The Big Picture

This week, we explore how the various guild awards can tell us who is in the best position to bring home Oscars (0:53). Then, we try and digest the deluge of ‘Green Book’ controversies (25:21). Finally, we try and place our finger on an answer to the existential question hanging over our show: What does 'Best Picture' even mean (32:42)?

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Links:

This Is the Most Wide-Open Best Picture Race in Years, Sean Fennessey

Green Book Director Used to Flash His Penis As a Joke, Anna Silman

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Chris Ryan joins the show to break down the latest news that the Oscars will be hosted by committee and share his top five Los Angeles films. Then, director Karyn Kusama joins the show to discuss ‘Destroyer’—her second movie with a distinct take on L.A.

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guests: Karyn Kusama, Chris Ryan

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We unpack a shocking night as the Golden Globes crown ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ Rami Malek, Glenn Close, and ‘Green Book’ — and ‘A Star Is Born’ comes away with only one award. What does it mean going forward for Oscars front-runners Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, and more?

Hosts: Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins

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‘Vice’ writer-director Adam McKay joins the show to talk about his relationship to the politics of Dick Cheney, learning to take criticism from his days in comedy, and whether ‘The Big Short’ and ‘Vice’ are a better indication of his future than ‘Step Brothers’ and ‘Anchorman.’

Host: Sean Fennessey

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We share our ballot picks for all 14 movie categories ahead of Sunday’s Golden Globes and preview whether ‘A Star Is Born’ is the juggernaut we think it is (0:50). Then Sean sits down with ‘Cold War’ writer-director Pawel Pawlikowski to discuss how he crafted a detailed, memory-driven film about characters modeled after his parents (54:00).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

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We examine and dissect the backlash against Adam McKay’s ‘Vice,’ starring Christian Bale as Dick Cheney (0:55). Then we touch on ’Black Panther,' ‘Mary Poppins Returns,’ and ‘Cold War’ in Stock Up/Stock Down (32:53), before closing out with a Best Picture race odds breakdown (59:43).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

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Sean Fennessey and David Shoemaker take a trip into the cinematically gorgeous — but ultimately average — world of the latest DC Universe release, 'Aquaman.'

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Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, and Juliet Litman discuss ‘Mary Poppins Returns,’ the sequel to the classic Disney film, starring Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

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The debate over how to watch ‘Roma’ is starting to obscure actual conversations about ‘Roma’ (1:15), and ‘The Mule’ doesn’t quite make the Oscars cut (9:15). Plus, a mailbag full of questions about ‘A Star Is Born,’ up-and-coming actors, and the future of Netflix’s influence on theaters (13:19).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

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Sean Fennessey and Micah Peters recap the surprising highs of the latest installment of the ‘Spider-Man’ universe — an animated film that's also a major achievement in the genre.

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