The Big Picture

Sean and Amanda cover Noah Baumbach’s new film, ‘Jay Kelly,’ starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler. They work through their mixed reactions to the movie and sort through specifically what worked for them and what didn’t (4:24). Then, they speculate Sandler’s potential award chances (41:33) before building his Hall of Fame with their favorite performances (53:50). Finally, Sean is joined by Baumbach to explain why he doesn’t enjoy revisiting his old work, why Clooney was perfect for the part of Jay, and whether his films are getting funnier or more tragic with age (1:49:39).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Noah Baumbach

Producer: Jack Sanders

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Sean and Amanda have an action-packed show today, and they start with the biggest piece of news: Netflix’s $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. They talk through their initial gut reactions to the news; cover the additional information that came through over the weekend, including Paramount’s hostile bid; and hypothesize whether or not the sale will go through (1:57). Then, they react to the Golden Globe nominations and try to make sense of what they mean for the Academy Awards (1:00:11). Finally, they briefly discuss Jafar Panahi’s ‘It Was Just an Accident’ (1:20:29) before Sean is joined by Panahi himself to discuss how he casts his actors, why he prioritized balancing a humorous tone and serious drama, and why he feels that his next film has to be about war (1:26:51).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Jafar Panahi and Sheida Dayani

Producer: Jack Sanders

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Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman to share their five favorite films from the year. But before diving in, they cover a handful of movie news items, including the updated rumors regarding the potential sale of Warner Bros. (1:25), the massive box office success of ‘Zootopia 2’ (5:44), and the speculation that Leonardo DiCaprio has been cast in Michael Mann’s ‘Heat 2’ (11:15). Then, they each share their top five favorite movies from 2025 (25:20).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman

Producer: Jack Sanders

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Sean, Amanda, and Chris visit Pandora and join the Na’vi to watch James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ in anticipation of his upcoming sequel, ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash.’

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Chris Ryan

Producer: Jack Sanders

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Sean and Amanda are joined by Tracy Letts to cover the monumental work of legendary actor Robert Redford. They celebrate the star’s illustrious career, share their personal relationship to his work, and build his Hall of Fame. 

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Tracy Letts

Producer: Jack Sanders

Research: Brantley Palmer

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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 Spike Lee’s ‘25th Hour,’ one of the most present tense films ever made. They discuss its fascinating legacy as a somewhat under-discussed masterpiece, explain why Lee’s stylistic choices are deeply moving, and identify the impressive fricative tension in all of the movie’s ideas.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Jack Sanders

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Sean and Amanda begin the show by discussing the imminent sale of Warner Brothers Discovery, consider the potential implications of a merger with one of Paramount, Comcast, or Netflix, and debate which scenario is the most likely outcome (1:22). Then, they cover the new Colleen Hoover adaptation ‘Regretting You’ starring Allison Williams and Dave Franco, which they found absolutely baffling (17:28). Next, they have an extensive conversation around Joachim Trier’s ‘Sentimental Value,’ starring Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgard, where they explore why some people are connecting to the film so strongly, while for others it doesn't seem to resonate (47:15). Finally, Trier joins the show to explain how much of himself is actually mapped onto Skarsgard’s character, how being a good listener and observant of the world around you translates to strong characterization, and the story of shooting in a house that was down the street he grew up on (1:33:54).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Joachim Trier

Producer: Jack Sanders

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Sean and Amanda are joined by Juliet Litman and return to the (not so) wonderful world of Oz to cover John M. Chu’s ‘Wicked: For Good,’ starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Before diving in, they react to new movie trailers for Charli XCX’s ‘The Moment’ (1:02) and ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ (10:54). Then, they discuss ‘Wicked: For Good,’ which they found deeply frustrating due to its bizarre story choices and one-dimensional characters (18:22). They hypothesize its potential box office, compare this year’s press tour to last year’s, and weigh its Academy Award chances (1:07:44). Next, Sean and Amanda briefly examine Clint Bentley’s ‘Train Dreams,’ starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, a deeply earnest and sincere portrayal of grief with some beautiful digital photography and an amazing collection of character actors (1:22:55). Finally, Bentley joins the show to discuss his new film and explains why he initially thought the original material was unadaptable, how he put a lot of intent behind capturing the logging scenes in the movie, and shares his feelings on the current state of independent film (1:34:28).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Clint Bentley and Juliet Litman

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 Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds,’ which made for one of the greatest movie-going experiences of the century. They talk through why this was the official Tarantino pick over ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ praise Christoph Waltz for his generational performance, and explore the film’s legacy at great length.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producers: Jack Sanders, Charlie Finan, John Richter, Kevin Cureghian, Victoria Valencia, and Ryan Todd

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On today’s action-packed show, Sean and Amanda dive deep into the two newest films from one of their favorite filmmakers, Richard Linklater. Before diving in, they react to a handful of movie news headlines, including Tom Cruise’s honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards, the new teaser trailer for the live-action ‘Moana’ film, and Georgia Oakley’s upcoming remake of ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ starring Daisy Edgar-Jones (1:14). Then, they discuss ‘Nouvelle Vague’ (16:06) and ‘Blue Moon’ (28:11) and explain why they found the former to be an interesting exercise and the latter to be one of the best movies of 2025. Later, they break down what makes Ethan Hawke such a great actor and rank their five favorite performances of his career (46:07). Finally, Sean is joined by Hawke and Linklater to explain why 'Blue Moon' was the perfect project for a collaborative reunion, explore how they have evolved as filmmakers and performers over their illustrious careers, and discuss why they feel optimistic about the current state of moviegoing and the challenges both the industry and society face (56:29).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater

Producer: Jack Sanders

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