The Big Picture

The Ringer

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.

  1. 23 MAR

    The Steven Spielberg Conversation

    Sean is joined by legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg for an extensive conversation about his illustrious career; what excited him about making his upcoming science fiction film, ‘Disclosure Day’; and how he feels about the current state of the industry (6:20). Host: Sean Fennessey Guest: Steven Spielberg Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®️. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®️. Drivers wanted. Learn more at https://vw.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1hr 7min

  2. 20 MAR

    ‘Project Hail Mary’ Will Amaze! Amaze! Amaze! With Phil Lord and Chris Miller

    Sean and Amanda open the show by reacting to a ton of movie news, including the Oscar ratings being down 9 percent from last year, the new trailer for ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ and Kirsten Dunst joining the cast of the upcoming ‘Minecraft Movie’ sequel (1:22). Then, they cover the biggest movie event of 2026 so far: Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s science fiction film ‘Project Hail Mary,’ starring Ryan Gosling (31:57). They break down why the film’s practicality is incredibly essential to its success and how the movie is beautiful in a way that mainstream Hollywood productions typically aren’t. Finally, Sean is joined by Lord and Miller themselves to discuss why they felt Andy Weir’s novel was the perfect source material for their next project and how the complicated process behind shooting space scenes was incredibly rewarding (1:08:19). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Phil Lord and Chris Miller Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®️. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®️. Drivers wanted. Learn more at https://vw.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1hr 45min

  3. 17 MAR

    The Oscar Hangover Mailbag. Plus: ‘Dune: Part Three’ Is Coming!

    Sean and Amanda kick off the show by reacting to a laundry list of movie news, including the new trailer for Denis Villeneuve's ‘Dune: Part Three,’ starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya; the reports that Bradley Cooper will direct a new 'Ocean's 11' prequel for Warner Bros.; and Universal’s decision to extend theatrical windows for new releases (1:15). Then, they open up the mailbag for a post-Oscars hangover discussion and talk through whether or not Chalamet will be OK going forward, what the Oscars can do differently when they move over to YouTube, and how the industry can build positive momentum around the good energy surrounding the state of cinema (35:22). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®️. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®️. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1hr 50min

  4. 16 MAR

    The 2026 Academy Awards: ‘One Battle After Another’ Earns More Than a Few Small Oscars

    Sean and Amanda instantly react to the 98th Academy Awards and share their main takeaways from Hollywood’s biggest night. They make the case for why these Oscars and the Best Picture win for ‘One Battle After Another’ were for “the movie nerds,” break down Michael B. Jordan’s incredible speech for his Best Actor win, and talk through their mixed feelings about the telecast itself. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producers: Jack Sanders, Chris Wohlers, and Kevin Cureghian Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®️. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®️. Drivers wanted. Learn more at vw.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1hr 29min

  5. 6 MAR

    The 10 Wildest Reboots in Movie History and ‘The Bride!’ Plus: A ‘Secret Agent’ Second Look and the Best Doc Contenders.

    On today’s show, Sean and Amanda break down Maggie Gyllenhaal's fascinating new movie, ‘The Bride!,’ starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale. They commend the film for its ambition and vision, highlight some of its utterly confounding fatal flaws, and debate the value of projects that reimagine old source material with modern ideas and context (4:17). Next, they make a list of their favorite reimaginings and reboots of all time (42:51). Then, they revisit Kleber Mendonca Filho’s ‘The Secret Agent,’ starring Wagner Moura. They explore why they found a rewatch of the movie to be incredibly rewarding, celebrate its singularity, and explain how Moura’s towering performance centers the entire story for the audience (54:53). Finally, they cover the Oscar-nominated films for Best Documentary this year and critique the current state of the voting branch and what types of movies it rewards (1:29:26). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®️. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®️. Drivers wanted. Learn more at vw.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    2h 23m

  6. 10 FEB

    What It’s Really Like at an Awards Show. Plus: Cliff Booth Returns and the Best Super Bowl Trailers!

    Sean and Amanda open the show by reacting to every movie trailer from the Super Bowl, including those for David Fincher’s ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’ and Steven Spielberg’s ‘Disclosure Day’ (1:25). Then, they talk through their experience at the DGA Awards this past weekend and explain what it’s actually like at an awards show (33:15). Finally, Sean is joined by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the directors of ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ to discuss why they wanted to make a movie for themselves first and foremost, how legendary Korean directors Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook inspired their filmmaking style, and the importance of writing interesting and strong female characters (1:25:38). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans Producer: Jack Sanders Video Producers: Sarah Reddy, Donald LoBianco, and Ryan Todd Audio Producers: Devon Baroldi and Kevin Cureghian Additional Production Support: Nick Kosut and T Cruz 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

    1hr 59min

  7. 6 FEB

    ‘Mamma Mia!’ Meets ‘The Strangers'! It’s a Movie Swap!

    For the first time in show history we’re doing a “listener’s choice” episode! We gave you four options and you ultimately decided to go with a 2008 Movie Swap featuring ‘The Strangers’ and ‘Mamma Mia!’ Before diving in, Sean and Amanda preview the Super Bowl this Sunday and talk through the potential trailers for some of the year’s biggest movies (2:27). Then, they explain what a Movie Swap is exactly (8:42), and discuss ‘The Strangers’ (16:59) and ‘Mamma Mia!’ (48:38) Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders 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

    1hr 38min

  8. 3 FEB

    Dumpuary Is Dead. These Movies Killed It. Plus: The Best Movies at Sundance and the Catherine O’Hara Hall of Fame.

    Sean and Amanda open today’s action-packed show by discussing the incredible box office success of Markiplier’s self-financed ‘Iron Lung,’ and they talk through how it could possibly impact the future of moviegoing and studio strategy (2:32). Then, they react to breaking news in real time, with Nancy Meyers’s new film starring Penélope Cruz, Kieran Culkin, and Jude Law being dated for December 2027 (17:22). Next, they honor the legendary actor Catherine O’Hara following her passing and briefly build her Hall of Fame (21:58). Following that, Sean shares his 10 favorite movies from the Sundance Film Festival and highlights ‘Josephine’ as emotionally devastating and a major standout (27:16). Later, they discuss two recent releases in ‘People We Meet on Vacation,’ which they found to be quite disappointing (43:12), and the Charli xcx mockumentary ‘The Moment,’ which they both thoroughly enjoyed (1:07:16). Finally, Sean is joined by legendary production designer Jack Fisk to discuss all things ‘Marty Supreme,’ his incredibly detail-oriented creative process behind building a new world, and what he learned from working with filmmakers like Terrence Malick, David Lynch, and Paul Thomas Anderson (1:21:57). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Jack Fisk Producer: Jack Sanders 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

    2h 20m
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    The Ringer
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    937
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Big Picture

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