Fearless with Timothy Simons

Summary

Blank Check with Griffin & David: Fearless with Timothy Simons

Episode Date: May 10, 2026
Guest: Timothy Simons
Director Miniseries: Peter Weir (“Podnick at Hanging Cast”)

---

Episode Overview

In this lively and deeply analytical episode, Griffin Newman and David Sims are joined by actor Timothy Simons to discuss Peter Weir's 1993 film Fearless, starring Jeff Bridges and Rosie Perez. The team explores Weir’s craftsmanship, Bridges’ unique star persona, the film’s transcendent qualities, the psychology of trauma, and the broader context of 1990s Hollywood. Along the way, they reflect on the making of Fearless, Rosie Perez’s heartbreaking performance, and—naturally—tangents on physical media, plane crash anxiety, and Jamie Kennedy’s oeuvre.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Techpocalypse & Tim’s Press Tour (00:01–10:16)

• The group jokes about recording during an AWS outage that took down large swaths of the internet, sending Griffin into apocalyptic mode.

• Tim Simons is on a press gauntlet for his (fictional) Netflix series Nobody Wants This, which recently debuted and is now meme fodder on TikTok:

  • “Everyone will have watched it 30 seconds at a time on TikTok...” (Timothy Simons, 10:24)

• Extensive riffing on awkward internet shows (“Chicken Shop Date,” “Hot Ones”) and spicy food endurance (04:07–08:12).

---

Name Games, Nicknames & Guest Introduction (08:49–29:27)

• Griffin introduces the premise of Blank Check and their Peter Weir miniseries "Podnick at Hanging Cast," then welcomes Simons.
• Tim explains how “Hitmaker,” his new nickname coined by playwright Tracy Letts, is a welcome upgrade after years of playing characters nicknamed for bodily functions (Jonad Files from Veep).
  • “Every other nickname I am publicly known by has something to do with jizz. And it's just kind of nice... for there to be, like, one nickname out there that is, like, complimentary.” (Timothy Simons, 24:43)
• The team roasts Tim for always picking the most prestigious films as potential appearances, never the deep cut (“none of these get my dick hard”), leading to accepting Fearless as a challenge having never seen it prior.

---

The Jeff Bridges Deep Dive (36:07–56:27)

Jeff Bridges’ Career Context & Appeal

• Detailed breakdown of Bridges' evolution from prodigy (Oscar nominations in his twenties) to reliable, soulful everyman:
  • “He’s kind of the most interesting consolation movie star.” (Griffin, 48:02)
  • “...he gives you something that contains three emotions that... no one else could do.” (Timothy Simons, 63:54)
• Bridges often cast when big A-listers passed, but directors loved working with him, and he always delivered a low-key, surprising energy.
• Discussion of his look and vibe in Fearless:
  • “The way he looks in this movie ... This is how men should look.” (David Sims, 49:41)
• The hosts compare how, unlike actors like Mel Gibson or Bruce Willis, Bridges never pushes into power fantasy or self-aware cool—even when “fearless.”

Bridges’ Down-to-Earth Persona

• The pod explores Bridges’ blue-collar family background and naturalism:
  • “I think within the industry... professional, great, does interesting things.” (David Sims, 43:53)
• Reflection on his late-career Oscar for Crazy Heart (“What a groovy profession, man”) and his status as a Hollywood workhorse.

---

Dissecting Peter Weir and the Making of Fearless (59:18–73:35)

Weir’s Chameleonic Yet Sensitive Filmmaking

• Weir, compared to Sidney Lumet and Ang Lee, is described as a director who is a “material-matcher” but with recurring explorations of transcendence, trauma, and psychic dislocation.
• The script for Fearless was adapted from Rafael Iglesias’ own then-unpublished novel, inspired by real-world plane crashes and survivor trauma.
  • “This is a thing that gets optioned as a manuscript. ... I imagine you go, this is a good piece of writing, you know, and this is a good vehicle for a good actor.” (Griffin, 31:14)

The “Blank Check” Context

• Following hits like Witness and Dead Poets Society, Weir could make a risky, spiritual movie—though the studio originally wished for a bigger box office star (Mel Gibson).
• Discussion that a film like Fearless—adult, dramatic, spiritual—was possible and marketable in '93 because audiences would “engage” with less commercial material if led by a strong director and an actor like Bridges.
  • “You could take something that seems a little challenging... and the audience will like, go along for the ride.” (Griffin, 34:20)

---

Plane Crash Movies, Trauma, and Structural Brilliance (73:35–101:04)

Structure and Impact

• Admiration for the choice to begin after the crash—echoing Sully’s piecemeal flashbacks—rather than dramatizing the spectacle upfront:
  • “Spacing it out is brilliant.” (David Sims, 98:18)
  • “It is not in—does not require—like an oil level drilling. ... It offers many different tendrils of conversation.” (Griffin, 29:04)
• Spiritual over religious: The film is described as “one of the most spiritual mainstream movies... without being religious in any way.” (Griffin, 85:10)
• The group notes the strength of the opening and ending bookends, where the “feeling” and mood of survivor’s dislocation is unlike anything else.
  • “The first 30 are basically like, why is this film not talked about constantly?” (David Sims, 64:56)

Processing Trauma (Main Bar: Plane Crash Anxiety, 91:05–101:12)

• All three discuss personal anxiety about flying, trauma, and the “pink cloud” syndrome (survivor’s euphoria, referenced in Addicts’ recovery, 123:27).
• The movie captures both the possibility of psychic renewal and total dissociation—mirrored in both Bridges’ numbness and Perez’s agony.

---

The Performances: Bridges and Rosie Perez (101:24–137:42)

Jeff Bridges’ Subtle Brilliance

• The hosts and Tim rave about Bridges’ ability to convey three emotions in one glance, grounding what could be a “Yes Man” fantasy in genuine estrangement and pain:
  • “He gives you something that contains three emotions that... no one else could do.” (Timothy Simons, 63:54)
  • “What he is really representing is what if you choose not to buy into the rules of society—not ‘what if nothing could kill you?’” (Griffin, 120:45)

Rosie Perez’s Stellar Work

• Intense praise for Perez’s Oscar-nominated turn. The movie’s greatest strength is the bond between these two “PTSD spectrum” survivors: one in psychic euphoria, one in hell.
  • “It is not just, oh, she’s got an interesting dialect... There is like a level of emotional access and technique here.” (Griffin, 136:04)
  • Hosts mourn that Perez didn’t receive a bigger post-nom “bump.” (See notable quote below)

Notable Quotes

• “She should have won the Oscar this year. As much as I love Anna Paquin... she to me was the favorite.” (David Sims, 102:02)

---

Direction, Structure, and Music (154:08–157:24)

• Praise for Alan Davio’s cinematography and Weir’s visual storytelling:
  • “First sees Rosie Perez, the entire frame is filled with the shadow of Jeff Bridges... almost engulfs her in the frame. ... I just love that level of artistry in what is essentially studio fare.” (Timothy Simons, 154:08)
• Discussion of the inventive, haunting, and dreamlike use of U2's “Where the Streets Have No Name” and the score by Maurice Jarre and classical compositions.

---

Box Office Game & 90s Movie Tangents (158:05–173:44)

• The weekly tradition continues, with Griffin, David, Ben, and Tim running through October 1993’s top films. They riff on:
  • Demolition Man (“masterpiece”)
  • Cool Runnings (John Candy love)
  • Malice (Alec Baldwin’s “I am God” scene)
  • Judgment Night soundtrack
  • Notable: Griffin and Tim get especially animated about the run of Jamie Kennedy and John Heater comedies
  • Bizarre, running group chat stories about Lily Collins and movie trivia
  • Tim’s personal stories of airplane anxiety, parenthood, and “pink cloud” moments after medical scares—paralleling the existential stuff in Fearless.

---

Thematic Takeaways

• "Fearless" as Spiritual Trauma Movie: Bold for a studio drama, uniquely about living in the aftermath of tragedy—not just survival, but a ruptured psyche.
• Bridges’ Performance: The team unites on naming it one of the actor’s “quiet miracles,” a character portrait of rebirth that resists movie-star wish fulfillment in favor of discomfort, ambiguity, and subtlety.
• Rosie Perez’s Heartbreak: Her portrayal is lauded as one of the 1990s’ emotionally rawest, her “bubble” scene standing out as a high-water mark.
• Peter Weir’s Craft: The director is hailed for the mood, spiritual ambiguity, temporal jumps, and the unique “feeling” of the film that resists tidy resolution.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Every time I fall for the shit—the Pink Cloud Syndrome of, like, oh this truly might be the first day of the rest of my life. ... And then like 10 days later I’m like, oh, wait a second.” —Griffin, on grace periods after trauma (127:32)
• “He finds a way to have a reaction to these situations that feels ... completely singular and also emotionally true.” —Timothy Simons on Bridges’ emotional complexity (63:54)
• “It is one of the most spiritual mainstream movies I have ever seen without being religious.” —Griffin, on the unique tone (85:10)
• “I think this is an excellent movie ... but it is not in—does not require—like an oil level drilling.” —Griffin, reflecting on Fearless as the type of film that gives Blank Check its variety (29:04)
• "She should have won the Oscar this year. As much as I love Anna Paquin, but she was sort of the favorite..." —David Sims, on Rosie Perez (102:02)
• “He’s kind of the most interesting consolation movie star.” —Griffin, on Bridges getting roles after the top 10 (48:02)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro, Tech Outage, Press Tour, and Name Games: (00:01–29:27)
• Jeff Bridges Career and Fearless Context: (36:07–56:27)
• Peter Weir’s Filmmaking & Script Origin: (59:18–73:35)
• Plane Crash Movie Structure & Trauma: (73:35–101:04)
• Bridges, Perez, and Supporting Cast: (101:24–137:42)
• Cinematography, Music, and Craft: (154:08–157:24)
• Box Office Game, Tangents, and Group Chat: (158:05–173:44)
• Reflections, Parenting, and Closing: (173:44–end)

---

Final Impressions

Fearless is dissected as an underappreciated work—transcendent in its bookending sequences, emotionally subtle, spiritually resonant, and grounded by two of the decade’s best performances. The episode serves as a robust case for why it deserves revisiting, exemplifying Peter Weir’s sensitivity and daring, while offering a loving, irreverent tribute to 90s cinema’s risk-taking spirit.

---

For More

• Next up: The series continues with The Truman Show (Guest: JD Amato).
• Patreon: Devil Wears Prada 2 episode drops tomorrow.
• Tim’s Plug: Simons’ podcast “Second in Command” with Matt Walsh.
• Discord Tangents: Movie MAGA Mode, group text pile-ons, and the enduring mystery of Lily Collins’ career.

---

(Summary prepared for listeners who missed an episode and want to savor every tangent and insight in the Blankie-verse.)

Transcript

[Griffin Newman]

Blank check with Griffin and David. Blank check with Griffin and David. Don't know what to say or to expect.

[David Sims]

All you need to know is that

[Griffin Newman]

the name of the shadow is Blackjack. Some podcasts are afraid of nothing. So the tagline for this movie is some people are afraid of nothing. I pulled that off of a low res, barely loading image on the Wikipedia page for fearless because IMDb is down.

[David Sims]

IMDb is down. Box office mojo is working.

[Griffin Newman]

Really? Yeah. We are recording this on the day of seemingly the apocalypse. It is stormy and dark as hell. Outside, it looks like the planet Camino.

[David Sims]

Wait, wait. It was barely. It was like, drizzling. Griffin's. Okay, okay.

[Griffin Newman]

It's looking overcast.

[Timothy Simons]

There have got to be.

[David Sims]

I mean, like, you can't live in New York and be like, it's gonna rain. I think the world. This is it. It's over.

[Griffin Newman]

Rain. I go, okay, I can put up with this talk. You're like, IMDb is down. My apps are down.

[David Sims]

That's tough for you, the IMDb being down too, right?

[Griffin Newman]

I did, yes. Amazon Web Services, a terrible company, a terrible service, as part of a terrible company, has collapsed today and like 60% of the Internet has gone down with it.

[Timothy Simons]

How did I not hear about this until now? Because you got your head in the

[David Sims]

clouds, in your ivory tower.

[Timothy Simons]

I am. I'm up in my ivory tower.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

But usually they give me the broad strokes of what?

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, because they're on the web service. Your team is on aws.

[Timothy Simons]

Well, I. I would have assumed that one of my handlers would have you

[Griffin Newman]

forget that your handlers are AI and they're also backed up on aws.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, wow.

[David Sims]

Yeah. Well, no, it's actually. No, they're humans. But he won't let them look at him or see his face. So they have to communicate via the Internet.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah. Even if they're in the same room.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, Right.

[David Sims]

Exactly. And if they look at your face, what do you do?

[Timothy Simons]

Well, it starts with, like, just like a hard or stern, like, burning. Like, just like a look of like, you know that you shouldn't have done this.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Timothy Simons]

And then it proceeds from there to be more physical.

[Griffin Newman]

It's also. Here's the thing. You're so tall that making eye contact with you requires a lot of effort. You can't do it by accident.

[David Sims]

Gotta crane that neck.

[Timothy Simons]

You gotta crane a neck.

[Griffin Newman]

There's no plausible deniability.

[Timothy Simons]

Nope.

[Griffin Newman]

No. Unless you're on top of a ladder

[Timothy Simons]

or if I'm sitting down.

[Griffin Newman]

Even then.

[Timothy Simons]

And then, even then.

[Griffin Newman]

Even then.

[Timothy Simons]

You should have. You should have tried harder.

[David Sims]

How tall is sitting down?

[Griffin Newman]

Might be me standing. What? What were we?

[David Sims]

How tall is chicken shop date?

[Griffin Newman]

Girl, have you done the date?

[David Sims]

You gotta do that. Because I feel like that'd be a. She feels short. You could do, like, a fun height differential.

[Timothy Simons]

Okay.

[David Sims]

You know, Chicken Shop date.

[Timothy Simons]

I've only ever seen her sitting Dimon.

[David Sims]

Amelia something. I'm sorry. I don't want to mangle her name.

[Griffin Newman]

She might be sneaky. Taller than you think.

[David Sims]

Well, it's a. Let me see if Amazon Web Services can answer my question. It says she's 5 3, so that's okay.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah. We would have a stark difference in our Amelia Demoldenberg. One could argue that that could be used for comedic effect.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, this is what she does. She's never.

[Timothy Simons]

She.

[David Sims]

Oh, my goodness. She went to Marylebone.

[Griffin Newman]

It's astounding what she's done.

[Timothy Simons]

She went where.

[David Sims]

I'm just. I'm doing the English thing. That is. That is not acceptable. That I shouldn't do or I judge someone based on where they went to secondary school. She went to a posh school.

[Griffin Newman]

In my experience, in my life, all dates have gone well.

[David Sims]

All of her chicken shop dates?

[Griffin Newman]

No, all my dates.

[David Sims]

Oh, all your dates.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Then I watch her and I go, wait a second. What if a date was awkward?

[David Sims]

I, I, I'll actually say I think she's very. I find her incredibly.

[Griffin Newman]

I think she's very funny.

[Timothy Simons]

I do choose.

[Griffin Newman]

I was just mocking the premise, but. Right. She's really good.

[Timothy Simons]

I have never watched, like, a full episode. I see clips. Is it supposed to be intentionally awkward or is that.

[David Sims]

It's got the sort of YouTube comedy kind of, you know, the. Right, the, the pauses and the harsh cuts and stuff.

[Griffin Newman]

Like, it's really between two Ferns with less of a character.

[Timothy Simons]

Okay, Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Between two Ferns.

[David Sims]

But you like the little moments. Right. Where they are, are really being human. Right? Yeah. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. Right.

[David Sims]

Chicken chop date.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Sometimes you're like, it's same with Hot Ones. You're like the cream roast to the top here, baby. Like, I know there's like a thousand pounds of crap on the Internet, and I'm hearing about this one because she's pretty good at it.

[Griffin Newman]

She's pretty good, right? Yeah. You know what else you're doing?

[David Sims]

Hot Ones.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay. Here.

[Timothy Simons]

I haven't done Hot Ones, but I would not be this garbage, because I can. I feel like. And we'll see how this goes. I feel like I could succeed here in Hot Ones. Like, I.

[Griffin Newman]

You think I Do not have the constitution.

[David Sims]

I do not, you know, like a spicy.

[Timothy Simons]

I cannot handle it. I, I, Yeah, no, I mean, that might be funny. I truly don't know if I would be able to physically continue. And I know that, like, people struggle there and that's part of it. But I worry about even, like, the very basic.

[Griffin Newman]

So you're thinking, I gotta correct you there. He's never taken an L.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, you

[Griffin Newman]

think he's struggling, but he just doesn't play.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, no, he's, he's never taken it.

[David Sims]

He's never tapped out about wing four or five, I think.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. He's never taken an L. He's never eaten a pea.

[Timothy Simons]

Is there?

[David Sims]

And you don't mean them peas from a pod.

[Griffin Newman]

No, he's eating those.

[Timothy Simons]

Is there, is there any. Is there, like, a downside to not continuing?

[David Sims]

I mean, you're kind of being a poopy pants, like, Right. You're not. I mean, I don't think brought to

[Timothy Simons]

the town square a little Commander poopy Pants.

[David Sims]

I feel like you're being a little bit of a Commander poop pants. I mean, I think that, like, the way through, if you're struggling, it's just like, take a little bite of each one or whatever.

[Timothy Simons]

Right.

[David Sims]

No one's leaning on you to finish your wings.

[Timothy Simons]

Okay.

[David Sims]

Right. It's. Very few people really, like, actually leap bones.

[Griffin Newman]

Have I shared my conspiracy theory Go.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

That. Because, like, DJ Khaled really, like, ate and look like a fool.

[David Sims]

And do you think they, they, they pulled it back a little bit because of that?

[Griffin Newman]

I, I was talking to someone who was like, do you think they've nerfed the sauces? Do you think the sauces are watered down now? Because no one has, no one really

[David Sims]

has much trouble until the bomb, which everybody reacts to because that, that exists to make people react and the guests

[Griffin Newman]

keep on getting better. Right?

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And I equate it to. I, I think our buddy Lin Manuel, drop a name, told us this.

[Timothy Simons]

Well, Lin Manuel who?

[Griffin Newman]

Miranda.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, oh.

[Griffin Newman]

That. When big stars are doing, like, Chicago for, like, 10 days.

[David Sims]

Mike, didn't he. I can't remember.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Oh, this person doesn't have musical theater experience. How the are they going to do this show? And the company has been doing the show for 25 years, that they basically have A, B and C tracks where they bring them in for their first rehearsal and see what their natural ability as a singer and dancer is and go like, okay, they're a C. Right.

[David Sims]

They won't do much.

[Griffin Newman]

We're doing the simpler version of the show. We move around them more. And the a. You're like, oh, they actually have the skills. I think they have, like, different intensities of the sauces. They try the first wing and they're like, interesting.

[David Sims]

You're a liar. I mean, you think they're lying.

[Griffin Newman]

I think they don't know that they're getting an easier go of it. But I think the production detail in real time.

[David Sims]

Oh, here's this season sauces. And Ben did the hot ones challenge. I.

[Timothy Simons]

My birth.

[Griffin Newman]

Tough.

[Timothy Simons]

Really?

[Griffin Newman]

It was tough.

[Ben Hosley]

Really up.

[David Sims]

Did you finish every wing? Like, did you try to, like.

[Ben Hosley]

Yeah, I made it to the end.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

No, but I'm. I more mean, like, were you taking a bite of each wing or, like, finishing the wing?

[Ben Hosley]

I. I let the show inform.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Ben Hosley]

My approach where I wasn't taking that whole down.

[Timothy Simons]

Right.

[Ben Hosley]

I would take.

[David Sims]

Then I feel like it's.

[Ben Hosley]

I would take, like, a reasonable bite.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[Timothy Simons]

Is the entire wing coated in that sauce or are they just putting a drop?

[Ben Hosley]

No, it's.

[David Sims]

It's just, of course, the 10th wing, you get the dab.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes, the wing is already coated, but an extra dab. The last dab.

[David Sims]

And if you're Jennifer Lawrence, you say, what do you mean? What do you mean? What do you mean?

[Ben Hosley]

The thing I always think about, though, and I like Hot ones, having done it myself, the next day, the That I took was so radioactive that it was. It ruins multiple days.

[Timothy Simons]

Okay.

[Ben Hosley]

For you, like, as far as your digestive tract.

[Timothy Simons]

Okay.

[David Sims]

Because you're not supposed to do that.

[Ben Hosley]

I think about these celebrities having to then take a shit for the next few days. It's brutal.

[David Sims]

Now, in Fearless, do you think he would do the hot wings challenge? No problem. While he's in fearless mode, Strawberries kind

[Griffin Newman]

of is his Hot wings.

[David Sims]

That's what I'm saying. Like, I mean, honestly, his life in fearless mode, which is what I'm referring to his, like, sort of cognitive dissonance or what is like, you know, hot wing, you know, he's doing. Hot one is like the bomb beyond insanity.

[Griffin Newman]

It almost becomes his last dab if not for the power of love.

[Timothy Simons]

Very good.

[Ben Hosley]

That was good.

[Griffin Newman]

Thank you.

[Ben Hosley]

Did you see how he turned it around back to the.

[Griffin Newman]

I tried to do that, like, five minutes ago, and it was ignored. This is Blank Check with Griffin and David. I'm Griffin.

[David Sims]

I'm David.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a podcast about filmographies, directors who have massive success early on in their careers and are given a series of blank checks to make whatever Crazy passion projects they want. Sometimes those checks clear and sometimes they bounce, baby. Our guest is mouthing along.

[David Sims]

Oh, what a cutie pie.

[Timothy Simons]

I really like the baby part.

[David Sims]

Our guest is such a cutie pie. I'll just say it. He's a cutie pie.

[Griffin Newman]

This is a miniseries on the films of Peter Weir. It is called Podnick at Hanging Cast. Right. Although I want the opinion of our guest.

[David Sims]

Oh, my God, what's what?

[Griffin Newman]

We're the other fucking goes Podster and Castmander. The Pod side of the cast. Now, I like.

[David Sims]

Every time he says it, he pivots out of the title because he knows

[Griffin Newman]

it's bad being able to get Pod and Cast in there two times each.

[Timothy Simons]

I mean, I think maybe in theory rather than practice.

[Griffin Newman]

Today we're talking about fear.

[David Sims]

Right away.

[Griffin Newman]

Our guest today, of course, from the hit movie Goosebumps, previously known as Tim Simons, today introduced exclusively as Hitmaker, the Hitmaker.

[David Sims]

He's here. Hitmaker, Blonde Edition.

[Griffin Newman]

You are here in New York. You're here in New York.

[David Sims]

Tim has blonde hair.

[Griffin Newman]

Press Gauntlet. You're doing all the morning shows. That's why we're talking about all these other fucking things. Because you're doing like every morning show here in New York.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

To remote the new season of the Netflix show Nobody Wants this, which at the time this episode comes out, will have premiered six months ago.

[David Sims]

Right. Is reheated oatmeal at this point. If you want to watch that on Netflix now, it's still there, I assume, maybe cancelled.

[Timothy Simons]

Everyone will have watched it 30 seconds at a time on TikTok by this point.

[David Sims]

Oh, hell yeah. Exactly. And start me at, like part 62. Right. You know, like TikTok likes to just dump you in the middle there.

[Griffin Newman]

Now, Tip, the show's called Nobody Wants this, but judging by the viewer data, it seems like a lot of people want.

[Timothy Simons]

I have. I have. I told you this story before is that just sucked.

[David Sims]

Interesting. You just got a job offer.

[Griffin Newman]

I got a job offer.

[David Sims]

NBC.

[Griffin Newman]

How many. How many of those do you have to deal with now?

[Timothy Simons]

A fair amount. Yeah, a fair amount. But I don't know if I've ever told you this or if you saw this at the time, but there was a lot of conversation around what the show was going to be called. It had a working title and then it had a few other, like, a few other working titles, one of which I thought worked. I think at one point it was going to be called. It was initially titled Shiksa and then it was called For a Little bit was called Heartburn.

[David Sims]

And you can't do that.

[Timothy Simons]

Well, no, that's the thing is that ultimately I think if it existed in a vacuum is a good name for the show.

[David Sims]

Sure, sure. But it's.

[Timothy Simons]

But it is sort of.

[David Sims]

It should have been called like the

[Timothy Simons]

Jewish guy and the white girl or

[David Sims]

that's just like the most obvious.

[Timothy Simons]

Wow. Text from Netflix that they want to hire you for title brainstorming. You guys gotta stop being so good at this to get. You're getting all these jobs.

[Griffin Newman]

I just think that almost every time something is titled like that, it bombs and then the headlines write themselves and everyone's like, we should have seen this coming.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a rare case where a title has that much of a self. Own it and it defies the haters.

[Timothy Simons]

I don't know if you remember this, but when they announced the title and they gave, you know, they gave us like, here's your first look pictures if you want to post them. I posted on Instagram, hey, here is the show. It comes out on whatever day this was for the first season. And here's a picture of Adam and Kristen and they look amazing. And I said, I really hope that reviewers like this show. Otherwise they were go, they are going to dog us into the ground with our title.

[Griffin Newman]

Dog Us is. Is a great hit maker.

[David Sims]

It's a hit make for sure.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

That's you. That's you through and through.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. I can't think of another case where it's worked out. Yeah. Like, what's the worst that could happen? It's a big one. I remember the. The Dane DeVito Martin Lawrence movie where that came out.

[David Sims]

Buying a ticket to this piece of.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. The reviews were just like a full page photo of the critic pointing at the poster. 0 stars.

[Timothy Simons]

Like there was. This is a little bit more like it's not as direct. But I remember, like, how do you know. Ended up being like, how do you know this is a shitty movie.

[David Sims]

I watched it or whatever. You just don't want like a vague question, any kind of negative statement, obviously. Yeah. Can I'm just. So you're in. Nobody wants this. So that's on Netflix. Well, anything else we should mention that you're. You're in Percy Jackson. I forget when that's coming out.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh yeah. Wait, when. When does this come?

[David Sims]

So this is of course April on May 10, 2026.

[Timothy Simons]

Jesus. Really?

[David Sims]

Yeah. So we hope Trump at this point has solved six to eight more wars.

[Griffin Newman]

By the time you're listening this, you're in Month six of the AWS outage.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Right. If you're even the only thing that's still down, though. Everything else is fine.

[Timothy Simons]

I think at this point, I will have been in Scream 7.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, fuck.

[David Sims]

Yeah. There you go. Do you. Wait, do you make it?

[Timothy Simons]

Well, I can tell you that I am in the film Scream 7.

[David Sims]

Okay, fine.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Fennesy was asking, like, are you Ghostface? You have to tell me now. And Tim was like, I can't say anything. And I was like, if the movie starts And Ghostface is 7 foot 3. Yes.

[Timothy Simons]

That is.

[David Sims]

It is tough to. Yeah. Just kind of hide you.

[Griffin Newman]

They're not gonna hide you. That's. This is the problem. I'm not asking you to reveal any spoilers, but I. I think I'm gonna know pretty quickly whether you are or are not.

[Ben Hosley]

He's, like, hunched down.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah. Like, he has. He bumps his head on every door.

[David Sims]

I wonder. Chicken shop date. And it keeps like. It's very obvious.

[Timothy Simons]

Right.

[David Sims]

She's the other one.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, no, those are. Those were. I'd say, by and large, the things that are going.

[David Sims]

Well, I'm seeing is your Commander Bell on the Handmaid's Tale. Now, I'm seeing here that June stabbed you in the eye. Who's June?

[Timothy Simons]

June is Lizzie Moss.

[David Sims]

And she. She stabbed you.

[Timothy Simons]

She stabs me in the eye. And there was a point.

[David Sims]

And were you, like, in charge of all that? All the bad stuff happened?

[Griffin Newman]

Were you one of the good guys?

[Timothy Simons]

I played one of the very.

[David Sims]

I think if Elizabeth Boss is stabbing you in the eye, you might not be one of.

[Griffin Newman]

Not all men.

[Timothy Simons]

I was, like, the leader of, like, the Resistance. And she was just like. She thought I was, like, going at him too hard. And she was like, you know, we.

[David Sims]

Moderation.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

We need to be moderate about this.

[Griffin Newman]

The problem.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, no, I, I did. I played a bad person. I think I was kind of thrown in there as, like, you know, the son of an unseen, very powerful voice.

[David Sims]

You're like a Nepo.

[Timothy Simons]

I'm like a Nep. And there is like a.

[Griffin Newman]

There is like a generational.

[Timothy Simons]

A generational.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

And. And I, I, I did take this. I don't. Why. We don't need to talk.

[David Sims]

Did you work with Max? No, probably not.

[Timothy Simons]

I did. I. One thing that was very fun was that I kind of at some point crossed over with everybody in the show.

[David Sims]

You're in, like, five episodes.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes. But I somehow managed to have at least a small scene.

[David Sims]

Whitford.

[Timothy Simons]

Whitford had some scenes of Whip Whitford. Fucking rules.

[David Sims]

Are you kind of doing a Whitford thing with the blonde haircut? He's got the white hair, but, you know, just the. The shock of hair. You know, I.

[Timothy Simons]

There's nothing intentional behind it, but if. If there is any way that I can be compared to him, I will take it. He's someone you want.

[David Sims]

It's a great career.

[Timothy Simons]

It is an incredible career. And there is just something about his cadence that makes me happy. It's so specific. And yes, it is in a. It is in a lot of characters that he plays, but it never feels like a crutch. And also,

[David Sims]

he can moderate.

[Griffin Newman]

He can feel like a gimmick.

[Timothy Simons]

And one thing that I find amazing about watching Bradley Whitford is that there is a real subtlety about, like, he's not the most still, like, facial actor.

[Griffin Newman]

No, he's not.

[Timothy Simons]

But there is such a subtlety in his, like, facial movements that I think is so admirable.

[David Sims]

In another Netflix show, Diplomat, which is a hit show on Netflix. Oh, yes.

[Griffin Newman]

Kind of a hit episode on Fearless, the Peter weir movie from 1993. Go on.

[David Sims]

I'm watching season three. Season three just dropped. Right. And so in season two of the day, you know, it's a diplomat. It's about, what if Kerry Russell was a diplomat?

[Timothy Simons]

Of course.

[David Sims]

And what if Rufus Seble was her randy husband who just loves to almost have affairs? Like, kind of a plot point in the Diplomat, as Rufus Seal keeps being like, can I fuck you? And the lady's like, yeah, you should fuck me. And he's like, actually, I can only fuck my wife, but I'll flirt with you. Like, he, like, can't actually have affairs, but he gets like. He loves to get close. And then he's just like, sorry, I actually am so in love with Keri Russell. Season two introduces. Who's the vice president? Alison Janney. Okay.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes.

[David Sims]

We love Alison Janney.

[Griffin Newman]

Another example. Yeah.

[David Sims]

And then, not to spoil the Diplomat, but some things happen kind of veep style. And she becomes the president.

[Timothy Simons]

Whoa.

[David Sims]

And then in season three, we meet her husband, Bradley Whitford. Okay. And it's like, that's the most gimmicky version of using Bradley Whitford.

[Timothy Simons]

Right.

[David Sims]

West Wing reunion. We're marrying two West Wing actors who were, you know, not married. Right. And even still, I was like, I'm happy to see Bradley walking. He's got a big beard or something. He's like, it's great.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, I. I just. He rules. I had to do a. There's a. A picture of Us doing dance rehearsals on a Sunday.

[David Sims]

Now I hear you do a dance and nobody. He told me he keeps getting this question.

[Timothy Simons]

I do do a dance.

[David Sims]

He does a dance.

[Timothy Simons]

I do do a dance. And. But we had to do. We also had to do dance rehearsals for the Handmaid's Tale. And there is a picture of Bradley

[David Sims]

Whitford and I feel like ballroom dancing or something.

[Timothy Simons]

We were doing the Foxtrot.

[Griffin Newman]

There's a Macarena at the end of the show.

[David Sims]

I'm sorry, who do you do the Foxtrot with? I'll admit I never watched the.

[Griffin Newman]

Are you only on the last season.

[Timothy Simons]

I'm only on the last season. There's a big bad. There's a big wedding.

[David Sims]

Okay, okay.

[Timothy Simons]

And so people are like doing a sort of fancy dance during the wedding.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

And we were at these foxtrot rehearsals and it's on a Sunday. And we are sitting at the studio that we're rehearsing in is called. The studio is called the Joy of Dance.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[Timothy Simons]

And we are sitting underneath like a TV that has the logo that says the Joy of Dance. And I'm like so happy to be there. And Bradley Lindbergh is sitting next to me looking like the most miserable man ever, the most cantankerous we've heard we've ever lived. And I have the biggest shit eating grin on my face underneath the sign that says the Joy of Dance. It is just two people in very different circumstances in their head. And I love that picture.

[Ben Hosley]

David, I have terrible news.

[David Sims]

What's up?

[Ben Hosley]

Bradley Whitford is a graduate of Juilliard.

[Timothy Simons]

David, do you not like Juilliard?

[Griffin Newman]

No.

[David Sims]

This is a thing. I do not like people's lionization of Juilliard. I do not mind if people went to Juilliard. Griffin thinks I have a beef with Juilliard now. I have a beef with the way that elite schools in this country and other countries get their dick sucked all day and night. That's all. That's all.

[Griffin Newman]

Here.

[Ben Hosley]

Here's something wrong with a little bit of top. You don't like too much top.

[Griffin Newman]

A little. Don't go down to the shaft.

[David Sims]

The.

[Griffin Newman]

The thing is, David loves to do this defense now, right?

[David Sims]

I love this defense.

[Griffin Newman]

Superman movies on Patreon. Christopher Reeve, famous graduate of Julia. David Corenswet, current Superman, famous graduate of Julia.

[David Sims]

Do you believe a guy I don't know Juilliard, he's a superman.

[Timothy Simons]

Is he a famous graduate of Julia?

[David Sims]

Which one?

[Griffin Newman]

Superman?

[David Sims]

Yeah, I guess he' currently very famous. Becoming famous.

[Griffin Newman]

But I don't the office of Superman.

[Timothy Simons]

I don't know that you can say famously, a graduate of Juilliard because I did not know that until just now.

[Griffin Newman]

This is why the podcast exists.

[David Sims]

Get like, is he in the office for a minute there? Like, if it's like, you're imagining, like, presidential terms. It's like Christopher reeve until Superman 4. And then is it, like, succeeded by Dean Cain?

[Griffin Newman]

I think he's almost more like u. S. Ambassador.

[David Sims]

Or is it like in another country, Superman? But it says, like, acting beneath. Like, it's sort of like, you know, there's a qualif fire. Right, right. And then we actually have Brandon Rouse

[Griffin Newman]

through the house or some shit.

[Timothy Simons]

He graduated from the Juilliard of, like, going through those tubes pretending to be an ice agent.

[David Sims]

Oh, dude.

[Timothy Simons]

There was the Juilliard of fucking proud boy training.

[David Sims]

He's like, watch me own the libs. And I'm like, you're doing an assault. You are owning yourself, my friend.

[Griffin Newman]

So David now frames it as, I just have a problem with the lionization of upper institutions. I do as well. I fucking hate higher education.

[Timothy Simons]

Okay, yeah.

[David Sims]

When I bring it up in higher education. Wait a second.

[Griffin Newman]

When I. I'm saying what I do. Okay, When I bring it up in the episode, David goes from 0 to 8,000 and goes, if you bring up Juilliard again, I'm going to fucking murder you. That is the direct.

[David Sims]

You deserve it.

[Griffin Newman]

With no explanation of why he was spinning out of control. And then he goes, I don't understand why people think I hate Juilliard.

[David Sims]

You deserve it. You deserve it then. And now. I'll murder you now.

[Griffin Newman]

He only explains things eight to nine months.

[David Sims]

It's because we're doing a commentary and I'm watching it. And you keep being like, and he went to Juilliard. And I'm like, stop bringing up to who gives a. I don't care where someone went to school.

[Griffin Newman]

If he gets that is how I agree about it that quickly. People are like, did Juilliard murder his parents in a back alley? What's going on?

[David Sims]

Working class guy who probably drilled this into me a little too hard, if anything. My dad didn't go to college.

[Timothy Simons]

Did he drive a lorry?

[David Sims]

No, My. I mean, maybe in his younger days. Did he drive a lorry? Just, just, just. Just going for the lowest common denominator joke there, hit maker.

[Timothy Simons]

I will say.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

As despite your feelings about Juilliard going back to Bradley Whitford for one moment, the man is an amazing storyteller. He has A lot of great stories

[David Sims]

about being spin on so many sets.

[Timothy Simons]

So many sets, work with so many cool people. He once told me a. A 20 minute breakup story that included a doctor's visit where he found out that the Challenger had exploded.

[Griffin Newman]

Holy.

[Timothy Simons]

And that was. That was the smallest detail of the story. The man's an incredible storyteller.

[David Sims]

So this is pre Kaxameric.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes.

[David Sims]

How do you say. How do you say your last name?

[Griffin Newman]

I always thought it was Kacmaric. Yeah.

[David Sims]

You're probably. He was married to her.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes. Pre Jane Kacmari. So it would have been like, you know, I think college girlfriend.

[David Sims]

Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

All right.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

Would have been back.

[David Sims]

All right. Co Ed Bradley. Yeah. Man about town. Bradley.

[Timothy Simons]

Wait, you were about to say something, Griffin.

[Griffin Newman]

Hit maker.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, yes.

[Griffin Newman]

The previous two appearances you have made on this podcast. This is.

[David Sims]

Our guest is Timothy Simons. We've said that, right?

[Griffin Newman]

Hit maker.

[David Sims]

Yeah, Hit maker.

[Griffin Newman]

The Shining and Jaws.

[Timothy Simons]

Wait, I. And also only to digress. To digress. And I definitely want to. We have to talk about that. I am am very. The nickname Hitmaker.

[Griffin Newman]

Coined by Tracy Letts.

[Timothy Simons]

Coined by Tracy Letts, who has a Pulitzer Prize. Who has a Pulitzer.

[David Sims]

You got zero of those.

[Timothy Simons]

I have zero of those. I found out from Tracy Letts that apparently you find out that you were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize at the same moment that you either win or lose it.

[David Sims]

That's why you basically get notified. Like, Right. You made the three.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes. But they also give you a call, right. If they're like, hey, by the way, you didn't get it. And like you would just be enjoying your morning.

[David Sims]

It's an honor to be, you know. Shortlisted.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, to be shortlisted. But you're just like walking around and somebody calls you, oh, hey, by the way, you didn't win one today. Yeah, I didn't even know it was.

[David Sims]

If you're Tracy Letts, you're walking around probably a closet of discs somewhere. Right?

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

You get the call.

[Timothy Simons]

So he coins that. And it feels like a nickname that I just don't know based on my own personal constitution that I can lean into it too hard. The reason that I am even he's

[David Sims]

making the joke because you were on a show that was a hit.

[Timothy Simons]

But what I am known for nickname wise previous. The little part of me that leans into it is that every other nickname I am publicly known by has something to do with jizz. And it's just kind of nice because

[David Sims]

I was assuming like your height might

[Timothy Simons]

be because of Veep. Because of like the Jonad. Files. Because of all those nicknames, names.

[Griffin Newman]

That show has a running gag of people coming up with the worst things to call you Objectionable seasons.

[David Sims]

I mean, not little, tall, Tall, freak, Weasel.

[Timothy Simons]

And so it is nice, I think, just for there to be, like, one nickname out there that is, like, complimentary in a way. And I do like that. Although I don't lean into it too hard. I would never refer to myself as.

[David Sims]

It would be funny if you went on, like, CBS this Morning and, like, handed a postcard, like, and you shall refer to me.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm picturing you Joker style, leaning back in the chair. And one last thing.

[Timothy Simons]

When you bring me out, Jaws and the Shining are the two.

[David Sims]

Right?

[Griffin Newman]

We have an active group text with friends. You will text us once or twice a year and go, guys, I gotta come back on blank check.

[David Sims]

Oh, now we're gonna roast him. I think this is good. I think this is good. Please. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And then we're like, get some foglers.

[David Sims]

We're making a roast.

[Griffin Newman]

Tim, we'll have you on anytime.

[David Sims]

Tim. We're doing this director.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, first we'll say we're booked up right now. The second we have new stuff on the schedule, we'll let you know. And then we go, Tim, here you go. It's the Glengarry leads, right?

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

Here's the first six months of a schedule.

[David Sims]

Take your pick.

[Griffin Newman]

You have first crack, and you always go, none of these really get my dick.

[David Sims]

But it's like David lynch and the Coen brothers, where the two of you are, like, flipping through. Oh, Blue Velvet. Is that a movie?

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, well, I'm sorry.

[Griffin Newman]

Or we show you Spielberg and you go, I guess I would do E.T. raiders or Jaws.

[David Sims]

Jaws.

[Griffin Newman]

You either only pick the three things everyone want to do, or you go, none of these get my dicks.

[David Sims]

All right, Let him.

[Griffin Newman]

Let him defend himself.

[Timothy Simons]

Let me defend myself momentarily. When it came to lynch and the Coen brothers, I was. I was. I was very vocal about the Coen brothers. And I grant, I know you like doing these things in person, so some of it is schedule wise.

[Griffin Newman]

It is.

[Timothy Simons]

I want to honor your commitment to doing it in person.

[Griffin Newman]

I appreciate that.

[Timothy Simons]

When it came to the Coen brothers, I believe I threw out a list of all of them I still haven't seen. Ever seen Lady Killers, which I am sort of embarrassed by, even though I know it's, like, not a favorite or whatever. You're fine. Thank you. I feel like maybe that was embellished a little bit when it came to the Coens, because I am such a huge fan of the Coens, but I also want to. In a way, part of that is I don't want to take away something from the lynch filmography that somebody feels passionately about when I'm a little bit more, you know, oh, I'm gonna take that away from them.

[David Sims]

I understand that. I totally think it's a good question. Right. People are going to be passionate and

[Timothy Simons]

then sometimes just doesn't get my dick hard. You know what I mean?

[Griffin Newman]

You do now drop that phrase. I. I bring this up not to roast you as much as to say this episode.

[David Sims]

Anthony over. I'm not here to roast. I'm not here.

[Griffin Newman]

This episode came about a different way. We throw you the schedule. You go, honestly, I'm up for anything. You guys tell me where I could best be. And I say, have you ever seen Fearless? And you say, no. And I go, I feel like that might be a hitmaker movie. Why don't you watch it? Throw it on. Tell me what you think. If you spark to it in the way I think you will, it's yours. But you were mentioned about this.

[Timothy Simons]

I was. And I think even on this list, there were things where I was like, I had just very recently seen Picnic at Hanging Rock for the first time, but there was a part of me that was like, I can't tackle.

[David Sims]

That's kind of a big. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Am I the guy?

[David Sims]

I think you're the one to speak to the sort of teenage girl experience in, like, turn of the century in

[Griffin Newman]

Australia, women going missing.

[Timothy Simons]

But I think it. I think he has a lot of experience.

[David Sims]

Weird.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

To your credit. You recognize that.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Timothy Simons]

I may have been the perfect person for that episode.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

But then we're like, you know, maybe we should. Maybe we should give another voice a chance on it.

[Griffin Newman]

Also, look, heavy weighs the crown.

[David Sims]

And we love having Hillary Clinton on that episode. I mean, we haven't booked that episode yet.

[Griffin Newman]

It's gonna be h. You know, you do. You do a thing like Jaws are shining. You're like, this has to be a three hour episode. We're gonna talk about every element of this movie and we'll wedge in some tangents. But, like, Fearless is the kind of movie I love covering on this podcast where I'm like, I think this is an excellent movie. Yes.

[David Sims]

But it is not in. Does not require. Right. Like an oil level drilling. Yes. No.

[Griffin Newman]

And it offers many different tendrils of conversation.

[Timothy Simons]

And I was excited to do something because I am passionate about the Shining and Jaws, and those are like, Totemic films in and of themselves. I am sort of excited to talk about one that I didn't have, like, much of an emotional. I had never seen it, so I didn't really have an emotional connection to it.

[Griffin Newman]

You've seen it twice now.

[Timothy Simons]

Didn't really look up. And I would say, even broadly, I have seen a lot of Peter Weir's movies, but I wasn't. I'm not like, familiar with his style throughout his entire career.

[David Sims]

And so.

[Timothy Simons]

And I haven't looked up anything about this one. So I'm actually really excited to find out more about Fearless today. Just as somebody who, as a listener,

[Griffin Newman]

we're here to learn. I mean, I think Peter Weir is an ultimate. His style matches the material kind of guy. Right. Not that he's a chameleon. I think there are lines.

[David Sims]

Sure.

[Griffin Newman]

I think of him a little similar to Sidney Lumet a little bit.

[David Sims]

I mean, but I see. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I'm interested as we do the. Cause like the thing with Ang Lee, when we did him, we picked Ang Lee because he was a blank check candidate. Obviously. He made movies like Hulk that we were like, perfect for the show, but we were also like, oh, he's kind of a chameleon. Right. He's done a bunch of genres. Then you watch the movies and you're like, there are very obvious themes and

[Griffin Newman]

through lines, every single movie is about emotional repression. And when it's family. Yes.

[David Sims]

Like, you know, made and found all this shit, you know, like. And you're like, right. And I'm excited to see this with Peter Weir too. I do feel like he was a little bit more of a. I want to do something different, like, you know, consciously, like, as he was approaching projects, as he's accruing fame. It's also an era in Hollywood when there were interesting scripts that you could pivot to.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

You could tell your team, like, I want. Find me something that's more dramatic. Find me something that's more going to cost this much money. Right. Like, versus, like, whatever, I'm Peter Weir. So I do this sort of move like that. The story of this movie is he had made Green Card and he was like, well, I don't want to do something as light next time. Like, it's a broad, you know, sort of direction for him to go in, but he's thinking of directions to go in.

[Griffin Newman]

The book comes out the same year as the movie. So this is a thing that gets optioned as a manuscript. It's not adapting a hit Book, right? And it's not even like you read the galleys of this thing and you go like, holy, this is the Da Vinci Code. People are gonna lose their minds. I imagine you go, this is a good piece of writing, you know, and this is a good vehicle for a good actor. And Jeff Bridges is certainly a star at this period of time, but he's not Harrison Ford, he's not Mel Gibson, he's not Robin Williams, he's not the lead.

[David Sims]

Talk about it. The studio was.

[Griffin Newman]

Unless box office, right? He's like one of the best actors working in the studio system in the 90s, the studio system in Hollywood in the 90s. But he's a guy who kind of has a little bit of a box office ceiling while having like, ultimate credibility. And you look at the poster for this movie, this isn't a blank check movie, but the top thing of the poster is from the director of Witness and Dead Poets, right?

[David Sims]

He's got these two big grown up Hollywood hits that he can now like, you know, advertise off of, even if

[Griffin Newman]

he's not a household name. This is an era where you could put that at the top of a poster and people would walk by it and go, like, I liked the way those movies made me feel.

[Timothy Simons]

And also it seems like, and this is a broad statement, I guess, and I don't want it to be detrimental to audiences right now. This also very much seems like a movie that could be made in 1993 where you see those two movies above the title. And this is not like necessarily a fun, exciting night out at the movies. It's a movie I really, really enjoyed. But it also is not like, hey, let's go to the cinema. Play. An audience was willing to engage with

[David Sims]

a movie to some extent. Yeah, it was a modest hit, I would say, right? Like it made.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[Timothy Simons]

Was the studio not happy with J. Jeff Bridges being cast?

[David Sims]

Well, you'll just. I, I can go into the dossier, but like, Weir's first call was to Mel Gibson, who. Someone he'd worked with before, who's obviously a giant star. And Gibson was busy making his first film, the Man Without a Face, and probably doing all the normal stuff and, you know, like, he's your best friend. You can probably get to it better than me.

[Timothy Simons]

I was in the car when he got pulled over that one time. Say, more stuff. Same more stuff.

[Griffin Newman]

You pitched him, sugar tits.

[Timothy Simons]

I did. I was like, it's gonna be like a little harsh, but they'll find they're not recording this. They're not recording.

[Griffin Newman]

You passed him a list of alts. Dog fucker. I know that's not how you use it.

[David Sims]

When he, you know, Gibson passed Peter Weir then went to the studio and was like, I'm thinking Jeff Bridges. And they were like, oh, we were thinking another Mel Gibson type famous person. We like Jeff Bridges just fine. But that's not that tier of fame. So they were disappointed when, you know, they learned. He was like, no, no, no, Jeff Bridges.

[Griffin Newman]

We're talking about this a lot in this series. But because Weir was so much a guy who worked with the top A list stars and was a guy that these stars trusted, either brought on to develop their projects or would sign on to the project because he was directing it. This is still a time where if you have one of the 10 guys above the title, you can basically sell the audience on whatever they're doing.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

You can take something that seems a little challenging or a little uncommercial and a studio will give it tens of millions of dollars and full promotional support and the audience will like, go along for the ride. And you're like, across the 90s, he works with. And the 80s.

[David Sims]

Sure.

[Griffin Newman]

He works with Gibson, Williams, Ford and Carrie. Yeah, right. And he works with two of those guys two times.

[David Sims]

And let's not forget the other a lister. He worked with another normal man.

[Timothy Simons]

A normal man who definitely did not, like, pee in the the aisle. I need to go. I need to go.

[David Sims]

Occupied.

[Griffin Newman]

The line is too long.

[Timothy Simons]

I feel like that was also a very short Little Mermaid.

[Griffin Newman]

He's very short flight.

[Timothy Simons]

Are we?

[Griffin Newman]

It was LA to San Francisco.

[David Sims]

It was LA to San Diego. And he's like, I got to go.

[Timothy Simons]

Just open the door.

[David Sims]

The fearless sequels have one taking off the plane, like so shaken. Except for one guy who's like, I feel fine. And everyone's like, sure, you just pissed all over our plane.

[Timothy Simons]

That was.

[Griffin Newman]

They opened the doors.

[Timothy Simons]

The one thing, the one thing that I read was that initially it wasn't a plane crash. It was just they all witnessed a man pee in the aisle. And then they were like, I saw death in that moment. Have we planted a flag that Witness is the blank check. What is the blank?

[David Sims]

I would say the guarantor is here of living dangerously, personally, but we'll get there.

[Griffin Newman]

I think that's the guarantor that gets him into Hollywood. I think Witness is the guarantor for the next.

[David Sims]

I've heard the rest for the Hollywood. Because like, Witness is kind of that movie. Obviously it's got Harrison Ford. So, you know, he Helps. But the wild success of that film certainly means it's like he is now the kind of director pretty much anyone would want to work with.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a big hit. He gets a Best Picture nomination, Best Director. But also it is that thing where,

[David Sims]

like, oh, and then Dead Poets and,

[Griffin Newman]

you know, I mean, he made Harrison Ford respected as an actor. Yeah.

[David Sims]

And the same with Dead Poets and Robert Williams, I guess. Yeah. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

But there was a certain degree. The last guy who kind of had this for better or worse, and mostly for worse was David O. Russell. Yeah. Where it was just like, people know it's automatic. If you're in his movie, you have a really good shot at getting out an awards campaign.

[David Sims]

Right. You won't get yelled at on set, right?

[Timothy Simons]

No.

[Griffin Newman]

And I. I think a lot of these A list guys really were just like, I trust this guy. He's. He's unlocking new corridors of movie stars.

[Timothy Simons]

You know, I have two questions for Was, was Picnic at Hanging Rock a reclamation or was that something that really put him on the map?

[David Sims]

Very much put him on the map. Really big deal.

[Griffin Newman]

And then Australian cultural phenomenon in America and the States, art house phenomenon beyond respect.

[Timothy Simons]

And then where was Jeff Bridges in his career?

[David Sims]

Okay, so we got to talk about it because. All right, look good.

[Timothy Simons]

I want.

[David Sims]

He's been building bridges for 20 years.

[Griffin Newman]

Point.

[David Sims]

Amazing stuff. Like, you look at his career and you.

[Griffin Newman]

You.

[David Sims]

You doff.

[Griffin Newman]

Your cat is heed him.

[Timothy Simons]

He has always, historically been one of those. One of those guys, and probably because of Lebowski has been one of those guys that I have always loved. But as I have gone back and started filling holes, a huge one. I had never seen the Last Picture Show. And then I was like, right at the start, I was like, like, oh, that's why he's a fucking movie star. From the start, this sort of schlubby. Like, he was a beautiful movie star.

[David Sims]

It's very true. He was beautiful. But I do feel like, for such a cutie pie, he took these roles, the early stuff like Fat City, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. He's like, I will play the face. I'll play the young guy, but it'll be in a dark movie that's like, you know, tragic and sort of.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Playing against my handsomeness in a way.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[David Sims]

I mean, those are the two early ones. Post.

[Griffin Newman]

But he's. He's the kind pop hot shot, you're right. Who gets taken down a bit.

[Timothy Simons]

Right.

[David Sims]

Because he also does stuff we don't remember. Like he made a NASCAR movie called The Last American Hero, which I think is more probably just more direct. Like what if he was a cocky hot shot guy?

[Griffin Newman]

He entered the grid. Of course.

[David Sims]

Well, we'll get there. But you know, in the 70s, just to do more of the seven, you know, stay hungry. He's really good in. That's a good movie. The Bob Raffleson King Kong. He see gorilla.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, he see gorilla.

[David Sims]

I don't.

[Griffin Newman]

Crunchy. He environmentalist.

[David Sims]

Winter Kills, a movie I know Ben enjoyed.

[Ben Hosley]

Yeah, I just saw it recently.

[David Sims]

Which has had a bit of a

[Timothy Simons]

revival of late Winter Kills.

[David Sims]

Yeah, dude, you would dig.

[Ben Hosley]

It's kind of like a weird, like satire of the jfk.

[David Sims]

It's like a Parallax View spoof movie kind of. It's a very strange film.

[Timothy Simons]

That sounds like it fucking rules.

[David Sims]

It does kind of rule. And then Heaven's Gate, right, is not, I don't think really held against anybody. He's not even a big part of that movie. That movie's held against Shamita. Like it's not held against Kris Kristofferson or whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

So here, this is the other thing we just have to call out. If we're like even setting up the beginning of Bridges. His dad just fucking work a day. Career actor, right?

[David Sims]

Yeah, of course.

[Griffin Newman]

And it is instilled in him and his brother just the work ethic of this is a job. This is how you treat people right. This is how you show up. And he would throw his kids little parts on the shows he was working Sea Hunt and stuff, you know, like Lloyd Bridges was just a guy, right, without being a star, but had like a solid career and just really drilled into them like, you can't take this for granted. Every job's a gift. You gotta show up and give it your best. And then he talks about Last Picture show being the first moment where he's like, oh, I like, see how I could build a life out of this.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Where it went from being a thing of like, I don't know, this has kind of gotten thrown to me. And he gets this Oscar nomination for Last Picture Show.

[David Sims]

It's a classic. Another for Thunderbolt Knife.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, the last Picture show nominations, the kind that doesn't happen that often anymore where you're like, this is not some extreme dramatic part, but a guy just nails it so hard. It's the sort of like Jude Law, talented Mr. Ripley, like, welcome to the top. Yeah, nomination. And then Thunderbolt is like, congratulations, you've graduated to two hander with Clint Eastwood and you've held your own.

[David Sims]

Not just I think he, he Eastwood, I think was annoyed at. He was like, this guy's getting. Having all the fun. Like, this guy gets the fun part,

[Griffin Newman]

which is that nomination of like, you might actually be like a fucking movie star.

[Timothy Simons]

But are we in infrastructure week right now?

[Griffin Newman]

Because we're building bridges.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, because we're building bridges.

[David Sims]

Back better.

[Timothy Simons]

We got to build back better.

[David Sims]

I just should play Biden.

[Timothy Simons]

One thing that I love.

[David Sims]

Right?

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, he actually would good.

[Griffin Newman]

He'd be really good.

[Timothy Simons]

Moving pretty slow.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Blankies.

[Ben Hosley]

Quick question, and be honest. When was the last time you actually thought about how much fiber you were eating? Not protein, not calculated calories, fiber. In the US fewer than 1 in 10 adults hit their daily recommended intake. And fiber isn't a bonus nutrient. It's foundational. That's where Huel comes in. On those days when I gotta rush to the studio to tape an episode and I need a quick and healthy meal, I reach for one bottle or one scoop that gives me everything a real meal is supposed to give you. The Black Edition ready to drink has 35 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber, 27 essential vitamins and minerals, no artificial sweeteners, it's gluten free and it's under five bucks. Or let's say on the days that I want something a little more customizable, I use the Black edition powder. I can add it to whatever and get 40 grams of protein. Same complete nutrition, just a different vibe. The RTD and powder duo has become my insurance policy against chaotic days and makes staying consistent so easy. Limited time offer. Get Huell today with our exclusive offer of 15% off online with our code [e-mail] check. New customers only. Thanks, Huell, for partnering and supporting our show.

[Timothy Simons]

He won for Crazy Heart. Yeah, right.

[David Sims]

You're jumping ahead there, but I am

[Timothy Simons]

jumping ahead a little bit. But one thing that is one thing that I love about Jeff Bridges is when I remember so clearly, he gets up there and just says, what a groovy profession, man.

[David Sims]

And it's that it was so lovely.

[Timothy Simons]

It was so lovely. Like, and I think that that work a day ethic that you're talking about is even present when he's doing that. And all of these. You get the sense that he was just like, yeah, I'm gonna take my career seriously. But also I'm gonna go work and I'm gonna be in a movie. This one might not win an Oscar,

[Griffin Newman]

but he's had the same stand in for, like, I want to say, maybe 50 years now. Who's his best friend. And there are amazing sort of like photo montages, you can see of them styled together across the decades of. They just kind of like live in tandem. He's been like, married to the same woman for decades. Like, there's shit like this. But also I think it's like that Heaven's Gate moment doesn't knock him down. Well, because this guy's reputation is just like, I think within.

[David Sims]

I want to speak to this within the industry. Right. Professional, great, does interesting things.

[Griffin Newman]

Arguably, until True Grit, he was never seen as a guy who could like, really guarantee box office. But I think he's like consummate pro. Of course, everyone likes working with him. He's never bad.

[David Sims]

Well, except if you tell him that Tony Stark, you know, you can't build like the arc reactor. And he knows the Tony Stark pieces here built it in a cave from a box of scraps.

[Timothy Simons]

Who wouldn't get frustrated by that?

[David Sims]

It's frustrating. It's frustrating.

[Griffin Newman]

It's like if someone brought up Juilliard, you'd have to snap it.

[Timothy Simons]

You have to be like, no, I'm going to build the arc reactor.

[David Sims]

Yeah, I just. When you look at his sort of post, what you're, you know, the first two noms, right? You look at the King Kong, Winter Kills, Heaven's Gate, Cutter's Way, Tron, you are. I. I am like, right. He did a lot of interesting projects and none of them really like, financially succeeded and King Kong made money, but under. Well, right. Things like that. So it's like by the time he does Starman in 84, a film we've covered, a film that really I was thinking about a lot while I was watching Fearless Performances. Right. Because you're both about people who are a little outside of reality, Right. Who are like one step removed from being normal humans and so much because he is Starman.

[Griffin Newman]

Observing, like watching him look at.

[David Sims]

And he's so tremendous in both movies. Yeah, but, but yeah, by the time he makes Starman, it's like, yeah, he's, you know, he's a little weird. And he's like the guy Carpenter would use to play, like kind of a weird guy.

[Griffin Newman]

And to your point, like two nominations before he's 25, and then it takes another 10 years before they give him the best actor nomination.

[David Sims]

Right, right.

[Griffin Newman]

For Starman.

[David Sims]

Then he did Jagged Edge, you know, Morning after, he does these like thrillers,

[Griffin Newman]

kind of grown up thriller, period.

[David Sims]

Tucker, which he rocks in so good. And God, he's. Have you seen Tucker, man in his dream? The FFC Coppola. Megalopolis guy.

[Griffin Newman]

Great Bridges.

[David Sims]

Is that the guy who made the car?

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, yes. I have seen Tucker. I haven't. I watched that, I think when I was in high school.

[David Sims]

You ever seen Smucker's? The man in his dream about the guy who did the jelly?

[Timothy Simons]

No, no, that one I missed.

[David Sims]

Then he does peanut butter and then it just. The wheels fall off.

[Timothy Simons]

You ever seen a peanut butter solution?

[David Sims]

Yeah, yeah, that is a good right, Severin.

[Griffin Newman]

Kids, release. You've got the, that, you got the blue.

[Timothy Simons]

Did they put it out?

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, yeah.

[David Sims]

You ever seen the Peanut Butter Falcon, people?

[Timothy Simons]

I didn't see a peanut butter falcon, but the guy that wrote and directed it used to go to my gym.

[David Sims]

Really?

[Timothy Simons]

Actually, so currently I, I now I

[David Sims]

thought you were going to say high school or something.

[Griffin Newman]

You're lying.

[David Sims]

You go to gym in Los Angeles?

[Griffin Newman]

I could never believe such a thing.

[Timothy Simons]

I, we actually used to go to one gym and now that gym. Then that gym closed and now we go to a new gym and he's at this new gym.

[Griffin Newman]

This is, this is an honest podcast also.

[David Sims]

It's just like this is the kind of incendiary stu stuff we can't put on. Like, you know, we need lawyers to check against this.

[Griffin Newman]

We're an independent podcast.

[David Sims]

Right. The liability you're exposing us to here. Look, my point is after this weird kind of up and down 80s and this is something Peter Weir says when he, in the dossier, when he says like, I was drawn to Bridges, it's like fabulous Baker Boys 89, Fisher King, 91. Like it's kind of the, like this is an interesting act actor. Like who, who like is a real movie star. He is a real movie star.

[Griffin Newman]

Undeniably, I would say the fabulous title

[Timothy Simons]

Boys, the Fabulous Baker Boys is the first time in my life that I was aware of Jeff Bridges. Yeah.

[David Sims]

Yeah. Well, I never saw Rocks in it. You should see.

[Timothy Simons]

I should see it, right? Those movies that like my parents were talking about my mom's favorite movie of all time.

[Griffin Newman]

He's, he's always good. But there's something about when Bridges hits his 40s in the 90s.

[David Sims]

This makes sense.

[Griffin Newman]

This makes perfect sense.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

This is like he's a grow grown up movie star with an interesting edge. I also think it's just to this point, right? This is an era where if there's a good script that a good director is interested in, if there's an interesting piece of material around town, the studio goes like, we want to make this. Let's Offer it to Mel, both Toms, whoever. And then they pass and they go like, okay, let's move down at.

[David Sims]

Let's open it up. Right.

[Griffin Newman]

They don't go, well, then we're not gonna make it. Yeah. And Bridges kind of becomes this guy where a lot of those movies he did. You imagine that the 10 guys above him all turned it down. And then the studio goes like, I guess we can get Bridges for cheap. And the director's like, great. I get to cast Jeff Bridges. Like, he's kind of the most interesting consolation movie star.

[David Sims]

Yeah, I think that's fair.

[Griffin Newman]

He's always going to deliver.

[David Sims]

Well, let me open the dossier, in fact, to tell you what happened here.

[Timothy Simons]

And I also want to throw in a question, whatever that list above him is. And we don't need to get into, like, the specifics of the movie quite yet.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

Is there any one of those actors that you think would have given as compelling a performance? No, I kind of.

[David Sims]

No, I think it's perfect for this one.

[Timothy Simons]

He's kind of perfect.

[David Sims]

Here's who I thought of.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Because of Unbreakable. Bruce Willis. Because an Unbreakable is a sort of like, you know, very, very different movie, but sort of a similar idea of a guy who's kind of like, can fucking nothing happen to me? Like. Like. And who is recovering from an accident.

[Griffin Newman]

But Bruce, I don't think was ready for this yet.

[David Sims]

No, he'd be like, be doing wise cracks. But, like, he makes sense. As if Peter, we had said what about Bruce Willis? Should have been like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Great, great, great. Like, we like that. You know, that'll. That'll sell.

[Griffin Newman]

I feel like you texted last night, like, all caps. What was it? Peak. Bridges.

[David Sims]

Bridges, excellence.

[Griffin Newman]

Bridges, excellence. And I have.

[David Sims]

He is. From minute one, you're just like, I am in good hands.

[Griffin Newman]

Unbelievable. And also the best head of hair height ever. Okay, Lions.

[David Sims]

Ben, speak to this for a second. I want to throw something at you. The way he looks in this movie, especially the sort of first look. The jacket, the glasses, the hair.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

This is how men should look.

[Griffin Newman]

I kept thinking, like, sort of early 90s.

[David Sims]

Like, the suits are a little bigger.

[Ben Hosley]

Shooting is so fantastic. It's very much that trend of that time where it was the. The sports jacket was like, kind of

[David Sims]

a little bit longer. Yes, yes. Just a little baggier, a little baggy. Because the 80s are over.

[Ben Hosley]

The Armani influence wins.

[Timothy Simons]

The hair and the sunglasses, when he's leaning against those glasses.

[David Sims]

Get me them right now.

[Griffin Newman]

Chat.

[David Sims]

GPT like how do I buy them?

[Ben Hosley]

Truly, I like left watching that for the first time and was like, all of those looks like I need to start wearing sports jackets. Like, he looks so. And then even the slacks, they're a little bit loose. They're kind of like a little bit higher waist cut.

[David Sims]

Is this just like, do I just want to live in, like 1992 and have like a Palm Pilot

[Griffin Newman]

him?

[David Sims]

Well, I want to be him. This is the thing. It is Jeff Bridges, right?

[Griffin Newman]

He's also. He's one of those guys where if you rough him up 10, he gets 50 more handsome, right? Like him with like a little bit of dirt, looking a little hungover.

[David Sims]

Yeah, he's a natural face.

[Griffin Newman]

You're like, holy. I. If I am not mistaken, because I re watched it recently, I believe that this was the main visual reference for creepy CGI Jeff Bridges and Tron Legacy.

[David Sims]

You know, it makes sense.

[Griffin Newman]

They identify his face. This is his physical peak. If you're trying to visually create the uncanny valley of what's the Jeff Bridges frozen in time moment?

[David Sims]

It's this that makes sense. Yeah, that's interesting.

[Timothy Simons]

You could try to. Fran Lebowitz.

[Griffin Newman]

Those glasses go speak on that.

[Timothy Simons]

It's where. Did you ever read this interview with

[Griffin Newman]

Fran Leibowitz, which you're gonna have to be more.

[David Sims]

No, no. You know what, Christian, answer the question.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay, yes.

[Timothy Simons]

Where they're talking about her style and. And she was basically like, did you

[David Sims]

ever read this interview with Bruce Willis? I think she's like, well, what, sorry.

[Timothy Simons]

One of the most prolific interview givers that has ever been. She had this interview about her style, and she was basically like, the shirt that I wear. She wears like one shirt and she has her glasses.

[Griffin Newman]

She's got a Doug Funny closet.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

It's the same outfit.

[Timothy Simons]

It's the same outfit every day. And she was like, at some point, the shirt maker that made those shirts stopped making them. So I had to start having them custom made. But then what also happened is the glasses maker that makes my glasses stopped making them, and I had to have those custom made. And Ben, you'll know about this suiting. Custom made shirts, not inexpensive, but. But not insane. I think if you're Franley Boitz, they were like, well, how much does it cost to have glasses made? And it really. She would not give a number. But broadly was like, like, how much does a car cost? That was the number.

[Griffin Newman]

If it's one of one.

[Timothy Simons]

Like, if it's like one of one. And I'm sure if they were making them, she Was like, make me two or three while you're there. But I think that basically meant buying two or three cars.

[David Sims]

But it's like the. Right. When, like, they're making the Batsuit in Batman Begins. Right. Like, we bought 10,000, because we might as well, like, we're breaking them.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

You're like, these parts basically need to be machined for her.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah. Yeah, that's. I think that is what she referenced in the article. I. I'll go look up that interview. If you just want to Google Fran Lebowitz interview. I'm sure it'll be the first one that comes out.

[David Sims]

I'll just. I'll actually just yell it into my phone.

[Griffin Newman]

And she only did one.

[Ben Hosley]

I think, though, that now with 3D printing, I bet that it's actually a little bit more inexpensive. But I'm sure, you know, this is, like, a very recent technology.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes.

[Ben Hosley]

You definitely would have to get a mold created that then they would have to fill with plastic or whatever the material base is. So, yeah, it was not a.

[David Sims]

Probably.

[Timothy Simons]

Probably less expensive. Now, can I just say, did you guys see the interview with Harrison Ford where he talked about Jay Leno?

[David Sims]

Don't answer the question.

[Griffin Newman]

We know Jay Leno.

[Timothy Simons]

No. Where Jay Leno 3D printed him a toilet seat. This is no big deal. This is the most.

[Griffin Newman]

The. The.

[Timothy Simons]

The most charming.

[David Sims]

That's what he said when he handed

[Timothy Simons]

it to celebrity interview I have ever seen.

[David Sims]

Who's interviewing him about this? Like, who is. It's not Jay Leno.

[Timothy Simons]

No, he is. He is in an interview. I can't remember which one. I think it was. It was. What's the movie? Oh, it was probably for Red Hulk. That was.

[David Sims]

And he's being interviewed by npr. The nice lady from npr. Not Terry Gross. Another one.

[Timothy Simons]

And, Tim, can you quickly just please

[Griffin Newman]

pay respects to our president? Salute.

[David Sims]

There he is in the show. The president can't invoke him out.

[Griffin Newman]

Showing some proper.

[David Sims]

And Jay Leno calls him during the interview, the toilet seats ready.

[Timothy Simons]

And she's like, why is Jay Leno calling you? And he was like, oh, he's making me a toilet seat. And then goes on to explain that he has a rare toilet seat and. Or a rare toilet that does not have any new seats. But he loves the toilet.

[Griffin Newman]

And Jay leno has a 3D printer,

[Timothy Simons]

has the technology because of all the car shit that he does. And Jay was like, I'll take care of that for you. I'm not doing it justice, but it's a very charming interview.

[David Sims]

I'm just Kind of, you know, Harrison Ford as we've, I think, brought up on other episodes. He's. Yeah, he's been given some charming interviews of late.

[Griffin Newman]

We. We.

[Ben Hosley]

There's a wild card with Rachel Martin.

[David Sims]

Okay.

[Timothy Simons]

There you go.

[Griffin Newman]

We did our. Our Witness episode with the great Amanda Dobbins very recently.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, that's.

[Griffin Newman]

And talking about how that's a, like, peak physical form. The best. One of the best looking men in the history of movies has ever looked movies. And yet watching this just a week or two later, I'm like, this might actually be the number one look a guy has ever had on screen.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

This, in a way, and I'm not saying any of us could attain it. This feels somewhat more attainable than P. Carrison Ford.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[Timothy Simons]

There is a possibility that another human being could look like this.

[Griffin Newman]

There's something weirdly a little more every man about him.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And his handsomeness comes from like, like it. It is not an obvious chiseled perfection.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

But I also think it. This era of him in the 90s, his work just feels so, like, simple and effortless while clearly being thoughtful and

[Timothy Simons]

like, deeply felt, like, soully, soulful in everything.

[Griffin Newman]

This man is just like, so comfortable on camera, understands the medium, and has just, like, honed his fucking craft. And then Lebowski obviously, like, breaks something in him that leads to the next era of I'm a billy goat gruff eating a tin can.

[Timothy Simons]

I live under a bridge.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. And like, everything after that point becomes something else, which he's very good at.

[Timothy Simons]

What were his 90s after this?

[David Sims]

Jeff Bridges. It's a good question, and I'm going to hear to answer it for you because I do think it's not like, again, his look, he made the big Lebowski. So, like, he has a great 90s. Right. But he does make a lot more stuff that goes over okay to bad. So the vanishing remake, he's actually good in that, you know, But I think

[Timothy Simons]

ultimately pretty good movie, except for the

[David Sims]

fact a remake of a better movie or whatever. Blown Away, he kind of rocks in it. He does a lot of, like, yelling movies. So Blown Away. White Squall, Arlington Road, all kind of solid movies where he yells a bunch.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[David Sims]

None of them classics.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Wild Bill, where he plays Wild Bill Hicko for Walter Hill, was a huge failure.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. And that felt like the first. The biggest stretch he had done in

[David Sims]

terms of like, a bit. Yeah, exactly.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Mirror Has Two Faces, a movie we've covered on this podcast.

[Griffin Newman]

Very normal.

[David Sims]

The issue with it is how normal it is.

[Griffin Newman]

It's too normal.

[David Sims]

Just regular and nothing weird happens.

[Griffin Newman]

You forget you're watching a movie and not looking at a blank piece of paper.

[David Sims]

Right. Or just like. Right. Watching your friends hang out, it is

[Griffin Newman]

so reflective of the way normal people talk today.

[David Sims]

But then the thing with the right dialogue, the way they write, the way they interact and dress and behave. Like with Leowski, it's like Lebowski shirt doesn't do very well at the time. But very quickly you see Love of Bridges. Right? Like, so the contender. He plays the president. He's great in that movie. Gets another Oscar nomination.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, that was with. Why am I blanking on the.

[David Sims]

Joan Allen.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes. Yeah.

[David Sims]

Maybe you don't support women or good actors or whatever. No, no, no, no, you don't exactly.

[Timothy Simons]

Thank you for bringing it up because I have my own dossier of things I wanted to make clear, and one of them was I don't support women

[David Sims]

shouldn' leads a movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes. Sean Fancy coined a new term to describe when Tim goes off, which is movie maga mode.

[Timothy Simons]

And like, I want to make it clear that movie maga mode is basically like a little bit of a nitpick of a movie that most people agree is perfection. I feel like that's what my movie maga.

[Griffin Newman]

It's not actually right wing opinions expressed

[David Sims]

through movie, but it's like the. The tone or tenor, the energy.

[Griffin Newman]

Tim leans in and says, am I crazy? And then throws out a I'm just asking questions. Movie take.

[Timothy Simons]

And am I proud of this? No. But I do think every once in a while I love an unbridled positivity toward the movie going and movie watching experience.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

And David, I'm going to direct this to you.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

And I don't. Griffin, I should be directing this to you. But every once in a while, Griffin will refer to a film that is not a masterpiece as a masterpiece.

[David Sims]

Chaz, any. Any in particular that you're thinking of?

[Griffin Newman]

Well, I don't think I've ever been wrong about this, so I'd love to hear you pull one example.

[Timothy Simons]

I mean, I feel like, look, this isn't the example, but a thing that has come up recently when we're talking about physical media is like, Griffin would just sort of casually be like, oh, the movie sliver, that's a masterpiece.

[David Sims]

I don't think Griffin.

[Timothy Simons]

No, but that's.

[David Sims]

No, that's like, let's cite that. That's an example of like a.

[Griffin Newman]

Sure.

[David Sims]

God bless it. Bad movie.

[Griffin Newman]

They announced. They announced small soldiers 4k steelbook and I go, obviously inarguable masterpiece.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

And everyone in the group text agrees with me and we move along.

[Timothy Simons]

That is, I think that would be an example.

[David Sims]

Right. And that makes you go movie mega mode. Just to give you bridges 90s, you know. Sorry, yeah, we gave you the 90s. But then like the 2000s, I just

[Griffin Newman]

feel like packs he PAX is it?

[David Sims]

He tries to nail Kate. Backs to the wall. That guy's like fucking jelly.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes or no? Alien. He slips him a piece of paper. Are you an alien? Check one

[David Sims]

space. He's like, I'll never tell. Stuff like Seabiscuit, like Door in the floor, which he's really good in Iron man, obviously even like less seen stuff like Tide Lands.

[Griffin Newman]

He's becoming a little bit of elder statesman.

[David Sims]

Right. He's entering young grandpa mode.

[Griffin Newman]

Even if he's first billed, he's kind of supporting someone else and we all

[David Sims]

support him and love him. But then post crazy heart, he has the genuine like I guess he's a 60 plus year old movie star, right? Like crazy heart. True Grit man who stare at goats. The Tron Legacy. You know, he's all over that movie. Good and bad. RIPD Rounding up the rest in pieces. The Giver.

[Griffin Newman]

We obviously talked about it on on the Cohen series, but True Grit and Tron Legacy come out a week apart from each other.

[David Sims]

They sure do.

[Griffin Newman]

The two movies are just like burning up the box office together. And Hollywood goes like, I guess he's box office gold now.

[David Sims]

And then.

[Griffin Newman]

And then he has this run of terrible big budget.

[David Sims]

Some of them are bad, some of them are bad.

[Griffin Newman]

RIPD Giver. All nightmares Giver.

[David Sims]

But the Giver is an example of. It's like he had been trying to make that movie for so long. And it's only post like True Grit, right, that he finally asked the club. He's like, I'll be the giver, you know. And they're like, all right, all right, all right.

[Griffin Newman]

You know the crazier thing about the Giver? He read the book when it came out. Excellent book. It's the best book options it and goes, I want to make this as a movie starring my dad. Right. That was his big thing was he wanted Lloyd to play.

[David Sims]

It's got to be old.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes. And then eventually he like Lloyd had died. He aged into it. He has an Oscar. He's seen his box office now and then they up every single sucks how

[David Sims]

bad that movie is. It's a real bummer.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And so, you know, he's doing great. I think he's even great. I mean, obviously Heller High Water was like, sixth Oscar nominal, and he rocks in that movie.

[Griffin Newman]

But you're right, that true. Not the true grit. The crazy heart moment was bizarre because there was this feeling of like, oh, I guess we never realized that he's overdue for an Oscar. He didn't have that same kind of narrative to him as, like, when are they going to give it to DiCaprio or Julianne Moore or some of these people? Because his nominations were spaced out and it was always a sort of like, oh, right, yeah. And then that movie, like, premieres at Toronto and everyone's like, we could just get him the Oscar. He's whatever. We could go full court press and he could probably win.

[Timothy Simons]

And hell or High Water, I feel like there's like, that last moment where. Where I believe he shoots Ben Foster. Spoilers for the 2012 Ben Foster has

[David Sims]

never played a character in a movie that would require shooting.

[Griffin Newman]

Shooting. Yeah.

[David Sims]

I don't know.

[Timothy Simons]

No, I would say broadly. Yeah. No, he's always playing a guy who's on the right side of.

[David Sims]

I'd like to shake your hand.

[Griffin Newman]

Let him cook.

[Timothy Simons]

Let him cook.

[Griffin Newman]

Ben Foster.

[David Sims]

Just.

[Griffin Newman]

Let's hear what he has to say.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah. Is death a coming. That's a 30 days of night quote that I feel like everybody is gonna get.

[Griffin Newman]

Masterpiece.

[Timothy Simons]

Exactly.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm joking. I've never seen that movie.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, you haven't seen.

[David Sims]

Seen it? No.

[Timothy Simons]

Ben Foster is really good and scary in the opening scene. He's got like a. He's got like a real. He's like that noise. That's death comment. And it's so good. I don't know if the movie's great,

[David Sims]

but that's the kind of line I can picture coming out of his mouth. And certainly not with, like, an accent. He didn't like to do those.

[Griffin Newman]

The.

[Timothy Simons]

The. The. The Jeff Bridges performance in that last moment or in those. Later in. In, like that. In that scene in Hell or High Water, I feel like is indicative of Jeff Bridges broadly, which is he gives you something that contains three emotions that you. That no one else could do.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

He finds a way to have a reaction to these situations that feels com. Completely singular and also emotionally true for the entire audience watching it.

[Griffin Newman]

That's a great way of putting it. And. And, you know, post crazy part, all these characters become a lot larger and more overstated. And he's obviously turned into, like, a bearded bourbon man. But when you see him in interviews, present day, the dude is much closer to his cruising altitude as A guy.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And then he loves playing these like ornery old coots or whatever, right?

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

But this 90s era where he's doing that in a movie like Fearless, where I think this movie is excellent and I'm wondering if this is an episode to coin a term for this kind of thing, but a movie that is uniformly excellent and yet there is a stretch of it that is like transcendent, where I think the first 30 minutes

[David Sims]

of this movie, to me, the book ends. To me it's the first 30 kind of last 20 are really what the

[Griffin Newman]

first 30 I like.

[David Sims]

Yes. The first 30 are basically like, why is this film not talked about constantly? I understand like that Schindler's List came out in 1993, like, or whatever. But like, why am I not always hearing about Fearless? And then the. The middle is not bad at all. It is good. It is. Makes sense for the movie. It's trying to be or whatever, but it's a little less thrilling, I guess. Whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

You know, at no point does the movie lose me, but the first 30 minutes I. I'm, as you're saying, leaning and going like, wait, is this actually one of the best films ever made?

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And it has a little bit of that Picnic at Hanging Rock thing where you're like, what is this mood he captured?

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

What is this feeling with such kind of like invisible craft? I cannot think of another movie that feels like this. And so much of it is him being able to do this, especially in the first chunk where he is inscrutable, where it's a while until we backfill kind of who this guy is. And you're just like, what the is motivating his decisions? I understand he just walked off of a plane crash, but why is he doing that this? And you're so locked into everything he's doing because every little moment is like three hyper specific emotions that are legible without being like overly communicated to the audience. Right. He's not doing anything like showy, he's not indicating.

[Timothy Simons]

And it's almost like the thing that he gets to, the emotion that he gets to is the one that in the script is supposed to be there or other maybe other actors could find their way to. It's just he somehow manages to choose the most interesting path to it.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, yeah.

[David Sims]

The film, just to give you the dossier a little bit. Like I said, Peter Weir had done Dead Poets Society and Green Card basically back to back, because he was trying to get Green Card made, makes Dead Poet Society while he's Trying to get that made. And then goes right to Green Card and he said he needed a rest. He was apparently covered in French piss. Not sure what's going on there. Do your taxes for you. Here is the trick. You, you know, foul.

[Griffin Newman]

While we have not recorded our green

[David Sims]

card episode, I have some yet ideas.

[Griffin Newman]

The time we're doing this, I just like, I can't even imagine that is going to be how many piss jokes our listeners will have heard at this

[Timothy Simons]

point is going to be unlistenable.

[David Sims]

A movie. I, I Green Card, to be clear, a movie I really love and like, like really is a movie that makes me happy. But does it Piss jokes. So he's Peter Weir, kind of a wellness king. I'm gonna say kind of a self healing.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[David Sims]

Because he's just like moving, going back to Sydney and I'm going to chill. I am going to apparently spend this break reading, swimming, learning French and tending to my garden. That's right. Taking it easy. And he thinks. Exactly. He, he never moved to la. He thinks that like it kind of helped his directorial eyes stay sharper to sort of stay out of the scene a little bit.

[Griffin Newman]

Bit.

[Timothy Simons]

You end up in a lot from Hollywood, the directors.

[David Sims]

That is true. And he does say this here. Like, it's too bad I never saw like a six' five guy at a gym who was on an HBO show. What are you, six' six? How tall are you?

[Timothy Simons]

Six' five? Yeah. Six. Five, six. Six. In that little range there. Crazy that that's quoting there.

[David Sims]

I know. Shouts to JJ for 1993 to Premiere magazine. And he doesn't want to make another Green Card. He's like green Card had done it was successful. It was a direction I didn't want to continue in. I was a little uneasy with the success. I wanted to do something a little more difficult.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, Hollywood always wants you thing you just did.

[David Sims]

Of course they're going to throw those, those versions of the scripts they've got.

[Griffin Newman]

And he wants to make a romcom. People are like, you can't make a romcom. He makes a romcom. Well. And they're like, congrats, you've proven it. Make 10 more rom coms.

[David Sims]

So he dips his toe back into the, you know, blah, like situation. He's a big deal director. He's an Oscar nominee. And so he says two times now, do, do. And he says he got sent, I think three. He got a green card nom too for screenplay.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, you're right.

[David Sims]

And he got sent a bunch of scripts. He said that Were basically like, go pictures, right? Yeah, you're a big shot. Like, what do you want to do? And he was like, these all suck. Like, not interested. Nothing edgy, nothing strange. Everything was clear and logical. Nothing was unconscious. And he said, all these films are out right now. They're. They are films that were made. I'd love to know, like, what you know. But basically he's like, these are scripts that Hollywood had cleaned up up already. You know what I mean? And I just was bored by like whatever notes get put through, you know, the studio. Fearless, however, right. Is based, like you said, it's a. It's a spec script based on a book that hasn't even come out yet. Raphael Iglesias, father of normal man Matt Iglesias, had written this book. It was like, I think his seventh book or something like. And it's the first draft script. And we are. Is like, like, like, thank you. This has not been with. This is weird.

[Griffin Newman]

He adapts his own unpublished book. Yeah, right.

[David Sims]

Get me this right away. Now. Raphael Iglesias is inspired by. He was in a car accident a long time in like in the 70s or whatever and had like, walked away, you know, no injuries, shaken up. He's still got that kind of like. It took him days to readjust to life. He starts getting obsessed with plane crashes, which normal people like me are also obsessed with.

[Griffin Newman]

With.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, I feel like there. This really will lead to a. We have to have a sidebar.

[Griffin Newman]

We're pinning this on the board. It's not a sidebar. It's a main bar crash movie.

[David Sims]

And then he in 89 reads about the notorious United Flight 232 crash. I don't know if you know about it. Which is like a famous crash crash in aviation history in that like the thing that happened was a one in a million thing, like a crazy mechanical failure that up the engines and the hydraulics so the plane, you know, landed, but crash landed onto like, you know, they tried to get it on a Runway, but not really in like South Dakota or Iowa, some, you know, somewhere. And a lot of people died, but a lot did not. And some people walked out unscathed and other people died. It was like 100 people died, 180 survived. Something like it's. And it is in like a plane crash history like they have simulated a million times and it's never this been. They've never gotten as good a result. They're like, we don't understand how like this actually went quote unquote so well.

[Griffin Newman]

But also in an era of newly launched 24 hour news.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

I feel like plane crash culture explodes in the 90s. You know, if a plane crash goes wrong, it's like we're. We're staying on this beat forward date and following it. It just felt like, I don't know. The coverage of these things became a lot louder than it had previously been.

[David Sims]

I'm sure, for sure.

[Griffin Newman]

Is Hero the same year as this movie? Stephen Fear's movie?

[David Sims]

I think that film starred Jet Li and came out in 2002. Different Griffin.

[Griffin Newman]

No, I think that's also, by the way, title of a jelly film.

[David Sims]

Yeah, right. That's right. Good. Not a bad movie. Hero is 92, so the year before,

[Griffin Newman]

a very different movie. But is similarly kind of playing Crash movie, though.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

What happens to the people who watch walk off. Walk out of a crash alive.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

So Weir likes the script, has some notes pretty much immediately, which is kind of his move. Like, that's what he did with Dead Poets Society as well. Initially, he's like, I really thought it was a daring movie. But it's two movies. The first 25 pages, the original script was straight through. Right. So plane crash, then Aftermath. Oh, so the first 25 pages are about the plane crash, how you cope with the knowledge you're gonna die, all this. And then the next part is that. So he's like, no, we're gonna intersperse the plane crash throughout. Right. Like, we're gonna do the structure of the movie, which is basically like, start after the crash and then build the flashbacks out a little bit, little by little, which I think is why the movie works.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Because you'd be too overwhelmed if it started with the plane crash. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Like, too conventional.

[David Sims]

And it's conventional.

[Griffin Newman]

What's so striking about the open.

[David Sims]

About him reaching an emotional realization about what happened to him. Right. Like, so it helps to see. I mean, another great film about a plane crash. Sully does basically the same thing.

[Griffin Newman]

Agreed. But also, this movie is about, like a rebirth. Right. That he walks off, he walks out of this crash feeling like a different person in a way. And so dramatically, the most impactful thing you can do is start the movie with that guy and then slowly catch up to everyone around him being like, the fuck happened to you? Because the first 30 minutes, he does feel like Starman.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

100%. Like, is this a person who's out, outside of reality? Been in a place before? Yeah.

[David Sims]

What were you going to say? Hitmaker?

[Timothy Simons]

Well, it is like, no, I can't

[David Sims]

say it's your baby, Joey.

[Timothy Simons]

And who is that?

[David Sims]

It's the baby from Superman, your favorite movie of 2025.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, yeah, that was my favorite movie of 2025. The. And he did go to Joe Julia and he. Well, you can see.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm gonna fucking murder you.

[Timothy Simons]

I think there is something interesting about, like. Yes. About that structure. And as he gets sort of closer back to real life, him remembering more and more of it or. Or whatever, the audience learning more and more about it, you could also then say he's remembering more and more of it if that. If you want to take that examination of it. But also. So, like, the. The first 25 minutes are a little bit odd to cope with because you realize that he didn't call his wife. Yes, like that.

[David Sims]

I mean, that is if I'm his wife. I have some notes.

[Timothy Simons]

I have some. I have some questions, some cues. Wait, you mean to tell me you just went to go visit your college girlfriend?

[Griffin Newman]

Let's just, like, speed round. Okay. Movie starts. He's walking through a cornfield.

[Timothy Simons]

It's the, like, with a baby.

[Griffin Newman]

Quiet. Warner Brothers logo. And then it's like, cornfield. Here's Jeff Bridges with a baby. He's very calmly, like, who's missing a baby? Hands the baby back, says goodbye to the child. Goes to first responders. Is like, I got to get in a train. Gets on a train, meets up with his college girlfriend, orders a bowl of raspberry.

[Ben Hosley]

He goes to the hotel and then

[David Sims]

he takes a shower.

[Ben Hosley]

Realizes that he's got a gash inside. Yeah, that should be, like, stitched. Like, it's a deep gap.

[Griffin Newman]

But everyone is, like, crying and screaming. And he.

[David Sims]

Plane crash.

[Griffin Newman]

I need to get to a hotel.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

I need to find my college ex girlfriend. I check out my chest. Eat the strawberry. She's like, aren't you allergic? While she's, like, spiraling about her life has gone awry.

[David Sims]

Deborah Monk, by the way, absolutely crushing that scene. She's so good.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes.

[David Sims]

I. She, like. I just love someone like that. Like a theater actor who can just come in and be like, I'll give you a full picture of this person.

[Griffin Newman]

You're really fun in this movie.

[David Sims]

Absolutely.

[Griffin Newman]

Of control in two scenes.

[David Sims]

Yep.

[Timothy Simons]

I did a short. I did like, a short film that. You've heard of him, huh?

[David Sims]

Short films.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, a little short film.

[Griffin Newman]

Shorty's watching Shorties.

[Timothy Simons]

My friend. My friend Dan Bullough wrote and directed.

[Griffin Newman]

He is a snl.

[Timothy Simons]

SNL writer.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

And there was. It's about a guy who thinks he wins the lottery and then just kind of goes off the rails. And at one point, there was a moment in this movie that I really liked, that if anybody's ever seen the short film Winners by Dan Buller, I wonder if it was when he's basically eats the strawberry and he. And she's like, I thought you were. Thought you were allergic. And he was like, I'm past all that. There's a moment in Winners where somebody says to me, you're not wearing shoes. And I just say, I'm done with shoes.

[David Sims]

Good.

[Timothy Simons]

And this is a very deep cut reference. But I really liked that moment just because he was like. It almost feels. You know what it feels like. And I think you should leave. Sketch a Tim Robinson character where he's like, bit. I'm past all that. I'm past all that.

[Griffin Newman]

People can change.

[Timothy Simons]

People can change.

[Griffin Newman]

People can change.

[David Sims]

Mrs. Doubtfire.

[Griffin Newman]

This guy used to slop up his stakes.

[David Sims]

Mrs. Doubtfire is also 93. Okay, so there's two movies about strawberry allergies in 1993. Right, right. Isn't it Mrs. Doubtfire's strawberries? Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, yeah, it's. It's 50.

[Timothy Simons]

I just know the famous quote, which is, of course.

[Griffin Newman]

Hello. Hello. It's 15 minutes before he returns home, but it feels like 30, because the movie is just operating, like, out of space and time.

[David Sims]

Almost very dreamy.

[Griffin Newman]

But, yeah. They find him outside the diner. The representative from the airline is like, this is the last guy we haven't been able to track down, do damage control with.

[David Sims]

Right. And I mean, well, there's the two. There's the guys where he's like, am I under arrest? And they're like, I mean, no, you haven't done anything. No, they're just like, you're just being weird.

[Timothy Simons]

Do you recognize this man? And it's his, like, the license of his business partner, John Delany. And he's like, yeah, they're trying.

[David Sims]

I mean, they're trying to ID John Delany because John Delany's body was separated from his head.

[Griffin Newman]

But also, like, is this guy a liability?

[David Sims]

I mean, that's what's going on so much of this movie. Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

Of course they're freaked out about, what

[David Sims]

are you going to do?

[Griffin Newman]

All the insurance companies and the lawyers and how does all of this get settled? And this guy is just like, beyond all of that.

[David Sims]

Right. And then the. Right, the. The. I love the airline lady being like, so we booked you on Amtrak, of course. And he's like, no, I'll take a plane right now, baby. First class. And she's like, okay, like, cool.

[Timothy Simons]

And she's gotta be thinking, like, this is so great for us.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Like, how can he sue us? Right, right, right, right, right.

[Griffin Newman]

That's. All of these conversations. Are everyone walking on pins and needles trying to make sure that they're. No one's gonna say the thing that cost them a hundred million dollars. Right. And they put him on the plane next to John Turturro playing a very calm, dry.

[David Sims]

This is great casting.

[Griffin Newman]

Still a man. Man.

[David Sims]

Him. Physically dried. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Like.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

Right.

[David Sims]

I mean, this is like. It's a couple years after Jungle Fever. Like, I think he's mostly at this point still a Spike Lee guy. Right. Like. And like, you know those early Woody Allen movies that he's in.

[Griffin Newman]

But he's done Miller's Crossing already.

[David Sims]

Or Miller's Crossing is. Yeah. What is that, 90? Yeah. So he's done Miller's Crossing as well.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

God, he's just so. He's just a guy you like to see in a movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. But this. I feel like they're coasting off a lot of. Look into your heart in this. Sure. Of like. Right. Is this guy a rat? He's, you know, a. A therapist hired by the airlines to manage the psychological kind of trauma of the survivors who they kind of sneak onto the plane next to him. Bridges immediately calls him out. And then, like, minute 15, he walks through his front door to his wife and child who he has made no attempt to contact. Attacked. And everyone is bawling. There are like 10 family members there that Tom Holt is a lawyer.

[Ben Hosley]

I never thought he's planted. I didn't even actually make the connection. I thought it was just random. But it makes more total sense that, like, they rushed him, like, last minute to get into that seat on that play.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

But because they're like. This guy says he wants to go back on a plane, but, like, 90% chance, the thing takes off and he starts screaming and ripping the chairs out. Totally. Everyone's in such a, like, intense holding pattern of. Right. How do we mitigate this situation?

[David Sims]

He stros it back home.

[Griffin Newman]

This is the beginning of him needing to butt up against the expectation of how he behaves. Everything up until that point in the movie is what's going on with this guy. Right. As an audience. But he's kind of like warping the world around him. The second he's back in his familial home.

[David Sims]

Home.

[Griffin Newman]

There's a sense of, like, the fuck is up with you? Down to, like, how calmly he slaps John Turturro. That there Isn't some ramp up, big, explosive, I think you should leave type moment. He just, in a very focused way, is like, nope, not doing this.

[Timothy Simons]

There was though, a thing that maybe just stuck out a little bit to me. Like, I don't know, I've been kind of. I've only seen it twice and I have kind of gone back and forth. And it'll come up in all the conversations we'll be doing about the emotions, emotional, like the what's going on emotionally. But there is something a little bit about him slapping John Turturro that feels maybe out of place in that moment.

[David Sims]

Well, it's too much. And Turturro reacts by just being like, I can't help him right now. You know, I'm gonna go, rather than freak out. But yeah, I mean, but he, he was just in a plane crash where like half the people died or more so like he can really do anything and no one's really gonna call him out.

[Griffin Newman]

That's the biggest.

[David Sims]

That's not why he's behaving that way, but it's why everyone is walking around on tiptoes around him.

[Griffin Newman]

It's the post strawberry moment. It's that here's this guy who had this allergy that almost killed him as a child. And he just goes like, it. I'm going to try eating a whole bowl. And they taste delicious. And he has no problems. And there is a part of him that thinks, maybe I am dead. This is not real. But even if it is real, then no rules apply to me and anymore. And there's a sense of like, testing the boundaries, of just. I'm gonna do like no impulse control whatsoever here, okay? If this guy's annoying me, I'm gonna slap him in the face. And he needs to do something that extreme for everyone around him to go like, what the fuck is going on here? Because everyone up until that point, especially Taturo, who's been sitting next to him, is like, it's actually alarming how calm he seems to be.

[David Sims]

Look, I mean, we. If we're doing the end of the movie, like he. He basically looks into the other world or whatever. And then after that he's. He's calm. He's like, you know, whatever. He's shed of human feeling.

[Timothy Simons]

I feel like that makes. The way that you just described, that makes a little bit more sense. When I was rewatching it last night, there was a part of me that felt like that was the underneath of it bubbling up too early in the performance. Like the internal thing Rather than an external testing of boundaries, it seemed to mean more like it was revealing what was going on. Like, that there was this thing underneath him. He has this calm.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes, but that.

[Timothy Simons]

It almost feels like that's a little bit too early to show a crack in it. That was the way I read it last night.

[Griffin Newman]

I think it's more like We've watched for 15 minutes as this guy is in, like, accidental vacation mode. Right? I'm gonna rent a car. I'm gonna stick my head out the window. I'm gonna, like, park it on the side of the road and just sit with my sunglasses on.

[Ben Hosley]

He's gonna rent a car, drive 80 miles an hour with his eyes closed, Right? He's going for it.

[David Sims]

That's how I.

[Timothy Simons]

Right.

[David Sims]

That's how I am.

[Griffin Newman]

And his college girlfriend, someone he has this, like, history with but hasn't seen in decades. Right? Like, none of this is real. None of these are, like, real interactions that affect his daily life. And I think he's, like, having a really quick adverse reaction to entering a space where everyone is expecting him to be the guy he was before. And it's sort of like, first idea, best idea. Idea.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

You know, the way if someone's annoying you, you're like, God, I wish I could hit this guy in the face. And you knock that thought down immediately. He's like, well, what I'm gonna do is hit him in the face. And Tutorial's response is, yeah, cool. Makes sense. You. You need to be doing something weird now because you just almost died.

[David Sims]

But I don't think it's just that he. He's doing what we all wanted to do, which is give Tutorial slap in the kisser. I mean, I thought about it. I can't deny it's that Turturro is picking at something he can't think about. And so he reacts. You know, he gets angriest, don't you think? Like, you know, he's. He has put it away. He can't think about what happened when the boy comes to stay with him, because he's like, I just can't stop thinking about how good you were. Like, you know, how you helped me. He doesn't want to confront what he did. He doesn't want to talk about what he did.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. He's like, I did. Did nothing.

[David Sims]

Yeah. And again and again, he's just like, no, no, no, no, no. Whatever, Whatever. Whatever. You know? And when he meets Rosie Perez, it's like, he's like, I feel like love for her. Like, I. I'm connected with her in this element. He can't describe why. You know, like, he can't talk about the plane crash ever.

[Griffin Newman]

She is the other person that he comes across who treats that as the first day of a new life.

[David Sims]

Sure.

[Timothy Simons]

But for her, it's.

[David Sims]

She entered hell.

[Griffin Newman]

It's hell, and she basically entered heaven.

[Timothy Simons]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, this is a. One of the most spiritual mainstream movies I have ever seen without being. Without being religious in any way.

[Timothy Simons]

It is also like, second rewatch, I will say I was like, obviously there are going to be a lot of, like, the. A lot of religious imagery or talk about angels or whatever. But, like, the first thing. And this is just me not knowing a lot about.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

The Bible. But, like, the first thing he does, walking out of the cornfield with a. With a. A tiny baby. And the first thing. The first characters that you see are three, like, field workers kneeling down and crossing themselves. I was like, oh, wait, was this movie, like, much more directly religious than I remember from the first time? Right.

[David Sims]

But I don't think so.

[Timothy Simons]

I don't think so.

[David Sims]

Yeah. Like, I don't.

[Griffin Newman]

I think it's more that, like, the people around him.

[Timothy Simons]

Him.

[Griffin Newman]

Keep trying to put that on him and on the situation. Right. And obviously, like, Rosie Perez's character comes from a more religious background, but both of them have, like, experienced something that goes beyond that.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

That. That transcends the codex of being able to use this book to process experiences. And that's what their connection is, is like we're going through different things, but we're the only two people who understand that something changed and we're not the person those people knew before, which is really profound. David.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

Got an intentional air about you today.

[David Sims]

Well, I'm more intentional about what I wear day to day. Oh. I like to lean into pieces that feel easy, comfortable, and put together together.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm sure you could get those from anywhere. Right?

[David Sims]

No. Quint look.

[Griffin Newman]

Really.

[David Sims]

I am.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, he's showing.

[David Sims]

I'm literally wearing Quint listeners.

[Griffin Newman]

He's showing. Tag on main.

[David Sims]

It's been my go to. Because very clean fits. Very nice fabrics. Don't. They don't feel like cheap fabrics.

[Griffin Newman]

I hate dirty fits. I hate cheap fabrics.

[David Sims]

I am in. We're in. You know, the weather's getting warmer. I really rely on my quint polo shirts for the kind of like, exactly. Like. Like a formal enough piece of clothing that I can go to the office. But it's comfy.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes. Because we do have a dress code here at Blanket Productions.

[David Sims]

So they got those 100% Pima cotton tees with a softness that you gotta feel to enjoy.

[Griffin Newman]

And for the listener at home, David is touching the fabric.

[David Sims]

Pants hit that same balance. Relaxed and comfortable. I gotta tell you, I recently had a birthday and my in laws sent me a Quint's gift card because they know I like quints so much and I am it itching to spend it.

[Griffin Newman]

That's. That's a really strong endorsement.

[David Sims]

That's an endorsement.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Right?

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[David Sims]

Everything at quints, it's priced 50 to 80% less than what you'd find in similar brands because they work with those ethical factories. They cut out the middlemen getting premium materials without the markup. I've got this cashmere zip.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[Ben Hosley]

David is showing me.

[David Sims]

Oh, nice cashmere zip. I like that sweater. It's very nice. Yeah, I wear it all the time. It's got pockets. So refresh your every day with luxury you actually use. Head to quints.com for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com check. For free shipping and 365 day returns, quint.com check.

[Griffin Newman]

David.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

You look like a man who doesn't know that Fast Growing Trees is America's life largest and most trusted online nursery with thousands of trees and plants and over 2 million happy customers.

[David Sims]

I had no idea.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, well, David, they have all the plants your yard or home needs, including fruit trees, privacy trees, flowering trees, shrubs, and houseplants. My home is littered with all of these and they're all grown with care and guaranteed to arrive healthy.

[David Sims]

It's like your local nursery, but anywhere you live with more plants than you'll find anywhere else. And whatever you're looking for, Fast Growing Trees helps you find options that actually work for your climate, space and lifestyle.

[Griffin Newman]

For me, all inclusive, I'll take any kind of tree you got.

[Ben Hosley]

Griffin, I know you're, you know, a green thumb.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. And I think I got 10 green fingers.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

I think you're going to agree with

[Ben Hosley]

me on this, that, you know, you go to a garden center and you just find it so overwhelming and it can be.

[Griffin Newman]

You took the personal statement out of my mouth, Ben. That is how I feel.

[Ben Hosley]

And then here's the other thing. You try to hire some landscapers.

[David Sims]

It's too expensive.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm so tired of spending every day of my life on the phone with landscapers.

[Ben Hosley]

Listen, with Fast Growing Trees, it's just so reassuring that you know you're going to order plants and they're guaranteed to be healthy and to thrive.

[Griffin Newman]

But let me guess, when the trees arrive, it takes a really long time for them to grow.

[David Sims]

They have their alive and thrive guarantee. It promises your plants arrive happy and healthy. No green thumb required. Just quality plants you can count on. Plus, get ongoing support from trained plant experts who can help you plan your landscape. Choose the right plants. Learn how to care for them every step of the way.

[Griffin Newman]

Can you imagine if wall E had a promo code for fast growing trees? That movie would have been sold. It never would have even existed.

[David Sims]

Right now they have great deals on spring planting a essentials up to half off on select plants and listeners of our show get 20% off their first purchase when using the code check at checkout. That's an additional 20% off. Better plants have better growing at fast growingtrees.com using code check at checkout fast growingtrees.com code check. Now's the perfect time to plant. Let's grow together. Use check to save today. Offer is valid for a limited time. Terms and conditions may apply.

[Timothy Simons]

Do you guys want to talk momentarily about plane crashes and our anytime generalized feelings about them? Main bar, main bar, main bar. We got a main bar here. Who starts? Who starts?

[David Sims]

I don't understand. Like, what do you want me to say about plane crash?

[Timothy Simons]

Well, you don't fly on planes. Are you or you?

[David Sims]

I haven't flown on a plane since COVID Now I've got the excuse that I have young children. So like there's been no and I and all my extended family lives in New York, right. So I'm not compelled to travel afar to see family, which is like any of my friends with kids when they're getting on a plane and you're like, jesus, you got to take a. You you've taken care of. It's a pain in the ass.

[Timothy Simons]

I'm sure.

[David Sims]

Like, they're like, yeah, but I got to see my. And I'm like, right, you gotta fly to wherever. I don't have to do that. I haven't flown for work. I don't like flying. I have flown on many, many, many planes. Like, this is not a like so

[Timothy Simons]

you will get paralyzing thing. Right?

[David Sims]

But I've been avoiding it. Uh oh, it's going to have to happen again sometime. That won't be fun for me because two things.

[Griffin Newman]

In the years leading up to the pandemic, you started winding down your desire. I shouldn't say desire. Your tolerance for Covering anything that would require a flight.

[David Sims]

That is not true.

[Griffin Newman]

I feel like in the early years of us being friends, you flew more for work.

[David Sims]

I flew twice in 2020. I flew to Utah for Sundance. I flew to Charleston to go on vacation. I used to get. I get on. I just don't like it. I take drugs to calm myself down and I deal with it, like. But I don't like it.

[Ben Hosley]

I throw it Zanny down the guy.

[David Sims]

I'm a CL guy. Okay.

[Timothy Simons]

You're a little clown guy. Little clan boy.

[David Sims]

Okay. I got a little. Got a bunch of colonies.

[Timothy Simons]

Okay.

[David Sims]

And if anyone wants them, come to my house. I don't think you can.

[Timothy Simons]

I don't think you can do that.

[Griffin Newman]

Main feed.

[David Sims]

No, I like, I have a prescription, a medical prescription for anxiety on planes.

[Timothy Simons]

Right. But I don't think that legally gives you the right to be able to just hand them out or sell them.

[David Sims]

$100 per pill at my house. If we're launching a new tier, the clowny boy tier.

[Griffin Newman]

No ads, free clowning. Technically, you're. Or paying for the podcast. The clowney is free.

[Timothy Simons]

It's like the Dallas Buyers Club.

[David Sims]

Yes, yes.

[Timothy Simons]

The. Are you.

[David Sims]

But I know a lot about plane crashes because I'm an anxious flyer. And I think a lot of anxious flyers do what I do, which is sort of like, well, okay, let me understand what went wrong with a plane. To understand that it's very unlikely.

[Griffin Newman]

You research it. You talk about that. You watch successful plane landing, sometimes to climb.

[David Sims]

I haven't done that in a while. TikTok was showing me those for a while.

[Griffin Newman]

You know, this is you thinking out loud, but there was some conversation we had, like this off mic with a guest where they were interrogating you. Not interrog, but asking you about the plane thing. Right. And how high your level of anxiety was. And you did say out loud, I don't know if I ever go on a plane again.

[David Sims]

Planes. Why would I go on.

[Griffin Newman]

You did say.

[David Sims]

It's also, I gotta say, anytime a friend of mine takes a plane, there's always some bullshit happening. It feels like air travel sucks. It doesn't help that air travel sucks. It's delayed, you know, like, it's hard to get place like. You know what I mean? Like, it just sucks in every way now.

[Griffin Newman]

I love going to places. Places I find almost to go to. Everything about flying annoying.

[David Sims]

You used to be a big flying fan. I feel like you were like, I genuinely like flying.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, my thing is, I have no problems with the being in the Air. A giant mechanical bird part of it, I find. Like, the hell is other people part of it.

[David Sims]

Right. They're making it harder.

[Griffin Newman]

I think airports basically bring out the worst in people.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

I think airlines keep on making everything worse and more expensive. I think post pandemic, everyone's lost their minds and it just becomes like an. People are just weirder around pressure cooker thing. Right. But I. I don't dislike the act of it once we're like, in the air.

[Timothy Simons]

Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

I actually kind of find it relaxing. I have all my piccadillios of like, I need to be in the right jerking off. I gotta jerk off four or five.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, right.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Gotta drink seven bottles of white zinfandel. Got a piss in the eye, right.

[Ben Hosley]

All.

[David Sims]

All. Not do your French taxes.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, exactly. Need to not memorize my lines. No, no, no piss on the taxes.

[David Sims]

I owe them nothing.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, but Dep's also done worse things, just to be clear.

[David Sims]

Yes. He's been accused of various things. And, and we talked about it on the green card episode briefly. Just to address that we are conscious and we, we, we. We know that J. Dep has been accused of bad things.

[Griffin Newman]

You are both very tall men. I know on top of your, like, flying anxiety, that you're also like, I don't like being in a small space. I don't like this and that. Right. Like, despite being a little guy, I can get claustrophobic really quickly and I need, like, exit paths more for bathroom than like, what if this crashes? Shit.

[David Sims]

I'm with you on all that together.

[Griffin Newman]

So I'm like, very specific about, like, where my seat is and times of flight and routines and all that sort of shit. But anytime I'm on a plane and there's like, extreme turbulence for someone who, like, as a child was so all consuming in his obsession with death, anxiety of death. Every time that happens now, I'm like, if this plane goes down, that is what it is.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Like, I. I have tranquility.

[Griffin Newman]

Absolute. Like, I guess maybe this is how I die, kind of.

[David Sims]

I don't like turbulence, but turbulence bothers me the least because that's actually the least dangerous thing on a plane.

[Timothy Simons]

Are you able to, like, are you able to engage with plane crashes in movies?

[David Sims]

Yeah, but I mean this to me. I said this on letterboxd. This is the final boss plane crash movie. I have seen the plane crash in this movie. Like, I've. You know. You know what I mean? But, like, I do feel like, until maybe flight. Griff, do you have Any other takes? This was the, Like, Sully. Well, but Sully is about a successful Air Force water landing.

[Timothy Simons]

A successful force.

[Griffin Newman]

It's not a crash. It's not a crash.

[David Sims]

Nobody died in Sully. Like, yes, it's intense and scary, but, like, you know, Sully's obvious, you know, but, like, one time I took, obviously, is also about. I guess it's sort of mostly people walk away from that one.

[Timothy Simons]

Right.

[David Sims]

It's also fictional. He did roll it. He was gonna roll it.

[Timothy Simons]

One time I took my kids to, like, a Lego exhibition.

[Griffin Newman]

Cool.

[Timothy Simons]

And there was a LEGO Miracle on the Hudson.

[David Sims]

It was Lego.

[Timothy Simons]

They had made the Hudson and they made the plane. All the people getting off on the wings, I just wanted to throw that in great place.

[David Sims]

But I feel like. I mean, I guess Cast Away, but it's gonna say that's. It's the Tusamekis, you know? But that's like a. I feel like when Castaway.

[Griffin Newman]

When Castaway came out, people were like, this is the. The best plane crash ever committed to film. And then when Flake came out, they were like, zemeckis has topped himself.

[David Sims]

Right. What's fascinating about to me is Fearless was always the kind of, like. That's the most, like, sort of graphic, realistic or whatever, you know, like a visceral plane crash scene in a movie. Obviously. It's also an entire movie about a plane crash. It's people wrestling with. What happened on the plane crash is the awful thing of what happened to Rosie's. Rosie Perez's character. Like, you know, like. Like, like it's. It's the plane crash movie. This is the plane crash.

[Griffin Newman]

What is more what is most interesting about Weir's approach to the plane crash? To me, besides, aside from.

[David Sims]

I think spacing it out is brilliant.

[Griffin Newman]

Right? Yes, I agree. And you're getting only these little slivers he's holding off for so long and in those little slivers that are mostly about dramatizing the human reaction to this thing going wrong and getting worse, which he does really, really well. Those moments are very intense, but cinematically, he is just using, like, Star Trek original series tricks until the final sequence. He's truly just like, kind of shaking the camera and shaking the set. And it's well written and it's well acted, and I'm rewatching it and I'm going like, man, David Texas, this is the ultimate plane crash movie. He gets it right dramatically, but it's not that visceral. And I forgot how extreme the end sequence is.

[David Sims]

Why the End is so transcendent. Like he's finally looking, looking at it again.

[Griffin Newman]

And you said realistic. Realistic in the sense that it hits so many different beats of what would happen. It visualizes the different elements of what happens in a crash. But it also does feel stylized. It feels nightmarish while also feeling like transcendent and almost holy.

[Timothy Simons]

And, and I, I was remarking to myself last night that again, to like the 1993 of like from the director of Witness and, And Dead Poet Society. The fact that they take the time to show not only the collection of sharp materials but also high heels. The moment where she just opens the bathroom door and throws all the high. No, this was part of the process until now. I still don't. But that feels like a, A really amazing dramatization of the sort of absurdity of the terror of a moment like

[David Sims]

that she's doing her training or whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, it's one of my favorite moments. Favorite things. But then what the.

[Timothy Simons]

What do, what do I do with this baby? And they're like, I don't know. I don't know.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, one of my favorite experiences I can have watching a fictional scripted film is to go, that must be how it really happens.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, yeah.

[David Sims]

Even if I'm watching, they must have called somebody. Somebody and checked.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, you don't make that up. That was research that was experienced. And like the. The flight attendant character is based on a real woman who had given false advice based on older protocols of what you should do.

[David Sims]

Jesus freaks me out too.

[Griffin Newman]

I won't get into the details of it, but basically gave the wrong advice. The child died and basically spent the next like two decades of her life fighting to change the laws. And the protocol calls to be like, this is like the unfortunate sacrifice in the cautionary tale. We need to change this. But basically the argument was the sample size is so small we don't know.

[David Sims]

Right. This only happens every.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[David Sims]

Very rarely.

[Timothy Simons]

I mean, yes.

[Griffin Newman]

And these variables are so extreme that you can't like simulate this and test the best way to handle. Right.

[David Sims]

But the point of this movie, obviously the point of what he does with Rosie Perez, normal therapy stuff, you know, know they're right. Everything they would do, I would say

[Timothy Simons]

is I think everything they do is completely normal.

[David Sims]

Rec Medically recommended.

[Griffin Newman]

We should also acknowledge Rosie Perez in a stellar performance, very deserved Oscar nomination, coming off like an incredible four or five year run for her that basically ends with this. It is.

[David Sims]

I mean it's not like she's not a working actor, but you're Right. It's a huge bummer that she did not like, you know, whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

I went to a higher level of and I was like, clearly it didn't sustain. But what were the post Oscar like? Like bump nomination, bump role she got. And you're like, no, it kind of all the best stuff is before this. Right. And I feel like every five or six years someone will clearly be like, I'm going to bring Rosie Perez back. And she's always good, always good. And it never totally hits.

[David Sims]

She should have won the Oscar this year. As much as I love Anna Paquin, but she's like, she to me. And she was sort of like, she won the critics awards. Like, she was sort of the whatever, you know, the. The favorite. I think this movie is kind of. Of I say this positively but like kind of woo woo. And like, yeah. Oh, for sure is. You know, wasn't hugely successful. It was critically like, it got respectable reviews, like, but it didn't get, I don't think, like the kind of flat out raves you need. And like there was the Schindler's List, Piano, Fugitive. There's all these great heavy hitters remembered

[Griffin Newman]

so confidently that Bridges did get nominated for this. And I was like, in what universe does he not get nominated? And then you're like, really good. Oh, the five nominees, these are Liam Neeson for Schindler's List. Anthony Hopkins, Remains of the Day, Keep Going, Daniel Day Lewis, in the Name of the Father.

[David Sims]

Incredible performance.

[Griffin Newman]

I know the. The sort of surprise you haven't named the winner yet was Lawrence Fishburne for what's Love Got to Do with it? Who hadn't gotten the precursors but deservedly got the Oscar nom. And then Tom Hanks for Philadelphia.

[Timothy Simons]

Jesus.

[Griffin Newman]

And you're like, yeah, you're right. That is the one where Bridges wouldn't have made. Made it in. And we said the same thing in Witness of like, how did Ford not get nominated for Fugitive? And you're like that five. The Globes even nominated Ford. Right.

[Timothy Simons]

The. There is one thing that I will throw out there that this almost feels like a movie and a performance that is, yes, there is the woo woo parts of it. But I could see people being like, I don't know that I really want to in like obviously incredible import, the performance that she gives. But one that I could understand if people were like, I don't really want to engage with this Is this movie. I don't want to engage with what this woman is having to deal with.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, I don't Want to think about it. I don't want to think about a plane crash. I also really don't want to think about the death of my baby.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[Timothy Simons]

I could see that being a factor working against it. You know what I mean?

[Griffin Newman]

Well, I kept thinking about flight while

[Timothy Simons]

watching this, which I. I will say, yeah, it's going back to main bar. I have broadly always been a pretty good flyer. Talk about your experience when our kids were.

[David Sims]

You got it. You know, you got to travel for work.

[Timothy Simons]

I got to travel for work all the time. I feel like I'm here.

[David Sims]

You're a hit maker, you know.

[Timothy Simons]

And you know what? Sometimes hits they get. They get produced in other states or other countries.

[David Sims]

And you fly to your gym almost

[Griffin Newman]

exclusively in Budapest these days.

[Timothy Simons]

I. I fly to my gym.

[David Sims]

You fly to your gym, of course.

[Timothy Simons]

But. But that is like, that's just a little two seater, just like a little fun.

[David Sims]

They're like hitmaker coming in, parachute out the.

[Timothy Simons]

There was a period of time and I'm much better about this now, but right after my kids were born, it became a thing where I was like all of a sudden terrified to fly in ways I cannot describe.

[David Sims]

But was it just okay, terrified to fly? So it wasn't just like, it is so difficult to fly with young children. It was also like, I'm existentially afraid for their.

[Timothy Simons]

I am existent. I was honestly, I guess I've heard a lot of par. Talk about this where I'm kind of okay with flying if we're all together.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Timothy Simons]

I was terrified when I was leaving them. And the. The sort of sharp focus that would get thrown into like, this could be the last time. This could be the last time.

[Griffin Newman]

I remember you talking about this on draft day.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Why? You were even hesitant to like, take quick trips to go back and visit them if you had a couple days off where you were like, limit. The. They were.

[David Sims]

They were like two or three.

[Griffin Newman]

I wrong.

[Timothy Simons]

That was. They would have been.

[David Sims]

They just been born. And you said, I'm out of here, I think is what I'm saying.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes. That was. I mean, like, look. Yeah, that's like a paraphrase of.

[David Sims]

But the doctor was like, do you want to hold your baby? And you were like, I'm Draft day.

[Timothy Simons]

Draft day theaters. Do you know who Kevin Costner is?

[David Sims]

Kevin Costner. You were yelling that from your helicopter.

[Timothy Simons]

I was in the.

[David Sims]

Took off from the hospital.

[Timothy Simons]

There was like one of those like life flights that got delayed because I was screaming at the NICU doctor being like, kevin, costume costner.

[David Sims]

It's like Batman and Dark. You get sucked up into the airplane. Sorry.

[Griffin Newman]

The other part of is it's not like you were a late in life success, but you had done a lot of theater. You had, like, worked in casting.

[David Sims]

I'm very, I'm sorry.

[Timothy Simons]

I mean, again, a paraphrase of what he just said. But yes, it was to the point.

[David Sims]

Yeah, you were a little older, you'd

[Griffin Newman]

had kids, then you have children, and then it's like suddenly you like, you got it right. It was like you got Veep and like things started rolling and you stayed blessed and booked and busy since then. But I, I. Draft day, I feel like was only after you had done the second season of Episodes.

[Timothy Simons]

So the kids are probably right around 2 at that point. But it was still very much in that thing of like, I had to take Xanax, but I had this experience of like, it was either I was terrified for the entire flight if I didn't take it.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[Timothy Simons]

Or I would take it. And then halfway through the flight in, in like the Xanax haze, and it was like I woke up to new to know that we were flying through a city about to hit a building.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, so. Right.

[Timothy Simons]

You know what I mean?

[Griffin Newman]

And I'm creative mother, because I have to be in goosebumps. Like that kind of shit.

[David Sims]

And the attendant would lean down and say, we'll be at Riyadh soon and don't worry, your car will take you right to the comedy.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. Of course. Meeting you at the headlining.

[Timothy Simons]

And I. And I would tell even the person on the plane, I have no qualms about what I'm doing.

[David Sims]

No, you'd be like, I'm scared of the flight, not of the great people. I'll be entertaining these people.

[Griffin Newman]

Royal family deserve to hear comedy. And I'm a truth teller. I just remember you talking about all this anxiety a lot because it was also the like, you're leaving your wife at home with twins, Right?

[Timothy Simons]

Yes, there's that and there's the part

[Griffin Newman]

of like, you never know when it's gonna stop. So if jobs are like lining up and especially if it's like starting for the first time, you're like, do I have to like, ride this out out? Yeah, as long as I'm like holding a hot hand. And then the other part of it was you're like, I have twins. I like, this is gonna cost me for the rest of my life. Yeah, I gotta take all these small parts. But it means you're traveling all the time, but you do feel like you've.

[Timothy Simons]

I'm like, kind of way past it now. My wife is a terrible flyer.

[David Sims]

Wow.

[Timothy Simons]

And so I.

[David Sims]

My heart is with her.

[Timothy Simons]

I. And so, like, we have talked about ways that we work through that and how I can be more supportive, which I do think. She doesn't listen to this podcast, so she will not be here to rebut that. I do feel.

[David Sims]

You don't listen to her. She doesn't listen to this podcast.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes. I. I have tried to become better at how I can support her, but I do feel like I never think about taking Xanax anymore. And frankly, like, I kind of enjoy it now. And even when I have to, like, fly. Like, recently I flew back from somewhere, like, in the 23rd row in the middle seat, and I was like, you know what? I had a great time and I watched Slow Horses and this is fun.

[David Sims]

He's got a sagnom, but it don't matter.

[Timothy Simons]

Row 23, long legs. Put my little iPad in the holder with my big old legs and. But I will say I have never seen the movie Plane because that came out in that period of time.

[David Sims]

The plane is.

[Timothy Simons]

Sorry, Flight.

[David Sims]

Yeah, yeah. They crash. They just kind of land in like.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

And. But I never saw, like, Flight is scary. Right. Came out in that period of time where I was like, oh, I am not going to engage. Engaging with this movie.

[Griffin Newman]

My whole thing with Flight.

[David Sims]

Other, like, plane crash classics. Right. Like the Lost Pilot. But like, you know, movies like Castaway Fly.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm trying to think of Fly the Navigate, but I'm like, things. You're saying things that like, show a plane crash.

[David Sims]

Yeah. Like, in, like, visceral detail of some sort, you know, like, oh, Final Destination. I saw. Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

That. That one doesn't turn out so well.

[Timothy Simons]

Die Hard 2.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

That stuff, it's so absurd.

[Griffin Newman]

Right?

[David Sims]

Like, it's like. And it's like anything where it's like a terrorist blows Air Force One level stuff. You're like, well, I think I'm okay. Like, you know, it's the one. The freaky ones are the ones that are depicting somewhat realistically like a realish plane accident.

[Ben Hosley]

United 93.

[Griffin Newman]

That I would say kind of a historically bad plane incident.

[David Sims]

That's it. That is a. Oh, I'm. I'm. I will speak truth to power and say that movie's a little stressful.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a little stressful. It's a little.

[Timothy Simons]

There was a movie that I was watching recently that had a. Recently. This was probably 10 years ago. I watched on A plane had a very famous plane plane explosion in the. In the beginning of it. And I was watching it on a plane. They edited out the explosion.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh interesting.

[David Sims]

Planes will. Oh yeah. Oh movie on plane will get rid of a plane.

[Timothy Simons]

They will just do it or not

[David Sims]

have the movie air at all.

[Ben Hosley]

You know, we're forgetting. And this is such a grounded, realistic take on the. The plane crash. Con Air.

[Griffin Newman]

Con Air.

[David Sims]

Yeah. And that is. And I do. I don't fly much, but I will fly Con Air regular. And I am a miles member of Con Air. I love a Cage. Exactly.

[Ben Hosley]

They love Cage more often as an option.

[Griffin Newman]

I have to correct you, Ben. That wasn't a crash. That was a forced Vegas strip.

[David Sims]

That's right. I mean. And Cyrus the Virus I do think has been a pretty good Secretary of state for Donald Trump. I don't know what you guys think.

[Griffin Newman]

We.

[David Sims]

We good guy.

[Griffin Newman]

We talked about flight several years ago. That is a movie where every time I watch it and I try to

[David Sims]

circle back to it, another movie about reckoning with after this is my thing is that Flight.

[Griffin Newman]

For me the first half is unbelievable.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And every time I watch it I expect it to go down more smoothly. But I bump against how kind of pat it feels in the whole movie. Getting simplified to, you got to get sober and find Christ again.

[David Sims]

It's not an incredibly well written movie despite its screenplay. Right, Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Whereas I'm like, this movie is spiritual because it's in conversation with the intangible. Whereas slight is like you gotta just buy into these two pre established systems.

[David Sims]

There's. There's one sort of supernatural thing that happens in this movie which is he can eat the strawberries. Right. That's the one thing where you're like, okay, we're going a little beyond science science here.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

I guess maybe his body, his nervous system is in such a bizarre.

[Griffin Newman]

I was gonna say my read especially,

[David Sims]

but I don't know how allergies work.

[Griffin Newman]

I was just like. When I watch it, I'm like, it must be something with his adrenaline.

[David Sims]

We don't mind watching it.

[Griffin Newman]

No.

[Timothy Simons]

Right.

[David Sims]

Everything else in the movie, I mean, sure, he behaves badly. He walks into traffic. He drives too fast like things like that. But you're like, it's not unbreakable. Where it's like he genuinely cannot be harmed.

[Ben Hosley]

Magical.

[David Sims]

No. Exactly. But that's why Bridges is so good because. Right. He just seems a little out of step with real life.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[David Sims]

He just feels a little touched or a little angelic or a little whatever you want to Call it.

[Griffin Newman]

And I like that this movie is like, there aren't answers for this. There's nothing that can speak to what he's feeling or what she's feeling. You know, when I hear about people who have tragedies, like, what befalls the Rosie Perez character here I go, like, I literally don't know how you wake up the next morning.

[Timothy Simons]

No, no.

[Griffin Newman]

Don't understand how you could possibly ever move on from that.

[David Sims]

And Turturro has a line where he says, because Isabella Rossellini, who's great, we love Isabella.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Remind me to talk about her one minute. Okay. Before I'll finish this thought. You know, she says, like, why are you doing this? Why are you putting them together? To Turturro, Turo is like, if Rosie Perez is not reached, like, she will, you know, basically need help for the rest of her life.

[Timothy Simons]

He's like, she'll be institutionalized.

[David Sims]

I mean, like, she won't.

[Griffin Newman]

Problem cases. She cannot be pulled out of it. And he's acting like nothing happened. Right.

[David Sims]

And the two most severe reaction, they're

[Griffin Newman]

basically at opposite ends of, like, the PTSD spectrum, which is like, almost kind of complete disassociation from reality and, like, an inability to pull yourself out of.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, and one thing that I didn't really pick up on the first time, which I feel like stuck out the second, was he mentioned something early on about people that are dealing with PTSD sometimes almost chase the feeling of indestructible.

[David Sims]

Like, he says it about Vietnam vets.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes, yes.

[Timothy Simons]

And there was a.

[David Sims]

That they feel indestructible in some way because they didn't die.

[Timothy Simons]

They didn't die. But then if they start to lose it, they start chasing it. And there was a moment where he agrees to lie. He's like, so you want me to lie?

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[Timothy Simons]

To the lawyers, you want me to say, you know, the more minutes we spent in this, you want me to lie? And when he agrees to do it, he runs out and goes up to the roof.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[Timothy Simons]

And that one, I feel like I noticed more of that. The moments where he could feel himself slipping away from it, he then ran

[David Sims]

was like, when real world is starting, like, as Tom Hulse is talking to him.

[Timothy Simons]

I can't.

[Griffin Newman]

That's slap moment.

[David Sims]

He's getting him back, you know, through the barrier, liminal barrier.

[Griffin Newman]

Because the whole moment is H starts saying, like. And look, if you could focus on this in the narrative. And he just screams abruptly. Hulse is like, what's going on? And he's like, no more lying. Yeah, I'm not lying. I refuse to play by these rules.

[Timothy Simons]

Do you want to talk about Isabella Rossellini?

[David Sims]

Oh, I do. So she comes on screen. I'm talking to my wife about her.

[Griffin Newman]

She looks quite good in this film. Her and Jeff Bridges are.

[David Sims]

She's a beautiful vision white couple. And I will say we're caster. Because he was like, I want his wife to be like, from another country. Like, I. I can tell you about that later. But I was like, isabella Rossellin kind of in the Sean Connory zone. Always sounds like that. It's never a problem.

[Griffin Newman]

Correct.

[David Sims]

You know what I mean? Like, I don't want to see Isabella Rossellini talking different. I want her talking Rossellini style. Right?

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Because she's got the most beautiful diction, like this wonderful accent. It's always like melodic and interesting to hear her read dialogue. It helps. She always is doing that.

[Ben Hosley]

That she's a ballet teacher.

[David Sims]

It would be if she was a lunch lady, but I mean, hey, man, I'd be like, wow, interesting lunch lady.

[Griffin Newman]

Ben and I were watching. A friend of the show, a past and future recent guest, Ben David Grabinski showed us End of Days, which we had never seen before.

[David Sims]

Oh, good movie.

[Griffin Newman]

And I couldn't stop making jokes about this movie that's like, built on the premise of, like, what if a just a New York cop had to come face to face with Satan? And that New York cop is of course played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Coffee and a trench coat being like, ah, this is my block.

[David Sims]

I'm lieutenant's cop.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. And the movie just acts like I

[Timothy Simons]

remember these streets from when I grew up here.

[Griffin Newman]

His partner is Kevin Pollock. And the movie keeps acting like both of them look like that in a way.

[David Sims]

Late 90s Schwarzenegger, I feel like, is where this had gotten out of hand. Like. Yes, but yes.

[Griffin Newman]

And I was like, like beyond the fact that he just looks like that. Right. The bone structure and like the shape he was in and everything, it's not just that he's Austrian. And I can't accept that someone could immigrate from one country to another and hold down an American job. I'm like, he just doesn't even sound like a human being. Other Austrian people don't sound like nobody like him. Isabella Rossellini has this built in thing where anytime she enters a movie, you're like, cool. This character's backstory is she has lived in five different countries.

[David Sims]

Trees.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. And there's never a movie where it butts up against that where you couldn't believe, like, yeah, she had an interesting childhood.

[David Sims]

100. I mean she's the thing I'm, I start just going on it about like, look, Ingrid Bergman, Roberto Rossellini, they had a famous affair. She's like this product of this like notorious affair. And it was so scary.

[Griffin Newman]

She always plays a cultured woman who has experienced things.

[Timothy Simons]

I, I was just talking about this last night with a friend that I bumped into.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Timothy Simons]

About the bone collector. That of course, when Angelina Jolie has to say, I moved to New York to be a model, but I found that unfulfilling. So now I am a police.

[David Sims]

Someone had to, someone had to insert that line when she was cast.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes.

[David Sims]

And Right.

[Griffin Newman]

They should have given that movie a special Oscar for putting in that one line. Because that's the one thing those movies never do when you cast the most beautiful people in the world, especially with actresses where you're like, has anyone ever like come up to you and said

[Timothy Simons]

maybe Gap catalog the Ken I I One thing that was interesting about having never seen this movie before and, and then watching it a second time was the first time through. I kept struggling to figure out if I was supposed to be cheering for this new Jeff, Jeff Bridges.

[David Sims]

I think what he's doing is very seductive.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes.

[David Sims]

Because you're like, yes. You know, obviously a character like Tom Hulse's character. You're like, well, this blood sucking lawyer guy. Right. And even what you know, everyone like, you know, you're like, yeah, he's above it all. But then you are like, no, he, this is a man who's so traumatized, he's behaving in this way. Like he needs to engage with what's happened.

[Timothy Simons]

You see the way that he's trying to help Rosie Perez and you're like, what are we, what are we going for? Like, I feel, I feel conflict as he is clearly not doing a great job job with his own family.

[Griffin Newman]

Can I throw out ahead of your take? Yeah. And this is part of the power. Bridges in this movie is the top tier movie stars in most eras, but I think particularly in the 90s in Hollywood kind of represent the id that even when they're playing kind of everyman, in some sense, you want, you're, they're

[David Sims]

doing what you could only dream.

[Griffin Newman]

Exactly.

[David Sims]

Yes. They're behaving in a way that's alluring.

[Griffin Newman]

It's not just they look better than you and they're more charismatic than you, but part of it is like, you want to watch them get away with it. You want to watch them be awesome. You want to watch them take control and say the things you can't say. And even if they have to learn a lesson at the end, you know, that was part of the Juice. And Jeff Bridges is a guy who never feels like he's representing a fantasy version of a person.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Even when he's in extreme circumstances. And especially in this like, 90s earthy era where if it was Mel Gibson, there, there would be 30 minutes of this movie that felt like, yes, man. Right. There would be. Even if Mel was good, you know.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Same with Bruce, where there'd be a little bit of like, ain't I a stinker? Isn't this awesome? I can drive the car this fast and like kiss Rosie Perez and do whatever I want, you know, to that point. Bridges is too grounded. Where the whole time you're like, what's happening here feels extreme, but it doesn't feel like wish fulfillment.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

And it doesn't feel fun.

[Timothy Simons]

I thought about when he. Last night when he was walking across the street and he's like, you're trying to kill me, but you can't. And there is that part of me where it's like. It's not like he like walked through the traffic magically and it never slowed. And he. Time.

[David Sims]

That's what's crucial. One of the cars has to swerve.

[Timothy Simons]

Has to swerve and jam on its brakes. And it's like, no, God didn't let you survive. Somebody hit their brakes.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[Timothy Simons]

Like you. It was not magic. The rest of the world helped out in this.

[Griffin Newman]

What he is really representing is what if you choose not to buy into the rules of society.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Not what if nothing could kill you?

[Timothy Simons]

What if you casually mention to your wife Isabella Rossellini, that you have never experienced a love like the one that you feel for this other woman?

[David Sims]

Which, I mean, again, Rossellini's got to give him a lot of rope. He was in a plane crash.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[David Sims]

Yeah, he's got plane crash hall pass

[Griffin Newman]

right now, but, you know, with holes,

[David Sims]

you know, like five chronomous Bosch painting that they're, you know, ascent of the blast, you know, like this idea of like the light at the end of the.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, right. I'm just saying there is.

[Griffin Newman]

This guy's printing out all the holes he can find in history. If onlyfans had existed, he would have never pulled back up for.

[David Sims]

Well, well, that's. That's a bit of an off color joke. I'll say.

[Griffin Newman]

Get Blue ribald on this podcast.

[David Sims]

That's a little shocking work.

[Griffin Newman]

A little blue if I want to.

[Timothy Simons]

I do think that if, like, six years went by, Isabella would be like, he's still dining out on this plane crash.

[David Sims]

Should we have Fearless, too, where he's back to being normal and she's like, he brings it up a lot.

[Timothy Simons]

God damn. You just.

[David Sims]

I have a life, too.

[Griffin Newman]

I.

[David Sims]

Ballet school.

[Timothy Simons]

I had. I had a bad day today. You had a bad day six years ago.

[David Sims]

One of those girls is being mean to be on said whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

It's such a good moment when the representative from the airline finds him. Right, right. And says, like, we know that you were already kind of, like, touchy about flying before the. The thing happened. She doesn't even want to say crash. She's talked to Rossellini and his family before. He has. And that's the first tell of, like, the guy before this was actually deeply nervous, neurotic.

[David Sims]

And you see it in Bridges in the flat in the full flashback.

[Griffin Newman]

Right?

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Before he looks out the window and basically, obviously just has this, like, I. This is it.

[Timothy Simons]

This. Yeah, this is.

[David Sims]

And now I have crossed the barrier, but, like, before then. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And it's more that feeling of, I think the surrendering of control, of being, I can't do any of this. I don't think he orders a bowl of strawberries because he thinks he's now invincible. I think he orders a bowl of strawberries because he. He's like, I almost just died. So what's the difference if I order a bowl of strawberries now and this kills me.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And if not this, it could be crossing the street. Right. He doesn't walk across the street because he thinks it's impossible for a car to hit him. It's that he keeps kind of like, testing the limits of. All of this is so random.

[Ben Hosley]

In a synopsis of the novel, I found this term that's really interesting. It's described as. He, the character, is experiencing an extreme form of pink clown syndrome.

[Griffin Newman]

Go on.

[Ben Hosley]

And a pink cloud syndrome is a thing that you find when describing people who are getting sober early on. They have this feeling of elation.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

Like just extreme high.

[David Sims]

That doesn't, like, last.

[Ben Hosley]

And it doesn't last, but it's that initial period of, like, it's not just, like, I'm doing this, and it's like. It's this incredible, incredible, like, just heightened experience of feeling such positivity. But, of course, life sits in the reality after a period of time.

[David Sims]

Being architect. Yeah, you Gotta go back to fucking Rossellini.

[Griffin Newman]

It's only a thing.

[David Sims]

It's time to bring on the blooms at the Home Depot with spring. Spring Garden Deals. Find savings on hanging baskets and flowers

[Timothy Simons]

to brighten your backyard or any space

[David Sims]

that needs instant color. Then get everything you need to plant and protect them, with low prices guaranteed on soil and mulch. Dig into Spring garden deals for four days at the Home Depot now through May 10th. Exquisite supply. See homedepot.com pricematch for details.

[Griffin Newman]

Foreign. I'm not going to go into, like, a crazy tangent about this, but, you know, I have my extended health problems that turned out to be this gallbladder thing, but for like, six months was a medical mystery that after the fact, they were like, that would have killed you if it had gone on another three months and hadn't been identified. And that was starting the beginning of 2021. So it's after nearly a year of being, like, in extreme lockdown down, where it triggered all of my worst anxieties and I lost my mind. And then it's like, vaccination's coming. Wait a second. There's some problem in your body that we can't identify something. And the can keeps getting kicked. And I keep going back for tests and they're just like, we don't know, we don't know. And I'm stuck in a medical hamster wheel and I feel like I haven't been in person for like, 18 months. Right. When this thing finally got resolved and they got the bad out of my body in like, July 20, 2021, I had this feeling where it was like, okay, like, the couple of days after the surgery, my recovery, you know, there was wonkiness. I, of course, checked out of the hospital immediately. Went to a screening of F9, captured on our Patreon.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

And if you're wondering when did he arrive for said screening, they like to

[Griffin Newman]

complain about me being late to the screening. I was waiting to be checked out of the hospital.

[David Sims]

No, we're actually just complaining about how you're late all the time. It's just a very funny example of you being late.

[Griffin Newman]

But I have, I have.

[David Sims]

It was my first, like, thing I did after my kid was born. I feel like, as well, it was a very.

[Griffin Newman]

It was early.

[David Sims]

Right? Crazy early. Every society beginning to flower, whatever. Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

But I had this thing where, like, when the basic recovery had happened, let's say a week after the surgery, I was just like, oh, my God, I'm taking nothing for granted ever again. I am so happy to be alive, able to walk out on the street.

[David Sims]

You saw that movie? Yes, man. And you're like, oh, this covers it.

[Griffin Newman]

What if I start saying no to no that. But even beyond that. And I felt a little bit at this with my dental problems I've had recently where it's like this, this thing is weighing down on you. Surgery happens. Sky's cleared up. I wake up one day, I'm like, holy shit, I slept properly. My executive function is in line. I'm like, organized. I'm not feeling like stressed out by all this. There's just like a clarity to like, holy shit. I can just do stuff. Like, the burden is gone. And every time I fall for the shit. The Pink cloud syndrome of like, oh, this might truly be the first day of the rest of my life. What if like all the fucking bits about Griffin fucking shit up ended yesterday and now I'm just like the best at being normal. And then like 10 days later I'm like, oh, what? Wait a second. Because it crept back up on me.

[Ben Hosley]

I heard you say organized. So I imagine maybe day three.

[David Sims]

All of a sudden you're apartment appears

[Ben Hosley]

to be like similar to the way your desk looks a little bit now. We should share the listeners too. Just before we start recording Griffin

[David Sims]

into the office.

[Griffin Newman]

Everything's going well. Griff had one of them dentist appointments this week. I have a bone spur in my jaw.

[David Sims]

They need to you spill what looks like green crayons. You have a bone spur in your jaw.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Yet another thing me and our president have in common are on his feet. Two great New Yorkers with bone spurs. The.

[David Sims]

They're gonna take something else out of your mouth.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. And then I'll have five days of feeling like Jeff Bridges in Fearless.

[David Sims]

Good for you.

[Griffin Newman]

And then I'll go back to dropping coffee like Rick the intern. It is.

[Timothy Simons]

I do feel like a pretty. Not in the trailer, by the way. I just want to. I can't let that go unsaid. It was not. It. It was in. Sorry. In the trailer

[Griffin Newman]

and wasn't on the Blu Ray ray.

[David Sims]

And the deleted Sam and. And Kevin Costner heard that and got so mad that he started deep sea diving looking for treasure.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, because Rick spilled the coffee all the way to the bottom.

[David Sims]

Exactly.

[Timothy Simons]

I needed that coffee.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

That is a very human response to these things of like, oh my God. I went through like the moments, like I remember getting like STD tests in college and that five days or whatever.

[David Sims]

Were you up to anything in college?

[Timothy Simons]

Well, just like, you know, whatever. A normal Just being responsible. Being responsible person.

[Griffin Newman]

I used to call him hitmaker for a different reason.

[David Sims]

I'm sorry. It's good to get STD across the room. I'm not here to make fun of that. I'm sorry.

[Timothy Simons]

But, like, you know, I think, you know, I grew up in a time in which sex killed you.

[Griffin Newman]

Right? Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

There was always, like, this little extra weight to those coming back.

[David Sims]

Yeah, Right.

[Timothy Simons]

And. And in that period of time, you were like, all right, I'm never making another mistake in my life. And then you get it. Of course I good.

[David Sims]

Or you go see the doct. And the doctor's like, hey, you got to stop doing. You're like, you're right, I will. And then like a week later, you're like, doctor what?

[Timothy Simons]

Yes.

[David Sims]

Doctor who?

[Griffin Newman]

Well, I'm also Doctor, actually. His name is the Doctor. Doctor who is just what they call the show because people ask, doctor who is he. I'm such a manic person in general.

[Timothy Simons]

What.

[Griffin Newman]

That when I have these moments, like, post surgery, it is the only time in my life where I feel level. That's the thing. It's not like I'm like, holy shit, I'm on stage. Stoppable. It is a little similar to the Jeff Bridges thing where I'm like, oh, my God. I just feel like I can walk, you know, like, my thoughts are, like, in order.

[David Sims]

Given that we've hit two hours, can I give you a couple more things from the dossier? Yeah. Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

I also think we need to talk more about Rosie Perez.

[David Sims]

She's great in the film. Just the Mel Gibson thing. I said of. He was the first choice, and Mel was like, look, I'm about to direct the Man Without a Face. And then Mel is said, apparently, like, who. Who's your second choice? Like, who else are you thinking of? And Weir says, jeff Bridges. And Mel was like, I wanted to cast him in mid Man Without a Face, which rocks, which is kind of cool.

[Griffin Newman]

Mel wasn't going to play the lead himself.

[David Sims]

No. He was like, no, I want Jeff Bridges now. I mean, like, maybe Mel was like, actually, what if I had no face? Like, I don't know, but never seen that movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Me neither.

[David Sims]

Yeah, I. I hear it's pretty good. What's it about?

[Griffin Newman]

Well, it's a man with some facial.

[David Sims]

He's actually like, tutors.

[Griffin Newman]

A boy in English.

[David Sims]

Yeah, it's like a sort of heartwarming movie about a. Right. A sort of reclusive man.

[Griffin Newman]

He's like a Phantom of the Opera, Right. English teacher. Oh, English tutor. Where he's like, don't look at me.

[David Sims]

I'm hideous.

[Griffin Newman]

And they're like, you're. You're Mel Gibson. He just got some. On one side of your face.

[David Sims]

He's gotten scarring.

[Griffin Newman]

But he. He's, like, pushed away from society, I think. Basically has become a hermit.

[Timothy Simons]

I feel like. Both based in and shot in Maine, which is where I'm from.

[David Sims]

Here he comes. The fucking Mr. Maine. The main event.

[Timothy Simons]

The main event's a good nickname.

[Griffin Newman]

That's a really good nickname.

[David Sims]

Film set and shot in Maine. So the casting. Bridges just to say the film got sort of. The budget got right sized, you know, a little bit, cost about $20 million, which is, you know, regular budget at the time.

[Griffin Newman]

Sort of notion of, like, how these things used to be greenlit. It's like, this is a go picture. It's 40. If you can get one of these 10 guys, it goes up to 60.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

If you go for someone you like, who's less of a name, it goes down to 20.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Bridges called Gary Busey, one of his close friends who had been in a serious motorcycle accident and survived.

[Griffin Newman]

Came out normal. Give me a bowl of strawberries.

[David Sims]

Be said that he described the feeling, the sort of pink cloud feeling of Ben referring to as feeling like an angel in an earth suit. And, you know, the thing with Bridges was just like, he wanted to do it. He was really into it, but he had just made the Vanishing. He'd made a lot of movies, like back to back to back. And he was like, I'm worried. I'm gonna be, like, burnt out. And Weir was like, you know, take a break, get yourself right, and we're gonna make the movie. The book is set in New York, but Peter Weir had just done Green Card and was like, I don't wanna do New York. I wanna do somewhere else. So they moved to Santa Francisco. The Rosie Perez character is Italian in the book, like, Italian American. And Peter Weir was like, well, if we're going to San Francisco, she should be Latina.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And so that's how that happened. She was the first choice for the role, essentially.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, do you know who the studio wanted?

[David Sims]

Oh, tell me.

[Griffin Newman]

Winona Ryder. This story she has told to Jeff Bridges character that they wanted her because she was big. This is the same year as Age of Age Innocence.

[David Sims]

Yeah, it is.

[Griffin Newman]

It was obviously before they had made that cultural swap, right. And they wanted her to audition with him and do the kissing scene. And he was like, I'm not gonna kiss her.

[David Sims]

He's like, I'm Way too old for this.

[Griffin Newman]

Right in front of like the studio and everything. And she was just like, that's the only guy in Hollywood who would have done that.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Timothy Simons]

Wow.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

Also good call. Like not just from like a creepiness.

[Griffin Newman]

Is it wrong for the movie?

[Timothy Simons]

It's wrong for the movie. The moment isn't really like how it isn't about their chemistry. It's about something weirder past beyond that.

[Griffin Newman]

So good.

[David Sims]

It's not a really. Right. Their relationship is not romantic per se. It's more just like they are. There's just like an embarrassing closeness or whatever. Like they're the only two people who can understand each other in a weird way.

[Griffin Newman]

I also love that the narrative reveals itself to be that for this guy who's like I'm not a hero. I don't like to be looked at this way. I'm uncomfortable with all this attention. Attention locks in on like, actually I might be the only person who can help her. Right. That it starts as just like you're the only person I feel like I can actually be heard by. And then becomes like, wait a second. There's a thing I can do here that no one else can help you with.

[Timothy Simons]

And also it doesn't even seem like he really knows what that is. And he would have never been able to figure out what it was unless he had been sort of untethered from. From the regular human life. That because nobody's gonna like John Turturro in group therapy isn't gonna suggest. What if you drove your very safe Swedish car head on into a wall?

[Griffin Newman]

Have you ever tried a car crash therapy?

[Timothy Simons]

Have you ever tried that?

[Griffin Newman]

It's a.

[Timothy Simons]

It's coming up like he spins around

[David Sims]

and it's David Cronenberg. Big hair.

[Timothy Simons]

You ever. The scars of some.

[Griffin Newman]

Isn't car accident scars can be fun to.

[Timothy Simons]

I think just to speak on Rosie Perez for a second. One thing that I did not notice the first time was how she kissed the toolbox holding it in her arms.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

She full. She is incredible in this movie. And that scene I think not went unnoticed the first time. But it. I don't think I really realized how fucking good she is in that scene. And embodied embodying that toolbox turning into bubble. You know what I mean?

[Griffin Newman]

So she's. She's of course a fly girl choreographer on a living color. Right. Her first movie is do the Right Thing.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

Then it's Night on Earth. White men can't jump. She's great in both Untamed Heart, which I've Never seen. And Fearless.

[David Sims]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Fearless is her fifth movie.

[Timothy Simons]

My God.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

She's. Yeah, yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And she basically was this person where it was like, well, she's got a really interesting vibe, but is she really like a technical actress actress or is she just good at playing herself kind of thing?

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

And then this felt like a movie where people were like, we cannot deny. There is like a level of emotional access and technique here. It's not just, oh, she's got an interesting dialect.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Kind of thing. And then the run after this is like, it could happen to you.

[David Sims]

She's like the third lead of that.

[Griffin Newman]

She's like the best friend character.

[David Sims]

100, right? Yep. Somebody to Love is the Alexandra Rockwell. We've never seen it.

[Griffin Newman]

That's a nice Cabiria riff.

[Timothy Simons]

Right.

[David Sims]

She's like a taxi dancer. I think that that movie is probably like, you know, somewhat interesting.

[Griffin Newman]

Sure.

[David Sims]

That's. It was tiny. She does a lot of indie stuff.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, I think Durango's like her one kind of like lead follow up thing there. Yeah.

[David Sims]

Which it's like, obviously, like, Hollywood is racist.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Especially in the 90s, I feel like Hollywood had not calibrated how to tell, like, Latin stories on screen much at all.

[Timothy Simons]

Right.

[David Sims]

There's some movies, but there's very few.

[Griffin Newman]

And to her credit, a lot of these indie movies were saying that she does in the wake of the nomination are very low budget independent Latin stories told by Latin people that did not get support and attention.

[David Sims]

Right. Rosie Price is also like, she's like five foot even.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

She's got this amazing accent. Like, but she is Rosie Perez. Like, like, you know, and it's like, I feel like probably every casting person looked at her was like, yeah, it's Rosie Perez. Right. You bring like. You're right. You bring her in as a spark plug or whatever. It's insane that no one watched this movie and not nobody. She did movies after this.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

That she's good in, but. Right. Nobody watched Fearless and was like, like, I gotta use her right now for myriad quilt of role. Like, you know, like.

[Griffin Newman]

Absolutely. And I. I'm sure if you saw the list of things she was offered in the wake of Fearless, it would be like, revolting. Right.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

I assume it was a lot of like, do you want to play. Right. Someone in like a Wesley Snipes movie or what? You know, it's like, probably a lot like fifth or sixth leads and I'm

[Griffin Newman]

sure there are very big paydays she turned down and things where she was like, I don't want to fucking do that again. You know, like worse versions of the white man can't jump character in dumber big budget things, whatever. And it does feel like she tried to use her clout to get smaller films made that didn't really hit when she locked the gates. Her episode WTF is incredible.

[David Sims]

Not. Not surprised to hear that.

[Griffin Newman]

It's, like, very emotional and she talks about how traumatic her childhood was, and she basically didn't process any of it.

[David Sims]

She had a crazy childhood. You should listen to her mid-20s to talk, you know, like, you know, right.

[Griffin Newman]

And. And that it was. Fearless was one of the things where everyone was just like, are you okay? During the scenes, like when they called cut. And she was like, yeah, why? And they were like, that seemed like something really extreme was happening within you. And she was like, oh, really? I don't know, you know, that she, like, started only kind of after this movie doing the work to be like, why are my emotions like this?

[David Sims]

Right.

[Timothy Simons]

She was Jeff Bridgesing throughout the entire production of Fearless.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, kind of, that's the way she sort of talks about it. Was she just sort of like, I. I just accepted everything that happened to me my entire life as normal until other people made me realize it wasn't very complicated family situation. She's an incredible actor.

[David Sims]

She's still around. I feel like it's like she's also like, just kind of a New York celebrity.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, I mean, she's in.

[Timothy Simons]

She's in highest to lowest, Rosie Perez.

[David Sims]

Like, it's just like she's like a forever personality. Like, she was on the View for a while, you know what I mean? Like, where it's like, she will always be Rosie Perez, but it does feel like a major missed opportunity that she did not have a crazy career or even like, whatever. Just. Yeah, like more blockbusters, more kind of like mainstream shit. Maybe she turned some of it down. I don't know.

[Griffin Newman]

Like, I. Yeah, I'm sure she did, but it's also like, it's like, it's not a fait accompli where you're just like, why aren't the, like, the 10 hottest directors in Hollywood writing shit for her right now? She's one of those people I feel like you talked about when you interviewed Rian Johnson for Glass Onion and asked him about Dave Bautista. And he said, one of these days Paul Thomas Anderson or someone is gonna write a part that gets him an Oscar and they're gonna look like a genius. And I use that term a lot in My head now where I'm like, actors who are kind of just right there and someone just needs to write, like, the Frank TJ Maxx for them. And it's not like, oh, my God, I didn't know they could do that. It's like you build the right frame for them and you look like a genius for having them do the thing they always were capable of doing. And she's one of those where you're like, she's right there. There's no one else like her. And I think she still got her fastball Peniso Tora. We have not even mentioned.

[David Sims]

No, I mean, it's that early run

[Griffin Newman]

of his young Mumbly, even.

[David Sims]

This is pretty Usual Suspects. It's Post, obviously, like License to Kill and, and stuff like. But yeah, where I think he was still just like this young guy with a really interesting face that people kept being like, okay, like, what do we do with this guy? Because he's so beautiful. Yes.

[Ben Hosley]

He's always been tired.

[David Sims]

Always tired, always tired. He's tired his whole life.

[Griffin Newman]

You look like Kelly Ripa.

[Timothy Simons]

He, he, he looks.

[David Sims]

I got a few pounds on Kelly Ripa. I think she's pretty tiny.

[Griffin Newman]

I just met.

[David Sims]

In terms of time, know what you're saying. I know what you're saying. It was a good line. It was a good line. He is.

[Timothy Simons]

His voice is interesting. He looks interesting. And emotionally, he is compelling. Even just standing there.

[David Sims]

I think the thing with him all the way to Traffic, like, you know, especially things like Usual Suspects is he is like a Philip Glass score in a way where you're just like, he's almost too interesting. I kind of can't stop looking at this guy. I'm not paying attention to this story now.

[Griffin Newman]

You had to limit how much of you could put in a movie.

[David Sims]

And this is pretty subdued, but, like, sometimes he would just be like this kind of, like, wild, interesting, you know, energy, like. And just like, fuck. It's Benicio. He has had pretty good year.

[Griffin Newman]

It's been pretty incredible.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

We're talking about. The guy is 2025. I remind you.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, my God.

[David Sims]

It's not like Benicio ever left our hearts. We've always been here for Benicio, but

[Griffin Newman]

like a kind of transcendent 2025 for him.

[David Sims]

He.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm trying to remember who it is, but someone who went to drama school with him also, of course. But of course, who also became a successful actor, tells the story of seeing him, like, do a scene on the first day and being like, Jesus Christ.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Truly just being like, Immediately. This guy's the most interesting performer I've ever seen. And not just that he had an intelligence and a skill and a facility and whatever, but you're just like, I. I cannot look away from this guy.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And it did feel like in the 90s, he was almost. Almost like plutonium or something, where they were like, you gotta really, like, kind of quarantine him and put him in a specific box and knock him out of the plot at a certain point. And he also does a lot of, like, very big, stylized performances. This is like an early kind of him playing a normal guy kind of thing. And especially when so much of his work is kind of so heavy and haunted. It feels like in a lesser version of this film, one that probably isn't directed by Peter Weir, this guy is a lot. This character is like a dirt bag.

[Timothy Simons]

Is a dirt bag looking for the paycheck, right?

[David Sims]

Yep, 100%.

[Griffin Newman]

And there are just these little brushstrokes in how the character is written and how he plays it where it's like he's got his eye on the payout because this is amount of money that would change their fucking lives. And they're living through a horrible, horrible incident.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And they do deserve some sense of competition compensation for this. And he doesn't want to get screwed. They're the types of people who often don't have the proper representation in these types of situations. And he's trying to figure out how to support her emotionally, but he is so out of his depth on it. And I just think he plays that incredibly well.

[David Sims]

Absolutely. He's very good in the movie. Everyone is good in this movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Everyone's good.

[David Sims]

John de Lancie. My beloved John de Lancie. The look on his face when Bridges leaves the seat really gets me every time.

[Griffin Newman]

The scene where he goes weird that

[David Sims]

he didn't use his Q powers to save the plane, but whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

The scene where he goes to Deirdre o', Connor, that's mostly kind of incorporated

[David Sims]

Star Trek character, not the conspiracy theory Tim believes in.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Of course. He's movie Q pilled as well.

[Timothy Simons]

The Q takes are completely different than the. My Q movie takes are completely different than the maga movie takes.

[David Sims]

Right. That's a different mode to go.

[Timothy Simons]

That's a different mode.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

What were you gonna say, Griff? Sorry.

[Griffin Newman]

The movie Maga night was the same night, David, because we all. We got dinner in la. Right.

[David Sims]

I wasn't there.

[Griffin Newman]

But you were on the group text leading up to it.

[David Sims]

Sure.

[Griffin Newman]

Where Tim was freaking out, claiming like I'm late, guys.

[David Sims]

Save me a seat.

[Griffin Newman]

Excuse me. Oh. Oh. We were all in the same car and.

[David Sims]

Were you late in the car? Get to the car.

[Ben Hosley]

Not too bad.

[Griffin Newman]

Not too bad.

[David Sims]

Sure, sure, sure.

[Griffin Newman]

Tim. That was the day of Tim's freak out of. Is this a scop? You guys can't tell me that Lily Collins has been famous for 15 years.

[David Sims]

Oh, y.

[Griffin Newman]

You were really insistent on Lily Collins was an industry plant, but that he was calling bullshit on us knowing who she was.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Timothy Simons]

I was. It started with all capitals. Lily Phillips is kind of name.

[Griffin Newman]

Wrong.

[Timothy Simons]

Wait. Fuck Lily doing Lily Collins is her. Bill Collins's daughter.

[Griffin Newman]

Like all capital caps and terror band.

[Timothy Simons]

And everybody was like, yes, she has been famous forever. And I said, this is a lie.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. You were like, that is not true. And we were sending you movie posters from 2010 where she's above the title. And you were saying, these are fake movies. In a fake movie.

[David Sims]

Here I can actually. Here we go.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Lily Collins is Phil Collins's daughter. I reply, yes. Any other cues?

[Griffin Newman]

Not you, pill.

[David Sims]

Griffin replies, jane Fonda is Henry Fonda's daughter.

[Griffin Newman]

Pretty good joke from Griff.

[David Sims]

It's pretty good.

[Griffin Newman]

Griff Dog coming in hot.

[David Sims]

And I kind of started hitting you with like, she does kind of look like Phil Collins, her father. I mean, like, it's like they have the same face.

[Griffin Newman]

This is also not a thing that's kept under lock and key. And we're like, she's been feminist for 15 years. This has always been a tough talking point.

[David Sims]

But I mean, the thing that I found funny is, is that like, I. I actually like Lily Collins. I think she's got eyebrows for days. She's been in some movies I enjoy, but the thing she's most famous for is a hit Netflix show, my friend. She's in Paris.

[Griffin Newman]

She was the previous hit maker. Under the Big Red.

[David Sims]

Exactly. Her ass is in Paris.

[Griffin Newman]

We're also like. We're sidebarring going like, why is he getting worked up about this? Come from spurred this. Nothing was happening in the news to bring this on.

[David Sims]

She hadn't gone on like a killing spree.

[Timothy Simons]

My wife was listening to a lot of Phil Collins at that moment.

[Griffin Newman]

Huh.

[David Sims]

And in one of the songs you say, and my daughter is.

[Griffin Newman]

We're throwing out Mank and Mirror Mirror.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

She was in Warren Beatty's probably last movie ever. And you're like, none of this is real. You guys are lying.

[Timothy Simons]

You guys are lying. It just feels like if she has been famous for this long, I would

[David Sims]

have come up yeah, it would have come up that she said famous.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes.

[David Sims]

Okay. Like someone would have just approached you in your jam. Maybe we're getting ready to go to

[Griffin Newman]

dinner and I. I go to my girlfriend. I go, I just got to give you the heads up. Tim's coming in hot, right?

[David Sims]

Tim is full of beans about Lily Collins.

[Griffin Newman]

Speak of you often, but she's never met you before. And she's like, oh, no, did something happen? And I was like, no. I'm just saying.

[David Sims]

Well, in 1989, she was born to Phil Collins and Jill Tman.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm just saying, Tim's. Tim's going to be on one tonight. And then we get there and within five minutes he's unleashing movies. Movie maga.

[Ben Hosley]

Well, you know what? You know what also came up? David?

[David Sims]

What's up?

[Ben Hosley]

Malibu's most wanted.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, Malibu's most wanted.

[David Sims]

This is. This is the fakest, like, controversy.

[Ben Hosley]

I still think about it.

[David Sims]

I don't like that movie and I

[Timothy Simons]

don't have a vibe that I do.

[David Sims]

Do you like other bad movies? Really all it is.

[Griffin Newman]

My friend's face is bright.

[David Sims]

I also don't think that movie is that bad. I remember it being kind of a two star general interesting.

[Timothy Simons]

You're the Ben Hosley of the much.

[David Sims]

I've only. Isn't it fine? I may not have even seen it.

[Timothy Simons]

Every accusation is a confession.

[David Sims]

I didn't realize this was something I had to confess.

[Griffin Newman]

Wait a second. David Sims went to the Juilliard School of Film Criticism.

[David Sims]

Fucking assholes gave me a B plus. Have you seen Malibu's Most Wanted, Griffin? No, no, no.

[Timothy Simons]

I haven't either.

[David Sims]

Griffin, you cannot be scandalized. You. You do tend to see studio comedies that were released in theaters.

[Griffin Newman]

I don't see masterpieces.

[Timothy Simons]

I could, I could honestly see three weeks from now, Griffin coming in and guys, him being like, you know what? Malibu's most wanted, Kind of a masterpiece.

[David Sims]

Kind of a two and a half, three star. I don't know that I've seen it.

[Griffin Newman]

Three disc.

[David Sims]

I've seen a Jamie Kennedy film.

[Griffin Newman]

Did he have others kicking it Old

[David Sims]

school that I might have seen? I've definitely seen one of them. What's going on in kicking it Old School?

[Griffin Newman]

Kicking it old school. He's a B boy who has a breakdancing incident in which he falls into a coma, I think, trying to do a head spin.

[Timothy Simons]

Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

And then he wakes up to 20 years later and still thinks it's the 80s and comedy ensues.

[David Sims]

I mean, sure, I suppose it's similar to Has a plane crash and it's no longer allergic to strawberry.

[Griffin Newman]

Kind of the fearless of the 2000s.

[David Sims]

Yeah. He's not in the bench warmers. That Swardson and other.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay. But Swardson co wrote Malibu's Most Wanted.

[David Sims]

Okay.

[Timothy Simons]

Okay.

[David Sims]

I've definitely seen the bench warmers.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

That Loveitz is in that bench warmer.

[Griffin Newman]

Summers is.

[David Sims]

It's like, it's passable.

[Griffin Newman]

It's Happy Madison B team. It's Schneider, Spade, Lovett's. And then they try to work John Heater Heater in at the time where Hollywood couldn't figure out is this a thing?

[David Sims]

And they. Then they figured something out. No, he's not. Because he's in Blades of Glory.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And I remember that was one of those things where everyone was like, you know what's great about this movie? Will Arnett and Amy Poehler and not John Heater. Like, nobody cared about John Heater the

[Griffin Newman]

entire run of post Napoleon Dynamite movies all flop.

[David Sims]

Yeah. Just like Heaven. He's in that one.

[Griffin Newman]

And Blades of Glory was the last one in the can and was a big ass hit.

[David Sims]

Yeah. Because of Feral and Right.

[Griffin Newman]

And even still I was like, so are they going to have to back around and give him another shot? And they were like, no, no, no, no. We feel settled in this. He's never starring in a studio movie.

[David Sims]

He took those like tickets to the. To the front desk or whatever and they were like, these are no longer legal tender. Like, yeah, you're back. Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[David Sims]

I just remembered the Just like Heaven trailer. He's like the funny friend or whatever it is.

[Griffin Newman]

Reese Weatherspoon, Mark Ruffalo and Napoleon Dynamite's John Heater.

[David Sims]

And I guess some line was like, feeling a little parched. I'm gonna need a cola. Like, he had some weird line like that.

[Griffin Newman]

But that moment of.

[David Sims]

And it's like every time.

[Timothy Simons]

Crickets.

[Griffin Newman]

That was, I think, the first one post Napoleon Dynamite. And they were like, we have to. No one knows his name and they're not going to recognize him. We have to in the trailer announce that he's Napoleon Dynamite.

[David Sims]

Right. Because he won't be dressed like him.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. He won't be voting for Pedro.

[David Sims]

Before we do the box office game, anything else we want to talk about in the Fearless?

[Timothy Simons]

One thing that I want to say,

[David Sims]

be funny if we hadn't like mentioned the plane crash yet or something.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah. One thing that I really loved about this movie was that when I was watching it and I couldn't really get my head around it and some of the Pieces don't feel like they fit again. This is like a Jeff Bridges holy moment when he is brought back to life right to.

[David Sims]

To the end of the movie, of course, he eats the strawberries again and

[Timothy Simons]

says, like, I. I think I need you to save me or something like that.

[David Sims]

And then he's has the allergic reaction. Isabella rustling resuscitates him and you get the feeling that he is back to normal. And they roll credits right there.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

But it's like he. He is engaged with his human body again and fear of losing it.

[Timothy Simons]

That moment is so incredibly brilliant on a performance level, but also in this way that it was. And I. And I just want to. Like, this is, I think, like a Peter Weir thing. It was like. It was like there were just puzzle pieces spread out over the table and in that moment, he just shoved them all together and they all locked into place. Place. Like. It was like, I kind of didn't really get the movie. That moment happens and now everything has been perfectly clear. And I loved that part about it, how, like, it kept me guessing and then all of a sudden he just locked it in so hard and then was like, here are the credits. It is a really brilliant, incredible ending

[Griffin Newman]

that's very well said. And for a movie that's not about, like, plot mechanics and doesn't have big story pushes is another experience I love while watching a film where you're like, how the fuck is this thing going to resolve itself? And to resolve itself quickly at a point where very.

[David Sims]

Yeah, it feels like there could be 20 more minutes. And then they're like, no, it's over.

[Griffin Newman]

And be like, that's perfect. And in fact, it's the only way it could have ended. And I can't believe how exquisitely you built up to this moment without letting me see what you were doing.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

It's not a twist. It's not like it's some crazy overstated moment, but it's. It's just like that is how it ends.

[David Sims]

Did you buy the blue?

[Griffin Newman]

I did. So did I. Warner archive.

[David Sims]

I have it on my desk. Me too.

[Griffin Newman]

Got it in the pile. Alan Davio shot this film. Who?

[David Sims]

Of course, first American cinematographer that Weir had worked with.

[Griffin Newman]

He mostly kept his, like, above the

[David Sims]

line John Seal and guys like that.

[Griffin Newman]

But coming off the fucking E.T. what he did E.T. empire.

[David Sims]

He might have also done Last Crusade. He obviously. He worked with Spielberg a lot in the 80s.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Slocum does all the indies, but there's another Color Purple.

[David Sims]

Sure.

[Griffin Newman]

It's. Those are the three. And we'll disregard Twilight Zone, the movie. But this film looks incredible, and this is a movie that needs to just look good because it's so much about, like, absorbing textures of things and. And the space and the feeling in the air. And.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, there is one particular shot that I want to call out which I feel like is. I don't want to say it's a lost art, but it feels like Peter Weir, in this sort of, like, studio system, gets this script. And I didn't know about the history of it, but I was like, I didn't know exactly its developmental process or its development process, but when he first sees Rosie Perez, the entire frame is filled with the shadow of Jeff Bridges standing in the doorway, and it is slightly overtaking her. And I love that moment of, like, visual storytelling of her being consumed by shadow. Like, it basically is like a black stain that takes up and almost engulfs her in the frame. And it's a really incredible shot. And I just love that level of artistry in what is essentially studio fare.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

You know what I mean?

[David Sims]

That's right. And what is a. I mean, I guess this crazy. It has a crazy plane crash sequence. So it's not just like a domestic drama. Like, it is a heightened crazy, but, like, you know, it's largely about people dealing with their feelings.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, I'm trying to find this quote.

[David Sims]

What did you want to say, though?

[Timothy Simons]

Before I forget, the plane wouldn't have crashed if you were on it.

[Ben Hosley]

No, I'm not going to claim that.

[Griffin Newman]

If this were you, you would have eaten raspberries.

[Ben Hosley]

The car crash scene. Yeah, there's a YouTube drive.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, thank you for bringing this up.

[David Sims]

There is a. Yes, a wonderful YouTube. Oh, there's also wonderful music. Hearing the plane crash at the end,

[Ben Hosley]

I. I had to. I have to give it up. I. Oh, it was really effective. And what I liked about it is that it's totally unhinged. And I think using you two in an unhinged context, it really, like, opened that band up. And that's that music for me in a new way.

[Griffin Newman]

This is awesome.

[Timothy Simons]

Are you anti. You too? Yeah. You know what, man? I'm gonna throw a little MAGA music take. I'm with you.

[David Sims]

There we go.

[Timothy Simons]

This would be a MAGA movie take. This is the kind of thing we're talking about. Like, yeah, fucking you two. Get out of here. Gooza shit.

[Ben Hosley]

Wear those big glasses.

[David Sims]

I love you two very much. I love their music. I love that song. It's where the Streets have no Name.

[Griffin Newman]

I believe it uses A non vocal part. Most of the music in this film, there's a Maurice D score that's very good. But it's a lot of classical pieces.

[David Sims]

Yeah. The big classical piece is the Henrik GI Symphony 3 Symphony of Sorrow Songs, which is playing over the plane crash

[Timothy Simons]

montage, which is incredible.

[David Sims]

It's pretty good. I mean, maybe you could have thrown in like, you know, uno, dos, tres, like that. That would be good. You know, and like maybe just like an Apple ad during the plane crash.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm not cringing when the song starts.

[David Sims]

Everyone gets an album, but the movie has been in my phone.

[Griffin Newman]

Such a specific register musically. And then Streets have no Name, which is so recognizable.

[David Sims]

It is.

[Griffin Newman]

And it's one of those songs that has been so omnipresent for 30 plus years now that obviously when this film is made, it's more of a recent song. Jesus Christ. You're just like. Well, whatever the intended use of this song was in 1993, is it abstracted now to a point where you can't listen to it and not think of car commercials?

[David Sims]

Sure.

[Griffin Newman]

Or football games or whatever the. It's one of these songs that's everywhere, right?

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And I kept watching it being like, is the use going to get cringy at any point? And it just. It is. It is a transcendent use of music. It is like, it's really well done. Yeah. Yeah. It's just like a perfect kind of. No, you couldn't actually write an original piece of score for this that would work as well as both the way the music syncs up and like the power you gain from the recognition of what's playing. And it clearly just feels like the kind of thing that only comes out of listening to the album and being like, oh, you know what? You could construct a good sequence too. Listening to that part of the song and visualizing something, Something building.

[David Sims]

This film came out October 15, 1993 in Linux.

[Timothy Simons]

Can I ask a question about the box office game?

[David Sims]

You sure can.

[Timothy Simons]

Do you prefer or not? And maybe this is to Griffin. Griffin, I'd direct this to you. Do you prefer or not? When the guests try to also guess with you.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm open either way.

[Timothy Simons]

Okay.

[David Sims]

I don't think Griffin really minds a guest jumping in.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm not competitive, especially when I'm struggling. I love to be relieved of my mission. Misery.

[Timothy Simons]

Okay.

[David Sims]

Number one at the box office is a film I like a lot and I think you enjoy. But I think it's more of a Sims favorite. It's an action film, a sci Fi action film.

[Griffin Newman]

Is this an era where you feel like you might be quick to guess some of these. Was this like peak movie going time

[David Sims]

for you to hit back in fall? 93? I mean you would have been. You're not. You're not that much older than me. You're like four or five years older than me.

[Timothy Simons]

I feel maybe you're older than I would have been. I would have been a freshman in high school school probably.

[David Sims]

Okay, so you're a fair bit older than me.

[Timothy Simons]

Yes. Like prime movies.

[David Sims]

You may well have seen this film. It stars two action stars.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, was it Independence Day? No.

[Griffin Newman]

93.

[Timothy Simons]

No. I suppose that would have come out on Independence Day. Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

It's Sorry Sims favorite.

[Timothy Simons]

I'm not gonna jump in anymore.

[Griffin Newman]

Which studio released it?

[David Sims]

It is a Warner Brothers picture.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a Warner brothers sci fi 2 hander. 2 stars. Is big A based on anything? No, it's original. Yeah.

[David Sims]

Based on some crazy idea somebody had. It's a good movie. It's sort of the. We're approaching the final years of one of the stars's original kind of a list career. I would say more common for him to link up with another star maybe to help out. And the other guy's younger, up and coming action star is in the middle of a hot run in the 90s, has his own flame out later on. I love him but you know, I always seems like a complicated guy.

[Timothy Simons]

Momentarily I was thinking like Rumble in the Bronx.

[David Sims]

No, Is it.

[Griffin Newman]

Is it a big two faced poster?

[David Sims]

They're looking at each other. Oh, don't look in profile.

[Timothy Simons]

It's Broken Arrow.

[Griffin Newman]

No, it's not. Enemy mine.

[David Sims]

No, that is a real.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, it's Demolition Man.

[Griffin Newman]

There we go.

[David Sims]

There he is.

[Griffin Newman]

One of the real Sims favorites.

[David Sims]

It's a real favorite of mine. I love that movie so much.

[Timothy Simons]

It's a masterpiece.

[David Sims]

Thank you.

[Griffin Newman]

I feel like those are the two

[David Sims]

different types but you just don't have the passion.

[Griffin Newman]

But it's the two different types of two faces. There's the sort of broken arrow to half face.

[Timothy Simons]

Two half faces.

[Griffin Newman]

And then there's the face to face. Yeah, it's on.

[David Sims]

Absolutely true. So that's number one for the second week in a row.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[David Sims]

Number two is new this week. It is a comedy film based on a TV show.

[Griffin Newman]

1993.

[David Sims]

It's very popular TV show. I think this movie did okay.

[Griffin Newman]

It's not a. Is it a continuation of that show, you know, or is it kind of a.

[David Sims]

That's a great questioning and I'm. I Cannot speak. I cannot answer that because I don't know the show very well beyond very, very basic information. And I've never seen the film.

[Timothy Simons]

But it's not a Saturday Night Live.

[David Sims]

No, it is not. It's. No, it's based on, like, a hit sitcom that ran for, like, 10 years in the 60s and maybe early 70s. It's directed by a woman. Relax, Tim. Jesus.

[Griffin Newman]

It's not a Betty Thomas.

[Timothy Simons]

Do I have to go back to the notes?

[Griffin Newman]

Is it a Betty Thomas?

[David Sims]

It is not.

[Griffin Newman]

It's not Brady Bunch movie. It's not Beverly Hillbillies. It's not Leave it to Be.

[David Sims]

It is Beverly Hillbillies, which was directed by Penelope Spiris.

[Griffin Newman]

For some reason, I always think that movie's later.

[David Sims]

1993. And of course, Diedrich Bader, Dabney Coleman, Jim Varney, Curtis Leachman. Jim Varney. Is it a continuation or not? I have no idea. It's just. It's just like. It's like the Addams Family. It's like, let's just do this as a movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[David Sims]

Have you ever seen it?

[Griffin Newman]

No, I never have seen it. For. When we do spheres.

[David Sims]

You like Beverly Hillbillies?

[Ben Hosley]

I don't remember anything about it.

[David Sims]

Yeah, I mean,

[Timothy Simons]

feel like they find oil, probably.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, definitely.

[David Sims]

Definitely number three.

[Ben Hosley]

You know what? There's fun.

[David Sims]

Yeah, there's definitely number three at the box office. It's a family friendly, modern hit movie comedy. It's the movie that, like, the video store rental guy would recommend to every parent. I feel, when I was a kid,

[Griffin Newman]

this is actually a good kids movie. Like that kind of.

[David Sims]

It's a good movie, but, like, the

[Griffin Newman]

video store guys, like, you want a good family movie. Is that the tone? I think it's the recommendation.

[David Sims]

I guess so. It's just a movie where it's like. It's pretty harmless. Everybody kind of likes it. It's down the middle.

[Griffin Newman]

93. It's not the Sandlot.

[David Sims]

No. It's a sports movie, though.

[Griffin Newman]

It is a sports movie. It's not Little Giants. It's not Little Big League. It's not Rookie of the Year.

[David Sims]

No.

[Timothy Simons]

But I mean, Angels in the Outf.

[David Sims]

These are all. These are all movies I saw in theaters.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. It's not the Big Green.

[David Sims]

No.

[Timothy Simons]

Mighty Ducks.

[David Sims]

No great movies.

[Griffin Newman]

Not D2.

[David Sims]

No.

[Griffin Newman]

Certainly not D3.

[David Sims]

Definitely not.

[Griffin Newman]

If you tell us the sport, will it give it away?

[David Sims]

It will.

[Griffin Newman]

It will. So it's a specific sport.

[Timothy Simons]

Very specific. Airbud.

[Griffin Newman]

It's cool Runnings.

[David Sims]

It's cool. Which, yeah, totally fun, right? I mean, I haven't seen it in 25 years.

[Timothy Simons]

I showed it to the kids, I think when they were a little bit like this, probably would have been five years. And they loved it.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

It's fun.

[Griffin Newman]

I just watched.

[David Sims]

Yeah, it'd be funny if I'm like, no, it's a Bob sled movie. There's plenty of those.

[Griffin Newman]

I just watched the. The Colin Hanks Drawn Candy documentary.

[David Sims]

Yes, I'd like to watch that.

[Griffin Newman]

Sure.

[David Sims]

Is it on Netflix or Prime?

[Griffin Newman]

You gotta prime it up. Video.

[Timothy Simons]

Well, not today.

[David Sims]

No, not today.

[Griffin Newman]

Not today. Maybe never again. But they talk about how the. The final couple of years before his very untimely, premature death that it felt like the movies were starting to. Was the guy overexposed? Tired? They show a lot of interviews of critics being like, so you've been in more turkeys than a Thanksgiving dinner.

[David Sims]

He was kind of similar to Belushi, where it's like, something. He felt like, kind of less healthy. Right. Like, you could see him sort of.

[Griffin Newman]

Although he's less of a party guy.

[Timothy Simons]

No, I know, but

[David Sims]

he was just

[Griffin Newman]

in poor health and he was overworked, and he was doing, like, four or five movies a year. And they were like, is this too much of this guy? And that I was like. But wasn't, like, Running like a late hit. And it's one of the last movies.

[David Sims]

I'm not sure.

[Griffin Newman]

I think it's maybe the last one released while he was still.

[David Sims]

He was still alive.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Because he died early 90 and Canadian

[Griffin Newman]

bacon wagons, Easter, the two after his death. And I was.

[David Sims]

That's exactly right.

[Griffin Newman]

Did he not get any credit for Cool Runnings being a hit? And then I looked it up, and he's not on the poster.

[David Sims]

No, because the poster is that, like, cool, like, Jamaican kind of cartoon, like, of the bobsled.

[Griffin Newman]

And then he's certainly the most proven movie star in that film. And it felt like Disney was like, maybe he's actually a deterrent at this point that we need to hide him in the marketing.

[David Sims]

Oh, and also, Cool Runnings is a lot to explain to its audience. Got a bobsled team.

[Timothy Simons]

Well, I mean, I. I don't know, want to negate what you just said, but it feels like that's not a lot to explain right there.

[David Sims]

Bobsled team. Team. And so you need to engage with that news.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a fun movie. Judd Candy is really good.

[David Sims]

He is really good. And it's a good movie. I mean, like, it's a fun movie.

[Griffin Newman]

One of the best one of the best.

[David Sims]

He's so funny. I mean, I grew up with him.

[Ben Hosley]

As one of my faves of all time.

[David Sims]

Number four at the box office is, and this might shock you to hear, this is a film where Alec Baldwin plays kind of an intense guy in the 90s. Can you believe it?

[Griffin Newman]

It's not the Edge.

[David Sims]

Nope.

[Timothy Simons]

Is it it Malice.

[Griffin Newman]

There we go.

[Timothy Simons]

I'm telling you, this is like prime time.

[David Sims]

The. You know, it's a Neo noir. How. How Harold Becker thriller. Kidman is the love interest and Bill Pullman's in there and stuff, but it's the one where he gives the I am God speech that Eric Sorkin wrote.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Have you ever seen Malice?

[Griffin Newman]

No, I've never seen Malice. I've seen that clip. Yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

I feel like I remember it being good. I haven't watched it. Solid. Yeah, solid 90s thriller.

[Griffin Newman]

Baldwin. Kind of an interesting counterpoint to the. The Bridges discussion. Obviously, Bridges started so much younger. Right. Had been a movie star for longer, but in the 90s, I think they were like, bridges has found his place. This is where he is. This is where he lives. And Baldwin was another guy you went to if the top 10 turned it down. But the difference was Hall Hollywood was like, is Baldwin one movie away from becoming One of the 10? Yeah.

[David Sims]

No, it kept being like, isn't he an A lister or is he not?

[Griffin Newman]

Like, isn't he like, an inch away from.

[Ben Hosley]

Right.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And then it'll. You know, movies like Malice, it'll be like, yeah, rack up 50 mil for it. Like, it's not like a nothing burger.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

But it's not quite number five. This is a. A thriller. An action thriller. Okay. I feel it is 100% best known for its soundtrack. It has an iconic.

[Griffin Newman]

Is it Judgment Nighttrack?

[David Sims]

It is the film Judgment Night movie, in which, of course, Emilio. Yes. Directed by Stephen Hopkins, in which, of course, Emilio estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr. Jeremy Piven and Stephen Dorf are on the run from Dennis Leary.

[Griffin Newman]

You could have just said the boys and we would have known the cast. You didn't have to name them one by one.

[David Sims]

It's just one of those things where, like, you look at the poster and it's like Emilio and Dorf and Cuba looking stressed out.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And then behind them in silhouette is fucking Dennis Leary smoking a cigarette. I'm like, the man was everywhere. Like, he was out there saying, like, whatever, coffee shouldn't have sugar in it or whatever. And everyone was like, right, YouTube. Weirdly, he's also in fucking Demolition Man.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

YouTube algorithm served me up the Rich Eisen show, my favorite show, which I complimented Tim for being on. And Tim said, I was never on that show. And then I sent him back. Back his own clip.

[David Sims]

But Rich Eisenh, he seems like a good interviewer.

[Timothy Simons]

It's a good time. Yeah, I remember it now.

[Griffin Newman]

I have fond memories from him being him and Stuart Scott being my favorite guys. When my brother James was watching the

[David Sims]

Sports center, iconic Stu Scott, absolute legend wrestling.

[Timothy Simons]

Remember when we were power. We're gonna bring him back to Draft Day. Remember that night where he's in the movie? He's in the movie. And there was this night where Griffin and I were, like, sitting, looking at our phones, and he came in and he's like, everybody's on their phone these days. Nobody talks anymore. And immediately Griffin and I, like, put our phones out. We're like, Dennis. And then we're like, what's going on, man? He was like, oh, I didn't really have anything to say. So we kind of like, well, tell us a story, man. Come on.

[David Sims]

You're. Dennis learned that story before. It's a great story.

[Griffin Newman]

And this story apparently inspired the. The Fox sitcom where he's a military general.

[David Sims]

Yeah. Did that keep going, that one?

[Griffin Newman]

It's still on the air.

[Timothy Simons]

Is that the story that he told?

[Griffin Newman]

The creator of that show listens to this podcast and was like, oh, someone should write a show where Dennis Leary has a reason to yell at people all the time.

[David Sims]

I mean, he is good.

[Griffin Newman]

What if he's a drill sergeant or whatever? I guess he's a general. I don't know.

[David Sims]

I don't know.

[Griffin Newman]

Rude.

[David Sims]

Sorry. I'm sorry.

[Griffin Newman]

No, I'm being rude. Yes. Thing I was gonna say, Rich Eisen had Jeremy Piven on, and he asks him about the Larry Sanders show, and that's a show he quit a season and a half in because he thought they weren't giving him enough material. Right? And he keeps asking him, but, like, what was it like, Larry Sanders. And he keeps going, like, answering anything but Larry Sanders. And being like. And I'm on that show, and I get cast on Seinfeld, and I've never even watched Seinfeld because I don't even own a tv. And they were like, right, But Larry Sanders. And he won't answer it. And I think he's trying to talk around how much of a brat he was on Larry Sanders. And he goes, look, I was just so young. I was so green. I'm right out of college, and suddenly I'm on A TV show and was crazy. And then I was like, do the years line up for that? I look it up. He's 27. He had been in seven movies.

[David Sims]

Jeremy Piven. I'll, yes. I'll just say, what is the story? I feel like he massages the truth once in a while.

[Griffin Newman]

Unfortunately, not the only thing he massages without permission.

[Timothy Simons]

I, I, I think that you are right. Like, like for all the credit that the hot ones guy gets for, like, his questions. I feel like Rich Eisen is not a softball guy.

[Griffin Newman]

Like, he's a really good interviewer.

[Timothy Simons]

He's a really good interviewer.

[David Sims]

I, like, feel.

[Griffin Newman]

And he loves movies and tv when

[David Sims]

he's a real nerd about it.

[Timothy Simons]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

I don't watch his show when he has a fucking athlete on.

[David Sims]

Why not?

[Griffin Newman]

Anytime he has an actor on, I'm like, he's asking really good questions.

[David Sims]

Yeah, he's, he's good when he has,

[Timothy Simons]

when he has Ray Liotta on and he's got that signed goodfellas poster and Ray Liotta is like, I never signed that. It's not my signature. Make him smash it open and sign it.

[Griffin Newman]

It's good shit.

[Timothy Simons]

Ben Hosley is fully checked out.

[David Sims]

Ben, have you, you know the Judge Night soundtrack? If not queued up on Spotify, you're going to love it. Great hip hop soundtrack from the early 90s. I'm serious. All right, I'll check it out. I'm serious. You will? You will.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm not like Sims like, it.

[Timothy Simons]

Hs got the Sims posture right now.

[Griffin Newman]

He does. And Sims is leaning in.

[Timothy Simons]

Sims is leaning in.

[Griffin Newman]

Sims is wide awake.

[David Sims]

What is happening? Number six at the box office because of Amazon.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Amazon is thrown everything.

[Ben Hosley]

Jesus.

[David Sims]

We almost spent three hours on Fearless.

[Timothy Simons]

On Fearless. Hell, yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

An excellent film. David, what's number five at the box office?

[David Sims]

Number five is Judgment Night. Number six is the Good Son, Macaulay Culkin thriller. Number seven.

[Timothy Simons]

They had to overdub him, swearing they didn't want it to. If they wanted to be able to say he's still like, he is not sullied by the swear words.

[Griffin Newman]

It would have broken America.

[Timothy Simons]

It would have broken America. So they overdubbed to hit the. When he was like, don't fuck with me.

[David Sims]

Number six is. Yeah, I said already good son. Number seven is the Joy Luck Club. Great movie. Number eight is Go Away Age of Innocence Pop up number. Age of Innocence. Great movie as well. Of course, number nine, the Fugitive, which we love. Number 10, A Bronx Tale, which was a flop at the time. And it's become quite a beloved classic, obviously. And there's that scene where Chaz Palminteri fucks up the Hells Angels in the bar. The TikTok is like, you want to watch this scene? I'm like, I fucking watched it yesterday. Yesterday. And they're like, give it another gander.

[Timothy Simons]

At dinner last night, having this conversation about how he eats dinner. I do all sorts of crazy.

[David Sims]

What dinner were you eating?

[Timothy Simons]

Just like a dinner in the lobby of the hotel. I was in New York.

[David Sims]

So lazy he can't even leave his lobby. New York needs tourism that I love. I just turn anything he says on him.

[Griffin Newman]

Take those long legs out for a walk.

[David Sims]

Gotta move that blood around.

[Timothy Simons]

NYC needs to see those gams.

[David Sims]

Exactly.

[Griffin Newman]

Sidewalk walk isn't good enough for you.

[David Sims]

I need a 4 inch inseam on your shorts. We really got to get all people

[Ben Hosley]

gonna know if you're walking here.

[David Sims]

What else does one do in New

[Timothy Simons]

York that like they're now doing it? They'll do it with like the shitty horror movies that were made in like 2011 that you've never seen where it's like the man wants to go into the bathroom but he does not know that there is another man behind with a knife. You know what I mean? Like where they have like the shitty AI, but they're starting to do that with like Titanic and like movies that everybody like, they've been doing it with Goodfellas. Like they tried to enter the bar, but instead of going through the front door, they go through the kitchen where they actually.

[David Sims]

I'm intrigued and I will be clicking on your link.

[Griffin Newman]

Sounds like they might have fixed Goodfellas,

[David Sims]

giving it a clearer title. Yeah, I don't know. This is about pizza.

[Griffin Newman]

I don't understand. Tim, you're the best guys.

[Timothy Simons]

I love this so much.

[David Sims]

It's so nice that we got to do this because. Because you're not in town that often.

[Timothy Simons]

That often.

[David Sims]

And hopefully you'll be back in town soon. Though.

[Timothy Simons]

One of the.

[David Sims]

And we don't have to do a podcast.

[Timothy Simons]

And I love New York City and like there are the dreams that I have of staying here for longer periods of time. All include, and this is 100% true, all include my ability to be on this podcast more often.

[David Sims]

We'd love you to have you on more often, but unfortunately we're booked up, so. No, no, no. Yes, we. But also I'd love to just get dinner with you. Yeah, we're gonna hear tell of a dinner you guys all got in la Day.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, get on a plane.

[Griffin Newman]

It sounds like pizza. It was fun.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah, it was a fun time. We shut it down. They were like, changing the light bulbs in the restaurant. Somebody had a ladder out. Like, we had to apologize. Like, thank you so much for letting

[Griffin Newman]

us go see Mars Attacks of Idiots. And we passed that by.

[David Sims]

You arrived while the credits were rolling or whatever. Sounds good. Fantasy made fun of me.

[Ben Hosley]

He's like, you're wearing linen pants and drinking orange wine. Who are you?

[Timothy Simons]

Rude.

[David Sims]

Really? That sounds awesome to me, my friend.

[Ben Hosley]

That was La Benny.

[Timothy Simons]

La Benny.

[David Sims]

Well, I don't wear a lot of laden pants, but orange wine. I mean, like, you know, let's do it.

[Griffin Newman]

Love it. What used to be several different group texts we combined into sort of a. A mega. Not maga.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Mega group text that we call News and Deals that's ostensibly designed for us to share physical media announcements and discounts and becomes a bit of a. A garbage plate of every other opinion we have.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

But my favorite thing. Thing is when. Because we'll all gang up on each other and, you know, everyone gets their turn in the barrel to be the butt of the joke. Right.

[Timothy Simons]

And Lowry seems to be broadly unscathed.

[David Sims]

How can you make fun of David? Jesus Christ, he's like a creature from another universe.

[Griffin Newman]

The eyes of an angel.

[David Sims]

Exactly.

[Griffin Newman]

But beautiful people will pile up on sims and then David will go like, I'm sorry, in my defense, I'm the only one in here who has to raise twins. And like three times. Never drop this. And you go like, excuse me, I

[David Sims]

have never done that.

[Griffin Newman]

It has happened.

[David Sims]

I do have you beat, though. And you go, I. And I've met other twin parents. I meet more twin parents now. My kids in school with two twins. Right. Like where the other kids in another class. Right. Because they split them up.

[Timothy Simons]

Right? Yeah.

[David Sims]

And they'll be like, I have twins too. And they're like, oh, you do? Who's her. Where's her sibling? And I'm like, no, I have twins in addition. And they'll go like, other parents have been like, jesus.

[Griffin Newman]

The reason. The reason I remember that this did in fact happen.

[David Sims]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Griffin Newman]

Is you said that this. Right. And Tim was like, I have twins as well. And you were like.

[David Sims]

I was like, take a. Hi.

[Griffin Newman]

Yours aren't babies.

[David Sims]

Yeah, take a h. Well, it's true.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. They're 13. Famously easy. Famously easy age.

[David Sims]

Before you got here, you were late.

[Griffin Newman]

Tim and I coffee and Amazon was down.

[David Sims]

Griffin said, the best, best excuse ever. Usually his excuses. The trade is late or whatever. So they had to brew a new pie.

[Griffin Newman]

They did. I said, three cups for me and my friends, please. And they said, we can only give you one.

[David Sims]

So long here at the coffee shop is down.

[Griffin Newman]

The coffee shop's on fire. I couldn't place a mobile order.

[David Sims]

Tim and I were talking about this. Yes. His. I have. I have immediate child problems which are feed me, change me, I can't sleep, whatever. My teeth hurt. You have a. And I complex emotional problems dealing with teenagers.

[Timothy Simons]

I have, like, the Jeff Bridges in fearless level of problems with mine. Like, I don't know if this is solvable, man.

[David Sims]

Maybe stop driving your car into a wall while your kids are in the car.

[Timothy Simons]

That's not the best way.

[Griffin Newman]

The lesson of fearless is that's how you teach lessons.

[Timothy Simons]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

It works.

[Timothy Simons]

I've got an idea. Nothing else is working.

[David Sims]

Just.

[Griffin Newman]

Blast. Where the streets have no name. Make your twins hold on to their toolboxes for dear life. Him a little kiss and just pedal to the metal.

[Timothy Simons]

What a pleasure.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Nobody wants this string now on.

[David Sims]

Thank God you did this today and not tomorrow when you were, like, sandwiched between Kelly Clarkson and whatever other.

[Griffin Newman]

We were truly going to have to do it in between two talk show appearances.

[Timothy Simons]

And I was. I was stressed out about getting to this point of being like, we haven't even spoken about the movie and I now have to leave. Two and a half hours.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Disaster. Yeah. Thank you all for listening. Is there anything else you want to plug? No, no.

[Timothy Simons]

I think we did it all.

[Griffin Newman]

Great.

[Timothy Simons]

Nobody wants this came out.

[David Sims]

We have a TV show. I mean, sorry, a podcast.

[Timothy Simons]

Oh, yeah. I do a podcast with Matt Walsh where we now cover movies that have presidents or vice presidents in them. And it's called second in command. You can find us on Patreon.

[Griffin Newman]

I did an episode on Dave, the penis question. The big central penis question of the Rman film. Dave was discussed in depth.

[Timothy Simons]

In depth.

[David Sims]

Get into it.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Thank you all for listening. Please remember to rate, review and subscribe. Tune in next week for. Is next week Truman?

[David Sims]

Yeah. This is the thing about Peter Weir. You're like, damn fearless. Like, this rocks. He's really hitting this amazing Hollywood str. It's like Truman show master and commander way back. Like, his career is almost over.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, and we'll talk.

[David Sims]

He's going to make great movies.

[Griffin Newman]

We'll talk about it next week. But the whole thing with Truman is they're like, great news. Jim Carrey wants to do the movie Bad news. He is actually booked for the next two years straight Right. He will do it. But you're six in line, so he has like two years of prep on that movie.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Which is part of why that movie is.

[David Sims]

I was going to say it probably helped.

[Timothy Simons]

Right.

[David Sims]

But yeah.

[Timothy Simons]

Who's your guest?

[Griffin Newman]

JD Amada.

[David Sims]

I think JD's gonna be on that one.

[Griffin Newman]

Barring the great J return to the show.

[Ben Hosley]

Over on the Patreon, tomorrow we release an episode on Devil Wears Prada 2.

[David Sims]

That. That is true. We will definitely be doing that. That schedule. Right.

[Griffin Newman]

In general, assuming no release state changes.

[David Sims]

Yep. Now, no. That thing feels like it is going to eat at the start of summer.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[David Sims]

That thing's going to crush.

[Griffin Newman]

Destroy.

[Ben Hosley]

And we're going to have a special guest.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. My. My sister, Romley Newman, longtime sister, returned to the show for the first time in many years.

[Timothy Simons]

That's cool. Oh, yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Anyway, and as always, movies are great again. Maga.

[Ben Hosley]

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 Barty Salinas, and our Associate producer is AJ McKeon. This show is mixed and edited by AJ McKeon and Alan Smithy, researched by JJ Burch. Our theme song is by Lane Montgomery and the Great, Great American Novel with additional music by Alex Mitchell, artwork by Joe Bowen, Ollie Moss, and Pat Reynolds. Our production assistant is Minick. 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. Follow us on social at Blank Check Pod. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter Checkbook on Substack. This podcast is created and produced by Blank Check Productions.