The Big Picture
Hosted by Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan & Sean Fantasy · 20 decoded episodes · newest Oct 6, 2026
Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins review the movies you need to see. Plus: Top 5s, Movie Drafts, Oscars analysis, and more. Subscribe to Sean's newsletter, Projections, here.
Episodes 20
- Sep 1, 2026 · 1h 32mFall movies turn the Oscar race into an open fieldSean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins map the fall release calendar, its box-office bets, and the awards narratives already taking shape.
- Aug 28, 2026 · 2h 0mRidley Scott’s filmography faces its ultimate rankingThe episode tests whether Scott’s visual command can outweigh uneven storytelling across a 30-film career.
- Aug 25, 2026 · 1h 52mA flop draft turns movie failure into a judgment callThe panel tests whether commercial losses, critical disasters, career damage, and later cult status can belong in the same category.
- Aug 21, 2026 · 1h 48mTony turns Bourdain’s origin story into a study of self-inventionThe episode examines how a film can portray a beloved artist honestly without repeating the mythology that made him famous.
- Aug 18, 2026 · 2h 34mA dinosaur thriller tests Marvel’s franchise logic and Hollywood riskThe episode links blockbuster filmmaking, high-concept cinema, and community-based production through debates over originality, control, and creative risk.
- Aug 14, 2026 · 1h 57mCamp Miasma turns slasher nostalgia into trans horror satireThe episode examines how Jane Schoenbrun’s film uses genre memory, franchise logic, and intimacy to rethink who gets seen in horror.
- Aug 11, 2026 · 2h 40mPatrick Fischler explains the long game of character actingThe episode pairs a candid account of Hollywood’s instability with a wide-ranging argument about how audiences, critics, and actors sustain movie culture.
- Aug 7, 2026 · 2h 16mA flawed new rom-com sparks a 25-year canon debateThe conversation tests what still qualifies as a romantic comedy while confronting the genre’s shrinking theatrical footprint and expanding boundaries.