

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

Aug 11, 2020 • 1h 17min
Ben Affleck's Next Movie and Five Behind-the-Scenes Hollywood Stories We Want
Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to talk about Ben Affleck's recently announced new movie, an adaptation of 'The Big Goodbye' about the making of the film 'Chinatown.' Then, they pitch other chaotic behind-the-scenes stories they'd like to see captured on the big screen (1:30). They also discuss the streaming horror hit 'Host,' now playing on Shudder, as well as the less successful Shia LaBeouf crime drama 'The Tax Collector' (34:00). Finally, Sean is joined by writer-director-actress Amy Seimetz to talk about her new horror–black comedy 'She Dies Tomorrow' (46:27).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Chris RyanGuest: Amy Seimetz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 7, 2020 • 1h 57min
Top Five Apocalypse Movies, Plus the Return of James Gray
It’s armageddon time. Or at least it feels that way these days. Sean and Amanda talk about coping with the ongoing fear and frustration by doing what they always do: talking about movies they like. In this case, they discuss their top five favorite apocalypse movies (1:15). Then, Sean is joined by James Gray for a wide-ranging conversation about working as a filmmaker during quarantine, the Hollywood history he’s been sharing with his kids, and more (54:44).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuest: James Gray Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aug 4, 2020 • 58min
Are Movie Theaters Screwed?
The AMC theater chain cut a deal with Universal last week, ending a months-long standoff over the future of film distribution. What does the deal mean for the moviegoing experience? Will more chains and more studios join in? Will we see more movies at home? Amanda and Sean break it all down (1:06), along with news about the star of Paul Thomas Anderson's new film, the state of film festivals in 2020, and the new Seth Rogen HBO Max comedy 'An American Pickle' (32:55).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 31, 2020 • 1h 59min
The F**k, Marry, Kill Game: Oliver Stone Movies
With the release of his new memoir 'Chasing the Light,' the provocative, award-winning writer-director Oliver Stone is back in the news. Amanda and Sean take a deep dive into the book and Stone's career, examining his origin story, his reputation as a Baby Boomer artist, and his incredible body of work. Then, to verify their feelings on his movies, they play a personally revealing round of Fuck, Marry, Kill with all 20 of his feature films.Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 28, 2020 • 1h 43min
10 Predictions About the Future of Movies. Plus: Ron Howard!
'Tenet' is delayed until Labor Day. 'Top Gun: Maverick' has been bumped to 2021. And yet 'The New Mutants' is scheduled to open in theaters on August 28. Everything in the world of movies is up for grabs. So we’re opening up the mailbag and answering all your questions about what the hell movies will even be in the future (6:13). Then, Sean is joined by legendary filmmaker Ron Howard to discuss his career and his new documentary 'Rebuilding Paradise' (1:03:20).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuest: Ron Howard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 24, 2020 • 1h 14min
Introducing the Movie Draft: 2010 Edition
This is an episode about movies in the year 2010. Why? Well, it’s been 10 years since 2010, 10 long years in the life cycle of American movies. A lot has changed. Earlier this week, we celebrated the decade anniversary of 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World' with a special episode. What else happened in movies that year? How could we have a fun conversation that didn’t just rehash the release schedule? We got an idea for a kind of movie draft: six categories, six picks each, snake-style. Chris Ryan joins Sean and Amanda to determine who has the best 2010 movie roster. Listen and decide for yourselves.Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuest: Chris Ryan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 21, 2020 • 1h 35min
Celebrating ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ 10 Years Later With Edgar Wright
It's been a decade since the release of one of the most prescient, purely entertaining movies of the century: Edgar Wright's 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.' To celebrate the anniversary, Sean is joined by 'Pilgrim' superfans Jason Concepcion and Van Lathan to break down the best scenes, characters, fights, and lines in the movie (5:01). Then Edgar Wright stops by to talk about the making of the movie and the likelihood of a sequel (47:28). Bread makes you fat?!?Hosts: Sean FennesseyGuests: Jason Concepcion, Van Lathan, and Edgar Wright Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 17, 2020 • 1h 17min
Top Five Summertime Movies
Summer movie season has effectively been canceled, but we're still thinking about what summer means to the movies. Chris Ryan joins Sean and Amanda to talk about what makes a summer flick, and then they share their top fives.Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuest: Chris Ryan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 14, 2020 • 1h 38min
‘Palm Springs Is The Year’s Most Fun Movie. Plus: Introducing ‘The Connect’ With Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion.
The perfect quarantine movie has arrived: the delightful Andy Samberg high-concept rom-com ‘Palm Springs’ exploded this weekend after its release on Hulu. Sean and Amanda dive deep into the movie, before Sean is joined by director Max Barbakow and costar Cristin Milioti for a conversation about how it was made (45:30). Then, Jason Concepcion and Shea Serrano stop by to talk about their new movie podcast, ‘The Connect’ (1:20:45).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuests: Max Barbakow, Cristin Milioti, Jason Concepcion, and Shea Serrano Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 10, 2020 • 1h 38min
The Dad Movie Hall of Fame. Plus: the Kickass Action of ‘The Old Guard’
We're still stuck at home, but another wave of new movie releases arrives this weekend, including Netflix's exciting new Charlize Theron action film 'The Old Guard,' the delightfully high-concept 'Palm Springs' on Hulu, and the Tom Hanks World War II story 'Greyhound' on Apple TV+. Sean and Amanda break down all three, before inviting The Ringer's Kevin Clark on to help construct the Dad Movie Hall of Fame (1:25). Then, Sean is joined by 'The Old Guard' director Gina Prince-Bythewood to discuss her new film (1:10:57).Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda DobbinsGuest: Kevin Clark and Gina Prince-Bythewood Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices