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The Big Picture

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Rating
★★★★☆
4.2
from
5866 reviews
Categories
Country
United States
This podcast has
985 episodes
Language
English
Publisher
The Ringer
Explicit
No
Date created
2018/10/16
Latest episode
2026/10/30
Average duration
128 min.
Release period
4 days

Description

Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins review the movies you need to see. Plus: Top 5s, Movie Drafts, Oscars analysis, and more, featuring a rotating cast of Ringer colleagues like Chris Ryan, Van Lathan, and Bill Simmons.

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Podcast episodes

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‘Wildwood,’ ‘Wicker,’ and 10 Movies We Missed! Plus: Travis Knight!
2026/10/30
On today’s show, Sean and Amanda are joined by Joanna Robinson to help cover the incredibly busy movie month that is October. Before diving in, though, they take a broad look at the state of the Oscar races, and Jo shares some of her boldest predictions. Then, they discuss myriad movies, ranging from incredibly interesting to deeply grim, including ‘Wildwood’ and ‘Wicker.’ Finally, Sean is joined by filmmaker Travis Knight to share some insight into the extensive, laborious process behind the making of ‘Wildwood’ and explain why it’s actually absurd but also incredibly magical. (0:00) Intro (2:36) ‘Dune: Part Three’ trailer reaction (6:04) The state of the Oscar races (34:13) Movies we missed (35:00) ‘Wicker’ (42:57) ‘Wildwood’ (1:03:20) ‘The Only Living Pickpocket in New York’ (1:10:39) ‘Love of Your Life’ (1:19:12) ‘Sacrifice’ (1:22:40) ‘Finding Emily’ (1:27:48) ‘Matchbox: The Movie’ (1:34:11) ‘Tenzing,’ ‘Everest: The Other Side,’ and ‘The Last First: Winter K2’ (1:52:16) ‘Klara and the Sun’ (1:56:26) Travis Knight joins the show! Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Travis Knight and Joanna Robinson Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Halloween Movie Draft
2026/10/27
Live from the Toni Rembe theater in San Francisco, it’s the Halloween Movie Draft! Sean and Amanda are joined by friends of the pod Chris Ryan and Alex Ross Perry to select their favorite spooky genre movies of all time. (0:00) What makes a Halloween movie? (21:12) The draft categories and order (25:21) The Halloween Movie Draft (1:51:28) Honorable mentions and draft recap Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Chris Ryan and Alex Ross Perry Producers: Jack Sanders, Elizabeth Fierman, Helen Eichner, and Charlie Finan Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh and Ben Cruz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The 10 Best Horror Movies of 2026 and ‘Clayface.’ Plus, ‘Street Fighter’ With Shea Serrano!
2026/10/23
On today’s show, Sean is joined by Chris Ryan for all things horror. First, they react to the casting rumors for the much-anticipated role of James Bond and hypothesize why there is a new trend of limiting theatrical exhibition for movies with poor tracking data. Then, they cover DC Studios' new body horror film ‘Clayface,’ a type of movie that they have collectively been begging for from the superhero genre but is ultimately a pretty mixed bag. Then, they evaluate what the current state of the horror genre looks like, and share their favorite horror movies of 2026. Finally, Sean is joined by Shea Serrano to discuss the new ‘Street Fighter’ movie and break down all of the reasons why both this movie, and many video game adaptations at large, don’t totally work. Then, they share some of their favorite fight scenes of all time. (0:00) Intro (0:57) James Bond casting rumors (8:47) Tom Skerritt passes away at 93 years old (11:47) Why is there a reduction of theatrical exhibition for certain movies? (20:30) ‘Clayface’ (38:58) The future of DC movies (43:02) The current state of the horror genre (1:21:55) The best horror movies of the year (1:38:25) Shea Serrano joins the show to discuss ‘Street Fighter’ Host: Sean Fennessey Guest: Shea Serrano and Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
‘You Can See Everything’ Mania and Best Picture Power Rankings. Plus: ‘Whalefall,’ ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ and Kyle MacLachlan!
2026/10/20
Sean and Amanda open today’s jam-packed episode by celebrating the incredible box office performance over the weekend, especially from ‘You Can See Everything’ and ‘Street Fighter.’ Then, they cover the major shake-up at Netflix, most notably the firings of Bela Bajaria and Dan Lin. Then, they discuss an incredibly “Sean-coded” movie in ‘Whalefall’ and an incredibly “Amanda-coded” movie in ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ which they both were very mixed on. Later, they conduct their second Best Picture Power Rankings of the season and make some drastic changes from last month’s list. Finally, legendary actor Kyle MacLachlan joins the show for a new series called One Year, where Sean asks all about the magical period from 1985 to 1986 when he made ‘Blue Velvet’ with the late, great David Lynch. (0:00) Intro (1:21) The big box office performances of ‘You Can See Everything’ and ‘Street Fighter’ (6:06) Huge Netflix shake-up with major layoffs (15:26) Steven Soderbergh takes over principal photography for Matt Reeves on ‘The Batman: Part II’ (18:23) ‘Whalefall’ (33:11) ‘Sense and Sensibility’ (52:31) Best Picture Power Rankings (1:26:01) Kyle MacLachlan joins the show! Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Kyle MacLachlan Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
You Must See ‘You Can See Everything.’ Plus: Judd Apatow!
2026/10/16
We’re not deceiving you: This is the movie of the year. Sean and Amanda open today’s show by reacting to the first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s much anticipated ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew,’ discussing the news that Zendaya will star in Alex Garland’s next sci-fi film for A24, and also breaking down how the show will cover a handful of fall movie releases. Then, they dive incredibly deep into Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s three-hour documentary on Elizabeth Holmes, ‘You Can See Everything.’ They briefly discuss the film in a spoiler-free conversation and give it the utmost recommendation possible. Then, they go (as best of memory) beat-by-beat of the film and dissect all of its wonderfully captivating and fascinating twists and turns. Finally, legendary comedy filmmaker, showrunner, producer, and documentarian Judd Apatow joins the show to talk about his two new documentaries: ‘Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story,’ and ‘Norm: The Tale of Norm MacDonald.' (0:00) Intro (1:25) ‘Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew’ trailer reaction (12:33) Zendaya to star in Alex Garland’s upcoming science-fiction film (14:16) How we’re covering upcoming movies this fall (18:34) ‘You Can See Everything’ (35:37) SPOILER WARNING (1:50:25) Awards and box office chances (1:57:49) Judd Apatow joins the show! Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Judd Apatow Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Ben Affleck Hall of Fame and ‘Animals.’ Plus: ‘Other Mommy’ Is Jump-Scary and Silly
2026/10/13
Gather ‘round folks, a long-awaited episode has arrived. Sean and Amanda open the show by covering a lengthy amount of movie news, including ‘The Social Reckoning’ bombing at the box office, reacting to the new trailers released for ‘River’ and ‘Exorcist: Martyrs,’ and of course, some updates on ‘The Beatles.' Then, they discuss the new Blumhouse horror movie, ‘Other Mommy,’ starring Jessica Chastain, and have a spirited debate on whether or not it was ultimately successful. Later, they break down ‘Animals,’ the new Ben Affleck vehicle, and explore where this “spiritual” ‘High and Low’ sequel went horribly wrong. Finally, they talk about what makes Ben Affleck so special and construct his Hall of Fame. (0:00) Intro (0:51) ‘Miami Vice ‘85’ (3:12) Weekend box office (13:59) Trailer reactions (‘River’ and ‘Exorcist: Martyrs’) (17:25) Sadie Sink to star in ‘The Guest’ adaptation and Derek Cianfrance adapting Gary Paulsen’s 'Survival Book: Hatchet' for Netflix (18:33) ‘The Beatles’ movies updates (22:58) ‘Other Mommy’ (31:26) SPOILER WARNING (40:58) ‘Animals’ (58:30) What makes Ben Affleck so special? (1:06:10) The Ben Affleck Hall of Fame Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
‘The Social Reckoning’ Is No ‘The Social Network,’ and the Top Five Most Unnecessary Legasequels. Plus: The Best Movies at NYFF!
2026/10/09
Drop the “the.” Just “Big Picture.” It’s cleaner. Today on Big Picture, Sean and Amanda discuss the much anticipated (and also dreaded) legacy sequel ‘The Social Reckoning,’ written and directed by one of our main characters: Aaron Sorkin. Before diving in, they briefly react to the official merging of Warner Bros. and Paramount and hypothesize what the future of David Ellison’s Skydance will look like. Then, Sean shares his New York Film Festival recap and highlights the best movies he saw, many of which Amanda has also seen. Next, in theme with corporate power trillionaires, they cover Alex Gibney’s new documentary, ‘Musk,’ and break down what did and didn’t work for them. Finally, they unpack all of their feelings on ‘The Social Reckoning,’ explore why many of the performances didn’t jive with Sorkin’s style, and share their most unnecessary legasequels of all time. (0:00) Intro (1:22) Skydance movie news (13:02) New York Film Festival recap (44:33) ‘Musk’ (53:58) ‘The Social Reckoning’ (1:35:48) The most unnecessary legasequels Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
‘Verity’ Is Trash. But Is It Good Trash? Plus: ‘Digger’ Flopped and Warner Bros. Is No More.
2026/10/06
Another year, another Colleen Hoover adaptation. How lucky are we? Before diving into the biggest box office success from the weekend, Sean and Amanda react to the news that Mike DeLuca and Pam Abdy will not continue their roles at David Ellison’s Skydance. They look back at their biggest successes and failures, and wonder what the future of Skydance looks like. Then, they briefly discuss ‘Sicario 3’ being greenlit with all of the returning stars, but notably neither Denis Villeneuve or Stefano Sollima. Finally, they cover ‘Verity,’ an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s erotic thriller, starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett. They break down why the original source material sets the movie up for failure, what they want from the erotic thriller genre going forward, and debate whether we have a “Dakota Johnson problem.” (0:00) Intro (0:50) ‘Digger’ bombs at the box office (7:32) Mike DeLuca and Pam Abdy out at Warner Bros.-Paramount, and the future of Skydance (38:04) ‘Sicario 3’ a go with Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, and Josh Brolin to return (41:09) ‘Verity’ (1:02:07) SPOILER WARNING (1:23:31) Dakota Johnson temperature check (1:29:24) The state of erotic thrillers vs. what we want (1:32:46) Looking forward to the October slate Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh and Remy Hernandez 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
Is ‘Digger’ the Tom Cruise Movie We’ve Been Waiting For? Plus: Our Top 10 Tom Cruise Performances.
2026/10/02
BANG! BANG! BANG! On today’s show, Sean and Amanda discuss one of their most anticipated movies of the year in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s ‘Digger,’ starring Tom Cruise. They unpack their very complicated feelings and make the case for why you need to see this incredibly divisive movie on the big screen. Later, they look at Iñárritu’s career at large and wonder: Why did Tom Cruise make this movie? Finally, they take an extensive look at where Cruise fits into the Best Actor race at this year’s Academy Awards, and share their 10 favorite performances from his fascinating career. (0:00) Intro (1:07) ‘Digger’ (13:05) SPOILER WARNING (54:18) Iñárritu’s career at large (59:21) Why did Tom Cruise make this movie? (1:08:07) The Best Actor race (1:23:05) The top 10 Tom Cruise performances Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Baseball Movie Draft
2026/09/30
Batter up! Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and Mallory Rubin to draft some of their favorite movies focused on one of their biggest shared interests: baseball. They break down what makes baseball movies so special, explain the new (and somewhat controversial) categories, and, most importantly, draft. (0:00) Intro (1:19) Why baseball movies are the best sports movies (17:27) The categories and draft order (25:11) The Baseball Movie Draft (1:29:47) Honorable mentions and draft recap Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Chris Ryan and Mallory Rubin Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Old Movies vs. New Movies: How ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ Beat Brad Pitt, Robert Pattinson, and an Awesome Weekend Movie Lineup
2026/09/28
What does it mean when old movie rereleases make more money than ever at the box office? Sean and Amanda try to answer that question on today’s show by discussing ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ outperforming a slew of new releases this weekend, including ‘Heart of the Beast,’ ‘Forgotten Island,’ and ‘Primetime.’ Then, they cover a handful of other recent releases in ‘The Weight,’ ‘The Love Hypothesis,’ and ‘The History of Concrete.’ Finally, Sean is joined by acclaimed documentarian John Wilson to discuss his new film, ‘The History of Concrete,’ and why he finds the current state of the genre to be strange. (0:00) Intro (1:57) Jon Watts to direct new ‘Star Wars’ film (7:13) Sabrina Carpenter, Margaret Qualley join Tom Holland's Fred Astaire biopic (10:15) The weekend box office and the old vs. new wave (18:28) ‘Avengers: Endgame Encore’ (34:51) ‘Heart of the Beast’ (50:38) ‘Forgotten Island’ (58:28) ‘Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother’ (1:05:10) ‘The Weight’ (1:13:07) ‘The Love Hypothesis’ (1:25:32) ‘The History of Concrete’ (1:30:45) John Wilson joins the show! Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: John Wilson Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
‘Primetime’ Is a Robert Pattinson Transformation and the Nightmare Media Movie of Our Time, With Lance Oppenheim!
2026/09/25
Why don’t you take a seat and sit back, because on today’s show, Sean and Amanda discuss one of their most anticipated films of the year: ‘Primetime,’ starring Robert Pattinson. Before diving in, they briefly share their overall feelings with the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger looking likely to go through, and preview an exciting weekend at the movies. Then, they break down the new film from Lance Oppenheim and sing its praises by identifying it as one of the most exciting movies of the year. Finally, Oppenheim joins Sean to explore the difficulties of transitioning from documentary to narrative film, how he first discovered Chris Hansen as a kid and found him endlessly fascinating, and shares a handful of films that ultimately inspired Pattinson’s performance. (0:00) Intro (1:37) Paramount merger feelings and looking forward to an exciting weekend at the movies (10:00) ‘Primetime’ (31:56) SPOILER WARNING (53:11) Opening weekend cultural, critical, and box office expectations (1:00:33) Amanda’s (very brief) ‘La Bola Negra’ thoughts (1:03:00) Lance Oppenheim joins the show! Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Lance Oppenheim Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Best Movies About Filmmakers, and ‘Boorman and the Devil’
2026/09/23
On today’s show, Sean is joined by Tracy Letts to cover a new documentary, ‘Boorman and the Devil,' which tells the fascinating tale of director John Boorman and his misbegotten ‘Exorcist’ sequel. They discuss the film at length as well as use it as a springboard to discuss what a director actually does on set, as well as share their favorite documentaries and scripted movies about filmmakers. (0:00) ‘Halloween’ double feature in San Francisco! (1:05) Intro (2:10) ‘Boorman and the Devil’, why ‘The Exorcist II’ doesn’t work, and John Boorman’s legacy (43:30) Demythologizing the director myth and the best documentaries about directors (1:28:37) Scripted films about real directors Host: Sean Fennessey Guest: Tracy Letts Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
2026 Best Picture Power Rankings, and the Best Movies at TIFF. Plus: Zach Cregger on ‘Resident Evil’!
2026/09/22
In today’s action-packed episode, Sean and Amanda react to ‘Resident Evil’ smashing its opening weekend box office expectations, Paramount settling lawsuits paving the way for the Warner Bros. merger to go through, and the new trailer released for ‘The Further Misadventures of Cliff Booth.’ Then, they bring in mean pod guy Adam Nayman to break down the good, the bad, and the strange from the Toronto International Film Festival. Next, Sean and Amanda construct their first Best Picture power rankings of the year and go over 31 possible contenders for the Oscars' biggest prize. Finally, Zach Cregger joins the show to have an in-depth (spoilers included) conversation about his new film, ‘Resident Evil,’ and explains why it was the hardest thing he’s ever made. (0:00) Intro (1:56) ‘Resident Evil’'s big box office success (3:02) Paramount to settle lawsuits, paving the way for Warner Bros. deal to go through (8:39) ‘The Further Misadventures of Cliff Booth’ trailer reaction (10:57) Teaser for Jeremy Saulnier’s new film, ‘Slayground!’ (14:15) ‘NARNIA’ NEWS (19:06) Best of TIFF with Adam Nayman! (54:04) The first Best Picture power rankings (1:23:42) Amanda’s thoughts on ‘Resident Evil’ (1:29:55) Zach Cregger joins the show! Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Zach Cregger and Adam Nayman Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
‘Resident Evil’ Absolutely Rips!
2026/09/17
Get in, gang. We’re going to Raccoon City. Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to discuss Zach Cregger’s thrilling follow-up to his mega-successful ‘Weapons’ with his video game adaptation ‘Resident Evil,’ starring Austin Abrams. Before diving in, they react to a handful of movie news headlines, including Noah Baumbach leaving Netflix for Warner Bros. Clockwork, Quentin Tarantino publishing a new Cliff Booth novel, and John Leguizamo joining ‘Miami Vice ‘85’. Then, they giddily break down ‘Resident Evil’ and gush over the countless reasons why the movie is absolutely incredible. Finally, they look into what the future holds for movie video game adaptations, and take a look at the history of horror-comedy genre mashups and talk through why it’s so hard to pull off successfully. (0:00) We’re coming to San Francisco! (0:36) Intro (2:02) Noah Baumbach leaves Netflix for Warner Bros. Clockwork (9:15) Quentin Tarantino is publishing a new Cliff Booth novel (11:04) What do strange rollouts for big movies mean for their box office potential? (14:27) ‘River’ is the big acquisition out of TIFF (15:59) John Leguizamo joins 'Miami Vice ‘85' (18:49) ‘Resident Evil’ (35:36) SPOILER WARNING (1:08:51) Box office expectations and what’s next for Zach Cregger (1:17:57) The future of video game movie adaptations (1:30:49) A brief history of horror-comedy Host: Sean Fennessey Guest: Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Podcast reviews

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4.2 out of 5
5866 reviews
★★★★★
PoolesvilleFC 2026/10/28
The Best Film Podcast
Don’t listen to incel….i mean haters, Amanda is treasure
★★★★★
AM_Arrow 2026/10/27
Onslaught Enthusiast
Just wanted ya’ll to know that i weren’t to see Onslaught be abuse of your podcast and then I told everyone I knew to go see it 💛
★☆☆☆☆
brettrm 2026/10/26
Amanda is just plain awful
Sean, the show has just been weighed down by Amanda and her nonsense!
★★★★★
miss wimsey 2026/10/26
dob mob forever
shocked to see the ridiculous and frankly, misogynistic ire directed at our beloved dobbins on these reviews. it's like people don't understand the a...
★★★☆☆
Pollyanna667 2026/10/25
Can We Get A Cohost
New to this podcast. Listened to several episodes before throwing in the towel. Sean is great. Clear and concise. The narrative got lost every time A...
★★★☆☆
tdhurst 2026/10/22
Can we get a co-host for Sean that likes movies?
I really like Sean’s movie mind and analysis, but am starting to enjoy him solo or with guest co-hosts more and more. I get that Amanda is a mom. I ge...
★★★★☆
garzangelica 2026/10/22
Over 55 years old
And I thoroughly enjoyed You Can See Everything
★☆☆☆☆
Brudd3788 2026/10/20
Amanda
Amanda thinks she was smart in high school cuz she took AP classes. This is important to how she views herself as a person. She judges other people ba...
★☆☆☆☆
Parnassus 2026/10/20
“I will not submit to the tyranny of your questions”
Finally some one said it. Thanks Tracy for shutting down the idiotic and juvenile questions Sean insists on asking. He really loves his own jokes. Als...
★★☆☆☆
WoodenHatEd 2026/10/18
Dobbins still hasn’t learned to take her job seriously
If the Big Picture pod only has Sean Fennessey as the permanent host with a rotating round of guest hosts (Ringer staff or otherwise), I would easily ...
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