The Big Picture — Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ and the Best Frankenstein Movies. Plus: Jennifer Lawrence Is Ablaze in ‘Die My Love.’

Hosts: Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins
Guest: Rob Mahoney
Date: November 7, 2025

Episode Overview

On this episode, Sean, Amanda, and Rob dive into Guillermo del Toro's long-awaited, Netflix-released ‘Frankenstein’ adaptation, dissecting its visual style, narrative choices, and place within both classic and modern Frankenstein storytelling. They also review Lynne Ramsay's hallucinatory and harrowing postpartum drama ‘Die My Love,’ starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, and discuss its honest depiction of motherhood and alienation. Plus, the group touches on industry news (the Michael Jackson biopic, Mona Fastvold’s new film, Miss Piggy movie in development), Frankenstein films through the decades, and this year’s Oscars prospects.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Industry News & Trailer Reactions (01:43–10:18)

• Antoine Fuqua’s 'Michael' Trailer

  • The hosts mock the sanitized approach of the Michael Jackson biopic.
  • Amanda: “I watched it under duress … this just seems like a real big headache, you know, and we have a job and if we still have this job in April 2026, like, I’ll see it…”
  • Rob: “It looks low rent. It looks like an extension of the Bob Marley into Bruce Springsteen devolution that we’re all going through with this film.” (03:23)
  • Discussion of legal entanglements affecting the script and delayed release, including the possibility the film will be split into parts and lack of willingness to tackle controversial topics.
  • Sean: “There is a polish to the cinematography and production design that almost feels like AI.”

• Mona Fastvold's 'The Testament of Anne Lee'

  • Trailer praise: mysterious, rhythmic, thematically intriguing.
  • Amanda: “It’s appropriately mysterious...and I’m really excited that it got acquired and is gonna be in the mix.” (08:09)
  • Rob: “Anytime you can put Amanda Seyfried in your movie, you should also do that.” (07:49)

• Miss Piggy Movie Development

  • Discuss the irreverent approach, Emma Stone’s Muppet fandom, and viral development tales.
  • Sean: “As a longtime Muppets dork, this is incredible news.” (09:24)

Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' Deep Dive

Opening & Cast (10:18–11:25)

• Written/directed by Guillermo del Toro.
• Stars Oscar Isaac (Victor Frankenstein), Jacob Elordi (the Creature), Mia Goth, Charles Dance, Felix Kammerer, Christoph Waltz.
• Classic setup: scientist creates new life—“learning how to be a dad of the undead.” (11:03)

Host Relationships to Frankenstein (11:25–13:23)

• None feel deep affection for “Frankenstein” as a story.
• Rob: “The problem is that many of [the movies] are not very good...the iconography is there, but there’s not a lot of soul there, you know?” (11:54)

General Impressions & Visual Style (13:23–16:56)

• Rob: Liked the movie but didn’t love it. Praises del Toro’s spirit of reimagining.

• Amanda: Finds it visually unappealing—“I do not like the way that it looks visually and that I don’t really care that much about Frankenstein, the story, I find the interpretation of this story a little facile…” (14:53)

• Both Sean and Amanda critical of Netflix-era del Toro’s “flat,” desaturated visuals.

  Notable Quote:

  • Sean: “I don’t hate this movie, but I definitely don’t love it...there’s things I admire about it and things I really like, borderline revile about it.” (15:52)

Thematic Depth & Literalism (16:56–18:46)

• Amanda: Criticizes the lack of nuance—“Brother, you are the monster. You know, I groaned the first time...There’s no nuance, and there’s not a lot of thematic depth…” (16:40)
• Rob: Del Toro often makes archetypes explicit, sometimes at expense of subtlety—“There are three lines in every movie he makes...Did you really have to say that out loud?” (17:47)

Del Toro Repetition & Archetype (18:46–20:14)

• The team note del Toro’s repeated exploration of misunderstood monsters, empathy for outcasts, and the thin line between monster/human.
• Sean: “He keeps going back to that concept over and over again...He just sees himself as the monster...” (19:38)

Pacing, Structure, and Performances (20:14–24:55)

• Split into two uneven parts: “The Creator’s Tale” and “The Creature’s Tale.” The latter, driven by Jacob Elordi’s performance, is more involving and powerful.

• Oscar Isaac’s performance is described as “broad” and lacking emotional subtlety.

• Much of the first half is seen as sluggish and overlong; question of “who says no to this guy?” in career editing at this point.

  Notable Moment:

  • Amanda: “Why didn’t you just make the second half?” (21:07)

Visual Effects, Production Design, & Flatness (24:55–26:03)

• Critiques of CGI: action sequences (e.g., the Arctic prelude) described as underwhelming.
• Costumes praised, especially Mia Goth’s use of red amidst desaturation.
• Rob: “This is so gray…other than Elizabeth’s dresses where they just have her styled to look like a big old bug in a way that I really do like.” (24:34)

What Works: Elordi's Creature & Thematic Shifts (26:03–34:20)

• Rob: Applauds the empathy and depth given to the Creature, contrasting with Victor’s limited motivations.
• Sean: “If you make the monster wholly sympathetic...it kind of drains the juice from the story and it makes it Twilight.” (30:24)
• Practical creature design by Mike Hill (also worked on Hellboy, The Shape of Water) receives high marks.
• Elordi’s performance likened to silent cinema acting: expressive, present, sympathetic.
• They debate the “power level”/immortality of this new Frankenstein’s monster.

Science Corner & Mythos (37:00–41:38)

• Humorous break dissecting the logistics and “science” of Frankenstein’s assembly, electricity, lymphatic systems, and hubris.
• Amanda: “So we learn that there’s some sort of electricity that they gotta plug into the double lymphatic system, which is just above the horizontal heart…” (37:08)

The Ending (39:31–40:57)

• Del Toro pivots to forgiveness over vengeance; the Creature’s journey concludes standing alone in sunlight—fulfilling symbolic life.
• Rob: “If you were burdened with eternal life...the greatest thing you could do would be to forgive the people who have wronged you.” (39:53)
• Sean: “That’s fine. That’s like a little Hallmark for me.” (40:57)

Awards Prospects & Del Toro’s Career Arc (47:59–55:35)

• Oscar chances dissected:

  • Strong below-the-line support (production design, costume, makeup), Best Picture off the strength of industry admiration, but Elordi faces a loaded supporting actor field.
  • Amanda: “Jacob Elordi is pretty good and also has a significant following of, you know, me and many other people.” (49:22)

• Del Toro’s continued work with archetypes and period settings; hosts express wishing for more original work akin to his early films.

  • Rob: “I would also love to see him make something contemporary for the first time in like 20 years… everything is period all the time.” (52:56)

The Best Frankenstein Movies (55:38–60:19)

• Sean presents a rapid rundown:

  • Universal's James Whale originals (Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein)
  • Hammer’s The Curse of Frankenstein
  • Paul Morrissey’s Flesh for Frankenstein
  • Depraved, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (Branagh/De Niro), and inspired-by films: Edward Scissorhands, Re-Animator, Rocky Horror, Poor Things, X-Files episode "Post-Modern Prometheus", Young Frankenstein, Frankenhooker, Weird Science, Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, Frankenweenie.

  Rob: "You have to let the monster and Victor be depraved. The best way…is to let the freak flag fly..." (56:51)

Lynne Ramsay’s ‘Die My Love’ — Raw Motherhood on Screen

Setup & Initial Reaction (60:36–62:27)

• Lawrence and Pattinson play a couple who move from NYC to Montana and experience the harrowing transitions of new parenthood.
• Amanda: “I have a pretty fraught relationship with, like, mom culture…but this spoke to me. This is about…the weird and terrifying experience of postpartum.” (62:13)

The Experience of Postpartum & Film’s Effect (64:07–68:47)

• Rob: “I spent most of this movie wanting to throw up. And I loved it…there’s a part of all of us that is hanging the wallpaper…and then there is the voice at the back of your head that just is telling you to run into the woods and never look back.” (64:07)
• Sean: “It’s very much in the tradition of all of Lynne Ramsey’s movies, which are about these experiences of, like, profound alienation and feeling completely disconnected and unable to really, like, be seen and understood.” (64:59)
• The movie’s impressionistic, dissociative style nails the emotional chaos of postpartum life versus “mommy culture” platitudes.
• Amanda: “It is really, really bizarre. So I loved it. I found myself a little disappointed when it got more literal.” (68:45)

Surrealism, Narrative Structure, and Jennifer Lawrence’s Performance (68:59–74:30)

• The group discusses the film’s struggle to balance experiential, impressionistic storytelling with literal explanations (the hospital sequence).
• Comparison to ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ — stories about female alienation are hard to make cinematic, but Ramsay pulls it off.
• Sean: “I've not done a 180 on a performer so dramatically…But I do think she has transformed herself into an amazing and fearless actor and she takes parts now…more audacious and bold.” (72:13)
• Amanda: “She is quite literally tits out, but not in a sexual way, in a this is…my body is leaking sort of way. And I loved it.” (73:23)
• Emma Stone’s “Jen’s the cat” quote is brought up as commentary on Lawrence’s unfiltered performance.

Supporting Cast, Husbands, and Parenting Cycles (75:45–78:08)

• Robert Pattinson as the husband—absent but not by choice; the movie isn’t about blaming, but communication voids in intimate partnerships.
• Sean: “It is like a constant obsession of mine…thinking about what my parents have given me and how I'm passing it on to another person.” (77:36)
• The group circles back to Frankenstein’s themes of creation and inheritance.

Awards Prospects for ‘Die My Love’ (80:24–82:26)

• Discusses Jennifer Lawrence’s Oscar chances (unlikely, despite career-best work), and the trend of “mom movies” during the season.
  • Amanda: “I think that Rose Byrne and Jessie Buckley are gonna, like, lead the mom contingent. And I would pick this over Emma Stone in Begonia, but I don’t think voters will.” (81:29)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Amanda on Frankenstein’s Literalism (16:40):
  “Brother, you are the monster...There’s no nuance, and there’s not a lot of thematic depth beyond...what is a human? And, like, what is man and what is monster? And how do they mix? And this is just like, a real literal…There’s no nuance.”

• Sean on Del Toro Era (15:52):
  “This is going to be...a divisive movie. I think there are people who have been following del Toro’s work very closely that love it, and there are people...that are kind of, like, a little sick of this…”

• Amanda on Postpartum (62:13):
  “This spoke to me. This is about…it is about the weird and terrifying experience of postpartum. It is about depression. It is about postpartum depression.”

• Rob on ‘Die My Love’ (64:07):
  “There’s a part of all of us that is hanging the wallpaper and baking the cake...and then there is the voice at the back of your head that just is telling you to run into the woods and never look back.”

• Amanda on Jennifer Lawrence’s Performance (73:23):
  “She is quite literally tits out, but not in a sexual way, in a this is…my body is leaking sort of way. And I loved it.”

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:43–10:18 – Industry/Trailer Talk (Michael Jackson, Testament of Anne Lee, Miss Piggy)
• 10:18–16:56 – 'Frankenstein' Introductions, Cast, Tone Setting
• 16:56–20:14 – Thematic analysis: literalism, archetype, repetition in del Toro’s work
• 20:14–24:55 – Structure, performances, pacing, and critiques
• 24:55–26:03 – Visuals, production design, color use
• 26:03–34:20 – What works: The Creature, Jacob Elordi, shifts from tradition
• 34:20–41:38 – Science in Frankenstein, narrative mechanics, creature’s power level
• 41:38–47:59 – Theater experience, Sean’s Jacob Elordi sighting
• 47:59–55:35 – Oscars debate (Best Picture, Supporting Actor), del Toro's career trends
• 55:38–60:19 – Rundown: Frankenstein movies new and old
• 60:36–82:26 – ‘Die My Love’ review: motherhood, style, Lawrence, awards chances

Tone & Closing Thoughts

The conversation is candid, irreverent, occasionally biting, but rich with insights about genre, adaptation, and how personal obsessions or lived experiences (parenthood, alienation) shape our responses as viewers. There’s comedic, human warmth—whether defending (or admitting to hating) monster movies, puncturing Oscar hype, or ruminating on parenthood’s messiness.

Sean (On Del Toro):
"I want the best for him…I hope he's happy and he shouldn't take any notes from me. He should do whatever he wants. But it's just something that I'm saying that I want." (54:30)

Amanda (On Men and Hobbies):
"Guys, actually, you can't create life. And so then you just—you make aliens and, like, create psychological dramas for yourself, and it's, like, not that complicated." (82:19)

Summary for the Uninitiated

If you missed the episode, here’s what you need to know:

• The hosts find del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ to be a visually flat, emotionally reductive, but at times ambitious work that succeeds most in its empathetic rendering of the Creature, with Jacob Elordi stealing the show. They crave more innovation and subtlety—especially from a director with del Toro’s pedigree.
• In contrast, Lynne Ramsay's ‘Die My Love’ is heralded as a visceral portrayal of postpartum life, alienation, and primal motherhood, anchored by an extraordinary Jennifer Lawrence performance. The group reflects on the universality of parenthood chaos through both films.
• Raucous detours on industry news and decades of Frankenstein adaptations round out the episode, keeping things lively.

Whether you’re here to parse Oscar odds, monster movie history, or the psychological depths of new mothers, this episode offers a feast—no monster creation required.

For full insight, check specific timestamps for favorite segments or momentous quotes as highlighted above.