The Big Picture - The Ringer

Latest Episodes:

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ and Top Five Tim Burton Movies Sep 06, 2024

Show notes

Sean and Amanda are joined by ‘Higher Learning’ and ‘Midnight Boys’ cohost Van Lathan to discuss the successes and shortcomings of ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,’ another mega-sequel that's shaping up to perform well at this weekend’s box office (1:00). They discuss Michael Keaton’s return to the namesake character, how the bloated plot prevents it from reaching the highs of the first, the satisfying return of the original cast, and the refreshing addition of Jenna Ortega. Then, they get into the incredible run Tim Burton kicked his career off with and the precipitous drop-off that followed, before sharing their five favorite Burton movies (1:04:00).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Van Lathan

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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The Best Movies at Telluride and the 10 Most Anticipated Fall Films Sep 04, 2024

Show notes

Sean and Amanda recap the long weekend in film news and discuss the biggest films out of the Telluride Film Festival, including the much-anticipated ‘Anora,’ the 'SNL' origin story ‘Saturday Night,’ the Trump biopic ‘The Apprentice,’ and more (1:00). Then, they react to the Venice Film Festival from afar and take stock of the impact that this weekend’s major festivals have had on the state of the awards race (58:00). Finally, they share the yet-to-be-released movies that they’re most excited for this fall (1:20:00).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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The Michael Keaton Movie Mount Rushmore Aug 30, 2024

Show notes

With ‘Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice’ on the horizon, Sean and Amanda enlist the help of Michael Keaton superfan and ‘Blank Check’ cohost Griffin Newman to carve out the Michael Keaton movie Mount Rushmore: an ode to a career with incredible peaks and long, fallow stretches (1:00). Then, Sean is joined by ‘Between the Temples’ writer-director Nathan Silver and producer and star Jason Schwartzman to discuss the unique production style of the movie, how to inject a specific comedic tone into a script, the movie’s inspirations, and more (1:45:00).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Griffin Newman, Jason Schwartzman, and Nathan Silver

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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Sicko Movie Mode: Five F**ked-Up Features to Close Out the Summer Aug 27, 2024

Show notes

Sean and Amanda return to the feed in triumphant fashion by talking about, among other things, Oasis, the ‘Megalopolis’ trailer, and their weeks away (1:00). Then, they run through five recently released features and their “sicko” natures, measuring the quality of each film and the state of the release calendar in the doldrums of summer (18:00). Finally, Sean is joined by JT Mollner, the director of ‘Strange Darling’, to discuss the long gap between his first feature at Sundance and ‘Strange Darling,’ the twists and turns of his movie, and the way he conceives of making movies within genres that come with audience expectation (1:09:00).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: JT Mollner

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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3. Keep Your Distance | The Hollywood Hack Aug 23, 2024

Show notes

‘The Hollywood Hack’ is a three-part narrative series chronicling the biggest Hollywood heist of all time: In the fall of 2014, a group of cyberterrorists hacked Sony Pictures, stealing hundreds of thousands of documents. The materials were eventually leaked online, causing an international incident that would change Hollywood forever.

In Episode 3, the hackers attempt to halt the release of ‘The Interview’ by threatening to attack theaters—forcing Sony executives to make a difficult last-minute decision. After the dust clears, those involved with the hack reckon with its long-term consequences—both for themselves and for Hollywood.

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Baroldi, Brian Raftery, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Devon Renaldo

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

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2. All Hope Will Leave You | The Hollywood Hack Aug 21, 2024

Show notes

In Episode 2, the hackers release hundreds of thousands of top-secret Sony emails—causing a scandal that reaches from Hollywood to the White House and beyond. Meanwhile, Sony’s employees deal with the fallout of having their professional lives upended—and their personal lives exposed.

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Baroldi, Brian Raftery, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Devon Renaldo

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

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1. The World Will Be Full of Fear | The Hollywood Hack Aug 19, 2024

Show notes

In Episode 1, thousands of Sony employees show up for work on November 24, 2014—only to discover a menacing message on their screens. It soon becomes clear that the studio has been targeted by a mysterious foreign power—all because of a goofy buddy-comedy called ‘The Interview.’

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Baroldi, Brian Raftery, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Devon Renaldo

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

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‘Alien: Romulus’ and the 'Alien' Movie Rankings Aug 16, 2024

Show notes

Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to react to a handful of casting tidbits (1:00), before digging into the newest installment in the ‘Alien’ franchise, ‘Alien: Romulus’ (11:00). They discuss the new movie’s fealty to the original, the chances it takes, how it works as a pure horror movie, and more. Then, they rank all nine movies in the franchise (53:00), before Sean is joined by ‘Romulus’ director Fede Álvarez to talk about making a movie in the franchise that he is a superfan of, some of the particular choices made around fan service, how he approached practical effects during the production, and more (1:11:00).

Host: Sean Fennessey

Guests: Chris Ryan and Fede Álvarez

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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The Matt Damon Hall of Fame. Plus: The Anxious Wonder of ‘Dìdi.’ Aug 13, 2024

Show notes

Sean and Amanda are joined by Ringer contributor Brian Raftery to discuss his miniseries about the Sony hack, running next week on the ‘Big Picture’ feed (1:00). Then, they discuss two recent releases—Sean Wang’s coming-of-age movie ‘Dìdi’ and the Matt Damon and Casey Affleck vehicle ‘The Instigators’ (14:00)—before launching themselves into the Matt Damon Hall of Fame (34:00). Finally, Sean is joined by Wang to discuss making ‘Dìdi,’ the path to his first feature at just 29 years old, the particular time period of the movie, and more (1:36:00).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Brian Raftery and Sean Wang

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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‘Sing Sing’ Is One of the Best Things You’ll See This Year. ‘It Ends With Us’ Is … Not. (Our 700th Episode!) Aug 09, 2024

Show notes

In their 700th Episode, Sean and Amanda discuss the news that the Brad Pitt and George Clooney vehicle ‘Wolfs’ will have a one-week limited theatrical release before moving to streaming, then talk about a slightly deranged combination of films this week (0:45). First up, they dive into ‘Sing Sing,’ a deeply moving prison drama starring Colman Domingo about a small group of prisoners attempting to stage a theatrical production (11:53). Then, they transition to the bizarre and controversial Colleen Hoover adaptation ‘It Ends With Us,’ starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni (28:11). Finally, Sean is joined by ‘Sing Sing’ director Greg Kwedar to discuss how this extraordinary film came together, casting formerly incarcerated actors, the unusual rollout of the film, and more (1:08:45).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Sasha Ashall

Engineers: Aleya Zenieris and Jack Sanders

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