‘The Shining’ With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan
October 31, 2019 · The Shining (1980) · Drama · Horror · 1:47:29 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsOpening credits with helicopter tracking shot, Jack yelling at Wendy about writing interruption, Jack having a drink with Lloyd, Wendy discovers Jack's novel▶ 36:33
Chris RyanSupports opening credits discussion, notes Shelley Duvall's annoying quality throughout, discusses interview scene weirdness▶ 37:17
Sean FennesseyAgrees on opening credits and discusses Jack-Wendy writing scene, emphasizes Jack's expressive face during Lloyd bartender scene▶ 37:10
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsThe movie's pacing - could cut 15 minutes, specifically Dick Halloran's extended phone call scene and gas station sequence▶ 1:06:31
Bill SimmonsKubrick's treatment of Shelley Duvall - she became physically ill, hair fell out, was psychologically damaged by his abusive directing methods▶ 1:08:07
Chris RyanGenerally disagreed with pacing criticisms, defended the film's structure, and was more sympathetic to conspiracy interpretations as creative scholarship▶ 1:06:51
Sean FennesseyThe conspiracy theory interpretations and bad takes about the movie, referencing Room 237 documentary and how it led to unhealthy obsessions▶ 1:09:56
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsJessica Lange — Jessica Lange would have made it a different movie; Harrison Ford wouldn't have worked; agrees Robin Williams would be too psychotic; happy Harry Dean Stanton was in Alien instead▶ 1:14:40
Chris RyanHarrison Ford — Harrison Ford would have been weird and a different vibe; excited about Harry Dean Stanton as Lloyd but glad he did Alien▶ 1:15:00
Sean FennesseyRobert De Niro — Both De Niro and Robin Williams could have done it, finds De Niro casting interesting▶ 1:15:25
Joey Pants Award
Sean FennesseyBarry Nelson — Discussed Barry Nelson as a possibility but didn't give a definitive pick▶ 1:16:20
Overacting Award
Bill SimmonsJack Nicholson — Nicholson at the tail end after Danny's gotten out of the maze, when he has frostbite▶ 1:17:05
Chris RyanNeither Nicholson nor Duvall are overacting because they're both on 11 - it would not have worked if one was understated▶ 1:18:02
Sean FennesseyJack Nicholson — Agrees Nicholson is overacting throughout the whole movie, also mentions Shelley Duvall is hysterical throughout▶ 1:17:41
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsFilm was shot at Elstree Studios in London, took 51 weeks instead of planned 17 weeks, delayed Raiders of the Lost Ark and Reds, Jack reads January 1978 Playgirl magazine in room 337, Timberline Lodge requested room 217 be changed to 237, now room 217 is their most requested▶ 1:22:50
Chris RyanMade jokes about bodies being 70% water, internet theories about tears and moon landing, commented on the unusual presence of Playgirl magazine in hotel lobby▶ 1:22:37
Sean FennesseyAcknowledged the production delay facts and made analogy about missing deadlines at The Ringer, noted the Playgirl magazine as Kubrick messing with the audience▶ 1:22:55
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsShelley Duvall — Shelley Duvall - agrees it's her apex mountain, though mentions Nashville as alternative▶ 1:25:35
Sean FennesseyShelley Duvall — Discusses Shelley Duvall as possibility, mentions Nashville and Annie Hall as her peak moments in the 70s when people wanted to cast her▶ 1:25:43
Best Quote
Bill SimmonsMultiple quotes including 'I would give my goddamn soul for a glass of beer', 'Wendy? I'm home', and 'You've had your whole fucking life to think things over. What good's a few more minutes going to do now?'▶ 1:31:15
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsMultiple questions posed: La Boheme usage (picked The Shining over Sleeping with the Enemy), impossible windows are conspiracy theories, blood elevator reaction would be to run like Usain Bolt, Danny was physically not sexually abused, hotel turning red could have used the big wheel with Grady riding it with an axe, ending means Jack's soul has always been there in different incarnations▶ 1:36:24
Chris RyanJack is a ghost who's always been there and been reincarnated, questions whether it's predetermined, asks practical question about who becomes the next caretaker▶ 1:42:52
Sean FennesseyImpossible windows are continuity errors, Danny was physically abused and traumatized, hotel eats souls in a Faustian bargain due to desecration of original inhabitants, ending means hotel absorbs souls as penance▶ 1:37:18
Who Won the Movie
Bill SimmonsStanley Kubrick — Kubrick - argues Nicholson's performance is uneven in first hour but gets better, while Kubrick creates an entertaining genre movie with disturbing visuals▶ 1:45:12
Sean FennesseyStanley Kubrick — Nicholson initially, but agrees with Kubrick after discussion▶ 1:44:48
Movies Referenced (54)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon (2009) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 12:39 |
| Alien (1979) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 16:49 |
| Halloween (1978) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 0:00 |
| Raging Bull (1980) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 17:17 |
| Chinatown (1974) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 5:23 |
| Light of My Life (2019) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 44:30 |
| Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 16:18 |
| Dressed to Kill (1980) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 18:09 |
| Full Metal Jacket (1987) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 14:49 |
| Good Time (2017) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 6:31 |
| Jaws (1975) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 19:29 |
| Joker (2019) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 4:52 |
Directors Referenced (9)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanley Kubrick | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 42 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon | ▶ 0:54 |
| John Colorado | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Hancock | ▶ 1:07:03 |
| Clint Eastwood | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, Unforgiven | ▶ 1:21:31 |
| Robert Altman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Gosford Park | ▶ 18:02 |
| Foxy Brown | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Jackie Brown, The 40-Year-Old Virgin | ▶ 56:48 |
| Kevin Smith | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Clerks, Chasing Amy | ▶ 28:52 |
| Paul Thomas Anderson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Punch-Drunk Love, Licorice Pizza, There Will Be Blood | ▶ 22:01 |
| Spike Lee | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It | ▶ 28:52 |
| W.K. Border | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 6:17 |
Actors Referenced (49)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Lloyd | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 43 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | The Shining | ▶ 2:34 |
| Jack Nicholson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 38 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Chinatown, As Good as It Gets, The Departed | ▶ 0:55 |
| Shelley Duvall | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 25 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | The Shining | ▶ 0:55 |
| Scatman Crothers | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 13 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | The Shining, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | ▶ 2:24 |
| Johnny Carson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 10 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | Fargo | ▶ 49:38 |
| Elephant Man | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 18:09 | |
| Robert De Niro | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Cape Fear, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver | ▶ 35:22 |
| Meryl Streep | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Out of Africa | ▶ 1:19:23 |
| Al Pacino | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | Dog Day Afternoon, The Godfather | ▶ 18:18 |
| Peter O'Toole | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | Lawrence of Arabia, Troy | ▶ 35:33 |
| Tony Burton | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Rocky, Rocky IV | ▶ 1:15:58 |
| Barry Nelson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | The Shining | ▶ 21:55 |
Writers Referenced (2)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen King | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 18 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 4:07 | |
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 33:02 |