The Big Picture

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with first-time director J.D. Dillard to discuss how he went from dropping out of school to being on the set of The Force Awakens with J.J. Abrams to debuting his first film, Sleight, at Sundance. Dillard also talks about helming the long-rumored reboot of The Fly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer Editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with director Ben Wheatley to discuss his latest film, Free Fire (0:10), getting sought out by star actors and directors like Armie Hammer and Martin Scorsese (6:40), and striking a balance between entertaining and traumatizing an audience (14:40). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with acclaimed director James Gray to discuss the high stakes of filming his new movie, The Lost City of Z, in the jungle, the near-impossible task of making a classic film, and why he isn’t interested in making a television series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Chris Ryan and Sean Fennessey sit down with actor Jake Johnson and director Joe Swanberg to discuss their new gambling film Win It All, why they wanted to make a movie for Netflix, and what it’s like teaming up for multiple projects. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Editor-in-Chief Sean Fennessey sits down with director Charlie McDowell to discuss his new film The Discovery (1:55), casting Robert Redford (12:58), being one of Netflix's first major features (21:05) and how to pull off an ending with a twist (18:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Writer-director Jordan Peele talks about the inception of 'Get Out', casting choices and representation in the movie industry, the reception and controversy surrounding the film, visual choices and improvisation on set, musical moments and alternate endings, and his appreciation for the film community.

Gore Verbinski has been directing movies for two decades now, including The Ring, Rango, The Lone Ranger, and the first three Pirates of the Caribbean features. His latest picture, A Cure for Wellness, breaks away from big-budget Hollywood features with a lesser-known cast and unique premise. On the latest Channel 33 episode, he spoke with Sean Fennessey about the joy in making something different and the future of the industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight is one of the heavyweights in this year’s Academy Awards race, racking up eight nominations. The film was the first movie for Jenkins in eight years, and provided particular challenges due to limited funding and time. One way he overcame those obstacles and made his movie unique was by casting non-actors alongside actors, something he discussed with Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with filmmaker Ezra Edelman to discuss the making of O.J.: Made in America, his epic eight-hour Oscar-nominated documentary examining O.J. Simpson’s rise and fall through the lens of race, place, celebrity, and time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Mills’s past two films — Beginners and 20th Century Women — have both been semi-autobiographical. Beginners focuses on Mills’s father, who came out at age 75 shortly before his death, while 20th Century Women is based on Mills’s mother as a way to look at the 1970s. On Channel 33, Sean Fennessey talked to Mills about his experience making the films, and how he blends his own childhood with his art. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices