The Big Picture

By The Ringer

TV & Film

What's The Big Picture about?

The Ringer dives into movies as Editor-In-Chief Sean Fennessey sits down with Hollywood’s biggest filmmakers, breaks down the latest industry trends, handicaps the upcoming Oscars race, and reviews new films with Ringer colleagues like Shea Serrano, Amanda Dobbins, and Bill Simmons.

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The Bradley Cooper Hall of ...

01.14.2022

A surprising SAG Awards nomination has got Sean and Amanda thinking about Bradley Cooper’s unusual path to superstardom. In this episode, they discuss the rest of the surprises and snubs of the nominations (5:00), the incredible legacy of the late ...

The Big Picture episodes:

01.14.2022 The Bradley Cooper Hall of Fame and the ‘House of Gucci’ Oscars Surge A surprising SAG Awards nomination has got Sean and Amanda thinking about Bradley Cooper’s unusual path to superstardom. In this episode, they discuss the rest of the surprises and snubs of the nominations (5:00), the incredible legacy of the late ...
01.11.2022 Let’s Talk ‘Licorice Pizza’ It’s time for a very important conversation about a very important film: Paul Thomas Anderson’s ninth feature, ‘Licorice Pizza.’ Joining Sean and Amanda to break it all down—including favorite performances, scenes, and needle drops, and how it fits into PTA’s ...
01.06.2022 The 22 Most Anticipated Movies of 2022 Amanda and Sean are gearing up for a fun 2022 at the movies … if they can go to the movies. On this episode, they pick their 11 most eagerly awaited films (20:00), discuss Steven Soderbergh’s annual media list (1:00), ...
01.04.2022 Spider-Man: No Way Home’ for Best Picture—Why the Hell Not? Sean and Amanda look at a debate that has been roiling the movie industry for nearly 15 years: Should the Academy Awards more accurately reflect the interests of moviegoers? And if so, should franchise films be regularly competing for Best ...
12.30.2021 Year-End Mailbag! The Top 10 Performances, Trailers, and Needle Drops of 2021 It’s our last episode of the year and Sean and Amanda are celebrating 2021 by naming their 10 favorite performances on the big screen (1:00) before opening up the mailbag to answer your questions ahead of the new year (38:00). ...
12.28.2021 ‘Encanto’ and the 10 Most Underrated Movies of 2021 Andy Greenwald joins Sean to discuss Disney’s latest achievement in animation, ‘Encanto,’ and share some tips for how to be a dad who wants to introduce their child to movies (1:00). Chris Ryan swings by to talk about Paul Verhoeven’s ...
12.24.2021 ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ and the Wachowski Movie Rankings ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ is out in theaters and streaming on HBO Max. Sean and Amanda talk about the film, the franchise (1:00), and the Wachowskis cinematic experience (43:00). Joining them is Ringer staff writer Rob Mahoney. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and ...
12.22.2021 ‘Scream’: The Oral History Alan Siegel interviews the cast and crew of ‘Scream’ and uncovers what it took to get the iconic horror film made.You can read the written version of this piece at theringer.com. Host: Alan Siegel Producer: Steve Ahlman Learn more about ...
12.21.2021 Spider-Man’s Mega Box Office, Aaron Sorkin’s ‘Being the Ricardos,’ and Best Picture Power Rankings Sean and Amanda hit the stunning box office success of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (1:00). Then they circle back to the Oscar race because this week sees the release of some serious contenders, including Aaron Sorkin’s ‘Being the Ricardos’ and ...
12.17.2021 ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Is Here! We’re talking about the most anticipated movie of the winter: 'Spider-Man: No Way Home.' Swinging into the conversation with Sean and Amanda is our friendly neighbor Mallory Rubin for a spoiler-free (1:40) and then spoiler-packed breakdown of the movie (33:00). ...
12.14.2021 The Leonardo DiCaprio Hall of Fame and ‘Don’t Look Up’ With Adam McKay Sean and Amanda discuss the new Netflix climate crisis satire ‘Don’t Look Up,’ which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep (1:00). Then, they build a Hall of Fame to Leo, one of the best movie stars ever (20:00). ...
12.10.2021 ‘West Side Story’ and Top Five Steven Spielberg Movies This week marks the release of Steven Spielberg’s first musical, a remake and modest reimagining of the 1957 show and legendary 1961 film. Sean and Amanda are joined by Joanna Robinson to talk about the original, Spielberg's remake, and their ...
12.09.2021 Top Five Movie Soundtracks It’s a music-movies team-up episode. Rob Harvilla returns to the show to talk about the art of the soundtrack and share his top five favorites (1:00). Then, Sean talks with John Maggio, who directed the latest entry in The Ringer’s ...
12.07.2021 Top Five Movies of 2021. Plus: Denis Villeneuve on ‘Dune’! It's time to talk about the best of the year, so Sean and Amanda are joined by Adam Nayman and Chris Ryan to share their five favorite movies of 2021 (1:00). Then, 'Dune' director Denis Villeneuve comes to the show ...
12.02.2021 The Holiday Movie Draft It’s December, which means it’s officially holiday movie season. We’re bringing Chris Ryan back to draft holiday movies with one special twist—a wild-card category of any holiday content. It’s the most wonderful draft of the year! Hosts: Sean Fennessey and ...
11.30.2021 ‘The Beatles: Get Back’ and Our Fab 5 Beatles Albums The weekend delivered a bountiful feast for Beatles fans: Peter Jackson’s epic, revelatory eight-hour ‘Get Back’ documentary series on Disney+. Amanda and Sean talk about the film today and their favorite Beatles albums (1:00). Then, Sean is joined by Penny ...
11.26.2021 ‘Licorice Pizza’ and the Paul Thomas Anderson Rankings Paul Thomas Anderson’s ninth feature film opens today in select theaters. Sean and Amanda have a spoiler-free conversation about the coming-of-age story set in the San Fernando Valley (1:00). Then, Amanda allows Sean some room to work through his feelings ...
11.24.2021 ‘House of Gucci’ and Top 5 Ridley Scott Movies It's time for the house of Gucci! Ridley Scott's much-anticipated family crime drama set among the famed Italian fashion empire, starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, and many others, is here. Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan ...
11.22.2021 ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and Our Top Five Feel-Good Movies We're talking about a trio of new releases—'Ghostbusters: Afterlife,' 'Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and 'C'mon C'mon'—that attempt to pluck our heartstrings. They inspired Sean and Amanda to share their top five feel-good movies (1:00). Then, Sean talks with 'C'mon C'mon' ...
11.19.2021 ‘King Richard’ and Top 5 Sports Movies With Bill Simmons With Will Smith in the center of the frame, ‘King Richard’ has garnered a lot of Oscars buzz. Now that the film is in theaters and on HBO Max, we talk about what makes it a throwback sports movie—and ultimately ...
11.16.2021 10 Irrational Best-Picture Oscar Predictions and Why ‘Belfast’ Is the Front-Runner Once upon a time, this was a podcast dedicated to Academy Awards coverage, so we’re going to throwback today to discuss Kenneth Branagh’s autobiographical feature ‘Belfast’ and the state of the 2021 Oscar race (1:00). Then, Sean is joined by ...
11.12.2021 The Royal Movie Hall of Fame and ‘Spencer’ Kristen Stewart’s much-anticipated role as Princess Diana in ‘Spencer’ has finally arrived. We discuss Stewart’s performance, as well as the larger successes and failures of the film (1:00) before building a 10-movie Hall of Fame comprising the best films about ...
11.09.2021 Top Five Movie Robots, ‘Finch,’ and the Awful Truth About Hollywood A new Tom Hanks movie, ‘Finch,’ just hit Apple TV+; it's about a man and his robot pal enduring a post-apocalyptic terrain. Sean is joined by 'Gene and Roger' host and writer Brian Raftery to break down the movie and ...
11.05.2021 ‘Eternals’ Is a Big Miss. But Is Marvel Too Big to Fail? The newest entrant in the MCU comes from Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloe Zhao, but something isn’t quite right about the movie. Sean is joined by Joanna Robinson to break down the film and what its struggles mean for the future of ...
11.02.2021 The 1994 Mega-Movie Draft We are drafting again! And this time, the roster is growing. Shea Serrano and Van Lathan join Sean, Amanda, and Chris Ryan for a draft of one of the greatest years in movie history: 1994. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda ...
10.29.2021 The Edgar Wright Rankings and ‘Last Night in Soho’ With Edgar Wright! The director’s latest, the psychological horror movie ‘Last Night in Soho,’ is out in theaters. Sean is joined by The Ringer's Rob Harvilla to talk about Wright's fascinating career and their favorite Edgar Wright films, including 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the ...
10.25.2021 Dune. DUNE. DUNE! This is a podcast about ‘Dune.’ DUUUUUUUUUUUNE. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Chris Ryan Producer: Bobby Wagner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
10.22.2021 Top Five Wes Anderson Movies and ‘The French Dispatch’ After being delayed more than a year by COVID, Wes Anderson’s ‘The French Dispatch’ has finally hit theaters in limited release. We gather to discuss the film and rank Wes Anderson’s unique world of film (1:00). Then, Sean is joined ...
10.19.2021 Top 5 Movie Duos and Why ‘The Last Duel’ Rules We’re talking about ‘The Last Duel,’ the latest film from Ridley Scott and the first produced screenplay from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck since ‘Good Will Hunting.’ Thinking about Matt and Ben has us in the mood to celebrate movie ...
10.15.2021 Let’s Rank the Horror Franchises. Plus: ‘Halloween Kills.’ Every year, Chris Ryan joins Sean to share his favorite horror flicks, break down the state of the genre, and spotlight a few under-the-radar gems. They also rank their favorite horror franchises and put Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, Chucky, and ...
10.12.2021 The 1998 Movie Draft: A Time for Betrayal We are drafting again! Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to pick their faves and foil their pals in another hotly contested draft over a delightful time in recent movie history: 1998 (23:43). Then, actor Fran Kranz sits ...
10.08.2021 No Time to Die’ and Top Five James Bond Movies James Bond is back! After a nearly two-year delay, ‘No Time to Die’ finally arrives in theaters around the world. To celebrate, Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to talk about the new film, Daniel Craig’s legacy as ...
10.05.2021 ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ and Top 5 Comic Book Movie Sequels Eddie Brock and his alien symbiote pal are back in 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage,' a sequel to the surprise mega-hit from 2018. To break down the new 'Venom' movie and our favorite comic book movie sequels, Sean is joined ...
10.01.2021 Top Five ‘Sopranos’ Episodes and ‘The Many Saints of Newark’ With David Chase This weekend sees the release in theaters and streaming on HBO Max of ‘The Many Saints of Newark,’ a film prequel to David Chase’s medium-altering TV series. Justin Sayles, The Ringer’s resident Sopranosologist, joins the show to discuss the movie ...
09.28.2021 A 400th Episode "Ask Us Anything" Mailbag Extravaganza It’s the 400th episode! To celebrate, Sean and Amanda are opening up the mailbag to answer just about anything you wanted to know, in the world of movies and beyond. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Bobby Wagner Learn ...
09.24.2021 The 2021 Movie Star Ranking: 35 Under 35. Plus, the Catastrophe of 'Dear Evan Hansen.' It's back! We revisit our controversial list of young stars 18 months later and determine what we got right, what we got wrong, and where movie stardom is going in 2021. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Bobby Wagner ...
09.21.2021 Top-Five Actor Transformations, ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye,’ and the Horrifying Future of Award Shows It’s late September, and that can only mean one thing: We now begin that deathless march to the center of the hellscape better known as Awards Season. But will anyone care? Sean and Amanda discuss the lay of the land ...
09.17.2021 Top 5 Clint Eastwood Movies and ‘Cry Macho’ 'Cry Macho,' the 44th film directed by 91-year-old Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood, arrives in theaters and is now available on HBO Max. Adam Nayman and Chris Ryan join Sean to talk about the expansive, six-decade career of one of the ...
09.14.2021 The 2004 Movie Draft We asked, you decided: After a public vote, we're drafting from the year 2004. Who were we? What were we doing? And what movies were we seeing? Join Sean, Amanda, and Chris as they explore a time of anchormen, eternal ...
09.10.2021 The Prestige Dirtbag Movie: A Celebration Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to break down the new Paul Schrader film ‘The Card Counter,’ explore Schrader’s seminal works, and define one of their favorite movie subgenres: the Prestige Dirtbag Movie. What is it and why do they ...
09.07.2021 The 20 Most Anticipated Fall Movies and the Winners of the Telluride Film Festival Sean chats with Amanda about his trip to the Telluride Film Festival, an annual launchpad for Oscar contenders. He talks about the best films he saw and the scene in Colorado (0:30). Then they discuss what to look forward to ...
09.03.2021 ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ and the 10 Movies to See Before It This weekend sees the release of a hugely important movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, ‘Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.’ Sean breaks down the character’s place in Marvel mythology, the films that influenced the new movie, ...
08.31.2021 ‘Dune,’ ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and the Best Trailers of 2021 Sean and Amanda talk about the buzzy new ‘Spider-Man’ trailer, as well as some hotly anticipated awards-season films, including ‘The Power of the Dog’ and ‘Spencer’ (0:31). Then they dig into the mailbag to answer listener questions about ‘Dune,’ their ...
08.27.2021 Top Five Summer 2021 Movies and Everything Sean Missed While He Was Out Sean returns from his break and Amanda runs down the major story lines from the world of movies that he missed (0:31). Then, they share their favorite (and not so favorite) movies of the summer (48:30). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and ...
08.25.2021 8. “Something Wonderful Is Coming to an End” \| Gene and Roger Still reeling from Gene Siskel's death, Roger Ebert tries to bring their show into the new century. But Hollywood is changing, and so is the media landscape Gene and Roger conquered during their time together. And as the story of ...
08.23.2021 7. “The Realities of Time” \| Gene and Roger By the late '90s, the unlikely alliance between Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert was stronger than ever. But their hard-won friendship would soon face unexpected challenges that would end their time together sooner than anyone expected Host: Brian Raftery Producers: ...
08.20.2021 The M. Night Shyamalan Rankings and ‘Old’ In July, the sometimes-acclaimed, sometimes-controversial, sometimes-downright-vilified writer-director M. Night Shyamalan released his 14th feature film, 'Old.' Joining Sean to talk about all things Shyamalan—from his best films to his worst and everything in between—is the cohost of 'Higher Learning' and ...
08.17.2021 6. “The Human Condition” \| Gene and Roger For Siskel and Ebert, the '90s were a revolutionary era—both for the movies and for their careers. A new generation of filmmakers was taking over Hollywood, and Gene and Roger became cheerleaders for the bold next wave of writers and ...
08.12.2021 The 2007 Movie Draft We’re drafting again—and this time we’re not messing around. It’s 2007, one of the greatest movie years of our lifetimes, with several personal favorites on the board. Who will drink whose milkshake? Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Chris ...
08.10.2021 5. Attack of the Clones \| Gene and Roger As Gene and Roger jumped from one program to another, they left behind shows that were desperate to replicate the duo’s groundbreaking success. These reiterations, along with other imitations of the format, paved the way for a television market saturated ...

Older episodes

The Big Picture

What's The Big Picture about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Big Picture episodes:

The Bradley Cooper Hall of Fame and the ‘House of Gucci’ Oscars Surge

Let’s Talk ‘Licorice Pizza’

The 22 Most Anticipated Movies of 2022

Spider-Man: No Way Home’ for Best Picture—Why the Hell Not?

Year-End Mailbag! The Top 10 Performances, Trailers, and Needle Drops of 2021

‘Encanto’ and the 10 Most Underrated Movies of 2021

‘The Matrix Resurrections’ and the Wachowski Movie Rankings

‘Scream’: The Oral History

Spider-Man’s Mega Box Office, Aaron Sorkin’s ‘Being the Ricardos,’ and Best Picture Power Rankings

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Is Here!

The Leonardo DiCaprio Hall of Fame and ‘Don’t Look Up’ With Adam McKay

‘West Side Story’ and Top Five Steven Spielberg Movies

Top Five Movie Soundtracks

Top Five Movies of 2021. Plus: Denis Villeneuve on ‘Dune’!

The Holiday Movie Draft

‘The Beatles: Get Back’ and Our Fab 5 Beatles Albums

‘Licorice Pizza’ and the Paul Thomas Anderson Rankings

‘House of Gucci’ and Top 5 Ridley Scott Movies

‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and Our Top Five Feel-Good Movies

‘King Richard’ and Top 5 Sports Movies With Bill Simmons

10 Irrational Best-Picture Oscar Predictions and Why ‘Belfast’ Is the Front-Runner

The Royal Movie Hall of Fame and ‘Spencer’

Top Five Movie Robots, ‘Finch,’ and the Awful Truth About Hollywood

‘Eternals’ Is a Big Miss. But Is Marvel Too Big to Fail?

The 1994 Mega-Movie Draft

The Edgar Wright Rankings and ‘Last Night in Soho’ With Edgar Wright!

Dune. DUNE. DUNE!

Top Five Wes Anderson Movies and ‘The French Dispatch’

Top 5 Movie Duos and Why ‘The Last Duel’ Rules

Let’s Rank the Horror Franchises. Plus: ‘Halloween Kills.’

The 1998 Movie Draft: A Time for Betrayal

No Time to Die’ and Top Five James Bond Movies

‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ and Top 5 Comic Book Movie Sequels

Top Five ‘Sopranos’ Episodes and ‘The Many Saints of Newark’ With David Chase

A 400th Episode "Ask Us Anything" Mailbag Extravaganza

The 2021 Movie Star Ranking: 35 Under 35. Plus, the Catastrophe of 'Dear Evan Hansen.'

Top-Five Actor Transformations, ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye,’ and the Horrifying Future of Award Shows

Top 5 Clint Eastwood Movies and ‘Cry Macho’

The 2004 Movie Draft

The Prestige Dirtbag Movie: A Celebration

The 20 Most Anticipated Fall Movies and the Winners of the Telluride Film Festival

‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ and the 10 Movies to See Before It

‘Dune,’ ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ and the Best Trailers of 2021

Top Five Summer 2021 Movies and Everything Sean Missed While He Was Out

8. “Something Wonderful Is Coming to an End” | Gene and Roger

7. “The Realities of Time” | Gene and Roger

The M. Night Shyamalan Rankings and ‘Old’

6. “The Human Condition” | Gene and Roger

The 2007 Movie Draft

5. Attack of the Clones | Gene and Roger

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