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. 4h ago

    The Terror of ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ and Sean’s Favorite Godzilla Movies. Plus: The Joy of ‘Club Kid,’ With Jordan Firstman!

    Sean and Amanda open today’s show by reacting to the stunning news that James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as heads of DC Studios and hypothesizing about who could take over. Then, they cover ‘Godzilla Minus Zero,’ speculate what its significant box office performance suggests about American audiences, and celebrate its phenomenal visual effects and set pieces before Sean shares his top five Godzilla movies of all time. Next, they discuss three recent releases: a movie they loved in ‘Club Kid,’ a movie they found pretty average in ‘The Cat and the Hat,’ and a movie they found incredibly complicated in ‘Misty Green.’ Finally, Sean is joined by Jordan Firstman to emphasize the importance of telling this deeply personal queer story, explain why he wanted ‘Club Kid’ to feel like anything but a debut feature film, and discuss why it was never an option to not shoot the movie on film. (0:00) Intro (0:59) James Gunn and Peter Safran stepping down as heads of DC Studios (11:09) Weekend box office (16:43) ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ (28:16) Sean’s top five Godzilla movies (40:19) ‘Club Kid’ (59:38) ‘The Cat in the Hat’ (1:13:08) ‘Misty Green’ (1:23:59) Jordan Firstman joins the show! Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Jordan Firstman 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

  2. 3d ago

    ‘Wild Horse Nine’ Is a Hilarious American Tragedy. Plus: ‘Possible Love’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem’.

    On today’s show, Sean and Amanda cover ‘Wild Horse Nine’, Martin McDonagh’s wonderful new dark comedy. They break down why it’s one of the best movies of the year, celebrate Sam Rockwell’s incredible performance, and wonder if John Malkovich will win Best Actor at the Academy Awards. Then, they discuss Lee Chang-dong’s new film ‘Possible Love’ and try to unpack why it’s a movie they really like, but don’t absolutely love. Finally, they briefly talk about ‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem’ before Sean is joined by David Greaves and Anne de Mare to explore the incredibly complicated and rewarding journey behind bringing the documentary to life. (0:00) Intro (3:40) Joel Coen’s ‘Jack of Spades’ acquired by Netflix (6:43) ‘Wild Horse Nine’ (22:03) SPOILER WARNING (52:15) ‘Possible Love’ (1:08:06) ‘Once Upon a Time in Harlem’ (1:12:00) David Greaves and Anne de Mare join the show! Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: David Greaves and Anne de Mare Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Get a Sausage McMuffin with Egg, PLUS hash browns AND a small coffee, for just $5. Only at McDonald’s for a limited time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  3. 6d ago

    The Gene Hackman Hall of Fame

    In one of the most requested episodes in the history of the show, Sean and Amanda are joined by Tracy Letts to honor the incredible actor Gene Hackman by building his Hall of Fame. (0:00) Intro (0:44) What made Gene Hackman so special (24:23) The Gene Hackman Hall of Fame Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Tracy Letts Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Get a Sausage McMuffin with Egg, PLUS hash browns AND a small coffee, for just $5. Only at McDonald’s for a limited time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  4. Oct 30

    ‘Wildwood,’ ‘Wicker,’ and 10 Movies We Missed! Plus: Travis Knight!

    On today’s show, Sean and Amanda are joined by Joanna Robinson to help cover the incredibly busy movie month that is October. Before diving in, though, they take a broad look at the state of the Oscar races, and Jo shares some of her boldest predictions. Then, they discuss myriad movies, ranging from incredibly interesting to deeply grim, including ‘Wildwood’ and ‘Wicker.’ Finally, Sean is joined by filmmaker Travis Knight to share some insight into the extensive, laborious process behind the making of ‘Wildwood’ and explain why it’s actually absurd but also incredibly magical. (0:00) Intro (2:36) ‘Dune: Part Three’ trailer reaction (6:04) The state of the Oscar races (34:13) Movies we missed (35:00) ‘Wicker’ (42:57) ‘Wildwood’ (1:03:20) ‘The Only Living Pickpocket in New York’ (1:10:39) ‘Love of Your Life’ (1:19:12) ‘Sacrifice’ (1:22:40) ‘Finding Emily’ (1:27:48) ‘Matchbox: The Movie’ (1:34:11) ‘Tenzing,’ ‘Everest: The Other Side,’ and ‘The Last First: Winter K2’ (1:52:16) ‘Klara and the Sun’ (1:56:26) Travis Knight joins the show! Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Travis Knight and Joanna Robinson Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  5. Oct 27

    The Halloween Movie Draft

    Live from the Toni Rembe theater in San Francisco, it’s the Halloween Movie Draft! Sean and Amanda are joined by friends of the pod Chris Ryan and Alex Ross Perry to select their favorite spooky genre movies of all time. (0:00) What makes a Halloween movie? (21:12) The draft categories and order (25:21) The Halloween Movie Draft (1:51:28) Honorable mentions and draft recap Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Chris Ryan and Alex Ross Perry Producers: Jack Sanders, Elizabeth Fierman, Helen Eichner, and Charlie Finan Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh and Ben Cruz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  6. Oct 23

    The 10 Best Horror Movies of 2026 and ‘Clayface.’ Plus, ‘Street Fighter’ With Shea Serrano!

    On today’s show, Sean is joined by Chris Ryan for all things horror. First, they react to the casting rumors for the much-anticipated role of James Bond and hypothesize why there is a new trend of limiting theatrical exhibition for movies with poor tracking data. Then, they cover DC Studios' new body horror film ‘Clayface,’ a type of movie that they have collectively been begging for from the superhero genre but is ultimately a pretty mixed bag. Then, they evaluate what the current state of the horror genre looks like, and share their favorite horror movies of 2026. Finally, Sean is joined by Shea Serrano to discuss the new ‘Street Fighter’ movie and break down all of the reasons why both this movie, and many video game adaptations at large, don’t totally work. Then, they share some of their favorite fight scenes of all time. (0:00) Intro (0:57) James Bond casting rumors (8:47) Tom Skerritt passes away at 93 years old (11:47) Why is there a reduction of theatrical exhibition for certain movies? (20:30) ‘Clayface’ (38:58) The future of DC movies (43:02) The current state of the horror genre (1:21:55) The best horror movies of the year (1:38:25) Shea Serrano joins the show to discuss ‘Street Fighter’ Host: Sean Fennessey Guest: Shea Serrano and Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  7. Oct 20

    ‘You Can See Everything’ Mania and Best Picture Power Rankings. Plus: ‘Whalefall,’ ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ and Kyle MacLachlan!

    Sean and Amanda open today’s jam-packed episode by celebrating the incredible box office performance over the weekend, especially from ‘You Can See Everything’ and ‘Street Fighter.’ Then, they cover the major shake-up at Netflix, most notably the firings of Bela Bajaria and Dan Lin. Then, they discuss an incredibly “Sean-coded” movie in ‘Whalefall’ and an incredibly “Amanda-coded” movie in ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ which they both were very mixed on. Later, they conduct their second Best Picture Power Rankings of the season and make some drastic changes from last month’s list. Finally, legendary actor Kyle MacLachlan joins the show for a new series called One Year, where Sean asks all about the magical period from 1985 to 1986 when he made ‘Blue Velvet’ with the late, great David Lynch. (0:00) Intro (1:21) The big box office performances of ‘You Can See Everything’ and ‘Street Fighter’ (6:06) Huge Netflix shake-up with major layoffs (15:26) Steven Soderbergh takes over principal photography for Matt Reeves on ‘The Batman: Part II’ (18:23) ‘Whalefall’ (33:11) ‘Sense and Sensibility’ (52:31) Best Picture Power Rankings (1:26:01) Kyle MacLachlan joins the show! Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Kyle MacLachlan Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  8. Oct 16

    You Must See ‘You Can See Everything.’ Plus: Judd Apatow!

    We’re not deceiving you: This is the movie of the year. Sean and Amanda open today’s show by reacting to the first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s much anticipated ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew,’ discussing the news that Zendaya will star in Alex Garland’s next sci-fi film for A24, and also breaking down how the show will cover a handful of fall movie releases. Then, they dive incredibly deep into Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s three-hour documentary on Elizabeth Holmes, ‘You Can See Everything.’ They briefly discuss the film in a spoiler-free conversation and give it the utmost recommendation possible. Then, they go (as best of memory) beat-by-beat of the film and dissect all of its wonderfully captivating and fascinating twists and turns. Finally, legendary comedy filmmaker, showrunner, producer, and documentarian Judd Apatow joins the show to talk about his two new documentaries: ‘Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story,’ and ‘Norm: The Tale of Norm MacDonald.' (0:00) Intro (1:25) ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ trailer reaction (12:33) Zendaya to star in Alex Garland’s upcoming science-fiction film (14:16) How we’re covering upcoming movies this fall (18:34) ‘You Can See Everything’ (35:37) SPOILER WARNING (1:50:25) Awards and box office chances (1:57:49) Judd Apatow joins the show! Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Judd Apatow Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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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
    988
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Big Picture

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