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‘Cliffhanger’ With Bill Simmons and Kyle Brandt

January 3, 2023 · Cliffhanger (1993) · Action · Adventure · Thriller · 1:38:26

IMDb ↗Letterboxd ↗

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What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 14:26Agrees about the haircut having had a moment (citing Demi Moore in A Few Good Men) but notes nobody would have that haircut now
Kyle Brandt▶ 13:57Janine Turner's haircut - calls it regrettable and notes she and Stallone have the exact same haircuts making them look like brother and sister

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 15:27Michael Rooker — Agrees that Rooker is exceptional in the movie and should be considered for who won
Kyle Brandt▶ 15:51Michael Rooker — Michael Rooker - 'It's kind of Rooker's movie' because Stallone is understated while Rooker goes for it in every scene

Overacting Award

Bill Simmons▶ 18:46John Lithgow — Lithgow is probably the best Rickman ripoff, with Tommy Lee Jones in Under Siege as competition - 'those two in the finals'
Kyle Brandt▶ 20:39John Lithgow — Discusses Lithgow's dark villain performances and finds his contrived accent/voice convincing despite online criticism

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 26:39The opening scene (greatest opening scene ever), the bad acting scene between Gabe and Jesse 8 months later, and the plane transfer scene
Kyle Brandt▶ 27:00Agrees with the opening scene and discusses the plane transfer scene, comparing the bad acting to soap opera dialogue

Apex Mountain

Kyle Brandt▶ 38:47Cliffhanger — Stalactite deaths

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill Simmons▶ 49:38States there's no Big Kahuna Burger Award for this movie - it's a 'no food, no drink, nobody goes to the bathroom movie'
Kyle Brandt▶ 49:48Terrorists eating power bars in a warming hut - Pat tosses one to Leon who catches and eats it

Den of Thieves Benihana Award

Bill Simmons▶ 50:07The beginning with Sly and that mountain
Kyle Brandt▶ 50:14The first time you see Sly hanging on a cliff over the words cliffhanger

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 50:43The compromised FBI agents - finds it implausible that highly vetted agents would throw away their careers after getting recruited by the villain
Kyle Brandt▶ 51:41Agrees with the FBI agent criticism, noting that extra team members always go rogue in action movies

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 57:32Agrees with the payment division concept, suggesting Lithgow and Travers split two-thirds while others get remaining third, with plan to eliminate partners for larger shares
Kyle Brandt▶ 57:07How do terrorists divide up their payment percentages - suggesting a hierarchy where different roles get different cuts (5%, 30%, 20%, 8%, 2% etc.)

Is There a Better Title?

Bill Simmons▶ 59:11No, there is no better title
Kyle Brandt▶ 59:13No better title - praises 'Cliffhanger' as literal and such a good title

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 59:45You murdering motherfucker. Kill a few people. They call you a murderer. Kill a million. Kill a million. And you're a conqueror.
Kyle Brandt▶ 59:54Go figure. Move on, Tucker.

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:02:46Janine Turner was market corrected by Demi Moore - both started on General Hospital as sisters but Demi got all the roles that could have gone to Janine
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:01:41Rooker's girlfriend wanted to die and rigged the equipment for suicide - it was an inside job because she was in an abusive relationship and deliberately let her hand slip from the glove

Hall of Fame Plaque

Bill Simmons▶ 1:09:17Zach Grenier (the guy whose name he didn't even look up)

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:26Paul Newman — Paul Newman as Frank, Tommy Lee Jones as Travers
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:10:56Sandra Bullock — Sandra Bullock in the romantic role, Wesley Snipes instead of Leon, Mel Gibson replacing Rooker

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:12:13Shared extensive production trivia including: Carolco gave away distribution rights and barely profited from $255M box office, production shut down twice, went $40M over budget, Stallone's top 3 physical shape movies, $1M stunt world record, glove slip scene required oversized glove with Vaseline
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:13:00Participated in trivia discussion by guessing Stallone's movies (Rocky IV, Rambo First Blood Part II), connected aerial stunt to Dark Knight Rises influence, made cultural observation about ill-fitting gloves referencing OJ trial

Racehorse Name Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:18:03Cliffhanger
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:18:17No Bullets Bitch

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Simmons▶ 1:25:37Samuel L. Jackson — Sam Jackson as Travers
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:25:50Philip Baker Hall — Philip Baker Hall as Flight Gondoli, delivering a monologue about liking rescuing people, butter in his ass, watching people on film, lollipops, and rescuing hikers.

Just One Oscar

Bill Simmons▶ 1:26:41Michael Rooker — Michael Rooker for Best Supporting Actor
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:26:41Michael Rooker — Michael Rooker for Best Supporting Actor

Best Double Feature

Bill Simmons▶ 1:30:22Shoot to Kill
Kyle Brandt▶ 1:30:30Drop Zone — Drop Zone with Wesley Snipes

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 1:32:30Don't take your novice climber girlfriend up to the scariest mountain in the Colorado Rockies, especially if you have an old knee injury

Movies Referenced (47)

Die Hard (1988)

17 mentions · Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons▶ 11:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rambo (2008)

7 mentions · Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons▶ 9:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rocky IV (1985)

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt▶ 6:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Heat (1995)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt▶ 18:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rocky (1976)

5 mentions · Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons▶ 9:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sudden Death (1995)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 12:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Toy Soldiers (1991)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 18:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

A Few Good Men (1992)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt▶ 14:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Days of Thunder (1990)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt▶ 14:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Demolition Man (1993)

3 mentions · Kyle Brandt▶ 37:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

First Blood (1982)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt▶ 1:13:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Free Solo (2018)

3 mentions · Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons▶ 1:16:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (6)

Mel Gibson

5 mentions · Kyle Brandt · Known for Braveheart, Conspiracy Theory▶ 15:40IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Colorado

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Hancock▶ 1:30:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Hugo Cortina

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Starman▶ 1:13:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Hughes

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, The Breakfast Club▶ 21:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Bellany

1 mentions · Kyle Brandt · Known for Stardust▶ 0:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ridley Scott

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Martian, Blade Runner▶ 22:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (59)

Michael Rooker

56 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for Guardians of the Galaxy▶ 4:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sylvester Stallone

53 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for Rocky, Rocky IV, Creed▶ 2:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Lithgow

25 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for The World According to Garp, Cliffhanger▶ 18:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Janine Turner

18 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for Cliffhanger, Steel Magnolias▶ 6:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Demi Moore

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for Striptease, Indecent Proposal▶ 14:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Carrico

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for The Lone Ranger▶ 22:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Wesley Snipes

6 mentions · Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons · Known for Blade, New Jack City, Demolition Man▶ 16:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Christopher Walken

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for Catch Me If You Can, The Deer Hunter▶ 1:04:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Philip Baker Hall

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Hard Eight▶ 2:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sandra Bullock

5 mentions · Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons · Known for The Proposal, Miss Congeniality, Speed▶ 1:04:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bruce Willis

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for Die Hard, Pulp Fiction▶ 38:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steven Seagal

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt · Known for Under Siege 2: Dark Territory▶ 2:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (2)

Tommy Lee

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Vanilla Sky▶ 18:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Julie Siege

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 18:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (3)

Adam Macbeth

1 mentions · Kyle Brandt▶ 33:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jason Goodell

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:08:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Nich Musco

1 mentions · Kyle Brandt▶ 16:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗