Without A Few Good Men there is a case for Hackman, but his performance carries Jessup fumes, and Nicholson did it better with a higher ceiling. — Bill Simmons
The hosts say Simpson and Bruckheimer offered Val Kilmer a headlining role, which he declined and later regretted; the role was never specified. — Bill Simmons
Guesses for the Kilmer role are Viggo's part or Hunter, possibly turned down for not being big enough; he could have played every part except Hackman's. — Bill Simmons
Al Pacino was originally offered Captain Ramsey and would have dialed it up to 90 in his Vincent Hanna zone. — Bill Simmons
Warren Beatty was courted, another case of Beatty flirting with a part for a year before declining, as with the Burt Reynolds part in Boogie Nights, which is called the bigger miss; he would not have fit this movie. — Bill Simmons
Per a Don Simpson interview at Santa Anita, Pitt and Tom Cruise were considered for Denzel's part; Cruise was the first call for such parts for a decade, but it worked out perfectly. — Bill Simmons
Asked who won the movie, one answer is Pacino and another, asked whether he is going Garcia, also says Pacino; the point that only one of them got an Oscar nomination is waved off as not the be-all and end-all.
"Treachery is everywhere"; "Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger"; "It's dangerous to be an honest man"; "Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgment"; "He who builds on the people builds on mud"; "I don't need tough guys. I need more lawyers"; "Now they'll fear you" / "Maybe they should fear you"
The quote list: treachery is everywhere; finance is a gun and politics is knowing when to pull the trigger; it's dangerous to be an honest man; never hate your enemies. — Bill Simmons
"Never hate your enemies, it affects your judgment" is called a personal approach that sits behind a host's desk. — Bill Simmons
More quotes: he who builds on the people builds on mud; I don't need tough guys, I need more lawyers; "Now they'll fear you" answered by "Maybe they should fear you", delivered in a good Pacino voice. — Bill Simmons
Nominees are every Eli Wallach scene, Pacino's kitchen heart attack shouting "Fredo!", and Pacino at the end.
Garcia is defended as great in the movie, though he hits every line with an exclamation point; Internal Affairs is praised, drawing a complaint about hyping mediocre cop movies and a Proof of Life jab.
The award goes to Pacino's heart attack, where he really goes for it for 40 seconds. — Bill Simmons
The first pick is one of the two assassins in Vincent's apartment with Bridget Fonda, the actor who played Willie Lopez in Ghost; the scene is bad but lovable, with the most incompetent assassins ever. — Bill Simmons
Don Novello, Father Guido Sarducci, plays the PR man Dominic Abondondo, which is funny in a movie about the Pope and the Church. — Sean Fennessey
John Savage is called kind of a That Guy, since The Deer Hunter was pretty big. — Chris Ryan
The Archbishop Gilday actor prompts a repeated impression of "the power to absolve debt is greater than the power of forgiveness", and Pacino seems to be keeping a straight face.
De Niro wanting to play Vincent, with Pacino aged up, seems true; Coppola did think about it. — Bill Simmons
Sinatra for Altobello is carried into the what-ifs alongside the names mentioned for Vincent. — Bill Simmons
The actor who played Willie Cicci (transcribed "Joe Spinelli") was supposed to work for Zasa but died before the movie, so the character was written out. — Bill Simmons
Paramount approached Sly Stallone, Scorsese, Cimino and Warren Beatty over the years; in the early 80s Stallone was to write and direct with John Travolta, and there is an internet rumor that Eisner took a run at the script.
The Archbishop Gilday actor (transcribed "Donald Donnelly") is placed in both aged best and aged worst: bizarre, singular, acting from his tonsils; Albert Finney and Marcello Mastroianni were reportedly discussed for the part.
Andy Garcia and the bastard-son concept age best, because the son has something to prove. — Bill Simmons
Pacino's "I command this family, right or wrong... it was not what I wanted" followed by "understand" shows awareness of his own temper, unlike the later overacting.
Al Neri, Fredo's killer, is still kept around 20 years later. — Bill Simmons
Italy always ages best, and the Apollonia flashbacks are welcome as Michael's true love. — Bill Simmons
The category opens with the Zasa-Vincent showdown in Michael's office, with Garcia's leather-jacket wedding look and good drunk acting as Connie takes his drink. — Bill Simmons
Vincent is Sonny's son with the bridesmaid from the first film, Lucy Mancini, who is seen at the party; her description in the book is recalled. — Bill Simmons
Biting an ear to draw blood is described as a Sicilian custom meaning a fight to the death, prompting jokes about a later boxing ear bite. — Bill Simmons
"Say it to his face" and "all bastards are liars, Shakespeare wrote poems about it" are praised as stagey but great dialogue, with Mantegna doing Gotti in real time.
Mantegna's career is traced from House of Games through Bugsy and Searching for Bobby Fischer, originating Ricky Roma on stage, and Fat Tony on The Simpsons. — Bill Simmons
The penthouse commission scene is next: Michael's gifts, the helicopter attack, the oranges, Al Neri's return, and Altobello conveniently stepping out.
That scene feels like a crappy 70s exploitation movie but works, and it could be argued as the best stretch because it leads straight to the kitchen scene.
In the kitchen, Garcia's "I say we hit back" and Pacino's "just when I thought I was out" line paid off the trailers in theaters; the line is the one Silvio quotes on The Sopranos. — Bill Simmons
The feast set piece is praised: the raffle car, the Italian-Americans speech, and Garcia revealed as the mounted cop who kills Zasa. — Bill Simmons
The shaving scene, cross-cut with the Altobello and Lucchesi scenes, shows Michael warning Vincent off Mary without forbidding it; "when they come, they come at what you love" is singled out. — Bill Simmons
Michael making Vincent the new Don is abrupt but liked, including how everyone in the room reacts. — Bill Simmons
Vincent breaking it off with Mary is tagged as Sofia Coppola's only half-decent scene, though the pair's chemistry is not bought. — Bill Simmons
The extended opera murder montage is called unbelievable and gets a vote for most rewatchable.
The pushback is that the montage runs far too long with too much opera, even if it is well staged and a mother's favorite.
Asked for an alternative, another pick is the first meeting of Zasa, Vincent and Michael with the ear bite, the New York crime movie that was wanted instead of Sicily. — Sean Fennessey
1969 Hollywood recreation; music and constant soundtrack; Rick Dalton's house; Brandy the dog; Playboy Mansion; extended cast; the title's misdirection; three-day structure
Rick Dalton's house was for sale and was looked at on Zillow, leading to jokes about moving The Ringer into the Boogie Nights house.
Brandy the dog has aged the best, with a proposed Oscar for best performance by a pet and an Aaron Sorkin War Horse joke. — Bill Simmons
The recreation of 1969 Hollywood is praised, including reconstructed neon signage on Sunset and Hollywood Boulevard, production design and costumes. — Bill Simmons
A story told by Tarantino to a host: scouting Lee Van Cleef's house, he found a giant painting of Van Cleef in the garage, which inspired Rick's portrait in the driveway. — Sean Fennessey
Rick's story of almost getting the McQueen movie and the accumulated fictional works of Rick Dalton are inventive; Tarantino has plotted Rick's 1970s in an interview with Kim Morgan.
The real Playboy Mansion, Polanski dressed like Austin Powers, and two-floor 1960s airplanes with cigarettes are enjoyed. — Bill Simmons
Asked whether he has ever danced on an airplane, the answer is every time he flies. — Bill Simmons
El Coyote has not changed, but its food has not aged the best. — Bill Simmons
The extended cast is a strength, including Madsen, Luke Perry, Pacino, Kurt Russell, Emil Hirsch and Oliphant, with Manson family members played by daughters of famous people.
The title's trick sets the viewer up for nobody dying; on first viewing everyone was expected to be murdered.
The constant radio and TV in the background is relatable; Tarantino is said to have listened to about 16 hours of KHJ broadcasts. The three-day structure is also praised. — Chris Ryan
The closing picks are how the film recreated 1969 Hollywood, and the music and constant soundtrack. — Bill Simmons
Pacino at Muso and Franks telling Rick his career is basically over is offered first; Pacino is called a sequel to his Heat performance. — Bill Simmons
Marvin's night of brandy and watching movies alone is described as a host's idea of heaven.
Pacino's character is said to be based on Dino De Laurentis, who brought actors like Bert Reynolds to Italy; his pitch speech is called pure Tarantino, like Tarantino's Top Gun speech in Sleep With Me.
Rick crying in the parking lot after the meeting ("It's official, old buddy") is a favorite; with Cliff driving and Mrs. Robinson on the radio it sets up the whole crisis within five minutes. — Bill Simmons
Cliff's return to his trailer at the Van Nuys drive-in with his dog, TV Guide and dog food is praised as a scene that should not work but does on Pitt's charisma, including him talking back to the TV. — Bill Simmons
Asked whether he would be okay with that dog on a plane, the answer is no. — Bill Simmons
The Bruce Lee scene: Cliff climbs onto the roof, takes his shirt off to fix the antenna, drawing a reaction in the theater, and flashes back to the fight.
The fight is read as an exaggerated false memory: the onlookers vanish from the frame, so Cliff is an unreliable narrator, and the outrage over disrespect to Bruce Lee misses that point. — Sean Fennessey
Showing Bruce Lee as overconfident is not considered an insult, since that confidence was part of his greatness. — Bill Simmons
Sharon watching herself in a movie theater, after picking up a hitchhiker, is a favorite; every driving scene is rewatchable, one of two favorite driving-around movies. — Bill Simmons
Using the real Sharon Tate on screen is praised; the idea is said to come from Tarantino's own experience at a theater after True Romance. — Bill Simmons
Margot Robbie is called phenomenal here, more than in Bombshell; in a Golden Globes speech Tarantino is quoted as saying she brought the most goodness to any of his movies, a pure essence in an indecent body of work. — Bill Simmons
A skipped scene: Rick floating in his pool running lines from a tape recorder while making whiskey sours. — Sean Fennessey
Cliff picking up the hitchhiker is an amazing five minutes, with a Neil Diamond song; the soundtrack may be Tarantino's best.
Rick's trailer freakout after blowing his lines is said to be going to win the category, and is described as improvised from DiCaprio's idea.
Cliff's visit to Spahn Ranch is meant to evoke Texas Chainsaw Massacre, with the dogs playing the role of the Apocalypse Now helicopters; it loses some effect on rewatch. — Bill Simmons
Lena Dunham's casting among the Manson family is distracting, and the stunt casting throws the viewer off. — Bill Simmons
In the finale Cliff, high on an acid-laced cigarette, does all the work but Rick gets the credit, just like a movie. — Bill Simmons
Rick's scenes with the child actor Trudi and the Rolling Stones "Out of Time" sequence with the lights coming on are added. — Chris Ryan
One pick is Leo blowing his lines and freaking out in his trailer, including the Oliphon "line!" sequence. — Chris Ryan
Another pick is Cliff on the roof and the Bruce Lee scene, the one most looked forward to on a third rewatch. — Bill Simmons
One voice picks Pacino this time around as the engine of the movie who brings energy to every scene; a remark that Michael Mann was expected hands down has no resolved speaker. — Bill Simmons
The other voice picks Michael Mann because he pulled it off: two great actors and the character actors doing their thing, an almost perfectly cast movie that holds up, created the anti-hero template and has been ripped off for 25 years. — Bill Simmons
