The Big Picture - The Ringer

Latest Episodes:

The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 4 - 'Inglourious Basterds’ Nov 19, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds,’ which made for one of the greatest movie-going experiences of the century. They talk through why this was the official Tarantino pick over ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ praise Christoph Waltz for his generational performance, and explore the film’s legacy at great length.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producers: Jack Sanders, Charlie Finan, John Richter, Kevin Cureghian, Victoria Valencia, and Ryan Todd

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The Top Five Ethan Hawke Movies and a Double Shot of Richard Linklater, With Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater! Nov 17, 2025

Show notes

On today’s action-packed show, Sean and Amanda dive deep into the two newest films from one of their favorite filmmakers, Richard Linklater. Before diving in, they react to a handful of movie news headlines, including Tom Cruise’s honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards, the new teaser trailer for the live-action ‘Moana’ film, and Georgia Oakley’s upcoming remake of ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ starring Daisy Edgar-Jones (1:14). Then, they discuss ‘Nouvelle Vague’ (16:06) and ‘Blue Moon’ (28:11) and explain why they found the former to be an interesting exercise and the latter to be one of the best movies of 2025. Later, they break down what makes Ethan Hawke such a great actor and rank their five favorite performances of his career (46:07). Finally, Sean is joined by Hawke and Linklater to explain why 'Blue Moon' was the perfect project for a collaborative reunion, explore how they have evolved as filmmakers and performers over their illustrious careers, and discuss why they feel optimistic about the current state of moviegoing and the challenges both the industry and society face (56:29).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater

Producer: Jack Sanders

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The Juiceless Fall Movie Season, ‘The Running Man,’ and ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’ Nov 14, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda are joined by Van Lathan to cover two new releases that they collectively had mixed feelings about. Before diving in, though, they theorize about why the fall movie slate has been such a huge disappointment both commercially and critically and what it represents for the industry at large going forward (0:34). Then, they break down Edgar Wright’s new action film, ‘The Running Man,’ starring Glen Powell, which they found deeply messy but also full of impressively staged action scenes (28:01). Next, they unpack the new magician legacy sequel ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don't,’ starring Jesse Eisenberg and Dave Franco. They explain their personal relationship with the original films and why Rosamund Pike was born to play an evil diamond heiress villain, and they hypothesize about what its potential box office chances are (59:23). Finally, Edgar Wright joins Sean to discuss the evolving landscape of studio filmmaking, how he constructs an elaborate action set piece, and the amazing story about how Powell was cast for the lead part (1:15:55).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Edgar Wright and Van Lathan

Producer: Jack Sanders

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The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 5 - 'Lady Bird’ Nov 12, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Greta Gerwig’s ‘Lady Bird,’ one of the greatest coming-of-age films ever made. They explain why this is the most defining millennial movie of all time, unpack its quintessential portrayal of a complicated mother-daughter dynamic, and sort through the difficult decision to choose this as the official Gerwig selection over ‘Little Women’ and ‘Frances Ha.’

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Jack Sanders

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‘Predator: Badlands’ and the 'Predator' Movie Rankings Nov 10, 2025

Show notes

Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to avenge their Yautja brethren on planet Genna and cover Dan Trachtenberg’s ‘Predator: Badlands,’ starring Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi. Before diving in though, they briefly cover a handful of movie news headlines, including the reporting that Ryan Reynolds is remaking the 1970s crime film ‘Thunderbolt and Lightfoot’ for Amazon MGM (2:35). Next, they unpack the new 'Predator' legacy sequel and make the case for why it wouldn’t work without Fanning’s performance, explain why Trachtenberg has a clear eye for titillating action set piece filmmaking, and discuss its big box office success and wonder what it represents at large (7:39). Then, they rank every film in the 'Predator' franchise (43:38).

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guest: Chris Ryan

Producers: Jack Sanders and Bex Donnelly

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Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ and the Best Frankenstein Movies. Plus: Jennifer Lawrence Is Ablaze in ‘Die My Love.’ Nov 07, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda are joined by Rob Mahoney to cover a pair of new releases, but before diving in, they react to two new movie trailers for ‘Michael’ and ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ and the news that a ‘Miss Piggy’ movie from Cole Escola, Jennifer Lawrence, and Emma Stone is in development (0:53). Then, they unpack Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein,’ starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi. They talk through the divisive reception to the film thus far, explain why the second half of the film is much stronger than the first, and hypothesize what its awards chances are (9:26). Finally, they cover Lynne Ramsay’s new psychological thriller, ‘Die My Love,’ starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, which they all thoroughly enjoyed and view as Lawrence’s best performance of her career (57:53).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Rob Mahoney

Producer: Jack Sanders

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The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 6 - 'Mulholland Drive’ Nov 05, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss David Lynch’s ‘Mulholland Drive,’ one of the greatest surrealist films ever made. They celebrate Naomi Watts’s incredible breakthrough performance, reflect on all the different conspiracy theories and unique readings of the film, and commend its ability to blend Americana, European surrealism, classic Hollywood glamour, and sinister outsider art, all at once.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Jack Sanders

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The 1989 Movie Draft Nov 03, 2025

Show notes

We’re drafting again! Before diving into the draft, Sean, Amanda, and Chris react to two recent pieces of news with Disney reportedly turning down Steven Soderbergh’s ‘The Hunt for Ben Solo’ (1:05), and Taylor Sheridan leaving Paramount (9:25). Then, they discuss who they were in 1989 (17:33) and draft the best movies from that year (29:44).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Chris Ryan

Producer: Jack Sanders

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Best Picture Power Rankings, ‘Bugonia,’ and the New Paranoid Thriller, With Yorgos Lanthimos! Oct 31, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda kick off the show with a brand-new version of their Best Picture Power Rankings (1:43). Then, they cover Yorgos Lanthimos’s new movie, ‘Bugonia,’ starring Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone. They explain why this is their preferred “flavor” of Lanthimos, crown it as a new type of paranoid thriller, and praise Plemons's and Stone’s incredibly sincere and sympathetic performances (21:31). Later, Lanthimos joins Sean to talk through the difficulties and benefits of shooting the film with a large format in VistaVision, what interests him and intrigues him as a storyteller, and why he has anxiety about the future regarding our inability to communicate with one another (1:01:49).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Yorgos Lanthimos

Producer: Jack Sanders

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The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 7 - 'In The Mood for Love’ Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Wong Kar-wai’s ‘In the Mood for Love,’ the signature romance film of the century. They talk about why the film is one of the most influential movies ever made, highlight its incredibly beautiful composition and framing, and discuss why the feeling of not getting what you want is more resonant than ever.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Jack Sanders

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