Sean is joined by Chris Ryan, Tracy Letts, and Tim Simons for a very special episode dedicated to all things physical media. They talk through the current state of collecting, and showcase a handful of titles they personally own.

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guests: Chris Ryan, Tracy Letts, and Tim Simons

Producer: Jack Sanders

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Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Wes Anderson’s ‘The Royal Tenenbaums,’ one of the greatest father-figure movies of all time (starring Gene Hackman, giving one of the best father-figure performances of all time). They explain why they made the difficult decision to make this the official Wes Anderson selection for the list, discuss why there is nothing among his filmography that quite matches this unique energy, and wonder whether this is the best collection of needle drop moments from any Anderson movie ever made.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Jack Sanders

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Adam Nayman joins the show to recap his experience at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. He breaks down the fanatical scene at the traveling Criterion Closet, explores his mixed feelings about the lineup at large, and shares his personal favorites from the festival (1:19). Then, Chris Ryan joins the show to share his thoughts on Zach Cregger’s horror hit ‘Weapons.’ They talk through the discourse surrounding the movie about whether or not it’s “about anything,” celebrate Amy Madigan’s wonderful performance as Aunt Gladys, and wonder whether it has a legitimate chance to receive some Academy Award nominations (45:13). Finally, they cover the newest legacy sequel from the 'Conjuring' franchise, ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites,’ starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. They highlight its shockingly impressive performance at the box office but explain why they found the film to be largely unsuccessful (1:21:09).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman

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.®️ 

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For the first time ever, Sean, Amanda, and Chris are doing a movie character draft! Today, they draft their favorite characters from Paul Thomas Anderson’s filmography. But before diving in, they react to a handful of news headlines, including the speculation that David Ellison and Paramount plan on making a strong bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, new information regarding key details about Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Social Network II’, and the recent awards buzz surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s performance in the upcoming boxing film ‘Christy’ (1:38). Then, they talk through their personal relationships to Anderson’s work (25:15), introduce the new categories (41:19), and finally draft their characters (49:27).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Chris Ryan

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.®️

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Sean and Amanda celebrate legendary filmmaker Robert Altman, who would have turned 100 this year, by breaking down his illustrious career. But first, they cover the awards distributed at the Venice Film Festival and recap Amanda’s legendary weekend, which included seeing Oasis perform live and watching Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film, ‘One Battle After Another’ (1:20). Then, they construct Altman’s shrine and build his Hall of Fame (14:39).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Jack Sanders

Use code "TheBigPicture20" for a 20 percent discount on an annual Criterion Channel subscription. 

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.®️

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Sean and Amanda start the show by reacting to a handful of recent movie trailers, including Emerald Fennell’s ‘Wuthering Heights’—starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi—and Nia DaCosta’s ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ (3:33). Then, they unpack Spike Lee’s newest film ‘Highest 2 Lowest,’ starring Denzel Washington and A$AP Rocky. They explore its very high highs and occasional low lows, Washington’s fascinating performance style, and what makes this film so different compared to the rest of Lee’s filmography (17:09). Next, they cover Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Caught Stealing,’ starring Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz; they both found it quite disappointing, to the point that they even discussed whether or not Austin Butler is a “leading man” (39:54). Finally, Sean is joined by the legendary filmmaker Spike Lee to talk about his new movie. Lee reflects on the first time he visited Akira Kurosawa’s work and touches on what Kurosawa means to both himself and cinema at large, talks through Denzel Washington's brilliant improvisations in this film and explains why he is—in Lee's opinion—the greatest actor of all time, and explores what is missing from Hollywood and the filmmaking industry right now (1:07:01).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Spike Lee

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.®️

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Sean and Amanda are back from vacation! Today, they discuss the biggest films out of the Telluride and Venice film festivals before sharing the yet-to-be-released movies they’re most excited for this fall (0:47). Then, Sean is joined by director Alex Russell to discuss his new film, ‘Lurker’, starring Théodore Pellerin and Archie Madekwe. Russell explains how he was able to direct the project despite his very limited experience, what he was looking for when casting his two leads, and what type of project he might be interested in doing next (1:41:32).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Alex Russell

Producers: Jon Jones, Sasha Ashall, and 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.®️

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Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ starring Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams, the funniest, most astute critique of a so-called post-racial America. They share why they chose this to be their signature horror film of the list, how its release was a culture-shifting event that changed the face of horror, and wonder what the reception of the film would have been if the infamous alternative ending of the film was used.

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.®️

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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

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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

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