The Big Picture

Awards season has officially begun with the New York and L.A. Film Critics handing out their annual awards over the weekend. Sean and Amanda talk about the winners and what they mean for the Oscar race (1:00). Then they look at 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' Netflix's adaptation of the August Wilson play that stars Viola Davis and in one of his final performances, the late, truly great Chadwick Boseman (13:00). And then we'll be giving out some hardware of our own: naming the 20 best movie performances of 2020 (25:00).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nolan's controversial time-inversion saga is finally available to watch at home. Chris Ryan joins Sean and Amanda to break down the movie on a second viewing, celebrate its extraordinary action, and discuss Nolan's future after his comments about Warner Bros.' 2021 HBO Max strategy (1:00). Then, Sean is joined by director Steve McQueen to discuss the making of his exceptional anthology film series 'Small Axe' (54:00).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuests: Chris Ryan and Steve McQueen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The fallout from Warner Bros.' HBO Max announcement is still rippling through Hollywood. Sean and Amanda talk about the responses from Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, producers at other studios, agencies, and fans. Then, they use the announcement of a glut of new film and TV projects at Disney to talk about the future of streaming, the projects they're excited about, and more (0:45). Finally, Sean and Amanda look back on a year of takes and pick the movies and the opinions they got wrong. They blew it! (39:22)Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Acclaimed filmmaker and 'Big Picture' hero Steven Soderbergh returns with a new film on HBO Max, 'Let Them All Talk.' Sean and Amanda discuss his new movie, the news that he will be one of the producers of next year's Academy Awards ceremony, and rank his 30-plus films and TV projects over the years (0:45). Then Soderbergh himself joins Sean for a wide-ranging conversation about his career, Hollywood, HBO Max's big decision, and more (52:00).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuest: Steven Soderbergh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This has been a strange year for movies, most of which were seen at home. But we didn't struggle to find some that lit up our imagination and reflected the times. Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman to pick their top five films of 2020.Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuests: Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After great anticipation, ‘Mank’ has arrived. Sean and Amanda look at David Fincher’s 11th feature film from every angle. What’s it really about? How does it play? Will it live up to the billing as Netflix’s great Oscar hope? All that and a lot more in this deep dive.Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Major news in Hollywood: Warner Bros. has announced it will stream all of its new films in 2021 on HBO Max, including 'Godzilla vs. Kong,' 'In The Heights,' 'Space Jam: A New Legacy,' 'The Suicide Squad,' and 'Matrix 4.' Why did this happen? What does it mean for movie theaters? Will other studios follow suit? Amanda and Sean do their best to parse a historic day.Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week marks the arrival of David Fincher’s long-awaited 'Mank,' which chronicles the screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz’s life and work on the script for 'Citizen Kane.' Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman for an expansive chat on all things 'Kane,' Orson Welles, the fight over the film's authorship, and classic Hollywood.Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuests: Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The legendary documentarian Errol Morris has a new film called 'My Psychedelic Love Story' premiering on Showtime this week. He returns to the show to talk with Sean about a wide array of topics, from psychedelics to psychotics.Host: Sean FennesseyGuest: Errol Morris Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's time once again for a Movie Draft. Chris Ryan returns with hopes of staving off Sean and Amanda to claim his first draft victory (15:00). Then, Sean is joined by Clea DuVall, an actress you may know from films like 'But I’m a Cheerleader,' 'Zodiac,' and 'Argo.' They talk about DuVall’s second film as a director, 'Happiest Season'—a charming holiday rom-com about a couple played by Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis—that hits Hulu on Wednesday (59:47).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuests: Chris Ryan and Clea DuVall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices