The Big Picture

By The RingerTV & Film

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25th
on TV & Film
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Typical duration
98 min
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The Big Picture episodes

September 01, 2025 The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 13 - 'Get Out’
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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43 min
August 29, 2025 6. ‘The Hurt Locker’ and ‘Iron Man’ | Mission Accomplished
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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47 min
August 26, 2025 5. ‘No Country for Old Men’ and ‘W.’ | Mission Accomplished
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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49 min
August 22, 2025 4. ‘Michael Clayton’ and ‘Chop Shop’ | Mission Accomplished
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

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45 min
August 19, 2025 3: ‘Anchorman’ and ‘Zodiac’ | Mission Accomplished
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

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51 min
August 15, 2025 2. ‘25th Hour’ and ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ | Mission Accomplished
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

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49 min
August 12, 2025 1. ‘Bring It On’ and ‘Donnie Darko’ | Mission Accomplished
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

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45 min
August 08, 2025 ‘Weapons’ Is Why We Go to the Movies, With Zach Cregger!
'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
1 hr 30 min
August 05, 2025 The Summer Movie Mailbag
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
1 hr 56 min
August 01, 2025 ‘Happy Gilmore 2,’ ‘The Naked Gun,’ and the 21st-Century Comedy Movie Crisis
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

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1 hr 15 min

About The Big Picture

From the publisher's feed

Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins review the movies you need to see. Plus: Top 5s, Movie Drafts, Oscars analysis, and more. Subscribe to Sean's newsletter, Projections, here.