Fellowship Of The Reel

**Episode Summary**This episode of *Fellowship of the Reel* (Four Friends and a Movie) covers Chris’s pick: *The Way of the Gun* (2000), written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie (*The Usual Suspects*, later *Mission: Impossible* films including *Ghost Protocol* and *Fallout*). The group discusses the film’s fatalistic crime-thriller tone, McQuarrie’s early directing style, its cult following versus mixed critical reception, and a detailed “beats” breakdown of the story structure. They also cover improvised lines from other films, box office/RT scores, practical effects, character dynamics (especially the Parker/Longbaugh duo), and final Recommend/Consider/Pass ratings.The movie follows two amoral criminals (Ryan Phillippe as Parker, Benicio Del Toro as Longbaugh—names nodding to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) who kidnap a pregnant surrogate (Juliette Lewis) carrying a child for a wealthy, mob-connected man. James Caan plays a bagman/adjudicator; Jeffrey Lewis (Juliette’s real-life father) plays the gunman Abner. There are no traditional good guys—everyone has angles, and the tone is dark, talky, and violent with ideas of value in the action and dialogue.**Reception & Money**- Rotten Tomatoes: 46% critics / 70% audience (cult following more than theatrical hit).- Budget: $8.5 million. Domestic ~$6M + international ~$7M = ~$13.2M total (recouped but modest).- McQuarrie’s first directing credit; group sees it as a raw passion project / learning ground for the polished action and dialogue he later brought to bigger films.**Key Discussion Segments for Show Notes****Notable Quotables (Improvised Lines)**  Cher’s segment on ad-libs:- *Star Wars: A New Hope* — “I can’t see a thing in this helmet” (Luke during lightsaber training; camera kept rolling).- *Ghostbusters* — “Hey, where do these stairs go?” / “They go up” (Bill Murray).- *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade* — “How did you know she was a Nazi?” / “She talks in her sleep” (Sean Connery; Harrison Ford’s reaction was genuine surprise).**Story Beats (Save-the-Cat–style breakdown)**  The group maps the film’s structure and notes stretches of excess between beats:- **Opening image**: Parker and Longbaugh pick a fight (including punching Sarah Silverman’s character), get stomped by a mob, and lie beaten on the ground. Bookends the ending.- **Theme stated**: Fatalism / “stepping off the path.” Their lot is decided; “need is the ultimate monkey.” A plan is “just a list of things that don’t happen.” They could exit multiple times but don’t.- **Catalyst / Debate**: They overhear a sperm-bank phone call about the valuable pregnant woman. Visual “debate” (magazines lowering, looks exchanged) before they commit. Later almost back out, then fate puts her in front of them.- **Break into Two**: The kidnapping itself. Juliet Lewis’s character also “breaks into two” by seizing a chance to escape.- **Fun & Games**: Slow-motion alley car chase (inspired by a *Cops* episode; Benicio’s idea—doors open, feet pushing, comically low-speed). Gunplay, character interactions, gas-station sequence with *Dirty Dancing* clip (thematic abortion/delivery parallel).- **Midpoint**: Crossing into Mexico / arriving at the motel (false victory; they have the girl and the country). Motel name has dual meaning around “birth mother” / rough place.- **Bad Guys Close In / All Is Lost**: Cops, other factions, and the full set of angles converge. Hotel/brothel sequence. “She’s had enough” line and the decision to go for the money rather than leave mark a dark night / break into three.- **Finale**: Brothel shootout. Doctor performs a C-section. Limited practical effects (muzzle flashes and digital beer-label removal after sponsors objected to the fountain scene). Ending is ambiguous; alternate cut showed clearer deaths. Final image mirrors the opening (them on the ground).**Notable Observations & Trivia**- Sarah Silverman punch was real (Phillippe connected; he apologized extensively). Blood was practical; the lump was the injury.- Slow chase and military-style movement (clearing rooms, retreating) noted as training-relevant by some viewers.- Limited CGI; McQuarrie was learning coverage and second-camera work with a strong cast.- Abner’s name means “father.” James Caan’s character is linked to the surrogate’s situation.- Parker/Longbaugh communicate largely through looks and shared history. “Finalist” T-shirt on Phillippe noted as possible thematic detail.- No clear protagonists; group was not rooting for most characters. Some found the violence and talkiness distancing; others enjoyed the dialogue, set pieces, and McQuarrie DNA.- Comparisons to *Reservoir Dogs* (unseen heist/shootout), *Heat*, and later *Dragged Across Concrete*.**Final Ratings**- **Chris** (picker): Recommend (double down). Crime movies, morally gray characters, McQuarrie fans, strong dialogue and set pieces. Watched with commentary; bought the disc.- **James**: Consider. Gold in the gun work, dialogue, and early McQuarrie, but better later films exist. First-time watch years later tempered enthusiasm.- **Cher**: Pass / light consider. Not her type (violence, including the barbed-wire scene she had to look away from; fell asleep at one point). Laughed at some moments (alley chase) but found it frustrating and hard to care about the characters. Clarified she loves McQuarrie’s *Ghost Protocol*.- **Host**: Recommend (at least once). Ideas of value, strong performances, and unique elements even if not a rewatch comfort movie. Aligns with the ~70% audience score.**Other Mentions**- Tubi discussion (free with ads; good placement of breaks; *Night of the Comet*, *Sleepaway Camp*, *Tremors* series available).- Future pick interest in *Tremors* (comfort movie for the group).- Jeffrey Lewis connections (*Double Impact*, *Maverick*, *Night of the Comet*).**Suggested Show-Notes Structure**1. Cold open / “Oh shit, Christopher McQuarrie” reaction.  2. Notable Quotables.  3. Money / Critics / Fans bumper + scores.  4. Beats deep-dive (opening through finale, with fatalism theme and bookends).  5. Trivia (punch, *Cops* chase, practical effects, names).  6. Recommend / Consider / Pass.  7. Outro + next-episode tease (*Tremors* or similar).**Key Quotes to Pull**- “There are no good guys in this movie.”- “Need is the ultimate monkey.”- “A plan is just a list of things that don’t happen.”- “The longest distance between two points is a kidnapper and his money.”- “They have stepped off the path and are well versed in the world of off the path.”- Parker/Longbaugh bookend: opening and closing images of them on the ground after an ass-kicking.This episode is conversational, structure-focused, and good for fans of crime films, McQuarrie, or screenwriting-beat discussions. Tone mixes analysis with casual banter and occasional frustration over the lack of likeable characters and graphic moments.

Trailer for our review of the movie THE WAY OF THE GUN

**Fellowship of the Reel — Tremors (1990)**  Hosts: Phil, Sherry, James, Chris · ~76 min · **Four recommends**Four friends dig into Ron Underwood’s cult monster comedy. Handymen Val and Earl try to leave Perfection, Nevada; the Graboids won’t let them. The table’s case: this might be one of the tightest scripts ever written. All gas, no brake. Comfort movie for most of them, and a hit that happened on home video, not in theaters.**Money and critics**  January 19, 1990. Budget never confirmed, estimated $5–11 million. Domestic about $16.7 million; international a reported $1,000. Critics kinder than fans (~88% vs ~76%). Bacon took it for the money and found the fandom later. Seven films follow; Michael Gross becomes the franchise. Burt dies in the last one; creatures eventually fly. Late 2024: Wilson, Maddock, and Underwood reclaimed the rights. Not a reboot. A return-to-Perfection sequel is being outlined, Bacon as Val possible, nothing promised.**Beats (short version)**  Monster in the House — the house is the town. No sin summons the worms; origin not required. Setup is the general store: every character, the noisy cooler, and the stampede gag planted at once (tan sleeping bag, red lining — Earl (looks like a worm). Catalyst is the sewage job and Edgar Deems dead of dehydration on the tower. Break into Two is the horseback ride for Bixby, not the rockslide — they’re still debating a human killer until then. The movie is two guys trying to leave town. Midpoint is the aqueduct kill and a false victory. All Is Lost is Walter’s store breached and the roof turning into a wave pool. Finale: Val finally has a plan, baits Stumpy off the cliff. Closing image: he stays and kisses Rhonda.**Votes**  James: recommend — does what *Jaws* does, keeps the monster underground, fine for families. Chris: recommend, but he got a little bored on a rewatch and can’t point to a flaw. Phil: recommend — internally consistent, as quotable as *Big Trouble*. Sherry: recommend — saw it as a teenager at Phil’s apartment and tiptoed down the sidewalk so nothing would come out of the ground.**Lines they quote all day**  “We plan ahead, so we don’t have to do anything right now.” · “We faced temptation and did not blink.” · “We just left this town one damn day too late.” · “Broke into the wrong goddamn rec room, didn't ya?!.”· “Stampede!”

Trailer for our review of the movie TREMORS

Not sure why you would want to listen to this, but here ya go.