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Episode #769: Gladiator (W❤️M)

“This will be a particularly ignorant episode… from an historical standpoint” - Steve, on WHM’s lack of history education

On this week’s special We ❤️ Movies episode, we’re chatting about Royal Rid’s 2000-era action epic, Gladiator! How great of a run did this film set off for Russell Crowe? How easily eerie is Joaquin here? Did Jesse Ventura try to snag an audition along with Sven-Ole? How intense is that tiger sequence? Is the CGI’d Oliver Reed the first cinematic instance of Hollywood going to Tarkin Town and should we be calling it Oliver Reed-ville instead? And how funny is that “They Say No” decapitation? PLUS: How is this movie only one of THREE times Royal Rid was nominated for Best Director?

Gladiator stars Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Richard Harris, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, David Schofield, John Shrapnel, Ralf Moeller, Spencer Treat Clark, David Hemmings, Tommy Flanagan, Sven-Ole Thorsen, and Oliver Reed as Proximo; directed by Ridley Scott.

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Be sure to catch us in Boston for our final show of the year! We’ll be talking about the film Pretty Woman at Laugh Boston on December 4! It’s our last stop on the road before we hibernate until next year, so we wanna see you out there! Click through here to get your tickets!

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Original cover art by Felipe Sobreiro.

Episode #769: Gladiator (W❤️M) Episode #769: Gladiator (W❤️M)
Episode #769: Gladiator (W❤️M) Episode #769: Gladiator (W❤️M)

Comments

The really big gladiator guy played the final monster in Buffy's The Initiative college season (4). He was the Frankensteined together Adam.

Billie Jackson

He’s the most contrarian film critic of all time.

jribs

Did the guys really not know that the Emporors would give the citizens free bread at the games? Hence the phase, "bread and circuses". I hope someone got fired for that blunder.

Les Whinen

The music cue Andrew hummed isn't a Hans original - or a Klaus rip off. Pirates & Gladiator stole it. It's "Mars" from the Planets suite by Holst - over 100 years old.

Matthew Kennedy

Great episode! Also, I’m here for a The Quick And The Dead WLM. Just rewatched it last week and it’s such fantastic fun. Plus, it’s the first Crowe/Thorson collaboration! You guys have done a ton of Sven-Ole’s movies but there’s still enough left to give us Thorsgiving one year.

HockeenightsCT

Yeees Kingdom of Heaven DC shout outs! Did Eric ever get around to Spartacus: Blood and Sand?

Tala Hobballah

I would like to see the hidden "Spacey cut" of All the Money in the World out of morbid curiosity. I'll never forget how creepy he looked wearing that old man makeup in the first trailer.

Z

Once again, Steve comes through with some A+ Catholic jokes.

Erin Hardy

Oh, awesome! - Andrew

We Hate Movies

Way better than 1492 too

Smaug

Did Chris say that Elysium is Blomkamp's best movie? Saying Elysium is better than District 9 is a ridiculous assertion

Smaug

Duh, we did bad

Les Whinen

I do it now because I am a cool grownup, but as a 12yo in 2000? No way I'm sneaking into this. I'm not allowed! All the stabbing is too scary! 🫣

Rose Esposito

Agreed, a miniseries would've drawn out the creepiness more effectively. But we already have Midnight Mass, and it's basically the same idea and it's great, so...?

Rose Esposito

Great episode as always, but I have a legit question about out this movie: Proximo (Midnight?) says that Jor-El can earn his freedom in the big scene where he tells him to work the crowd…but couldn’t he just free him anytime he wants as his owner?

Jonnie Sea

Sounds like the instructions my allergist gives me when ask I question about changing my meds.

Jason

An ex of mine was an extra in the opening sequence! It’s filmed in a very boring place called Frensham Pond in Surrey, UK. He go to to wear furs and yell a lot first thing in the morning in the winter

Alex Fry

I don't know, I'm in the midst of a Ridley rewatch and Gladiator is still leagues ahead of stuff like Robin Hood or Someone to Watch Over Me.

profondo robbo

You're good. I took my poor friends to see Battlefield Earth for some fucking reason on my birthday and after we left that piece of shit they poked their heads into Gladiator and I was worried we were going to get in trouble and didn't go in and kept watch

Lance Flexington

You just dust it off, it's still good

Lance Flexington

One of Ridley’s worst. Watch his director’s cut of Kingdom of Heaven. Gladiator is one of the most overrated movies of all time.

Trey McKinley

Just saw a video of Russell Crowe saying Ridley Scott loved his take but asked for less snot. lol

Jaime Lee Ezell

I’m head bee guy

Jaime Lee Ezell

Once I learned the puddle of mayonnaise they were parading in front of the screen was Pullman’s son I felt both sick for Bill Pullman producing such blah and also relief that I could shut off the movie. If your nepo baby star looks like a Cheers background actor, the studios put zero money behind it. I think the Hooper 80s tv-series is watchable and has some excellent scenes, plus a leading man that looks like a hungover trucker pretending to be a writer in his 40s but could be mistaken for 60. That’s the type of leading man I like

RJ Cunningham

RJ Cunningham

Sleeping Dogs is worth a watch, threw that on recently and had fun.

FiddlersGreenDay

I've never heard of this Keeping The Faith, but it sounds like a laugh riot!

Evan

5! It was pleasantly average.

Rod

Outta 10?

RJ Cunningham

Also love the Beerfest recognition by Cabin. That movie is good. I swear that movie is decent. I also don’t find Super Troopers funny which most do, so mileage may vary

RJ Cunningham

I wasn’t not not entertained by this episode.

jribs

Don't get the guy whose watching a bee in a jar Well placed reference

Joey T

Yes that effect actually looks good, and the vampire clinging to the wall being pushed back, really cool visual. I've never seen the return but I liked Hoopers Salem's Lot, two scenes are burned in my brain from that.

Watch_N_Rewatch

Agree so hard with the “hands on wheat” scene being legitimately famous and well-known as an all time movie moment. We’re sick of it now, but the color/light combo, the stuttered timing, it’s fucking beautiful. Got called out for it hard by my fellow high school A/V club gang when I stole that for a movie we made and tried to play it off at first like I wasn’t stealing it It’s too bad Zack Snyder tried to make an entire movie with that shots aesthetic and wore out its welcome

RJ Cunningham

Another nice underseen Oliver Reed movie is SITTING TARGET which also features a young and scuzzy Ian McShane.

Mark Ibarra

I kinda like when the crosses turned into flashlights. Nvr seen any of the others before so watched the Hooper one and Return To and kinda like Return most out of all of them.

Darryl Bowen

The Brood should definitely be a WHM commentary

Kevin Lynch

Thinking back to my long-deceased dad, who would almost unfailingly make the "Airplane!" joke when this movie (often) popped up on cable. Good times.

Mark Ibarra

I'd be curious to try doing that with my son, because I have to practically glue water bottles and Candy to his hands to get him to bring outside food into the theater. I think he thinks we'll be thrown in the slammer

Mark Ibarra

Your u571 story unlocked a memory for me about trying to get into an r rated film....I was trying to get into scary movie and they were actually Id checkng and I was still under 18 and idless so instead of walking off and thinking I'd look foolish i went and get a ticket to the perfect storm...and fell asleep...this same theater wasn't id checking for gladiator though cause my friennds and I were able to get into that...and I also remember them doing that ticket trick of buying 2 but reusing it let more people in...this was before the time of assigned seating of course.

Frank Grimes

Holy shit finally Salem's Lot 2024 has been mentioned ! Please tell me someone else saw this, I loved the book, one of my favorites. But this movie wasn't half bad, James Wan helped out and the opening credits are so damn good! Decent movie but some plot holes eh

Watch_N_Rewatch

Second comment: the new Salem's Lot movie is a bad adaptation yet not a bad vampire movie. It should have been a mini-series. It's a "meh" at best.

DMAC

Royal Rid! What a beautiful movie and quality memorable scenes. The trippy ethereal shot of Russel Crowes body hovering over the ground rules. Great EP Boys! "What is his definition of entertainment?!" 😂

Watch_N_Rewatch

100% can confirm being an absolute Weiner as a teen, my cousin and I paid to see 3 movies on a Sunday and didn't sneak into any of them.

Watch_N_Rewatch

Heir Bud

Paddy O'Rourke

The moment the term "Gladiator Academy" was uttered the Police Academy theme entered my head and without missing a beat Erik chimed in with "MAHONEY!"

James C Harris

After seeing Rebel Moon, I am sure as shit Zack Snyder's personal afterlife would be nothing but wheat fields.

CharlesGrodin'sToupee

ALSO a former multiplex drone and I've also been the giver and receiver of the dreaded "Where do you think you're going?"

Matt

Watched this last night and quickly realized I’d never ever seen the first 35 minutes of this movie.🤣 Such a great movie though!

Nena Aguilar

When I went to see Pearl Harbor the theater was filled with little old ladies, it was kind of adorable.

Michael Daniels

I think that's a lot of it, but when he frees the prisoners you can see it's sort of digital. Doesn't move his face which helps

Cobra_ss

Ive got a bunch of those still, the Castaway trailer with Braveheart music got played a lot

Cobra_ss

I did it for Pearl Harbour after watching Shrek, glad i didnt pay for that

Cobra_ss

Someone please tell me I'm not the only huge fucking dork who wouldn't sneak into a movie because it was against the rules.

Michael Daniels

I could be merciful, MARK!

DMAC

I thought they just did it with clever editing? Had a double stand in where he got stabbed and the “shadows and dust” was just an alternative take from the earlier scene.

Craig

"Marcus Aurlieus could have just written down for Maximus" Guys if there's one thing Marcus Aurlieus never did, it was write things done to be remembered posthumously .

Stewart Ward

I love historical movies about the Roman Empire because there are so many sandals in them. I look at all the sandals and go, "Man, that's a lot of sandals."

Eren Keskin

I got the annual Empire magazine dvd-rom of summer movie trailers and the Gladiator teaser trailer is still one of the best - even better than the movie

Jan

Gotta rewatch this soon! Have y’all seen the video that’s like “how gladiator fans eat popcorn” and it’s a hand awkwardly rubbing over the popcorn while the music from the end of the movie plays? Also, my video teacher made us watch a video talking about how they deep faked Oliver Reed. This would have been like 2007. Exciting technology back then, I guess.

Lar

Honestly I didn’t notice the Oliver Reed deep fake and I was sober watching the movie

Luke Gordnier

1996 my friend and I wanted to see Mel Gibsons Ransom while my mom saw Mirror Has Two Faces but she wouldn't get me tickets for it. My friend was able to get a ticket for Ransom, but I got carded cause I looked young and has to by for Mirror. The usher standing in front of Ransom stopped me and got chased into Mirror and hunkered with my mom. I tried a few times to sneak into Ransom with my friend but the usher was camped out there and I couldn't leave Mirror. As it was ending, he and a few other ushers walked in and started walking toward me like a mob hit was about to happen. Instead of standing my ground with my mom I turned and ran fir the back of the theater fir the emergency exit and waited for my mom outside. My friend didn't enjoy Ransom, my mom didn't enjoy mirror due to stomach issues and my shenanigans, and I've yet to of ever watched Ransom.

Darryl Bowen

Just got back from seeing Gladiator 2. Solid 2.5 - had a good time. Psyched for the ep!

Rod


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