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Richard Donner

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The Omen poster
The Omen

Half-Assed Internet Research

The Omen The Rewatchables

Gregory Peck’s Atticus Finch persona lends seriousness to the horror premise.

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:57Read transcript
  • Gregory Peck’s Atticus Finch persona lends seriousness to the horror premise.
  • Richard Donner’s run is traced from The Omen through Superman and the Lethal Weapon films.
  • The cinematographer is corrected from the mistaken Don Gilbert to Gilbert Taylor.
  • The film is reported to have won Jerry Goldsmith his only Oscar, for original score.
  • A $2.8 million budget and $61 million gross are reported; the small-budget success is compared with Blumhouse.
  • The baboons reportedly attacked after the alpha baboon was put in the car, following failed attempts using food and a baby baboon.
Jurassic Park poster
Jurassic Park

Half-Assed Internet Research

Jurassic Park The Rewatchables

Research covers the rights auction, production history, scientific details, sound and practical effects, finances, cultural influence, and unused material.

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:30:32Read transcript
  • Warner Bros./Tim Burton, Columbia/Richard Donner, Fox/Joe Dante, and possibly Paul Verhoeven were competing studio-director combinations before Universal and Spielberg secured the property.
  • Universal leadership reportedly conditioned approval of Schindler’s List on Spielberg making Jurassic Park first; he later called it an effort to make Jaws on land.
  • The movie reportedly increased interest in paleontology, and the discussion connects Spielberg and Michael Crichton’s relationship to ER.
  • Several dinosaurs are said not to belong to the Jurassic period, turning the title into an admitted branding choice rather than a precise scientific label.
  • Universal paid Michael Crichton about $2 million before publication, divided between rights and a screenplay draft later replaced by David Koepp’s work.
  • The T. rex roar combined dog, penguin, tiger, alligator, and elephant sounds, while the water-glass ripple came from a guitar string under the dashboard.
  • The hosts credit the film with accelerating franchise-oriented blockbuster competition and discuss Chip Kidd’s influential skeletal T. rex book cover.
  • An abandoned sequence would have had the children ride a young dinosaur, but the effect was judged unconvincing.
  • Alan Grant is said to be modeled on Montana paleontologist and technical adviser Jack Horner.
  • Spielberg reportedly earned about $250 million from the film, which the hosts still call underpayment given the billion-dollar gross and franchise created.
Displaying all 2 discussions

Films in the archive

The Omen

1976

Rewatchables episodes featuring their films

The Omen poster

The Omen

1976 film

Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan

Aired October 31, 2023

Displaying 1 episode