The Big Picture

The Ringer

  • 1 hour 52 minutes
    The Oscar Noms Mailbag: Is ‘Sinners’ vs. ‘One Battle After Another’ a Race? Plus: Best Picture Power Rankings.

    We’re opening up the mailbag! Before diving in, Sean and Amanda break down the poor box office performance over the weekend and highlight some new releases coming this week (2:13). Then, they answer all of your questions relating to last week’s Oscars nominations, talk through topics like whether or not late release dates negatively affected certain films' award chances, and debate whether ‘Sinners’ now has a legitimate shot at winning Best Picture over ‘One Battle After Another’ (11:24). Finally, they update their Best Picture power rankings following the official nominations (1:40:57).

    Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

    Producer: Jack Sanders

    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.®️

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    28 January 2026, 2:13 am
  • 1 hour 6 minutes
    The 2026 Oscar Nominations: Snubs, Surprises, and WTFs

    Sean and Amanda break down all of the Oscar nominations and share their major takeaways, including 'F1' (sillily) sneaking into Best Picture and ‘Sinners’ shattering the all-time nominations record, and highlight their biggest snubs.

    Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

    Producer: Jack Sanders

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    22 January 2026, 6:50 pm
  • 1 hour 43 minutes
    The Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Movie Draft. Plus: ‘The Rip.’

    We’re drafting again! Before diving in, Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to debate whether or not this is the best January at the movies ever (0:37). Then, they cover the new Netflix action movie ‘The Rip’—starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck—during which they make the case for it being an A-plus January Netflix release (17:02). Next, they talk through what Damon and Affleck mean to film (39:41) and draft their favorite movies from the iconic duo (51:41).

    Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

    Guest: Chris Ryan

    Producer: Jack Sanders

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    19 January 2026, 11:00 am
  • 1 hour 48 minutes
    ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple’ Is Gut-Ripping and Gut-Wrenching. Plus: Mona Fastvold on ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’!

    Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan as they enter the bone temple to discuss Nia DaCosta’s ‘28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,’ which they all thoroughly enjoyed (10:12). Then, they briefly build the Ralph Fiennes Hall of Fame, featuring their favorite performances from the legendary actor (43:47). Next, they cover Mona Fastvold’s ‘The Testament of Ann Lee,’ starring Amanda Seyfried, which they found incredibly ambitious and strange but also wonderfully complex and mature (51:39). Finally, Sean is joined by Fastvold to explain what attracted her to the story of Ann Lee and the Shaker movement; talk through the process of cowriting the screenplay with her husband, Brady Corbet; and discuss how she’s able to make epic stories with lower-budget independent filmmaking (1:01:56).

    Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

    Guests: Mona Fastvold and Chris Ryan

    Producer: Jack Sanders

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    16 January 2026, 11:00 am
  • 2 hours 21 minutes
    The 2026 Movie Auction

    We’re back with a new movie auction! Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to review the rules and results from last year’s auctions (3:47) and compete for their most anticipated films of 2026 in ‘The Odyssey,’ ‘Dune: Part Three,’ ‘Disclosure Day,’ and more (39:19).

    Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

    Guest: Chris Ryan

    Producer: Jack Sanders

    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

    14 January 2026, 1:33 am
  • 1 hour 13 minutes
    The 2026 Golden Globes: ‘One Battle After Another’ vs. ‘Hamnet’ Begins

    Sean and Amanda instantly react to the 2026 Golden Globes and break down their thoughts on the telecast, debate whether or not ‘Hamnet’ is now a serious Best Picture contender, and wonder what exactly the purpose of this awards show is.

    Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

    Producer: Jack Sanders

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    12 January 2026, 8:02 am
  • 2 hours 15 minutes
    Five Burning Questions About Awards Season, and Our Golden Globes Predictions. Plus: The Ingenious ‘No Other Choice,’ with Park Chan-wook!

    In anticipation of the Golden Globes, Sean and Amanda start the show by answering five burning questions about this awards season (1:05) before sharing their personal predictions for the Golden Globes (26:56). Then, they discuss Park Chan-wook’s ‘No Other Choice’, a clever and class-conscious black comedy, which they both absolutely loved (1:11:07). Finally, Sean is joined by director Park to break down what attracted him to the source material and why there was an incredible amount of intentionality behind every decision (1:33:25).

    Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

    Guests: Park Chan-wook and Jiwon Lee

    Producer: Jack Sanders

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    8 January 2026, 11:00 am
  • 2 hours 22 minutes
    The 26 Most Anticipated Movies of 2026

    Sean and Amanda kick off the New Year by counting down their 26 most anticipated movies of 2026. But before diving in, they do a major run-through of all the things they missed over the holiday break, including a recap of their time off (0:38), box office totals (12:05), and awards (20:36). Then, they dive into their list (46:39).

    Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

    Producer: Jack Sanders

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    6 January 2026, 2:08 am
  • 2 hours 3 minutes
    The 25 for ’25 Selection Show Special

    In a prerecorded taping from March of 2025, Sean and Amanda peel back the curtain to let you in as they finalize their 25 best movies of the 21st century list in real time, during what Amanda calls "a two-hour, weird psychological exercise that also could have been an email (and was).”

    Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

    Guest: Bobby Wagner

    Producers: Jack Sanders and Chia Hao Tat

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    2 January 2026, 11:00 am
  • 1 hour 13 minutes
    The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 1 - 'The Social Network’

    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 Fincher’s ‘The Social Network,’ the era defining study of the Internet. They make the claim that this is their generation’s ‘Citizen Kane,’ explain why it is a comfort movie about everything that is horrible, and crown Jesse Eisenberg for delivering one of the defining performances of the century.

    Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

    Producers: Jack Sanders and Jacob Cornett

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    31 December 2025, 11:00 am
  • 1 hour 58 minutes
    F---, Marry, Kill at the Movies: ‘The Housemaid,’ ‘Song Sung Blue,’ and ‘Anaconda’

    Sean and Amanda have an action-packed show today where they cover three new releases. Before diving in, they react to the recent trailers for ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and quickly discuss ‘Zootopia 2’ and ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ (1:38). Then, they discuss Paul Feig’s ‘The Housemaid,’ starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, which they found disappointing and prompts a discussion about what type of movies are being made for women in 2025 (9:09). Next, they talk through ‘Anaconda,’ starring Jack Black, which they describe as a cynical, depressing exercise in IP franchise filmmaking (38:37). Finally, they briefly touch on ‘Song Sung Blue,’ a musical drama about a Neil Diamond tribute band starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson (50:00), before director Craig Brewer joins Sean to break down how his filmmaking career started, explain why music plays such a profound role in his work, and tell a fascinating story about the lengthy process behind casting Hudson (1:01:35).

    Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

    Guest: Craig Brewer

    Producers: Jack Sanders and Jacob Cornett

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    29 December 2025, 11:00 am
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