The ER doctor transcribed Goren mystic is nominated, with a Maurice/Roman role correction to Roman. Identity and nationality remain observed/candidate, not forced. — Bill Simmons
Michael Rispoli as Grandma is another candidate, with a reported runner-up-to-Gandolfini Tony Soprano casting story. — Bill Simmons
Brian Anthony Wilson is nominated for the prison player who notices Worm does not smoke, compared with his Creed boss role. — Van Lathan
An interruption adds Sal Richards, the golf-club player, before the heat-check category resumes. — Chris Ryan
There is only one option, Michael Rispoli as Joe Jr., illustrated by his "first Trans Am" exchange; he should take it down a notch or not be in the movie. — Juliet Litman
Many that-guys fill the random poker scenes; a shout-out goes to Lenny Clark, now recognizable but back then known only in Boston, who has a couple of lines in one poker scene.
Michael Raspoli (as transcribed), who plays Grandma (as transcribed): a host in the 99th percentile for this stuff did not know his name until looking it up, and the key fact is that he lost the Tony Soprano bake-off to James Gandolfini, then played Jackie April (as transcribed) as a consolation prize; an amazing what-if that likely changed his life, and he is a good actor.
The category is loaded for this movie: John Malkovich as Teddy KGB, Famke Jansen (as transcribed), John Turturro as Knish, Martin Landau with only three scenes who has to be mentioned, and the actor who played Grandma (as transcribed), Michael Rispoli, saved for the Joey Pants Award.
Both agree there is only one answer, 'pay this man his fucking money', KGB: he is in the opening and closing scenes, maybe three in all, and his NBA box score is 12 minutes with 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocked shots.
Famke Jansen (as transcribed) gets a shout-out and a case that she should have been Joe with another Russian character invented; Knish should not be overlooked either, with some of the greatest lines, representing lifetime grinders, based on a real man named Joel Bagels (as transcribed) whom Koppelman and Levine wrote about in 2014, whose real-life line was 'women are the rake'.
The sauna confrontation where Knish refuses Mike McD the money is loved and the clip is played: two grand buys a day, Knish will not chase cards or pipe dreams of winning the World Series on ESPN because he owes rent, alimony and child support and his kids eat, offering calls and a place to stay instead.
Knish is almost not a heat check because he is in too many scenes, whereas Malkovich is in two or two and a half, the ultimate Deion Weirder (as transcribed) and a fucking heat check.
