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The Fugitive
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Sneakers
Brokeback Mountain
Jaws 2
Marathon Man
Out for Justice
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Death Wish
Star Wars: A New Hope
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
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
1994 film
Bill Simmons · Zach Lowe · Craig Horlbeck
Aired February 10, 2026
High Fidelity
2000 film
Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Joanna Robinson · Rob Mahoney
Aired December 16, 2025
Displaying episodes 25 - 36 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 · 01:10:39Read transcript
- Craig introduced Christopher McDonald as a mini-version of the category and praised his timing, looks, humor, and versatility.
- The hosts agreed McDonald occupied an awkward space between leading man and character actor.
- His work as Jack Barry and his tape-viewing double take were praised.
The Den of Thieves Benihana Award for Scene-Stealing Location
San Francisco and the Bay Area.
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:07Read transcript
- Chooses the location flex category and praises San Francisco’s varied landscape and cinematic range. — Craig Horlbeck
- Other Bay Area films, recognizable landmarks, and the city’s advantage over Boston are discussed as support. — Joanna Robinson
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:29Read transcript
- Romeo is a terrible caddy: drinking, broken equipment, abandonment and failure to stop disastrous choices undermine Roy; the needy bromance could be shortened. — Bill Simmons
The Rick Dalton Award for the Greatest Fucking Acting I’ve Ever Seen
Ledger’s distinct performances in10 Things, A Knight’s Tale, Brokeback and Dark Knight make the actor disappear.
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:50:06Read transcript
- Ledger’s distinct performances in10 Things, A Knight’s Tale, Brokeback and Dark Knight make the actor disappear. — Craig Horlbeck
- Comparisons with Pattinson, Chalamet, DiCaprio and others emphasize unusually wide range at a young age; the point is accepted. — Wesley Morris
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:32Read transcript
- Architect, pediatrician, journalist, chef and a grounded rich heir are attractive romantic-comedy jobs; architecture combines creativity and practicality. — Craig Horlbeck
- Advertising evokes Don Draper’s womanizing; lawyer, businessman and widowed stay-at-home dad are considered, but unemployment is a barrier.
- Chef, vet, urban planner and sports doctor are considered; plastic surgeon is too vain. Architect remains favored, with oil billionaire dismissed.
- Realtor and marine biologist are added; marine research risks romantic unavailability.
- Female sportswriter examples lead to sideline reporter as the best ESPN rom-com job; Trainwreck’s sports-doctor role enabled comic athlete interactions. — Mina Kimes
I Used to Fuck Guys Like You in Prison Award for Craziest Quote
“Tits like a sparrow.”
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:33Read transcript
- “Tits like a sparrow” is unexpectedly crude in this otherwise PG movie. — Craig Horlbeck
The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Babe misses clues and refuses to shoot Szell
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:35Read transcript
- Babe should recognize that being attacked by two older men in suits is unusual. — Craig Horlbeck
- He is criticized for ignoring the connections among his murdered brother, Szell, and Elsa’s concealed German identity. — Craig Horlbeck
- His refusal to shoot Szell is criticized as inconsistent after he shoots others at the farmhouse.
- The novel reportedly has Babe shoot Szell and discard the diamonds before police take him away. — Bill Simmons
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)
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:40Read transcript
- 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)
Approx. transcript time · 01:35:36Read transcript
- 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
The Dan Campbell Scale for “Holy Shit, Are They Really Going for It Right Now?”
The apartment attack: an unexpectedly escalating trick play
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:58Read transcript
- The apartment invasion is compared to a trick play that escalates unexpectedly from vandalism into extreme violence. — Chris Ryan
Apex Mountain
Science-fiction movies, galaxy adventures, fictional mythology, Mark Hamill, 20th Century Fox, and Apex categories: yes
Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:55Read transcript
- Lucas’s apex is placed around 1981 after Empire and Raiders, though selling Lucasfilm for four billion dollars is another candidate.
- Star Wars is judged an apex for science-fiction movies, galaxy adventures, and film-created fictional mythology.
- The movie is accepted as Mark Hamill’s apex and a possible early apex for Carrie Fisher. — Bill Simmons
- John Williams is difficult to pin to one apex, but Star Wars is preferred over later cultural competitors.
- James Earl Jones is placed closer to Field of Dreams, Coming to America, or Mufasa than to his uncredited Vader voice. — Bill Simmons
- Harrison Ford receives an explicit apex check and is rejected because his apex had already been named earlier. — Bill Simmons
- The movie is an apex for 20th Century Fox because profits and stock value rose sharply. — Bill Simmons
- The film is credited with beginning the cultural ascent of nerd fandom rather than representing its final apex in 1977. — Sean Fennessey
- Its sound effects remain exceptional, including Vader breathing, TIE fighters, droids, and lightsabers.
- The saga is called a leading story of absentee fathers because Vader reappears only after Luke becomes powerful. — Van Lathan
- The film is declared the apex of Apex Mountain categories because so many people, crafts, objects, and institutions peak around it. — Chris Ryan
Displaying flex picks 25 - 35 of 35 in total