‹ All people
Mr. Holland's Opus
Mr. Holland's Opus
Toy Story
Dave
The Firm
Ocean's Eleven
Training Day
The Social Network
The Social Network
The Social Network
Aliens
The Good Son
L.A. Confidential
Sicario
Zodiac
Snake Eyes
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Head of Content, The Ringer
Sean Fennessey
Writer, editor and podcaster. Hosts The Big Picture and cohosts The Rewatchables.
Also referred to as Sean, Sean Fantasy, Sean Fittenden, Sean Phenasy, Sean fantasy
Stats
- Episodes credited in this archive
- 174
- Movies in this archive
- 166
- Attributed podcast choices
- 24
Recently watched on Letterboxd
Across the table
Appearing on these Rewatchables episodes
The Martian
2015 film
Bill Simmons · Sean Fennessey · Chris Ryan · Van Lathan
Aired October 13, 2020
Displaying episodes 97 - 108 of 174 in total
Mentioned in discussions
Who Won the Movie?
Dreyfuss
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:15Read transcript
- Dreyfuss explicit choice addressed Sean,career capstone and Oscar nomination;teachers tiny-case alternative,not settled second ballot. — Bill Simmons
Podcast choices
Apex Mountain
Dreyfuss’s second career, Jay Thomas, restrained crying, and Stockman’s solo career: yes
In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:28:08Read transcript
- Jay Thomas clear apex following Murphy Brown/Love and War television run. — Bill Simmons
- Overall Dreyfuss no,but second career this over Stakeout/What About Bob agreed;100million success and star showcase. — Bill Simmons
- Kelly uncertain against long-running TV show observed yesterday;Jay Thomas yes. — Bill Simmons
- High-school teacher movies:Stand and Deliver favored over this;Dangerous Minds,187,Lean on Me candidates;Hoosiers/Coach Carter coaches excluded from narrow comparison. — Bill Simmons
- Trying-not-to-cry face clear peak. — Bill Simmons
- Someone to Watch Over Me song use finalist vs same-name Barringer/Rogers film, latter preferred due repeated/pivotal use;film praised despite rough last15minutes. — Bill Simmons
- Others no,Portland floated without settled answer. — Sean Fennessey
- Sean Stockman solo career apex Visions of a Sunset;one of four best voices,possible solo breakout if huge hit,expected Wanié solo instead. — Van Lathan
The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance
Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head; John Ratzenberger as Hamm
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:46Read transcript
- Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head is the pick, with his lines quoted.
- Hamm, voiced by John Ratzenberger, is added; Ratzenberger voices a character in almost every Pixar movie.
- Wallace Shawn, transcribed "Wallace Sean", as Rex is also mentioned before the question goes to others. — Sean Fennessey
- Asked for more, the reply backs Mr. Potato Head. — Shea Serrano
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:13:28Read transcript
- No, but a General Brigham show with Brendan Gleeson as the Patton of an alien invasion would be welcome. — Chris Ryan
- A sequel is reportedly written; the hosts say Liman claimed it would redefine sequels, Cruise and Blunt are asked about it every six months, and Blunt now sounds busy. — Chris Ryan
- Uncharted is joked about as the major film covered on Sean Fennessey's The Big Picture podcast. — Chris Ryan
- Liman's next blockbuster is uncertain; there was talk of him doing Justice League Dark. — Sean Fennessey
- Chaos Walking is described as one of the great misbegotten productions: the hosts say it has seven credited screenwriters including John Lee Hancock and Charlie Kaufman, stars Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley, began shooting around summer 2017 and is still awaiting release. — Sean Fennessey
- That experience might make it hard for Liman to get a sequel made, though the hosts hope he does. — Sean Fennessey
The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie
"Why can't you die from a stroke like everyone else?"; "You're a flea. You're a blip."; "I could kill an ordinary person. I could kill a hundred ordinary people."
In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:59:03Read transcript
- Nominated lines: 'why can't you die from a stroke like everyone else?', 'you're a flea, you're a blip', the exchange 'I'm going to kill him / you can't kill a president / he's not a president, he's an ordinary person, I could kill an ordinary person, I could kill a hundred ordinary people', and then the speech.
- 'You're a flea, you're a blip' is loved for being so insulting, and the clip runs through 'you're nobody', 'I'm not nobody', 'you're lint' and 'you're a freak'; a host tells Sean never to say that to anyone.
- Replies that he says it to the staff every morning, looking everyone directly in the eye and telling Craig he is lint. — Sean Fennessey
Half-Assed Internet Research
Hackman's name was left off the poster over Cruise's above-the-title deal; the ending differs from the book; Tripplehorn dated Ben Stiller for six years; Pollack voices the prison warden; a 2012 TV series continued the story; the Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan; Hackman has not made a film since 2004
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:00:46Read transcript
- Gene Hackman's name did not appear on the release poster because Cruise's Paramount deal allowed only his name above the title; Hackman asked to be removed entirely and appears only in the end credits.
- The ending differs significantly from the book, where Mitch swindles ten million from the firm and there is a manhunt; Jeanne Tripplehorn dated Ben Stiller for six years, and the hosts think she was a nineties face who had a better career than remembered, including Big Love, with one calling her better than Holly Hunter here.
- Sidney Pollack voices the prison warden on the phone to Ed Harris's agent; a 2012 TV series picked up Mitch ten years later; the Cayman hotel was the Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman, destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and later demolished.
- Hackman's last film was Welcome to Mooseport in 2004; Grantland accidentally made people think he had died through a headline Sean Fennessey wrote; Tarantino wanted him for the Robert Forster role in Jackie Brown; a 2018 bicycling article shows him at 88 riding an electric bike in New Mexico.
The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie
"does he make you laugh?"; "he doesn't make me cry"; "because the house always wins, play long enough, you never change the stakes, the house always takes you, unless when that perfect hand comes along, you bet big and you take the house"; "once you're out the front door, you're still in the middle of the fucking desert"; "You think we need one more?"; "longest hour of my life"; "I'm running away with your wife"
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:47Read transcript
- The Danny and Tess exchange, does he make you laugh answered with he doesn't make me cry, with an incredible line reading by Julia; Danny's house-always-wins speech, joked to be headed for Sean's tombstone, with Rusty's did-you-practice-that follow-up as part of its greatness.
- Ruben's warning that stealing from Terry Benedict is no longer civilized, he will kill you and then go to work on you, and his reminder that once you are out the front door you are still in the middle of the desert, which one host relates to, hating the desert.
- It is hard to get past the George and Julia exchange; the you-think-we-need-one-more exchange, all Clooney and Pitt with Pitt slumped over his gimlet, is likened to Bill talking about adding another podcast feed.
- Rusty and the bartender, longest hour of my life, answered with I'm running away with your wife; and Topher Grace realizing his business manager and his manager are both named Bernie.
Most Rewatchable Scene
Diner scene (2-1 in studio) vs poker/table scene (Shea's pick makes it 2-2)
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:33Read transcript
- Four candidates are laid out: Denzel bullying Ethan Hawke into smoking pot that turns out to be PCP, an amazing mental chess match of challenging somebody's manhood; the nine-minute robbery of Scott Glenn, where the crew goes back to shoot him and take his money and the guy in the bulletproof vest really does get shot, which Jake refuses to join; the poker scene with the Latino gang at Smiley's house, which has no Denzel in it; and the final Denzel-versus-Hawke shootout in the house.
- Their first meeting in the diner, the 'tell me a story' scene, is one host's favorite and makes it five candidates; the 'this is a newspaper' beat is recited.
- Asked whether any character in a lifetime of watching movies resembles Alonzo, the answer is that he resembles older guys on a high school team: charismatic but terrifying, guys who could kick your ass but whom you might also die for, messing with you while trying to indoctrinate you, leaving a younger man completely confused; as a younger man this host thought that way about Dave Jacoby. — Chris Ryan
- Another voice objects that Jacoby is not threatening and is told they did not know him back then; picks then split, with one host going diner scene alongside Sean and reciting the 'tell me a story' exchange, and another going poker scene for the Latino street gang's crude 'shit pushed in' question.
- Revisiting it during the nitpicks, one host thinks the most rewatchable scene might be the one after the diner where Alonzo makes Jake take the drugs, with Alonzo pulling a gun on another motorist who just stays cool and stopping in the middle of intersections.
- Asked for a favorite scene seventeen years later, the phoned-in answer is the table scene, the best scene in the movie even though it does not involve Denzel; another voice says that was their case too and that the boys picked the diner scene.
- The diner scene is called good, but the poker scene is an incredible nine minutes that left one viewer tense, back knotted and stomach nervous, not knowing how Jake gets out; the escalation is laid out from gangsters taking your gun, to your ride leaving, to being asked a crude question, which is the end of the line.
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:10Read transcript
- Andrew Garfield is nominated. — Chris Ryan
- Timberlake’s sushi-restaurant delivery is nominated. — Bill Simmons
- The panel argues Timberlake remains visibly Timberlake rather than disappearing into Parker. — Bill Simmons
- Earlier versions of Leo, Pacino and Hoffman are imagined in the roles. — Bill Simmons
- Timberlake is selected. — Bill Simmons
- The real Parker is defended as slick, cheesy and performative, making Timberlake a fitting choice despite criticism of his acting. — Bill Simmons
The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie
“If you guys were the inventors of Facebook, you’d have invented Facebook”
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 01:01:34Read transcript
- The line ending there are two of me is recalled in best quote.
- The obsessed-versus-motivated line is nominated. — Bill Simmons
- The StairMaster dating line is nominated. — Bill Simmons
- Erica’s nerd-versus-asshole line is nominated. — Bill Simmons
- “If you guys were the inventors of Facebook, you’d have invented Facebook” is selected. — Sean Fennessey
- Eduardo’s coming-back-for-everything threat is nominated. — Chris Ryan
- Sean Parker’s Napster monologue is nominated. — Sean Fennessey
Casting What-Ifs
Shia LaBeouf declined Zuckerberg; Jonathan Groff nearly played Sean Parker; Aziz Ansari also auditioned; Eisenberg and Timberlake preferred
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:43:18Read transcript
- Shia LaBeouf turned down Zuckerberg. — Bill Simmons
- The panel believes Fincher’s take-heavy method would have made LaBeouf a poor fit. — Bill Simmons
- Jonathan Groff nearly played Sean Parker. — Bill Simmons
- Groff’s later Fincher work on Mindhunter is connected to the audition history. — Bill Simmons
- Timberlake’s existing stardom is credited with helping the movie reach a wider audience. — Bill Simmons
- Ansari reportedly auditioned unsuccessfully for the role played by Minghella; the response is that he was not ready at that stage. — Bill Simmons
Most Rewatchable Scene
Eduardo discovering his diluted shares
In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:14Read transcript
- The opening breakup is nominated, and later becomes one participant’s initial personal choice.
- Stopwatch timing of the dialogue and 99 takes of the opening are discussed.
- The Henley Royal Regatta sequence is nominated. — Bill Simmons
- Sean Parker meeting the Stanford student is nominated.
- Eduardo discovering his diluted shares and breaking the computer is nominated; the closing decision defers to that group preference.
- Larry Summers dismissing the Winklevoss complaint is nominated. — Sean Fennessey
- The final-club party intercut with coding Facebook is nominated.
- The confrontation gains emotional force from the score and Garfield’s movement through the glass doors and hallway. — Chris Ryan
- The coding montage contrasts access to power with creating power, making work at computers feel like a bank heist. — Sean Fennessey
- The Parker introduction turns exposition into a star-making scene, with added irony from a major-label pop star playing the Napster figure.
Displaying discussions 25 - 36 of 44 in total
Flex picks
Flex pick · Sean Fennessey
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:20Read transcript
- Michael Biehn is nominated as an actor who should have become a bigger star — Sean Fennessey
The Proof of Life / David Caruso Award for a Character Who Should Have Been Spun Off into Their Own Sequel
Private Hudson; Vasquez and Drake also proposed
Flex pick · Sean Fennessey
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 00:39:40Read transcript
- Private Hudson is the main spin-off suggestion
- Vasquez and Drake are suggested for a prequel
Sean Fennessey Award for Stealth Homage That Gives Every Movie Nerd a Criterion Orgasm
The film’s line about “bombing the universe” is identified as a deliberate homage to The Shining.
Flex pick · Sean Fennessey
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:56Read transcript
- The line is directly tied to Jack Torrance speaking to Danny in The Shining. — Sean Fennessey
Clarence Worley Should Have Died
Bud should die heroically
Flex pick · Sean Fennessey
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 02:13:52Read transcript
- A flex choice argues Bud should die heroically; seeing him in the car and the final Arizona line deflate the ending. — Bill Simmons
When I Would Have Died
Early scenes; the tunnel
Flex pick · Sean Fennessey
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:03Read transcript
- Sean explicitly chooses When Would I Have Died and answers essentially every early scene; another answer is the tunnel. Kate’s bulletproof-vest injuries prompt a Dörfler’s Door reference and speculative recovery discussion.
Flex pick · Sean Fennessey
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:10:07Read transcript
- Sean explicitly selects a stealth-homage flex: Ourumov shooting his own disobedient soldier recalls The Wild Bunch. Later invented homages are jokes, not findings. — Chris Ryan
Flex pick · Sean Fennessey
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 02:14:57Read transcript
- The full Dan Campbell scale purpose is spoken. — Sean Fennessey
- The basement sequence makes the panel ask whether the film has turned into Halloween. — Bill Simmons
The Action Is the Juice Award for Best Milking of the Moment
John Carroll Lynch going toe to toe with Mark Ruffalo
Flex pick · Sean Fennessey
In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 02:14:43Read transcript
- The spoken category variant specifies the best toe-to-toe moment for a non-star. — Sean Fennessey
- John Carroll Lynch is selected for dominating the Arthur Leigh Allen interrogation opposite Ruffalo. — Sean Fennessey
I Used to Fuck Guys Like You in Prison Award for Craziest Quote
“Fat, fabulous, fantastic” and “skinny, mean, expensive.”
Flex pick · Sean Fennessey
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:49Read transcript
- Rick’s paired descriptions of his wife and girlfriend are selected, with the line reading praised. — Sean Fennessey
Flex pick · Sean Fennessey
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:52Read transcript
- Murray Hamilton’s real-life distress and nearly absent performance inadvertently suit a compromised mayor. — Sean Fennessey
Flex pick · Sean Fennessey
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:46Read transcript
- Terminal Bar’s curved bar, tables, coffee-and-beer atmosphere and open space make it the ideal scene-stealing location. — Sean Fennessey
The Andy and Red – Zihuatanejo Award for What Happens the Next Day?
The segment imagines the consequences for Roy's family and Roy aboard the ship.
Flex pick · Sean Fennessey
In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:24:25Read transcript
- Sean selects the Next Day category as his flex choice. — Sean Fennessey
- Roy's time aboard the ship is imagined as decades of invasive experimentation.
- Ronnie is imagined rapidly rebuilding her life with a new partner after leaving Roy. — Chris Ryan
- Roy's oldest son is predicted to become delinquent after the family's collapse. — Chris Ryan
Displaying flex picks 1 - 12 of 18 in total