The Big Picture

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.

Episodes

December 8, 2025 118 mins
Sean and Amanda have an action-packed show today, and they start with the biggest piece of news: Netflix’s $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. They talk through their initial gut reactions to the news; cover the additional information that came through over the weekend, including Paramount’s hostile bid; and hypothesize whether or not the sale will go through (1:57). Then, they react to the Golden Globe nominations...
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Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman to share their five favorite films from the year. But before diving in, they cover a handful of movie news items, including the updated rumors regarding the potential sale of Warner Bros. (1:25), the massive box office success of ‘Zootopia 2’ (5:44), and the speculation that Leonardo DiCaprio has been cast in Michael Mann’s ‘Heat 2’ (11:15). Then, they each share their top fi...
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Sean, Amanda, and Chris visit Pandora and join the Na’vi to watch James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ in anticipation of his upcoming sequel, ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash.’ Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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November 28, 2025 153 mins
Sean and Amanda are joined by Tracy Letts to cover the monumental work of legendary actor Robert Redford. They celebrate the star’s illustrious career, share their personal relationship to his work, and build his Hall of Fame.  Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Tracy Letts Producer: Jack Sanders Research: Brantley Palmer Shopping. Streaming. Celebrating. It’s on Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podc...
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Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Spike Lee’s ‘25th Hour,’ one of the most present tense films ever made. They discuss its fascinating legacy as a somewhat under-discussed masterpiece, explain why Lee’s stylistic choices are deeply moving, and identify the impressive fricative tension in all of the movie’s ideas. Hosts: Sean Fenne...
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Sean and Amanda begin the show by discussing the imminent sale of Warner Brothers Discovery, consider the potential implications of a merger with one of Paramount, Comcast, or Netflix, and debate which scenario is the most likely outcome (1:22). Then, they cover the new Colleen Hoover adaptation ‘Regretting You’ starring Allison Williams and Dave Franco, which they found absolutely baffling (17:28). Next, they have an extensive con...
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Sean and Amanda are joined by Juliet Litman and return to the (not so) wonderful world of Oz to cover John M. Chu’s ‘Wicked: For Good,’ starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Before diving in, they react to new movie trailers for Charli XCX’s ‘The Moment’ (1:02) and ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ (10:54). Then, they discuss ‘Wicked: For Good,’ which they found deeply frustrating due to its bizarre story choices and o...
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Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds,’ which made for one of the greatest movie-going experiences of the century. They talk through why this was the official Tarantino pick over ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ praise Christoph Waltz for his generational performance, and explore the film’s leg...
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On today’s action-packed show, Sean and Amanda dive deep into the two newest films from one of their favorite filmmakers, Richard Linklater. Before diving in, they react to a handful of movie news headlines, including Tom Cruise’s honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards, the new teaser trailer for the live-action ‘Moana’ film, and Georgia Oakley’s upcoming remake of ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ starring Daisy Edgar-Jones (1:14). Then, t...
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Sean and Amanda are joined by Van Lathan to cover two new releases that they collectively had mixed feelings about. Before diving in, though, they theorize about why the fall movie slate has been such a huge disappointment both commercially and critically and what it represents for the industry at large going forward (0:34). Then, they break down Edgar Wright’s new action film, ‘The Running Man,’ starring Glen Powell, which they fo...
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Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Greta Gerwig’s ‘Lady Bird,’ one of the greatest coming-of-age films ever made. They explain why this is the most defining millennial movie of all time, unpack its quintessential portrayal of a complicated mother-daughter dynamic, and sort through the difficult decision to choose this as the officia...
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Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to avenge their Yautja brethren on planet Genna and cover Dan Trachtenberg’s ‘Predator: Badlands,’ starring Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi. Before diving in though, they briefly cover a handful of movie news headlines, including the reporting that Ryan Reynolds is remaking the 1970s crime film ‘Thunderbolt and Lightfoot’ for Amazon MGM (2:35). Next, they unpack the new 'Predator' legac...
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Sean and Amanda are joined by Rob Mahoney to cover a pair of new releases, but before diving in, they react to two new movie trailers for ‘Michael’ and ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ and the news that a ‘Miss Piggy’ movie from Cole Escola, Jennifer Lawrence, and Emma Stone is in development (0:53). Then, they unpack Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein,’ starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi. They talk through the divisive reception to t...
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Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss David Lynch’s ‘Mulholland Drive,’ one of the greatest surrealist films ever made. They celebrate Naomi Watts’s incredible breakthrough performance, reflect on all the different conspiracy theories and unique readings of the film, and commend its ability to blend Americana, European surrealism, clas...
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November 3, 2025 122 mins
We’re drafting again! Before diving into the draft, Sean, Amanda, and Chris react to two recent pieces of news with Disney reportedly turning down Steven Soderbergh’s ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’ (1:05), and Taylor Sheridan leaving Paramount (9:25). Then, they discuss who they were in 1989 (17:33) and draft the best movies from that year (29:44). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders Learn ...
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Sean and Amanda kick off the show with a brand-new version of their Best Picture Power Rankings (1:43). Then, they cover Yorgos Lanthimos’s new movie, ‘Bugonia,’ starring Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone. They explain why this is their preferred “flavor” of Lanthimos, crown it as a new type of paranoid thriller, and praise Plemons's and Stone’s incredibly sincere and sympathetic performances (21:31). Later, Lanthimos joins Sean to talk...
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Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Wong Kar-wai’s ‘In the Mood for Love,’ the signature romance film of the century. They talk about why the film is one of the most influential movies ever made, highlight its incredibly beautiful composition and framing, and discuss why the feeling of not getting what you want is more resonant than ...
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Sean and Amanda start the show by covering the major box office success of ‘Chainsaw Man,’ reacting to the news that Cinemark is opening myriad new 70 mm IMAX screens across the country, and discussing what it represents for the future of moviegoing (2:00). Then, they deep dive into Kathryn Bigelow’s new film, ‘A House of Dynamite,’ starring Rebecca Ferguson. They unpack their very complicated feelings by highlighting what they fou...
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Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and Yasi Salek to head over to 'State Trooper' town and cover Scott Cooper’s ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,’ starring Jeremy Allen White. They unanimously agree that the movie is overwhelmingly unsuccessful, then dive into why it lacks dramatic stakes (1:42). Later, they hypothesize its box office potential and Academy Awards chances (36:20) before having a conversation about music b...
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Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite,’ which features one of the greatest movie endings of all time. They celebrate its nuanced portrayal of what systems do to people; highlight the small, formal decisions that elevate the movie’s ideas; and remember its iconic Best Picture win that changed the trajectory of t...
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