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‘Boogie Nights’ (Part 2) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

September 27, 2022 · Boogie Nights (1997) · Drama · 2:49:29

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

Categories

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 3:19the opening scene in Hot Tracks in Reseda

Great Shot Gordo Award

Bill Simmons▶ 4:30The opening steadicam shot through the nightclub - three minutes long, introduces all seven main characters, starts at the Boogie Nights marquee and moves through the entire club
Chris Ryan▶ 4:19The opening steadicam shot, focusing on the complex choreography like when the camera follows Maurice and hits perfectly when Julianne Moore is lighting her cigarette
Sean Fennessey▶ 5:16The opening steadicam shot, specifically praising the moment when the camera moves off the crane and starts moving through the club

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 33:05Boogie Nights — Agrees with Chris Ryan's pick of this movie for people reading their own reviews
Chris Ryan▶ 32:59Boogie Nights — Apex Mountain of people reading their own reviews - choosing this movie over Citizen Dick in Singles

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 40:57There's one little thing I'm going to make a dollar and a cent in this business.
Sean Fennessey▶ 39:32These are the next stars. These are the real people in the world.

What's Aged the Best

Bill Simmons▶ 1:15:25Reed Rothschild - multi-talented guy who was magician, bartender, poet, songwriter, could make margaritas, knew how to cut cocaine, write music, play guitar, squatted 350, looked like Han Solo, good team guy
Chris Ryan▶ 1:17:11Started to give his answer but was cut off at the end of transcript
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:16:40The cast - went from maybe one Oscar nomination when made to north of 25 now, multiple Best Actor/Actress winners, and the beginning of PTA putting together his recurring troupe

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:19:50Reed's margarita
Chris Ryan▶ 1:19:53Reed's margarita
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:19:59Reed's margarita (agrees with Bill over the donuts)

Den of Thieves Benihana Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:20:05Hot Tracks (the record store location)

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:24:51Malora Walters (Jesse St. Vincent character)
Chris Ryan▶ 1:25:39No clear weak link, mentioned Buck's plotline as least favorite of major plots but wouldn't call it weak link
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:24:58No weak link - disagreed with Bill's pick, said Malora Walters is great

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:36:50Dirk Diggler's prosthetic penis wasn't big enough - should have been two inches longer and thicker
Chris Ryan▶ 1:39:14This movie is basically West Coast Goodfellas - it wouldn't exist without Goodfellas

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:42:32Warren Beatty — Leo and Titanic was perfect, and Wahlberg in Boogie Nights was perfect - it worked out for the best. Also fascinated by Warren Beatty's potential Jack Horner role
Chris Ryan▶ 1:42:17Mark Wahlberg — Mark Wahlberg was great and the right choice - agrees it worked out better than if Leo had been cast
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:43:00Mark Wahlberg — Wahlberg was the right choice over Leo - Leo couldn't have delivered the 'dumb guy quality' that Wahlberg brought to Dirk Diggler

Overacting Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:50:08The donut shop robber
Chris Ryan▶ 1:50:22Julianne Moore — Initially suggests Julianne Moore, then discusses several options including the donut shop robber and John Doe
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:50:52Alfred Molina — Mentions Molina as a possibility but doesn't give a definitive pick

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:56:07Philip Baker Hall — Initially suggests it comes down to the Colonel versus Floyd Gondali, then proposes moving the Colonel to another category so Floyd can win, ultimately agrees to co-winners
Chris Ryan▶ 1:56:11Philip Baker Hall — If the Colonel is in this category, it's the Colonel, but Floyd Gondali is more of a true Dion Waiters performance by letter of the law
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:56:45Philip Baker Hall — Co-winners: Floyd Gondali and the Colonel, comparing them to LeBron and Kyrie's stats from the Cavs finals

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 2:09:52Jamie Gillis' groundbreaking On the Prowl series from 1989 spurred the limo scene, and Gillis was horrified when parodied in Boogie Nights
Chris Ryan▶ 2:09:36Robert Ellsworth and PTA watched every existing porno that was ever shot on film for research

Hall of Fame Plaque

Bill Simmons▶ 2:19:21Yes, this is Wahlberg's Hall of Fame plaque movie
Sean Fennessey▶ 2:19:31Yes, it's the best movie that's built around Wahlberg

Racehorse Name Award

Bill Simmons▶ 2:20:26Spanish Pantalonis
Chris Ryan▶ 2:20:39Dirty Movie
Sean Fennessey▶ 2:20:19full fucking race cams

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 2:20:47Multiple nits: Torrance to Reseda is too far (33 miles), Eddie's pricing structure is terrible ($5 to look, $10 for jerk off), Amber calling at 2:30am to check on her sleeping 7-year-old, the four runaways Floyd brought look too desperate, donut shop has unrealistic amount of money ($10,000-15,000), Buck's Egyptian look is insane for 1980 porn, Jack's house locations would get repetitive for filming, Johnny Doe being a loser when meeting Dirk
Chris Ryan▶ 2:21:54Defends most elements - Eddie's pricing works with singles, Floyd's people represent the shift from aspirational to desperate porn, donut shop could be a month of deposits or front for cocaine business, questions why cops don't investigate Jack's house more thoroughly after the murder-suicide
Sean Fennessey▶ 2:21:00Generally defends the movie's logic - the distance shows Eddie's ambition, the pricing reflects Carter-era inflation, porn stars in the 70s looked more normal than 80s stars, donut shop money could be weeks of deposits, cops coming to Jack's house after murder-suicide wouldn't be unusual for 1979 San Fernando Valley

Just One Oscar

Bill Simmons▶ 2:30:15Paul Thomas Anderson — PTA (Paul Thomas Anderson)

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 2:30:31Jack is post-sexual; Reed should be saved over Dirk because he has more to offer society with literature, music, magic; Roller Girl took off her skates around 1989; Dirk probably died of AIDS in 1987 like John Holmes
Chris Ryan▶ 2:30:40Jack doesn't drink alcohol (asks for 7-Up); Todd Parker transitioned from dancing to dealing drugs by 1983; Reed should be saved over Dirk
Sean Fennessey▶ 2:30:32Jack has seen too much porn and equipment doesn't work due to age; Jack's attraction to Dirk is like a baseball scout finding talent; Little Bill's wife didn't deserve to die, she was challenging him to step up; Reed should be saved over Dirk; Amber went on to make Paradise Lost films

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 2:44:06Everyone's blessed with one special thing

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 2:44:20Paul Thomas Anderson — PTA (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Chris Ryan▶ 2:44:32Paul Thomas Anderson — PTA wins the movie
Sean Fennessey▶ 2:44:23Paul Thomas Anderson — PTA, without question - everyone got a boost but PTA won

Movies Referenced (46)

Goodfellas (1990)

16 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 3:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Magnolia (1999)

12 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 24:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Armageddon (1998)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 1:27:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Pulp Fiction (1994)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 1:46:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

True Romance (1993)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 2:17:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Chicago (2002)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 2:17:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fargo (1996)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 44:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Good Will Hunting (1997)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:27:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 1:11:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Midnight Run (1988)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 40:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Out of Sight (1998)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 2:16:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 1:30:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (14)

Sean Penn

20 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Mystic River, 21 Grams, Dead Man Walking▶ 2:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Warren Beatty

16 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Heaven Can Wait▶ 1:44:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Nina Hartley

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Boogie Nights▶ 22:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

St. Vincent

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 26:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Thomas Anderson

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Punch-Drunk Love, Licorice Pizza, There Will Be Blood▶ 1:45:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mel Gibson

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Braveheart, Conspiracy Theory▶ 1:58:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Altman

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Gosford Park▶ 39:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Adam Shankman

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for A Walk to Remember▶ 33:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Alison Wonderland

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Promising Young Woman▶ 2:29:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jonathan Demme

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married▶ 1:39:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Bay

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Armageddon▶ 1:27:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Stein

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Boogie Nights▶ 1:49:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (107)

Eddie Adams

28 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Planet of the Apes▶ 9:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mark Wahlberg

27 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for The Fighter, Boogie Nights, The Departed▶ 10:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Burt Reynolds

20 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Boogie Nights, Smokey and the Bandit, Striptease▶ 54:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Julianne Moore

13 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Far from Heaven, Boogie Nights, Magnolia▶ 4:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Christian Bale

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Rises▶ 1:02:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Don Cheadle

7 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Crash▶ 1:13:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Night Ranger

7 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Sixteen Candles, Boogie Nights▶ 37:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Philip Baker Hall

7 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Hard Eight▶ 30:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Melora Walters

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Dead Poets Society▶ 1:14:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ricky Jay

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Magnolia, Boogie Nights▶ 24:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Downey Jr.

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Iron Man▶ 2:01:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Robert Ridgely

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Boogie Nights▶ 29:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (4)

David Mamet

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Spanish Prisoner, House of Games▶ 22:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brian Koppelman

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Runaway Jury, Runner Runner, Michael Clayton▶ 2:12:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bill Cohen

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Amadeus▶ 42:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Vim Shanmugam

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:52:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Robert Elswit

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for There Will Be Blood, Nightcrawler▶ 8:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗