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‘Dunkirk’ With Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, and Quentin Tarantino

December 30, 2019 · Dunkirk (2017) · Action · Drama · History · 1:37:55

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Best Quote

Chris Ryan▶ 24:56well done

Most Rewatchable Scene

Quentin Tarantino▶ 31:31Focused on the opening 45 minutes as interconnected sequences, particularly highlighting the air attack on the beach with the bombing sequence he called 'maybe the greatest shot in war movie history'
Sean Fennessey▶ 27:06Listed four scenes: the opening with leaflets falling and reaching the beach/mole, saving Cillian Murphy from the wreckage, Commander Bolton seeing the 800 ships arriving, and Farrier setting his plane ablaze at the end

What's Aged the Best

Chris Ryan▶ 43:59Hans Zimmer's score, particularly how it functions as sound rather than music and fills the emotional palette in a dialogue-light movie
Quentin Tarantino▶ 42:32The score (should have won Best Score Oscar), the editing, and Chris Nolan's virtuosity as a concept
Sean Fennessey▶ 41:48The structure of the movie, Hans Zimmer's score, the first Hitchcock movie masquerading as a war movie approach, sound design, and Mark Rylance's performance

Apex Mountain

Chris Ryan▶ 49:55Christopher Nolan — Supports the apex mountain argument by emphasizing that Dunkirk could only have been made by Nolan in the way he told it, and that rearranging it linearly wouldn't work - it's a special kind of storytelling only he could do
Quentin Tarantino▶ 49:01Christopher Nolan — Dunkirk is Christopher Nolan's apex mountain because this is where he proved himself as a great filmmaker dealing with big subjects beyond Gotham City and science fiction, bringing Warner Brothers along like Stanley Kubrick would have done
Sean Fennessey▶ 49:33Christopher Nolan — Agrees with Tarantino's assessment and highlights how Nolan got three wholly original stories (Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet) with big budgets that audiences were eager to see, particularly noting how impressive it was that people were eager to see Dunkirk

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Chris Ryan▶ 55:11Did they though? (questioning whether the English actually won the war)
Sean Fennessey▶ 55:08Did the English win the war?

Half-Assed Internet Research

Chris Ryan▶ 1:05:17Added that Alien was mentioned as Nolan influence and praised the static dogfighting shots as 'mind-blowing' - questioning how camera stability was achieved with IMAX
Quentin Tarantino▶ 1:05:38The technical challenges don't take him out of the movie but gratify him - specifically praised 'that stretch of beach' as Nolan's 'Gettysburg' calling it 'amazing' and 'fantastic'
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:03:12Extensive production facts including: Nolan's 20-year inspiration from crossing the channel, $900K mole reconstruction, influences from silent films like Greed and Sunrise, Mark Rylance's character based on Titanic officer Charles Lightoller, and innovative filming techniques with real Spitfires

Dion Waiters Award

Chris Ryan▶ 1:11:39Discusses Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy but doesn't give a definitive pick, praises Murphy's commanding presence in the rowboat
Quentin Tarantino▶ 1:10:05Barry Keoghan — Rules out main leads like Hardy, mentions Barry Keoghan and Kenneth Branagh as possibilities, dismisses Murphy's section as his least favorite
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:11:41Barry Keoghan — Initially suggests Harry Styles, then discusses Cillian Murphy as a possibility, ultimately agrees with George (Barry Keoghan)

Joey Pants Award

Chris Ryan▶ 1:12:52Harry Styles
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:15:35Harry Styles

Who Won the Movie

Chris Ryan▶ 1:36:15Christopher Nolan — Christopher Nolan (agrees with Sean)
Quentin Tarantino▶ 1:35:37Hans Zimmer — Supports Hans Zimmer as a strong contender, discussing his 'rehabilitation of reputation' and 'redemption of persona'
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:36:04Christopher Nolan

Movies Referenced (38)

Inception (2010)

11 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Quentin Tarantino▶ 31:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ad Astra (2019)

5 mentions · Quentin Tarantino▶ 58:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Magnolia (1999)

4 mentions · Quentin Tarantino, Sean Fennessey▶ 1:10:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Dark Knight (2008)

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 43:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Alien (1979)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 1:05:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Atonement (2007)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 55:18IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Interstellar (2014)

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Quentin Tarantino▶ 49:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

A Bridge Too Far (1977)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Quentin Tarantino▶ 22:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Apocalypse Now (1979)

2 mentions · Quentin Tarantino▶ 59:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Batman (1989)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 1:17:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Batman Begins (2005)

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Quentin Tarantino▶ 1:13:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Battle of the Bulge (1965)

2 mentions · Quentin Tarantino, Sean Fennessey▶ 19:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (8)

Christopher Nolan

11 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Quentin Tarantino · Known for Tenet, Interstellar, Inception▶ 2:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stanley Kubrick

3 mentions · Quentin Tarantino, Sean Fennessey · Known for 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon▶ 49:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Paul Thomas Anderson

2 mentions · Quentin Tarantino · Known for Punch-Drunk Love, Licorice Pizza, There Will Be Blood▶ 4:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Fincher

1 mentions · Quentin Tarantino · Known for Se7en, Gone Girl, Zodiac▶ 1:21:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Marcus Goldfinch

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for King Kong▶ 1:12:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Matt Reeves

1 mentions · Quentin Tarantino · Known for The Batman, Let Me In▶ 1:19:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Mann

1 mentions · Quentin Tarantino · Known for The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans▶ 5:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Walter Hill

1 mentions · Quentin Tarantino · Known for 48 Hrs., Aliens▶ 5:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (31)

Tom Hardy

15 mentions · Quentin Tarantino, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Inception, The Dark Knight Rises▶ 3:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Hans Zimmer

10 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Quentin Tarantino · Known for Gladiator, Interstellar▶ 4:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harry Styles

10 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Quentin Tarantino · Known for Dunkirk, Don't Worry Darling▶ 3:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mark Rylance

10 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Quentin Tarantino · Known for Bridge of Spies▶ 4:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kenneth Branagh

8 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Quentin Tarantino, Chris Ryan · Known for Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing▶ 4:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brad Pitt

6 mentions · Quentin Tarantino, Sean Fennessey · Known for Fight Club, 12 Monkeys, Mr. & Mrs. Smith▶ 59:41IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Fionn Whitehead

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Quentin Tarantino · Known for Dunkirk▶ 3:52IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Saul Rubinek

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Quentin Tarantino · Known for Unforgiven, True Romance▶ 1:14:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cillian Murphy

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Quentin Tarantino, Sean Fennessey · Known for 28 Days Later, The Dark Knight▶ 14:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Daniel Sea

2 mentions · Quentin Tarantino, Sean Fennessey▶ 23:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Edie Adams

2 mentions · Quentin Tarantino · Known for It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, The Apartment▶ 47:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Marley

2 mentions · · Known for Love Story, The Godfather▶ 1:14:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (5)

Roger Ebert

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Quentin Tarantino▶ 4:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Goldman

2 mentions · Quentin Tarantino, Sean Fennessey · Known for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride▶ 22:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Edgar Wright

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Shaun of the Dead, Baby Driver▶ 12:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Hilary Mantel

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 48:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ron Shelton

1 mentions · Quentin Tarantino · Known for Bull Durham, Hollywood Homicide, White Men Can't Jump▶ 57:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗