‘JFK’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Brian Koppelman
December 2, 2021 · JFK (1991) · Drama · History · Thriller · 2:01:02 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsOliver Stone — Discussed Oliver Stone being at peak of his powers and Kevin Costner at peak of his powers when making this film▶ 13:28
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsThere's a photograph by a witness (who's in the movie) that shows the grassy knoll going the other way with only three people on one side, which kind of debunks the grassy knoll theory▶ 35:20
Brian KoppelmanNorman Mailer wrote a book about Oswald (came out in 1995) and went into it thinking it was a conspiracy but ended up certain that Oswald acted alone after following the trail that Oliver Stone put out there▶ 30:00
Chris RyanJames Woods wanted to play Garrison, but that would have been an all-time bad take because the story needs to be about the Garrison family and this guy sacrificing his family▶ 28:49
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsMultiple scenes including Costner laying out the conspiracy in New Orleans, John Candy's big scene with 'Kennedy's as dead as that crab meat', Kevin Bacon's prison scene, and Pesci's last big scene▶ 1:02:38
Brian KoppelmanThe first Pesci interrogation scene where Costner detains him on Sunday, particularly how Costner handles himself in that scene▶ 1:07:54
Chris RyanAgrees with the bar scene with a couple of Sazeracs and highlights Kevin Bacon's prison interrogation scene▶ 1:03:01
What's Aged the Best
Bill SimmonsOliver Stone's self-deprecating cameo in Dave (1995) where he appears as himself making conspiracy theories about the president▶ 1:16:51
Chris RyanGary Oldman as Lee Harvey Oswald - his performance and how creepy and good he looks in the role▶ 1:13:49
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsAcknowledges the homophobic elements were part of Garrison's case strategy against Clay Shaw in that era▶ 1:18:40
Brian KoppelmanThe movie's attitude about homosexuality - not acceptable on any level, pretty retrograde▶ 1:18:07
Joey Pants Award
Bill SimmonsJay O. Sanders — J.O. Sanders (one of Costner's cohorts who quits and shows up in courtroom) and Beata Posniak (Oswald's wife, also Russian doctor from Melrose Place)▶ 1:37:00
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsSally Field — Sally Field instead of Sissy Spacek; Madeline Stowe instead of Rene Russo▶ 1:42:04
Chris RyanAsked whether to recast with contemporary actors or 1991-era actors but didn't make specific picks▶ 1:41:40
Sean FennesseyDenzel Washington — Disagreed with Denzel Washington as David Ferry but engaged in general recasting discussion▶ 1:41:37
Movies Referenced (50)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platoon (1986) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 13 | Sean Fennessey, Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 4:35 |
| Wall Street (1987) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 22:27 |
| Angel Heart (1987) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:09:16 |
| Scarface (1983) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 23:38 |
| Dead Man (1995) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | ▶ 1:04:25 |
| Malcolm X (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 50:42 |
| The Fugitive (1993) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 59:54 |
| Twister (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Brian Koppelman, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:17:27 |
| A Few Good Men (1992) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman | ▶ 1:16:45 |
| Apollo 13 (1995) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:29:25 |
| Born on the Fourth of July (1989) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 4:35 |
| Conspiracy Theory (1997) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Brian Koppelman | ▶ 1:33:24 |
Directors Referenced (21)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oliver Stone | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 55 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Born on the Fourth of July, Platoon, JFK | ▶ 2:23 |
| Kevin Costner | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 25 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey | Dances with Wolves, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | ▶ 2:23 |
| Quentin Tarantino | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn | ▶ 1:48:44 |
| Mel Gibson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Braveheart, Lethal Weapon 3, Conspiracy Theory | ▶ 1:32:53 |
| Martin Scorsese | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Sean Fennessey | Taxi Driver, Killers of the Flower Moon, Mean Streets | ▶ 1:48:37 |
| Errol Morris | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 56:04 | |
| Roger Donaldson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman | No Way Out, Species | ▶ 26:48 |
| Spike Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Brian Koppelman | Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It | ▶ 1:49:40 |
| Warren Beatty | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Heaven Can Wait | ▶ 1:36:04 |
| Alex Mill | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Black Widow, Tomb Raider | ▶ 1:50:27 |
| Alison Wonderland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Promising Young Woman | ▶ 29:12 |
| Aurore Coppa | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:07:24 |
Actors Referenced (83)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Pesci | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 22 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey | Goodfellas, Raging Bull, The Irishman | ▶ 6:39 |
| John Candy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 16 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman, Chris Ryan | Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, Spaceballs | ▶ 18:33 |
| Kevin Bacon | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 16 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Brian Koppelman | Footloose, Hollow Man | ▶ 6:35 |
| Donald Sutherland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 15 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 10:27 | |
| Michael Rooker | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 13 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey | Guardians of the Galaxy | ▶ 58:35 |
| Gary Oldman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 11 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Dark Knight, Darkest Hour | ▶ 58:33 |
| David Ferry | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | The Boondock Saints, Man of the Year | ▶ 40:05 |
| Sissy Spacek | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Brian Koppelman | Carrie | ▶ 1:26:30 |
| Edward Asner | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | ▶ 58:31 | |
| Jack Lemmon | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Chris Ryan, Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | The Apartment, Glengarry Glen Ross, Some Like It Hot | ▶ 18:48 |
| Jerry Seinfeld | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 14:19 | |
| Bobby Jones | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | The Legend of Billie Jean | ▶ 27:28 |
Writers Referenced (14)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Koppelman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Runaway Jury, Michael Clayton | ▶ 2:34 |
| Jim Garrison | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | JFK | ▶ 16:42 |
| Tommy Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Vanilla Sky | ▶ 25:14 |
| Don DeLillo | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Chris Ryan, Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 16:11 | |
| Richard Nixon | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 12:25 | |
| Dusty Rhodes | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 1:41:07 | |
| Malcolm X | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Malcolm X | ▶ 50:42 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:00:59 | |
| Scott Frank | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Brian Koppelman, Bill Simmons | Out of Sight | ▶ 1:10:29 |
| Andrew Cosby | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:24:53 | |
| Drake Sather | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 1:39:28 | |
| Gerald Posner | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Brian Koppelman | ▶ 8:38 |
Cinematographers Referenced (3)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Brian Koppelman, Sean Fennessey | The Other Guys | ▶ 44:44 |
| Gordon Willis | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Godfather Part II | ▶ 1:48:59 |
| Robert Richardson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Inglourious Basterds, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood | ▶ 58:55 |