The Big Picture: The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’

Published 2025-09-24; 0:46:58 by the feed.

As extracted (engineer-sonnet-2026-10-13)

The extraction calls the show “The Big Picture (The Ringer)” and the episode “The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street'”.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins. Guests: none.

Subject films: The Wolf of Wall Street (2013).

On the transcript: No speaker labels and Fennessey/Dobbins trade lines quickly, so most attributions are low-confidence. The transcript contains State Farm and Coca-Cola ad reads, which are not episode content.

Films that came up

passing (11)

Sinners · The Aviator · The Departed · Shutter Island · Hugo · Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (TV) · Titanic · Romeo + Juliet · J. Edgar · Body of Lies · Revolutionary Road

subject (1)

The Wolf of Wall Street

anecdote (5)

Mr. Scorsese (Apple documentary, dir. Rebecca Miller) · Megalopolis · Frankenstein (Guillermo del Toro) · This Boy's Life · Bounty Law (show-within-the-film)

compared (10)

Gangs of New York · Silence · The Irishman · Killers of the Flower Moon · One Battle After Another · Raging Bull (Jake LaMotta) · The King of Comedy (Rupert Pupkin) · Taxi Driver · Goodfellas · Don't Look Up

recommended (8)

Django Unchained · Once Upon a Time in Hollywood · Catch Me If You Can · Boiler Room · Margin Call · Industry (TV series) · Wall Street · The Big Short

dismissed (1)

The Revenant

Claims (58)

  1. people (director): Mr. Scorsese (Apple documentary, dir. Rebecca Miller) → Rebecca Miller. The five-hour Apple documentary is directed by Rebecca Miller.
    “directed by Rebecca Miller that is an extraordinary all access look at his entire career and his life”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:02:52 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
  2. unmapped (reappraisal): The Wolf of Wall Street → Mr. Scorsese (Apple documentary, dir. Rebecca Miller). Watching the documentary colors a host's regret about Wolf's placement at 11.
    “That's going to color this conversation and maybe some of my regret around its placement at number 11.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:03:10 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
  3. craft (style culmination): The Wolf of Wall Street → Martin Scorsese. Wolf is the apotheosis of a hyperkinetic style Scorsese developed in the 21st century.
    “it's like the final boss of a thing he developed in the 21st century as a director.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:03:29 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
  4. what-if (alternate Scorsese pick): Silence → The Wolf of Wall Street. Silence was the rival pick as a culmination of Scorsese's interests.
    “There is a real heads case for silence. There's a real... as another as another culmination of what he is interested in.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:04:40 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  5. people (performance cost): Silence → Andrew Garfield. Garfield went method as a monk for three years, which the speaker blames for his breakup with Emma Stone.
    “Andrew Garfield was like, yeah, I just went method as a monk for 3 years or whatever.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:05:10 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  6. theme (durational Scorsese era): Silence → The Wolf of Wall Street. Shutter Island, Hugo, Wolf, Silence, The Irishman and Killers are all durational films about his obsessions.
    “Shutter Island, Hugo, the Wolf of Wall Street, silence the Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon, all of which are these kind of durational films.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:06:13 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  7. industry (financing / star power): The Wolf of Wall Street → Leonardo DiCaprio. Leo raised the money and attached Scorsese and the cast, which let an extreme film get made without a studio.
    “the idea that it was DiCaprio, who went out and raised the funds to get this movie made”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:11:02 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  8. unmapped (self-reference: intentional ugliness): The Wolf of Wall Street → The Wolf of Wall Street. The film builds to its darkest scene with Margot Robbie to show Belfort is not to be celebrated.
    “You're not supposed to celebrate him.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:14:19 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  9. unmapped (needle drops): The Wolf of Wall Street → Martin Scorsese. More than 30 needle drops make this the pinnacle of Scorsese's montage style.
    “there are more than 30 needle drops in the movie. They are, uh, I would argue the pinnacle of him doing that.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:14:31 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  10. craft (music): The Wolf of Wall Street → Robbie Robertson. Scorsese and Robertson were obsessed with the hungry, lascivious blues records used in the soundtrack.
    “a kind of like, um, Hungry, lascivious quality to some of those blues records that Scorsese and Robbie Robertson were obsessed with”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:15:02 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
  11. theme (literary echo): The Wolf of Wall Street → Paradise Lost (Milton). Belfort descending into hell as the lights change reads as Paradise Lost.
    “Yeah, that's the Paradise Lost, you know, yeah.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:16:07 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  12. unmapped (painting reference): The Wolf of Wall Street → Francis Bacon. Bacchanal tableaux reference the Last Supper and Francis Bacon.
    “Sometimes it's the last supper. Sometimes it's Francis Bacon and like the disgusting nature of the human soul.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:16:25 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  13. unmapped (shared star / timing): The Wolf of Wall Street → One Battle After Another. Wolf is a perfectly timed pick going into One Battle After Another because of the Leo of it all.
    “we've been talking a lot about what perfect timing this is going into one battle after another. And obviously a lot of that is to do with the Leo of it all.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:16:42 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  14. lineage (influence / humor): The Wolf of Wall Street → One Battle After Another. Scorsese influenced PTA, and the uncomfortable-laughter humor of Wolf is very PTA.
    “Scorsese is a huge influence on all filmmakers, including PTA, and there is a, like, a really screwed up level to the humor in this movie that is that is very PTA as well”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:16:54 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  15. unmapped (period reference): The Wolf of Wall Street → Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (TV). The film uses Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and Robin Leach to place its 80s-excess world.
    “And the use of lifestyles of the rich and famous? and Robin Leach in this movie.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:17:55 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  16. unmapped (cultural prophecy): The Wolf of Wall Street → Donald Trump. The film presages Trump's locker-room-talk persona and shows Trump Tower and an infomercial pitch to America.
    “This movie presages the locker room talk, Donald Trump stand-up by just a couple of years, you know?”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:18:17 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  17. theme (shared theme): The Wolf of Wall Street → Taxi Driver. All Scorsese movies are about guys chasing something they think will ease unresolved pain.
    “all the Scorsese movies are all about these unresolved pains, you know, the desire to be more famous, the desire to be more successful”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:19:53 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  18. unmapped (unexplained protagonist): The Wolf of Wall Street → Raging Bull (Jake LaMotta). Scorsese's leads are products of their environment with no origin-story trauma offered as excuse.
    “Jake Lamata or Rupert Pupkin or um, the underground man and taxi driver, like, They just are as they are.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:21:42 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  19. unmapped (unexplained protagonist): The Wolf of Wall Street → The King of Comedy (Rupert Pupkin). Same Scorsese pattern: the character is not explained away by backstory.
    “Jake Lamata or Rupert Pupkin or um, the underground man and taxi driver, like, They just are as they are.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:21:42 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  20. unmapped (unexplained protagonist): The Wolf of Wall Street → Taxi Driver. The underground man of Taxi Driver is cited as another Scorsese lead who simply is as he is.
    “Jake Lamata or Rupert Pupkin or um, the underground man and taxi driver, like, They just are as they are.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:21:42 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  21. unmapped (charismatic criminal): The Wolf of Wall Street → Goodfellas. Both lead characters are exciting and funny to watch without being excused.
    “Henry Hill is very attractive and exciting to watch in Goodfellas.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:22:22 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  22. unmapped (physical comedy): The Wolf of Wall Street → Buster Keaton. The quaalude sequence is called Buster Keaton-esque.
    “That whole sequence is a wild, Buster Keaton-esque, misremembered genius moment.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:24:59 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  23. career (passion-project parallel): Gangs of New York → One Battle After Another. PTA has been trying to get One Battle off the ground for ten years as Scorsese did with Gangs for decades.
    “I mean, PCA has been trying to get one battle off the ground for 10 years.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:26:35 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  24. career (passion-project warning): Gangs of New York → Megalopolis. Decades-long passion projects rarely pan out; Megalopolis is the cautionary example.
    “Has anyone been like, yeah, that was it. nailed that. Megalopolis.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:26:47 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  25. career (passion project): Guillermo del Toro → Frankenstein. Del Toro has spent 30 years trying to make Frankenstein.
    “Guillermo Del Toro has been trying to make Frankenstein for 30 years.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:26:56 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  26. lineage (influence): Leonardo DiCaprio → Robert De Niro. Leo met De Niro on This Boy's Life, watched every De Niro movie and got hip to Scorsese through them.
    “He met De Niro working on this boy's life and he watched every De Niro movie and he really connected with the De Niro Scorsese movies.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:27:15 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  27. career (career turning point): Leonardo DiCaprio → Titanic. After Titanic Leo made it his mission to work with Scorsese.
    “he made it his mission after Titanic to get Scorsese movies.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:27:23 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  28. lineage (career origin): The Wolf of Wall Street → Gangs of New York. Leo arrived in Scorsese's world at Gangs of New York, which led to The Departed, Shutter Island and better Leo roles.
    “if he doesn't make it, then you don't get the departed, you know, and you don't get Shutter Island and you don't get all these much more interesting Leo performances.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:27:43 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  29. verdict (best performance candidate): Django Unchained → Leonardo DiCaprio. Calvin Candie is offered as one of the great villains of the last 20 years and Leo's bravest turn.
    “As Calvin Candy, one of the great villains from the last 20 years, and he is, he just pulls no punches in that movie.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:28:11 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  30. unmapped (unsympathetic subjects): J. Edgar → Leonardo DiCaprio. Leo has played J. Edgar Hoover and other complicated, not-nice figures in American history.
    “he had previously also just played Jager Hoover. He clearly is not afraid of complicated, not nice people in American history.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:28:32 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  31. theme (dismissive comparison): The Revenant → The Wolf of Wall Street. The Revenant won the Oscar but is merely physical; Wolf demands as much and more.
    “Which is a great physical performance. Who cares? So is this.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:28:48 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  32. verdict (best performance candidate): Once Upon a Time in Hollywood → Leonardo DiCaprio. A host argues Once Upon a Time is probably Leo's best performance, citing the Bounty Law trailer breakdown.
    “I could argue that that once upon a time, probably, is his, is his best performance.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:29:08 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  33. unmapped (scene partner): Once Upon a Time in Hollywood → Tim Olyphant. Leo plays a day player opposite Olyphant on a different show's set during the Bounty Law crying scene.
    “That's when he's playing as like a day player opposite Tim Elephant.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:29:27 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  34. people (performance register): The Wolf of Wall Street → One Battle After Another. Leo is loose and funny in both, and in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
    “He's very loose in one battle after another. He's very loose in once upon a time in Hollywood, and he's very loose in this movie.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:30:13 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  35. unmapped (chronology): The Revenant → The Wolf of Wall Street. The Revenant came right after Wolf, which is why one host left Wolf off a list of Leo's comic-turn films.
    “I didn't include this movie when I was thinking about this because the revenant came right after it.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:30:30 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  36. career (career phase): The Wolf of Wall Street → Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Wolf sits in DiCaprio's run of comic-dramatic roles alongside Once Upon a Time, Don't Look Up, Killers of the Flower Moon and One Battle.
    “this movie is in the same league with, once upon a time in Hollywood, don't look up, Killers of the Flower Moon, or one bad after another, where he's getting a lot of laughs in the movie.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:30:36 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  37. career (career contrast): The Wolf of Wall Street → Revolutionary Road. Before this comic pivot Leo was too self-serious in heavy films like Body of Lies and Revolutionary Road.
    “No, he was too self serious. A body of lies and revolutionary roads.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:30:45 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  38. craft (narrator structure): The Wolf of Wall Street → Goodfellas. Belfort, like Henry Hill, is the narrator and our way into the world while we watch him get lost in it.
    “Well, like like Henry Hill, he is also, the movie is about him, but he is our way into the movie.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:31:37 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  39. unmapped (scene praise): The Wolf of Wall Street → Kyle Chandler. The yacht scene and Chandler's closing subway moment add nuance about the FBI.
    “we do cut to Kyle Chandler, and he sees the headline about Belfort after he's been arrested and sentenced to prison time”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:33:50 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  40. craft (craft): The Wolf of Wall Street → The Lemonheads. The Lemonheads' 'Mrs. Robinson' is the pitch-perfect, jarring needle drop for the Stratton Oakmont raid.
    “the needle drop is uh, the lemon heads, Mrs. Robinson”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:34:52 · Sean Fennessey or Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  41. verdict (performance ranking): Catch Me If You Can → The Wolf of Wall Street. Catch Me If You Can is offered as runner-up to Wolf for best Leo performance of the century.
    “I wanted to come back to it as like, to me, this is maybe the runner-up to Wolf of Wall Street.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:36:03 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  42. people (casting): Catch Me If You Can → Tom Hanks. The daddy issues pay off in scenes with Hanks, 'America's dad', and Christopher Walken.
    “a lot more daddy issue, Christopher Walken stuff, which, you know, pays off in the scenes with Tom Hanks, America's dad.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:36:08 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  43. career (career stage): Catch Me If You Can → Titanic. Catch Me is the springboard where Leo learned to give a more mature performance, after the Titanic generation.
    “I feel like it's the movie where he learns how to give a more mature performance.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:36:30 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  44. contrast (contrast: explained vs unexplained): Catch Me If You Can → The Wolf of Wall Street. Catch Me has the daddy-issues backstory that Wolf pointedly omits.
    “It does have some of the trappings of explaining why someone is the way that they are that we're talking about that you don't necessarily have to do.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:36:39 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  45. people (director tendency): Catch Me If You Can → Steven Spielberg. Spielberg is prone to daddy-issues movies, which explains Catch Me's backstory.
    “Spielberg is obviously prone to daddy issues movies.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:36:51 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  46. unmapped (real figure / cultural memory): The Wolf of Wall Street → Steve Madden. Steve Madden's pump-and-dump appears in Wolf, and the host remembers 90s Madden loafers.
    “Steve Madden being a crucial figure of this movie is just very important.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:38:00 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  47. unmapped (documentary coverage): Silence → Mr. Scorsese (Apple documentary, dir. Rebecca Miller). Silence gets significant time in the Apple documentary because it is so important to Scorsese.
    “silence gets some time in this Apple documentary.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:41:25 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  48. what-if (alternate pick): The Irishman → The Wolf of Wall Street. The Irishman would have been worthy but is more divisive.
    “I think the Irishman is also would have been worthy of exploration.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:41:40 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  49. lineage (genre lineage): Industry → The Wolf of Wall Street. The TV show Industry belongs to the same lineage of finance stories.
    “Boiler room, margin call and industry.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:42:18 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
  50. lineage (genre lineage): Boiler Room → The Wolf of Wall Street. Boiler Room, Margin Call and Industry are finance-bro stories that Wolf tops as the mothership.
    “if you like these movies about how all the finance bros aren't living the good life, but also maybe not, you know, then this is the ultimate.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:42:22 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  51. lineage (genre lineage): Margin Call → The Wolf of Wall Street. Margin Call is in the finance-movie family that Wolf is the mothership of.
    “This is, you know, the mothership.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:42:33 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  52. lineage (lineage / scale): Wall Street → The Wolf of Wall Street. Oliver Stone's Wall Street is part of the lineage but feels small beside Wolf.
    “That movie feels very small compared to Wolf of Wall Street.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:42:46 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
  53. people (director): Wall Street → Oliver Stone. Wall Street is Oliver Stone's movie; Stone is not among the speaker's favorites in the Stone episode.
    “it's not my favorite as we've when we did our stone episode, it's not really high for me personally.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:42:55 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
  54. theme (scene parallel): The Wolf of Wall Street → The Big Short. Margot Robbie in the bathtub explaining finance to camera mirrors The Big Short's device.
    “Margot Robbie in a bathtub and direct to camera speaking about, um, financial things, but and like simplifying them.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:43:45 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  55. unmapped (twin film): The Big Short → The Wolf of Wall Street. Both respond to the financial crash era, and both use direct address and a bathtub explanation.
    “They're they're really twin in a lot of ways.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:43:56 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  56. people (director's early work): The Big Short → Adam McKay. McKay's first few sociopolitical comedies are good despite the turn on him.
    “those couple of 1st few like, um, sociopolitical comedies that he made are really good.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:44:02 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  57. unmapped (accomplishes more): The Big Short → The Wolf of Wall Street. Wolf accomplishes much of what The Big Short is trying to say, though Big Short is more specific.
    “there is a lot that the Wolf of Wall Street accomplishes. that obviate some of the big short as well.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:44:13 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  58. unmapped (anticipation): The Wolf of Wall Street → Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The anticipation for One Battle matches the last time a host felt this way, at Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
    “The last time this happened was once upon a time in Hollywood.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:44:45 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)

Fun items (23)

  1. fun, about The Wolf of Wall Street: Dobbins texted Fennessey 48 minutes into the rewatch asking if this is the greatest movie ever made, even though it sits at only No. 11 on the list.
    “about 48 minutes into it. I texted you, is this the greatest movie ever made?”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:01:57 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. fun, about The Wolf of Wall Street: Fennessey says the film is the 'final boss' of a hyperkinetic style Scorsese built in the 21st century.
    “it's like the final boss of a thing he developed in the 21st century as a director.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:03:29 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
  3. fun, about Silence: A host credits Silence for breaking up Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone after Garfield stayed method as a monk for three years; the joke is the grim line 'no great art without great sacrifice.'
    “There's no great art without great sacrifice.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:05:22 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  4. fun, about The Irishman: Dobbins calls The Irishman the most underrated film on the list and says the people who dislike it are wrong.
    “Which I think is the most underrated film on this list.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:05:29 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  5. fun, about Jordan Belfort: Belfort breaks character twice: the secretary who married a broker whose suicide follows, and Brad's death at 35, compared to Mozart.
    “And then he compares him to Mozart and he says, I don't know why that popped into my head.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:09:49 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  6. fun, about Leonardo DiCaprio: The film was financed independently because no studio would have allowed Leo to blow cocaine out of a prostitute's behind in the first five minutes.
    “I don't think a studio would have allowed for Leo to blow cocaine out of a prostitute's ass in the 1st 5 minutes of the movie.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:10:33 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  7. fun, about The Wolf of Wall Street: Leo raised $100 million himself and the film became Scorsese's biggest hit, $400 million worldwide, with some dubious money in the financing that echoes the story.
    “he raised $100 million. Got Scorsese attached, attached this incredible cast.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:11:18 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  8. fun, about The Wolf of Wall Street: The financing itself had misdeeds that mirror the movie's story; summed up as no way to do anything at scale in America cleanly.
    “There's no way to do it cleanly.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:12:14 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  9. fun, about The Wolf of Wall Street: Fennessey claims the film is roughly 80 percent montage, with moments of Leo speaking straight to camera standing out.
    “it is like roughly 80% montage.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:12:36 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  10. fun, about The Wolf of Wall Street: Slowed-down blues over the bacchanalia, where lights change and sound drops out until the camera finds Belfort gleeful and regretful, reads as him descending into hell.
    “you can almost feel Jordan like descending into hell or like, or he's being portrayed as Satan.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:15:33 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
  11. fun, about The Wolf of Wall Street: A host recognizes the Nassau County cop car and strip mall from a Long Island childhood.
    “it's a Nassau County, uh, cop car. And I'm like, I grew up seeing that cop all the time.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:18:52 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  12. fun, about The Wolf of Wall Street: A host points out the film plays into the Gen Z and young millennial audience, a frat-dude dorm-poster movie that many miss the point of.
    “this is a prime frat dude, dorm poster movie.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:24:07 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  13. fun, about Leonardo DiCaprio: Leo counted at 18 feature films this century, and One Battle will be his 19th or 20th, which became a counting joke.
    “One battle after another will be either his 19th or 20th feature film this century.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:25:34 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  14. fun, about Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: The Bounty Law trailer breakdown, where Leo plays a day player opposite Tim Olyphant, will be near the top of his reel.
    “But him in the trailer breaking down is that's going to be near the top of his reel at the end of his career.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:29:30 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  15. fun, about The Wolf of Wall Street: The quaalude sequence is hailed as Buster Keaton-esque; one host wants it at the top of Leo's career reel.
    “Quaaludes will and should also be at the time. at the top of my reel.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:29:36 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  16. fun, about Leonardo DiCaprio: The wedding dance to a 60-year-old blues song: a host did not know Leo could dance and loved how loose he is.
    “I had forgotten the dancing at the wedding. I love that.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:29:43 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  17. fun, about The Wolf of Wall Street: On the yacht, a host found themselves rooting for Leo against the FBI agent; the bribery story ends with the mom dying in surgery.
    “by the end of the scene, I was rooting for... for Leo.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:32:58 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  18. fun, about Kyle Chandler: Chandler's FBI agent has a quiet end-of-film subway moment reflecting on whether government work is wasting his life; most movies would skip that nuance.
    “he has a quiet moment of reflection about what his life is and what he does.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:34:00 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  19. fun, about The Wolf of Wall Street: The Lemonheads' Mrs. Robinson plays under the Stratton Oakmont raid, a pitch-perfect jarring needle drop, with a plastics-for-everyone gag.
    “the needle drop is uh, the lemon heads, Mrs. Robinson”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:34:52 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  20. fun, about Jonah Hill: Jonah Hill's Donnie Azoff is praised as phenomenal, with the hair, glasses and running from cops in the strip mall called out.
    “Jonah Hill, was phenomenal in this movie, super funny.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:37:18 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  21. fun, about Steve Madden: Dobbins tells of 90s Steve Madden four-inch chunky loafers on Long Island, towering over 13-year-old boys, and the pump-and-dump that sidelined him.
    “the chunky 4 inch loafer heel.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:39:37 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  22. fun, about Silence: One host saw Silence alone in a theater around Christmas, calling it the movie event of the year; it opened December 23, 2016.
    “It was like the movie event of the year for me.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:40:45 · unknown (0.40 sure it was them)
  23. fun, about Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: Fennessey says seeing Once Upon a Time at an ArcLight screening made it a forever movie, and says he feels the same hunger now for One Battle After Another.
    “as soon as it was over, I was like forever movie.”
    The Big Picture · The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 11 - 'The Wolf of Wall Street’ · 0:45:03 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)

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