The Big Picture

Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to discuss the newest release from his guy Ridley Scott in ‘The Dog Stars’ starring Jacob Elordi and Margaret Qualley. They share their takeaways from the movie, debate Elordi’s performance and evolution as an actor, and assess where the film fits within Scott’s career. Before diving into ‘The Dog Stars’, they reflect on the passing of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, celebrating their remarkable careers and discussing what each of them meant personally. Then, they check in on the latest James Bond casting race and debate the strongest candidates among the six remaining contenders, before touching on Ryan Gosling’s developing ‘Flintstones’ project and whether it means Chris’s king is officially dead. Finally, Sean, Amanda, and Chris take on the daunting task of ranking all 30 films in Ridley Scott’s vast filmography.

(0:00) Intro

(1:16) Dolly Parton and Tim Curry

(5:51) The next James Bond

(15:46) Ryan Gosling ‘Flintstones’ spin-off

(19:23) ‘The Dog Stars’

(50:33) Talking Ridley Scott

(1:02:53) The Ridley Scott Movie Rankings

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Chris Ryan

Producer: Jack Sanders

Editor: Jamie Yukich

Production Support: Sarah Reddy and Lucas Cavanagh

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We’re drafting again! Sean and Amanda are joined by Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan for their first ever “Flops Movie Draft” where they highlight some of their favorite movies that were commercial failures at the box office. 

(0:00) Intro

(1:43) Earliest flop memories

(12:34) The Flops Movie Draft rules breakdown

(17:17) The Flops Movie Draft

(1:38:25) Honorable mentions

(1:48:06) Draft recap

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan

Producer: Jack Sanders

Editor: Jamie Yukich

Production Support: Sarah Reddy and Lucas Cavanagh

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Well, there’s only one man to bring in to discuss Matt Johnson’s new biopic, ‘Tony,’ and that’s Anthony Bourdain aficionado Chris Ryan. Before diving into the movie, CR briefly gives a temperature check on the highly anticipated ‘Miami Vice’ sequel. Then, they unpack ‘Tony’ and highlight all of the reasons they found it to be deeply affecting. Later, they both share their top five “coming of age” movies of all time. Finally, Matt Johnson joins the show to tell Sean all of his secrets, because he likes him (his exact words). Johnson explains how Dominic Sessa convinced him to make the film despite his distaste for biopics in general, why he didn’t use any of his traditional filmmaking moves in the movie, and much more.

(0:00) Intro

(0:54) Chris Ryan joins the show!

(2:07) ‘Miami Vice’ reboot temperature check

(6:33) ‘Tony’

(33:00) The top five “coming of age” movies

(1:00:47) Matt Johnson joins the show!

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guests: Matt Johnson and Chris Ryan

Producer: Jack Sanders

Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh

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A very special occasion (a potentially good dinosaur movie) requires very special company, which is why on today’s show, Sean is joined by Chris Ryan and Mallory Rubin to discuss David Robert Mitchell’s ‘The End of Oak Street.’ Before transporting back to the Mesozoic era, they cover Mallory’s trip to D23 and react to myriad announcements, most crucially the casting for the upcoming X-Men movie. Then, they briefly discuss ‘The Last House’ (a film they found utterly dreadful) before diving into ‘The End of Oak Street’ (a film they found wildly entertaining and incredibly fascinating). Later, they each provide their top five favorite ‘Twilight Zone’ movies. Finally, Sean is joined by actor Will Poulter to discuss his new film, ‘Union County,’ and why he’s pushing himself out of his comfort zone with roles that scare him.

(0:00) Intro

(1:07) CR and Mal join the show!

(4:28) X-Men casting announcements

(21:12) ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ trailer reaction

(27:42) Mal’s ‘Starfighter’ trailer reaction

(31:47) Other D23 announcements

(38:14) ‘The Last House’

(48:05) ‘The End of Oak Street’

(1:17:16) The top five 'Twilight Zone' movies

(1:45:27) Will Poulter joins the show!

(2:26:45) End-of-show outro

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guests: Will Poulter, Chris Ryan, and Mallory Rubin

Producer: Jack Sanders

Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh

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Sean is joined by “mean pod guy” Adam Nayman to cover Jane Schoenbrun’s new sexy slasher flick ‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’ starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson. They celebrate what makes the movie so exciting and singular, and make the case for why it cements Schoenbrun as a crucially important and definitional millennial filmmaker. Then, they discuss what makes a great “final girl” and build the “final girl” film canon. Finally, Sean has a very special conversation with Schoenbrun, Einbinder, and Anderson where they dive deep into their film, shed light on the actual process behind making the movie, and explain why the project felt so special for each of them.

(0:00) Intro

(0:51) Adam Nayman joins the show!

(1:38) ‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’

(44:07) The Final Girl Film Canon

(1:04:11) Gillian Anderson, Hannah Einbinder, and Jane Schoenbrun join the show!

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guests: Jane Schoenbrun, Hannah Einbinder, Gillian Anderson, and Adam Nayman

Producer: Jack Sanders

Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh

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Sean is back from vacation, and to celebrate, we opened up the mailbag with an incredibly fun “ask Sean anything” prompt. Before diving in, he reacts to the massive commercial success of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ wish-casts some potential ‘X-Men’ roles following more casting updates, and shares his thoughts on the trailer for ‘Primetime,’ starring Robert Pattinson. Then, he answers all of your questions on how he prepares for filmmaker interviews, which actors are the most reliable chemistry alchemists, and whether he is “too horny.” Finally, Sean is joined by Patrick Fischler to break down what it’s really like to be a character actor in the industry. He tells the incredible story of how David Lynch taught him how to act in ‘Mulholland Drive,' and much more!

(0:00) Intro

(1:25) ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ box office

(7:41) ‘X-Men’ casting updates wish-casting

(12:24) ‘Primetime’ trailer reaction

(14:05) ‘Paper Tiger’ teaser

(15:18) Movies delayed to 2027

(16:58) The "ask Sean anything" mailbag

(1:17:24) The Amazing Life of a Character Actor, with Patrick Fischler

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guest: Patrick Fischler

Producer: Jack Sanders

Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh

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On today’s show, Amanda is joined by her Jam Session co-host and romantic comedy expert Juliet Litman to discuss a movie referenced as "The Purge, but for sex,” otherwise known as ‘One Night Only,’ starring Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro. They break down why it’s an incredibly charming movie that almost works, mainly because it has all of the essential “rom-com” tropes nailed down, but has an insurmountable premise. Later, they theorize why romantic comedies have been dying as a genre and form their legally binding 21st century romantic comedy canon.

(0:00) Intro

(0:49) Juliet Litman joins the show!

(2:45) Movie news

(12:38) ‘One Night Only’

(55:45) Why are romantic comedies dying?

(1:07:02) Our definition of a romantic comedy

(1:15:36) The 21st Century Rom-Com Canon

Host: Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Juliet Litman

Producer: Jack Sanders

Production Support: Sarah Reddy

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O Canada! For the first time in The Big Picture’s history, we visited Toronto for a very special live show at the TIFF Lightbox. They open the show with some movie trivia about Canadian film, Christopher Nolan, and much more, before being joined by a wandering man named Chris searching for his girlfriend “Brie”. Then, they are joined by filmmaker Matt Johnson to discuss the current state of the Canadian film industry and answer what makes a movie Canadian. Finally, they are joined by mean pod guy Adam Nayman to draft some of their favorite “Canadian movies” across some very loose categories.

(0:00) Intro

(1:29) Movie trivia

(17:28) What makes a movie Canadian with Matt Johnson

(36:18) Adam Nayman joins the show!

(44:26) The Canadian Movie Draft

(1:43:35) Honorable mentions and draft recap

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Matt Johnson, Adam Nayman, and Chris Ryan

Producers: Jack Sanders, Elizabeth Fierman, and Helen Eichner

Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh

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With great power comes great responsibility. That’s why we brought in Van Lathan to discuss the fourth installment in the Tom Holland–era Spidey series: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day.’ They break down what worked for them and what didn’t work and sort through what it could all mean for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Later, they debate how it stacks up against the rest of the franchise and rank all 11 Spider-Man movies.

(0:00) Intro

(1:08) We are returning to American Cinematheque's Friend of the Fest!

(2:16) ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ trailer reaction

(8:14) ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ (SPOILER WARNING)

(1:03:56) The future of the MCU and box office predictions

(1:30:07) How our taste informs our relationship to different genres

(1:41:28) The Spider-Man Movie Rankings

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Van Lathan

Producer: Jack Sanders

Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh

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It’s Sean’s (observed) birthday, and what better way to celebrate than by reacting to the news that Ryan Gosling will star as Ghost Rider in a Shawn Levy–directed MCU film? Then, they cover some additional movie news before giving a brief update on their Summer Movie Preview game. Next, they cover a handful of recent releases they haven’t discussed on the show yet, ranging anywhere from interesting to awful. Finally, Sean is joined by Gregg Araki to discuss his new film, ‘I Want Your Sex,’ starring Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman. He breaks down what he learned over the last decade making television, discusses why he put so much of his personal self into the main characters of this movie, and tells the story of how he cast Wilde and Hoffman in the lead parts.

(0:00) Intro

(1:21) Sean’s birthday episode (it’s over; he’s hit the age cliff)

(2:34) Ryan Gosling will star as Ghost Rider in a Shawn Levy–directed MCU film

(8:54) David Jonsson announced as the next Black Panther

(11:18) The box office success of ‘The Odyssey’

(15:48) Director Chuck Russell passed away at 74

(17:45) Summer Movie Preview game check-in

(24:08) Some movies we still haven't seen

(27:49) Ten movies we missed

(27:58) ‘Moana’

(33:48) ‘Minions & Monsters’

(40:33) ‘The Dink’

(47:56) ‘Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass’

(54:55) ‘Evil Dead Burn’

(58:04) ‘I Want Your Sex’

(1:01:08) ‘Her Private Hell’

(1:06:37) ‘Young Washington’

(1:14:21) ‘Motor City’

(1:19:28) ‘Voicemails for Isabelle’

(1:32:40) ‘The Samurai and the Prisoner’

(1:33:59) ‘Sheep in the Box’

(1:34:41) ‘Late Fame’

(1:38:42) Previewing August movies

(1:40:10) Gregg Araki joins the show!

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Gregg Araki

Producer: Jack Sanders

Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh

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