As Hollywood and America look toward a brighter future, two war films explore the long-term impacts of the Bush years on soldiers and civilians alike.

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Baroldi, Brian Raftery, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Devon Baroldi

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A pair of tough Texas dramas reckon with the bleakness of the Bush years—resulting in two of the most unpredictable films of the early 2000s.

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Baroldi, Brian Raftery, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Devon Baroldi

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As America falls into a recession, two movies about New York hustlers capture the quiet desperation needed to survive in a country running on empty.

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Baroldi, Brian Raftery, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Devon Baroldi

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Americans pine for a kinder, gentler nation, two wildly entertaining (and wildly different) films about life in 1970s California poke holes in our country’s past.

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Baroldi, Brian Raftery, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Devon Baroldi

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the wake of 9/11 and America’s new war on terror, two films capture the chaos of a country caught between open rage and simmering paranoia.

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Baroldi, Brian Raftery, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Devon Baroldi

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Big Picture Live Show in NYC: Tickets go on sale today, August 12, at 2 p.m. ET at 92ny.org!

As a new millennium gets underway, two beloved high school films—one full of pep, the other drenched in dread—reflect America’s sudden shift from post-Y2K cheer to post-9/11 confusion. 

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Baroldi, Brian Raftery, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Devon Baroldi

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

'Weapons' is finally here, and Sean gets back in the void for a deep dive on one of his most anticipated films of the year. But before diving in, he and Amanda are joined by Brian Raftery to discuss his narrative series, Mission Accomplished, that will run on the feed throughout the rest of August (2:02). The limited series examines the making of 12 great 2000s movies and chronicles how Hollywood and America changed during the Bush years. Next, before covering ‘Weapons,’ Sean uses another recent horror release—‘Together,’ starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie—as a comparison point to explore the current state of horror (14:19). Then, Sean shares five things he loved about Zach Cregger’s ‘Weapons,’ starring Julia Garner and Josh Brolin, and makes a syllabus for the movie, one of his favorites of the year (24:33). Finally, Sean is joined by Cregger to unpack his sophomore horror feature film and share how the significant increase in resources impacted his process, how his life and career changed following the success of ‘Barbarian,’ and why he knew he was up to the task of directing this incredibly ambitious project (46:41).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Zach Cregger and Brian Raftery

Producer: Jack Sanders

This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda open up the mailbag to cover all things related to summer movies! They discuss their favorite summer films they love to watch throughout the season, choose which homemade cocktail they’d pair with some summer rewatchables, share a list of movies they recommend checking out in preparation for this fall’s exciting slate, and much more.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Jack Sanders

This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda are joined by The Ringer’s Craig Horlbeck to discuss all things 21st-century comedy. Before diving in though, they cover a handful of movie news headlines, including Celine Song being attached to a remake of ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’; rumors that Jeremy Strong, Mikey Madison, and Jeremy Allen White are the top choices for ‘The Social Network Part II’; and Bradley Cooper’s film ‘Is This Thing On?’ being announced to close the New York Film Festival (1:44). Then, they cover Netflix’s ‘Happy Gilmore 2,’ starring Adam Sandler, which they all had wildly different reviews of, varying from apocalyptically bad to incredibly fascinating (14:59). Finally, they talk about ‘The Naked Gun,’ starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, and use it as a springboard to have a conversation on why there are so few theatrical comedies being made and whether we’ll get more going forward (38:06).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Craig Horlbeck

Producer: Jack Sanders

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda start the show by briefly reacting to the box office performance of ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ and wondering whether or not superhero movies will ever return to the levels of the MCU golden days (1:39). Then, they bring in Andy Greenwald to discuss Netflix’s newest animated success, ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ which they were initially skeptical of but eventually became charmed by, and they hypothesize what makes a big cultural hit in 2025 (4:46). Next, Sean and Amanda unpack the new slasher legacy sequel ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer,’ starring Madelyn Cline and Chase Sui Wonders, which they found incredibly condescending. They talk through why they found the script, performances, and kill sequences to be deeply unsuccessful (38:28). Finally, they reflect on what many consider to be the weakest decade of the horror genre and create their 1990s Horror Movie Canon (1:04:59).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Andy Greenwald

Producer: Jack Sanders

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY THE STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. ORDER NOW | STARBUCKS.COM/MENU

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices