‘Predator’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Shea Serrano, and Kyle Brandt
April 26, 2021 · Predator (1987) · Action · Adventure · Horror · 1:36:13 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsMultiple scenes: Arnold meeting Carl Weathers ('Dylan! You son of a bitch!' handshake), skin bodies revelation, hostage rescue/compound raid scene, what's got Billy so spooked, Jesse dies leading to Bill Duke's reaction, and the 90 seconds of gun firing▶ 23:49
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsThe mud disguise scene (unrealistic transition from crawling in mud to being fully covered), the hostage character's unclear purpose and role in the story, and Predator 2▶ 54:32
Chris RyanHawkins' girlfriend being the target of jokes after losing her boyfriend, and the sexualized portrayal of the hostage character with increasingly revealing clothing▶ 54:21
Shea SerranoThe hostage character - agrees she's problematic and notes that in modern movies they would kill her off immediately to show stakes, but in 80s movies you needed the 'saved' ending▶ 55:36
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsJean-Claude Van Damme — Discussed Van Damme being originally cast as the Predator but removed because he was too small at 5'9" and allegedly passed out in the suit▶ 58:48
Chris RyanJean-Claude Van Damme — Mentioned the original screenplay with Van Damme is available online showing 'Schwarzenegger Hunter' as the title▶ 1:00:11
Kyle BrandtJean-Claude Van Damme — Clarified that Van Damme wore a different original Predator suit that looked ridiculous - orange colored like Q-bert, which can be seen on YouTube▶ 59:15
Joey Pants Award
Bill SimmonsR.G. Armstrong — RG Armstrong as the old guy - calls him quintessential 'that guy' and says he's the answer to this category▶ 1:00:56
Kyle BrandtR.G. Armstrong — Discusses RG Armstrong being too old for the role but that McTiernan made it work by making him tan, focuses on his helicopter scene▶ 1:01:02
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsStudio insurance required bodyguard for Sonny Landham to protect others from him after he was crawling around licking people at a dance club; Predator has only 8 minutes of screen time; Arnold's Seiko watch became 'the Arnold' and is sought after by collectors; Kevin Peter Hall died at 35 from HIV contracted during blood transfusion on Harry and the Hendersons set▶ 1:08:04
Chris RyanSaid Predator is Apex Mountain for Arnold Schwarzenegger movies but not for Arnold Schwarzenegger himself; agreed Jesse Ventura being governor was longer than Predator impact▶ 1:12:17
Kyle BrandtCompared Sonny Landham's bodyguard to Robert Saleh's 'get back coach' in NFL; suggested Arnold Seiko universe crossover with Commando's Valverde; agreed Predator is better than T2▶ 1:09:00
Shea SerranoGuessed Predator has 7 minutes of screen time (actual answer was 8); agreed Sonny Landham is Apex Mountain; said Bill Duke is not Apex Mountain because of Deep Cover▶ 1:09:29
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsVarious questions including did Billy have superpowers, did the Predator go to the bathroom in the suit, and is this the movie The Rock is most jealous of▶ 1:24:02
Chris RyanWhy there was no extraction effort - the military immediately says they can't come get the team out of the jungle▶ 1:21:08
Kyle BrandtWhy does a stealth unit need 'Old Painless' - an 80-pound minigun for a quiet extraction mission▶ 1:23:17
Shea SerranoMultiple issues: Bill Duke's head being blown off then back together, Predator weapon bouncing off Dutch but killing Apollo Creed, alien traveling across galaxy but not knowing about mud▶ 1:22:00
Who Won the Movie
Chris RyanBill Duke — Agreed Bill Duke is the best actor and soul of the movie but couldn't fully commit to him winning▶ 1:33:46
Kyle BrandtBill Duke — Bill Duke (Mac) - citing his character arc and memorable line 'he was my friend'▶ 1:33:40
Shea SerranoBill Duke — Mentioned Bill Duke as a possibility but didn't give a definitive pick▶ 1:33:10
Movies Referenced (53)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alien (1979) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 21 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan | ▶ 9:52 |
| Creed (2015) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano, Chris Ryan | ▶ 20:47 |
| The Rock (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 9 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Shea Serrano | ▶ 47:12 |
| Rocky IV (1985) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | ▶ 16:45 |
| Aliens (1986) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Chris Ryan, Shea Serrano, Bill Simmons | ▶ 21:47 |
| Fast Five (2011) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | ▶ 6:05 |
| Blade (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Kyle Brandt, Shea Serrano | ▶ 39:49 |
| Die Hard (1988) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Shea Serrano, Bill Simmons | ▶ 6:40 |
| John Wick (2014) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano, Kyle Brandt | ▶ 3:33 |
| Predators (2010) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano | ▶ 1:54 |
| Rushmore (1998) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 5:38 |
| Kindergarten Cop (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 7:08 |
Directors Referenced (2)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John McTiernan | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | Die Hard, Last Action Hero | ▶ 11:51 |
| Robert Rodriguez | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Shea Serrano, Bill Simmons | ▶ 17:57 |
Actors Referenced (38)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 68 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt, Shea Serrano | Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Terminator | ▶ 1:51 |
| Bill Duke | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 32 | Shea Serrano, Kyle Brandt, Bill Simmons | Predator, Commando | ▶ 5:11 |
| Jesse Ventura | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 22 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Kyle Brandt | Predator, The Running Man | ▶ 5:11 |
| Carl Weathers | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 17 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Shea Serrano | Rocky, Predator, Happy Gilmore | ▶ 7:28 |
| Chris Rock | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | The Longest Yard | ▶ 36:15 |
| Allen Iverson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:29:43 | |
| Joel Silver | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | The Nice Guys, The Matrix | ▶ 16:33 |
| Vincent Hanna | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:01:15 | |
| Charles Barkley | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | He Got Game, Space Jam | ▶ 45:36 |
| Danny Glover | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Kyle Brandt | Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 3, Lethal Weapon 4 | ▶ 18:17 |
| Dutch Johnson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | ▶ 50:23 | |
| F. Pierre Gatling | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Shea Serrano | Space Jam | ▶ 27:37 |
Writers Referenced (5)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Black | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt, Shea Serrano | Predator, The Nice Guys, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang | ▶ 8:09 |
| Jim Thomas | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Kyle Brandt | Predator, Prey, Wild Wild West | ▶ 16:40 |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 19:42 | |
| Noah Baumbach | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story | ▶ 31:41 |
| William Goldman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride | ▶ 1:29:51 |
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | The Other Guys | ▶ 1:29:27 |