The Big Picture - The Chicago Movie Draft LIVE in Chicago!

Episode Date: July 22, 2025

Coming to you live from the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, it’s The Big Picture! Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and special guest Tracy Letts to draft their favorite Chicago movies of all time. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Chris Ryan and Tracy Letts Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU This episode is sponsored by State Farm. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Available now for a limited time only, your Strato Frappuccino blended beverage is ready at Starbucks. -♪ I'm Sean Fennessy. -♪ I'm Amanda Dobbins. And this is The Big Picture, a conversation show. I'm Sean Fennessy. I'm Amanda Dobbins. And this is The Big Picture, a conversation show. Woo! Woo!

Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! A conversation show about Chicago movies. Woo!

We are drafting on this episode. We are drafting Chicago movies. Now we're not drafting yet. Yeah. As you see, there are drafting Chicago movies. Now, we're not drafting yet. Yeah. As you see, there are two open seats. There will be two additional drafters. They're not here yet. We're not ready to talk with them yet.

They're being very patient. We appreciate them. But first we're gonna do some trivia. Now, those of you in the audience will be able to answer these trivia questions. Now this needs to be an extremely calm, reasonable, rational, emotionally democratic process. I want to let you guys know that yesterday in the car we were talking about this process and Sean said in his clearest dad voice, if people start blurting out answers, there will be no more trivia.

And it's 100% accurate. And I stand by it. And you will hear the dad voice if you misbehave. The wonderful people at the Criterion Collection and the Criterion Channel have sponsored this trivia. And so the prizes will be connected to the work that they do, which I'm very excited about. So 10 questions. 10 audience members will answer those questions. Just raise your hand and we'll call on you. If you yell out the answer, no more trivia.

If you start saying things that are not the right answer just to get attention for yourself, no more trivia. Oh yeah, that's the other thing is that if you are called upon and you don't know the answer, Sean's also very concerned about that. I didn't even occur to me that that's something that you all would do. I think that we all respect each other here, but Sean has a no tolerance policy for that. We're going to make this work. I trust everyone here. The sad news is that anybody in the

upper section is not eligible for trivia. I apologize. This was Chris Ryan's decision. He insisted upon it. He would not show up unless he said no upper section will be eligible for trivia. I said, okay, Chris, we need you here tonight. So would you like to begin? So Amanda and I are going to ask these questions back and forth. I just want to see a hand go up if you know the answer to the question. If you don't know the answer and you raise your hand and you say something dumb, I'm going to have a large person escort you from the premises, okay? But if you know it, in good faith, we'll call on you, you'll answer it. Maybe there's a prize on the other side of that answer. Okay. Let's start. Remember how I said I

always want to be a game show host? I have a Negroni in a sippy cup, so I'm just going to drink that. First question. What is the highest grossing movie of 2025 worldwide? This gentleman right here on the aisle. That was the first hand I saw go up. Lilo and Stitch? That's incorrect. This young woman right here in the white button down shirt. Minecraft? That's incorrect. Yeah. This fellow here in the glasses and the black t-shirt. Nezha Tu? That is the correct answer.

There we go! Nezha Tu, the Chinese animated sequel, and I know you've all seen Nezha, so I can share the details of the sequel here, is one of the most successful Chinese productions of all time, and is being redistributed here in the United States this summer by A24.

Did you know that? I didn't. Have you seen it already? I haven't. OK, well, maybe we'll go. OK. Will you watch Nezha with me? It depends how much money's on the table.

OK, question number two. This is really good. Sean wrote this one, and I think that despite everything he's just done, he deserves credit for this. Name the three dinosaurs the mercenaries needed to extract blood from in Jurassic World Rebirth. Yes, all three.

No hands. Wow. No hands. Oh, okay, go.. No hands. Wow. No hands. Oh, okay, go. You got it. Microphone's coming to you. This is your moment. Hold on, sir.

Please wait for the microphone. I know you love this film. The Quetzalcoatl, the Titanosaurus, and the Mesosaurus. That's correct. That's correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct.

That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct.

That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct.

That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That is correct. That's a legendary moment in the history of this show. All right, here's a fun one. Friend of the Pod, Tracy Letts and Steppenwolf Legend has won a Pulitzer for drama and a Tony Award for best actor for his work in the theater. For which plays did he win each respective award? This this this gentleman right here. He won the Pulitzer for Augustos H County. He won best actor at the Tony's for Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf.

That is correct. Bingo. I just want to say again that it's just embarrassing for us that we're here. Somehow we are the people on this stage. No talent losers who talk about movies. You guys should ask for your money back. Malkovich and Joan Allen once stood here doing wonderful things. Alright, Amanda, next question. Yes.

Chris Ryan's father Desmond was an esteemed film critic for which hallowed newspaper? Okay, in the middle. Yeah, that's, I'm sorry because I do see you but no, you in the, yeah, this one, yeah. Sorry, I couldn't see, yes, in the Ford Bronco t-shirt. You switched the questions. And the pathology reports. You falsified your question. You switched the questions. And the pathology reports. You falsified your research so that Bill Simmons would give you a podcast and Devlin McGregor could give you Provasic.

What's up? You did it. You killed this guy's moment. Go ahead, brother, I'm sorry. Now I'm really nervous. The Philadelphia Enquirer? That's correct. That's right. Okay, this one's hard.

As I said, the fine folks at Criterion are sponsoring this round of trivia for us and they have provided gift bags for people who get questions right. In these gift bags, there are five films that Criterion has issued with strong roots in Chicago. Name the five films. Whoa, you just switched it. I did. issued with strong roots in Chicago. Name the five films. Whoa, you just switched it. I did. Live on stage, he was gonna say four out of five.

So now it's five. I'll take four out of five. Can anybody do four out of five? There you go. Yes. Yeah, yeah. People are timid. I think you scared them.

It's okay if you earnestly get it wrong. Just nothing silly. I disagree. Thief. One. No, he wins. He wins. Hold on, hold on.

The Breakfast Club. That's in the criteria, right? It is though. It is not in this set, but I will accept that. Okay. Oh, okay. It is not in this set, but I will accept that. Okay. Oh, okay. Okay. It works.

Um, man hunter? Nope. Damn. Okay. Does he get to keep going or? You're done? Four out of five. You lose. Anyone else want to give it a try?

We've got someone back there. Yeah. I find I'm drawn to people with real Amanda energy in terms of getting the, so just a try. We've got someone back there, yeah. I find I'm drawn to people with real Amanda energy in terms of getting that. So just a tip. OK, so Thief and Breakfast Club are also his. Sir, please, we only have two hours. Yeah, and Hoop Dreams? Yes, that's three.

And I forgot the last one. Do not raise your hand if you don't have answers. It's OK. He tapped out. We've got three of four. You need to get one more film, and you are going to get a bag. Coast on the greatness of others.

Who are you picking? Amanda Uchuse. Oh, me? Pick the person. OK. Well, listen. There we go. You're following instructions. Back and forth. The bearded gentleman who's waving his hand aggressively. of others. With who you're picking. I'm out of you choose. Oh, me? Okay. Well, listen, there we go.

You're following instructions back and forth. The bearded gentleman who's waving his hand aggressively. Okay, risky business. Yes, that's four. Can you keep going? The Breakfast Club, Hoop Dreams, Thief. You have any more? I cannot think.

You said four was okay. Four is okay. I cannot think of the fifth one. It's on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't think of it. Damn it. All right, we'll allow it. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. The other two films, which are both included in the bags, are Love Jones and Coolie High. Next question. This movie set a longstanding Guinness World Record for the largest number of automobiles ever destroyed in a movie.

60 refurbished and reinforced police cars were wrecked in the various chase scenes. This record held until the belated sequel deliberately set the new record by wrecking one additional automobile for a total of 61. Okay, well, you know, everybody's waving. Okay, do you pick? Dob mob member right here. Yeah, of course. The Blues Brothers.

Correct. Listeners of the podcast know that I was present for the world premiere of Blues Brothers 2000 back in 1998 for my 16th birthday. One of the greatest days of my life. Terrible movie. No offense, Chicago. Next question. Are these going okay?

Okay. Thank you. Before signing on to the Chicago set horror classic Candy Man, actor Tony Todd negotiated a bonus of $1,000 for every bee sting he suffered during filming. How are they going to get this? How many times was he stung? Can I, can I give a hint? Oh no, a hand went up right there. An eager hand immediately. Yes, right by the camera. That's you. Keep... Listen, keep shining. Hold it up high. Pfft. 23,000.

Bingo! Wait. Wait, hold on. Oh, sorry. 20... Sorry, he won $23,000. He was stunned 23 times. That is correct. Bingo! How did you know that?

That's insane. Are you related to the late, great Tony Todd? No. Not in any way related to Tony Todd. Are you allergic to bee stings? OK, good. Tony Todd, most recently seen in the wonderful film Final Destination, Bloodlines. One of the best movies of the year.

Name three of the four movies set in Chicago that went on to win best picture. Three of four. OK, now everyone's nervous from the last one. Yeah, we're proud of this one. This is a little easier than knowing criterion additions. So believe in yourselves. Anyone?

I'm going to tell you one's a gimme. So all right, there we go. In the back, one taker. Chicago the Musical. there we go. In the back, one taker. Chicago the Musical. There we go. All right. Uh. Untouchable?

No, that is not correct. But a good guess. No one else out there. You're so mean about trivia. Now everybody knows what it's like to be you. This, this. Oh, all right. Well, you take it up with Chris, you know. There's, there's someone who's got their hand raised right here. Oh, okay. Great. He's wearing a Criterion t-shirt. Thank you. I'm going to fall on the

sword and give another one, but I don't know both ordinary people. That is one. Yes. That's two. All right. This is an amazing example. And I do have my criterion shirt on so whoever gets the third, maybe I get one of the movies in the bag or something like that. I don't know. Listen, I think that's a good deal.

Okay. Yeah, in the back. This is an active community building. You guys are just step by step. Yeah, trade numbers, follow each other on Letterboxd. The Sting? The Sting is correct. Bingo. Yeah! Woo! Nice Sting is correct. Bingo.

Yeah! Woo! Nice job, nice team effort out there. The fourth film, which is a little bit of a cheat because only a little bit of this movie takes place there, but The Great Ziegfeld in 1936 begins in Chicago. We'll revisit that eligibility at a later date Here's an easy one in what 1992 Chicago based movie does Tracy let's play a character named Sean

I'll give you all a hint. Oh Yeah, a couple people who knows I'm gonna know you it's okay You won't put your hand on all right, then you listen if you know what you know it? It's OK. You put your hand on it, right? Then you listen. If you know it, you know it. I believe that's the fugitive? That's wrong. Yeah. OK.

OK, another one. There we go. Furnously wrong. The Rookie of the Year? Incorrect. Incorrect. I'll give a big hint. One more guess before the big hint.

He pulled it back. Yeah. I'm getting really nervous. Home Alone? Incorrect. No. Dolly Parton is the star of this movie. Can anyone think of a movie starring Dolly Parton

from 1992? Is it 9 to 5? No. But that's a good movie. OK, waving, waving, waving. Oh, yeah. There's wave. There's quite a gesturing going OK, waving, waving, waving. Oh, yeah. There's wave.

There's quite a gesturing going on in the back there. It's good. It's a sort of a blue man group situation. Straight talk? Straight talk is correct. Yes, that's it. OK. One more question.

In 1993's Rookie of the Year, Thomas Ian Nicholas, excuse me, plays a kid who brings the Chicago Cubs to a World Series. What is his character's name? All the pro hands went up. I know. Look at all these boys. Chris Ryan. This gentleman in the front row, he went up first I think. It's Henry Roengardner?

Exactly right. That's right. That's right. That bag is just full of 30 copies, 4K of Rookie of the Year. So please enjoy. That's just full of Pete Crowe Armstrong highlights, actually. You guys ready to draft? Let's do it.

OK, before we do that, we need to bring out the fourth drafter, who is, of course, Chicago legend Tracy Letts. Hello. How does it feel like going back to church? It feels good. It feels good. It feels great. So before every draft, we tend to talk about the main subject, whether it be a year or a performer,

in broad generalities, what it means to us where we were when. We're a trio of posers, really. Absolutely. I've only been to this city four times. I love it here. I've had a to this city four times. I love it here. I've had a great time. Don't boo me.

We're here now. How many times have you been here? This is my first trip. I just want to say you guys smashed it. It's just an absolutely great time. I've seen everything. We went full tourists today. Everyone on this stage participated

in some of the tourism with me. And it's been wonderful, but I also, you know, otherwise I've known it in movies. CR, what about you? You were in a touch and go band for about 15 years. That's right. Out of Chicago. I was in TAR. No, I've been here about half a dozen times. I love this city. Got good friends here.

Yeah, this is one of my favorite places. What about you? I lived here for 36 years. Yeah, this is one of my favorite places. What about you? I lived here for 36 years. We kind of teed that up for you. I moved here in the summer of 1986, and unfortunately I left here a couple of years ago. My wife works on a TV show that shoots in New York. We have little kids and had to put them in school

and had to live there instead of here. So we just feel like displaced Chicagoans, though. I'm too old to be now a New Yorker or an East Coast person. I'm just a Chicagoan who happens to live in the East Coast. Can you give a snapshot of Steppenwolf, what it means to you, how you came to be a part of this place? Theater was, I don't want to do a Wikipedia page. The theater was formed in 1974 by, started by Gary Sinise, Jeff Perry, and Terry Kinney. The original company included Mori Metcalf, John Malkovich, a bunch of kids who were going

to school together at Illinois State University. They, yes, they started this company in 74 in a church basement in Highland Park, Illinois, in a church basement in Highland Park, Illinois, in a suburb. Eventually, they moved into the city. They performed at a variety of locations. They had a permanent space for a while, a bit further north on Halstead. They built this. Well, the big successes that transferred to New York, True West, Balm and Gilead, these plays really brought Chicago theater into the national consciousness in a big way. And certainly the recorded version of True West that Gary Sinise and John Malkovich did

for American Playhouse was a kind of a beacon to actors across the country who wanted to do that kind of theater. And you know, this city has always had beautiful handmade theater done in storefronts and it's a great theater town to my way of thinking it's the best theater town. So I came with a pretty large migration of actors who came here wanting to do that kind of work and frankly who weren't necessarily looking for fame and fortune in movies and television. They don't make movies in TV in Chicago for the most part. We'll talk about some of that tonight in the draft I would guess, but I

mean we came here for the work. Brian Denny, he used to say, he worked here a lot and he used to say, you come to Chicago for the work. You're not here, you're not gonna get paid, you're not you're not gonna make any money, you're not gonna be a star, you're here for the work. So that's why I came here and it's been true ever since. So Steppenwolf meant a lot coming here and it took a long time before I was able to break through here. I did my first play here in 1988 at the space up the street.

I did a production of The Glass Menagerie. I was not added to the company until 2002. I think at the time I was added, it was the longest apprenticeship or tenure, whatever you call that, before being added to the company. So- What were they trying to tell you with that? Yeah. You got to keep working, kid. So it took a long time before I was added to the company. But then once I was added, I did a lot of work on this stage, a lot of work

on this stage, both as an actor and as a playwright. We thank you for doing a little more work tonight. Tracy, can I ask you a question? While you were living here through the 80s and stuff, when you would see Chicago represented on screen, on the big screen, would you swell with pride? Would you be annoyed that the bus was going the wrong way, that you thought it should be going or that that- I probably felt all of those things, you know?

Quite frequently when a movie is made in Chicago, there are Hollywood stars who are coming here to act in the movie. And as an actor in Chicago, you're hoping to get a part as a day player, or maybe you get a couple of weeks on the movie if you're lucky. There just aren't a lot of jobs for those people. Again, that will come up some tonight. What are those productions that just kind of landed in Chicago and didn't really care about? Well, I'll tell you a story. When I first came here, I first visited in the summer of 85, and the Goodman Theater

was doing a general audition. And so we were all trying to get in the general because you'd sit and you'd perform at the general, but there were a lot of other theater casting directors who were watching. So could get in front of them. Well it turns out that we were told that Brian DePalma was actually watching that general audition because he was scouting for the Untouchables. I don't really think Brian DePalma was watching. I think maybe a casting director from the Untouchables was watching because, dear listener, there are no Chicago actors in the Untouchables. So you were never up for alienation is what you're saying? To

answer Chris's question, I had a mixed reaction to it. We always did. We loved seeing our city represented. We loved it when we were able to get some work on a thing. Sometimes we didn't have much of a personal relationship to it. Sometimes we did. Sometimes it's absurd, you know, when you see people, when the geography gets confused. But who cares, right? And ultimately, people don't care about that. What do you think about when you think of Chicago in the movies?

Well, for the most of my life, I did that. What I knew of Chicago, I knew through film, I knew through Ferris Bueller, I knew through John Hughes movies. And as I got older, some other films that we're going to talk about tonight. But I think it's like funny to have a relationship with it, where you come here, and there's so many iconic landmarks, the architecture, which we learned all about on a lovely river. Listen, that boat tour, incredible. That guy, yeah. 100% approval rate. Yeah, Tracy recommendation.

But then every single other person from Chicago has just been like, yeah, doesn't miss. There's literally a woman on the street who's just like, did you guys do the boat tour? And you're like, yeah. But that is, when you see those buildings, when you see the angle that you remember from one of the movies, it's just,

you get, like, a little hair on the back, your neck stands up because you're like, oh, I'm standing right here. What about for you? Yeah, I mean, for me, there are two Chicago's. It's the John Hughes suburbs and then everything else. And I definitely watched all of those John Hughes movies, like, 4,000 times, and at a younger age, right?

So, I mean I was looking for the ferris Bueller angles as well today on the boat. But there are some there are some other important movies that I really don't want to reveal before we get into drafting because we've kept it mostly civil. We've had a lovely time on this trip. It's been everyone's been lovely to us, but we've also gotten to spend time together. And I don't want to get the knives out before we got to get the knives out.

I think it's time to get the knives out. I will say in terms of how we feel about Chicago movies, when I first heard about this, and you would think maybe I was the person who instigated us being here. I'm not at all. I was kind of one of the last elements added. But when I heard that this was happening, if you think for one second that I was going to allow Philadelphia and Atlanta and Long Island to sit on stage at the Steppenwolf Theatre and draft Chicago movies. I mean, what kind of a third chair would I be?

I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but it's been very exciting watching Chris and Tracy interact all weekend as they compete for our love. And now we'll all compete against each other. So we have a small business venture that we're looking for anybody deep pocketed in the audience wants to fund the third chair LLC. Tracy and I are considering doing a podcast for every big picture podcast where we discuss

errors in judgment, social faux pas, psychology of the hosts, crippling anxieties that we could detect and stuff, et cetera. And then talk about the movies that they missed. As we all know, there are no errors or anxieties that we could detect and stuff, etc. And then talk about the movies that they missed. Yeah. As we all know, there are no errors or anxieties or faux pas on this show. Okay, so we do have to draft. We have categories.

We have to find a draft order. I think we all uniformly disagree about the qualifications for Chicago Movie 2. Yes. And we have, every time it's come up, sorry I'm trying to speak and open a water at the same time, every time it's come up, we have said save it for the show. So there has been some kind of like backroom dealings, but like individually about what the eligibility may be.

But we have not hashed out. We are going to do that live in front of all of you. And I think it's going to go really well. She did all the backroom dealing. She took Tracy to a museum and now they have like a whole place. Sorry, Tracy respects art, you know? You guys went home. It's all very underhanded. All right, as you can see if you are here with us today, we have six categories. These are more or less the traditional categories that we draft from. They include drama, Oscar nominee, blockbuster, action, horror, or thriller, comedy, and wild card. Now the threshold for blockbuster is going to be $50 million. And that's because we're

talking about the entire history of cinema, you know, and movies released in 1939 just can't compete with movies released this year. And there is a movie that was released this year that will be eligible for this draft and we'll get to that shortly. But first we do have to determine a draft order. Now before we do that, Tracy, very confidently before the draft, you said, I don't want first and I don't want second and I don't want third. I want fourth. Why did you say that? Probably to reverse jinx the order of the draft. Also, because I believe that Jack is simply going to read out a list in the order that you gave him before we started the podcast.

Hi Jack. Yeah, he's waving. Jack, that's your cue. We need a draft order. Yeah. How are you deciding on this? I very heavily considered rigging it for Tracy. Okay.

But, you know, no Top Gun hat today, but in line of Bobby Wagner, Sean and myself, I have my New York Metropolitan's hat. Let's go. It's gonna be all fair and square. What's the score of the game right now, Jack? Last time I checked, they were losing four-nothing to the Los Angeles Angels, but it's all good.

Here we go. Tough beat. Really not what you want. God damn it. Drafting first will be Christopher Ryan. Oh, I like it. Chaos. Okay.

So fucking rigged, man. Oh, you're gonna do that? Great. Drafting second will be Sean Fennessy. Jesus Christ. You said you wanted fourth. Drafting third, Amanda Dobbins. You're welcome, Tracy.

Really? Dreams do come true. It's good. You have the turn. It's great. Okay. All right, you're just going to stand for this pick? I might as well. Okay.

I'm taking thief. Come on. Uh... Right. The rain-slicked streets of Chicago. Jimmy Khan taking Tuesday weld on the greatest first date ever. Tracy's compatriot William Peterson makes a brief appearance in this film.

Michael Mann's 1981 movie about a master safecracker and his complicated relationship to management. And one of my favorite films of all time, a Criterion film. So I think some, hopefully somebody received that this evening. Hopefully 10 people. 10 people received that this evening. Thief, it's the goat. I have no compunction. All right, you do your filing. We'll talk about it. What's that? You do your filing and we'll talk about it now. Yeah, this is, it's a new system. Um, and you know, it's exciting. There are a lot of movies on there, some of which I do not feel should be eligible. Oh, I gotta choose my genre.

Oh yeah. Yeah. Choose your genre. Why don't you do it in real time? Put it up where it belongs. Yeah. Oh, this is exciting. I will. This is now a visual medium. It's not eligible for blockbusters. I know, I know what it is. Yeah. Oh, this is exciting. I will. This is now a visual medium. It's not eligible for blockbusters. I know what it is. Okay, all right.

The stupidity of the proletariat is not, you know, like, we're not going to see this movie. I wasn't saying that. I just... I'm going to put it in Thriller. Okay, great. What a great pick, Chris Ryan. Whoo! We drove by a bridge. What's that? We drove by a bridge.

What's that? We drove by a bridge that was featured in Thief yesterday, right? That's correct. And you pointed it out. That's correct. I have a couple of things to say about this movie. Oh, great. First of all, I knew what Chris Ryan's first pick was going to be.

I think we all did. Will you be saying I have a few things to say about this movie after every pick? I won't. I have that to say about only about two or three movies, but I definitely have a couple of things to say about this movie after every pick? I won't. I have that to say about only about two or three movies. But I definitely have a couple of things to say about Thief. First of all, Tuesday Weld works at the Belden Deli. The Belden Deli was at the corner of Belden and Clark. Anybody who's ever been to the Belden Deli

realizes that it's so ridiculous that Tuesday Weld would work at the Belden Deli. Every person who worked at the Belden Deli was a 250 pound Russian slab of concrete. It was so absurd. I want to ask Michael Mann, was that a joke? Was that the in-joke that Tuesday Weld would work there? The other thing I want to say about Thief is that there's a scene where James Kahn goes to a guy who apparently makes machinery for criminals. That was my backup job if I didn't get the ringer yet.

That actor is a gentleman I worked with on stage here in Chicago, here at Steppenwolf. His name is Nathan Davis. He is the father of the movie director, Andrew Davis, who made the fugitive. How convenient for my second pick. Nathan was a real ubiquitous presence on Chicago stages as the old guy.

He played the old guy a lot. And I have a story I want to tell you about Nathan Davis. I mean, I know that people didn't come here tonight to hear a story about Nathan Davis necessarily, but it's a good story. Right next to the daub mob is Nathan Davis mob, actually. So you're in luck. So we were doing the play Picasso at the Le Panagile, the Steve Martin show.

It began here and it traveled to Los Angeles. I performed in that play 468 performances. When we performed in Los Angeles, it was the Westwood Playhouse, and then David Geffen came to see the play, and he liked it so much he bought the theater, and it became the Geffen Playhouse. While we were doing that play, the bathrooms and the dressing rooms were in the basement, as they are here, but there was a green room right off stage. We would go in there for notes, and there was a small bathroom in the green room. And one time we went in there for notes,

and the bathroom door was closed, and I tapped on the bathroom door. And Nathan, who, by the way, was very generous and genial fellow, always a smile on his face, I heard him call from inside, occupied! Oh, okay, sorry. Go out for notes and wait for the bathroom. The door explodes open and Nathan says,

who is that knocking on the door? And I said, it was me. And he said, came up to me privately and he said, when the bathroom door is closed, I'm taking a shit. I said, I'm sorry, Nate. Well, the bathroom door is closed. Why did you knock on it? And I said, well, because I thought maybe somebody had used the bathroom and left and

then closed the door and thought maybe there was nobody in there. So I was tapping to see if anybody was inside the bathroom. Then, well, when the bathroom door is closed, I'm taking a shit. So, okay, I'm really sorry. The next day, I'm standing at the coffee pot in the green room and there's a tap on my shoulder.

And I turn around and Nathan is about this far away from my face and he's trembling. And he said, yesterday, I was angry about this, but today I'm fucking furious. When the goddamn bathroom door is closed, I'm taking a fucking shit. I'm really sorry, Nate. He left the show shortly after. Did you ever talk to him again? I don't know if Nathan Davis mob is feeling stronger or weaker after that story.

Did you ever have any future interactions with him or was this like, this is it? That was pretty much it. That's great. Is the man alive? He's not. Nathan passed away someday. I have no idea how I'm going to segue out of that. But I do know how to pick out of that. But I do know how to pick out of it. And with the second pick I will be

drafting the Shitting Man's Son's masterpiece, The Fugitive. 1993, directed by the great Andrew Davis who made many films in Chicago. And when we were talking about doing this, we were talking about who is kind of the bard of Chicago for filmmakers, who are the filmmakers you think of most when you think of this city. Think of Michael Mann, you think of John Hughes. Underrated, Andrew Davis, who made many guy with a gun movies here.

And I think this is his best one. Based on a TV show, it was IP. And transformed into a magical movie, an action thriller that was Oscar nominated. Oscar wins, I will be selecting it in Oscar nominee. Tommy Lee Jones, an action thriller that was Oscar nominated. Oscar wins. I will be selecting an Oscar nominee. Tommy Lee Jones, of course, won best supporting actor for his performance.

This may be the, is this the quintessential Chicago movie in terms of the amount of Chicago per minute that you see in this film? Like urban Chicago. Bueller, but Bueller's got a lot of suburbs in the beginning, right? At least like the first 30 minutes, right?

I don't have an answer to this. When we were on the river today, I was thinking about it being green. So you know, and it was a little green actually, you know, they didn't have to worry about that. You're in the wrong row. Not in a mean way. You're in the wrong row. That's my...

All right. Don't make me summon Nathan Davis's spirit. Okay. That's a good pick. Thank you. It was on my list, but it was now my number one pick. So Tracy, now you get to find out what my number one pick is, which is still on the board. And I'm, the thing is, the way the draft order works is that then you'll get two picks and then I get to pick again. So I am making my number one pick and not picking something else.

And you could screw me. And so this is just about trust between you and me. And I'm looking at you right now. And I'm just letting you know. And you do with that what you will, because I know you came to win. Anyway, my first pick will, of course, be Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

And I am taking it in comedy. And I, anyway, just for Sean's bookkeeping purposes, this movie I owned on, well, you know, it's just, you're going to complain. It's like your 800th draft. I don't. Oh, yeah. Do you mind? Thanks so much.

What service? What is this white glove service? I don't remember you asking me if I needed any help. I was going to talk and then do it. So we're multitasking. This is by far my favorite of the John Hughes movies. I had this on VHS, which was a way that you watched movies before DVDs for the Younger Among You,

and watched it a thousand times. A great teen movie about confidence and anxiety, and also dancing in the street in Chicago. Did you? Where's it going? Oh no, oh we can't find it? Okay, well, that's all right. Well it turns out it's ineligible, sorry. Yeah, that would be amazing.

There was no letter F. It's in there, it's misplaced. Do you think it's under Bueller? Well I pulled fugitive out, so F must be there, right? Bueller? Did you, oh you took F out, didn't you? No. Oh, this is exciting out, didn't you? No. Oh, this is exciting.

This is what you get for offering to help her. Oh, there we go. Thank you so much. Okay, there it is. There it is. Yes, please, in comedy. Jack cut all this. I have a tremendous amount of this. I mean, we all have a lot of this film memorized. And I was asked recently by our friend Van Leithen,

what 80s movie characters best represented my sons. And I was like, well, you can't say Ferris Bueller. And I think, in fact, that they have a lot of Cameron in them. But like, you want Ferris for all of them, right? You know, was it the guys who work in the garage? What was it the guys who work in the garage? That was it. That was it. We all want to be Ferris. I know that's the beauty of the film. I know. There we go. Great movie. Yeah. Um, you've got

printouts in front of you. Yeah, I do, because I... Do you have any commentary on Ferris Bueller's Day Off? Did you want to add anything about that film? That's a lot of fun. Okay. LAUGHTER Oh, bless her. We had a lovely moment in front of the sarat this afternoon.

We're just looking at all the dots, you know? Absolutely lovely. In Oscar nominee, I'm taking Hoop Dreams. I wanted this, obviously. This is one of the best documentaries ever made. Yeah. So it's pretty cool. Some would say the best documentary ever made. Steve James's masterpiece following two young guys attempting to make it from, I believe it's the South Side of Chicago and trying

to make it into the upper crust of collegiate basketball and getting into the NBA and heartbreaking and incredibly intimate movie about family and about sacrifices that are made. And you know, we just talked about Moneyball last night about sports movies that are about not quite getting there, not quite making it, not quite achieving what you'd hope to achieve. And that might be the best sports movie ever about that idea, fair to say. I think it's the best sports movie ever made, in my view. Carrie and I were asked to do top 10 lists for the 1990s for IndieWire and Hoop Dreams was number one on my list.

I think it's a great movie about the city of Chicago. I think it's a great movie about the city of Chicago. I think it's a great movie about athletics. Unlike some of the other movies on here, it's about poor people and it's about working class people. And it's about people who are a real part of this city. We don't have to tear down Richard Kimball to lift up who he is. Dr. Richard Kimball.

It's a real Chicago story. Steve James is a great documentarian and he's continued to be a great documentarian both in movie and TV form and it's it was my number one pick. I got my number one so I'm feeling very good about it. How are your predictions going so far? What's that? How are your predictions going so far? What's that? How are your predictions going so far? Oh, I'm 100%. You are. How convenient.

You have another pick. In comedy, I'll take the Blues Brothers. This is a blow. This is a blow for you? This is a blow. This is a blow for you? This is a blow. This is my strategy. You love to hold fried chickens and white toast? I assumed that this would be on your list. So I, you know.

Who's Jake and who's Elwood here? I don't think we need to answer that question. This was a real, this was my dad was like, hey Amanda, you're five years old, here's the Blues Brothers. And I think I'm better for it. One weird thing about the Blues Brothers movie is it's six hours long. Yeah. Do people remember that? It's incredibly long. There's a car chase that you grow a beard during. Like it is really something else. But Aretha Franklin's in this movie. Yeah. Aretha Franklin's in this movie.

Yeah. Aretha Franklin isn't in any of those other movies. Well, if that's the criteria, then I didn't know. We're just grabbing new elements to help win drafts, aren't we? Just building your resume in unique ways. I'm back. You're back. wind drafts, aren't we? Just building your resume in unique ways. I'm back. You're back. You don't want to say anything else about the Blues Brothers? About the Blues Brothers? What's to say, man? It's a rockin' good time. It's a great comedy. And it stood the test of time. It's great.

You know, Belushi was lightning in a bottle and we didn't have him for long enough. But he was, I mean, the time he died, he had like the number one album, the number one movie and the number one TV show. They don't make him like that. He was a phenomenon. It's great. I love it. Did you think it was realistic when Carrie Fisher shot a bazooka into his hotel and everybody lives.

Yeah. I wasn't watching for the realism. Okay. Do you know my whole nugget about the poster on the wall in Jake and Elwood's apartment? No. Do the nugget. Dare I do it again?

Do the nugget. Okay, I did this on the rewatch, well, I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself for anybody, but there's a poster on the wall early in the film and the poster is of Linda Carter, who was Wonder Woman on television, nude. It's a fake Playboy centerfold. And this is a very curious thing because one, she never was a centerfold, but two, she was cast in a movie called Apocalypse Now

to be one of the Playboy bunnies who gets off the helicopter and seduces some of the soldiers. And she couldn't make the film work because of the crazy schedule of the film, and they recast her part with Colleen Camp, and they recreated the same photo shoot and put Colleen Camp's centerfold in the movie. But the Linda Carter centerfold exists

in the Blues Brothers. So the Blues Brothers takes place in an alternate universe where Linda Carter stars in Apocalypse Now. Is that not one of the craziest things in movie history? Pretty crazy. Also, I did that from memory. Henry Gibson too, I just have from memory. Henry Gibson, too. I just have to say Henry Gibson.

He's good. That's a great performance. All right, I have another pick. Tracy, can you guess what it is? Yeah, I think I can. The floor is yours. What? No, I'm not.

OK. I feel your thunder. In Blockbuster. And it could have cleared the 75 million as well, which was a threshold under consideration. I will, of course, be taking my best friend's wedding. I did actually own this on VHS also. And it was not really a robust VHS collection. It was pretty much Ferris Bueller, my best friend's wedding, and Apollo 13. So, thank you, Chicago, I guess, for raising me.

This is, I do think it's a top-five romantic comedy for me. And this is the Julia Roberts rom-com that I have watched the most. Then Notting Hill, then Pretty Woman. I respect them all, but I mean, you know, they're all magical. But I like that she's the evil one in this. Oh, thank you. I was going to listen, I'm going to talk and then but it's, you know, thank you. It is making fun and sending up a genre that I like very much while also hitting all of the notes. This soundtrack was very formative to me.

Oh, Blockbuster. And you know, with this, I say a little prayer for you and the lobster hands and then the, you guys know what I'm talking about really really good stuff. Did the boat ride today was quite emotional given you know what happens between Dermot Mulrooney or doesn't quite happen between Dermot Mulrooney and Julia Roberts on the boat. And I just it's it's it it hits it like it is comedy, but she still doesn't get the guy and I appreciate that. Can I ask you about a scene in this film? Yeah, go ahead.

And I have to admit that this was brought to my attention when I went and saw this movie screened and several comedians, it was like Doug loves the movies and several comedians are kind of making fun of the movie while we're watching it and also loving the film while we're watching it and also loving the film while we're watching it. There's a scene where Julia Roberts impersonates Dermot Mulroney by writing an email from, or no, from, she impersonates Cameron Diaz's dad. She breaks into his office and she is writing emails. Writes an email from his account to Dermot Mulroney's boss at like Sport Magazine. Sure. from his account to Dermot Mulrooney's boss at like Sport Magazine. That man gets the

email, writes a letter in response to this email, has it printed out, and people take it by courier to Dermot Mulrooney so that he knows that this is happening behind his back. And it is the weirdest conflation of communication methods. It's like courier email, letter writing. And it was just like, it's right at that edge before the matrix, you know? Like before everything changed. That also, that's delivered to him at the Drake Hotel. That's right.

Yeah, which we didn't, I didn't get to visit that one. But between that and Mission Impossible, a very important movie hotel. As a journalist, how did you feel about her ethics as a restaurant reviewer? Well, she was upfront, no disguises. She, in fact, takes one bite and then announces, I'm writing it up as inventive and whatever.

I actually didn't re-watch this movie. I've seen it so many times. It could be worse. I'm more concerned that she's 28 and the restaurant critic of a major newspaper. I'm really happy that you're 28. And also if you are the critic at a major newspaper, that's awesome. But it's not happening for most people right now. Our media is in so much trouble.

Yeah, no, it's true. How do you feel about the fact that they had a pact to, uh, marry each other at the age of 28, if they weren't already married. Because that, you know, it's, listen, give yourselves a little more time. If anyone out here, you know, it's okay. I really admire the way the movie establishes the conceit. The premise of the film is established so early in the movie. It's like, here's what we're doing, folks. This is the concept. This is of a high concept

romantic comedy. This is the concept. We'll get to the character development later. Right? I think that a lot of movies now spend 20 minutes in the character development before they introduce the inciting incident. And this movie doesn't. I really admire the way it gets to its business. Yes. She falls off the bed and it's like, what? And that's that.

Yeah. And I admire the physical comedies introduced, even though there are players in it who you don't think of as physical comedy actors, right? Right. Are you just mad that her family is like a White Sox owner instead of the Cubs? Like what's your what's your damage? I'm not mad. Don't say I'm mad. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Life's full of decisions big and small and sometimes you make one you can really stand behind. For example, trying to get my daughter to watch more movies. I suggested a childhood favorite recently and she bought in and I'm

glad I did. State Farm gets it. Making confident choices can make all the difference. That's why with the State Farm Personal Price Plan, you can choose the right amount of coverage to help create an affordable price for you. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on ratings plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer, availability, amount of discounts and savings, and eligibility vary by state. Well, Chris is going to be mad. In Blockbuster, I'm taking the color of money.

color of money. Okay. So let's talk about this from a Chicago movie. Well, let's talk about whether this is a Chicago movie. Great. This is what I'm saying. It was shot here. Correct. They meet here. They shot. They shot some of it here. Yes, they shot some of it here. I would say this is an example of a film being spiritually Chicago. Oh, okay. So you're going to give it to them, even though they then go out on the road for a while and then ultimately wind up in Atlantic City. In Atlantic City, yes.

Sure. In your neck of the woods. In my neck of the woods, yeah. Give me some of the reasoning behind why you chose this. I think Vince represents the essence of the town. Vince? Okay. Which you might think, you know, Paul Newman's character, the legendary character carrying over from the hustler, hard-bitten, you know, coming from nothing, working hard to build himself up over time represents Chicago. But Chicago, as I've learned in the last 48 hours, a town of flash, a town of pizzazz,

a showman's town, a town where a man may wear his own name on a t-shirt, such as Vince does. And I don't know, there's something about the kind of like working class moving in the pool hall identity, the kind of like doing everything you can to get the most that you can energy that is in the first 40 minutes of this movie that is unmistakable. What was the name of the pool hall? Was that Lincoln Athletic Club? Yeah, on diversity.

Yeah, I guess they shot there. Okay, good picture on. This is directed by Martin Scorsese. I know. This is directed by Martin Scorsese. I know. It stars Tom Cruise and Paul Newman. It's one of the best sports movies ever made. Is it in the conversation with Hoop Dreams, Tracy? No.

Put that on a T. Okay. I feel good about the pic. You guys can undermine me if you'd like. No, we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens? Yeah, cause I think- Is it like a threat for later tonight?

What you did is you broke the seal. Oh, okay. And now we're gonna start coloring outside the lines. Okay. And that's why I am gonna pick Dark Knight. Okay. And Blockbuster. Yeah. I spent some time this week with Batman Begins, picked Dark Knight in Blockbuster.

I spent some time this week with Batman Begins, Dark Knight, and Dark Knight Rises, and I have come to the conclusion that Batman Begins is largely set in Mongolia, the Dark Knight is a Chicago film, and Dark Knight Rises is a Pittsburgh movie. And I think that that's pretty watertight, and I'll take this in Blockbuster. Okay. In Blockbuster? Once again I ask, is Christopher Nolan okay?

How did Gotham go from Chicago to Pittsburgh? Has anyone confronted him about this? Have you? Yeah, maybe we could have if we put this movie on 25 for 25. No regrets. No regrets. It should have been Memento. Oppenheimer is on this long list. Is there an Oppenheimer card in there? There could be. Yeah. Let's not spoil it. Yeah. Any thoughts on Dark Knight? Any thoughts on... The Dark Knight? No. It would be incredible if he was third chair, honestly. If he was just like, Tracy, you know, F1, what do you think, man?

Nothing. I don't like driving. Are you stepping back? Are you seating territory? I'm just saying. Just think about it. You can see what the other side is like over here. You'll miss me when I'm gone.

You have no more material on the Dark Knight? This movie rocks. And they flip a truck in the middle of the street. And Heath Ledger gives one of their great villain performances of all time. Oh, there was he a villain, you know? Oh. And what a brilliant movie, you know?

Eckhart, the DA? Yeah, well, he got away from you at the end there. But yeah, much like the movie. Your Two-Face guy? I thought he gave an effective performance. I thought it was, he was really, he had it stacking up. It was Brockovich and that, and then, and then he kind of left to do, the White House has been attacked movies.

Do you see, do you have like a kind of common empathy for Two-Face's plight? You know, that he is seeking goodness But then a crazed clown burns off half of his face and thinks that a caped crusader did it and so he has to seek Revenge on the rest of the city. Yes. I do think that that's a very empathetic arc Should I pick yeah, yeah, you're on the turn Dark Knight Rises is not eligible Dark Knight Rises is Pittsburgh movie. Dark Knight Rises is a Pittsburgh movie. It's like Doug Drabec. It might as well just be Pittsburgh Pirates.

No one here knows who Doug Drabec is, Chris. I will take for drama. Mm. OK. Think of a movie. No, it's not that. It's just category stuff. I'm going to take Primal Fear. Oh, okay.

No, I'll find it. You talk. And I'm going to take it in Oscar nominee. Oscar nominee. Fred Norton. Yeah. Okay. You said I'm going to take a drama.

I changed my mind. It is a drama. It's a thriller. It's comic in places. Richard Gere is funny in this movie. In Oscar nominee, thanks. Wow, what a wide-o. The big three. Uh.

This is just a. Such a lean. Who directed this movie? Can you remember who directed this film? Hoblet. And this is just a... Such a lean... Who directed this movie? Can you remember who directed this film? Hoblet? Hoblet, Gregory Hoblet. Yeah, don't try and throw a strike past me. What's your second favorite Hoblet film?

He made a Denzel movie that was fucked up. I can't remember what it was called. It's called Fallen. Yes. You guys seen Fallen, where the devil goes into Denzel? That's right. You called Fallen. Yes. You guys seen Fallen where the devil goes into Denzel? Crazy movie. You seen Fallen? No. Wait, but do you own Fallen on Blu-ray? No, I don't. Okay. I was going to start this show, I seriously consider starting this show by bringing the Blu-rays that I bought at Terror Vision on stage and just talking through

them for 40 minutes. This is a true story, I'm going to tell it right here. We went to television yesterday, and incredible selection of imports and obscure exploitation films from around the world. And every single disc that I pulled off of a shelf and showed to Tracy, he was like, I've got that. Every single one. Like 30 of them. We had them all. Okay, I'm done.

No, it was like watching Morpheus in Neo Train. It was just like... In that equation though, am I the chosen one? I guess so, when it comes to wasting money on DVDs. But yeah. I think you're up. Yeah, you got to pick. Okay, the cinema of Hoblet has been selected. Okay, I've currently got Oscar nominee and blockbuster.

Okay, do you want us to fill right now? Well, I'm thinking. All right. I'm thinking hard. Now, this is an interesting question. Well, I'm thinking. All right. I'm thinking hard. Now, this is an interesting question.

Is His Girl Friday a Chicago film? No. No. Absolutely not. Don't even try it. But. The film, the play that the film is based on is set in Chicago.

But it's all about being a man and taking the front page. I will absolutely walk out of this theater. Maybe I should take it, then. Okay. Uh, I actually, actually... I actually think there's an argument to be made for his Girl Friday being considered a Chicago film.

They're in New York. They're not. They're not? No, they're traveling to Albany, even in the original play, written by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. They're traveling to Albany on the train from Chicago. Though His Girl Friday never makes explicit that they're in the city of Chicago, they even say in the original 1931 film, they say, I know in the original, he's

welcome to take it for the front page, either version. I think this is hard because she didn't plan for this and she would have taken it and now she's mad that it's considered eligible. I did, but it's not stated as Chicago. And because they've moved it. It's not stated as Chicago. Yeah, it's not stated as Chicago. And it's not filmed in Chicago.

Yeah. And nobody in it is from Chicago. All of that is true. That's all true. Now we didn't determine that any of those are parameters around which. We didn't. We didn't.

A movie would be a Chicago film. But can you look at yourself in the mirror? It's, yeah. Yeah. With great joy. I know that Batman is from Chicago. And that Christian Bale and Gary Oldman and Heath Ledger cut their teeth here, you know?

I think the 1931 front page is a more honest pick than his Girl Friday. Oh, thank you for weighing in. Yeah. Um, what about Wayne's World? There you go. That's better. Now that's a Chicago movie. It's also a Suburbs of Chicago movie. And I don't, how did the suburbs work here? Is the suburbs truly part of the city? Interesting. Oh, okay. Now as a Long Islander, I don't claim New York City. I'm not from New York City.

I'm from Long Island. So if you're from the suburbs of Chicago, you cannot claim Chicago. But they do go to Chicago in the film Wayne's World. So I'll be taking Wayne's World in comedy. I think we all hear the muted response. Yeah. You took Wayne's World 2. Yeah.

Did you mean to do that? Wayne's World 2 is set in the desert with a Native American man. I'll need to find that. Here it is. I'll have you know you're our guest. This may be your house, but you are our guest. You're up. It's Girl Friday? Yes. I'm not going to do it. I thought about it. I'm going to be a bit strategic here. That's a first.

Oh. Oh. It's her fault. You're mad. It's her fault. You're mad because everyone shamed you into doing the honorable thing. No, as we all know, action and horror and thriller

tends to generally be a slightly thinner category for me research-wise and the fugitive is gone. So, and the Dark Knight was also maybe on my list but I am actually happy that instead in action horror thriller I am going to take Widows. Starring Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Colin Farrell, Cynthia Rievo, Brian Tyree Henry, Danna Kaluuya, Robert Duvall, Liam Neeson, John Bernthal, and...

Carrie Coon. And a dog who is really good in that scene and also in Game Night. This movie, I remember we saw it at the time and were like, this is a movie. You and I were very psyched about it. And then it was, this is directed by Steve McQueen and stars everyone I just named and is a very Chicago movie and about Chicago politics and other forces. And it was like a muted response.

I guess people kind of liked it. No Oscars, kind of forgotten. We watched it again yesterday. A banger, just a great movie. So I'm thrilled to have it. Very memorable moment where Colin Farrell was playing kind of a powerful man. The camera is on the front of the car and you see out the of a powerful man, the cameras on the

front of the car and you see out the back of the windshield the whole city moving from the poorest parts of the city all the way to where he lives and probably never seen Chicago quite that clearly in a movie for such an extended shot. It's like 10 minutes in that film. Carrie and I have never seen Widows. Okay. Wow. All right. Carrie and I have never seen Widows. OK.

Wow. All right. She didn't have a very good time making it. Yeah, she didn't have a very good time making it. And sometimes the experience you have when you're making a movie colors how you feel about watching it later. So she just wasn't enthusiastic. I mean, she wasn't like, I'll never watch that thing. It was just we't enthusiastic. I mean, she wasn't like, I'll never watch that thing. It was just, we own it. Okay, we own it on. I think there's a nice 4k of widows. We

we haven't watched it yet. But watch it some time. So it was not on that piece of paper? No, I don't think it is. Yeah, I should hope so. Oh, I actually have it listed just because I knew, you know, but far. I mean, I wasn't gonna pick it because I haven't seen it you're getting egged here I guess so I mean I'm I'm sad about that I don't put you know on the board you're just oh yeah I'm sticking with it I thought she was very good in it oh thanks yeah well we should watch it watch along three of us you and Carrie. You want to do a watch

along? It could be a good pod. It could be interesting. Okay, you have two selections. Yeah, it's getting a little dicey. Board's getting a little dicey. thinning out. But his Girl Friday is still available. Yeah. But His Girl Friday is still available. Yeah. In action horror thriller, I'm going to take Henry, portrait of a serial killer. Wow.

That's the true essence of Chicago. This is a heartwarming crowd pleaser. Are you sure you don't want to put it in comedy? Yeah, OK. That's right. This film is directed by John McNaughton, director of Wild Things. Mad Dog and Glory, a number of other very good films. It stars Michael Rooker in an absolutely terrifying performance as a man named Henry who is a serial killer.

Yeah, all of that's true. It's very scary. It's very Chicago. Lower Whacker has never been more terrifying than in Henry, portrait of a serial killer. It's really shown to terrifying effect. Michael Rooker went to school at DePaul University and around the to the theater school and around the time that I arrived in town he was just making

this movie. The movie was coming out this mid 80s and he was at a party and he gave a girl a ride home from the party and as he was dropping her off he said, you haven't seen Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer, have you? And she said, no, I haven't. And he said, that's why you let me give you a ride home. I was nervous during that story, but it worked out. Right.

Yeah. It's a really, it's a great, you know, it shares something in common with Texas Chainsaw Massacre and some movies of that ilk in that part of the genius of the film is you're not quite sure that the people who made it aren't madmen themselves, right? You're like, I don't know that the person who's got control of the wheel here is morally responsible. Those are literally my favorite films. Yeah. Right, as part of the chilling effect of Henry, you feel scared even kind of

putting it on to watch it. It's a scary experience. Interesting choice by you. Why is that? It's revealing. You have another pick. What if that piece of paper just says Henry portrait of a serial killer?

Like 55 times all work in no play it makes Tracy Henry portrait of a serial killer Wayne's world once yeah I have another pick. What do I owe? Blockbuster wild card, hmm. Consulting apps and charts here. In blockbuster, I'm gonna take the untouchable. I'll do it, I got it for you. Woo! Woo!

Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Just a real movie movie and shows Chicago, I mean, as I say, De Palma didn't cast any Chicagoans in this film, other than the great Del Close, who was an improv guru and a great guy and a friend of mine. He was also in Picasso Le Panagio for a while. I did that

with Del. He has the line in the movie where he says, you guys are supposed to be untouchable. Is that the thing? That's Dell Close. It's just a real, it's a delight, the movie. It's so much fun. I think it's De Palma sort of at his most, at his most fun sort of cutting loose. I mean, Sean Connery, as an Irishman, is akin to Mickey Rooney playing that Japanese character in Breakfast at Tiffany's. It's just an absolute fucking insult to the Irish. You did this, Chris. What he goes like, that's the Chicago way.

That's fucking hard. That's fucking hard. That's so cool. It's just a good time. Anybody? Anybody have anything to say about the Untouchables? De Niro in this? Fantastic. Really live a life to the fullest.

Great opera scene from him. A little tear coming down the eye. That's why he's the best. Yeah, I love this film. I would have taken it in a second. I wish if there was a best score category, Ennio Morricone, one of my favorite scores is The Untouchables. Yeah, it's amazing score. There's some writing in there. It's hard for Kevin Costner to say,

I've become what I beheld. That's tough. That's tough for all of us. Yeah, I suppose. That was me like 180 podcasts ago. I've become what I beheld. In my opinion, Minor De Palma. You're so far. What are you talking about? I mean, all right. That's not one of my faves.

You know. Not one of my faves. It doesn't get freaky in the way that he likes to. The baby challenge coming down the train station. That's really, really upsetting. Dressed to kill? Carry? Yeah, that's fine.

Untouchables is here. It's eye level, not over my head. There's 30 feet of shit, and then there's the Untouchables. That's a very good movie. I like it. You took fucking Wayne's World. What are you talking about? Have you seen Wayne's World?

I think it's minor to pump. You took Wayne's World. It's Wayne's World. This guy didn't even watch Widows. Come on. How seriously can we take these things? I don't, I got it. All right, what do I have to get?

Drama, action horror? Oh, you're horror? No, it's me again. Oh, you're up. I'm sorry. I apologize. I really honestly can't believe that this is falling in place to me. In the fourth round for Oscar nominee, I would be taking home alone.

Yes! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Which, oh, good. Oh, you clapped for that one. I was just informed that the suburbs are not Chicago.

Well, there's a major sequence in O'Hare. O'Hare, and he sent us the photo. I sent you guys the picture. Yeah. That makes sense. And also, I guess, the plane they've just taken off from Chicago. It's airspace.

Let's play this out. Home Alone 6. You and Zach and Cy are getting on a plane. Right. Knox is at home. Yeah, he even has a little haircut. I haven't showed him this one yet, because I think he would still be too scared by it.

And I remember being a little scared more about people breaking in than about being left at home. That honestly looks great. And frankly, like, Home Alone 2, my own charge card at the plaza, sign me up. Yeah. I mean, I guess we could do it, but it would be pretty sad. This is an emotional movie, as well as really, really funny

and slapstick comedy. And you just can't imagine being six years old and seeing this movie, which you're all so young that you, maybe you were six when you saw it, but really spoke to us. Great pick. Thank you. Nice pick. Thanks, Chris.

Suburban, but nice pick. Yeah. I've got a pick. And in drama, I'll be taking risky business. Good. Wow. Muted applause. taking risky business. Good. Wow, muted applause. I'm surprised. Yeah.

I thought there would be more thrills at Rebecca DeMornay and Tom Cruise's undeniable chemistry. When they went on the train together and they found love. How did you feel inside, Chris? Well, I support public transportation and whatever it takes to keep our great L running, you know? This would also be in my favorite score if we were doing a favorite music from a Chicago movie. Tangerine Dream, Cookin'. Drama's a little shifty. I think that is a little...

He's got a point. What is it? It's a comedy. It's a comedy. It's a comedy drama. I mean, things get dark. It's very dramatic. I mean, it's borderline point. What is it? It's a comedy. It's a comedy. It's a comedy drama. I mean, things get dark. It's very dramatic.

I mean, it's borderline thriller. Yeah. When Joey Pants comes around, that's terrifying stuff. All right. Shall we consult Wikipedia? It will invariably say, Risky Business is a 1985 comedy drama thriller. So that never helps. Is it looking at me? No notes?

No, I'm allowing this. We're allowing, I think this is a very forgiving audience. So I think that you can have risky business. I mean, it's obviously a quintessential Chicago movie, but drama is a stretch. I'm under attack here. I actually think it's okay in drama. Yeah. Thank you, Amanda.

I, in general, am more flexible on category fraud as opposed to Chicago fraud. Okay. Chris, you have two picks. What's that? Coming of age teen comedy. There you go. Oh. Wikipedia.

Coming of age teen comedy. Yeah, but like, but that's, what, it's 82? Is that when Risky Business came out? A little later, 85? 85, oh. I mean, but like even in 85, their definition of comedy was like a little different. It's not Porky's Risky Business.

Yeah, come on. It's basically a crime movie. Okay, for- We'd get arrested now if we let our kids do that, so. For drama, so I have two? You have two picks. For drama, I'm going to do Eight Men Out. Is that because of the White Sox part?

The gambling part? I feel like John Sayles incredible film about the fall of this amazing baseball team. Did you throw any games when you were a young baseball player? When I was in the 1910s, did I throw in games? No, when you were in like eighth grade. Oh, when I was in eighth grade? Yeah. He made varsity. We established that yesterday. We had a shouting match in which Chris aloud said, I made varsity, shut up! I actually think the muted response might be that I don't know this to be the case,

but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of this audience doesn't know the movie, has not seen the movie, Eight Men Out. I don't know how well, how much it's been watched. Yeah, it's a John Sayles movie about the White Sox, aka the Black Sox. It stars David Struthairn and John Cusack and D.B. Sweeney plays Joe Jackson who would later feature in Field Dreams in some way with By Ray Liotta, played by Ray Liotta. Anyway, this is an incredibly dense and well-written piece of filmmaking and I love this movie. Oh, I have another pick, right?

Yeah, you want to sit? I'll do it. Studs Terkel and Eight Men Out. I have to shout out Studs. Studs Terkel. I mean, you're good on your feet if you want to sit? I'll do it. Studs Terkel and Eight Men Out. I have to shout out Studs. Studs Terkel. I mean, you're good on your feet, so if you want to keep going. And then for common. Hold on, hold on. Don't say it yet.

OK. Show of hands, how many of you have not seen Eight Men Out? That's a lot of people. For those of you at home, it's roughly 80% of the audience. But now you have a movie recommendation. Yeah, I guess that's what that is. I thought everybody was gonna be like, yeah, Chris, way to go, dude.

Tracy, do you like this film? Yeah, sure. I think John Sayles is maybe our most underrated filmmaker. I really do. I agree with you. For comedy, I'm going to take The Sting. Mm. Yeah.

Yeah. The Sting. Redford, Newman, George Roy Hilder acting. That would be funny. This one best picture? It did win. Yes, yes. Could have had an Oscar. I put in the God there instead. I believe. Did we? Yes. Yes. Could have had an author. I put in The God There instead. Indeed. Does anyone even mention Chicago and Sleepless in Seattle?

She's in Chicago in the movie. Oh, I thought she was in Baltimore for some reason. I haven't seen it in a while. So is some man. Too busy watching 8 Men Out, you know, like The Sting is one of my favorite. I've seen this movie probably in comedy. And I've seen this movie dozens of times. This was one of my parents' favorite movies. And I think I prefer to Butch and Sundance, honestly. What in the world?

Just throwing it out there. That's quite an opinion. Do you really? Yeah. All righty. My parents also really liked this movie. It was another hey, you're fine. He said he prefers it to Butch Cassidy

and the Sundance Kid. That's kind of a shame. Do you? I, I, I, yeah, OK. I think Butch, I think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, there are elements of it that are kind of dated. Right. And the sting remains timeless to me.

Even though, you know, it's good. There's four guys who want to have a drink after this. In the crowd. Who are right on board with you, who love that take. Well, I'm in a bit of a pickle as I always am. The stage of the draft, you know. I'm missing action, horror, thriller, and wild card. And so I think I will take a personal favorite that has probably been seen by fewer

people than those who saw A Man Out, but a movie written and directed by David Mamet called House of Games starring Joe Montagna and Lindsay Crouse. Thank you. An extraordinary con man movie. If you like con man movies, this is quite literally my favorite that takes us inside the world of a con man and a psychologist who is attempting to explore this underbelly of the city and the people who inhabit it.

A number of Chicago actors in the movie. Yeah. This is certainly the first time I saw Ricky Jay, the famed magician and historian who plays a very nasty type who's in on the con. My dad showed me this movie when I was about 10 years old. And this is my dad's movie. This is exactly the kind of movie that he likes and was always trying to show me this kind of thing. And it made a huge impression on me. So as an act of recommendation,

if you have not seen House of Games, it has actually been released by The Criterion Collection. Maybe you can track down a copy. I love this movie. Tracee, do you own it? Do you own this? Oh, yes. Okay.

Sean has spent this weekend giving us some of the more treasured nuggets of wisdom that his father imparted on him. Did he have anything about con men or House of Games? No, but I'll share the two that I shared with you guys, which is, if you use drugs, I will put you in prison myself. That is a true thing he said to me that I was an adolescent. And then the other thing which I shared with Tracy as he was barking at me about his strategy today,

I said jealousy is a weak emotion. I learned that from my father. Here we are today. And that from my father. Here we are today. And that was very revealing. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I'm up. You're up. In drama, I have drama and wild card left.

So in drama, I actually, I do think this fits, but we can open it up to the floor. I will be taking a league of their own. Which obviously has its funny moments, but you know, that lady's husband died in the war, and Bill Pullman's gone for like a really long time, and he's sad, and then the sisters, you know, they don't see each other, And again, until Cooperstown many years later, when they have really old makeup on.

This used to be their playground. Yeah. Anyway, that hit in the movie theater. When Madonna the Needle Drop. Oh, my God. That was so yeah. Madonna, Rosie, Gina Davis, obviously, Laurie Petty. And again, I guess this, I had never thought about it,

that this came out at an impressionable age for me and was about women playing baseball, and it's probably another reason I like baseball as much as I do. But you know, an amazing, it could have gone in like five categories, right? Blockbuster, Oscar nominee. But I'm doing drama, and I love that movie very much.

I think this is like a wider Illinois movie, right? There's like some Peoria in this, right? Yeah, I mean, Rockford is a suburb, right? Yeah, which I... No, no, I'm not... Listen, I'm learning. I'm learning, OK? But it did when we were flying in, you know, and you're watching the map

as you like get closer and closer. Rockford showed up on the on the map as you like get closer and closer to shot. Rockford showed up on the map and I was like, hey. But the field when they come for tryouts and everything, that's Chicago. Remember when I got booed for having been here four times and you got applauded for being here one time? What the fuck was that?

I know. What the fuck was that? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know the card up. I'll do it. I'll do it. Thank you.

Sean's got it. I think you've now been exposed for not giving Sean more shit about risky business because you were planning to put a league of their own in drama. Wait, you put this in drama? Tracy, when was the last time you saw a league of their own? When it came out. Okay.

Didn't shed a tear. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Your widow's is going to blow your mind, man. I'll allow it.

Thank you. I appreciate it. You got it. Look at the big collusion. Her husband died in the war. There's a telegram. Come on. Yeah, man.

Marla Hooch. Jimmy Dugan's a telegram. Come on. Man, Marla Hooch. Jimmy Shugun's got to bring it to her. Think of Marla Hooch's emotional struggles, you know? When Tom Hanks urinates for four minutes. That is really, listen. It's like this is what Shakespeare meant. All the world is a stage, and he's peeing on it.

One of the Blu-rays I got yesterday was the film Tank Girl, which also stars Lori Petty. And I think that's the film she made immediately after League of Their Own. Is that right? Sure. Yeah, that sounds good. You got your final two picks. Right now on the board for you, wild card and drama. You still thinking about Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer? That's all that's written here. Can I take it again? In drama, no, I'm not going to do that.

Okay. In drama, I'm going to take a movie that's probably the least watched film of any that have been announced tonight. And that is the movie, medium cool. Here, I might have to make the card. You talk, I'll do it. You talk, talk, talk. I'll do it.

Yeah. Do we feel like more people have seen Eight Men Out than Medium Cool? Yes. I guess you're right. Haskell Wexler. Haskell Wexler directed this. Haskell Wexler. My son is named Haskell. He's named after my grandfather. He's not named after Haskell Wexler. after my grandfather. He's not named after Haskell Wexler. But Haskell Wexler is the only other Haskell I know. He's a great cinematographer, an important cinematographer, and he was a pissed off dude. And Medium Cool is a pissed off movie. And if you haven't seen it, it's kind of remarkable. As Sean points out, it takes a little patience. It's a bit of a slow

burn. It's a product of its time. Very much. It was shot. The great Robert Forster plays the lead. He plays a cameraman, a journalist cameraman. And the movie was shot, some of it was shot during the Chicago riots in 1968. And it is kind of a docu fiction because we see fictional characters interacting with very real drama. There's a remarkable moment in the movie when

the cops are busting up some protesters in the park and they throw some tear gas, and you hear a guy shout, look out Haskell, it's real. Yeah, it's remarkable. It's, I mean, and Haskell Wexler left it in the film because he was making a movie about the here and now of 1968. But, you know, what goes around comes around and turns out that what goes around comes around and

Turns out that Fascist cops in 1968 Might might look scarily familiar now, too. So then has some it does have some It's got some scary relevance. And so I Advise you to check out medium cool and I put it up there So you will check out Medium Cool, and I put it up there so you'll check out a very interesting, provocative movie. That's... What if I was just like, overrated, miserable tripe?

That's not going to win me the draft. I know that. Okay. You've got Wild Card. Yeah, I draft. I know that. Okay. You've got wild card. Yeah, I do. You can bring it home. It's gonna win you the draft? This wild card pick?

I'm not going to win the draft. Yeah. Yeah. I have several text messages from Tracy that say, I will win this draft. I will win this draft in here. Where it counts. In wild card, I'm going to take Love Jones.

Oh, amazing. Nice. I could have done it for you, Tracy, but now you're up. I just watched it this week because I saw that you had watched it and I knew that it was going to be in those bags and kind of a beautiful, very underseen story about a young black couple, two young people coming together in Chicago in the late 90s, one a kind of poet musician trying to make his way in the city as an artist who's got a bit

of a hustler mentality when it comes to women and then Nia Long, a professional woman who is not sure if the man played by Lorenz Tate is serious enough about their love that has like incredible performances, a real sense of ease. And the filmmaker whose name escapes me right now has not directed another film. And he's often considered one of them sort of like victims

of the way that black filmmakers are overlooked in Hollywood over the years. His name is Theodore Witcher. And it's, I'll be honest with you, I didn't know the movie. I watched it in preparation for this draft. I was just kind of, Criterion has an edition of it, and I was just kind of knocked out by it. I didn't know this movie at all.

It wasn't what I thought it was. I guess I had an impression that it was like soul food, that there was a kind of softness, a kind of soft ease to the romantic comedy aspect. But it's a tougher movie than that. And it just seems very emotionally honest. And it's just, it's a hard movie to do well, and I think it's very well done.

So again, if you haven't seen it, check out Love, Jones. That's a great pick. I have wild card left and I'm, we can just do a yes no to the crowd I don't want to hear from anyone up on this stage. Is Mean Girls too suburban? Okay but well alright here's the thing are we being inconsistent look look in your own hearts because listen this is a hugely important and great comedy and movie for my generation and maybe yours. And I have felt really bad that we have not been talking

about it on 25 for 25 or spoiler, it's not on 25 for 25, sorry. I mean, I don't know. Imagine if it was like number three. What? Mean movies. That would be weird. Some other good stuff is.

It's OK. Good movie. But both comedy-wise, sociologically, obviously it spawned a musical, which was very confusing, and then a reboot that was also a musical. But then they redid all the lines. It's meme central on the internet, which is important. Lindsay Lohan is obviously very important to me.

Long Island. But I thought it was suburban, so are you guys sure? Yeah, now you wanna claim it. This is all very squishy. Okay, it's fine. I have a backup. I guess I have to admit it never ever ever occurred to me that Mean Girls was a Chicago brand. That's fine.

I've got a backup and it is very... Okay, so we have an audience member that says they talk more about Madison, Wisconsin. Shots fired at Madison, Wisconsin. I said... I opened it up. That's fine. Let's get real. Okay.

Midwest nice, huh? I open it up. That's fine. Let's get real. You okay. My actual wild card takes place on public transportation and it is of course while you were sleeping. This movie is so messed up. I know it's become a cliche to say. And my best friend's wedding is also in this category of the lessons that women of my age, or film viewers of my age, were taught from romantic comedies are just truly how to be a sociopath. But this is fairly indefensible.

Tracy, are you familiar with While You're Sleeping? I didn't. Yeah, are you familiar with While You're Sleeping? I didn't. Yeah, I'm familiar with it. So she's in love with Peter Gallagher from afar. She works on the L. It's the L, right? Sandra Bullock, by the way. I'm sorry. Thank you so much.

Sandra Bullock works. She is like a ticket collector, a coin collector. Listen, I'd super realistically. Classic Where You Find Sandra Bullock kind of game. I'm sorry? Bill Pullman's in this movie. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we're getting there.

You're double Pullman-ing. I sure, yeah. Pullman to Pullman. But not in Sleepless in Seattle because that is a movie about Seattle, even if technically they work in Chicago in the beginning. So she's in love. She sees Peter Gallagher taking the train every day, and she's in love with him from afar.

And then he is in an accident and goes into a coma. And she starts visiting him in the hospital and meets his family. And surprise, he's an asshole. And so his family doesn't know who he's dating. So she says, yeah, it's me. And then she befriends his whole family and she's a lonely person, you know, as they always are. And then, yeah,

that's hag Sandra Bullock. Can't meet a guy. So she's not taking the bus across LA. She's just taking tickets in Chicago. So she finds the whole family and, and, and finds love and warmth and also the patient and loving gaze of Bill Pullman, who is Peter Gallagher's brother. And then Peter Gallagher wakes up, doesn't remember anything, and plays along for a little while but then she's like, no, actually, I like your brother. And then in the end, she winds up with Bill Pullman. So to recap, she pretends to be dating someone in a coma

and then leaves the person in the coma for her brother. Why are you telling me all of this? I don't know! This is what it's like on every episode. Something happens where she's like, I've decided to recap the entire movie at you for eight minutes. And I have no idea. I never asked for it.

I just watched it happen to someone else. And I was like, thank God. Yeah. I'm not alone. That was remarkable. I've seen the movie. It's charming. Yeah.

Do you own it? I don't think so. Oh, OK. It's not available on 4K yet. They didn't have it at TeraVid. Yeah, you'll let me know. Do you own it? I don't think so. It's not available on 4k yet. They didn't have it at Terabit. Yeah, you'll let me know. Anyway, I'm pleased to have while you were sleeping and also to have been able to talk

about Mean Girls, which is about Madison, Wisconsin, as we have learned. So I've got one more pick left. I've got Wildcard and I was listening to Tracy speak about medium cool and the time that we find ourselves in and what a challenging moment this is in history. And it had me reflecting on a movie that changed the way that I thought about the world. And that movie is called Transformers Dark of the Moon. Yeah! Yeah! Will you do the entire plot of Transformers and think about it while I grab the card? Is this, no, no, yeah, no, you talk.

This film was directed by Michael Bay. Is this the JFK one? This is the JFK. Should we all get on? This is the moon landing and JFK. Let's go, I read Libra. This is a film that asks us to question whether or not Cybertron played a role in the faked moon landing

and how long Optimus Prime and the Autobots have been protecting Earth and the disinformation state that we find ourselves in in this country. If this movie turned out to be true, like if tomorrow, the Transformers emerged and were like, we've always been here, we've been manipulating, wouldn't you honestly feel like a little relieved? Absolutely. Wouldn't it be like, God, well, thank God

it wasn't the alternative, you know, that we were like creeping into? I don't think the movie is exploitative at all. I think it's completely sincere. It's like something is up here and it might be giant robots. You're like creepy. I don't think the movie is exploitative at all. I think it's completely sincere. Yeah. It's like something is up here, and it might be giant robots. There is a chance that all this is happening for a reason.

Wait, so it's that they landed on the moon? What is it again? I saw this in theaters. It's honestly much more complicated than that. Let's go. I'm not going to recap it the way you just recapped while you were sleeping. But it does take place in the same universe as while you were sleeping. Oh, okay, and

It turns out Optimus Prime was in love with both all the time It's amazing film and I'm so proud to have it on my board. I'm I'm just surprised you didn't put it in drama It's too real to be a drama. But risky fucking business was already there. So I have the last pick. I have a question. How wild do we want to get? Because I have an idea for what mine,

I doubt there's a card in this box for the film I'd like to suggest because it hasn't been made yet. But there is a large part of Heat 2 that takes place in Chicago. And as we get closer and closer to its possible production, you know? You're attempting to draft a film with no stars, no studio, no green light. Warner Brothers is very happy with the early drafts that they've seen. Are you not on Reddit?

Come on, dude. Now, it could actually come to pass that they were gonna mostly concentrate on the Val Kilmer part, which takes largely place in Panama, I believe, right? That sounds right. Yeah, which is not a Chicago film. So for my wild card,

I think I'm gonna take Glengarry Glenross. Yeah. Good. Which is the second man that you picked. I got it, I got it, I got it. Tracy, you have been in the production of this play? On this stage. On this stage, so in honor of Tracy being here.

It's genuinely insulting that we're doing this on this stage. I did, yeah. I've done it twice actually. I've played Williamson both times. They're not like, hey, you want to try Roma or you want to try somebody else? I liked the role of Williamson both times. Yeah. They're not like, hey, you want to try Roma or you want to try somebody else? I liked the role of Williamson.

You know, oh shit, his name just left my... Who played it in the original production? JT Walsh. JT Walsh played it in the original production. And you know, Williamson wins at the end of the thing. Yeah, that's true. You know, two Rs. One and two Rs. But that's one word and then okay, yeah. Just try to be

precise. It's about real estate. It's about Chinese restaurants. It's about JT apparently had a terrible time when he was doing the play because he didn't like the fact that everybody on stage hated him and that they all called him a cunt. And he didn't have any fun doing that. But I didn't mind because I was like, at the end, I'm going to win. So you call me whatever you want,

because I know I'm going to win in the end of this play. You got to say, will you go to lunch? I did. Will you? I did. I said it better than that, but yes. Thank you. I was doing Kevin Spacey doing Williamson.

All right. So naturally, it wasn't as good. I didn't see you on stage because I wasn't alive. Yeah. I get it. I get it. Yeah. This concludes our draft. It's ours. How do you feel?

I think, I think, aside from a couple of examples of category fraud, I think it is a very good looking Chicago movie board. Yeah. Do you feel good about everything that you got, how you got it? I do. Are you asking me to show remorse in any way?

No. Because that's unlikely. No. I feel like I was actually wondering, though, if you could just run while you were sleeping back again because I wasn't sure I got the nuance of the second act in your recap though. She really likes the mom, you know, and she doesn't have a mother figure of her own. So, how do you feel?

Oh, fine. Yeah. Chris, do you want to recap what you picked? What I picked? Yeah, sure. In drama, I took eight men out, which no one's seen. In Oscar nominee, I took Primal Fear, but didn't talk much about how amazing Everett Norton is in this film and also the rest of the cast like Maura Tierney and Richard Gere. John Mahoney. John Mahoney.

Primal Fear. A member of the company. Kind of a naughty little priest. Dark Knight in Blockbuster, a Chicago movie. Thief in action horror thriller, my favorite Chicago movie. Comedy, I took The Sting, which is better than Butch and Sundance. And in Wild Card, I took one Gary Glen Ross, which Tracy has been in twice. ["The Sting"]

["The Sting"] ["The Sting"] ["The Sting"] ["The Sting"] ["The Sting"] ["The Sting"] Well, in drama, I took one of the most dramatic films ever made, Risky Business.

In Oscar nominee, I took The Fugitive. In Blockbuster, I took The Color of Money. In Action Horror Thriller, I got House of Games. In Comedy, I got Wayne's World. And in Wild Card, I took Transformers Dark of the Moon. And I'll have you know that there was a placard made for Transformers Dark of the Moon, and I feel proud of that. OK.

In Drama, I took a league of their own, which is about a woman receiving a sad telegram. In Oscar nominee, I got home alone. In blockbuster, my best friend's wedding. In action-horror-thriller, I got widows, which I have seen. In comedy, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and wild card, an exploration of Sandra Bullock's...

Laughter ...journey into the unknown of her own heart and also social conventions while you were sleeping. In drama, I took medium cool. In Oscar nominee, I took hoop dreams. In blockbuster, I took The Untouchables. In action horror thriller, I took Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer.

In comedy, I took The Blues Brothers. And in wild card, I took Love Jones. That... CHEERING AND APPLAUSE You did that in Henry, Port a serial killer voice just there. Do you think you could do this twice a week for the rest of your life? Yes. Is there a QR code of some kind?

Yeah, Jack. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Do we do that before we do honorable mentions? Oh, you're right. We can do honorable mentions. You want to do some honorable mentions? I do. Let's do some.

I do, because there's some stuff. Not a lot. I'm not going to list 100 movies. Well, you have to say Henry of a Portrait of a Serial Killer like 100 more times. You can do that. There's a few things we should revisit here. Uh, uh, uh, my body guard, uh, which is a Tony bill, a comedy, a beautiful coming of age comedy. First movie of Joan Cusack, first movie of Jennifer Beals and a, and a real Chicago

movie is set in Chicago. Uh, ordinary people, uh, which is not on our board, but which is a very fine movie. And I hold the unpopular opinion that it was the rightful winner of Best Picture in 1980. We saw a guy wearing an ordinary people hat today. Is that guy here tonight? That's shocking. I actually, I really honestly, when we saw him in line, I was like, oh, he's probably coming tonight.

He was wearing a hat that said ordinary people. Yes. And then he got on the architecture tour with us. But was it like the logo from the film? Yeah. It's an odd thing to represent. It's a very sincere drama about pain. Cooley High, which is a great teen comedy and took place in the Cabrini Green housing

project which is about four blocks from here. A real Chicago movie. The Front Page, 1931. An absolutely great Chicago play and a great representation of that play. Man with the Golden Arm based on Nelson Algren, great Chicago writer, Otto Preminger film, compulsion doesn't really count. Oh, it's kind of interesting, there wasn't more John Hughes representation, don't you think? There wasn't a lot, breakfast club didn't get taken. I was trying to stick to the core urban center.

If we were doing the Chicago suburbs draft, I'd be here all day with breakfast boy. Back next year. Planes, trains, and automobiles. Yeah. Which again, most of it's on the road. It ends in Chicago, but that's their destination. And because it's huge, it does feel like a Chicago movie.

About Last Night never came up in conversation. And I know that that's, it's an odd movie, right? The Mammoth play is such a dyspeptic, cynical view of the war between sexes. And then the movie is this very light sort of 80s style romantic comedy, but actually it's written by Tim Kazarensky, who's a friend of mine and his writing partner Denise Duclue.

And they did such a great job of translating that text into this style of movie, this romantic comedy. Though Rob Lowe wears a Cubs hat and the way he looks and a guy like that hanging out in rush street bars. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of people in this audience who have some ugly connotations with that character. There's a non-zero chance some people in here have been roofied by that dude. You're not saying Rob Lowe. Yeah. No. Got it. I'm saying-

Okay. I just want to make sure sort of publicly this is being recorded. Can I throw a couple of wild cards or a couple of honorable mentions up? Spiritually a Chicago movie, Midnight Run, one of my favorites. I didn't pick it because largely it's on the road, but Jimmy Serrano is one of my favorite Chicago characters, Dennis Farina. Judas and the Black Messiah? Absolutely. I was going to throw that on there.

Backdraft. I really fucked up that on there. Backdraft. I really fucked up and should have picked Backdraft. I was like, what am I not doing this for? But William Baldwin, can't get more Chicago than that. And did you guys know that in 10 years, we will be at the moment that iRobot is set in Chicago? So you have that to look forward to. Which is nice.

Might actually be sooner. And I predict that this movie will be perhaps the one that more people in here are saying, why didn't they choose that than any other? And that's High Fidelity. Yeah. Yeah, I just took it in another draft. That's the only reason I didn't take it. I love High Fidelity.

It's a wonderful movie. I was on a text chain with friends called Rob from High Fidelity Personified recently, which I thought was rude, but also nice. There are a handful of others, right? So here's a question. Is Bridesmaids a Chicago movie? Yes! Okay, all right.

Some immediate yeses and then some grumbling. Yeah, some people sound a little mad. Okay. Here's a movie I don't like but has been suggested. Flatliners? Joel Schumacher's movie about dying and coming back to life? Which is what this episode has felt like. For me.

Let's bring it to the people. Sinners. Wow! What do you think? Well, this was a late breaking addition to our... So I am all of you groaning and saying, yeah, I see someone flashing the note. You all missed the end credit sequence as well, apparently,

like Amanda did. Because in that film... It's not in the movie. Uh, the, of course, the movie is about two characters who have left the Delta and gone to Chicago and come back from Chicago, back to their home in Mississippi. If it's movies that talk about Chicago draft. Well, again, Amanda has not seen this sequence in the film. Because they put it after the credits.

In the mid credits, which is still technically part of the film, we see a character played by Buddy Guy in a much older age at his club Legends in Chicago, playing acoustic guitar and then backstage at the bar. And one half of Michael B. Jordan's characters from the movie comes backstage. Spoilers for sinners, by the way. Along with Hailee Steinfeld circa 1992 dressed immaculately. Yeah, the door knockers and everything.

Yeah. And in that scene, they're in the city of Chicago. That's great. So sinners too will be eligible when they make that. You missed a part though. So like it finishes, they're in Chicago, they're in the bar, zoom out, the moon, crypto Superman sitting there looking down, being like, looks like we have some vampires to take care of. Then zoom out. Transformers behind those guys. They are like,

we were on the dark side of the moon. Looks like Superman and crypto are on the good side. We got to get over there. As Michael Bay taught us, it's all connected. Yeah. Sinner should have been eligible in my opinion. Scarface, 1932. Some would argue North by Northwest. Amanda and I talked about this today. Yeah, we litigated it in front of the yard.

It's a no. I didn't bring it up because I think it's a little on the line. I mean, it's included, but you think of four other iconic American locations. Mount Rushmore, yes. Sure. Also the Plaza. Should we do the Mount Rushmore, Mount Rushmore?

I honestly, are there three more? Help us out. Okay, stop. Uh, Barber Shop. Good one. Rookie of the Year year with Amy Morton, my frequent collaborator on this stage. How do you guys feel about Running Scared?

I love Running Scared. I did the rewatchables about it. It's like iconic t-shirt in that movie. Nobody was ever less Chicagoan than Billy Crystal. But the action isn't bad in that movie. The big scene at the Daily Plaza, at the Daily Center, that's a good scene. His New Job, you guys know that movie? I don't.

Well, it was made in 1915 and starred Charlie Chaplin. At the time, S&A Studios was here, it was located in Uptown, and Charlie Chaplin came here on a contract, and it was too cold, he left. But he did make a movie called His New Job with Charlie Chaplin and Ben Turpin in 1915. What's the runtime on that movie?

Hmm, I don't know, 65 minutes? That's my guess. Pretty good. Sinners 2 also, 65 minutes. Any other? In Collateral, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange gets hacked. Oh, not Collateral, Black Hat.

Black Hat, yeah. Wow, you blew that joke so hard. Like the Mart? What's that the mark? Yeah, they hack that and then they with all the Statues outside of mr. Wentworth and you explain the rest of the plot of black hat. Well, that's on the patreon So Where is the QR code? Jack's gonna put it up, right? So I gotta put a QR code up

You know you're gonna be able to do You're gonna be able to vote. Yeah. Right now. Live, wow, it's very exciting. And we're gonna get live results. And... Choose wisely. I think we're gonna vamp, that's a threat that she just offered you.

I think you're gonna be able to get live results here if this all works. We've never done this before. Do they have like the New York Times needle? Oh, that, yeah. Where it's like, oh, Sean's winning, but oh God! Oh, the needle. Can you not, can we not talk about the needle? Done, that, yeah. Where it's like, oh, Sean's winning, but oh, God. Oh, the needle. Can you not, can we not talk about the needle?

It's done so well. Um, how you feeling? How are you feeling? I feel great. How do you feel? I feel great. I was just, you know, you've been kind of gauging how this, you had a lot of predictions. You had a lot of, you know,

So much of this went the way I expected it to go. Okay, there we go, see, that's what I was looking for. Other than, as I say, some shifty category fraud. You were so mean about Wayne's World. Such a nice movie. Now, everyone's, don't let other people influence your vote. This is just like school, right?

It's your paper, no one else's. And if this QR code takes you to a Google forum where they ask you to put in your social security number. Oh wow. Okay. We're getting some live results. That is absolutely right.

Keep going. Yeah. She's shamelessly working the crowd. She's not going to give you shit after the show. Okay. These people love while you're sleeping. When do we close the voting? Momentarily? Well, hold on a second.

Yeah, seriously. Oh. Stuffing the ballot. This is some real Mayor Daily shit. Okay, we're going to give you 30 more seconds and then we're going to close this puppy down. If you haven't been able to get your phone to focus on that QR code. Anyone need assistance from a neighbor?

You can ask for help. What? Yeah. Now I know how Hillary Clinton felt. Candyman, thank you. Obviously, there was a trivia question about Candyman. You mentioned Cabrini Green, where Candyman is also set. Wonderful movie.

I wanted you guys to note that there is a card in there for the accountant, just so you know. I wanted you guys to note that there is a card in there for the accountant. Just, you know, so you know. I didn't pick it though. Okay. Five, four, three, two, one. Are we able? Stay in line!

No? Too soon? Okay. Now are we able to display the results? We are. Jack is giving me the thumbs up. Yeah. Oh, no, I think you can just share.

Can you hear me? Yes. Oh, Jack, you're going to announce it. Voice of God Jack. Here we go. In fourth place with roughly 8%, Sean fantasy. I stand by risky business. In third place, with around 17%, Tracy Letts.

In second place. Wait, hold on, hold on, hold on. Let us hold hands like Miss America. Do you know they do that? Let's go. It all comes down to Georgia versus Pennsylvania. You have a real Drew Barrymore thing tonight. like Miss America. Do you know they do that? It all comes down to Georgia versus Pennsylvania. In second place with 32%, Christopher Ryan. And with 43%, Amanda Dobbins. You're all very

kind and indulging me and I really appreciate it. Are you giving a speech? Do you want to give a speech? No, I already did. Okay. Yeah, thank you. I appreciate your support, you know, and we all like rom-coms. Thank you, Chicago.

Yeah, guys, thank you so much. Thank you, Chicago. This is amazing. I want to thank a handful of people before we go. Tracy Letts, who is obviously an incredibly gifted person and a very generous person. And we're really happy that he was able to do this with us and spend the weekend with us, which has been honestly quite, quite fun.

And showing us around Chicago and the Steppenwolf is really a gift. So thank you. Thank you for hosting us here. It's been my pleasure. Uh, thank you to the Steppenwolf theater, which is just an amazing place. And I hope if you live in this city,

you are spending time here and spending money here and coming to see the great work. They've been very kind to us. Thank you to our entire events team, especially Elizabeth, Helen and Charlie, who made all of this seem very kind to us. Thank you to our entire events team, especially Elizabeth, Helen, and Charlie, who made all of this seem very easy and normal, even though it is not easy and normal. Thanks to Jack Sanders for producing this episode.

He's up there. Thank you to the show. Thank you to Jack Wilson from The Winger for being here. Anybody you wanna thank? Sandra Bullock? Everyone here, really. I mean, this was amazing. Thanks for coming out. Yes. Thank you. And just

a great day. Thank you for listening. And you know, thank you for voting for me. This is an episode that is being recorded and so I am obliged to say later this week we will be back with an episode about Fantastic Four First Steps. So this is going to be a cool week on the podcast. Thank you again. We really appreciate it. Thank you, Chicago. you