The Big Picture

It’s a very special episode of the show: a deep dive into the career of one of our favorite filmmakers, Brian De Palma. We’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of one of his masterworks, ‘Blow Out,’ this summer, and exploring the depths of his career. Joining Sean is Ringer contributor and author Adam Nayman.

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guest: Adam Nayman

Producer: Bobby Wagner

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The first new movie installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 737 days is finally here, available now on Disney+ with Premier Access or in movie theaters. Amanda and Sean break down ‘Black Widow’ and the future of the MCU, emphasis on the “C” (0:30). Then, Sean is joined by writer-director Leigh Janiak to discuss her three ‘Fear Street’ films that are rolling out on three consecutive Fridays on Netflix this month (61:00).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Leigh Janiak

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It’s been an odd movie year, but there have been a handful of standouts at the halfway mark. Sean and Amanda share their top fives of 2021 thus far and explore whether we need to define what qualifies (1:00). Then, Sean is joined by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the Roots drummer and now film director, to discuss his new documentary, ‘Summer of Soul (... or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),’ which is out now on Hulu and in theaters (47:03).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson

Producers: Bobby Wagner and Kaya McMullen

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‘No Sudden Move,’ the latest film from Steven Soderbergh—now available on HBO Max—is a return to a familiar form for one of our favorite filmmakers: the heist movie. So in this episode, Sean and Amanda share their top 5 favorite heist flicks. (0:45) Then, Sean is joined by Janicza Bravo, the writer-director behind one of the year’s most entertaining films, the ripped-from-Twitter tale of ‘Zola.’ (48:17)

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Janicza Bravo

Producer: Bobby Wagner

Associate Producer: Sasha Ashall

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Quentin Tarantino is here! The writer-director had adapted his film 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' into a novel, and on this episode he dives deep on everything: what's different from the movie, why he wrote a novelization in the first place, the movies he watched during quarantine, the future of moviegoing, and so much more.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Chris Ryan

Guest: Quentin Tarantino

Producer: Bobby Wagner

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The long-awaited ‘Fast 9’ is here, so Sean and Amanda are digging into the entire ‘Fast & Furious’ series of movies and ranking ’em all with the man who lives his life one-quarter of a pod at a time, Shea Serrano.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Shea Serrano

Producer: Bobby Wagner

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Yes, we are drafting again. It’s the Movie Draft: 1975 Edition. It was simply one of the best years in film history. Let’s get it!

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Chris Ryan

Producer: Bobby Wagner

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Sean and Amanda discuss the news that Peter Jackson's Beatles documentary will stretch into a limited documentary television series (0:30). Then, Sean is joined by writer-director Alex Ross Perry to talk about the phenomenon of the lost movie, specifically great works from well-known filmmakers that have fallen out of circulation, critical celebration, and general viewership. With the advent of so many streaming services, it’s shocking how many once high-profile movies can’t be seen easily. So Sean and Alex list five memorable examples and explain the contexts of their releases and how they may have slid into obscurity (14:32).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Alex Ross Perry

Producer: Bobby Wagner

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Sean and Amanda discuss the box office returns for ‘In the Heights’ and how the movie’s availability on HBO Max may have affected it. They also discuss the launch of ‘Loki’ on Disney+ and ‘Infinite’ on Paramount+ and the challenges facing movie lovers as more and more services pop up (0:30). Then, they share their plans to build the perfect streaming service, by drafting film and TV libraries, sports rights, signature stars and creators, and more (41:36).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Bobby Wagner

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Sean and Amanda discuss one of the year's most anticipated movies, 'In the Heights,' a movie adaptation of the Tony-Winning Lin-Manuel Miranda musical that is now in theaters and available on HBO Max (0:30). Then they discuss what makes a great movie musical and share their 10 favorites (45:00).

Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

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