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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

Scent of a Woman

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Pacino is actively bad; his performance plays like a parody

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:15Read transcript
  • The producer says he did not enjoy the movie and calls Pacino actively bad. — Craig Horlbeck
  • He says the performance feels like a parody of someone playing a blind role and blames Pacino for dialing it up too far. — Craig Horlbeck
  • He also says Chris O'Donnell is not very good and calls both central performances one-note. — Craig Horlbeck
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 02:03:04Read transcript
  • Sean selects PTA as writer, director, producer, conceiver, and career-transforming author of the whole work. — Sean Fennessey
  • The other two hosts choose Day-Lewis because no substitute could reproduce the singular performance or the movie’s rewatchability.
  • Craig evaluates the arguments without declaring his own candidate, and the panel acknowledges that PTA may own the film’s longer historical legacy.
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Daniel Day-Lewis
Speaker not identified
Daniel Day-Lewis
Misery

What’s Aged the Worst?

The publishing-business lunch, painful hobbling, typewriter workflow, and slower rewatch pace

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:56:29Read transcript
  • A literary agent taking an author to the Four Seasons now feels implausible — Bill Simmons
  • The hobbling remains painfully difficult to watch — Brian Koppelman
  • Writing and revising on a typewriter has aged poorly — Bill Simmons
  • One host finds the first hour slow on rewatch — Bill Simmons
  • Producer Craig says the movie did not feel slow on his first viewing
Spider-Man

Picking Nits

Unnoticed powers; slow Mary Jane recognition; outburst at Uncle Ben; Harry dating Mary Jane; Harry's spider flirting; gun in drawer

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:25Read transcript
  • After webbing the tray and flipping over Flash in front of the school, no one, including Mary Jane, figures out he is Spider-Man. — Van Lathan
  • Mary Jane only connects the kisses at the cemetery, after more than a year of obvious clues. — Charles Holmes
  • Peter blows up at Uncle Ben for no reason when he is only being dropped at the library. — Van Lathan
  • Harry dating Mary Jane without telling Peter is criticized; Craig is asked whether that is acceptable and the answer is obviously not. — Van Lathan
  • Peter is called a nerd by Harry, who then uses his spider facts to flirt with Mary Jane. — Charles Holmes
  • Harry pulling a gun from a drawer in the Osborn mansion is questioned, countered by the argument that Norman sells weapons to the military. — Van Lathan
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:35Read transcript
  • J.K. Simmons's J. Jonah Jameson is one of two contenders, overacting but in the right movie after his brutal Oz role. — Van Lathan
  • The Green Goblin performance is called a runaway choice for snarling and giving every cell, making Jack Nicholson's Joker look subtle. — Van Lathan
  • Craig is reported to have messaged that the Goblin actor is going all out. — Van Lathan
  • A counterpoint: that Goblin performance has aged well, and Simmons may not be overacting since he embodied the comics' Jameson; overacting is not acting poorly. — Van Lathan
  • Favorite Jameson lines are quoted, including the slander-versus-libel joke. — Van Lathan
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:00Read transcript
  • Michael Papajohn, the robber with 124 IMDb credits who usually plays goons, is the first nominee in what is called the greatest That Guy battle ever. — Van Lathan
  • Joseph D'Onofrio, the cop who played young Tommy in Goodfellas, is a rival nominee with 114 credits. — Van Lathan
  • Papajohn is chosen for having the bigger part, with Craig invoked as a possible tiebreaker. — Van Lathan
  • Joe Manganiello as Flash is an extra, non-counting mention: beardless and unrecognizable, and reportedly his first screen role. — Charles Holmes
  • A crew member reportedly offered Manganiello $100 to really punch the lead during their fight, prompting speculation about his on-set reputation. — Van Lathan
Titanic The Rewatchables
Titanic

Producer review

Rebuttal defending Rose against each demerit

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 01:36:43Read transcript
  • Producer Craig is brought in because he objected to the segment, calling it Rose slander. — Bill Simmons
  • He says he switched on a proper mic, calls the demerits baseless slander after obligatory praise, and offers a rebuttal to each. — Craig Horlbeck
  • The cheating charge is rebutted because her fiance was abusive and practically arranged. — Craig Horlbeck
  • The hosts concede the cheating rebuttal is fair. — Craig Horlbeck
  • Her delay in defending Jack is attributed to a lifetime of being told to stay quiet and difficulty explaining a suicide attempt. — Craig Horlbeck
  • The hosts reject the delay defense, insisting a friend should be defended without waiting. — Van Lathan
  • Seeing Jack first in heaven is defended because he urged her to have babies and a long life, which she did. — Craig Horlbeck
  • The hosts counter with marital commitment and the brevity of the two-day romance.
  • A nightstand photo does show her husband and two children at the beach. — Craig Horlbeck
  • The other photos are described as adventures Jack urged, and the reply is that the husband barely appears in them.
  • Dropping the necklace is defended as closure, finally letting go of Jack before she dies. — Craig Horlbeck
  • The hosts argue it makes no difference to Jack and the necklace could have been donated or displayed.
  • The hosts note the defense skipped Rose letting Jack freeze and remain unconvinced; other complaints are said to have been let slide.
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:31:42Read transcript
  • The hosts call this the most negative response they have ever gotten from Craig. — Sean Fennessey
  • The reaction offered for the segment sits the movie out, indifferent to its cultural moment and unwilling to watch children drinking vodka in bed; the speaker is not identified in the transcript.
  • The closing credit says he hated this movie. — Bill Simmons
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:39:07Read transcript
  • The answer has to be George Coe, who plays Ted's boss and appeared in first-season SNL sketches when older actors were needed; he is also remembered as the judge in The Mighty Ducks. — Bill Simmons
  • Craig is cited as always saying the category gets really tough when they go this late for a movie. — Bill Simmons
  • Howard Duff is floated as an alternative and praised for one of the great voices; a possible Dallas run is raised but not confirmed.
Displaying discussions 85 - 96 of 110 in total

Flex picks

Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:13:07Read transcript

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
Ghostbusters

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