The Big Picture: The New York City Movie Draft (with Griffin Newman & David Sims)

Podcast: The Big Picture
Host: The Ringer
Episode: The New York City Movie Draft, With Griffin Newman and David Sims!
Date: October 7, 2025

Overview

This episode features a special live recording of The Big Picture at the 92nd Street Y, where hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins are joined by Chris Ryan, Griffin Newman, and David Sims (of the podcast Blank Check) for a high-spirited New York City Movie Draft. With all participants having lived in New York, they share personal connections to the city and heatedly debate which films best capture its unique spirit. The draft features categories ranging from drama and comedy to action/thriller, blockbusters, Oscar winners, and movies with iconic subway scenes.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Magic of New York Movies

• All five panelists have lived in New York and reminisce on how film has shaped their perception of the city.
• David Sims: "Even the most gritty, neorealistic New York movies do kind of present a more ecstatic version of New York." (18:06)
• Amanda Dobbins: "I grew up here...I learned everything that I think is worth knowing and met most everyone that I think is worth knowing...in New York City." (16:37)
• The hosts debate whether movies romanticize or accurately portray New York’s chaos, energy, and eccentricity.

2. Trivia Segment (00:48-13:12)

• The episode kicks off with a Criterion Collection-sponsored trivia, with questions about:
  • Best Picture winners set in NYC (e.g., Annie Hall, Kramer vs. Kramer, Godfather II)
  • Spike Lee and Oscar trivia (Ang Lee as a double-winner, not Spike)
  • New York settings in classics like The Devil Wears Prada, When Harry Met Sally, The Royal Tenenbaums
  • Martin Scorsese's numerous NYC-centric films: Goodfellas, Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, etc.

3. Draft Rules and Categories (20:42)

• Categories include: Drama, Comedy, Action/Horror/Thriller, Oscar Winner, Blockbuster (must surpass $50 million), and Subway (featuring a subway scene).
• Spirited debate over what counts as an authentic "New York movie" and which city stand-ins (like Gotham) are eligible.

4. The Draft (26:06 onwards)

Highlights:

• Surprise Picks: Chris Ryan shocks everyone by choosing Die Hard with a Vengeance as his first pick for Blockbuster.
  • Chris: "It is such an incredible beat for beat action movie set fully within the rules of New York City..." (26:32)
• Amanda takes Frances Ha for Subway: "It is both the most magical New York of the movies and...the New York that I experienced." (29:44)
• Griffin chooses Dog Day Afternoon as his top Oscar Winner: "That is my knee jerk ‘greatest New York movie of all time’ answer." (32:14)
• Sean claims Goodfellas as his Oscar winner, citing its authentic depiction of working-class NYC.
• David Sims picks Do the Right Thing in Drama and Men in Black in Blockbuster, emphasizing both as New York "as a character" films.
• Notable Comedies: Royal Tenenbaums (David), Wolf of Wall Street (Sean), Working Girl (Amanda), and After Hours (Chris).
• Iconic Subway Movies: Taking of Pelham One Two Three (David), Spider-Man 2 (Griffin), Frances Ha (Amanda), The French Connection (Chris).

Notable Quotes

• Sean on Taxi Driver:
  "Travis Bickle is alone. He is one of the most alone people in the history of movies. And this movie is very good at showing that..." (53:40)
• Amanda on 25th Hour:
  "A beautiful, angry, heartbroken, amazing tribute to New York." (44:38)
• Griffin on Sully:
  "It’s about a guy refusing to go to New Jersey...He can’t fucking go back home. He can’t get on that Metro North and go back to his wife. He’s stuck in a hotel in New York." (72:16, 73:55)

Draft Results and Final Picks

Chris Ryan

• Drama: Cruising
• Comedy: After Hours
• Action/Horror/Thriller: Rear Window
• Oscar Winner: All That Jazz
• Blockbuster: Die Hard with a Vengeance
• Subway: The French Connection

Amanda Dobbins

• Drama: 25th Hour
• Comedy: Working Girl
• Action/Horror/Thriller: The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
• Oscar Winner: Michael Clayton
• Blockbuster: You've Got Mail
• Subway: Frances Ha

Griffin Newman

• Drama: Sully
• Comedy: The Muppets Take Manhattan
• Action/Horror/Thriller: The Warriors
• Oscar Winner: Dog Day Afternoon
• Blockbuster: When Harry Met Sally
• Subway: Spider-Man 2

Sean Fennessey

• Drama: Taxi Driver
• Comedy: The Wolf of Wall Street
• Action/Horror/Thriller: Uncut Gems
• Oscar Winner: Goodfellas
• Blockbuster: Ghostbusters
• Subway: Dressed to Kill

David Sims (Draft Winner)

• Drama: Do the Right Thing
• Comedy: The Royal Tenenbaums
• Action/Horror/Thriller: American Psycho
• Oscar Winner: The Godfather Part II
• Blockbuster: Men in Black
• Subway: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

5. Running Commentary & Comic Exchanges

• Gentle ribbing about New York sports teams, subway grievances, and the authenticity of movie neighborhoods.
• Frequent jokes about draft strategy, movie eligibility, and "boy movies."
• Ongoing debate about which subway scenes qualify as “pivotal” or “iconic.”

6. Honorable Mentions & Omissions (90:08 onward)

• Films discussed but not drafted include:
  Moonstruck, West Side Story, The Apartment, Anora, Inside Llewyn Davis, Rosemary’s Baby, Malcolm X, Coming to America, Black Swan, The Avengers, Bad Lieutenant, King of New York, Eyes Wide Shut, Carlito’s Way, Home Alone 2, Saturday Night Fever, Ghost, Sweet Smell of Success, and more.
• Discussion about the challenges of categorizing movies where the NYC setting is implied but not declared ("Eyes Wide Shut", "Bringing Up Baby", etc.).
• Amanda: “No one took Malcolm X. I mean, we have Spike Lee represented, but that’s pretty intense...” (92:10)

Most Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Surprise First Pick:
  Chris’s selection of Die Hard with a Vengeance as first overall elicits disbelief:
  “No one saw that coming as the first overall pick.” – Sean (27:09)
• Amanda’s heartfelt pick:
  "You have to take what you want. In Subway, I will be taking...Frances Ha." (29:20)
• The Sully Defense:
  Griffin’s passionate case for Sully as a quintessential New York drama (72:16-73:55)
• On Goodfellas’ Appeal:
  "I think that they're perfectly nice people. Yeah. And I think everything they did was fine." – Sean (34:22, facetiously)

Segment Timestamps

• 00:48 – 13:12: Trivia Challenge (Criterion Collection/NYC movie trivia)
• 14:19 – 20:42: Panel introductions, personal NYC testimonials
• 20:42 – 25:57: Draft rules, categories, and Subway category debate
• 26:06 – 84:07: Main Draft: picks, explanations, analysis, and banter
• 84:07 – 99:06: Final picks, Muppet comparisons, rapid-fire banter
• 99:06 – 102:14: Pick recaps and live voting results
• 102:20 – 103:42: Outro, shout-outs, and thanks

Tone & Style

• Witty, rapid-fire, affectionate toward subjects and each other.
• Full of inside jokes, classic New York sarcasm, and cinephile nerdery.
• Quotes and stories are authentic to the personalities: Sean’s dry humor, Amanda’s warmth, David and Griffin’s podcast chemistry, Chris’s deadpan.

Final Note

David Sims is crowned the New York City Movie Draft winner. The event closes with gratitude to the audience, guests, and a celebration of New York as “the best city in the world” (103:27). The conversation is a love letter to NYC’s singular role in film history—a must-listen for movie and city lovers alike.