Chicago movie bars are tested for Apex, especially the bar in About Last Night and the bar in Thief that the transcript says Conn blows up. — Bill Simmons
Rae Dawn Chong is at Apex Mountain because this is what she is known for; she should have been bigger.
Alyssa Milano is a no; the debate is whether her apex is Who's the Boss or Charmed, which airs all morning on TNT ('T&T' in the transcript), with Melrose Place also mentioned. — Bill Simmons
For Vernon Wells, among Mad Max, Weird Science and this movie, this is probably the one people reference. — Bill Simmons
Creem magazine is a no; mid-80s yellow Porsches are a yes, as this is probably their best use. — Bill Simmons
Dan Hedaya is definitely not; missile launchers and bazookas are a yes as the first one that comes to mind. — Bill Simmons
The Harold Lloyd Estate is a no because of Beverly Hills Cop; Val Verde, a fictional country made for this movie, is a yes.
Bennett's chain mail is volunteered for Apex Mountain along with his physique; he lacks muscle for a fistfight with Arnold, possibly wearing slim-fit chain mail, and looks like he needs more steroids. — Kyle Brandt
The wardrobe choice is blamed on 1985 cocaine; his thin arms are distracting in the fight. — Bill Simmons
Still, Bennett is one of Arnold's toughest movie enemies and blew a 10-point lead by not simply killing him. — Shea Serrano
The question is which Latino actor should have had Dan Hedaya's role, without defaulting to Jimmy Smits; Edward James Olmos ('Edward James almost' in the transcript) is considered but judged too good an actor. — Shea Serrano
Move Gary Cervantes, already in the film as the man with the 'I love you' note who explains the plan to Arnold, into the dictator role for his slimeball energy. — Shea Serrano
Esai Morales ('SI Morales' in the transcript) could have been shoehorned in as a younger deposed dictator or the dictator's son.
That actor owns the room against a fully furious Arnold ('mellow out, man'). — Bill Simmons
The award was created after the New Jack City podcast for someone in a different movie from everyone else. — Bill Simmons
Dan Hedaya seems to be in a TV movie or a Family Ties episode as the dictator and is terrible, still the dad from Clueless or Carla's husband on Cheers.
A different pick is Henriques ('Enrique's' in the transcript), the man Arnold kills on the plane, who is unaware of how dangerous his charge is. — Shea Serrano
Bennett was supposed to be played by Wings Hauser ('Wingshouser' in the transcript), who was fired on the first day and replaced by Vernon Wells. — Bill Simmons
Borrowed 48 Hours theme; Rae Dawn Chong's instant loyalty; sitcom-family ending; no Commando 2; police handling of Matrix; Dan Hedaya as a former dictator; hiding under the bed; closing song; the missile-launcher plan; the destroyed yellow Porsche
The stolen 48 Hours theme is put in both categories. — Bill Simmons
Rae Dawn Chong's character joins Team Arnold almost immediately despite his wrecking her car, like instant Stockholm syndrome. — Bill Simmons
By the end the three are a full-on 80s sitcom family hugging on the plane, though the kidnapped girl should be scarred. — Bill Simmons
Not getting Commando 2 is named an aged-worst pick; the sequel was set up with Kirby and one last job. — Bill Simmons
Rae Dawn Chong firing the missile launcher is offered as improbable, but others disagree and call it great, including her first firing it backwards. — Bill Simmons
The police let a mall-rampage suspect found with a pile of weapons walk out unhandcuffed and ride in the back of a truck. — Kyle Brandt
A 'former' South American dictator makes no sense, and the Dan Hedaya casting is awful. — Bill Simmons
Going under the bed returns, and the closing song, 'We Fight for Love', is horrible compared with Peter Cetera ('Satera' in the transcript) or Point Break's ending. — Bill Simmons
Her plan to fire the launcher at the truck Arnold is in could have gone badly, and destroying the yellow Porsche hurt. — Shea Serrano
Introduced as not a new category but a special one for this movie; nominees are Arnold chopping wood in a tank top, the father-daughter montage, the hard-to-understand Boy George one-liner over a Creem magazine, Dan Hedaya's accent, and Arnold stripping to a bathing suit to row, part of three gratuitous shirtless moments. — Bill Simmons
The pick is Matrix goading Bennett to drop the guns and fight, with Bennett reacting almost orgasmically, as if on take eight after being told to be creepier. — Bill Simmons
There is a long-running internet theory that Bennett is in love with Matrix. — Kyle Brandt
The romance is described as intentional: the director said his coaching was that Bennett hates but loves Matrix, Bennett reminisces about him, and the final exchange ('don't deny yourself the pleasure', shooting him in the balls) is sexually charged, comparable only to Tango & Cash. — Kyle Brandt
The theory is rejected: Bennett is more like Zero in John Wick 3, a fan who respects Matrix's killing skill and wants to measure himself against him. — Shea Serrano
Bennett wearing a sleeveless shirt with no muscle tone next to Arnold shows huge confidence; he was never frightening, suggesting the filmmakers did not yet know what they had in Arnold. — Shea Serrano
Vernon Wells described his look as Freddie Mercury on steroids; director Mark Lester, coming off Firestarter, said Bennett was in love with Matrix but hated him too. — Bill Simmons
The driver in the police heist who says "you know who you're fucking with?", recognized from The Sopranos, is called an unbelievable That Guy; the hosts tentatively offer two actor names as a mid-90s pair. — Chris Ryan
