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‘Escape From New York’ With Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano, and Chris Ryan

April 29, 2020 · Escape from New York (1981) · Action · Adventure · Sci-Fi · 1:25:47

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Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 12:45How do people have electricity? What's the plumbing like? Where do they sleep? What was the Upper East Side like? Was Brooklyn involved at all?
Chris Ryan▶ 12:15Where did everybody in Manhattan go? Who's Fresno Bob? How did The Brain get his name?
Shea Serrano▶ 13:17Appreciates that the movie puts you in the world without explaining anything, like John Wick - you just have to experience it and see what happens

Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 26:08Multiple scenes: Snake getting pitched by Hawk (the briefing scene), Snake landing the plane on the Twin Towers, first Duke sighting with Snake driving through Broadway, Duke shooting at the president, and the finger/touch me he dies scene with Romero and Lee Van Cleef

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 42:23Every character that says 'I heard you were dead' to Snake ends up dying in this movie - it's like the kiss of death, like the oranges in The Godfather
Chris Ryan▶ 39:21They shot this in East St. Louis

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 48:19Hawk's cell phone - it's massively large, the size of his head, like holding a small car
Chris Ryan▶ 48:52The sound effects of the fistfights - they sound like kung fu movies
Shea Serrano▶ 49:03The radar scene where the guy says 'he's in the building now' but the light doesn't move, just blinks

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 52:53Frank Doubleday — Frank Doubleday as Romero
Chris Ryan▶ 53:02Frank Doubleday — Frank Doubleday (agrees with Bill's pick)

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 53:49Frank Doubleday — Frank Doubleday (winner), with other nominees being Adrienne Barbeau, Isaac Hayes, and Borg Nine
Chris Ryan▶ 53:28Frank Doubleday — Discussed Borg Nine, Harry Dean Stanton, and Pleasance as strong candidates but acknowledged Frank Doubleday's dominance
Shea Serrano▶ 54:30Frank Doubleday — Frank Doubleday - praised his range from terrifying to insecure to his unique death scene

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 59:45Uncertain between late 80s period (Tango and Cash/Backdraft era) or when Escape from L.A. was made, noting Kurt Russell's career longevity makes it hard to pinpoint
Chris Ryan▶ 59:14Tango and Cash/Backdraft period - around late 80s/early 90s when he was his biggest star
Shea Serrano▶ 59:22Agrees with Tango and Cash/Backdraft era for peak stardom, but notes Escape from New York as when 'this guy is the fucking guy' retrospectively

Picking Nits

Bill Simmons▶ 1:01:01Multiple nitpicks: Only one copy of the nuclear fusion tape exists, terrorists infiltrated as flight attendants with no background checks, Brain makes his own gas but can't quickly locate tall buildings in NYC, escape pod logistics don't make sense, 24-hour exploding capsule technology seems impossible, daylight/nighttime continuity issues, and how Cabby ended up trading for the tape is unclear
Chris Ryan▶ 1:01:59Brain can make his own gas but takes 10 minutes to figure out where tall buildings are in NYC, escape pod should have accommodated multiple people or Secret Service, and questions about the infrastructure and services Duke provides to maintain loyalty
Shea Serrano▶ 1:03:42Romero should have been allowed to watch the gladiator fight instead of having to stay with the president, and questions the dissolving capsule technology versus just making it explode at a set time

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:07:51I thought you were dead and touch me dies - mentions multiple good one-liners throughout
Chris Ryan▶ 1:08:04Listen to me, Hawk. The president is dead. You got that. Somebody's had him for dinner.
Shea Serrano▶ 1:08:13You're a number one

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:16:14Kurt Russell — Kurt Russell, with additional wins for Romero and Carpenter
Shea Serrano▶ 1:16:56Kurt Russell — Agreed on Kurt Russell, noting there's no current equivalent to Kurt Russell and that Kurt Russell remains Kurt Russell

Movies Referenced (29)

Halloween (1978)

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 5:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Shea Serrano▶ 21:01IMDb ↗Lb ↗

World Trade Center (2006)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 30:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Death Wish (2018)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 6:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Wick (2014)

2 mentions · Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan▶ 13:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Predator (1987)

2 mentions · Shea Serrano▶ 3:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano▶ 17:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Air Force One (1997)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 4:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Aliens (1986)

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 39:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 41:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Big Trouble (2002)

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 59:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Blade Runner (1982)

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 9:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (4)

John Carpenter

25 mentions · Bill Simmons, Kurt Russell, Chris Ryan · Known for Dark Star, Halloween▶ 2:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Clint Eastwood

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, Unforgiven▶ 20:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Howard Hawks

2 mentions · Kurt Russell, Bill Simmons · Known for Rio Bravo▶ 43:02IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sergio Leone

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Once Upon a Time in America, Once Upon a Time in the West▶ 27:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (31)

Adrienne Barbeau

6 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Escape from New York▶ 37:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Frank Doubleday

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Shea Serrano · Known for Escape from New York, Broadcast News▶ 52:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Charles Bronson

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Once Upon a Time in the West, The Great Escape▶ 21:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Lee Van Cleef

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Escape from New York▶ 27:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ox Baker

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Escape from New York▶ 35:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sean Connery

3 mentions · Kurt Russell · Known for Dr. No, The Untouchables, The Rock▶ 1:22:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Steve Buscemi

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Fargo, Reservoir Dogs▶ 41:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Vincent Hanna

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 52:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

David Bowie

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Prestige▶ 41:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ernest Borgnine

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for The Poseidon Adventure, Escape from New York▶ 12:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Goldie Hawn

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Private Benjamin▶ 58:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harry Dean Stanton

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Alien, The Green Mile▶ 51:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (4)

J.J. Abrams

3 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Star Trek▶ 56:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Cameron

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Avatar, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day▶ 57:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Nick Castle

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Last Starfighter▶ 57:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Roger Ebert

1 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 17:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗