Podcast Summary: "A House of Dynamite" Is Ready to Explode

The Big Picture | The Ringer | October 27, 2025
Hosts: Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins (with Adam Naiman)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins dive into Kathryn Bigelow's latest film, A House of Dynamite—her first movie in eight years, now streaming on Netflix. They discuss the movie's tense premise about a potential nuclear attack on the U.S., its structure and cast, and what it says about the state of both American cinema and the world. The conversation also explores evolving moviegoing habits, the box office landscape, and shifts in the film industry, with special guest Adam Naiman later joining to review Kelly Reichardt’s "The Mastermind."

Key Discussion Points

1. Box Office Trends & Theatrical Evolution (02:00–11:30)

• Anime's Surge at the Box Office:

  • Chainsaw Man is #1, reflecting anime’s growing mainstream appeal in U.S. theaters—once reliant on star-driven films, now overtaken by eventized genres (02:00–04:04).
  • "Anime fandom and the box office. The idea that literally Sony distributing huge movies in the anime world, like Demon Slayer... something is changing." —Sean Fennessey (02:23)

• Eventization of Moviegoing:

  • Not just in big cities; Cinemark is building IMAX 70mm screens in secondary markets—a shift toward premium formats and making going to the movies an "event" (04:09–06:34).
  • Amanda likens current moviegoing to concerts: fewer events, but with higher dedication and spending (05:19).

• Changing Audience Behavior:

  • Less casual discovery; audiences now prioritize established connections (franchises, premium experiences) over spontaneous viewings of adult dramas.
  • "The market is smaller, so that is bad for rapacious corporations that only want to use it to make money. But I don't know, we like movies." —Amanda Dobbins (10:09)

2. Review: A House of Dynamite (13:03–55:47)

Basic Details & Rollout (13:03–14:35)

• Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, written by Noah Oppenheim.
• Cast includes Idris Elba (President), Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, and more.
• The plot: U.S. military detects a nuclear missile headed for Chicago; various government factions scramble in response.

Initial Reactions

• Amanda saw it at Venice, loved the tension and pace, found it effective both at the festival and at home:
  "I found myself, like, very, very jittery. And I think that's what it's trying to do" (16:41).
• Sean went in with high expectations, loved the first third, but found the finale deeply disappointing:
  "I found the third act to be like, pretty much a fiasco. It is really one of the most, like, disappointing things I've seen in a movie in a while." (18:46)

Film Structure and Character Breakdown

• The movie unfolds in a repeating triptych of 18-minute sequences from perspectives inside different government agencies (the Situation Room, NSA, DoD, FEMA, etc.) (19:32–20:54).
• Each time, more information is revealed about bumbling bureaucracy and human frailty in nuclear crisis scenarios.
• The story foregrounds Rebecca Ferguson’s Situation Room officer, balancing professionalism with maternal anxiety:
  "She's up at 4:30 in the morning with her sick toddler... Very humanizing moment." —Sean (22:00)
  • Emotional stakes are grounded by moments like her prepping a "dead list" of potential survivors (27:06).
• Notably, the script sidelines several promising female characters.

Bigelow’s Style and Thematic Interests

• The film leans into contemporary fears of disaster preparedness and the randomness of fate—who ends up making world-altering decisions (23:43–24:49).
• Amanda: "We're fucked. You know, that we are living in a world and we are not thinking about the fact that everyone is armed and this can happen in two seconds, and there's really nothing you can do, and there are no good options." (24:31)

Critiques of Execution

• Weak Third Act: Both hosts agree the movie stumbles in its last section, especially concerning the President (Idris Elba):
  • Elba’s performance: "He has no gravitas. And when he's trying to do a little bit of a folksy accent thing, that doesn't really work..." —Sean (43:35)
  • Amanda: "As Zach said, it's a really bad Idris Elba performance, also, which is very confusing. This is usually very good." (43:35)
  • Structural repetition loses tension and feels less justified as the film proceeds.
• On-the-Nose Metaphors:
  • Stagey invocation of the film’s title, doubled down in both dialogue and act breaks.
  • Over-explicit symbolism—e.g., a Gettysburg reenactment as backdrop for a conversation about nuclear war.
    "Really bad writing. Silly. It is like the most hat on a hat thing ever." —Sean (35:49)
• Unresolved, Deflating Ending:
  • The film ends ambiguously, refusing clear resolution in favor of existential bleakness.
    "One of the most, like, kick the full bucket of paint into the street movie endings to a movie I've ever seen where I'm just like, what the fuck?" —Sean (50:19)
  • Amanda accepts the ambiguity, but agrees it feels dramatically unsatisfying.
  • Reports of critics laughing or groaning at the NY Film Festival screening (55:00).

Memorable Quotes

• "Being right is not the solution. It is working together with people to better understand one another, to try to fix things over the long term." —Sean (30:16)
• [About the President] "To me, this is just a complete failure of casting. This is a 53 year old British man being asked to shoot a basketball in the movie. Not a good choice." —Sean (42:17)
• "I wish that the Idris stuff and the stuff in the plane ... were performed at a higher level, and I wish that that hit, because the essential nature ... is, like, it all comes down to one guy, like, on a plane in three minutes with, like, a diner menu in front of them. And also think about the guy in question, like, right now, who's making those decisions. Like, it's not good." —Amanda (51:00)

Oscar Prospects & Technical Elements (58:47–65:00)

• With mixed reviews, the film has dropped out of Best Picture contention.
• Possible nominations: sound design & score (Volker Bertelmann), but the field is crowded.
• Amanda bluntly: "I would like it on the record that I think that this film is better than House of Dynamite. This is a better movie and a better movie about America and the American condition." (81:36)

Bigelow's Overall Career

• Both hosts agree Point Break is still her best film ("Yeah, I think that's."—Sean, 66:05).
• General sense of disappointment that A House of Dynamite doesn’t live up to her highest work, but respect and affection for her talent remains.

3. Kelly Reichardt's The Mastermind: Guest Adam Naiman Joins (69:35–93:12)

Film Summary

• Reichardt’s “The Mastermind” stars Josh O’Connor as an inept would-be art thief in 1970s New England, examining male delusion and American malaise.
• Adam notes Reichardt's characteristic focus on rootless, unsatisfied Americans, and applauds the film’s dry, sometimes “mean” sense of humor (73:23).

Highlights

• The protagonist’s narcissism and lack of real ideology are hilariously skewered; the film directly and indirectly compares his failings to America’s own during Vietnam/Watergate.
  • "A domestic deserter ... and he doesn't even have the paintings to show for it." —Adam (79:21)
• The ending deliberately avoids uplifting closure, instead holding focus on the futility of ego-driven, pointless schemes.
  • Sean: "The air out of the balloon at the end of this movie I found to be very effective. ... there is something very intentional and ... very subtle but very sophisticated..." (80:30)
• Consensus: It’s one of Reichardt’s best, and a richer examination of American brokenness than A House of Dynamite.

Josh O’Connor: The New Leading Man

• The hosts and Adam praise O’Connor’s extraordinary run (from Challengers to La Chimera, Wake Up Deadman, etc.), calling him dynamic, singular, and versatile—and a magnet for top directors (85:04–88:20).
  • "He doesn't speak very much in all of those movies, pretty much... I'm a huge fan." —Amanda (88:18)
• Reichardt’s skewering of male vanity aligns with O’Connor’s ability to oscillate between charm and pathos.

Distribution and State of Indie Cinema

• The group lauds Mubi and other small distributors for supporting filmmakers like Reichardt in a perilous time for indie theatrical.
• Adam adds context from Toronto: rep houses and art screens struggle to give small movies a proper shot, despite festival rhythms (96:56).

Notable Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Movies as Hobbies:
  "It does feel like moviegoing is getting a little closer to stamp collecting or the jazz clubs in Ghost. But as long as people. It's like open to anybody to participate." —Sean (11:39)

• On Oscar Chances:
  “Kind of tough to get editing without a Best Picture nomination.” —Sean (63:00)

Key Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------------------------|----------------| | Box Office, Anime, Eventization of Moviegoing | 02:00–11:30 | | Introduction to A House of Dynamite Review | 13:03–14:35 | | Amanda’s Venice Experience & Initial Reactions | 14:12–16:41 | | Film Structure/Character Overview | 19:32–22:00 | | On Ferguson’s Heroine & Realism of Nuclear Scenarios | 22:42–24:49 | | Critiques: Gender, Writing, and Rashomon Comparison | 20:54, 32:34 | | Breakdown of Flawed Third Act & Ending | 43:35–55:41 | | Oscar Prospects, Technical Tributes | 58:47–65:56 | | Bigelow’s Career in Perspective | 66:00–68:49 | | The Mastermind Review with Adam Naiman | 69:35–93:12 |

Conclusion

Sean, Amanda, and Adam deliver a rich, spirited conversation. While A House of Dynamite shows flashes of Kathryn Bigelow’s old brilliance, especially in its nerve-wracking opening act, it ultimately falters due to a miscast President, awkward writing, and an unsatisfying finale. The review is further enhanced by insightful industry discussion (anime boom, eventized cinema, the "hyper niche" era), sharp criticism of script and performance missteps, and a striking comparison between how two contemporary directors (Bigelow, Reichardt) treat American societal rot. The episode is essential listening for movie lovers wanting both in-depth review and big-picture film culture analysis.