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Half-Assed Internet Research
Trivia, box office, production facts.
Half-Assed Internet Research has run in 282 episodes. The most recent 40 are listed below — open any episode at its timestamp to hear the segment.
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| Episode | Host | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| ‘Sicario’ | Bill Simmons | Praised Sean's 'stealth homage' research and Chris's seven-level okay motherfucker breakdown |
| ‘Sicario’ | Chris Ryan | Brolin saying 'can I interest you in this tasty beverage' at the motel is a Pulp Fiction reference. Seven-level 'okay motherfucker' escalation during Juarez border crossing sequence |
| ‘Sicario’ | Sean Fennessey | Jeffrey Donovan's character is based on a former ranger in Norman Schwarzkopf's security detail - a bespectacled, yoked, scary but dorky guy. Three stealth homages: Del Toro's state police line referencing Traffic, ignoring the maid scene homaging Thief, and Mexican cop winking with son scene matching Jaws father-son moment |
| ‘GoldenEye’ | Bill Simmons | Opening scene rewritten from US admiral to Canadian due to military objection; GoldenEye named after Fleming's Jamaica house; 90,000 Perrier cans used in tank scene after other brands declined; Bond killed 47 people (highest ever for Bond) |
| ‘GoldenEye’ | Sean Fennessey | GoldenEye was also named after a WWII military operation strategy Fleming worked on for potential Nazi invasion through Spain, which influenced the screenplay's WWII themes |
| ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’ | Bill Simmons | Jim Carrey's salary progression: $350k for Ace Ventura, $450k for The Mask, $7M for Dumb and Dumber, $10M for Ace Ventura 2, $20M for The Cable Guy |
| ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’ | Craig Horlbeck | Morgan Creek Productions CEO Jim Robinson said 'make a film that nobody my age gets'; the movie was completely panned by critics like Ebert |
| ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’ | Zach Lowe | Jim Carrey was paid less than half a million for Ace Ventura (from Ringer or Vulture story); The Cable Guy broke Hollywood with Tom Cruise-level money for making faces |
| ‘Wild Things’ | Bill Simmons | Discussed the impact of seeing the nudity on a large movie theater screen versus at home |
| ‘Wild Things’ | Mallory Rubin | Kevin Bacon's contract stated no nudity, but he claimed he didn't realize he'd be naked in the movie and agreed to use the full nudity take when asked |
| ‘Wild Things’ | Van Lathan | Kevin Bacon shows full frontal nudity - 'butt to penis' - and this was the pioneering dick scene in movies |
| ‘Weird Science’ | Bill Simmons | Production was kept closed to keep the plot secret, and Elon Mitchell Smith revealed that Bill Paxton appears in disguise (sunglasses and trench coat) in the party scene because he loved being around the filming |