How Did This Get Made? - Vertical Limit w/ Laci Mosley

Episode Date: July 3, 2026

Chris O'Donnell, Bill Paxton, and Robin Tunney star in the 2000 mountain adventure thriller Vertical Limit, a movie where most climbers either get cut loose or explode. Laci Mosley (Scam Goddess) joins Paul and Jason to discuss all the leaky bombs, Scott Glenn's murder mission, Bill Paxton turning into Sméagol, creating a rescue flare out of human blood, why you shouldn't feast on BBQ before climbing K2, and so much more.   Buy our Avaryl memorial fundraiser shirt HERE. 100% of proceeds will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. • Go to hdtgm.com for tour dates, merch, FAQs, and more• Leave us a voicemail at speakpipe.com/hdtgm• Submit your Last Looks theme song here• Join our Discord at discord.gg/hdtgm• Buy merch at howdidthisgetmade.dashery.com/• Order Paul’s book about his childhood: Joyful Recollections of Trauma• Shop our new hat collection at podswag.com• Paul’s Discord: discord.gg/paulscheer• Paul’s YouTube page: youtube.com/paulscheer• Follow Paul on Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/paulscheer• Subscribe The Dark Web w/ Paul & Rob Huebel: youtube.com/@enterthedarkweb• Listen to Unspooled with Paul & Amy Nicholson: unspooledpodcast.com• Listen to The Deep Dive with June & Jessica St. Clair: thedeepdiveacademy.com/podcast• Instagram: @hdtgm, @paulscheer, & @junediane• Twitter: @hdtgm, @paulscheer, & msjunediane  • Jason is not on social media• Episode transcripts available at how-did-this-get-made.simplecast.com/episodesGet access to all the podcasts you love, music channels and radio shows with the SiriusXM App! Get 3 months free using the link: siriusxm.com/hdtgm Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trim that beard and kiss your frozen dead wife on the lips, because we saw vertical limit. So you know what that means. Now it's time for how did this get made? We're going to have a good time, celebrate some failure, not just be a hater because you know you wonder. How did this campaign? Let's walk in the mediocrity of subparart. Perhaps we'll find the answer to the question. How did this get made?

Hello, people of earth and welcome to how did this get made. I am Paul Shear and we are in the summer of extreme. Today we are talking about the 2000 film Vertical Limit, which is a 49% on the tomato meter. And what is it about? Well, you have Chris O'Donnell and Robin Tunney, who are brother and sister who lose their father and an extreme climbing accident. Well, actually, Chris O'Donnell, uh, cuts a cord and lets his father plummet to the ground. Now, years later, Chris and Robin are strange, but they meet back up at the base of K2, where billionaire Bill Paxton is coming

to climb the mountain. But guess what? He is not a good guy. He's actually a very bad guy, and he decides to climb the mountain, even though being warned, it would be too dangerous. Now he's trapped up there with Chris O'Donnell's sister. So what happens? Chris O'Donnell mounts a rescue expedition with a guy who kind of feels like Rambo of the Mountain, Scott Glenn, Montgomery Wick, who suspects Vaughn murdered his wife on a previous K2 climbing attempt. Oh yeah. And part of his rescue plan is that all the climbers must have unstable canisters of explosive nitroglycerin strapped to their back. Boy, oh boy, This is a movie.

Please welcome my co-host. Mr. Jason Manson. It's Jason, how are you? It's over two hours. I started watching it at 8 o'clock this morning. Oh, God. I don't know what's going on. I think I've lost my mind.

Well, I'm glad to be able to talk to you, but I'm also thrilled to talk to our very special guest today. She's a comedian and an actor who you might know from TV shows like Going Dutch, I Carly, and a Black Lady Sketch show. She's also the award-winning host of Scam Goddess, The HIPP podcast, and TV show about fraud and all those who practice in it. Jason, you and I have been on her show. I'm, of course, talking about the scam goddess herself. Lacey Mosley, welcome Lacey.

Hello, Paul. Jason, thank you for having me. Well, well, well, last time we met, we were together guesting on your show. Yes, we were. Talking about scams. Now, listen, y'all tricked me a little bit. Speaking of scams, because I can. Can't believe y'all got me watching this white-ass movie during Black History Month Part 2.

That's what we called June. Black History Month Part 2, Electric Bugaloo. And y'all got me watching these white people. Honestly, like, climbing a mountain is a white person scam. Oh, why? Why do you need to do it? We don't need to do it. Let the mountains stay there.

We don't need to get on top. Why are y'all of these people's mountain? Well, Lacey, you don't know this. But for reasons that are left unknown for the rest of us, we are covering extreme sports movies this summer. So people who love to parachute, people who love to do all sorts of nonsense. And this qualifies 100%. Well, I would also say it would also be a very white thing to do extreme things. Like I feel like most very dangerous, like, I'm jumping off of a satellite from space.

into earth, there are always these white people that are doing this. So I would say that this is a, we're constantly. Being a black woman is enough of an extreme sport for me. So I've just never felt a need. But I'm sure if I was a white man, like I would be jumping off of everything. You know, I would be just like free solo man, just climb and shit. Nobody asked me to climb. You know, just for the hell of it. This movie, you know, at first I thought, is this movie successful? Not really in United States, but it did gross two. 115 million worldwide. And this worked outside of the U.S.

In 2000's money. Yeah. It is a movie that had some success. It was directed by the same guy directed Golden Eye and Casino Royale. So a good, you know, good lineage here. But I also could tell that this is a movie that was put through like the 2000 ringer because it is, it's stupid. I mean, it is. Like you said earlier, it's so dumb.

It's not, you could see the meeting where they were like, oh. It's not enough that they have to rescue them. It's not enough that there's an avalanche. What if every climber had to have like a bomb strapped to their chat? Like speed. You know, like speed was such a big thing. There was a bomb on the bus. What if every climber has a bomb on their back?

This is an executive's fault for sure, Jason. Oh, yes. They brought in a simple movie about rescuing a sister. And they were like, okay, speed's been doing great numbers, guys. We can't get Keanu, but we can still at least put a bomb in here. somewhere. A leaky bomb. Oh, that's the, and the bombs leak. That's the other thing is that it's not enough that they have canisters of nitro. If you put them in the sun, they leak. Oh, no. They explode in the sun.

So at a certain point, as they're climbing Everest, they got to go find some shade. They always need to find shade. Because, you know, a lot of trees on Everest, a lot of ways to get away from the bright sun. Why was there nitro up there? Does anybody, does anybody, I'm sure it was given a bit of exposition at some point. Does anybody remember why there was a tent full of absolute high-level explosives? So I actually looked this up. So in 1999, Pakistan and India were in a real conflict. Right.

And so because the Pakistanis were, like, hidden up in the mountain, like, they had some military people up there, like, just blowing, randomly blowing up India, like, every now and then. they also had this explosive that they were planning to use on India that they weren't storing very well. So it was a military weapon. It wasn't part of the climbers gear. Okay, I guess that makes sense. This movie does touch on some of the political climate in such a careless way. I mean, there are moments in there.

It's not even a B or a C story. Yeah. The political environment between India and Pakistan. Pakistan, not barely scratch the surface up. They basically just show it as like, this is war every day. We're just going to fire on these guys. Like, it is a deep plot in this movie that there is a constant war going on. I think just to get you to this nitro, when you get to the nitro, and we haven't even

talking about the open, but when you get to the nitro, they go in this tent and you would think, okay, well, it's Nitro Gilson. They're all, you know, it's kept well. No, they're leaking in the tent. Nitro is leaking. It leaks on a man's foot. Yes. Which.

Which. It looks on a man's foot and then they take his boot off, throw the boot as if it's like a grenade and the boot just blows. Yes. And by the way, they don't show you them taking off his boot because I'm going to bet that taking off the boot would have been the more extreme moment. If that thing is a literal grenade, like if the movie posits that if Nitro drips on anything, it becomes a massive weapon. Yes. You know, it could blow up a house. But they don't show.

Even if it's just thrown away into the snow. You know, it's not like it doesn't need, it doesn't need an accelerant of some kind. It doesn't need fire. It doesn't need a, you know, any kind of a wick or anything like that. It's just when it needs to blow, either in the sun or if you toss it, it's going to blow. Okay. So let's talk about this opening because this opening is absolutely wild, right? We start off on a beautiful CGI bird, an eagle.

Beautiful. Beautiful. A beautiful. That bird was so fake. It was insulting. This movie, this movie reeks of fake. At every given point, you're like, they were never on a mountain. This is all on a sound stage.

They're hanging off that rock in the beginning. I'm like, oh, no one, no one is a climber here. No one is out. This is all safe on a soundstage. Yes. But it really, it looks cutting edge. for the time when you think about that being 25 years ago, you're like, wow, wow, this looks terrible.

Fake, fake as hell. And you get into this moment where I guess a bunch of climbers are climbing the same mountain in the same trajectory and someone's backpack falls off above our family, the dad, the son and the daughter. And that backpack sets off a chain of events. Now, first of all, I did do a little bit of research on this. This movie is hated in the climbing community for so many reasons. Just, first of all, everything that they do is completely wrong.

Even the terms, everything. But the one thing that they really stick on is nobody's backpack is falling off on a climb. Backpacks are not dropping from the sky. And wiping out everyone on the wall. Uncuitaneously. Everyone below. I had to Google some climbing things because I was like, can you climb and be, you have to be attached to everybody. Everyone's attached.

I was like, I don't think you have to do that. It took me a second to realize if they were a family. Because once we got from like the terrible bird, we have that conversation between like the main zoo, I don't know his name. The dad, right? No, not the dad. Chris O'Donnell. The son. And then I love that girl.

from the craft. Yes. Robin Toney. She's great. Boy, one of my true crushes from that era. Where did she go? Because she was popping. This was her time.

Yeah. Oh, she's around. I feel like she ends up. I feel like on a, like a CBS procedural for years. The mentalist. The mentalist. That's a good check. Very long time.

Stay mentalized and queen. Prison break and the mentalist. She was putting in some major seasons on that. She's great. But in the beginning when they're on this mountain, first of all, they're hanging off like, they don't got a care in the world. Aren't you supposed to be climbing this? And then they're like talking to each other

and they're talking about songs and they're singing songs to each other and having to guess the songs. I thought they were in a relationship. It took me a second before I was like, oh, y'all are siblings? Because that's not what it was giving. I had to check it multiple times

because there's a moment where they get together in base camp. I'm like, is he going to kiss her? Like, are they in love? They are acting like they are in love. Like no one gave them the memo that they were a brother and sister, I feel like. There is.

Or I feel like. like they were given the note, you know, like, we don't really have any, like, sex relationships in this movie. So really, your love is going to have to carry the whole movie. What you guys have, now it's not incest, but make sure you let us know you love each other. You know, you guys are your best friends. Like, it is, this whole scene feels like, like, I feel like it's day one and they all just met. You know, like, it feels so, and they are supposed to be a five. You know, like, it feels so, and they are supposed to be a father and two children. They all also appear to be, I'm going to say, six years apart from each other, total.

The dad looks like he's the same age as Chris O'Donnell. It's crazy. The only thing that makes a dad a dad is that he's carrying a whistle on the mountain to yell at other climbers. Like, I don't think that that is a thing. I don't think that anyone blows a whistle. Like, hey, listen up, guys. You're doing a bad job.

Like, he's like a traffic cop on a mountain. Yeah. Which I just felt like it was such a funny, weird, specific. And again, yes, I did Google it. That is not a thing. No one is blowing whistles on the mountain. You can't communicate that way. But you're connected to this family.

You love this family. And then, boom, they kill the dad. Sure. They kill the dad in this moment. When they kill this dad in the open, I was shook. I was like, oh, wow. Okay, this movie is going for it. I cackled, and I know that is not the response that they wanted to elicit.

But there's this big moment where he's like, My sister, my father, my sister, my father. Should I cut my father loose and save my sister? Oh, we all die. Oh, back and forth. And it's just zoom in close-ups of their face. And then they zoom out to that horrible CGI and they zoom back in on the horrible close-up on their face. It's nowhere in the same universe.

And then when the dad, like, when he cuts the rope finally, I'm so pissed. Like the cutting of the rope was the tension moment. Maybe even seeing him fall I would have taken a corny like I love you before the last little piece of the rope like twinges away and then he falls to his death Instead we get a smash cut to a body like Dudd on the ground

I was like that's how y'all killed a dad Y'all go is this a looney tools? Y'all was like meet me The dad's dead What? And now we're moving on Now we did the time jump And by the way I thought the dad was very

I would have loved it if Roadrunner was there Or the dad when he smashes into the ground just pulls out a sign and says, Ouch. But the dad was also very close to the side of that mountain. I was like at a certain point,

couldn't he just like lock back in or grab onto the side? That's what they were trying to do. They were trying to get hurt and lock back in because she was closest to the mountain. Oh my God. Oh, no, this was crazy.

Here's what I will say. And I'm, and I'm, this I'm guessing is based on there's an incredible story and a documentary about two climbers who are trying to climb a mountain. one of them gets injured, they get separated. They're still connected by one big, long line.

They get separated in a storm, and one man is hurt, and the other man doesn't know, and he has to cut him loose. But the man who is cut, but both of them fall and survive, but have to find independently their ways down the mountain. This is one of the most incredible documentaries I've ever seen, and it's called Touching the Void. Oh, yes. And it feels very similar to this set. up scene of like the only way for me to survive is to kill this other person and and what a what a

mind fuck that is and and and i feel like that's a great way to start the movie i would think that we come back in a more fulfilling way at the end we'll talk about how it does and it just seems like we'll just do it again at the end like and for no real reason the thing that i am kind of blown away by is this the beginning of the movie tells you everything you need to know you're going to hear a lot of screaming, a lot of grunting, and a lot of slipping. Because this movie is all about people slipping. There is so much needless yelling. Every single character in the movie at some point hangs in midair.

Yeah, that's important. Everybody. Everybody hangs in midair either off of an ice axe, off of a harness. They are constantly... Helicopter. Yes, yes. They're costly hanging in midair. And then I'm thinking if y'all experienced climbers,

don't y'all all know you're not supposed to be kicking when you hang in like that? Like you're actually adding more momentum. You're making this looser. You're making the rope loose. And this is down there. The person at the bottom just kicking away like they're running in place. Like, sir, what are you doing? My favorite moment in this film is a character that doesn't come back,

but we see the dad, crash, done, cut two a couple years later. Now we're in a snowblind. We meet, like, Chris O'Donnell's friend, and this guy, all he does is slip and fall and break his leg real bad. Done. That's it. Like, this. Yeah. Like, basically, I don't know if they need to, like, prove to us that mountains are dangerous.

Constantly. Like, everyone, nobody can stand up on a mountain for more than five to ten minutes in this movie without. I feel like they were pitching the movie and they were like, you don't understand. So many people die on Everest, or whatever, K2, whatever, K2, whatever, every year, you know. So it's dangerous, blah, blah. But I feel like somebody must have been like, you know what? It sounds kind of boring. You know what I mean?

Like it doesn't sound action-packed enough thing. You have to understand. The mountain is the shark in jaws. Right. You don't know when it's going to come get you. And I'm like, I'm pretty sure I know. You have to like slip and fall. The assistant who slips and falls and breaks his legs is like in a cartoon.

This movie is all silly goofball cartoon. cartoon gags, but like off of the edge of a mountain. It is like Wiley Coyote running off the edge of the mountain and being like, do, do, do lill lill l'l-l-l-l-l-l-womp. I also don't understand why he couldn't just live at the military. The whole National Geographic plot seemed so unnecessary. No. And then they had to kill, or his assistant had to trip and fall in the rock.

You know, for what? Just so they could go down to the base so he could get medical care so then he could see that his sister was here so they could. Like, I feel like we could have cut out so much shoe. leather. This movie's way too long. But we got to see those snow leopards play. He's in that snow blind. Here's what I'll say about your original pitch, Jason.

To climb K2, it takes about 60 to 75 days, like two months. And this movie, seemingly, if I don't know anything, if I'm not researching anything, it seems like you can pretty much nail K2 in about 12 hours. Yeah. And that's the premise of the film is like, oh, yeah, we're going to go up real quick. We're going to not only we're going to go up real quick, we're going to get it and time it with a flight going overhead. And then I was thinking, how many airlines are flying over K2? That also seems incredibly dangerous.

And for them to wave, the flight would have to be very low. Yeah, it's not 35,000 feet, babe. Yeah, commercial airliners aren't flying in between K2. like, just like, yeah, yeah, we'll get down low. It's not like they're landing down there. And so the whole movie is like they've been up there for 12 hours. And technically it would take them about, I don't even know, I don't even know where they are on the mountain.

But they seem to get everywhere by helicopters very easily. Yeah. Well, except for the time the helicopter almost chops that one woman, bandana woman in half. Can we talk about how much bandana woman suffered? Oh, I love bandana woman. So before I get to bandana woman, I do have. to say when the helicopters were flying over,

you do see this kind of like hippie encampment of like other, like, these are the salt to the earth white dude campers. We're not like that rich white dude campers. We are also on these people laying that we don't need to be on, but we naked with our penises out in the snow. So you know, we love the mountain.

They love pissing on the mountain. They love it. They treat the mountain with respect. Yeah, they're the mountain dogs. They make some kind of piss moonshine and they love the mountain. real bad. They created a still to make moonshine like their hawkye in mash.

It's crazy. So you got your good white dudes who love the mountain. And then you got your evil white dudes who want to get up the mountain to make a commercial. And that commercial is worth our lives. Then Bandana Woman, who's just like the nurse, they're like, okay, Bandana Woman went through it. She was sexually harassed. And then the man who was being creepy to her, one of the mountains, you know, native white mountain people.

They were like, we're climbing this mountain and you got to go with the man who's the creepiest to you. Also, you go fall off the mountain a few times. And a helicopter almost go chop your ass up while we're trying to get these other two men on the mountain. Like, this lady went through it. At one point, they are like, why are you doing this? And she's like, obviously, the money.

I want off of this mountain. The only reason she's doing it is to get away from these people. people is to get enough money to get away from these fucking maniac. They trapped this lady on this mountain and she tried to pay for her freedom. She does not appear to be one of the climbers. She's trapped. I don't know how they got everybody up there because, again, it does seem like it would be tricky to get everybody up to his base camp.

But meanwhile, the rich guy, he's bringing up like a full barbecue. People are having like a Fourth of July party up there. They're all drinking at high altitude. which just even from going to Colorado, I know that that's not a good idea. So, like, this is not a good vibe up there. And barbecue, don't you have to shit in bags and carry your own poop? Y'all about to have some crazy poop going up the mountain.

I don't want no rib poop when I'm going up the mountain. We need to be eating on a leafy green. I don't want to climb K2 with a belly full of rib. I mean, I mean, like, I've got a guess that they're just, I mean, you can't be on the mountain, like, taking all your winter gear off to shit. I mean, are they just shitting? in their pants? Oh, well, Jason, here's the thing. This mountain, very warm. Because these motherfuckers never cover their faces. They are, their faces are out and about. Yeah. Their jackets are

thin. Like, why can I see your silhouette, bro? You are on a mountain. I'm like, put that hood up. They were like, they still got to be sexy. They were like, they still got to be sexy. We need to see Bill Paxton's shoulders. We need to see those belts. Bill Paxton, for the 12 hours that he's up there, and I love Bill Paxton. His beard seems to be. to grow in thicker and richer. By the end of the movie, I'm like, I don't think his beard is that thick. How long have they been there? No.

And we know it's only 12 hours. Like, he really, but like, no one. Bill Paxson's in a, in a, like, underground in a snow cave in. And his hood is down. He is, like, his jacket is slightly unzipped. I would be zipping every part of me up. These guys are fine. And they would also be carrying, like, a hundred pounds on their back.

Yeah. They would be carrying. They would be carrying so much stuff that it's crazy that they're all just like, do, do, do, do, do, here we are, hiking up to the, here we are summiting K2. In my fall, Patagonia. Absurd. Truly, like, thank God I got my fleece. There's one moment where Scott Glenn says, you look like shit to Chris O'Donnell.

I'm like, he actually looks great. Like, Chris O'Donnell looks like he has been out on a, like, a summer vacation. Like he is glistening. Honestly, if anybody looks like shit, it's Scott Glenn. Oh, Scott Glenn in this movie. But thank God he's here. He's like, our Rambo guy who's kind of like living. Montgomery Wick.

Living off the grid, you know, and just waiting, I guess is he waiting for revenge or does he just live at base camp for the hope to go find his wife? I think it's that. I think his wife disappeared on this mountain some years ago. He has been trying to find him. her ever since. I think is what the movie wants us to think is why he's there. And he makes a very weird choice to shave off his beard before he goes up, which also would be like, keep the warmth. I was about to say that. Like, isn't that for warmth? What do you mean? You got to shave and go out

freshly shaven, pours open to climb this snow-ass mountain. I feel like that was like Scott Glenn showed up with a giant beard and it's like, yeah, this is perfect for like the hermit, the mountain man, the guy. And they were like, yes, God, we're going to need you to shave that so we can tell who's who in the movie. And he's like, but the beard will tell everybody that I'm me, you know, I feel like they they were like, no, no, we don't want beards, no beard's no beard's in the movie. He was trying to have his Oscar moment and the girls were like, no, we need to see that

mud. This movie's about sex, the tightest jackets you've ever seen. They're in Nike's climbing. The thing that I love about a movie like this is like, you know, Bill Paxton, is likable. Like when he gets off the thing, he's kind of goofy and you're like, okay, how can this guy be evil? And they don't really even try to ratchet it.

It just like goes from likable fungi to insane person. Like his turn to insanity is so quick that at a certain point, I'm like, is he going to eat people? Because he's looking at people like, you can't get in my way. I'm like, what's the end game? You can't get here alone. And what you realize is this is the second time he's done this because. As the movie unfolds, you realize that he did the exact same thing with the party of climbers that Scott Glenn's wife was leading.

And Bill Paxton selfishly used all of the drug to keep himself alive and let everybody else die. You know, so he's a villain every step of the way. It's interesting, he's always cast in many ways as the rich villain, like in Titanic. Big love. Yeah. Yeah, he's kind of always that rich. Except for what he's the inverse, Twister. He is Carrie Elwes, who's the rich villain,

and he is like the almost the Scott Glenn, the real guy on the ground, you know. One thing about the movie, especially like you bringing up the documentary, you were talking about how that was really interesting about having to cut someone loose. Boy, oh boy, is everybody ready to see a motherfucker die in this movie? Everybody's like, oh, they dying?

Oh, kill them. Oh, their leg hurt? Good is dead. Oh, the avalanche happened, but we contacted them on the radio speaker. They still going to die up there. We ain't helping them. No, every step of the way everybody's trying to be like, okay, well, we're just going to kill you. What's the point of climbing with a partner if they're going to let you die?

Well, and it really is it's such a casual relationship to human life, you know? And that's the thing is, too, the movie is over two hours long, which is, to be clear, too long. 45 minutes ago could have been cut. And part of the problem is they set up so many. characters only to kill all of those characters. Not paying anything off. With barely any investment in them as people, you know, the brothers, young Ben Mendelson, a young Ben Mendelso in this movie, which I was so loved seeing him, but boy, he's dead.

See you later. Like his brother, Cyril, see you're dead. I was like, oh, I really wished we'd had either more character moments that were fun with some of these people, or we didn't spend. so much time in the exposition setup phase because this movie would have felt a lot better at 90 minutes. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Because it's a very simple idea.

They just go out to a rescue and it's like, and they're with an evil guy. But I think that they're trying so hard to make it feel real, but it is so fake on so many levels. I mean, this is, you know, the free solo guy, Alex Honnold, right? He is referred to this as the worst depiction of rock climbing in any film. He was like the least realistic. But I think that they're trying so hard to make you believe. And the other part of it is it's like, yes, people die doing this. But it's not like an action movie death.

Like people aren't just like flying off the sides of buildings. People are losing toes and hands. They're not exploding. I feel like that's why the explosives were introduced. because I feel like it wasn't dynamic enough. They said, like, if you get a demon in your lungs, that's not enough. Them coughing blood, not enough for us.

It's enough for the crown. They said not enough for us. We need people exploding off of the mountain as they fall. I mean, when they introduced the idea the only way they could do a good flare is by draining the blood out of a dead person's body and then shooting the flare up so the blood just explodes on the mountain.

I was like, first of all, isn't a flare, like the whole thing of a flare is it's going to go up and we're going to, we're going to see where it is. But this is like, it was so, like, dark to drain them of blood. I knew it was going to happen. I was like, what is wrong with me? Or maybe I just noticed the patterns of this movie. But she was, like, trying to boil, like, ink from pins and, like, some freezing cold ice. And the little flame was so low underneath.

And he was like, you got to get it to a boil. And I said, they're about to cut that man open and use his. A man who was killed. A man who was murdered by Bill Paxton's character. Yes. Like murder. They didn't just let him die as he was dead. Bill Paxton comes in violently kills him.

By putting like air in his vein, right? With like a very violent way to go. They're already freezing up there. My favorite part of him is he's like the tour guide to the rich guy. And he's going to make all the rules. And when they have the little memorial at the end, they kind of, the camera pans. around the memorial of everybody who died in the movie. It's like the reverse love boat.

You get to see everyone that you've met along the way. And his is a glamour shot among glamour shots. It's not a casual photo. It looks like he's like, you know, like, come to camp so-and-so. I'll be your instructor, Dave. Like, it's so, like, he's such a pretty boy. And I like him. But I also feel like he, like, everyone in this movie is relatively rational, right?

They're all like, I mean, well, they don't solve things rational, but like it is a funny thing because like, why would Bill Paxton say no to the guy? Guys like, hey, look, there's a really terrible storm. And I know he wants to have the plane see him overhead, but I still don't understand like what Bill Paxing gets out of dying. Like it's like if he had a death wish, it's something. But like, I don't understand like his mentality is crazy. Like, why is he that crazy? I also don't understand his drive.

Right. They made an attempt to explain his drive real quick. And it was like, before they go up the mountain, he was like, yeah, I got all of my scientists on this and I'm a outscience the mountain and the weather. And they're like, we got an 82% chance of living. He was like, I take those eyes on the stock market because I'm rich and I love stocks. And then the ominous wick comes out with all his hair and shit. And he's like, who is going to live if y'all are going to die? And then he just disappears into the shadows and the cloud of, you know, snow.

And then when they get up there, everybody's like, hey, br, bro. The storm's going to happen. The storm's for the happen. And Bill's like, we got to shoot this commercial. And then they keep going. And then he's like, hey, man, they said the storm is like five minutes away. Like, y'all really need to come down. He was like, but what about the commercial?

And then they come back one more time. They're like, the storm, turn around. The storm is behind you. Y'all need to run. And then the tour guy's like, hey, man, I don't want to die. You told me I'm in charge. He was like, yeah, I said you were in charge. But when I sit in charge, I mean, do what I say for the commercial.

Otherwise, when we get to the bottom of this mountain, you ain't going to have no job because I'm a ruin you. He's also never going to get to shoot this commercial if he is dead. Like there is no reason. If the guy says that, he's like, what did we? We need to go down and be safe. And Bill was like, this is more than the commercial. I also need to do this for me.

My life statement. This is my life statement, he says. And it's like, to dive for a commercial? I don't even think this is a union commercial. I'll be honest. This is way before social media, too. This is maybe go viral on social media. But I mean, there's a moment that I love where, you know, he has this base station fully scientists who are navigating everything, right?

So it looks like he's going to have all these people really helping him. But they're like, like when they cut to the referees in New Jersey who have to watch all the NBA games, it's like these guys are communicating to them and they can see everything happening on the mountain. I'm like, how? They're up on this mountain. They're like, oh, uh-oh, they went down a thing. They're sliding now. I'm like, you don't know this. They can't even communicate this quick.

And then like Chris O'Donnell comes in and is like, hey, I know Morris Code. Okay, they're trapped. They slip down the thing. They're at 300,000 feet. This is where they are. I'm like, nothing could have been communicated that quickly in Morris Code. That would have been like an hour of Morris Code. Also, how is the Waki Talking not working, but it's working well enough for y'all to do Morris Code?

And then when Home Girl is locked up in the Ice Cave with Bill Paxton and Mr. Diant Tour guy, she's like, me and my brother, my dad taught us Morris Code when we were kids. Bebe, boob, boob, boob, boob. And Bill Paxson is talking the whole time while she's listening to the code and it was pissing me up. Because she listed the code is like,

get a clack, clack, clack, a boop boop boop boop. And he's yelling over that. Hey, what did you learn how to do Morris Code? Hey, what's your story? Hey, send that for later. Dude, I'm listening to the beeps and the booboops. Yes, and you'd have to be listening to it like letter by letter. Yes.

And probably writing it down to be like, okay, this is what, it took 20 minutes, but this is what's up, you know? Chris O'Donnell gets a novel out of, like, he's just hearing it off the side of his head as if it's like, also it appears as though he and his sister are the only people at K2 Basecamp who know Morse code?

That seems baseline level knowledge that these type of adventurers would have this skill set. Everybody must know Morse code, but everybody's like, what? I learned it in Boy Scouts. What are we talking about? But also, when they have to communicate later, Chris O'Donnell just sends her a note that says, like, boom or bang?

What the hell was that? How the hell are they supposed to know that means we're about to put nitro glycerin over your head? Like, you couldn't write a little, though, like, hey, move away from the opening. We're about to blow it up. What do you mean, boom? I saw that, and I was like, what? Bang? What?

Also, like, from where? Like, they don't know where to have. hide. They don't, how do they know where the placement? I guess they figured Homeboy's bloody spot was going to be the placement. Yeah, but I mean like, it could have very easily crumbled, started an avalanche. Yes. He used so much nitro. I thought they was going to be blown the pits underneath. I was like, damn, bro. Use like a little dash and come back. Exactly. That's all you needed. It was a little bit of nitro. They're pouring it in like they're doing a science experiment where they make like the, like whatever the bacon that are like shoot out. I don't feel like they could have gotten a helicopter up to where the blood bag had exploded.

Like, I don't, I didn't feel like they needed to climb to them at that point. They said the air was too thin for a helicopter to get up to 28,000 feet. It could only go to 21 and then dangle people off a cliff and almost chop up bandana lady. That's all the helicopter could do. I guess so. They also, they also have all this information about where they are, but the plan is let's split up. They have a group of people. I was like, all split up.

You two, you two, you two. It's like they're exploring like a haunted house. So it just gives them a chance to kill everybody in these moments where people don't have to have major reactions. It's like, because that, when they all go off, it's like, well, everyone's going to die. Like every, like there's no. Everyone does die. Almost everyone dies in order to save Just Paxton and Robin Tunney. Yeah, all the white people live.

It's given two thousands. I don't see. Nobody Brown made it down. Oh, yeah. Nobody Brown made it done. That was the tagline of the movie. Vertical limit. Nobody Brown made it down. Don't worry. We saved the rich white guy. Well, this is the best part because as Bill Paxton gets more and more insane. Like, you know, he's shooting, like, he's doing like meth in the corner.

He's a dex. He's doing his decks. You know, which, again, not that anyone cares that much, but this whole idea of, like, having high altitude pulmonary edema, right? That really only happens, like, after you've been up there for, like, days and days and days. All right, so, okay, fine, we'll take that away. But he's giving himself so many shots. Like, one shot would have done it. Like, one shot would have been, like, fine.

Like, he's stealing all the shots for himself. And I love that it's individual syringes. It's like a pack of individual syringes for, what is it, four syringes or whatever? Yeah. And I was like, what on earth they could do so. You could carry so much more of this drug with you just in a vial. Everyone could have had like four of them. Everyone could have had plenty of dick.

But when you find out that Scott Glenn is on a murder mission, like that to me, like this is like where there is a good movie in here. Because it's like, okay, I'm here only for straight up revenge. I'm going to come up here and I'm going to kill the man who killed my wife. And the fact that his wife is still frozen with inside the mountain, don't know how realistic that is, but also insane, that she's like part of the mountain now. That is his dead wife just frozen like Han Solo. She's standing up like with the prayer hands just in the corner. He looks so preserved.

It's crazy. She didn't even lie down when she died She was like, God, let me stand up and die real quick I'll just do my little prayer hands Now, I don't understand at this point too Why Chris O'Donnell's like so adamant that he can't kill this guy Like there's a part of me it's like hey man I just want to get my sister out I don't care about Bill like it's not like this is not her boyfriend

It's not anything like he has no connection But he really puts his foot down And then you're hoping that you're going to get this like fun battle But the end of the movie is just like, I found it to be a little bit anti-climactic because when he finally gets down there, there's no punches thrown, there's no nothing. It's just kind of like, all right,

we're going to climb up together, and he's going to take a pickax to him, and then they just do the opening sequence again. Except this time, Scott Glenn, the new father figure to these young people who comes and saves them manages to save them, he cuts the rope so that both he and Bill Pazes, didn't fall to their deaths, which I was kind of like,

okay, maybe, and I'm sure in the meeting they were like, guys, I had a great idea. It's bookends. It starts with the rope being cut. It ends with the rope being cut. Whoa, man. Right? At the beginning.

Wait, come in another line. The only thing I don't like about this is at the end of the movie, two white guys die. That doesn't, that doesn't add up for me. That's strange. No, but we're going to blow a brown guy. Oh. Right before.

Okay, okay. Okay, then I can work with this. I'm good with that. But the thing that's so interesting is, like, if you're looking at it from a, like, thematic point of view, right, Chris O'Donnell did it first, and he's been paying the price of that decision,

although he seems kind of fine with it. And Robin, you know... Ironically, he does feel very... Like, Robin... But his sister is not. His sister was like, I hate you because he killed my dad. And he's like, it had to be done or whatever. He's like, whatever.

And I'm like, maybe would make sense if in the opening scene they were like 15 and 17. Sure. They are adults, you know, who I feel like very much would have known what was going to and absolutely should be wrecked by it. But they're, again,

they seem like strangers. They just, everybody see, everybody's a stranger, even the siblings. I also love, there's a line in the beginning. They haven't seen each other for years, right? It's been a very long time since they've seen each other and she's like, you've never visited Dad's grave. And I'm like, how would you even know?

Are you there every day? I have a motion sensitive camera on the grave. I know. It's like such, like I get like, my doorbell app has never had to alert. But like, so at the end of the movie, you would either want to see him cut it again or have her do it. So she also understands like, okay, I understand the situation you're in.

I mean, obviously she's basically like hypothermic going through like, you know, edema's whatever, but like this, like it's a severe misunderstanding of mountain climbing. Yeah, at the end of the day, we've got to cut people off this. All this is what we do. We cut them off. 80% of ascents end in some people being cut loose. Because, you know, we're all usually dangling eight people to a rope. By the way, I'm going to guarantee you those ropes hold more than, I don't know, roughly 300 pounds.

Because that's really like they're like, this rope can't handle. more than 300 pounds. It's like, yeah, I have a feeling. And the anchors are always, the anchors are always terrible. It's like one single device is in the crack or it's they've tied the rope to an ice axe and just put that in the snow. And they're also doing it with their like bare hands. Like they're pulling up a rope of a body with their own hands.

It's like, I'm just thinking about rope burn. Aren't they like frozen up there? Also, everybody is so strong in the movie. to be able to do what they're doing, to be able to hang off of, it is so hard to hang off of something with your full body weight, pull yourself up and over, so hard to hang off of a wildly out-of-control helicopter? Two people managed to hang on to a helicopter that is careening out of control.

It would toss them off like rag dolls. And one lady, band-edana lady, got lightly chopped by a helicopter propeller. You know how it just like gets you a little bit and cut your jacket when the helicopter propeller passes by your body? And you know, they were like, it's going to be so great because the down from your jacket will just start peeping right out. It's going to be so cinematic. Also, I just felt like they're, I get it. It's an action movie. But I think that they wildly underestimated people's attention spans.

And so they were like, fuck plot. Fuck like any conversation and knowing about any of these characters. We have to treat this like an action horror almost where like every scale. thing that happens, sometimes it would be like, who, crisis averted. We got the nitroglycerin in the dark. Oh, let's have a drink to celebrate. Kaplow! Oh, we slid off this mountain, but bandana

girl saved nasty misogynist man's life. Oh, don't worry. Nasty misogynist man. Go die right now through a random avalanche. Kabloom. Like, why? So many. It's like what Jason was saying, the mountain is jaws. Like, the mountain is the killer. The mountain is the shark.

Like, the avalanches, the explosions. They are creating such an unstable environment. They're putting base camp at risk. They're putting everybody at risk by just setting off that many explosives on a mountain like that. Just throwing that shoe. I mean, like, it's like, because everything is going to create an avalanche. Here's the thing that I did love. My favorite line in the entire movie. Don't mind her. She's French Canadian. Sometimes she's Canadian. It'll be quite pleasant. Today she's obviously French. Oh, that is, that I thought was one of the, like, honestly,

some of the most descriptive character development we get in the entire film. I'll be honest. I'll be honest. My favorite character is her, bandana. French Canadian bandana woman, I think is terrific because they also have my favorite line at the end when they do manage to save Robin Tunney and they've gotten her back to base camp. And keep in mind, bandana woman, while also doing climbing stuff and getting almost chopped by a helicopter blade, is the camp's medic.

So she's taking care of Robin Tunney. And Chris O'Donnell comes in and he goes, how is she? And she says, amazing. I was like, what? However she is, she is definitely not amazing. She was coming up blood two minutes ago. Exactly. She's for sure going to die probably.

But amazing seemed like such a strange line. Well, also just the fact that they kiss in front of her body. So she is recovering over there and they're like, this is their moment for their first kiss like Chris O'Donnell and Bandana woman like and it's like oh just do that outside the tent or get someone get get get away from like it's a little awkward like this yeah how about don't kiss how about this isn't created enough of a bond to kiss this movie hasn't ceded this at all I think the director really thought and this is gonna want nurse too this could have also shaved off some time bro why are we lingering on everybody's face for an extra like excruciating eight seconds like they

done dialogue. It was given like the Tyler Perry edit where we got to get to 22 minutes so I can get into syndication. This movie needs to be two hours so linger on their faces. Linger on eye contact. What is this director's thing against a two-shot? He's not doing a two unless he's in the

wide. He not even giving me no dirty coverage. Like every time we cut to somebody face is just them. Were you shooting this actor to a tennis ball? Were y'all never in the same room? Because why are we cutting directly to people's faces like they're not in the same room? What is this and it kept happening and it kept zooming on people's faces as to be like this is romance

this is fear also you can't do the same like sexual romance cut on the brother and sister's faces looking at each other that's why it's confusing because I was like are they gonna fuck and it's like no I guess they just like they're brother and sister who miss each other but those cuts when you leave it too long it feels like there is something under the surface the only person it worked on is Bill Paxson because when he gets crazy when he's like when he looks like he looks like he's about to eat her or something. It's like, I'm like, yeah, I'm all, like, I don't know when he became crazy, but I'm into it.

I was like, oh, I wish Paxton had been this crazy and chewing the scenery the whole time. You know what I mean? I wish that it had been, because the first, the movie again is two hours long, and the first hour is exactly lazy to what you're saying,

so long, lingering shots that are seem like pointlessly, like, they're not setting anything up. I'm not stupid CGI Eagle for such a long time. I'm like, in the stock footage of even the snow leopards, it's like, what are we doing here? I don't understand all these, like, it's, I think it's like to show you the majesty.

We only got 80 pages, but don't worry, we're going to turn it into 120 when we were done with all these random shots that we need. And to your point, Jason, about Bill Pax's and becoming crazy man. And to you was well, chewing a scenery, Paul. This line, I wrote this down, when Bill Pax's, Paxson is having his moment where he's like, I'm going to throw all caution to the wind. We're ignoring base camp. We're all going to die for this commercial,

and I'm a bully y'all into it. Bill Paxson says, oh, you thought the mountain was just going to lift up her skirt for us? My favorite line. Bill, why you got to rape the mountain? Why? Why? It's so gross.

That made me go, I never want a mountain club because now you've made it into this thing where you're saying you're going to fuck this mountain. You're conquering this mountain. It's like it gave me a whole different taste of what mountain climbing is about. I don't like it. He's like intimating. What do you think the mountain's going to give consent? What are we doing here?

Oh my God. Like there is so much here. I guess like he's supposed to be Richard Branson. Because Richard Branson at this point is like the virgin guy. Not a virgin, but the owner of like virgin. Megastorm virgin, everything. So I feel like he had the planes. And at that point he was known for doing these extreme things.

but I do feel like it is like he's like he's also killed people in this mountain that didn't find out that Bill Paxson has killed other people and it keeps on going up like so just keep on killing more and more people is just a really wild character specific for this guy and it's also like it's also in service of as you keep pointing out Lacey a commercial it's not like oh and we're going to find the reserves the oil reserves that are going to make us so much richer, or we're going to find the fountain of youth, or we're going to you know what I mean? Like, it's not like they're in search of something absolutely game-changing for them. They are just trying to shoot a commercial. And that is absolutely, it makes him seem even crazier. But this really is also peak adrenaline junkie, like nonsense. You know, people doing crazy shit just because it can be done.

And you know what I would have helped Homegirls plot? What's her name? Aline. What was her name? The bandana girl? No, the sister. Anne. So it would have helped Anne so much as a character if when she was talking about spreading

her father's ashes on K2, she had the ashes with her. Yeah. And then that made sense because otherwise the whole time that she's going up with crazy ass Bill, I didn't understand why she kept agreeing with him. And then after he murders, homie, She's like, hits him for a little, like, you bastard, why would you murder our homie like that? Okay, let's get his blood. What?

You got on board so fast, girl. Oh, and that man, you should have killed that man in the beginning because Bill Paxson got to that cave and immediately became Smeagle. And all of a sudden, all the shots of him were him under like, like he was hunched over underneath like rock caps of ice. Like, leering at everybody. Like, I need all that decks for me. I really is.

I wish he had gold buried up there. I wish he had gold and he was trying to get his gold because I would buy that more than the commercial. Oh, my. It does feel like K2 is Mount Doom in this. And that is, this is the fellowship is trying to rescue us. I mean, Chris O'Donnell would be a great. Samwise Cam G's.

Yeah. So this is my favorite part too. Obviously, you know, whenever you do a movie like this, you have to put the real people in. So they put that guy Ed in there. He's the guy who looks the most uncomfortable on camera because, like, when Bill Paxson gets off the plane, he's like, Ed Beasters, it's an honor to meet you.

Elliot Vaughn. Nice to meet you. Hey, you wouldn't believe this guy. Five times up to Everest. On the only men to climb 12 of the world's 14 highest peaks, all without oxygen. Rock on. By comparison, all of us are merely amateurs. It's a real honor, Ed.

Welcome to base camp. Welcome to base camp. Like, it's like, he's not an actor. He's a real guy. He's a real guy. That makes sense why they left him because they were like, oh, you are too good to go with us up the mountain. Mr. Good guy who can survive. You stay down here so you don't have to act.

Good luck up there. Like, you know, it's like it. And but there is something really funny about this. I was, again, things I was reading last night was Ed is, I guess, becoming the technical consultant on this movie. But he, like, he did have like a crazy disaster where he was escorting a rich guy up. the mountain and that guy lost both of his hands and was not able to grasp the line on the descent. So, like, this guy is like, yeah, yeah, this is kind of a fun story. He literally, like, went through a, like, a shocking, scary thing. And it was like, good luck. He doesn't, he couldn't

say, like, hey, be careful up there. When I was up there just a couple of years ago, guy lost his hands. Like, doesn't give him any words of warning. Does it doesn't give him any words of warning? doesn't act as any, like, baseline of, like, hey, it's dangerous. Like, no, he's like, go for it, my friend. I'm not going to do it, but y'all get out there. I mean, it's crazy to have that. Like, a guy who literally has been through trauma being like,

hey, no problem. This is the very beginning of the 2000. So problematic was very, right. I feel like he probably didn't even get a script. They were like, we're doing this mountain movie. We only need you to shoot for a week. You got, like, four scenes. and then they were like, Ed, go.

And they just told them what to say. And you also work the grill in the camp and you serve the buds, the Budwisers up there. You know what really pissed me off about Base Camp, too? I get that there was an action movie, so they were trying to have these funny moments that they shoehorned in there that were wildly inappropriate at the time.

So when they're at Base Camp and the avalanche happens, the first one, they at Base Camp are like, oh, my God, this one lady just starts crying uncontrollably loud as fuck. She was like, ah, ha ha, they did, they did. And everybody looking at her like, can you shut up? And eventually they do tell her like, can you shut up or like get out of here with the hooting and hollering? Everybody's so sad, right?

Then they get communication. They're like, oh, my God, they're not dead. This is amazing. And then the next time we see Base Camp, they're like, yeah, they're not dead, but they're trapped. So they're as good as dead. We ain't helping them. They're like, what? They're also.

Just bad. Peace. See later. Well, they also like, only three of them aren't dead. The rest are. Like, they lost a bunch of people. Oh, right. And that's what's crazy is, like, people are dying constantly.

And everybody's just kind of like, oh, all right. Like, like, because no one knows each other. I mean, that's really what it is, right? Scott Glenn doesn't know, you know, doesn't know the siblings. Yeah, so, like, Scott Glenn doesn't know them, but he does know their father, right? But it doesn't seem like that really even plays in too much. They're on a mission where everybody on the mission doesn't know each other and or has met each other

just like 12 hours before and then it's like then the brother and sister who would have the most bond they are separated so they can't communicate and then you just have a straight up villain who is like you can't have anything with him it's like no there's no emotional

stakes like everybody is they also make a bunch of choices that make it even harder like I feel like the movie suggests but doesn't follow through on that maybe Robin Toney and Bill Paxton have a romantic relationship. That's what they said in the beginning, yeah.

They hint at it. They share kind of a chaste kiss at one point. And I was like, wait, are they a couple? Are they not? And in which case, I would have been, if they were romantically involved, then I'd be like, I understand why Robin Tunney is maybe making bad choices because she's connected to this guy emotionally. It's not just a job for her where, because otherwise I agree she would be siding with, is it

Tom, who's the team leader or whatever? Or make her in a relationship with Tom. Great. So then, like, when he dies, it becomes a moment. Or even make the crazy millionaire be duplicitous in some way. I think that that's, like, his charm is like, hey, I'm here to make this work. Like, be a nice guy and then reveal that you're evil. Because all you're really doing besides that is you're just watching people slip, fall, scream.

Yes. And, like, and just go like, ugh, ugh. You're going to lift up with that. In a very bad, like, green screen environment. Yeah. It's like watching the Sims die. Like, I have no connection to any of these people. And, like, even the vignette where it's like, we have the guy who's Muslim and he's got to stop and pray.

And the other guy's like, hey, I know you got to pray to Mecca, but we also got to climb this mountain real quick because we don't got a lot of time. And then they have this weird conversation about religion that makes no sense. And I guess it's supposed to be the foreshadowing to their death. I don't even know. But we're not invested. And like, but those conversations seem to keep happening. One that really pissed me off. And this is a director's choice too is when they were loading up to get on the helicopter

to do their choppy-ass drop off. One, that could have been a moment where they all bonded together. Yeah, give them something. Give them something. But they did it. They just all split up and move on. But while they're loading that helicopter, Bandana Lady and O'Donnell have this moment where he's like, Bandana Lady, why are you coming on this trip, Bandana Lady?

And she's like, I'm a slave to Bill Paxson. and I'm about to buy my freedom. But this whole conversation could have happened while they were loading up. They had a separate cut of loading things onto the helicopter where no conversation is happening. And then another cut to like them individually being shot in ones,

you know, and like single. Learn the lesson from law and order. Do the exposition while you're doing the action. While you're doing the action. And then tie that weird joke with the foot stretching in right after. I could have cut that sound so much. bothering the fuck out of me, but it kept happening throughout the thing. And like you said

about Bill Paxton's evil man character, I would have liked to see the duplicity as well. Show me that smiling guy, but the whole time he's hiding this deck. If he's going to murder the guy who, because we already knew he was going to murder him because the second they landed in the ice cave, homie started coughing like and then Bill Paxton looked at him

like Smeico like, oh, I'm killing you. And by the way, just put context, this movie takes place in less than 12 hours. Everyone loses their goddamn mind. It's like they go bonkers, bonkers. Like he coughs once and it's like, all right, we're done. We got to kill him.

I wouldn't have been surprised if he had started to try and eat that guy. Like, this is what we're doing. Also, how they run out of, if it takes days to climb this damn mountain, how y'all run out of fire already? Y'all had your backpacks on you. How are you running out of supplies already? Oh, my, well, because you know why? Because this is my, again, like, they start off the movie,

doing that thing where like Robin Cheney's like going across this crevasse. And then the minute they get off, they're just seen with like her and the millionaire. And they're both eating and drinking so much. I'm like, maybe you should like save some of this. Like he's eating a bar. She's drinking water. Like I'm like, I don't think you're doing that much like chowing down after like you like, climb for 10 minutes.

I was like, I feel like they used all their supplies immediately. Like they did not know. And they also are going up with. one bottle of water? Did they say that too? Like, hey, you only have one bottle of water up there. So you got to boil water. It's like, I think if you're going up to the mountain, carry a couple of bottles.

You can carry a couple of bottles. Water's heavy, but you can carry a couple of bottles. Water's heavy. I think their intention is to melt snow. Yeah. That was she said. They had the kit to melt it. Okay.

And they did have the kit to melt it. Hot water. Yeah. But speaking to that, yes, they were eating barbecue and all that shit when they go up this heavy-ass mountain. On plates. on like on like like like like like like like like like it would have been so funny if in the middle of this whole movie just one of the characters kept having like barbecue diarrhea one of them was supposed to remember the one guy who didn't end up going up the mountain he was um some CEO guy who was attached to the evil Bill Paxton why did they have why did they even have camera like why did they spend any time on him if they weren't going to take him up the mountain or anything they were just like he ran with some toilet paper and they were like he got a boo-boo a lot and I got to take him up the mountain Hope you're not tethered in the rope behind him

because he's just going to be shitting all your face. What? And then he never even comes up the mountain. Now, I know that Jason does not watch Survivor, but Lays, I don't know if you do. One of my favorite things about Survivor is they always are like giving these people like treats. Like today, guys, the prize is Applebee's. Now they've been on this island and Survivor and they've not been eating or they've

Oh, yeah, they're always Applebee's. Is that so far away from the island? Well, so they create a little fake applebees like in a shack, Like, so when they win, they go to an applebees. And so, but they've been eating rice and everything. And then they go to Applebee's and they have, like, and it's, it looks like they're at Applebee's. And I'm like, the shits that are going on. If you've not eaten for like 12 days and then you eat like a bourbon barbecue burger and fries and a margarita.

Like, I mean, that's the show that I want to see. It's just people like their bodies are, no, I can't handle this. It's like it's so, it always grosses me out that like bodies are not meant. for Apple. That's a part of surviving. I actually think that was great brand alignment on Applebee's part. There were like regular civilians who come in Applebee's every day. They fighting battles on them toilets.

So Survivor if you can get through our Hennessy, Bourbon, hookah wings. I also love that like, that's a great advertisement for Applebee's to be like, hey, because everyone loves it so much. It's like, yeah, when you give it to starving people,

they're going to be like, this is the best food I've ever eaten in my life. It's the easiest way to be like, you see, our food works. I'm sure somewhere in the contract, Applebee's has to be like, you can't air them throwing it up. You can't air them having diarrhea. You can't air them having any kind of negative reaction, which I'm sure everybody's bodies is rejecting this incredibly rich food. They have to be ravenously hungry and then Applebee's is going to hit. Taco Bell should have got it on that.

Like, Taco Bell is known for being the drunk food. Oh my God. Well, obviously we had an opinion about this movie, but there are people out there with a different opinion. It is now time for second opinions. The movie was a piece of shit. Tell me what is the message. Maybe that art is subjected.

It opinion. All right. Thank you, John L'Ijoa. So, vertical limit has, you get ready for it, An average rating of 4.6 out of five stars on Amazon. And they've got a lot of reviews. Over 2,000 reviews. And 77% are five-star reviews.

Hell, yes. This is blowing my mind. It makes sense. Absolutely. So this first review is from Karen Landry. And she titles a review, a gift that made my best friend smile. This was a gift to a good friend who's dream. dream it is to travel to Tibet and spend a few weeks there with the local residents, not climbing, just hiking and seeing an area that she's dreamed of all of her life.

She and her family loved this movie, not just for the thrill and attention, but for the beauty as well. Five stars. Wait, so you're watching this as a National Geographic document. This is not like, oh, finally, I get to see what it would be like to be there. It's like, this is a green screen. It'd be like being like, finally, I got to be close to an eagle. Also, strange that she was like, my bestie really wants to go to Tibet

and she wants to hike. So I took her to this movie where everybody falls off the mountain and explodes to really inspire her trip. Where do the people fall from the sky after they were cut free from the cords? Where over there? Great.

It's like, my friend always wanted to experience an explosion from Nitro. And I took her to see this movie. Where do you keep the Nitro? And is it leaking? By the way, that whole tent would be exploding. Now, this is a reviewer that I was not going to read because I thought it was a joke, but I actually think it's real.

The name is, and excuse me for this, this is where I thought it was a joke. The name is Anil Thrasher 69. Okay. And anal, yes, but, but. You can't thrash in 69. Just want to say that. No, yes. I mean, this is, unless you're climbing a mountain.

This movie inspired me to take a pricey vacation to Nepal to hike the mountains. What? While my trip there wasn't nearly as cold or as dangerous as the world. one in the movie, I still had an awesome time and would recommend that destination to those who like physical challenges. Just stay away from the Indian food. It gave me the squirts for two old days. L.O.L. Five stars. Oh my God. Can you imagine if this movie inspired you to go? This is the movie that is getting people out of the house. To go climb a mountain. Also, it's not lost on me, Paul, that when you read that,

Aynel Thrasher also said, like, it's not as thrilling as the movie, but it was still, did you want it to be as thrilling as the movie? Did you want someone to saw you off a rope to your death? Is that? He was like, I just see as many people falling off the mountain as I would have hoped because I thought they was just going to be falling like flies. Hey, if you're going in order to see nitro explosions, multiple avalanches, and people raining from the sky, it's kind of boring in reality. It's like those things when they show you the video. It's like on social media, it looks like this. But in reality, it looks like this.

Right. You know, it's those fake out things. Oh, I'm glad he gave me the warning about the Indian food giving him the squirts. Anyway, anal thrashore 69 is also just a rough name to pick when you are giving an earnest review. Like, again, I was going to avoid it, but I'm like, it seemed like he went. Well, I mean, his anus did get thrashed because he got the squirts. Truly. Yeah.

To also to include your own personal experience with. diarrhea in a movie review is really weird. To be like, my review of this movie is I had the squirts in this region of the world. I just had Indian food when I went on vacation. Yes. You were looking for connection. Now, this one has a great spelling error in it, and I'll read it as written. This is from John K. Dahl, written in 2023.

if you like action suspense and the bad guy getting his cum muffins, you will like this movie. Holy shit. The cum muffins, obviously. The t-shirt is definitely cum muffins. And it's like a 10, it's like a 50s woman holding a tin of muffins. Yeah. And you know the only way you can get your cum muffins is if K2 lifts up her skirt.

And then that's how you get your cum muffins. Yes. It's a woman holding your cum muffins. in a tray of muffins, but her skirt is up and K2 is underneath it. She's all woman on top and all mountain on the bottom. The shirt of being made. Oh, we got to

do it. But that's the thing that I love is like, this person definitely heard comeuppance and I think tried to write it like cummuffins and I want to hear John K. Dahl say come muffins to somebody. Like, oh, yeah, man. I definitely got their cummuffins. John, we have to see you in HR right now.

You're talking to your cummuppins. This is a company-wide email. And you said everyone meet We're meeting in the conference room So I could get my cum muffins Oh my God My God Cummuffins to me

Cummuffins is one of the greatest Miss Speaks or Miss Hears I've ever heard Oh God He's like he never read that word Never saw it on prayer Just heard it just heard it just heard it Just heard it

And but like I love He understands the context The correct context in its use but still thinks it's come muffins. That's unreal. Also, I did have a full, like, a full, like, n-grenge moment. When homie was in the cliff and found out that Wic, the Wic guy, when he was, like, telling O'Donnell his plans,

he was like, no, I'm going up there to kill Bill Paxton because he killed my lady. He was like, hey, man, you can't do that. And then Wick was like, hey, man, you can't go without me because you've reached the vertical lid. Oh, yes. When you say the title, oh, I love, I love it. I love when you get to say the titular line of a movie.

Like, it is the ball dance. It was great. It felt satisfying. Because it also is dumb movies like this that do that, you know? Well, as satisfying as that was to you, I also found satisfaction in the worst typeface for the title vertical limit. It looked like a ghosty font in the beginning. Like, when they first go on, I was like, it was like, it was like, so cheap. Like it didn't look, it didn't look like

K-2 or something hard. It just felt like vertical limit. It felt like a little like, it was in the clouds. I was like, ooh, whenever I see a title that's that bad, I'm like, this movie is, this is going to be a rough one. I love that we got to watch our summer of extreme with you, Lacey. What a great experience to have you here. You are, you're doing so much. Obviously,

scam goddess, a hit show that you can listen at any point. You can listen to whatever scam you want to get into. Jason and I did one about the MBA scandal. Oh, that was so good. But is there anything you want to plug? Yeah. Come join us at Scam Goddess.

It's a comedy podcast about robbery fraud and those who practice it. And this coming July, I will be at I Heart Radio. And there will be full-length video. I know you guys have been asking for that. Oh, wow, wow. You're going to be right there in it with us. We're going to the vertical limit. We're taking it all the way to the vertical limit.

Yeah, you can watch Scam Goddess on Hulu. You can get the book, wherever you get books or audiobook. book and you can hear me narrating my life of scams and a lot of hot mess that she'll probably want to get into. It is one of my favorite shows. You are fantastic and so fun. And look, we're not running out of scams. We're not running out of scams.

No. It's scams in this country are like nitro that's been left out in the sun. They are exploding. Is there anything that you could like, if you have a person listening for the first time, is there one that you are like, you got to do like, if you want to check in on one of your favorite ones. Is there a good favorite scam that you can throw people to? Yeah, I mean the Sean King

episodes are super fun. I actually sent that to somebody the other day because it's like... You got to let him know! Because the people are like, well, I don't understand. I'm like, here, this will explain everything that you need. And I get it. He was one-stop shop for activism, but he was every go-fund me was him

go-funding himself, okay? You know, when he said United Negro, he meant himself, possibly a Negro. United with his family. That's where the money was going, okay? But yes, you can get into that. One of our most recent episode with me, Sid and Marie is super fun. All the episodes are fun. You can really jump in anywhere.

I try to keep it consistent. But yes, it's a good time. If you like comedy, you like scams. This vertical limb, I would have never seen this movie, so thank you all for that. Seeing a movie with a poster that has definitely clip art, you know, text on it is wonderful to me. I feel like I could have made that on Instagram story. It's given the paper clip was like, would you like to put a white line around these

Red letters and they were like, yes, paperclip. Love that for me. Now, by the way, just so you know, as we were talking about this, I just realized that the tagline for this movie, the mountain will decide. Whoa. So the mountain is the villain. The mountain is the straight-up. The mountain is the antagonist. The mountain is the mountain eight.

Oh, shit. Nobody. Oh, my man. This mountain gave them all STDs or- It should have been a horror film. Then the deaths would have made more sense. Like the mountain is sentient and it doesn't want anybody riding it. I would have loved it if at the end of the movie, like Chris O'Donnell and Robin Toney were like in an apartment in New York City.

And they're like, oh, okay, we made it. They looked out the window and K2 was right there. K2 follows them home. Yep. Oh my gosh. Well, thank you, Lacey, for climbing K2 with us. By the way, everybody, if you've not yet purchased our amazing. Averal shirt, sticker or coffee mug, please head on over to hdgm.

Dot Dashery to pick up this a beautiful shirt. We've been raising so much money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. We're already over $10,000. So we really appreciate everybody jumping in. And, you know, even if you can just afford a sticker for $3, it makes a difference. It's really awesome. If you have a correction or a mission from this episode, leave us a voicemail by going to speakpipe.com slash HDTGM.

And of course, you can also write us your correction or omission on the Discord at Discord.g.g. slash HDTGM. Then tune in to next week's last looks to hear us respond to the best messages. By the way, people, we're going to be back at Largo in Los Angeles on July 31st and August 1st. Go to HDTGM.com to get your tickets. And June's brand new show, L, which is a legally blonde prequel series, is out now on Prime

video. It is fantastic. She is amazing in it. Go watch it right now. The entire season is out for your perusal. L on Prime video. And remember, if you listen to us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please make sure you are subscribed to our feed

and have automatic downloads turned on in the show settings. It helps us, and we appreciate it a lot. And lastly, I have to give a huge thanks to our behind-the-scenes team. I'm talking about our producer, Scott Sani and Molly Reynolds, our engineer, Casey Holford, and our social media manager, Zoe Applebaum. And we will, of course, forever be grateful to the one and only Avil Hallie. That's all I got, people. See you next week for Last Looks. Bye for now.