'Armageddon'
NASA hires an unlikely crew of Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Shea Serrano, and Jason Concepcion to record a podcast about Michael Bay's 1998 action-thriller 'Armageddon' starring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, and Billy Bob Thornton.
Cast
Bruce Willis as Harry Stamper
Ben Affleck as A.J. Frost
Liv Tyler as Grace Stamper
Billy Bob Thornton as Dan Truman
Steve Buscemi as Rockhound
Will Patton as Chick Chapple
Owen Wilson as Oscar Choi
William Fichtner as Colonel Willie Sharp
Michael Clarke Duncan as Bear
Peter Stormare as Lev Andropov
Keith David as General Kimsey
Directed by: Michael Bay
Written by: Scott Rosenberg, Robert Towne
Notes
- Bruce Willis was making a failing comedy called Broadway Brawler. Disney head Joe Roth cut a deal: Disney absorbs the costs, Willis stars in 'Armageddon' plus two future films. Those two films turned out to be 'The Sixth Sense' and Unbreakable – one of the great studio trades ever.
- Michael Bay paid $20,000 for Affleck to get new teeth because Bay likes close-up shots of heroes with big chins and big teeth, and Affleck had 'little baby teeth.' Affleck kept the teeth for the rest of his career.
- Affleck's legendary DVD commentary: he questions why they wouldn't just teach astronauts to drill. Bay told him to 'shut the fuck up.'
- The movie cost was Disney's most expensive ever at the time, became the highest-grossing film of 1998 worldwide (over $550 million).
- NASA shows this film during management training: new managers try to spot errors, at least 168 have been identified.
- Bay's special effects guy had a nervous breakdown during production and Bay had to take over that work.
- Chris Ryan's father (a film critic) coined the term 'frame fucking' for Bay's style: 'every shot, someone is either running or the camera is moving. There is no stillness in a Michael Bay movie.'
Categories
Quote from Rog's review:
“The movie is an assault on the eyes, the ears, the brain, common sense and the human desire to be entertained. No matter what they're charging to get in, it's worth more to get out.”
Ebert named it his worst movie of 1998 and placed it on his list of most hated films.
- The astronauts landing home / Colonel Sharp shaking Grace's hand: 'Requesting permission to shake the hand of the daughter of the bravest man I've ever met.'
- The crew suiting up and walking in slow-mo as the president gives his speech.
- Harry's crew listing their demands to Billy Bob: parking tickets, citizenship for friends, who killed Kennedy, no taxes.
- Bruce Willis chasing Affleck with a shotgun after finding him in Liv Tyler's bed.
- The disarming the bomb scene – Billy Bob and Will Patton standoff with Keith David.
- Billy Bob Thornton's performance – the gravity holding the whole film together.
- Ben Affleck's now-legendary DVD commentary track.
- The patriotism and sincerity of the film.
- Will Patton reacting to seeing his son; the reunion at the end.
- The Godzilla drive-by dig at the beginning of the movie.
- The movie being on the Criterion Collection.
- The wide shot of a burning Twin Tower after the NYC asteroid attack – 'fucking creepy' in hindsight.
- Rockhound's (Buscemi) sexual deviancy jokes, particularly the repeated 'I thought they were over 18' lines.
- The 150-minute runtime – should be about 130 minutes.
- Bruce Willis's hair/rug.
- Schwarzenegger was considered for Harry Stamper.
- Milla Jovovich and Robin Wright both turned down the Grace role before Liv Tyler.
- Bill proposes recasting Liv Tyler with Angelina Jolie (Shea is furious).
Carl the asteroid spotter: 'I want to name her Dottie after my wife. She's a vicious life-sucking bitch from which there is no escape.'
Michael Bay taking a shot at Godzilla in his second major film – 'the heat check of all heat checks.' In only his third movie, he does a drive-by on a competitor's film.
William Fichtner – nearly transcends 'that guy' status but still qualifies as the A-1 'that guy.'
- Michael Bay – the consensus pick ('the Bay-pex'). Parlays this into getting Pearl Harbor greenlit with unlimited resources.
- Bruce Willis – Bill makes a 'second apex' case: married to Demi Moore, powerful enough to get Disney to absorb Broadway Brawler costs, about to do Sixth Sense and Unbreakable.
- Billy Bob Thornton – Chris makes a strong case that he elevates this movie more than any other film he's been in.
- Will Patton's ex-wife taking him back instantly after she sees he's on the hero crew.
- The president has no name despite multiple scenes and a speech.
- The communication blackout is established then suddenly Bruce Willis gets crystal-clear HD video with Liv Tyler at the end.
- Affleck crash-landing thousands of miles from the crew then driving over in what seems like minutes.
- The timeline: an asteroid is heading for Earth yet they take 12 days of training and let the guys have a night out.
Bill bumps Liv Tyler and replaces her with Angelina Jolie. The hosts note Jolie and Affleck would have hooked up on set, creating a massive love triangle with Gwyneth Paltrow.
- Four postgraduate physics students published a 2007 paper: the bomb would need to be a billion times stronger than the biggest ever detonated.
- NASA shows this film during management training; at least 168 errors have been identified.
- This was the last LaserDisc ever released on the Criterion Collection (#384).
- Scott Rosenberg was brought in to beef up the love story after Titanic's success.
Billy Bob Thornton – consensus winner among three of four hosts. The 'fourth guy' elevated the film more than anyone. Shea picks Will Patton.
- Why didn't they just teach astronauts to drill? (the famous Affleck commentary question).
- What are Harry Stamper's next 20 years? Eventually 'canceled' when anti-fossil-fuel sentiment catches up.
- Can Affleck ever break up with Liv Tyler after her dad sacrificed himself?