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‘Spotlight’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Ryen Russillo

October 20, 2020 · Spotlight (2015) · Biography · Crime · Drama · 1:32:29

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 44:52Lists multiple scenes including Marty Baron meeting staff, Phil Saviano explaining grooming/spiritual abuse, second Billy Crudup meeting, Sipe phone call revealing 90 priests, Baron's 'we're going after the system' speech, Sasha finding Paquin, Ruffalo's 'It's time' speech, and Keaton visiting Jim the lawyer

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:06:04Matt Damon — Matt Damon almost got the Ruffalo part but it wouldn't have made sense and he was better off doing The Martian instead
Chris Ryan▶ 1:06:45Matt Damon — Matt Damon would have overpowered the movie in 2015 - he would have been too big of a deal for that role
Ryen Russillo▶ 1:06:10Mark Ruffalo — Mark Ruffalo was perfect for his role and it's impossible to think of anyone else doing it because of his facial expressions and how annoying he was in the best way

Joey Pants Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:07:21Brian d'Arcy James — Jamie Sheridan as Jim the Lawyer, but suggests Brian D.R.C. James (fourth spotlight reporter) as the better choice
Chris Ryan▶ 1:07:31Agrees that Jamie Sheridan qualifies as 'that guy' to most people
Ryen Russillo▶ 1:07:58Brian d'Arcy James — Acknowledges Brian D.R.C. James as a huge stage actor but admits gaps in stage knowledge

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:08Billy Crudup — Billy Crudup - praised his performance in three scenes as an NBC executive, calling it a 'nothing part' that he did a lot with
Chris Ryan▶ 1:11:35Billy Crudup — Billy Crudup - agreed with another host, praising how he was 'smarmy but still seems sincere'
Ryen Russillo▶ 1:11:37Billy Crudup — Billy Crudup - agreed and noted he's 'the most likable guy ever telling you to go fuck yourself'

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:14:34Liev Schreiber — The Boston Globe (maybe), Liev Schreiber (yes), Rachel McAdams (no), newspaper movies (yes), pre-scandal movies (yes)
Chris Ryan▶ 1:17:29Khakis and saying the movie title in the movie
Ryen Russillo▶ 1:15:01Mark Ruffalo — Mark Ruffalo (close but prefers Zodiac), John Slattery (Mad Men still his apex), uncertain about Liev Schreiber

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:20:41Did this make up for Tom McCarthy's crime against journalism in The Wire as Scott Templeton?
Bill Simmons▶ 1:23:17Did Michael Keaton win the 2010s over Tom Hanks?
Chris Ryan▶ 1:25:32Defended Hanks' 2010s work, arguing Captain Phillips, Sully, and Bridge of Spies were better than Keaton's best recent movies, despite Hanks making some poor choices
Ryen Russillo▶ 1:20:48Discussed the ironic circular connection between McCarthy playing a dishonest journalist in The Wire, then directing Spotlight about journalism integrity, while a real Spotlight journalist was later suspended for fabrication
Ryen Russillo▶ 1:24:14Argued Hanks dominated the 90s with films like Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Toy Story, Saving Private Ryan, making Keaton's recent comeback insufficient to overcome Hanks' superior overall career

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:28:03Michael Keaton — Keaton - has the hardest part and feels really Massachusetts, hits the right vibe and accent
Chris Ryan▶ 1:27:25Michael Keaton — Keaton - keeps the tempo and has the perfect tone throughout the movie
Ryen Russillo▶ 1:27:42Mark Ruffalo — Ruffalo - awesome and annoying in the best way, shows how these guys get the job done with single-minded focus

Movies Referenced (41)

All the President's Men (1976)

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 2:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Batman (1989)

5 mentions · Ryen Russillo, Bill Simmons▶ 38:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sully (2016)

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 1:24:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Zodiac (2007)

4 mentions · Chris Ryan, Ryen Russillo▶ 27:23IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jackie Brown (1997)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 41:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Philadelphia (1993)

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo▶ 4:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo▶ 1:23:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Martian (2015)

3 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 44:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bridge of Spies (2015)

2 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 1:25:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Captain Phillips (2013)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 1:24:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cast Away (2000)

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:26:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Charlie Wilson's War (2007)

2 mentions · Ryen Russillo▶ 1:26:38IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (2)

Jamie Sheridan

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan▶ 51:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Warren Beatty

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Heaven Can Wait▶ 33:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (33)

Michael Keaton

38 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Ryen Russillo · Known for Spotlight, The Founder▶ 6:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mark Ruffalo

29 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Ryen Russillo · Known for Spotlight, The Kids Are All Right, The Avengers▶ 13:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Hanks

12 mentions · Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan · Known for Cast Away, Big, Forrest Gump▶ 1:23:17IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Billy Crudup

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Ryen Russillo · Known for Almost Famous, Watchmen, The Good Shepherd▶ 21:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Rachel McAdams

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan · Known for The Notebook, Mean Girls, Red Eye▶ 16:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Slattery

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Ryen Russillo · Known for Spotlight, Ant-Man, The Adjustment Bureau▶ 23:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Liev Schreiber

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan · Known for Spotlight, The Manchurian Candidate▶ 15:03IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Matt Damon

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Ryen Russillo · Known for Good Will Hunting, The Martian, The Departed▶ 23:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Stanley Tucci

7 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Ryen Russillo · Known for Big Night, Spotlight▶ 21:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cole Hauser

5 mentions · Ryen Russillo, Bill Simmons · Known for Dazed and Confused, Good Will Hunting▶ 1:08:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jimmy LeBlanc

4 mentions · Ryen Russillo, Chris Ryan · Known for Gone Baby Gone, Spotlight▶ 18:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Patrick Swayze

4 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Dirty Dancing, Ghost, Point Break▶ 18:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (2)

Tom McCarthy

11 mentions · Ryen Russillo, Bill Simmons · Known for Win Win▶ 12:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Adam McKay

1 mentions · Ryen Russillo · Known for Don't Look Up, The Other Guys, Vice▶ 13:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗