Sean and Amanda react to the ‘Fantastic Four’ and ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ trailers (1:00) before discussing the slate of movies being released that are tied to Valentine’s Day, including Drew Hancock’s ‘Companion’ (15:15), ‘You’re Cordially Invited’ (29:30), ‘Love Me’, and ‘Heart Eyes’ (40:00). Then, they mint a new bespoke subgenre called “garbage love”—romance movies that use genre as a vehicle to deliver their love stories (55:00). Then, Sean is joined by Hancock to discuss his circuitous jo...
Feb 07, 2025•2 hr 11 min
Sean and Amanda discuss the evolving story of Karla Sofía Gascón’s old tweets (1:00) and what it might portend for the ‘Emilia Pérez’ Oscar hopes. Then, they discuss an underwhelming Sundance 2025 (12:00) before diving deep into one of the best movies of 2024, ‘Nickel Boys’ (44:00), and discussing the excellent Michael Keaton performance at the center of ‘Goodrich’ (1:01:00). Finally, Sean is joined by director Tim Fehlbaum to discuss ‘September 5,’ how he became interested in the story that it ...
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr 45 min
Sean and Amanda dig into ‘The Brutalist’ (with spoilers!)—the text, the reception, the performances, the score, its awards chances, its lasting presence in the American film canon, and everything in between (1:00). Then, they’re joined by Joanna Robinson to weigh in on the Best Picture race and rank all 10 films nominated for the award based on their current chances to win the race (1:31:00). Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Joanna Robinson Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner Video Prod...
Jan 31, 2025•2 hr 28 min
Sean and Amanda are joined by Yasi Salek to discuss ‘Better Man,’ the bizarro Robbie Williams biopic in which he is rendered as a CGI chimpanzee (1:00) and ‘One of Them Days,’ the Keke Palmer and SZA action comedy produced by Issa Rae and directed by Lawrence Lamont (29:00). Then, Yasi departs and Sean and Amanda explore ‘Back In Action,’ the spy-action-comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx that jumped up to number one on Netflix (53:00). Next, Chris Ryan joins to weigh in on ‘Wolf Man,’ ‘...
Jan 27, 2025•2 hr 16 min
Sean and Amanda give their instant reactions to the Oscar nominations announced this morning, including their takes on what films are running hot and which ones seem to have cooled off over the past few months (1:00). Is ‘Emilia Pérez’ the full-on front-runner? Will recent stories about the use of AI in ‘The Brutalist’ sour its chances in the big categories? Plus: They check in on the state of the Big Oscar Bet from September, when they attempted to predict the nominations and winners in 11 cate...
Jan 23, 2025•1 hr 42 min
Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to draft, in auction format, some of the movies they’re most excited for this year. They review the results and the rules from last year’s two auctions before launching into this year’s slate, including some mega-blockbusters like ‘Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning,’ ‘Jurassic World Rebirth,’ and ‘F1,’ as well as some smaller but still exciting indies like ‘Marty Supreme’ and ‘The Phoenician Scheme.’ Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: C...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 58 min
Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to reflect on the monumental loss of David Lynch, and try to take measure of the impact his films have made on them personally and the film culture at large (1:00). Then, they run through a number of guild nominations and assess the relative strength of the awards contenders (21:00). Finally, they review ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’ and discuss its star Gerard Butler’s essential performance at the center and whether the overall movie lives up to the first ...
Jan 17, 2025•1 hr 40 min
Sean and Amanda discuss the latest out of the guild award nominations and what it portends for Oscar chances (1:00). They then look ahead to the rest of 2025 and share their 25 collectively most anticipated movies of the year (31:00), including new films from favorites of the show like Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Bong Joon-Ho, Steven Soderbergh, and Luca Guadagnino, as well as long awaited follow-ups from exciting young directors like Chloe Zhao, Celine Song, Joseph Ko...
Jan 14, 2025•1 hr 50 min
Sean and Amanda discuss the successes, shortcomings, themes, and performances of Halina Reijn’s ‘Babygirl,’ an erotic thriller/black comedy starring Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, and Antonio Banderas (1:00). Then, they build the Kidman Hall of Fame, choosing 10 installations in her film career that best represent her full body of work (41:00). Finally, Sean is joined by Reijn to discuss making the movie, building chemistry between the stars, why she was so interested in exploring the sexual t...
Jan 08, 2025•2 hr 42 min
Sean and Amanda are joined by ‘House of R’ host Joanna Robinson to react to the 2025 Golden Globes, an up-and-down award show highlighted by strong performances from Brady Corbet’s ‘The Brutalist’ and Jacques Audiard’s ‘Emilia Pérez.’ They also discuss the movies they were surprised performed weaker on the evening, like ‘Anora,’ ‘Conclave,’ and ‘Wicked.’ Finally, they evaluate the entertainment of the broadcast and host Nikki Glaser. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Joanna Robinso...
Jan 06, 2025•1 hr 33 min
In her triumphant return, Amanda shares her overarching thoughts on the movies and shows from the past few months that she’s been out on parental leave (1:00). Then, Sean and Amanda predict the winners of each film category for Sunday’s Golden Globes (52:00. Plus: they introduce a new yearlong project for 2025 in which they count down their collective favorite films of the century so far. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner Video Producer: Chia Hao Tat Learn mo...
Jan 03, 2025•2 hr 5 min
Sean is joined by Adam Nayman for an extensive examination of the themes, production, and style of Brady Corbet’s ‘The Brutalist,’ one of the most anticipated and audacious movies of the year (1:00). They discuss the idea of a new movie aiming at the canon, Corbet’s filmmaking style and the marketing associated with it, the chapterized structure of the storytelling, the performances both at the center and on the edges of the frame, and more. Sean is then joined by Corbet (1:17:00) to discuss the...
Dec 31, 2024•2 hr 35 min
Sean is joined by Chris Ryan and Rob Mahoney to discuss the new Robert Eggers vampire film, ‘Nosferatu,’ releasing on Christmas and starring Lily-Rose Depp, Bill Skarsgard, and Nicholas Hoult (1:00). They discuss the original ‘Nosferatu,’ now more than 100 years old, Eggers’s vision of the character and story, and the long history of vampires in cinema, before ultimately each sharing their five favorite vampire movies (43:00). Then, Sean is joined by Eggers to talk about the production of the mo...
Dec 27, 2024•1 hr 51 min
Sean is joined by Chris Ryan and Mallory Rubin to dig all the way into ‘A Complete Unknown,’ James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet. They discuss, among other things, the musical performances of Chalamet and his costar Monica Barbaro, the supporting performances around the edges of the movie, Mangold’s ability to tackle one of the most central pop cultural figures in American history, the moment the film is trying to capture, and more. Host: Sean Fennessey Guests: Chris Ryan...
Dec 24, 2024•1 hr 31 min
Sean starts the episode with a monologue about the up-and-down state of the movie release calendar after a handful of extremely disappointing movies like ‘Kraven the Hunter,’ ‘Mufasa: The Lion King,’ and ‘Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim’ hit theaters recently, before they give way to stronger films like ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘Nosferatu,’ ‘A Complete Unknown,’ ‘Babygirl,’ and more (1:00). Then, he’s joined by Joanna Robinson to talk about the winners and losers, broadly, of the year in movies (...
Dec 20, 2024•2 hr 12 min
Sean remarks on the release of the Oscars shortlists in below-the-line categories, international features, and documentary features, before discussing his five most underseen movies of 2024 (1:00). Then, he’s joined by a rotating cast of Ringer colleagues to discuss each of their favorite underseen movies of the year (40:00). Finally, he’s joined by James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd to discuss the 40th anniversary of ‘Terminator’ (1:59:00). Among other things, the three talk about the challenge o...
Dec 18, 2024•2 hr 44 min
Sean is joined Joanna Robinson and Rob Mahoney to run through five of their favorite individual performances from the year in acting (1:00) before discussing Marielle Heller’s ‘Nightbitch,’ the story of a stay-at-home mom—played by Amy Adams—who is experiencing the normal stresses of motherhood and life while undergoing a more surreal transformation (43:00). Then, they select which 10 performances they would include if they were tasked with building the Amy Adams Hall of Fame (1:04:00). Finally,...
Dec 16, 2024•2 hr 20 min
We are drafting again! And Amanda is back! She and Sean are joined by Chris Ryan to pick their faves and foil their pals in a draft of the movies from 2021. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Chris Ryan Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner Video Producer: Jack Sanders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dec 13, 2024•1 hr 42 min
Sean is joined by longtime playwright, actor, screenwriter, and physical media collector Tracy Letts to discuss his career and how he became such a fervent collector of physical media. They discuss what got them into the lifestyle, the state of their collections, what it has taught them about being a cinephile, the best physical releases of 2024, and much more. Host: Sean Fennessey Guest: Tracy Letts Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner Video Producer: Jack Sanders Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...
Dec 11, 2024•1 hr 50 min
Sean is joined by Joanna Robinson to give their immediate reactions to the Golden Globe nominations (1:00), discuss the evolution of the awards and how these nominations stack up against expectations, and opine about what these short lists mean for the Academy Awards. Then, Sean is joined by longtime movie star Richard Gere to discuss his work in Paul Schrader’s ‘Oh, Canada,’ the actor’s collaboration with Schrader over the decades, how he thinks about his career at this moment, and more (59:00)...
Dec 09, 2024•1 hr 33 min
Sean is joined by Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman to discuss the ascendance of ‘Wicked’ in the awards race and the release of a handful of movies, including ‘Queer,’ ‘Kneecap,’ and ‘The Order’ (1:00). Then, the three each share their top five movies of 2024, a mix of widely seen blockbusters, smaller art-house movies, big swings from emergent auteurs, and more (43:00). Host: Sean Fennessey Guests: Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast...
Dec 06, 2024•1 hr 42 min
Sean is joined by Chris Ryan and Rob Mahoney to discuss the robust domestic box office this past holiday weekend (1:00), before digging into Steve McQueen’s latest movie ‘Blitz,’ now in select theaters and on Apple TV+ (12:00). Then, they explore the renewable resource that is World War II movies, assessing the various subgenres that have sprung from that genre (26:00). Finally, they each share their top five WWII movies (42:00), and talk about whether they think the genre will persist. Host: Se...
Dec 03, 2024•1 hr 50 min
Sean is joined by Rob Harvilla and Yasi Salek to discuss two movies for the fun of it—‘Moana 2’ and ‘Hot Frosty.’ They start by reacting to the new ‘Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary’ (01:40) before discussing the surprising self-awareness, Easter eggs, and music in ‘Hot Frosty’ (04:59). Then, they share their movie-watching experiences while watching ‘Moana 2’ and how it compares to ‘Moana’ (36:50). Before Yasi and Rob leave, they share the movies they are looking forward to at the end of 2024 (62:40)...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 40 min
Sean is joined by Juliet Litman to discuss another highly anticipated 2024 release in Jon M. Chu’s ‘Wicked.’ They unpack their very mixed feelings (1:07), hypothesize why this movie is such a big hit (41:30), and forecast its Oscar chances by asking whether it could really win Best Picture (50:37). Then, they both rank their top five favorite musicals from the 21st century (58:58). Finally, Sean is joined by writer and director Malcolm Washington to discuss his new film, ‘The Piano Lesson.’ They...
Nov 25, 2024•2 hr 5 min
Sean is joined by Chris Ryan and Mallory Rubin to discuss one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2024, Ridley Scott’s new film ‘Gladiator II.’ They work through their complicated feelings on the sequel (05:09), highlight some of the key standout performances (22:49), and predict its box office potential and Oscars chances (67:25). Then, they each rank their top five favorite legacy sequels of all time (76:00). Host: Sean Fennessey Guests: Chris Ryan and Mallory Rubin Producer: Olivia Creri...
Nov 22, 2024•1 hr 56 min
Sean is joined by Joanna Robinson to assess why the hell ‘Red One’ is so awful (1:00) and try to make sense of the Rock’s baffling movie career. Then, they discuss ‘A Real Pain,’ Jesse Eisenberg’s new movie about a pair of cousins who go to Poland for a Holocaust tour (25:00). They then each share their top five two-handers in movie history (1:00:00). Finally, Sean is joined by Eisenberg to discuss the film, his evolution as not just an actor but a director, casting and working with Kieran Culki...
Nov 19, 2024•1 hr 42 min
Sean is joined by Ringer-Verse host Joanna Robinson and The Ankler's awards editor Katey Rich to discuss the state of the Best Picture race. Amid this conversation, they go through the 10 films they think are running hottest to be nominated for the top award at the Oscars and compare their list to the last time Sean did said exercise (1:00). Then, they zero in on one of those front-runners, Jacques Audiard’s ‘Emilia Pérez,’ a challenging swing of a film that's received mixed reviews from critics...
Nov 15, 2024•1 hr 38 min
Sean is joined by Adam Nayman to discuss the head-scratching rollout of Clint Eastwood’s justice system interrogation, ‘Juror No. 2’ and the movie’s successes, shortcomings, and Eastwood-isms (1:00). Then, Sean briefly discusses the appeal of ‘Heretic’ (55:00) before being joined by the film’s directors, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, to talk about their writing process, Hugh Grant’s lead performance, the state of getting movies made, and more (58:00). Host: Sean Fennessey Guests: Adam Nayman, Scot...
Nov 12, 2024•1 hr 39 min
Sean is joined by Ringer editor-at-large and ‘Press Box’ host Bryan Curtis to discuss ‘Here,’ the new wildly experimental movie from Robert Zemeckis chronicling thousands of years of history in one corner of the world (1:00). Then, they build the Zemeckis Hall of Fame, choosing 10 movies from his roller-coaster canon to enshrine (46:00). Host: Sean Fennessey Guest: Bryan Curtis Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner Video Producer: Jack Sanders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/a...
Nov 08, 2024•1 hr 36 min
We are drafting again! Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan as well as Griffin Newman and David Sims from the 'Blank Check' podcast to draft their favorite movie presidents. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guests: Chris Ryan, Griffin Newman, and David Sims Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner Video Producer: Jack Sanders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nov 05, 2024•1 hr 58 min
