‘Cliffhanger’ With Bill Simmons and Kyle Brandt
January 3, 2023 · Cliffhanger (1993) · Action · Adventure · Thriller · 1:38:26 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsAgrees about the haircut having had a moment (citing Demi Moore in A Few Good Men) but notes nobody would have that haircut now▶ 14:26
Kyle BrandtJanine Turner's haircut - calls it regrettable and notes she and Stallone have the exact same haircuts making them look like brother and sister▶ 13:57
Who Won the Movie
Bill SimmonsMichael Rooker — Agrees that Rooker is exceptional in the movie and should be considered for who won▶ 15:27
Kyle BrandtMichael Rooker — Michael Rooker - 'It's kind of Rooker's movie' because Stallone is understated while Rooker goes for it in every scene▶ 15:51
Overacting Award
Bill SimmonsJohn Lithgow — Lithgow is probably the best Rickman ripoff, with Tommy Lee Jones in Under Siege as competition - 'those two in the finals'▶ 18:46
Kyle BrandtJohn Lithgow — Discusses Lithgow's dark villain performances and finds his contrived accent/voice convincing despite online criticism▶ 20:39
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsThe opening scene (greatest opening scene ever), the bad acting scene between Gabe and Jesse 8 months later, and the plane transfer scene▶ 26:39
Kyle BrandtAgrees with the opening scene and discusses the plane transfer scene, comparing the bad acting to soap opera dialogue▶ 27:00
Big Kahuna Burger Award
Bill SimmonsStates there's no Big Kahuna Burger Award for this movie - it's a 'no food, no drink, nobody goes to the bathroom movie'▶ 49:38
Kyle BrandtTerrorists eating power bars in a warming hut - Pat tosses one to Leon who catches and eats it▶ 49:48
Butch's Girlfriend Award
Bill SimmonsThe compromised FBI agents - finds it implausible that highly vetted agents would throw away their careers after getting recruited by the villain▶ 50:43
Kyle BrandtAgrees with the FBI agent criticism, noting that extra team members always go rogue in action movies▶ 51:41
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsAgrees 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▶ 57:32
Kyle BrandtHow do terrorists divide up their payment percentages - suggesting a hierarchy where different roles get different cuts (5%, 30%, 20%, 8%, 2% etc.)▶ 57:07
Best Quote
Bill SimmonsYou murdering motherfucker. Kill a few people. They call you a murderer. Kill a million. Kill a million. And you're a conqueror.▶ 59:45
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Bill SimmonsJanine 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▶ 1:02:46
Kyle BrandtRooker'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▶ 1:01:41
Casting What-Ifs
Kyle BrandtSandra Bullock — Sandra Bullock in the romantic role, Wesley Snipes instead of Leon, Mel Gibson replacing Rooker▶ 1:10:56
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsShared 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▶ 1:12:13
Kyle BrandtParticipated 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▶ 1:13:00
Is This Movie Better With
Kyle BrandtPhilip 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.▶ 1:25:50
Coach Finstock Life Lesson
Bill SimmonsDon't take your novice climber girlfriend up to the scariest mountain in the Colorado Rockies, especially if you have an old knee injury▶ 1:32:30
Movies Referenced (45)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Die Hard (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 17 | Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons | ▶ 11:58 |
| The Rock (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | ▶ 1:23:10 |
| Rambo (2008) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons | ▶ 9:07 |
| Rocky IV (1985) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | ▶ 6:20 |
| A Few Good Men (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | ▶ 14:31 |
| Days of Thunder (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | ▶ 14:58 |
| Demolition Man (1993) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Kyle Brandt | ▶ 37:44 |
| First Blood (1982) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | ▶ 1:13:10 |
| True Romance (1993) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:05:17 |
| Fargo (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:00:11 |
| Nope (2022) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 23:23 |
| Scream (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Kyle Brandt | ▶ 5:39 |
Directors Referenced (6)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mel Gibson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Kyle Brandt | Braveheart, Lethal Weapon 3, Conspiracy Theory | ▶ 15:40 |
| John Colorado | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Hancock | ▶ 1:30:56 |
| Hugo Cortina | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Starman | ▶ 1:13:36 |
| John Hughes | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, The Breakfast Club | ▶ 21:41 |
| Paul Bellany | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Kyle Brandt | Stardust | ▶ 0:00 |
| Ridley Scott | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Martian, Blade Runner | ▶ 22:14 |
Actors Referenced (59)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Rooker | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 56 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | Guardians of the Galaxy | ▶ 4:13 |
| Sylvester Stallone | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 53 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | Rocky, Rocky IV, Creed | ▶ 2:53 |
| John Lithgow | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 25 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | The World According to Garp, Cliffhanger | ▶ 18:10 |
| Janine Turner | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 18 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | Cliffhanger | ▶ 6:03 |
| Demi Moore | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | Striptease, Indecent Proposal | ▶ 14:28 |
| David Carrico | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | The Lone Ranger | ▶ 22:22 |
| Wesley Snipes | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons | Blade, New Jack City, Demolition Man | ▶ 16:12 |
| Christopher Walken | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | Catch Me If You Can, The Deer Hunter | ▶ 1:04:51 |
| Philip Baker Hall | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | Magnolia, Boogie Nights | ▶ 2:35 |
| Sandra Bullock | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons | The Proposal, Miss Congeniality, Speed | ▶ 1:04:06 |
| Bruce Willis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | Die Hard, Pulp Fiction | ▶ 38:31 |
| Steven Seagal | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | Under Siege 2: Dark Territory | ▶ 2:31 |
Writers Referenced (3)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Vanilla Sky | ▶ 18:43 |
| Julie Siege | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 18:43 | |
| Scott Frost | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Kyle Brandt | ▶ 1:36:15 |
Cinematographers Referenced (3)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Macbeth | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Kyle Brandt | ▶ 33:24 | |
| Jason Goodell | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:08:02 | |
| Nich Musco | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Kyle Brandt | ▶ 16:39 |