The Big Picture
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.
‘Resident Evil’ Absolutely Rips!
Get in, gang. We’re going to Raccoon City. Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to discuss Zach Cregger’s thrilling follow-up to his mega-successful ‘Weapons’ with his video game adaptation ‘Resident Evil,’ starring Austin Abrams. Before diving in, they react to a handful of movie news headlines, including Noah Baumbach leaving Netflix for Warner Bros. Clockwork, Quentin Tarantino publishing a new Cliff Booth novel, and John Leguizamo joining ‘Miami Vice ‘85’. Then, they giddily break down ‘Resident Evil’ and gush over the countless reasons why the movie is absolutely incredible. Finally, they look into what the future holds for movie video game adaptations, and take a look at the history of horror-comedy genre mashups and talk through why it’s so hard to pull off successfully. (0:00) We’re coming to San Francisco! (0:36) Intro (2:02) Noah Baumbach leaves Netflix for Warner Bros. Clockwork (9:15) Quentin Tarantino is publishing a new Cliff Booth novel (11:04) What do strange rollouts for big movies mean for their box office potential? (14:27) ‘River’ is the big acquisition out of TIFF (15:59) John Leguizamo joins 'Miami Vice ‘85' (18:49) ‘Resident Evil’ (35:36) SPOILER WARNING (1:08:51) Box office expectations and what’s next for Zach Cregger (1:17:57) The future of video game movie adaptations (1:30:49) A brief history of horror-comedy Host: Sean Fennessey Guest: Chris Ryan 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
Sep 17
1 hr 41 min
The Sandra Bullock Movie Star Playbook and ‘Practical Magic 2.’ Plus: ‘Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger.’
Don’t look back in anger if you spent over two hours watching a pretty rough legacy sequel. On today’s show, Sean and Amanda are joined by Yasi Salek to cover two new releases in ‘Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger,’ a film they loved, and ‘Practical Magic 2,’ a film they found to be quite poor. Later, they bring back the movie star playbook for Sandra Bullock and explore what they’d like to see from her career going forward. (0:00) We’re coming to San Francisco! (0:45) Intro (2:02) TIFF premieres and Venice film festival prize winners (10:21) ‘Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger’ (33:17) Our relationship to the original ‘Practical Magic’ (41:59) ‘Practical Magic 2’ is a brutal watch (59:11) ‘Practical Magic 2’ significantly underperforms at the box office (1:05:29) The Movie Star Playbook: Sandra Bullock Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Yasi Salek 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
Sep 15
1 hr 37 min
The Winners and Losers of the Summer Movies Came Roaring Back. Plus: ‘Hope,’ ‘The Uprising,’ and 10 More We Missed.
On today’s action-packed show, Sean and Amanda briefly react to the first trailer released for M. Night Shyamalan's new film, ‘Remain,’ and the news that Paul Feig is attached to remake ‘The Italian Job.’ Then, they look back at the historic summer at the box office and share some of their biggest winners and losers, as well as recap the final results of their very serious summer movie preview game. Later, they cover a handful of recent releases they haven’t discussed on the show yet, including ‘The Uprising,’ ‘Hope,’ and more. Finally, in collaboration with his curation for the Criterion Channel, Sean is joined by friend of the show BenDavid Grabinski to celebrate legendary filmmaker Abel Ferrera. They explore his complicated legacy, dive deep into his filmography by highlighting their personal favorites, and identify what makes Ferrera such a special director. (0:00) Intro (2:01) ‘Remain’ trailer reaction (3:46) Paul Feig attached to remake ‘The Italian Job’ (7:33) An incredible summer for the box office (and us) (10:02) The biggest winners of the summer (41:18) The biggest losers of the summer (55:13) The Summer Movie Preview Game results (1:00:38) Movies we missed (1:40:28) BenDavid Grabinski joins the show to discuss Abel Ferrera Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: BenDavid Grabinski 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
Sep 11
3 hr 3 min
The 10 Best Movies at the Telluride and Venice Film Festivals. Plus: Nathan Fielder’s Stunning Elizabeth Holmes Doc.
It’s time for one of our favorite episodes of the year: the fall film festival report! Sean and Amanda break down all of the best things they saw this year at the Telluride and Venice film festivals, the general vibes, and what it all means for the Oscar races going forward. (0:00) Intro (3:22) ‘Artificial’ trailer (6:22) The secret screening of Nathan Fielder’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary stuns at Telluride (23:30) The festival vibes report (40:50) The best movies from Telluride and Venice Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins 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®. It's on Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 8
1 hr 53 min
The Black-and-Chrome Action Movie Pack and ‘Onslaught’ With Michael Biehn and Adam Wingard!
Well, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to take some MDMA, get kinky, and grab some guns because on today’s show, Chris Ryan joins us (duh) to discuss Adam Wingard’s new metal action flick, ‘Onslaught.’ They briefly cover two additional recent releases in ‘Mutiny’ and ‘The Whisper Man’ before diving into ‘Onslaught’ and building out their “Black-and-Chrome Action Movie Pack.” Later, Sean is joined by iconic actor Michael Biehn and Wingard to discuss ‘Onslaught’ as well as the wild personal story that inspired the film and plenty of anecdotes about making movies in Hollywood. (0:00) Intro (1:47) The ‘Mutiny’ leak, and does piracy affect the box office? (7:19) ‘The Whisper Man’ (17:22) ‘Onslaught’ (34:08) The Black-and-Chrome Action Movie Pack (52:05) Michael Biehn and Adam Wingard join the show! Host: Sean Fennessey Guests: Chris Ryan, Michael Biehn, and Adam Wingard Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh and Jacob Cornett 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
Sep 4
1 hr 57 min
10 Movies We Can’t Wait to See This Fall
Sean and Amanda open today’s show by breaking down the weekend box office and highlighting the solid performance of ‘Coyote vs. Acme,’ the continued bulldozing by ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘The Odyssey,’ and the big bomb by ‘The Dog Stars.’ Then, they kick off their fall movie preview by each highlighting five movies they can’t wait to see and three movies they’ve seen and would recommend. Finally, they create the "September Oscars” and select five “guaranteed” Oscar nominations from films that have already been released. (0:00) Intro (0:38) ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ (6:08) ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘The Odyssey’ box office (9:32) ‘Buddy’ (10:38) ‘The Dog Stars’ bombs at the box office (12:20) Anne Hathaway joins the ‘Days of Thunder’ sequel (15:44) Five movies we can’t wait to see this fall (59:11) Three movies we’ve seen and would recommend (1:13:12) The September Oscars (five Oscar nomination guarantees from films that have already come out) Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins 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
Sep 1
1 hr 32 min
The Ridley Scott Movie Rankings and ‘The Dog Stars’
Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to discuss the newest release from his guy Ridley Scott in ‘The Dog Stars’ starring Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley. They share their takeaways from the movie, debate Elordi’s performance and evolution as an actor, and assess where the film fits within Scott’s career. Before diving into ‘The Dog Stars’, they reflect on the passing of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, celebrating their remarkable careers and discussing what each of them meant personally. Then, they check in on the latest James Bond casting race and debate the strongest candidates among the six remaining contenders, before touching on Ryan Gosling’s developing ‘Flintstones’ project and whether it means Chris’s king is officially dead. Finally, Sean, Amanda, and Chris take on the daunting task of ranking all 30 films in Ridley Scott’s vast filmography. (0:00) Intro (1:16) Dolly Parton and Tim Curry (5:51) The next James Bond (15:46) Ryan Gosling ‘Flintstones’ spin-off (19:23) ‘The Dog Stars’ (50:33) Talking Ridley Scott (1:02:53) The Ridley Scott Movie Rankings Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders Editor: Jamie Yukich Production Support: Sarah Reddy and Lucas Cavanagh It's on Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 28
1 hr 59 min
The Flops Movie Draft
We’re drafting again! Sean and Amanda are joined by Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan for their first ever “Flops Movie Draft” where they highlight some of their favorite movies that were commercial failures at the box office.  (0:00) Intro (1:43) Earliest flop memories (12:34) The Flops Movie Draft rules breakdown (17:17) The Flops Movie Draft (1:38:25) Honorable mentions (1:48:06) Draft recap Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders Editor: Jamie Yukich Production Support: Sarah Reddy and Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 25
1 hr 54 min
‘Tony’ and the Top 5 Coming-of-Age Movies, With Matt Johnson!
Well, there’s only one man to bring in to discuss Matt Johnson’s new biopic, ‘Tony,’ and that’s Anthony Bourdain aficionado Chris Ryan. Before diving into the movie, CR briefly gives a temperature check on the highly anticipated ‘Miami Vice’ sequel. Then, they unpack ‘Tony’ and highlight all of the reasons they found it to be deeply affecting. Later, they both share their top five “coming of age” movies of all time. Finally, Matt Johnson joins the show to tell Sean all of his secrets, because he likes him (his exact words). Johnson explains how Dominic Sessa convinced him to make the film despite his distaste for biopics in general, why he didn’t use any of his traditional filmmaking moves in the movie, and much more. (0:00) Intro (0:54) Chris Ryan joins the show! (2:07) ‘Miami Vice’ reboot temperature check (6:33) ‘Tony’ (33:00) The top five “coming of age” movies (1:00:47) Matt Johnson joins the show! Host: Sean Fennessey Guests: Matt Johnson and Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 21
1 hr 49 min
‘The End of Oak Street’ and the Top Five 'Twilight Zone' Movies. Plus: Will Poulter!
A very special occasion (a potentially good dinosaur movie) requires very special company, which is why on today’s show, Sean is joined by Chris Ryan and Mallory Rubin to discuss David Robert Mitchell’s ‘The End of Oak Street.’ Before transporting back to the Mesozoic era, they cover Mallory’s trip to D23 and react to myriad announcements, most crucially the casting for the upcoming X-Men movie. Then, they briefly discuss ‘The Last House’ (a film they found utterly dreadful) before diving into ‘The End of Oak Street’ (a film they found wildly entertaining and incredibly fascinating). Later, they each provide their top five favorite ‘Twilight Zone’ movies. Finally, Sean is joined by actor Will Poulter to discuss his new film, ‘Union County,’ and why he’s pushing himself out of his comfort zone with roles that scare him. (0:00) Intro (1:07) CR and Mal join the show! (4:28) X-Men casting announcements (21:12) ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ trailer reaction (27:42) Mal’s ‘Starfighter’ trailer reaction (31:47) Other D23 announcements (38:14) ‘The Last House’ (48:05) ‘The End of Oak Street’ (1:17:16) The top five 'Twilight Zone' movies (1:45:27) Will Poulter joins the show! (2:26:45) End-of-show outro Host: Sean Fennessey Guests: Will Poulter, Chris Ryan, and Mallory Rubin Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Aug 18
2 hr 36 min
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