The claim that Johnny Depp declined Will Scarlet is explicitly doubted, though he is imagined as a better choice. — Bill Simmons
John Cleese was reportedly proposed as King Richard before Costner pushed for Connery, whose fee was described as reduced to a charitable donation. — Bill Simmons
Myers' apex is the second movie; his run through Shrek up to the third film is also argued, and he was the biggest comedy actor after 1999. — Bill Simmons
Notes show the hosts gave Myers Apex Mountain for Austin Powers 2 in the earlier episode. — Bill Simmons
Asked about New Line's apex, the sentimental pick is Boogie Nights, placed one year later. — Sean Fennessey
Another voice corrects that Boogie Nights was also 1997, about six months later, making 1997 New Line's apex. — Bill Simmons
The Lord of the Rings films and Nightmare on Elm Street complicate New Line's apex; its 1997-98 slate runs through Boogie Nights, Wag the Dog and The Wedding Singer, then dips with Lost in Space. — Bill Simmons
Another host agrees on Boogie Nights; New Line gave auteurs money and, for this film, $16.5 million with no notes, ending the decade with Magnolia.
A point is started about the gentleman who played Random Task. — Chris Ryan
That actor is called a complicated figure, to be covered later. — Bill Simmons
An actress named on air as Ali Larder is proposed as the lead fembot; the fembots needed one future star, and Helen Mirren is jokingly suggested. — Bill Simmons
The Irish henchman (the Lucky Charms guy) should be replaced by a young host then working at Newbury Comics; Bono is joked about, and edgy British method actors such as Gary Oldman or Tim Roth are proposed.
Dr. Evil as Lorne Michaels; Elizabeth Hurley; Mimi Rogers as her mother; opening credits; musical interstitials; Will Ferrell as Mustafa; steamroller murder; the sequels; five stages of defrosting; head-loss jokes; Basil's mom; character names; the capitalism line
Dr. Evil as Lorne Michaels remains hilarious; every Dr. Evil scene is lights out, from Bigglesworth to the finger to the mouth and the run, an all-time creation.
Elizabeth Hurley is great and still aging well; this is really her only well-known movie besides Bedazzled; casting her as Mimi Rogers' daughter is a home run. — Bill Simmons
The opening credits are praised as unusual for a comedy; a world-famous spy living through Beatlemania is a stupid paradox only noticed on this rewatch. — Bill Simmons
The dance interstitials with close-ups of Austin's teeth are funny. — Bill Simmons
The slow-motion steamroller murder, still ten feet away in the wide shot, is called the funniest thing ever seen. — Bill Simmons
The sequels belong here, since some, including someone who might produce the podcast, find them better than the original. — Bill Simmons
The five stages of defrosting, with cutaways to Michael York and Charles Napier nodding, and the FemBots are cited, though the FemBots' 60s parody may land less in 2022. — Bill Simmons
Beating a dumb joke into the ground works in the five-straight head jokes ('a shame he wasn't more headstrong'), and punching Basil's mom kills. — Bill Simmons
The character names (Basil Exposition, the name heard as 'A lot of vagina', Random Task) and Austin emerging from cryo with the capitalism line are highlights.
