The Eleventh Annual Blank Check Awards with Joe Reid

Live from our windowless studio in Downtown Brooklyn, it's the 11th Annual Blankies! Joe Reid joins us once again to give out golden Wattos to our favorite films, performances, and craftspeople of the year. Some of our picks are certainly part of the greater award season conversation. Others are Materialists. Join us as we honor the best Putters and Murmurs, the Wettest flicks of the year, and as Griffin debuts his latest Billy Crystal opening showtune. Listen to This Had Oscar Buzz https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-had-oscar-buzz/id1397188193 Watch Igby Goes Down https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiixYclELs8 Sign up for Check Book https://blankcheckpod.substack.com/welcome, the Blank Check newsletter featuring even more “real nerdy shit” to feed your pop culture obsession. Dossier excerpts, film biz AND burger reports, and even more exclusive content you won’t want to miss out on. Join our Patreon for franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. http://www.patreon.com/blankcheck Follow us @blankcheckpod on Twitter https://x.com/blankcheckpod?lang=en, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/blankcheckpod/?hl=en, Threads https://www.threads.net/@blankcheckpod?xmt=AQGzctAh4mbWTwYzCV1pzNT6AMV9o99EOfymi8TLR5mTde0 and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/blankcheckpodcast/! Buy some real nerdy merch https://kinshipgoods.com/blankcheck Connect with other Blankies on our Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/blankies/s/gpcOkQr8Sv or Discord https://discord.gg/Q6YGSR3JrA For anything else, check out BlankCheckPod.com https://www.blankcheckpod.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:02Griffin Newman?

  David?

• 0:03Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 0:03Griffin Newman?

  We did a live show.

• 0:04Speaker 01

  Yeah, remember?

• 0:05Griffin Newman?

  Ranking Scorsese at the Bell House in Brooklyn. We did the definitive power ranking of Martin Scorsese things.

• 0:12Speaker 01

  It was so fun. It was very silly.

• 0:15Griffin Newman?

  Ben and Marie were with us and they're with us right now.

• 0:18Speaker 01

  Yeah, hey.

• 0:18Speaker 02

  Hey, everyone, or should I say, oh? Oh.

• 0:22Griffin Newman?

  And thanks to our friends at Dynasty Typewriter. It was livestreamed for the first time ever. But also, the replay is still up there, but only until October 30th.

• 0:31Speaker 01

  So just a few more days.

• 0:33Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 0:33Speaker 01

  You can get it at dynasty.tv.

• 0:36Griffin Newman?

  Dynasty.tv.

• 0:38Speaker 01

  It's $20. We had a blast and the Spread Master really got to work.

• 0:43Griffin Newman?

  Oh, yeah. I was moving things around. Laptop was on.

• 0:46Speaker 02

  I don't know if I'd have seen you that happy.

• 0:48Griffin Newman?

  You were thrilled. You were like a pick and share.

• 0:50Speaker 01

  I was locked in.

• 0:51Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, very locked in and you were funny.

• 0:53Speaker 01

  Thank you. You were funny. You were also funny.

• 0:56Griffin Newman?

  Oh, thank you.

• 0:57Speaker 01

  And if you want to see like, you know, Griffin's shine box on camera, it's the only way to see it.

• 1:02Griffin Newman?

  You might see me shine Marie's shoes.

• 1:04Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 1:05Speaker 02

  Yeah, if you're into that sort of content.

• 1:07Griffin Newman?

  If that gets you off.

• 1:09Speaker 02

  Okay.

• 1:10Speaker 01

  So once again, that's at dynasty.tv.

• 1:25Speaker 03

  Live from a windowless studio in Brooklyn, New York, it's the 11th Annual Blankies.

• 1:48Speaker 03

  All the stars are out tonight. Oh, is that Ella McKay's deadbeat pizza husband I see on the red carpet?

• 1:56Speaker 04

  Extra cheese and you're Hawaiian? Hawaiian.

• 2:00Speaker 03

  Just entering the red carpet, it's Balls from Is This Thing On? Oh, looks like he spilled a gallon of milk.

• 2:08Speaker 05

  It's been a lot for me to carry around.

• 2:11Speaker 03

  Greta Lee wishes she could be here with us tonight. However, she's at Gettysburg watching a Civil War reenactment.

• 2:18Speaker 02

  But I'm gonna help you find this man.

• 2:20Speaker 03

  The paparazzi is loving our latest arrival on the red carpet. It's Varang, wearing a stunning ash dress.

• 2:29Speaker 06

  I am the fire!

• 2:34Speaker 03

  Oh my goodness. Samson the Alpha, from 28 years later, just arrived with his date. His giant penis. Oh my god, it's even bigger than I thought.

• 2:48Speaker 03

  And now your host for this evening. Song and dance man, Griffin Newman.

• 2:55Griffin Newman?

  What a wonderful night for blankies, blankies, blankies. Who will win? And possible nominees, based on... Mostly just the things that have been nominated ever since. Particularly the Oscars, who knows where we're gonna swing?

• 3:13Speaker 05

  Their taste is not...

• 3:17Speaker 07

  When you were young, and your wife still had her hark.

• 3:22Speaker 07

  You used to say, "Let Hamnet live." You know you did, you know you did, you know you did. But if this ever-growing plague would make your son sick,

• 3:34Speaker 07

  that plague might make your wife cry. Dun-dun-dun. So let Hamnet die.

• 3:43David Sims?

  Oh, okay.

• 3:45Speaker 07

  Boom!

• 3:45Griffin Newman?

  I had some pitch problems on that one.

• 3:47David Sims?

  Sure, I was just, you know, there's a lot of buildup and I was finding my way into it, that's all.

• 3:52Speaker 04

  He is the creature. He's got good features, he is hot, hot, hot.

• 3:57David Sims?

  Oh, Frankenstein.

• 3:58Speaker 05

  Frankenstein.

• 3:58Speaker 04

  Frankenstein made him. But now he hates him 'cause he's hot, hot, hot.

• 4:02David Sims?

  That's true.

• 4:04Griffin Newman?

  Thank you.

• 4:06Speaker 04

  You're selling shoes for Uncle, he won't give you cash!

• 4:13Speaker 04

  You're cuckin' Mr. Wonderful, he paddles your ass!

• 4:20Speaker 04

  Doing circus tricks on Globetrotters!

• 4:26Speaker 04

  You're absolutely sure that kid's not yours!

• 4:31Speaker 04

  You gotta fight!

• 4:33David Sims?

  Panic!

• 4:33Speaker 04

  For your right!

• 4:34David Sims?

  Panic!

• 4:35Speaker 04

  To Marty!

• 4:38Speaker 07

  Supreme.

• 4:39David Sims?

  Honestly, you didn't even need it.

• 4:42Speaker 07

  I heard it said That the new Wicked would be nommed. Reward both films now. Return of the King was the comp. But then it came out And it fucking sucked so hard. Because for good sucked. Wicked for good sucked. They nominate F1.

• 5:08David Sims?

  F1 made it. I was wondering. I was wondering if F1 was gonna make it.

• 5:29Speaker 04

  Begonia!

• 5:32David Sims?

  I wonder if Begonia's getting any noms today. What do you think?

• 5:35Speaker 04

  I'm a sinner.

• 5:36David Sims?

  Okay.

• 5:37Speaker 04

  I'm a twinner. I drink blood for dinner. I can't be exposed to the sun. I'm a smoker. I'm a stacker. I'm a neck blood snacker. I'm eating pussy in the club.

• 5:56David Sims?

  That's all true.

• 5:57Speaker 07

  It's actually correct. Stalin's scars guard. Why won't you come to your senses? You've been so damn pretentious To your daughters so long. Got a project? Elle Fanning says she's attached. But you're... I don't know, I ran out of lyrics on that one.

• 6:20David Sims?

  Whatever.

• 6:21Speaker 07

  It's good.

• 6:22Speaker 04

  Secret agent film. Secret agent film.

• 6:26David Sims?

  Root one, but good.

• 6:27Speaker 04

  You disappeared your loved ones And they severed someone's leg.

• 6:34Griffin Newman?

  Blue moon, Abu di Abu die. Abu di Abu die. He's a really short guy. Abu di Abu die. Abu di Abu die. Blue moon, he will die. Abu di Abu die.

• 6:45Speaker 04

  A little romping up there.

• 6:46David Sims?

  The coal, I feel like, is running low.

• 6:48Speaker 01

  He's performing these in the order that he wrote them down.

• 6:52Griffin Newman?

  Wrong, wrong, wrong.

• 6:53Speaker 01

  And, and you can feel the kind of steam running out.

• 6:57David Sims?

  That's what I'm saying, like, the train is starting to slow down.

• 6:59Griffin Newman?

  Well, I guess you guys are forcing me off the stage and I can't perform the one battle after another song. I definitely cracked, so moving on.

• 7:06Speaker 01

  No, we need to hear it.

• 7:08Griffin Newman?

  No, we just have to know that I definitely had one.

• 7:11David Sims?

  Right, it was in, it was locked, and now he's putting it in the attic.

• 7:16Griffin Newman?

  There weren't ten different drafts that didn't work.

• 7:19Speaker 05

  One is the loneliest battle, never made it to the.

• 7:20Griffin Newman?

  We tried a lot of things. I gotta thank the war room, the self-dubbed war room.

• 7:26David Sims?

  The war room?

• 7:27Griffin Newman?

  Nicholas Frank, Tiger Weiger.

• 7:28David Sims?

  Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 7:29Griffin Newman?

  And Sean Clemens.

• 7:30David Sims?

  Yeah, like, the, the, the jingle.

• 7:32Griffin Newman?

  Bernice turning to midnight.

• 7:33Speaker 05

  Churning out, churning out jingles.

• 7:35Griffin Newman?

  Come with a good slate.

• 7:35Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 7:36Griffin Newman?

  We had one battle or, or, or another, like, one way or another, that was that.

• 7:41Speaker 05

  Oh, sure.

• 7:42Griffin Newman?

  Doing one jump ahead from Aladdin.

• 7:43Speaker 05

  Mmm.

• 7:44Griffin Newman?

  And then it was, it was tough, every, every one of these, I hit a wall after, like, two lines.

• 7:48Speaker 05

  One jump ahead would have been a little, like, really delving inward to the, like, the real, real heads are gonna get this.

• 7:54Griffin Newman?

  Totally.

• 7:55Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 7:55Griffin Newman?

  But I, you know, they can't all be, dunna, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na. Begonia!

• 8:00Speaker 05

  Spent that entire setup being like, where is this going? Panahi, I couldn't quite, but like.

• 8:05Griffin Newman?

  That's the juice.

• 8:05Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 8:06Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 8:07David Sims?

  Panahi!

• 8:08Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 8:09David Sims?

  I don't know. You know, F1 is nominated for Best Picture.

• 8:11Griffin Newman?

  It is.

• 8:12Speaker 05

  Sure is.

• 8:12David Sims?

  You made your list.

• 8:13Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 8:13David Sims?

  It was the 14th highest grossing domestic release of 2025.

• 8:16Griffin Newman?

  Don't say it made my list, it made the medal.

• 8:18David Sims?

  That's what I'm saying, I mean, that's what I'm saying. It snuck in.

• 8:20Griffin Newman?

  It's just hitting the topic a little.

• 8:21David Sims?

  So Sinners made more money than it.

• 8:23Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 8:24David Sims?

  So like, if you're, you know, if you're wringing your hands over, like, oh, we needed a blockbuster, that's like, well, well, Sinners.

• 8:28Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 8:29David Sims?

  So, and I'm not, I'm not mad, I'm just saying, I was just sort of looking, being like, was there another blockbuster they could have nominated?

• 8:36Griffin Newman?

  What were the, what were the final totals on them?

• 8:39David Sims?

  On which? On Sinners and F1?

• 8:41Griffin Newman?

  Sinners versus F1.

• 8:41David Sims?

  It's domestic, so not worldwide.

• 8:43Griffin Newman?

  No, I know, but worldwide, did F1 beat Sinners?

• 8:46David Sims?

  Oh, I think definitely.

• 8:47Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 8:47David Sims?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 8:47Griffin Newman?

  That was my question.

• 8:48Speaker 05

  Sure, oh yeah, I mean, that was the rationale, too.

• 8:50David Sims?

  F1 made 633 worldwide.

• 8:53Speaker 05

  The International Academy members.

• 8:54David Sims?

  And Sinners made 369.

• 8:56Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 8:56David Sims?

  But domestic, Sinners is 279 to F1's 189. That's all.

• 9:00Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 9:01David Sims?

  I just, you know, they could have nominated Superman, I don't know, or Avatar. There's not really a lot else.

• 9:07Speaker 05

  There's not really, particularly when the juice for both Avatar and Wicked kind of ran out at the same time.

• 9:15Griffin Newman?

  That was the real thing. It did feel like a lot of people were mentally holding a slot.

• 9:20Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 9:20Griffin Newman?

  For one, if not both.

• 9:22Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 9:22Griffin Newman?

  And then when Wicked fell through, they were like, well, obviously the slot is Avatar's.

• 9:25Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 9:26David Sims?

  Yeah, a little bit.

• 9:27Speaker 05

  I remember, because I covered for my colleague-

• 9:29David Sims?

  Post Thanksgiving, it was like, it'll be Avatars, and then post Christmas, it was like, I hear a car rumbling.

• 9:33Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah.

• 9:34Griffin Newman?

  But also, a bunch of male, married Oscar voters.

• 9:37Speaker 05

  Mm-hmm.

• 9:38Griffin Newman?

  Were, were at their ballot, right? Licking the quill.

• 9:43Speaker 05

  As they do.

• 9:44Griffin Newman?

  The inkwell, right?

• 9:45Speaker 05

  Right.

• 9:45Griffin Newman?

  About to write in Avatar Fire and Ash, and then they hear the old battle axe wife with a rolling pin.

• 9:51Speaker 05

  As she does.

• 9:52Griffin Newman?

  Ah, you better not be voting for the Vrang! Don't you vote for the Vrang!

• 9:57David Sims?

  I'm sorry.

• 9:58Speaker 05

  You vote for-

• 9:58David Sims?

  I'm sorry. Oscar voters are married to Italian nonas with rolling pins?

• 10:05Speaker 05

  That's what all the cast members from the nonas went and did.

• 10:08Griffin Newman?

  I give you forty children, I worship your socks, you better not vote for the Vrang!

• 10:11David Sims?

  Wait, no wonder they're all like, having affairs or whatever, like, if the wife at home is like, streaganona, like, I can, you know?

• 10:17Griffin Newman?

  And the husband goes, "I work all day mixing the sound, I work my fingers to the bone, I vote to the Vrang, if I want to vote in the Vrang!"

• 10:25David Sims?

  Okay, uh, welcome to our 2020-25 Blankies episode.

• 10:30Speaker 05

  That's right.

• 10:31David Sims?

  Of Blank Checks.

• 10:31Griffin Newman?

  Well, this is the 2026 ceremony for the films of 2025.

• 10:35David Sims?

  That's right.

• 10:35Griffin Newman?

  Which makes this the 11th?

• 10:37Speaker 05

  The 11th.

• 10:38David Sims?

  Is that right?

• 10:38Speaker 05

  Yeah. I erroneously texted you a few, uh, several weeks ago and thought this would be the 10th, but, uh, last

• 10:44Griffin Newman?

  Last year was

• 10:45Speaker 05

  Cause the 2015

• 10:46Griffin Newman?

  Yep.

• 10:46Speaker 05

  Movie year was the first one I remember doing.

• 10:48Griffin Newman?

  Correct, correct. Yeah.

• 10:49David Sims?

  Yeah, I know. So this is the 11th.

• 10:51Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 10:51David Sims?

  Uh, blankies. Uh, who are you?

• 10:54Griffin Newman?

  I'm Griffin Newman.

• 10:55David Sims?

  I'm David Sims, and who's that?

• 10:56Speaker 05

  It's Joe Reid.

• 10:57Griffin Newman?

  AKA Reading Rain Joe.

• 10:59Speaker 05

  Reading Rain Joe. The only person in my life who calls me that is Griffin Newman, and I look forward to it.

• 11:03Griffin Newman?

  Just only once a year.

• 11:04Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 11:04David Sims?

  Yeah, I mean, it's not a, you've done it other times.

• 11:07Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, but mostly in the ramp up or the wind down from this time, once a year.

• 11:10Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 11:11David Sims?

  Now they're rebooting Reading Rainbow. Have you heard this?

• 11:13Griffin Newman?

  With whom?

• 11:14David Sims?

  Uh, uh, someone called Michael Threets.

• 11:18Griffin Newman?

  Oh, of course.

• 11:19Speaker 05

  The great Michael Threets.

• 11:20David Sims?

  24-episode pick-up.

• 11:21Griffin Newman?

  Where?

• 11:22David Sims?

  PBS.

• 11:23Griffin Newman?

  Okay.

• 11:24Speaker 05

  Well, that's good.

• 11:25Griffin Newman?

  I like that part of it.

• 11:25Speaker 05

  I was really bracing for Netflix.

• 11:27David Sims?

  Fucking, yeah, Paramount Plus?

• 11:29Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 11:29David Sims?

  Reading you like Barry Weiss's book. Like, what do you, what do you want from me?

• 11:32Griffin Newman?

  Uh, brother. Producer Ben is here.

• 11:37Speaker 05

  What?

• 11:38Griffin Newman?

  Uh, I gifted him today a vintage, uh, McFarlane toys, AKA T-Dog Mac Violator Action Figure from the first series of Spawn, uh, toys, and he has wrapped it around his mic arm, and he's looking at it so lovingly.

• 11:53Speaker 05

  The room was feeling a little empty, so I, I, I'm glad that, uh, there was some

• 11:57Griffin Newman?

  Just had to put something in there.

• 11:58Speaker 05

  Personality brought into the space.

• 12:00David Sims?

  Yeah, that's true. There's just nothing. We needed a little something.

• 12:04Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 12:04David Sims?

  Uh, yeah, colorful or, uh, sort of eye-popping in our office today.

• 12:08Speaker 05

  Perhaps a tchotchke.

• 12:09Griffin Newman?

  To absorb the sound.

• 12:10Speaker 05

  You know, think, consider a tchotchke once in a while. Yeah.

• 12:13Griffin Newman?

  It's, it's all sound absorption.

• 12:15David Sims?

  And I've got my, I've got my baby Joey here.

• 12:17Griffin Newman?

  You got your baby Joey.

• 12:18Speaker 05

  Oh, nice.

• 12:18David Sims?

  But it's greatly appreciated. Thank you.

• 12:20Griffin Newman?

  Of course. Anytime, buddy.

• 12:21Speaker 05

  I'm apparently staring at a photo of Austin Powers suspended in, uh, cryostasis.

• 12:26David Sims?

  That maybe doesn't have to be there forever.

• 12:28Speaker 05

  It's a hell of a thing for your guests to

• 12:29David Sims?

  Yeah, it does seem a little aggro for the guests.

• 12:32Griffin Newman?

  Uh, of course, when we, uh, covered the Austin Powers, uh, trilogy on Patreon.

• 12:37Speaker 05

  Uh huh.

• 12:37Griffin Newman?

  Uh, Marie Barde, Selena's, AKA Woman, uh, would not stop talking about how cut, quote.

• 12:45Speaker 05

  Oh, I remember that one.

• 12:46David Sims?

  You have never let this go.

• 12:48Speaker 05

  That was quite the opinion that was advanced. Yeah.

• 12:51David Sims?

  You really, it really got to you.

• 12:52Griffin Newman?

  So that lives on that desk for when Marie's, uh, uh, joining us as fourth chair on an episode. Also, on the back of it, there's some notes written that I think were rat-liff, trying to jot some things down during a Ladykillers episode.

• 13:05David Sims?

  Connor, chicken scratching.

• 13:07Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 13:07David Sims?

  All right, let's see.

• 13:08Griffin Newman?

  Here's the thing I like about The Blankies and the movies.

• 13:13David Sims?

  Okay.

• 13:14Griffin Newman?

  Uh, we were just doing the count of like, this is year 11, right? We, we start off The Blankies, the award ceremony, as a franchise in our second year, but our first year as Blank Check.

• 13:28David Sims?

  Right, we, we were like, were we like, three months into being Blank Check?

• 13:32Griffin Newman?

  And we already were like, you know what we should do?

• 13:34David Sims?

  I do vaguely remember that being the vibe where we were just kinda like, let's just do like an Oscar-y episode.

• 13:39Griffin Newman?

  But also, let's plant our flag. This is like,

• 13:42Speaker 05

  Oh, yeah.

• 13:42Griffin Newman?

  This is who we are now, but it made me realize, last year, we were all like, fucking celebrating the decade of dreams. Everyone was running down the streets, blowing like, vuvuzvelas and shouting about the decade of dreams.

• 13:54Speaker 05

  They were definitely doing that.

• 13:55Griffin Newman?

  But from a certain point of view, this year is when we celebrate the decade of Blank Check, because last year was celebrating nine years of Blank Check and one year of Griffin and David Present.

• 14:05David Sims?

  That's a good, okay, so you, are you trying to bring decades of dreams?

• 14:09Griffin Newman?

  It hit me the other day.

• 14:10David Sims?

  Into a second, like, we're sort of like doing the faded, sad, like a sequel to Decade of Dreams.

• 14:15Griffin Newman?

  It's a more honest decade of dreams, so it's not actually diminishing returns, it's, it's, it's better.

• 14:21David Sims?

  And then next year, you'll be like, and really, you don't start with counting the first year.

• 14:26Speaker 05

  The millennium didn't begin until 2001.

• 14:28Griffin Newman?

  I was just gonna say, cruising altitude till Noel.

• 14:30David Sims?

  This is the real decade of dreams.

• 14:32Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 14:32Speaker 05

  You weren't kidding about chicken scratches. I'm getting Spock, perhaps?

• 14:36Griffin Newman?

  Uh huh.

• 14:36Speaker 05

  Two words that look like bacon melt, but they can't possibly be bacon melt, and then burn before reading is the thing that I can make out.

• 14:43David Sims?

  Well, that's, that sounds like a good bit that he didn't get to do.

• 14:45Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 14:46Speaker 05

  So these were notes? Oh, I see.

• 14:47David Sims?

  I would assume.

• 14:48Speaker 05

  Is this IP that I've just, uh, released into the universe?

• 14:51Griffin Newman?

  It's what I like about having it on the guest desk, is first, we get to do a little Kinsey test of how you feel about Mike Myers and his cut body.

• 14:59Speaker 05

  No, yeah, yeah, that's fair.

• 15:00Griffin Newman?

  And then, uh, you can see how far you can get trying to decipher Connor Ratliff's handwriting.

• 15:06Speaker 05

  Sure, sure, sure.

• 15:07David Sims?

  Right.

• 15:07Griffin Newman?

  This is the Blanky Awards where we pick our winners.

• 15:11David Sims?

  I, you know, you're right, I never thought about it that we just kind of did it like six episodes into our M Night Shyamalan series or whatever. Just being like, this is the thing we want to do. I also remember the break, there was no, we were basically like, let's do awards episode.

• 15:25Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 15:25David Sims?

  Joe, you want to do it? And you were like, yeah, sure. And then like, you know, day before it was like, what is it by the way? It was like, I don't know, your Oscar ballot.

• 15:31Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 15:31David Sims?

  Like, I mean, it was not like we were like, all right.

• 15:33Speaker 05

  We didn't have a planning session.

• 15:35David Sims?

  I'm super prepared, like.

• 15:37Speaker 01

  Wait, you're saying that, was it organized?

• 15:42Speaker 05

  It was also recorded in the hottest little closet I've ever been in.

• 15:46David Sims?

  It was a little bar in the air, I'm not gonna deny.

• 15:48Speaker 01

  And now look at us.

• 15:49Speaker 05

  Now look at us.

• 15:50Speaker 01

  A larger windowless room.

• 15:52Speaker 05

  Yes, but like, ceilings that are, you know, that are higher.

• 15:56Griffin Newman?

  Why did I feel confident just being like, we should do an awards episode, let's ask, let's ask Joe and do no further planning? Because I fucking know that all three of us.

• 16:05David Sims?

  Yes.

• 16:05Speaker 05

  Keep nerd spreadsheets and lists and whatnot?

• 16:07David Sims?

  It was not gonna be a lot of work for us.

• 16:09Griffin Newman?

  Right, the work's done.

• 16:10Speaker 05

  Somebody asked me that the other day, like, how do you prepare for the blankies? And I'm like, well, I keep lists throughout the year.

• 16:16Griffin Newman?

  Right.

• 16:16Speaker 05

  Like, this is not like, I have to like, cram session at the end.

• 16:19David Sims?

  Do you know what the episode before it is? Signs, we barely started the Shyamalan series.

• 16:24Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 16:25David Sims?

  It was four episodes deep.

• 16:26Speaker 05

  That's amazing.

• 16:27David Sims?

  And then we were like, let's do blankies, let's fucking do it.

• 16:29Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, we nailed it.

• 16:30David Sims?

  I mean, you know what?

• 16:32Speaker 05

  Honestly, yes.

• 16:34Griffin Newman?

  Can I say?

• 16:34Speaker 05

  You know who was our consensus pick for best actor that year?

• 16:37Griffin Newman?

  Michael B. Jordan for Fred.

• 16:38David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 16:39Griffin Newman?

  Is that?

• 16:40Speaker 05

  Come around again.

• 16:40Griffin Newman?

  Only time we've all lined up on an acting.

• 16:44David Sims?

  I don't have those kinds of stats.

• 16:46Speaker 05

  I'm leaning towards no, but like, yeah.

• 16:48David Sims?

  I imagine it's maybe happened once or twice, it's rare.

• 16:50Speaker 05

  There's a wiki out there that, that folks can consult if they want to take a look at that.

• 16:54Griffin Newman?

  I know there's been a couple, like, two out of three.

• 16:57Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 16:57Griffin Newman?

  Both you guys picked Jennifer Lopez for Hustlers, I picked Florence, LeBron, James Buckets Pew.

• 17:04David Sims?

  What's she up to? Oh, she did Thunderballs.

• 17:06Speaker 05

  I tend to consult that wiki a lot for my own picks because as I, I, I often on the fly, go a different way in the moment. And so, I'm like, what, what, where did the wind breeze me to that day?

• 17:20Griffin Newman?

  This is an interesting thing. Now that we're doing this for the 11th time.

• 17:24Speaker 05

  Uh huh.

• 17:24Griffin Newman?

  Do you guys find yourself at all getting into the psychological game of? Well, I snubbed that person of the win.

• 17:33David Sims?

  Oh, I do that. Of course.

• 17:35Griffin Newman?

  Like, when these were private spreadsheets for myself, I didn't worry about such things. And now I'm like, do I owe this person? Or would it look shitty if I gave them a second award?

• 17:44Speaker 05

  I, or I might.

• 17:45David Sims?

  I privately do that. I privately, I'm like, well, I gave Leo his David for Wolf of Wall Street. Like, I do that to myself all the time.

• 17:52Speaker 05

  I made a switch to one of my lists this morning, and I literally had the thought of like, they're gonna be so disappointed that they didn't give him this.

• 17:59David Sims?

  Yeah, right. They'll be, they'll really, they'll be sad to have missed out.

• 18:03Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 18:03David Sims?

  You know, Pew's in that MCU quagmire right now. I need her to do some more stuff. And I know she did a lot and maybe worried about doing too much.

• 18:13Griffin Newman?

  What else is going on?

• 18:14David Sims?

  I mean, next year, she's in Avengers: Doomsday and Dune 3. And like-

• 18:18Speaker 05

  And she seems to be one of those people who like, they have plans for that character seemingly, because a lot of the people they're bringing back for that are being brought back allegedly to like-

• 18:28David Sims?

  Let's pump the brakes on they have plans.

• 18:30Speaker 05

  Well, okay, fair enough.

• 18:31David Sims?

  Because at this point, I don't know how firm any of the plans-

• 18:34Griffin Newman?

  I think they have a clear plan. There are sirens going off everywhere, and they're like, hold on to that fucking legitimate movie star-

• 18:42Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 18:43Griffin Newman?

  -who we have on a five-picture contract, like your life depends on.

• 18:46Speaker 05

  The day of the chairs, right? You could tell like a good two-thirds of those chairs are like coming back so that they can get kind of rushed off into the sunset.

• 18:54David Sims?

  Mostly, it's a vamoo-sing. Yes, they're not, Ian McKellen is not gonna do eight more Magneto's.

• 18:59Speaker 05

  Right, right.

• 19:00David Sims?

  It is so funny that McKellen went on Colbert and was like, I think I destroyed New Jersey? And Cora was like, is that a spoiler? And he was like, oh, I don't know, I guess so. Just destroys New Jersey.

• 19:09Griffin Newman?

  I saw, I got the algorithm-

• 19:10David Sims?

  He gets like a bad sub or something, and he just fucking, sorry, Ben.

• 19:14Griffin Newman?

  All these guys over 70, if you put them in a Marvel movie, they spill everything.

• 19:19Speaker 05

  Well, McKellen's been spilling tea on big franchises since the Lord of the Rings days, and he like outed everybody in the Hobbit movies.

• 19:25Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 19:26David Sims?

  Who'd he out?

• 19:27Speaker 05

  Um, uh-

• 19:28David Sims?

  Uh, right, no, Lee Pace.

• 19:30Speaker 05

  No, but also the, the main troll-

• 19:31David Sims?

  Richard Armitage?

• 19:32Speaker 05

  Richard Armitage, yeah.

• 19:33David Sims?

  He was a dwarf.

• 19:34Speaker 05

  I don't think he said anybody by name, but I think he was just like, oh, everybody in that cast is gay.

• 19:39David Sims?

  It is my, look, I said this already, but like, I think it's why he's mad about Hamlet.

• 19:43Speaker 05

  Oh, I didn't know he was mad about Hamlet.

• 19:45David Sims?

  Well, he threw some shade at Hamlet recently. I can't remember where. Uh, he was like, I'm not on the chat show.

• 19:51Speaker 05

  Oh, cause it didn't address Shakespeare being gay?

• 19:54David Sims?

  He was basically like, I don't think it's very interesting to try and assign, you know, this wonderful, his works, which are so important and interesting, this kind of like, simple emotional narrative.

• 20:04Speaker 05

  That's specific of it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 20:04David Sims?

  And like, that was a perfectly valid point for him to make, and he made it well. But I, there, to me, there is an, McKellen's also like, who cares about Shakespeare's wife? Shakespeare was, you know, he was not the straightest arrow.

• 20:15Speaker 05

  Getting dick all over London. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 20:17David Sims?

  Uh, I don't know if he actually feels that way. I shouldn't put words in Ian McKellen's mouth.

• 20:21Speaker 05

  Getting dick all over London is the title of the spinoff movie for Hamlet.

• 20:24David Sims?

  He was getting dick all over Britain, dude. They were traveling.

• 20:27Speaker 05

  The Northlands, I imagine, were just teeming with, uh, I don't know.

• 20:31Griffin Newman?

  Kelsey Grammer did some interview where he was just like, uh, they were like, I'm sure you can't say anything about, uh, Doomsday. And he was like-

• 20:37Speaker 05

  Oh, right. He's gonna be in that.

• 20:39Griffin Newman?

  A great time filming with Pedro Pascal. And like, he just listed all the actors he had been in scenes with, so then people were making the grid of being like-

• 20:46David Sims?

  Right, like, what is he doing in it?

• 20:48Griffin Newman?

  So the Fantastic Four is gonna go into the pocket X-Men universe.

• 20:51Speaker 05

  Uh huh, uh huh.

• 20:52Griffin Newman?

  And then I saw him on some other show where they were like, now, I know you've gotten in trouble before for like, admitting. And he goes, yes, I shouldn't have said I'd worked with Pedro. I shouldn't have said that.

• 21:02David Sims?

  Shinder said that I choked the life out of the Human Torch in one scene.

• 21:06Griffin Newman?

  Oh, you know what? This was some conservative show, because they were specifically saying like-

• 21:10Speaker 05

  What would Kelsey Grammer be doing on a conservative show?

• 21:12David Sims?

  Zorran is a disaster, and I can exclusively reveal that Doctor Doom fucks Invisible Woman.

• 21:18Speaker 05

  Sorry.

• 21:19Griffin Newman?

  He was like, uh-

• 21:20David Sims?

  Just imagining.

• 21:21Griffin Newman?

  Whatever conservative fuck was like-

• 21:23Speaker 05

  Right.

• 21:23Griffin Newman?

  Uh, you said you had worked with Pedro Pascal. What was it like sharing a set with him? You guys hold pretty different political opinions.

• 21:30David Sims?

  Oh, sure, sure, sure.

• 21:31Griffin Newman?

  And he goes, Pedro, I loved him. He's a, he's a terrific guy. And you know what's interesting? We only really had one real conversation, and it was him saying that he thought me too was a failure. Okay. And I was like, this feels like.

• 21:45Speaker 05

  I love that in your conception of Kelsey Grammer, that he's just Sam the Eagle.

• 21:48David Sims?

  I also love the idea of someone being like, hey, Kelsey, was it tough for you working with a left-wing guy? I'm like, he's Kelsey, he was in like La Caja.

• 21:55Speaker 05

  Right, right.

• 21:56David Sims?

  I think he's encountered a liberal in his life.

• 21:58Speaker 05

  Right, yes. He worked with David Hyde, Pearson, and Deedee Newer his entire career.

• 22:01David Sims?

  I think he's figured out how to navigate that in his life.

• 22:05Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 22:05David Sims?

  People act like he just like only does Red Tube movies or whatever.

• 22:09Griffin Newman?

  Right, right. No, he's like the old-school Hollywood conservative.

• 22:12David Sims?

  Right.

• 22:13Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 22:13David Sims?

  He's like, look, I want my taxes lower and my cigars cheap or whatever.

• 22:17Speaker 05

  Years upon years of him and Bo Derek just going to the RNC every year and being like, we got two of them.

• 22:21Griffin Newman?

  Right, right, exactly.

• 22:23David Sims?

  All right, guys, we're gonna do the blankies. We gotta do the blankies.

• 22:25Griffin Newman?

  Okay, right. Guys, we're gonna do the blankies. We gotta do the blankies.

• 22:28David Sims?

  We gotta, come on. Let's do our, so what we're doing here on the Blank Check Awards, just for, for new listeners who this is their first episode, and I'm sure that's going really well for them, is we, we say our, essentially our Oscar ballots for the, the big categories, uh, that the year, right, Griffin?

• 22:43Griffin Newman?

  Yes, that's what we do. That's what we do here.

• 22:45David Sims?

  And what, what category do you all want to start with? Cause I don't really care. I'm, I'm up for anything.

• 22:49Speaker 05

  We're traditionalists. I feel like we usually start with one of the supporting.

• 22:52David Sims?

  We always do. Is there, do you?

• 22:53Speaker 05

  We could start with the screenplays if we wanted to get really crazy.

• 22:56Griffin Newman?

  No, I want to start with the supporting.

• 22:57Speaker 05

  Okay.

• 22:58David Sims?

  We want to start with supporting. Categories that are fairly wide open at the Oscars this year.

• 23:01Speaker 05

  They are, yeah, interesting.

• 23:03David Sims?

  In a sort of a fun twist.

• 23:05Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 23:05Griffin Newman?

  I'm gonna say this is an anti-disclaimer disclaimer.

• 23:07Speaker 05

  Okay.

• 23:08David Sims?

  Anti-disclaimer disclaimer.

• 23:10Griffin Newman?

  This is the year that I've finally just gone like, it has become prohibitive to shadow ban movies made by people who have been on the show.

• 23:19Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 23:19David Sims?

  Oh, totally.

• 23:20Speaker 05

  Oh, interesting.

• 23:21David Sims?

  Well, cause we're getting too, your reach is too far.

• 23:23Griffin Newman?

  It's, it's a true humble brag.

• 23:25David Sims?

  Cracker, you're, you're in. Nia DeCosta, I'm trying to think like who, who, uh, made movies this year that has been on the show. Ari.

• 23:34Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 23:34David Sims?

  You know, welcome in, buddy. You're in the ballots.

• 23:37Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, Alex Ross Perry made two movies, one of which I'm in.

• 23:40David Sims?

  That crazy fucker, you're in it.

• 23:41Griffin Newman?

  That crazy motherfucker.

• 23:44Griffin Newman?

  Uh, but I was like, we had, we had some of it last year with, uh, I saw the TV Glow, which was one of my favorite movies, and we had had Jane on the show. And it'd always been this thing of like, well, there's high level working people we've had on the show who are, I wouldn't really say I'm like friends with, but to the listener, does it seem like there's the same level of familiarity and is there implied by us?

• 24:03David Sims?

  So don't even, right, trip yourself up.

• 24:05Griffin Newman?

  Or sometimes, I would get into the other thing of, is it more fair to just put all of them to the side so that I can't offend anyone by snubbing them?

• 24:11David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 24:12Griffin Newman?

  With the equal part of it? Now it's just impossible.

• 24:14Speaker 05

  Well, now, there's enough of them where now they sort of like battle it out in this imaginary ballad of.

• 24:18David Sims?

  I, last year I did not nominate the film that I made, Amelia Paris.

• 24:23Griffin Newman?

  Of course.

• 24:23David Sims?

  Cause I didn't want, I, I made that film.

• 24:25Speaker 05

  That's, that's.

• 24:26David Sims?

  I played every part.

• 24:27Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 24:27David Sims?

  I wrote all the songs.

• 24:29Speaker 05

  You did all the, uh.

• 24:29David Sims?

  I did all the tweets.

• 24:30Speaker 05

  You did, yeah, I was gonna say, you did all the tweets, you did all the interviews after the fact.

• 24:34Griffin Newman?

  But also, you didn't give the worst yourself because you were so tired of winning. You were winning so much.

• 24:38David Sims?

  Right. This year, um, my best friend Cynthia Revo, I decided to not include her, cause we are best friends.

• 24:45Speaker 05

  Sure.

• 24:46David Sims?

  And I also can't actually attend our ceremony if we do one, because I will be tw- playing 27 parts in a one man Dracula show.

• 24:54Griffin Newman?

  Perfect. And that's, I heard that was the same thing the Oscars said.

• 24:58David Sims?

  Yes.

• 24:59Griffin Newman?

  That they would have nominated Wicked for Good in every category.

• 25:01David Sims?

  But they're, but they're best friends with her, so they couldn't do it.

• 25:03Griffin Newman?

  It's conflict interest.

• 25:03David Sims?

  Right, the statue is her best friend.

• 25:05Griffin Newman?

  They're best friends. They hold her one finger. Supporting actor.

• 25:12Speaker 02

  Best Supporting Actor.

• 25:15David Sims?

  Okay, great, so Griffin.

• 25:17Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm.

• 25:17David Sims?

  Your Supporting Actress winner last year, presenting this award.

• 25:21Griffin Newman?

  Okay.

• 25:21David Sims?

  Was Renata Reinspa.

• 25:24Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 25:24David Sims?

  For a different man.

• 25:25Speaker 05

  For a different man, yeah. That's a good choice.

• 25:26David Sims?

  Joe, yours was, and mine, both of ours, was Michelle Austin for Hard Truth, so she's back too.

• 25:32Griffin Newman?

  She's back too.

• 25:33David Sims?

  So, uh, yeah, Griffin, whatever, you know, give me your Supporting Actors.

• 25:37Griffin Newman?

  Look, I tried not to overthink these this year, it was what came to me, and I'll be doing some last second cuts in the categories where I have six people jotted down, mostly to see who's not being covered by you guys.

• 25:48David Sims?

  Got it.

• 25:48Griffin Newman?

  But Supporting Actor, I had a pretty clean five.

• 25:50David Sims?

  Hmm.

• 25:51Griffin Newman?

  Benicio del Toro, in a picture called One Battle After Another, and boy, if you heard the song I wrote for that, you'd, you'd still be laughing.

• 25:59David Sims?

  Tears down her face.

• 25:59Speaker 05

  Toes would still be tapping.

• 26:00Griffin Newman?

  Big, strong guys.

• 26:01Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 26:01Griffin Newman?

  Tears in their eyes. Michael Cera, The Phoenician Scheme.

• 26:07Griffin Newman?

  Delroy Lindo in Sinners, a performance I am pleasantly surprised to be aligned with the Oscars on. Yeah.

• 26:14David Sims?

  It was one of my punch the air moments.

• 26:16Griffin Newman?

  Absolutely, absolutely. Rafe Fiennes in 28 Years Later.

• 26:22David Sims?

  He's there.

• 26:23Griffin Newman?

  And Billy Crudup in J. Kelly. Nice.

• 26:28David Sims?

  It's very good. He's got the one scene. I mean, I know it's a couple scenes, but it's that one big scene.

• 26:32Griffin Newman?

  The one big knockout, yeah. I would say, I might put an additional title on this of, is this the thermostat performance of the year?

• 26:39David Sims?

  Yeah, a little bit.

• 26:40Griffin Newman?

  Oh.

• 26:41David Sims?

  Except to some people, J. Kelly went from like 67 degrees to 68 degrees. Like, no one got hot watching it. I, you and I liked that movie a lot.

• 26:49Griffin Newman?

  I liked that movie.

• 26:50David Sims?

  But you know what I mean? Like generally, there was.

• 26:52Griffin Newman?

  But I also, I'll say this. I had a, I had a different thought of an honorific while watching this performance. And I, at once, at one point, I was like, do I just put it to the side and not put in proper best supporting actor? My thought was, is this the black box performance of the year? Where you go, why don't they build the whole movie out of this thing? Sure, got it, got it, yes. I think there's a juice to that, like, eight-minute chunk of the movie. That as much as I like the film, I'm like, this is the fucking potent thing. If I'm bomb back, whatever I think I'm writing. Yeah. I get to that scene, even on paper, before you cast Crudup and he knocks it out of the fucking park. I go, maybe this is the movie. Yeah. Maybe these guys spend the whole night together and that's the film.

• 27:34David Sims?

  I can see it.

• 27:35Griffin Newman?

  J. Kelly versus whatever that guy's name is. Yeah.

• 27:38David Sims?

  Well, the point is, we don't know his name.

• 27:40Griffin Newman?

  That's what proving the point right here.

• 27:41David Sims?

  Fucking.

• 27:42Griffin Newman?

  Fucking Kelly. I'm J. Kelly, you're J. Kelly, you're up here, you're down here? That movie, here's another award I'll throw out, worst trailer of the year. Oh, boy.

• 27:52David Sims?

  You hated the trailer. You were always saying how, like, almost poisoned you against the movie.

• 27:56Griffin Newman?

  You saw an early screening of the movie.

• 27:57David Sims?

  I did, they showed it to me.

• 27:58Griffin Newman?

  You were like, it's really excellent. I was like, this thing looks like dog shit. It was a bad trailer. The fuck is Sim smoking? I saw the trailer.

• 28:04David Sims?

  I was smoking that dank weed.

• 28:05Griffin Newman?

  I saw the trailer before, like, everything. It kept playing at the Angelica and the Paris when I was seeing a lot of things at those two theaters. Yes. And I was just like, it is impossible, this movie will do anything to me other than leave me with an overwhelming desire to eat glass. And then the movie started and I was just like, the trailer makes it look like fucking Cinema Paradiso IV.

• 28:28Speaker 05

  Sure, yeah.

• 28:30David Sims?

  Is Cinema Paradiso, there's a real, like, genre of foreign film that is bad, that was loved. You know what I mean? Like Cinema Paradiso, Life is Beautiful, Il Piscino, huh?

• 28:42Griffin Newman?

  Cola? Was that that movie?

• 28:43David Sims?

  Col- Colia is a great example.

• 28:45Speaker 05

  Yeah, foreign language winner.

• 28:45David Sims?

  Which is like, and when I say bad, it's not bad. It's like a sort of seven out of 10, like, sweet movie. But like, where you're like, oh, this is, you know, this is kind of dumb.

• 28:54Speaker 05

  All I remember is the director, like, carrying the kid on his shoulder up to the stage.

• 28:58Griffin Newman?

  And that was the poster, and the kid was covering his eyes.

• 29:00David Sims?

  I saw that film in theaters. I remember it being very sweet.

• 29:03Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. Look, we're not doing the happy birthday sign thing, credit to Mulaney, and the two of you are going to go as your best supporting actor categories. But I do want to say, it's a shift that people don't know.

• 29:13David Sims?

  But 10 minutes on Colia. No, you're right, that like, foreign film used to be the treacle-y shit, and now it's not so much. Is that what you're saying?

• 29:19Griffin Newman?

  And the biggest change was, it used to be, to vote in that category, you had to go to a marathon screening.

• 29:25David Sims?

  You had to go to so many screenings.

• 29:26Griffin Newman?

  No, but you specifically, I think, when the five films were nominated.

• 29:29David Sims?

  Oh, sure, sure.

• 29:30Griffin Newman?

  You had to go to a full day marathon of all of them.

• 29:33David Sims?

  That's crazy.

• 29:34Griffin Newman?

  And so the only people who would do that.

• 29:36David Sims?

  Were the oldest people in the world.

• 29:38Griffin Newman?

  Well, right.

• 29:38David Sims?

  Was always the true.

• 29:39Griffin Newman?

  Who are, like, ready for the treacle-y layoffs. The kind of sweetest movie always won.

• 29:42David Sims?

  Or is it about the Holocaust, or like the war, or something like that?

• 29:46Griffin Newman?

  You know, maybe it was the opposite, but I, I know certainly for the nomination process, that was part of it.

• 29:51David Sims?

  It was the, I think it was more the nominations.

• 29:53Griffin Newman?

  You had to see every single one.

• 29:55David Sims?

  It was only retirees, because no one else had the time.

• 29:57Speaker 05

  But that's always been the double-edged sword of the Oscars, which is, ideally, you would like all the people voting on the Oscars to have seen all of the movies that they're voting on. And the realistic thing is, the only people who do that are 80-year-old people who have nothing else to do with it.

• 30:12Griffin Newman?

  And Kirsten Dunst.

• 30:14Speaker 05

  And Kirsten Dunst, she has said she sees all the movies.

• 30:16Griffin Newman?

  Joe?

• 30:17Speaker 05

  That's why she's our hero.

• 30:18Griffin Newman?

  Who are your nominees for best supporting actor?

• 30:20Speaker 05

  Best supporting actor, I have Austin Abrams in Weapons.

• 30:24Griffin Newman?

  Oh, yeah.

• 30:25Speaker 05

  Michael Cera in The Phoenician Scheme.

• 30:27David Sims?

  Two noms for this guy.

• 30:28Speaker 05

  So good. Billy Crudup in J. Kelly.

• 30:31Griffin Newman?

  Hell, yes!

• 30:31David Sims?

  Stacking.

• 30:32Speaker 05

  William H. Macy in Train Dreams.

• 30:34Griffin Newman?

  Okay.

• 30:35Speaker 05

  And Dylan O'Brien in Twinless.

• 30:38David Sims?

  Is he supporting?

• 30:39Speaker 05

  I fudged it maybe.

• 30:40Griffin Newman?

  It's a tweener.

• 30:41Speaker 05

  Best actor's tough.

• 30:42Griffin Newman?

  It's a tweener in a tweener.

• 30:43Speaker 05

  Best actor's tough.

• 30:44David Sims?

  Very good performance by Dylan. I guess he is, I mean, the other one, the one I wanted to, to say bye bye to. Upon meeting.

• 30:52Speaker 05

  You and my podcast co-host Chris File are of the same opinion on that guy.

• 30:56David Sims?

  Uh, what's his name again? The guy who wrote it?

• 30:57Speaker 05

  James Sweeney.

• 30:58Griffin Newman?

  And directed it?

• 30:59Speaker 05

  And directed it.

• 30:59David Sims?

  I believe so.

• 31:00Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 31:01David Sims?

  Uh, okay, so you got two shared noms of their credit.

• 31:04Griffin Newman?

  Fascinating.

• 31:04David Sims?

  And, uh, what was the other one? I already forgot. Oh, Sarah.

• 31:07Griffin Newman?

  Michael Sarah.

• 31:07David Sims?

  You're so good. I mean, you're so good.

• 31:10David Sims?

  Okay, okay, I'll do mine. All right, and then we can discuss. I have Benicio del Toro for one battle after another. I have Delroy Lindo for Sinners, so I have that.

• 31:17Griffin Newman?

  Wow.

• 31:17David Sims?

  I am going to just say that, like, Rafe Fiennes is a very obvious candidate for me. I'm gonna hold him out just to have a little fun.

• 31:23Speaker 05

  I'm doing the same thing. I'm sticking a pin in Rafe.

• 31:25David Sims?

  And obviously also, his Bone Temple nom is, is inscribed in stone.

• 31:29Griffin Newman?

  That's the thing, and you're like, next year, he's in lead, arguably?

• 31:32David Sims?

  I think sort of. I was sort of thinking about that.

• 31:35Speaker 05

  I would say, I would put him in lead.

• 31:37Griffin Newman?

  I just, I was so.

• 31:38David Sims?

  He's more the lead.

• 31:39Griffin Newman?

  I was so conscious.

• 31:40David Sims?

  The kid is the lead of the first one, and maybe kind of Aaron Johnson.

• 31:44Griffin Newman?

  I was so conscious of my Adam Driver fuck-up in Blankie's Awards Pass.

• 31:50David Sims?

  Oh, sure.

• 31:50Griffin Newman?

  Where in The Force Awakens and Last Jedi years, Adam Driver was my sixth, and I cut him on air.

• 31:57David Sims?

  Right, right.

• 31:58Griffin Newman?

  And I was like, cause I'll give him the award.

• 31:59Speaker 05

  Surely even the third one, it'll be, yeah.

• 32:01David Sims?

  He'll crush it.

• 32:01Griffin Newman?

  For Rise of Skywalker, I'll come back around and give him the trophy.

• 32:05David Sims?

  He did his best in Rise of Skywalker. Adam Driver is not the issue, like, not the glaring issue in that movie.

• 32:10Griffin Newman?

  No, but I couldn't be like, and best actor goes to Adam Driver for Rise of Skywalker.

• 32:17Speaker 05

  The difference here is we've seen Bone Temple. Bone Temple does not pull a Rise of Skywalker.

• 32:21David Sims?

  So, all right, so sorry. So I have Del Toro and Lindo.

• 32:23Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 32:24David Sims?

  Then I have Alexander Skarsgård in Pillion.

• 32:26Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm.

• 32:27David Sims?

  Nicholas Holt in Superman.

• 32:29Speaker 05

  So good.

• 32:29Griffin Newman?

  I considered it.

• 32:30David Sims?

  And Matthew Penchion, I'm not sure how to say his name, in Nouvelle Vague.

• 32:36Speaker 05

  Nouvelle Vague.

• 32:37David Sims?

  Who plays Raoul Cotard.

• 32:38Griffin Newman?

  Okay.

• 32:38David Sims?

  Where I was like, did Richard Linklater fucking open a time tunnel? How did she find a guy who looks like Raoul Cotard 1, like, so much? And 2, get the coolest performance I've ever seen of a guy, Godard is just annoying at him for 5 minutes, and he goes like... Okay. And I was just like, cannot take my eyes off this guy.

• 33:00Griffin Newman?

  It is, I still have not seen that movie because it doesn't exist, but.

• 33:04David Sims?

  It exists, but it's tough to watch it on Netflix.

• 33:07Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. I just, it is crazy from the trailers and the images I've seen, how well he has physically matched every single.

• 33:14Speaker 05

  Sure.

• 33:15Griffin Newman?

  Famous French new wave behind the camera.

• 33:18David Sims?

  Yes, this is the, like, I think all the performances in that movie are, are fine. But that's right, you're just like, it's a magic trick. How do you get them all to look like this?

• 33:26Griffin Newman?

  And you look them up and almost all of them have zero previous credits.

• 33:28David Sims?

  Yes.

• 33:29Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 33:29David Sims?

  You just like went around Paris going like, and the people just like showed up. I don't know.

• 33:34Griffin Newman?

  He lit a cigarette and they all ran towards him.

• 33:37David Sims?

  A performance I really loved.

• 33:38Griffin Newman?

  Hmm.

• 33:39David Sims?

  My winner is Benicio Del Toro.

• 33:41Griffin Newman?

  My winner is also Benicio Del Toro.

• 33:44Speaker 05

  Benicio, I should say, was a close six on mine. I think all of the Oscar nominees are really good this year. So like, it was tough leaving all of them off, but Benicio was my number six. My winner is, and I mean, I'm falling into the Oscar voter trap of category fraud, I suppose, but my winner is Dylan O'Brien.

• 33:59David Sims?

  I, yeah, I just don't like that movie.

• 34:01Speaker 05

  Yeah, I, I saw your third box, I'm like, I'm gonna be.

• 34:03David Sims?

  People are some out of me about that. But, uh, but, uh, I thought Dylan was really good in that movie.

• 34:07Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 34:07Griffin Newman?

  And he's fucking excellent in Send Help.

• 34:09Speaker 05

  I still haven't seen Send Help. It bothers me so much. I know.

• 34:12David Sims?

  Fuck you, Karen.

• 34:13Speaker 05

  I've been watching all the goddamn.

• 34:15Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, yeah, you, you've had your work cut out for you.

• 34:17Speaker 05

  Excuse, yeah.

• 34:18Griffin Newman?

  Um, uh, Del Toro, it, for me, nudged over the edge by having Phoenician Scheme as well this year.

• 34:25Speaker 05

  Yep, yep, he's great in that.

• 34:26David Sims?

  It's a valid point.

• 34:27Griffin Newman?

  There's a real like range of, oh, right, this guy is.

• 34:30Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 34:30Griffin Newman?

  One of the most powerful screen actors ever.

• 34:32David Sims?

  People have started to swing against him, not like in a mega negative way, but I've seen a little bit of a like, all right, everyone, he doesn't need to win. Like, I don't.

• 34:40Speaker 05

  The arc on that performance has been interesting because when the movie first.

• 34:45David Sims?

  Insane will be remembered for a hundred years performance to me.

• 34:47Speaker 05

  When people first started seeing the movie and Penn seemed like such the obvious.

• 34:51Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 34:52Speaker 05

  Jump off, like, for supporting actor.

• 34:54David Sims?

  Sean Penn is so funny and weird.

• 34:55Speaker 05

  And so the Del Toro thing started like this underground, like, am I crazy or is Del Toro the best performance in this movie?

• 35:02Griffin Newman?

  Do you know what it kind of reminded me of?

• 35:03Speaker 05

  What?

• 35:04Griffin Newman?

  Uh, Departed, where it's like, well, this is fucking Oscar play if I've ever seen it for Jack Nicholson working with Scorsese the first time. And then everyone starts being like. Is Wahlberg secretly like the best performance in that movie?

• 35:15Speaker 05

  Yeah, I don't like Wahlberg in that movie, but like that was the arc of that.

• 35:19Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, you know, but it was a similar thing where everyone was like Penn, obviously, obviously, but like

• 35:23Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 35:23Griffin Newman?

  Del Toro's kind of incredible in this.

• 35:25David Sims?

  Right, like those are the best parts of the movie. It sings the most when he's there.

• 35:29Griffin Newman?

  And then he becomes fucking king of memes.

• 35:31Speaker 05

  Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 35:33Griffin Newman?

  You know, and then it feels like, oh, I guess he's gonna get in. Holy shit, he's winning all the critics awards. Is he like cakewalking his way to a win? And then it felt like there was some pushback on like, what, we're gonna give him a second Oscar because we like small beers?

• 35:50Speaker 05

  Oh, that's, yes, yeah, give it to the meme guy or whatever, which like I find so annoying.

• 35:55Griffin Newman?

  He won one time 25 years ago.

• 35:58David Sims?

  It's true, and he's like a Titanic actor who's

• 36:03Speaker 05

  Yeah, it's not even like an Adrian Brody thing.

• 36:05David Sims?

  Oscar nom's total, like, you know, he should have more probably, like.

• 36:08Griffin Newman?

  It's been over 20 years since he was nominated last.

• 36:11Speaker 05

  Was it 21 grand was his last nomination? Wow, yeah.

• 36:14David Sims?

  But she's so good at it.

• 36:15Griffin Newman?

  It's not like a comeback Brody, you were in the wilderness narrative, but it's more of a like, you know what? This guy has continued to be good, has continued to be great for another quarter century since he got an Oscar.

• 36:26David Sims?

  Sicario was the crazy miss for him.

• 36:28Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 36:28David Sims?

  Cause he did have major Oscar buzz that year.

• 36:30Speaker 05

  And that movie had a lot of Oscar attention. It got a nomination. The thing about Del Toro too is like, I think without him, that movie fails in a way that you can't say about, I think, any other actor in that movie.

• 36:42Griffin Newman?

  It's the two reasons I give him the win. It's A, because he also had Phoenician scheme, right? And it's like, this feels like a year to fucking call it out.

• 36:51Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 36:51Griffin Newman?

  And B, you hear every story about how much he created for that character.

• 36:57Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 36:58Griffin Newman?

  Not just in like the look and whatever, but like actual core story themes and beats that then had ripple effects across the entire script.

• 37:06Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 37:07Griffin Newman?

  It's not just if you pull that performance out, the movie's not as good. It's like the effect he had on the movie at large and the entire creative ecosystem.

• 37:15Speaker 05

  And his energy, his energy is so different than most of the other characters, and I think it like, it draws you in closer, right?

• 37:22Griffin Newman?

  It's what I love. It's a great old master performance where you're like, this guy has like. Cleaned his craft down to the bone. You know, everything is so simple and unshowy with him.

• 37:34Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 37:34Griffin Newman?

  And he's always classically been one of those, who the fuck is this guy? This guy's just interesting to watch on screen.

• 37:39Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 37:39Griffin Newman?

  But sometimes he can do a lot.

• 37:40Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 37:41Griffin Newman?

  Sometimes he can be big. And even when he was giving more naturalistic performances when he was younger, he was leading on a lot of sort of like.

• 37:48Speaker 05

  Oh, yeah.

• 37:48Griffin Newman?

  Neo James Dean affectations.

• 37:50Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 37:50Griffin Newman?

  Which he did super well.

• 37:52Speaker 05

  Mumbling his way through Usual Suspects and like that kind of stuff.

• 37:54Griffin Newman?

  And you're like, this guy has just like gotten to like zen master phase.

• 37:57Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 37:58Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 37:58Speaker 05

  I agree.

• 37:59Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, he's great.

• 37:59Speaker 05

  Perfectly cast.

• 38:00Griffin Newman?

  Dylan O'Brien, you want to speak on him for a moment?

• 38:02Speaker 05

  Yeah, so he plays two characters in Twinless. And Twinless is a movie that you start off, you sort of think you've got a handle on what's going on. This guy, you know, meets, gay guy meets a straight guy in a grief support group. And there's an infatuation going on. And you understand that like something's up. Something's up with the, with the James Sweeney character and whatever. And then it hits a point where you suddenly jump to this flashback and you see Dylan O'Brien as his deceased twin brother, who is the gay one. And not to be like, this straight actor really against us.

• 38:45Speaker 05

  But like, it's just an incredibly, it's not only, I think, in a really authentic feeling performance, but it also is a blast of like energy in a very different vein. And again, it's a kind of thing where like, that movie really needs this guy to sell you on, in the span of one night, he kind of like broke this guy's brain, the James Sweeney's guy's brain. And I just think it's really incredible. And then you go back to the other character and he just goes through this very.

• 39:20Speaker 05

  I don't know, this emotional journey that I find really, really good. And there's a degree of like Dylan O'Brien, little Teen Wolf guy, you know what I mean? Like making good. And I really like that aspect to it. And yeah, I just think it's, it's, that was a movie that stuck with me from when I saw it earlier in the season. Yeah, I was, I was not able to watch it Sundance because some busybodies decided to pirate it and got it removed from.

• 39:47Griffin Newman?

  Busybodies.

• 39:47David Sims?

  They were, they were screenshotting butts.

• 39:49Speaker 05

  Yeah, they sure were.

• 39:50David Sims?

  They got in trouble.

• 39:51Speaker 05

  They sure were. So I wasn't able to see it until later in the year, but I really liked it. I could have, I almost went with Bill Macy in Train Dreams, which that movie turned out to be a lot more divisive than I thought it was gonna be when I saw it.

• 40:04David Sims?

  I liked that movie just fine when I saw it at Sundance. I, I thought it was very good. I thought it was nice. I thought Willie Mitch Macy was nice. I did not anticipate it becoming, right, the cinephile civil war movie of the year.

• 40:17Speaker 05

  I was really, really thrown by that. Apparently people who read books have opinions about things.

• 40:21David Sims?

  Well, that's, well, it changes the book, but like that, that doesn't bother me because whatever, change, change whatever you want. But Griffin, you were kind ofwhelmed by it, I feel like. You were not, you were not like anti.

• 40:32Griffin Newman?

  I could not click into it. I might give another shot someday. I just need to call this out.

• 40:38David Sims?

  Call it out.

• 40:39Griffin Newman?

  And I'm glad you put it here.

• 40:40David Sims?

  The putters and murmurs thing.

• 40:41Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 40:41David Sims?

  Okay. Cause we've gotten a lot of messages about this.

• 40:43Griffin Newman?

  This thing screens at Sundance and immediately people are blowing up. It's a lock, right?

• 40:48David Sims?

  Passing us notes, being like Macy and Train Dreams.

• 40:51Griffin Newman?

  It was equivalent to running down the mountain and saying J.K. Simmons is gonna win best supporting actor next year.

• 40:57Speaker 05

  Sure.

• 40:57Griffin Newman?

  Out of the Whiplash screening.

• 40:58Speaker 05

  Right.

• 40:58Griffin Newman?

  People just saying, it's done, it's a lock.

• 41:00Speaker 05

  Mark it down.

• 41:01Griffin Newman?

  You know, possibly this put a burden on the movie that it was hard for it to cross.

• 41:04Speaker 05

  Sure.

• 41:05Griffin Newman?

  But he comes on screen and I immediately go, the fuck are these people talking about?

• 41:09Speaker 05

  He's so eloquent in that movie.

• 41:10Griffin Newman?

  Old timey vernacular does not make a putter or murmurer.

• 41:15David Sims?

  I would agree.

• 41:16Griffin Newman?

  He is speaking clearly in an old style of language.

• 41:19David Sims?

  It's just, he's got a corn cob pipe. I think it's just kind of throwing people.

• 41:23Speaker 05

  It is.

• 41:23David Sims?

  And like a big white beard and all that.

• 41:25Speaker 05

  I get it, but he's got a cootremonst, but like the vocal is not.

• 41:28David Sims?

  He's got a coot.

• 41:29Speaker 05

  Oh.

• 41:30Griffin Newman?

  This is true. Yeah, that's good. Every year, we have to redefine what putters and murmurs is because I think it couldn't be more clear and yet it's constantly misinterpreted. There was an iron lock, putters and murmurs performance for me. Someone turn the camera on. I saw it early in the first half of the year.

• 41:44David Sims?

  Turn the TikTok camera on, Kyle. Yeah.

• 41:46Griffin Newman?

  Clifton Collins Jr. in Eddington, this is why putters and murmurs exist.

• 41:50David Sims?

  That's an interesting, I had not, I have not thought too hard about Clifton Collins.

• 41:53Griffin Newman?

  The fuck are we talking about?

• 41:55David Sims?

  Well, I don't, I don't know, Griffin, what are we talking about? All right, wait, no, wait, well, shall we, should we put a payment?

• 42:00Griffin Newman?

  This is what we're talking about here. Magic. No, that's the winner, I'm just letting people know. Clifton Collins Jr. is the winner.

• 42:05David Sims?

  No, come on, is there no one else?

• 42:07Griffin Newman?

  I guess we could get back around. Yeah, we'll have that conversation. Yeah.

• 42:10David Sims?

  Okay, we can get back to that, okay.

• 42:11Griffin Newman?

  Is there anyone else you want to call out in your category?

• 42:13Speaker 05

  I really loved Austin Abrams in Weapons, much as I love Amy Madigan.

• 42:17Griffin Newman?

  Excellent actor, great actor.

• 42:18Speaker 05

  I don't know if Austin Abrams owns the middle of that movie to the degree that Amy Madigan owns the last third of that movie, but he holds the center portion of that movie.

• 42:27David Sims?

  He picks up the torch with a plum.

• 42:29Speaker 05

  So well.

• 42:29Griffin Newman?

  Yep.

• 42:30Speaker 05

  And I really, he's so entertaining, I love, obviously, you know I love Alden Ehrenreich, former blankie winner of mine for Hail Caesar.

• 42:37Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 42:38Speaker 05

  But I was just like, this, you assume that it's just my, all right, this tweaker is gonna be cannon fodder for, you know, whatever monsters are happening in this movie, and he becomes so, like, affecting, weirdly, and you really end up feeling for this guy, and it really works.

• 42:56Griffin Newman?

  It is a performance that is, like, beautifully lacking in judgment.

• 42:59Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 43:00Griffin Newman?

  In a way that I feel like a lot of actors would play that character condescendingly.

• 43:04Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 43:04Griffin Newman?

  While also successfully finding all the humor where it needs to be.

• 43:09Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 43:09Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, he's a really good actor.

• 43:11Speaker 05

  And then we had Michael Cera.

• 43:12Griffin Newman?

  Michael Cera.

• 43:13Speaker 05

  High five.

• 43:14Griffin Newman?

  High five.

• 43:15David Sims?

  He's so funny.

• 43:16Griffin Newman?

  You also add in how good he is in The Running Man.

• 43:19Speaker 05

  I haven't seen it yet, but I, I believe you.

• 43:22David Sims?

  He is the best part of that movie.

• 43:23Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 43:23Griffin Newman?

  Not only that, you get to his scene.

• 43:26David Sims?

  Oh, but you know who else is good in Running Man? Willie Mays Macey.

• 43:29Griffin Newman?

  He is.

• 43:29Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 43:30Griffin Newman?

  With weirdly high billing, considering the size of his role, similar to Train Dreams.

• 43:33David Sims?

  Good agent.

• 43:34Griffin Newman?

  Good agent, really good agent.

• 43:35David Sims?

  And also, not a lot of big guys in the movie, I guess.

• 43:38Griffin Newman?

  No.

• 43:40Griffin Newman?

  Michael Sarah shows up for like one extended sequence, like a 10 minute chunk of Running Man. And immediately you're like, huh, does this whole movie work better if Michael Sarah is in the Glenn Powell role?

• 43:52David Sims?

  Definitely. Do most movies work better if Michael Sarah's in the lead role?

• 43:55Speaker 05

  We really, I really feel like we as a culture have, or at least as like a cinephile culture, have turned on Glenn Powell in a way in the last couple of years.

• 44:03Griffin Newman?

  I'm still rooting for the guy 100%.

• 44:05Speaker 05

  I am too, but like.

• 44:06Griffin Newman?

  I don't think Running Man is his fault. I think people have been a little quick to throw him under the bus and be like, oh, so that was a nothing burger.

• 44:12Speaker 05

  But like the days of, uh, what was the, oh, Hitman, the days of Hitman are sort of, seem like they're far behind.

• 44:17David Sims?

  There's a lot of automatic hostility to the type of guy he's like, you know, the type of star role he plays.

• 44:24Speaker 05

  Sure.

• 44:24David Sims?

  Right now.

• 44:25Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 44:26Griffin Newman?

  Uh huh.

• 44:26David Sims?

  And so it's sort of like tougher for him to win people over. And then, yeah, he made a couple of kind of meh movies and people are like, all right, buddy. I knew you were reheated nachos. Get out of here.

• 44:34Speaker 05

  Short leash, yeah.

• 44:35Griffin Newman?

  I think we had like a 15 year stretch of like studios really pushing your, your headlands and your hunums and your kitches.

• 44:44David Sims?

  Yep.

• 44:44Griffin Newman?

  And all these guys who never quite.

• 44:46Speaker 05

  Many of whom I'm a fan of, but yes.

• 44:48Griffin Newman?

  Yes. And I think there is still some residual kind of knee jerk resistance to.

• 44:54Speaker 05

  What are they pushing this guy on us for?

• 44:55Griffin Newman?

  Right. And I think Powell works really hard to be like, I am not a psyop.

• 45:00Speaker 05

  Right.

• 45:01Griffin Newman?

  I care. But then the second he makes one movie that doesn't work, people are like, I fucking knew it.

• 45:05Speaker 05

  I knew it. I called it. Um, I was never fooled.

• 45:08Griffin Newman?

  But Sarah's really fucking good in Running Man and you watch it and the performance he's giving is very different than I'd say anything he's ever done before on screen. Uh, it's a really interesting like hostile performance.

• 45:19Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 45:19Griffin Newman?

  But you watch it and you're like, oh, right. On top of everything else, this guy did fucking like 18 months of Kung Fu training with Edgar Wright. Like he also can do fucking fight scenes and shit. Uh, and Phoenician Scheme, I'm watching it in the first half. I'm like, yeah, yeah, all the memes, of course. How have they not done a film together yet? Wes Anderson and Michael Sarah. He's doing it really well. It's a good fit. He's making funny choices. I like that he's playing like a fucking European Eddie Bracken role.

• 45:47Speaker 05

  Sure.

• 45:48Griffin Newman?

  Whatever. This is good, but like. There's part of me going, is this all Wes Anderson's gonna use him for?

• 45:53Speaker 05

  Sure, sure.

• 45:54Griffin Newman?

  And it is part of like, the argument for why Wes Anderson's not fucking stuck in a rut.

• 45:59Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 45:59David Sims?

  Whoever thinks that is.

• 46:00Griffin Newman?

  Without ruining any of the twists of the movie, like halfway through, he just throws an entirely different assignment at Michael Sarah. And it's like, right, this guy gets

• 46:09Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 46:09Griffin Newman?

  that we pigeonhole Sarah into doing like two things well.

• 46:12Speaker 05

  Turns out Wes Anderson has seen both Twin Peaks, The Return and Molly's Game.

• 46:16Griffin Newman?

  And gives him the holes in all of it.

• 46:18Speaker 05

  Right, everyone likes to say this guy only plays himself. Yeah.

• 46:21Griffin Newman?

  But like, there is a pretty astonishing range within the tapestry of Michael Sarah's particular frequency.

• 46:27Speaker 05

  Michael Sarah only plays himself is really funny because I don't know if I could give you a real good sense of who I think Michael Sarah is as a person.

• 46:32Griffin Newman?

  Well, I also, that's my problem with ever people have that criticism, where it's like, you're saying blank only plays themself.

• 46:38Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 46:38Griffin Newman?

  So what you're saying is, their performances remind you of how they act in interviews, which also might be an act.

• 46:44Speaker 05

  Right.

• 46:44Griffin Newman?

  You don't know who they fucking are.

• 46:46Speaker 05

  Right, right.

• 46:47Griffin Newman?

  Anyway.

• 46:48David Sims?

  Wow.

• 46:49Griffin Newman?

  That was my little stump speech.

• 46:50David Sims?

  Little rant mode there.

• 46:53Speaker 05

  Alright, turn the TikTok camera off, that was good.

• 46:55David Sims?

  Yeah, I don't know. I just, you know, Holt, that's a performance I adore.

• 47:00Speaker 05

  Oh, Holt in Superman is so fucking good.

• 47:03David Sims?

  We've showered praise on Delroy Lindo on these episodes over the years.

• 47:07Speaker 05

  I'm crossing my fingers that he could come out of nowhere and win.

• 47:10Griffin Newman?

  It really feels like any one of the five could win.

• 47:12Speaker 05

  Sorry JJ, sorry JJ's Twitter rant, or Blue Sky rant last night.

• 47:16Griffin Newman?

  What's JJ fucking ranting about?

• 47:17Speaker 05

  It was a reasonable, reasonable point.

• 47:19David Sims?

  I'll just start composing email now.

• 47:22Griffin Newman?

  File the paperwork.

• 47:23Speaker 05

  I'm normally the one being like, you guys are too mean to JJ, but this one I was just like, it was a decent point of just like, Delroy Lindo should have had 12 Oscar nominations by now. It would be weird if he wins for this, for this particular.

• 47:34Griffin Newman?

  I don't disagree with him.

• 47:35Speaker 05

  I don't disagree with that either.

• 47:36Griffin Newman?

  Who gives a shit?

• 47:37Speaker 05

  I, that's also my thing.

• 47:39Griffin Newman?

  If we give him an Oscar for this now, I'm not gonna be like, that one? Like, he's excellent in this.

• 47:45Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 47:45Griffin Newman?

  And after, you know, I, I, I think the Five Blood snub is the most egregious of this decade, in my opinion.

• 47:51Speaker 05

  It is.

• 47:52Griffin Newman?

  You know, it's that, Mary Ann, John Daphne, so the two.

• 47:54Speaker 05

  We all might have agreed on that.

• 47:55Griffin Newman?

  But with him, he's got the ultimate like, how has he never been nominated and they served him this performance on a platter?

• 48:01Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 48:01Griffin Newman?

  And I see Sinners a year ago. And he pops up on screen and I'm like, oh, fuck, Delroy's in the pocket in this.

• 48:07David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 48:07Griffin Newman?

  This movie's a hit.

• 48:08David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 48:09Griffin Newman?

  There's a year to go, but could this possibly be an Oscar contender? He gets his big monologue, he gets to like run throughout basically the whole picture, but be like just perfect supporting like juice. And it, it made me so happy that he has like stuck in the whole time and has been a legitimate contender.

• 48:25David Sims?

  Who do you think will win the Oscar?

• 48:28Griffin Newman?

  Right now, my inclination is Stellan Skarsgård.

• 48:31Speaker 05

  Well, I talked about this, Griffin was, Griffin was there lurking behind me when I recorded.

• 48:35Griffin Newman?

  Excuse me, it's called producing.

• 48:37Speaker 05

  Critical Darlings yesterday. Um, and I mentioned that like, uh, our, uh, our friend Kyle Buchanan's stone cold certainty, uh, throughout this season that once the industry awards happen, that Sean Penn is gonna run the table.

• 48:49David Sims?

  Kyle has, has been banging that drum.

• 48:50Speaker 05

  And that has, the BAFTA's sort of leaned into that, so.

• 48:54David Sims?

  I don't see it.

• 48:55Speaker 05

  I'm, I'm hoping that that's not the case, not because I don't like that performance, because I do.

• 49:00David Sims?

  He's, um, he's unbelievable in that movie, but he has two Oscars.

• 49:04Speaker 05

  He has two Oscars already, and that category.

• 49:06Griffin Newman?

  Which is so weird if that thing fucking stuck to Benicio, we need to give him a second one and then Penn wins a third.

• 49:11Speaker 05

  Penn wins a third. I think that category is so wide open that it would be really, it would just be really fun if Delroy Lindo could, because sometimes my thing with awards is, sometimes when somebody gets nominated without a ton of precursors, it's like, where did that come from?

• 49:25Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 49:25Speaker 05

  You're like, well, clearly, they must've really liked that, you know, they must've really liked that performance.

• 49:31Griffin Newman?

  Sure.

• 49:31Speaker 05

  Because they sort of disregarded the, you know, pencil sketch outline of the nominees and put him in instead.

• 49:38Griffin Newman?

  We were also talking about this, or, or you were talking about this on Critical Darlings yesterday, but like, sometimes people get a career boost from the snub.

• 49:46Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 49:46Griffin Newman?

  Like, as angry as everyone was that he didn't get the Five Bloods nomination in the worst Oscar year.

• 49:51Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 49:51Griffin Newman?

  It led to like several years of discourse of being like, remember when the fucking Academy didn't?

• 49:56David Sims?

  It can help, it can help for sure.

• 49:58Griffin Newman?

  Heads, I think, a little bit in a way that boosted him in this, but this also feels like, when, when you got to his monologue in the car, I was like, Ryan Coogler kinda knows what he's doing.

• 50:07Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 50:07Griffin Newman?

  Ryan Coogler sat down and was like. Someone needs to fucking figure out how to get Delroy Lindo nominated.

• 50:12David Sims?

  Maybe.

• 50:13Griffin Newman?

  I'm gonna give him like a combo platter character where he gets to do everything.

• 50:17David Sims?

  Yeah. I think Skarsgård will win because I think the Oscars really like that movie and that's where they can award it.

• 50:23Griffin Newman?

  That's my feeling as well, combined with him.

• 50:26David Sims?

  And he's another like, sort of just major guy.

• 50:29Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 50:29David Sims?

  Who's never gotten an Oscar nomination.

• 50:31Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 50:31David Sims?

  And it's a quasi lead role and it's a sad dad and it's just a lot of stuff that they tend to vibe with.

• 50:37Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 50:37David Sims?

  But I don't know.

• 50:38Griffin Newman?

  I don't know. Who knows?

• 50:42Speaker 02

  Back to the blankies after these messages.

• 50:53Griffin Newman?

  David?

• 50:54David Sims?

  Yes. Mmm. Is that the Cineas cow?

• 50:59Griffin Newman?

  The Cineas cow is back.

• 51:00David Sims?

  Haven't heard from her in a while.

• 51:01Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, she's reactivated because she's horny for chicken fingers.

• 51:06David Sims?

  Okay.

• 51:07Griffin Newman?

  And she's excited for the streaming debut of Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.

• 51:11David Sims?

  Wow.

• 51:12Griffin Newman?

  The cow likes chicken.

• 51:14David Sims?

  Remember cow and chicken? Let's look it up. While you tell the great listeners about the great stuff on movie.

• 51:21Griffin Newman?

  What movie is a global film company bringing great cinema to the world and to you? Curating and elevating visionary filmmaking, all handpicked, always. That's what movie does. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.

• 51:32David Sims?

  Yes.

• 51:33Griffin Newman?

  One of my favorite movies of the year.

• 51:34David Sims?

  Absolutely.

• 51:35Griffin Newman?

  You can feel the rush now at home. There's a hole at the bottom of the lake where the movies come from.

• 51:41David Sims?

  That is a line in the movie.

• 51:42Griffin Newman?

  In the new movie from Jane Schomburn, Past and Future Guest.

• 51:45David Sims?

  Past and Future Guest, a great filmmaker, a great podcast guest.

• 51:48Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 51:49David Sims?

  Great friend.

• 51:49Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 51:50David Sims?

  Um, this movie rocks. It's got, of course, it stars Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson.

• 51:55Griffin Newman?

  Uh huh.

• 51:56David Sims?

  Legends and I tip my cap, but Zach Cherry.

• 51:58Griffin Newman?

  Performances, friend of the show.

• 52:00David Sims?

  Friend of the show Zach Cherry.

• 52:01Griffin Newman?

  Zach Cherry.

• 52:02David Sims?

  Also in it.

• 52:03Griffin Newman?

  This is true.

• 52:04David Sims?

  Such a cool movie. Won the Queer Palmitan. If you haven't heard about this movie, I don't know what's going on with you, but like, it obviously has, it was out in theaters this summer and now it's on movie.

• 52:14Griffin Newman?

  Hannah Einbinder plays a filmmaker attempting to reboot the Camp Miasma franchise, trying to track down the original final girl from the first movie to make some sort of legacy sequel, who's played by Gillian Anderson, who lives at the summer camp.

• 52:28David Sims?

  At Camp Miasma, yes. And you know, and then they hang out and it's regular.

• 52:33Griffin Newman?

  What happens?

• 52:35Griffin Newman?

  It's one of those Hollywood's out of ideas. No, it's very much a movie about Hollywood being out of ideas while being an example of there still being new stories to tell.

• 52:45David Sims?

  It's now streaming exclusively on MUBI and you can try MUBI free for 30 days at MUBI.com/blankcheck. That's M U B I dot com slash blank check for a whole month of great cinema for free.

• 52:57Griffin Newman?

  They got so many great movies on there to watch, but worth it. The 30 days for me as my.

• 53:02David Sims?

  Damn right.

• 53:08Griffin Newman?

  David.

• 53:09David Sims?

  Yes.

• 53:09Griffin Newman?

  Shop.com is giving away $1 million in Shop Cash.

• 53:13David Sims?

  Wow. Shop has all the stores you love and lets you track every order in one spot.

• 53:19Griffin Newman?

  I love that. It's very convenient.

• 53:20David Sims?

  And now 1,000 shoppers are each going to win $1,000 in Shop Cash just in time for the holidays.

• 53:28Griffin Newman?

  You get gifts for everyone on your list or get yourself something a little merry and bright. Find exactly what you're looking for at shop.com.

• 53:36David Sims?

  Uh, got stocking stuffers, maybe the sickest luxury items. Cookware to kicks, toys to high tech, even tinsel and tree toppers. Type in what you're looking for to instantly search every shop at once. Okay, that's shop.com. You can just go click around, find brands you love, search across all the stores, track every order in one spot.

• 53:59Griffin Newman?

  From cult favorites to the world's biggest brands, score suite deals and checkout fast, all at shop.com. Enter to win the $1 million Shop Cash giveaway from now until November 1st. Just go to shop.com. There are so many ways to win. That's shop.com. Shopping designed around you. No purchase necessary. Restrictions apply. Official rules available at shop.com.

• 54:31Griffin Newman?

  David.

• 54:31David Sims?

  Hmm.

• 54:32Griffin Newman?

  It's not cuffing season for me, it's hosi season for me. And this year, that meant finally upgrading my new mattress from Lisa.

• 54:39David Sims?

  Lisa.

• 54:40Griffin Newman?

  It's supportive, comfortable, and just what my body needs after a long day. It makes crawling into bed on a chilly fall night feel like luxury.

• 54:48David Sims?

  Yeah, I have a Lisa too. They've got a lineup of beautifully crafted mattresses tailored to how you sleep.

• 54:54Griffin Newman?

  Mm hmm.

• 54:54David Sims?

  Each mattress is designed with specific sleep positions and feel preferences in mind. They've got eco-friendly materials.

• 55:01Griffin Newman?

  Maybe you hear eco-friendly and you go, oh, but I'm gonna sacrifice comfort.

• 55:04David Sims?

  No.

• 55:05Griffin Newman?

  Nope.

• 55:06David Sims?

  They've been awarded best hybrid and best memory foam mattresses by New York Times' Wirecutter. They're featured by West Elm as their go-to mattress partner. And they work with local nonprofits across the US to donate thousands of mattresses each year to families in need. Over 43,000 mattresses donated to date. Go to lisa.com for up to 30% off mattresses. Plus, get an extra $50 off with promo code blank check. Exclusive for our listeners. That's L E E S A dot com promo code blank check for up to 30% off mattresses, plus an extra $50 off. Let them know we sent you in the survey after checkout. Lisa.com promo code blank check.

• 55:57Speaker 02

  Best Supporting Actress.

• 56:00David Sims?

  Supporting Actress. Let's do Supporting Actress. Okay, so our winners last year for Supporting Actor were for Griffin, the twink from Minora, Mark, Edel, Edie. Mark Islestyle. Yeah. For me, to my surprise, Edward Norton.

• 56:15David Sims?

  And for you, Joe, the brutalist, Mr. Guy Pearce himself.

• 56:18Griffin Newman?

  Sure.

• 56:20David Sims?

  Who I'm sure will be super normal presenting this award. I will do mine first, I guess, just to just to switch it up. My nominees are. Tiana Taylor for One Battle After Another and Regina Hall for One Battle After Another. Amy Madigan for Weapons. Miriam Afshari for It Was Just An Accident and Una Chaplin for Avatar: Fire and Ash.

• 56:40Speaker 05

  There you go.

• 56:41David Sims?

  Normal five. Wow.

• 56:42Speaker 05

  Deeply.

• 56:43David Sims?

  Yeah, okay. That's, that, those are my guys. I, I was fairly chalked though.

• 56:47Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 56:48David Sims?

  That they, I, the One Battle Girls have to be there.

• 56:51Speaker 05

  Um, I went with Miriam Afshari for It Was Just An Accident. Nina Haas for Hedda.

• 56:57Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm.

• 56:57Speaker 05

  Yom Hiron, apologies if I did not pronounce that correctly, for No Other Choice. Amy Madigan for Weapons and Wonmi Masaku for Sinners.

• 57:06David Sims?

  Love her. Love that nom.

• 57:09Griffin Newman?

  I do too. I have to make one tough cut here.

• 57:12Speaker 05

  All right.

• 57:13David Sims?

  Well, you.

• 57:13Speaker 05

  An annual tradition. Griffin making.

• 57:15David Sims?

  My tough cut was Gwyneth, who I just love.

• 57:18Speaker 05

  My tough cut, I mean, Gwyneth too, my tough cut was obviously Tiana Taylor. I think Tiana Taylor is incredible.

• 57:22Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 57:23Speaker 05

  She's doing all right without me.

• 57:24Griffin Newman?

  I, I love the Regina Hall performance and I'm sort of cheating it by giving it my Sergeant Shroom Award, which is a performance where, like, I, I wish I could nominate it.

• 57:35David Sims?

  Sergeant Shroom, just for people who don't remember, is Vin Diesel's character in Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.

• 57:41Speaker 05

  Got it. Got it. Got it.

• 57:42Griffin Newman?

  Um, love Regina Hall.

• 57:44David Sims?

  I know everyone remembers that.

• 57:45Griffin Newman?

  I think she's incredible in that movie.

• 57:46David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 57:47Griffin Newman?

  I think it is to the credit of the movie and the performance that it could so easily have the explosive Oscar moment that would have made it an undeniable contender.

• 57:56Speaker 05

  Much like Vin Diesel in Billy Lynn's Halftime Walk, uh, when that movie, when that casting got announced, people were like, Oscar nominated.

• 58:03Griffin Newman?

  That's why, of course, we call it the Sergeant Shroom Award.

• 58:05Speaker 05

  Of course, yeah.

• 58:05Griffin Newman?

  But, um, it, it's, the, that character is so defined by the quiet and what isn't said and the in-between spaces. She's incredible in that. I'm using that as a cheat to not give her one of my five. I have, to some great surprise, wait a second, Please Drop Your Rolling Pins, Una Chaplin in Avatar: Fire and Ash, Marisa Bella in Black Bag.

• 58:27Speaker 05

  Sure.

• 58:27David Sims?

  Hot.

• 58:28Griffin Newman?

  Kirsten Dunst in Roof Man.

• 58:31David Sims?

  Yep. She's so good in that movie.

• 58:32Speaker 05

  Yep.

• 58:34Griffin Newman?

  I'm, I'm, Win Me Masako, I, I will say, I think is an incredible performance and was my vote for SAG this year.

• 58:44Speaker 05

  Nice.

• 58:44Griffin Newman?

  I'm dropping her for my five only because she's being represented by the Oscars and I want to get my five weird people in.

• 58:49Speaker 05

  Yep.

• 58:50Griffin Newman?

  Emma Stone in Eddington.

• 58:54Griffin Newman?

  Incredible performance.

• 58:55David Sims?

  Not a performance I like, but carry on.

• 58:57Griffin Newman?

  I think an incredible performance.

• 58:59Speaker 05

  Sure, sure.

• 59:00Griffin Newman?

  And Nina Hoss in Hedda.

• 59:02David Sims?

  Yeah, her, she was a tough cut for me too because she's really good in that movie.

• 59:04Speaker 05

  She rules in that movie.

• 59:06David Sims?

  And the only problem I have with that performance is that it's almost too easy. Where I'm like, well, yeah, of course Nina Hoss playing like the person who you can't get over, who's so powerful. She ruined your life, walking around in that dress or that outfit, you know. Yeah, yeah, of course that's gonna work on screen. Good thinking, Nina.

• 59:23Griffin Newman?

  Well, people talk so much about like, oh, if you just like flip the gender of that character, the whole text transforms like so rapidly. And it's like, no, but also if you just put Nina Hoss in that role.

• 59:34David Sims?

  She's very good.

• 59:35Griffin Newman?

  Someone who also has played Hedda Gabler before.

• 59:38David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 59:38Griffin Newman?

  Has been on both sides of this situation.

• 59:41Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 59:41Griffin Newman?

  Who are your winners, gentlemen?

• 59:44David Sims?

  Joe, who's your winner?

• 59:45Speaker 05

  Um.

• 59:47Speaker 05

  I'm, here I'm going on the fly. I'm gonna go with Miriam Afshari for It Was Just an Accident.

• 59:52David Sims?

  She's so good in that movie. Uh, my winner is Amy Madigan.

• 59:57Speaker 05

  That was my, almost, yeah.

• 59:58David Sims?

  Who I thought was gonna win the Oscar, but now I guess I feel like she might not.

• 1:00:01Griffin Newman?

  But it also might happen.

• 1:00:02David Sims?

  It could.

• 1:00:03Speaker 05

  It's still good. I think that category's pretty up in the air.

• 1:00:05Griffin Newman?

  That feels like a three-way race.

• 1:00:07Speaker 05

  Tiana, Win Me and, and Amy.

• 1:00:09Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:00:09Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 1:00:10Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, I think the sentimental value, women cancel each other out.

• 1:00:13Speaker 05

  I agree. Yep.

• 1:00:13Griffin Newman?

  Uh, but like that feels like an even three-way.

• 1:00:17Speaker 05

  If I had.

• 1:00:17Griffin Newman?

  Supporting actor feels like a five-way.

• 1:00:19Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:00:19Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:00:19Speaker 05

  If I had a, a crisp hundred dollar bill, I'd put it on Tiana, but you know.

• 1:00:24David Sims?

  I would too.

• 1:00:25Speaker 05

  But only slightly.

• 1:00:26Griffin Newman?

  I, I wonder if, uh...

• 1:00:30Speaker 05

  By the way, Griffin, you owe me a Chris Punderdollar bill. I gotta, I gotta do something with it.

• 1:00:33Griffin Newman?

  Oh, sure.

• 1:00:33Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:00:35Griffin Newman?

  I, I feel like Amy Madigan might pull it out at the end.

• 1:00:38Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:00:38Griffin Newman?

  For similar reasons to Sol Skarsgård of like, the Hollywood firmament being like, you know what? Yeah. Thank you for all your service.

• 1:00:45Speaker 05

  Did you see somebody finally asked her in an interview about the, uh, her and Ed Harris refusing to clap?

• 1:00:49Griffin Newman?

  And her answer was pretty fucking perfect.

• 1:00:51Speaker 05

  And I was just like, go with that.

• 1:00:52Griffin Newman?

  It was, it was pretty excellent. I think every interview she's done has been on fire.

• 1:00:57Speaker 05

  Wearing all those suits?

• 1:00:58Griffin Newman?

  My, my supporting actress winner is Nina Hoss, which is like my performance of the year.

• 1:01:02Speaker 05

  Yeah, she's so good.

• 1:01:03Griffin Newman?

  Uh, and I, I, getting to the earlier point we were making, I was like, oh, but do I give it to her? Cause I gave her best actress for Phoenix, didn't I? And then I looked back and Phoenix was the year before we started doing it. So I was like, that's my private spreadsheet. I put her in my best of the decade, uh, best actress lineup.

• 1:01:20Speaker 05

  Yep, yep, yep.

• 1:01:21Griffin Newman?

  But because I haven't given her an award on mic before, I'm, I'm going Nina Hoss.

• 1:01:25Speaker 05

  Best of the decade, the podcast episode that caused COVID?

• 1:01:27Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, the last one.

• 1:01:28Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:01:29David Sims?

  Uh, yeah.

• 1:01:29Griffin Newman?

  We left that recording. I was like, guys, I'm gonna go to a rowdy screening of Cats and then live forever.

• 1:01:35David Sims?

  Still, we're, we're doing great. We're doing great.

• 1:01:37Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:01:38David Sims?

  Um, uh, Verang is mad at you though, and she is going to set you on fire.

• 1:01:42Griffin Newman?

  I, look, I, I just...

• 1:01:44Speaker 05

  It's Alco's.

• 1:01:44Griffin Newman?

  We'll have a separate conversation off mic.

• 1:01:48Speaker 05

  Um, David, you and I agreed on, uh, Miriam Afshari though, um...

• 1:01:53David Sims?

  I mean, I think she's never been in a movie before, as far as I know.

• 1:01:56Speaker 05

  The scene by the tree with the taillight, the taillight illumination was, I mean, there's some really good scenes in a lot of good movies this year, but like, that was up there for me. I really thought for as much as I love the ending of that movie, and that's kind of what everybody talked about, but like, for me, the scene of that movie is that one right there.

• 1:02:11David Sims?

  Yeah, been in one other movie before.

• 1:02:12Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:02:12David Sims?

  Yeah. No, she, yes, then that movie is one of my favorites of the years. Uh, yeah, Tiana and Regina, it's very obvious. Amy Madigan just, you know... Did you clock her when you saw the movie? Like, were you like, this is Amy Madigan? Like, when the character appeared? Because I was not really like-

• 1:02:28Griffin Newman?

  I definitely did it in the trailer.

• 1:02:29David Sims?

  I was so in the movie, right? Like, so I'm like, and like, obviously Gladys's first appearance is when she's, apart from the little glimpses, is when she's in full wig mode.

• 1:02:38Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:02:39David Sims?

  And I was just like, it's kind of like the Don't Look Now thing, where I'm like, did he just like find someone from another dimension? Like, I don't get it. What is this? Who is this?

• 1:02:49Griffin Newman?

  My, my problem-

• 1:02:51David Sims?

  And then when you see her with the wig off, I was kind of like, okay, no, no, no. This is, who is this? This is an actress I know. Anyway, Carrie, your problem-

• 1:02:56Griffin Newman?

  No, my problem is that the release of that film basically directly coincided with the worst of my No Other Choice-esque dental nightmares.

• 1:03:06David Sims?

  Oh, gosh. Yeah, I remember that. Right, right, right, right. You took a while to see it.

• 1:03:09Griffin Newman?

  I couldn't see the movie for like a week.

• 1:03:11David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:03:11Griffin Newman?

  Because I was, uh, sick and vomiting, uh, from a dental infection. So, I, by like-

• 1:03:18David Sims?

  Dental infection?

• 1:03:19Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. Ben, I had a lot of food going on.

• 1:03:21David Sims?

  His gums got all fucked up.

• 1:03:22Griffin Newman?

  Remember? My mouth was bleeding!

• 1:03:24David Sims?

  Tooth stuff. Yes. Right.

• 1:03:27Griffin Newman?

  My mouth was bleeding, Bert! Um, I, within three days, people were already doing the like, can Amy Madigan get a supporting actress nomination?

• 1:03:37David Sims?

  Yeah, yeah, right, right. Like, just as a cheat.

• 1:03:39Griffin Newman?

  I went in knowing she was a thing.

• 1:03:42David Sims?

  Right, right, yeah, totally, totally. Uh, you loved Emma Stone in Eddington? That's not a performance I like.

• 1:03:47Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, I liked Eddington a lot.

• 1:03:48David Sims?

  Me too.

• 1:03:49Griffin Newman?

  That sort of sits on the, maybe-

• 1:03:51David Sims?

  It was my least favorite part of it.

• 1:03:52Griffin Newman?

  I don't dislike her Yorgos performances, but-

• 1:03:56David Sims?

  I don't either.

• 1:03:56Griffin Newman?

  This was my favorite performance she has given in many years. I thought it was the most different thing I have seen her done, do in a long time. I think she's capturing something really interesting for me, which is the, you know, in a movie that is all about, like, everyone's living in separate realities, right?

• 1:04:15David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:04:15Griffin Newman?

  That, for me, so accurately captures, uh, the chaos of what it feels to be alive right now and that no one can agree on the ground we're standing on.

• 1:04:25David Sims?

  Right, right.

• 1:04:26Griffin Newman?

  This very tricky thing of like, uh, people who have experienced, uh, extreme trauma, can be disconnected from reality in a way that is a coping mechanism.

• 1:04:38David Sims?

  Sure.

• 1:04:38Griffin Newman?

  Where you don't know-

• 1:04:40David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:04:40Griffin Newman?

  Whether to believe them or not.

• 1:04:42Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:04:43Griffin Newman?

  Uh, even when you have endless sympathy for the understanding of what caused this disconnect.

• 1:04:48David Sims?

  Happened to.

• 1:04:48Speaker 05

  Well, and then you have Deirdre O'Connell in the other room, breaking stick figures and, and, and casting spells.

• 1:04:54Griffin Newman?

  Right. And I, I think like, I think Emma Stone gets the kind of weird husk of that really right. It, it really worked for me. I, I found it. I found it very good. Yeah.

• 1:05:05Speaker 05

  Um, I also just want to shout out, uh, Yom Hiron for uh, No Other Choice, who plays the wife of the, of the guy that the main character is trying to knock off and is so funny.

• 1:05:18Griffin Newman?

  Yes. Oh, yes, yes.

• 1:05:19David Sims?

  She's very funny.

• 1:05:20Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 1:05:20Speaker 05

  One of those, one, a, a great running performance. Every time she runs somewhere in that movie, I think it's very funny. Um.

• 1:05:27David Sims?

  Your winner's Miriam?

• 1:05:28Speaker 05

  My winner is Miriam.

• 1:05:29David Sims?

  Griffin, who's your winner?

• 1:05:30Griffin Newman?

  Nina Haas.

• 1:05:31David Sims?

  Right. Of course. Right.

• 1:05:31Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 1:05:32David Sims?

  Okay, great. I'm gonna read you the blankies. Supporting performance winners.

• 1:05:36Speaker 05

  Okay.

• 1:05:37David Sims?

  Or I'll go from 10 to 1.

• 1:05:38Griffin Newman?

  Okay.

• 1:05:38David Sims?

  10 Miles, Katniss and Sinners, a great, great find. Great performance. 9, Odessa, Zion and Marty Supreme.

• 1:05:45Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm.

• 1:05:45David Sims?

  8, Stall and Skarsgård in Sentimental Value.

• 1:05:48Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm.

• 1:05:48David Sims?

  7, Delroy Lindo. 6, Inga, Eve's Daughter, Lilias. Is that how you say it? It's Sentimental Value.

• 1:05:55Griffin Newman?

  Quite a discovery.

• 1:05:55David Sims?

  Yeah, she's great. Uh, Tiana Taylor is number 5. Amy Madigan, number 4. Sean Penn, number 3. Ralph Fiennes, our beautiful Dr. Kelson, number 2. And Ray Benicio is their winner.

• 1:06:05Speaker 05

  Yeah, that makes sense.

• 1:06:06David Sims?

  It all makes, it all makes.

• 1:06:07Speaker 05

  It all falls into place.

• 1:06:08David Sims?

  As the lightning seeds once said, let's do our screenplays, maybe?

• 1:06:11Speaker 05

  Let's do it.

• 1:06:12David Sims?

  Uh, I'm trying to think. Yeah, that's what we did last time. Okay, yeah, let's do our screenplays. Okay. Okay. All right.

• 1:06:18Griffin Newman?

  Okay.

• 1:06:18David Sims?

  Original or adapted?

• 1:06:22Griffin Newman?

  Uh, let's go original first.

• 1:06:25Speaker 02

  Best original screenplay.

• 1:06:28David Sims?

  Okay, I got, It Was Just an Accident.

• 1:06:31Griffin Newman?

  Hmm.

• 1:06:31David Sims?

  Written by Jafar Panahi. Secret Agent, written by Kleber. Kleber Philho. Sinners, written by Ryan Coogler. If I Had Legs, I'd Kick Ya by Mary Bronstein and Robert Capela's Blue Moon script were my 5.

• 1:06:44Griffin Newman?

  Interesting.

• 1:06:45David Sims?

  Is that interesting? Didn't seem that interesting.

• 1:06:49Speaker 05

  Uh, mine are Blue Moon, written by Robert Kaplow. Griffin in Summer, written by Nicholas Collier.

• 1:06:55Griffin Newman?

  Got my ears are burning.

• 1:06:57Speaker 05

  Love that movie. Uh, It Was Just an Accident, Jafar Panahi. Lurker, written by Alex Russell, and Twinless, written by James Sweeney.

• 1:07:04Griffin Newman?

  My original screenplay nominations are If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You.

• 1:07:11Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:07:11Griffin Newman?

  Sinners, Weapons, Eddington, and of course, David, say it with me. Uh, materialists.

• 1:07:20David Sims?

  I, I just want to point out, you sort of were getting a little Bob Dooka-y there. Sinners, what happened?

• 1:07:27Speaker 05

  Parker Posey box.

• 1:07:31David Sims?

  Lucy Lou Flo.

• 1:07:35David Sims?

  My winner is It Was Just an Accident, uh, which I think is, uh, great in every way. But, uh, is a, a quiet, like, crucial screenplay, crucial story construction kind of movie.

• 1:07:48David Sims?

  But those are all good winners.

• 1:07:49Griffin Newman?

  Did thankfully give that.

• 1:07:52David Sims?

  Right, that's, that got a nom.

• 1:07:54Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 1:07:54David Sims?

  Right, yeah, it didn't get Best Picture, but it got the screener. Right, the Oscars, right, they, they went pretty, yeah, they have sentimental value in there, they have Martin Supreme in there, but they, right, yeah, I, I,

• 1:08:04Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:08:04David Sims?

  I assume, I still assume Coogler is winning there.

• 1:08:07Griffin Newman?

  I do too.

• 1:08:08David Sims?

  Because of the Oscar trend of awarding black directors screenplay awards.

• 1:08:13Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:08:14David Sims?

  Rather than giving them director.

• 1:08:15Griffin Newman?

  It's funny.

• 1:08:16David Sims?

  Spike Lee, Jordan Peele, like, they're like, well, we got a screenplay award for you. Jerry Jenkins.

• 1:08:19Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 1:08:20Speaker 05

  Plus, it also just feels like it's a very tidy split between, uh, one battle after another in Sinners.

• 1:08:27David Sims?

  Yes, of course.

• 1:08:27Speaker 05

  Where they give one to one and one to the other.

• 1:08:28David Sims?

  And I think Sinners is a kind of a brilliant, like, brilliant, brilliant idea. And a, like, well-written movie. I'm not, it's just funny, like, it's just like such a visual fucking feast. And, you know, like, yeah, anyway, I hope he wins, I want him to win.

• 1:08:42Griffin Newman?

  Look, there was always the thing of, like, original screenplay, that's the cool category.

• 1:08:45David Sims?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:08:46Griffin Newman?

  That's the coolest movie that the Academy has recognized, but it's a little too edgier, out there, or new, to win Best Picture. It's the Pulp Fiction. It has sort of just become, we will let black filmmakers get this close.

• 1:09:00David Sims?

  Right.

• 1:09:00Griffin Newman?

  Right.

• 1:09:00David Sims?

  Or Nick Valanga.

• 1:09:02Griffin Newman?

  Of course.

• 1:09:02Speaker 05

  Or Nick.

• 1:09:03Griffin Newman?

  Well, we salute.

• 1:09:04Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:09:05Griffin Newman?

  Um, no, but even, you know, those are, I'm about to name two films that were not written by their directors, but John Ridley winning for 12 years a slave.

• 1:09:12Speaker 05

  Yep, yep.

• 1:09:13Griffin Newman?

  And, uh, what's his name, Jeffrey Cheshire for Precious?

• 1:09:16Speaker 05

  I believe that's correct, yes.

• 1:09:17Griffin Newman?

  Like, there has been a last 15 years, like, this is the exact ceiling, and then...

• 1:09:22Speaker 05

  Really good point.

• 1:09:23Griffin Newman?

  Right.

• 1:09:23Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:09:23Griffin Newman?

  Uh, Moonlight, of course, just the weirdest Oscar shakedown of all time. Uh, Shake Out, I mean, rather. Um, who are your guys' winners? Uh, it was just an accident for me.

• 1:09:34Speaker 05

  Uh, also for me, it was just an accident.

• 1:09:36Griffin Newman?

  Wow. Who are you going for? It's a really good question. Dooka.

• 1:09:43Griffin Newman?

  Uh, Purple Nerville. Um, are you gonna murder me if I pick Materialist? I'm not gonna murder you.

• 1:09:50Speaker 05

  No, but I wanna hear it. I wanna hear you talk about it, because I was sort of, I did not like that movie, but I was fascinated by it, so...

• 1:09:56Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. I, I think that movie is, like, the, um, it is exploding the subtext in all, uh, kind of Hollywood romantic comedies, uh, into a, like, examination of how, uh, dating has basically just become, or rather, partners have become another form of currency in our, like, insane, late-stage capitalism hellscape.

• 1:10:26Speaker 05

  Sure.

• 1:10:27Griffin Newman?

  That, the whole movie is about that we have basically reduced this to, like, a sense of belonging in your, like, it's, it's another thing you own in your brand portfolio.

• 1:10:37Speaker 05

  Sure. Sure, certainly for, particularly for a character like Dakota Johnson's character.

• 1:10:41Griffin Newman?

  Yes, and how much we've, like, gamified dating through apps and...

• 1:10:45Speaker 05

  That's, yes.

• 1:10:46Griffin Newman?

  Right, and then, you know, the people with the money to afford it bypass the apps by getting the bespoke throwback-y experience.

• 1:10:54Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:10:54Griffin Newman?

  Uh, and that all of this doesn't actually consider what makes you want to be with someone, what makes a relationship work, you know, the intellect, the intellectualization of the kind of person you want to be with versus who you were emotionally drawn to, and I just think it's like an incredible movie about people lying to themselves.

• 1:11:15Speaker 05

  That is definitely true. I... Two things, and neither one of this is to sort of discount your choice. One of which is, I recently, I have made the somewhat bonkers decision to, um, for the 25th anniversary of the movies of 2001, to watch the movies of 2001 throughout the year as they are released, as they were released back then. So I watched The Wedding Planner.

• 1:11:36Griffin Newman?

  Oh, sure.

• 1:11:36David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:11:37Speaker 05

  That movie scans onto materialists so well in a way that I think doesn't do materialists any favors, because it's like, we were kind of doing a lot of these beats 25 years ago.

• 1:11:48David Sims?

  I would say.

• 1:11:49Speaker 05

  Where, like, you know, a matchmaker and a wedding planner, the, you know, they, why do they even want to be together? Like, is, are they, is this just a status symbol, yada, yada? The other thing is, I like Pedro Pascal in some things.

• 1:12:02David Sims?

  I, I'm very with whatever this is.

• 1:12:04Speaker 05

  He really does not meet the moment in that movie. He comes across as such a TV actor in that movie.

• 1:12:11Griffin Newman?

  I firmly disagree with this. I think he's so good.

• 1:12:14Speaker 05

  If you liked the movie, you would almost have to.

• 1:12:16Griffin Newman?

  And, and like, I admit, my, perhaps my single greatest movie frustration, frustration of 2025 is how badly he fumbled Reed Richards. It drives me crazy.

• 1:12:27David Sims?

  He did fumble it.

• 1:12:28Griffin Newman?

  But I think it, I think it speaks to, from, in my opinion, why he works in materialists. I know all my defenses of materialists are, this is a feature, not a bug.

• 1:12:38Speaker 05

  Sure.

• 1:12:39Griffin Newman?

  But I feel very strongly about this.

• 1:12:40Speaker 05

  But like, that's how you end up liking movies against consensus. You end up liking the thing that everybody didn't like.

• 1:12:46Griffin Newman?

  Right. I think, and I feel like there are other performances in the past I've referred to this way, and I'm struggling to recall another one now, but I think Pedro Pascal has given a great fake movie star performance in materialists. I think it is about his limitations.

• 1:12:59Speaker 05

  Sure.

• 1:12:59Griffin Newman?

  You know, and, and how like, it's like, right, this guy should be like a giant movie star. Why isn't this working? You know?

• 1:13:05David Sims?

  Yes, I think that's what he's trying to do. I agree.

• 1:13:07Griffin Newman?

  Right, and I.

• 1:13:08David Sims?

  That's the take.

• 1:13:09Speaker 05

  And all of this, what you're saying is saying to me, I'm really not surprised this movie did not do well.

• 1:13:15David Sims?

  It did well, I mean, it made money.

• 1:13:17Speaker 05

  Well, that's actually true. It did make more money than it.

• 1:13:19Griffin Newman?

  It made a hundred million dollars worldwide. This is the crux of my, like, whole take on this movie is, I understand why it drove everyone insane, because the marketing was, hey, guys, we're bringing it back.

• 1:13:29David Sims?

  I was not baffled by the marketing of this movie. I understand what you're saying in terms of like a commercial response, but like, I was not like expecting anything out of the marketing of this movie.

• 1:13:39Griffin Newman?

  I just feel like every critic friend of mine who saw this movie early was like, the tone of this is so bizarre, it's not a comedy, it's not funny.

• 1:13:45David Sims?

  I did, I did agree that it could not pick a tone, yes, but, um, like, the sexual assault plotline especially landed like so thuddingly for me, especially the way she reacts to it was just like not, I did not track a human onto that behavior.

• 1:14:01Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:14:01David Sims?

  But my problem with Pascal was like, I was like, I think he's trying to come off as a little stiff, and he's coming off as someone with head and a switch. And I just like, the whole time was just like, I don't understand who this person is.

• 1:14:13Speaker 05

  And the movie doesn't really...

• 1:14:15David Sims?

  And like, she's, yes, she's a little blinded by her, her stats and figures and his wealth, but like, I'm like, how, she, she can't have sex with this person, because he's crazy.

• 1:14:25Speaker 05

  Well, the movie is also fairly eager to like move on from him, to the point that like...

• 1:14:29David Sims?

  That's also true. The movie gives him nothing, yes.

• 1:14:32Griffin Newman?

  We should put maybe a spoiler alert around this section of the conversation, because this is a danger we get into every year at the Blankies, where we start, uh, just throwing out random...

• 1:14:41David Sims?

  That's true, people get crumpy on the Blankies episode specifically, right? This movie came out a long time.

• 1:14:46Griffin Newman?

  For me, it all works in the fucking kitchen scene, where she like confronts him, and he just like unravels and is like, why is this not working? I'm everything on paper.

• 1:14:55David Sims?

  Yeah, I see that, yeah.

• 1:14:57Griffin Newman?

  I think his vulnerability in that scene totally makes it work for me. There is like a desperate, eager, just sort of like kind of pathetic quality that feels very honest, which I also think is, look, part of the Pedro Pascal thing of, who is this guy really?

• 1:15:10Speaker 05

  Right. Well, I mean, that's sort of a lot of his essential...

• 1:15:14Griffin Newman?

  Totally.

• 1:15:14Speaker 05

  Thing.

• 1:15:14Griffin Newman?

  Totally.

• 1:15:15Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:15:17Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, I, I, I think there is, there is one choice in relation to the, the sexual assault plotline in the movie that I, uh, think is a fatal mistake.

• 1:15:28David Sims?

  Uh huh.

• 1:15:29Griffin Newman?

  Which is, uh, having the following scene take place in real time on their doorstep, where, uh, Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans profess their love to each other. I think that cannot happen continuous with what she has just been doing.

• 1:15:44David Sims?

  It just contributed to the feeling of like, I don't, these don't feel like people to me in the slightest.

• 1:15:49Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:15:49David Sims?

  Like, I just had that problem with it throughout.

• 1:15:52Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:15:52David Sims?

  But like, I really was just like, this is not human behavior. And satire or not, I've lost any grip on this movie because they're just not behaving like humans, at all.

• 1:16:01Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, see, I, it just, it totally clicked for me, and part of it is also that maybe I have dated three different Dakota Johnsons in my life. Anyway, next category.

• 1:16:08Speaker 05

  Isn't your screenplay winner?

• 1:16:09Griffin Newman?

  That was my screenplay winner.

• 1:16:10Speaker 05

  That is your screenplay.

• 1:16:11Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, cuz I'm realizing this is the one place I can sort of mount my case for.

• 1:16:14Speaker 05

  Plant your flag.

• 1:16:15David Sims?

  Plant your flag. Um.

• 1:16:17Griffin Newman?

  I mean, it's, it, it, yeah, it's that.

• 1:16:21David Sims?

  Or what? I mean, you have five nominees.

• 1:16:23Griffin Newman?

  I know.

• 1:16:24David Sims?

  The other four are probably better. I M O, can't remember.

• 1:16:29Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, If I Had Legs I'd Kick, You Centered Weapons, Eddington, Materialist.

• 1:16:32David Sims?

  Yeah, those are all really, those are, those are good ones.

• 1:16:35Griffin Newman?

  Okay.

• 1:16:35David Sims?

  Eddington was, I mean, one of your favorite movies of the year.

• 1:16:37Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, well, we'll get to that.

• 1:16:38David Sims?

  Yeah, right, right.

• 1:16:39Griffin Newman?

  You know what? I've made my case for Materialist, I'm gonna give it to If I Had Legs I'd Kick.

• 1:16:42David Sims?

  A great movie.

• 1:16:43Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, because I thought I was gonna give Actress to Rose Byrne, but I think I'm gonna swing on that.

• 1:16:46Speaker 05

  Just Miss is my thought.

• 1:16:48Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, that's strategizing in real time.

• 1:16:49David Sims?

  The Blankies winners are, for original screenplay, uh, I'll just go one to five. Just go one to five. Sinners was their winner, and then Marty Supreme, Weapons, Sentimental Value, It Was Just An Accident, and then Adapted, One Battle was their winner. Uh, oh, well, we're about to do one.

• 1:17:03Speaker 05

  Yeah, we haven't done Adapted yet.

• 1:17:08Speaker 02

  Best adapted screenplay.

• 1:17:11David Sims?

  But I'll tell you, anyway, One Battle was their winner, then No Other Choice, 28 Years Later, Begonia, and Wake Up Dead Man.

• 1:17:17Griffin Newman?

  Da, na, na, na, na.

• 1:17:17David Sims?

  My adapted screenplays, let me see, one battle after another, 28 years later.

• 1:17:22Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm.

• 1:17:23David Sims?

  Peter Hojar's Day, Hedda.

• 1:17:25Speaker 05

  All right.

• 1:17:27David Sims?

  And Superman.

• 1:17:28Speaker 05

  I'm glad you, I'm glad you had Peter Hoogers Day.

• 1:17:30David Sims?

  Those are my five.

• 1:17:32Speaker 05

  Mine are Hamlet, Chloe Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell, Hedda, Nia de Costa, One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson, Peter Hoogers Day, Ira Sacks, Wake Up Dead Man, Ryan Johnson. I was worried that Peter Hoogers Day is just so much a, oh, we have these transcripts.

• 1:17:52David Sims?

  No, but I mean, it's, it's all precisely constructed.

• 1:17:55Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah, yes.

• 1:17:58Griffin Newman?

  Trying to, what is my number five going to be?

• 1:18:05Speaker 05

  I also realized I fell into one of the bullshittier Oscar things, which is, it's, you're adapted if you have characters from previous movies, which, yeah, I think spiritually I disagree with, but in this case, I wanted to nominate Wake Up Dead Man.

• 1:18:19David Sims?

  Yeah, I mean, to me, right, saying Wake Up Dead Man is adapted is bizarre.

• 1:18:23Speaker 05

  Yes, it is.

• 1:18:24David Sims?

  But, I mean, but he's there.

• 1:18:26Speaker 05

  Otherwise, otherwise y'all were getting Song Song Blue and I would have stood by it, but.

• 1:18:32David Sims?

  Well, I'm glad it all worked out.

• 1:18:34Speaker 05

  Ah, stay tuned.

• 1:18:37Griffin Newman?

  I'm struggling with my number five here, weirdly.

• 1:18:39David Sims?

  Well, give us your four.

• 1:18:41Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, cuz I'm just trying to remind myself on what qualifies as what a little bit.

• 1:18:47Griffin Newman?

  My four definitely, uh, No Other Choice, One Battle After Another, Wake Up Dead Man, A Knives Out Mystery, uh, Final Destination: Bloodlines.

• 1:18:58Speaker 05

  Good movie.

• 1:18:59Griffin Newman?

  Is Roof Man adapted?

• 1:19:02David Sims?

  Uh, I don't actually think it is cuz it's not like based on an article. So it's not, you don't wanna nominate, I don't know, yeah, what, 28 Years Later, Hedda.

• 1:19:12Speaker 05

  Die My Love?

• 1:19:12Griffin Newman?

  Oh, I'll nominate 20 Years Later, correct, thank you, sorry, yes, yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing.

• 1:19:17Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:19:17Griffin Newman?

  Uh, so I'm, I, three sequels sneaking in there.

• 1:19:20Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:19:23Griffin Newman?

  Twenty years later is a, yeah, just a fucking fantastic.

• 1:19:27David Sims?

  It's a great screenplay. Yeah, absolutely.

• 1:19:29Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:19:30David Sims?

  Yeah, it's my nominee for me. Yeah, I mean, I'm giving the win to One Battle. Like, sorry, guys, like, One Battle's winning a lot of my awards.

• 1:19:37Speaker 05

  We're not breaking anybody's brains by saying One Battle, but it's, it's the best. It is the best.

• 1:19:41David Sims?

  And it's also a very interesting feat of adaptation. It's like, it's like taking the guts of a book and, you know, messing it around in all kinds of ways.

• 1:19:50Speaker 05

  I take everybody's word for that because there's no way I, uh...

• 1:19:53David Sims?

  You don't want to crack open the vinyl.

• 1:19:54Speaker 05

  I can't read, so, um, I, it would be pointless.

• 1:19:58Griffin Newman?

  Uh, I'm, I'm giving it to No Other Choice.

• 1:20:02David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:20:02Griffin Newman?

  Uh, other than Benicio, One Battle is like, coming in like, second for me in almost every category. Yeah.

• 1:20:10David Sims?

  Uh, Park Chan Wook and Don McCallere and Lee Kyung Mi and Lee Ja Hee.

• 1:20:16Speaker 05

  And that is based on a novel?

• 1:20:17Griffin Newman?

  The Axe. The Axe by Donald Wesley. Yes. Uh, thank you to everyone who sent me the, um, the Costas Gavris, uh, film.

• 1:20:26David Sims?

  Oh, right, because it was hard to find, yes, the prior adaptation.

• 1:20:29Griffin Newman?

  Uh, and if anyone wants a link, I now have forty-seven of them, so I have many ways to watch the movie.

• 1:20:34Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:20:34Griffin Newman?

  I can just goon it. I can surround myself.

• 1:20:37Speaker 05

  I could just goon it. We're gonna, we're gonna clip that, uh, as well.

• 1:20:41David Sims?

  You don't need to goon it. Okay, so...

• 1:20:42Griffin Newman?

  Anytime I, I invoke gooning on the show, listeners go, "Does he just think it's having a lot of screens?" I know what the other stuff is. I'm just don't, I don't want to talk about it.

• 1:20:50Speaker 05

  He gets it.

• 1:20:51David Sims?

  Oh, you don't want to talk about it?

• 1:20:52Griffin Newman?

  I don't want to talk about it.

• 1:20:53David Sims?

  What are your animated?

• 1:20:53Griffin Newman?

  It's a family show.

• 1:20:54David Sims?

  Yeah, it's so true.

• 1:20:57Speaker 03

  Best animated feature.

• 1:21:01David Sims?

  What are your animated films, Griff?

• 1:21:03Griffin Newman?

  Um...

• 1:21:03David Sims?

  Give me your five.

• 1:21:05Griffin Newman?

  This is actually a tough year for this. And I will say, I have not, I, I have some big blind spots. Um... I really like-

• 1:21:15David Sims?

  You haven't met Little Amelie yet, I bet.

• 1:21:17Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, I mean, this is the problem, is like, I'd be putting in some stuff I like okay, just to fill out the five. Sure.

• 1:21:25Speaker 05

  That's the kind of year it's been.

• 1:21:26David Sims?

  So give me a three.

• 1:21:26Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:21:27Griffin Newman?

  Uh, I mean, like, The Day the Earth Blew Up.

• 1:21:32David Sims?

  Oh, yeah, sure.

• 1:21:33Griffin Newman?

  K-Pop Demon Hunters.

• 1:21:34David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:21:35Griffin Newman?

  And I'm like, what else do I even, like, I admittedly haven't seen Arco yet.

• 1:21:39David Sims?

  Oh, sure.

• 1:21:39Griffin Newman?

  I haven't seen Little Amelie yet.

• 1:21:41David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:21:41Griffin Newman?

  I was not crazy about Zootopia 2. Um-

• 1:21:45David Sims?

  What about Eleo?

• 1:21:46Griffin Newman?

  I was not crazy about Eleo.

• 1:21:47David Sims?

  What about Fixed?

• 1:21:48Griffin Newman?

  Uh, I really was not crazy about that one.

• 1:21:51Speaker 05

  Which one is fixed?

• 1:21:51David Sims?

  It's a Jenny Tartutovsky movie about a horny dog.

• 1:21:53Griffin Newman?

  Oh, right.

• 1:21:54Speaker 05

  Got to cut his balls off. Was that, I, see, for some reason, I thought that movie turned out to not actually, like, I know the joke haha doesn't exist, but like, I thought-

• 1:22:02David Sims?

  No, it exists.

• 1:22:02Speaker 05

  It was a Jenny Tartutovsky movie.

• 1:22:04Griffin Newman?

  There was a, there was a real threat of it being a Zazlav, and then it, it escaped containment, and of course, we devoted a full episode to it.

• 1:22:11David Sims?

  Of course.

• 1:22:11Griffin Newman?

  Um, no, I don't even know what my, like, number three would-

• 1:22:16David Sims?

  Wow.

• 1:22:16Griffin Newman?

  -be. I have some, yeah. What about you guys?

• 1:22:20David Sims?

  Yeah, I have, yeah, it's boring.

• 1:22:21Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:22:22David Sims?

  Like, it's Zootopia 2 and Arco and K-Pop Demon Hunters, and then, yeah, I have to be like, I guess Eleo.

• 1:22:27Speaker 05

  I basically abstained, yeah, I can't-

• 1:22:29David Sims?

  Yeah, it's a weak year. I haven't seen Little Amelie, which got the Oscar nom.

• 1:22:33Speaker 05

  Little Amelie and Arco, I think, are in the same bucket for me, which is just like-

• 1:22:35David Sims?

  I did not really care for Arco.

• 1:22:37Speaker 05

  I thought Arco was fine, I thought Little Amelie was fine, I thought Eleo was not bad, which felt like a radical opinion to me, because I think Eleo got a lot of shit for some reason.

• 1:22:47Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, I think Eleo's solid.

• 1:22:47Speaker 05

  But like, Eleo left my brain.

• 1:22:49David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:22:50Speaker 05

  Before it was over.

• 1:22:51David Sims?

  Eleo, I barely remember, and like-

• 1:22:53Griffin Newman?

  If I'm doing three-

• 1:22:54David Sims?

  I didn't like despise it.

• 1:22:55Griffin Newman?

  I'm putting Eleo and Zootopia in.

• 1:22:56Speaker 05

  I thought Zootopia 2 was fine.

• 1:22:58David Sims?

  I really, I, I very much enjoyed Zootopia 2.

• 1:23:01Speaker 05

  I enjoyed myself with Zootopia 2, and K-Pop Demon Hunters is kind of my number one with a bullet, even though I think that movie is mostly a good time-

• 1:23:08Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm.

• 1:23:09David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:23:09Speaker 05

  That is grafted onto a decent movie.

• 1:23:12David Sims?

  I'm glad everyone is having fun.

• 1:23:14Speaker 05

  Me too, I had a good time.

• 1:23:15David Sims?

  I was a little bit like, I might put this, the songs are now encoded in my brain.

• 1:23:19Speaker 05

  Sure.

• 1:23:19Griffin Newman?

  I haven't seen Predator Killer of Killers, which I, I've heard is excellent.

• 1:23:24David Sims?

  Our blankies put that in there.

• 1:23:26Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:23:26David Sims?

  Along with Arco, Davey or Blue up and Chainsaw Man. Ben's favorite movie of the year was number two for them and then K-pop Demon Hunters.

• 1:23:33Griffin Newman?

  Uh, I continue to struggle with the uh, Nezha films. I cannot make sense of them.

• 1:23:38David Sims?

  Yeah, a little impenetrable.

• 1:23:39Griffin Newman?

  Bad Guys two kinda did nothing for me. Uh, The King of Kings and David, obviously my two favorite movies of the year.

• 1:23:45Speaker 05

  Did you see the Chainsaw one too?

• 1:23:47Griffin Newman?

  That's Ben's favorite. I did not see that.

• 1:23:49Speaker 05

  I did not. I missed that one.

• 1:23:50David Sims?

  Oh, Joe.

• 1:23:52Speaker 05

  Yeah, worth it?

• 1:23:53David Sims?

  It's fun.

• 1:23:53Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:23:53Speaker 05

  All right.

• 1:23:54Griffin Newman?

  Uh, Sneaks is one of the worst films I saw all year. That's a

• 1:23:56David Sims?

  Sneaker movie.

• 1:23:57Griffin Newman?

  Movie about talking sneakers.

• 1:23:58Speaker 05

  No, it's not.

• 1:23:59Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, it is. Starring Anthony Mackie.

• 1:24:02Speaker 05

  Tony.

• 1:24:02Griffin Newman?

  Uh, it's starring um, Martin Lawrence, who this is, it kinda, there was an interesting technical breakthrough. If I can just animation nerd out for a second on the movie Sneaks. That is the first voiceover performance recorded entirely while someone is fully asleep.

• 1:24:18David Sims?

  Just kinda put a mic by the bed there.

• 1:24:20Speaker 05

  We're doing a lot with sleep technology. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 1:24:23Griffin Newman?

  That's what it sounds like the whole time.

• 1:24:24Speaker 05

  He was getting tested for sleep apnea and they thought while, while we were doing that, while we got him hooked up to machines, why not we also uh, record a voice? Yeah.

• 1:24:31Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:24:33David Sims?

  Uh, any uh, vocal performances we wanna shout out this year? Honestly, no. I'm moving us on from

• 1:24:39Speaker 05

  Yeah, it's surprising.

• 1:24:40David Sims?

  You know what? We're all struggling here.

• 1:24:42Griffin Newman?

  Well, look, we talked about

• 1:24:43David Sims?

  You know what? David Strathairn and Andy Samberg did a great job in uh, Sutopia two.

• 1:24:46Griffin Newman?

  The whole Sutopia cast was great.

• 1:24:48Speaker 05

  Yeah, I thought, I thought Samberg was really good.

• 1:24:50David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:24:50Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:24:50Speaker 05

  I agree with you.

• 1:24:51Griffin Newman?

  Uh, uh, Marin in uh, uh, The Bad Guys two.

• 1:24:54David Sims?

  I haven't seen that one yet. I really just wanna talk about Goat, which is 2026.

• 1:24:58Griffin Newman?

  Oh, you're all about Goat.

• 1:24:59Speaker 05

  Goat rocks.

• 1:25:00Griffin Newman?

  I still haven't seen Goat yet.

• 1:25:01Speaker 05

  Okay.

• 1:25:01David Sims?

  That's good.

• 1:25:01Speaker 05

  It's the number one movie in America.

• 1:25:03David Sims?

  It is. And I got it there, baby.

• 1:25:05Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 1:25:06Griffin Newman?

  Joe, what you're witnessing is a very interesting inflection point in the narrative of Blank Check.

• 1:25:12David Sims?

  Right, right, right, right.

• 1:25:13Griffin Newman?

  Which is, I'm getting nonplussed about all animated films.

• 1:25:16Speaker 05

  Uh huh.

• 1:25:16Griffin Newman?

  And David is going to see them with his daughter and being like, this thing fucking rules.

• 1:25:20David Sims?

  I, I, it's kind of a, I'm now in the, I think if there's an animated film, she's old enough where it's like, if there's a cartoon, we're gonna go see it. Like, we're going to Hoppers, we're going to Mario Galaxy, right? Like, whatever the ones coming down the pike are.

• 1:25:32Speaker 05

  Hoppers, do you mean Meryl Streep's Grand Return to Your films. After like five years away.

• 1:25:36Griffin Newman?

  Hoppers, the first time Meryl Streep has played an insect queen in an animated film in 20 years.

• 1:25:42Speaker 05

  I mean, after the Empoli, is that what we're talking about?

• 1:25:44Griffin Newman?

  Correct. One of the greatest Cinematrix plays.

• 1:25:47Speaker 05

  I literally was like, the only reason I'm pulling that is because I've been in the Cinematrix matches.

• 1:25:51David Sims?

  All right, what else should we do here?

• 1:25:53Speaker 05

  Have you guys, did you guys do nominations for casting? Cause that's the inaugural Oscar category.

• 1:25:58David Sims?

  I don't do a casting.

• 1:25:59Speaker 05

  Mine was kinda chalk, except for I wanted to throw in Griffin in summer, which I was like, if you cast really awesome kid characters.

• 1:26:06Griffin Newman?

  Can I just haul dibs on the other three seasons?

• 1:26:09Speaker 05

  Oh, Griffin in spring, Griffin in autumn.

• 1:26:11Griffin Newman?

  I will cede summer to him as long as I still have the other three.

• 1:26:16David Sims?

  You're doing a Romer? Like, I wanna complete the season's quadrilogy?

• 1:26:20Griffin Newman?

  I just don't like that this uppity little movie.

• 1:26:22David Sims?

  Have you seen it?

• 1:26:23Griffin Newman?

  No, I've heard it's great.

• 1:26:24David Sims?

  I think you'd really enjoy that.

• 1:26:25Griffin Newman?

  I've heard you're a real winner.

• 1:26:27David Sims?

  It is a real winner.

• 1:26:28Griffin Newman?

  Love it.

• 1:26:29David Sims?

  The whole thing with it, you know what?

• 1:26:31Griffin Newman?

  Everyone's got a new Griffin they love.

• 1:26:32David Sims?

  Pin in Griffin in summer.

• 1:26:34Speaker 05

  Okay, all right.

• 1:26:35David Sims?

  But cinematography.

• 1:26:41Speaker 03

  Best cinematography.

• 1:26:47Speaker 05

  Cinematography, mine are Darius Kanji for Marty Supreme, Michael Baumann for One Battle After Another, Alex Ash for Peter Hojar's Day.

• 1:26:58David Sims?

  Yeah, gorgeous.

• 1:26:59Speaker 05

  Mauro Hurst for Serat and Adolfo Veloso for Train Dreams.

• 1:27:05David Sims?

  Pretty movie.

• 1:27:06Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:27:06David Sims?

  Probably gonna win the Oscar. Or no, actually.

• 1:27:08Speaker 05

  I think it's gonna be One Battle because of the.

• 1:27:11David Sims?

  Yeah, fucking rock.

• 1:27:12Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:27:13David Sims?

  Yeah, I have One Battle and Marty Supreme. I have Twenty Eight Years Later, which is my winner.

• 1:27:17Speaker 05

  So that's such a good pick. Yeah.

• 1:27:19David Sims?

  I have Phoenician Scheme, because of course, like, every West movie basically deserves every tech nom that can.

• 1:27:24Speaker 05

  And never gets them except for one movie that's the weirdest Oscar narrative. Like, breaks my brain all the time.

• 1:27:31Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, this is the first live-action movie he's done with anyone other than Bob Yeoman.

• 1:27:36David Sims?

  Yes, this is.

• 1:27:37Griffin Newman?

  Which is also really interesting.

• 1:27:38David Sims?

  I can't remember why. I don't know if there's a reason.

• 1:27:40Griffin Newman?

  I don't either, but.

• 1:27:41David Sims?

  Maybe he and Yeoman got in a fight over like craft services.

• 1:27:43Griffin Newman?

  But Yeoman goes all the way back to Bottle Rocket, right?

• 1:27:45David Sims?

  He goes way back. And then No Other Choice is my fifth.

• 1:27:49Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, mine are Twenty Eight Years Later, Die My Love.

• 1:27:54David Sims?

  Oh, yeah.

• 1:27:55Griffin Newman?

  No Other Choice, One Battle After Another, and Phoenician Scheme.

• 1:28:00Speaker 05

  Nice.

• 1:28:00David Sims?

  He does go all the way back to Balorokha. Yeah, what the fuck happened?

• 1:28:03Griffin Newman?

  I don't know. I don't know.

• 1:28:05David Sims?

  I mean, Delvin L is a king. I mean, he's one of my favorite DPs.

• 1:28:08Griffin Newman?

  But you're right, Joe. I will never stop yelling about this. It makes no sense to me. Even when they don't like the movie, he should be getting like young Victoria style nominations.

• 1:28:17David Sims?

  I think that's why they don't do it.

• 1:28:18Speaker 05

  Gets a screenplay nomination, so clearly you saw it, clearly you liked it, and yet like, no production design.

• 1:28:24Griffin Newman?

  Right, and you could go, okay, so was that movie too edgy at that point in time for the Academy?

• 1:28:29David Sims?

  But now it should be agreed on.

• 1:28:30Griffin Newman?

  Right, and it's like, it feels like what happened last year with Ray Fiennes.

• 1:28:34Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:28:35Griffin Newman?

  Not winning for Conclave, where people were like, but he already has one, right?

• 1:28:39David Sims?

  This is another Griffin Buck there.

• 1:28:41Griffin Newman?

  Right, where it feels like people are like, but hasn't Wes Anderson, like, haven't his movies won like, 20 craft awards?

• 1:28:47Speaker 05

  You will hear that from people being like, oh, another, you know, play for craft nominations from Wes Anderson. It's like, no, actually, kind of never.

• 1:28:56Griffin Newman?

  Desplat won for Grand Budapest. And did Grand Budapest win, it won makeup and hairstyling?

• 1:29:03Speaker 05

  It won like three or four awards, I feel like.

• 1:29:05David Sims?

  It was a tech winner.

• 1:29:07Griffin Newman?

  Cause like, obviously, Chivo beats it for cinematography.

• 1:29:11David Sims?

  Yeah, it won for costumes, makeup, score, and production design. So Stockhausen, it's like, Stockhausen has his Oscar. Maybe that's how they feel, but I don't know. I don't know, and I don't like it.

• 1:29:22Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, it's bad.

• 1:29:23David Sims?

  Uh, the blankies winners here are our listeners were One Battle, and then Sinners, 20 Years Later, Train Dreams, and No Other Choice. So, you know, good looking movies.

• 1:29:33Speaker 05

  Good looking movies.

• 1:29:34Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm, yeah.

• 1:29:35David Sims?

  Um, score?

• 1:29:43Speaker 03

  Best score.

• 1:29:49Speaker 05

  I've got some score nominees.

• 1:29:50Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm.

• 1:29:51Speaker 05

  Kinda chalky, One Battle. Sinners, Serat, Testament of Anle, and Train.

• 1:29:57David Sims?

  Testament of Anle is a good shout. Yeah, if nothing else.

• 1:30:01Speaker 05

  And I've kind of been like, in many group texts, I've been the sort of holdout on Testament of Anle. But like, there are elements of that movie that like, are really fantastic.

• 1:30:10David Sims?

  I was left quite cold by that film, but it's quite impressive.

• 1:30:14Speaker 05

  You're one of the very few people who I've heard that from, and I'm glad to have at least some company. For some reason, that became the like, gay guy cause celeb this year. And I was like, folks, there's some like, actual movies with like, gay characters. I mean, I know that whatever, Louis Pullman in that movie and whatever, but like, I don't know. Everybody was just on the cipher train, and she's great. I love cipher.

• 1:30:37Griffin Newman?

  Adore that movie. I'll talk about it in a little bit.

• 1:30:41Speaker 05

  All right.

• 1:30:41Griffin Newman?

  I did, I forgot to post this on Letterboxd when I saw it. But saw the film, was very moved by it, was very affected by it. Immediately came out with like, a couple of really good pitches for if I had to write for the Spirit Awards.

• 1:30:55Speaker 05

  Uh huh.

• 1:30:56Griffin Newman?

  Testament of Stanley.

• 1:30:58Speaker 05

  I mean, it's right there.

• 1:30:59David Sims?

  There you go.

• 1:31:00Griffin Newman?

  Tim Robinson Share Company parody, where he shows up at the Shakers. And he's like, what's going on here? And they just keep singing.

• 1:31:08David Sims?

  That would be fun.

• 1:31:09Griffin Newman?

  That would be funny, right?

• 1:31:10David Sims?

  Chairs, because they made all those great chairs.

• 1:31:12Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:31:12David Sims?

  I just wanted the whole movie to be about furniture.

• 1:31:14Griffin Newman?

  Right, and then my-

• 1:31:15David Sims?

  And it's like, it's like, it gets like, one line.

• 1:31:17Griffin Newman?

  And then my third Spirit Awards-

• 1:31:18David Sims?

  Also, we make good furniture.

• 1:31:19Griffin Newman?

  My third Spirit Awards pitch was Shake It Off. They do like, a Daniel Blumberg style performance of Taylor Swift, Shake It Off.

• 1:31:27Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 1:31:28Griffin Newman?

  Banging their chest. I thought there was like, three good pitches right off the dome.

• 1:31:31David Sims?

  You seem just like, seething with rage that the spirits did not take you up on this. Did they even acknowledge Anle? I feel like Indie Spirits were kind of so odd.

• 1:31:41Griffin Newman?

  Editing, because I drafted it in our other secret movie league we're part of.

• 1:31:46Speaker 05

  What?

• 1:31:47Griffin Newman?

  And I got it for $1, and I was like, I'm gonna fucking reap the riches with this. I'm the only one who has it on their slate, and that is the only major award it got all year.

• 1:31:56Speaker 05

  Indie Spirits were weird this year in that like, the nominations were so pleasantly like, off the map.

• 1:32:02David Sims?

  Yeah, because they do the weird juries.

• 1:32:03Speaker 05

  And in that like, really classic Indie Spirit way of like, oh, this used to like, give me- Twenty ideas for movies that I hadn't seen.

• 1:32:10David Sims?

  Right, yeah.

• 1:32:10Speaker 05

  And then because of that, the like, it was so much more stark that like, oh, there's one per category that's like an Oscar nominee crossover. And so of course, those ones were the ones that won.

• 1:32:21David Sims?

  Did Train Dreams win?

• 1:32:22Speaker 05

  Train Dreams won Sorry Baby, which is not an Oscar nominee, but was also like, everybody's pick for best first feature this year. So like that one, a few of them and like Roseburn won, very well deserved, but like is an Oscar nominee.

• 1:32:34David Sims?

  My nominees for score were One Battle, Marty Supreme, Twenty Eight Years Later, Young Fathers.

• 1:32:38Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:32:38David Sims?

  Sinners and Tron Ares.

• 1:32:41Speaker 05

  I did not see Tron Ares. I was waiting to have to see it because it's an Oscar nominee. I believe it. I mean, yeah.

• 1:32:47Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, I'm now like wondering if I have the exact same five.

• 1:32:50David Sims?

  You might.

• 1:32:51Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:32:51David Sims?

  I mean, there's other good scores this year, though. What have I been listening to? What have I been bumping?

• 1:32:55Griffin Newman?

  Black Bag score is great. The Weapon score is great.

• 1:32:58David Sims?

  Weapon score is really cool.

• 1:32:59Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:33:00David Sims?

  Uh, not as much one to bump because it's so dis- you know, disorienting, but good. Uh, what are some other good? Yeah, the Superman score, the weird sort of hodgepodgey nature of it, uh, notwithstanding, but it's good. Uh, and Lee for sure. I don't know. I don't know, mate.

• 1:33:19Griffin Newman?

  Okay. Thank you, mate. What? I gave what?

• 1:33:22David Sims?

  Final Destination screenplay now. I'm just remembering that.

• 1:33:24Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:33:24David Sims?

  It's a lovely little numb for you.

• 1:33:26Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, thank you. I think that is a perfectly structured screenplay.

• 1:33:30Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:33:31Griffin Newman?

  I think that movie is so smart. I give it so much credit for like, after six, right? No, no, this is the sixth entry. There were five previous.

• 1:33:41Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:33:41Griffin Newman?

  Final Destinations.

• 1:33:42Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:33:43Griffin Newman?

  Uh, showing up and just being like, this is clearly what all of these movies should have been all along. Like just finding the perfect narrative structure and emotional like underpinning for one of these films.

• 1:33:55Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:33:55Griffin Newman?

  I also think that movie does some of the smartest Legacy sequel shit I have ever seen.

• 1:34:00David Sims?

  Agree.

• 1:34:00Griffin Newman?

  It is the opposite of the stuff that makes my teeth hurt, where there is a-

• 1:34:05Speaker 05

  Well, they essentially were like David Gordon Green's Halloween, but like, what if it wasn't stupid?

• 1:34:10Griffin Newman?

  Well, because the movie, basically, there is a reading of it that is not necessary for you to enjoy the film.

• 1:34:18Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:34:18Griffin Newman?

  That this is the starting point of the entire franchise.

• 1:34:21Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 1:34:22Griffin Newman?

  That everything that has happened in the five previous films, which have their own Fast and Furious style jumbled timeline where things keep on getting-

• 1:34:28Speaker 05

  Right.

• 1:34:28Griffin Newman?

  Rearranged are all the trickle effects of this one incident-

• 1:34:33Speaker 05

  That happened.

• 1:34:33Griffin Newman?

  That is the cold open that is so good.

• 1:34:35Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:34:36Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:34:36Speaker 05

  Yeah, I really liked it. I thought it was really creative. I think I go to those movies because like, I'm not normally this much of a sadist, but I'm like, I need creative kills. I need, you know what I mean? Like, all I become like a, a real chud.

• 1:34:48David Sims?

  It's a hard movie. You're allowed to be a little, you know, sort of demanding of these things.

• 1:34:53Griffin Newman?

  Incredibly good, and I, I just think the Tony Todd scene is like excellent. Is another perfect example of just like retroactively applying all this meaning to previous movies that are like,

• 1:35:04Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:35:05Griffin Newman?

  I find that entire franchise very fun, but a lot of times through a lot of wonkiness.

• 1:35:09Speaker 05

  Oh, totally.

• 1:35:10Griffin Newman?

  Like, the power of the ideas pushed through a lot of, uh, conceptual, like, sort of inconsistencies.

• 1:35:16Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:35:17Griffin Newman?

  But, yeah, and, and a lot of it's like a masterclass of directing, but also, and I've said this so many times, any movie that can get an entire audience to cheer when a child dies.

• 1:35:29Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:35:29Griffin Newman?

  Is doing some sort of like-

• 1:35:30Speaker 05

  I completely agree.

• 1:35:31Griffin Newman?

  Super sophisticated, Raimi-esque. It was the way I felt watching Send Help, where I'm like, these are filmmakers who know how to play the audience like a drum.

• 1:35:40Speaker 05

  That's a movie I wish I hadn't seen the trailer, because the one trailer gives away so much of the backyard scene with the lawnmower and whatnot, that I was like,

• 1:35:49Griffin Newman?

  But that scene has so much wrong footing and so many Mr. X.

• 1:35:53Speaker 05

  Oh, that's true, but it's just like, I, I just wanted, I wanted that to, I understand why. It's the same thing with the Running Man trailer, where they give away so much of the one action scene in the hallway, or the elevator, or whatever they're doing.

• 1:36:04Griffin Newman?

  I liked that the first Bloodlines teaser was the piercing tattoo shop.

• 1:36:10Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 1:36:11Griffin Newman?

  Which is the ultimate fake out.

• 1:36:12Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:36:13Griffin Newman?

  Exactly. So I was like, oh, this is a good sequence, and they're ruining it to do the marketing, and then you see it in the context of the movie, and you're like, no, this was the exact thing for them to spoil.

• 1:36:20Speaker 05

  It's not even that character's best.

• 1:36:21Griffin Newman?

  Because in context, it's totally different. Yeah.

• 1:36:23Speaker 05

  Yeah, it's great.

• 1:36:24Griffin Newman?

  Uh, can I give out a, a special honorific award?

• 1:36:27Speaker 05

  Sure. Can I do one right after you?

• 1:36:28Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, of course. Uh, the, uh, the first ever Iowa debris.

• 1:36:36Griffin Newman?

  Memorial couldn't be more seated award. I say memorial because her time as a guest on the show is probably it.

• 1:36:44David Sims?

  Look, once in a while, I talked to Io largely about my kids. But once in a while, Io will be like, gotta come back on BC someday. And I'm like, hey, man, door's open.

• 1:36:56Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:36:56David Sims?

  She is about to do Proof on Broadway.

• 1:36:58Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 1:36:58David Sims?

  That's in New York.

• 1:36:59Griffin Newman?

  She's here. Oh, shit. Yeah.

• 1:37:01David Sims?

  She will also be fairly busy doing what is, having seen, you know, the original production, one of the more demanding theater roles I'm aware of existing.

• 1:37:09Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:37:10David Sims?

  I wonder how that's gonna go.

• 1:37:11Griffin Newman?

  I feel like we threw Spielberg to her and she said, I only want to do Columbo main feed.

• 1:37:15David Sims?

  She didn't say, I only want to, but she did say, I really want to do that. And, you know, again, it's what it is. But you are honoring, of course, her iconic, I'm so seated.

• 1:37:26Griffin Newman?

  I couldn't be more seated.

• 1:37:27David Sims?

  I couldn't be more seated. They're telling me it's not coming out for months, but I remaining seated.

• 1:37:30Griffin Newman?

  Right.

• 1:37:31David Sims?

  You know, her tweet.

• 1:37:32Griffin Newman?

  So this is my award for the best performance with zero standing up.

• 1:37:39David Sims?

  Okay.

• 1:37:39Griffin Newman?

  Now, I think it's important that the performance cannot texturally be a character who lacks the ability to stand.

• 1:37:45David Sims?

  I understand.

• 1:37:45Griffin Newman?

  It needs to feel like the actor is overriding any demands. Going, I got an idea. What if I'm just a little, what if I'm sort of in this chair here?

• 1:37:54David Sims?

  What if I have an emotional connection to this chair? I really shouldn't leave it. Yeah.

• 1:37:58Griffin Newman?

  And this award was inspired, and I think this is much like Putters and Murbers, something that would be easy to fill every year. But it was inspired by seeing a performance this year that was, in my memory, three or four different scenes in a couple of different locations.

• 1:38:11David Sims?

  All seated.

• 1:38:12Griffin Newman?

  And every time I cut back to this actor in a chair, I was just going, oh, I hope he doesn't fuck up the streak. I hope he never stands up. Al Pacino in Dead Man's Wire.

• 1:38:21David Sims?

  Oh, sure. Yeah, I have not seen, but I've heard that his performance is a smidgen of energy.

• 1:38:26Griffin Newman?

  Four different chairs by my count. Four different chairs. I believe I read that he shot the entire performance in one day.

• 1:38:34Speaker 05

  I also believe that.

• 1:38:35Griffin Newman?

  The movie takes place over like, I think, seventy-two hours, but he goes from like a country club to like

• 1:38:40Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:38:40Griffin Newman?

  A couple of different rooms in his home.

• 1:38:43Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:38:43Griffin Newman?

  Different chairs, but this man-

• 1:38:44Speaker 05

  Offscreen, he's moving and wheeling and dealing, but we never see it.

• 1:38:47Griffin Newman?

  And he's doing a lot, but he could not be more seated, and it's a clear choice by Big Al.

• 1:38:53Speaker 05

  I thought you were gonna go for like Tracy Lutzen, House of Dynamite, or something like that, but-

• 1:38:56Griffin Newman?

  But he's leaning and standing.

• 1:38:58Speaker 05

  He is. Does he stand? Okay.

• 1:38:59David Sims?

  Yeah, and he's going like-

• 1:39:01Speaker 05

  Okay.

• 1:39:01Griffin Newman?

  Joe, it's there in the name. They could not be more seated. There have to be zero qualifiers in this performance.

• 1:39:07Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 1:39:07David Sims?

  Nuremberg, I've pointed out already, but Crowe, I mean, he does do like some pushups in one scene, but you know, Crowe is largely either lying down or sitting.

• 1:39:15Speaker 05

  Crowe is a spiritually seated actor.

• 1:39:18David Sims?

  I mean, he did a whole fucking serial killer movie where he's in the car the whole time.

• 1:39:21Speaker 05

  Uh huh.

• 1:39:22David Sims?

  You know what I mean? Where they were like, you have to play like a crazy guy, just like, can I sit in the car? Not get out.

• 1:39:27Speaker 05

  And another one where it's just like, what if I was sitting on this Vespa for most of this?

• 1:39:31David Sims?

  Oh.

• 1:39:32Griffin Newman?

  The Pope's Exorcist?

• 1:39:33Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:39:34Griffin Newman?

  Different than, what was the other one he did? He did another movie called The Something Exorcist?

• 1:39:39David Sims?

  The Exorcism.

• 1:39:40Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 1:39:40Speaker 05

  Oh, right.

• 1:39:41David Sims?

  That almost felt like they were like, we just, we sort of CGI'd a little, a different haircut on you from like deleted scenes from the other Exorcist movie.

• 1:39:48Griffin Newman?

  But isn't that one about like, he's a guy who played an exorcist or something?

• 1:39:52David Sims?

  A troubled actor begins to exhibit disruptive behavior. I don't see how Russell Crowe would vibe with that character.

• 1:39:57Speaker 05

  Am I not wrong?

• 1:39:58David Sims?

  While shooting a horror film.

• 1:39:59Speaker 05

  Is in some sort of middle space between like, real movies.

• 1:40:03Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 1:40:03Speaker 05

  And like Bruce Willis depressing red box, like slop.

• 1:40:08Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 1:40:08Speaker 05

  You know, kind of stuff.

• 1:40:09Griffin Newman?

  They're more legitimate than that.

• 1:40:12Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:40:13Griffin Newman?

  It's, it's an interesting zone he's in, but once again, this category, which exists and is open to you gentlemen for all years going forward.

• 1:40:19Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:40:19Griffin Newman?

  Is not for the spiritually seated.

• 1:40:21Speaker 05

  No.

• 1:40:22Griffin Newman?

  And if Russell Crowe is getting up and doing pushups in one scene, then unfortunately, I have a note, there is a way that you could be more seated. It's simply not doing the pushups.

• 1:40:30Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:40:30Griffin Newman?

  It has to be someone who does not get up from the chair. Once.

• 1:40:33Speaker 05

  The rigorousness of your parameters really like dissuades me from like picking something on the fly. I will have to punt until next year, but next year I'll come locked and loaded.

• 1:40:42Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, just think about it.

• 1:40:42Speaker 05

  All right.

• 1:40:43Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:40:43Speaker 05

  All right. Mine is so on my podcast, this had Oscar buzz on our Patreon. We have been taken to doing what we call superlatives awards, which is all the weird detritus movie awards from various places, the NBR, whatever tribute to integrity and, you know, filmmaking or whatever.

• 1:41:08Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, of course.

• 1:41:09Speaker 05

  Best kiss from the MTV Movie Awards, the canned palm dog, things like that. And sometimes we make up our own category. And as soon as we were done, I texted Chris and I said, I forgot the one category I wanted to do, which is best wife on phone. Because the trope of the wife on phone.

• 1:41:26David Sims?

  Catherine Keener in Sully.

• 1:41:27Speaker 05

  Catherine Keener in Sully is me. Absolutely.

• 1:41:30David Sims?

  No, she's in Captain Phillips.

• 1:41:31Griffin Newman?

  Correct.

• 1:41:31David Sims?

  Okay.

• 1:41:32Speaker 05

  That's what it is.

• 1:41:32David Sims?

  Sorry, I knew.

• 1:41:33Griffin Newman?

  It's more than a wife on phone in Sully.

• 1:41:35Speaker 05

  But the two, yeah, those are your twin pillars of like exactly what I'm talking about.

• 1:41:38David Sims?

  I hope no pirates get you today, honey. All right, I'll see you later.

• 1:41:41Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 1:41:42Griffin Newman?

  Diane Lane in The Perfect Storm?

• 1:41:44David Sims?

  Diane Lane in The Perfect Storm is on the CB radio.

• 1:41:46Speaker 05

  Yes, she's, she's wife on CB. They're all in the war.

• 1:41:49David Sims?

  I can't remember if she ever gets in a boat.

• 1:41:50Griffin Newman?

  But Mary Elizabeth Master Antonio is in a boat.

• 1:41:53David Sims?

  Yeah, I was, right.

• 1:41:53Speaker 05

  No, she's, she's in the war room.

• 1:41:55Griffin Newman?

  She's in the war?

• 1:41:56Speaker 05

  Like, she's the one on the horn, I think, like barking out instructions.

• 1:41:59Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 1:42:00David Sims?

  You know who's in the war room is Tracy Letts.

• 1:42:01Griffin Newman?

  This is true.

• 1:42:02Speaker 05

  It's true, yes.

• 1:42:03Griffin Newman?

  Now, he could be more seated. Joe?

• 1:42:05Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 1:42:06Griffin Newman?

  Who is your nominee this year?

• 1:42:07Speaker 05

  My nominees are.

• 1:42:08Griffin Newman?

  Okay, you have a full five.

• 1:42:10Speaker 05

  I did.

• 1:42:11Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:42:11Speaker 05

  With some creative accounting.

• 1:42:12Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:42:12Speaker 05

  Renee Elise Goldsberry in House of Dynamite, who is a floatus on phone, wearing full Brian Fellow's safari getup.

• 1:42:21David Sims?

  Obviously.

• 1:42:22Speaker 05

  The funniest cut in that movie.

• 1:42:24David Sims?

  I swear to God.

• 1:42:25Griffin Newman?

  She's gonna be tough to beat this year.

• 1:42:26Speaker 05

  So funny.

• 1:42:27Griffin Newman?

  She's gonna be tough to beat. This might be a Jesse Buckley run.

• 1:42:30Speaker 05

  It's so funny.

• 1:42:30Griffin Newman?

  Renee Elise Goldberry.

• 1:42:32Speaker 05

  Greta Gerwig in Jay Kelly, who has multiple wife on phone scenes with Adam Sandler.

• 1:42:38Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:42:39Speaker 05

  Melanie Diaz in Roof Man.

• 1:42:42David Sims?

  I, an actress I was so happy to see.

• 1:42:44Griffin Newman?

  Same.

• 1:42:45David Sims?

  But she didn't have a ton to do.

• 1:42:46Speaker 05

  That character kinda gets like, I don't know if that character gets done wrong and that's such a, but like, the movie doesn't not make the claim of like, and he was much happier when he wasn't saddled with this family.

• 1:42:57Griffin Newman?

  I, okay. Can I just say this quickly now?

• 1:43:00Speaker 05

  Yes, yes, yes.

• 1:43:01Griffin Newman?

  Not to interrupt your category.

• 1:43:02Speaker 05

  No, we'll put a pin.

• 1:43:03Griffin Newman?

  But I was pumping Roof Man really hard.

• 1:43:06Speaker 05

  I like Roof Man, yeah.

• 1:43:07Griffin Newman?

  And I saw some blankies be like, I don't get it.

• 1:43:12Speaker 05

  Really?

• 1:43:13Griffin Newman?

  Well, in specifically saying, I think this character is kind of a bad guy and the movie wants me to root for him and is trying to turn it into like a charming romantic comedy. And once again, I'm like, I think the movie is a portrait of a complicated man.

• 1:43:28Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:43:28Griffin Newman?

  I think what it is digging with is that this guy abandoned his daughters and now is like

• 1:43:33Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 1:43:34Griffin Newman?

  over like parenting.

• 1:43:36Speaker 05

  Right.

• 1:43:36Griffin Newman?

  Right, he's being too present for these surrogate daughters.

• 1:43:39Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 1:43:40Griffin Newman?

  But you know that it's like, he's gonna fucking do this again. And that like, the ending of the film is not some like, their love was true kind of thing.

• 1:43:48Speaker 05

  Right.

• 1:43:48Griffin Newman?

  It's like speaking to, this guy's feelings are genuine and yet he can't stop fucking this up and hurting people.

• 1:43:54Speaker 05

  This is a thing I talked about a bunch with my Vulture colleague, Roxanna Hadadi, who is a huge Derek C. and France fan. We're like the two most enthusiastic Place Beyond the Pines people that I know.

• 1:44:04Griffin Newman?

  Uh huh.

• 1:44:04Speaker 05

  And there is a degree to which we're like, we're not gonna tell you, you have to see another movie before you see Roof Man. But like, knowing the whole Derek C. and France thing really helps you get more out of Roof Man. Because like, it is the bad dad thing. It is the sort of like, the terminal fuck up kind of a guy and it really plays into that.

• 1:44:20Griffin Newman?

  And because it's at a more comedic pitch, I think people, and I think some of this is a training from decade, a decade plus of very kind of, um, uh, how would I put this? Didactic characterization, especially from TV but from a lot of studio films.

• 1:44:39Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:44:40Griffin Newman?

  Of just like, characters are really clean cut.

• 1:44:43Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:44:43Griffin Newman?

  Good or bad.

• 1:44:44Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:44:44Griffin Newman?

  And if you're wrestling with someone who is complicated, that has to be a heavy dramatic movie.

• 1:44:50Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:44:50Griffin Newman?

  And to see a comedy in which a character is complicated and like, can do things that are both.

• 1:44:56Speaker 05

  A like, it felt like a seventies comedy. It felt like now Alice doesn't live here anymore, kind of.

• 1:45:01Griffin Newman?

  It feels like a seventies.

• 1:45:02Speaker 05

  Yeah, like drama.

• 1:45:03Griffin Newman?

  Five easy pieces, like this guy is equally captivating and nauseating.

• 1:45:07Speaker 05

  My thing was, if the Golden Globe comedy categories weren't so crowded with. Fake comedies this year?

• 1:45:13David Sims?

  Great comedies, rip roaring comedies.

• 1:45:15Speaker 05

  Then Channing Tatum would have been an ideal nomination.

• 1:45:19David Sims?

  Don't you think Derek C. in France looks like an AI of Ryan Gosling that kind of went wrong? You know what I mean?

• 1:45:24Speaker 05

  It's Ryan Gosling and Clark Gregg.

• 1:45:27David Sims?

  Yeah, right, right.

• 1:45:28Speaker 05

  They sort of melded the two of them.

• 1:45:29Griffin Newman?

  But like in Blue Valentine, where Gosling shaved the hairline back. And he had the big aviator sunglasses. And I was like, this is a cool look for Gosling. And then I saw my first interview with Derek C. in France. And I was like, oh, okay.

• 1:45:41David Sims?

  He just took a picture.

• 1:45:42Speaker 05

  I got it.

• 1:45:42Griffin Newman?

  Got it.

• 1:45:43Speaker 05

  So, okay, two more wives on phone. I had Renee Lee Sculdsberry, Greta Gerwig, Melanie Diaz, Christian Slater. And if I had Lex, I'd kick you.

• 1:45:52David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:45:52Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. Mild spoiler, but god, the fucking reveal there.

• 1:45:55David Sims?

  The reveal was very strong.

• 1:45:56Speaker 05

  The classic, I know this voice, I know this voice, I know this voice.

• 1:46:00Griffin Newman?

  But he's not playing into his go to so hard.

• 1:46:03Speaker 05

  He's not doing the fake Jack Nicholson thing.

• 1:46:04Griffin Newman?

  That you're like, well, obviously. And the reveal of that's who it is and the way he's dressed and what you now understand about the character and his profession.

• 1:46:11Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 1:46:12Griffin Newman?

  I will not spoil for people, but it is incredibly fine.

• 1:46:14Speaker 05

  So my winner is Grace Gummer in Springsteen, who plays Jeremy Strong's wife, who somebody, somebody said this.

• 1:46:23David Sims?

  I fucking forgot about that.

• 1:46:25Griffin Newman?

  She must have a real easy time. She's married to.

• 1:46:27Speaker 05

  Yeah, Jeremy Strong. But somebody said this, and I can't for the life of me remember it. And if you're out there and I've been quoting you all award season, please let me know. Described it as a wife on phone performance where the wife is in the room with the guy. Because it like, it very much is just like, she's serving that function.

• 1:46:44Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:46:45Speaker 05

  Classically, but like, she's not on the phone. She's right there in person.

• 1:46:48Griffin Newman?

  I mean, that's what's also interesting about Gerwig is that like, a good chunk of her performance is husband on phone, wife standing next to husband, being like, talk to me.

• 1:46:57Speaker 05

  Yes, yes. In a, in a different movie, she's dealing, juggling the kids or whatever, and he's husband, he's Christian Slater, yeah.

• 1:47:04Griffin Newman?

  It is interesting that we had a robust slate of new releases between September and January. Where we're like, more of a scheduling hassle than it's ever been before.

• 1:47:14David Sims?

  Yeah, yeah, right. For movies that didn't.

• 1:47:16Griffin Newman?

  Almost all of them blanked.

• 1:47:17David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:47:18Speaker 05

  They're all coming to my podcast.

• 1:47:19Griffin Newman?

  Avatar got two noms, right? But otherwise, no other choices, zero noms.

• 1:47:23David Sims?

  Bit rude.

• 1:47:24Griffin Newman?

  House of Dynamite, zero noms.

• 1:47:25David Sims?

  Not rude.

• 1:47:26Griffin Newman?

  Ella Mackay, zero noms. That's right, being.

• 1:47:28David Sims?

  I'm told that it's re-eligible for next year, and they're gonna keep making it eligible until it gets a nom.

• 1:47:34Griffin Newman?

  It's during only played in theaters for five days.

• 1:47:37Speaker 05

  J. Kelly, Rental Family, um, uh, like, all of these ones that, like,

• 1:47:41Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:47:42Speaker 05

  Coming into the festivals.

• 1:47:43David Sims?

  Is Ellen McKay the first movie to lose money on Hulu? They're like, I don't, it's somehow gross, negative dollars. I don't know what happened to you.

• 1:47:50Griffin Newman?

  Uh, is this thing on?

• 1:47:52David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:47:52Griffin Newman?

  Zero noms?

• 1:47:53David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:47:53Griffin Newman?

  And is there one other one I'm forgetting?

• 1:47:55David Sims?

  Uh, that might be it. I mean, there's plenty, uh, you know, the, the three in a row for us was The Avatar, Is This Thing On? And No Other Choice.

• 1:48:02Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm.

• 1:48:03David Sims?

  Uh, I think that was it.

• 1:48:04Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:48:05Speaker 05

  Oh, you're, oh, especially like for your purposes.

• 1:48:07David Sims?

  Oh, Die My Love.

• 1:48:08Speaker 05

  Sorry.

• 1:48:08David Sims?

  Uh, sort of counts.

• 1:48:09Griffin Newman?

  Yes, yes.

• 1:48:10David Sims?

  You know, cause, uh, we did Ramsey.

• 1:48:11Griffin Newman?

  Admittedly, I, I, the big strategy behind doing Die My Love and doing it at the top of 2026 was like, oh, can we do like a Campion thing?

• 1:48:20Speaker 05

  Right.

• 1:48:20Griffin Newman?

  Because these are lesser known films, but it, like, had such a big, like,

• 1:48:24Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 1:48:24Griffin Newman?

  explosion at Cannes, and movies putting so much money behind it, can we line up a series to what presumably will be the first Lynn Ramsey movie to break through at the Oscars? And then, like, zero noms.

• 1:48:33Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:48:34David Sims?

  And you know what? We did a Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. Did that get a visual effects nom?

• 1:48:39Speaker 05

  It got.

• 1:48:39David Sims?

  Did that sneak into somewhere?

• 1:48:40Speaker 05

  It didn't, no. Mission Impossible did not.

• 1:48:42Griffin Newman?

  It's in?

• 1:48:42Speaker 05

  It's not on my ranking.

• 1:48:44David Sims?

  Yeah, it's not. And then, um, and then we did, of course, do a Honey Don't episode. And weirdly, I think that only got like six or seven noms.

• 1:48:50Griffin Newman?

  Superman did not get a nom, or did it get a visual effects?

• 1:48:53David Sims?

  Did it get a visual effects?

• 1:48:54Griffin Newman?

  Didn't.

• 1:48:54David Sims?

  It's crazy.

• 1:48:54Speaker 05

  Jurassic World sure did.

• 1:48:56David Sims?

  They ki- they kind of just don't give the superhero movies VFX noms ever anymore. I think they've just decided, like, you, that's too easy.

• 1:49:04Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:49:04David Sims?

  Weirdly, the dynos slipped through. I mean, that movie, the Jurassic movie, the VFX were good.

• 1:49:09Speaker 05

  The VFX were a lot better than I anticipated. The story was much, much worse.

• 1:49:14Griffin Newman?

  I mean, I don't know, guys, there was a, there's a shot in that movie in which a camera that feels vaguely handheld struggles to pan up and down a large creature being illuminated only by a red flare gun.

• 1:49:31Speaker 05

  Uh-huh.

• 1:49:32Griffin Newman?

  I've never seen Gareth Edwards come up with such an image before.

• 1:49:37Speaker 05

  Fair. That's fair. Um.

• 1:49:40Griffin Newman?

  Uh, yeah, no, we just, our, our slate of new releases was almost entirely this had Oscar buzz.

• 1:49:45Speaker 05

  Yes, yeah, yeah. Well, we're, give us a year and we'll get to all of them, so.

• 1:50:04Griffin Newman?

  David?

• 1:50:04David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 1:50:04Griffin Newman?

  This episode is brought to you by XYZ Films and the acclaimed new documentary Capturing Bigfoot. On October 20th, 1967, Roger Patterson captured 59 seconds of film showing a creature walking through the Northern California woods. I wonder if you can log that on Letterboxd?

• 1:50:21David Sims?

  It is an iconic video.

• 1:50:23Griffin Newman?

  Footage that became the most analyzed and debated in history. Fifty-nine years later, a reel of 16-millimeter film discovered in a safe changes everything. Capturing Bigfoot reveals the untold story behind the world's greatest mystery, told for the first time by Patterson's own son and the people who were there. This is a story about family legacy, broken friendships, and how far people will go to protect a secret.

• 1:50:45David Sims?

  Of course, you got the classic, what they call Patterson Gimlin film everyone knows, of Bigfoot out in the woods, like the famous Bigfoot picture. This has other stuff shot by him that no one's ever seen. That's what makes this movie different.

• 1:50:57Griffin Newman?

  But we're also talking brand-new 4K scans of the original film taken from the Patterson family archives that some historians have called "the best rendering of the footage ever seen."

• 1:51:06David Sims?

  I feel like we've all seen that footage as like grainy.

• 1:51:09Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 1:51:09David Sims?

  You know, that you see, you know, whatever, you see it in a documentary for two seconds. But this is restoring it and making it look much more clear.

• 1:51:16Griffin Newman?

  There's also a companion podcast, the Capturing Bigfoot Podcast, which goes deeper into the legend and lore of Bigfoot and the Patterson Gimlin film, featuring weekly episodes with experts in cryptozoology, urban legends, and filmmaking.

• 1:51:30David Sims?

  I'm something of an expert in cryptozoology.

• 1:51:32Griffin Newman?

  Well, of course, yes, but that's more of a hobby.

• 1:51:35David Sims?

  Yeah, this podcast, Capturing Bigfoot Podcast, is hosted by the director of the film, Mark Evans, and it's available for free on YouTube and Spotify with exclusive episodes and content available on Patreon to members of the Capturing Bigfoot Society.

• 1:51:51Griffin Newman?

  Capturing Bigfoot is now available to rent or own on Amazon Prime Video. Learn more about Capturing Bigfoot at capturingbigfoot.com.

• 1:52:06Griffin Newman?

  David?

• 1:52:07David Sims?

  Yes?

• 1:52:07Griffin Newman?

  He lurks in shadow. He slips into dreams. He casts no reflection. Audible presents Bram Stoker's Dracula, a new full cast audio thriller starring Ella Purnell as Mina Harker, Jonathan Bailey as Dracula, and an A-list cast, including Maggie Gyllenhaal as Van Helsing, Amy Lou Wood as Lucy, David Johnson as Dr. Seward, and many more. That is an all-star cast.

• 1:52:28David Sims?

  Yeah, this new full cast thriller locks Mina Harker in a battle of minds with the Count. When Mina's fiance, Jonathan Harker, Louis Partridge, vanishes in Transylvania, Mina pieces together letters, diary entries, and chilling testimony to hunt the predator stalking those she loves, only to discover Dracula's already hunting her.

• 1:52:48Griffin Newman?

  Joined by the enigmatic Van Helsing, Mina and a small fearless band race against time to stop this ancient terror. Using her intellect, her resolve, and a gift for drawing the unseen lines between clues, Mina may just hold the key to bring down the Count if he hasn't already found his way inside her mind.

• 1:53:04David Sims?

  Featuring a haunting original score by Elon Eschery and a spatial dolby Atmos sound design, Audible's Dracula invites you to welcome literature's most shadowy figure into your home, feel the terror of being hunted, and the thrill of the hunt. Don't miss this year's best new audio thriller, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Audible's new full cast original adaptation. Written by Robin Ahern, now on Audible. Listen to the darkness. Go to audible.com/listen to Dracula.

• 1:53:39Griffin Newman?

  David?

• 1:53:39David Sims?

  Yes?

• 1:53:40Griffin Newman?

  Nobody likes bank fees. Why would you like them?

• 1:53:44David Sims?

  When I was younger,

• 1:53:45Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm.

• 1:53:46David Sims?

  I really would have benefited from a bank that did not charge me fees anytime I did anything, basically, which is, I feel like, what I was always dealing with.

• 1:53:55Griffin Newman?

  That's where Chime comes in. Chime.

• 1:53:57David Sims?

  They're changing the way people bank. They're not like traditional banks who charge fees and get keep perks and rewards. They offer the most rewarding fee free banking, all with no overdraft fees, no monthly fees and no minimum balance fees. Okay?

• 1:54:10Griffin Newman?

  We love being fee free. We love it.

• 1:54:12David Sims?

  You're gonna get 5% cash back on a Chime card in a category of your choice, like gas or groceries.

• 1:54:17Griffin Newman?

  My two favorite things.

• 1:54:18David Sims?

  Uh, all while building credit through regular everyday spending with no credit check and you can grow your money faster with a savings rate that's nine times the national average. And if you're ever in a pinch, SpotMe lets you overdraft up to $200 fee free.

• 1:54:32Griffin Newman?

  Fee free.

• 1:54:33David Sims?

  So join the millions who are already banking fee free with America's number one choice for banking. Head to chime.com slash blank check. That is chime.com slash blank check. Sign up now. It only takes a few minutes.

• 1:54:48Speaker 09

  Chime is a fintech, not a bank. Banking services and Chime card provided by Chime's bank partners. Qualifying direct deposits required. Terms and limits apply. Go to chime.com slash disclosures for details.

• 1:55:12Speaker 02

  We're back, baby. It's the Blankies.

• 1:55:19Speaker 05

  Want to do putters and murmurs now?

• 1:55:21Griffin Newman?

  I mean, it's, it's.

• 1:55:22Speaker 05

  I think it's, I think it's time to putter. Yeah, okay, but aren't there any other contenders?

• 1:55:26Griffin Newman?

  Give me some others. Yeah.

• 1:55:28Speaker 05

  So, uh, before I get to the proper putters and murmurs.

• 1:55:31Griffin Newman?

  Mm hmm.

• 1:55:32Speaker 05

  Um.

• 1:55:33Griffin Newman?

  Oh yeah, you like to throw on a couple others.

• 1:55:35Speaker 05

  Lakeith Stanfield and dime I love, smolders and sexers.

• 1:55:38Griffin Newman?

  Uh huh.

• 1:55:39Speaker 05

  Not a whole lot of talking. He's just sort of, you know.

• 1:55:41Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:55:42Speaker 05

  He's leering. Um, Rebecca Hall and Peter Hujars Day murmurs, but no putters.

• 1:55:46Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:55:48Speaker 05

  Her, she's, she's digging into that accent. It's really wonderful to listen to.

• 1:55:51David Sims?

  A close miss for me.

• 1:55:52Speaker 05

  She's incredible.

• 1:55:54Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:55:56Speaker 05

  Emery Cohen in Roofman, Chunkers and Shamers. Uh huh.

• 1:55:59David Sims?

  And fucking Marty Supreme.

• 1:56:01Speaker 05

  Yeah, Marty Supreme. I love him in Roofman though, because he is the moral center of that movie.

• 1:56:05David Sims?

  Yes.

• 1:56:07Speaker 05

  He gets, he gets the shaft for it. The kid's parents in Weapons, I thought.

• 1:56:12David Sims?

  I, you beat me to that one.

• 1:56:13Speaker 05

  It's not a lot of Pudding because they're mostly just stock still.

• 1:56:16Griffin Newman?

  They murk the actress's name.

• 1:56:17Speaker 05

  But, uh, the one who's not Marin Ireland, but certainly, I don't think at least, but resembles. Maybe it is Marin.

• 1:56:26Griffin Newman?

  In Weapons, I will look it up.

• 1:56:28Speaker 05

  Tom Waits in Father, Mother, Sister, Brother.

• 1:56:30David Sims?

  A movie I have not seen.

• 1:56:32Griffin Newman?

  Same, A Blind Side.

• 1:56:32David Sims?

  I did not care for it. And I figured.

• 1:56:35Speaker 05

  I wanted to like that movie going in and, I don't know, like.

• 1:56:37Griffin Newman?

  Uh, Calli Shatara.

• 1:56:39Speaker 05

  Thank you.

• 1:56:39Griffin Newman?

  And Whitmer Thomas, or the Alex's mom.

• 1:56:41David Sims?

  Whitmer, I remember.

• 1:56:42Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:56:42Speaker 05

  Former winner Timothy Spall in Goodbye June.

• 1:56:45David Sims?

  Timothy Spall, man. I haven't seen Goodbye June on account of I'd rather not.

• 1:56:48Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:56:49David Sims?

  I don't want to be doing that.

• 1:56:50Griffin Newman?

  Is that a movie about something incredibly depressing?

• 1:56:52David Sims?

  No, it's Kate Winslet directorial debut, straight to Netflix. It's just one of those things where I'm like.

• 1:56:56Speaker 05

  Like, their mom is dying, like, it's about their mom.

• 1:56:59David Sims?

  I know it's also like grim, it's grim in Britain kind of shit, but like that I can handle. It just seemed like a bit of a nothing.

• 1:57:04Griffin Newman?

  Look, I.

• 1:57:05Speaker 05

  I mean, nobody saw it. I'm like the only person who saw it.

• 1:57:07Griffin Newman?

  I often think it is not a productive discourse, even if the sentiments behind it are valid.

• 1:57:12Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:57:12Griffin Newman?

  But Kate Winslet coming out in defense of her children, saying, I really don't like this nepo label. My children had to work hard for what they've gotten in this industry. I'm like, your daughter was cast in a Wes Anderson movie that you were not in.

• 1:57:25Speaker 05

  Catherine.

• 1:57:26Griffin Newman?

  Your son slipped you a screenplay and you said, I'll direct this and call my friends to star in it.

• 1:57:32David Sims?

  The, the second.

• 1:57:32Griffin Newman?

  You have to admit, there's a pipeline.

• 1:57:34David Sims?

  I think her daughter is, clearly has some talent and is very good in Phoenician Scheme.

• 1:57:38Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:57:39David Sims?

  The, my son slipped me a screenplay. There's, no, come on now.

• 1:57:42Speaker 05

  Right.

• 1:57:42David Sims?

  Like, just this, that's family business stuff, just cop to it.

• 1:57:45Speaker 05

  That's the thing.

• 1:57:46David Sims?

  It's fine.

• 1:57:46Speaker 05

  Just fucking cop to it. It's fine.

• 1:57:47David Sims?

  It's what's always happened.

• 1:57:48Speaker 05

  It's fine.

• 1:57:49David Sims?

  In this industry. Yeah, right.

• 1:57:50Griffin Newman?

  But while promoting that movie that she directed, she was saying, look, he got here on his own. And I'm like, you can say that you think his script is legitimately very good.

• 1:57:59Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:57:59Griffin Newman?

  But you then decided to direct it.

• 1:58:02David Sims?

  I just.

• 1:58:02Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:58:03David Sims?

  I can't get drawn into it because I am always just like, look. You know, it's, it's just how it works. It's always worked that way. It's, there's things about it that are so unfair. Obviously, there's real talent that emerges who are nepotistic that grew up in the business. It's not surprising.

• 1:58:16Speaker 05

  It is also, it's just like, it is just kind of human nature.

• 1:58:19David Sims?

  Right. This is true in a lot of industries or whatever.

• 1:58:22Griffin Newman?

  Like barrier for access issue that has to do with the wealth and class and social strata.

• 1:58:29David Sims?

  Since fucking ancient Greece, if you were rich, you could be a poet. You know what I mean?

• 1:58:33Speaker 05

  Has anybody made the like case of like, you know, whatever butchers, children used to follow their parents?

• 1:58:39Griffin Newman?

  Everyone makes that case. But, but I also, I.

• 1:58:41David Sims?

  You know what? Yeah. I'm sick of these butcher nepo babies, actually. Get them the fuck out of here. Arthur and Sons?

• 1:58:47Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:58:48David Sims?

  Maybe? No, no.

• 1:58:50Speaker 05

  Russ and John.

• 1:58:51David Sims?

  My whole thing is I'm like, right, let's not do a debate, guys. You're, you're, you don't want to invite the debate.

• 1:58:56Speaker 05

  It's not, yes. You want to tip, you want to tip the cap, acknowledge it and move to hell.

• 1:59:01Griffin Newman?

  Absolutely. And it's, there is a degree to which it does feel like these things course correct. If the person is not good and the public does not like the thing they do.

• 1:59:09Speaker 05

  Right, right.

• 1:59:10Griffin Newman?

  Like this industry is so fucking sociopathic.

• 1:59:13Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 1:59:14Griffin Newman?

  That like whatever connections and favors exist only goes so long. They will kick you to the fucking curb if you don't make them money.

• 1:59:22Speaker 05

  On a completely different topic.

• 1:59:23Griffin Newman?

  Anyway, yeah.

• 1:59:24Speaker 05

  Frank Delane in Urchin, who, the character sort of moves into different modes, but some of those modes have puttering and murmuring. Not a, not an ideal choice.

• 1:59:32Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:59:33Speaker 05

  Um, Yudus Elba in House of Dynamite, just for doing fuck all, I feel like is, uh, the, it's, it's.

• 1:59:39David Sims?

  He's murmuring.

• 1:59:40Speaker 05

  Relatively murmuring and puttering because like.

• 1:59:43Griffin Newman?

  Murmuring about podcasts, yeah.

• 1:59:44Speaker 05

  Yeah. Um, everyone in Ephesus.

• 1:59:46Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:59:47Speaker 05

  Who putter and murmur their way through an entire baseball career.

• 1:59:49David Sims?

  Movie.

• 1:59:50Speaker 05

  And then my number one choice was Benicio, who.

• 1:59:53Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 1:59:53Speaker 05

  Does a lot of puttering and a lot of murmuring, has his, his wants.

• 1:59:56Griffin Newman?

  Yes, yes.

• 1:59:57Speaker 05

  In, uh, one battle.

• 1:59:58Griffin Newman?

  He's never been one to enunciate.

• 2:00:00David Sims?

  We are missing Josh O'Connor in The Mastermind.

• 2:00:02Griffin Newman?

  Well.

• 2:00:03David Sims?

  And just that movie. Just like.

• 2:00:05Griffin Newman?

  Look.

• 2:00:06David Sims?

  I'm, I'm sure, but I mean, but in putters and murmurs.

• 2:00:08Speaker 05

  John Magaro is kind of a lifetime achievement, uh, murmurer at the very least.

• 2:00:13Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. And Mastermind is kind of like an original Kings of Comedy of.

• 2:00:17David Sims?

  Exactly. This is what I'm saying.

• 2:00:18Griffin Newman?

  Our best young. Rising putter murmurs.

• 2:00:22Speaker 05

  Sure, yeah.

• 2:00:23David Sims?

  Um, let me think if there are any others. I'm sort of scanning around like, uh, that we haven't brought up, but I mean, it's a fairly solid list. Yeah, I don't know. Yeah.

• 2:00:34Griffin Newman?

  I, I just think like, uh, Eddington is a movie that A uses the Clifton Colas junior character as like a puttering and murmuring Greek chorus.

• 2:00:46Speaker 05

  Remind me where he emerges in that movie. It has been such a long time since I've seen it.

• 2:00:48Griffin Newman?

  The movie opens with him wandering in the desert, desert.

• 2:00:53Speaker 05

  Right.

• 2:00:54Griffin Newman?

  Puttering and murmuring to himself.

• 2:00:56Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:00:56Griffin Newman?

  And you're like, who is this man? Is he insane? Or does he see everything clearly? Or is it a mix of both?

• 2:01:03Speaker 05

  Right.

• 2:01:03Griffin Newman?

  And the whole film, he's like puttering murmuring.

• 2:01:04Speaker 05

  Muvitich or Prophet?

• 2:01:06Griffin Newman?

  Under his breath, yes, yes. But he runs throughout the entire film. He's kind of like an emotional spine of the movie. Uh, most of the third act kind of like, plot hinges on him.

• 2:01:19Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:01:20Griffin Newman?

  Um, and, and he's also, he's a great actor who, this is not his standard mode. I think he can speak very clearly when he wants to. He's a character actor with great, uh,

• 2:01:30Speaker 05

  I do love him.

• 2:01:31Griffin Newman?

  Sort of versatility, uh, but.

• 2:01:34Speaker 05

  So underrated in Capote, I thought.

• 2:01:36Griffin Newman?

  I agree.

• 2:01:37David Sims?

  Anemone, an anemone.

• 2:01:40Speaker 05

  Oh, I never saw it.

• 2:01:40David Sims?

  That one. That's heavy on the list.

• 2:01:42Speaker 05

  The New York Film Festival did me dirty and I never saw Anemone.

• 2:01:45David Sims?

  Oh boy, does it exist. All right. I, I saw every existing movie in it. Okay. Uh, whatever. Uh, I'm moving us on to, I guess, the big stuff. Is there anything else?

• 2:01:55Speaker 05

  The big four?

• 2:01:56David Sims?

  Before the big four? No. Right?

• 2:01:58Speaker 05

  I don't think so.

• 2:01:59Griffin Newman?

  No.

• 2:01:59David Sims?

  Uh, yeah, I mean, I can tell you the blankies thought that One Battle had the best editing of the year and Marty Supreme, the best production design. Like, that's fine.

• 2:02:08Speaker 05

  That's great.

• 2:02:08Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:02:09David Sims?

  You guys, are you guys mad about that?

• 2:02:11Speaker 05

  I'm not.

• 2:02:12David Sims?

  Best actress or best actor? Come on. Who do you want to do?

• 2:02:14Griffin Newman?

  I want to do best actor first because I've already said that Josh O'Connor, mastermind.

• 2:02:18David Sims?

  Well, there you go. You know what? Kick us off.

• 2:02:24Speaker 02

  Best Actor.

• 2:02:27David Sims?

  You've got Josh O'Connor in The Mastermind. I had a dream last night, Griffin, that I became good friends with him.

• 2:02:32Griffin Newman?

  Lucky.

• 2:02:32Speaker 05

  It was a good dream.

• 2:02:33David Sims?

  Weird dream because it was quite mundane.

• 2:02:36Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:02:36David Sims?

  It was basically like I had to interview him or something and then we just became friends and were hanging out all day. And then I woke up and I was like, I've never met him. Where did that come from?

• 2:02:45Speaker 05

  I had a stress dream.

• 2:02:46David Sims?

  I haven't even seen him in a movie recently.

• 2:02:47Speaker 05

  I had a stress dream recently that I was supposed to do a Q and A with John Lithgow and Brian Cox. And I was thoroughly unprepared for it.

• 2:02:54David Sims?

  Sounds like a choke Q and A.

• 2:02:54Speaker 05

  Ah! And like, and they sent a car for me.

• 2:02:57Griffin Newman?

  Hello!

• 2:02:58Speaker 05

  With Lithgow in the car being like, where have you been?

• 2:03:02David Sims?

  Oh, yeah.

• 2:03:03Speaker 05

  God, it was so stressful.

• 2:03:03Griffin Newman?

  Do you guys, maybe I'm just far deeper in the, the, the pool of mental illness, but do you guys ever have the thing where you wake up from a dream and it takes like four hours into your day to be like, right, I don't know Josh O'Connor?

• 2:03:16Speaker 05

  Right. And, well, I famously, I had a dream one time, many, many, many years ago.

• 2:03:21Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:03:21Speaker 05

  That the dream itself spanned like 10 years and I like had like full like fictional character like relationship or whatever. That took me the better part of a day.

• 2:03:31Griffin Newman?

  When they backfill like that and also when they're kind of mundane where you're like, oh, right. Yeah. Right. Okay. When I got to text Josh back.

• 2:03:38Speaker 05

  I barely remember my dreams.

• 2:03:40Griffin Newman?

  Uh, Josh O'Connor in The Mastermind.

• 2:03:42David Sims?

  Yes.

• 2:03:43Griffin Newman?

  Had a fucking unbelievable year. This is the guy right now, in my opinion.

• 2:03:47David Sims?

  Totally. I mean, down to that he's in a Spielberg movie this year.

• 2:03:51Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:03:51David Sims?

  It's like a guy trophy.

• 2:03:53Griffin Newman?

  Uh, I'm so into all the Disclosure Day trailers, posters, everything.

• 2:03:58Speaker 05

  Are you being facetious or are you being like genuine?

• 2:04:00Griffin Newman?

  Genuine.

• 2:04:01Speaker 05

  Okay, me too.

• 2:04:02Griffin Newman?

  I, I'm like.

• 2:04:02Speaker 05

  I was worried that it was like, are we, do we not like?

• 2:04:04Griffin Newman?

  No, I feel like people are being a little like, I don't know. And I'm like, this looks awesome to me.

• 2:04:09Speaker 05

  I think people, there was a reaction to Emily Blunt's face that has been a thing.

• 2:04:15Griffin Newman?

  Here's what I would say to that. When the trailer cuts to her doing the weather.

• 2:04:22Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:04:24Griffin Newman?

  I was like, oh, her face makes sense for this character. She is a television weather person.

• 2:04:29Speaker 05

  And then the Devil Wears Prostitute trailer happened right after that?

• 2:04:31Griffin Newman?

  Sure. Yeah, it also makes sense.

• 2:04:34David Sims?

  I, the Devil Wears Prostitute trailer is one of those things where I'm like, look.

• 2:04:37Speaker 05

  I'm so nervous.

• 2:04:38David Sims?

  It's plausible that yes, of course, this haughty character who employed Anne Hathaway for six months might not really remember her like we all remember her because we watched the movie.

• 2:04:47Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:04:47David Sims?

  But you cannot release a trailer where everyone's reaction is, does Meryl Streep's character have a brain injury? Is she demented? What's going on? Why doesn't she know anyone?

• 2:04:56Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:04:56David Sims?

  That was just everyone's reaction to that trailer.

• 2:04:58Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:04:59David Sims?

  Yes.

• 2:04:59Speaker 05

  Somebody made the case to me that it was, and this is, I know the reactions it's gonna get, but it's an allusion to Milton because in Paradise Regained or whatever, one of the things, that one of the things about the devil is that the devil never remembers anything that's ever happened.

• 2:05:15Griffin Newman?

  I, I hope that is explicitly what the movie is doing.

• 2:05:18Speaker 05

  I do kind of hope it is, but I could not be more not certain about a movie than I am like, I'm, I do think it's, could be very, very.

• 2:05:28Griffin Newman?

  Does that not almost feel like Avengers Endgame though, where you're like, they don't even need to release a trailer?

• 2:05:33Speaker 05

  Right. Well, no, the original movie, their trailer was just like Meryl walking into the building, gird your loins. It's so good.

• 2:05:39David Sims?

  It is. It's a good one.

• 2:05:40Griffin Newman?

  These trailers are nothing but confusing and yet it doesn't fucking matter. This movie's gonna make so much goddamn money.

• 2:05:46David Sims?

  Yeah, no, the movie could just be Meryl Streep looking at the camera being like, I endorse Donald Trump. And people are like, well, see it. I'm not sure.

• 2:05:52Griffin Newman?

  Even De Niro's like, she raises some points.

• 2:05:55David Sims?

  Maybe it's time for us to take another look. Okay, you've named one of your best actors. We kept interrupting you.

• 2:06:00Griffin Newman?

  Josh O'Connor for the mastermind.

• 2:06:01Speaker 05

  Got it.

• 2:06:02Griffin Newman?

  Uh, it's fascinating because I, I love Kelly Riker. I love her movies so much.

• 2:06:06Speaker 05

  Oh.

• 2:06:06Griffin Newman?

  This is the closest.

• 2:06:07Speaker 05

  A star of Kelly Riker movies.

• 2:06:08Griffin Newman?

  Well, I would, I would not say star, but uh, it's, when I do my Kelly Riker rankings, I just uh, forget to include that movie because I disqualify because I'm in it. I'm not even consciously doing it.

• 2:06:19Speaker 05

  Uh huh.

• 2:06:20Griffin Newman?

  I'm just like, oh, right. And then there's that one she made that doesn't count because I uh, muddied the waters.

• 2:06:24David Sims?

  No, that one's not bad.

• 2:06:25Griffin Newman?

  But I think when she works with movie stars, she is usually asking them to just like strip everything back.

• 2:06:30Speaker 05

  Sure.

• 2:06:31Griffin Newman?

  And come to her as just.

• 2:06:32David Sims?

  My, my friend Ellen's like. Letterboxd review of The Mastermind, I just want to shout it out. I love a movie where everyone looks like a Guess Who card. That is, that is exactly the, the patters and murmurs ensemble thing.

• 2:06:43Griffin Newman?

  Yep, yep. I just think like, you know, Michelle Williams wants to work with her because it's just like, reduce me to just raw clay, right? Strip it back. Josh O'Connor is the most I've seen someone bring their movie star energy into a Kelly Riker film and have it harmonize.

• 2:06:59Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:07:00Griffin Newman?

  And you're just like, oh, right. In theory, someone who's this kind of like off kilter and innately interesting should be vibrating too hard for a Riker film. It should throw it off its balance.

• 2:07:13Speaker 05

  Right.

• 2:07:14Griffin Newman?

  And yet the movie is just so locked into like, it is just fascinating to watch this guy do anything.

• 2:07:19Speaker 05

  Yeah. You put him in any shade of like, uh, beige, brown, or like, uh, off white, like put him in a linen thing? Or like a, uh, an old, uh, cream colored button down?

• 2:07:35Griffin Newman?

  It's just also smart because the guy's got the juice so hard and the title leads you to believe, oh, this is gonna be a movie about.

• 2:07:43Speaker 05

  It's a heist movie.

• 2:07:44Griffin Newman?

  Right.

• 2:07:44Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:07:44Griffin Newman?

  And it like wrong foots you in its casting of, this guy surely must know what he's doing.

• 2:07:49Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 2:07:50Griffin Newman?

  Uh, Lee Byung-khan in No Other Choice.

• 2:07:53David Sims?

  Yes.

• 2:07:54Griffin Newman?

  Channing Tatum in Roofman, more like charming Tatum in Raise the Roofman. An incredible movie star performance. Like it just feels like the perfect, here's the whole Channing Tatum thing.

• 2:08:07Speaker 05

  Oh, and like after a little bit of a wilderness for him, right? Where it just felt like it's.

• 2:08:14Griffin Newman?

  He's always in and out. It's fascinating. He like has a comeback every four years.

• 2:08:19Speaker 05

  This is true.

• 2:08:19Griffin Newman?

  Uh, and I thought this should have been like, you know, a career high for him instead it got kind of, uh, slept on. Liam Neeson in The Naked Gun.

• 2:08:27David Sims?

  Yep, yeah, very good call.

• 2:08:29Griffin Newman?

  And.

• 2:08:30Speaker 05

  And for a general politics and statements and.

• 2:08:33Griffin Newman?

  Everything.

• 2:08:33Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah.

• 2:08:34Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, especially in the sixties and seventies. And my fifth nominee, the one I think they're gonna fucking look back on and actually be embarrassed with themselves. Dwayne Johnson and the Smashing Machine.

• 2:08:48David Sims?

  I couldn't agree more.

• 2:08:49Speaker 05

  This is.

• 2:08:50Griffin Newman?

  He is unbelievable.

• 2:08:52Speaker 05

  Coming out fighting.

• 2:08:52Griffin Newman?

  In that.

• 2:08:53David Sims?

  It's a, it's a great performance.

• 2:08:55Griffin Newman?

  It is, is an incredible performance. I think that movie so suffered from them trying to market it as a more conventional film.

• 2:09:05David Sims?

  It did suffer from that. I think it also just suffers from being a not very pleasant movie to watch.

• 2:09:09Griffin Newman?

  It's not.

• 2:09:10David Sims?

  Like, so it's just a tough festival watch, a tough, you know, whatever.

• 2:09:13Griffin Newman?

  It eludes any.

• 2:09:14David Sims?

  It's not a big winning movie.

• 2:09:16Griffin Newman?

  No, I mean, the biggest thing I tell people about the movie, which I just feel like most people didn't even bother to engage with, is like, his entire kind of recovery from addiction basically happens in between edits.

• 2:09:28David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 2:09:28Griffin Newman?

  I think the trailers made people believe this was gonna be a movie that's 60%.

• 2:09:32Speaker 05

  Triumph of the human spirit.

• 2:09:33Griffin Newman?

  Totally.

• 2:09:34Speaker 05

  Sports movie. It's like, it's a sports movie that does not structure itself along the sports movie.

• 2:09:39David Sims?

  It's a sports movie in which, as I said, I think my piece about it or whatever, like, his major triumph is the first thing we see.

• 2:09:46Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:09:46David Sims?

  And it's all downhill from there. And it's about him accepting that he does not have it anymore and the industry is leaving it behind.

• 2:09:52Griffin Newman?

  So this is why I think the performance is so extraordinary is there is a specificity to it that just actually could not be achieved unless Dwayne Johnson has actually come to extreme realizations in the dark night of his soul. You know, like, he is finally, like, popping the balloon of all the shit that's been driving me crazy about him for like 10 or 15 years.

• 2:10:13Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:10:13Griffin Newman?

  I worry that him jumping straight into fucking Jumanji 5 and whatever.

• 2:10:17Speaker 05

  Yeah, it's not.

• 2:10:18Griffin Newman?

  That he's just now gonna like zag back into like his safe zone. But this is the movie where it's all about like. The scene where they ask him, are you worried at all about losing and breaking your streak? And he like starts short circuiting and he can't answer the question?

• 2:10:34Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:10:34Griffin Newman?

  Is him leaking the fucking financial documents on Black Adam? Being like, I just refuse to let anything be framed as a failure.

• 2:10:41Speaker 05

  Sure.

• 2:10:42Griffin Newman?

  I, I, I cannot let this happen. And even like his biggest dramatic scene plays out with him covering his face with his hands the entire time. He is like avoiding all the obvious showy moves and he really is clearly like interrogating himself.

• 2:10:57Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:10:57Griffin Newman?

  And there was a thing that Benny Safdie said during the press that I thought was really interesting where he was like, you know, Dwayne like loves being famous and he loves, you know, like what he's been able to accomplish. Now he's been able to help other people.

• 2:11:08Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:11:09Griffin Newman?

  But what I connected with him on when we started talking about this project is just how exhausting it has been to maintain that for 30 years. That he has just had to be on and be this guy for everyone for 30 years.

• 2:11:19Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:11:19Griffin Newman?

  And clearly it was getting to a point where it was driving him fucking insane. And he had become like a hollow husk of a human being pissing into Voss bottles on the set of Red One. And this performance just feels like him like laying everything bare.

• 2:11:32David Sims?

  Everything I know about how Benny made that movie, uh, cause I, I put a profile of Benny like is that they were very into like, let's talk about ourselves, about our feelings, like talk about the worst shit we've been through, like let's all lay it out together.

• 2:11:44Griffin Newman?

  That is not a performance that a director can trick an actor into giving. You have to give him full credit for that. And I, you know.

• 2:11:51David Sims?

  But whatever, nobody liked it.

• 2:11:53Speaker 05

  My question is like, isn't MMA supposed to be this like the, the crypto biggest sport in America? That nobody wants to acknowledge. It's the thing that all real Americans like, whatever.

• 2:12:05Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:12:06Speaker 05

  Where were they for this movie?

• 2:12:07David Sims?

  Well, but the whole thing with him was he pinned people down and beat their heads.

• 2:12:12Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:12:12David Sims?

  And the people who ran MMA were like, this is horrible television.

• 2:12:15Griffin Newman?

  Right.

• 2:12:16David Sims?

  And so they basically banned the thing he was good at, which is what happens to him in the movie. Cause he was just really good at like getting on top of people and just going like this to them. And people were like, well, okay, he did get them out, but that's boring.

• 2:12:28Griffin Newman?

  This sucks.

• 2:12:29David Sims?

  So like, he can't do that. So that's illegal now.

• 2:12:32Speaker 05

  So has MMA kind of like disavowed this guy?

• 2:12:34David Sims?

  He's MMA, I don't think MMA has a good relationship with a lot of people who've done MMA, because it's not very good for you.

• 2:12:41Griffin Newman?

  He was part of the trial and error of figuring out the version of it that everyone would like. And his thing of being like, you know what, I need to like be okay losing, I need to step away, I need to be done with this, happens right before they crack the code and it becomes the biggest thing, or starts its journey, right? And like, to get in the vague spoiler territory, it is just fascinating the sort of like dialogue between Marty Supreme and The Smashing Machine. And one movie is about a guy at the inflection point, right before the sport that he's at the absolute earliest stages of breaks free, and he needs to accept that he needs to walk away. And the other one is the guy fucking convinced that his thing's about to explode and that he's gonna be the champion and he's willing to ruin everything in order to prove that

• 2:13:26Griffin Newman?

  point. And he like ruins his life by refusing to lose. And then you're like, for what? It's ping pong, it's not going anywhere. This is, he's hit the ceiling on it.

• 2:13:36Speaker 05

  It's also big guy, little guy.

• 2:13:37Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, big guy, little guy.

• 2:13:39Speaker 05

  Big guy, little guy.

• 2:13:39David Sims?

  All right, my nominee, so come on, I gotta do mine. You did yours, right?

• 2:13:43Griffin Newman?

  I did my. You did your five. Channing Tatum, Josh O'Connor, Liam Neeson, Dwayne Johnson.

• 2:13:48David Sims?

  All right, Joe, you do yours.

• 2:13:49Speaker 05

  Okay. Uh, Timothy Chalamet, Marty Supreme.

• 2:13:53David Sims?

  That's very good.

• 2:13:54Speaker 05

  Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon. Michael B. Jordan in Sinners. Josh O'Connor in Wake Up Dead Man. And Theodore Pellerin in Lurker.

• 2:14:04David Sims?

  Oh, Lurker, I liked that movie. That movie's pretty good.

• 2:14:08Speaker 05

  It was really good. I really liked it.

• 2:14:10David Sims?

  He's a, oh yeah, he's creepy.

• 2:14:12Speaker 05

  Yeah, he is.

• 2:14:13David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 2:14:14Speaker 05

  Quite, quite good.

• 2:14:15David Sims?

  Look out for him.

• 2:14:16Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:14:17David Sims?

  Um, cool, you got three of the Oscar nominees there?

• 2:14:20Speaker 05

  Three of the Oscar nominees, yes. Um, I flirted with maybe, you know, having a couple of them on the bench so I could move up somebody like Everett Blunk in Griffin in Summer.

• 2:14:29David Sims?

  Right, well, well.

• 2:14:30Speaker 05

  Oh, all right.

• 2:14:31David Sims?

  Don't worry, because I'll do mine. Leonardo DiCaprio won Battle. Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine, Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon, Everett Blunk in Griffin in Summer, and Ben Whishaw in Peter Hojar's Day.

• 2:14:42Speaker 05

  That's a good pick.

• 2:14:43David Sims?

  And Everett Blunk. Is one of those things when you see Griffin in Summer where you're like, well, maybe they just found this kid who's this like swishy little hilarious child.

• 2:14:52Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:14:52David Sims?

  And then you see the plague.

• 2:14:53Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:14:53David Sims?

  And you're like, oh, this is just a very talented.

• 2:14:55Speaker 05

  He's a very talented kid.

• 2:14:56David Sims?

  Who just did two crazy good performances in completely different tones like.

• 2:15:01Speaker 05

  Yep.

• 2:15:02David Sims?

  But Griffin in Summer is just one of those movies where the first scene, obviously, is him freaking out about Virginia Woolf or whatever.

• 2:15:09Speaker 05

  He's doing the like monologue from his play.

• 2:15:11David Sims?

  But like where he's like, you know.

• 2:15:12Speaker 05

  Oh, yes.

• 2:15:13David Sims?

  And I was just like, yeah, this is, this is great. I get it. I get this right away.

• 2:15:17Speaker 05

  And like, the kid has good comedic instincts too in that movie.

• 2:15:20David Sims?

  But like, that's a really sweet movie that, and I like how, you know, how it is not just about a silly guy.

• 2:15:27Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:15:27David Sims?

  It is about, you know, this kid needing to recognize what a poisonous creature he is.

• 2:15:33Speaker 05

  Yes, yes, yes.

• 2:15:34David Sims?

  Oh, God.

• 2:15:35Speaker 05

  And they have him sort of latch on to this like straight guy who's this, you know, wannabe.

• 2:15:41David Sims?

  Very funny.

• 2:15:42Speaker 05

  Artistic type, Owen Teague.

• 2:15:43David Sims?

  Yes.

• 2:15:44Speaker 05

  And yet, right, yes, the kid is still the poisonous one in that relationship.

• 2:15:47David Sims?

  I know. I mean, he's an idiot, but like.

• 2:15:49Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:15:50David Sims?

  You really would enjoy it.

• 2:15:51Griffin Newman?

  I'm sure it would hit me too hard. It's like middle school Roughmore.

• 2:15:54David Sims?

  Sort of, but like, but like.

• 2:15:55Griffin Newman?

  Not to be.

• 2:15:56David Sims?

  But if he was a theater gay.

• 2:15:57Speaker 05

  But if he was, yes, if he was a theater gay more so than just like a megalomaniac like

• 2:16:03Griffin Newman?

  But it's obviously why Roughmore is one of the most important movies in my lifetime to me is that it's all about this guy being like, oh, I'm fucking insufferable.

• 2:16:10Speaker 05

  Uh huh.

• 2:16:11Griffin Newman?

  I'm a nightmare.

• 2:16:13Speaker 05

  Abbey Rider Fortson also showed out is very good in that movie from, uh, from Are You There God? And Catherine Newton, who is an actress I've been resistant to, has like one or two scenes where she just like knocks it out of the park.

• 2:16:24David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 2:16:24Speaker 05

  It's so funny.

• 2:16:24David Sims?

  It's just really funny that, um, both Catherine Newton and Abbey Rider Fortson are in it because they are the two Cassie Langs.

• 2:16:33Griffin Newman?

  Oh, you're right.

• 2:16:34David Sims?

  Yes.

• 2:16:34Speaker 05

  Oh, wait, when is Abbey Rider Fortson Cassie Lang?

• 2:16:36David Sims?

  She's Cassie Lang in the original Ant-Man.

• 2:16:38Speaker 05

  No shit.

• 2:16:39Griffin Newman?

  She's little girl Cassie in the first two movies.

• 2:16:42Speaker 05

  Never caught on to that.

• 2:16:42Griffin Newman?

  Then in Endgame, there's the weird middle actress.

• 2:16:44David Sims?

  Right, who's just gives her a hug.

• 2:16:46Griffin Newman?

  Only the adult one.

• 2:16:46David Sims?

  Gives him a hug or whatever.

• 2:16:47Speaker 05

  Right, that's right, yes.

• 2:16:48Griffin Newman?

  Who comes, he comes back home too and then Catherine.

• 2:16:50David Sims?

  In Quantumania, Catherine Newton shows up and is like, of course, I'm famously your daughter. All know me and it's one of those things like when they put Willa Holland in for Shaleen Woodley in the O C.

• 2:16:59Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:17:00David Sims?

  Where they're like, yeah, Shaleen's just not glam enough. We're gonna sub her out and then it's Shaleen just goes on to have a career.

• 2:17:05Speaker 05

  Yes, yes, yes.

• 2:17:06David Sims?

  And like Abby Ryber Fortson's like, I don't know why you fired me. I'm doing great over here.

• 2:17:10Speaker 05

  I'm killing it. Yeah, she's great.

• 2:17:12David Sims?

  Uh, I know they they had a time jump or whatever was their excuse.

• 2:17:15Griffin Newman?

  Uh, wait, did you get all five out?

• 2:17:16David Sims?

  I did. I got them out. I got them out there.

• 2:17:18Griffin Newman?

  Did Joe get all five out?

• 2:17:19David Sims?

  He did. He did.

• 2:17:20Griffin Newman?

  We're good. Okay, sorry, sorry, sorry. Who are your winners?

• 2:17:23David Sims?

  Ethan Hawke, I'm sorry.

• 2:17:24Griffin Newman?

  Ethan Hawke, you're sorry.

• 2:17:25David Sims?

  I love him so much in that movie.

• 2:17:27Speaker 05

  He's so good. He's so fucking good.

• 2:17:28Griffin Newman?

  I think about what our buddy, uh, ho- host of Critical Darlings, Richard Lawson, uh, said, uh, when when he was talking to me about that film in August, we met up for drinks. It was to talk about the idea of Critical Darlings for the first time.

• 2:17:43Speaker 05

  When you were Griffin in summer.

• 2:17:45Griffin Newman?

  It was when I still could lay claim to that title.

• 2:17:47Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:17:47Griffin Newman?

  Uh, and he was like, it's a shame that Ethan Hawke isn't gonna get nominated. If he gave this performance on Broadway, they would hand him the Tony before the curtain.

• 2:17:57Speaker 05

  Before the curtain call. Yeah, yes.

• 2:17:58Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:17:59David Sims?

  Marco Colly would come on stage with the Tony, being like, by the way, they got this.

• 2:18:02Griffin Newman?

  They give him another trophy every night.

• 2:18:04Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah.

• 2:18:05Griffin Newman?

  And it's so nice that that performance like punched through. It's incredible. It's astonishing.

• 2:18:10Speaker 05

  I filled in for my colleague Nate Jones for our Gold Rush column, uh, while he was on paternity leave this year for, uh, a few months. And I put Ethan Hawke in my best actor predictions almost as a defiant, like, come on, like shame the devil kind of a thing.

• 2:18:25Griffin Newman?

  Right.

• 2:18:26Speaker 05

  It so sucks that this isn't gonna happen, but like, whatever. Like, I'm just gonna put it out there. And the fact that like, that ended up happening. I'm like, what a weird like miracle that like, now that it's happened, we're just like, well, Ethan Hawke, yeah, he got nominated. But like, think about that when I first saw Blue Moon. It was like a pipe dream that that would have been nominated.

• 2:18:43David Sims?

  It just felt like a niche movie. Like, I know it's like, I know it's so many pictures classics, like it's not like.

• 2:18:47Speaker 05

  Like Link's later had another movie that seemed like it was more of an Oscar bait kind of a thing.

• 2:18:50Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, but also like I, it's my, the most fascinating thing about the season to me.

• 2:18:54Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:18:55Griffin Newman?

  Was going in, it was like, man, fucking best actor is going to be a bloodbath, right? Everyone was correct about DiCaprio and Chalamet.

• 2:19:03Speaker 05

  Yeah, that's why Moscow. Hightailed it to supporting actor.

• 2:19:05Griffin Newman?

  Absolutely.

• 2:19:06Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:19:07Griffin Newman?

  But from a distance, it was like, okay, but we have Jeremy Allen White as Springsteen.

• 2:19:12Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:19:12Griffin Newman?

  Dwayne Johnson in The Smashing Machine.

• 2:19:14Speaker 05

  Brendan Fraser in Rental Family.

• 2:19:15David Sims?

  Right.

• 2:19:15Griffin Newman?

  George Clooney and Jay Kelly.

• 2:19:17Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:19:17Griffin Newman?

  Like, you were like, this is like, the cup overfloweth.

• 2:19:21Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:19:21Griffin Newman?

  Our, our biggest movie stars, our rising stars, past winners, people who are overdue. What fucking chances Ethan Hawke have? Like, almost everyone wiped out.

• 2:19:30Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:19:30Griffin Newman?

  If you look at the predictions, like, eight of the 10 that people were predicting in August just died.

• 2:19:36Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:19:37Griffin Newman?

  On the vine.

• 2:19:37Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:19:38Griffin Newman?

  It's fascinating.

• 2:19:38Speaker 05

  Yeah, it is. I agree.

• 2:19:39Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. And it, we ended up with like, a perfect five, arguably.

• 2:19:42David Sims?

  The, the, the, cause I had some people being like-

• 2:19:45Speaker 05

  Excellent lineup.

• 2:19:45Griffin Newman?

  Incredible lineup.

• 2:19:46Speaker 05

  It's an excellent lineup, one of the best ones ever.

• 2:19:48David Sims?

  It's like, someone was like, I really wanted Joel Edgerton to get in there. And I'm like, I hear you, but for, like, for who? Like, that's a really, really tough five to crack.

• 2:19:55Speaker 05

  As much as anybody loves Train Dreams, and I love Edgerton, and he's maybe in my top 10 for actor this year? Because it's such a good, like, leaving Wagner Mora off of my list is stupid, and yet, like-

• 2:20:06David Sims?

  Yeah, me too. That's a performance that I think is insanely good.

• 2:20:09Speaker 05

  Yeah, so good.

• 2:20:10David Sims?

  Uh, and he was so hot at the New York Film Critics Circle.

• 2:20:13Speaker 05

  Oh, I believe it.

• 2:20:14David Sims?

  Oh, my god.

• 2:20:14Speaker 05

  I believe it.

• 2:20:16David Sims?

  Uh, and I think Michael B. Jordan is fantastic, and I love that he got the nom.

• 2:20:20Speaker 05

  I still think of the Nikki B. Jerkin joke from Golden Globes. It's so fucking good. It's so good.

• 2:20:25Griffin Newman?

  It's really good. Yeah.

• 2:20:27Speaker 05

  Um, no, yeah, like, I normally wouldn't wanna put, like, three Oscar nominees in my blankie lineup because I'm like, that's boring. But like, what am I gonna do? Like, not nominate Chalamet? Like, he's, he's my winner, by the way.

• 2:20:36David Sims?

  He's great.

• 2:20:37Speaker 05

  Um, that New York Film Festival performance, and I know Festival Fever, whatever, there was no better venue to see that movie than that moment and that time. But like, I love that performance so much. It's so perfectly both tailored to him, and yet, the way that, like, Josh Softy's like, what if we make him- Pockmarked and gawky and like it's great.

• 2:20:59Griffin Newman?

  I want to throw that out. That's a best makeup.

• 2:21:02Speaker 05

  Underrated best makeup snub, yes.

• 2:21:05Griffin Newman?

  And it it happens in like multiple areas of the film. It's some of the most subtle work I have seen. I really.

• 2:21:12David Sims?

  Nom's this year are are fine, although I don't know anything about the ugly stepsister.

• 2:21:17Speaker 05

  Ugly stepsister is good and gnarly and it's like, I like that gnarly things get nominated for makeup.

• 2:21:23David Sims?

  Cinderella had people like cutting people's noses off.

• 2:21:25Speaker 05

  It was like Cinderella, but with like, yeah, but with um, uh, botched surgery of like the old timing.

• 2:21:30David Sims?

  Girl boss.

• 2:21:31Speaker 05

  Oh gosh.

• 2:21:32Griffin Newman?

  I I was watching Marty Supreme and thinking, oh, have they just been putting makeup on Shalameh this whole time? And he had like Miles Teller-esque scars that never.

• 2:21:42Speaker 05

  Awful skin.

• 2:21:42Griffin Newman?

  Truly, it's so realistically done and it's so subtle and even like Mr. Wonderful's hairpiece.

• 2:21:49Speaker 05

  Uh, yeah.

• 2:21:49Griffin Newman?

  Which is like, oh, what if this guy's like 20% less balding than he really is?

• 2:21:54Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:21:54Griffin Newman?

  You know, these things that are like really hard to dial in. I also thought that Ann Lee had some of the best aging makeup I'd ever seen.

• 2:22:00David Sims?

  Ann Lee is just one of those, again, things where I'm just like, the craft given the scale of the production is very impressive.

• 2:22:07Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, but also just like really subtle things where I'm just like, oh, they dialed in the difference of like five years around the eyes.

• 2:22:16Speaker 05

  Also, it seems more obvious, but I mentioned this to, I was, I said this to Katie Rich on our text chain. Weapons as a makeup nominee.

• 2:22:24Griffin Newman?

  Kind of crazy.

• 2:22:25Speaker 05

  It's kind of crazy that that didn't get nominated.

• 2:22:27David Sims?

  They they sort of snubbed weapons at the end of the day.

• 2:22:29Speaker 05

  And it's not just Aunt Gladys, but like there's a lot of, you know, different venues.

• 2:22:34David Sims?

  The fucking Benedict Wong job is so memorable, like, you know, yeah.

• 2:22:37Griffin Newman?

  Uh, well, and also the the parents.

• 2:22:40David Sims?

  Yeah, the parents.

• 2:22:41Griffin Newman?

  The multiple stages of their.

• 2:22:42Speaker 05

  Oh, my God.

• 2:22:43Griffin Newman?

  Am I wrong in thinking that it was left off the hair and makeup shortlist, but it was on the casting shortlist?

• 2:22:48Speaker 05

  You know, I just don't know. It definitely, I believe it was on the casting shortlist and I think you're right that it was not on the makeup.

• 2:22:54Griffin Newman?

  But it ended up only getting the Madigan performance.

• 2:22:56Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:22:56David Sims?

  Should have gotten that.

• 2:22:57Speaker 05

  Yep.

• 2:22:58David Sims?

  Screenplay or a picture. I don't know.

• 2:23:00Griffin Newman?

  It was interesting. I was I was double checking yesterday because of the critical.

• 2:23:04David Sims?

  Casting and nothing else.

• 2:23:05Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, critical darling is a conversation, but PGA this year was nine out of 10 overlapping with the best picture lineup.

• 2:23:11David Sims?

  And was weapons.

• 2:23:12Griffin Newman?

  It was weapons in over secret agent.

• 2:23:15David Sims?

  Right, which, you know.

• 2:23:16Griffin Newman?

  And I think. By the week of the nominations, people were starting to think that Weapons was going to stay in and that Secret Agent would sub in for F1.

• 2:23:25Speaker 05

  Yeah, I was gonna say that.

• 2:23:26Griffin Newman?

  I'm saying F1 was in the PGA lineup.

• 2:23:28Speaker 05

  Right, right.

• 2:23:29Griffin Newman?

  So people were like, F1's the kind of thing that the PGA puts in.

• 2:23:32Speaker 05

  Is it Weapons? Is it F1? Is it... It was just an accident? Like, yeah.

• 2:23:35Griffin Newman?

  Uh, anyway. My winner is... My winner is Dwayne The Rock Johnson.

• 2:23:40David Sims?

  There you go. We love him.

• 2:23:41Speaker 05

  What an evolution for you.

• 2:23:43Griffin Newman?

  Truly, it's like...

• 2:23:44David Sims?

  To make up a word for Black Adam, just admit it.

• 2:23:46Griffin Newman?

  It is. It's another, like, I would have given him Best Supporting Actor for, um, that year, which was prior to us doing these on mic awards, so I haven't had to hand him an award since then. That's when I was like, this guy has, like, fully come into his power. And then part of why I've been so hard on him for the last 10 years is because I'm just like, dude, you have so much power.

• 2:24:09Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:24:10Griffin Newman?

  Why aren't you applying it to anything interesting? Also, you don't seem happy.

• 2:24:14David Sims?

  I know.

• 2:24:15Griffin Newman?

  To what extent?

• 2:24:15David Sims?

  I was hearing, uh, I'll say off mic, but I was hearing some stories about him, uh, that of what a sweetie pie he can be, uh, and how he's very good at like knowing everyone's name and like, you know, blah, blah, blah. In that kind of slightly politician-y way. Yes, right, right. But still, basically, like, you know, very positive reviews. Maybe he enjoyed that one more.

• 2:24:36Speaker 05

  As far as I know, he had like a good reputation in WWE, too. He wasn't like... I feel like if he was a shit in WWE, that would have gotten out.

• 2:24:42David Sims?

  It was the boss bottles.

• 2:24:43Griffin Newman?

  I've only heard the best, right? But I... It's what I was saying earlier, that like, Benny was like, he was telling me how tired he was of having to do that all the time. Not because he wasn't actually a nice guy, but it was tough. The self-imposed responsibility to be that version of himself all the time. And this is this rare case of a performance that is like silencing the haters by also admitting that they were correct.

• 2:25:06Speaker 05

  I'll just say-

• 2:25:07Griffin Newman?

  Like, you can only, like, shut me up by being like, you were right about me up until now, and I'm gonna give the performance about that.

• 2:25:14Speaker 05

  When my ranking for all of the Oscar nominees publishes, just like skip past the first 10 or whatever, then you'll be fine.

• 2:25:19Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:25:20David Sims?

  Uh, I will also, I need to point out that these awards are being handed out by Marianne John Baptiste.

• 2:25:24Griffin Newman?

  Of course.

• 2:25:24David Sims?

  Marianne John Baptiste.

• 2:25:25Griffin Newman?

  Of course.

• 2:25:26Speaker 05

  And Demi Moore. Oh, and I didn't pick Demi Moore. Sentimental choice, yes.

• 2:25:29David Sims?

  Uh, sentimental choice.

• 2:25:32Griffin Newman?

  Who you're, uh, you say your winner?

• 2:25:35David Sims?

  Ethan Hawke.

• 2:25:35Griffin Newman?

  Ethan Hawke. Yep, there we go.

• 2:25:43Speaker 02

  Best Actress.

• 2:25:48David Sims?

  Uh, my best actresses are Jennifer Lawrence for Die My Love. Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You. Kiki Palmer for One of Them Days.

• 2:25:56Griffin Newman?

  Great call.

• 2:25:56David Sims?

  Xiao Tao for Caught by the Tides. One of my favorite actors, obviously. Love her. Julia Roberts for After the Hunt.

• 2:26:04Speaker 05

  I almost put Juliet on.

• 2:26:06Griffin Newman?

  She made it for me.

• 2:26:07Speaker 05

  She is quite good in that film.

• 2:26:09David Sims?

  It's a movie that I had a lot of problems with. It didn't really connect for me.

• 2:26:12Speaker 05

  This had Oscar buzz movie that six months into the year, people were putting that on.

• 2:26:16Griffin Newman?

  Absolutely.

• 2:26:17David Sims?

  Uh, and I just think she really brings the thunder in it. And I truly wish, uh, you know, everything had worked to support that performance better or whatever. You know, like, but I think she's so fucking good.

• 2:26:28Griffin Newman?

  It came up in some other.

• 2:26:29David Sims?

  The scene where she chews the kid out in the, in the, in the.

• 2:26:32Speaker 05

  Her tar scene. Her big tar scene.

• 2:26:35David Sims?

  One of those things where like, the movie had basically lost me by that point. I wasn't really invested in what was gonna happen, but then I was just like, God, she's crushing this.

• 2:26:42Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:26:43Griffin Newman?

  Joe.

• 2:26:44Speaker 05

  I also thought the scene with her and Garfield towards the end when they're in this.

• 2:26:47David Sims?

  That's great.

• 2:26:48Speaker 05

  In the secret apartment. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 2:26:50David Sims?

  Garfield's just so subtle and nuanced in that film.

• 2:26:52Griffin Newman?

  Beautifully shot, but you know, I think she's great in that scene.

• 2:26:55Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:26:55Griffin Newman?

  Uh, it's a very frustrating movie.

• 2:26:57Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:26:57Griffin Newman?

  Uh, we have this conversation in some already recorded episode that will come out in the next couple of months that I can't remember what prompted this, but I just want to throw it to you quickly.

• 2:27:06Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:27:06Griffin Newman?

  Because you're a bit of an expert in this field.

• 2:27:08Speaker 05

  Sure.

• 2:27:09Griffin Newman?

  We were discussing how bad Julia Roberts' last 20 years have been.

• 2:27:15David Sims?

  It's tough.

• 2:27:15Griffin Newman?

  Considering that on paper, almost all of the choices are commendable. And within that run, she has had quite a few genuine box office hits and has another Oscar nomination. And yet you're like, has she not made a good movie in 20 years?

• 2:27:33Speaker 05

  I am a Ben is back defender.

• 2:27:35David Sims?

  Cause we did go deep on this. We are a defender of which?

• 2:27:38Speaker 05

  Ben is back.

• 2:27:39David Sims?

  Oh, no.

• 2:27:39Speaker 05

  A great performance.

• 2:27:40David Sims?

  I won't be going there with you.

• 2:27:42Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:27:42Griffin Newman?

  No, I like that.

• 2:27:43David Sims?

  She's good in it, though.

• 2:27:44Griffin Newman?

  This is what I want to throw to you. I want to see if there was one you would defend.

• 2:27:46Speaker 05

  That's the one. Um, Augustosage County is a, is just a quagmire that would take a longer time to...

• 2:27:53Griffin Newman?

  But you're like, she got an Oscar nomination for that.

• 2:27:55Speaker 05

  In for a lead role in supporting, so that was somewhat irksome.

• 2:27:57Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:27:58Speaker 05

  Um, that was also the year of the selfie, which is a haunted photograph that has, um, had its tentacles throughout history since then.

• 2:28:06Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, yeah.

• 2:28:07Speaker 05

  Uh, but, yeah. Money Monster, not a good movie. A lot of talent there. Yeah. Wonder is a success.

• 2:28:13David Sims?

  Big hit. Made money.

• 2:28:14Speaker 05

  Big hit. Ticket to Paradise, we shall never speak of it again.

• 2:28:18David Sims?

  Some money, but let's not speak of it.

• 2:28:19Griffin Newman?

  It's the most frustrating, how is this not a Gentleman Six movie?

• 2:28:22Speaker 05

  Right. Leave the World Behind, I think is watchable junk. A lot of people just lop off the watchable. And, um, Secret in Their Eyes, a movie I have actually seen. I maybe, one of the, we did it for our podcast and...

• 2:28:34David Sims?

  That is a crazy boring movie. It's so fucking bad.

• 2:28:37Speaker 05

  It really is.

• 2:28:38Griffin Newman?

  But this is the other crazy thing we were saying.

• 2:28:40David Sims?

  That movie's a sleeping pill.

• 2:28:41Griffin Newman?

  Is, she is really good in almost all of these.

• 2:28:44David Sims?

  Yes, she is never the problem and she's often the strongest asset.

• 2:28:48Griffin Newman?

  And you're just like, why can't she fucking catch a break?

• 2:28:51Speaker 05

  She's sticking with Sam.

• 2:28:52David Sims?

  I know, Julia Roberts, you know, she just can't catch a break.

• 2:28:54Griffin Newman?

  She was one gonna give her a moment.

• 2:28:55Speaker 05

  Really good on the Sam Smell TV show, uh, Homecoming?

• 2:28:59David Sims?

  Yeah, let's not, let's not, come on now.

• 2:29:01Speaker 05

  But, but I say this because her next movie is a Sam Smell.

• 2:29:03David Sims?

  I know, she loves the guy.

• 2:29:04Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:29:05David Sims?

  Yeah, which is fine. I mean, I, I, someone's got it.

• 2:29:08Griffin Newman?

  We threw out, so, yes, can Wes Anderson please get his hands on...

• 2:29:12David Sims?

  I would love nothing more.

• 2:29:14Speaker 05

  Oh, what an idea.

• 2:29:15Griffin Newman?

  Right?

• 2:29:16David Sims?

  But the problem with that is, there's probably like a list of 20 actors where I'm like, Wes, could you do this guy a favor? And Wes Anderson's like, you know, I don't just like randomly come up with shit. I take a while generating these projects.

• 2:29:28Speaker 05

  Also, everybody who works with me...

• 2:29:30David Sims?

  Now, come on, write a Julia vehicle, quickly, quickly.

• 2:29:32Speaker 05

  Well, and everybody who works with him, he retains.

• 2:29:34David Sims?

  He loves, and they love the experience.

• 2:29:36Speaker 05

  Yeah, so it's tougher to get new people in there.

• 2:29:38Griffin Newman?

  But he also says, he's been saying that he's like, five plus times written a role explicitly for and offered it to Jodie Foster, who keeps turning him down.

• 2:29:47Speaker 05

  Oh, she would be great in that, too.

• 2:29:49Griffin Newman?

  Fill in some of the gaps of like, oh, did Tilda start to get some of those roles?

• 2:29:52David Sims?

  Yeah, sure.

• 2:29:52Griffin Newman?

  Like, which are the ones that were written for Jodie Foster? I feel like Julia has gotten into a Jodie Foster adjacent spiky territory.

• 2:29:59David Sims?

  I am ready for it.

• 2:30:00Speaker 05

  I wonder if Mia Rappleton could get her mom into one of those movies on a connections basis.

• 2:30:05David Sims?

  Oh, a sort of reverse nepo situation?

• 2:30:06Griffin Newman?

  Excuse me, she's gonna have to work hard and get the role.

• 2:30:08David Sims?

  She's gonna have to read for it? Audition for Wes?

• 2:30:11Speaker 05

  Yeah, that's how it goes.

• 2:30:12David Sims?

  Okay, come on, Bob. Give me your best actresses. Joe Reid.

• 2:30:15Speaker 05

  All right, Jessie Buckley in Hamnet.

• 2:30:17David Sims?

  Heard of it.

• 2:30:17Speaker 05

  Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You. Susan Sharty in I'm Becoming a Guinea Fowl.

• 2:30:22David Sims?

  I love that movie.

• 2:30:23Speaker 05

  Kate Hudson in Song Song Blue.

• 2:30:25Griffin Newman?

  Wait, Joe, I think you, that doesn't sound like the kind of thing you would do.

• 2:30:28Speaker 05

  Not a thing I would have.

• 2:30:29David Sims?

  Kind of performance you'd vibe with.

• 2:30:31Speaker 05

  Guaranteed, uh, four months ago, yeah. Um, and Amanda Seyfried in Testament of Am.

• 2:30:36David Sims?

  Who's very, very, very.

• 2:30:36Griffin Newman?

  I, I texted you nomination morning, congrats, and you texted back.

• 2:30:40Speaker 05

  I was so wary. I was like, are you making fun of me?

• 2:30:42Griffin Newman?

  I did it, and then you in parentheses said like, is this about Kate Hudson? I, I've seen a lot of people, mostly in relation to the perceived, uh, Amanda Seyfried snub.

• 2:30:55Speaker 05

  Oh, blaming Kate? Yes, I have.

• 2:30:56Griffin Newman?

  And I'm like, that's not the performance I would knock out of the five.

• 2:30:59Speaker 05

  I would knock out Emma Stone.

• 2:31:01Griffin Newman?

  I would not get Emma Stone.

• 2:31:02David Sims?

  Buggy?

• 2:31:03Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:31:03David Sims?

  Little buggy?

• 2:31:04Speaker 05

  I don't dislike Emma Stone, and I just don't, I have problems with Begonia, but I don't hate it.

• 2:31:08David Sims?

  She's fine in Begonia. It's, and it's like sort of a demanding performance, I guess.

• 2:31:13Griffin Newman?

  I think Kate Hudson is legitimately pretty phenomenal in Song Song Blue. She, I, the only reason I cut her is because I knew you were gonna put her in.

• 2:31:20Speaker 05

  No, I understand.

• 2:31:21Griffin Newman?

  She's a bubble six for me.

• 2:31:22David Sims?

  It is, it's also, uh, she worked her tail off to get that nom and all that, blah, blah, blah.

• 2:31:26Speaker 05

  It's a bonkers movie that I find to be better than a lot of people get it credit for, but like, on that level, it's still a fucking bonkers movie.

• 2:31:33Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:31:33Speaker 05

  Um, Jackman is not up to her level. Um, I think she, I genuinely think she really kills it in there.

• 2:31:40Griffin Newman?

  I, I agree. I agree. No, I agree.

• 2:31:42Speaker 05

  And I love her, of course. She was my supporting actress winner for Glass Onion.

• 2:31:44Griffin Newman?

  Of course, we all remember.

• 2:31:46Speaker 05

  She's my favorite.

• 2:31:46Griffin Newman?

  It, it felt like a real, uh, we did it true moment. I was, I was like genuinely happy for you.

• 2:31:52Speaker 05

  I was so wary. I was like, Griffin's making.

• 2:31:54Griffin Newman?

  No, I wasn't.

• 2:31:54David Sims?

  I just, you know, it's one of those things where Kate Hudson, I know you like her.

• 2:31:57Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 2:31:58David Sims?

  So I'm being nice here.

• 2:32:00Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:32:00David Sims?

  Where Letterboxd, you know, sees her on the red carpet and they're like, can you name your favorite movie? Like, you know, what, what, what's your top favorite movie on Letterboxd? And she's like, Almost Famous. I'm like, yeah.

• 2:32:10Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:32:10David Sims?

  And then, and then she's like, I don't know what else. And she's sort of like, I mean, some people like Skeleton Key. You can see her being like, cause I don't really know what would even.

• 2:32:19Griffin Newman?

  Not a great rocket, right?

• 2:32:21David Sims?

  Like, I think she's like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Skeleton Key. And then she, even she starts to run out of ideas.

• 2:32:26Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:32:26David Sims?

  Yes.

• 2:32:27Griffin Newman?

  Can I ask?

• 2:32:28David Sims?

  She was like, some people like Something Borrowed. And I wanted to say like, yeah, some people do.

• 2:32:31Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. Didn't you, did you nominate that? I know Lawson.

• 2:32:33David Sims?

  No, Ray Lawson's.

• 2:32:35Speaker 05

  I like that movie, but that's Richard's.

• 2:32:36Griffin Newman?

  She's really excellent.

• 2:32:37Speaker 05

  Also, every gay guy loves her in Nine. Loves her specifically.

• 2:32:42David Sims?

  I find that performance to be disgraceful.

• 2:32:45Speaker 05

  I don't know if disgraceful, but my.

• 2:32:46Griffin Newman?

  She loves Cinematic Alianza.

• 2:32:48Speaker 05

  My secret, my secret is great in Nine person is Fergie. That makes everybody crazy, but like, I think Fergie's scene in Nine is the one good scene in Nine. I think everything about that movie is bad.

• 2:32:57David Sims?

  I find that movie unspeakable.

• 2:32:58Speaker 05

  It's really bad. It's really bad, but I like, but if I'm at a gay bar music, musicals night or whatever, and I'm requesting something from the, the TV guy, I'm like, put on Fergie in Nine.

• 2:33:11Griffin Newman?

  I believe I tapped out on Nine after 45 minutes because I did not wish to die in seven days.

• 2:33:15David Sims?

  You tapped out around four.

• 2:33:17Griffin Newman?

  Right. I saw the girl coming out of the well and I was like, I need to get out of this curse before it sticks to me.

• 2:33:22Speaker 05

  So the Rob Marshall mini-series is still not happening?

• 2:33:24Griffin Newman?

  Not happening.

• 2:33:25David Sims?

  That is, that is, that's our, we're driving the cliff. Over the cliff, Elman Louie.

• 2:33:29Speaker 05

  That's your two's a series.

• 2:33:30David Sims?

  Let's see Rob Marshall. I guess Trump's about to block us up.

• 2:33:33Griffin Newman?

  My best actress lineup.

• 2:33:34David Sims?

  Yes, please.

• 2:33:35Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:33:35Griffin Newman?

  Sally Hawkins in Bring Her Back.

• 2:33:37David Sims?

  Yes, she's really good in that movie.

• 2:33:39Griffin Newman?

  Amanda Seyfried, Seyfried?

• 2:33:41David Sims?

  Who knows?

• 2:33:41Griffin Newman?

  I feel like I'm told I'm always getting it wrong. No way of knowing.

• 2:33:44David Sims?

  I think it's Seyfried.

• 2:33:45Griffin Newman?

  Uh, in The Testament of Antalya, but let's also acknowledge she fucking rules in The Housemaid.

• 2:33:49David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 2:33:50Speaker 05

  Oh, I still have to, that's another one I still have to see.

• 2:33:52Griffin Newman?

  A lot of my people this year had a double performance thing going on.

• 2:33:56David Sims?

  A fun one on the side.

• 2:33:57Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I mean, Josh O'Connor just narrowly.

• 2:34:01David Sims?

  Yeah, mastermind, wake up. Yeah.

• 2:34:03Griffin Newman?

  Beaten out by. By Dwayne in that category for me. Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You.

• 2:34:08David Sims?

  Yeah, it's a good performance.

• 2:34:08Griffin Newman?

  Jennifer Lawrence in Die My Love. And Sung Yee Jin in No Other Choice.

• 2:34:13David Sims?

  Yeah, she's really good.

• 2:34:14Griffin Newman?

  And because of my last minute rejiggering to spread the wealth and giving screenplay to If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, I cleared the path to give my award to Amanda Seyfried in Testament of Andes.

• 2:34:27David Sims?

  Right.

• 2:34:28Griffin Newman?

  Which also feels like the place to honor that movie.

• 2:34:30David Sims?

  She's the powerhouse, for sure. I love her. Rose Byrne's my winner, certainly.

• 2:34:35Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:34:35David Sims?

  That performance stuck with me all year.

• 2:34:37Speaker 05

  Rose Byrne is another one.

• 2:34:38Griffin Newman?

  Rose Byrne's a very close number two.

• 2:34:39David Sims?

  And it's also another one, kind of like the Ethan Hawke thing, where when I saw it, I'd be like, yeah. A world where she sneaks a nom for this, like, really hostile movie would, is a real, like, nice world to imagine. And now it's kind of like, she's the runner up, like, you know, like.

• 2:34:53Speaker 05

  That was another one where, that was a Sundance premiere that didn't screen online, so I didn't see it until TIFF. And then when I saw it on TIFF, I was like, well, first of all, everybody at Sundance kind of undersold how great she is in this movie. You know how great, I really love the movie too. But it was another one of those, I was like, boy, it'd be really good if, you know, she could maybe sneak in an Oscar nomination.

• 2:35:12David Sims?

  Right.

• 2:35:12Speaker 05

  It seemed for a while that she and Seyfried were sort of like jostling for like what would have been a fifth slot. And then all of a sudden, it's like, oh no, Rose is just winning every single critics award and rightly so.

• 2:35:23Griffin Newman?

  I, yeah, I, I, I thought it could maybe be a bit of an upset, but it does feel like Buckley's the most locked.

• 2:35:30David Sims?

  Buckley is just also the classic thing of like, we've noticed you, you've been bubbling along, we gave you an earlier nom.

• 2:35:35Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:35:36David Sims?

  And you screamed and cried and were very impressive. And I don't think it's a bad performance, like.

• 2:35:41Speaker 05

  I think she's really good, even before the screaming and crying.

• 2:35:44David Sims?

  Yeah, she's good.

• 2:35:45Speaker 05

  I think she's just like really good throughout.

• 2:35:46David Sims?

  I love Jessie Buckley.

• 2:35:47Griffin Newman?

  I disproportionately like the first half more than the second half, which I think you bodied me by saying, what a surprise you like the movie about a sad boy falling in love with a witchy woman in the woods. But I was like, the second they have a kid, I'm, I'm out on that movie. It just lost me, not in any like intellectual way.

• 2:36:03David Sims?

  It's also just when the movie begins to be kind of like piled up suffering, like, you know, sort of different phases of suffering.

• 2:36:09Griffin Newman?

  I think it's also, there's, there's, there's a sense of inevitability. Right, suddenly you're on the rails and you're like, we know what this is heading towards and this is just gonna be an endless series of body blow.

• 2:36:19Speaker 05

  Hamnet is my materialist and that everything that people don't like about Hamnet, I'm like, that worked for me. Like, that really worked for me.

• 2:36:25Griffin Newman?

  I did not dislike it.

• 2:36:26Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:36:26Griffin Newman?

  But it definitely, I don't know, it lost me somewhere in there and I thought, well, everyone says the ending is such an undeniable knock out, it'll win me back.

• 2:36:35Speaker 05

  I see.

• 2:36:36Griffin Newman?

  And it just didn't do it for me.

• 2:36:37Speaker 05

  Yeah. Well, and that's, if that doesn't do it for you, then you're dead.

• 2:36:41Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, it was, I don't have anything intellectually against that movie. I love Jessie Buckley.

• 2:36:45David Sims?

  It'd be weird if you had something. No, I'm kidding. I got you, I got you. I love her too.

• 2:36:49Speaker 05

  For the last 18 months, I've been telling people about I'm Becoming a Guinea Fowl. That was a movie that screened.

• 2:36:55Griffin Newman?

  Another embarrassing blind spot for me.

• 2:36:56David Sims?

  It's on HBO, I think. It's very viewable.

• 2:36:58Speaker 05

  Festivals last year and 824 for some reason did that bullshity qualify it and then push it to March or whatever thing.

• 2:37:07David Sims?

  No, they didn't qualify it.

• 2:37:08Speaker 05

  No, they, right.

• 2:37:09Griffin Newman?

  Oh, they didn't?

• 2:37:09David Sims?

  They just, they put it in the main slot.

• 2:37:11Speaker 05

  They were, they were slow playing it, thinking that it would be submitted for international feature consideration and then no country kind of claimed it.

• 2:37:21David Sims?

  But the problem, I think, is it's a, like, it's sort of a Zambian movie, but the Zambian.

• 2:37:26Speaker 05

  It's a Zambian movie that had UK financing, I think, was the thing.

• 2:37:29David Sims?

  Yeah, but it's quite critical of, like, the sort of patriarchal cultures or, I don't know, like, yes.

• 2:37:35Speaker 05

  Anybody listening to this, like, if that movie is new to you, hearing about it, like, go check it out. It rules. It's so good.

• 2:37:42Griffin Newman?

  Uh, we all said our winners, right?

• 2:37:44David Sims?

  Yeah, who's your winner?

• 2:37:45Speaker 05

  Uh, Burn.

• 2:37:46David Sims?

  Uh, I'll just give you the 10 blankie lead performance.

• 2:37:48Griffin Newman?

  You said your winner.

• 2:37:50David Sims?

  Rosemary.

• 2:37:50Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. Uh, no, this feels like the space to honor Testament Van Lee for me, but I also think it's, it's like, it's an astonishing performance.

• 2:37:59Speaker 05

  Oh, I also didn't, sorry to derail us for like half a second. I put O'Connor for Wake Up Dead Man for, you had mentioned in Materialists.

• 2:38:06Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:38:06Speaker 05

  Um, or not Materialists, Mastermind, so many M-movies. Um.

• 2:38:11Speaker 05

  He's doing something so different in, in Wake Up Dead Man.

• 2:38:15David Sims?

  So fucking good.

• 2:38:16Speaker 05

  And he's so, he's like, you know, the almost like Nebbishy quality he has to that character, I think is incredibly funny. He's so locked in in that movie. And then you hit the Bridget Everett scene.

• 2:38:26Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:38:27Speaker 05

  And it's like.

• 2:38:29David Sims?

  That scene is like a masterpiece of craft.

• 2:38:31Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:38:32David Sims?

  The way that he makes the sun set during it, even though you're inside.

• 2:38:36Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:38:36David Sims?

  I love that scene.

• 2:38:37Griffin Newman?

  When he chooses.

• 2:38:38Speaker 05

  One of the best scenes in the entire.

• 2:38:39David Sims?

  Yeah. So when he's like, right, this is what I do.

• 2:38:41Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:38:42David Sims?

  Like.

• 2:38:42Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. Yeah, no, I, I think, I remember when they announced that he was gonna be in the, the new Benoit Blanc.

• 2:38:51Speaker 05

  The new Benoit Blanc.

• 2:38:52Griffin Newman?

  And it was like, he's going to play a priest. And people were like, is he gonna be a guy pretending to be a priest? Like, is the whole thing with Josh O'Connor, the scuzzy? And if it's not a guy pretending to be a priest, then are they gonna clean him up? And isn't that what we don't want from him?

• 2:39:06Speaker 05

  Right.

• 2:39:06Griffin Newman?

  And then you were like, no, the idea is.

• 2:39:08Speaker 05

  Hyper earnest.

• 2:39:09Griffin Newman?

  Josh O'Connor type is a priest.

• 2:39:12Speaker 05

  Yes, yes, yes.

• 2:39:13Griffin Newman?

  Right. Which is such an interesting.

• 2:39:14Speaker 05

  It's the first time anybody's taken the movie away from Daniel Craig. I think Craig sort of most definitely sits in the backseat in that movie.

• 2:39:22Griffin Newman?

  Someone did a screen.

• 2:39:23David Sims?

  I adore Craig in that movie.

• 2:39:24Speaker 05

  I do too, but I feel like, I think, I think O'Connor is much the more main character.

• 2:39:28David Sims?

  He is, but I think Craig gets it.

• 2:39:30Griffin Newman?

  I think it's the best of his Benoit Blanc performances.

• 2:39:33Speaker 05

  He's great.

• 2:39:33Griffin Newman?

  But I also saw that someone did a screen time clock and it's like 35 minutes.

• 2:39:38David Sims?

  Sure.

• 2:39:38Speaker 05

  Oh, yeah.

• 2:39:39David Sims?

  In a long movie.

• 2:39:39Speaker 05

  Hannibal Lecter-esque.

• 2:39:40David Sims?

  Well, because he takes a while to show up and stuff.

• 2:39:42Griffin Newman?

  But it's really Josh O'Connor's film.

• 2:39:44David Sims?

  Him and Josh O'Connor like being like silly guys together.

• 2:39:47Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:39:47David Sims?

  Just really funny.

• 2:39:48Speaker 05

  That's great.

• 2:39:49David Sims?

  The blankies, I'll just give you their 10 to 1. We're not a Reinsper, who we all love.

• 2:39:54Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:39:54David Sims?

  None of us know me, but we all love.

• 2:39:55Speaker 05

  Watching that movie a second time, as I said on Critical Darling, really, she really emerged for me. I thought she was so good.

• 2:40:01Griffin Newman?

  You know, my thing with that performance is, I, I think that it's borderline.

• 2:40:08Griffin Newman?

  I kind of feel like all three women have about the same real estate in the story.

• 2:40:15Speaker 05

  I think Stellan and Renata are your leads.

• 2:40:18Griffin Newman?

  I think so too.

• 2:40:19David Sims?

  Stellan is not in as much as you think.

• 2:40:21Griffin Newman?

  And putting Stellan in supporting makes her being the only lead feel disconnected.

• 2:40:27Speaker 05

  It makes it feel in balance, but like, yeah, yeah.

• 2:40:28David Sims?

  It's still her.

• 2:40:29Griffin Newman?

  She's excellent. Her, her opening scene is like unbelievable. Yeah.

• 2:40:32David Sims?

  All right. So Renata, 10, Jesse Plemons, nine, another performance I really like.

• 2:40:36Speaker 05

  Good.

• 2:40:37David Sims?

  Jesse Buckley, eight, Lee Byung-hung, seven, Ethan Hawke, six, Chase Infinity from One Battle, five, Michael B. Jordan, four, Rose Byrne, three, Leo, two, Timmy, one. That was their, that was their list.

• 2:40:54Speaker 02

  Best director.

• 2:40:56David Sims?

  My best directors are.

• 2:40:58Griffin Newman?

  Give them to me.

• 2:40:58David Sims?

  Paul Thomas Anderson, Jafar Panahi, Zach Craig, Ja Janku for Caught by the Tides and Ryan Coogler.

• 2:41:04Speaker 05

  I gotta see Caught by the Tides. I didn't see it before.

• 2:41:07David Sims?

  I mean, it's, it's, it's for the, the Ja boys. Cause it's literally like him assembling stuff he's been filming for 25 years.

• 2:41:14Speaker 05

  Avengers Endgame for Ja Janku, yeah.

• 2:41:16Griffin Newman?

  Uh, my best director lineup is Ari Aster, Mona Fastfold, Park Chan Wook, Mary Bronstein, and Paul Thomas Anderson.

• 2:41:25David Sims?

  There you go.

• 2:41:26Speaker 05

  Mine are.

• 2:41:27Griffin Newman?

  Thank you.

• 2:41:28Speaker 05

  Good five. Paul Thomas Anderson, one battle after another. Mary Bronstein, If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You. Ryan Coogler, Sinners. Kleber, Mendonka, Filho for The Secret Agent.

• 2:41:38David Sims?

  Beauty.

• 2:41:38Speaker 05

  And Jafar Panahi for It Was Just an Accident.

• 2:41:42Griffin Newman?

  Who's your winner, guys?

• 2:41:43David Sims?

  Paul Thomas Anderson.

• 2:41:44Speaker 05

  Paul Thomas Anderson.

• 2:41:45Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, I'm giving it to Paul.

• 2:41:46Speaker 05

  I mean.

• 2:41:46David Sims?

  Did a good job.

• 2:41:47Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. He did, he did in fact do a good job of directing a movie.

• 2:41:50Speaker 05

  And I've been an annoying sort of fly in the open for a lot of Paul Thomas Anderson.

• 2:41:55David Sims?

  Josh Hartnett and Justice Smith. Wow. Forgot to mention that. Sorry, carry on.

• 2:41:58Griffin Newman?

  Oh, okay.

• 2:41:58Speaker 05

  Justice Smith was mine, I imagine. Yeah.

• 2:42:00David Sims?

  Yeah, I was, um, I was Hartnett.

• 2:42:02Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:42:02Griffin Newman?

  And I was, I was Coleman Domingo for Sing Sing. Yeah.

• 2:42:08Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, no, I, I, I might be very wrong about this. But I, I just really feel like there's a director-picture split coming this year. I, I, I feel like Snitcher is-

• 2:42:20David Sims?

  Snitchers, those Snitchers.

• 2:42:22Griffin Newman?

  I was gonna say, I feel like Sinners is gonna snatch it.

• 2:42:24Speaker 05

  Uh huh.

• 2:42:25Griffin Newman?

  But Snatchers might also sin it.

• 2:42:26Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:42:27Griffin Newman?

  Um, but the Paul Thomas Anderson, the best director feels like, uh, Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain style. Nothing is like veering this off course.

• 2:42:36Speaker 05

  Picture is, is very much up in the air, but director seems solid.

• 2:42:40Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, you, you can't argue with it.

• 2:42:41Speaker 05

  Yeah. Which is interesting, because genuine, generally lately-

• 2:42:45Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:42:45Speaker 05

  When there's a director-picture split, director tends to go to the movie that is also going to clean up in the craft awards, which I think is gonna be Sinners.

• 2:42:54Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:42:54Speaker 05

  With a few exceptions, I think One Battle will probably win editing and cinematography.

• 2:42:58David Sims?

  I mean, look, I'm ready to be wrong, but I, no, I think One Battle is, is winning. I think it's just one of those-

• 2:43:03Speaker 05

  It's winning picture.

• 2:43:04David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 2:43:04Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:43:05David Sims?

  It's just one of those rare years, kinda like the Oppenheimer year, where everyone's just like, we're not gonna fuck around. Like, like, these movies don't come along that often, like, you know?

• 2:43:14Speaker 05

  And I also think, like, a lot of the-

• 2:43:16David Sims?

  No Country, it feels like No Country as well. Their views hit September and everyone's just kinda like, I think this is the movie everyone's gonna remember.

• 2:43:22Griffin Newman?

  My question, though, is like, if in the No Country year, uh, There Will Be Blood had made like six times as much at the box office?

• 2:43:31David Sims?

  That's a fair point, the, the, but I just don't know if they care anymore.

• 2:43:34Griffin Newman?

  Cause it does feel similar to those two movies in that year.

• 2:43:37Speaker 05

  But One Battle, like, the imbalance is there, but it's not like One Battle is like a Moonlight style, like-

• 2:43:44Griffin Newman?

  No, it's not.

• 2:43:44Speaker 05

  Twelve million dollars over there.

• 2:43:46David Sims?

  I think it's like Sinners is gonna win elsewhere and they'll just be like, yeah, we checked the boxes.

• 2:43:50Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:43:50David Sims?

  But I mean, PGA, this is, not to go all big picture Nate Jones, but PGA will, will show, because that's the preferential ballot.

• 2:43:56Griffin Newman?

  And I think it'll probably win SAG as well, right? Although-

• 2:43:59David Sims?

  No, I think, I think Sinners is winning SAG.

• 2:44:01Griffin Newman?

  No, I'm sorry, that's what I mean. I, I thought you were saying-

• 2:44:04David Sims?

  Oh, I think One Battle's gonna win PGA, everyone will be like, right, it wins the preferential ballot, which is what matters when it comes to Best Picture.

• 2:44:10Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. Yeah.

• 2:44:11David Sims?

  Cause I just think most people like One Battle. Like-

• 2:44:14Speaker 05

  I will say though, at every, at every turn, Sinners is proving to be more broadly popular. I mean, obviously, like, it made so much money, but like, I think within like, uh, industry circles and within like, people like, there's just like- Nobody seems to be like tripping up on the genre thing of it, or the sort of, you know.

• 2:44:32Griffin Newman?

  No, and it's such a triumph and it's like, you know, it's, it's a real like throwing of the gauntlet for like, no, fuck, this still matters. We can make big movies that the people give a shit about.

• 2:44:45Speaker 05

  I love how bold it is. If I, if I have a snag on that movie, it's a little bit like, I think it, it sets up a lot of vampire movie stuff and then it's just sort of like, and then the vampire stuff happens. But I think there's so much else that's great about the movie that like it, it mostly levels up for me.

• 2:45:03Griffin Newman?

  Or Critical Dark Alliance, we did a Oscar villain episode on Hamlet and then I saw people going like, right. Well, like going into the season, it was seen as that's the villain, but it's clearly become Sinners versus One Battle.

• 2:45:18David Sims?

  Sinners not a villain.

• 2:45:19Speaker 05

  And Hamlet is an actress. In very, in very online circles.

• 2:45:21Griffin Newman?

  But that's, that's what's interesting is you're like, it's a year where we kind of don't have a villain and it.

• 2:45:26Speaker 05

  We don't have to create a villain just because it's binary.

• 2:45:29Griffin Newman?

  2007 feels like the last time where you're like, there were just two different tastes of.

• 2:45:33David Sims?

  But also Hamlet is a villain because it's like, the Oscar narrative, it would, it could have been a villain. I just think Hamlet's probably out of the, you know, out of the top three or whatever, but like, the Oscar narrative of like, they like arty movies about making art, you know, like versus like big, you know, popular stuff and Chloe Show has an Oscar.

• 2:45:54Speaker 05

  Chloe Show has an Oscar. Not to be like the Hamlet defender, but like, there is a perception, I think, a little bit, that's a little bit overblown of this idea that like Shakespeare stuff always wins Oscars, costume dramas only win Oscars. Like Big Picture was on that train, I think. And I'm like, that's actually just not the case. Like it just like not lately, not in the last 25 years.

• 2:46:14David Sims?

  Not so much lately, but when we're talking about Oscar villains, what we're really talking about is Harvey Weinstein.

• 2:46:18Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:46:19David Sims?

  And like, we're talking about the machine he created and that's what people remember the most. And the thing where you look back where you're like, why did Chuck La, why did Cider House rules, I don't understand.

• 2:46:27Griffin Newman?

  It is.

• 2:46:27David Sims?

  Why did all these movies that don't exist like?

• 2:46:29Griffin Newman?

  I was thinking about this the other day.

• 2:46:30David Sims?

  I mean, that's what that fucking movie, I swear.

• 2:46:33Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 2:46:33David Sims?

  Which just set Britain back a thousand years culturally by mistake is like one of those Weinstein movies.

• 2:46:40Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 2:46:40David Sims?

  Like, I know it. To be clear, not to impugn this movie.

• 2:46:44Griffin Newman?

  I haven't seen it, yeah.

• 2:46:45David Sims?

  You know, it's not this movie's fault, really. But it has the vibe of those Weinstein movies of like, let's convene a congressional hearing on Tourette's after you saw this small indie movie. You know, like it's like pushing a, yes.

• 2:46:56Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:46:56David Sims?

  Pushing a sort of a discussion. It's, it's a.

• 2:46:59Griffin Newman?

  Three million Epstein file documents get released. One million of them are about the campaigns for different Weinstein company. Best picture contenders.

• 2:47:10Speaker 05

  Right, right.

• 2:47:11Griffin Newman?

  Including Peggy Siegel saying, I don't care how many members I have to fuck. I'll whatever it takes to go to vote for the King's Speech.

• 2:47:18David Sims?

  Peggy, relax. Yeah, King's Speech is being a pretty good. But God, the I swear thing. It's like, it's one of those things where it's like, I've said this to you, haven't I? You're like, it's genuinely upsetting that that happened. And it's very bad. It's also like a faulty Towers-esque fucking insane sitcom incident of like them being like, okay, the BAFTAs who have the horrible track record on a race have finally, finally given sinners lots of acknowledgement. Who's gonna be winning? It's gonna go great. Now, where have we sat there? I swear, guy, he's, where, where are we putting him? Oh, why is he in the seat labeled microphone? I don't understand. You know, like, where it's like, it just sounds like something you made up.

• 2:47:53Griffin Newman?

  What, this update, BBC put all of the volume up as hard as it could go? Like, what's?

• 2:47:58David Sims?

  It's just, it's so fucking like British, like in this like dumb BAFTA way.

• 2:48:04Griffin Newman?

  You know, this movie had this kind of like miracle underdog run in the UK and had a release there and was a hit. And then was sort of overperforming at every step. And like, whatever the wind up to this. And then the, the lead actor beats Timmy.

• 2:48:16David Sims?

  Yes.

• 2:48:17Griffin Newman?

  And the like, you know, the terminally online, like Oscar stat brain people are like, fuck, does this mean that this is immediately now the frontrunner for next year's best act campaign?

• 2:48:27Speaker 05

  Oh, that, yeah, no.

• 2:48:28Griffin Newman?

  And I'm like.

• 2:48:28Speaker 05

  Certainly not now.

• 2:48:29Griffin Newman?

  Well, I was like, this is like the inverse of the King Richard thing.

• 2:48:32Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:48:33Griffin Newman?

  Where the first moment we're becoming aware of this performance is inextricably tied.

• 2:48:38David Sims?

  To a, a national disgrace for a country and an academy of film.

• 2:48:42Griffin Newman?

  What, they're just gonna put this movie in theaters in four months? And people are gonna be like, nice movie.

• 2:48:46Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:48:46Griffin Newman?

  Without thinking about.

• 2:48:47David Sims?

  Certainly what they were hoping to do. And what they're still hoping to do.

• 2:48:50Griffin Newman?

  Anyway, yes, yes.

• 2:48:51David Sims?

  Sorry. I don't mean to beat up on I swear.

• 2:48:54Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. I, I just think like, almost every season. Us and our friends and everyone we follow and talk to is sort of going like, I'm gonna be so fucking angry if X.

• 2:49:06Speaker 05

  X, Y, Z. Yeah.

• 2:49:07Griffin Newman?

  Right? And then you have people who are like, I kinda like 1917. But you're saying it embarrassed because you know.

• 2:49:14Speaker 05

  Right.

• 2:49:15Griffin Newman?

  And this year, it's just like, if Sinners beats one battle, no one's like, fuck.

• 2:49:20Speaker 05

  I, I guess. But I think if one battle, if one battle beats Sinners, I think a lot of people will be like, fuck. Like, I think that's, I, but, but in very online circle. You know what I mean? Like, I think, like, I don't think, I really don't think that, that stuff penetrates as, as widely as some people are.

• 2:49:38Griffin Newman?

  Quite possibly.

• 2:49:39David Sims?

  I can, I can tell you that the Blankie director nominees are PTA number one, Ryan Coogler, Park Chenwick, Josh Safdie, Danny Boyle. Those are their five.

• 2:49:47Speaker 05

  Wonderful.

• 2:49:48Griffin Newman?

  Wonderful.

• 2:49:51Speaker 02

  Back to the Blankies after these messages.

• 2:50:09Speaker 02

  Best picture.

• 2:50:12David Sims?

  All right. My top 10 of the year is, right now at least. It's always changing. One battle after another, number one, It Was Just An Accident, number two, Weapons, number three, Sinners, number four, Caught By The Tides, five, Secret Agent, six, Marty Supreme, seventh, 28 Years Later, eighth, Blue Moon, ninth, Eddington, tenth. I'm already looking at it and being like, I wanna mess with that a little bit. But that's my 10.

• 2:50:34Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. Yeah. I, I, yeah. I got like a

• 2:50:37David Sims?

  Weird year.

• 2:50:38Griffin Newman?

  A 15 or 20 that I'm pretty strong about. And I, I just made like seven changes to my 10. But what I have, I'm gonna count up. I'm throwing it in here at 10. I, I swapped this in the last second because I didn't call it out in any other area.

• 2:50:52Speaker 05

  Also just swapped in my 10 at the last second.

• 2:50:53Griffin Newman?

  The Shroud's at number 10. A movie I

• 2:50:55Speaker 05

  I still haven't seen it. I heard interesting things.

• 2:50:57Griffin Newman?

  I mean, just peak, whatever you call it, late stage.

• 2:51:00David Sims?

  Was there a putters and murmurs case there? No one's really puttering and murmuring, I guess. Even though it's sort of that tone.

• 2:51:06Speaker 05

  Shrouders and obscures?

• 2:51:08Griffin Newman?

  Possibly, uh, but I think, I think an excellent movie. Uh, Phoenician Scheme, number nine. People are just gonna be embarrassed like thirty years from now on how many Wes movies got slept on. And were seen as like, eh, not one of his best. And then like, six months later, people are like, fuck, was that maybe his best?

• 2:51:24Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:51:25Griffin Newman?

  Uh, Materialist, of course, at number eight, Sinners at seven, Weapons at six. My top five, uh, lined up with my best director, but the order is Testament of Annulie at five, If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You at four, No Other Choice at three, One Battle After Another at two, and my number one movie of the year is Eddington.

• 2:51:41Speaker 05

  Yes. That's been your favorite for such a long time. I thought I was alone on Eddington. I'm glad to hear. I always like coming to blankies and seeing I'm not alone. Eddington's got its fans out there. A lot of them are on this website, X.com. Interesting.

• 2:51:53Griffin Newman?

  It's, look, it's very-

• 2:51:55Speaker 05

  Turning point? What the fuck?

• 2:51:57Griffin Newman?

  People talked about, this is a year where it does feel like there were like two dominant thematic strains-

• 2:52:03Speaker 05

  Uh huh.

• 2:52:04Griffin Newman?

  That ran through most of the high level movies.

• 2:52:07Speaker 05

  Right.

• 2:52:07Griffin Newman?

  And it was like, uh, uh, Bad Parents-

• 2:52:11Speaker 05

  Uh huh.

• 2:52:12Griffin Newman?

  And is reality collapsing?

• 2:52:13Speaker 05

  And 2020 broke our, broke our brains, yeah.

• 2:52:16Griffin Newman?

  Right, right. Are, are things broken? Can we fix them? Is it all over? How did things break? Kind of shit.

• 2:52:22Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:52:22Griffin Newman?

  Um, and yeah, I don't know. It, it probably just speaks a little more to my worldview that, that Eddington has-

• 2:52:29Speaker 05

  Totally.

• 2:52:30Griffin Newman?

  Stuck in my craw, uh, in a way, uh, beyond One Battle-

• 2:52:35Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:52:35Griffin Newman?

  Which I think is excellent and love. And even like-

• 2:52:37Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:52:38Griffin Newman?

  Seeing it the third time in theaters when it started, I was like, fuck, the opening like three seconds of this movie already feel iconic.

• 2:52:46Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:52:46Griffin Newman?

  And then everything that happens after this point already feels iconic.

• 2:52:50Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:52:50Griffin Newman?

  It already feels like a movie we've been studying for fifty years.

• 2:52:55Speaker 05

  Yeah, it's a text.

• 2:52:56Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:52:57Speaker 05

  Uh, my list, I'll start also from the bottom. Number ten, Blue Moon. Number nine, Eddington. Number eight, Sinners. Number seven, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl. Number six, Hamlet. Number five, Lurker. Number four, Train Dreams. Number three, Marty Supreme. Number two, One Battle After Another. And my number one movie is It Was Just an Accident. It was. It was in fact, just an accident. That movie fucking rocks.

• 2:53:20Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. Me and the, the, the can jury, you know.

• 2:53:24David Sims?

  Uh, the top, the top 10 from the blankies, I'll just do in order. One battle, sinners, Marty Supreme, 28 years later, weapons, no other choice, sentimental value, it's just an accident, secret agent, Eddington. And now, I'd like to turn it to Ben. You got anything here?

• 2:53:39Griffin Newman?

  What we're all here for.

• 2:53:40Speaker 01

  Well, yes, of course.

• 2:53:42David Sims?

  I just feel we must.

• 2:53:44Speaker 01

  We've, we've reached that part of the episode.

• 2:53:45Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 2:53:46Speaker 01

  Before I do my original categories, I need to do kind of a in memory.

• 2:53:53Griffin Newman?

  Absolutely.

• 2:53:54Speaker 01

  In memorandum.

• 2:53:55Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm.

• 2:53:57Speaker 01

  What do they call it?

• 2:53:57David Sims?

  Memoriam.

• 2:53:59Griffin Newman?

  But in memorandum is the good Ben version of this.

• 2:54:01David Sims?

  Which is fine, right.

• 2:54:02Griffin Newman?

  I like this, yeah.

• 2:54:03Speaker 01

  Um, but sadly, my beloved cat pig.

• 2:54:07David Sims?

  Yes.

• 2:54:08Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 2:54:08Speaker 01

  Who we all love. Who, yeah, I had for 17 years.

• 2:54:11Griffin Newman?

  The great app.

• 2:54:12Speaker 01

  Was the best cat there was and will ever be. She was a pig in the city.

• 2:54:18Griffin Newman?

  She ran the city.

• 2:54:19Speaker 01

  Um, and so, yeah, I'm gonna miss her a lot, but, um.

• 2:54:23Griffin Newman?

  She passed away recently.

• 2:54:24Speaker 01

  Oh, yes, yes. She passed away recently. And so, yeah, I don't know.

• 2:54:29Griffin Newman?

  Very, very recently, uh, you're in a raw state, Ben. This is the first time we've recorded since.

• 2:54:34Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 2:54:35Griffin Newman?

  Um, uh, about half an hour into our episode, Ben texted BC group text Max Plus, which is the kind of all hands on deck group text. And, uh, he just wrote, guys, I'm sad and we're recording blankies right now and I need to think of wet movies.

• 2:54:53Griffin Newman?

  So I just wanna know that whenever you're about.

• 2:54:55David Sims?

  Ben's been on grief island and he hasn't been thinking about.

• 2:54:58Griffin Newman?

  Sure, sure.

• 2:54:58David Sims?

  A T or T and if you have to choose now or any of his other great, you know.

• 2:55:03Speaker 01

  So, yeah, I think also I wanted to start there just.

• 2:55:06Griffin Newman?

  Well, that's why we went extra long is because we gotta give Ben enough time to think of wet movies. That's also why I bought Ben a violator who's got bendy arms and legs and is now wrapped around Ben's microphone arm.

• 2:55:18David Sims?

  Yeah, there he is.

• 2:55:19Griffin Newman?

  Love to see it.

• 2:55:19David Sims?

  That's where he belongs.

• 2:55:20Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:55:21Speaker 01

  So anyway, wanted to give that context, cause I am, yes, sad, feeling a little bum, but still, let's, let's have some fun here, folks.

• 2:55:29David Sims?

  Have a little fun.

• 2:55:30Speaker 01

  Okay, so, here we go.

• 2:55:32Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm.

• 2:55:33Speaker 01

  The wettes.

• 2:55:34David Sims?

  Wettes, okay. Few.

• 2:55:36Speaker 01

  The golden mop.

• 2:55:37David Sims?

  Right, right.

• 2:55:38Speaker 01

  The slickest flicks of the year, the movies that soak through.

• 2:55:41Griffin Newman?

  Yep.

• 2:55:42Speaker 01

  What splished, what splashed.

• 2:55:44Griffin Newman?

  We're so lucky to have you, Ben.

• 2:55:47Speaker 01

  Okay, number one, Frankenstein.

• 2:55:49Speaker 05

  Hmm.

• 2:55:50Speaker 01

  Old timey dampness.

• 2:55:51David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 2:55:51Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 2:55:52Griffin Newman?

  It is actually.

• 2:55:53David Sims?

  Some wet labs.

• 2:55:53Griffin Newman?

  You're right, it's a wet movie, the big.

• 2:55:55David Sims?

  Rain, a lot of rain.

• 2:55:57Speaker 05

  There's a perma moistness to the creature, I feel like.

• 2:56:00Griffin Newman?

  A lot of ice, which we should acknowledge.

• 2:56:02Speaker 05

  Yes, which is frozen water.

• 2:56:03Griffin Newman?

  The hardest water of all.

• 2:56:04Speaker 01

  Yeah, indeed. Number two, Sinners, blood soaked.

• 2:56:09Griffin Newman?

  Uh huh.

• 2:56:09David Sims?

  Yeah, and also a big fight in the, in the lake or whatever, at the end there.

• 2:56:13Speaker 05

  Sweaty, a lot of sweat, a lot of slick bodies.

• 2:56:16Speaker 01

  Very sweaty.

• 2:56:17Griffin Newman?

  Spit.

• 2:56:17Speaker 01

  Spit.

• 2:56:18Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 2:56:19Griffin Newman?

  Bodily fluids.

• 2:56:20Speaker 05

  Other bodily fluids, yeah.

• 2:56:21David Sims?

  Liquor.

• 2:56:23Speaker 01

  Sure.

• 2:56:23Griffin Newman?

  How would you spell that?

• 2:56:24David Sims?

  Lika.

• 2:56:27David Sims?

  I'm like K A H?

• 2:56:28Speaker 05

  The likest flicks of the year.

• 2:56:30Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:56:30Speaker 01

  And can I say it, Mike makes me horny, baby.

• 2:56:34David Sims?

  Oh, interesting, okay.

• 2:56:35Speaker 01

  So I'm getting a little wet down there.

• 2:56:37Speaker 05

  Sure, sure, sure, sure.

• 2:56:38Griffin Newman?

  Oh, Mike will be Jordan, I thought we were going back to Mike Myers.

• 2:56:41Speaker 01

  Mm mm.

• 2:56:42Griffin Newman?

  And his cut body in The Austin Powers, the religion.

• 2:56:44David Sims?

  I know him as Mike, and you're getting wet. Okay, well, you know what, let's just keep going.

• 2:56:47Speaker 01

  Yeah. Number three, Last Breath.

• 2:56:50David Sims?

  Yeah, I told you, I turned you onto this one.

• 2:56:52Speaker 01

  Suggested by Sims.

• 2:56:53David Sims?

  It's a movie that's set underwater.

• 2:56:54Speaker 01

  It's set underwater, or as I like to call it, underwater.

• 2:56:57Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:56:58David Sims?

  It is a deep wet movie, it's about the people whose job is to go all the way down there.

• 2:57:02Speaker 01

  Mm hmm, yep. Yep. Number four, Magellan, suggested by JJ.

• 2:57:06David Sims?

  Nice.

• 2:57:07Speaker 01

  Set entirely at sea, or as I like to call it, the sea.

• 2:57:11Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, that is what you like to call it.

• 2:57:12Speaker 01

  Yeah. And number five.

• 2:57:14David Sims?

  It's wet land.

• 2:57:16Speaker 01

  I, okay, yeah.

• 2:57:18Speaker 05

  It's the wettest version of land.

• 2:57:19Speaker 01

  That's a good alt.

• 2:57:20David Sims?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• 2:57:21Griffin Newman?

  Mm hmm.

• 2:57:21Speaker 01

  Number five, Sorry Baby. For all the tears ejected from my face.

• 2:57:27David Sims?

  Also, there's a bathtub scene in that one.

• 2:57:29Griffin Newman?

  That's true.

• 2:57:30Speaker 01

  I adored that movie, but um, what really got me was when the lead character adopts the kitten.

• 2:57:37David Sims?

  Yes, well, from the poster.

• 2:57:38Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 2:57:39David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 2:57:39Speaker 01

  And I guess I kinda knew that was coming from the poster, but. Because when I first got Pig, it was a very similar moment in my life. Of like a close friend passing away, I was very depressed. And a kitten will really make your life a lot better.

• 2:58:02Griffin Newman?

  Uh, Ben, uh, sorry if I can just interject briefly.

• 2:58:06Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 2:58:06Griffin Newman?

  Uh, you reminded me a category that I forgot.

• 2:58:09Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah.

• 2:58:09Griffin Newman?

  If I can just throw it out quickly.

• 2:58:10Speaker 01

  Please, yes.

• 2:58:11Griffin Newman?

  Uh, truly one I've been working on all year.

• 2:58:13Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 2:58:13Griffin Newman?

  Um, and I, I hope that this is not a one-off trend this year. And this is a category that can sustain and fill out three nominees for every year to come.

• 2:58:23Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 2:58:24Griffin Newman?

  It's the Babe Award for Best Fake Hog.

• 2:58:29David Sims?

  Oh, yeah, sure. There were a lot of them this year.

• 2:58:31Speaker 01

  This is a trend that is trending, yes, increasingly.

• 2:58:34Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 2:58:35Speaker 01

  I'm now distrustful of all cinematic penises because I do feel like that so many of them are fake.

• 2:58:40Griffin Newman?

  Alexander Sarsgaard in Pillion?

• 2:58:42David Sims?

  Yep.

• 2:58:43Griffin Newman?

  Uh.

• 2:58:44David Sims?

  Prince Albert.

• 2:58:44Griffin Newman?

  I'm forgetting which guy it is in Splitsville.

• 2:58:47David Sims?

  Uh, one of them.

• 2:58:48Griffin Newman?

  Kyle Marvin?

• 2:58:48Speaker 01

  Oh, right. One of the guys.

• 2:58:50Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:58:50Speaker 01

  The one who comes out of the shower and is really hanging it.

• 2:58:53Griffin Newman?

  Big fake hog.

• 2:58:53Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 2:58:54Griffin Newman?

  Obviously, the first, the inaugural winner of the Babe Award.

• 2:58:58David Sims?

  Twenty-eight years.

• 2:58:59Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah. Yeah, Samson.

• 2:59:01Griffin Newman?

  Samson. Biggest fakest hog I've ever seen.

• 2:59:04Speaker 01

  Yeah, for sure.

• 2:59:05Griffin Newman?

  Uh, sorry, Ben, just had to get that out.

• 2:59:07Speaker 01

  Grass stains on it from walking.

• 2:59:08David Sims?

  Uh, another wet movie that I did suggest to you, uh, was, uh, Dangerous Waters, the movie in which Jack Courtney feeds people to sharks.

• 2:59:16Griffin Newman?

  Right.

• 2:59:16David Sims?

  A pretty fun movie.

• 2:59:17Speaker 01

  All right.

• 2:59:17Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:59:18Speaker 01

  Quite a bit of shark stuff this year, too.

• 2:59:20Griffin Newman?

  Sure.

• 2:59:21Speaker 01

  Seems like.

• 2:59:21Griffin Newman?

  Sure.

• 2:59:22Speaker 01

  Uh, Dangerous Animals.

• 2:59:23Griffin Newman?

  Sharks.

• 2:59:24Speaker 01

  Yeah, Into the Deep. My nephew would love. Secret Agent. Yeah. All shark stuff.

• 2:59:29Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 2:59:30David Sims?

  Yes.

• 2:59:31Speaker 01

  Okay, moving on, next category, the, um, no thank yous.

• 2:59:36Griffin Newman?

  We love to hear it.

• 2:59:38Speaker 01

  Number one, Blue Moon. A movie absolutely packed with references that I don't care about.

• 2:59:45David Sims?

  What, mid 50s theater? Okay, okay.

• 2:59:48Speaker 05

  Slash Stuart Little apocrypha?

• 2:59:50Speaker 01

  E.B. White, I'm not a fan of his style.

• 2:59:53David Sims?

  No?

• 2:59:54Speaker 01

  I gotta say.

• 2:59:54Griffin Newman?

  Ben, I'm surprised to hear that because if you cracked open Stuart Little, like, today, the moment we finished recording, you would be texting us in 30 minutes, "Guys, I'm rooting so hard for Stuart."

• 3:00:05David Sims?

  It is also-

• 3:00:06Griffin Newman?

  He's just a little mouse trying to make it in the city.

• 3:00:07David Sims?

  It is about a movie being obnoxious at a bar, and I feel like that does kind of strike you. But no, I see what you're saying, you know, like, you don't really care about Oscar and Hammerstein and all that.

• 3:00:17Speaker 01

  No, that's just, yeah, not my jam. Okay, number two, War of the Worlds. I would rather spend that half an hour, hour and a half, rather, with Stephen Miller.

• 3:00:28Griffin Newman?

  Oh, shits.

• 3:00:29Speaker 01

  Than watch that film.

• 3:00:30Griffin Newman?

  Have either of you-

• 3:00:30Speaker 05

  It's a tough choice.

• 3:00:31Griffin Newman?

  Have either of you seen Mercy?

• 3:00:32Speaker 01

  No.

• 3:00:34Speaker 05

  Oh, no.

• 3:00:35Speaker 01

  No, I missed that one.

• 3:00:35Speaker 05

  Oh, AI Justice? No.

• 3:00:36Griffin Newman?

  Spoilers, first 90% of that movie, Chris Pratt felt like he was angling for that Iowa Debris Award, and then he fucks it up.

• 3:00:43Speaker 05

  Oh, Chris, I must defer.

• 3:00:46Speaker 01

  Number three, Deliver Me From Nowhere. I'm good.

• 3:00:51David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 3:00:52Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 3:00:52David Sims?

  Just fight your Jersey-ness.

• 3:00:53Speaker 01

  Yeah, send me somewhere else, anywhere else.

• 3:00:56Griffin Newman?

  Ben, that was a great impression of humanity at large.

• 3:01:00Speaker 05

  Yeah, yeah, that decision was made.

• 3:01:02Griffin Newman?

  Global viewing public.

• 3:01:03Speaker 05

  It's true.

• 3:01:05Griffin Newman?

  Spot on impression.

• 3:01:06David Sims?

  They were like, "Fuck, we need to call this movie Springsteen Delivery," and the audiences are like, "No, it doesn't matter, that's not gonna work."

• 3:01:12Speaker 05

  That's not, doesn't help.

• 3:01:13Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 3:01:14Speaker 01

  Uh, number four, How to Train Your Dragon. I was able to return to skipping this one in live action.

• 3:01:20David Sims?

  Okay, wow, a rebound skip.

• 3:01:22Speaker 01

  Mm-hmm.

• 3:01:23David Sims?

  There you go.

• 3:01:23Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, but Ben, would you be excited to hear that they're now making a sequel to the live-action remake, which is a remake of the animated sequel, in which they are now recasting another actor who had voiced the character in the animated films to now play their live-action equivalent as well?

• 3:01:38Speaker 01

  What a nightmare.

• 3:01:39Speaker 05

  Now I'm the fantastic Mr. Fox character with the spiral eyes after you-

• 3:01:42Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, yes.

• 3:01:43Speaker 05

  Yep.

• 3:01:43Speaker 01

  God. Uh, number five, Jurassic World Rebirth. Ass is right there in the title.

• 3:01:50David Sims?

  There you go.

• 3:01:50Griffin Newman?

  There we go. Our finest film critic.

• 3:01:52Speaker 01

  Do we really need to be reborn, though? Let the dinosaurs rest.

• 3:01:56Griffin Newman?

  Yup. Ben, great take.

• 3:01:58David Sims?

  And yet, I think they're being reborn again as we speak.

• 3:02:02Speaker 05

  There is a moment in that movie where a very tired dinosaur, uh, has wandered out of Cobble Hill Park.

• 3:02:09David Sims?

  That's right.

• 3:02:10Griffin Newman?

  Is taking a nap.

• 3:02:10Speaker 05

  And it's just sort of like chilling by the bridge. It's just like, oh, man.

• 3:02:14Griffin Newman?

  Yeah. The one good idea the movie has and it's like, we should get this out of the plot.

• 3:02:18Speaker 05

  Let's get as far away from this as possible. Yeah.

• 3:02:21Speaker 01

  Some honorable mentions.

• 3:02:23Griffin Newman?

  Please.

• 3:02:24Speaker 01

  The Bone Temple for Achievement in Bone Temples.

• 3:02:26Speaker 05

  I mean.

• 3:02:27David Sims?

  Bone Temple.

• 3:02:27Griffin Newman?

  And you know what? It might have this category locked up next year.

• 3:02:30Speaker 05

  Where was that production design nomination? Like, they milked the whole Bone Temple.

• 3:02:34Griffin Newman?

  I, we really, the, the, this is why we can't have nice things with those two movies.

• 3:02:39Speaker 05

  I know.

• 3:02:40Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 3:02:41Speaker 01

  Violator Achievement Award goes to Tessa Thompson as Heda for being a delightfully evil little stinker.

• 3:02:46Griffin Newman?

  This is a great take.

• 3:02:47David Sims?

  Yeah, very good stinker movie.

• 3:02:49Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 3:02:49Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 3:02:49Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 3:02:50Speaker 05

  We have, one of our superlatives categories is, um, homophobic enemy. And, um, despite the fact that she is queer in that movie, that character, uh, she is a homophobic enemy because she makes a lot of trouble for queer people in that movie.

• 3:03:02Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 3:03:05Speaker 01

  Weapons.

• 3:03:06Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm.

• 3:03:06Speaker 01

  For its great stick work. Not often are sticks showcased in cinema.

• 3:03:11Griffin Newman?

  What are we talking about here?

• 3:03:12Speaker 01

  Sticks.

• 3:03:13Griffin Newman?

  Sticks?

• 3:03:13Speaker 05

  She's snapping those sticks.

• 3:03:14Griffin Newman?

  Snapping the sticks.

• 3:03:15Speaker 05

  She's snapping that stick, baby.

• 3:03:16Griffin Newman?

  She's snapping the stick.

• 3:03:17Speaker 01

  You know.

• 3:03:18Speaker 05

  She's snapping the stick. She's snapping the stick. We're going, yeah.

• 3:03:21Speaker 01

  Branches are, you know, are.

• 3:03:23Speaker 05

  You stop looking at a picture of her, and I snap with a stick over your head.

• 3:03:27Speaker 01

  Branches are so often seen. Leaves are plenty.

• 3:03:31Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 3:03:32Speaker 01

  Give sticks their due.

• 3:03:33Griffin Newman?

  Give sticks a chance.

• 3:03:34Speaker 01

  Yeah. And lastly, Pavements.

• 3:03:38Griffin Newman?

  Mm-hmm.

• 3:03:39Speaker 01

  For Achievement and featuring Griffin Newman on screen.

• 3:03:41Griffin Newman?

  This is true.

• 3:03:43David Sims?

  Only, if not enough movies dare to do it.

• 3:03:45Speaker 01

  I know. I want to see it more.

• 3:03:47Griffin Newman?

  Turn me on?

• 3:03:47Speaker 01

  It was nice to see it.

• 3:03:48David Sims?

  Did Turn Me On?

• 3:03:49Griffin Newman?

  Technically?

• 3:03:49David Sims?

  Does this qualify as this year's last year?

• 3:03:51Griffin Newman?

  Was it 2025?

• 3:03:52David Sims?

  I gotta see Turn Me On.

• 3:03:54Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, I recommend it to people. Uh, Michael Daburski film, Belle Pauley, Nick Robinson, Julia Shiplitt, Esther Cooper, Justin, and myself.

• 3:04:01David Sims?

  I think he was saying it hit the internet in 2024. In what month?

• 3:04:06Griffin Newman?

  September.

• 3:04:07David Sims?

  So that was Griffin and Autumn?

• 3:04:09Speaker 05

  Griffin and Autumn.

• 3:04:09Griffin Newman?

  I, hmm, let me double track that. I think it did not go on to VOD and then it got a, uh, an illegal hidden theatrical release.

• 3:04:19Speaker 05

  The best kind of theatrical release.

• 3:04:21Griffin Newman?

  I think it was not until January, but I, I count it as a 2025 release.

• 3:04:24David Sims?

  Fair enough.

• 3:04:25Griffin Newman?

  Uh, and then there was a movie that I think, uh, it would be very difficult to cut me out of on the schedule for 2026.

• 3:04:32Speaker 05

  Damn right, baby.

• 3:04:33David Sims?

  Hell, yeah.

• 3:04:33Griffin Newman?

  What will be my final film role?

• 3:04:36Speaker 05

  Oh, come on.

• 3:04:36Griffin Newman?

  I'm retiring again!

• 3:04:37Speaker 05

  No.

• 3:04:38Griffin Newman?

  It's over!

• 3:04:39David Sims?

  As long as you're doing this, you know, you're, you're, you're in the money forever, baby. Until people get sick of us, which could be tomorrow.

• 3:04:45Griffin Newman?

  Yeah, it could be yesterday.

• 3:04:46Speaker 05

  Right.

• 3:04:48Griffin Newman?

  I just-

• 3:04:48Speaker 05

  No, I've got an in with Mia Threppleton. She can get you in another movie.

• 3:04:51Griffin Newman?

  I'll just say, look, I, there's, there's a curse upon me being optimistic about anything in my career outside of this podcast, but, uh, but I, you know, I shot this thing in December and I was like, this thing's got a guaranteed theatrical release.

• 3:05:05Speaker 05

  That's true. Can I also tell you-

• 3:05:06Griffin Newman?

  And it would cost millions of dollars to cut me out of it at this point, not because of my contract, because continuity.

• 3:05:14Speaker 05

  The buzz that whipped around my circles at the sight of you in a Muppet audience, by the way, was significant. So, uh, the juice is still there.

• 3:05:22Griffin Newman?

  It was, well, that was, that was, uh, just Seth Rogen being a real mensch.

• 3:05:26Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 3:05:27Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 3:05:27Speaker 05

  Pretty great.

• 3:05:29David Sims?

  But yeah, that, that's it for me.

• 3:05:31Griffin Newman?

  Wow. What a year.

• 3:05:33Speaker 05

  Good job, buddy.

• 3:05:33David Sims?

  What a year. Thanks.

• 3:05:34Speaker 05

  What a year. Well, it was, well done, Ben.

• 3:05:35Griffin Newman?

  Looks like we made it.

• 3:05:36David Sims?

  Yeah.

• 3:05:36Griffin Newman?

  Um, Joe, this had Oscar buzz.

• 3:05:39Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 3:05:40Griffin Newman?

  I have not been on-

• 3:05:41Speaker 05

  We've been around for a while. I know, I know.

• 3:05:43Griffin Newman?

  In many years because of my overwhelming, uh, allergies-

• 3:05:47David Sims?

  Zoom phobia?

• 3:05:48Griffin Newman?

  Uh, to Zoom.

• 3:05:49David Sims?

  I struggled with Zoom.

• 3:05:49Griffin Newman?

  I, I did recently reach out to you and say, we've, we've gotten to a place of just enough healing that I think it's time. Can we say what the movie is?

• 3:05:57Speaker 05

  Uh, yes, we can. If that's, if that's the movie you want to do, that is the movie I have wanted you to do.

• 3:06:01Griffin Newman?

  I've had the pin in it for so long. Igby Goes Down.

• 3:06:03Speaker 05

  Igby Goes Down.

• 3:06:04David Sims?

  Oh, very good.

• 3:06:04Speaker 05

  Yes.

• 3:06:05Griffin Newman?

  Would you believe-

• 3:06:06David Sims?

  I, I already know.

• 3:06:08Griffin Newman?

  That movie meant a lot to one 13-year-old-

• 3:06:11Speaker 05

  I'm so excited.

• 3:06:12David Sims?

  I don't understand.

• 3:06:13Speaker 05

  We've been holding that one in stasis for you.

• 3:06:14David Sims?

  The family in that movie is so functional, so I don't really see-

• 3:06:16Griffin Newman?

  I, I have been too terrified to watch that movie for at least 15 years.

• 3:06:20David Sims?

  I haven't seen it in a while.

• 3:06:21Griffin Newman?

  We'll see. Yeah.

• 3:06:21Speaker 05

  Yeah, I'm very excited. Very excited to have you back. David will have to have you back as well. You were around for our 70s mini-series a couple of years ago.

• 3:06:28David Sims?

  What did I do?

• 3:06:29Speaker 05

  You did Don't Look Now.

• 3:06:31David Sims?

  I love that movie.

• 3:06:32Speaker 05

  Yeah. Yeah.

• 3:06:33Griffin Newman?

  Uh.

• 3:06:33David Sims?

  But what should I do?

• 3:06:35Speaker 05

  Oh.

• 3:06:35David Sims?

  Did Alexander.

• 3:06:37Speaker 05

  Yes, that was your, that was very early.

• 3:06:39Griffin Newman?

  Uh, you just did sentimental value episode on, uh.

• 3:06:41Speaker 05

  On critical darlings. I'm finally, I am critical darling.

• 3:06:44Griffin Newman?

  Yes.

• 3:06:45Speaker 05

  At long last.

• 3:06:45Griffin Newman?

  Uh, thank you for doing that.

• 3:06:46Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 3:06:47Griffin Newman?

  Great. Unsurprisingly.

• 3:06:48Speaker 05

  Great co-hosts you got there.

• 3:06:49Griffin Newman?

  Hey.

• 3:06:50Speaker 05

  Richard and Allison, my friends.

• 3:06:51Griffin Newman?

  Proud of these kids. I think these kids got a big future.

• 3:06:53David Sims?

  Yeah, I think we really did a good job hiring, uh, two very established.

• 3:06:57Speaker 05

  Samey smart.

• 3:06:58David Sims?

  Film critics who are good on mic.

• 3:07:00Speaker 05

  Yeah.

• 3:07:00Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 3:07:01David Sims?

  Um, yeah, I'm gonna go see Project Hail Mary.

• 3:07:04Griffin Newman?

  I'm going to the same screening.

• 3:07:05David Sims?

  Well then.

• 3:07:06Speaker 05

  I'm very excited for the both of you.

• 3:07:08David Sims?

  Yeah, but then I got fucking invited to Project Hail Mary.

• 3:07:10Griffin Newman?

  Well, well, well. What a twist.

• 3:07:11Speaker 05

  I'm going to Moynihan train station.

• 3:07:13Griffin Newman?

  You did bring your luggage here. Thank you for, uh, being flexible with your.

• 3:07:17Speaker 05

  Did I tell you also, uh, uh, the, yes, uh, two days ago when I came here and of course I slipped on, uh, ice and fell and, uh, hurt my knee. And then.

• 3:07:25Griffin Newman?

  David hurt his butt.

• 3:07:26Speaker 05

  And did you also fall?

• 3:07:28David Sims?

  On ice, yeah, but two weeks.

• 3:07:29Speaker 05

  And then on the cab right here.

• 3:07:30David Sims?

  Fuck ice.

• 3:07:31Speaker 05

  Because I wanted to be in a cab because my knee hurts. Yes.

• 3:07:34Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 3:07:35Speaker 05

  Um, the cabbie had to stop short and I lurched forward and banged my knee into the back of the seat in front of me. So it's been a couple of days, but, uh, we're doing all right.

• 3:07:44Griffin Newman?

  Let me also just clarify, David didn't hurt his butt slipping on ice. He hurt his butt because his wife whacked him with a rolling pin because he was looking at a picture of the ring.

• 3:07:53Speaker 05

  I snapped a stick. She snapped a stick on his tush. You want to stop and looking at the picture of ring? Look at the thirty babies. Are you looking at the picture of the ring? We're gonna get some kind of anti-defamation league on our ass about this one, but you know what, uh? We're going, we're going.

• 3:08:10Griffin Newman?

  Men do be looking at pictures of ring.

• 3:08:13Speaker 05

  So if I, if I are no men, I know they looking at pictures of a ring. If I are no, I, I can see you no baby.

• 3:08:20Griffin Newman?

  I know I joke and I whack with the stick, but I know men and the men, uh, they look at the picture of the ring.

• 3:08:29Speaker 05

  You know, you know why you be looking at a picture of a ring?

• 3:08:31Griffin Newman?

  You know.

• 3:08:36Speaker 05

  I don't tell this to everybody, but between you and me, I be looking at the picture of a ring.

• 3:08:40Griffin Newman?

  Men, they are the simple. All they want is to look at a picture of the ring.

• 3:08:48Griffin Newman?

  Ben, we love you.

• 3:08:49Speaker 05

  So proud to come on this podcast every year. I love it. Yes.

• 3:08:52Griffin Newman?

  Yeah.

• 3:08:52Speaker 05

  Yeah. To be to Pig.

• 3:08:54Griffin Newman?

  Yes, who's been such an important part of this podcast across all the years. Yeah. We recorded in her home for two years. Close to, yeah. Yeah. Yep. Um, so she's, she's been a, she was a silent participant in so many episodes. Yeah. And we miss her dearly and our thoughts are with you. Thanks so much. And your wife. Uh, thank you all for listening. Please remember to rate, review and subscribe. Next week, crack of the bat, start of a new mini series. That's right, Peter Weir. Peter.

• 3:09:23Speaker 05

  Very exciting.

• 3:09:24Griffin Newman?

  We're making it weir. Cars Today Paris. Enjoy. Yeah. Duh.

• 3:09:27Speaker 05

  Ah, what a great mini series.

• 3:09:28Griffin Newman?

  Cars Today Paris, guestless. Yeah, no guest. Yeah. Uh, we got it. We got, it's, I think it's a good mini series. Majority in the camp. Almost all. We got some great returning guests and people who haven't been on in too long. Yeah. We have a couple, exciting first timers. New faces. We got some new faces. Um.

• 3:09:46Speaker 05

  I'll have to rewatch Fearless before you do your episode on that. I haven't seen that one since the 90s.

• 3:09:51Griffin Newman?

  Fucks.

• 3:09:52Speaker 05

  It's, that movie is on, I want to say Isabella Rossellini's known for. Is that not something?

• 3:09:57Griffin Newman?

  No spoilers, but that movie made David buy new sunglasses. Yes, it did. That's right. Um.

• 3:10:04Griffin Newman?

  That's all.

• 3:10:04Speaker 05

  Go listen to this head Oscar buzz, folks. It's a good podcast.

• 3:10:07Griffin Newman?

  Uh, Igby episode coming soon. And as always,

• 3:10:13Griffin Newman?

  R I P Pig. We stand a legend. We love you, Pig.

• 3:10:15Speaker 05

  All right.

• 3:10:16Griffin Newman?

  Love you, Pig.

• 3:10:26Speaker 06

  Blank Check with Griffin and David is hosted by Griffin Newman and David Sims. Our executive producer is me, Ben Hosley. Our creative producer is Marie Bardi Salinas. And our associate producer is A.J. McKeon. This show is mixed and edited by A.J. McKeon and Alan Smithy. Research by J.J. Birch. Our theme song is by L.A. Montgomery and the Great American Novel, with additional music by Alex Mitchell. Artwork by Joe Bowen, Holly Moss and Pat Reynolds. Our production assistant is Minnick. Special thanks to David Cho, Jordan Fish and Nate Patterson for their production help. Head over to blankcheckpod.com for links to all of the real nerdy shit. Join our Patreon Blank Check Special Features for exclusive franchise commentaries and bonus episodes.

• 3:11:11Speaker 06

  Follow us on social at Blank Check Pot. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Checkbook, on Substack. This podcast is created and produced by Blank Check Productions.