Ocean

The claim

38:51 – 46:27

… I don't know. Are we going to talk separately about the music? The music in this movie is really interesting. Yeah, we can definitely. Well, let's talk Apex Mountain first. Okay. This is a very crucial category. Is this Brad Pitt's Apex Mountain? And 100% yes. Are you asking me? I'm asking the floor. I've just never loved Brad Pitt more than as Rusty Ryan in Ocean's Eleven. No, I think it's actually not close. Wow. But that's to each their own. I agree with both of you. I've never loved him more. And this is just kind of the most, it's just Brad. It's the closest I will ever get to knowing what it's like …

The whole segment, as transcribed

I love the Elliot Gould performance. So we'll go with him. I have a cue. Yeah. Do you think they, at any point, they considered using a Frank Sinatra song in this movie and which music is so important? I don't know. Are we going to talk separately about the music? The music in this movie is really interesting. Yeah, we can definitely. Well, let's talk Apex Mountain first. Okay. This is a very crucial category. Is this Brad Pitt's Apex Mountain? And 100% yes. Are you asking me? I'm asking the floor. I've just never loved Brad Pitt more than as Rusty Ryan in Ocean's Eleven. No, I think it's actually not close. Wow. But that's to each their own. I agree with both of you. I've never loved him more. And this is just kind of the most, it's just Brad. It's the closest I will ever get to knowing what it's like to hang out with Brad Pitt, which means a lot to me. I think that's a really good way to define it. It seems like what I hope the good version of real Brad Pitt is. Yes. Which is, you know, shrimp cocktail chewing joke machine. It's probably closer to the kind of guy who comes up to you at a party and starts talking about his architecture. And this fancy table he bought. His recreational architecture. Yeah. And stilts. But like, you're really just like, why don't we just like play blackjack and eat nachos? Yeah. Um, I think I'll, there's a few Brad Pitt performances I like more than this, but this is definitely the most charming he's ever been. It's the least actory of the ones that I love. You know, the other ones would be much, much more pretentious, but, um, it's great. He's great. It's, it's, he's scaling the mountain. Okay. Is this Clooney Apex Mountain? No. Yes. Ooh. ER? I think it's ER, but also he's so good in The Perfect Storm. He is just so good. I love this shit. What a take. He is so good. That movie is excellent and he's amazing in it. And like, that also catapulted him to being a movie star. Yeah. For sure. So, and also, um, he, you know, he did an episode of ER while he was filming that. So like, that movie just really means a lot to me. This is who he's supposed to be. This is, there are other great performances and I'm willing to hear the argument for Clayton or Out of Sight or all of those. But this is Clooney at his essential. And I think it also highlights his gifts better than, and I think he's better at doing this than he is at acting. I really, I really do. So capital A acting, if you will. So. It's so funny because, you know, like he would be great as his father, like as a TV host and presenter. And I feel like he's kind of channeling Nick Clooney. He does it when they do the monologue about how we're going to do the job. He essentially just hosts a TV show. So, and obviously like growing up around performers, like you just kind of like absorb how to do that. And I think that like comes out. And on the director's commentary, I can't remember whether it's the one with Garcia, Damon and Pitt or the one with Ted Griffin and Steven Soderbergh. But they shot that monologue pretty much like, I think a hundred times because they had to do so much coverage because there's nine people and you can't just be like, we're not going to do a closeup of Matt Damon. So they had to shoot it so many times. And each time he had to time the monologue to the video presentation of the blueprints behind it. And they didn't even do his closeups until like the end of the day. They did it for two nights in a row all night long. It's not surprising to me that he's also a good athlete because I feel like people who are really good at a certain craft, like just nail repetition. And like, that's part of what they do really well. That's like why professional athletes are so good. They can do the same thing like over and over. It's like consistency and Clooney's like that. Was he a shortstop? What did he do? He also played basketball. He plays basketball. But wasn't he drafted by the Reds or something? Yeah, he was. Isn't that a story? You're right. I also think it's his apex mountain. Only because I think one of the things that really holds him back is if he's going really serious like Syriana, he tends to overdo it. You can really feel him gritting his teeth. And if he's doing comedy, he really thinks he's Buster Keaton and his eyes go wide and he gets real hammy. And this is one of the only movies. He even does that quite a bit in Out of Sight. People kind of forget that Out of Sight is like very jokey with Steve Zahn and all that stuff. Yeah, throwing the beer can and stuff. Yeah. This is one of the only movies he's ever made where preternatural cool is the whole point. Yeah. And he's just so good at that. It's really, it's between Out of Sight and this for me. I think Out of Sight is a little bit more honest about what it probably is like to be a career criminal and his performance portrays that like he does look schlubby in certain parts of Out of Sight. So let's say we'll split the vote on that. Is this Apex Mountain for Matt Damon? I don't think so, right? No. No chance. No, definitely not. I mean, no. What do you think it is? The Martian? Maybe. That's really good. I don't know. Like, I know it's ridiculous because it was so early, but like Good Will Hunting is just incredible. Of course it is. Yeah. I think that First Born and Good Will are probably up there. Not enough talking in Born. That's my one, my one knit with that. Yeah. I like it when he talks. I do too. He's got a great smile. A great like talking smile. Would anybody put Ripley in there? Yeah. Great movie. I'm not sure it's like the, the, the essential Matt Damon, as you said about, about Clooney, but it's a good movie. I think that's when it's Paltrow's Apex. I am a Joe. Certainly Jude Law's Apex. So talk about an attractive man. Is this Steven Soderbergh's Apex Mountain? Nope. What is it? Hmm. I'm genuinely curious about your answer. Behind the candelabra. Here's what I think it is just in terms of Soderbergh. It's the last time that he was. Fun. Concerned with the concept of relevance. You know, that he was actually, he was willing to forego. Playing the game. His desire to experiment, to be a part of a system that he has come to hate. And he has openly talked about hating, which is just the studio system, marketing, budgets, being, being really a slave to this structure. And for whatever reason, he decided to do it three times, which is really funny. And maybe because he found new things to do inside those three movies. But I think they also really underwrote his, his burgeoning liqueur business. Sure. Yeah. I mean, he got paid quite a bit of money to do it. I don't, it's hard to say. I mean, I, I love his, uh, his small movies a lot more than most directors who have small movies and big movies. Like I love the limey. I would watch the limey every day of my life. So, you know, that's not like the sexy fun answer like Ocean's 11 is, but I don't think it's his best movie. I think outside is his best movie. Are you going to go to the Nick? I just, I absolutely adore the Nick. I think it's like provocative and different. It's like beautifully shot. It just is like telling a story that no one else cares about. That's why it was canceled. Like, I don't know. All right. We're going to. I'm going Ocean's 11. Nice. Yeah. I think it is. Okay. Here's why. What about Ocean's 12, Amanda? Well, see Ocean's 12 is part of like the, I'm an experimental guy who's trying. Sure. Very meta. Side of Soderbergh. And, you know, it's fun. He's trying to comment on the idea of a sequel and he does it better than anyone else does because he's capable of that. He's an extremely accomplished technical filmmaker, but the thing he has that most other quote auteurs don't is that he understands enjoying movies. Like he really understands the experience of enjoyment of going to a movie and wanting to watch it, which like you can even see it in his culture diaries at the end of the year. He'll just like watch social network 20 times. Readers five times. Yeah. Fun to watch. And I think, I mean, I'm also just here to have fun. So that's like always what has drawn me to him. And I think that this is the thesis statement for that whole attitude. All right. Well, we're going to continue with the awards, but we're just going to take a quick break to hear from our sponsors. Let's talk about Hotel Tonight. Maybe even use it in Las Vegas. If you love to score amazing deals at incredible hotels, you'll love Hotel Tonight.

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