Sean Fennessey
Appearances
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Well, ding dong, the witch is dead. RIP Boston, Bill. I haven't said it to you one time in days. I haven't given you the floor. I haven't said a damn thing, and I'm happy to... Well, one, thank you for having me. Thank you for having Ariel. Thank you for giving us this platform. You've given me a lot of platforms over the years, and I'm grateful to you.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
But honestly, we just kicked Boston's ass, man. That was amazing. That was genuinely beautiful. Like, I... I never in my wildest dreams thought they were going to win that series. Ariel, I think you're a much more positive fan than I am. I'm a cynic to the core. I've been burned by this team dozens and dozens of times. And... this series was magical. And this week is extraordinary.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And I don't want to hear a damn word about guys over-celebrating a second-round victory because we haven't been there in a quarter century. And that was an incredibly meaningful moment for the franchise, for the fan base, and for a team that had lacked a signature moment all season. And this series was clearly, to this point, their signature moment. So I'm just elated.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I'm thrilled, and I'm super excited about this year's The Pacers.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I want to play. We're not done. I think this is a team that has a really good chance to move on. And frankly, we have revenge come due after last series with the Pacers last year. So I wanted Halliburton the whole time. I'm glad it worked out. I'm glad the Cavs, once again, were a paper tiger. That's three years in a row they've been a paper tiger.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And I think this team, I don't know if they're a team of destiny. I have heard that said a few times. I think the guys on group chat called them a team of destiny the other day. But there is something different. I never would have guessed that a team that is highlighted by Carl Anthony Towns, a player I never understood or respected all the way up until last October.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
But there is some sort of juju going on with them right now that is just thrilling. And the only time I'll probably disagree with Ariel this entire call is that I want the game to start tonight. I wish they were playing right now. I'm ready.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
if they get good deuce and they get good Mitch, they're incredibly formidable team. They, that legitimately feels like a championship team to me. If it's only six guys, I get really tight.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And if one of those guys who's missing from that seven is cat, like he wasn't game five, then I'm really nervous that that was the best and the worst of this team that you saw in five and six when all cylinders were firing in six was the opposite of five. So it's not, this is not, you know, this is not the 93 Bulls. Like, that's not really what we're looking at here with these teams.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
It's just, there feels like an opportunistic hole for them to slide into. And like Ariel said, they have JB. Like, in my lifetime, never been an athlete who in the final minutes of a game, I trusted more in my life. Wow. Not even close. I mean, literally not close in my 43 years of watching sports. I mean, who's on the list? I mean, you're a Bills fan, Ariel.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I'm a Jets fan, so obviously I don't have anybody to choose from there.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Wow. I'm sorry.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
That's when they're at their most comfortable. You know it now. I know.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
But game six would have been really tough for you guys. Even if Tatum was healthy, I think.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Did you say Brunson Fowler? Brunson Fowler, some people say. That's his role in this series, I think. Okay.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Also a former Sixer, which means I double despise him. However, if T.J. McConnell were a Nick, he would be an icon. I just want to put that out there.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
the arena they have they have great fans the one thing did you notice Rick Carlisle in his pre-series comments was trying to give a lot of credit to Precious Achua I think to kind of Jedi mind trick Tom Thibodeau into playing Precious I was like I love Precious Precious plays so hard but I was like why are we talking about Precious Achua you really wanted him out there and Obi Toppin old Nick coming back for you know he'll have one quarter or one game where he's just awesome and be like ah the Obi Toppin game um
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
You know, I'm in a passionate one-sided affair with Anne Hathaway and I love her to pieces. And she's, you know, she's a big Knick fan. But there's a little bit of confusion as to whether Philly or New York is the city, sports city of choice for her. You know, she was at that Eagles Super Bowl. Little Bigamisty. You know, her family's from Philly, but she roots for the Knicks.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
But then there's a clip of her wearing Giants gear on Jimmy Fallon from eight years ago. Little bit of confusion around Anne. You know, I think she's a wonderful actress, but she's not really out here with, like, Tracy Morgan, Rock, you know, Stiller. The Sopranos guys. Yeah, Bobby Bach a lot. Like, those are really the icons. Yeah, Edie Falco. Chloe Sevigny.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I know where I was when that series was happening was I was in a bachelor party in Montreal off my tree and watching that game in tears. I was so fucking mad. And all the verticality. I remember that era very well. Where's Roy Hibbert now? Nowhere to be seen. Where's that style of basketball? Dead. What are we playing now?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Mitchell Robinson ball where we defend all five positions elegantly with grace and power until we break our ankle.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I'm not doing anything.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
All right.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
This is dicey with us, though.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Oh, I mean, it would have been Gandolfini. I mean, what an extraordinary Gandolfini part that would have been. You know, he's got the same bearing, burly guy, the deep voice, the thinning hair, you know, man on a mission.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I mean, yeah, you could put a prosthetic. You know, GMI would be a good Jeff Van Gundy, actually, now that I think about it. Okay, yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I'll be 43 in July, yeah. Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
What day in July? I'm turning 43 in July too.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I, speaking of John Jastrzemski, John and I were talking about this last week. I feel like the franchises are in very good hands. That's something that has been, has defined my fandom is feeling like the franchises, you know, you mentioned Lowell Knicks, Lowell Mets is an ongoing and Lowell Jets are ongoing bits for all the teams I care about.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
They're often considered the laughingstocks of their respective leagues. And somehow, you remember this, Bill. When the Knicks missed out on Kyrie and KD and they signed Randall, I was apoplectic. I was so upset, so furious. I felt like it was the culmination of 20 years of failure for the franchise since that 2000 run that they made that Ariel was referring to earlier.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And I just could not take it. I was so sick of Dolan. I didn't understand. I thought the Tibbs hire was a retread. And I was wrong, wrong, wrong. I was wrong about everything. I was wrong about every move that they made in the aftermath.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I was, I actually liked the Brunson signing and did not have the, like, I don't know about this contract attitude about it because I had just watched him mow down the jazz in that previous series and the Western conference. So I liked that.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And I liked that his dad was basically like, we're bringing this kid here in two years and they had a plan, but almost everything else that they did, I didn't really get it. I didn't see it. I didn't understand it. I'm just a fan. Like I'm not an expert, but, And to be proven wrong specifically in this way is the greatest feeling in the world.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Because even the Bridges trade two months ago, maybe even two weeks ago, people were saying, this is a terrible trade. And then he did things in that Boston series that completely flipped the argument. Completely. Fuck them picks is a motto in New York now. We don't care about that. We are just delighted to have beaten the Celtics and to be going on to face the Pacers.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I did see a screening after.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I did used to live that life of going to Knicks games. I'm trying to figure out. I don't know if I can go back now that since I haven't gone back already. Now I'm like I'm feeling a little bit superstitious. I don't I don't know.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Yeah. Friday, I was in Oregon at a golf resort about as far from the New York Knicks celebration universe as you could possibly be. And I'm the lone guy sitting in a bar watching the game near tears, just gobsmacked, gobsmacked by what I was watching. Same thing after game two.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I'm sitting in my house in Los Angeles alone, hoping my child does not bother me, stunned by what was happening in game two. That was the most shocked I've been at a sporting event. in 10 years. So there's a part of me that thinks I just need to sit on my freaking couch and watch this series and not go anywhere. But if they advance though, I don't know. I don't know how you'll keep me away.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Like, I don't know how I could not go to the NBA finals. It's hard for me to dream of that, but that would be genuinely exciting.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Like there's a more complicated thing there.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
To me, it was a mystery, and now it's just a frustration that it has taken this long for two reasons. One, I know you both know this, never seen anybody better on the mic short of Ric Flair in pro wrestling. I mean, he was just in the prime of the Attitude Era, and even in the second half... moving into the scene era, he was unbelievable at just selling anything.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And a huge part of being a movie star is selling the absurd, is selling the ridiculous setup. So on that face, he should have been incredible. And then secondarily, I always tell this story. I went to the premiere of Hobbs and Shaw, whatever that was, seven, eight years ago. And it was at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. And someone's soda was
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
rolled down the aisle and smashed into a chair, which then triggered a fuse explosion and the lights turned off in the theater. So there was a delay before the film started. And to stem the tide and keep the people in their seats, Dwayne came out and just riffed for 25 minutes. Just talked, made tons of jokes at Jason Statham's expense.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Just sold, sold, sold for 25 minutes in front of 2,000 people waiting for this movie to start. And he was magnetic. And then I see the movies that he makes. And I'm like, who told him to do this? Why is he in Jungle Cruise? Why did Black Adam happen? I don't understand. Because you see him communicate and you can tell just what a vibrant, fascinating, funny, self-aware person he is.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And he just hasn't picked good collaborators. And the end note on this conversation is the person who directed The Smashing Machine is Benny Safdie, a Knicks fan and New Yorker who understands the peculiarity of strange characters. And Mark Kerr is an interesting guy. And the Smashing Machine documentary is not a cookie cutter portrait of a rise to greatness. It's much more complex than that.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
So I think if you care about sports movies, if you care about The Rock, if you're interested in combat sports, it feels like it's tailor made for an incredible moment for him and for movies. We'll see. I care about all three of those things.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Yeah, it's coming out in the first week of April, or excuse me, the first week of October, which is historically a kind of a circling the square for box office and awards consideration. That's like the same weekend that a movie like The Star is Born was released.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
So I think they're looking for a kind of like commercial critically acclaimed movie, which is, as we know, like one of the hardest things to do in movies right now. And we'll see.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
You're still picking the Pacers? Wait, I was going to say, you're picking against us or what? I hear you and Russillo and you guys just spend all this time hyping the Pacers and kind of like not negging the Knicks, but just not addressing the Knicks.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
just shook him off and got the shot he wanted like that was great nobody does that to drew holiday so can i tell you something i watched the four minute cut down recap of game four like 11 times in a row that night just to watch him absolutely cook white he cooked white he did all day long that was astonishing to watch whether he can do that to aaron fucking neesmith we're about to find out yeah yeah
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Thank you, Bill. Thank you.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Tatum and Brown for KD.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I hope Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart pod forever. I'm really enjoying that show. It's them just shitting on each other for 45 minutes. You're the biggest loser.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Hire an assassin to kill John Rose. I'm not sure. I don't listen to a lot of those shows, if I'm being honest, but I do respect that they are currently working very hard to eliminate shows like this. We have been observing your strategy of hot takery, and we can do better.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Just like we can dunk better than you, we can also hot take better than you, and that's kind of what each new show that comes along needs to go to a higher level. So do you listen to that next podcast? Sometimes, yeah. You're like, these are my guys? I have an emotional relationship with these men who don't know who I am.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
About Iran-Contra, you know, with that affair, well, at that time, we know Larry Bird was going for 26, 9, and 7. Were you sad to see Aaron Rodgers go? Sad to see Aaron Rodgers go? Yeah. No. No, I honestly hope he goes to hell.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
My favorite thing ever, no one here cares about the new Jets regime, so I'm sorry, but the story that they were like, you can come back if you don't go on McAfee, and he was like, no dice, tells you everything you need to know about that guy.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I mean, Jack and the Lakers is the realest shit ever. Not Larry David and the Jets?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, Larry David quit the Jets. Yeah, he quit the Jets. Once again, smartest guy of all time.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, you nailed it, brother. In August, we were texting about the... No, in September, we were texting about the Oscars. And I was like, I think it's a Nora because there's like nothing else going on. And you're like, no chance.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
What did you think of that?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Did you like those scenes?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It was Crash, yeah. Well, Brokeback Mountain won those three awards in 2005. Oh, yeah. Brokeback Mountain won the three and didn't get the last one. And then Crash won on Oscar night, which is the first time I gouged my eyes out and then had a reconstructive surgery.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Three and a half hours is a long time. What was the name of the Netflix true crime doc you were telling us about backstage?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Gabby Petito?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Was it roughly three and a half hours?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, a mood to enjoy something great. My wife liked it. I forgot to tell you. Did she? Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm out. I'm out. That's going to be in The Brutalist 2.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He has not won a single precursor. So if he wins, it's going to be really surprising.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think part of his campaign for this whole movie where he's been doing non-traditional media like Nardwar and doing photo ops with Carl Anthony Towns, which I fully support, has been so that he maintains his cool without having to seem like he's glad-handing every Academy member. I like it. Adrian Brody's going to win, though. Who's winning Best Actress?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Two weeks ago, I would have said Demi Moore, but now it feels like Mikey Madison. She won at BAFTA over the weekend. She has to win. I don't know. It feels like we'll find out on Sunday at the SAG Awards. That's when we'll figure it out. If Demi Moore didn't win for about last night, she's never winning.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I mean Batman forever sucked. That was tough. You know, we came off to Burton movies. Yeah, like I'm mixing it up. Schumacher. Yeah, he's interesting. Lost boys. I like that guy. The client was big fan of that film. Batman Forever is terrible. That was tough. I mean, Godfather 3 is a famous one, but we've come all the way back around. International. Oh, my God.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It pains me to say this because I don't know that he's the most charismatic person in the world. But, you know, Jason Tatum is like really famous and successful. And I'm not kissing up to you.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I went to Waterloo Records. Shout out Waterloo. Yeah. And I spent $184 on Blu-rays.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I think it's Boston. It is really painful. Shut up. It's really painful knowing, rooting for a great team and knowing that they're what I want them to be, but knowing that they're still just one inch below a couple of other teams. That's painful. You've been there before. You've never been there. Um...
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
We flew like four hours. Why does he get the first pick?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's great.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Shoot. I didn't have Brendan Fraser's character from Bedazzled on my board.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's a tough one. Um... Well, the first name I wrote down is Jesus Shuttlesworth from He Got Game. Which has the added benefit of being a great movie. And, you know, honestly, there are not a lot of great basketball movies, which you realize when you're going through this. A lot of great basketball characters. But Jesus was loosely modeled on a LeBron-esque figure.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Somebody who could come... Supposedly Stefan Marbury. Could save the game. Yeah. Memorably played by Ray Allen in the movie. And he had it all. He had incredible range, handle, good defender, good team guy. His teammates loved him. He had a lot of fun at Big State on his trip there. So he seems like an obvious centerpiece of my team. Yeah, good pick. So, Jesus.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Panic trading Chet?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So it's because he's white? Yeah, that's why. Billy Hoyle, great character, very inspiring to a young me, but also a complete fiction. The idea of that guy bawling out on the Venice courts, absolute nonsense. Sidney Dean would have broken his ankles a hundred times out of a hundred.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
What about the Sanuki brothers, right?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Sean, what do you got? I'll just take Sidney Dean so nobody else can take him. We can close out. White men can't jump right here, unless you want to take some of the guys they were playing against. No, I have people nobody's picking. I just think Sidney Dean and Jesus in my backcourt. We've got a lot of speed, power. We're going to be really hard to defend at the rim. We've got range.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm feeling good about my backcourt so far. Also, I had my eye on Neil just to make you mad, but you jumped the line. I'm going to make the crowd mad.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Who do you have, Sean? I'll also be selecting a stretch five, another incredible athlete with a gift we've not seen before. I'll be taking Sandy Lyle from Along Came Polly as portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I just took Sandy Lyle, yeah. Yeah, so you have three. Yeah, we're doing this correctly. You go, and then Bill goes two, and then you go back. My turn.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Another white guy.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Billy Hoyle tried to quit his relationship. You're up, Sean. I'm going to take a more recent vintage player and the most recent great basketball movie, Hustle, starring Adam Sandler. Oh, I like this. And I'll take Bo Cruz as portrayed by Wancho Hernan Gomez. Yes. He's on the board. Great pick. Wancho, need a big man. Obviously, a bit of an unknown coming overseas.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Really needed a strong voice, an advocate for his game. And frankly, we need his size on our squad. Need size, unselfish.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I've got an incredibly flexible roster, but I need an owner.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Somebody who I can really trust. Somebody who's got big ideas, who knows how to continue building out a front office. No Nicos in this business. So I'm going Joe Cabot from Reservoir Dogs as my owner.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You know, we know how he knows how to put a job together. We know he's just a mean bastard. Is his owner a GM?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He's owner. Okay. And he also loves his netball baby son, gave him a job in the front office. Which is very owner behavior. And I'm just really excited about what we're going to do together. And also he loves colors, so he's going to be great with uniforms.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Under two minutes. I knew he'd come up. I was in San Francisco this past weekend and I had tickets to the event and did not go to any of the events, which is not a good sign, obviously. So... Okay, I'll pitch you my idea. Let's hear it. I think they should scrap the game. I think they should scrap the dunk contest. I think they should scrap the three-point shooting contest.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Thank you.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Trying to balance out all that white.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I'm going to take... I'm going to slide Shuttlesworth to the three. Okay. And I'm going to take Uncle Drew in the cinematic masterpiece Uncle Drew starring Kyrie Irving, which is a film I've not seen. But I have seen that commercial and that old man can ball out. So he'll be bringing it up for us.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
They should scrap the futures game. What about the skills competition? So I think that they should only do the skills competition, but for two full days. I'm not kidding. And make it like an insane double dare obstacle course. Oh, like American Gladiators? Yes. Okay. But... The winning team, and I was inspired by Wemby and CP3, should automatically get home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Terrence Howard.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Tough one. Got Uncle Drew. Lock that down. Jesus Shuttlesworth. Sidney Dean. We're closing out the Blue Chips Triumvirate. I need a stretch four, so I'm going with Ricky Rowe, the real pride of Indiana, who is the horniest, greediest dickhead in the history of basketball movies, but who has an incredible stroke, as portrayed by Matt Nover, and I'm referring, of course, to his bed game. Yeah. Um...
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
When I think Ricky Rowe, I think CR. And so we're going to be playing seven seconds or less, Phoenix Sun style. That's what I'm thinking. I like it. CR?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh. And who's Shine's dad? I think it's supposed to be, the implication is it might be Doug, right? But it's going to be Ursula.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So there's like real stakes. So you'd have these guys like during practice, during the season, like really working on throwing the ball through that round circle or whatever and all the stuff they have to do there. It's just like the skills competition matters.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I like it. Sean? For my coach, I'll be taking Jack Cunningham from the way back because we know that Jack knows how to fight the good fight and inspire, and we need to find a way to beat 7'6 Brendan Fraser somehow, so I feel like he can really draw up some interesting plays for our seven seconds or less offense.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yes. I like that. Yeah, you could be like the play-in team at number 10, but you got home court games. That would work for the Sixers.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, I see some potential issues, but I'm excited to see what Jack can pull together. All right, Shay, you got two.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, and I'm going double Affleck. I'm going Tom Redfly Davis from Triple Frontier. So Affleck will be reporting to Affleck in a never-before-seen doubling. in a basketball characters movie draft. Great idea. And Redfly, of course, fails miserably at the end of Triple Frontier. Killed. Nevertheless, I trust him to run this franchise effectively to a championship.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's excellent.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, I'm taking... He's kind of the banjo of that movie, yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Okay, so I need one more player and two assistant coaches. Yes. Okay, I'll come back to the player because I have a good idea for that one. I'm not drafting Kazam, you dork.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
One of my assistants, I need like a live wire. I need a real mouthy guy. You don't totally know what he's going to do. Wangro? I'm going with Danny Sharp as portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal in Ambulance. That's a deep pull. Ambulance, which might be the best movie of the decade. And featuring an incredible performance by Gyllenhaal. And you know, sometimes there's a guy who's behind the guy.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
who you're like, that guy's going to get fired tonight because he keeps yelling at the best player. That's Danny Sharpe from my team.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Fantasy, what do you got? Well, I need another player, and it would not be a ringer-related movie draft without Tom Cruise. So I'm going with Brian Flanagan from Cocktail.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Obviously, he's not guarded in that film. He's taking wide open free throws, barely making them. Barely looks like he's ever held a basketball before they shot that sequence. And yet, he looks amazing. $10 a shot, right?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He's my sixth man, yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I learned by watching you, Dad.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
They would have called it Cocktails with an S on the end. Who should have played the hot young bartender, though, that he brings under his wing? That he groomed? CR!
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I was going to say Dune Part 2, A Complete Unknown, but you got me.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And now he's a good teammate.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm taking Bodie from Point Break. Is there basketball in Boaty in Point Break?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's Chris's first draft, everybody. Bodie rules. Does he live to tell the tale of his own success? Maybe not, but that's not really what we're thinking about when we've also got Danny Sharp from Ambulance coaching our team and Jack Cunningham, who obviously has a long history of substance abuse. So this is one last season for us.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
We're just trying to go out in a blaze of glory, and I'm really excited about it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I miss the idea of the power that he represented. I also love the idea of him like firing Nico Harrison. You know, like he would have just done that. This guy is out of the paint. And he would have done something like that. So I miss that.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, just as Billy Shakespeare imagined it. High school basketball player.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Of course, Brian Flanagan from Cocktail. Brian Flanagan. And Sandy Lyle.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
From Along Came Polly. Not the strongest bench in the league, but... Weak bench.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, we don't... Second apron, Jesus Shuttlesworth's contract. It's an issue.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
We're actually, I'm really excited to let you know, Bill, we've been working on an eight-part narrative podcast series called Podslut, The Rise of Chris Ryan. It's about all the pods he does over the course of one week. It's like a follow doc. How many ringer pods have you been on? Like over 20?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yes, sir.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, it's been going on for six months. I need it to end so I can go to the next thing. But it's okay.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. I think that they shouldn't talk. Which is not good for journalism, obviously. I think that everyone should be held accountable for their actions. I did have an idea for ownership groups, though, which is I think if you're going to buy a team, you should have to pass like an NBA literacy test.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Like when you become an American citizen, you have to learn about like who wrote the Declaration of Independence. You should have to know the history of the game. So Patrick Dumont? Well, I'm not going to name any names.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
What do you think, Fantasy? I think this is the chance to finally get Oliver Stone back where he belongs. Oh, yeah. And I think that we have yet to see the way we can conspiracy theorize about what's happened here. But I think he should do it entirely in the register of the doors where it's just like... Nico Harrison is just tripping on LSD the whole time. He like micro doses every morning.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He's like, yeah, Lucas should go like just losing his mind. But if they do a Native American guy in the desert, it would be great if they do it like JFK.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think he should make a sequel to the Disney original film Thunderstruck.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Basketball Movie Character Draft LIVE From Austin, Texas, With Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, Phoenix Rising. Just keep following that story a little bit. You know, he messed up. He should have signed with the New York Knicks, but he was a coward. So, screw him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
I agree.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
I think they're going to win.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
100%.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
I really do.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
I do like There Will Be Blood.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
Yeah.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Feel-Good Knicks, Award Movies, Week 18 Picks, and a Boston Sports Report With Sean Fennessey, Joe House, and Bill’s Dad
Yeah.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
We're here to bond over love, right? And the possibilities. What are you up to? I do, uh, I do the watch podcast. Yeah.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I mean, this is a huge spoiler alert for a movie that not everybody has seen yet, so if you don't want a Nora spoiled for you. But that ends in an intriguing way in that very specific respect, where you don't know what happens to the characters next. But to your point, it's really rare.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Were you, did you, do you remember if you had a girlfriend, like a long-term girlfriend when you saw this? I had a girlfriend when I saw this.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It was my first real girlfriend I had. It was my senior year of high school. And I was like, I'm pretty into this. You weren't like, she's not the one for me. No, I mean, it wasn't that as much as it was just like... being in love seems so cool. And it just kind of like, it made me feel happy to have a girlfriend. I think if I had been alone, I would have been like, fuck.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Men's health pod.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's definitely an extension of that dorm room kind of philosophy. Hanging out in the hallway at three in the morning. Like you said, I have five or six things that I think are pretty uniquely cool that I've got going on in my head, even if I'm wrong. Yeah. And I'm just going to keep trying them out on people until it clicks.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's Linklater's stock and trade through his first five movies. You know, Slacker, that's all Slacker is. It's just people popping into cabs and walking into bars and being like, here's my theory of the world. You know, that's what Waking Life is. That's what Dazed is. You know, think about Rory Slater riffing on George Washington and, you know, growing weed. Like all that stuff.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's all like he came up with like a thousand theories.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
We have to read Dazed at some point, by the way. It's still one of the best movies ever. But he's like an accumulator of people's cool anecdotes.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And he knows how to reprocess them. Which Tarantino was good at, too. Same. But then the other thing, too, that I think makes it so special, I'm sure we'll talk about it, casting actors...
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
who could write with him to make these people real is like the whole it's the whole thing it's the whole movie it's the reason why it works it's the reason why that sentimentality stuff works like he's just the whole movie just feels like it's happening in front of you for real and there's so few movies that you can really say that about so it just goes a long way it has a real angle on love
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I mean, the thing that Selene says to Jesse in the alley when they're talking about whether they would have families or what their futures might be like, and she's like... If there's any kind of God, it wouldn't be in any of us, not you or me, but just in the space in between. So this idea that it's like the effort to become connected to somebody is where this almost like holy magic exists.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, that's why she's the rock of the movie in a lot of ways.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Jesse's doing power rankings.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, he's really good at the gimmicks, and she's really good at the meat of the conversation.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
She's like, it's not about the orbit. It's about the orbit of love. Forget the orbit route.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. That's the thing. I would have screwed that one up. I think the reason that Jesse comes to life in the movie is because you can tell fairly early on In part because she agrees to get off the train with him. But even before that, that great feeling when you're like, this person's into me.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You know, not just romantically, but just any connection you make with a person where you're like, this person's actually interested in what I'm saying. That gives you like a jolt.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And they communicated so well because I think she's like, they're both reading. And she doesn't like immediately go back to her book. She like turns towards him to like be like, all right, let's keep talking. And he's like, I can't believe this is happening. This is crazy.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Since we're never going to see each other again, I don't think we should sleep together.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Good job, Rick. He's 34 when this movie is being made. This has got to be one of the most wise movies ever made by a person that young. Because it's not that what the characters are saying is wise, because it is very idealistic and very lovey-dovey at times and very like... you know, just ripped a bong hit and started talking about souls.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But knowing that that is how you are when you're 24 and being able to reflect on it 10 years later and like metastasize it is amazing to me. I mean, he's like in the 1% of capturing how young people really are in the world.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's also really cool to go and look at this movie... And think about like 99 out of 100 other directors would have done so many things differently. There would have been more montages. Yeah. There would have been more cuts. There would have been... And needle drops. There would have been some sort of like...
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I don't know, like there would be a crescendo to the film that was, this movie has like five crescendos. This movie peaks like five times, six times. Sometimes it's intellectually, sometimes it's sexually, sometimes it's, but like every other filmmaker, and then when you're watching it though, you're not overtly aware of him doing anything.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's not like you're like, oh wow, the camera hasn't cut in a while. You're just like completely locked in with their conversation. It's almost invisible filmmaking.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Where was the gimp in this movie? You know? Right. I think the poet.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But I don't think he ever really shakes this off until Turning Day. You know what I mean? I agree. I think Training Day was, in some ways, brought him into adulthood.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It did, but I still think this is his most perfect creation as a character. It so beautifully capitalizes on the Ethan Hawke thing, which is that he looks like the coolest guy of all time, but once he starts talking, you're like, wow, this guy's kind of insecure and a little bit all over the place emotionally and really well-read, but maybe insecure about that too.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's just like when you talk to Ethan Hawke in real life and you're like, wow, he's really cool, but he's more like me than he is a movie star, which is a unique quality that he brings to movies.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The other thing that's just worth noting is that I think you could put Hawke and Linklater up there with any of the great director-actor duos.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
What, they do 10 movies together?
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But also, like, they're telling one big story. Like, Jesse's backstory is the story of boyhood. You know what I mean? Jesse's parents divorcing and that impacting how he looks at the world and everything his dad and his mom told him about love. That's just the movie Boyhood, like, a couple, you know, a decade or so later. So they're just basically working on, like, one American male project.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
We can take it. I don't... I mean, he's not a careerist filmmaker, even though he does make mainstream movies.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He dips in there to be in the mainstream sometimes, but I don't ever think of him as like... trying to get butts in seats or whatever. But this one is particularly unusual because Dazed wasn't a big hit, but it was an instant cult classic. And it was made for a big studio. And this is something smaller. I really liked that quote.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I don't know if you saw this, that Martin Schaefer, who was the co-founder of Castle Rock. Again, there's like, how many Castle Rock movies have we done on this podcast? It's like the best production company. But he was like, this movie was almost the... rejection of or opposite of what romantic comedies were at the time. Like it didn't fall into any of those traps.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And so when I read the script, I was just like, I want to do this because it isn't like, you know, the Julia Roberts era, Meg Ryan, While You Were Sleeping, like all those movies that were so popular at that time. It was not doing those jokes.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
All those movies, like, so high concept.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, so all the tropey stuff that was in them and the, like, I'm just a man standing before a woman and all that. Like, it didn't, it's not about that. It's about something much more down to earth and also up in the clouds.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, it's also just even wild to watch this compared to, like, Say Anything. Where, like, Say Anything has, like, the whole nursing home plot and all these other things going on in it.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, Joe, Joe, why did you lie? And there's a huge gesture with the boombox. This is devoid of all of that stuff. It's just the talking. It's just these two people growing closer.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Had you seen Killing Zoe? Or Killing Zoe? Because Julie Delpy is in that.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
She'd been in a lot of really big art house films in Europe.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
She's in a number of movies. But I love that story that Ethan Hawke tells about this movie, which is that when he was in Dead Poets, that Peter Weir encouraged him to write for his character. He was like, write backstory, write lines for your character. I want to hear what you think this character would say. And he was blown away by that experience.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And he was like, wow, I guess this is how every movie is. And then he went on and did like White Fang. And they were like, sir, please keep your lines to yourself. We don't need this. And so the reason he did this movie, even though he could have been doing much bigger movies, is this, after meeting Linklater, they became fast friends. And he was like, I want you to write this with me.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And he was like, that's all I want. I want to be in the creative process of the movie.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
These were at Sundance? Yeah.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He died at Sundance. You would have come back and been like, the culture is changing or something.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I mean, this is specifically, I'm sure I've said versions of this on the show before, but this is specifically why I became obsessed with movies. is that this thing was happening in 93, 94, 95. And I was reading all the magazines and being like, how do I get closer to that? How do I... Because if you see Little Odessa or The Addiction, you're like, I don't know. There are movies like this?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You could have never imagined. And this movie is one of those movies too. Party Girl. Our girl.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I saw this and I was like, I just have to... I obviously have to get a Ural pass.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, yeah. It's a very... Have you ever started an episode like that? Thinking... You didn't start the Godfather episode like that.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm sure there was some junkie trauma movies that got sequels.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Are you thinking about maybe asking... Shots fired at Gen X. Ask Deep Seek if Raj has changed his mind in heaven?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Boom, Raj. Roger Ebert was 53 when this movie came out. I think that's notable. Yeah. We've always talked about why are 50-something movie critics reviewing Billy Madison? That doesn't make sense. That movie's not for them. And you could make the case that this is a movie not for 55-year-old men.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It has aged nicely.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think it... Would you have? Freshman... I would actually say summer after freshman year of college. You want to be aware that people do study abroad semesters slash go over to Europe to go backpacking or traveling around. But I don't think you want to have done it yet. Because then you may have too many takes on what Jesse did or didn't do right.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But if you just are going into college or in college, I think that's the perfect time.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I wrote down 24 because the two characters are 24. I will say, I saw it probably when I was 14 or 15. The thing that it does if you're 14 or 15 is it's almost like a playbook. It's like if you encounter a lady on a train, these are some moves you can make. And when you're 14 or 15, you don't have any moves. You don't know what to do. And so you internalize some of this stuff.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So I don't think it's the best time, but I would say it was very helpful to watch in general, Ethan Hawke as Troy, as this guy, and be like, okay, is this an archetype that can work? Like, full of shit, tall, brown-haired guy? Like, can I do this? So, that was nice. I think being roughly where you were seemed right.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, it's about... I think they're fighting about money. No. No, there's actually an answer to this. What is it?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's about drinking.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Who's got the drinking problem? The husband or the wife?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's perfect in so many ways for this film series.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I guess. Nature's way of allowing couples to grow old together without killing each other.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think hearing gets really bad.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I now can't hear anything when the water is on. Oh, me too.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It just so happens that my wife talks while that happens.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
All right, all right. Think of it like this. Jump ahead 10, 20 years, okay? And you're married. Only your marriage doesn't have that same energy that it used to have. You start to blame your husband. You start to think about all those guys you've met in your life Well, I'm one of those guys. That's me.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You know, so think of this as time travel from then to now to find out what you're missing out on. See, what this really could be is a gigantic favor to both you and your future husband to find out that you're not missing out on anything. I'm just as big a loser as he is, totally unmotivated, totally boring, and you made the right choice, and you're really happy.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Sorry, not buying it.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm sensing a new category coming up. The Shakir what if.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It was great. We paused the movie last night to discuss this for five minutes.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Can we break it down very briefly? Yeah. The pivot is all living things have a soul. Every leaf has a soul, and that's how you explain it. Is that fair?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh, so I used to be a tree in Florida.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. You know, this was in theaters while Pulp Fiction was still in theaters. Wow. So probably incredibly formative moment for all of our lives. This movie is pretty unique in that not only do you watch it and you're like, I remember seeing it or I remember the impact it had on me. It's overwhelming because you watch it and you're also like, I remember who I was. Do you know what I mean?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So I kicked that to my wife last night, and she was like, yeah, but when the earth started, it was all just bacteria. And I was like, I don't have a response. Yeah. She just shut me down. She just nailed it scientifically. Check out the big brain on Eileen.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Richard Linklater's first take would be amazing.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I love that the movie starts where the graduate ends. It was like them at the back of the bus.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
She doesn't come into the picture, I think, until 96.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
There's just no way. That is the power of this movie, is that you absolutely believe, in my heart of hearts, I'm like, they're actually soulmates. Like, no matter what happens, those actors are soulmates.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
She's fucking incredible in that.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
This poem is great. Written by a real poet.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Daydream delusion. Coffee shop Bill? This is my favorite, Bill. English major Bill? Yeah.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Like literally there is a degree to which you kind of see a lot of the things that you were feeling at that time or would go on to feel very shortly afterwards, like reflected. Yeah.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I love it. This guy's a homeless poet. Thumbs up. He's like, if this poet doesn't hit, I don't know if I'm going to be able to afford smokes.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Give me whatever you think is appropriate, too. Not putting a price tag on it.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Next one. Wait, so you skipped over the palm reading?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, he skipped over the kiss.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You said amusement park, which could include the Ferris wheel. Yes. Are you including the Ferris wheel in that?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I love that scene. Stardust.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You know, I believe if there's any kind of God, it wouldn't be in any of us. Not you or me, but just this little space in between. If there's any kind of magic in this world, it must be in the attempt of understanding someone, sharing something. I know it's almost impossible to succeed, but who cares, really? The answer must be in the attempt.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Right. And your answer to that question was, it's one great thing, and it's crushing tape. That's what you do. That's right. You chose that over love.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He's breaking down Spags' defense. Three blitzers overloaded on one side.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
on screen it's different than dazed and confused that way you know it's not a period piece and in my mind even though zoe might watch it and be like oh so tell me about what the 90s were like and stuff like that we're watching it we're like this is a photograph yeah of how the way people used to talk and the way people used to kind of act it's so mind-blowing to see these days
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh, yeah. I like that thing a lot, too.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
This is incoherent to like 30% of the audience.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
She is so charming and smart in this. She brought it. She was like, I used to do this with my friends.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The way he's going to part his hair. Which shirt he's going to wear that day. Knowing the exact story he'd tell in a given situation. I'm sure that's when I know I'm really in love.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Does your wife like this movie?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Look at him getting physical media pills. This is where I was going. I mean, this is one of the best ones.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But what will you happen when he's like, now I must destroy Sean and get three times the one?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I was looking at the Daniel Craig box set.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I love it. I support you 100%.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
What do you consider part of the ending? Do you go sex scene, statue, train?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It reminded me of a few movies that you guys have done over the years that felt like they were their own subgenre. So Singles was one of these movies. Kicking and Screaming was one of these movies. Reality Bites was one of these movies. They're not all the same. They have like different tones. Some of them are more comedic. Some of them are more sincere. But the...
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
For the record, I think it's Michelangelo Antonioni's Le Clisse where they do that trick before Halloween.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, just for the record.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Damn it. There's movies before Halloween? Yeah, I thought that was the first movie. My first is the reverse of that. It's the first train sequence. It's them on the train getting to know each other because I just find it mesmerizing and so naturalistic.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh, like, this movie brought back to me that I just functioned off of, like, coffee and cigarettes from 20 to 30.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Or Edie Falco. What's your must-re-watch mark? Well, there was one small one that you skipped over that is sort of the end, but I really love the cut-away... to not showing whether they have sex or not. And then they wander and they see a guy playing a harpsichord.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And they see him in the window and then they do the, let me take a picture of you, which I think is like a mesmerizing moment.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I love that scene a lot. My pick would probably be the listening booth too. I love that one a lot.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, just Jesse as a takesman. Just Jesse having lots of... I have a bunch of bits. Here's... I have five of them. This is how I'm...
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That was like me on my pod last night doing my Emmett Smith. I was like, I'm going to do my Emmett Smith bit. I stepped on this, but it was Jesse's story being the story that boyhood becomes. Yeah. And the way that like his character kind of gets woven throughout Linklater's filmography are two of my favorite things of age best.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I mean, the Eurail. Have you been on the Eurail? It's incredible. It's just an amazing experience. I recommend everyone try to do it, even if you don't do it when you're 22 and idealistic. It's just such a fun way to travel. I think specifically that letting your actors...
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
casting actors who can write and letting them write with you is such a cool idea and it's you know mike lee does this in his movies too this is like a hack for sophisticated filmmakers apatow does it um a lot of really good directors do this and it's all about making the movie as good as it can be because the actors need to be fully on board with what you're the story you're trying to tell
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think it's a little bit different when you're doing a drama versus doing an Apatow movie. Because Apatow, it seems like they're really working bits. And they have like, let's riff on this or riff on that. And this is like... They have character arcs that they really have to track in this.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, totally. It seems like they worked really hard on it. And the overlapping dialogue, it was kind of rehearsed to a T, like you said.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Like, emotional, philosophical hangout movie was very present because independent cinema was getting to be a huge part of American movies. And these were kind of easy movies to make. You know, they didn't cost a lot of money. You just needed a couple of attractive people who could seem smart. Yeah. And I'm wondering if this is the best possible version of that kind of a movie.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Really realistic. Like Vienna in the summer.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Vienna. Which is amazing.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Vienna just gets wins left and right in culture. Never been there? Never been. I went there on an Easter weekend once. It was shut down, so it was a lot like this, but it was very cold.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Interesting. Also, French girls, I think that's aged well. You know, just a beautiful blonde French girl on the train, that's like an archetype. Yeah, that would happen in real life.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
We got Dr. Loomis. That's one. Who else is on that list?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, Shine and Jim. See what happens to Shine now.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Instead of going to the bar with Celine, Jesse's like, I really think maybe if I get to the airport, they're showing Knicks Rockets. Or it's like the car chases on the train station. During the course of this day, someone had come up to them and been like, you guys are not going to believe what's happening with OJ right now. Do you think that they would have liked it? Is Jesse from Texas?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I was guessing like Ohio, but. Oh no, he said, does he say Ohio? I think he... Or maybe he goes to college in Ohio?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Maybe I thought he said... I don't think he ever says that. He's from like Shaker Heights or something. Okay. The other thing is that it's June 16th, I believe, because that's the day that... Well, there's a whole bunch of James Joyce. Yeah, James Joyce's Ulysses is set. Yeah.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's what I'm talking about with the wisdom of Linklater. That line is insane. Every person who hears that line can understand exactly where it's coming from.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I have Selene with her head in Jesse's lap in front of the Archduke Albrecht statue.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I had the going down the cobblestone streets when there's a big dip and they've all been wetted Michael Mann style.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Bach Sonata No. 1 coming in at the end. Yeah. There's a couple of classical pieces. Like I said that, I just know all the sonatas. I believe it. I'm a ball knower when it comes to sonatas.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
There are several in this movie.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
My favorite movie of all time. There are several homages to The Third Man.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Isn't that also... It kind of echoes into the future with Mission Impossible when Tom Cruise goes into the listening booth.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Same thing, yeah. Except he's not looking at anyone.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Is that Dead Reckoning? No, it's Fallout, right?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's the one before that, I think, yeah. Or maybe even the one before that.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's the first one with Sean Harris.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, that's not. It's the one before Fallout, whatever that's called. Anyway, sorry. The fantasy word.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. Criteriorgasm.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Stealth homage. I'm touched. For the movie nerds. What I want people to think when I'm talking about movies is that this is a sexual climax, so I really feel honored.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Is this the place where I could talk about smoking? It sure is. Which one do you want to give out? I think we need to give out the Jesse in Before Sunrise award for the character that absolutely should have smoked but didn't.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Why? Okay, so a college kid in 1995 in Europe where people smoke everywhere all of the time with a French girl who is probably still smoking as of like December of last year. And there's not a cigarette between the two of them. And you're watching this poet who's just like, all I do is smoke. Everybody like, but these two people in 1995 don't smoke cigarettes.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But he probably smoked back then.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's not like he's like, I don't want to have to take all these fake cigarettes.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Could you make the case though that it's a reverse what's aged the best? The fact that they chose not to smoke and there is no smoking in movies. But now it feels more like a modern movie because no one is smoking.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Not, like there's no actor in the movie. I mean, for the Flex Choice 2, you could make the case as the weak link, but it's a bigger discussion.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Is that a 95 song?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I like where you're at with that, but I think that the choice of music in this movie is to make it timeless. You know?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
actor at that point and she wasn't and that's just I don't know none of that stuff bothered me that much but I just wanted to flag it other than that I don't have any what's his worst well it's an interesting movie to put in front of younger people I was talking to Jack Sanders before earlier today about this movie and he said it's one of his favorites of all time and it's a big movie personally for him and that's interesting do you think he's a romantic because he's a Mets fan
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That has hardened my soul, so I can't imagine. Although he is a way more optimistic Mets fan than I am. But I think it's interesting because it is a movie that... Forget about whether or not you would have ever met Celine. Even just the way that they go about their day would be radically different today. You'd have Google Maps up and Yelp up and you'd have food guides and tourism guides.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Even if you still had the spirit of wandering, the absence of technology in the movie... And even just asking strangers for help is something that I feel like people don't really do anymore, like when they run into the two theater guys. Right.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's not that it aged the worst, per se, that there are no cell phones or anything, but it has aged the movie in a unique way because it's right on the precipice of cell phones.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You almost watch it now, and it's more fantastical than it was in 1995 to see it because now you're watching it in almost like a fairy tale.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And there's so many things that they do where you're just like, where he's just like, let's just get off this train. And I would be like, so neurotic about like, where are we? Like, is this the right place to get? Are we going to be in the wrong place? Right.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's closer to 1500 than 2000. Yeah. Right. Yeah.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Tough beat for Tommy.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Tommy is on an unbroken streak right now.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Okay, so we already sort of mentioned with the criteria orgasm that the recent rod at the Prater Amusement Park is the Den of Thieves Benihana Award, I think. It's got to be a scene-stealing location. But the George Ellerbe Two Weeks with Pay Award, which I absolutely love. This is the character who definitely should have been fired.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The fucking bartender who gives away a bottle of wine at a bar because one guy tells basically a lie. I'll send you money. And says, give me the address. And then never even gives him the address.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
We have to go straight to the bartender in this table. This is a shocking act.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
A million questions. What kind of red was this that he gave him?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
How do you get that bottle open?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Did Jesse invent live streaming on the back of that train or the back of that bus in Vienna? When he's just like, I think we should have a public access show that's just 24 seven people all over the world. Like, isn't this basically YouTube?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
There's elements of this in Slacker where I think Linklater's idea is you're just going around Austin and these different people are having these different experiences or whatever. He's like, why is this thing beautiful but this thing isn't?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The Gen X. The Gen X multiverse. Talkative multiverse.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh, Sheila, yeah.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Campbell Scott's there studying European infrastructure. Yeah, he's working on the Eurorail. Yeah.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I was also thinking of the guys from Barcelona, the Whit Stillman movie, maybe finding their way into this movie because he's going to Madrid. You could have seen those two guys. You could have seen Chris Eigerman coming over. There is a really prominent example of this that I can't think of where a character pops up from another movie in a completely different movie. God damn it.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm sure somebody listening to this knows what I'm talking about.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, it's also these people are at an age, that 18 to 25 or whatever age period, where everything that happens to you feels like it's the first time it's ever happened to anyone. And there's a moment in the opening, just a few scenes of this film, where Jesse is talking about how it's been a bad trip to Europe, but he's liked sitting on the train and having ideas.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think that this movie is more romantic than Casablanca, Gone with the Wind, Titanic. To me, this is the most... Because it doesn't need all of the accoutrement of the setting and the stakes. It doesn't need life and death to make this feel so emotionally impactful.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It was going to be against Hawk the whole time.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
She was in Bram Stoker's Dracula, right?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Was she married to Jude Law? Dated Jude Law? Was she part of the Sienna Miller thing? Michael Vartan's a weird one, though.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I mean, eventually on Alias and Never Been Kissed and a couple of other things, but he's just a little bit more bland, for lack of a better word, than Ethan Hawke. Ethan Hawke has so much personality.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
of the poet great poem and also seems to really take it up a notch for the two of them I'm 100% going Ernie Mangold the palm reader who is a beloved actress in Austria she's 98 years old still alive and she has more than 100 credits in her career I don't think any of them are in American productions other than this movie recasting couch director Sidney I got something here we gotta talk what do you got
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The singer in the bar? Oh, no. I'm recasting the city, and I want to talk about what would happen if this was set in Boston. What happens if Jesse goes up to a Boston bartender at 1.30 in the morning and asks for a free bottle of wine? He gets hit over the head with it.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You think you're better than me? Asking for a bottle of wine? Are you fucking crazy? Yeah. Fucking OJ is on the TV. The white Bronco.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Is it still a French girl and a guy from America?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, it's like a really obnoxious girl from Rhode Island.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And I was like, I don't remember the last time I did that. Like if I'm ever on a mode of transportation or have any downtime, I'm usually like looking at my phone, have my headphones in, texting with somebody. I know like I'm in constant contact with this external world. Right. And I was like, holy shit. I completely forgot being bored out of my mind. Yeah, you have a book.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Us. What's the foreheat status? How far away are we? What kind of scouting has been happening?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I watch it constantly. I started when he introduced OK Motherfucker. I watched that scene and then I watched five other scenes. And I was just like, I'm back.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And I'm like, how did they not realize?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
How did he not see? He's back to design. Right there.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Westfield. He's coming right down the left. He's blitzing them with three shooters.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
i how responsible do i like to interview you guys about your obsession with michael mann how responsible do you feel for the fleet of young men who are showing up at these repertory screenings of michael mann movies like is that happening wearing heat t-shirts and like black hats it's like it's the new version of the seven thing that you were talking about you know where it's like this guy might murder you but it's the opposite it's like this guy might be your best friend who you rob a banquet these people sound great where are they
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I mean, Jack Sanders will tell you, they're all over Los Angeles in the movie theaters. They're showing out. Yeah, they're like, Black Hat is screening tonight? I'll be there. I'll pay $80 for a ticket.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
If there's any God in this world, it's between a bunch of men sharing heat with each other.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Can I pitch an idea? Yeah. Nitpick. You guys, for the Ringer Movies YouTube channel, remake Before Sunrise, but it's just you walking around LA.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Doing a heat pod.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I mean, his version of this is like collateral, basically.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And yet, Jesse reading Klaus Kinski's memoir is some real Macaulay shit.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I feel like that's a book he picked up in a hostel somewhere. Because he looks at it and he's like, I don't know.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And a friend of a friend reached out and sent him a letter. There's an episode of Fresh Air that features the three of them, Delpy and Hawk and Linklater, and he tells the story. And I remember the day that that episode aired because my wife listened to it and was just a mess and was like, you have to listen to this immediately because it's so heartbreaking.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I believe it was San Antonio.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
We were just talking about this. When I went overseas myself for my semester abroad, I took Ulysses at an Irish university. It was probably the ideal circumstances. It's an incredible novel. It's a lot of parallels.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Kath Bloom, Molly Bloom.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think he is Apex and a re-Apex, and I think Apex is Reality Bites and then re-Apex is Training Day.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He's been in movies since he was like eight.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I don't know. I mean, I think he had a third wave of
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
in boyhood well that's I mean it's connected right like the purge sinister boyhood period of his career the other thing that happened is he got really good at doing press really good one of the best podcast guests ever he's an unbelievable storyteller he's just a great talker and I think he like kind of cemented his place in movie history in some ways with that third wave of success um
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And so, I don't know. It's like this movie wasn't a huge hit. Training Day is a huge hit, but it's a huge hit because of Denzel. And he did a lot in that, you know, the Blumhouse plus I keep doing Linklater movie stretch that I think confirmed him in a way. I don't know. Maybe that might have been his apex. I mean, Sinister and The Purge made a lot of money.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
yeah there's also there's a couple other cultural touchstones there but nothing like the Billy Joel song I think the third man which is also set in Vienna would be a good one yeah Billy Joel that song's multi-generational yeah it's kind of kind of the Kath Blooms come here of the late stage Billy Joel Billy Joel like people love that song what about is this Apex Mountain for first dates it's the greatest first date in the history of love so it's this or Neil and Edie in the finals that's right
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And then he takes off in the morning. Then he takes off in the morning.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I don't think I'm well-suited to be the adjudicator of best first dates in movies.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
This would have been, I wish we had thought about this more. We should have researched this more. No, you know what best first date is? Best first date in the movie. Actually, Colin Farrell and Gong Li in Miami Vice go to get some movie tickets. That is the fucking answer.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You like the burrito? I can't.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, it's good.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
On another hand here, is this Apex Mountain for date movies?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
If your relationship is going well, it's a great movie. If it's not going well, it's a confrontation.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You would say, why am I wasting my time when there could be a Jessie or a Celine out there for me?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, this is... 95 is kicking and screaming in this, right? Yeah, but I think 94 is fresher, cooler.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Are we sure it's not the election of Barack Obama? For Gen X? Wow.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Is that a Razor Reddick article?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Still the only Gen X president we've had. Probably will be the only one.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, it's clearly Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Talented Mr. Ripley vibing out to the jazz.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think it's... I think it's 95% what you're saying. That, you know, it was impossible to distract yourself in the ways that we can now, right? And that there's like an inherent bad for our ability to socialize or be connected to other people. But then it's just, it's also 5% just being 21 or 23, right? Where you don't... And idealistic. Right. And you have not been destroyed by the world yet.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You don't think Hanks... Cruise doing his motor map routine? Cruise would be amazing. Cruise trying to do this movie would be mesmerizing. I think Cruise seems like he's wearing a skin suit if he's like... Think of it like a time machine, okay? You know, like...
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, another fast-talking, emotional, romantic.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Stanley and Iris?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Is that what you're thinking of?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Isn't Stanley and Iris like about two people getting sick or something? Or no?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You guys dunked on me.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I got you on the Cruz side for once. That's great. Yeah, you guys are usually on the opposite, aren't you? Young Hanks. Well, we're in a death war until we die about who's superior.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think that Jesse's neuroses are a critical part of this. And I don't think of Tom Hanks as a particularly neurotic actor.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Whereas Tom Cruise, despite Matt and Idol good looks and the fame and success, there's something kind of nervy and weird about him. Cocktail. Cocktail Tom Cruise.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I just think he'd be trying to do the magnetic smile thing the whole time. Can you imagine Cruise being like... He'd be like... That is true.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I don't know why you're digging a ditch for Cruise.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think one of the reasons why it shouldn't be Hanks is because this movie is kind of a rejection of Tom Hanks movies like this.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Like Sleepless in Seattle. Like, you know, soon to be when you've got mail.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm going to go Scorsese. Test drive. Scorsese. Yeah, because he showed that he can do one long night with After Hours. Yeah.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Is he a romantic? Is Scorsese a romantic is an interesting question. I think he's spiritual. There's some spiritualism in this movie. That's true. There is. The history of the soul. I would say Spielberg. There's the sentimentality.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But then the poet would have gotten shot and fallen into the river. That sounds amazing. There would have been a robbery.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
This is a tough category for genuinely great films made by serious artists. Because you're like, well, this is one of the quintessential Linklater movies. Maybe the quintessential Linklater movies. It's a little hard to be like. It's a lot easier when it's like. Maybe this category doesn't work.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Dead of Thieves 2 directed by Steven Spielberg.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
oh i had the poet yeah oh i like that but i i will say i did test drive in my head him as jesse in the mid 90s whether that could have worked i think everybody in their mid 90s was like i'm jesse but we probably all looked like felicity moore hoffman yeah you know what i mean like but the poet he would have been i think that's the answer yeah that's good or the or the actor the the cal actor
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You don't have a lot of money, so you don't really have a lot of options. So you have to make good with what you have. And you don't have a lot of responsibilities that are otherwise weighing down that idealism. You know, these are people with no jobs, no kids, no boyfriends or girlfriends. You know, their parents are alive. Everyone's healthy. Like they're at this point in your life where like...
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And we've already come up with like five. I think racing to the TV to see Houston Knicks would have been a great one.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And then stumbling upon the Bronco.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Did you play Hacky Sack?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I wonder if there's an extended cut or a deleted scene where Jesse sees a bunch of Austrian guys playing soccer in the park and he's just like, this is why football will never catch on in America. Here's my thing. That would work.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Are you sure he doesn't have you straight to voicemail in his phone?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, I talked to him yesterday. He's probably like on hour two with Bruce Feldman right now. He's right in now. He's in Vienna. He's in Vienna.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's got to be like 98. I'm going to say an unanswerable question is, what are we doing with body odor? There's no shower right after the train. It's Ethan Hawke. Yeah, they've been drinking coffee. Not smoking, I guess, but walking around.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Okay, this raises an interesting question. In the 90s, you were significantly there. You were less there, but still there. Were we just a little bit more comfortable with the human musk? Were we less moisturized? Were we less deodorized?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I felt like that was a big deodorant frenzy in the 90s.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, man. That was like... You get all sorts of different flavors in deodorants. Old spice, right?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Because think about what a man in 1957 smelled like at the end of the day.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, but everybody smelled that way. That's my point. That's the thing.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's my point is that would it have been okay if he was just... riding the Eurail hostile sleeping.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
We don't know who's going to win. This is great. All the oppo researchers flying around.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's what I'm saying. There's an odor thing that might have been a non-issue.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
just that these guys suck at pinball oh my god Ethan Hawke is so bad I know they're just like he's never played it would be really funny if he was just like can you shut the fuck up I'm trying to play when he's explaining what love is he is atrocious you know we had a didn't we have like a Tom Cruise sports award
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
They're distracted by each other, and they're just kind of like, what can we do here?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, Hollywood stole Ethan's youth, so he never really got to play with childish things.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You can and probably should just fuck around a little bit.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But you didn't find out why they changed the name?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And both literally and figuratively. And the movie really captures this time of, like, no responsibility. The fact that Selene can just get off the train in a foreign land.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Because we've tweaked the category, I do have a request that you do long legs reading the fortunes. Reading the palm reader. Jesse!
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But if Wilford Brimley from the firm was talking about Jesse's trip to Spain, here's our Jesse, who has saved up all his money from working as a barista in a college town. And he goes all the way to Spain to reunite with his long-distance girlfriend. And what does he find instead? He finds heartache in the form of a fabulous matador named Gonzalo.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I don't know if I could actually do this, but Daniel Plainview as the poet reading the poem. Oh, no. I'm scared.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm looking at it. I mean, you know, it's... Come on.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And wander. And she's getting off the train before a nine-hour trip. And she's like, you know what? I'm just going to, I'll go.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Should we add Tom Brady to this? What is Tom Brady's signature aside from saying KB? Tom Brady would be like, that date went great. Jesse was so poised back there.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Kevin, that's a great date. Seems to be a real connection here, KB. I feel like they're going to maybe connect down the road, KB. That's why it's really important to have a strong offensive line, KB. Right there, he was able to get her off the train, KB, and that was huge. That was huge for what's going to happen to the rest of the state.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You know, we're all just looking for love in this world, KB, and he found it.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
For script or for direction?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, if it's script, then they share it. Yeah. Along with Kim Curzon. Which I think would be pretty cool. The next two movies were both nominated for Best Screenplay.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I don't have anything going on until Tuesday. I'm booked through February. Think about like when even Jesse just being like, I don't have enough money for a hotel. So I was just going to walk around Vienna all night until it's time to go to the airport.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I got another unanswerable, though.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
How many people threw emotional Hail Marys on first dates because of this movie? How many guys out there do you think did insane bits or were like, we're in a time machine or we're stardust or tried to come up with something really overly romantic and some girl was like, it's okay. Like... It's like, it's this fucking guy I met last night. We're not in Vienna. We're in Syracuse.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
We're in fucking... Yeah.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You never tried to pull any of this material out for your own purposes.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh, I did. I don't know. You did. Oh, yeah. I feel like I made, like, grand gestures when I was younger like this.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'll meet you back here in six months? No, but that kind of going for brokenness of it is just a little bit more common, I think.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He does have a writer's mind in the movie though.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He's like, there's no way you could have come up with that on the spot.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, he's always protecting himself. Even when he reads the Auden poem, which he obviously loves, he needs to do it. Is it in the Dylan Thomas voice that he does it in? Because he can't totally turn himself over and become vulnerable to her.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That would be like a pretty, something would have gone really wrong if that was like the circumstance I found myself in now. And that was like fucking romantic back then.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Can I ask you a question? Yeah. I thought about this a lot watching this movie. So you really don't like the English class guy. You know, the guy who's like, I'm looking for the metaphorical meaning and all these things.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
This is what I want to talk about because... you employ some at The Ringer, and you're very drawn to movies that feature these characters. So maybe I just didn't want to admit what was lurking deep inside me.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, I'm just asking. It's never too late to crack open Ulysses, Bill.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It is for me, because my brain is leaking out.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Do they have that on iPad in big print?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, seriously. Do they have a version of it that is read by Robert De Niro as Neil McCauley?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think human connection being the real religion of the world.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I would want the poem.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I would not want that turtleneck. I could not pull that off. That maroon turtleneck he's wearing at the beginning of the movie. He gets rid of it. He takes it off at some point. He's wearing like a t-shirt when they're at the amusement park. But boy, that would be a tough look for me.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I thought it was Hawke.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's probably Linklater because if Hawk doesn't make this movie, he still has reality bites.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I also think... You know, you mentioned their collaboration and whether that's great. Like, there's a couple of other interesting examples of this. De Niro and Scorsese, George Roy Hill and Paul Newman. Like, there's some people who you're like, when these two guys get together, something special is going to happen. But Linklater needed to find Hawk for this movie.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And when they're together, even if the movie isn't a success, there's something alchemical that is really working. And... I don't know. And also, it just seems like... I don't know. What is his signature movie now, Linklater? Is it still Dazed and Confused? Is it Boyhood? Is it School of Rock? Is it Sunrise? Sunset? I would argue it's Sunset. I think it's the trilogy.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, or the trilogy as a whole. Because it's both so crowd-pleasing but also so formally inventive and so breathtaking in its scope.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You know he has two movies coming out this year. Right. one of which stars Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon, which I think he plays Rogers from Rogers and Hammerstein.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
When Would I Have Died didn't get to do that one this time around. Yeah, probably the 40-year-old version of myself is when we didn't have lunch.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
They just don't eat in this movie.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's a great point. Do they eat anything? I think that it's implied that they eat at the cafe where everybody's smoking and playing chess. Or go to the bathroom.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'll be right back. Eating in front of someone is also a little bit of a challenge when you're trying to seduce them. Yeah. A little hard to be elegant in that way.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
One other thing just to note is that he runs out of money with the poet, I think. So she's basically paying for the rest of the night.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, that may be true. That may be true.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. He's reaching out for coins there at the end with the poet.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Zelig, yeah. He's kind of, kind of, kind of, Chalmé kind of giving some Ethan Hawke vibes in the Bob Dylan performance, you know?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan in Europe. That's the movie. I mean, they would be amazing. But they're too big.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yes, but in 20 Excel, he's broke down. It's been eight hours in Boston.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
At the last call.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Were you like that?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You know, Wesley's going to come on and do the big picks, which is all of the alternative Oscars. Do you want to come on?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's not for a month.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, but you would come on and say what you want to pick. Like, forget about what's nominated. You know, like, what Oscars should Longlegs get, in your opinion?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think that when I saw it, I didn't see Jesse as cynical. Like, I thought Jesse was just being cool. You know, like in this movie. And then as you grow older, you kind of see him... He's working a little bit. Yeah, it's like, this is like, your cynicism isn't of itself... It's like the thing from singles where it's like, I think your thing is not having a thing.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
If Timmy wins, that'll be fun. Will he come on the pod before or after? Can he win? He can win. Yeah, he can win. Who's the favorite now? Adrian Brody for the Brutalist.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's like, Jesse's thing is pretending like love is bullshit or that because of his parents, it's like he thinks that romantic love is basically a fallacy. But he's the most romantic person in the world. And he's got his five or six bits that he's clearly done with other people.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Please remember, tip your bartenders. Real Jerry Seinfeld. Yeah. I think that's exactly right. I mean, both of them show both sides of those two ideas. They both, you know, Celine in theory, oh, the ethereal French girl should be the most romantic person in the world.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But she's also protecting herself with a certain kind of pragmatism throughout the entire movie. And they both kind of bounce back and forth. I was having this conversation with my wife last night, and I feel like... The movie is like 51% Celine's, ultimately, and 49% Jesse's. And in the future movies, you could say, which direction does it go in?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But this movie ultimately has that drop of romance that outweighs the cynicism that is always being debated. Jesse is always circling back to the palm reader bullshit. Even the poem, there's the hint of like, are we sure about this guy? All the moments that... In the wrong hands would make for, like, the worst movie ever. Oh, my God.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Like, if this was not a Richard Linklater movie, it could have been a disaster because of the sincere, borderline sentimental steps that the characters take. But ultimately, I think they both have... the desire to love and be loved. And they both know that you have to protect yourself and the world because people will hurt you. Yeah, because Jesse's just gotten his heart broken.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So he's going around being like, there's no palm reading. There is no poetry. He's had that poem. Like, none of this stuff is... This is all bullshit.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And I don't remember another movie that nailed it like this. No, I mean, the best part about it is the fact that even though they obviously have an instant connection, which is partially just due to the circumstances of the train car in which they meet and the other couple fighting. Yeah.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
They have a pretty awkward first 30 minutes of the movie when they're first working around Vienna and it's like, now what? You know, like, this movie is a series of now what's, which is what's so great about it.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's like every time they achieve some sort of point that in another movie would have been like, it's all building up to a kiss or it's all building up to sex or it's all building up to this. They actually deal with like what happens next for the most part. And I think it makes it that much more effective because they do. Yeah.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And we also get through this Celtics swoon. It's an alarm, but it's not alarming.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Do you remember having a take on it when you left the theater?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But to this day, the movie drags you back to that feeling of romanticism. I was kind of just laughing to myself watching the movie again. You guys know me. I'm very grounded and very cynical about certain things.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, I would have been... I've identified with Jesse a lot in this movie. The poet, you'd have been like, oh, he wrote that already. Yeah, I really identify with him a lot in many ways, but... the same way that Jesse can't help but feel lifted up, you know, taken away by this person who he's encountered who is just like filling him up with all of this hope and excitement, the movie does the same.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Like, it softens a hard heart. So what was your, do you remember the first time you saw this?
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, it's complicated for me because I can't remember the first time I saw it. And so, I didn't see it in a movie theater. I definitely saw it on VHS. And I don't know the circumstances under which I saw it. Did I see it with a girl? Maybe. I don't remember. Like, did we watch it in my parents' basement? Maybe. So I don't have the same... I just wasn't old enough. Just being a little bit younger.
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‘Before Sunrise’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Whereas the next film, I remember everything about that.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
This episode is brought to you by Amazon Prime. Ever finish a movie and the next thing you know, you're totally obsessed? That's happened to me. Like, I'm talking about ordering a book about 70s film lighting. Have you done that, Sierra? I have, yeah. Or buying the soundtrack on vinyl. Kind of obsessed. Whatever it is, Prime helps you get more out of whatever passions you're into or getting into.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
All right, I'm Bill Simmons. That's Sean Fantasy, the big picture. Chris Ryan, The Watch. Yeah. What else are you up to? Top three draft picks?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, it also depends on when you see it. Like I saw ET and we talked about when we did the ET pod, but like when they're on the bikes in the air, you're just like, this is the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life. This one I saw, I was probably a little too young, but could still see it.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It isn't though.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He's carrying older... No sakes, though, for him. Yeah, unfortunately.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Sorry, guys.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
She kind of has a look. Somebody could have done it. So Spielberg does his own science fiction film called Firelight, which he made on his own when he was 18, then used some shots for this movie. He wrote a short story in 1970 about a Midwestern farming community and a light show a group of teenagers saw in the sky. So he had all these little weird Spielberg pieces.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Then did the Columbia Dale in 73. Initially, it was about UFOs, Watergate, and a government cover-up. That's how they sold it. As Sean said, it flipped. And then a bunch of writers came in, including our guy Paul Schrader.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. Roy was into some escort service. Yeah. That's how we met Melinda Dillon's character.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Always like the backhanded compliments from the other directors for him. It's pretty funny. But he went back hard at Schrader. He said it was the worst script he'd ever read. He said it was the worst script that's ever been turned into a studio.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I saw it in the theater.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
This is Rick Caruso's problem when he wore a suit every day.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Just put it on a half zip.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Was this a... Not only did I see it in the theater, I think I saw the re-release in a drive-in. Vague memory.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And it's not in there. We don't really know anything about his job in this movie. He's just like off going to do. So I guess the point Spielberg, I guess, wanted to make in his final cut was this is just doesn't matter what his job is.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Can confirm. Peter Biskind, it was a big month for him on the rewatchables. He wrote in Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. He had a whole thing about this movie. And said, Spielberg's movies in particular are colored by longing for the absent dad and nostalgia for authority. His families are often fatherless.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The plots are set in motion by the moral and emotional vacuum at the center of the home and resolved by father surrogates. A little harsh. but not untrue.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Vague memory.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
1980 re-release. I think I saw it in a drive-in, but I'm not... Don't confirm. Don't confirm that to the Washington Post or anything.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Or he's making three versions of the same film because that's what happened. He released the theatrical in 77. it did amazingly well. It saved Columbia. Columbia was going broke. Their whole bacon depended on this movie doing well. And it did, but they rushed it and they rushed it. I think six, seven months ahead of when he wanted to do it.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So then when they said they were releasing and he's like, I'm cool, I'll get behind it.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think it's a good lesson in creativity though. Sometimes maybe you're overthinking it too much, maybe turn it in. Because even like the stuff they add in the special edition, the studio's like... We'll pay for this. We'll market it.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, but they say to him, you have to show the inside of the spaceship, which they do. So if you get the 4k Blu-ray of it, they have the three versions. So we see the inside of the spaceship in that version. And I don't want to see the inside of this spaceship. I don't either. The whole point of this movie is you kind of don't know what's out there or what's in there or anything.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I saw this movie in 1977. I gotta be honest. I was six years old or seven years old. It kind of freaked me out. Understandable. Didn't really love the ending. The dad's going on the UFO at the end. I'm like, what the fuck? Dad, are you gonna go? It was like one of those.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So Spielberg agreed to it because he wanted to make all these other changes and cut all this fat from the movie that always drove him crazy. And then that he agreed to the spaceship, that drove him crazy. So now we get the director's cut in 98, which is the... kind of official version.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, he really did. Well, Spielberg said they gave him $1.5 million to work on the special edition, which was a lot of money back in 1980. Anyway, huge hit for Steve. Falls it up in 1941, which was not a huge hit, but leads to everything that happens in the 80s.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I would change so many things about it.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Because my fingers don't work.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, that's the only reason.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The only thing I can identify with, because obviously the dumb NBA book I wrote wasn't remotely like these two movies, but... you get, you go down the line with something where you have a deadline and at some point there's no going back and you kind of have to finish it. Even though deep down, you're like, like in that case, I just should have split that into two books. And it was so odd.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's so obvious now. Like, why didn't I just do the first book? And then the pyramid could have been the second book. Yeah. But when you're like 75% down the road, you can't stop. And I assume sometimes that happens with a movie too, where it's like, it's got to come out November 77th. And you're just like, all right. And you just put your head down and you try to get to the deadline.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm here with my co-host, Jabba the Hutt. That's where you really need a mere Joe House to come in as a special guest host.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Anyway, Dick. Oh, wait.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think Steven Spielberg agrees with you right now as well. This movie is just incredible. What was the rewatch like for you, CR?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
There's a lot of fun stuff about how much he actually wrote and whether he's even a good screenwriter. And it seems like there was like eight, nine people involved. There were two people helping him rewrite it. One of the ways people ding him when the people weigh in is like, he can't write a script. He doesn't know what the fuck he's doing with that.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I forgot about that book. Actually, I want to read that this summer. Because there's an uncut version, too, of the Julia Phillips book.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Speaking of director's cuts. She's got the Uzi help.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's pretty early to ruin your career with cocaine. I'm sure there's some start of it. Guys out there who disagree. It's like the first year, though, where people were really doing that. Anyway, Dick Dreyfuss. Jaws, 75. Close Encounters and Goodbye Girl in 77. Wins Best Actor for Goodbye Girl. A good example of that category we always wanted for the Oscars.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Best Year. We have to have... Big things in at least two movies. The all-time easiest. But it could be anybody. It could be a director. It could be a screenwriter. Anyone. I don't know why they don't do that. We've never found out a good reason.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. No brainer. Passes on Jaws 2, a movie that we will do on the rewatches at some point.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And then from 78 to 81, The Big Fix, The Competition, and Whose Life Is It Anyway, a movie that he says afterwards he has no memory of making because by that point he was doing so much cocaine that it actually burned a hole in his brain and he can't remember things.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Big Dick Dreyfuss comeback, 86 range.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He also passed on the China Syndrome. Hmm. And he left all that jazz during rehearsals. Was he going to be in the Michael Douglas part? What part was he in? Michael Douglas part. What was he going to play in all the jazz? Scheider's part? He left the Scheider part. Get the fuck out. Really? Left the Scheider part and they replaced him with Scheider. Couldn't get the hang of it.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's so much better. Couldn't get a feel. Dreyfuss would have been terrible. Oh my God. Yeah. That's a rough one. Who's Dreyfuss in the last 25 years? Speaking of they don't make them like this anymore. Mid-70s Dreyfuss. Who is it? God. Because now I just feel like they would have put like Jonah Hill in this movie. No shots fired at Jonah Hill.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But don't you think they would have just put like comic actors in here now?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But it's all people that also could have played a superhero. Yes. It's like Paul Rudd.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Woody Harrelson.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I also watched A Good Bye Girl recently in the past six months. No idea how he won Best Actor. It's just inexplicable. Solid movie, but basically a really well-written rom-com. And Dreyfuss is just... But shouldn't it be Marsha?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Head to Amazon.com slash Prime and follow your obsession wherever it goes. It's big-ass 70s month. On the rewatchables. He missed Death Wish last week.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Dreyfuss just comes in. He's coming in hot.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, and she's got a kid. But he's like full-fledged Russell Westbrook 2017-ing it. He's like, I'm also going to grab all the rebounds.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So he's got that performance, but then he's got this one, which is so much more interesting of a performance. And of course, he wins for the other movie. But I think he's just fantastic in this movie. This movie was pretty criminally overlooked, I thought. Yeah. I think this is his best performance. I really do. And I think I've seen all of the Dreyfuss movies. I think this is his best one.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He unravels over the course of 90 minutes in a way that, I don't know, I think there's some real art to it. He was nominated for Mr. Holland, right? He's great. Mr. Holland, he's pretty good. He's got... He was nominated for it. He was. How many Oscar nominations does he have? Did you guys do that? Yeah, we didn't invite you because you don't like that movie that much.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That was when Van... I think that's when Van... That was his initiation to get into the rewatch. Was that the first one? One of the first ones. Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I want to talk about that right after this break because this episode is brought to you by State Farm. Life is about choices. including the Oscars when they screw up some best actor stuff and some best movie stuff. We love to go back and wonder why they made the choices they did, which as we get in the 70s and 80s is pretty crazy with the Oscars.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
At State Farm, their goal is to help you make decisions that you feel good about. That's why with the State Farm personal price plan, you can choose the right amount of coverage to help create a competitive price. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save money. with the personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer availability. Amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state. Okay. Annie Hall wins for best picture. We covered this in Star Wars. Star Wars is nominated. The Goodbye Girl is nominated. Julia and The Turning Point.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And it is... It's just the way it worked back then. But... Close Encounters was like too popcorn-y and too... But this movie got nine Oscar nominations.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Spielberg got nominated for director, which is the weirdest part of it.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's the third biggest movie of the year. So Goodbye Girl got for Best Picture, not for Director. And Spielberg got for Director, not the movie. Turning Point got both, which I think is the year's pass. And then Dreyfuss doesn't get nominated at all for this movie.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And I guess, is there a rule you can't be in the same category twice? I don't know. Or has that happened? Has anyone ever been best actor for two movies out of the five spots?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So that's why Dreyfuss couldn't get the double best actor either.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, and he has to be best actor. You couldn't have squeezed him. And the only actor that got nominated was our girl Melinda Dillon. Yeah. Can't wait to talk about her. Yeah. Anyway, Dreyfuss, he ends up winning, so it works out great. Truffaut's in this movie? He is, man. Hell yeah. Frank. Your boy.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Obviously wasn't understanding the significance in 1977 as I was holding on to my dad, terrified, wondering where... The dad of three kids was going on a spaceship.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Jules and Jim?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, this was his only role in an English language film and his only acting role in a film that he did not direct. And Spielberg, one of the great heat checks of all time, who's barely done anything, is like, I'm going to get this guy in my movie. And he's just going to act in it.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
and also half of the acting he has to do in this movie is basically like just look at that wall over there because we're gonna put these special effects in later yeah and uh i don't know i like him he's tremendously effective in this movie he's really good helps that balaban is just like like that's a great interpreter to have for him yeah what is is there any other equivalents of this
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
of Truffaut being in a Spielberg movie you know like the fourth Spielberg movie ever made well David Lynch was just in a Spielberg movie that's true David Lynch was in the Fablemans playing a director yeah um
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But not for a director who's 29 and has had one hit. It's just a weird choice. But I like it. It's cool. He's like, what if Roy has a threesome with Linda Dillon and a UFO? UFO alien. Just kind of ride it. That would be very true foe. It would. John Williams did the score for this movie.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And then Spielberg edited the film to match the score. Insane. Because you said John Williams was blacked out during Star Wars. He might have still been blacked out. Yeah. Just like fucking grinding it out.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. John Williams, 75 to 78. Jaws, Close Encounters, Star Wars, Jaws 2, and Superman. Pretty good. Just five of the highlights. Pretty good. Then he's like, I'm going to come back in 81 and 82 with Raiders and E.T. back to back. This is low-key been John Williams month too, I guess. Yeah, and then he's like, I'm going to rip off another 40 plus years.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Would you be surprised if John Williams had an alter ego, though, like Garth Brooks did? No, I would not. I love low-budget horror movies.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Will Joniums. $19.4 million budget made $306 million, third biggest movie of 1977. Sheesh. Raj gave it four stars when it came out, then another four stars in 1980 and wrote, I thought the original film was an astonishing achievement, capturing the feeling of awe and wonder we have when considering the likelihood of life behind the earth. This new version gets another four stars.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It is quite simply a better film. So much better that it might inspire the uncharitable question, why didn't Spielberg make it this good the first time? Settle down, Raj.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
How do you go from higher than four? I didn't realize that went through the Spanner's announcer's table in this new match.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I still think it's Jaws. degree of difficulty of Jaws is 99.9 out of 100 I still don't understand how they made that movie There's a lot of... He's in the ocean for like... How many months when we did that? He's in the ocean for six months.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, it's a different question, right? Degree of difficulty, it's got to be Jaws still. Just how fucking crazy that movie was. This feels like the most majestic movie he made.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
is probably the most relatable. E.T. was a phenomenon. Raiders is maybe the most fun. Raiders is the most fun, and then Schindler's List is the most meaningful. Jurassic is like he learns all the lessons from his earlier movies and just throws into that. And then Saving Private Ryan is probably the best.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
How about that? Yeah. Very few movies have ever hit upon this combination of fantasy and amusement. The Wizard of Odds, perhaps. In a plainer, down-home way. She's a big fan. Steve.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I wrote my notes. They don't make them like this anymore. That's why you're you. We say this sometimes with the rewatchables. They don't make them like this anymore. The pace is just not like it would be made now. The actors, the patience that he has with the wide shots where now they would have just CGI'd shit. But I watched with my wife and daughter last night, the second time in a week.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I can only judge it with my version of PR in basketball, the Zoe Simmons looking down versus looking upscale. And there was a lot of looking down at her phone the first 20 minutes. But then when he gets to the railroad tracks and the first car behind, then the second car, the lights go up. It got definitely.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
This is really important to say. When do you want to do this?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Do your three movies.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The three movies that have three different versions of them?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think it's a really, we make this point all the time. This is one of the all time best examples of it. This movie got killed by square TVs and crappy quality. It did not, it was not a movie that was on TNT and TBS for a hundred years, the same way some of these other ones were. And then when you watch it, with the wide TV and the light and it's fucking, it's a completely different movie.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The wide shot of the house with the stars is like breathtaking. Yeah.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Most rewatchable scene. I really like the air traffic controller scene. Oh my God, it's awesome. It's good. TW517, you wish to report a UFO over?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Ares 31, do you wish to file a report of any kind? Over. I wouldn't know what kind of report to file, Senator. Ares 31, me neither. I'll try to track traffic to destination. Over.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But everything about that scene, which shouldn't really be a good scene at all. All the actors are really good. The way he does the camera, he's building suspense and it's just like a guy on a radio.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And my daughter was like, did they put those stars in? And I'm like, no, they couldn't really do that back then. I think they were just caught lightning in a bottle with Muncie, Indiana in this house. And just everything about it, just everything the way it moves and watching Dreyfuss just lose his mind over the course of 90 minutes. And you stand aside somehow.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, they needed the Spielberg move. Like, he does it in this scene a couple times. He's really good at either zooming in on somebody's shocked face or zooming back from somebody's shocked face. So we needed, like, just a shot of Jay Billis. Like, the slow version of Jay Billis.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The little kid, Barry, waking up with his room going bonkers.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
This is another one where I just have to say, in 1977, we did not have a ton of awesome special effects for scenes like this. Now this is a layup. You just CGI shit and the monkey. But just from a how are they doing this standpoint, that scene was huge.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Really great Boston University shirt on that kid. Sure. Yeah. I really like it. Like getting Boston represented.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You see what he just indicated? This is his movie about child abandonment. It's true. Dreyfuss' UFO encounter all the way through the highway chase, the fake out with the second car that I mentioned, where it turns out the UFO is clearly the... Okay, motherfucker!
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
him almost hitting the kid in his truck yeah it's a great oh no you just think the kid's gonna get pancake and then the UFO's going by and then them chasing him the one guy goes off the cliff like that's holy shit that's a great seven minutes all through the toll plaza do we still have toll plazas we do I assume I don't remember anything about seeing this in the theater other than being scared at the end but I assume when the lights go up behind him that was probably a noise made by the audience yeah
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Right? Like, sinners had that a little bit when... when she walks away, Josh Allen's wife, when she walks away from the group.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
When Josh Allen's wife walks away. Drake May would never allow his wife to be in the film. No way. And all of a sudden that vampire. Bill's won the AFC East like nine times in a row. Definitely thought about that. Drake May's not marrying an actress. He's got a seventh grade girlfriend.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, he's a loyal guy. He's a loyal guy. Love Drake May. He's all I have now. Jason Tatum's out for a year. I just have Drake May.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's fine. I knew it was coming. The Northern India scene. My God.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And then the last 20 minutes is unbelievable. It's like the ultimate payoff where they go over the mountain and then they look and Melinda Dillon's face kind of does the jaw drop. And then it's like, wait, what's going on here? It ties into a bunch of 70s shit that we'll talk to. But it's just such a cool, constructive movie.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. Unlike when Jason Tatum went down. It wasn't a dream. It was real. Well, perspective matters. The Northern India scene.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
They come from Linda Dillon's house and take Barry.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Right through the dog door. Don't have a dog door is one of the lessons of this movie.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Just open the door, let your dog out.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
First of all, it's like just an invitation for burglars. They're always like just big enough for somebody to squeeze through. It's a pretty small burglar. Yeah. Well, but if you have a burglar crew.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, I think Richard Dreyfuss could have.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
True.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Dog doors don't exist anymore. Like, if I went to somebody's house and they had a dog door, I wouldn't know what was going on. You wouldn't trust them. No, I'd just be like, what are you guys doing?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But if people get over the fence, they're getting in your house anyway.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I thought it was a good idea.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I have some nitpicks about that Melinda Dillon house scene in a second.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I enjoy the big air Air Force town hall. Yeah. Just because I like town hall scenes.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's cool. Well, one of the best scenes in the movie is the mashed potato scene.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I wrote down Spielberg is the goat of these scenes.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Or the kid imitating. Yeah. But he's just really good at like the most normal family thing is happening, but there's something also major happening. Please pay attention. The little kid in this scene is so good. The oldest son. Just watching him and his mouth starts quivering. He's like, my fucking dad's losing his mind right now.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
praise for this movie as like the great kid actor with the kid who plays uh near his eldest son is really yeah he's excellent yeah i have uh i have three left roy loses his shit and starts throwing things into his house yeah when they eavesdrop on the ufo communication before they go down and then the whole ending i don't know how do you separate We get Barry back. Roy gets his own red jumpsuit.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Roy gets a red USA jumpsuit. Roy's going in the spaceship. We're done.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I really like the mashed potatoes in there. This is turning into my favorite category. What's the most blank thing about this movie? In this case, the most 1977 thing.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
This wasn't like Star Wars. This was kind of its own thing. And the cachet of it was that the guy from Jaws made it. That's the only thing I remember. But it tapped into all this UFO stuff that my experience with UFOs, and I think everybody's was up until this time, was aliens were potentially evil. They're coming to get us. They're going to invade us.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He would want to debate Lacombe.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
A McDonald's sign with only 24 billion served.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Rotary phones, the TVs, neighbors hanging out in the street. We don't get that anymore. And if we get it, you assume that, um, Something bad is about to happen? Come over to my neighborhood.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Everybody's got a dog door because everybody trusts each other.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Here are my two favorites, though. A three-year-old kid named Barry. Yeah. It's just never happening.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Maybe the last year you named your kid Barry. Yeah. And then... This is the number one. They're eating dinner. There's just a thing of whole milk in the middle of the table. Well, whole milk is back.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That was where I learned on how to take. We're doing Close Encounters this week, a movie that... Maybe needed more time in the oven, but we're pulling it out anyway. Like a beautiful thing of banana bread. This brioche is a little soft in the middle. Just hoping it's delicious. Holy shit, was this an undertaking. But Close Encounters of the Third Kind is next.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's, like, the most un-American thing. We need Trump. Maybe Trump can use his powers for good. Save Applejack's. Trump coming out for Count Chocula.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That was like all the programming from the radio stuff in the 30s and 40s. The movie shows in the 50s and 60s. And it was all like, watch out, they're coming. And this movie just flipped it. And they're like, what if they're not coming? What if they're just really interested in finding out more about us? Which now seems like the easiest flip to make, but back then was like a crazy movie.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Not gonna be Trump. What's aged the best?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
CR's like, I still believe in the long two and no UFOs.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Okay. I don't think that's controversial anymore.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
How do you explain Giannis and Ted Akupo?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh, yeah. What else do you have for what's aged the best?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Unfortunately, it leads to Zemeckis making contact.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So Craig's pro that and dog doors so far.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. Written and directed by Steve Spielberg. Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
There's been movies since where the person only he can see The thing. I feel like it's been ripped off every time we've ever seen a movie. Man on Fire. Yeah, Field of Dreams. Field of Dreams is a really good example. Morwood's age is the best for me. Royce Sunburn, I always thought was really smart. Really funny. The half-faced Sunburn. The little kid is just incredible, Barry.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
There's a good casting what if with him, but he just makes some great faces. Very likable. I never feel like he's in total danger. Did you read the story of how he got that performance out of him?
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Steve. I like the giant globe.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, but think about 20 years later, we're in Armageddon Independence Day mode, where it's like, the aliens are coming, they're gonna fucking get us again. Yeah. And that's kind of the generational response to whatever was going on here, where it was way more hope in outer space, I think.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I love it. And then they have to roll the globe down the hallway. Any movie with a plot involving Devil's Tower, I feel like you're just in good hands. It's like, oh, shit, Devil's Tower is involved now. 1970s big family moms calmly navigating their crazy husband. Perfect. That wife is out the door now in five minutes. I wouldn't say Terry Garr is terribly calm in the movie.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, she melts down once or twice.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
They called Carrie Guffey one-take Carrie, by the way. No relation to one-take Jean. One-take CR. So little kids wearing numbered football or baseball shirts that don't have a team. This was a total thing in the 70s. I have pictures of myself in those shirts, and then it just went away.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I don't think we commercialized sports team stuff really yet.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
For Halloween, dressing up as Fred Lynn.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think it was later. I just don't think people thought the same way with that stuff.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's when I started buying random other shit. I have a bunch of Celtics t-shirts that for some reason my mom saved that are all different Celtic ones from different sizes. So they definitely made them. But I just don't feel like people wore the sports stuff the same way. Maybe I'm wrong. But those t-shirts specifically made me... Made me nostalgic.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Close Encounters, first collaboration between film editor Michael Kahn and Spielberg. You know, they still aren't working together. They've never not worked together since this movie, which I thought was really cool.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Because it was just like thousands of feet of shoot. Really hard. And then the last one, Melinda Dillon, who was in this and Slapshot, same year. Hanrahan's wife, which we covered last year when we did Slapshot. She was also in Christmas Story. She was in Absence of Malice. She was in a few other things.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Melinda.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's right. Okay. Speaking of mashed potatoes, that Big Kahuna Burger award for best use of food and drink, you could almost change it. No brainer. Closing count of mashed potatoes. That's good. Big Kahuna Burger is still pretty great. Yeah. Can I have a taste of that tasty burger? This is a tasty burger. We're going to take a break and then do the rest of the categories. All right, CR. Go nuts.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Great Jack Gordo. Channel them yourself to three.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Do a silver, bronze, and gold. Let's see. I think the wide shot of the house with the stars.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The wind in the first five minutes with the sand and people wearing the things over their face. Spielberg's always really good at that for some reason.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Kid Cudi, Pursuit of Happiness, or Best Needle Drop. There's actually no real music in this, just John Williams scores.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, the research was they did it in Dallas and people laughed. Spielberg got hurt, took it out.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And they talk about Pinocchio in the movie. The Chess Rockwell and Brock Lanterns Award for Best Character Name... Roy Neary is really good as a lead. Is it better than Claude Lacombe? Claude Lacombe is also really good. It's up there. Roy Neary, that could have been a bunch of 70s lead actors.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
What do you got for your flex category?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No. That's why there's none in here. I think in 77 in Indiana, I feel like everybody's smoking up. Oh, my God. It's like you're almost looked at weirdly if you're not lighting one up at 8 o'clock at night. There's cigars in 1941. Ashen through the dog door.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Ashen through the dog door.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Butch's girlfriend award, wink, wink of the movie. Sean, you go. Do you have one?
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You can do that later. I have Roy Neary, worst family man in any great movie. Just a reprehensible father-husband.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
One of Roy's kids could have come in with like an ice skate blade stuck out of his head and been like, hold on, hold on.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Uh, Spielberg himself, who did not have kids when he wrote this movie, was like, eh, probably could have done a couple different things there. Yeah, yeah. you have no sense of any sort of connection. But this is also the 70s when your kid's left for four hours.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's why he should have been smoking long darts.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. Well, back then it was... I know, common. I remember one of my friends when I was a kid who had like four or five kids. And every time he came home, we would be bummed out because he just hated everybody. And you could just feel it. I remember feeling that when I was like six. Some people in their 70s, they were just like... What happened?
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Maybe it's still like this now, but you could really be like, what? I have four kids. I met my wife when I was 18. Now I'm 32. I'm just going to get bombed.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm sorry. I'm just going to get a riot count and not tell anybody. What do you have for weak link?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I had Larry the jogging LA guy. What stage is the worst other than no iPhones or camera phones?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It was actually 17 years and seven months later.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
In three days.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm saying like from mid-70s forward, it's like this is the demarcation movie for where the aliens would go.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Do you know they made an Alien sequel called Aliens, 1986, Chris? Yeah. Sigourney Weaver. I did, yeah. I just found out about that. Supposedly it's good.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
to be um not nearly enough cigarette smoking is age the worst nobody realizing roy has ptsd yeah because we don't know what ptsd is at 1977 but he's clearly just completely traumatized yeah this is like ronnie could take a beat and just be like half of his body got singed like something clearly happened out there maybe the maybe the uh glaring sunburn on his face like something horrible has happened here
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Stealth UFO watch parties that nobody knows about. Probably not pulling that off in 2025. Probably not.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So the TV show Soap, which was a show I really liked in the late 70s. And they had a whole plot where Burt got abducted. that was basically based on this movie. And now that show, nobody even knows that exists. I'm putting that in what stage the worst, but yeah, they got a half a season of soap out of, out of basically a Roy Neary plot with Bert.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And then he came back from outer space and like wanted to have sex with his wife all the time. She's like, something's going on with this guy. Yeah. So late 70s Bert, Richard Mulligan.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The grandmother from Who's the Boss was the star. Billy Crystal played a gay character, Jodie. It was like the first gay character ever. There was a guy with a ventriloquist guy. It was a weird show. I liked it. And then, that's all I got.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Did you have a Ruffalo Hannah Rubinick Partridge overacting word? Not really. I didn't either.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Sean, what do you have for a flex category?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You're just going to have to call him dad. I think that oldest son is definitely robbing a liquor store by age 15. The CR thinks Luke Wilson could have been Harrison Ford. Hottest take award. What do you have?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I see it. I was thinking, like, if my kids were the same age what Roy was, you know, I'd be like, I really want to go, but Zoe's got a game on Saturday. Uh-huh. Pats are putting the Colts Sunday. How much sports am I going to miss?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm just saying.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I entertain it. What do you have for us to take?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Close Encounters of the Third Kind. So six words? Yeah. Six or more.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh, your favorite, the assassination of Jesse James by the coward Richard Cord.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Who's Richard Cord? I don't know. Coward Robert Ford. Richard Ford's an author.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He is an author.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He is an author.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He's a great author.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He's a sports writer. Birdman had a long one. Borat? Cultural learnings of America.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I had a steak. I think you're right. I think that's right. I think it's a good call. Great one. I don't know if it's a hot take. It's like a lukewarm.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Perfect tape.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Mine is if the 2025 version of this movie would somehow manage to reflect all the things that suck about 2025. Roy would be a fucking lunatic on Reddit every day. Roy's kids would all immediately be diagnosed with collateral PTSD and turned into over-medicated zombies. They'd just be fucking drinking Ritalin shakes. PETA would be protesting the animal sleep gas.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And the UFOs never would have come because everyone had a camera phone and they would have been like, these guys with the phones, like, fuck that, we're out. So the movie never happens and Roy's in jail. What's he go to jail for? Just for what happened to his kids.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, he's in Reddit.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Casting what ifs.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Steve McQueen, first choice. Impressed with the script. Said, I can't cry on cue. I'm not your guy. Because I'm fucking Steve McQueen. I'm not crying in a movie, motherfuckers.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He just sounds like, by all accounts, the coolest actor of all time. Yeah. Like still now to this day.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I don't think he can be in this.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Whatever this movie is, it can't be him. So anyway, James Caan, Dustin Hoffman, Pacino, Gene Hackman all turned down the part. Nicholson's intrigued but has scheduling conflicts. And meanwhile, Dreyfuss already has heard about the movie because he's on the set with Jaws and he's lobbying, lobbying, lobbying.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, you talk about the paranoid seventies. which we've discussed in the past here, but this is a whole genre that I love, by the way. This should be a 2B category. Conversation, All the President's Men, Parallax View, Three Days of the Condor, Cap Corp 1, China Syndrome, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. All of it's a response to Watergate and Vietnam and not trusting government.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But then he wanted a lot of money and points. They back off. They go back to Pacino, still not interested. Nicholson says, no thanks again. This is in the research. Hackman turned down the role because he was in a troubled marriage and could not spend 16 weeks outside of Los Angeles on location shooting. And then James Caan's like, I'll do it for a million and 10% of the gross.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
This is a pretty interesting James Caan movie.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, it stays with you.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's how I feel about Brian Curtis. When you're in person with him.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Terry Garr wanted to portray Jillian, but was cast as Ronnie. Meryl Streep and Amy Irving also auditioned for Ronnie. Amy Irving then auditioned to be Steven Spielberg's girlfriend and then mother of his child and wife. Meryl Streep went on to some good things, I heard. She did.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Hal Ashley worked with Melinda Dillon, suggested her to Spielberg, cast three days before the filming. And then this was a great cast in What If, not for this movie. Stanley Kubrick, have you heard of him? I have. So impressed by Cary Guffey's performance as Little Barry that he wanted to cast him as Danny Torrance.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And unfortunately, Guffey was filming The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid and its sequel, Everything Happens to Me. It did not get to be in The Shining. What a fucking tough beat. I hope Cary fired his fucking agent.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Best that guy award. I think Bob Balaban counts, even though now he's Bob Balaban. I wrote Friends Watch Truffaut.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Dan Waiters, I'm just giving it to Carl Weathers because he just died. It was great to see him.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Like in the trunks? Yeah, just dressed up like he came from the set. We don't get to give this out. The Brandy Booth Award. Spielberg's cocker spaniel, Elmer, can be seen when the humans get released. Also appears in Jaws as the Brody family dog. He's in Jaws and Close Encounters. Wow. Elmer. I was going to give that award to the doggy door. Yeah, the doggy door could happen too.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Recasting couch director or city, what do you got? None. Okay. What do you have? I had none either. Except that one guy you mentioned that they could have.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
By the way, there's 20 more movies, but those are the headliners. So it feels like this is part of that era.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Will Smith. No? Too handsome. Too... Heroic. He needs to zag, though, and he loves aliens. Okay. Who would you have instead in 1997?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But I agree with you. It feels like Spielberg also lost interest in something along the course of it. Cause they start making this in 73 and that's right around the time you would have started thinking like, what's the government hiding? What else are they doing? JFK assassinations previous decade. But it also like starts this whole sci-fi era. That's like the modern sci-fi or with star Wars.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. We're in like... 97. I mean... Like Bruce Willis is a little too old.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I have him for 07. Okay. 2017, Chadwick Boseman. Oh, yeah. That would have been great. That's all I got. Craig, next category.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Dial it back on the music, Steve. Lose the tuba. It's another director's commentary. It has to come now. It's like, I heard this... Craig Horvath. Yeah. Really made me rethink the musical sequence. The Horvath cut is coming.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's a VG now. Half-assed research. The exact quote on Schrader's script from Spielberg. One of the most embarrassing screenplays ever professionally turned into a major film studio director. Didn't like it.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Uh, Schrader script was a guy as an encounter goes to the government threatened to blow the lid off to the public. Instead, he and the government spent 15 years trying to make contact. The USAF and NASA refused to comment, uh, to cooperate in the film. Spielberg thought that was a good sign for the film.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Right. Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Um, you'll never eat lunch in this town again from Julia Phillips. Um,
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
threw daggers everywhere at this film and said spielberg was a perfectionist that's why she got fired wasn't the pounds of cocaine she was doing how's your memoir you'll never smoke heaters in this town again going you'll never blog in this town again uh six year old girls 50 of them played the aliens they're all from mobile alabama that's been a weird casting call tried puppetry didn't work
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
One of the best years.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm just going to read this verbatim. Spielberg was eager to show Truffaut the giant landing site set, hoping to impress the other director. Truffaut didn't seem to be impressed at all. Spielberg and his crew later realized Truffaut was used to directing movies in small, intimate settings, and he could not grasp the scale of the landing site.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
When he went into the set of the hotel room where Jillian watches the Devil's Tower newscast, Truffaut stood up and said, now this is a set and was dead serious. And they were like, okay.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. Truffaut wasn't a huge fan.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Cause we get those two, we get Superman and Star Trek and, In 1881, we get Alien, Empire, Superman II, and Flash Gordon. We get E.T., Blade Runner, Star Trek II, and The Thing just in 1982. So something flips, and it's like modern sci-fi all of a sudden, but I think it starts with Star Wars in this movie.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
John Ford's The Searchers Spielberg watched over and over again as he made the movie.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That movie always keeps popping into the rewatchables research as like this North Star for all these filmmakers in the 70s and 80s.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh, did you want to do a criteria orgasm?
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Tops made 66 trading cards and 11 stickers in 1978 of this film. Dreyfuss and Truffaut.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Dreyfuss and Truffaut did not want to be in the card set and are not in it.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
They're scene stuff. It's this weird thing they did for a while. Is that on eBay? Oh, yeah. For not that much either. Interesting. Jaws has cards. Rocky one and Rocky two have cards. ETS cards. There's a lot of them.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
There's been offers. Big was Brian Curtis, the killer throat slitter. So the version of their cards were like about Ronnie near inner children and some of the other characters. I don't think it did that. Great. Okay. Apex mountain Spielberg. No.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Dreyfus 77 is about as apex-y as it gets. Right? UFOs in a movie.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think I agree. UFO sunburns, definitely. For sure. True foe? No. No. I'm going to say no. Melinda Dillon? Same year, right? With Slapshot. Yeah.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes? Certainly as a building material. Yeah. Did this maybe movie make you want to have mashed potatoes when you saw them? Yeah. Yeah. I felt the same way.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
There's a lot of... It was like whole milk. But that's out of the box. She should have been smoking those Virginia Slims as she was eating the mashed potatoes. Like, bite, smoke. That's appetizing. Yeah, for sure. Movie dads losing their minds. Probably not. I think it's still The Shining.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Garrett!
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Muncie, Indiana, I'm going to say yes.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm going to say the Tootsie era when she started to go on Letterman. And was she nominated for Tootsie? Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So I would say Tootsie. NBA players from Muncie, Indiana include... Alan Lovell used to be on the Rockets. Jay Edwards, Craig Neal. Nobody that famous.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Bad parenting? Bad parenting at Apex Mountain?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Cruise or Hanks? I think it's Hanks. But I would have also really enjoyed Cruise. Cruise basically does a version of this in War of the Worlds.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It depends on what year of Cruise I'm getting. So like if it's 87, maybe because we don't have a ton of background with him yet. But if we're in the late 90s with him, I'm just assuming it's going to become an action movie.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Whereas Hanks, he could do it.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Okay. Scorsese or Spielberg? Spielberg. By the way, Spielberg, ninth rewatchables movie. Tied for the lead. With who? With Tony Scott.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And Michael Mann.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And we still have a few Spielbergs on the board, though, too, right? I don't like that Mann is now in a tie.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
We got to... There's some work left. It's time for the keep. Yeah, it's time for Logan's run. Mann should be number one. What role would Philip Seymour Hoffman have played, clearly, Roy Neary? Okay. Picking Nets. our Jericho mile and how Logan's run. My biggest pick in it. It's okay. You're okay. And you can clearly tell it's a movie written by somebody who didn't have kids yet.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No mom is letting their kid go out that dog door.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
First of all, moms get crazy strength when their kids are in danger. She's holding on to the kids with dog doors. She's not letting go. But this isn't like a carjacking.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
How about the kid? She's in the kitchen freaking out and the kid just climbs away and goes out the dog door. She would be holding on to the kid the entire movie. You're holding on to the kid.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The whole point of being a parent is you're putting the kid above your own safety, your life, everything. It's the fucking DNA of it. And you're just like this with your kid the whole time.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, there's like a six-year window where this movie could have come out. Because to me, E.T. and this movie are pretty close, but there's a five-year difference when those came out.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, but that was the 70s, though. We've covered this. We're gone all day. Our parents never knew where we were.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I told you how we used to go to the Chestnut Hill dump. Yeah. Just for the day. Come back at like 7.30. Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Bada Bing was there. Here's another parent nitpick. So Barry comes off the UFO. She's like, Barry. Melinda Dillon is the mom. Oh, my God. I just feel like you're inspecting your kid first. That kid comes off. I'm picking him up. I'm making sure all the digits are there. Do you still have two feet? Do you still have arms? Do you have hands? I'm just looking at you. Is he an alien? Yeah.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You're inspecting him before you interact with him.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
They don't kill any animals. They just sleep gas them. What's going on? That was an odd bit. Sleep gas?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's the same kind of...
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And then my last one, the pilots come off the UFO. My first question is, what year is this? Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Those guys are super chill. Like, they haven't thought.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
that guy's problem why is he like trying to assuage those guys there wasn't one guy that's like what year is this it's 1977 what 1977 like this is like the i'll step on my sequel now the sequel is these guys going back to their families and their wife is 32 years older yeah not they're just like i'm sure this is gonna work I'm just a 24-year-old gunner.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Totally misunderstood. Their kids are older than them, potentially. It just had so many questions. Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. I would add a lot of sports questions. I just sort of want to go through every year to see if the Red Sox won. All right. Just don't tell me if they won. Let's go. 46. Cardinals win.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It just goes up. We get to 75. It's like, well, Red Sox final, so you're not as low as that one.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, that could have been another sequel. Barry just going nuts. What other nitpicks do you have?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Or it's Spielberg sucking up to the Illuminati trying to get in.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I saw that when it happened, but I don't remember.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Inside the actor's studio, I got nostalgic. Now it'd be Spielberg on Theo Vaughn's podcast. They would be like, how'd you meet that UFO?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But he was so good. He really was. Any other pick and nits?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Sequel, prequel, prestige, TV, all black cast are untouchable. I still like the idea of the The prestige TV sequel of these guys coming back to their families off the ship.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And maybe it's like almost like an episode of Lost. Each episode is Senator on one guy trying to reacclimate himself with his now aged family. End of the first season, Roy comes back. Yeah, Roy comes back. Yeah. But it's 2007. You think this is an untouchable?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So you'd have to have Roy in the sequel if Spielberg was doing it.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Zemeckis was like, I got this. Spielberg's like, fuck this shit. Fucking contact. No, I'm not. No, I'm never making a sequel. I don't think it's been ruined.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Is this movie better with Wayne Jenkins, Danny Trejo, Doris Burke, Sam Jackson? No. Byron Mayo, Barney Cousins, Tony Romo, Harling Mays, Chris Collinsworth, Daniel Plainview, Longlegs. or Wilford Brimley in the firm.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You want to go first?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, so he blends the paranoid 70s with the modern sci-fi era, but as a Steve Spielberg movie. Yeah. I call him Steve.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Did you feel like DB? You didn't throw in a young man there. That's better. We see you, young man. That young man. That young man. Yeah. Has found something in that cereal box. What's the kid's name? Brad.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You mean when Josh Hart tripped Tatum? And they were like, whatever.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I have a... You're ridiculous. I have a new character for this.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
They're just rooting for the Knicks. Jay Williams from First Take. I have.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Where it goes around and everybody agrees on something and it goes to Jay Williams. I know Claude the Cone pulled it off. I know he brought all those airplane pilots back. And I know he established actual contacts with the aliens without our planet being destroyed. I get it. But how hard was that really? How hard was that really? That's my question, guys.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And it's an unbelievable follow-up to Jaws, which is the other piece of this. He makes Jaws, which basically we talked about in Star Wars. Star Wars gets all the credit for kind of ruining movies and where we went, but Jaws kind of started it.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So he figured out six sounds of a synthesizer. Now he's a hero? Where was the science? That's my question.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm getting Alan Parsons. I'm not getting Claude Lacombe. And that's all I'm saying.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I have Steve. Okay. Probably unanswerable questions. Did Roy ever come back?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
A rare case of like, a sequel actually would have answered some questions. But on the other hand, it's kind of cool never knowing whether Roy came back or not.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think you're calling like the sanitarium.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Right? Like if this guy ever comes back, we have to lock him up with a straitjacket because there is 500 pounds of dirt and trees in my living room right now. And Ronnie will have no idea what happened to him, right? No.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Everyone wants to be Jaws and wants to own all the movie theaters. And he starts that and he's 27 at that point and he's in what's next mode. And he's probably the most scrutinized director of that era other than Coppola at that point in 75. Scorsese, Schrader, all those dudes, De Palma, they're all kind of like indie bands underground.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
My next question, what was Barry like around 1989? Just in high school. Have you seen Repo Man? Red darts through people's faces.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I agree. There was something missing from that, especially in the 77 cut. He's getting promoted. Yeah. And then he goes right there. So it's almost like a scene is missing.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Melinda Dillon's husband, who we never see in this movie. What if it was Hanrahan? And he got transferred from the Indiana team. He played college at Boston University. That's why he has the shirt. Got transferred over. Kind of checks out. Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The Racers where Gretzky played. Any other unanswerables? No. What piece of memorabilia would you want from this movie? Or not want? Jumpsuit, certainly. Jumpsuit was magnificent.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I have the cymbal banging monkey toy. But I also like the bees.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The horror movie that came out this year? I did not see that because the reviews were mixed. But I will see it at some point.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
My wife did not want to have this conversation. You'd be surprised. Do you think Roy Neary should have been a verb? Like, I just Roy Neary'd it last week. Just fucking left. Does that mean like when you abandoned your family to go golfing or something?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Roy Neary'd him. Coach Finstock aware for best life lesson. It's okay to dump your family as long as you're trusting your gut.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh. Triggered by... Sakao in Top Gun Maverick, he dies in the first 10 minutes? Yeah, it's one of those. That's my favorite one ever. So he's going to heaven? The death dream, yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I feel like if it's a mass delusion, he's probably having sex with Melinda Dillon at some point in the mountain. He's going to throw one in there quickly.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But he follows it up with this, which it feels like a ballsy move. Yeah. To follow up Jaws with a way bigger, more ambitious movie.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Threesome? Best double feature choice. I have Starman with Jeff Bridges. That's a good one. I really like that movie. I've probably seen that movie more than just about anybody. The Carpenter movie.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I love Starman.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You know that movie? Either of you? Craig Jack? Jeff Bridges. It's like a really great Jeff Bridges movie.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's the rare, he has these, what does he have like 10 special balls and he can use each one. He like saves a deer with one of them. And then he starts running out of balls, like literally. Yeah.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Didn't he make Cloverfield, whatever that one was too?
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think the rewatchability of it on the 80s, 90s TV apparatuses really hurt it. Yeah. It was one of the rare ones. It was just really hard to watch. They could never get the camera right when they would pan and scan on it. Just never was the same kind of impact.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But we did fine. We may not have gotten J. Williams.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Thanks to Craig and Jack. As always, you can watch us on The Ringer Movies. And thank you to Ronic. Channel as well. And thank you to Ronic. And we have one more big-ass 70s movie next week, which I don't know when it's going to be yet. It was great to see you guys. Thank you. Thanks, Bill.
The Rewatchables
‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. Well, Jaws, this movie, E.T., three movies that have now been all out for at least 40 years. Jaws will be 50 years this year. And you can still watch it. Like, producer Craig will probably have a kid at some point, I'm guessing, in the next 10 years. And 10 years from now, we'll be able to watch all three of those movies with that kid, and they'll probably hold up.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Even though a lot of it's dated, and the clothes are weird, and there's no phones, but... It's something like eternal.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
very possible making bets just betting on the outcome of each scene um spielberg so inspiration came from him and his dad watched a meteor shower once in new jersey somehow that led to this movie can i ask were you a big space kid ufo kid really wasn't no okay there was a couple tv shows lost in space was okay yeah never liked star trek what about the twilight zone
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Twilight Zone kind of always freaked me out. I was an only child, so that, I don't know. Okay. Just never got there. Okay.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I feel like that show you need to talk about was something else. Yeah, okay.
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‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I never really made the UFO crossover even when X-Files was happening. I was always more interested in the autopsy shows on HBO than the UFO side. Okay. It's the DNA stuff.
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‘The Blues Brothers’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, I don't think so.
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‘The Blues Brothers’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
New World's mobiles are early. It's a good... It's like they're all dead panning and it's just people are running for their lives diving.
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‘The Blues Brothers’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Baby clothes.
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‘The Blues Brothers’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The shrimp cocktail.
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‘The Blues Brothers’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But at some point, Sinatra gets mad at Steve Lawrence, like, shut up! Guys are just swimming in my wake. And he's like, what's wrong, chairman? And for some reason, anytime I see Steve Lawrence, I think of that now.
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‘The Blues Brothers’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And this would just never happen in any other window than 1978 to 1986. Do you regret not having a cocaine era?
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‘The Blues Brothers’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
When you're an empty nester. But nobody knew any better. Back then, it was like if we thought coffee was cocaine.
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‘The Blues Brothers’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
We're like, oh man, Sean's had two coffees.
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‘The Blues Brothers’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, 4K. It's like $70.
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‘The Blues Brothers’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's like, I didn't realize Elwood and Jake are playing.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Doing flips and shit.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
These Jedi's were driving cabs at night to make extra dough.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You do?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It's just kind of an epilogue. It's not really a scene. There's very little dialogue.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He never got a medal, and they had to give him a medal in the later movies. Does it go against your religion?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Wow. He's also disrespecting Chewie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I agree.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
A movie in which he should have been killed.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Well, there's a whole prequel trilogy about how that happened. It's an energy field of all living things.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
When they're leaving Tatooine and they're escaping and going into hyperspeed, you know, Chewie was there. He was co-piloting the Millennium Falcon.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
How about he could have fucked a couple more guys up? I think he has more utility in the future films physically. Yeah. In the next two.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
To me, I think there is a case for most rewatchable scene for the cantina scene because the cantina scene gives you this. It gives you Obi-Wan wields a lightsaber the first time you really see, which is very exciting. It's the first time you also see a limb get cut off in a Star Wars movie, something that recurs throughout all of these movies.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You get Han and Greedo, which is super small character moment in a movie that tells us a lot about the world that we're in. And then you get this great getaway sequence. That's all part of the cantina. plus the jazz score and all the cool characters, like the creatures from that scene, are all in that little 12-minute pocket of the movie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
My vote was going to be Trench Run, but I do think there's a case for Cantina.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I'm actually with them, just for the record. I was just making the case for the sake of the pod.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I see. I wrote that down, but as a positive, just that the overwhelming amount of practical effects, the hand-drawn imagery, like the matte paintings as backgrounds, the models, the optical effects, like all stuff that you just don't see nearly as much in movies, which I like. Also, a lot of white people in this movie. Oh, I can't wait to talk about that. I have a whole section. Do you?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You know who's remaking Eight is Enough is Robert Sala. They're actually remaking that on Disney+. Yeah. So good luck to him.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He has like eight kids, yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He and Phillip Rivers are in an Obi-Wan, Darth-esque duel to have more children. What's aged the best? What do you got? Boom, so many things. Interconnected galactic universes. I mean, this is contemporary storytelling in Hollywood right now. ILM, the creation of the first studio that is focused entirely on effects. Princess Leia as a fearless hero, not just the damsel in distress.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I feel like it's huge. I'm very excited to show this movie to my daughter because I know she will... be magnetized to Leia and be all about her.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Could be.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Sword fighting? Sword fighting. is never not cool. This is a great choice in this movie to find a hyper-technical, forward-thinking way to do sword fighting. Whether it's King Arthur or Robin Hood or the Three Musketeers or the way that it just like runs, you know, all the samurai movies, it just runs through movie history and he finds another cool way to do sword fighting.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You mentioned Harrison Ford a bunch of times. I mentioned the fast spaceships thing. That's like, that had never really been done before in a movie where it was like, these spaceships are going fast. Cause he was, he had just made American graffiti. He loves cars. And he was like, I see the rebel Alliance as like hot rods.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And I see the empire as like cars off the line made by the major car makers. And so I want the movie to feel like hot rod culture. It's kind of like the fast and furious in a lot of ways. That's like a really smart choice that aged really well. Cause now every space movie you see fast cars. What do you have, Sierra?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Obi-Wan is the DeMar DeRozan.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways. That guy is amazing.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He's not the villain of the movie, though. The Emperor is the villain of the movie, and he's only mentioned... It seems like he is, and we come to find out, and that's part of the Lucas genius, is that he has it mapped out. He knows where he wants to go, and he's going to show us the Emperor soon if he gets to make another movie, and that he is this true force of evil.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And then when you see the prequels, you're like, he actually is the true force of evil. He is the engineer of this whole revival of the Sith Empire. Mythology.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah. But Darth... Palpatine? He's just a tragic Shakespearean guy who's lost his way.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I'm assuming. I'll tell you what, though. Is this like an Axel Braun kind of knowledge?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You should do the alternate cut where Darth fucks Leia. That would be really exciting. Oh, Jesus Christ. That's for the Game of Thrones. That's for someone to watch over B-Pod.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Oh, Big Van Vader.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Phenomenal. One of the greatest athletes of all time.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
That's right.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah, he could have also written the scroll for the porn parody.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Edited it to four sentences, yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
People are like, what? But when you watch the movie, I mean, their energy is so palpable.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
We were doing fine in the early 2000s. We had Chad Pennington. Everything was okay.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I have a few. I mean, there's one where... Obi-Wan is on the control panel inside the Death Star and he's like flipping levers so that they can attack it and create weakness and it seems like the that sort of corridor is like bottomless. And it's just a painting that this guy, Harrison Ellen Shaw drew. He painted this background.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
So it looks like you're in this, you know, vast bottomless construction. And I saw like a behind the scenes image of what it looked like when they shot it versus what the final images. And it's like, Like, I didn't... It just is... But they didn't do it in a way that was, like, modern technology. It's the same technology they used in, like, Mary Poppins. That is just amazing to look at.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
But there's, like, a million versions of stuff like that. Like, the first digital effect that they ever created for the movie was when R2 and 3PO leave on the escape pod. And you see the escape pod shoot out. And you see, like, the sprinkle of stardust, basically, out of that. And they...
The Rewatchables
‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It's a good one.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
There are a lot. I'll stick to one. There's a Kurosawa movie called The Hidden Fortress.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It's worth checking out. I shared with Jack Sanders a side-by-side of several images that are lifted directly from The Hidden Fortress. You're like Jack's Obi-Wan.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You should have worn a brown hood. Oh. Use the force. Jack should cut you down. But like, literally, I mean, I can show you these pictures on the laptop. Like this is, these are moments from the hidden fortress.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
The characters are perfect matches, you know, princess Yuki and princess Leia and the droids and the two tag along characters in the movie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It is a very overt lifting homage to this Kurosawa movie. And Spielberg and Lucas were obsessed with Kurosawa, and he's a huge fascination for them. So without Hidden Fortress, this movie doesn't exist.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You know there's somebody on Earth right now whose real name is Darth Vader. There's got to be some parents who name their kids Darth Vader. You think Darth is just a do not name list?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I got one. I definitely have one. I know you want to have the Mark Hamill conversation, right? Let's do it right now. So let's have it. Did you know he wanted to have it? I've known Bill for 13 years. I know how he feels about Mark Hamill.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I'm not sure if ironic is the right word. He has become a beloved actor at this stage of his career for a certain kind of fan because he is like a famous voice actor now and he plays like a lot of villains and He's in a lot of Mike Flanagan movies and things like that.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He has taken on this weird late-career character actor Hall of Fame quality that is in direct contrast... To what he was being set up for. To Luke, yeah. In this movie, I think you can make the case... that he's not great to be around because of what Chris said at the top of the conversation in part one, which is that like, he's an annoying teenager.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I actually don't know. He said it because droids don't drink and they take up space in bars.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Thought they could have snuck in a couple ladies. Fairly masculine environment. Couple lady aliens, baby.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
What color bandana was in the back pocket? Exactly.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
That right there is why we're on video.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You know, I think the movie thinks that it's clear that fascism is bad, and I'm not sure that that's aged well. I think the movie is weirdly... You could be read a different way in 2025.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
How different do you think the rewatchables is when the NBA playoffs are on?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I see.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I assume burn. Yeah, burn through you. I actually had in What's Aged the Best blasters instead of bullets as aging well. Because it's like you can show this to really young kids.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
She kisses him on the cheek. He's kind of flirty with her.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Luke wants to fuck her. But he just doesn't know. Right. It could happen to anybody. Yeah. We're going to hold it against the guy? Yeah. Although he was not able to tap into the Force in that particular respect.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Maybe. Now we have to wait until this moment.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It's not, but they have a similar energy. With the way the bar is set up? Yeah, a lot of scoundrels in the mix there.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Good answer. It is addressed very amusingly in the movie Chasing Amy by the black comic book character who gives a speech at a Comic-Con about the inherent racism of Star Wars and New Hope, which is a very, very, very funny sequence. Maybe one of the funniest things Kevin Smith's ever written.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It has become kind of a kitsch classic in some ways now.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah. Yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Quick cutaway to Darth Vader mid-coitus. There's a disturbance in the force.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I already shared one about the absolute desolation of organized religion in this country due to the film Star Wars. I don't know if I can do any better than that. Also, I think that this is one of the best movies ever. One of the worst things that ever happened to Hollywood. It's kind of true. Yeah. Not to side too hard with the butthurt.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It's the MJ versus LeBron of nerd culture. Absolutely. It's central to Han's character.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Oh, the guy with the glasses.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He's in Experts. Him looking at him gives you a little bit of insight into how Lucas sees Luke, though. Right. He's not the coolest kid in town. Not twerp, but, you know.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He was like stuck age-wise between the two of them.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
James Caan, maybe? There's an incredible... Hater, Wig, Sudeikis, SNL. Saturday Night Live sketch.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Of Star Wars auditions. Kevin Spacey. Pacino is one of them. Kevin Spacey is one of them. Who else is in that?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Oh, yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Han shot first.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And he said, no, thank you. He thought it would sully the legacy of samurai films that he made, which was not actually true.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Hilarious because everybody immediately knew it was James Earl Jones, even though he was uncredited on the movie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You could do... The Uncle or Not. I think the movie is fascinating because in the top six parts, you have extremely well... People who are either well-known or about to be really well-known.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
all of the supporting players are just like British guys who are nearby who they cast. And they all had careers and they went on to Andor's doing, but none of them have that. Like, Oh yeah, it's that guy from that thing. Like you can't even think of their second best role. Like Peter Cushing was like the lead in 15 consecutive hammer horror movies. So that's kind of a hard one. I don't know.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And misses.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And Han like ducks? And Greedo's like, McClunky! Which is like a line that was not in the movie originally.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I know that sometimes we can be like, this guy is actually really famous, but he was legitimately famous in England.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I hate it. Hate it. Hate it. Han Mabuki. Han Mabuki. I hate it.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Thank you. I've watched this movie so many times.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I think there is a case for the guy who plays Admiral Modi. The guy who gets choked when he's like, this station is now the ultimate power in the universe. He is really trying to cook in front of Vader. That's like Palenka after the Lutheran train.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
No, I'm not.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
No. Not very good with actors.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
But by going commando, he's ready to jump into the Luke and Leia sex scene pretty quickly. Yeah. That's where he would have shined. Then you would have really been swayed by Chewbacca.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Has anybody ever gotten to Apex Mountain and then just sat there forever? Yeah. There was never a time when people were like, no, I don't think so, George. We're not going to do that for you. He could do whatever he wanted after this movie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Right. And he has created and owns ILM. Skywalker Ranch is opening. He's doing Skywalker Sound. He's kind of building his own Valhalla.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And then Empire in 80. Yeah. What she chooses to do with it afterwards is so strange, though. Every non-Blues Brothers Star Wars movie she makes in the next eight years is like such a flop. Yeah, but again. I know she was on a lot of cocaine.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He just shatters it every time. It's like Superman's three years later. Should we call John Williams Apex Mountain?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I wouldn't say that in 1977, nerds had the most power they would ever have. I would say the nerds that got obsessed with this movie went on to take over. So yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Starting a nerd. Any other apex mountain? What about movie sound effects? The Academy Awards creates a special award this year for Ben Burtt, who does all the droid sounds. You've got Darth Vader's breathing. You've got... My favorite sound in the movie is the sound of the TIE fighters flying, which is, like, just terrifying every time you hear that, like, screeching whisper sound.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It's pretty memorable. This movie sounds awesome, even now.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Shaquille O'Neal's biological didn't bother?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
What do you have? You know who I have. It's Cruise. It's got to be Cruise. But Hanks now as Obi-Wan would be interesting.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Maybe after that sex scene.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Great name. It is. Grape Street. Very unforgettable.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
No, we just work together.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
That was amazing.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
There's a related one too. Is that the force just drove them to Luke's house? Even before that, the Empire identifies that an escape pod has been hatched because there's no life force on it. They're like, just let it go. Fucking blow that thing up. Should have shot it down.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah. Tractor beam.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah, when they're on the bridge that they're about to swing across, and the stormtroopers are just looking right at him. And Luke isn't even trying to hide against the side of the wall. He's just standing there. He's just like, what's up?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Don't really think we're the right people to answer that question. Yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Vision of purity. What did you think he was going to say?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I have a few.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
obi-wan's memory relative to r2 or luke skywalker's little dodgy there in the beginning i've never had any droids it's like i don't know except when you cut off all of anakin's limbs and left him to die in episode three and that was the last time you saw r2 so it's been a while but you know you you knew those droids um the biggest nitpick for me in the whole movie is but hold on though is that a nitpick if that movie doesn't exist yet
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
That is kink right there.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
But we give Lucas credit for envisioning all this other stuff. Like we give him credit for knowing that Darth is Luke's father.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I think in most circumstances, you're right. But because the actual world building mythology is such a credit to the movie itself, that the whole idea of the movie is that it is this larger than one movie, all encompassing mythology.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It's possible he doesn't. There's also actual nitpicks in the story. Chris has cited a couple of them already. But throughout this movie, characters are experiencing the most traumatic thing that will ever happen to them. And then one scene later, bouncing back and being like, let's do this thing. Or like partying, you know, like Leia watches her whole planet get destroyed.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Luke, his aunt and uncle who raised him are charred remains outside of their home. And then he's going to the cantina and hanging out. Over and over again, you know, Obi-Wan is murdered by Darth Vader and Luke gets on the Millennium Falcon and is shooting down TIE fighters. Like, not a lot of emotional depth to the character development in this movie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I think he kind of fixes it in the next two movies. It's like they're much more complicated and stormy.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I think so that he can escape is the practical reason and the philosophical reason is so that Luke can go on and be the torchbearer of the Jedi way.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Both physically and maybe emotionally.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Okay, so in the same vein, this was going to be my flex category, but I'm just going to do this because it's part of picking knit. It's two different categories crushed together. Did I skip your flex category?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
The George Ellerbee Two Weeks With Pay Award for the character who definitely should have been fired goes to Grand Moff Tarkin. Grand Moff Tarkin is informed that there's a flaw in the largest Department of Defense governmental investment in the history of the Empire. The enemy knows how to attack it.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He insists on continuing on with making the Death Star fully operational and exposing the destruction of his beloved battle station. He loses. This is the 28-3 at halftime. Yeah. In the history of movies, this is a nightmare scenario. He should have been fired. And then follow up to that, Vincent Chase Award. Are we sure this character is good at their job? Are we sure the Death Star is good?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Is the Death Star actually an effective way to run the Empire?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Tarkin is Ishpia, no question. He made the deal for Brad Beal, and he got blown up on the Death Star because of it. There's no question about it.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Oh. No, he's very closely modeled after the robot Metropolis. So I think it's just... Just asking? Did they make him that gold to remind people of Oscar? Maybe. Maybe.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He was inspired by Lucas's Malamute, Indiana His dog And that dog has a lot of fur that is like that stringy fur I can't see it He's like a dog
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Oh. One or two?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Two.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I have some notes about that a little later.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Wow. In Dune 2.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You never really got a... She's kind of always wearing that still suit, you know? I don't know.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I mean, I love Zendaya, but it's not Princess Leia's costuming.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Do they? I don't think so, but feel free to cook.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Okay.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Doesn't count.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Sorry. I can throw one at you.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Perhaps. What about Carrie Ann Moss from The Matrix?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
But I got to take one out because obviously... Finkle, Einhorn. That's right. Einhorn is Finkle.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Finkle is Einhorn.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I know. Sean? Greedo's corpse. Yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
There's a digitally added sequence from when they reissued the movie in the whatever it was, late 90s, that shows like the digital version of the speeder that is so much less cool, you know, that shows that like moving around the open world as opposed to the way that they shot it in the movie. And it's just the most perfect example of like, we just don't need this.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Like the speeder looks so fucking awesome in the practical version of the movie. Yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He only steps on it, right? When he checks on the... Yeah, he's kicking his cloak. When he kicks his cloak.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I'd want Luke's. I always liked Mace Windu's purple lightsaber. It was great. Coach Finstock will wear a best life lesson.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Oh, wow.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
What about American Graffiti?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Lucas? I mean, George Lucas' net worth is estimated to be between $8 billion and $9.5 billion. He's got $9 billion? That's what they estimated at, yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Well, he won the movie because he created the most indelible franchise in Hollywood history. He also made fucking bank on it, too.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It would have been better if you went last rather than first.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
One line out. Aunt Milfie?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah. Yeah, last time, one of the few times where I felt the same way in a movie that I felt the first time I saw Star Wars was The Matrix. The Matrix was the time where I was like, wow. That's a good one. Like they have thought this through completely.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You know, that sense of like, I'm in great hands right now. But it's very rare. It's very rare to get that. I also think it's cool that Lucas... Avatar is a good one, yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Star tours is not a great ride. And yet I would wait in line for hours to go on it over and over and over again at Disneyland star tours.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
In Galaxy's Edge. Shit. Yeah, that's cool.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
That's what Craig was telling us. Yeah. This was pretty good. I wasn't planning for a marathon.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah. Yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah, this has been the big question. Are we going to do more? Will you do Empire? Will you do Jedi?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Did you look in the mirror last night? I told you when I had this coffee, I was going to be fucking lit. But you came in with, like, a really good Alec Guinness. Like, a really good Gnome. Thanks, man. And then you just blacked out.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
We should digitally edit that one and get more conspiracy theory in there.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Should she have been there when Leia was being questioned about the location of the rebel base?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yes.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And you just. Yeah. One of my favorite cuts in the whole movie is when Luke has got the radio and he's screaming and he's like. 3PO! 3PO! And then it cuts to the mic on the other end and 3PO's not there. And you can hear it and he's stuck behind the closet door.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He shows up.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He's kind of Draymond-y, I would say. R2 is like Draymond and Luke is Steph in this equation. Luke needs R2. He's like his navigator.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Cantina into Death Star Invasion into Compactor. Crack. Yeah. Incredible sequencing.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part Two) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
This will be a day long remembered. It has seen the end of Kenobi. It will soon see the end of the Rebellion.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
What was it, though? Were you like, I don't want to be perceived as a nerd? Not that at all.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I didn't have that. But you love lore. I mean, you were like with basketball. When you talk about the history of basketball, this is exactly like listening to Van talk about Luke Skywalker. It's the same exact thing.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Stole from Flash Gordon.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Because that was what Lucas wanted to make. Wizard of Oz. I mean, look at the C-3PO and R2 and Chewie. It's beyond the stealing of Wizard of Oz. It just feels like they're... Kurosawa. Yeah, all that stuff is all... 2001. It's all synthesized into this perfect little package.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Luke Skywalker, not the subtlest of titles. Luke Skywalker.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Everybody. I love hearing you say the word Greedo. Like, I just never thought we would get here. This is just amazing. A lot of controversy with Greedo.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Who shot first? Greedo! One thing about what you guys are talking about that is interesting, though, is that Lucas's imagination is unbelievable. I mean, it is like unmatched. The amount of world building that he has done in this franchise is insane. Obviously, he's pulling from a lot of inspirations.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Is it only Spielberg who's the only one who's even... Spielberg doesn't have like a nine film universe that's so extended. Even Indiana Jones is still George Lucas too.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He's a great comparison. He's a great comparison. Stephen King's still writing, I mean, still coming up with ideas to this day. It's crazy. But... The reason this movie is the way that it is is because it is an after effect of its practical opportunity. So the movie is basically 25% of what Luke has imagined but could get on screen.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And part of what's amazing about the movie is the way that the technology develops during the production of the movie to get as much of what he wants on. That practical stuff that we love about this movie that makes this movie so special and so perfect... is his biggest frustration and regret and why he kept going back and messing with the movie and changing the movie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Because he never felt, he says that the final product of Star Wars, when it was released, when you saw it in second grade, felt abandoned. That he was like, this is just as much as I could get done before I had to just stop.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah, very similar.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
But Michael Mann's not going back and adding, you know, CGI characters in the middle of the shootout. You know what I mean?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It would have been great. I think the last time you could watch the original theatrically released version without any of the added stuff was the first DVD that was issued. The alternative version you could watch. I don't have that anymore. I mean, I used to have it in every format, this movie. I've had this movie in every format.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Oh, definitely. Yeah, there's Laserdisc, VHS. So it probably was in that format, I would guess. It's definitely on the VHS and on the Laserdisc, but on Blu-ray it has not been issued. You can't watch the original theatrical version.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
characters like java's in this fucking movie in the new versions of it he's not in the first one so when you meet java you're like this is my which by the way steps on java yeah it's better the other way it is better there's no question about it like the idea of who is java the hut is the same thing as the clone wars are like what is this gangster character who could who could it possibly be and then just by putting him in the movie it ruins it but he can't see past that
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He can only see into his own imagination. And he can only try to reach for what he was envisioning when he was, whatever, 30 years old when he made this movie. So it's like this never-ending quest to fix the mistakes of the production that is also the most meaningful... It's like Sam Presti. Just wants more draft picks.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
A what? He has, he has a black wife.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
This movie's very resonant right now.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
One of my Luke Wilson hot takes, which is, I guess maybe I won't use this one, but there's a direct correlation between the decrease in engagement in organized religion in this country and the rise of Star Wars. And...
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I like that. There is a case to be made that's certainly among the vast swaths of mostly young men, but women too, who are obsessed with Star Wars and the kind of mythology that was available in popular entertainment. And because this is a deeply religious movie, it kind of undermines the organizing nature of religion in our society.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And it's not the only factor, but it is, in my mind, definitely a factor.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
How old were you when you saw it? 70. Yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Right. Right. But I mean, the movie is in part synthesizing, not just samurai movies in the wizard of Oz, but like Judeo Christian myth. Like it is pulling everything from the history of religion into a story.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You used to wear a St. Christopher medal and now you hold a Han Solo toy.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
There was always one kid who had the Millennium Falcon. It was like you had to go to his house to play with it. I didn't have that growing up. That was like the $50 toy. Or a toy saber. Right. I never had a lightsaber either. Toy saber, all of that stuff, man. Oh, my God.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It's true. What are your thoughts on Alderaan? Because it's a story that stokes obsession. But then I don't think Star Wars nerds like us realized this at the time. But we were just as alienating to other people as we felt alienated from them, too. You know? Because it's just, you immediately just lock into, like... talking about Hoth and why Hoth matters. But it is like sports.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It's like NHL fans. Yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
That's me talking about Star Wars. That's having little kids, man. If I meet a dad at the preschool who doesn't know sports, I'm like, shit, we got nothing to talk about.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
People can hear you.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I was a teenager. It was huge.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah. I mean, this is my hot take, which is that Star Wars is arguably the most perfect movie ever made and the worst thing that ever happened to movies. And, you know, it starts with Jaws in 1975. It's the first genuine wide release of a movie. It's the first movie that premieres essentially on a thousand screens simultaneously. That had not happened before.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And it's in part because Universal realizes that they've got something on their hands that they can market nationally and get people to show up. People didn't go see Gone with the Wind that way. They didn't go see Casablanca that way. They saw the movie opened in their city and then it closed and it went to another city and then it was open across five years. This movie opens even wider than that.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I saw them all again at theaters. Well, there was also, they added new stuff. So that was part of the appeal. But then again, the prequels too. The prequels were the second life.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It's an even bigger sensation. It really, really encourages the repeat viewing that you're talking about.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yes.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And also, we're in the middle of a time where movies for adults are dominating the culture. And this is the movie that resets the trajectory for mainstream movies to be made for kids. And that kids is where the pot of gold is. It doesn't change the fact that I think the movie is wonderful and that I'm a huge fan of Star Wars in general. And I still consume Star Wars stuff to this day. But...
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
it didn't ultimately benefit filmmakers. It benefited corporations and it benefited movie studios who got more and more greedy because they saw that the ceiling was higher than they'd realized. And so because that ceiling got raised on the potential profits, it just, it had a tremendously negative effect across movie making over periods of time.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
That doesn't mean that there weren't, there aren't good movies anymore. But the question is, would that have happened anyway? Well, that was somebody else might've gotten there. Somebody else might've gotten there. I think it happens either way.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
We got to put Star Wars back in.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It was going to happen... But also degraded the art form. Perhaps. That's the other theme.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You're a Floyd Gondoli. Exactly, right? Johnny Doe comes in.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Some of its life... I mean, the freaking thing is the most instructive to me always because he makes the French connection and he follows it up with the exorcist. That had never been done before. No filmmaker had ever scraped the ceiling so profoundly before while simultaneously making arguably the best movie in both genres.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Arguably the greatest horror movie ever made and the greatest cops movie ever made. Yeah. And then it's like in the wilderness, like 15 years.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
So that was his apex. I mean, he made great movies, but nobody cared about them for a long time. That was the best Cruising movie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Action, horror, and Cruising. Are you sure it's the best Cruising movie?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I think some of it is luck. Some of it is circumstance. I do think that The studios got very hip to the potential with franchising after this movie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And spent all of his own money.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
But he's so important to this story because obviously he and Lucas is sort of like his apprentice and works under Coppola and is a USC kid. And he makes THX 1138. And it's a complicated production. I think Warner Brothers puts it out. It's early 70s. Early 70s. It's not a big hit. It's acclaimed, but it's not a big hit. Weird, weird movie. It's a strange movie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And Coppola, after that movie comes out, and Lucas starts telling him his ideas, and he's already starting to formulate some of Star Wars, Coppola challenges him, and he's like, man, slow down with the science fiction stuff and show me that you can make a comedy. And that challenge leads to American Graffiti.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And if Lucas doesn't make American Graffiti and figure out how to write real people, I don't think Star Wars is any good. And American Graffiti is great. It's still great. Harrison Ford. And he finds Harrison Ford.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And I think also because of what you were saying with Rocky and the Godfather and this era of... Massive cinema. But most of those movies were for adults. And for guys like us who are in their 40s, who were born into a world of Star Wars, these are movies for kids. I mean, you could... I think I was probably four or five when I saw Star Wars for the first time. And so it just becomes...
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
This is a tough one because this is the same year as Saturday Night Fever, which is one of Siskel's favorite movies of all time. So he felt like movies like Saturday Night Fever were getting taken down a notch by Star Wars.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
a part of your cultural bloodstream at a very very early age so it's definitely on the list too for me for the movies I've seen the most and I vividly remember having the three VHS cassette box you know that expanded size box and just like running that over and over and over again in dead time in afternoons after school so it's got to be super high on the list and you know I think like all of us like it just set us up
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
One of my core beliefs is that moviemaking, while it is definitively an art form, is a commercial art form. People don't make movies for movie studios for wide release just because they're artists. They make them because they want people to see them and pay for them. I would hope so. People like Milius, who I really admire and is an amazing writer, that's kind of a hot take.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I generally agree more with what Lucas says, and I really like a great popcorn movie. It doesn't change the fact, though, that ultimately studios are the organizations that determine the fate of what movies get made. So it's just a byproduct of something that is obviously sincere for Lucas and Spielberg. Like, Spielberg released Close Encounters of the Third Kind this year.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You can't tell me that that was, like, a cash grab. That's, like, one of the most personal movies ever made. Yeah. So... There's like real nuance in this conversation. Hook might have been a cash grab.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Mass appeal. Mass appeal.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
for a lifetime of getting interested in science fiction, fantasy, comic books. Like, all this stuff that is so present in the culture now starts with this movie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I just think that what happened in the 70s is not replicable. And the guys who were literally 28 years old and at the absolute pinnacle of both the artistry and the box office in movies, there's no – it hasn't happened since and it won't happen again.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It's just, it's not replicable. I was looking at this 1976, the highest grossing movies of that year. And it's a really interesting kind of mix of what we're talking about here because Rocky's number one, of course, but then a movie called to fly a documentary. There was an IMAX movie is number two.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Then a star is born King Kong, silver streak, all the president's men, the omen, the enforcer and midway. Wow. And then number 10 is The Bad News Bears, which appealed to kids. So, like, I think that that shows you that the cool new Hollywood 70s is still happening and still powerful. But also, like, King Kong and Silver Streak and Bad News Bears are in there.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And those are movies that are appealing to broad audiences that are trying to bring in as many people as possible.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah, for sure. Yeah. I'm sure we all watched them on Nick at Night.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It's why this movie couldn't get off the ground at first because they said that this is a movie for kids and the only place that does those movies is Disney. Disney was the only studio that made movies for kids.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
We do it every weekend. We do it every weekend. Yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I think you're right that they figured out the formula for sure. I think this moment right now in movies is really interesting and instructive because it is a little bit of an echo of a past period where Star Wars is something that is familiar but new. 2001 A Space Odyssey happened. Like there was a movie that had this same visual dynamism in space.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
The special effects, it's a huge influence on the movie. But the big differentiation aside from the story between this movie and and 2001 is that this movie is fast. 2001 is slow. Two hours, five minutes. But it's familiar, but new. And to me, it's the same thing with what's happening in movies now. Oppenheimer, Barbie, Super Mario Brothers movie, Sinners, Minecraft movie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
These are the biggest movies of the last few years. Familiar, but new. Like, you've never seen a Minecraft movie. You know what that is? You're aware of it as a video game. You've never seen a movie about it. You've never seen a good movie about Super Mario Brothers. Star Wars is like, we've seen movies, plenty of movies like this before.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Intellectual versus emotional. They're a study in contrast that make total sense.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I don't know if anyone ever put all the pieces together. You're talking merchandising. Or worldwide. How did the movies play in simultaneous release?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
There was no... There was a sequel novel.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I think James Bond is on this movie's corner in that respect. I think Bond did this. It's different because they kept getting recasts and they're not serialized stories. So there are characters that repeat, but the story doesn't feel like it's woven together. But the idea of let's go to the new Bond... existed for years before this.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
ILM. I have a lot on that if you want to talk about ILM. The most interesting thing to me about this movie is those guys.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
We'll see with Coogs. I'm keeping the faith with Coogler.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And Dino De Laurentiis, who was maybe going to be a part of Star Wars, doesn't get on Star Wars, and so he doesn't get on Star Wars. He failed on King Kong, so he's like, I got to get Dune to go, and then he gets it to go, and it doesn't work. It doesn't work. You know... It influenced everything, but there's nothing like it. I mean, there's really nothing like this movie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I think there's a strong case that it's the most significant piece of popular culture since like Elvis Presley on Ed Sullivan. You know what I mean? Like there's just these titanic seismic moments where you can feel the whole, it's what Chris is saying about Michael Jackson. You can feel everything kind of shifting. So it's ahead of eight millimeter.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
The fans have captured the lore. But so much so that one of the only Star Wars-related things I watched that wasn't this movie before I watched this movie was just the last 15 minutes of Rogue One, which is a movie that I have always liked and I think is a cool movie, but... What's most compelling to me about it is the last five minutes when Darth Vader shows up.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And he is the Darth Vader that you saw in your mind's eye when you were five years old, where you were like, this is the baddest killing machine that ever lived.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
But the thing that is interesting to me about that is that when that movie ends, it literally ends all the way up to the last second before Star Wars for A New Hope starts. Goes right up to it. Like, that's how much we have exploited the material that we made a whole movie about. about every little thing that happened right before this movie that we're talking about on Podstars.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And now we're making a two-season TV show about every moment that goes up into that movie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Alden Ehrenreich. Okay.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I mean, Megalopolis did just happen. You know, like, you can still pay for the movie yourself. Right. But it's very rare for someone to actually own the creative rights... Of a studio film. Of a studio movie. Immediately, basically.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
If he hadn't signed with Fox to make this movie, I don't know if it would have happened because Fox had just closed their special effects department. So there was no one to do the special effects for the movie.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Maybe not in the form that we have them now because he brings together this group of people John Dykstra, Dennis Mirren, Phil Tippett, Joe Johnston, like guys who go on to be some of the most important movie makers in the next 50 years.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And all of these guys move into this warehouse in California, and he's off in England making this movie, and they're figuring out how to make the things that are the indelible images that we still see from the movie that still look good. The opening image of this movie with the spaceship flying and then the star cruiser overhead...
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
There's an incredible documentary series called Light and Magic on Disney+. If you are even one-tenth of a movie nerd and interested in how they do these things, you have to watch this series because the first two episodes walks you through specifically how they developed the technology, all these guys in this warehouse that made all this stuff possible.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
The motion cameras that they invented, the way that Phil Tippett is creating evolving animation styles, all that shit that they did is so cool. It's dorky. It's no doubt dorky. But it changed movies because ILM eventually becomes the place that evolves digital animation and computer generated animation that takes us to where we are now in movies. Some of that is for the worse, in my opinion.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
But what they were doing with practical filmmaking effects, you mentioned the Ten Commandments. They literally get VistaVision film. The last time a U.S. film had been shot on VistaVision is the Ten Commandments. And they're like, we're going to shoot these models that we built. on this ancient film stock. So this movie looks amazing and wide and grand and beautiful.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
So just like really ingenious young guys who have nothing else going on in their lives, but trying to come up with cool ways to make this movie that is out of George's head. There's a shot.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It was right after Dykstra work goes to work on a Battlestar Galactica right afterwards. But he says something really cool that I hadn't really thought about, which is that in that shot, this shot that we're talking about where the destroyer goes overhead, he's like the entire ship during the whole shot is in focus. You don't realize how hard it is to do that.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
There's never a moment where in the foreground or the background of the image, nothing is blurry, nothing is shadowy. In space, you can see every detail of that ship. And because all of those models are handmade, they made all of these doors and widgets and windows on the ships handmade and to scale. So it seems like this is something that was built by people. It felt like a real thing.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You think your former classmate David is sitting pretty with all of his merch from back in the day?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Pretty good.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Do you remember pre-release... what the energy around the movie was.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I'm sure you have the Ebert quote. Raj was a fan.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Mm-hmm. We haven't seen the legacy of Red Hulk yet, though, so we can't actually answer that question.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Abrams Is that true? Known as Jeffrey Abrams.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yes. Directed by Mike Nichols. You didn't give your take on Indiana versus... I think Indiana Jones is the one... I think the way to measure this will be when he dies. And I would imagine that the obituary is already written. The New York Times will say, you know, Harrison Ford best remembered for his roles in... Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars. Anchorman 2. And 42. Working Girl.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And Clear and Present Danger. Miller Brothers. I guess I'll say Indiana Jones. I like the Star Wars movie more.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I'll steal anything. I think the most realistic one is if it was a couple of years later, I think Kurt Russell. If you put Kurt Russell in this part. Not bad. That movie works. He's basically Snake Plissken as Han Solo.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
he he not a bum note here he grabs the belt in this movie he grabs the belt and he has never relinquished the belt he has been the goat can you imagine just being like he's like that shit works
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He's the greatest film composer of all time. I actually don't think it's... Hamer Kaminsky?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I just wanted to plug Janusz. I think there's obviously tons and tons of great film composers. Right now, a big reason why Sinners is so great is because Ludwig and Kugler's partnership. It's very similar to what John Williams and Spielberg have.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
There's tons of great people who do this, but John Williams, as recently as five years ago, was still writing incredible scores and writing great scores for Star Wars. He's still iterating on this music and making it sound great in new material.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I do think that that is a real generational divide between us, at least where to me, like the kids who are into sports were into star Wars. Like that was the ringer exists. I think because eventually what happened to the culture is that those things were all the same.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Maybe. We're picking from the most iconic movies of our lives.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Jim Henson is a great comp, though. We were talking about Stephen King. Jim Henson is one of those guys who's like, I have this world in my head, and I'm going to keep trying to get it out as much as I possibly can over the course of my life. He doesn't half-ass it.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
To me, the secret MVP of the entire movie is Ralph McQuarrie, who's the illustrator who Lucas told all of his ideas to for all these characters. And McQuarrie draws all of them before storyboards, before they totally know what all the financing is. These are the proofs of concept that they share with everybody to say, this is what the characters in the worlds will look like.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
And if you look at the original Ralph McQuarrie sketches of C-3PO and R2-D2, of all those characters in the cantina, of the whole world, it's so close to what the movie looks like. So close. And that's why when people are like, ah, George Lucas, his dialogue is terrible. His direction can be stilted at times. Like when you, people can be really critical of him.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
That like your obsession and your passion. And I told you when we, when you texted me about doing this, um, I vividly remember being 10 years old and walking down the hill from my house to go to the local bookstore. And I would just sit in the bookstore and I would read the Star Wars encyclopedia for hours. I couldn't afford to buy the book.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
All that stuff comes out of his head from Macquarie's pen. And that to me is like the ultimate case for why he is so, so, so, so, so critical to this, this whole machine.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah. Do you want to talk about what was nominated that year?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Do it. Well, Close Encounters is also nominated. No, Close Encounters is not nominated, but Spielberg is nominated and doesn't win. I believe it's Julia, The Turning Point, Annie Hall, which wins that year, and... What else? What is the other one? The Goodbye Girl. Oh, right. So, The Goodbye Girl, Turning Point, and Julia... Show of hands, how many of you have seen all three of those?
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I've seen Julia.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I don't think it was taken that seriously. Obviously. Maybe not, yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It is. I mean, Annie Hall is a revolutionary movie in its own way. Oh, yeah. I mean, the way that the movie is made and the way that the story is told is remarkable. And so, to me, it's not like a safe pick, per se, over a movie like Star Wars. It's just weird that Star Wars... If Julia won, you'd be like, nah, come on. Like, that's not... That would be a classic travesty.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
But, like, this movie is nominated for picture, director, supporting actor, screenplay, and then all of the tech categories. And then it wins all the tech categories. Chewbacca. Chewbacca. Alec Guinness. Oh, okay. Yeah.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Which is a classic, like, we got the celebrated old guy, and he got a look in the big movie. Yes, exactly.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yes, yes.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
The exact thing the van is describing and the Chris is describing where it's like there was so much information there.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
We're in a rug. Yeah. We're in a rug. Yeah. It's time to finally say it.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
It's like, that rug doesn't seem... You think you would have gone to Turkey? Oh, for sure.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Definitely not.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
that you heard uttered one time in one of the movies and then there was all this lore that was explained about it but it was the same exact experience as looking at the back of a baseball card where you're like you're getting a better understanding of the history of this thing that you have a passion for but you can only experience it when you're watching a game or you can only experience it when you're watching the movie
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Chris's two favorite movies of all time. Roger Ebert.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Except there's all this external culture around it. And, like, I'm sure when the movie came out, everybody was getting toys. Well, the Halloween was the first one.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
You fucking dorks. You guys. You guys. You can't bully us throughout this pod, though.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
He was onto something, that George Lucas.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
I kind of the inverted experience rewatching it. I rewatched it a couple of times for this. The first time I was like, man, we are on tattooing for a long fucking time. This is just a lot of desert time with Luke. And I was kind of bored. Yeah. And it's probably been between five and 10 years since I've last watched it.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
But by the time we got to the trench run, I was like, probably best movie ever made. This is the best I've ever felt about a movie. I was vibrating.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Yeah, he is also the only person in the movie who's allowed to talk like a modern person. He doesn't have a British accent. The part when he blows up the control panel when he's dressed as a stormtrooper and he's like, boring conversation anyway. He's like the only guy who's sarcastic. He's the only guy who has really like modern jokes. And so he feels like the cool guy you want to be.
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‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ (Part One) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan
Luke is a hero, but he's so bland. I mean, he just doesn't have shape as a person. Han is a guy who's lived. He's 34 years old.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I'm so glad you're sitting on the couch. The thing that seemed more clear to me as I watched the movies again is that it's very purposely like a seesaw experience for how they see the world. In the first film, Selene is much more openly romantic and idealistic And that he is relying on his cynicism as a shield. But also, you can tell that he believes some things.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
You mentioned how he talks about his parents in the first film and that that is a defining mode for him. And then in this film...
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
to your point about what's been taken from me by these men who are no longer with me, or that line that she has about, you know, I'm the girl that guys date before they get married, and there's like a wounded quality to her in this movie, and then in the third film, she's extremely severe, and blunt, and hurt, and... In the third film, you can feel him trying to hold on to the hope of the future.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
And in this movie, they feel like the seesaw is even. They both know that they need change, that there's still the possibility for something, that they probably need each other in a very specific way. And... I don't know if that equilibrium is part of what makes it so exciting for me, but it's a perfect middle point for this story and kind of relates to maybe why they didn't do a fourth one.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Well, I think part of what we talked about with Sunrise that is so powerful is that the The stars are the co-collaborators, the co-conspirators of the story. And this movie more than any, which I'm sure we'll get into, it just feels like they have suffused so much of the story with their personal lives.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
So this doesn't feel like a Lord of the Rings movie where you're like, oh, there's all this mythology to acknowledge and this world building and how are we going to do it? Or, hey, we've got this precious IP that we need to make another movie for. It's just artists trying to find a new way to communicate about how they feel about the world. For whatever reason...
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Richard Linklater is the only filmmaker who thinks this way. Because this isn't even the first time that they are reunited since Sunrise, because they had that vignette in Waking Life. So he sees all of his characters and his stories on this continuum in a way that very few filmmakers do. Tarantino has a whiff of it, but he's never really fully committed to it.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
He does, and people pointed out to me what I was trying to think of, which is who's the character who ports over in a film, you know? And it's Ray Nicolette, who's in Out of Sight, and who's also in Jackie Brown. Yeah. Um, but that's just a very uncommon thing and it's very hard to pull that off.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
And I don't, you know, I, it would be interesting to watch more filmmakers and actors try to pull this off of like more small scale.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I mean, the trip movies with Coogan and Bryden are kind of like this, but they were TV series in Europe. Yeah.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
If there were 10 nominees like there are now, this obviously would have gotten in. It's also more along the lines of the kind of movie that would get in nowadays. This is in the halcyon days of...
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
big these are all studio movies that are nominated for best picture million dollar baby the aviator finding neverland ray sideways all from major studios um they all have very powerful campaigns behind them and this was a much much smaller movie by comparison i just don't know how many actors could have been in those parts and especially what julie delpy has to do in this movie yeah which i think is i think she has the harder part in this movie because she's all over the place and you have to pull it off without yeah seem like you're not see our
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
and it's adapted because it's a sequel and all sequels need to go into the adapted category. I forgot about that rule. I read about it when we were researching this. I guess I had known it, but I think it would have been very tough to win in either of these categories because it's the Year of Eternal Sunshine, which is like a masterpiece screenplay.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
And Sideways, which was a phenomenon and people really love that.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
What do you mean? Oh. I did not think that. You thought that?
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
If you're putting Before Midnight 1 as Sunset 2?
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
either married or at least settled with who you're supposed to be with you need some fantasy what do you think though you need a basketball reference page with some seasons in it yeah gotta have a couple of nicknames it's so I mean you know my personal history obviously I'm married to the girl that I was dating in high school I saw this movie with her in a movie theater I vividly remember it was right after we graduated from college we both moved to New York together we saw it at the Angelica
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Well, I don't know what you mean at all. I just think it's really great writing, really a great performance. I don't, I just, I admire the craft of acting that Ethan Hawke brings to that character.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I had misremembered it when I was talking to her about it, but she remembered it cold. She remembered the entire experience. You know, there's that train that runs right next to the Angelica. So if you sit in there, it shakes the seats. Oh, I like that. And it was such a memorable movie going experience. We both loved it. We went out, we did the thing you talked about. We went out and had coffee.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
We talked about it for hours. We'd already loved Sunrise together. But if you look at it in one way, it's a real cautionary tale movie if you see it in your 20s. And I think I internalized that probably. Because what Jesse says in this movie, which is something that a lot of people think that are married, is chilling.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I mean, there is a horror movie quality to a lot of that confession that happens in the final 15 minutes.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Yes, running a nursery with someone I used to date. It's a tough land. And I mean, the writing is brilliant in this movie, but they both get to say things that people think and do not ever verbalize. And so it kind of like, it's almost like, if somebody hugged me, I dissolved into molecules.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
But like, the movie is almost like a challenge if you're in a relationship too, where it's like, make sure this is what you want. Because you could turn out like these people who are 32 and are at the edge of their own sanity because of the choices that they made.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I think you're right ultimately and the movie is ultimately on that side.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
It didn't exist.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
He reacts though.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
There's a 1.5 second pause where you're like he's excited and destroyed at the same time.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Yeah. It's in the zone of, you know, how are there so many souls?
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Again, not quite enough eating in this movie. It's just a great way to experience the city, which is just to wander. To not be a tourist, but to just be somebody wandering into cafes, wandering into gardens, wandering onto a boat. It's an amazing way to experience Paris.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
He's got so many takes, so many apocryphal anecdotes. Can I pod with him?
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Now, would you say that those are in order of importance? Can we start with JFK?
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Very painful to hear. I thought about this a lot, even set aside the romantic aspect of it, because there's a whole other way to think about the movie. It's just finding people that you make that connection with.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
And when you get older, you really, or at least I do, really protect myself against that. You know, like I don't really like over invest in long-term relationships now because I think I also don't want to get hurt in the same way in addition to being lazy. And so you're like way less open. Yeah.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
When you're young, you're like, It'd be great to get laid tonight. It'd be great to make a friend forever. It'd be great just to have fun. But as your life comes smaller, these opportunities, like they're kind of at a pretty significant pivot point here. Your early 30s is when that starts to go away. You know, when you're like, I've got my people.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Yeah. I thought I saw you.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Is this like when you saw Dana Wheeler Nicholson going to a deli in New York? I thought it was you.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
away the thing about this scene to me which is my favorite scene in the movie by far and I think is one of the most incredibly well-written scenes And how long did they go for? It feels like eight or nine minutes. At least nine.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
The thing that really hit for me this time when I was watching it is we actually do see a lot of scenes like this now in popular culture because everything is so therapized. And people are all about finding ways to talk about your feelings. But it's done using the language of therapy.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
This is a scene where people are really honestly talking about how they feel their most vulnerable feelings in the world. Like you can, what the, what they share together is, is very, very intimate. But it has none of the casing of that language. This was traumatic. Exactly. I was triggered when you weren't there. All those buzzwords, all that like, I'm signaling to you my pain.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
It's none of that. It's like super fucking real.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I think that they were just raising young kids and that they were both working people and that they were falling out of love in a way. But what was going on with Delpy? Oh, well, she's been married a couple of times now. She has had many boyfriends over the years. And I think because she was...
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
She was such an ingenue in Europe and such a kind of like desired woman because she had such fame in the movie culture that I think she always had a complicated relationship to the way that she was viewed versus how she viewed herself. And so like if you look at her career now, like she's directed eight movies. She's written a lot of those movies. Like she's...
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
She's more than what she was presented as basically when she was a teenager and was like kind of a lust object. And so I think she is bringing all of those feelings into what she wrote in that sequence too. So it's just, it's very painful and very impactful, but just feels very true.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
There's no evidence that any of those moments happened. Was that on your air gap? Yeah. iPad that you use for all Delphi materials. That's the one where all my off-the-pike research happens there.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Yeah.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
He, like, widens his eyes. She makes a lot of great facial gestures while she's singing where she's rolling her eyes at herself. She's trying to remember, but then she remembers perfectly her anxiety about saying the word Jesse that is communicated only on her face. I mean, it's like a... Beautiful. It's mesmerizing. The last 20 minutes of the movie are just... They hold you.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
My guy Philippe. I can't get out of my head since the moment I saw it. You go by, and you go by, and you go by, and you go by. And the way that he delivers that story about the dream is so... That's the last second he sees her is her going by on the train.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
And it's so achievable.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Well, he also, didn't he say? He must have known her last name. They must have exchanged full names. Because how would she have stumbled upon the book? You know what her last name was? Smoke Show.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Can someone translate that for us into French?
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
But when she's doing her little Nina Simone dance, it's like one of the sexiest scenes in movie history. Despite the fact that they're 10 feet away.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Yeah.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
serious early 30s stuff as small talk whereas when they were in their 20s they wouldn't have done that they would have just been like oh vienna and you do like that idealistic but it's a little bit of a crutch because they're afraid to talk about what they really want to talk about so it's like it's work it's like oh the world these platitudes like you guys are such a great job yeah yeah it seems like a little bit fake a little bit forced that's your early 30s yeah yeah um
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
That's like a big city thing. Yeah, Yossi, who we work with. We live in New York at the same time. We're going to the same bars and the same shows.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I think also the primacy of bookstores and of the international book tour. Yeah. These are not as common, these things. I'm going to say they weren't common in 2004. Yeah.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Oh, okay. Interesting. Yeah. So this book, not enough of a success to justify? I think this would have been a monster book. We can talk about that.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
This book is not about the NBA, though, mind you.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
What if he's big in France? Like, we do have American artists who don't translate. But there's more journalists there than there are fans.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
He said that they only shot at the same time of day every day.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
You get the impression this was a very difficult movie to make despite how modest it is.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
One scene that I love is when they're showing up to her apartment for the first time, and they're walking in, and the woman comes out of the doorway, which is her real-life mother. And the camera turns. And for one of the only times in the whole movie, the camera is not on one of them. And it's on the Courtyard.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
And you see that there's this meal, this sort of barbecue that's happening, and her real-life father is there cooking. And it is a five-second snapshot of what it would be like to live here. And you just understand everything immediately. And it's like incredible storytelling. You can see Tony Parker and Boris Diaw in the background.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
But that's like, he never takes us away from them except for that one moment. Yeah, you're right.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I think that when I watched this movie, it became clear to me that I'm nine years behind the characters and that they're making the movie every nine years. And so this movie felt a little bit more predictive about the future, which is also true for the film that comes after this, in ways that are really impactful on your life.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
It was great. When they're driving in, he's like, you live here? He's so blown away by how beautiful it is.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Pretty busy. She was in New York for four years. She was in the United States of America for four years. Yeah. Yeah.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
We had AOL at that time.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Because when you're a teenager, you don't really have to worry too much about what's coming in your early 20s. But when you're in your early 20s, your early 30s are kind of a scary time. And Selene literally has a nightmare about this feeling. And so just being able to capture that specific feeling would have been enough to make it a really indelible movie. But on top of that,
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
And yet, what he says... Zag for me. ...fits very well into my flex category. Okay. Oh, we can do that right now. So my flex category is a three-way tie. It's the Dracula the Musical Award for Best Imitation of Real Art. Yeah. The three things that are tied are Celine's song, A Waltz for a Night...
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
the cover of Jesse's book, which is called This Time, which looks like a real novel that you would have seen at Barnes & Noble in 2004. And the third is the answers that he gives during his impromptu press conference after his, and including... his quote-unquote reluctance to share what he's going to say for his next novel.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
And then immediately reveals it in full to French journalists at the end of his book tour. And the idea is super flawed and kind of stupid. And yet, the way that Ethan Hawke has an amazing ability to do in being interviewed imbues it with so much... quote-unquote meaning, that you're like, I might read that book.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
That's what I'm saying. Is Jesse... a great artist or is he the future inventor of meta like he a lot of his ideas are like kind of where we are with technology a lot of the time they're much less having to do with creativity what if i could just pay somebody um
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
It's so deeply romantic and so intoxicating and so convincing. I really feel like I'm watching something unfold just like I was when I was watching Sunrise where I'm like, these are not characters. This is not a movie. This is something that I got lucky enough to observe. And it is an all-time movie for me, this one especially.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
That should be part of the Prime Video's Amazon X-ray feature is that you can see the sex PER for every character on screen at any given time. That would be great. That would give a lot of depth.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
But you were very swept up in... Yeah, both things are true, right? You want to see them together and also... He's clearly destroying Henry's life and his psyche for the rest of his life.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I don't know if I can follow that one up. I texted this and I think I believe it. I think the car ride scene is... I don't know if it's the best scene of the 2000s, but it's the scene that makes me feel the most...
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
kind of electrified when I'm watching it and it's on a list with two other scenes that I can think of right off the top of my head which is one the truck flipping over in the dark night where I was like oh my god like this is so exciting and crazy when that happened for the first time and then the other one is yo homie is that my briefcase from collateral when Tom Cruise shoots those two guys in the street and I was like what the fuck like holy cow and I was so like just pumped up and excited and this movie is
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
that scene does the same thing in a different way obviously but where you just can feel everything inside your body when it's happening you're thinking really hard and you're feeling really deeply at the same time so you're saying that should get the okay motherfucker the word for when the movie goes up and down I think so yeah I think so casting what ifs there are none best that guy word there are none
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
And it works just as well on me right now as it did the first time I saw it.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I think it's the bookstore manager. Philippe doesn't really do anything. No.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
It's unclear if he understands anything Jesse says.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Otherwise he's assassinated at the end of the day?
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Lamley, yeah.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
And we still have not seen them in the States together.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Yeah, I've been.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Gets Academy Award nominated. This movie is a beloved classic. Paris? Nope.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Not for me.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Yeah. An American in Paris? Any number of good art films.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Romantic sequels. It's a short list. Yeah. Mamma Mia 2. What else is on that list? Penitentiary 2.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
It's a huge question.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
It's definitely on the list. Is it supposed to be real time? I forget. Is it supposed to be 78 minutes? Yeah, he's saying it's like an 80 minutes between. There is some cutting where we don't actually watch them do every single move out of the cafe into the cafe.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Yeah. Could be her posthumous Apex Mountain. Yeah, that's a good answer. There's a great documentary about her. There's a very bad biopic about her starring Zoe Saldana.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Yeah, what other woodman characters you got on the list?
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
So number two. There's a lot of movies from the 40s that are obviously in the conversation. Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
And Annie Hall. Allie Larder. You're on the record. And A Fair to Remember, that's one that jumps to mind. Casablanca is a huge one. Cruiser Hanks. Can you weigh in on Cruiser Hanks?
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
What if they just recast Jesse with Cruz but didn't acknowledge it?
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
What about screen icon Jennifer Jones? Think of all the great Jennifers. What about Jennifer Flowers? Yours favorite. So all Jennifers are open?
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Bit of a hard line. Mm-hmm. It's kind of right-wing, Jesse. Or is he just... He's very undermining of a lot of her left-leaning ideas. 9-11 had a big impact on him.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
It radicalized him?
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
If the world were just.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
That's a wrap. What do you think? I think they probably have a sort of illicit affair over time and he doesn't go back right away and break it off immediately. And they try to figure... Oh, I disagree.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I wonder that many times.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I mean, he's a 60-year-old man, so he'd be super creepy. Probably not.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Wouldn't you argue that the opposite would be the way to go, though? That he should start in Paris so that she could join him if they hit it off?
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Yeah. Yeah. So maybe he wasn't fully strategizing for this because he'd already had his heart broken so badly. And the book was published and was reviewed and she never tracked him down.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Yeah. I mean, I am at the age that those characters were at in that movie. And so I'm kind of eager to revisit it because I haven't seen it in a really long time. But it's the exact opposite feeling that this movie gives you. Also, this movie is like so much less ambitious structurally, even than the first one. Right. They have like really no side characters at all. No set pieces.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I think no, too. I think she's too scooped out at this point. She's pretty beaten down in this movie.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
You've really got Neil on the brain, I feel like.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Thank you. You'll answer. You had a crush on a girl in high school. Okay. You hadn't thought about her in 10 years. We had Facebook in 2008. Did you ever just pop that name into the search bar? Sure. But they didn't have Facebook. This is the equivalent of that, but this is the equivalent of that.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Is it possible that she hasn't fully revealed how closely she's been tracking him? because she's stealth like been monitoring it and maybe some time had passed and she hadn't thought about him as much but she got lonely or she got she turned 30 and was like oh my god am I not actually where I want to be she googled him found out he was married and decided to
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
The last name is important. We don't know if they exchanged last names. That would be crucial.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Is that era over? What do you mean? It's a dark era. You don't know about this? What's each the best? Lambskin. Just in case. You had an exciting night with a big opportunity. You always kept one in the wallet, but that was not a good idea.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
You had the bad motherfucker, but for unused condoms wallet.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
It's basically one conversation. No poem. One conversation over a few sessions. It's like a one-act play. Yeah. And so you really feel like you're inside of their heads and they're giving you their inner monologues to each other. Right. Which is, I mean, there are very, very few movies that are able to accomplish this. Like people don't usually try it because it's not usually cinematic.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
But not by much. Like I said on the last one we did, I felt like it's really close, but the last one is more up. And this one, even though it has this amazing romantic ending, there's way more pain in this movie. I think Delpy wins.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
Yeah.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
It's almost like it's a made-up category on a podcast.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I think that's not a bad idea. Yeah. But you run a very serious risk, which is you will be very close to the age of the characters in the movie when you watch the next movie. Which I was. Which is a little risky. But isn't it worse if I watch it at 30 now and going, that's where I'm headed? No, I don't think so. I don't think so.
The Rewatchables
‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I think if you find yourself associating with the feelings in the third film, you will have a full-blown midlife crisis. Well... Do you agree?
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
that is so so defining about you I know but it's like you see other people also have problems even the dream couple it's like it is actually totally normal I'm not saying it's not but to be confronted by it is a lot it is a lot it's a very painful movie to watch mentally I am still closer to the sunrise phase in my life than I am to sunset and so I don't even want to think about midnight right you're thinking about wife number two or what do you mean how dare you um
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
You can't... It's my favorite. I didn't know that this movie was 80 minutes when I saw it. And I just remember freaking out when it ended.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I don't know if I've ever had that experience of like, what do you mean it's over? Right. Desperately wanting it to continue.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
So once again, Jesse, a pioneer. Yeah.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
That is how it plays, but with incredible oners moving through Paris, which is really hard to pull off, but also seems effortless when you're watching it.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
I don't know what you mean. I felt like I adequately represented the female perspective in my discussion of her.
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‘Before Sunset’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin
It'll be human centipede, saw five before midnight.
The Rewatchables
‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think that's when I started buying the Sid Field books. And I was like, let me figure this screenwriting thing out. That might be a path. And then in a classic Boston sense, like there was a couple guys from my group that are Massachusetts guys that made it as screenwriters. And then there was a bunch that wanted to be screenwriters that... hated anybody else's success.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So when this first started making the rounds and you're like, what happened? And you're like, oh, this guy was a Harvard kid. And then I guess Damon was there five years and dropped out. So credit to him for staying the course. But it's like, he got together with this dude that was at UVM, but then he chased some girl to California and they're both Boston guys.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And I guess they're like getting this movie made and it's going to be awesome. And then classic, again, Massachusetts dude in our friend group was like, they didn't even write it though, dude. It's like... Like, he already was ready, like, preemptively to be like, if this thing works out, fuck those guys.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So that actually kind of influenced... These guys were way more into it, and I was just buying books. I wasn't even reading them, but I was like, yeah, I'm going to figure this deal out. And it just was such a classic New England, specific to this area, where it's like a couple of homegrown dudes about to make it great, and the immediate part of it was like, yeah, those guys actually suck, though.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, like one of my friends was so excited when he heard this.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He just felt better about himself that he hadn't done anything.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Also, before the internet, you could really just let that one rip and nobody really could check you. I heard William Goldman wrote it.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I feel bad in a way that we're even doing this this early because I don't think any of us actually believe it. If you go down the wormhole of this, because I remember...
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
checking up on it being like is this real like okay it's the end they didn't write it i'm doing great right it's such a fucked up thing when you do when you're younger and the whole argument was so these guys just out of nowhere write this oscar or award-winning screenplay and then they don't write again but i mean the easy counter to that is no they just became two of the biggest movie stars in the world to the 10 biggest stars i love that what goldman said when he finally fully addressed that he was like you
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I feel like that's done. Okay.
The Rewatchables
‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm re-watching this movie this time. It's pretty good. They are throwing alley-oops to him. He really has a lot of meaty scenes in this one. It's pretty good. What do you think, Sean?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And you're like, how long is this going to go? Yeah. But I don't know that I was, like, seven going, I don't like this guy's runway, Dad, you know? Probably didn't look at the world that way back then. But I just love when anybody breaks out of, like, the typecasting of what you are.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And clearly, like, Garp was the first... I don't know if that's his first movie, but he's probably the first time... It's his first big drama.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So now you're starting to realize. But, no, he... I don't know if it's going to come up during the Dion Waiters Award thing, but on the most recent rewatch, and again, I watched it today because of travel and how it worked out. I mean, I'm so fresh off of it. I mean, every single scene with him. It's crushing it. Crushes and it works.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
There's not one piece of dialogue with him where it's not like setting up some other payoff. And I still think the Boston Common scene, like getting to write that and having like, hey, here's this whole explanation and he's not going to come at him, but then it all just ties in together. Like, that's really, that might be the most impressive part of the entire movie.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You know, it's funny you should say that because the other director up for this movie was Michael Mann. And he wanted to make the guys into car thieves. And when I found that out, this movie got 5% worse to me because I was like, shit, I need goodwill car thief.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, but if you think about the pitch of what it really is, it's like it's a girlfriend in therapy. Like, I can't believe I saw it.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
This is like the math scene.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Do we?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, I was going to yell The Departed, but I don't... I like The Town so much better than The Departed. I'm glad you went that way.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Damon's unbelievable in this movie. Do you ever think about him writing his own speeches, though? Do you ever think that that should be some sort of demerit? Because if Jack Nicholson could always just write his own scenes... Is this you justifying never having won an award? No. If you write all your own material? But I think Damon is like...
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Even scenes that I thought of as Robin Williams scenes, like Damon is unbelievable in them. So he is very deserving. I thought he was awesome. What do you think, Priscilla?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Look, I don't think I've made it all the way through as good as it gets.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I don't even think I should have a vote. This is like, hey, have you watched the NBA this year? Do you want a Defensive Player of the Year award? I'm like, sure. Um... I mean, somebody the other night said that Miles Turner's in the running, and I'm like, what the fuck? But I guess Robin Williams is so good that I think it may have hurt Damon's case.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
after the cat thing he got destroyed and the odds changed have you not paid attention to all these media members basically saying everybody is on the same page about him right now so there's a little Sunday preview and then Good Will Hunting wins over Boogie Nights what do we think all these years later for screenplay it's a tough one I don't know if I have an answer what's your answer if we're not doing it in Lansdowne Street
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Pick one. Chris? I don't have anything cute. It's The Departed. Even though a lot of it is shot in New York, it's still The Departed. Or Toronto.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Who won Best Director this year?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I think Paul Thomas Anderson should have won.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Did you read Ebert's review?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I don't like his tone. Also, in the body of the review, Ebert just gives away Chucky's monologue. He's just like, oh, and then Chucky says this. And I'm like, this is the best part of the film. Right.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm still, I didn't know that. I know you guys like read these every week. There's so many bad versions of this movie and this one made it feel authentic and it was a good ending. It was a happy ending.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And it didn't, you know, all these movies are like, oh, it's just going to be happy at the end. Cool. This one felt like you actually felt really happy at the end. Three and a half stars seems fair. I think he gave it three stars.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Do you think Ebert saw the Michael Mann screen test footage? Could be. He was waiting for the cars to chase Damon.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I... Not a close friend, but... We were doing promotion for Patriot's Day.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So he's making the movie. He's from here. Yeah. And his hat's on backwards. And somebody's like, yeah, exactly. I mean, it's the same thing as people hearing about them writing this amazing screenplay. It's like, so they're going to make a movie? What, do they think they're cool?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I don't want to jump in, but this is Apex Mountain for Bunker Hill. I mean, it's been all downhill since. And no offense to any alums, but when your boy fucked up his first semester at UVM, and then I got a three and a half hour speech on the ride back up after fall semester by my father, we drove by Bunker Hill on 93, and he was like, we could just stop here and drop you off.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And so I've never thought of Bunker Hill in my life without that moment of like, it's a lot cheaper. If this is the effort you're going to put in, I don't have to drive three and a half hours, three and a half hours back. He's like, we can find you a place in Somerville. It's going to be cheaper. And we can just wrap this up. I was like, all right, look, let's just get back to Vermont.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'll try harder. And so every time I would drive past Bunker Hill, I'm like... There's a rassilopath there. Could have gone different.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You guys both love fitness, though. I mean, you have a lot in common.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Got some notes.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
What about the music choice for the fight scene?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm still confused.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think he was zagging. We couldn't throw a little Ed O.G. or Tim Dog in there when they're fighting? I just didn't get that.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Not the berry, but the fruit, y'all. Next we watch the scene.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Over.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, true. I do. I always love how, like, really big celebrities end interviews in a way that you're like... He's like, hey, man, maybe next time we'll just do it in person. We'll get a workout in. I was like, awesome. And then... He closes the Zoom and Cerruti and I are like, that's never gonna happen.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I don't know what... You think Shea Hillenbrand has become more patient because he takes the first pitch now, which everyone in the league knows that he's going to do, which actually counteracts his patience because he's the most predictable at-bat in fucking Major League Baseball? That would happen.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Uh, I was, I was a little bit, when I got here, how old was I? I was, uh, like 27, 28. Okay. So it was, it was kind of out of me by then. The funny thing is I actually got bigger when I needed it. And when I was more of a dickhead, I was smaller. So it didn't really match. It's actually probably better for everybody involved.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. The thing I've always wondered is, was that guy named Clark? Is the Scott Winters character?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Is the ponytail a tribute to Revolutionary War era hairstyles? But yeah, I mean, it's just incredible back-getting by the friend group.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, that's right. And Stellan Skarsgård in Amistad. If he had just been nicer, he might have met his hero. Some good shout-outs to Thomas Zinn.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'll tell you what, though. Imagine if you were really in that field, and you're like...
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
watching that movie and you go damon actually just i'm not a free thinker i'm 43 right like that's exactly i believed all like that that scene fucked up at least one person in a way that we'll never understand and it also makes me like like did damon just hate that course so much yeah yeah it was building inside him for 10 years that's not just normal dialogue yeah
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But he had a great rule because accents would be a big part of this discussion is I said, when you were casting for Patriot State, what did you tell everybody? And he was like, you have one chance. And then if I don't like it, you're just gonna talk like a normal person. And I think it's a great rule. It's a good rule, and we got better at it.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Up to you, man. Why is the answer yes? There's no good outcome by saying yes. If Clark just goes, I'm not, and turns back around to the three girls at Dunkin' Donuts, the night's over, but he gets to throw the scholar's number up. Can we just dissect it a little bit more, though?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I'm glad you're doing this.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But I like that Clark walks it up to the edge twice where they're just like, do you want to go outside? And he's just like, no, I just want to be pedantic about Gordon Wood. But does that work in bar fight scenarios? I've never fucking tried it.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
When you're ready to break a guy's head open. There's a couple things. I've never quite understood what it meant.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Whatever. I mean, there had to be some, I guess, final moment, and so they came up with something. I've never heard anyone ever say that until the movie came out. And then it... Obviously, a bunch of dudes said it for a really long time. But... Your thing on why would you even go with these guys, I would disagree with that.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Because I think when you're, the whole point of them being in Cambridge, and I remember even back when I was in school, this ROTC crew would come out when they had leave. It was the worst. So we're all like 185 pounds with our game hats on, but we were all just clones of each other, so no one was really afraid of anybody else.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And then these Rossi guys would come up and hit on these girls from Greenwich, Connecticut, and they were horrified. They'd be like, what are you, on student aid or something? Get the fuck away from me. I'm from Riverside. What the fuck? I'm from Newton or something. And they were just like, why are these commoners talking to us? And then they'd grab one of us morons and be like, hey, dude.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And then it would be like, what have you ever done for your country? And we'd always get our ass kicked. But the point is, is that... You would feel protective of your neighborhood. And I think in this case, Clark is just like, even if you guys would kill us, you're not supposed to be here. And look, Minnie's at Harvard. I don't know what it was like in 97 because I wasn't here.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So maybe, but you know, that's, they're not just going to give her away to out of staters.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, but they redid the can tab. I've had like two birthday parties there and I recently stopped in again and it's like nice now. So I was like, fuck. I think I played quarters there one night with a case and then they were like, do you work here?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. I thought it was Pesci's mom and good fellows. Uh, uh,
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. Okay. Also love Damon saying, let the healing begin.
The Rewatchables
‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Bill, wasn't it on the Departed pod that we talked about the combat zone? That's where we were all afternoon.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You notice they've never done it here again?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Two roommates of mine did it, and they didn't hit stop on the camcorder. So one guy sat down, did his thing, and then got up, and then the next guy. And so to this day, he's like, I don't think they waited to see mine. Yeah, that was the problem. And you're like, you think that's why you didn't get picked? Because of patience?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
To be fair, I think it would bug you if he was skipping a Hornets-Blazers game. You'd be like, what?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Right? Or they would have just given it to somebody who wanted it really bad. I don't know if I'd come back from it.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's a good point.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And this story serves as the emotional metaphor for the entire movie.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I kind of agree with Bill. I don't think that guy doesn't go to game six.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, it's funny. It's one of those runtime movies where you're like, wait a second, they haven't done like X, Y, and Z and they're just hit after hit after hit at the end of the album.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Wait, we didn't pick the rewatchable scene.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
If you're still making that joke in 20 years. You know what I think it did? It's funny because when you start to really see the stuff that works, it can be really, really predictable. And then if it becomes too predictable... it kind of loses it. And the funniest thing about this movie for me and why I appreciate it so much is that it's actually very predictable. But it never feels forced.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's not that you have to be surprised here. It's just the flow of the storytelling. And so for something as innocuous as Affleck to be like, I just hope You know, the best part of my day is that moment where I'm hoping you're not there. Yeah. So then you kind of know, like, that moment's going to happen. That closes it. See about a girl. There's like three different things that close it.
The Rewatchables
‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The car, because they have to give him a car because he didn't have one to drive cross country. There's just these things that you guys are talking about, just the heat zone that you're in at the end of this movie. I don't know. It's not that there's some twist. It's not that there's something that shocks you. It doesn't have any of those things. And there's so many movies that fuck this up. Yeah.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And they're just perfect with it towards the end.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, there's some bad versions of this where he shows up at the airport. Or there's some version of it where... Or he shows up right after the plane leaves. Yeah.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's like the 1995 indie movie version where it's like, ah, shit. But yeah, getting into what his trauma was, also giving the therapist as much time and space to have his own story usually doesn't happen. It's just such a great character study.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, but Sean, you're right. There's not really this... When we were thinking about the rewatchable scenes when I was even prepping for this pod, I was like, there's a couple good lines, but there's no... Do you want to be emotionally drained and watch It's Not Your Fault a couple times a week?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It wasn't his fault.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But you know what I mean? You're right. In a two-hour movie, you're like, okay... there's something bad and then it has to get even worse. And I'm pretty sure because they made it, they're going to figure out how to make it better. Um, I mean really for this, if you're going by that simple formula, which is basically almost every form of storytelling, uh, what's the, what's the thing?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Like it's the breakthrough, you know, the breakthrough, but normally that wouldn't be allowed to even have, have it happen that late. Like I bet you if you try to make it now, the note would be have the breakthrough at like an hour.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's also fun to imagine Gus Van Samp being like, can we have some rebar fall and hit Chucky right here?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Right as he finishes it. No, but it's a great point because he doesn't get to show off until that moment. Well, that's why when I did that... I mean, it's pretty crazy if you wrote the screenplay. It's like you didn't hook yourself up a little bit earlier.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It was going to take a long time to pack, I don't think.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think it's... I think it's probably the first therapy scene, actually. I really love that one. And I love the analysis of the art. It's just such a great setup for those two characters. Sean?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
By the way, the state trooper story... I heard that in college from a guy from like Hingham and then thought it was real. So is that like the life serial kid died eating Pop Rocks? Yeah. Like every single one of us has heard that story. And then when it happened in the movie, I'm like, holy shit, that happened to him too. Maybe no one's ever had that story, but it was just a legend thing.
The Rewatchables
‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Rewatchable. We haven't given, um, We haven't given many enough love here, okay? It's coming. We can do it now, though.
The Rewatchables
‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The first kiss scene is like one of the most natural, cool, non-forced, these people from completely different walks of life, and having that moment where you're immediately comfortable with somebody in a way that just seems impossible when you barely know them, that is the most brilliant part of them. I mean, the Robin Williams stuff is tough to compete with, but...
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
She's so believable, and the relationship is so believable. I mean, other than he's just like, I know how to do everything when they have coffee that day. I just, I don't know. It hit me today. I was like, man, all of these scenes with her are just fantastic, and you never, it's not like I wanted the whole movie to be about her, but I just thought that lunch and burger kiss was really cool.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, let's get the kiss out of the way.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
They were trying to make it like the opposite of this dramatic moment, which it would normally be in every other movie.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I have the fact that there's no internet, so Will Hunting doesn't spend all his time on Red Sox Reddit shit-talking Mo Vaughn. This guy can't fucking hit with guys in front of his own face.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
What do you got, Russell? It's a pretty diverse film. LAUGHTER LAUGHTER I don't know in 2025. What do you mean there's Irish and Italian guys in this movie? Yeah. Carmine. Carmine.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I got a couple. I got Will explaining how jokes work to a character played by Robin Williams. And Will's art criticism, I think you're one step away from cutting your fucking ear off. You kind of lost that sharp elbow style critique of popular culture. I've got to bring that back.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And just like the formation of the group, the smart one, quiet one, loud one, dumb one, like perfect The Beatles right there.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. And I think it's really cool that they still obviously have a place in their hearts for like, they're like, it's never going to be like that again. And it's the most special movie I think either of them have ever made to themselves. When you read that oral history that was in Boston Magazine, you can tell they still like think about this experience so clearly. Yeah.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Sorry, Jack. Look, that's the right answer because I was watching the Oscar acceptance speech this morning. It's great.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I mean, it looks like a bit.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Security is supposed to come over and be like, who are you guys? Yeah. I remember Dennis Miller when he had his HBO show. He played the clip. And he goes, what we didn't hear when they went to commercial was, we're going to get so laid.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
This sheer euphoria, which also in that clip you can see Minnie Driver miserable because Damon dumped her in real life.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And he's like, dude, I'm about to win a fucking Oscar. Yeah. Like, you know, I'm not staying. Like, I got to see what's in the mix. But... Boston accents, I think, age the best because I had guys, as we know, it skips generations. It skips geographical areas.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
You can be separated by five miles and you're like, I know what you're saying and you're never going to pronounce the word drawer in your entire life. So we had guys come back that summer and I had a buddy, and we were out at a bar, and the girls were like, where are you guys from? He's like, oh, I'm from Lubin. I'm like, who the fuck are you? Because he never had it. He never had it.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I go, what are you doing? He's like, dude, I'm calling home. I just pick it up. I'm like, yeah, except you've never had it the whole time I've known you. This is our fifth year of knowing each other and you've never picked it up. Come on, what are you doing? And Good Will Hunting is responsible for that. And Good Will Hunting, Boston guys became like a novelty in L.A.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
They were like, hey, we've got this really dumb kid from Framingham who's going to talk like Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in real life. Let's hire him as a PA. Do you guys want to watch him talk and get some drinks?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's kind of like how we feel about Grandland.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
There's a great bit in the oral history about the costume designer wanted to dress them almost like... in homeless rags, and they had to call somebody from Reebok to rush tracksuits to Chucky. Right.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He's the best. No one's better. I mean, the Armageddon one. I'll randomly remind myself to watch those clips.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
There's two that are lost here. Okay. Because you could argue this movie's really about math culture. Yeah. Which I don't see brought up a lot. Yeah, not... But when the professor is at the reunion and the undergrad is like, hey, and he's like, it's Saturday, unless you want to have a drink tonight. Yeah. You're like, what the fuck?
The Rewatchables
‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The second one is better. Is it the post-Plympton session? Yeah. So Plympton yells, Ballyhoo. Plympton kills it. We'll see how the awards shake out.
The Rewatchables
‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
we just come into the scene and he's turned to some other undergrad he's like math is erotic and like they don't you kind of wonder like is there gonna be i don't know that you would be allowed to just throw that in there without somebody giving you the note of like where the hell does that go yeah yeah the sean penn i brought my own pack award for excellence in on-screen smoking
The Rewatchables
‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh my God, but Bill, we have a moment here. Cole Hauser's last cigarette in this movie is the smoking equivalent of Daniel Day-Lewis building an oil derrick in the beginning of There Will Be Blood. He comes into the bar when they give him the car.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
last puff smokes it down to the butt grinds it out and then goes like this to be like i got the car for him and gets beers with one gesture yeah it's just like a fucking triple axle plans it and then the next thing you know he's outside he's just like it's a good engine yeah hauser king CR, what'd you end up with for Great Shot Gordo?
The Rewatchables
‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I love that when Chucky's monologue starts, they stay on Damon. And so the first half of Chucky's monologue is like Damon with the construction, the bulldozer behind him. And it's like, this is this guy's future if he doesn't listen to his friend right now. But it takes a lot, like you guys were talking about with Affleck's humility in this movie. It's like, that's his Oscar reel.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's his highlight tape. That's the one. And he's like, spend half of it on my best friend. That's incredible.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
His full character name is Morgan O'Malley. Are you sure we're not... He's good. That's good, too.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I just wondered, like, if they would go, we can't do Sullivan... And then maybe they argued about it forever, and they were like, let's just make it Sullivan. They felt like they had to pick a more obscure one.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He's a professor at MIT. He probably knows. I mean, just because he couldn't hold up to Dane.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Are we sure he deserved the Fields Medal?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Do you know what drives me crazy? Guys getting blown out of water by the janitor. Like, come on. We were talking about this backstage. Math podcasts are starting Fields Medal conversations way too early.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Right. It is Bunker Hill.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He made me reconsider him. I gotta tell you, if he had a math background, he didn't want to talk about it with me. He's sitting there with one of apparently the three best mathematicians on the planet. And he was like, my wife farts a lot.
The Rewatchables
‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I got this. It's Tom, the graduate assistant. Fucking... He gives absolutely nothing in this movie. Nothing. No emotion. There's a really good plot line here where he could get really jealous of Will and he's just complete Hannibal Lecter the entire time. I know he's an actual mathematician and was there for Verissa Millitude, but Jesus Christ, he's just so straight-faced the entire time.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Pretty good one. What do you got, Ryan?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So you're talking about the actual character or... Or a question. We clink whatever you want it to be. That car doesn't make it past Springfield.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I got this later.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Absolutely not. What was Will's plan here? Chuckie's picking him up later that night. They get into a fight in Springfield. They get their asses handed to them.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Right. Then the hour's another movie where they go back with a bigger crew.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's like right after the I-90 exit, but before Sturbridge. This was actually my Z-Want-Neo award for what happens the next day is that the car breaks down somewhere in the Midwest. Will goes to a bar while the transmission's getting fixed, gets in a fight, gets regarding Henry, becomes dumb... forgets everybody else in his life and is destined to work as a janitor in a community college.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's amazing.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh, there's also another part. Why are those three guys chipping in to buy a car for the only guy that's about to make 80 grand a year? That's a great point.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I feel like Mel's had a slightly better re-entry.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Do you think the guys from Southie were really modeling their hair off Backstreet Boys at the time?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Jerry Lambeau not having heard of Ted Kaczynski in 1996 after he had been arrested and was like one of the most famous criminals in the country. Yeah, that's tough. Will attacking the drywall over Skyler's head. Probably want to dial that down. And the last one was, oh yeah, pre-Jason Bourne fighting from Matt Damon. Oh, I like what you did there.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think he took it up a notch, but the slow-mo is not his best work.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
A little badass over here. What do you got for what's at your worst? Probably math is erotic, again.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Also, probably the 10-plus years of... any conversation with my buddies, if there was a dramatic pause, and then they would look at you, and they would go, it's not your fault.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm glad there wasn't any like reveal on where that was going.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So she answers and says, is this Lambo again? Yeah. And then hangs up and says, freak. Yeah. Although the day scarf all the time checks out.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's still their script. But yeah, I think the NSA scene towards the end of the movie might be one of the remnants of that spy caper.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I don't think so. Good Will Hunted is really creeping into my brain, though. Wicked Smart? No.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
We still have a lot of years left to go to see whether this thing pans out. You're not done yet. You know? I have... Will is actually the guy who he is making fun of at the Harvard bar. Because when he goes into Robin Williams' office and starts kicking all the Howard Zinn shit to him, he is talking to a guy who actually went to Vietnam and has had all the experiences.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But he's just regurgitating what he read in Chomsky, which is exactly what Clark is doing in that bar. So, Will, no better than Clark. Interesting. Yeah.
The Rewatchables
‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think Alec Baldwin, The Departed, The Driving Range is... I mean, it's not the volume, but the wind shares per 48 are... The world needs plenty of bartenders. Right.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Kevin Smith was basically like, I'm not good enough to make this, right? Best that guy. Yeah, he was like, I'm not a visually gifted actor.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, he said, I wouldn't dare direct this movie. Honestly, I mean, is he wrong? Yeah, it is. But then he got him in Dogma, which is very similar. That's true.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
What do you got, Russillo? You know the Jimmy Flynn stuff, right?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So he was like a real dude.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. I don't know. I feel like Cole knew he was dealing with three local guys. and he deserves it because he didn't try to keep up with him. He just knew, and he's like, and then I'll make the most out of these things. And then he was named sexiest man alive 25 years later.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, because I interviewed him, and I was like, do you regret getting married so soon?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
She's going to hang on for two decades.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, if you just wrote this out until you were ripped, who knows? Yeah. but he didn't want to answer that. Did you look at Rip? Did you give the second Fast and Furious a chance? Because you were like, all right, cool.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh, yeah.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
He was like, leave that in. He...
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I looked up Goodwill Humping.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's almost too creative for porn, though.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I looked up Goodwill Humping on my Spotify computer today.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I did spend quite a lot of time on metal websites today from 2000, like 1998 to 2000, trying to track that relationship. It was rocky, yeah.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Imagine hitting on her post-Lars and Matt Damon and just being a regular guy. Yeah. Like, who does your auto insurance?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Sure. It is the best something has ever been in a movie. Let's say that. Or in real life.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Why don't we call it Juice Mountain?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Bunker Hill?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's also like a haunting image.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I have Gus Van Zandt.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Math? Math? This or Pie? Or Beautiful Mind. Is that math or is that yarn?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Like not the theory of relativity?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, we're not including real formulas. I'm just talking about math and a movie. I don't know. I feel like we haven't really done it. He's apparently the smartest math person in the world.
The Rewatchables
‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Let me just offer up Gross Point Blank.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Again, maybe apex for accents, not just because the boss is part of it, but in this one we get... She's from London, right? Yeah. Again, we've lost... I mean, I don't want to get into immigration right now, but... We've lost so many roles to the English. Right, that's true. Which I thought we sorted out in the backyard over here a couple hundred years ago. But... Right over there. She...
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
She's from London, so I didn't know that at first. I was like, God, she's nailing that. Makes sense. But then she gives us a little Irish, right? She gives us a little Russian and a James Bond deal. And then, even in gross point blank, she throws a few Jamaican phrases at you. So, you know, five tool.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Andor, yes.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Like, was that the hardest shot in the entire movie? And then somebody was like, yeah, we're going to do it in the part where everybody leaves. Right. Yeah, was it like a helicopter flying low?
The Rewatchables
‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It was probably a truck driving behind him, right? Maybe, but I mean, if you think about the budget for this film and how simple most of it was to shoot, I had to think somebody would be like, why are we actually making the most difficult shot of the entire movie on something that no one is going to watch?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Did somebody just try to correct you?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But would you say or would you go with something else? I think the TV show Boston Common is Apex Boston Common, which I still can't believe wasn't picked up.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
In what part? I think Hanks would have done a good McGuire, but I think young Cruz would be a perfect... I'm sure Cruz was kicking himself. He's like, I've never thought to be a janitor who's also a genius.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Am I fast?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Because I think it's really funny they went with a choice where Damon's still putting his clothes on, on the green in Harvard. Yeah. Like his shirt is off. Yeah. He couldn't put his fucking boots on. He was in such a hurry. Like, I get the walk of shame. It's like, dude, lace him up first. I know. And I know you look pretty good with your shirt off. It's a violation.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Cruise would have been running.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think it would have made more sense. Yeah, right. Although, with the newest information... Stock up or stock down? Right, right. Does anyone have Mint Mobile? Like, what the fuck are you texting me from?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Seeing that scene again, I was like, does that move the story at all?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
If you're Cole Hauser, are you like, so this guy just gets, like, all these lines? Like...
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I have a nerd one for you. The dedication of the movie at the end. There's no way anyone... It's such a young guy thing to do. This goes out to Ginsburg and Burroughs. It's like the last thing at the end of the class. It's the last thing, a dedication to those guys. And I wouldn't have noticed it because today I was like, how long does this shot go again?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And then I saw that dedication, and I was like, that's something we're going to show everybody.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Do you think anybody's checked the actual math?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
There's interesting Reddit threads that are like, it's not that hard. I love that.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
um so how did they get there what did they talk about on the way i just have a lot of questions i know they're doing movie devices with that but um it's a lot of silence on the way there what do you have cr uh picking it's i why is will pitching at the batting cages and if this is boston aren't there a bunch of guys like get the fuck out of the way i'm trying to hit like what are you doing over there you know like uh
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I also feel kind of in the same vein.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think for it to be, well, I don't know if we're fixing this movie because I think it was pretty good and people liked it, but I think Damon needs to be hammered on that red line, like towards the end. Sober to Braintree. He's going to wake up North Station going, what? So he's slumped over against that metal car thing. I know he didn't have a car until the end. I'm so lost right now.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I've never seen anyone allowed to actually just start pitching to his buddy.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. And they're not even like working on Chucky's swing. They're like doing all this jerking around.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, but see, I think once we saw Affleck shoot and on the way back, it was like, uh-oh. That's why they had Damon throwing. Yeah. And then they never let Affleck take a cut.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. The only other one I had was when Skyler is talking about, like, I'm a basketball player. I should be in the NBA. I feel like a guy with Will's temper would have been like, you don't know what MLK has to do to get those guys ready every night. Antoine Walker and Dana Barrows. There's a lot of personalities in that locker room. You couldn't do that.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Like, dude, she's fucking weird. She talks funny. Maybe if they did it now.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Patrick? His last name's McBride, right? Like in terms of like, that's what it's credited as.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
There's also another car there, too, which begs the other question. Was Will Hunting a hoarder?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's really good. This is why you're you. Any other nitpicks? Because I wonder when they wrote the script, they're like, okay, we're building to the end where he chases the girl he drives to California, right? Yeah. And it's like, well, he doesn't have a car. So maybe that was like a last minute thing. Like, hey, we have to have some moment where he gets a car for his 21st birthday.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
But you're right, that doesn't make sense.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think other than the fighting, morally, they're pretty good. Because Chucky should be dealing drugs. Yeah. You mentioned the hacking part of it. So maybe because he's like, I at least got to give him my two weeks.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Will's like six weeks away from starting a serious Holden poker obsession anyways. Right.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, I mean, in my version, he's still a janitor in the Midwest, and they're all looking for him.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, because I know what's already happened to the other three, so that's not a mystery. But I just cannot express how much Will is going to hate going out in Santa Monica.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, he's going to be like, dude, what? You know, it's just not.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Hates it.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Oh, he'd probably like it. Yeah, I think he'd be all right there. He'd find his people, hang out with some kings. Especially in 97. I mean, granted, he's not going to have the down payment. Maybe he can get some sort of government loan, lower rate.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I really like that train shot, but I don't think Will Hunting is sober for that one.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I do like the idea of as Will and Skyler are breaking up and Chris Collinsworth's just like, Oh, Mike! He's only breaking up with Skyler because of the generational trauma. It's led to self-loathing. Don Shula always told me, you gotta love yourself before you love somebody else. And then as Skyler's crying, the Fox NFL injury jazz plays. Or, we could do... Goddamn, Will!
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
How do you know I was working with Superbrain? You went out here solving intermediate graph theory with an adjacency matrix? And closing on Skyler, you better stop getting in fights with Cormon Scarpaglia in public or you're going away a long fucking time, big boy.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think this movie captures it. It's the, like, you think you're better than me. It's, like, all over those four guys, and they're constantly fighting against their lot in life, and Will's their, like, shining star who can break out of it.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I don't have one of those.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
No, I really don't want to do anything except watch.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, look, you know, hard markers in this town. So, I just, I still think there's, like, what is he capable of? Will Hunting.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Are you saying this is regular season math?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
CR, just won an Oscar. Who gets it? I'm pretty fine with Robin Williams getting the Oscar. No Damon? Yeah, well, we're just doing one Oscar, so I'm good for Robin Williams. Fantasy?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
If you had to pick. Oh, no. Chucky. You can't... I mean, look, Jem's more fun.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Jem's like... Yeah, right. Bullshit. If you had to rent a house in the Cape, would you rent it with Chucky or Jem?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think it would be good, but it would be nowhere near what we get. I think Damon probably has access to a little bit more of that golden boy vulnerability. Affleck is the perfect, I'm kind of happy-go-lucky, here for a good time guy.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I wouldn't have thought that, but then... But can you see Affleck solving math problems in a chalkboard? He does it in The Accountant. That's true.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, no, I just, what happens if this movie is set after 04 and after the Red Sox win the series? Oh, it becomes Game 5 LCS maybe? Yeah.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, because I think there's like a nitpicking thing. If he turns 21 in this movie, it's 97, whatever. So that means he is born in 76 and he's freaking out about Game 6. But the thing is, as we know here, like I was zero or I was a couple months old when that game happened and I knew about that game.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Like, I knew about that game in a way that I don't think people would understand how you could be conscious of this game that happened before you were born because, you know, at the time, it was pretty much considered the greatest game in the history of baseball.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
So I think there have been people that have given that whole part, like, it doesn't match up, the time doesn't match up, and it's like, well, no, you don't understand it because if you don't grow up with that, you don't understand that every kid that grew up a Red Sox fan knew about that game even it happened years before he was born.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I think I actually, when I was really little, I was like, it blew my mind when I was seven. It was like, they lost that?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Well, no, I mean, I kind of already hit on it that I think he ends up in Springfield and Chucky comes to get him. And then, you know, Springfield, I think, is actually late 90s scarier than Southie would ever be. And those guys would overestimate their Southie upbringing. Yeah. And you're like, well, we got this.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's like Springfield's a whole... Yeah, they think it's like a 12 seed against a five or something.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Not the glove.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The painting would be interesting.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I like Robin Williams' socks jacket. It's great.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
This is my whole thing. I actually think there's a lot of people walking around thinking it isn't their fault. Matt Damon picked a fight with Carmine. I mean, that was his fault. Right. He didn't have to pick that fight.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Granny Smith's, but not Macintosh really.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I have air just to bookend it, and plus after it gets to the end of Good Will Hunting, I don't know if you want to get super serious and watch Ordinary People or something. I have air. Fantasy?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Priscilla? Armageddon. To give Ben a little bit more chance to shine.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Who won the movie? I have Damon, even though he doesn't get the Oscar, but Damon is the star of the movie and the writer of the movie.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, I mean, if we want to be real difficult, I think in the Boston Common scene, which is an incredible scene, which I know we'll get to, but... Williams has a couple.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
They did it and they stayed. Yeah. Because you would have shorted them as a stock after that speech. You'd be like, okay, well, this isn't going to work. And it works. And they've done... I mean, it's just the way people always think. And probably in a weird way, it's like, okay, cool, you got this thing, but now go away. I don't want you to really... have this work.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
They're not complete outsiders because they had roles in other stuff. So normally if we were just talking about a character or whatever, Robin Williams nails every single scene. But I just can't imagine what that feeling would be like to be in your 20s, have this idea, pursue this thing. Everybody's telling you it's not going to work. All the moments where you're convinced it's never going to work.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And then you're sitting there holding an award for best original screenplay and then back it up with three decades of work. I don't know how you split it up.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
How many do they have to win before you pot about them?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I'm not saying we should take it away.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I know. I think it's great when a receiver who's already been on like two teams in the last 12 months and is still available and you give him $26 million guaranteed in the first year who he seems to get along with everybody.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Can you do it any better than that?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That's in episode eight of the Celtics doc.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah. What's next for you? Well, we're going to be at Coolidge all weekend, hanging out. Good for us.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Sean's going to be doing therapy for people for free on the street.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
That would be quite the meet and greet.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Russell, what's next for you? We got an Uber headed to the Squire about 15. Okay. Fantasy? Fantasy.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
By the way, what about Casey wearing the I Hate L.A. T-shirt?
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Right, but... Like, that had to be a hand-me-down.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, his older brother had it. I was supposed to be there the other day. They were like, Gus, we have to have a drone shot of Fenway.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Yeah, because I think, you know, obviously the thing that's really cool in the Affleck scene with Damon where he's just like, you know, I'd kill to have what you have. You know, depending on where you're at, especially when you're younger and you're kind of like accepting your fate a little bit. I think they did a really good job with not overdoing it.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
Those guys were about every day getting up, completing a task, beers afterwards, rinse, repeat, and they had already accepted it. And they didn't do it in a way that... You just kind of already knew who they were without having to have extra scenes of those guys doing the same stuff over and over again.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
It's not one you rewatch.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
There's also, like, even in the credits for this movie, there's Kevin Smith, there's Lawrence Bender. So they're all, like, these names from that indie scene pop up behind the scenes in this one.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I was listening to you guys, I think when you did the Pulp Fiction stuff, and the story of this kind of indie film, but obviously once people got involved, it just became this blockbuster, but you can kind of lose sight of the origin part of it. But I still think we're only a few years removed from that, where... people all of a sudden wanted these movies that felt smaller scale.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
And the budget for this is nothing. But it's funny that it worked as kind of an indie movie, but at the same time, you could have seen it cast with all... The story just still works. So it doesn't feel like you're watching Slacker or something, where you're like, okay, did you guys shoot this on VHS? But there was just a demand for all of these years after that run of...
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I don't know how it falls in, but it's kind of like a hybrid of those two.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
I mean, I think I remember seeing... Like, I remember seeing Affleck in Dazed and being like, that guy's a prick. He seems like... Like, that'll be like what he does in the movies. Oh, Banyan. But it wasn't like, I was like, these two guys are marked for superstardom for the next 30 years.
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‘Good Will Hunting’ Live From Boston With Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
The only thing that's really funny about the Affleck part of it is he went to UVM and dropped out. So I remember I had – everybody at this year had, like, left. I was like, hey, we're all staying here, like, five years, right? And then – Literally everybody was gone. And so then, you know, whatever. I hope everybody makes fun of me because I know Bill's ready too.