High Fidelity
2000 film
Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Joanna Robinson · Rob Mahoney
Aired December 16, 2025
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The Conjuring
The Conjuring
Say Anything...
Stats
- Episodes featuring their films
- 5
- Movies in this archive
- 5
Rewatchables episodes featuring Lili Taylor’s films
The Conjuring
2013 film
Bill Simmons · Sean Fennessey · Chris Ryan · Ben Simmons
Aired July 21, 2020
Displaying all 5 episodes
Mentioned in discussions
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:08Read transcript
- Lili Taylor is a final choice for being the heart and soul of the film, with James Wan acknowledged.
- Separate final choices go to James Wan and Vera Farmiga, producing an explicit split decision. — Bill Simmons
Podcast choices
- Speaker not identified
- Lili Taylor
Apex Mountain
Lili Taylor; Patrick Wilson (disputed); haunted-house movies (disputed)
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:14:48Read transcript
- The combination of this film and Girls supports a Patrick Wilson Apex argument; Little Children is preferred as acting work, and his franchise success is questioned as career leverage. — Bill Simmons
- Aquaman and continuing franchise roles are cited against Wilson having substantially advanced; Little Children is another proposed career peak. — Sean Fennessey
- Lili Taylor’s leading role in a major hit is accepted as her Apex despite personal affection for Say Anything. — Bill Simmons
- Haunted-house films are proposed, but the late-1970s wave and Insidious compete with this period.
- Rhode Island is considered without a settled answer; sports and other film references are floated. — Bill Simmons
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:46Read transcript
- Taylor wins approvingly because possession requires an expansive performance; Joey King is an outside candidate.
- Taylor’s initially warm normality makes her eventual possession seem inevitable given expectations of her screen persona.
What’s Aged the Best?
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga; the period setting; Annabelle; horror-movie rules; cinematic nostalgia; Lili Taylor
In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:49:40Read transcript
- Wilson and Farmiga are praised as talented, appropriately famous leads; her unusual energy makes her especially well cast. — Bill Simmons
- The leads are praised for serving the horror premise rather than demanding showy character showcases; the period setting makes the film timeless. — Chris Ryan
- Annabelle’s redesign from a less frightening real-life doll is praised, along with the opening claim that the case had been kept secret. — Bill Simmons
- The first two horror rules are to leave a house with a secret crawl space and noose, and listen to a dog that refuses to enter. — Bill Simmons
- The quick dismissal of the dead dog prompts a disputed claim that people cared less about pets in the 1970s.
- Further rules concern a boarded-up cellar and researching a house bought at bank auction. — Bill Simmons
- Repeated disturbances at the same overnight hour and unexplained bruising should alert the family. — Bill Simmons
- Slow zooms, title fonts and homages to earlier horror films are praised; Lili Taylor is singled out as perfectly cast.
The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance
Eric Stoltz, Jeremy Piven, Mike Cameron, and Joan Cusack’s young son form the field; Lili Taylor is ruled too substantial.
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:00Read transcript
- Lili Taylor is ruled ineligible because she appears in too many scenes. — Bill Simmons
- Piven, Stoltz, and Mike Cameron are the initial finalists.
- Stoltz’s bird-costume role grew from his request to work as a production assistant and learn filmmaking.
- Joan Cusack’s small son is added for tracking the household action with an unusually effective child performance. — Judd Apatow
Displaying all 5 discussions
