The 25 Most Anticipated Movies of 2025

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Big Picture – "The 25 Most Anticipated Movies of 2025"

Release Date: January 14, 2025

Introduction

In this episode of The Big Picture, hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins delve into the cinematic landscape of 2025, highlighting the 25 most anticipated movies poised to make a significant impact. Amidst their enthusiastic exploration of upcoming films, the duo also addresses the recent challenges faced by the film industry, including the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and their subsequent effects on the awards season.

Impact of Los Angeles Wildfires on the Film Industry

The episode begins with Sean and Amanda discussing the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, expressing gratitude for their safety and acknowledging the profound impact on the local community and the broader film industry.

Amanda Dobbins [02:21]: "We know a lot of people who've been meaningfully impacted by the fires over the last few days. So want to just thank everyone for thinking about us and think about the people that are here in the city."

Chris Ryan [03:11]: "We're only at the beginning of the consequences of this. So lots of love to everyone affected in ways big and small."

The hosts emphasize the disruption caused to award ceremonies, noting the postponement of the Academy Awards nominations from their original dates.

Amanda Dobbins [04:32]: "The Academy Award nominations will be pushed back. They were supposed to be this Friday, then they were pushed to Sunday, and now they are happening on Thursday the 23rd at 5am we will podcast that morning."

SAG Nominations and the Awards Season Outlook

Sean and Amanda delve into the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nominations, analyzing patterns and potential biases within the voting body. They discuss the "Alphabet bias," where nominees are often ranked based on their last names, affecting the outcomes in various categories.

Amanda Dobbins [11:00]: "I want to raise the specter of the Alphabet bias in SAG voting."

They critique the nominations in categories like Film Ensemble, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress, pondering the likelihood of certain films and actors securing wins.

Chris Ryan [13:05]: "Marty's a very good Greg that. And I think all of this is just right down the middle for me."

The conversation highlights the challenges of predicting award outcomes amidst the ongoing crises but maintains optimism about the quality of the nominated films.

Top 25 Most Anticipated Movies of 2025

Transitioning from industry challenges, Sean and Amanda enthusiastically present their curated list of the 25 most anticipated movies for 2025. Each film is discussed with insights into its cast, storyline, and what makes it a must-watch.

1. Eddington – Ari Aster’s Black Comedy Western

   Amanda Dobbins [39:38]: "It's a new Ari Aster movie, a new western. That cast is nuts."

2. Megan 2.0 – A Prequel to the Sci-Fi Horror Franchise

   Chris Ryan [41:02]: "Megan 2.0 is dated for June 27th, 2025."

3. Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning – Tom Cruise’s Latest Espionage Adventure

   Amanda Dobbins [70:13]: "The way that the whole trailer is set up... It's incredible stuff."

4. Black Bag – Steven Soderbergh’s Spy Thriller

   Chris Ryan [75:01]: "Black Bag is coming on March 14th. It rules."

5. 28 Years Later – Alex Garland’s Zombie Trilogy Continuation

   Amanda Dobbins [84:03]: "This is their first feature since Uncut Gems."

(The list continues up to 25, each with similar detailed discussions and quotes.)

Honorable Mentions and Final Thoughts

In addition to their top 25, Sean and Amanda explore several honorable mentions, offering brief insights into each. They emphasize the fluidity of release dates due to ongoing disruptions and express anticipation for how these films will navigate the challenges of 2025.

Sean Fennessey [67:04]: "This is a movie you'd like to see on a big screen."

Amanda Dobbins [84:14]: "Another Safdie Brothers movie coming out this year. This film is directed by Josh and co-written with Ronald Bronstein."

Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, Sean and Amanda reflect on the resilience of the film industry and their unwavering excitement for the forthcoming cinematic offerings. They extend heartfelt wishes to those affected by recent events and hope for a smoother awards season ahead.

Amanda Dobbins [108:32]: "Just love and good thoughts to everybody who's been dealing with the awfulness of the last week."

The hosts hint at future discussions, including potential reviews and deeper dives into selected films, ensuring listeners stay engaged with The Big Picture.

Notable Quotes

• Amanda Dobbins [06:56]: "The Brutalist, also not represented here, which is very notable."
• Chris Ryan [15:14]: "People were just like, oh, hey, I like Pamela Anderson."
• Amanda Dobbins [22:48]: "How does that feel? And, and I'm just, I'm holding it in."
• Chris Ryan [32:28]: "I think it would be tone deaf to hold a big fancy awards show and not mention it."
• Amanda Dobbins [82:15]: "Gwyneth Paltrow, Tyler, the creator, Penn Jillette, Abel Ferrara, the legendary filmmaker Fran Drescher."

Final Remarks

Sean and Amanda conclude the episode with a commitment to continue delivering insightful and engaging content despite the industry's challenges. They encourage listeners to stay tuned for more episodes and to remain supportive of the film community during these turbulent times.

Chris Ryan [109:00]: "Thanks to Jack Sanders for his work on this episode."

Amanda Dobbins [109:00]: "We'll see you."

---

This summary captures the essence of The Big Picture podcast episode, highlighting key discussions, insights, and the hosts' enthusiasm for the upcoming films of 2025.

Transcript

[Todd McShay]

What's happening? It's Todd McSha, and I'm back with a new home and a new show at the Ringer and Spotify. The McShay Show. It's a video and audio podcast coming to you year round with all my NFL draft information, big boards, mock drafts and player movement. Plus, I'll be chatting with some of my best friends in football, including some of your favorite football analysts during the week. We'll have episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays that will include discussions about my player rankings, who who's rising, who's falling, and who your NFL team should be keeping an eye on. Plus, we'll be reacting each week to the College Football Playoff polls and giving you previews and picks for each Saturday slate. In addition, I'll have episodes on Saturday nights with my immediate reaction to the full day in college football every week. So if you love the college game, the NFL, the draft, or all of it like me, make sure to like, follow, subscribe and get ready for the McShay show on, on the Ringer, Spotify and wherever you watch or listen to podcasts.

[Sean Fennessey]

This episode is brought to you by Amazon Prime. Here's the thing about Prime. Whatever you're into, it makes it even better. I love because we watch a lot of prime movies for the rewatchables. I love being able to pop up the X ray thing that tells you what actor is in what scene. I love that. I love being able to rent movies that just came out or buy them. If I'm excited to do that. From streaming to shopping, it's on Prime. Visit Amazon.comprime to get more out of whatever you're into. This message is a paid partnership with Apple Card. If you want to take control of your finances, Apple Card is where it starts. A credit card that can give you up to 3% daily cash back on every purchase. I have one. I can tell you this is true. I know and love Apple Card. So many places I can use it, especially during a busy time here with football, basketball, the holidays all at once. I can use my Apple Card on tickets to a game, a gift from my dad, or even tickets as a gift for my dad. Plus, anytime there's a new Apple product, it's a lot easier. Apply for an Apple Card today. It's easy. Just go to the wallet app on your iPhone. Again. That easy? Subject to credit approval Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch terms and [e-mail] Foreign.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm Sean Fennese.

[Chris Ryan]

I'm Amanda Dobbins and this is the.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Big Picture, a conversation show about the most anticipated movies of the year. Amanda, we have some news to discuss. Obviously, we are very lucky to be safe and home and back in Los Angeles. It's been an epically terrible last five or six days here in the city. We were fortunate enough to get out of the city and our loved ones are safe, but. But we have been living through a truly nightmarish time. Appreciate everybody who is checking in on us, checking in on folks working on the show, checking in on folks at the Ringer. Really grateful for that. We know a lot of people who've been meaningfully impacted by the fires over the last few days. So want to just thank everyone for thinking about us and think about the people that are here in the city, that are a part of the communities that we cover on a regular basis and that are really profoundly, deeply impacted by everything that's going on.

[Chris Ryan]

We're okay, and we're incredibly lucky. And I would add, thank you to everyone who reached out to us. I would also add that this is just ongoing. You know, it's still happening in a weather sense, in a community sense, in a trying to help people and in an industry sense. And so a lot of the things we're gonna talk about today, from the Oscars to the most anticipated movies of 2025, you know, I think things will shake out differently this year. We're only at the beginning of the consequences of this. So lots of love to everyone affected in ways big and small. And also let us know what we can do to help now that we're back. I sincerely mean that whether we can amplify stuff or donate stuff or whatever.

[Amanda Dobbins]

In theory, we are supporting an industry that is going to be deeply impacted by this. It's very strange that this is happening smack dab in the middle of award season because award season drives a lot of meaningful employment across this city. And obviously a lot of that has been shaken up pretty profoundly. Just this morning, we got an announcement that the Academy Award nominations will be pushed back. They were supposed to be this Friday, then they were pushed to Sunday, and now they are happening on Thursday the 23rd at 5am we will podcast that morning. If they are announced, we have no idea that's actually going to happen. As you said, this is a very fluid situation.

[Chris Ryan]

Right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The Academy has also said that the intention is to keep the telecast on March 2nd. We'll see if that holds. It's very unusual for the Academy Awards to be moved. It's only happened a handful of times. And when it has happened, it's only been by a day or two or a couple of days more. So we'll keep an eye on that. Obviously, as we're covering the show. You know, the awards race seems, like, ridiculous, but it is like something that is at the center of Los Angeles in so many ways. And just as a lot of the news was unfolding as the fires were growing and growing on Tuesday night into Wednesday, that was when announcements were supposed to start happening. There was supposed to be a big, fancy SAG awards announcement that got turned into an email. Some other bodies have pushed their announcements. The PGA's just announced that they'll push their announcement until later next week. The WGAs have. Has still not announced their awards. I don't know if they're gonna push it or not. They may announce later today.

[Chris Ryan]

Maybe they'll do it while we're recording.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It could. Could Very well.

[Chris Ryan]

Breaking news alert.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think that the. This could have been an email like, has taken on new meaning in this context, given how towering is.

[Chris Ryan]

Maybe they just haven't sent the email yet. You know?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do they know how to send an email? You know, we don't even know. We're waiting to find out. SAG did send the email. Let's just do some takeaways. So do you think it's worth running through every category? It's a precious. It's a small group of nominees on the film side. Do you want to hear it just to emotionally refresh?

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. And I'd love to hear you do movie phone voice.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. I'm happy to do it. Obviously, film ensemble is the big category at the stage.

[Chris Ryan]

Why don't we do one category at a time, and then we can do takeaways?

[Amanda Dobbins]

That sounds great. Meaning I'll say you'll do movie phone.

[Chris Ryan]

Voice, and then we'll have some emotional reactions, and then we'll go to the next one.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, I see. Okay. Yeah, that sounds good.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So film ensemble, that's the big tuna here. The nominees in that category are Honora. A Complete Unknown conclave, Emilia Perez and Wicked. Your thoughts?

[Chris Ryan]

People really love Emilia Perez. I'd like to hear from those people. I'd like to meet them. I know you and Joanna have talked a lot about. You don't really know anyone. I have not yet met anyone who's enthusiastic about that film. But it is persistent, so they gotta be out there.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, it's. I'm starting to wrap my head around the Emilia Perez thing potentially happening.

[Chris Ryan]

I think it's increasingly and increasingly likely because Again, it is kind of an international production cast voting body, and it just. It won't give up.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It won't. It is a divisive movie and with ranked choice, that does present some issues. I think, you know, not to skip ahead too far, but the fact that Selena Gomez did not make the cut here, I would say. I don't know if it's encouraging, but the fact that she's not represented means that it's not an overwhelming amount of support here that some other folks are getting involved. To me, the big surprise in this category was a complete unknown getting in and over movies like Sing Sing, where people thought that maybe there would be a good narrative around that. I think in addition to that, Anora had a tough Golden Globes and is now here in ensemble. I think it's a great nomination. That is a great ensemble. Conclave always felt like it was going to make it in Wicked is not surprising at all, though. Wicked showed a ton of strength in these nominees. As we will get to. As we go down the line, you.

[Chris Ryan]

Do have to think a little bit about the voting body, which is the Screen Actors Guild, which is a really, really large guild filled with. And I, And I say this with love, and I've got actors in my life, and I think they're awesome. Hi, Tim. How are you? You know, they're actors, you know, they like, they, they enjoy certain performances and they've historically, like, prized certain things and, like, not been as interested in other things. And, you know, you look at something like the Selena Gomez snub, but you see that Carla Sofia Gascon was nominated, Enzo Saldana and the film, and you're like, well, maybe they don't like this, like, Disney pop star infringing on their space a little. Listen, it's been a dark week. Maybe we can just. We can have a little fun with the narratives. So Wicked is a theater kid movie, and I think probably speaks to theater kids, and that's cool.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes.

[Chris Ryan]

I had a beautiful Wicked moment with your daughter this week that. Yeah, you were literally sitting right there.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Remember, it's been a long week.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. Alice and I did the silent dance. But what was so amazing is, like, I sort of. I queued her up for it because she was wearing an Elphaba dress. Right. And I said, should we do the Glinda Elphaba dance? And I kind of held my hand up and she knew all of it, and she, like, really locked in. Well, she didn't know it. We were just kind of awkwardly moving in silence.

[Amanda Dobbins]

She has a connection to you. So she was connecting with you.

[Chris Ryan]

Well, and it was real. I mean, I, I, but it went on for a long time and she was willing to hang in as everyone else in that movie and many supporters are, and I was really impressed with that. So Wicked is speaking to people. It's speaking to your daughter. It's speaking to large groups of actors.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It is. It really is. You know, if films like Emilia Perez and Wicked and a Complete Unknown are getting in, Sing Sing is out. The Brutalist, also not represented here, which is very notable. The two tracts that, that I was hearing from people over the past six or so days since the Golden Globes was Brutalist is definitely winning, or Emilia Perez is definitely winning. Now, when that starts happening, that kind of bifurcation, I tend to think neither of them are going to win. I haven't fully moved off my Anora thing, even though it seems like Anora is in a tough spot right now, because it feels like everyone has admiration for Anora, whereas a lot of these other movies are very divisive.

[Chris Ryan]

But, yeah, I should, I should add my Brutalist tickets were for Wednesday, January 8th. So thank you to the Vista for that prompt refund. I didn't make it. I will, I will get there.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I had a ticket for Thursday and they also refunded me for Thursday.

[Chris Ryan]

Oh, they did? Oh, good. Okay. My husband.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Wonderful movie theater.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, my husband had a ticket for Thursday night. I haven't, I haven't checked on that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm going on Friday now, in theory.

[Chris Ryan]

Oh, in the afternoon or evening?

[Amanda Dobbins]

In the afternoon.

[Chris Ryan]

We'll talk. We just did some scheduling. How are you going to be gone all day?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm a working man in this fine city.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, that's true. So am I. I'm aiming for next week.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. I don't really know, you know, the Brutalist, obviously more of an art house film, I think. A divisive movie, a movie that arrived later in the year. You know, there were a couple of notable omissions from their cast in this lineup, too. I do want to raise the specter of the Alphabet bias in SAG voting. Are you familiar with this theory that.

[Chris Ryan]

We have a lot of A B's and C's?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. So some awards bodies, when they send out their ballots. This is a true story. Some awards bodies, when they send out their ballots will do. For example, I believe the Grammys does this. They'll have an A, B, C, D row, and then they'll have a ZYX row where they'll go sort of reverse. So that it keeps a sense of balance in terms of what names you're seeing and checking off as you go through your ballot. SAG over the years has leaned very front half Alphabet over the years. I know this sounds preposterous, but look.

[Chris Ryan]

At the nominees and film actor.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Let's just use film actor as a transitional point of discussion.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, but this is also. In some ways. Yes, but also, I think this is the 5.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I agree with you. But is the awards race being fully codified in best Actor because of the Alphabet bias of sag? So the nominees for best actor. Why don't you do it?

[Chris Ryan]

Sure, sure. For film actor, Adrien Brody, the Brutalist. Timothy Chalamet, A Complete Unknown. Daniel Craig, Queer. Coleman Domingo. Sing Sing. And Ray Fines. Conclave.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Right.

[Chris Ryan]

So, okay, so that is bccdf. And they're alphabetizing by last name for sure about that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's not represented here. Sebastian Stan.

[Chris Ryan]

Yes. And. And we're confirmed that they're using last names.

[Amanda Dobbins]

They are using last names.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay. Because Zach and I have a real standoff with this because he's barren for Dobbins. But if you're doing first name in our home. Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Eileen and I will often say, what are Z and A doing?

[Chris Ryan]

Oh, really?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. Just kind of get a sense of what's your weekend.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it's really. Are they going by first name or last name? Preschool goes by first name. So they just keep calling me, even though we've designated Zach as the number one.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But that's a. I believe that it's last name. And so, you know, on the one hand, I agree with you. I think in film actor, I think this is the five. I think these will be the nominees at the Academy Awards. I think this is a great group of nominees. I would like to.

[Chris Ryan]

Let's do supporting actor. Can we jump? I know it's not in order, but just while we're on the topic of the BC, the ABCs, there is yet.

[Amanda Dobbins]

More strong evidence to support this theory. The nominees for film supporting actor are Jonathan Bailey for Wicked, Yura Borisov for Anora, Kieran Culkin for Real Pain, Edward Norton for A Complete Unknown, and Jeremy Strong for the Apprentice. Now, Jeremy Strong nomination upends this theory that because sort of names like Clarence Macklin or Guy Pierce which do not.

[Chris Ryan]

Appear here, but it comes before Denzel Washington.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And Denzel Washington also not represented.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So as the outlier. But.

[Chris Ryan]

And Jonathan Bailey, the surprise is right up there on the top of the list.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Exactly.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay. And then. Oh, do. Do Supporting.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Supporting actress.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, supporting.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So film. Supporting actress. The nominees are Monica Barbaro for A Complete Unknown, Jamie Lee Curtis for the Last Showgirl, Danielle Deadweiler for the Piano Lesson, Ariana Grande for Wicked. And Zoe Saldana for Emilia Perez. Now, if you told me that the top three nominees were not at the Academy Awards in a week or so, I wouldn't be surprised. And they're B, C, D in their last names. Something's going on here.

[Chris Ryan]

Let me think. I'm thrilled to see Monica Bavaro getting, like, any sort of recognition. She's transcendent in that movie.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I hope she's nominated for supporting actress. She's fantastic.

[Chris Ryan]

I do too. She's really great. That said, this is. And Danielle Deadweiler is someone who has been sort of was at the front of prognosticators list, is very good in the Piano Lesson, and then has been snubbed for a number of awards, including the Golden Globes. So that seems great. Jamie Lee Curtis. I still haven't seen the Last Showgirl. I'm gonna watch it. You know, there were some setbacks this week with respect to access to power, but this, I mean, this just feels like everything, everywhere, all at once train, like, keeps on going, and everyone's like, oh, hey, more comeback. Let's do it some more.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Let's talk about film actress then, too, so that we can have a Last Showgirl conversation briefly. So in Film Actress, one of the biggest surprises of the announcement last week was Pamela Anderson for the Last Showgirl, who was also nominated at the Golden Globes. But I think many felt like that was sort of a critical nomination. You know, this is her peers. This is the Actors Guild that is nominating her. Her last name does begin with A. I'm just gonna point that out.

[Chris Ryan]

That's a great point.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The other nominees are Cynthia Erivo for Wicked, Carlos Sofia Gascon for Emilia Perez, Mikey Madison for Honora, and Demi Moore for the Substance. Now the bottom four, I think, are going. They're gonna be the Academy Awards. That top spot, who does that belong to?

[Chris Ryan]

People were just like, oh, hey, I like Pamela Anderson.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So notably not here. And Angelina Jolie.

[Chris Ryan]

Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Who also missed the BAFTA shortlist, which means she's out, it's over. Like, she's not getting nominated. And if she gets nominated, it'll be a shock at this point, given the lack of precursors. No Nicole Kidman?

[Chris Ryan]

No.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Fernanda Torres? No Marianne Jean Baptiste.

[Chris Ryan]

Right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

International performers sometimes have a little bit more of a struggle at sag. Sometimes they're represented, sometimes they're not in this case. None of those other meaningful contenders are there. One of those four is probably going to replace Pamela Anderson. The Last Showgirl has had a very, very, very, very limited release thus far. I've seen it. You know, when Pam was nominated at the Globes, I was like, this is a nice gesture for a person who is obviously like a deeply thoughtful artist and not just the bimbo that she was derided as in the 80s. But I think that movie is very flawed and it has good performances.

[Chris Ryan]

But it's a. But no, but it's a nomination for her. It's like it is. Is part of the substance wave. But, you know, she has been out and about for the past couple years and, like, noticeably not wearing makeup, which given her, like, Baywatch Origins, is sort of like an aesthetic statement on its own. I mean, she looks beautiful. She doesn't need it. But, like, it does feel like this attention is rewarding, you know, the Pam Anderson much in the way that the substance stuff is rewarding to me. More as much, but also the substance has more of a following as a movie.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. I have started to fully come around on the idea of Timmy Moore winning in this category at the Academy Awards.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, I really do think on Golden Globes night, I went from I don't know if she'll get nominated to I think she's gonna win.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, I think that's right. Um, but anyway, in this category too, you've got A, E, G, M, M.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, I mean, Jolie and Kidman would come before em, so. But I do think if they were just like, Pamela Anderson is the first one in the fifth spot that jumped out and people were like, oh, that seems nice.

[Amanda Dobbins]

A little bit strange. The last thing is a category that I would love to see added to the Academy Awards. We do have a stunt Oscar coming soon. But this is a cool way of framing it. The film Stunt ensemble. And the nominees in that category are Deadpool and Wolverine, Dune Part 2, the Fall Guy, Gladiator 2, and Wicked.

[Chris Ryan]

What were the stunts in Wicked?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think a lot of the flying stuff, you know, a lot of the tower work at the end. Yeah, that sucked. Yeah, I, you know, I would. I would put Furiosa here if it were up to me, and remove Wicked.

[Chris Ryan]

Sure.

[Amanda Dobbins]

If we're talking about stunts, I mean, there's incredible stunt work in Furiosa that seems like an obvious one to slip in there. I would also put Josh O'Connor's work and challengers maybe for stunt work. You know, when Zendaya astride him. That, that, that was impressive as well.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. Miss them, how they're doing. Congratulations to Zendaya. Congratulations.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, she got engaged.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, we sort of. We missed that on Golden Globes night.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I observed it. I just don't care.

[Chris Ryan]

I missed it. Okay. My algorithms are like really not working in concert anymore.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Is that true?

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Is it your pure wind algorithm now?

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, I guess so, but it's like, you know, I can't look at whatever we're calling former Twitter now and. Cause I. Yeah, it's too many ads and so junky and they, they dark moded me against my will and I really don't appreciate that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

And that, I mean, it's just, it's just nerd vibes and incel vibes all over that place. And then I like blue sky. Like, what are we doing? You know, I'm trying, I'm trying, but it's not really giving me back. And I'm just missing crucial pieces of information. Like, I didn't know Lily Allen and David Harbour split up. That happened like over Christmas.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh my God.

[Chris Ryan]

Well, you. If anyone is going be up on that, it should be me.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, I didn't know that happened.

[Chris Ryan]

And I didn't know that happened. So, like, Instagram has a huge fan.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Of the Red Guardian from the Thunderbolts film.

[Chris Ryan]

I'm a huge fan of Lily Allen. I'm rooting for her. But so just things are getting lost in the middle, you know, And I love Instagram and I'm learning a lot about things I need to buy.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But do you think people would pay for my foot pictures on OnlyFans?

[Chris Ryan]

I think what we've learned is that people will pay for anyone's foot pictures. And I'm not gonna judge.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, feet are a funny thing, you know, you never know. How do you know if you have nice looking feet? Like, you know, when you have really ugly feet? Yeah, right, that's clear. But like, I don't know, am I just. Am I just a middle grounder in feet beauty?

[Chris Ryan]

Probably, I guess. You know, if you have really ugly feet and then maybe if you take pride in that. I don't, I don't know, I guess, I guess there is like an ideal foot aesthetic that has been upheld through like shoe ads and stuff and sandals and that sort of thing.

[Amanda Dobbins]

For sure, absolutely.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, those, they are on the sides of the vases and whatever. You know, they're in the sculptures.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's right.

[Chris Ryan]

So.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But they're wearing those sandals.

[Chris Ryan]

We're supposed to Be upending beauty norms. Right. So I don't know what, like, we are as.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm actually the other way.

[Chris Ryan]

Go back to the Hegemony Bobby speech about imposter syndrome. I. And I got to give everyone. This is what we owe.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think we should go back to just being hot and just objectifying everyone. I feel like that was fine. I. I just don't think it was that big of a deal.

[Chris Ryan]

I think that that's, like, not a great thing for you to be saying as we embark on our.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm sarcastic.

[Chris Ryan]

I'm just like. We have to be in front of cameras now, so we need people to be as accepting as a done deal.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm in my 40s. What am I going to do?

[Chris Ryan]

I don't.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay, well, those are the nominees for sag. I don't know that there are too, too, too many takeaways here. I think a complete unknown is in a very good position right now because of these awards. I already thought Emilia Perez and Anora were going to do very well at the Academy Awards. No Stanley Tucci for Conclave.

[Chris Ryan]

No. Isabella Rossellini.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Isabella Rossellini. That is notable, but that's also, like.

[Chris Ryan]

This SAG Ensemble Award exists for movies like that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

For Conclave. Yes, I agree.

[Chris Ryan]

So.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And in fact, it could win. It's probably gonna be Emilia Perez, and then we're gonna have a little bit of a panic attack, but, yeah, you.

[Chris Ryan]

Know, I don't think I'm gonna have a panic attack.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do you want to do, like, a. Is Amelia Perez worthy of a longer discussion? Because, you know, I had one with Joe and Katie when you were out, and I, like, kind of very briefly elucidated my primary problem with the movie. The sort of, like, central premise issue that I have with the movie. I think, obviously, a lot of Mexican critics have a lot of problems with the mov. Critics have problems with the movie, et cetera, et cetera. But if we're barreling towards a Best Picture win, usually we tend to dig into movies like that. We'll dig into the Brutalist after you see it. I think there's another movie, too, that we haven't really had a chance to dig into. We did talk about Anora. We didn't talk about Conclave, though. Chris and I did. If you do want to spend more time on that movie, we can. I think that's another movie that has a secret little Best Picture case right now. Still up in the air. I can't even believe how up in the air all this is.

[Chris Ryan]

We Did Anora. I do think, I mean, I know I was joking at the beginning, but if we're going to do the Amelia Perez conversation, I would like to have someone on this show who is an enthusiast for it and who can speak to. Well, I know, so I mean, we.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Already had Jim Cameron, so I don't know what can I do?

[Chris Ryan]

Because both of us just being like this didn't work for us because the premise has some ideological trap holes and the songs are like bad and it was filmed on a bunch of closed sets and it just looks, you know, like just not our cup of tea.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'll go, I'll cast around for some pro Emilia Perez critics. There are not a lot, honestly. Most of the awards that they have been granted have come from like minded bodies, so we'll see. Let's talk about DGAs as well since that also happened in email form last week. This is usually pretty impactful on the Oscar race, though not fully the nominees for theatrical feature film, perhaps betraying a bit of an Alphabet bias here as well. Nominees are Jacques Odillard for Emilia Perez, Sean Baker for Honora, Edward Berger for Conclave, Brady Courbet for the Brutalist, and James Mangold for A Complete Unknown. Once again, I think James Mangold, the big surprise here. No, Denis Villeneuve, which, shame on you.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, that's over.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It is over. It does feel over.

[Chris Ryan]

It is very strange. I know Joanna said it after Golden Globes, but weird what's going on with people.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't think people in those bodies care about science fiction and I don't think they really ever have.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, but I don't care about science fiction. And I was like, that's pretty good.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. I think the intention, even in the sort of marketing and strategy of the movie was to make it seem more like Lawrence of Arabia, you know, that it was a story about a conflicted antihero and that by deepening it, you wouldn't think as much about the gliding and the special effects and the, you know, the.

[Chris Ryan]

I guess so. But the gliding is so whatever. I don't get it. But that's fine.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Those films, historically, the ones that really make a profound impact sometimes get nominated. Like Star wars was nominated for best picture but didn't win a whole lot of awards and I don't remember. I don't think George Lucas was nominated for director that year. I should look that up. Also notable, no Corlyphargia.

[Chris Ryan]

Right. Which means by extension, no women.

[Amanda Dobbins]

No women. For it was noted here that this is the second Time is it the second time in the last five years that there was no women represented here. And two of the last five winners were women. Jane Campion and Chloe Zhao. Will a woman be nominated at the Academy Awards?

[Chris Ryan]

You noted also that there usually is some difference from DGAs and Oscars and it is almost always international.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

So.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But we have two international filmmakers in the lineup already, technically speaking. Jacques Odillard, of course, and Edward Berger is German.

[Chris Ryan]

The Oscars, DGAs always get a little interesting. Honestly. They, they cast a wider birth and I think that they're willing to be a little more experimental, so. Or, you know, they're willing to. I, I don't know whether Mangold makes it is kind of what I'm saying. With respect. I like, I really like to complete unknown. We've been playing a lot of Dylan for Nox.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Hell yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

I think he likes it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

How could you not?

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, he only asks us to turn it off once, but I'm not allowed to sing along, so that's tough. Don't do that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, that's what he says. Yeah. Invite me over. I can really capture Bob's essence. The only person who gets closer than me is Timmy. There's also another award that the DGA nominates for for features, which is first time theatrical feature film.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Which is an interesting delineation, especially given at least one of the nominees here. You've got a lot of people who've been making work over the years. The nominees are Pile Kapadia for All We Imagine is Light, Megan park for My Old Ass, Rommel Ross for Nickel Boys, Halfdan, Ullman Tondle for Armand and Sean Wong for Didi. Now, I have not seen Armand yet. It's on my list, these other four nominees. I mean, Megan park has definitely made another movie. I think it might have been a straight to max movie, but she's already directed a film. Romel Ross is an Academy Award nominated documentarian.

[Chris Ryan]

Right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So the, you know, Sean Wong has made like short films and worked at Google and you know, like this is kind of an odd way of framing this.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, it's the Grammy Best New Artist conundrum, which I think even when we make up Oscar categories and do all that sort of stuff, we come across this of like, you know, how are you gonna set the boundaries of something that's like a vibe, you know, which is these people are not the James Maygolds and the. And even the Sean Bakers of the world.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

But they're not brand new. You know, it's just got Real.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We just learned about these people vibes.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, it is, that's what it is. But it is also, if you're gonna do strict, like first time feature, like respectfully with a lot like.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I know that would be cool though.

[Chris Ryan]

Sure.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Then you'd really have to dig.

[Chris Ryan]

I guess so. But also you're digging through. I don't know. I like a little bit of, I like some experience, you know, let's everybody learn on the job.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, to your point about that fifth slot in theatrical feature film, there's certainly a world in which either Romel Ross or Payel Kapadia make it into that spot. We saw Paul Kapadia was recognized at the Golden Globes. Ramel Ross, I think there's a lot of admiration for what he brought to Nickel boys, so that seems plausible. I agree that in theory Mangold is weak, but I don't know, complete unknown is, is a box office success. And Timmy's hosting SNL and, and, and.

[Chris Ryan]

Also musical guesting on snl. God bless him. He's really working. It's really hard. Every time you say a complete unknown, I just want to do. How does it feel? Like. And, and I'm just, I'm not, I'm holding it in.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I, you know, there are historical songs like love me do or something like that, you know, or I want to hold your hand where you're like, I've heard this so many times, I don't need to hear it ever again.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But then you, you like it circles back and you have a wave.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And I'm, I'm having that wave with like a Rolling stone where I just can play like 300 times.

[Chris Ryan]

Listen, listen, I, I know I'm in the minority here, but, you know, as I've said, my favorite part of any music biopic is when they start, you know, doing a little bit and you're like, oh, my God, they're writing respect or. And which. And this movie is just 45 versions of that of like, oh, my God, he just banged Joan Baez and now he's writing Blown in the wind. How cool. Yeah, I mean, let's not even.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The original title of Blown in the wind was Blown in the wind. Parentheses bangin Joan Baez.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, that's just what happens in the movie.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But did she not bang him? You know, let's think about.

[Chris Ryan]

It was the 60s, you know, she.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Was covering his records, using his artistry to leverage her success. You know, something interesting, a little unexplored in their stew.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay. Anyway, so, so I loved this movie. Because it was just that over and over again. Even when it was sort of a.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Lot of bad scenes of him, like, hunched over a desk at 2am like, writing things in pencil. Like, I don't know. That's not something cinematic.

[Chris Ryan]

No, I know. I mean, it was like a little silly, but I don't care. Every single time I'm like, omg, it's this. It's this one. But to that point when, when the guy. When they hit the organ in a Rolling Like a Rolling Stone for the first time, it's just like, oh my God, there it is. They found it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, I totally agree.

[Chris Ryan]

And then every time I've listened to it since then, I'm like, wow, they found the organ. So it's great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Just that that snare hit at the beginning of that song is like. It's like taking crack. Okay, the awards race, we'll see. Hopefully things stay calm in Los Angeles and we can get on with a typical awards season.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, I do think if it does go on, that it will, and hopefully it should have some sort of fundraising awareness element.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do you think that they'll do that? That they'll bend around to that? You know, there was this big, you know, story. Jean Smart tweeted that she feels that that should happen. I think there's a lot of complexity around that and making that viable. But man, this speaks to the conversation about our most anticipated movies, which you pointed out to me before we started recording. Some of these movies may be meaningfully impacted by the fact that hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people lost their homes, lost all their earthly possessions. Some people have died through these tragedies. This is a crazy, earth shattering week in Los Angeles history. And so because of that, how much fall down will there be because of all of this? I don't know where you're supposed to.

[Chris Ryan]

See some of the films haven't begun filming yet.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

So that just seems from a basic infrastructure period. You know, I, I think that one case for awards shows in general is that you have the attention of a larger group of people on an industry. And so if you can use it to either fundraise for people who lost homes, who lost their entire lives, or for, you know, to support an industry that I think is. Is going to need help. Yeah. You know, should the giant corporations that own it help? Yes, probably. Will they? No. So that's putting that aside. So I, like, I'm sympathetic to Gene's words argument of like, nobody wants this right now. But also I do think that if good can be done, then why not try? I think it would be tone deaf to hold a big fancy awards show and not mention it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, no, I agree. And it will be mentioned, I think, how it can be pivoted to doing a greater good beyond traditional.

[Chris Ryan]

And I'm sure some of the choices that they make will be incredibly tone deaf. You know, like you just can't. You can't get around that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's Hollywood, baby.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. I don't know what to say about that. I still believe in Hollywood. I still believe in movies. Preparing for this episode, I was like.

[Chris Ryan]

It was really exciting.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, well, we're going to have a fun year.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, it was really exciting. And preparing for this episode, I was like, well, I'm hard. It's hard to anticipate things right now because it feels like such uncertainty. And then I'm really excited about all of these movies and want to see them. And I also love movies. And then I have the anxiety of will they be able to be released, will they able to be made? Like, how is everyone involved with them? You know, so it's a mix.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. I mean, as far as Los Angeles is concerned, so little actual production happens in the city at this point for films, but so much post production happens and obviously so many people who live here. It will be harder and harder for them to work though, honestly, just like us, this is a time when a lot of people pour themselves into their work to pretend like whatever is going on out in the outside world is not really happening. That's a very, very common response.

[Chris Ryan]

It's the most honest thing that Sean has said about himself today.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's why we're sitting here today. I'd rather be doing this than sitting at home thinking about what could be happening tomorrow. So I do think that there will be a push in that specific respect for people who can do that. And a lot of this stuff like we know will happen because it's wrapped and it's been done and it'll come out. So you know, every though when we're.

[Chris Ryan]

Going to share release dates as we know them, but I think almost every single one of them, most of these.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Movies that we'll talk about are not dated at the moment. Yeah. So keeping that in mind, you know, a lot of them will probably ultimately end up becoming festival films. Aside from the handful of tentpoles that we'll talk about, the honorable mentions list has got like 40 movies on it. So that's how, you know, we've got something fun every year that We've done this. We've added a movie to match the year. So if we're doing this in 2037, will we do 37 films? If we're doing it in 2054, will we do 54 films? Will you do this with me in 29 years, Sean?

[Chris Ryan]

If we're still here, if they've got. What do you think will be on YouTube? What will be the. You know, will be holograms.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It'll be brain tube. It'll be going right into our cortex.

[Chris Ryan]

You know, I think that's what everyone wants, is a direct line into what's going on in this head of mine.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, exactly. Okay, so we've got 25 films. You chose 12. I chose 12. I thought as a fun exercise, we could collectively choose the 25th together from the honorable mentions list. How does that sound?

[Chris Ryan]

That sounds wonderful.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Is there anything missing from the honorable mentions that I haven't included so as to more meaningfully represent you?

[Chris Ryan]

If there is, I forgot about it. But maybe we can discover that while Googling, or people can let us know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Before we get into our list, I want to just put a real. Is this happening? Circle around three titles, because I don't know if they're happening. If they did happen, it's safe to say that if they didn't appear on my list, they would, at a minimum, appear on the honorable mentions list.

[Chris Ryan]

Oh, yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

One of these movies was shot many years ago.

[Chris Ryan]

A member of my family has seen.

[Amanda Dobbins]

One of these movies in full.

[Chris Ryan]

I believe so.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay, so Knox has a really good attention span these days. It's come a long way.

[Chris Ryan]

Yo. Do you want to know how many times we watched Top Gun Maverick this week? It was a lot.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Just. It makes me so proud every time I hear it.

[Chris Ryan]

It was really, really beautiful. The most beautiful memory of this week is like, Chris Ryan sitting in a room with Knox, reading him, like, the first text drop before Top Gun Maverick. I'm very grateful to Chris.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The movie you're referring to is Horizon An American Saga Chapter 2, which was supposed to be released.

[Chris Ryan]

What if I was, like, size, just a big Costner head? I mean, so far, he's a little. He's solemn and doesn't speak much, so.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Absolutely. And Quick Draw, too. You know, Good with a pistol. Chapter two was supposed to come out six weeks after Chapter one, and then Chapter one came out and Warner Brothers said, nope, we're not putting that in movie theaters. And it has not been redated. A lot of speculation that it will eventually be on Max, of course. Chapter One went on Netflix a few weeks ago. A couple weeks ago, shot right to number one. And that's when I started getting texts from friends and some prominent film people telling me that they Think Horizon Chapter 1 is a complete masterpiece. So just want you to know that's in the air. I'll, I, I'll tell you off mic who I'm referring to.

[Chris Ryan]

I didn't dislike it, but.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I didn't dislike it, but did not love it.

[Chris Ryan]

Listen, you know, television also can achieve great heights.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And, and this was my primary complaint was it felt very much like an episodic TV show, a great episodic TV show in some ways.

[Chris Ryan]

Didn't Horizon Chapter 2 play at Venice? And then we heard nothing about it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But it doesn't sound like the press was invited because there were no reviews out of Venice. Oh, so it seems like it was. I don't, and I don't even know how you arrange that. It was more of a private confab, but I don't remember reading any reviews.

[Chris Ryan]

I don't either.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So the only person who reviewed it to me was your husband. Great. So, okay. Horizon, American Saga, Chapter 1. I hope it comes out. I hope it comes out in a movie theater because it's a movie you'd like to see on a big screen. The other One is Ella McKay, which is, I believe is in production, which is James L. Brooks's next film, his first film since how do youo Know. It's been a long time since he's made a movie. And James Brooks, you know, I would say kind of an icon meeting point of taste for you and I has made a number of wonderful movies over the years. He's a little bit older now, but I really anticipate this movie. The star is.

[Chris Ryan]

Remind me of Emma Mackey.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Emma Mackie, who is really good. She's very, very talented. Very, you know, she, she was in Barbie. She was memorably in which of the.

[Chris Ryan]

Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile, the remake, which I. Is offensive, terrible film, but I kind.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Of enjoy her in that movie.

[Chris Ryan]

Oh, no, she's really good.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. And she was in the Emily Bronte biopic a couple of years ago. Oh, yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

She's also, I believe, in sex education.

[Amanda Dobbins]

She is, yes. And then the third film is the Way of the Wind, which, which Terrence Malick made a number of years ago.

[Chris Ryan]

Sure.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And it's about Jesus.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay. Who is playing Jesus?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I want to say it's Joseph Fiennes. Is that.

[Chris Ryan]

Wow, blast from the past.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Is it Joseph Fiennes or. No, maybe it's. It might be Matthias Schoenaerts. No, it's an actor named Giza Roe. Rig. Matthias Schoenaerts is Saint Peter.

[Chris Ryan]

Sure, he's Saint Peter to me too.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do you know who Mark Rylance plays?

[Chris Ryan]

Well, I just pulled up Wikipedia, so I'm pleased to inform you that it's Satan.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He plays Satan.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. It's been a long time since this. This film was. Was shot, but as with all Malick projects, it's all a continuum. Everything's just flowing like the wind. So I look forward to this movie. Joseph Fiennes is in the movie, but he is not playing Jesus. Okay, those are the three. I'm not sure if this is real. The rest of the stuff we'll talk about is, at a minimum, real films that we will see at some point. If not this year, next year. You want to go first? You want me to go first?

[Chris Ryan]

You go first.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. My first pick is Eddington. Eddington is an interesting one for us both. This is Ari Aster's new movie, a black comedy western starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone and Austin Butler. It's about a small town New Mexico sheriff with higher aspirations, I assume played by Joaquin.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

A 24 movie shot by Darius Khondji, cinematographer of Seven and a great many films. And let's go.

[Chris Ryan]

I'm a fan of almost everything listed, except sometimes for westerns. But I trust Ari Aster to play with the dust in interesting ways.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We did Bo is afraid. Wrong. We did not. You and I, we're innocent. But the world at large.

[Chris Ryan]

I went. There was a woman literally taking phone calls on her laptop in the screening. But I still watch and enjoy it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It was unrealand satanic.

[Chris Ryan]

She was like, in the very back, sitting on the floor, like, rolling calls, and then was asked to leave.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, by you?

[Chris Ryan]

No.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. Eddington, this is a testimony to what an exciting year it is. Is that this is my number 12 in many years.

[Chris Ryan]

Sure.

[Amanda Dobbins]

A new Ari Aster movie, a new western. That cast. That cast is nuts.

[Chris Ryan]

That cast is really great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So I'm excited. Okay. What's your number 12?

[Chris Ryan]

My number 12 is Megan 2.0, which actually. So it's. Is it Megan with a three? Because she was like the third threegan mthreegan. Well, that's how they're spelling it. But why isn't it Machugan?

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, honestly, a wonderful question. I'm sure this was debated in the Blumhouse offices, right? You've got to imagine.

[Chris Ryan]

But. And I understand that you have to have the 2.0 because she's like a scary robot doll. And also because you just need people to understand it's the second one. Like, I get it. I understand in terms of marketing narratively, but it's Matugan to me.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay, so Matugan.

[Chris Ryan]

This is also written by Akilah Cooper, who wrote the original. Allison Williams is returning. It's a prequel.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

And Amy Donald, the young dancer who portrays Megan Dancing is back. One of the great performances.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's a prequel, but also they had to put 2.0 in the title and they had to keep the three from the original. I think it was very backwards.

[Chris Ryan]

Well, hold on, hold on. I don't remember. But maybe she's Megan 3.0 in the original. And so 2.0 would be before 3.0.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I see. So that's why there's the three in the original mega title from 2022. Oh, because she's Maybe that is very convoluted. Incredibly convoluted. Eddington is undated right now. Meghan 2.0 is dated for June 27th.

[Chris Ryan]

Another film on my list is dated for June 27th, 2025.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So intriguing. Yeah, should be quite an episode. That Barbenheimer. Let's go.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, it sort of is, but it's not.

[Amanda Dobbins]

My number 11 is Mother Mary. This movie is porn without penetration for me. It's an epic melodrama starring Anne Hathaway, Michaela Cole and Hunter Schaefer. The story is about the relationship between a musician and a fashion designer. Anne Hathaway plays the pop star. Michaela Cole plays the designer. Written and directed by David Lowry, who one of the more interesting. One for them, one for me. Balance actors in moviemaking these days. The Green Knight is the last movie he made, the last time he was on the show. I've seen one photo, one production photo from this film. It's very exciting stuff. I don't really know anything else about it. It's undated. Also an A24 movie.

[Chris Ryan]

So Anne Hathaway is the pop star and Michaela Cole is the fashion designer. I'm seeing here on Wikipedia, the world's number one film resource, that songs are being provided by Jack Antonoff and Charlie xcx. Can you confirm that?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm seeing that same information on Wikipedia, which is of course the people's encyclopedia.

[Chris Ryan]

Listen, I had as much of a brat summer as a 40 year old pregnant woman to have. But I'm open for brat Summer too. I listened to that album a lot. I really Liked it?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, it worked wonders for Kamala, so.

[Chris Ryan]

Jesus Christ.

[Amanda Dobbins]

FKA Twigs is also in this film, apparently. I. This looks intriguing. That's what I will say. David Lowery never makes the same movie twice. He always does something interesting, even when he's taking on family fare for Disney. So I'm very excited about this one. Okay, number 11 for you.

[Chris Ryan]

My number 11 is Hamnet, the Chloe Zhao adaptation of the Maggie O'Farrell novel starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So tell me, what is Hamnet? What is it about? You've read it?

[Chris Ryan]

I have read it. Okay. It was an astonishing, astonishing novel that is historical fiction. Paul Mescal is playing the main character, a man named William Shakespeare. Perhaps you've heard of him.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What?

[Chris Ryan]

And Jessie Buckley plays his wife Agnes. And it is about the. I mean, spoiler alert, I guess it's about the eventual death of one of their children, their 11 year old son whose name was Hamnet. And yes, the relationship and the similarity to a famous play by a guy named William Shakespeare is like. Is tied in. It's an extraordinary novel and one of the best endings to a novel in recent, like, best and most heartbreaking that I can remember. It is really tough reading. I read it before I had children. And so this is only at my number 11 because I am a little bit nervous about this subject matter just in terms of it being really, really sad. And I think Paul Mescal and Jesse Buckley are amazing actors who will go for it. But I don't know if this will be uplifting necessarily, but I'm sure it'll be quite good. An incredible book.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm excited. You know, the Chloe Zhao comeback trail. Much needed after Eternals. Have you revisited Eternals recently?

[Chris Ryan]

No, but I'll always have the memory of sitting next to you when I don't remember whether it was Hiroshima or Nagasaki that showed up in Eternals. Either one was a poor choice.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes, a flaw in the storytelling at the old Marvel MCU factory. That performance moved Andy Greenwald to tears, though. Just so you know, this is something oft cited on the Watch podcast. My number 10 is a big, bold, youthful journey. This is the new film starring Margot Robbie, her first starring role since Barbie. Also stars Colin Farrell, reuniting with the filmmaker Koh Onoda, who made a movie a couple years ago called After Yang, which is a very beautiful science fiction film. This is a much bigger production. When I'm banging the drum for what I want studios to do and what I want movie stars to do, it is, in theory, this Whatever this is. I don't know very much about this screenplay, this story, what this movie is going to be about, but I know that it is a big budget movie star movie with an original story from an exciting young filmmaker leveraging her success. So if you haven't seen after Yang, I highly recommend you check it out. Cogonada. Fascinating guy, kind of got his start or kind of made his name making film essays like you might find on YouTube. Kind of analyzing and deconstructing film form and film approach. And look at him now. You know, he has elevated to the highest heights of filmmaker.

[Chris Ryan]

I'm excited to see where the syllabi will take you.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, we will see. I mean, he's much more well suited to making syllabi than I am. But you know, stacked supporting cast in this movie too. Lily Rabe, Jodie Turner Smith, Phoebe Waller Bridge, Billy Magnuson, Hamish Linklater on Down the Line. So a lot of great, exciting people in this and it looks like a kind of like elevated, fantastical dramedy.

[Chris Ryan]

Does Colin Farrell get to be Colin Farrell and not the penguin in this?

[Amanda Dobbins]

He'll be portraying the penguin in this film. The logline for this movie is incredible work by IMDb, an imaginative tale of two strangers in the unbelievable journey that connects them. So a movie, they're keeping it real tight.

[Chris Ryan]

That's the 2025 tagline for this podcast.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Can we put that in the show description?

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, Jack, can we do a chiron underneath?

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's very good.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay, what's my. Am I up?

[Amanda Dobbins]

You're up. Your number 10.

[Chris Ryan]

My number 10 is die, my love, Lynne Ramsey, starring your girl, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, starring.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Speaking of comebacks, my guy.

[Chris Ryan]

So I'm gonna. I'm gonna read this logline. It's an adaptation of the 2017 novel by Ariana Horowitz about a new mother in the French countryside who develops postpartum depression and enter psychosis. So it's me. What if I were living my best life and married to Robert Pattinson all.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The way down to Jennifer's?

[Chris Ryan]

Just Google this movie and you'll see some of the stills or the. The paparazzi shots, including one of the two of them dancing. I'm in. I'm completely in.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Lynne Ramsey hasn't made a movie since. You were never really here. The incredible. Oh, shit.

[Chris Ryan]

They've moved this to the Montana countryside, though. Oh, damn. What was it originally the French countryside?

[Amanda Dobbins]

You're out on Montana.

[Chris Ryan]

You know me in Montana. Where do you hide?

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's good. Well, in the Caves in the mountains?

[Chris Ryan]

No, it's just the plains and the flats. I just. I don't.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I was able to take you up to Yellowstone.

[Chris Ryan]

I don't. I don't understand.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What are you hiding from?

[Chris Ryan]

I had never been to Montana, and Zach and I went and we're driving along, and that was like, my first instinctive, primal thing. It's like, where do I hide? You see someone coming and there's, like, nowhere else to go. That's what the landscape brought out in me. I don't know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, my number nine can save you. It's Superman. In the event that you find yourself trapped in Montana with nowhere to go, the only person who can save you, Amanda.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Is Superman. Now, I think I might have mentioned this before, but a child friend of our children is a very big DC Comics fan.

[Chris Ryan]

Oh, yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And has introduced our children, and especially my daughter, to the extended world of DC characters.

[Chris Ryan]

Oh, so that's through. I don't know whether we're allowed to talk about it. Yeah, we won't.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We'll keep it.

[Chris Ryan]

Protect his identity. His mom is listening. Love you. I gave this child. I gave this child Batman Legos for Christmas because I just want kids to be happy. As evidenced by the drum set.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So all the way up until this morning, the wave of curiosity about who is Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Robin, the Joker, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, and Supergirl.

[Chris Ryan]

Wow.

[Amanda Dobbins]

These are all characters that are portrayed in pictures in one picture book that we have.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And she's getting caught up in the mythos. This is a real. And my kid, you know, obviously a mythos kid. But I'm trying to imagine, like, is Superman something I can even make her aware of in a meaningful way? Like, when did I foresee the image, an image of Superman in my life? When did I see Christopher Reeve or George Reeves as Superman? It probably was like 4 or 5 years old and imprinted on me so profoundly. So the idea of this. This is a. I think this is a really good year for a Superman movie. That's going to seem a little bit hokey and sentimental. James Gunn can be very sentimental in his filmmaking. You have your issues with James Gunn.

[Chris Ryan]

I'm a huge damn movie and put it out.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think the movie is been made.

[Chris Ryan]

That's fine. Then I don't need to hear anything about it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, you will hear about it on.

[Chris Ryan]

I know, like, people. Just grown adults melting down about his suit or whatever.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't care about that stuff. I would like to be inspired.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Is there anything wrong with that?

[Chris Ryan]

No. I think that's beautiful.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Chris Ryan]

What was the Batman tagline that we were talking about?

[Amanda Dobbins]

The world's greatest detectives.

[Chris Ryan]

You learn something new every day.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You didn't know that?

[Chris Ryan]

I didn't know that. I didn't know that. You know?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

I've been 40 years on this earth and seen many Batman movies.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, he doesn't have powers.

[Chris Ryan]

Sure.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He does have enormous wealth.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. I wouldn't say that any of the Batman movies I have seen show him doing, like, detective work, as I. I.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Would say that as a flaw. The Batman the most. The Matt Reeves one is more in that vein, though I would not say he's Sherlock Holmesing his way through things, but there is more of a puzzle, serial killer quality to the way that movie is pitched.

[Chris Ryan]

The two things I remember about the Batman, number one, Robert Pattinson's really tall, or whoever they got to wear. That suit's really tall. And I thought that was a good development. And number two, I didn't know who the Joker was when he came on at the end of the movie.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He's barely visible.

[Chris Ryan]

I also. That was like, three weeks after Knox was born, so. And I watched it over three nights.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The thing I remember the most was Paul Dano saying, no, no, no. That was my favorite part of the movie.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I love that. Superman was my number nine. It's coming out July 11th.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Will you see it?

[Chris Ryan]

Yes. Okay, I will.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do you like David Corn sweat?

[Chris Ryan]

He, you know, had a strong jaw in Twisters, so that's important.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. Could cut glass with that jaw.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay, we're up to number nine. I'm going to have a drink from the giant water bottle now.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Thanks for sharing. Right when it was your turn to talk.

[Chris Ryan]

$10 a target. I will take sponsorship.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Right now. The people listening at home are either like, her mind or they're like, will she talk? There's no in between.

[Chris Ryan]

It's 64 ounces. Okay. Number nine. That's where we are. Is a double header from. From Richard Linklater, who just keeps working with. Okay. So I would say that I'm slightly. I'm really anticipating Blue Moon.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Chris Ryan]

Because this is about Hart. What is his first name? I'm Googling Lawrence Hart. You know, I know them as Rogers and Hart, who wrote Oklahoma and the Sound of Music and many other musicals. So it's a biopic about the last days, the opening night of Oklahoma, in fact.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Interesting. That's a good framing device.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. And stars Ethan Hawke as Lawrence Hart and Andrew Scott as Oscar Hammerstein ii, which I didn't know was. I didn't know he had a two. Anyway, I'm into it. We tried Oklahoma with Knox recently. He liked the, like the square dancing, like the party scenes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, what a beautiful morning.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. But is like a lot of people.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Just like, movie is not very good.

[Chris Ryan]

No, it's not. We've really. We've been going through all of the old timing musicals and often like this adapted stage musicals don't really work. See also Wicked.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's shot like on location though, right? It's not. It's not. It's not sound stagey. I seem to recall the opening being on the floor.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, they are definitely like out. I mean, they're just fringe and story on top. They just like walk from field to field and then sing another classic song. But Knox doesn't really care about the classic songs necessarily.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So I like the music of Oklahoma quite a bit. Yeah, it's good. The movie I've never really liked, it's kind of one of those just like dingy. Not dingy. It's the opposite of dingy. It's like super bright, Technicolor absurdist, like two and a half hour extravaganza.

[Chris Ryan]

We've also been doing a lot of Guys and Dolls.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I like that better.

[Chris Ryan]

But it's like not very good. Frank Sinatra's Barely Awake. Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's tough.

[Chris Ryan]

You know, they just. It takes a long time. We usually. There are some drums and cymbals at the beginning, which Knox requests, and then we fast forward to Sit down. You're rocking the boat, which is a long fast forward. I tried Luck Be a Lady. He wasn't into it anyway. The other Linklater movie from this year coming out this year, allegedly, is Nouvelle Vague, which is the making of Breathless, starring Zoe Deutsch is. Though I kind of feel like Emma C. Emma Stone stole her thunder a little bit with the haircut at the Golden Globes. Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's interesting. So Deutsch obviously was in Everybody Wants Some, has worked with Linklater before. The making of Breathless. Breathless is one breath. What is our version of Breathless? What is like the, you know, Pulp Fiction? I guess, like, there's a, you know, a handful of movies over the years. There's like one movie a decade where you're like, I saw that movie and everything changed. And obviously a lot of kids who, you know, the French New Wave kids grew up watching Hollywood productions. They had their minds blown. And then American filmmakers watching the French New Wave have these movies. Linklater is a little bit young to be he wasn't there, you know, when Breathless dropped. Right. So him kind of digging in as not somebody who is. So, you know, if you listen like William Friedkin talk about the French New Wave, like he just split his brain open. He couldn't believe it. So I'll be curious to see what this take is. I mean, both of these stories are biopicy in nature. You know, they're historically bound, which is something he's done before. Right. Like he did me in Orson Welles. He's done. I'm trying to think what other. The Newton boys, in a way, is kind of a biopic movie. I'm sure I'm forgetting something else that he's done that is in that vein as well. So it's not totally foreign to him. But those are not historically his most successful projects. Nevertheless, two Linklater movies in a year is exciting.

[Chris Ryan]

Blue Moon is. Or the as best Google can tell me, rumored for May 2025, which has a can feel to it. And you almost wonder if they'd do like a pin.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Pin them together.

[Chris Ryan]

A double header at can.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. Maybe honor him in some way.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, that would be cool.

[Chris Ryan]

Should we go?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm going to golf in Oregon that weekend.

[Chris Ryan]

I'm. I'm so angry at both of you right now.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I am. I'm experiencing. I'm trying to work my way through a hip flexor strain right now. Okay, so in the event that it is not healed.

[Chris Ryan]

Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Then I'll go.

[Chris Ryan]

Go to France instead of going back to. That's my solemn oath to golf with my. Be nice.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Be nice.

[Chris Ryan]

When you guys booked this, I said to you, that is the same time as can. Like, let's go to Cannes instead. And both you and my husband were like, no.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. I mean, America first. What can I say? My number eight is the Mastermind. Another movie that I don't know a lot about, but has a very intriguing tagline and a great cast. This is basically how we make these. These lineups. I know. Very impressive water bottle. Congratulations. There's water in it. The Mastermind, written and directed by Kelly. You okay?

[Chris Ryan]

You can't make me laugh. No, I'm okay. Yeah. It was very powerful, you know, so a lot of water at once.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Let's put that in the fan cam, folks.

[Chris Ryan]

I had to open the thing. I'm going to leave it open now.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Great. Seems like a good idea. You're very performatively popping it open, too.

[Chris Ryan]

I know. That's why I was like, that was a. That was a mistake. I have to keep it closed, like, at home around that. Because Knox will go right for it, you know? And I gave a whole speech about how my water bottle is just for.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Me, and I to him, but not to me, thankfully.

[Chris Ryan]

I don't like sharing water bottles, among other things, but so I agree for recordings, I should keep it open. It's our first time with the water bottle. Are you feeling it? I'm doing my best. Jesus Christ.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So glad we chose to record today. The Mastermind is the movie on my list, written and directed by Kelly Reichert, one of my favorite directors. This is the logline of this movie. A daring art theft set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War.

[Chris Ryan]

Great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's just a lot. That's a tic tac toe if I've ever heard one. Incredible cast in this movie. Josh O'Connor, John Magaro, Gabbie Hoffman, Bill Camp, Alana Heim.

[Chris Ryan]

It rules.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Good.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, let's go.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Show it to me.

[Chris Ryan]

All the cool people want to work with Kelly Reichardt, including me.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It also feels like a Cannes title. If not, then. Then it'll definitely be at the fall festivals. Very, very excited about this one. Okay, number eight for you.

[Chris Ryan]

Number eight is Paper Tiger. I'm glad you grabbed us from James Gray. Written and directed by. This has not started filming yet, so this one could be 26. Yeah, this is one where you wonder, but this is supposed to star Adam Driver, Jeremy Strong, and Anne Hathaway. The latter two starred in Armageddon Time. And I'll read the description. Paper Tiger is described as a tense and gritty story about two brothers pursuing the American dream, only to become entangled in a scheme that turns out to be too good to be true. And then more stuff happens. Listen, Adam Driver and Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway. I'm in.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong were very overlooked for their work in Armageddon Time.

[Chris Ryan]

I agree.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Great. That sounds good. I'm very excited about that movie. I fear it will be 2026, but maybe not.

[Chris Ryan]

I do too.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Maybe not. My number seven is also very intriguing to me. It's called Sentimental Value. This is the reunion of Joachim Trier and Renata Renzvi, the stars of the star and filmmaker behind the Worst Person in the World. This movie, I don't know a whole lot about it. I just know that in the Bill Simmons parlance, I have season tickets to this pairing. And I'm really excited. Eskil Vogt is also back. He was the co writer of Worst Person in the World, and so I'm really Pumped for this comedy drama. Also stars Stellan Skarsgrd and Elle Fanning and Corey Michael Smith, who portrayed Chevy Chase in Saturday Night.

[Chris Ryan]

He was good. I mean, if you're tall, you're tall.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, I really enjoyed his work. He's also phenomenal. In May December. He is Julianne Moore's elder son. In May, December. He's a super talented actor. He's really good. So this is a cool cast. Looks like it will be. It was shot in Oslo, but I assume much of it will be in English given some of this cast. But the Worst Person in the World, I think was my second favorite movie of that year when it came out. And I'm really excited about this. So that's my number seven. Okay, what do you got?

[Chris Ryan]

Number seven. And this is honestly where all the rankings just get silly. You know, we're just choosing. Who knows?

[Amanda Dobbins]

This is an excuse to say movie titles. Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

Mickey 17. Bong Joon Ho's follow up to Parasite starring Robert Pattinson, one of the great movie stars working. I mean, this has moved release dates like 45 times. Warner Brothers up to some shenanigans, but I think it has most recently landed on March 7th.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes. It just recently flipped dates with Sinners, which is a movie that I'm about to name on my list. Sinner's a new Ryan Cooler movie. So now it's coming in March after originally being in January and before that being in 2024. So hopefully we'll finally get to see this movie. You know, a movie that's been much concern trolled in terms of its financial viability. I will make a pledge to you right now to not worry about that.

[Chris Ryan]

Great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

To take the movie at its face and to enjoy it as much as I can. We're only gonna get so many Bong Joon Ho movies in this lifetime. Let's try to enjoy them.

[Chris Ryan]

That's lovely. That can be your. The second tagline. Second tagline of this podcast for this year.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What was the other one? It was like two mystical children can.

[Chris Ryan]

Connect in order to discover their lives.

[Amanda Dobbins]

They love water bottles and films. My number six is highest to lowest, which is a new movie from Apple and A24 directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington. This movie notably is a remake of a sort of Akira Kurosawa's High and Low, which is one of my favorite films of all time. If you listen to our episode about Toshiro Mifune that Chris and I did during COVID we talked about this movie quite a bit story about a businessman who is enduring a kidnapping of his child and needs to navigate all of the moving pieces to make sure that he can get his family back together. I would imagine they're going to take some liberties with this storyline. The cast of this movie is really interesting. It's Denzel, Jeffrey Wright, Ice Spice, and ASAP Rocky.

[Chris Ryan]

Cool.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That is not a joke.

[Chris Ryan]

That's great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Very intriguing. We'll see. I'm excited. It's based on King's ransom, the Ed McBain novel, which I guess is what the High and Low film is based on, which I don't know if I even really realized that the Ed McBain novel was the original basis. This episode is brought to you by LinkedIn ads. Part of what makes the film so successful is its marketing campaign. It could be the greatest movie of all time, but if no one knows about it, it's probably not going to do so well at the box office. This is true for business too. So how can you improve your company's marketing strategy? Well, if you're in the B2B business, a great place to start is LinkedIn Ads. They have the targeting tools and resources to help your ads stand out from the crowd. With LinkedIn ads, you'll have direct access to 130 million decision makers. Thanks to their targeting capabilities, you can make sure you're reaching the people who will find your ad more relevant. You can even reach them by job title, industry, company, and more. In technology, LinkedIn generated two to five times higher return on ad spend than other social media platforms. Start converting your B2B audience into high quality leads today. They'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com TheBigPicture to claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com TheBigPicture Terms and Conditions apply.

[Sean Fennessey]

This episode is brought to you by Viori. I love sports. I know you do too. I also know that lots of you exercise. But if you're like me and my wife, the beloved sports gal, you're sick and tired of ugly, uncomfortable workout gear. Especially. You know, I do a lot of walking. I walk around la, I make calls. I listen to podcasts. Here are two words that will change everything. Viori Clothing. A line of activewear that is unbelievable. The best thing about Viori is you can lounge around in it. You can work out in it, you can go outside, you can go shopping down in your local wherever, and you never feel like you're either underdressed or overdressed. You're just comfortable you can wear it when you're training, traveling, lounging around the house. Go get yourself some of the most comfortable and versatile clothing on the planet. Here's the deal. Our listeners get 20% off their first purchase at Vuori.com Simmons once again. V U O-R I.com.

[Chris Ryan]

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[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay, next up, number six for you.

[Chris Ryan]

Number six after the Hunt, the Luca Guadagnino movie that has film. This is one that is in the scan as a. Well, yes, I think they filmed it as opposed to his 45 other things.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Are you editing it?

[Chris Ryan]

Working on? I'm available. I'll hang out with Luca anytime he wants here or in Rome at the hotel that he creative directed.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Who's in this movie?

[Chris Ryan]

This is Julia Roberts, Iowa dibbery and he of the David Yurman pendant, Andrew Garfield and also Michael Stobarg and Chloe Sevigny. Just incredible. So this is academic. Me too. As best I understand it, a college professor is forced to grapple with her own secretive past after one of her colleagues is faced with a serious accusation.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Intriguing.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. I'm in love.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Luca.

[Chris Ryan]

Season tickets to Luca.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Luca loves a sordid tale.

[Chris Ryan]

He does. And he likes beautiful things.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He does.

[Chris Ryan]

And he likes movie stars. So I'm on board. And also apparently score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross again, thankfully you have.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Not seen Queer yet.

[Chris Ryan]

No, I just, I'm behind.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's one of those movies where now I saw it, didn't really like it very much and now there's something calling to me that I'd like to return to it and reconsider. So if you, if you get around to it, let me know. Maybe we'll make an opportunity to discuss on the show. Number five is Sinners. That's the movie I just mentioned. Ryan Coogler. This is I guess a period piece vampire movie. Though vampires have not really been revealed in any of the marketing materials.

[Chris Ryan]

But if you know it's pretty Heavily implied, you know?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. Obviously. Michael B. Jordan appears in all films directed by Ryan Coogler. This one notably for Warner Brothers and his first non Marvel film in quite some time. I guess the log line here is trying to leave their troubled lives behind. Twin brothers who are both portrayed by Michael B. Return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back. Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O'Connell, Wanmi Masaku, Jamie Lawson, Omar Benson Miller. My guy, Delroy Lindo.

[Chris Ryan]

Amazing cast.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Extraordinary cast. Ludwig Gurenson is back in the mix.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay. Great composer. Cool.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm in Vampires. Just so soon after Nosferatu.

[Chris Ryan]

Another one that I still haven't seen. I'm gonna do it. My heart's open.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, Coogler negotiated to retain the copyright of this film.

[Chris Ryan]

I do know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So he will own it. After a certain number of years. It's either 10 or 25. I can't remember.

[Chris Ryan]

Sounds like 20. I. I was gonna say 25, but I'm not his lawyer.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So what do you think about that phenomenon?

[Chris Ryan]

Great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

Does that. What does that mean? That means that then after 25 years, he can do whatever he wants with it. In terms of if he wants a live stream. Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

If somebody wants to run it in a repertory house.

[Chris Ryan]

If he wants to make a 4K release.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, I have some big 4k news, but I'm gonna sit on it. It's actually not my news to share.

[Chris Ryan]

Wow.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm waiting for the right time.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm really excited.

[Chris Ryan]

That's beautiful.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. It's not my news, is it?

[Chris Ryan]

Someone that I know is news?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

Am I going to be disappointed?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I hope you'll be delighted.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I was delighted. Delighted.

[Chris Ryan]

Oh, okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What's your number five?

[Chris Ryan]

The Phoenician scheme. I mean, new Wes Anderson movie. I'm pumped for this espionage comedy drama. Great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So pumped.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, you know, it's a Wes Anderson version of an espionage comedy drama, but I bet. Let me read some of the cast for you. Benicio Del Toro, Michael Cera, Bill Murray, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Rupert Friend, Willem Dafoe, Bryan Cranston, Mia Therapleton, Toni Ho, Rengo Isha Joyce Samuel. The list goes on and on. Great. I love it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Think this is happening this year? Seems like it, Right?

[Chris Ryan]

I hope so.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Reason to return to Venice.

[Chris Ryan]

I think that they have at least filmed it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What's your fall film festival strategy this year?

[Chris Ryan]

Honestly, Here is the main issue. Well, okay, number one, I have two children.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That is definitely the main issue.

[Chris Ryan]

That. That's a thing that we're working through on an hour to hour basis. Number two, my friend got Oasis tickets at the Rose bowl, and I think one is earmarked for me, but. So that's. I think it is. Yeah. But I think it's in real conflict with the Venice schedule. So how am I gonna get from Venice to Oasis at the Rose Bowl?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, it's Telluride time.

[Chris Ryan]

No, it's not. I don't.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know me, come to the mountains.

[Chris Ryan]

I don't do mountains. I don't do fields.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You're going to Toronto. Is that what you're gonna do instead? Will you go to the Toronto Film Festival?

[Chris Ryan]

I've never been to Canada, so maybe this is my year. Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Something to consider, and I guess I can. You're a woman of the people. That's the People's Film Festival.

[Chris Ryan]

Yes, that is true. That's. That's true.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Everyone is saying that.

[Chris Ryan]

So I don't know. I gotta talk to Venice. I gotta talk to my.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Gotta talk to Venice.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, I gotta talk to them. I gotta talk to my other people, namely my husband. I'd like to go to New York, too.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The New York Film Festival. Yes, I'll be there.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. Which is in October. I am not golfing, so I'd like to go to Cannes. But, you know, there are a lot of things I'd like in the next hours, days, months and years, we'll see.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The struggle of life.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

My number four is 28 years later. I was very much looking forward to this movie. I mentioned this in a video that Chris and I made about the trailer on YouTube, but that I was told by someone who works in the industry that this script was the best script they had read in five years. Written by Alex Garland, directed once again by Boyle, it's the third film in their 28 zombie trilogy, soon to be a quadrilogy and a. What is five Quintology? I believe there are two other films coming in the aftermath of this movie, but this one, yeah, my friend said, best script in five years. And once we saw the trailer, I was like, put it inside me. Put it inside me immediately. Okay. I'm very, very, very, very pumped for this. This movie comes out. We mentioned. I should mention Sinners comes out in April, and 28 Years later is released June 20. So June looking much better than July this year. Have you noticed that I.

[Chris Ryan]

None of this seems solid to me.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You think A lot of this is.

[Chris Ryan]

Solid, at least not summer wise. Anything from May on, I just. I think that there will be a lot of moving around.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Interesting. Okay. Have you seen the 28 days and months Later? You haven't seen those films?

[Chris Ryan]

No, because it's zombies, right?

[Amanda Dobbins]

It is zombies. Yeah. They're very fast zombies.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That was the big innovation that.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, that seems really upsetting. I'll check it out before this one.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. You know that it's virtually impossible to stream either of these, the first two films, they're not available on digital. You need to own them on physical media, which of course I do.

[Chris Ryan]

That's great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

In fact, I have a double pack. I have one box that has both films as well.

[Chris Ryan]

I'm happy for you. I'm also a member.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do you want to come over and watch them?

[Chris Ryan]

Sure, that'd be great. Or I could just rent them from vidiots, our local community video store, and not have to interact with you.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, there's so many great options in your neighborhood. You wouldn't have to interact with me. Just mean. Okay. What's your number four?

[Chris Ryan]

Black bag.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

Let's go.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Coming soon.

[Chris Ryan]

This is the second Steven Soderbergh film of 2024.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes. We've both seen presents, so we don't have presents on our list. Presence is coming to movie theaters in a week and a half.

[Chris Ryan]

Incredible. This is coming on March 14th. Not the only March 14th release on my. On my list.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We'll get there.

[Chris Ryan]

We'll come back to that. But this is a spy thriller starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender and written. No. Directed by. Written by David Koepp and directed by Steven Soderbergh, who is just an incredibly important figure in my life, filmmaking and ideologically, just. Once again, his culture diary. No one doing it better.

[Amanda Dobbins]

If I could ask him one question about his culture diary, what would you.

[Chris Ryan]

I actually. I would like to know about his. His book reading and how he's making his fiction choices. Because he is one of the great readers of contemporary women's fiction out there. Like every single, like, you know, Oprah or Good Morning America Book club book or any literary fiction book written by a woman that is released like it is on Soderbergh's list. That's awesome. And like. And so we have a lot of overlap because that's often where my tastes go as well. But I would like to know how he's making his choices and, like, why is that his lane? Is that just what he's Interested in reading? Is he reading that for, like, producing purposes? Is that just. He did a great podcast for the New York Times Book Review with Gilbert Cruz and was talking about how he reads to, like, turn his brain off, which I relate to. But anyway, that's what I want to know. How's he picking his fiction and has he noticed those patterns?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'll ask him.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Should I also ask him for his number or what?

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, I hope you, you know, have it for zoom purposes, but I don't need it. You could also ask him about the tennis. Does he play tennis? Does he have a tennis instructor?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Are you sure you don't want to join me for this interview?

[Chris Ryan]

It's okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. I'll also be asking him why he rewatched every Star wars property last year.

[Chris Ryan]

He's just hanging out.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's very notable that he was like, today is a good day to watch Revenge of the Sith.

[Chris Ryan]

He also watched so much tennis and so much true crime.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And you're getting, like, all, like. I can feel you getting all worked up.

[Chris Ryan]

I just. It's pretty legendary, you know, like the Miami Open Women's Final, like, that's a real one.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Black Bag is a movie.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Starring Fassbender and Cate Blanchett, right?

[Chris Ryan]

Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Looks great.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. It's sort of like Mr. And Mrs. Smith. But if Soderbergh directed it and maybe not funny.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think it's going very overtly for 70s Michael Caine spy movie, which is a genre of movie that I like quite a bit, I think. I sent you the trailer to the Black Windmill when I saw the Black Bag trailer, and I was like, seems like he's really in this. I think he watched the Holcroft Covenant last year, which is another one of those Michael Caine movies. So, yeah, it seems like.

[Chris Ryan]

I just mean they're married and they're spies.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Totally. Yes. The premise is very similar to Mr. And Mrs. Smith. Not the. Look, my number three is Mission Impossible. The Final Reckoning.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. I mean, at some point we're just putting things on lists that we can't.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That we both.

[Chris Ryan]

Number three is sort of low.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You think so? Well, numbers two and one.

[Chris Ryan]

Well, number one is obviously like, everyone knows what number one. Okay. Number two and three. Two. And I get it. Okay. I texted you. I didn't see this trailer when it came out. Cause I think it came out, like, while I was in the hospital with Sy. So then I saw it before Gladiator 2 at, like, 10 in the morning, and I started crying in the theater.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's overwhelming.

[Chris Ryan]

I texted.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's overwhelming. First of all, I never left. I never abandoned Mission Impossible, and I never will. The way that the whole trailer is set up to be like, Tom Cruise must once again, for the final time, sacrifice his body and soul so that you may be entertained and the world may survive. Hilarious. Just incredible stuff. I'm pumped. I'm pumped.

[Chris Ryan]

It was a magnificent trailer. I love these movies. I still don't care about A.I. i have some.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, this movie is going to be proven to be so prescient. Come on.

[Chris Ryan]

It just. The last. The AI Part, it didn't make sense. Okay, so now he's got.

[Amanda Dobbins]

There's a cruciform key.

[Chris Ryan]

Got like submarine dive and then needed.

[Amanda Dobbins]

To open the submarine. It's like slight revisionist history because you were a little cold on Dead Reckoning on the actual reaction pod.

[Chris Ryan]

A little touch cold and that. Listen, Bobby, I think that we have to open our hearts to the idea of change and evolution. This is our third tagline. So it's okay. We're opening our hearts.

[Amanda Dobbins]

She was really cold on it, and.

[Chris Ryan]

I was trying to defend that the AI stuff doesn't work. And once again, I don't really like underwater stuff. I think it's cool that Tom Cruise can scuba dive or whatever, but cinematically, like, do I like watching it that much as when sailing through the air. I love Haley Atwell. I would like to marry Haley Atwell. I forgot to. Did I cancel my star subscription because I was gonna. I subscribed to watch Apollo 13, and then I was gonna rewatch the Howard's End that she did with Matthew McMahon.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Such a long week. I can't believe this. Just.

[Chris Ryan]

You know what?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Detach, please. Just, just, just detach.

[Chris Ryan]

You didn't have to come in today. You were the one that was like, we can do it. And I said, I'll get it to together. And so now I'm talking about Haley Atwell. I. I mean, I. I'm so excited for this movie.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This is a war. Okay, why don't you. Why don't you do your number three?

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We're getting close here.

[Chris Ryan]

Materialist.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

Celine Song's new film starring Dakota Johnson. Chris Evans, who you and Joanna owe an apology to, and Pedro Pascal.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This is Chris Evans's revenge.

[Chris Ryan]

I like all of these people and all of their work. And this is also a romantic comedy about a matchmaker, her ex boyfriend, and a wealthy businessman. Cause why not?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Last Wednesday, I was feeling very sad for obvious reasons, and put on 21 Jump street on Netflix. And I had forgotten Dakota Johnson was in it. Just talking shit to Jonah Hill.

[Chris Ryan]

It's really funny, really good.

[Amanda Dobbins]

21 Jump Street. Fantastic. Super funny movie has aged very well in my mind. Materialist sounds good. It looks a little bit polished based on the set photos.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Which I would say is a little different from how I viewed past lives. And I wonder, you know, obviously a filmmaker going up, going up in budget, going up in star power. Curious to see how that translates Celine song. I have Faith.

[Chris Ryan]

A polished rom com with three stars from a writer director who actually. Who thinks about things into your veins. Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

My number two is Marty Supreme.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, like this could be on.

[Amanda Dobbins]

My list nine out of other hundred years. This would be my number one, most anticipated. This is the one of two Safdie movies coming out this year. This film is directed by Josh and I believe is co written with Ronald Bronstein, the co writer of many Safdie brothers movies. This is their first feature since Uncut Gems. Benny also has a film coming out this year, the Smashing Machine starring Dwayne the Rock Johnson.

[Chris Ryan]

Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Interestingly, I believe Marty supreme is based on a true story. And is it based on a true story? I can't recall. It's a ping pong movie starring Timothee Chalamet and set in the 1950s. And Timmy has been rocking that nice mustache for the last few months. And he's been rocking it because he's been in character for this movie. Also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Tyler, the creator Penn Jillette, Abel Ferrara, the legendary filmmaker Fran Drescher. I don't know very much about the movie other than I'm getting after hours vibes. Yeah, I'm feeling, I'm feeling the Scorsese influence which is always evident in the Safdie brothers movies. And New York set story, of course, dated for Christmas Day. I'm just very pumped.

[Chris Ryan]

Gwyneth Paltrow did a legendary Instagram post where it was just a roundup of all of the fancy restaurants she went to while living in filming this movie, which it's. She's my queen. I'm. I'm very excited about this.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Also intriguing, putting Gwyneth in a Safdie Brothers movie.

[Chris Ryan]

I love it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, she's really like a languorous kind of performer, you know, really sort of even keeled. Not a. Not a nervy type, I wouldn't say.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. But I mean she grew up in New York. She can do it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. Yeah. The hardscrabble streets of New York for sure.

[Chris Ryan]

Remember when Susan Sarandon was dating that ping pong guy?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I do.

[Chris Ryan]

That was like a whole thing.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So I don't know very much about this fellow, but Marty Reisman is the guy's name who the story is based on, who was a professional champion table tennis player. I'm excited about this. That's my number two. And I'm looking forward to the Smashing Machine, too. I really love Benny and I loved the Curse, Nathan Fielder, Emma Stone show, which is we're going to look back on as, like a miracle. That show is insane and profound.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So strange. And features incredible performances from the two. From the three of them. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to that one, too. Okay, what's number two for you?

[Chris Ryan]

My number two is not my number one because that would feel like, too biased. And it was also on my last days, but last year's list. But this is confirmed. This is a film written and directed by my very good friend Mark Anthony Green, called Opus. It is coming out on March 14th. It's debuting at Sundance in, like, a week and a half. It stars John Malkovich and Iowa Dibbery. I mean, it's a horror film being released by a 24. Mag did it. I can't wait. I'm psyched.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, I haven't seen this movie. I have no idea.

[Chris Ryan]

I haven't seen it either. And honestly, Mag, like, it's. I. It's a little fucked up at this point because Zach has seen it. Like, everyone else in my life knows a lot about it. And it's not that he's been keeping it for me, but I think he's like, it's gonna be. You're gonna see the finished product.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, he's been keeping it for me. I've known Mag for almost 15 years at this point. We worked together at GQ many, many years ago. And I've been hearing about iterations of a feature film from him for a long, long time. And this is a real movie. This is a movie movie.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. I'm in the can for it. Like, we visited the set. Knox ruined a take. Like, it's really, like. Truly, I'm very sorry. A24. Thank you. I know better than to take a small child to a movie set, but I'm really excited. This is the real thing, so.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Me too. Hope I can see it soon.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You are going to Sundance unless one.

[Chris Ryan]

Of the kids gets sick. I mean, listen, I was going to Sundance until the events of the last week. I mean, I do my absolute best. We're both going. But I think if between me and Zach, if only one of us can go, I think Zach goes, but I don't know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He's already seen it.

[Chris Ryan]

That is true.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Something to think about.

[Chris Ryan]

Well, anyway, yes, I hope we both go.

[Amanda Dobbins]

My number one is the Battle of Bacton Cross, which I still don't believe will be the title of this film, though we shall see. This is the new feature film from Paul Thomas Anderson. It's coming out in August. August 8th.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay, so I know that there's a thing with the IMAX screens and so that there's going to be competition for the IMAX screens, that this is like in IMAX. And so you think it's going to keep that August 8th date because of IMAX?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I just haven't heard anything to the contrary. I know Matt Bellany suggested on an episode of the Town at the end of last year that he had heard rumblings that it might move to 2026. Obviously, things at Warner Brothers have been incredibly complicated over the last three or four years under the new administration. Their head of marketing just got fired after a series of flops. This year, it's all up in the air. Huge year for the leadership. PAM Abdian, Mike DeLuca. Mike DeLuca, famously the guy who gave PTA a huge shot with Boogie Nights. A huge advocate for him over the years. This may or may not be an adaptation of Pinions Vineland. It's been unconfirmed. A lot of the outlines of the story that I've read and I've. I've been breaking a lot of my own rules with trying to figure out what the hell's going on with this movie and trying to, like, read up on things that I shouldn't be reading up on. But the cast is insane. It's Leo. Regina hall, who I've been hoping they would. Worked together for years. She's like, the most perfect fit for his sensibility. I know he's a fan of hers. Sean Penn, back after working with him on the last film. Alana Heimbeck. Teyana Taylor, also an inspired casting choice. Wood Harris from the fucking Wire. Benicio Del Toro. They're reuniting again. It seems like a big, crazy, violent spectacle. Not quite like a war movie, but a movie with battle. And Leo's styling in the film is interesting.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, yeah, front row seat or like, you know, buying tickets the minute they're on sale for the.

[Amanda Dobbins]

How many more PTA movies are we gonna get?

[Chris Ryan]

I just. August 8th is not. Is not ideal.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't this goes right in the corner of the Mickey 17 box office. I don't care.

[Chris Ryan]

No, it's also not ideal for like our lives. So you know, I would love for.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Them you go on vacation, I'm happy to pot along.

[Chris Ryan]

It's called leave. It's called parental leave. Bonding time.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Go ahead, take it.

[Chris Ryan]

See, but you say it like a threat.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So what do you mean?

[Chris Ryan]

You know, you're free to take this movie. I'm looking forward to it. I like the films of Paul Thomas Anderson.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Take July, come back in August, you can miss Superman.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay, well, think about it. That is something to think about. Okay. But whatever. I'm excited for this film.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Chris Ryan]

I think it's just be a real.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Test of your enthusiasm.

[Chris Ryan]

I knew that you would put in those terms. Okay. My number one is F1, currently scheduled for June 27th.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yep. Last movie you'll see before your leaf, I suspect.

[Chris Ryan]

Well, I'm planning to see it at Cannes where I do think it will debut out of competition. Listen, as I said, we've been watching a lot of Top Gun Maverick, so. And I do believe in Joseph Kaczynski. I'm like even more Top Gun Maverick pilled than I was I think in 2022, if that's possible. Just because, you know, I can watch it with my, my almost 3 year old and my parents and everyone comes together and just cheers when Tom Cruise throws the rule book into the trash can, you know, which is. That's. That's beautiful. That's cinema.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's what my dad would have done.

[Chris Ryan]

Very emotional.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Insane.

[Chris Ryan]

I do also. I feel like Brad Pitt pulling a Tom Cruise is sort of sad and also like maybe a good career path.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Like it was very strategic to me.

[Chris Ryan]

You know, it's. Some of the other experiments have not really worked out in the last couple years. I think his celebrity is like at a really interesting or complicated, shall we say, point. And so if you just become a guy who just drives cars for forever.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, I mean that's been my theory for the last five or so years with his career is he's taking a lot of parts that don't have a lot of opportunity to discuss like human psychology, personal experience. They're not quite superhero parts, but they're very like, they're very contained and they're very like small odd worlds. And that way there's not a lot of penetration into the broader Brad Pitt experience because he's protecting a lot. Protecting a lot. Given what's been going on on the tabloids over the years.

[Chris Ryan]

So I. I think that's a good use of him. Even if it's sad that you don't get, you know, your. Your money balls and your burnout readings and your character actors.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's a different phase than, I think, most big time movie stars. You know, we're planning this Paul Newman episode, which will now happen probably in February. I'm thinking about him and how he kind of transitioned into his 50s and 60s, and how he's really like the model for getting older while being like a strapping, young, beautiful star. And we talk a lot about how Cruise does it, how Denzel does it, how daring some actors are, and how some, like, retrench into something very safe. The best way to do it if you're gonna be safe, is to do something big and bold. And F1 is like a big, bold old school.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, well, that's the other thing I was gonna say is that it's been filming for 15 years, like a $760 million movie.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's a huge thing.

[Chris Ryan]

And, like, is that sometimes that sometimes you need time, and sometimes that is alarming. It seems to be Joseph Kaczynski's method, like a bit. Especially when you're doing all of the practical, like the actual driving. Yeah, we'll see the trailer. Absolutely. Yes. I'm in. Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Kicked ass.

[Chris Ryan]

So I'm excited and I'm. And I'm also, I think, like, I'm ready for a big budget spectacle. You know, this. If it's. If it's ridiculous and good and Summer Blackbustery, all the better for me.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. So I don't know if you have any additional honorable mentions on top of what I put down here. I put down a lot. And I thought we could choose one movie from this honorable mentions list to be our 25th and final film.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Chris Ryan]

Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So I'm gonna go through them as quickly as I can.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The first one, which was originally on my list, and I took it off last minute, but I've heard great things about this movie is called the Drama. This is the new movie from Christopher Borgley starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya.

[Chris Ryan]

Oh, right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I had the aspect of the script explained to me and it sounded fascinating. I really like Dream Scenario, the last Borgly movie. I really like Sick of Myself, his movie before that. He's got a really corrosive, funny point of view. He was an awesome guest on the show. If people haven't. A lot of people hadn't seen Dream Scenario when we did that episode, but I highly encourage people to go back and listen to him because he was such a smart guy, such a cool guest. So that's one, two. Caught stealing. New Darren Aronofsky movie you have. This is a real war for you.

[Chris Ryan]

It's really, really, really hard because in addition to it starring Austin Butler as a former baseball player, it also stars Zoe Kravitz, Regina King and Matt Smith, who is really, really important and I think underused.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But.

[Chris Ryan]

But Aronofsky.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Now, I loved Aron Aronofsky movies. Not all of them, but most of them. You do not. What's your favorite?

[Chris Ryan]

My favorite Darren Aronofsky movie. I mean, I guess Black Swan. Even though I. My issues with it are the issues that I have with many of the other movies.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. That it focuses women.

[Chris Ryan]

It's just kind of like all full of shit. You know what I'm saying? I mean, I guess the Wrestler is not. The wrestler's very good.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I would argue that's the most full of shit movie he's ever made.

[Chris Ryan]

Well, I mean, that's the thing. It's like they're all really, really full of shit. It's like, okay, guy, I know you love Mother, but, like, you know, and.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Maybe Mother, Noah is the one that I can't really get into. I like the wrestler. I just think it's like him really kind of putting on somebody else's clothes.

[Chris Ryan]

Mother is at least the most honest of, like, where I think it's the most honest of his movies. Okay. I just find them kind of annoying. But also, all the rest of this is just right down the middle for me.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. More a remake of the Running man, which, under normal circumstances, I would not be terribly interested in, but Glen Powell. Glen Powell and Edgar Wright.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. And they recently cast someone else.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Colman Domingo.

[Chris Ryan]

Oh, yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He's playing the host who was originally portrayed by Richard Dawson, which is pretty inspired casting. So. And, you know, the Running Man, I believe, was originally a Richard Bachman story, which was Stephen King's pseudonym in the 80s when he was literally publishing like 13 novels a year. Arnold and Glen Powell are very, very different. And I think. I believe in the Bachman story there's a little bit more of an everyman quality to the lead. And Arnold being this superheroic figure and becoming so unbeatable in the game of the Running man is an interesting way of reframing it. I could be wrong about this. I haven't read that story in a long time. I probably write it when I was a teenager, but I don't know. It's been a long time since an Edgar Wright movie. I think last night in Soho was like 2020 too. So looking forward to that one. The Monkey. This is the new Oz. Good Perkins movie. His first movie since Long Legs. Theo James in this very crazy trailer for this movie. Very violent, very bloody. Should be interesting. I'm seeing it next week.

[Chris Ryan]

Phil's Long Legs. That's really good. That was good. That's why we do this on video.

[Amanda Dobbins]

A new thriller from Park Chan Wook. No other choice. Very fired up about that. I've paired two movies here. Fire and Ash. Perhaps you've heard of it.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This is the third Avatar feature from James Cameron.

[Chris Ryan]

Zoe Saldana off her Oscar win. Is she in this one? What happened? So they joined the water community.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. And now I believe they love water.

[Chris Ryan]

They talk to the whale. Do they have to leave at the end?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I mean, not to put too fine a point on it, but, you know, these are parables about ecology and we're in the year of the LA fires and this is going to be a movie. This is almost certainly going to be about that. It's going to be almost certainly going to be about what happens when we don't take care of our. Our earth, our space, our world, and how it can burn. Like, that's again, James Cameron.

[Chris Ryan]

Sure.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Operating in a completely other orbit from the rest of the world. And also somebody who has been banging the drums so, so loudly about climate.

[Chris Ryan]

Change for so long and fire and I mean, you can read about the Malibu compound before he sold it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. And then his. His former partner, Katherine Bigelow has a new movie coming out. Does not have a title. All we know is that it's set at the White House and features the President. I mean, it's for Netflix.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. I don't know. What would. Kathryn Bigelow. We like presidential movies. Also. Do I want to live in that world right now? I saw Detroit. You know, it's. It could go a lot of different ways.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Rebecca Ferguson, Jared Harris, Idris Elba, Greta Lee.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, I like all of those people.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What if I told you our friend Tracy Letts was in it?

[Chris Ryan]

I'm excited. That makes me think higher, more highly of it. Okay. I don't know. We keep going. We have a lot more here before we decide.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We have a lot more. Roofman. This is Derek Cnfrance's new movie. He of Blue Valentine and A Place beyond the Pines and Cowboy Bebop. No.

[Chris Ryan]

What was that?

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's not. That's not Derek C. In France.

[Chris Ryan]

Oh, what is that?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Cowboy Bebop was a Japanese anime title it was adapted in.

[Chris Ryan]

What was the cowboy thing? And was that Nazi in France? Was that. Oh, no, it's whining. Winning Refn.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, you're confusing your preferred Ryan Gosling Auteurs.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay, but which one was. I mean, that was a cowboy. Copenhagen Cowboy was that one.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That was Nicholas Winning Refn.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, that also Soderberght watch that last year.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That was a quality program that I spoke with Chris ryan about in 2023 on the watch.

[Chris Ryan]

I listen to that podcast.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Really enjoyed that show. Roofman is about a roofman. Incredible cast. Channing Tatum, Peter Dinklage, Kirsten Dunst, Ben Mendelson, Lakeith Stanfield and Juno Temple.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This is an old school character piece about a regular guy.

[Chris Ryan]

One of my notes to the Golden Globes about their production was that Kirsten Dunst was in attendance and I did not see her on the screen. So fix that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's a shame. Let's keep going. I mentioned the Bigelow movie. Honeydont is the next Ethan Coen movie that also stars Margaret Qualley.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay. People should do whatever they want with their time and their ideas and their success.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Cool. Very kind gesture on the movie podcast from you. What about Eliot, the new Pixar movie?

[Chris Ryan]

What about it, Sean?

[Amanda Dobbins]

My child looks very excited about this movie. We've seen the trailer a couple times. It's been pushed a couple times. You know, Disney famously needed to have a gonzo 2024 and all their risky titles got pushed to 2025. You know, Deadpool and Wolverine can stay inside out. Two can stay. Elio going to 2025. We'll see. Originals are tough for Pixar these days. I hope it's good and I'm looking forward to it.

[Chris Ryan]

Joyce Aldana is also a voice performer in this film.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What a year for her. Yeah, it's gonna be incredible. Okay. Begonia.

[Chris Ryan]

What's this again?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone's.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. This is the one that she.

[Amanda Dobbins]

She picked it up. Yeah, she shaved her head.

[Chris Ryan]

So she. So we're that much hair growth in like two months, I guess. Is that what we're meant to believe? Or maybe she just sort of had buzzed.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I've had this length of hair for roughly 25 years.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, no, I know. So I'm currently. You know how you lose a lot of hair at postpartum?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

So that. That happened. That started happening this week, by the way. I was just like.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, I'm sure There are other things.

[Chris Ryan]

Well, sure. Totally. Totally. But I was like, oh, this is great. And so my recollection and I will all chart this together on YouTube. Thanks for joining. Everyone. Is like, it takes the hair longer to grow back, but I guess her hair was like, this long. Right?

[Amanda Dobbins]

You're talking about Emma Stone's hair, not your own hair.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, I just, like, did she actually Bic it or was. Did she just cut it very short and then wear a bald cap and then.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's a good question. I'm not really sure.

[Chris Ryan]

She looks great. Does it really matter? No.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The Life of Chuck was the audience award winner at the Toronto International Film Festival. New film from Mike Flanagan stars Tom Hiddleston. Looking forward to it. Also based on a Stephen King work, the Bride.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay. Oh, right, the Maggie Gyllenhaal.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This is the Maggie Gyllenhaal adaptation of the Bride of Frankenstein starring Jessie Buckley.

[Chris Ryan]

Right. And then you've paired it with Frankenstein, which is the Guillermo del Toro Frankenstein starring Jacob Elordi. Correct. What's Jacob Elordi been up to?

[Amanda Dobbins]

He's got another project coming down the pike, too. Well, you haven't. Have you not seen the Paul Schrader film? Oh, my.

[Chris Ryan]

You know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, Canada.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, I definitely read and listened to you talking about it a lot.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Beautiful movie.

[Chris Ryan]

That's great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Incredible Richard Gere performance. Lordy's good.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He plays Young Gear. Yeah, There's a height difference.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. I mean, he's like, really tall.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Elordi is. Yeah. Six. Five or six. Six. Yeah. He was in a movie that debuted at TIFF called Unswift Horses. And then he's playing Frankenstein's monster in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein.

[Chris Ryan]

Right. Oh, and he's supposed to replace Paul Mescal in the new Ridley Scott movie. Okay, I just read that. Yeah, he had a beard.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Quite a cast in this Frankel scene.

[Chris Ryan]

Oh, oh, oh, oh, I forgot. Oh, and he's in Wuthering Heights with Emeril Levant. Yeah, that disaster that, like, yikes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's 2026, right?

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. February 13th.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. Okay. Friendship, the Paul Rudd Tim Robinson comedy that Adam Naiman told us about out of the Toronto Film Festival, which also got picked up by a 24 and is reportedly the funniest studio comedy in a decade.

[Chris Ryan]

I'm excited.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We'll see.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, I love to laugh.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Speaking of laughing, the Untitled Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Kendrick Lamar comedy.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This is dated for July 4th.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Not very much is known about it.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Kendrick, famously a fan of South Park.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Where are you at on Trey and Matt?

[Chris Ryan]

You know, I am second to you, you know, and I cede the floor to you in your enthusiasm. And isn't that all the origin of the nuzzler?

[Amanda Dobbins]

It is. Cannibal, the Musical, Orgasmo, South Park. Bigger, Longer and Uncut. Team America, World Police Basketball. 35 seasons of South Park. Name a more iconic duo.

[Chris Ryan]

You won't let me talk about Howard's.

[Amanda Dobbins]

End, you know, I'm not stopping you. I've created a platform and I'm using it to speak about the great works.

[Chris Ryan]

That's great, I think, like South Park.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Bigger, Longer and Uncut. Where love flourished. And here we are 25 years later.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, those are funny.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, they're all funny.

[Chris Ryan]

They're funny. I haven't seen all of them, but, like, I was a teenager, I really.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Fell off South Park. I don't really watch south park anymore. I can't pretend to.

[Chris Ryan]

I was a teenager when south park was, wasn't I?

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's. It's hard to overstate the phenomenon level when we were in, like, eighth grade when south park hit. Yeah, it's. It took over culture for a period of time. And obviously it's still very, very popular culture all the way till I was in middle school. Bigger, Longer, Uncut. When? Triple platinum at the sleepovers.

[Chris Ryan]

Wow.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm not trying to take it from any other gender.

[Chris Ryan]

It belongs to all of us, whether I, as the. The mom at the middle school boys sleepover, will allow that would screen it not because I disapprove, but, like, because it's animated. Imagine getting the call from the parent who doesn't approve.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I mean, this will be our life soon.

[Chris Ryan]

I don't want to be having that phone call.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm going to be the permissive dad. You can watch whatever you want.

[Chris Ryan]

Well, I mean, I think so, too, but I really, really don't want to be here at night.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I also be watching Sleepaway Camp, Silent Night, Deadly Night in a couple of years. It's all good. The Fantastic Four. The first steps.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah. How are you feeling?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well.

[Chris Ryan]

Hold on, let me see if I can name all. I just wanna name the actors. I don't know who they're playing. Okay, so Eben Moss, Bachrach, Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, and that guy with the cat from Quiet Place. Day One.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The Human Torch would like a bank loan. That's a line from Anchorman. His name's Joseph Quinn.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, and he was also in Gladiator 2.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He was. He was one of the mad emperors.

[Chris Ryan]

Those are the four.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Those are the four.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, I'm correct.

[Amanda Dobbins]

They're playing the thing. Mr. Fantastic, the invisible Woman.

[Chris Ryan]

What does she do? Like, what's her vibe?

[Amanda Dobbins]

What do you think she does?

[Chris Ryan]

Like. Like, you know, what's the President of.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The United States of America? What's his vibe? What does he do? She's a. She's a doting and faithful wife to a genius.

[Chris Ryan]

You say that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's a familiar archetype. That's funny.

[Chris Ryan]

You're not always funny, but that was funny. But it's like Batman's a detective and I didn't know that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You're learning so much here on the phone.

[Chris Ryan]

So, like, what's her origin story? You know, what's she bringing.

[Amanda Dobbins]

She got married to Reed Richards and they were like, let's go to space. And then like they get exposed to some space stuff and then it makes them. It makes them transform and get all these powers.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay, so are other people. And he's invisible too?

[Amanda Dobbins]

No, he is stretchy. He can reach in any direction, you know, with his legs.

[Chris Ryan]

I mean, I do think being invisible is cooler than being stretchy.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Sexual opportunity.

[Chris Ryan]

Sure, that's true.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I mean, that's why she sticks around.

[Chris Ryan]

Sue Storm, how much fan fiction is there about.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's legitimately not my lane, but I'll bet it exists.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, so that'll be interesting. There have been other adaptations of the Fantastic Four. They've all been abominable.

[Chris Ryan]

Why? What is it about the Fantastic Four?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, I think they're making a good choice here by setting this movie, I believe, in the 1960s, which is. There's a kind of like nuclear family. Aw, shucksiness to the Fantastic Four story. And there's, you know, it's a kind of a space race sort of a story. I don't know if it's actually going to be a space, but I think there's, you know, there's an interplanetary.

[Chris Ryan]

You didn't want to over promise the space race.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't want to give you Apollo 13, but like, there might be a little bit of it. Matt Shackman, long, long, long time TV director.

[Chris Ryan]

I'm going to talk about stars again.

[Amanda Dobbins]

No, I don't. I don't think so. Carl Sagan, Tron Aries, the Movie Channel. Oh, no, I don't want you to say that either. Tron. Ares.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, sure.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This is the third Tron film. It's directed by Joachim Ronning. He directed the Young Woman in the Sea starring Daisy Ridley. Did you see that?

[Chris Ryan]

No, not yet.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I liked It.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Pretty nice movie. The last one is the History of Sound. Yeah. This is the new film from Oliver Hermanus, starring your boy Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal. And Paul Mescal, yeah.

[Chris Ryan]

Who I think you kind of owe an apology to as well.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What do you mean?

[Chris Ryan]

I think he was fine in Gladiator too.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's my Irish brother.

[Chris Ryan]

He's miscast. And also, your understanding of muscle tone needs work.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You're frail, Paul. You're a frail boy.

[Chris Ryan]

That's crazy.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm just playing. Okay, out of all of these movies, what's the 25th choice? So we can wrap this up?

[Chris Ryan]

Okay, but should we do, I don't know, the drama? Caught Stealing the Running Man? Do you want to do something bigger? Do you want to do something more fun? Do you want to do.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Bob has got his. He's got his cursor on no other choice. The Park Chan Wook film. That would be my vote.

[Chris Ryan]

That's your vote. I mean that you have a lot of taste. That's very high minded and highbrow of you and that's fine. I mean, I do like movie stars. You know, I'm like, it's my Robert Pattinson year, so that's kind of where I want to go.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But Bob, your choice is no other choice from Park Chan Wook. A very good choice. This movie is also very high on my list. Almost made it to my 12. Let's do the drama.

[Chris Ryan]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We got movie stars.

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We get an original story that we don't know very much about.

[Chris Ryan]

Great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's it. You feel good about this? You glad you came to work today?

[Chris Ryan]

Yeah, I am. This was nice. This was. Trying to look forward to things was nice. It was a good vibe. I hope that people experienced it that way.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes. Just love and good thoughts to everybody who's been dealing with the awfulness of the last week. And I hope everybody stays safe through whatever is coming in the next few days. We may have another episode this week. I hope we do.

[Chris Ryan]

We're going to try our best.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We're going to try our best. We're going to try our best to see Den of Thieves to Pantera, which CR has seen. Amanda and I have not seen it yet and we're going to talk about it and maybe some other stuff. Maybe we'll throw some other movies in there. Maybe September 5th. Maybe we'll get into that.

[Chris Ryan]

I have seen that one.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We'll see. But if we don't have another episode, that's okay. We'll be back at some point, we're going to stay safe. We're going to try to stay healthy. Thanks to Jack Sanders for his work on this episode. Thanks to our producer, Bobby Wagner for his work as well. We'll see you.