The Big Picture

Micah Peters and Rob Harvilla join the show to make the case for why ‘Black Panther’ transcends the Marvel Cinematic Universe and should be taken more seriously as a Best Picture nominee (1:00). Then Ruth E. Carter, the film’s costume designer, joins to detail the unique demands of designing for a comic book movie, her work with Spike Lee, and her path from Broadway to Hollywood (21:38).

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guests: Ruth E. Carter, Rob Harvilla, Micah Peters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We sift through what’s real and what’s just British after the BAFTAs this weekend, and whether or not the ‘A Star Is Born’ media blitz is helping or hurting its stock at the Oscars. Then we wonder what might happen if the Oscars telecast is as much of a disaster as it’s shaping up to be. Finally, Sean sits down with Nicholas Britell—the composer of the ‘If Beale Street Could Talk,’ ‘Moonlight,’ and ‘Succession’ soundtracks—to talk about the process of conceiving a score and working with a director to execute their vision.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Nicholas Britell

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With today’s Netflix release of Steven Soderbergh’s newest film, ‘High Flying Bird,’ we sit down to list and discuss the top five movies he’s made in a prolific career.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Chris Ryan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We take stock of a Best Documentary Oscars race that doesn’t include ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor’ and ‘Three Identical Strangers’—two of the most commercially successful documentaries of the year (0:40). Then ‘Free Solo’ directors Jimmy Chin and E. Chai Vasarhelyi join the show to talk about the challenges of filming a climber in a life-or-death situation (18:22).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Jimmy Chin and E. Chai Vasarhelyi

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We spend an inordinate amount of time talking about ‘The Wife,’ Glenn Close’s latest film that will likely net her her first Best Actress win at the Oscars (1:09). Then we assess the stock of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ ‘A Star Is Born,’ and ‘Roma’ after the Directors Guild Awards (40:30). Finally, Sean sits down with ‘BlacKkKlansman’ editor Barry Alexander Brown to discuss working with Spike Lee and the role of an editor in the filmmaking process (59:15).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Barry Alexander Brown

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dan Gilroy joins the show to talk his Netflix-backed horror-thriller art-world satire, directing Jake Gyllenhaal, and the commercialization of creativity.

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guest: Dan Gilroy

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we break down a big win for ‘Black Panther’ at the SAG Awards and whether it will improve its Best Picture chances (2:20). Then Sean shares his Academy Award nomination frustrations, and we examine how the telecast could be headed for disaster (16:00). Finally, we take a long look at the Best Director race, ‘Roma,’ and Netflix’s standing in the Oscar conversation (45:26).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

How Does Netflix Make Money? | Ringer PhD

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our instant reactions to the 2019 Oscar nominations pose as many questions as answers: Is 'Roma' the new favorite? Is ‘A Star Is Born’ doomed? And why couldn’t the Academy get it together for Ethan Hawke? Then we turn to the never-ending 'Green Book' saga in Stock Up/Stock Down and examine the Best Picture betting odds as they stand on January 22.

Hosts: Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We react to ‘Glass,’ veteran director M. Night Shyamalan’s final installation in an almost-two-decade-long trilogy that includes ‘Unbreakable’ and ‘Split.’ Where does the movie, which stars a cast of James McAvoy, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bruce Willis, fit into a catalogue that includes home runs like ‘The Sixth Sense’ and lows like ‘The Happening?’

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guest: Justin Charity

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rob Harvilla calls in to make sense of the release of two Fyre Festival documentaries in the same week by Netflix and Hulu. Then, ‘Minding the Gap’ director Bing Liu talks about navigating the complicated and personal themes in his documentary.

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guests: Bing Liu, Rob Harvilla

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices