Now that ‘Anora’ has hit select theaters, Sean assesses the state of the Best Picture race by running through a long (emphasis on long) list of 26 films that have a chance to be nominated at the Oscars (1:00). Then, Sean and Amanda discuss ‘Anora,’ Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or–winning drama about a whirlwind romance between a sex worker and the son of a…

Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to discuss the biggest film at the box office, ‘Terrifier 3,’ the third installment of the independently made horror clown franchise that has become this year’s biggest box office surprise (1:00). After, they talk about another horror franchise that’s become a reliable sensation for moviegoers, ‘Smile 2’ (23:00); they g…

Sean shares a recap of the best movies he caught at the 62nd New York Film Festival, including the heavy hitters at this upcoming Oscars, the latest installations from old masters and personal favorites, and the biggest surprises of the festival (1:00). Then, Ringer writer and ‘Press Box’ host Bryan Curtis joins to share the myriad successes and fa…

Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to break down ‘Saturday Night,’ Jason Reitman’s quasi-historical exploration of the beginnings of 'Saturday Night Live' (10:00). They discuss the disbelief that needs to be suspended, as well as the more or less knockout cast, before launching into their top five “backstage” movies and discussion of why it’s so interest…

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 1996. 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…

Sean is joined by Van Lathan to discuss ‘Joker: Folie à Deux,’ the off-putting sequel to Todd Phillips’s 2019 ‘Joker,’ starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga (1:00). They discuss the jukebox musical format’s successes and failures, the filmmaking vs. the experience of watching it, and whether they ultimately liked the movie. Then, they zoom out to …

Sean and Amanda do their best to parse through the messiness of Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis,’ starring, among others, Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Aubrey Plaza (1:00). They discuss the circuitous journey Coppola took to finally making the film, the convoluted plot (and at times lack thereof), and the ambition in comparison to the act…

Sean and Amanda react to some news around the movie world (1:00), before discussing ‘Wolfs,’ the reunion of Brad Pitt and George Clooney in a movie about two lone wolf “fixers” who get assigned to the same job (13:00). They discuss whether the movie is interesting beyond the charisma of its leads and get into the up-and-down CV of Apple Films throu…

Sean and Amanda react to some news about the Golden Globes being … a lot like they’ve always been (1:00). Then, they discuss Coralie Fargeat’s new body horror film ‘The Substance,’ starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley (13:00). Finally, Sean is joined by Fargeat to discuss the first body horror movies she ever watched, the production process for…

We are drafting again! Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and Zach Baron to pick their faves and foil their pals in a draft of the movies from Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Guest: Chris Ryan and Zach Baron Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner Video Producer: Jack Sanders Learn more about your ad choices. Visi…

Sean and Amanda are joined by film critic, Ringer contributor, and resident “mean pod guy” Adam Nayman to do a speed recap of his favorite (and least favorite) movies out of the Toronto International Film Festival (1:00). Then, they revive the Big Oscar Bet, in which Sean and Amanda predict the nominees and winners of every major category at the 20…

Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to discuss ‘Speak No Evil,’ James Watkins’s reimagination of the 2022 Danish psychological horror film (1:00). Then, they discuss other movies that inspire the sensation of needing to get the f--- out of danger and share their top five in the subgenre (1:06:00). Finally, Sean is joined by Watkins and ‘Speak …

Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to review some news items out of the fall film festival circuit (1:00) before discussing one of their favorite genre movies of 2024, Jeremy Saulnier’s revenge thriller ‘Rebel Ridge’ (17:00). They discuss their delight at having Saulnier back in the director’s chair and Aaron Pierre’s breakout performance, before minting…

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…

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 weeke…

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 Silv…

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). Fi…

‘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 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 2…

‘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 1…

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…

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 Ma…

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 Domin…

Sean and Amanda dig into a heap of news that Sean missed while he was on vacation (0:55), including the latest on the MCU (1:25), the fall festival landscape (18:27), and the just-announced Britney Spears biopic (30:5r0). Then, they dive deep into M. Night Shyamalan’s latest, the twisty serial killer thriller ‘Trap’ (38:05). Hosts: Sean Fennessey a…

Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan to commemorate the career of one of America’s greatest directors, Sidney Lumet. They talk about him as a person, his path to becoming a workman director, his methodology, and his standout moments (1:00) before going through his entire filmography and choosing the 10 most essential entries in the canon (43:00…