The Big Picture

We’re drafting again! Sean and Amanda are joined by potential third chairs Chris Ryan and Tracy Letts to draft their favorite movies from 1976.  Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Chris Ryan and Tracy Letts Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh and Sarah Reddy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today’s show, Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to discuss the current state of one of their favorite shared loves: horror movies. They talk through the current paths for directors to break into the genre (0:52), highlight which filmmakers they think are at the top of the game right now (13:52), and break down a myriad of recent releases, including ‘Obsession’, ‘Hokum’, and ‘Lee Cronin's The Mummy’ (32:45). Later, Curry Barker joins the show to discuss his new horror film, ‘Obsession’. He explains how he got his start as a filmmaker in Alabama, shares his personal perspective as a person who went through the YouTube pipeline, and breaks down what’s next for him as both a director and an actor (1:19:23). Host: Sean Fennessey Guest: Curry Barker and Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh 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 Tracy Letts to honor the monumental work of legendary actor Robert Duvall. They celebrate the star’s illustrious career, share their personal relationships with his work, and build his Hall of Fame. Host: Sean Fennessey Guest: Tracy Letts Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh and Sarah Reddy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hear ye, hear ye! Gather 'round for the (somewhat) annual reconvening of the illustrious Physical Media High Council! Grand Maester Fennessey is joined by his three lords, Chris Ryan, first knight Timothy “Hitmaker” Simons, and the king of physical media Tracy Letts, to discuss the state of collecting and share some of their personal favorites from their respective collections (00:06). Then, they open up the mailbag to answer all of your questions regarding how to organize a collection, detailed breakdowns of their personal at-home setups, and share their individual 4K “grails” (1:35:00). Host: Sean Fennessey Executive Producer: Amanda Dobbins Guests: Chris Ryan, Tracy Letts, and Tim Simons Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May the Fourth be with you! Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to revisit the hit second season of ‘Andor’ and break down the countless things that make it a truly special television show (0:48). Then, they conduct their ‘Star Wars’ rankings and sort through every movie, as well as ‘Andor’ and ‘The Mandalorian’ (59:29). Host: Sean Fennessey Guest: Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Sarah Reddy and Lucas Cavanagh 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

Fresh off Fashion Week, Sean and Amanda react to one of their most anticipated movies of 2026: ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’. They share their feelings on the sequel, discuss how it differs from the original, and examine how the media and fashion industries have evolved over the past 20 years (1:01). Next, they cover ‘Mile End Kicks,’ a portrait of a young music writer in Canada circa 2011, with Sean reflecting on his own trials and tribulations working as a music journalist (57:50). Finally, Sean sits down with writer-director Chandler Levack to discuss both of her films being released this year—‘Mile End Kicks’ and the Netflix comedy ‘Roommates,’ produced by Happy Madison Productions (1:06:45). That’s all. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Chandler Levack Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh, Sarah Reddy, and Jamie Yukich Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a galaxy far, far away … Sean and Amanda use the Force to bring in their fellow Jedis Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin, and Van Lathan for a 'Star Wars' movie draft. They share their anticipation (or lack thereof) for ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu,' break down their relationships to the movies themselves, and draft some of their favorite and least favorite things about the iconic franchise. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Chris Ryan, Mallory Rubin, and Van Lathan Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh and Sarah Reddy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda are joined by our music biopic correspondent, Yasi Salek, to unpack their complicated feelings on the highly anticipated musical biopic ‘Michael.’ Before diving into the movie, they quickly cover some movie news: most importantly, the ‘Miami Vice’ reboot getting a new title and a release date (1:51). Then, they break down all of the good, the bad, and the ugly with ‘Michael’ and highlight why the re-creation of Michael Jackson’s music feels deeply special but is ultimately inside of something hollow and uninteresting (10:31). Next, they discuss David Lowery’s new gothic fantasia musical, ‘Mother Mary,’ starring Anne Hathaway, which they praise for its beautiful filmmaking and nuanced and complicated portrayal of relationships, creativity, and fame (55:14). Finally, Lowery joins the show and explains why casting Hathaway and Michaela Coel was crucial to the movie’s success, how ‘The Green Knight’ helped him realize he wanted to work on something smaller in scale, and why making the movie felt like a supernatural experience (1:10:10). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: David Lowery and Yasi Salek Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Camera Operators: Sarah Reddy, Donald LoBianco, and Ryan Todd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve done it. On our 900th episode, we answer all of your questions about movies, the show itself, aioli, and everything in between (2:11). Then, Sean and Amanda briefly cover a handful of recent releases, including ‘You, Me & Tuscany,’ ‘The Christophers,’ and ‘Blue Heron’ (1:53:46). Finally, Sophy Romvari joins the show to discuss her debut feature film, ‘Blue Heron,’ and explain what informed specific technical decisions and the direction on set for this deeply personal project (2:10:08). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Sophy Romvari 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

Sean and Amanda are joined by Puck’s Matt Belloni to recap their trip to the annual Hollywood Studio and theatrical exhibitor trade show CinemaCon! First, they break down their trip to Las Vegas and review their experience seeing ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at the Sphere (1:12). Then, they discuss the general state of movies in 2026 and share all of their main takeaways from CinemaCon (18:14). To close out the show, they each share their five most anticipated movies coming out of the event (54:21). Have a question for our 900th episode mailbag? Email us at bigpicmailbag@gmail.com or call us at 323-488-3241 and leave a message! Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Matt Belloni Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today’s show, Sean and Amanda bring back the Summer Movie Preview game—with some additional clarity around scoring—where they preview every major release slated across the summer and predict its box office and Metacritic score (4:47). Then, Sean is joined by Daniel Goldhaber to discuss his new film, ‘Faces of Death,’ starring Barbie Ferreira. He cites how the attention economy has drastically impacted young people’s lives, why he’s pushing the envelope of including radical leftist politics into his work, and breaks down his personal experience with the studio system (1:28:52). Have a question for our 900th episode mailbag? Email us at bigpicmailbag@gmail.com or call us at 323-488-3241 and leave a message!  Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Daniel Goldhaber Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In anticipation of ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2,’ Sean and Amanda embark on a staggering journey to build the Meryl Streep Hall of Fame. Before making their list, they react to the official lineup of films announced to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and go through some other smaller movie news headlines (0:48). Then, they talk through what makes Streep one of the greatest actors of all time and sort through every one of her 64 feature film performances across her illustrious career (16:58). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda reconvene the movie star committee to rank the 35 most important movie stars under the age of 35. Before diving in, they declare that we’re officially back following the domestic box office hitting a post-pandemic high (0:48). Then, they make the case for why movie stars still matter (7:56); share their main takeaways from their new list, including the biggest winners and losers (22:54); and rank Hollywood’s biggest young actors based on a blend of what a star has done already, what they have on their slate next, and what they could turn into in the future (47:58). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins 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

Sean and Amanda open the show by tackling some movie news headlines, including the green-lighting of a ‘Weapons’ prequel at Warner Bros., speculation that ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’ could premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and the first trailer for 20-year-old Kane Parsons’s highly anticipated horror film, ‘Backrooms’ (1:07). Then, they cover ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,’ which they found to be creatively and aesthetically bankrupt, and explain why they think it is an “evil movie” (13:56). Next, they unpack Kristoffer Borgli’s untraditional romantic comedy ‘The Drama,’ starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson (33:03). They break down why they anticipate a divided public reception, explain why they found the movie’s flipping of rom-com tropes to be hugely successful, and fully spoil the movie by analyzing its central “twist.” Finally, they share a list of their top 10 favorite movie plot twists of all time (1:08:15). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh Drivers wanted. Learn more at https://vw.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda open the show with a few movie news topics including Ryan Gosling being cast in the highly anticipated next film for the Daniels, and the Oscars' decision to leave the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood for the 2029 Academy Awards (1:19). Then, they cover 15 2026 movies they have yet to discuss on the show this year, and share their top five favorite films of the year so far (19:04). Finally, Sean is joined by BenDavid Grabinski to discuss his new film, ‘Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice,’ as well as his long and arduous journey to directing his own material, what it’s actually like to pitch your movie, and why he needs to creatively collaborate with people who genuinely love movies (1:45:52). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: BenDavid Grabinski 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®️.Find what you're looking for. https://www.amazon.com/firetv/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re drafting again! Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and Bill Simmons to draft their favorite movies from the year 1988. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan Producer: Jack Sanders Production Support: Lucas Cavanagh and Jacob Cornett 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®️.Visit us in stores and online https://Warbyparker.com/BIGPICTURE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean is joined by legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg for an extensive conversation about his illustrious career; what excited him about making his upcoming science fiction film, ‘Disclosure Day’; and how he feels about the current state of the industry (6:20). Host: Sean Fennessey Guest: Steven Spielberg 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®️. Drivers wanted. Learn more at https://vw.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda open the show by reacting to a ton of movie news, including the Oscar ratings being down 9 percent from last year, the new trailer for ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ and Kirsten Dunst joining the cast of the upcoming ‘Minecraft Movie’ sequel (1:22). Then, they cover the biggest movie event of 2026 so far: Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s science fiction film ‘Project Hail Mary,’ starring Ryan Gosling (31:57). They break down why the film’s practicality is incredibly essential to its success and how the movie is beautiful in a way that mainstream Hollywood productions typically aren’t. Finally, Sean is joined by Lord and Miller themselves to discuss why they felt Andy Weir’s novel was the perfect source material for their next project and how the complicated process behind shooting space scenes was incredibly rewarding (1:08:19). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Phil Lord and Chris Miller 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®️. Drivers wanted. Learn more at https://vw.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sean and Amanda kick off the show by reacting to a laundry list of movie news, including the new trailer for Denis Villeneuve's ‘Dune: Part Three,’ starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya; the reports that Bradley Cooper will direct a new 'Ocean's 11' prequel for Warner Bros.; and Universal’s decision to extend theatrical windows for new releases (1:15). Then, they open up the mailbag for a post-Oscars hangover discussion and talk through whether or not Chalamet will be OK going forward, what the Oscars can do differently when they move over to YouTube, and how the industry can build positive momentum around the good energy surrounding the state of cinema (35:22). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins 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

Sean and Amanda instantly react to the 98th Academy Awards and share their main takeaways from Hollywood’s biggest night. They make the case for why these Oscars and the Best Picture win for ‘One Battle After Another’ were for “the movie nerds,” break down Michael B. Jordan’s incredible speech for his Best Actor win, and talk through their mixed feelings about the telecast itself. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producers: Jack Sanders, Chris Wohlers, and Kevin Cureghian 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®️. Drivers wanted. Learn more at vw.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices