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PODCAST

The Big Picture

Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins review the movies you need to see. Plus: Top 5s, Movie Drafts, Oscars analysis, and more, featuring a rotating cast of Ringer colleagues like Chris Ryan, Van Lathan, and Bill Simmons.

tv & film

All Episodes

93:18

The 1990s Horror Movie Canon and ‘I Know What You Did...

The Big Picture ·

2025/07/30

Sean and Amanda start the show by briefly reacting to the box office performance of ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ and wondering whether or not superhero movies will ever return to the levels of the MCU golden days (1:39). Then, they bring in Andy Greenwald to discuss Netflix’s newest animated success, ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ which they were initially skeptical of but eventually became charmed by, and they hypothesize what makes a big cultural hit in 2025 (4:46). Next, Sean and Amanda unpack the

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39:09

The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 14 - ‘Moneyball’

The Big Picture ·

2025/07/28

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today they discuss one of the greatest sports movies of all time: Bennett Miller's ‘Moneyball’—starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill. They explore the film’s very curious production history with director Steven Soderbergh, share why they think this was the best performance of Pitt’s career, and examine what the movie’s legacy is considering Miller’s lack of work following its

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81:16

‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Is Here. Plus: Our...

The Big Picture ·

2025/07/25

Sean and Amanda react to a long list of fall film festival lineup announcements; highlight their main takeaways from Venice, Toronto, and Telluride; and create their way-too-early top 25 Best Picture contenders list (2:16). Then, they unpack the newest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps,’ starring Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby, which they found incredibly disappointing (23:23). They dive deep into spoilers, explain why they found a majority of the stars

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121:12

The Chicago Movie Draft LIVE in Chicago!

The Big Picture ·

2025/07/22

Coming to you live from the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, it’s The Big Picture! Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and special guest Tracy Letts to draft their favorite Chicago movies of all time.Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Chris Ryan and Tracy Letts Producer: Jack Sanders THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU This episode is sponsored by State Farm. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you

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121:50

Ari Aster’s ‘Eddington’ Is a Mirror. Like What You See?

The Big Picture ·

2025/07/18

Sean 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

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43:06

The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 15 - ‘Inside...

The Big Picture ·

2025/07/16

Sean 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

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121:25

The Superman Movie Rankings

The Big Picture ·

2025/07/14

Sean 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

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99:09

‘Superman’ Is Here to Save the Day. Are We Saved?

The Big Picture ·

2025/07/11

It’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

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140:12

The 2025 Movie Auction Returns!

The Big Picture ·

2025/07/08

Sean 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

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48:21

The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 16 -...

The Big Picture ·

2025/07/04

Sean 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

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94:05

‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ Does Not Find a Way. Plus:...

The Big Picture ·

2025/07/02

Sean 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 Edwards' ‘Jurassic World Rebirth,’ starring Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali (9:45)

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128:15

The 10 Best Movies of the Year ... So Far

The Big Picture ·

2025/07/01

Sean 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

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110:03

‘F1’ Is a Fast, Fierce Blockbuster Throwback, With...

The Big Picture ·

2025/06/27

Sean 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,

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56:02

The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 17 -...

The Big Picture ·

2025/06/25

Sean 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

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105:24

Our 800th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag. Plus:...

The Big Picture ·

2025/06/23

Sean and Amanda celebrate 800 (!) episodes with a special “Ask Us Anything” movie mailbag. They answer your questions on whether or not 2025 has been a good movie year, share theatrical experiences that have floored them this century, and build their own “Intro to Film” curriculum (3:39). Then, they unpack a pair of two recent children’s movie releases. They start with the new Pixar animated film, ‘Elio,’ and wonder whether its lack of box office suggests that there is a Pixar movie crisis

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86:56

'28 Years Later': Death, Zombies, and One of the...

The Big Picture ·

2025/06/21

Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and react to a myriad of different movie news headlines, including the Academy’s decision to give Tom Cruise an honorary Oscar, Glen Powell’s casting in an upcoming Ron Howard firefighter film, and the first trailer for ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’—starring Jeremy Allen White (3:54). Then, they unpack Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s highly anticipated zombie horror sequel, ‘28 Years Later.’ They celebrate its exhilarating filmmaking and the

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46:32

The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 18 - ‘Before...

The Big Picture ·

2025/06/18

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss ‘Before Sunset,’ the second installment of Richard Linklater’s beloved romantic trilogy starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. They talk about why this film is their favorite of the trilogy and the official selection from Linklater’s career, discuss what its legacy is at large, and how its performances helped shape the most romantic, emotionally incisive film of the

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93:39

The Advice Hour

The Big Picture ·

2025/06/16

Amanda and Sean went live on YouTube to give you, the people, life advice. They answered questions about how to confront smelly friends, whether you can base a romantic relationship on a mutual passion for cinema, how to incorporate movies into wedding speeches, and much more.Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producers: Jack Sanders and John Richter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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99:18

‘Materialists’ and the Top Five Movie Love Triangles....

The Big Picture ·

2025/06/13

Sean and Amanda have an in-depth conversation and unpack their very mixed feelings on a pair of two new releases coming this weekend. They start with Celine Song's ‘Materialists’ and celebrate Song’s wonderful writing while also exploring their inability to connect to Dakota Johnson's and Pedro Pascal’s performances of the material (1:46). Then, they create their list of the top five movie love triangles of all time (45:10). Next, they discuss Mike Flanagan’s newest Stephen King adaptation, ‘The

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116:39

‘Ballerina,’ ‘Bring Her Back,’ and ‘Dogma’ Reborn,...

The Big Picture ·

2025/06/10

Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to discuss their disappointment with the newest installment in the John Wick franchise, ‘From the World of John Wick: Ballerina’ (2:08). Next, they cover the second horror feature film from the Philippou brothers with the deeply upsetting ‘Bring Her Back’ and explain why it was an interesting follow-up to their first feature, ‘Talk to Me’ (25:45). Then, they revisit Kevin Smith’s 1999 classic, ‘Dogma,’ and share everything they loved about it when they first

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876 results

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