Sneakers (1992)

Happy Mother’s Day

Teri Garr Val Kilmer Now, Robert Redford! When will the Boyz stop killing?

RIP Robert Redford the Action Boyz curse

The premise was kind of turned into a successful series called, Leverage. Basically a good guys heist show.

When Robert Redford said the line “no my parents are still married” I assumed he was insinuating that he wasn’t a bastard

Ben mentions Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven drawing on Sneakers but he also directly lifted two shots from it for Out of Sight: Redford wrestling his tie off after a disappointing experience going legit, and Redford in the trunk illuminated by an unlikely red light, like the brakelights spill into the boot somehow.

Laser Tag story - my name on the scoreboard was Blucka, and at the end of the round one of the employees was like reading off scores. They come to my name and says "Blucka? That's pretty close to a naughty word..." and gave me a disapproving look. Then proceeds to the next player, Super Hitler, with no comment.

I’ve listened to various “camaraderie podcasts” where the draw is partly the topic and partly the friendship of the co-hosts. The mark of a great one like ABZ is they can still surprise you with personal stories after years of listening. This episode opens with Ben’s stories about the awesome day with his aunt and his boring ex who didn’t like Gabrus, transitioning into more modern stuff about Gabrus’ instant likability. I was already having a parasocial blast and the episode proper hadn’t even started yet. ABZ for life, brother.

I can relate to Gabrus on the bunch of schools and having to be quick to adapt in social situations. I went to 3 elementary schools and 2 middle schools so by the time I was in high school I was at least a small part of all the different groups

Apropos Akroyd Source: The Guardian https://search.app/pra3r

The Korea Town bar / restaurant that is referenced around 2:45 in is the Prince I believe. They film a lot of stuff there. Last time I was there smoking still happened (in 2018)

The “man explaining the downfall of men” clip Rogers got served is almost certainly Prof G, Scott Galloway, who is building a media empire on the message that we need to be nicer to men.

https://la.curbed.com/2017/7/21/15931732/the-prince-restaurant-history-mad-men-chinatown

We had two laser tag places in Ft. Wayne, IN Laser X and Ultra Zone Fav codename was Wolverine

Remember Stangerbot? He would be a great addition to the team for Sneakers II.

Can’t wait to hear the boyz talk about the Liver King coming for Joe Rogan and getting arrested.

Does anyone know where I can watch or rent Mask? Was Mask on Epstein island? It’s been disappeared from all my usual sources

Mother is mothering

I started listening to this pod about a year ago. Went back and listened in order from 2020 and I have now caught up to real time. Four and half years of pods, a descent into the pandemic and emerging from it. Here I am like a traveler from the past to give you my verdict on your body of work: Pretty good!

Puka shell necklace got me 🤣

Release the Farmer’s Market Tapes.

"In a way, the sixties ended the day we sold it-" -"December 31st, 1969"

Re: Bitcoin and crypto Never trust a currency you can't swallow.

Love the Blade (1998) talk.

Ben, you gotta link up with Hesse Deni from Movie Mindset/Seeking Derrangements. She’s also from Buffalo.

I have such a cool old bud light hat but it's also red. I bought it in 2019 thinking I just didn't have to wear it for a couple years.

Love the action boyz on retreat, love the selection of movies that would be exactly what you'd find in a vacation house's VHS DVD shelf. A month of running bits - what a festive hang to start the early summer. And in case anyone needs a reference, the Braille Playboy is a thing: https://blog.archive.org/2011/08/17/scanning-a-braille-playboy/

Pure coincidence that the painting Gabrus remembers from art history class is also central to the Mr Bean movie.

Loved discovering Rodge’s seething hatred of Snowden. I thought he was a dummy, too, but Ben was locked and loaded.

I’ve always loved this movie. Meant to be w/ this episode lol

My laser tag codename was Fly Guy, it was also my NFL BLITZ arcade name

I thought maybe it was the Actionboyz's unique individual accents that were affecting the pronunciation, but no, that 'Air One' grocery store really just has a real stupid name: https://erewhon.com/

ALSO! Rodgers, dispute the transaction for the coffee maker. It'll be extra easy if you used a credit card. If you gave enough time that you should've received it by now, they'll reach out to the company and refund you. Something similar happened to me recently, and my money was in my account immediately. Make sure there are no other unrecognized transactions, too. A lot of scams do this just to get your card number. You'll have to get a new card, but you'll get your $100 back almost guaranteed. Source: I still work at a bank.

Love the energy you guys have doing these together on the retreat and love hearing about the farmers market awkwardness.

Definitely get how seeing this movie as a kid would rock. As a 31 year old shadow wolf, kinda corny for me. Still had a great time watching

Hell yeah

Doing work for Stanger: There’s a famous feminist thought experiment/teaching story where a kid gets hit by a car on his bike, so they take him to the emergency room and the doctor says “I can’t operate on him, he’s my son!” but then the story says that the doctor isn’t the boy’s father, so how is it possible? The answer is “the doctor is actually the boy’s mother,” which was a real “whoa!” moment in the 70s. When Gabrus said that he shouldn’t have assumed the ghost’s gender, it triggered the female doctor story in Stanger’s brain causing him to say “the ghost was his mother”.

It's a deposit box in a safe. A safe deposit box. I think someone somewhere called it a "safety deposit box" because they misheard it and it caught on, but I think the etymology is pretty clear since it's kept in a safe. Source: I work at a bank.

"Dick sucking is the only one that makes sense." -The Action Boyz

I love the retreat episodes~ The energy of being on a trip with your best friends is so pure and it’s definitely coming through 💟

I cannot possibly get enough of Stanger's impressions. That micro Kristofferson was brilliant. Not nearly enough praise gets heaped on his occasional Dangerfield. "Hey! C'mon!"

Anyone seen The Hot Rock (1972)? It is a very fun Robert Redford led heist movie. I randomly caught it on TV many years ago having never heard of it. After I saw it I assumed Redford did Sneakers because he wanted to make another movie like The Hot Rock. It seems like it has spent almost all its life in rights limbo and has been very hard to see. It did eventually get a DVD release but I think it is out of print again.

Re “the Ukraine”, I called it that once in front of a person of Ukrainian descent and they explained to me that it’s offensive. According to her it came from Russia/the USSR, and it implies that Ukraine is a territory which is really just part of Russia. Calling it Ukraine instead of “the Ukraine” is a big deal because it’s a sign of their independence.

I was banned for life from my local laser tag place for lighting smoke bombs off to hide.

Looked up Little Nikita after Rodgers mentioned it... directed by... RATBOY HIMSELF Richard Benjamin

Sounds like a perfect day… 9:10… executioners song is fuckin awesome. I got a cable card in mine. And follow it up with sneakers?! Fuckin great day

Night in the Life of Jimmy Whatshisname is an under discussed film.

Was anyone else struck by the fact that Mary McDonnell was essentially playing the same role she had in Blue Chips? Also Mike from Twin Peaks was such perfect young Redford casting

The “seeing Sneakers on a great day to remember” reminds me of getting my drivers licenses the day T2 opened in July 1991. Starting with getting my license that morning, going to my girlfriend’s house to make out while her dad was at work, get lunch at the food court mall with her, taking her home then picking up my 3 buddies in my 1989 GMC SIERRA CLASSIC “Jimmy”. (Think GMC version of the OJ Bronco), saw the movie, talked about it for 2 hours driving around the city of Louisville, KY. I then dropped them off and went to pick up my girlfriend to make out in the park. That was my favorite day seeing a movie. I miss that truck.

Cosby was in a spy show with Robert Culp way back when called "I Spy" they used to run reruns on metv. It was a pretty fun show. If I remember right their cover was they were tennis coaches or something and they would use that as an in so the could crack some case.

I wish we entered nuclear war while they were at the retreat so they would be forced to stay there and setup a resistance movement while also broadcasting pods

I love the score in this film—James Horner with Branford Marsalis—chef’s kiss.

“Too Many Secrets.” https://youtu.be/GS3npSv8iuM?si=E1sFcYTNG9Bq1uuf

So, 9 hour drive with Catholic dad. Is this episode normal dirty or extra dirty

Speaking of River Pheonix. I had this Flea bass instructional VHS back in 1992 where most of the video is just him and River Pheonix talking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuOsH5N43PM

Kinda broke my brain seeing the BTTF clocktower covered in snow

I think Ben Kingsley is actively bad in this movie and despite how charming it is, it’s mediocre at best.

Duster's great. Corny in a fun way and great cars and driving. First show If seen with a Studebaker Lark hiding in the background.

Normally I would say something like "they don't make them like this anymore" but they barely made them like this at the time. It's a funny romp with an adult sensibility but it's not afraid to be goofy and broad in some of it's comedy. Plus it also managed to be entertainingly suspenseful in some scenes. I also really like the brief "Chain of Fools" dancing montage. It was charming and Dan Akyroyd moves well for a big boy. Good on him.

I’m trying to work out where they went on their retreat by the sounds the gardener makes outside

I'm sure we all think we could count the bumps in the road and tell you where we are at.

This makes me so happy. I love this movie.

#CosmoWasRight