Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins review the movies you need to see. Plus: Top 5s, Movie Drafts, Oscars analysis, and more, featuring a rotating cast of Ringer ...
The 10 Most Intriguing Movies at the Cannes Film Festival. Plus: ‘Warfare’ Is Hell, With Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza.
Sean and Amanda begin the episode with their instant reactions to the official announcement of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival lineup. They share their overall mixed feelings about the slate, attempt to figure out why some notable films missed the cut, and debate whether or not Sean would be capable of taking a three-month movie sabbatical (1:45). Then, Chris Ryan joins the show to cover Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s new combat drama, ‘Warfare,’ to discuss how emotionally affecting the film is and examine its use of differing perspectives (29:22). Finally, Sean is joined by Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza to explore the intentions behind ‘Warfare,’ then work through the importance of memory and examine how it plays a critical part in the storytelling of the film (1:02:40).
Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Guests: Alex Garland, Ray Mendoza, and Chris Ryan
Producer: Jack Sanders
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1:43:10
The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 23, ‘Something’s Gotta Give’
Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. They discuss Nancy Meyers’s ‘Something’s Gotta Give,’ the 2003 romantic comedy starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson, which featured some of the most realized and developed characters of the century. They highlight and celebrate Meyers’s auteurist vision, argue why it’s the last great studio romantic comedy, and remember one of Jack Nicholson’s final performances that featured an incredible balance of his powerful charisma and uglier, stranger side.
Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Producer: Jack Sanders
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48:16
‘A Minecraft Movie’ Is the Most Important Movie of the Year So Far. And These Flicks Are the Best …
Sean and Amanda cover the absolute box office phenomenon ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ a video game adaptation starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa. They explore the event film of the year and discuss why the theatergoing experience of the film is such a great thing for the industry at large (1:08). Then, they give a Movie State of the Union, where they work through the troubling slate of early 2025 movies and consider whether television is currently “beating” movies (22:05). Finally, in an attempt to end the episode on an optimistic note, they highlight some movies they’ve enjoyed in 2025 and share their list of the best movies of the year so far (54:05).
Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Producer: Jack Sanders
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1:30:39
The 15 Most Anticipated Movies at CinemaCon, and Our Trip to Las Vegas!
Sean and Amanda recap their recent trip to Las Vegas for CinemaCon and catch up on the latest news from around the industry, including some exclusive insight on the ‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’ sort-of sequel, which will reportedly be directed by David Fincher (0:45). Then, they are joined by Puck’s Matt Belloni to talk about their 15 most anticipated movies from CinemaCon (28:43).
Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Guest: Matthew Belloni
Producers: Jon Jones and Marcelino Ortiz
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1:37:54
The Gen Z Movie Focus Group
Amanda is joined by The Ringer’s very own Jomi Adeniran, Jade Whaley, and Jack Sanders to convey the first (and possibly last) Gen Z Movie Focus Group! They discuss how they watched movies growing up versus today, debate what is the most important movie to Gen Z, and assess whether movies are “so back” or “so over.”Host: Amanda Dobbins
Guests: Jomi Adeniran, Jade Whaley, and Jack Sanders
Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner
Video Producers: Jack Sanders and Cory McConnell
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Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins review the movies you need to see. Plus: Top 5s, Movie Drafts, Oscars analysis, and more, featuring a rotating cast of Ringer colleagues like Chris Ryan, Van Lathan, and Bill Simmons.