

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, featuring a rotating cast of Ringer colleagues like Chris Ryan, Van Lathan, and Bill Simmons.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 14, 2022 • 1h 26min
The Bradley Cooper Hall of Fame and the ‘House of Gucci’ Oscars Surge
A surprising SAG Awards nomination has got Sean and Amanda thinking about Bradley Cooper’s unusual path to superstardom. In this episode, they discuss the rest of the surprises and snubs of the nominations (5:00), the incredible legacy of the late Sidney Poitier (1:00), and then finally build a hall of fame for Cooper on the eve of a potential ninth Academy Award nomination (36:00).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsProducer: Bobby Wagner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 11, 2022 • 1h 35min
Let’s Talk ‘Licorice Pizza’
It’s time for a very important conversation about a very important film: Paul Thomas Anderson’s ninth feature, ‘Licorice Pizza.’ Joining Sean and Amanda to break it all down—including favorite performances, scenes, and needle drops, and how it fits into PTA’s filmography—are Chris Ryan and Wosny Lambre, a.k.a. Big Wos.Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuests: Chris Ryan and Wosny LambreProducer: Bobby Wagner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 6, 2022 • 1h 20min
The 22 Most Anticipated Movies of 2022
Amanda and Sean are gearing up for a fun 2022 at the movies … if they can go to the movies. On this episode, they pick their 11 most eagerly awaited films (20:00), discuss Steven Soderbergh’s annual media list (1:00), and break down George Clooney’s new film, ‘The Tender Bar’ (10:00). They also celebrate the life and work of the late filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, who died at 82 this week (17:00).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsProducer: Bobby Wagner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 4, 2022 • 1h 15min
Spider-Man: No Way Home’ for Best Picture—Why the Hell Not?
Sean and Amanda look at a debate that has been roiling the movie industry for nearly 15 years: Should the Academy Awards more accurately reflect the interests of moviegoers? And if so, should franchise films be regularly competing for Best Picture? The campaign for the new ‘Spider-Man’ movie raises new questions as the theatrical movie business endures a historic period of transition (1:00). Then, they discuss Maggie Gyllenhaal’s feature directorial debut, ‘The Lost Daughter,’ now available on Netflix (42:00) and power-rank the Best Picture contenders (59:00).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsProducer: Bobby Wagner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 30, 2021 • 1h 25min
Year-End Mailbag! The Top 10 Performances, Trailers, and Needle Drops of 2021
It’s our last episode of the year and Sean and Amanda are celebrating 2021 by naming their 10 favorite performances on the big screen (1:00) before opening up the mailbag to answer your questions ahead of the new year (38:00).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsProducer: Bobby Wagner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 28, 2021 • 1h 47min
‘Encanto’ and the 10 Most Underrated Movies of 2021
Andy Greenwald joins Sean to discuss Disney’s latest achievement in animation, ‘Encanto,’ and share some tips for how to be a dad who wants to introduce their child to movies (1:00). Chris Ryan swings by to talk about Paul Verhoeven’s sexy nuns movie, ‘Benedetta’ (38:00). Then, Adam Nayman and Sean list their 10 most underrated, underseen, or underdiscussed movies of 2021 (51:00).Host: Sean FennesseyGuest: Andy Greenwald, Chris Ryan, and Adam NaymanProducer: Bobby Wagner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 24, 2021 • 1h 11min
‘The Matrix Resurrections’ and the Wachowski Movie Rankings
‘The Matrix Resurrections’ is out in theaters and streaming on HBO Max. Sean and Amanda talk about the film, the franchise (1:00), and the Wachowskis cinematic experience (43:00). Joining them is Ringer staff writer Rob Mahoney.Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuest: Rob MahoneyProducer: Bobby Wagner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 22, 2021 • 54min
‘Scream’: The Oral History
Alan Siegel interviews the cast and crew of ‘Scream’ and uncovers what it took to get the iconic horror film made.You can read the written version of this piece at theringer.com.Host: Alan SiegelProducer: Steve Ahlman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 21, 2021 • 1h 36min
Spider-Man’s Mega Box Office, Aaron Sorkin’s ‘Being the Ricardos,’ and Best Picture Power Rankings
Sean and Amanda hit the stunning box office success of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (1:00). Then they circle back to the Oscar race because this week sees the release of some serious contenders, including Aaron Sorkin’s ‘Being the Ricardos’ and Guillermo Del Toro’s ‘Nightmare Alley’ (12:00). Then, Sean talks with Sean Baker, director and cowriter of ‘Red Rocket’ (1:00:00).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuest: Sean BakerProducer: Bobby Wagner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dec 17, 2021 • 1h 45min
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Is Here!
We’re talking about the most anticipated movie of the winter: 'Spider-Man: No Way Home.' Swinging into the conversation with Sean and Amanda is our friendly neighbor Mallory Rubin for a spoiler-free (1:40) and then spoiler-packed breakdown of the movie (33:00). Later in this episode, Sean will have a conversation with Tommy Oliver, the director of 'Juice WRLD: Into the Abyss,' the final film in HBO and The Ringer’s Music Box documentary series (1:15:00).Hosts; Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuests: Mallory Rubin and Tommy OliverProducer: Bobby Wagner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices