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
July 10, 2025 • 99 mins
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 succe...
Mark as Played
July 7, 2025 • 140 mins
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 fo...
Mark as Played
July 4, 2025 • 48 mins
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 ...
Mark as Played
July 2, 2025 • 94 mins
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 Wo...
Mark as Played
June 30, 2025 • 128 mins
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 controversi...
Mark as Played
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...
Mark as Played
June 25, 2025 • 56 mins
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...
Mark as Played
June 23, 2025 • 105 mins
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 lac...
Mark as Played
June 20, 2025 • 86 mins
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...
Mark as Played
June 18, 2025 • 46 mins
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 performan...
Mark as Played
June 16, 2025 • 93 mins
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
Mark as Played
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, ...
Mark as Played
June 10, 2025 • 116 mins
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 classi...
Mark as Played
June 6, 2025 • 75 mins
Sean and Amanda take a deep dive into one of their favorite directors' newest films: Wes Anderson’s ‘The Phoenician Scheme.’ They discuss the new themes Anderson tackles that he typically avoids, celebrate the phenomenal performances from Michael Cera and Mia Threapleton, and discuss how a second viewing can unlock a better understanding of the movie’s ideas (1:36). Then, for the first time in Big Picture history, Wes Anderson join...
Mark as Played
June 3, 2025 • 130 mins
We are drafting again! Sean and Amanda are joined by several Ringer all-stars for a mega-draft of the best movies from 2000.
The Big Picture will be live in Chicago on July 21! Tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 4 at 12p CT.
Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Guests: Chris Ryan, Van Lathan, Mallory Rubin, Joanna Robinson, Rob Mahoney, and Bobby Wagner
Producer: Jack Sanders
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podc...
Mark as Played
May 30, 2025 • 89 mins
Bobby Wagner joins the show to bid farewell to The Big Picture and The Ringer at large. We look back at how he started working on the show and run through all of his favorite moments during his time as a producer (0:54). Then, Bobby finally convinces Sean and Amanda to discuss ‘Shrek’ and ‘Shrek 2’ on the show and talk about why ‘Shrek’ is such a critical movie for young millennials and early Gen Z (23:40).
Hosts: Sean Fennessey...
Mark as Played
May 28, 2025 • 89 mins
Sean and Amanda start the show with a quick recap of all the awards handed out at the Cannes Film Festival and wonder what this year's ‘Anora’ could be (1:13). Then, they react to the biggest Memorial Day weekend box office in history and consider what it means for the industry going forward (7:34). Next, they discuss Disney’s newest live-action remake, ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ and explain why not only this specific movie but also this “ge...
Mark as Played
May 26, 2025 • 43 mins
Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece, ‘Spirited Away’: the wonderful 2002 animated fantasy film, which features an unbound representation of what it feels like to be a child. They talk about what they make of Chihiro as an unusual main character figure, celebrate the huge technical achievement in its stunn...
Mark as Played
May 23, 2025 • 95 mins
Sean and Amanda need you to trust them one last time as they unpack the highly anticipated ‘Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning,’ starring Tom Cruise. Before diving into the film, they briefly recap all of the news headlines from the Cannes Film Festival by highlighting all of the heavy hitters, big surprises, and disappointments (1:05). Then, they unpack their complicated feelings on the newest ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie and ...
Mark as Played
May 20, 2025 • 73 mins
Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to discuss the flaw in death’s design by covering ‘Final Destination Bloodlines,’ the latest installment in the legendary, violent franchise (2:57). They share why they have such a great affinity for the 'Final Destination' series at large, spoil the movie by highlighting the electrifying kills that define the movie’s success (14:38), and go through every single kill in the entire franchise and rank the...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.