Podcast
The Big Picture
Hosted by The Ringer · EN
Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins review the movies you need to see. Plus: Top 5s, Movie Drafts, Oscars analysis, and more. Subscribe to Sean's newsletter, Projections, here.
226episodes
Episodes
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Ari Aster’s ‘Eddington’ Is a Mirror. Like What You See?
Jul 18, 202502:01:50Summary readySean and Amanda are joined by “Mean Pod Guy” Adam Nayman to unpack Ari Aster’s divisive new film, ‘Eddington’—starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal. They discuss why they all thoroughly enjoyed the film, how Aster successfully captures our present world with a cinematic use of phones, screens, and social media, and wonder how it will perform commercially and critically (7:53). Then, they briefly cover Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s twenty-seventh feature film, ‘Cloud,’ and explain why Kurosawa matters to cinema at large (1:03:57). Finally, Sean is joined by Aster to talk through what makes this movie different from his previous work, why he wanted to make this now, where he sees his career moving forward, and what projects he wants to make next (1:16:03). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Ari Aster and Adam Nayman Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 15 - ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’
Jul 16, 202500:43:06Summary readySean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today they discuss Joel and Ethan Coen’s ‘Inside Llewyn Davis,’ starring Oscar Issac, one of the greatest depictions of a struggling artist of all time. They explain why this was their Coen brothers selection over ‘No Country for Old Men,’ celebrate its incredible balance between devastating dramatic moments and hilarious comedy, and highlight Issac’s fascinating career following this project. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryThe Superman Movie Rankings
Jul 14, 202502:01:25Summary readySean is joined by Van Lathan and Rob Mahoney to recap the opening weekend reaction to James Gunn’s ‘Superman.’ They share their final thoughts on the film, analyze the first weekend box office numbers, highlight why it performed significantly worse internationally than domestically, and hypothesize what the DCU could look like going forward (1:30). Then, they talk through every Superman movie ever made and rank them (32:40). Host: Sean Fennessey Guests: Van Lathan and Rob Mahoney Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Summary‘Superman’ Is Here to Save the Day. Are We Saved?
Jul 11, 202501:39:09Summary readyIt’s a bird … it’s a plane … it's the 'Superman' episode! Sean and Amanda dive deep into James Gunn’s highly anticipated ‘Superman,’ starring David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan (3:11). They discuss why they were pleasantly surprised and why they think the film works, explain why Corenswet was an excellent casting decision for a modernized version of the Superman character, and share the things they felt were ultimately not successful, like landing some of the story’s bigger themes. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryThe 2025 Movie Auction Returns!
Jul 8, 202502:20:12Summary readySean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to conduct Part 2 of their 2025 Movie Auction, where they draft, in auction format, some of the movies they're most excited for this year. Before diving in, they remember the wonderful career of Michael Madsen, who tragically passed away this weekend at 67 years old (2:38). Then, they review the results from their earlier selections this year and revisit the rules and scoring system going forward, before launching into this year's slate, including some mega-blockbusters like 'Superman' and ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, as well as some smaller but still exciting indies like 'The Ballad of a Small Player' and ‘It Was Just an Accident’ (7:40). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 16 - ‘Oppenheimer’
Jul 4, 202500:48:21Summary readySean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Christoper Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’, starring Cillian Murphy, one of the most iconic biopics of all time. They talk about their contentious decision to choose this film as the official Nolan selection for the list, wonder whether this will end up as the culmination of his career, and hypothesize what the film’s legacy will ultimately be. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Summary‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Does Not Find a Way. Plus: Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Is Coming!
Jul 2, 202501:34:05Summary readySean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to lead a team of skilled operatives to the most dangerous place on earth, a ‘Jurassic Park’ sequel. Before diving in, they react to the first trailer for Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ which played before their screening (1:23). Then, they unpack their complicated and (at times) contentious feelings on the newest installment of the dinosaur action franchise, Gareth Evans’s ‘Jurassic World Rebirth,’ starring Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali (9:45). Later, Sean is joined by Eva Victor to discuss their critically acclaimed first feature film, ‘Sorry, Baby.’ They talk about the interesting process of pitching a movie to financiers, the difficulties that come with doing press for a deeply personal film, and what they envision for their career going forward (59:02). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Eva Victor and Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryThe 10 Best Movies of the Year ... So Far
Jul 1, 202502:08:15Summary readySean and Amanda start the show by reacting to the major opening-weekend box office success of ‘F1’ and the new trailer for Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s ‘Project Hail Mary’, starring Ryan Gosling (1:07). Then, they are joined by an all-star cast of some Ringer colleagues and other friends to share their favorite movies of the year so far. Their selections cover some notable heavy hitters, a few underlooked films, and one controversial choice that might start some Ringer beef (12:37). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Rob Mahoney, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin, Joanna Robinson, Charles Holmes, Adam Nayman, and Grace Fennessey Producer: Jack Sanders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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‘F1’ Is a Fast, Fierce Blockbuster Throwback, With Joseph Kosinski! Plus, The Future of James Bond.
Jun 27, 202501:50:03Summary readySean and Amanda start the show by reacting to two huge news headlines from this week, with Denis Villeneuve set to direct the next James Bond film and Aaron Sorkin set to write and direct a sequel to ‘The Social Network’ (1:38). Then, they get behind the steering wheel to discuss Joseph Kosinski’s highly anticipated action blockbuster ‘F1,’ starring Brad Pitt. They talk about how the electrifying filmmaking displayed throughout the racing scenes makes the film worth the price of admission, acknowledge some of its noticeable flaws, and hypothesize whether or not it will perform well at the box office (23:00). Later, Sean is joined by Kosinski, who discusses why this was the most difficult shooting environment he’s ever experienced, how he feels about the major studios' relationship to the theatrical experience at large, and much more (1:12:26). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Joseph Kosinski Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 17 - ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’
Jun 25, 202500:56:02Summary readySean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Adam McKay’s ‘Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy’ starring Will Ferrell, one of the most iconic comedies of all time. They highlight the wildly successful partnership of McKay and Judd Apatow, why they made the painfully difficult decision to choose this as their official studio comedy selection over ‘Superbad’, and celebrate Christina Applegate’s wonderful performance. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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