Casting what-ifs: John Leguizamo reportedly chose Super Mario Bros.over Miguel; James Woods was considered for Wheeler. Springsteen initially offered existing Tunnel of Love before writing a new song.
The first-great-DiCaprio-performance hot take argues that this film depends more fully on him than Titanic or Romeo + Juliet; This Boy's Life is offered as an earlier exception. — Sean Fennessey
Hanks's greatest-actor claim is questioned through weak accents, while his extraordinary movie-star run, popularity and success are defended; Cruise and Denzel are personal alternatives. — Bill Simmons
Accent objections name Elvis, Charlie Wilson's War, The Post, Captain Phillips, The Terminal and Cloud Atlas, with disagreement over Captain Phillips. — Bill Simmons
Carl's composite identity makes the accent unnecessary; the performance is placed low in Hanks's career despite affection for his presence. — Bill Simmons
Hanks's two Oscars and serious films are weighed against Cruise's cultural force and comeback; Forrest Gump's standing draws disagreement. — Sean Fennessey
Hanks's likability and storytelling are distinguished from greatest-actor status; Cruise's potential in Big or Cast Away is debated, while Greyhound illustrates a sturdy role Hanks handles well. — Sean Fennessey
Cruise's consistent charismatic action lane is contrasted with Hanks's risky character work; hypothetical swaps include Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Big, Mission: Impossible, Days of Thunder, Edge of Tomorrow, Minority Report, Taken, Eyes Wide Shut and A Few Good Men, with disagreement over equivalence.
Hanks is defended as the more accomplished actor while Cruise's longevity and Denzel's comparable stature complicate the comparison. — Bill Simmons
Hanks's post-Catch Me filmography is enumerated: The Ladykillers, The Terminal, The Polar Express, The Da Vinci Code, Charlie Wilson's War, Angels & Demons, Larry Crowne, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Cloud Atlas, Captain Phillips, Saving Mr. Banks, Bridge of Spies, A Hologram for the King, Sully, Inferno, The Circle, The Post, Greyhound, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, News of the World, Finch and Elvis. Cloud Atlas and the later dad-film run draw qualified defense. — Sean Fennessey
A Man Called Otto is acknowledged as a hit and praised by a family member, while another speaker calls it only okay and a close Scandinavian remake. — Sean Fennessey
Cruise's commercially bigger career is distinguished from Hanks's better career; comparing their 1988–2001 peaks prompts suggested Oscars for Hanks in Cast Away and Cruise in Jerry Maguire and Magnolia.
Denzel's paycheck films, including The Equalizer, Déjà Vu and The Taking of Pelham 123, are considered more entertaining; Hanks's self-imposed Jimmy Stewart image may constrain his roles.
Cruise losing for Magnolia to Caine in The Cider House Rules and for Jerry Maguire to Rush in Shine is challenged; Jude Law's Ripley performance is admired but placed below Cruise's Magnolia work. — Bill Simmons
Hanks's consecutive Philadelphia and Forrest Gump Oscars strengthen his case; Denzel's Glory and Training Day wins are recalled with Malcolm X considered another deserved award. — Sean Fennessey
Cruise's 2005-onward filmography is enumerated: War of the Worlds, Mission: Impossible III, Lions for Lambs, Tropic Thunder, Valkyrie, Knight and Day, Ghost Protocol, Rock of Ages, Jack Reacher, Oblivion, Edge of Tomorrow, Rogue Nation, Never Go Back, The Mummy, American Made, Fallout and Maverick; several weak films temper the franchise-success defense. — Bill Simmons
Hanks's willingness to experiment is defended against Cruise's safe action lane, while Cruise's ongoing audience appeal and perceived rescue of theatrical movies are counterarguments; longevity versus peak quality is compared with basketball greatness. — Bill Simmons
Cruise's 1990s-to-Minority Report run is compared with Hanks's peak, with The Others explicitly corrected as only an executive-producing credit; Toy Story is considered a decisive Hanks asset. — Chris Ryan
Cruise's film library is the preferred desert-island entertainment choice for one speaker, while De Niro is called the best actor of that speaker's lifetime; Daniel Day-Lewis's great performances are distinguished from rewatchability. — Bill Simmons
Weak later films and Hanks's lack of a Michael Mann collaboration enter the debate; both stars may be trapped by personas, but Cruise's stunts are considered more entertaining than Hanks's accents. — Bill Simmons
Ford's capacity for morally compromised sexuality is contrasted with Cruise's usual innocence; Hanks is urged to try a direct villain role without hiding behind makeup and accents. — Bill Simmons
The industry's shift away from movie stars is offered as context for older stars' weaker later work; DiCaprio's future is compared with Nicholson's transition, including disagreement over Wolf and Hoffa. — Sean Fennessey
It is a great Mann movie, but this is among the favorite Day Lewis performances; he became a rock star household name off it and then chose a different direction. — Chris Ryan
Jokes imagine Day Lewis as Neil McCauley spending years learning metals and safecracking and serving time in San Quentin. — Bill Simmons
A new category that might stick around: recast any key role in the movie with an actor you like, as long as it makes sense for 1992.
He sprang the recasting category on the others without warning. — Bill Simmons
Caruso could have been Mr. Orange because of that hair; Gandolfini as Nice Guy Eddie instead of Chris Penn, or as Joe Cabot given his physical bearing, is called a great pick; Schwarzenegger as Mr. Pink is a joke.
Dennis Farina as Joe would be awesome, a little older but realistic as Eddie's father, and his reaction to Buscemi getting mad about being Mr. Pink would lift the scene to another level.
William Peterson (as transcribed), 'Bill Pete', as Mr. Blonde is called really good; Daniel Day Lewis as Mr. Orange would bring in a different Brit Pack, or Oldman; DDL as Joe Cabot gaining seventy pounds and shaving his head draws a Lincoln impression.
The Yeats title, differences from the novel, McCarthy’s reaction, low shooting ratio, Fargo parallels, injuries, neighboring production, custom weaponry, and body count
The title comes from the opening of W. B. Yeats’s “Sailing to Byzantium.”
Carla Jean reacts more strongly in the novel, and a young woman by the pool has a larger role that helps expose Llewelyn.
Cormac McCarthy reportedly chuckled a few times at a screening, which the Coens accepted as approval. — Bill Simmons
Roger Deakins said the production exposed roughly 250,000 feet of film rather than the 700,000 to one million common on less-planned shoots. — Bill Simmons
The Coens minimized conscious Fargo parallels despite clear affinities with their earlier Texas crime film Blood Simple.
Brolin broke his shoulder in a motorcycle accident after getting the role and concealed the severity; the character’s gunshot injury helped filming. — Bill Simmons
There Will Be Blood’s oil-fire smoke once halted No Country nearby, and an unverified set anecdote has Daniel Day-Lewis biking through while shouting.
Chigurh’s suppressed shotgun was constructed specially because that suppressor did not exist, and the estimated body count is 22. — Bill Simmons
