Overview of Last Looks: Vertical Limit
This episode of How Did This Get Made? Last Looks revisits Vertical Limit with listener-submitted “corrections and omissions,” then shifts into a long Just Chat segment about Paul and June’s recent Disney cruise to Alaska. The episode closes by announcing the next Extreme Summer movie: Thrashin’.
Corrections and Omissions on Vertical Limit
Listener fact-checks and additional details
The segment is built around listener responses that clarify or add context to the movie and the podcast’s prior discussion:
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K2 cleanup is a real issue
A listener notes that climbers leave behind litter, equipment, and human waste on the mountain, and that cleanup is difficult at high altitude. -
Applebee’s is spiritually important to some people
The hosts revisit the idea that people can get irrationally attached to chain restaurants, using a Survivor clip about a contestant who broke down over missing her Wednesday burger tradition. -
The movie’s expositional choices are absurd
A listener points out that Annie’s status as the “fastest woman to scale a mountain” is revealed via a magazine page blown around by a helicopter—an unnecessarily clunky setup.
Callers on the phone
Several callers add more context and opinions:
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Dakota from Toledo
- Reminds the hosts that Temuera Morrison is in the film, not just young Ben Mendelsohn.
- Notes how uncomfortable the movie’s coughing, wheezing, and heavy breathing sound design becomes by the end.
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Dave
- Defends the movie as “super fun” and “unbelievable in the best way.”
- Argues that Scott Glenn’s shaved beard is a spiritual choice: he’s preparing to meet his wife in heaven as his “old self.”
- Says Bill Paxton’s commercial obsession is really about ego and control, not just the ad itself.
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Doug from Prince Edward Island
- Recalls seeing the film in theaters on a “toonie Tuesday.”
- Says his screening had visible boom mics and projection glitches, including a body hovering before hitting the snow.
- Suggests his odd experience may have been due to projection issues or a bad film mat.
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Iman
- Tells Paul that “fuckingcallpaul.com” is a better contact method than SpeakPipe and actually creates the website.
- Wins the segment’s prize for the effort: a humorous K2 barbecue box gag, extended into a joke about drone-delivered poop bags for mountain cleanup.
Extra deleted scene
Paul also shares a deleted bit featuring a bizarre Amazon review:
- A customer gives Vertical Limit five stars and asks Amazon to stop emailing them, as if the review request itself is harassment.
Just Chat: Disney Cruise to Alaska
Paul and June spend most of the second half talking about their recent Disney cruise, which they clearly loved.
What they loved
- The cruise felt multi-generational, with kids, adults, and older guests all having fun.
- They praise the Disney service level: staff interactions felt personal, warm, and memorable.
- The Alaska itinerary was a standout:
- Whale watching
- Glaciers and icebergs
- Water plane excursions
- Lumberjack show
- They loved the onboard entertainment:
- Movies on the giant screen
- Bingo
- A daily morning show hosted by ship staff
- The Diaper Dash baby race, which Paul describes like a tiny gladiatorial event
What changed their minds about Disney adults
June reflects on a TikTok argument defending Disney adults:
- Loving Disney can mean valuing imagination, whimsy, and childhood wonder.
- The cruise helped them see how Disney can reconnect adults and kids with that part of themselves.
- Their sons, initially skeptical, ended up fully into the experience.
Tiny complaints, mostly for form
They barely have complaints, but mention:
- A soda carbonation issue
- An ice machine outage for about an hour and a half
Even these are framed as proof the trip was otherwise excellent.
Favorite emotional detail
One of the most touching details they mention is the cruise’s habit of saying “until we meet again” instead of goodbye, which they both genuinely love.
What’s next: Thrashin’
Paul reveals the next Extreme Summer movie:
- Thrashin’ (1986)
- Starring Josh Brolin and Pamela Gidley
- Plot: two rival skateboarding gangs battle for supremacy, and there’s a romance across enemy lines
He highlights a Letterboxd review calling it “quite literally the most 80s movie to ever exist,” and says the movie was a childhood staple for him.
Key takeaway
This episode is a mix of:
- fan corrections and deep-cut trivia about Vertical Limit
- a playful defense of the movie’s absurdity
- a warm, detailed celebration of a Disney cruise to Alaska
- and a teaser for the next intentionally ridiculous Extreme Summer pick, Thrashin’