Unstuckables Rewatchables (a movie game)

If you’re not familiar, The Rewatchables is a podcast exploring the most rewatchable movies by answering a variety of categories for each selection. A great introduction is their recent episode rewatching Rounders (1998).

We’ll be following similar (but updatable) categories for our inaugural selections: Dune (1984) and Dune (2021).

CATEGORIES
• Most Rewatchable Scene
• The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie
• What’s Aged the Best?
• What’s Aged the Worst?
• The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance
• The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award
• The “Ruffalo/Hanna/Rubinek/Partridge” Overacting Award
• Casting What Ifs
• Half-Assed Internet Research
• Probably Unanswerable Questions
• Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All Black Remake
• Apex Mountain
• Who Won the Movie?
• Picking Nits
• The “Den of Thieves Benihana” Award for Scene Stealing Location
• The “Great Shot Gordo” Award for Most Cinematic Shot
• The Vincent Chase Award: Are We Sure This Character Is Actually Good at Their Job?
• The “Big Kahuna Burger” Award for Best Use of Food and Drink
• The “Butch’s Girlfriend” Award for the Weakest Link in the Film
• The “Ron Burgundy Flute” Award for the Best Time for a Pee Break
• Is There a Better Title for this Movie?
• The Steven A. Smith Hottest Take Award
• The Teddy KGB Award for the Actor in a Completely Different Movie
• Hall of Fame Plaque
• Just One Oscar
• Best Double Feature
• Best Race Horse Name from this Movie
• What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?
• The “Andy and Red – Zihuatanejo” Award for What Happens the Next Day?
• The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson
• The “Slow Ride” / “Kid Cudi – Pursuit of Happiness” Award for Best Needle Drop

Feel free to add your answers for any of the movies at any time. We’ll announce in advance which movies we’re revisiting next.

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As I stare down this long list of categories, I think this will give me a greater appreciation for what the Rewatchables people do, because there are a bunch of these I can’t do from memory; I think I’ll have to rewatch with the categories in mind.

Thankfully, since seeing and loving Dune 2, I’ve been curious about how the original Villeneuve Dune would now land for me, so I’ll use this as an excuse to watch it soon.

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I love these movies but idkwtf this game is about. Looking forward to playing badly while having fun

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I also don’t understand most categories, but The “Big Kahuna Burger” Award for Best Use of Food and Drink in Dune 1984 goes definitely to Raban when he squeezes out that little mouse-like creature for a drink (honorable mention: cows tongue rip-out). And actor in another movie:

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Come to think of it, that could also be the overacting award.

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As a longtime Rewatchables listener, I’ll try to offer some context to help people with the categories.

• Most Rewatchable Scene

Self-explanatory.

• The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie

Also self-explanatory; it’s just got Ringer color before getting to what the award is for.

• What’s Aged the Best?
• What’s Aged the Worst?

These are going to be a bit tough with a 2021 film since it has barely aged; VFX technology is roughly the same, social norms haven’t shifted strongly in three years in a way that makes humor age badly, etc. But otherwise these categories tend to explain themselves also.

• The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Mind you, I haven’t much watched the NBA since the league actively facilitated the theft of the Sonics, but it’s my understanding that Dion Waiters was a bench player who famously came in and had a big impact on a game while playing very few minutes. That’s the sort of thing that the category is referencing; which person with little screentime really made their minutes count?

• The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

So when this guy, who has to endure a coin toss for his life…

…shows up in Killers of the Flower Moon to oversee the Osage getting their government-kept money, he’s a good example of a “that guy.”

Basically a highly familiar face where you don’t know their name without looking it up.

• The “Ruffalo/Hanna/Rubinek/Partridge” Overacting Award

This category is well-conceived enough, though as done on the podcast it’s really confusing, because Bill Simmons will just say the person is “really going for it” by, e.g. yelling their way through the performance, and then - despite calling it “overacting” - acts confused as to why people think he’s insulting the performance.

So usually it’s just for a really dialed-up performance, like Pacino in Heat.

• Casting What Ifs

This encourages discussion of “what if X played this role?” Will usually require a cursory bit of Googling to see who else auditioned for, turned down, or was otherwise considered for the role.

• Half-Assed Internet Research

Drawing on the above, other stuff you bump into can be worth throwing out there for this.

• Probably Unanswerable Questions

This is just raising things that the movie doesn’t answer and is never going to answer, but that piqued your curiosity when watching.

• Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All Black Remake

This is posing the above as multiple options: if you were going to get a follow-up to this movie, would you prefer to see a sequel, prequel, prestige TV series, or a remake with an all-black cast?

• Apex Mountain

This is examining participants in the film and asking whether this was the high point of their career. It can be additional good fodder to say what you think IS the person’s apex mountain if this isn’t. For example: I’ll say that 2021 Dune was not Rebecca Ferguson’s apex mountain. Gotta be either M:I - Fallout or maybe she’s reaching a new height with Dune 2? But 2021 Dune isn’t it. On the show, they also will throw out concepts for this. An example here: is this apex mountain for sand movies?

• Who Won the Movie?

This is asking: what individual person gained the most from this movie’s run?

• Picking Nits

Small stuff that you may or may not care about, but you want to point out the silliness on display in the movie.

• The “Den of Thieves Benihana” Award for Scene Stealing Location
• The “Great Shot Gordo” Award for Most Cinematic Shot

Fairly self-explanatory.

• The Vincent Chase Award: Are We Sure This Character Is Actually Good at Their Job?

This is usually just a way to talk about the ways in which characters in the movie were low-key incompetent at whatever their primary function was.

• The “Big Kahuna Burger” Award for Best Use of Food and Drink

Self-explanatory.

• The “Butch’s Girlfriend” Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

Butch’s girlfriend is referring to Pulp Fiction (Bill hates her; other regular hosts have argued with him about this). Just talking about the worst character or aspect of the movie.

• The “Ron Burgundy Flute” Award for the Best Time for a Pee Break
• Is There a Better Title for this Movie?

Self-explanatory.

• The Steven A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Pretty self-explanatory too, but it generally goes beyond a general opinion about the overall movie; usually it’s something more narrowly tailored. As an example, Van Lathan went on the National Lampoon Vacation pod and tried to bring the take that Beverly D’Angelo was driving Chevy Chase into the arms of the other woman that he spends the movie ogling.

• The Teddy KGB Award for the Actor in a Completely Different Movie

Pretty self-explanatory, and if you’ve seen Rounders you can kind of see what this is getting at.

• Hall of Fame Plaque

I, uhh, don’t know what this is.

• Just One Oscar

If this movie got just one Oscar, who or what should have gotten it?

• Best Double Feature

What movie does this pair well with?

• Best Race Horse Name from this Movie

Something, anything from the movie that could just be slapped on racehorse as their name. There’s usually pretty good funny options here.

• What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

Self-explanatory.

• The “Andy and Red – Zihuatanejo” Award for What Happens the Next Day?

This is just discussion about what happens in this world after the credits roll. As I mentioned about Meet Joe Black: the Joe/Susan relationship falls apart rather quickly for various reasons directly presented by the end of the movie.

• The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

Self-explanatory; best thing to take away from the movie.

• The “Slow Ride” / “Kid Cudi – Pursuit of Happiness” Award for Best Needle Drop

Also self-explanatory. Think “Son of a Preacher Man” in Pulp Fiction.

Hope this helps a bit.

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Dune (1984)

CATEGORIES
• Most Rewatchable Scene

• The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie

Paul: What’s in the box?
Reverend Mother Mohiam: Pain.

• What’s Aged the Best?

The franchise

• What’s Aged the Worst?

The movie itself? I think to this day it’s hard to defend the movie as anything more than an ambitious failure. I say this despite also acknowledging the legacy of the movie beyond its own quality.

• The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Patrick Stewart is amazing, and I’ve got to give a second prize to Sting.

• The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

I feel like Sting must have been this guy for anyone who saw the movie. An instant huh he looks familiar…with all the surprise when you learn it’s the guy from The Police.

• The “Ruffalo/Hanna/Rubinek/Partridge” Overacting Award

Francesca Annis as Lady Jessica. One critic said she was whispering as though making a seduction.

• Casting What Ifs

From the wiki discussing the alternate version we would have gotten from Jodorowsky:

Potential cast included Salvador Dalí as the Emperor, Orson Welles as Baron Harkonnen, Mick Jagger as Feyd-Rautha, Udo Kier as Piter De Vries, David Carradine as Leto Atreides, Jodorowsky’s son Brontis Jodorowsky as Paul Atreides, and Gloria Swanson.

• Half-Assed Internet Research

We almost got a Ridley Scott version, but he moved on and did Blade Runner.

• Probably Unanswerable Questions

Were the flaws a product of the time? A part of me sees Dune as unfilmable by virtually anyone at any time. When I watch the documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune, it’s easy to think that would have been better, but I’m not sure almost anyone could have made a satisfying Dune back then.

• Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All Black Remake

Remake for sure. There’s no denying the quality of the new version.

• Apex Mountain

Nowhere close to Apex Mountain for Dune.

Also not close for the actors. Kyle Maclahlan was still headed toward Twin Peaks and many more peaks to come. Patrick Stewart went on to Trek. Virginia Madsen just kept climbing all the way to Sideways.

Maybe top of the mountain for Sting’s acting career.

• Who Won the Movie?

The spice.

• Picking Nits

I hate the shield scenes.

• The “Den of Thieves Benihana” Award for Scene Stealing Location

Many of the exterior shots were filmed in the Samalayuca Dune Fields in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.

Chihuahua representing!

• The “Great Shot Gordo” Award for Most Cinematic Shot

• The Vincent Chase Award: Are We Sure This Character Is Actually Good at Their Job?

I think we all agree Paul turns into a huge asshole, but that doesn’t mean he’s bad at his job.

• The “Big Kahuna Burger” Award for Best Use of Food and Drink

The award surely goes to Paul’s father for using his last bite as a weapon.

• The “Butch’s Girlfriend” Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

The visual effects are just so dated that they become distracting.

• The “Ron Burgundy Flute” Award for the Best Time for a Pee Break

Go whenever you need to go. The exposition doesn’t stop. Even the credits are just more exposition.

• Is There a Better Title for this Movie?

Spiceworld

• The Steven A. Smith Hottest Take Award

I’m still firmly on the side that this is a bad movie but interesting failure. I love big swings.

• The Teddy KGB Award for the Actor in a Completely Different Movie

What is Sting even doing LMAO

• Just One Oscar

No one deserves an Oscar in this movie LMAO

• Best Double Feature

Watch it with the new Dune. I haven’t seen part 2 but can only imagine feeling even more satisfied in comparison to whatever the 1984 version might spoil in the plot.

• Best Race Horse Name from this Movie

Sand King

• What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

A jar of sand from where they filmed exteriors.

• The “Andy and Red – Zihuatanejo” Award for What Happens the Next Day?

The sequels mean we don’t have to wonder what happens.

• The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

Paul: I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will let it pass over me and through me. And when it has passed I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where it has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

• The “Slow Ride” / “Kid Cudi – Pursuit of Happiness” Award for Best Needle Drop

Turning back to the most rewatchable scene. I just love when she tries to use her powers on him and he uses the voice to say SILENCE!!

I don’t know what’s going on but Dune rules.

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I don’t recall them doing this one in a while, but the idea is that for the, say, Baseball Hall of Fame, when a new electee has played for many teams, they’ve got to choose which team will be represented on their plaque.

So like Gary Carter is an Expo in the HoF, even though I think of him as a Met.

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Anyway, for Rewatchables, the question for each actor/director is, would this be the movie that represents them on their Hall of Fame plaque? Obviously quite a bit of overlap with Apex Mountain, which itself is a whole bunch of nonsense.

Good thread, even though I’ve never seen or read any Dune, and probably never will.

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I feel that the Lynch movie and the book are different enough that the book sequels don’t necessarily tell us what will happen next for the movie characters. My sense was always that the movie made the Atreides and the Fremen to be much more noble protagonists than they were in the books. For instance, doesn’t the movie basically ignore all the stuff about the prophecy being a psyops and Jessica fully taking advantage of this.

I feel if you asked people after the movie whether Paul and the Fremen would go on a jihad to convert the universe, resulting in the destruction of entire planets and the death of billions, they wouldn’t think it possible.

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On one hand you make good points. On the other hand, I would question how far any adapted sequels would have deviated. I think they’d have found a way back to the established thread.

Finished watching until about the part Dune 1 Villenueve ends. It is actually more of an interesting failure when measured against Villenueve.

You do have two fantastic directors doing the same source material.

On one hand the special effects required to do Dune correct, just weren’t around then. The shield fights were just laughable while they work now. I like Lynch and all, but Lynch is about the small. The intro to the sandworm is a massive scene in Villenueve, just nothing in Lynch.

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Oppenheimer, because idk about you but I’ve already rewatched it once.

CATEGORIES
• Most Rewatchable Scene

I loved this scene and the effect in general of cutting to little atomic and quantum reactions as a part of how Oppenheimer perceives reality.

• The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie

The same from the scene above.

“The important thing isn’t whether you can read music. It’s can you hear it.”

• What’s Aged the Best?

The take that Oppenheimer was a troubled man who should ultimately feel vindicated.

• What’s Aged the Worst?

Naked people talking in a room.

• The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

This has to go to Robert Downey Jr for sure.

Haven’t seen that kind of intensity since Al Pacino got heat checked in Heat.

• The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Tempting as it is to give this to Benny Safdie, I’m instead giving it to David Krumholtz. I immediately thought holy shit, it’s that guy!

• The “Ruffalo/Hanna/Rubinek/Partridge” Overacting Award

I’m giving this one to Dane DeHaan and his infinitely soft voice.

• Casting What Ifs

This is Nolan’s first film since Insomnia not to feature Michael Caine. Now I’m just wondering what role Caine might have played if we got to swap him for anyone. Maybe swap him with Gary Oldman?

• Half-Assed Internet Research

The earliest version of this movie would have been directed by Sam Mendes. Oppenheimer is best described as a biopic with the structure and pacing of a thriller. I can only imagine what the subject matter would have looked like from the director of American Beauty.

• Probably Unanswerable Questions

We can take a deep dive into what happened to Oppenheimer after the movie, but Nolan left the ending deliberately vague. He can’t help but leave us with a spinning top.

• Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All Black Remake

Limited series for sure. This could be great almost exactly as is but just split into six episodes.

• Apex Mountain

It’s definitely Apex Mountain for movies about the development of the atomic bomb, as well as Oppenheimer as a subject. Neither are anywhere close to the first swing. Both have been featured in several movies and TV shows, so this is a significant home run in the history of the subjects.

Is it Apex Mountain for Robert Downey? Nahhhhh. His mountain was Avengers: Endgame.

Cillian Murphy may be on his Apex Mountain. This is a huge milestone for him in a leading role for Nolan.

It’s 100% Apex Mountain for sunscreen.

• Who Won the Movie?

Quantum mechanics

• Picking Nits

Not exactly any nits to pick, except with those who were picking nits over the scenes where the two are sitting naked and having deep thoughts.

• The “Den of Thieves Benihana” Award for Scene Stealing Location

The city they build for everyone working on the Manhattan Project. They wanted to use the original Los Alamos, but their main street now has a Starbucks.

• The “Great Shot Gordo” Award for Most Cinematic Shot

Though I’d say big bombs have been featured with more spectacular visuals in other movies, the explosion in this one is beyond majestic.

• The Vincent Chase Award: Are We Sure This Character Is Actually Good at Their Job?

Yes. Okay so when Oppenheimer starts lying about being asked to commit treason. Bro…

• The “Big Kahuna Burger” Award for Best Use of Food and Drink

OMG it has to go to the apple he poisoned with cyanide.

• The “Butch’s Girlfriend” Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

Maybe just me, but I found the multiple timeline structure to be so ambitious as to sometimes be hard to follow. I say that as a fan of the structure and this movie.

• The “Ron Burgundy Flute” Award for the Best Time for a Pee Break

As soon as you see the ravishing couple naked in the chairs, it’s okay to run out. You can assume what they talk about.

• Is There a Better Title for this Movie?

BOOM Goes the Dynamite

• The Steven A. Smith Hottest Take Award

According to Richard Brody, the movie-listings editor at The New Yorker, “I was tempted to call it a movie-length Wikipedia article. But, after a look online, I realized I was giving Wikipedia too little credit—or Christopher Nolan, the movie’s writer and director, too much”.

• The Teddy KGB Award for the Actor in a Completely Different Movie

Benny Safdie lol what is he even doing when he’s slathering his face with sunscreen straight out of a RoboCop 2 commercial.

• Hall of Fame Plaque

This won’t be seen as the example of Nolan at the peak of his powers. I think that will almost certainly go to Inception for a long time to come.

• Just One Oscar

I’d give it to Downey Jr. The man delivered.

I’d also give one to Cillian Murphy. Terrific performance. I say these without considering who their competitors are, so let me just suggest nominations.

• Best Double Feature

Watch it with The Aviator.

• Best Race Horse Name from this Movie

Quantum Combustion

• What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

A small sample of graphite from what was used to make the bomb. Just like a little jar of the particles is fine.

• The “Andy and Red – Zihuatanejo” Award for What Happens the Next Day?

I’m not sure about this one.

• The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

Chain reactions can be literal or figurative while both deliver literal outcomes.

• The “Slow Ride” / “Kid Cudi – Pursuit of Happiness” Award for Best Needle Drop

When Lewis Strauss finds out whether he received enough votes to receive a Cabinet position.

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I’ve already hammered through this one enough times, and recently enough obviously, that I can probably put together an entry from memory soon.

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• Most Rewatchable Scene

As much as this movie is marked by epic scenes like the Trinity Test and the scene where he gives a speech in the gym, I’m not sure I can think of those as the most rewatchable scenes. I’m in love with the dialogue of this movie, so it has to be one of the talking scenes. Maybe Matt Damon first meeting Cillian Murphy to soft-offer him the job heading up the project? Emily Blunt toying with Jason Clarke during her testimony? I struggle to land on one, but maybe I’d go with the scene where Clarke ramps up his cross of Murphy, breaking into full-on yelling while Murphy bumps on his own trauma over the whole thing and Nolan uses the white-out effect beautifully.

(It feels like a credit to Murphy’s performance that I feel fine referring to other actors by name and I keep wanting to just refer to him as “Oppenheimer.” He disappears into his role more than anyone else by a fair amount.)

• The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie

“You shook his FUCKING hand?!”

Like most rewatchable scene, there’s just a ton of candidates here.

• What’s Aged the Best?

Well it mostly hasn’t aged, but it should be said that it’s impressive that this movie was just able to put Best Picture on lockdown from the middle of the summer and not face any significant threat despite a ridiculously strong year in film. Holding strong like that for 7.5 months is not a small thing.

• What’s Aged the Worst?

Perhaps it will be me talking like it’s already won Best Picture! But probably not. I mean, this isn’t a knock on the movie since I very much assume that this was accurate to the era, but tying your tie so that it only goes halfway down the front of your shirt looks so bad now.

More on the tip of actually criticizing the movie: turning the existence of JFK as a dissenting voter against Strauss into some dramatic name-drop like he’s being teased for entry into the goddamn Avengers is a truly silly moment.

• The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

I sort of struggle with this one. My impulse is Jason Clarke, but I feel like a proper Rewatchables crew would tell me he’s in it too much to be eligible. This would have been tailor-made for Gary Oldman if his performance as Truman was actually good, but I can’t say I actually like it.

I’ll just go with Clarke and let the (rigged) jury overrule me.

• The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

I think I’ve gotta give this to Tony Goldwyn. I knew that I knew him from somewhere. As I occasionally do, I eventually diagnosed him with the wrong answer, and stumbled out of the theater telling my friends how cool it was that they dusted the mothballs off of Aidan Quinn and put him on the administrative law judge panel. Even if my radar were better and I had identified the right person, all I would have been able to come up with was “villain from Ghost.”

• The “Ruffalo/Hanna/Rubinek/Partridge” Overacting Award

I mean…I guess I’ll process this in the dumb way that Simmons does while calling it “overacting”? This is not a bad moment by the actor, but I’ve gotta give it to Matt Damon’s, “Why? WHY?! Because it’s the most important fucking thing to ever happen in the history of the world!”

• Casting What Ifs

I’m not really finding much here. Looks like Murphy is just forever one of Nolan’s guys and Nolan picked him without much consideration to others.

• Half-Assed Internet Research

Not much here either. As Bill noted on a Rewatchables, newer movies don’t offer a lot of material because it tends to take some years for the stories to trickle out.

• Probably Unanswerable Questions

Well, the obvious one here is Downey’s assertion that if Oppenheimer could do it all over, he’d do it again. Whatever regrets he had, I can’t fault the line of “I don’t know if we can be trusted with this, but I know that Germany can’t.”

• Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All Black Remake

I mean…limited series is the only one that works here at all, and I don’t want it. Great three-hour movie >>> great limited series.

• Apex Mountain

Murphy for sure. I think I’d go with yes for Nolan? Massive commercial and critical success, and he’s going to ship the Oscar, but that’s a closer call because he’s had other big highs. Yes for Ludwig Goransson for composing this score. No for Downey (gotta go with his MCU run even though this might be his critical apex), Blunt, Damon, etc.

• Who Won the Movie?

It has to be Nolan IMO. While it’s Murphy apex to date, I don’t think it makes him some household name who can have his pick of any role in the way that some star turns like this do for some actors. Honestly I think RDJ would have more of a case than Murphy, since this is such a strong re-entry into the sorts of films that critics take seriously again (and I say that with all personal love for his Tony Stark work). But I think that Nolan is the one being lauded the most for this, and this is everything coming together for him.

• Picking Nits

I never would have known this, but apparently this is the case: Oppenheimer refers to black holes as “holes in space” in the script at a point in history before black holes were named.

• The “Den of Thieves Benihana” Award for Scene Stealing Location

• The “Great Shot Gordo” Award for Most Cinematic Shot

I suppose it has to be the Trinity Test, but there’s a disappointing dearth of YouTubes and stills readily available.

• The Vincent Chase Award: Are We Sure This Character Is Actually Good at Their Job?

Alden Ehrenreich’s character seems to be serving as an aide who is supposed to shepherd a cabinet nominee through to a successful confirmation, and by the end he’s so fucking pissed at Strauss that he’s not only actively displaying his contempt for him but seems to have completely dropped the ball on what he himself described as basically a sure thing at the start.

• The “Big Kahuna Burger” Award for Best Use of Food and Drink

I’ll go with the martinis from the scene where the Commie is casually hinting that Oppie should commit a bit of light treason.

• The “Butch’s Girlfriend” Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

Oldman as Truman. Look: Oldman is great, but c’mon with this caricature. Truman basically ends up looking like far and away the most unserious human being in the whole film.

• The “Ron Burgundy Flute” Award for the Best Time for a Pee Break

This isn’t going to be a very good strategic pee break since it happens so early in the film, but I’m inclined to point to the whole sequence with the injection into the apple.

• Is There a Better Title for this Movie?

Nope. Next question.

• The Steven A. Smith Hottest Take Award

I’ve got nothing.

• The Teddy KGB Award for the Actor in a Completely Different Movie

It’s Oldman again. I want to believe that Christopher Nolan just wandered off the set during that scene and then he was left with Oldman’s only take on how to play that character.

• Just One Oscar

I guess it’s Nolan. Even as much as I’m in the bag for this movie, it makes me bristle to think that I could be sounding like a member of the cult of Nolan at all. But this was an incredible achievement.

• Best Double Feature

I’m no good for this category. If I’m going to watch two movies in quick succession, I’m going to tend to pick something completely different stylistically in most cases. With Oppenheimer, I’m probably not dialing up another talking movie, and the nature of the movie kinda sorta makes an unrelated action movie feel smaller than it otherwise would? So probably I’d just bail out into a comedy. But perhaps I could double up on RDJ and make it Tropic Thunder.

• Best Race Horse Name from this Movie

Tatlock. I don’t know.

• What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

Maybe it’s Murphy’s hat? I’ll go with that.

• The “Andy and Red – Zihuatanejo” Award for What Happens the Next Day?

Doesn’t really work with true stories, especially those that fast-forward to the later times in the lead’s life.

• The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

When people are trying to atone for wronging you in the past, they’re doing it for themselves and not for you. Hat tip to Albert Einstein (movie rendition).

• The “Slow Ride” / “Kid Cudi – Pursuit of Happiness” Award for Best Needle Drop

If there was actually a needle drop, I missed it.

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I think it’s pretty clear that Safdie has ceased to be a “that guy” and has become Benny Safdie. Two major parts and then another supporting role (here) in the movie of the year kind of kills your anonymity when all three come in quick succession. The only way people fail to recognize him is when he does the chameleon thing, but then he’s not really being a “that guy.” Krumholtz is a good choice who I considered too.

Look, it’s a ridiculous scene, but I’m not damn well leaving the room. Not even when I watched it with my parents.

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Well then you better hold it the rest of the movie, because there’s no way you can pee during the apple scene.

I loved that exchange. At that point there was no question whether the bomb would be built, only who would build it first.

The interrogation is tough when demanding him to simplify his complex motivations.

“We only have one hope: antisemitism.”
“wat”

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hey wait a minute…

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