‘Higher Learning’ With Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, and Wesley Morris
February 19, 2020 · Higher Learning (1995) · Crime · Drama · Thriller · 1:29:41 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsTupac Shakur — What if Tupac had been cast instead of going to jail during pre-production▶ 8:03
Wesley MorrisTupac Shakur — Agrees Tupac was the most exciting person in whatever movies he was in, citing Poetic Justice and Above the Rim▶ 8:45
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsLeonardo DiCaprio was rumored to be cast but couldn't do it due to The Quick and the Dead; Tupac was originally cast but left the project, which would have completely changed the movie's dynamic and intensity▶ 9:21
Van LathanDiCaprio lost interest once Tupac left the project; Tyra Banks was cast after John Singleton saw her on Essence Magazine cover and was dating her at the time▶ 9:54
Wesley MorrisTupac's casting would have changed the sexual chemistry and intensity of every scene, particularly with Tyra Banks and Lawrence Fishburne▶ 10:20
What's Aged the Worst
Van LathanAgrees with the systemic racism discussion and adds that Hollywood's 'there can only be one' mentality for Black actors has only recently changed in the last 6-7 years▶ 42:44
Wesley MorrisHollywood's racist treatment of Black actors - the 'one mistake' policy where Black actors get limited chances compared to white actors who get multiple opportunities to succeed▶ 42:45
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsIce Cube and the gang crash the party for revenge, Cole Hauser wins over Remy scene, Malik confronts Remy scene, outdoor lunch brawl followed by Ice Cube's '439 years of captivity' speech, and the school shooting sequence▶ 47:10
Van LathanIce Cube and the gang crash the party scene - the confrontation about disrespecting black women▶ 47:16
Wesley MorrisThe second party crash scene when they take Christy Swanson - calls it 'the best sequence in the movie'▶ 47:24
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Wesley MorrisDisagreed with the Kaepernick question - 'I think Kaep came up with that one on his own'▶ 56:38
What's Aged the Best
Wesley MorrisThe depiction of sexual assault has aged the best because it's not exploitative and represents a state of mind rather than being shot exploitatively▶ 1:07:44
Joey Pants Award
Bill SimmonsJason Wiles — Cowboys (the guy from the program), with Jason Wiles as runner up▶ 1:14:44
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsOmar Epps — Omar Epps - Love and Basketball; Kristy Swanson - PCU; John Singleton - Rosewood▶ 1:20:07
Van LathanOmar Epps — Omar Epps - ER run was more significant; agreed on Rosewood for John Singleton but argued Higher Learning era was when he had more juice/heat as director▶ 1:20:20
Wesley MorrisOmar Epps — Omar Epps - Love and Basketball; Kristy Swanson - PCU; Busta Rhymes - not this movie▶ 1:20:16
Picking Nits
Bill SimmonsWhy is the six-year senior Fudge rooming with freshmen; wouldn't more people have gone to jail given the date rape scene; the cops being so biased toward white people that the racist security guard still sympathizes with the shooter▶ 1:22:58
Van LathanProblems with housing arrangements (private residence halls), but can't really pick nits with the police bias because similar things actually happened in reality (referencing Dylan Roof)▶ 1:23:02
Wesley MorrisThe date rape scene didn't pay off properly when they got to the party to beat up the frat - it became completely disconnected from the assault by then▶ 1:23:47
Who Won the Movie
Van LathanIce Cube — Ice Cube - because he has the most concrete, understandable character and is the only one whose character arc is resolved when he finally graduates▶ 1:26:30
Wesley MorrisIce Cube — Doesn't think anybody in the movie won - sees it as more conceptual/abstract, but doesn't object to Ice Cube▶ 1:26:58
Movies Referenced (26)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blade (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Wesley Morris | ▶ 43:20 |
| Boogie Nights (1997) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 28:13 |
| Chinatown (1974) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 13:28 |
| Den of Thieves (2018) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:28:33 |
| Remember the Titans (2000) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Van Lathan | ▶ 44:05 |
| Three Kings (1999) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Van Lathan | ▶ 58:20 |
| True Romance (1993) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | ▶ 39:44 |
| American History X (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Van Lathan | ▶ 50:25 |
| Basic Instinct (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:07:57 |
| Behind Enemy Lines (2001) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Van Lathan | ▶ 52:30 |
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:20:46 |
| Carrie (1976) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Van Lathan | ▶ 5:16 |
Directors Referenced (8)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Singleton | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 38 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Van Lathan | Boyz n the Hood, Four Brothers | ▶ 1:48 |
| Spike Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 19 | Van Lathan, Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It | ▶ 18:01 |
| Michael Radford | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 51:44 | |
| Penny Marshall | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Wesley Morris | Big, A League of Their Own | ▶ 33:15 |
| Quentin Tarantino | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Wesley Morris | Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn | ▶ 42:00 |
| Tom Brady | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Wesley Morris | The Hot Chick | ▶ 1:20:36 |
| W.K. Border | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Van Lathan | ▶ 13:46 | |
| Woody Allen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Wesley Morris | Annie Hall | ▶ 4:07 |
Actors Referenced (52)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omar Epps | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 34 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Van Lathan | Love & Basketball | ▶ 7:09 |
| Ice Cube | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 29 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Wesley Morris | ▶ 12:02 | |
| Busta Rhymes | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 16 | Van Lathan, Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | ▶ 5:29 | |
| Laurence Fishburne | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 13 | Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris, Van Lathan | The Matrix, Contagion | ▶ 10:24 |
| Tyra Banks | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 12 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | Coyote Ugly, Tropic Thunder | ▶ 6:09 |
| Jennifer Connelly | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons, Van Lathan | A Beautiful Mind, House of Sand and Fog, Hulk | ▶ 14:53 |
| Cole Hauser | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Wesley Morris | Dazed and Confused, Good Will Hunting | ▶ 6:47 |
| Urban Dance Squad | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Wesley Morris, Van Lathan, Bill Simmons | Pump Up the Volume | ▶ 40:33 |
| Juliette Lewis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Wesley Morris, Bill Simmons | Cape Fear, Natural Born Killers | ▶ 59:13 |
| Regina King | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Van Lathan, Bill Simmons, Wesley Morris | The Harder They Fall | ▶ 15:45 |
| Gwyneth Paltrow | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons | Shakespeare in Love | ▶ 1:13:20 |
| Sidney Poitier | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Van Lathan, Wesley Morris | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night | ▶ 1:01:11 |
Writers Referenced (2)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 37:02 | |
| Noah Baumbach | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story | ▶ 31:52 |
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Other Guys | ▶ 2:07 |