Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and Yasi Salek to head over to 'State Trooper' town and cover Scott Cooper’s ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,’ starring Jeremy Allen White. They unanimously agree that the movie is overwhelmingly unsuccessful, then dive into why it lacks dramatic stakes (1:42). Later, they hypothesize its box office potential and Academy Awards chances (36:20) before having a conversation about music biopics at large, where they share their personal favorites, as well as ones they hope to never see made (44:00). Finally, Sean and Amanda briefly cover Mary Bronstein’s new film ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’ (1:00:48), before Bronstein herself joins the show. She walks through the long and arduous process of getting the movie made, speaks on why she needed to make this movie and the urgency behind her message, and shares insight on her deeply personal connection to the material (1:07:46). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Chris Ryan, Yasi Salek, and Mary Bronstein Producer: Jack Sanders Unlock an extra $250 at linkedin.com/thebigpicture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite,’ which features one of the greatest movie endings of all time. They celebrate its nuanced portrayal of what systems do to people; highlight the small, formal decisions that elevate the movie’s ideas; and remember its iconic Best Picture win that changed the trajectory of the Academy Awards. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack SandersUnlock an extra $250 at linkedin.com/thebigpicture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today’s show Chris Ryan joins Sean to unpack the year 2025 in horror movies. But first, they hit a handful of movie news headlines, including rumors of a new trailer coming out in December for Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ Michael Mann’s recent comments about the production of ‘Heat II,’ and Eva Victor being cast in Tony Gilroy’s ‘Behemoth!’ (2:02). They then cover Scott Derrickson’s sequel, ‘The Black Phone 2’ (starring Ethan Hawke and Mason Thames), which they both found quite disappointing (10:32). Next, they reflect on the current state of horror as a genre and explore why they feel it's in a weird place right now (26:07). Later, Chris and Sean share their favorites of the year (36:16) before Alex Ross Perry joins the show to discuss his contribution to V/H/S/Halloween. Perry talks us through his thought process and points out why finding what he personally finds scary is the most important part (1:02:50). Finally, they have an extensive conversation surrounding horror anthologies, where they identify what defines a good horror anthology and share their personal favorites (1:22:58). Host: Sean Fennessey Guests: Chris Ryan and Alex Ross Perry Producer: Jack Sanders Unlock an extra $250 at linkedin.com/thebigpicture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda begin the show by honoring the legendary actor Diane Keaton, who passed away at 79 last Saturday (3:19). Then, following a disappointing box office performance from a handful of new weekend releases, they have an extensive conversation around what audiences want from movies at the movie theater (9:54). They form a rubric from their main takeaways and apply it to ‘Tron: Ares’ (14:53), ‘Roofman’ (29:47), and ‘After the Hunt’ (0:00). Finally, they briefly cover Rebecca Miller’s new documentary miniseries, ‘Mr. Scorsese,’ a thorough exploration of Martin Scorsese’s fascinating and iconic career (46:54). They then have Miller herself on to talk through the incredible journey and process from start to finish (1:14:18). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Rebecca Miller Producer: Jack Sanders Unlock an extra $250 at linkedin.com/thebigpicture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss George Miller’s ‘Mad Max: Fury Road,’ one of the greatest action movies of all time. They explain why it almost feels like a silent film despite its incredibly loud sound, celebrate Charlize Theron’s phenomenal performance and highlight it as the signature performance of her career, and reflect on George Miller’s legacy at large. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders Unlock an extra $250 at linkedin.com/thebigpicture  A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda are joined by David Sims of the Blank Check podcast to commemorate the incredible career of Daniel Day-Lewis. They begin the show by debating whether or not 2025 has been a good year for movies, and they forecast what the fall slate will look like (2:34). Then, they discuss Day-Lewis’s return to acting with ‘Anemone,’ directed by his son Ronan Day-Lewis (14:14). Finally, they work through the entire career and filmography of the legendary actor (20:28) and build his Hall of Fame (39:28). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: David Sims Producer: Jack Sanders and Belle Roman Unlock an extra $250 at linkedin.com/thebigpicture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Live from New York, it’s 'Saturday Night'! Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan, plus Griffin Newman and David Sims of the Blank Check podcast, to draft their favorite New York City movies of all time. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Chris Ryan, Griffin Newman, and David Sims Producers: Jack Sanders, Elizabeth Fierman, Helen Eichner, Charlie Finan, and Mike Wargon Unlock an extra $250 at linkedin.com/thebigpicture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On a very special bonus episode of the podcast, Van Lathan joins the show and gets the chance to share his perspective on the box office debate for ‘One Battle After Another’, share his overall thoughts on the film, and comment on its portrayal and depiction of Black women. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Van Lathan Producer: Jack Sanders Unlock an extra $250 at linkedin.com/thebigpicture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda get in the ring with Van Lathan to go multiple rounds on Benny Safdie’s new film, ‘The Smashing Machine,’ starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt. They work through their mixed feelings by recognizing the phenomenal performance from the Rock, which makes it worth the price of admission alone, and their disappointment and frustration toward Emily Blunt’s incredibly one-note character (1:49). Then, Sean and Amanda create their new Best Picture power rankings following the fall film festival season (36:18). Finally, director Benny Safdie joins Sean to discuss his new film and explore his deeply intimate experience making the movie, why the Rock was perfect for the part of Mark Kerr, and the challenges of shooting a combat sports film (54:13). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Benny Safdie and Van Lathan Producer: Jack Sanders Unlock an extra $250 at linkedin.com/thebigpicture Chad Powers - New Episodes on Tuesdays on Hulu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Sofia Coppola’s ‘Marie Antoinette,’ one of the greatest blank checks this century, starring Kirsten Dunst. They explain why this was the official Sofia Coppola selection for the list, especially over ‘Lost in Translation’; highlight the specific decision to not include Antoinette’s infamous beheading; and discuss why this is a quintessential Kirsten Dunst performance. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders Unlock an extra $250 at linkedin.com/thebigpicture  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda have an action-packed episode today following the release of Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another.' They begin the show by reacting to the film’s opening weekend box office performance and astounding initial critical acclaim (0:57). Then, they open up the mailbag to answer all of your questions about Paul Thomas Anderson and his new movie (13:03). Next, our mean pod guy, Adam Nayman, the author of 'Paul Thomas Anderson: Masterworks,' joins the show (but isn’t very mean). He celebrates one of the most expressive action sequences ever put to film, explains why Benicio Del Toro gives an MVP-level performance, and highlights the strong influences from one of Anderson’s favorite filmmakers, Jonathan Demme (1:14:01). Finally, Andy Greenwald comes on to finally tell his side of the story with regards to the time he and Amanda saw ‘The Master’ together, and shares his brief thoughts on the film (1:53:37). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Adam Nayman and Andy Greenwald Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to break down their most anticipated movie of the year: Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another,’ starring Leonardo DiCaprio. They dive deep into spoilers right from the jump, make the case for it being the movie of the decade, and highlight why it’s the culmination of Anderson’s career (2:25). Then, they talk through how the film has been marketed to audiences, hypothesize about its box office potential, and consider its chances at the Academy Awards (1:31:15). Finally, Anderson and DiCaprio join the show to explain why now was the right time for their first professional collaboration, how you know you’re getting what you want with a movie on this type of scale, and how aging affects your politics and self (1:47:35). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Paul Thomas Anderson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Wolf of Wall Street,’ starring Leonardo DiCaprio, a manic, exhilarating, wretched celebration of the worst people on earth set loose on an unwitting society. They explain why this was the official selection from Scorsese’s filmography, crown this as the greatest performance of DiCaprio’s entire career, and explore the infamous discourse revolving around whether or not the movie glorified its nefarious behavior. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today’s show, Sean and Amanda talk through 10 movies that have come out over the past few months that they haven’t covered on the show yet. But before diving into the slate, they react to the death of Hollywood icon Robert Redford (1:46), discuss the first trailer for ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ (4:23), and hypothesize why recent history suggests that September is a box office dumpster fire (17:50). Then, they rattle through a handful of different recent releases and share their thoughts on ‘Him,’ ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,’ ‘The Long Walk,’ and more (28:10). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean is joined by Chris Ryan, Tracy Letts, and Tim Simons for a very special episode dedicated to all things physical media. They talk through the current state of collecting, and showcase a handful of titles they personally own. Host: Sean Fennessey Guests: Chris Ryan, Tracy Letts, and Tim Simons Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Wes Anderson’s ‘The Royal Tenenbaums,’ one of the greatest father-figure movies of all time (starring Gene Hackman, giving one of the best father-figure performances of all time). They explain why they made the difficult decision to make this the official Wes Anderson selection for the list, discuss why there is nothing among his filmography that quite matches this unique energy, and wonder whether this is the best collection of needle drop moments from any Anderson movie ever made. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Adam Nayman joins the show to recap his experience at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. He breaks down the fanatical scene at the traveling Criterion Closet, explores his mixed feelings about the lineup at large, and shares his personal favorites from the festival (1:19). Then, Chris Ryan joins the show to share his thoughts on Zach Creggers’s horror hit ‘Weapons.’ They talk through the discourse surrounding the movie about whether or not it’s “about anything,” celebrate Amy Madigan’s wonderful performance as Aunt Gladys, and wonder whether it has a legitimate chance to receive some Academy Award nominations (45:13). Finally, they cover the newest legacy sequel from the 'Conjuring' franchise, ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites,’ starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. They highlight its shockingly impressive performance at the box office but explain why they found the film to be largely unsuccessful (1:21:09). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the first time ever, Sean, Amanda, and Chris are doing a movie character draft! Today, they draft their favorite characters from Paul Thomas Anderson’s filmography. But before diving in, they react to a handful of news headlines, including the speculation that David Ellison and Paramount plan on making a strong bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, new information regarding key details about Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Social Network II’, and the recent awards buzz surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s performance in the upcoming boxing film ‘Christy’ (1:38). Then, they talk through their personal relationships to Anderson’s work (25:15), introduce the new categories (41:19), and finally draft their characters (49:27). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda celebrate legendary filmmaker Robert Altman, who would have turned 100 this year, by breaking down his illustrious career. But first, they cover the awards distributed at the Venice Film Festival and recap Amanda’s legendary weekend, which included seeing Oasis perform live and watching Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film, ‘One Battle After Another’ (1:20). Then, they construct Altman’s shrine and build his Hall of Fame (14:39). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders Use code "TheBigPicture20" for a 20 percent discount on an annual Criterion Channel subscription.  This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda start the show by reacting to a handful of recent movie trailers, including Emerald Fennell’s ‘Wuthering Heights’—starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi—and Nia DaCosta’s ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ (3:33). Then, they unpack Spike Lee’s newest film ‘Highest 2 Lowest,’ starring Denzel Washington and A$AP Rocky. They explore its very high highs and occasional low lows, Washington’s fascinating performance style, and what makes this film so different compared to the rest of Lee’s filmography (17:09). Next, they cover Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Caught Stealing,’ starring Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz; they both found it quite disappointing, to the point that they even discussed whether or not Austin Butler is a “leading man” (39:54). Finally, Sean is joined by the legendary filmmaker Spike Lee to talk about his new movie. Lee reflects on the first time he visited Akira Kurosawa’s work and touches on what Kurosawa means to both himself and cinema at large, talks through Denzel Washington's brilliant improvisations in this film and explains why he is—in Lee's opinion—the greatest actor of all time, and explores what is missing from Hollywood and the filmmaking industry right now (1:07:01). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Spike Lee Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices