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Pulp Fiction
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Focus
The Bodyguard
The Rock
Out of Sight
Out of Sight
Out of Sight
Film credit
Ving Rhames
Also referred to as Ving Ramsey, Ving, Ving Rang, Bing, Bing Raim's, Bing Raim
Stats
- Episodes featuring their films
- 7
- Movies in this archive
- 6
Rewatchables episodes featuring Ving Rhames’s films
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
2018 film
Bill Simmons · Chris Ryan · Craig Horlbeck
Aired December 27, 2022
Displaying all 7 episodes
Mentioned in discussions
Apex Mountain
Samuel L. Jackson; Quentin Tarantino; diners;1964 Chevelle Malibu; Ving Rhames; souped-up Acuras; Christopher Walken monologues;1974 Chevy Nova; cinematic coffee; UC Santa Cruz merchandise; Monster Joe’s Truck and Tow
In the discussion (27)
Approx. transcript time · 01:58:29Read transcript
- Jackson is affirmed, including the nomination and subsequent Die Hard 3 role.
- Tarantino is affirmed for the clout and opportunities following the film, while later films remain artistic alternatives.
- Amsterdam is proposed without a resolved answer.
- MacGuffins lose to the Ark of the Covenant.
- Travolta is rejected in favor of Saturday Night Fever’s greater historical fame. — Bill Simmons
- Diners are probably affirmed for the phenomenon despite the film Diner and personal diner habits predating Pulp Fiction.
- Uma Thurman loses to Kill Bill.
- Milkshakes face 1957 and There Will Be Blood alternatives without a settled affirmative choice.
- The 1964 Chevelle Malibu is affirmed. — Bill Simmons
- Bruce Willis is rejected. — Bill Simmons
- Ving Rhames is affirmed for the career transition leading toward Mission: Impossible and Don King. — Bill Simmons
- Tarantino’s three-count gestures are proposed without a settled Apex choice. — Bill Simmons
- Mexican standoffs lose to Reservoir Dogs after an initial True Romance answer is corrected.
- The Twist loses to Chubby Checker.
- Miramax loses to Shakespeare in Love.
- Souped-up Acuras are affirmed.
- Walken monologues are affirmed; Poolhall Junkies, Annie Hall and The Comfort of Strangers are alternatives.
- Modesty Blaise loses to the Monica Vitti film.
- Keitel is rejected, with Taxi Driver, The Piano and Bad Lieutenant discussed.
- The 1974 Chevy Nova is affirmed.
- Jimmie’s coffee and cinematic coffee are affirmed, prompting a joking broader coffee argument.
- UC Santa Cruz merchandise is called elite in an approving response to its Apex nomination. — Chris Ryan
- Monster Joe’s Truck and Tow is affirmed.
- A reported Joe Dante namesake is discussed; a Reservoir Dogs Joe connection is wondered about without resolution. — Sean Fennessey
- Conversations about pigs remain unresolved amid Animal Farm and Babe alternatives.
- The assault scene loses to Deliverance.
- The Ezekiel passage prompts biblical-literacy and misquotation discussion without an affirmative apex conclusion. — Chris Ryan
Apex Mountain
First Mission Impossible preferred for franchise impact; Cruise-stunt apex debated.
In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:12Read transcript
- The first Mission: Impossible is preferred to Fallout for franchise Apex.
- Cruise is denied career Apex.
- Whether this is the Apex of insane Cruise stories is disputed.
- Knight and Day publicity, Ghost Protocol’s building, skydiving and hanging outside aircraft compete as extreme Cruise examples. Skydiving gets number-one support, while the aircraft stunt is recalled as hardest; hypothetical personal willingness differs.
- Henry Cavill is denied Apex. — Chris Ryan
- The nightclub is compared against John Wick and Collateral.
- Bathroom fighting is given Apex. — Bill Simmons
- HALO jumping is given Apex. — Bill Simmons
- Helicopter action is given Apex. — Bill Simmons
- Paris is denied Apex, with Last Tango in Paris raised. — Chris Ryan
- Ving Rhames is denied Apex. — Chris Ryan
- Simon Pegg’s Apex is disputed against Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. — Chris Ryan
- Dr. Rob Thorne is a joking Apex choice. — Craig Horlbeck
The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award
Confused shout offered; Ving speech discussed but not really overacting.
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:58Read transcript
- The overacting exchange quotes an exaggerated confused line without securely identifying its speaker. — Bill Simmons
- Ving Rhames is considered, then qualified as not really overacting. — Bill Simmons
What’s Aged the Worst?
Bentley, wife storyline, villain and manifesto draw objections with an emotional-defense qualification.
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:52:32Read transcript
- The weak-link Bentley choice is explicitly also placed in aged worst, with his ignorance of the former couple’s chemistry and conflicting cover story mocked. — Bill Simmons
- The wife’s inclusion is questioned and the explanation dismissed. A defense values the emotional tug; a separate proposal suggests a threat photograph alone might suffice. The undiarized source does not establish that one person made both remarks.
- The beard is an aged-worst complaint. — Bill Simmons
- Ving Rhames’s dexterity is questioned. — Chris Ryan
- The manifesto is criticized. — Chris Ryan
What’s Aged the Best?
Action conventions, Paris, score and performers earn praise; Cavill and chemistry remain contested.
In the discussion (19)
Approx. transcript time · 00:41:10Read transcript
- The fake threat to shoot Ethan’s friend is praised. — Bill Simmons
- An Eyes Wide Shut connection is raised. — Chris Ryan
- Alec Baldwin is praised. — Bill Simmons
- The mission message is praised. — Bill Simmons
- Paris is praised as a setting. — Bill Simmons
- Ving Rhames is praised.
- Ving Rhames’s wardrobe is praised.
- The tracker trick is praised. — Bill Simmons
- The theme and score are praised.
- Cruise’s ankle injury and the reported expensive delay are discussed; the cost is a podcast claim.
- The nuclear specialist is praised.
- The plutonium itself is praised.
- Baldwin’s lateral move is praised. — Chris Ryan
- The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood speech provides a contrast with Cruise refusing to yield. Reported Man from Uncle casting and a planned Renner transition feed speculative motives for choosing a large handsome opponent. — Chris Ryan
- Cavill is praised as awesome by some but Craig disputes his charisma and contribution, allowing that hidden identity may explain restraint. A defender values his sneaky presence and agrees to reconsider.
- Vanessa Kirby is praised as the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave’s earlier character. — Chris Ryan
- The nightclub sequence is praised.
- Rebecca Ferguson and Michelle Monaghan are praised. — Bill Simmons
- Cruise’s chemistry with the women is discussed favorably.
Recasting Couch
Russell Crowe as McEwen; Ving Rhames as Owens
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:20Read transcript
- Pay Russell Crowe a million to play the crazy Australia car guy McEwen for two scenes, heavier and bearded, around his Noah period. — Bill Simmons
- The confusing dad part might be less confusing with Ving Rames, another Soderbergh connection; one participant expected the dad to turn out to be Rames, though it would make even less sense. — Bill Simmons
- Ving Rames's six-year 90s run is on the short list of forgotten iconic runs. — Bill Simmons
What’s Aged the Best?
Whitney and Costner at their peaks; bodyguard-romance premise; soundtrack; Dolly Parton connection; resentful-sister concept; 'permanent position' quote; widescreen; Costner's haircut; a cappella opening; song-swap story; Costner's eulogy; Secret Service guys
In the discussion (17)
Approx. transcript time · 00:37:49Read transcript
- Whitney in her late prime and Costner at his peak head the list. — Van Lathan
- Professional bodyguard romances are loved, including Ridley Scott's late-80s Someone to Watch Over Me with Mimi Rogers, which has a similar premise. — Bill Simmons
- A British terrorism series possibly called Bodyguard, with a Game of Thrones actor named Richard is liked. — Bill Simmons
- Protectors crossing lines are compelling because the job is so intimate: a rigid, disciplined guy whose gooey center someone reaches. — Van Lathan
- The Sentinel with Michael Douglas as a framed Secret Service agent is recommended as a rewatchable mid-2000s entry. — Bill Simmons
- The soundtrack is loaded and called the best of all time; I Will Always Love You was a Dolly Parton song that finally found the right voice. — Bill Simmons
- One participant learned only about four years earlier, from a Dolly Parton fan at TMZ, that the song was a cover, at 37 years old. — Van Lathan
- The original singer owned and loved the cover, pulled over the first time she heard it, and showed no bitterness. — Bill Simmons
- The resentful older sister-assistant concept is an untapped idea for movies and TV. — Bill Simmons
- A favorite quote: "I'm no good in a permanent position, Monty, my feet go to sleep." — Bill Simmons
- The widescreen framing was hard to follow on square TVs for 15 years and now plays better. — Bill Simmons
- Costner's crew-cut, Steve McQueen-style hair became a thing that Clooney took further on ER and Jake tried on Melrose Place, sparking a Grant Show tangent. — Bill Simmons
- Costner's idea to open I Will Always Love You a cappella was great. — Bill Simmons
- What Becomes of the Brokenhearted was meant to be the cover until Fried Green Tomatoes used it to end that film in 1991. — Bill Simmons
- A piece of Costner's eulogy is read: Whitney lacked confidence during filming, sang the whole song without a band, and was the only one who could have played Rachel at that time.
- Costner's feelings for Houston deserve their own discussion; a Grantland party anecdote says Costner, brought by Kimmel five or six years earlier, still had it. — Bill Simmons
- Secret Service guys have aged well: The Last Boy Scout is defended, later entries include the Channing Tatum White House movie and the Fallen films, and Ving Rhames in Dave is a shared favorite. — Van Lathan
Recasting Couch
Ving Rhames; Phil Hartman as the Alcatraz guide; Delroy Lindo; John Cusack; Danny Trejo; Josh Hamilton as White House Chief of Staff
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:09:19Read transcript
- No better era-specific actor than Tony Todd comes to mind; Carl Weathers is too old, so a mid-90s Carl Weathers, with Ving Rames possibly overqualified but a fit. — Bill Simmons
- Bring back Phil Hartman's Alcatraz guide from So I Married an Axe Murderer as the Alcatraz guide. — Bill Simmons
- Delroy Lindo is suggested and welcomed. — Mina Kimes
- John Cusack, from Con Air, could have done interesting things with the role, though Cage is loved in it. — Mina Kimes
- Danny Treo as a mercenary and Josh Hamilton as the White House Chief of Staff. — Chris Ryan
Apex Mountain
Steaks in a fridge
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:33:02Read transcript
- George Clooney: no; Ocean's 11 was his pinnacle. — Bill Simmons
- Lopez's Apex probably came about two years later with an album and multimedia stardom. — Bill Simmons
- Soderberg: no. Ving Rames: probably Pulp Fiction. — Bill Simmons
- Elmore Leonard: Get Shorty stands out more from the decade and was more in the zeitgeist, though this is cooler. — Bill Simmons
- Steaks in a fridge: yes. — Bill Simmons
- Detroit: no; its Apex was the mid-80s with Isaiah Thomas, Axel Foley, Tommy Hearns, WrestleMania 3 at the Silver Dome and the Kronk Jim.
- Detroit's cold look is compared to The Revenant; the snowy trip to Albert Brooks's house shows stunning suburbs.
Half-Assed Internet Research
Ad-libbed dialogue; summer release; White Boy Bob callback
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:32:00Read transcript
- Per the commentary track with writer Scott Frank, cast members ad-libbed, including Cheeto's line about the high potentiality for the common motherfucker to bitch out. — Bill Simmons
- Many in the industry felt the movie was mismarketed as a summer release when it should have come out in the fall. — Bill Simmons
- Ving Rames tells White Boy Bob he likes to shoot his big mouth off, and later Bob literally shoots himself. — Bill Simmons
What’s Aged the Best?
Opening bank robbery; 1990s Detroit; robbing banks without a gun; Dennis Farina and Jennifer Lopez scenes; nicknames; Catherine Keener; Ving Rhames; David Holmes score; one-last-big-score line
In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:05Read transcript
- The opening bank robbery, 1990s Detroit with the Cronk Jim and Emmanuel Stewart, and the color changes have aged well. — Bill Simmons
- Clooney's strategy of robbing banks without a gun is admired. — Bill Simmons
- The Dennis Farina and Lopez scenes: as her father he adds color without cliche, is too important for the Joey Pants award, and immediately knew she was into the guy. — Bill Simmons
- Great nicknames: Dick the Ripper for Albert Brooks's character and Snoopy the boxer, who hates the name. — Bill Simmons
- Catherine Caner is great in a couple of scenes, part of a 1998-99 run of Out of Sight, Your Friends and Neighbors, 8mm and Being John Malkovich. — Bill Simmons
- Ving Rhames's 93-98 run (Dave, Pulp Fiction, ER, Kiss of Death, Mission Impossible, Rosewood, Conair, Out of Sight) is called automatic and compared to Ray Allen; his later commercial voice work now takes one speaker out of some line readings.
- Rhames can be really scary yet also Clooney's believable loyal best friend. — Bill Simmons
- A speaker's father repeated the 'get medieval' line for about a year. — Ryen Russillo
- The DJ David Holmes score is really good. — Bill Simmons
- Clooney's line asking whether anyone has done one last big score and gone on to live the good life holds up; only Fast and Furious pulled that off. — Bill Simmons
- No additional aged-best pick. — Ryen Russillo
- Agreeing on the last-score line: even on the big score the crew is dumb, one robbing steaks and White Boy Bob tripping and shooting himself; Cheddar Bob is joked to be his younger brother. — Bill Lawrence
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:08Read transcript
- Kevin Klaid (as transcribed) is the instant answer, with 'can't believe this is a podcast' and 'that was easy', followed by agreement and a shout-out to Ving Rhames.
- A stealth case is made for Ivan Reitman, since this kind of movie is really hard to do with the right tone and could go wrong in so many ways; it may be his last great movie, after a resume of Stripes, Meatballs, Ghostbusters, Twins and Kindergarten Cop, with Junior in 94, Six Days and Seven Nights and Evolution less impressive, his style specific to a time period and this the last confluence of those events.
- Reitman's two interesting movies this decade, No Strings Attached and Draft Day, would probably have been huge hits in 1986 or 1988; No Strings Attached, written by Liz Merriweather (as transcribed) of New Girl under a cruder original script title, is judged better than Friends with Benefits, features Kevin Kline, and the hosts admit they all like it; you're in safe hands with Ivan Reitman, who has never made a bad movie.
Podcast choices
- Speaker not identified
- Kevin Kline
- Speaker not identified
- Kevin Kline
Displaying discussions 1 - 12 of 20 in total
Films in the archive
Con Air
1997
Dave
1993
Mission: Impossible
1996
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
2018
Out of Sight
1998
Pulp Fiction
1994