The Big Picture - The Ringer

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8. I Love America | Do We Get to Win This Time? Aug 25, 2023

Show notes

Oliver Stone returns to Vietnam with ‘Born on the Fourth of July’—a movie that closes out the ’80s, as well as the Vietnam movie boom. But ‘Forrest Gump’ and ‘Dead Presidents’ prove that ’90s audiences aren’t ready to leave Vietnam for good.

Other films we talk about in this episode include ‘Running on Empty’ (1988), ‘Dogfight’ (1991), and ‘Heaven and Earth’ (1993).

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

All interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

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7. Ain’t War Hell? | Do We Get to Win This Time? Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

In the late ’80s, a new wave of big-studio hits like ‘Full Metal Jacket’ and ‘Good Morning, Vietnam’ introduces young moviegoers to Vietnam—and helps turn the war into an unlikely pop-culture phenomenon.

Other films we talk about in this episode include ‘Hamburger Hill’ (1987) and ‘Casualties of War’ (1989).

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

Interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

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6. I Am Reality | Do We Get to Win This Time? Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

Oliver Stone’s harrowing and heartbreaking Vietnam drama ‘Platoon’ becomes a worldwide phenomenon in 1986—and signals the beginning of the Vietnam movie boom.

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

All interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

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5. Nothing Is Over | Do We Get to Win This Time? Aug 18, 2023

Show notes

In the early 1980s, as America is grappling with the fallout of Vietnam, a troubled big-screen vet named John Rambo launches an unlikely movie franchise—and leads a wave of make-believe soldiers who are ready to fight the war all over again.

Other films we talk about in this episode include ‘First Blood’ (1982), ‘Uncommon Valor’ (1983), ‘Missing in Action’ (1984), and ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’ (1985).

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

All interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

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4. Little by Little, We Went Insane | Do We Get to Win This Time? Aug 16, 2023

Show notes

‘Apocalypse Now’ closes out the 1970s with the most ambitious Vietnam movie yet: a big-budget spectacle that will bring moviegoers closer than ever to the madness of war—and nearly push director Francis Ford Coppola over the edge.

Other films we talk about in this episode include ‘Who’ll Stop the Rain’ (1978), ‘The Boys in Company C’ (1978), ‘Go Tell the Spartans’ (1978), and ‘Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse’ (1991).

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

All interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

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3. What a Strange Country | Do We Get to Win This Time? Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

In the late ’70s, ‘The Deer Hunter’ and ‘Coming Home’ offer two very different visions of Vietnam—and become unexpected hits. Together, they’d bring the war to the mainstream—and to the Oscars.

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

All interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

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2. I Just Don’t Talk About It | Do We Get to Win This Time? Aug 11, 2023

Show notes

It’s the mid-’70s, and Hollywood is still scared of Vietnam. But a series of dark and wildly entertaining B movies brings the war to the big screen, with explosive results.

Other films we talk about in this episode include ‘M*A*S*H’ (1970), ‘Soldier Blue’ (1970), ‘Brotherhood of Death’ (1976), ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976), and ‘Rolling Thunder’ (1977).

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

All interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

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1. Give ’Em Hell | Do We Get to Win This Time? Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

In the late-’60s, John Wayne stars in the first hit Vietnam movie: his controversial blockbuster ‘The Green Berets.’ And the piercing documentary ‘Hearts and Minds’ leads to an Oscar-night meltdown in 1975.

Other films we talk about in this episode include ‘In the Year of the Pig’ (1969) and ‘Winter Soldier’ (1972).

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

All interviews for this series were conducted before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Prologue | Do We Get to Win This Time? Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

‘The Deer Hunter.’ ‘Apocalypse Now.’ ‘First Blood.’ ‘Platoon.’ They’re among the hit films dealing with the Vietnam War—a conflict that divided moviegoers and inspired filmmakers. For decades, Hollywood released countless films about the war and its fallout—from action flicks to combat tales to sweeping dramas.

Through exclusive new interviews, ‘Do We Get to Win This Time?’ chronicles the making of Hollywood’s most ambitious and controversial Vietnam movies. Along the way, we also learn how these films reflected and shaped moviegoers’ feelings toward the war—and toward each other.

Host: Brian Raftery

Producers: Devon Manze, Mike Wargon, Amanda Dobbins, and Vikram Patel

Sound Design: Bobby Wagner

Mixing and Mastering: Scott Somerville

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Sharks, Alligators, Piranhas, and the Top 10 Garbage Fish Movies Aug 04, 2023

Show notes

Sean and Amanda are joined by Ringer contributor Brian Raftery to discuss his upcoming series ‘Do We Get to Win This Time? How Hollywood Made the Vietnam War,’ which will be running on ‘The Big Picture’ feed over the next three weeks (1:00). Then, at long last, Sean and Chris Ryan unveil the latest genre in their ongoing niche genre project: Garbage Fish (15:00).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Chris Ryan and Brian Raftery

Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner

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