After his triumphant introduction of the movie director game, Sam Esmail rejoins Amanda and Sean to discuss his 2020 movie-watching experiences, his favorites films of the year, how the medium could change after the pandemic, and what value the Oscars do or don't have. He covers all this with the aid of a helpful new exercise: The Best Picture match game.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Guest: Sam Esmail
Producer: Bobby Wagner
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The Best Picture Match Game With Sam Esmail

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.

TV & Film

Sean and Amanda discuss the news that Quentin Tarantino has shelved what was previously reported as his 10th and final film, ‘The Movie Critic’ (1:00). Then, they react to some development news for Martin Scorsese’s and Steven Spielberg’s next projects (12:00), and discuss the most anticipated movie of this upcoming summer (29:00).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner
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The 10 Most Anticipated Movies of Summer 2024. Plus: Tarantino’s Pivot, Scorsese’s Sinatra, and Spielberg’s UFOs.

We are drafting again! Sean, Amanda, and Chris Ryan reunite and are joined by several special guests for a mega-draft of the best movies of 1999.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Guests: Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin, Joanna Robinson, Van Lathan, and Rob Mahoney
Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner
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The 1999 Movie Draft

Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to run through the 10 most anticipated movies from this week’s CinemaCon, which Sean attended (1:00). Then, they have a long—and, at times, combative—discussion about Alex Garland’s big-budget A24 release, ‘Civil War’ (44:00), delving into the film’s politics (or lack thereof), point of view, cinematic style, and more. Finally, Sean is joined by Garland to answer questions regarding some of those very things and where he sees this in the arc of his career, as well as discuss whether he will take a step back from filmmaking (1:50:00).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Guests: Chris Ryan and Alex Garland
Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner
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‘Civil War’ With Alex Garland! Plus: The 10 Most Anticipated Movies Out of CinemaCon.

Sean and Amanda revisit Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Part Two’ and assess whether the fervor for it holds up (1:00). Then, they share their 10 favorite movies of the year so far (25:00), including ‘Immaculate,’ ‘La Chimera,’ ‘The First Omen,’ and others. Sean is then joined by the director of ‘The First Omen,’ Arkasha Stevenson, to discuss the subversive nature of a her legacy sequel, how she got it made, and the career that led her here (1:15:00).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Guest: Arkasha Stevenson
Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner
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‘Dune: Part Two’ and the 10 Best Movies of the Year … So Far

Sean and Amanda dig into the successes and shortcomings of this week’s biggest release at the box office: Dev Patel’s directorial debut, ‘Monkey Man’ (1:00). They discuss, among other things, the unique action put to screen and the movie’s rumored behind-the-scenes studio management. Then—after casually losing their sanity for 15 minutes in the middle of the podcast—they discuss the best directorial debuts of the 21st century (42:00).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner
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The Best Picture Match Game With Sam Esmail

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