The Big Picture

Sean and Amanda are joined by ‘House of R’ host Joanna Robinson to react to the 2025 Golden Globes, an up-and-down award show highlighted by strong performances from Brady Corbet’s ‘The Brutalist’ and Jacques Audiard’s ‘Emilia Pérez.’ They also discuss the movies they were surprised performed weaker on the evening, like ‘Anora,’ ‘Conclave,’ and ‘Wicked.’ Finally, they evaluate the entertainment of the broadcast and host Nikki Glaser.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Joanna Robinson

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

Video Producer: Jack Sanders

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In her triumphant return, Amanda shares her overarching thoughts on the movies and shows from the past few months that she’s been out on parental leave (1:00). Then, Sean and Amanda predict the winners of each film category for Sunday’s Golden Globes (52:00. Plus: they introduce a new yearlong project for 2025 in which they count down their collective favorite films of the century so far.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

Video Producer: Chia Hao Tat

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Sean is joined by Adam Nayman for an extensive examination of the themes, production, and style of Brady Corbet’s ‘The Brutalist,’ one of the most anticipated and audacious movies of the year (1:00). They discuss the idea of a new movie aiming at the canon, Corbet’s filmmaking style and the marketing associated with it, the chapterized structure of the storytelling, the performances both at the center and on the edges of the frame, and more. Sean is then joined by Corbet (1:17:00) to discuss the circuitous route to getting the film on the big screen; how he sees a director’s job; writing with his partner, Mona Fastvold; working with Adrien Brody; and more. Finally, Brody joins the show to talk about what was so appealing about the 'Brutalist’ script, how he accessed the personal themes of the character he plays, the different technological hurdles of shooting in the long-dormant VistaVision format, and more (2:08:00).

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guests: Adam Nayman, Brady Corbet, and Adrien Brody

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

Video Producer: Jack Sanders

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Sean is joined by Chris Ryan and Rob Mahoney to discuss the new Robert Eggers vampire film, ‘Nosferatu,’ releasing on Christmas and starring Lily-Rose Depp, Bill Skarsgard, and Nicholas Hoult (1:00). They discuss the original ‘Nosferatu,’ now more than 100 years old, Eggers’s vision of the character and story, and the long history of vampires in cinema, before ultimately each sharing their five favorite vampire movies (43:00). Then, Sean is joined by Eggers to talk about the production of the movie, why vampires persist in storytelling, the themes of the film, and more (1:11:00).

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guests: Chris Ryan, Rob Mahoney, and Robert Eggers

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

Video Producer: Jack Sanders

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Sean is joined by Chris Ryan and Mallory Rubin to dig all the way into ‘A Complete Unknown,’ James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet. They discuss, among other things, the musical performances of Chalamet and his costar Monica Barbaro, the supporting performances around the edges of the movie, Mangold’s ability to tackle one of the most central pop cultural figures in American history, the moment the film is trying to capture, and more.

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guests: Chris Ryan and Mallory Rubin

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

Video Producer: Jack Sanders

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Sean starts the episode with a monologue about the up-and-down state of the movie release calendar after a handful of extremely disappointing movies like ‘Kraven the Hunter,’ ‘Mufasa: The Lion King,’ and ‘Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim’ hit theaters recently, before they give way to stronger films like ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘Nosferatu,’ ‘A Complete Unknown,’ ‘Babygirl,’ and more (1:00). Then, he’s joined by Joanna Robinson to talk about the winners and losers, broadly, of the year in movies (6:00). They then share their latest Best Picture power rankings (1:08:00). Finally, Sean is joined by ‘Nickel Boys’ director RaMell Ross to discuss the revolutionary style and vision of the film, adapting Colson Whitehead’s novel, his path to becoming an artist, and more (1:25:00).

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guests: Joanna Robinson and RaMell Ross

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

Video Producer: Jack Sanders

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Sean remarks on the release of the Oscars shortlists in below-the-line categories, international features, and documentary features, before discussing his five most underseen movies of 2024 (1:00). Then, he’s joined by a rotating cast of Ringer colleagues to discuss each of their favorite underseen movies of the year (40:00). Finally, he’s joined by James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd to discuss the 40th anniversary of ‘Terminator’ (1:59:00). Among other things, the three talk about the challenge of getting it made before their careers had really taken off, the filmmaking style, shooting on location in L.A., and the prescience of the story.

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guests: Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin, Charles Holmes, Yasi Salek, Joanna Robinson, Rob Mahoney, Amanda Dobbins, James Cameron, and Gale Anne Hurd

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

Video Producer: Jack Sanders

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Sean is joined Joanna Robinson and Rob Mahoney to run through five of their favorite individual performances from the year in acting (1:00) before discussing Marielle Heller’s ‘Nightbitch,’ the story of a stay-at-home mom—played by Amy Adams—who is experiencing the normal stresses of motherhood and life while undergoing a more surreal transformation (43:00). Then, they select which 10 performances they would include if they were tasked with building the Amy Adams Hall of Fame (1:04:00). Finally, Sean is joined by Pablo Larraín to discuss ‘Maria,’ the third film in his recent trilogy about misunderstood and highly successful and famous women (1:54:00). The two discuss Angelina Jolie’s performance at the center of the movie, the unique challenges of portraying something as ineffable as opera singing, and how Larraín decides which moments to home in on when creating these works of historical fiction.

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guests: Rob Mahoney, Joanna Robinson, and Pablo Larraín

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

Video Producer: Jack Sanders

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We are drafting again! And Amanda is back! She and Sean are joined by Chris Ryan to pick their faves and foil their pals in a draft of the movies from 2021.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Chris Ryan

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

Video Producer: Jack Sanders

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Sean is joined by longtime playwright, actor, screenwriter, and physical media collector Tracy Letts to discuss his career and how he became such a fervent collector of physical media. They discuss what got them into the lifestyle, the state of their collections, what it has taught them about being a cinephile, the best physical releases of 2024, and much more.

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guest: Tracy Letts

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

Video Producer: Jack Sanders

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