiCaprio’s issue-driven stardom, while noting that similar stories have moved away from theatrical stars.

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 (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:32:14Read transcript
  • 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
Eddie and the Cruisers

The Bam Out of Bayo 83 Point

Sal Amato

The panel proposes a new category here.

Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:43:47Read transcript
  • 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
Sicario The Rewatchables
Sicario

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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:27:20Read transcript
  • 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.
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:23:29Read transcript
  • 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
Zodiac The Rewatchables
Zodiac

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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:52:32Read transcript
Zodiac The Rewatchables
Zodiac

Is There a Porn Parody of This Movie?

The Zodiac Killer starring John Holmes

Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:51:35Read transcript
  • 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.
Another 48 Hrs.

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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:51Read transcript
  • 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
Halloween II

Unintentional Comedy Award

The paramedic making injured Laurie take a “big step” into the ambulance

Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:47Read transcript
  • 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
Displaying flex picks 13 - 24 of 35 in total