The Big Picture: Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster

Published 2021-03-26; 1:29:22 by the feed.

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

The extraction calls the show “The Big Picture (The Ringer)” and the episode “Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of 'Black Widow,' and a Potential Oscars Disaster”.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins. Guests: Brian Koppelman.

Subject films: Being John Malkovich, Hard Eight (Sydney), Sexy Beast, Pi, The Virgin Suicides, Margin Call, Boyz n the Hood, Reservoir Dogs, Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989).

On the transcript: Unlabeled speakers; the opening segment is Sean and Amanda, then Sean interviews Brian. Pronoun flips and 'we' crossovers make some attributions uncertain, and the ads and intro are included at the top.

Added from the extractor's memory, not said

Name corrections in mangled_names are guesses from the speakers' context; 'Nicole' presumed to be Holofcener (surname not said); 'Mammoth' presumed Mamet; Jeffrey Jennedy presumed Eugenides

Films that came up

Claims (83)

industry (industry): Black Widow → Cruella. Cruella gets the same Disney+ premiere access treatment as Black Widow.
“Cruella is additionally arriving on May 28th on Disney+ in this same premiere access approach”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:02:53 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
programming (programming): Black Widow → WandaVision. Disney has the MCU TV shows going and could not wait any longer to release the film.
“they have something going with WandaVision and now Falcon and Winter Soldier”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:03:41 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
programming (programming): Black Widow → Spider-Man (Sony MCU film). The previous MCU film was Sony's Spider-Man about two years earlier, so the franchise had waited a long time.
“That wasn't even a Disney film.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:05:24 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Nobody → Death Wish. Nobody is a Bob Odenkirk revenge thriller in the spirit of Death Wish.
“the movie Nobody, the new Bob Odenkirk Revenge Thriller, this transformational Bob Odenkirk movie that's very much in the spirit of like Death Wish”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:07:33 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
programming (programming): Black Widow → Top Gun. Studios are reluctant to put Fast 9, Bond, Top Gun and Black Widow straight into theaters.
“And movies like Fast 9 or the new James Bond film or Top Gun or, you know, Black Widow.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:08:06 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Nomadland → Producers Guild Awards. The PGAs have predicted most recent Best Picture winners, pointing to a Nomadland sweep.
“the PGAs have predicted 15 of the past 20 best picture winners”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:11:05 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Steven Soderbergh → 2021 Oscars telecast. Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins produce the Oscars show.
“the Oscars producers, who are Stephen Soderberg, Stacy Sher, and Jesse Collins”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:12:37 · Amanda Dobbins (0.65 sure it was them)
programming (programming): Errol Morris → Citizen Kane. The Academy hired Errol Morris for short documentaries, one of which produced Donald Trump misreading Citizen Kane.
“he completely misreads Citizen Kane and misunderstands it and then kind of sort of predicts his own future in some respects”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:21:06 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Parasite → 1917. Last year was the rare time the PGAs missed: they picked 1917 and Parasite won.
“They went with 1917 and then parasite one.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:24:23 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Minari → Moonlight. Minari has been compared to Moonlight, which is also an A24 awards breakthrough.
“Minari has been compared in many ways to moonlight for a variety of reasons.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:26:08 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Minari → Nomadland. A24's Minari versus Searchlight's Nomadland would be a two-film race with no lesser evil.
“To me, there's no lesser of 2 evils here”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:26:23 · Amanda Dobbins (0.55 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if): Judas and the Black Messiah → Nomadland. It would be more exciting if Judas and the Black Messiah made noise against the Nomadland front-runner.
“it'd be more exciting to me if something like Judas and the Black Messiah started making a little bit more noise”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:26:30 · Amanda Dobbins (0.55 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Brian Koppelman → Sean Fennessey. Brian says his list is his favorite five, not the best five, because he had not seen everything.
“It's going to be my favorite 5 movies by these people”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:30:34 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
career (career): The Brothers Bloom → Brick. Rian Johnson's second film, flawed, still showed Brian a director with a gift for putting shots together.
“I remember seeing Ryan's 2nd film which is a more flawed film.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:32:21 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
people (people): The Brothers Bloom → Steven Soderbergh. Brian phoned Soderbergh after The Brothers Bloom to say you had to see how Rian puts shots together.
“I remember watching Ryan's 2nd movie and calling Soderberg”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:32:35 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
career (career): The Virgin Suicides → Sofia Coppola's later films. Brian says you can see all of Coppola's later films in her debut.
“you can see all her films from that film, like where where she was going”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:33:09 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Sex, Lies, and Videotape → Brick. Sex, Lies, and Videotape came out 17 or 18 years before Brick and felt like a different generation.
“this is 17, 18 years later”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:34:36 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): She's Gotta Have It → Brian Koppelman. No first film from this era influenced Brian more than She's Gotta Have It, but Spike Lee is just too old for the list.
“there's no 1st film of someone around this generation that influenced me more than she's got to have it”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:34:40 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
career (career): Joel and Ethan Coen → Spike Lee. The Coens are too old too: Ethan was born the same year as Spike.
“even Ethan, who's younger, was born, I think, the same year as Spike, 57”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:34:40 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Jim Jarmusch → Gen X directors. Jarmusch and John Sayles were 1980s independent cinema, now elder statesmen who inspired this generation.
“It's wild to me that Jarmush is now an elder statesman filmmaker”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:35:43 · Brian Koppelman (0.70 sure it was them)
career (career): Steven Soderbergh → Yes concert film. The Yes concert film was the first thing Soderbergh edited and shot.
“the yes concert film was the 1st thing that he edited and shot”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:36:14 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Walking and Talking → Bottle Rocket. Nicole's debut had romance in it and Wes's was about goofy teens; Brian wonders why she is not grouped with PTA and Wes.
“Wes's 1st movie, has is, you know, is about these goofy teens.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:38:51 · Brian Koppelman (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): Reservoir Dogs → Tarantino's unreleased first feature. Brian will not count Reservoir Dogs because Quentin made an earlier feature that was never properly distributed.
“I'm not because it was Quentin's 2nd feature and he made a feature before that.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:39:59 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): Being John Malkovich → a perfect album. Brian calls Being John Malkovich a perfect film that fully achieves its aim but is not his favorite.
“being John Malcolmich is nailed”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:41:21 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): District 9 → Brian Koppelman's top five. A hard cut: no one could argue against District 9 as a top-five first film.
“I couldn't argue with anybody who'd have District 9 as one of their 5 favorite 1st movies by a filmmaker.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:41:34 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
people (people): Bound → The Wachowskis. Brian's honorable mention Bound is by the Wachowskis.
“By the Wachowskis.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:41:55 · Sean Fennessey (0.55 sure it was them)
career (career): Away from Her → Stories We Tell. Sarah Polley's third film, a quasi-documentary, is also great.
“Her 3rd movie, which was the quasi documentary.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:43:31 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
career (career): Bottle Rocket → Rushmore. Brian came to Wes Anderson through Rushmore, so Bottle Rocket was just a world he knew was there.
“a Rushmore guy”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:43:56 · Brian Koppelman (0.75 sure it was them)
career (career): Walking and Talking → Nicole's later movies. Brian ranks her later movies higher but calls the debut an auspicious start.
“I think that Nicole's later movies were better, but I think walking and talking is an incredibly auspicious start to a career”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:44:05 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Ex Machina → Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Anchorman is a great directorial debut we do not rate as highly, because comedies are held in lower esteem.
“the anchorman question is about comedies in general”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:45:28 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
career (career): Ex Machina → Oscar Isaac. Ex Machina launched Oscar Isaac to the top of the A-list, a rare thing a film can do.
“He just jumped to the top of the A-list.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:46:16 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Kiss Kiss Bang Bang → Ex Machina. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is Shane Black's thing, while Garland came from nowhere and arrived fully formed.
“Which is whereas whereas Kiss, Kiss, K Bang, Bang, is Shane Black's thing.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:46:51 · Sean Fennessey (0.55 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): Ex Machina → Titanic filmmaker. Garland announces himself as a titanic filmmaker with his debut.
“Garland announces himself as like, a Titanic fucking filmmaker”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:47:23 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
career (career): Gone Baby Gone → Ex Machina. Affleck's actor debut turned out to be good, much like Ex Machina coming later in a career.
“that was much like X Machina.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:48:35 · Sean Fennessey (0.70 sure it was them)
career (career): Gone Baby Gone → Argo. Brian says Affleck made his best work two pictures later, Argo, with The Town also kick-ass.
“he made his best work 2 pictures later”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:48:49 · Brian Koppelman (0.75 sure it was them)
people (people): Being John Malkovich → John Cazale. Spike Jonze is the living John Cazale of directors: a very short filmography.
“He's like the living John Kazale of directors.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:50:15 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
people (people): Being John Malkovich → Charlie Kaufman. Kaufman's script is the star, but Jonze deserves credit for recognizing it and realizing it on screen.
“You got to credit Spike for for recognizing it and actualizing it.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:51:42 · Brian Koppelman (0.70 sure it was them)
people (people): Being John Malkovich → Charlie Kaufman. Sean sees Jonze and Kaufman as two artists who needed each other; Jonze made Kaufman's abstract ideas literal.
“Spike really was able to visualize and literalize a lot of Charlie's ideas, which are so abstract”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:52:04 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
career (career): Adaptation → Synecdoche, New York. Kaufman's first film as writer was Adaptation, not Synecdoche, which was his second as director; they flub it mid-conversation.
“No, that's his 2nd movie, man.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:52:23 · Brian Koppelman (0.50 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Hard Eight (Sydney) → David Mamet. PTA talks about Mamet's influence, but Brian says he threw it off more easily than Brian and his partner do.
“although PTA talks about Mammoth's influence”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:54:07 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Hard Eight (Sydney) → California. Brian says the film's voice is filtered through California, so it differs from Mamet.
“because it's filtered through California”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:54:19 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
people (people): Hard Eight (Sydney) → Gwyneth Paltrow. Playing someone less smart than herself was brave in her career, and she did it with no ego.
“For her to play somebody not as smart as she was, very brave in that spot in her career.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:55:50 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
people (people): Hard Eight (Sydney) → Philip Seymour Hoffman. Everything magical about Hoffman is in his one-minute scene.
“Everything magical about Filistino Hoffman is in this one minute sequence.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:56:34 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
career (career): Hard Eight (Sydney) → Phantom Thread. Phantom Thread is the hyper-disciplined piece PTA delivered after going very far afield.
“the next time he made just a hyper discipline piece was Phantom Thread”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:57:32 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Hard Eight (Sydney) → Jonathan Demme. The into-camera close-ups in the diner are Demme-like; it is like Scorsese and Demme together.
“It's like if Scorsese and Demi made something together in a lot of ways.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:58:17 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Hard Eight (Sydney) → Robert Altman. If you talk about its influences you have to talk about Altman too.
“you got to talk about Altman, I think too”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:58:47 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
career (career): Hard Eight (Sydney) → Boogie Nights. Seeing Hard Eight after Boogie Nights was like a first album that got bigger distribution once the second took off.
“It was a little bit of a like 1st album, 2nd album thing”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:59:18 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Hard Eight (Sydney) → Boogie Nights. Boogie Nights is about being young, Hard Eight about getting older, so it was the harder first film to see.
“Boogie Nights is about being young and heart 8 is about getting older”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:59:36 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Bound → Sexy Beast. Glazer ratchets tension in a gangster story much as Brian described the Wachowskis doing in Bound.
“ratchets tension, much like you were talking about with Bound”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:00:15 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Sexy Beast → Ex Machina. Glazer, like Garland, applies the control and style of music-video days to a conventional genre story.
“very similar to Garland, in so far as the amount of control and style”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:00:15 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
people (people): Sexy Beast → Ben Kingsley. Glazer got one of the great 21st-century performances out of Ben Kingsley.
“gets one of the great performances of the 21st century out of Ben Kingsley”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:00:43 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
career (career): Sexy Beast → Allison Anders. Sean links short CVs to Glazer and notes Anders got fewer shots and faded from memory.
“And then she didn't get as many shots.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:01:19 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
craft (craft): The Brothers Bloom → genre pieces. Brian prefers a twist on a genre, as in The Brothers Bloom, to straight genre like Sexy Beast.
“the brothers bloom, which is a twist on a genre, does”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:01:59 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
career (career): A Single Man → Todd Haynes. Brian cannot understand how Tom Ford made A Single Man, the way he cannot with Todd Haynes.
“sort of like the way I'd think about Todd Haynes”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:03:07 · Brian Koppelman (0.65 sure it was them)
career (career): Safe → Todd Haynes. Safe would be one or two on a list if it were a debut, but Haynes's first was Superstar.
“Because safe would be, you know, as one or 2 on my list”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:03:20 · Sean Fennessey (0.40 sure it was them)
people (people): Pi → Scarface. The most famous face in Pi is Mark Margolis, who played Sosa's assassin in Scarface.
“The most famous guy in it is the guy who was the assassin for Sosa”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:05:30 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
people (people): Pi → Paul Thomas Anderson. Watching Pi, you knew you were seeing a major filmmaker, as with PTA.
“You knew, that's another, like, PTA.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:06:20 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
career (career): Pi → Black Swan. Black Swan and The Wrestler are Brian's favorite Aronofsky films along with Pi.
“that Black Swan and the Wrestler, for me, are my 3 favorite of Darren's films”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:06:39 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
career (career): Pi → Mother. Sean likes Aronofsky and wishes a movie like Mother! were out this year.
“I wish that there was a movie like Mother coming out this year, honestly.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:06:59 · Sean Fennessey (0.75 sure it was them)
craft (craft): The Virgin Suicides → Lick the Stars. Coppola's short Lick the Stars shows her honing the approach she took to the novel.
“you can see in her short film that she's basically like honing the approach”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:07:22 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): The Virgin Suicides → Lost in Translation. Brian calls Lost in Translation as good as a movie can be and says Virgin Suicides is perfectly executed but just misses.
“lost in translation for me is, you know, just as good as a movie can be”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:08:46 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Margin Call → Oliver Stone. Oliver Stone is as big an influence on Brian's dialogue as anybody but Mamet.
“Oliver Stone's big an influence on the way that I write dialogue as anybody but Mammoth.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:09:43 · Brian Koppelman (0.65 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Margin Call → Wall Street. Brian says Margin Call is the best film about business and the two are the best movies on the subject.
“Wall Street and Margin Call of the 2 best movies about this”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:09:55 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
career (career): Margin Call → A Most Violent Year. Brian calls Chandor's later gangster-adjacent film a cousin to Hard Eight.
“it's actually like a cousin to heart 8 in a certain way”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:11:19 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
people (people): Margin Call → Stanley Tucci. The Tucci performance at the center is as good as anything you will see.
“There is a performance from Stanley Tucci in the center of that film.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:11:47 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
craft (craft): Margin Call → The Station Agent. The Station Agent was on Brian's potential list and shares tone and performances with Margin Call.
“there's something related Tom McCarthy's movie to it”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:12:08 · Brian Koppelman (0.75 sure it was them)
people (people): Margin Call → Zachary Quinto. Zachary Quinto produced Margin Call and gives a perfect performance.
“And Zach Kinto produced it”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:12:42 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
industry (industry): Boyz n the Hood → Hollywood opportunities. Without Boyz n the Hood the filmmakers getting opportunities now would not have them.
“would just would not have those opportunities, if not for a movie like Boys in the Hood”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:13:40 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
people (people): John Singleton → Billions. Singleton directed an episode of Billions for Brian.
“John directed episode 7 of season 2 of Billions.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:14:03 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
people (people): Boyz n the Hood → Laurence Fishburne. Fishburne's performance is the best; missing an Oscar is a crime against nature.
“How Larry Fishman doesn't have an Oscar from that movie.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:15:33 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
people (people): Boyz n the Hood → Ice Cube. Singleton wrote the part for Ice Cube, who blew his audition and was told to go home and prepare.
“So John writes the part for Ice Cube.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:16:10 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
lineage (lineage): Reservoir Dogs → New Hollywood. Reservoir Dogs was Sean's nearest experience of the 60s and 70s New Hollywood.
“this was as close as I was going to get to that in my in my lifetime.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:18:29 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): Boyz n the Hood → Reservoir Dogs. If Reservoir Dogs counted, Brian would have put it second and bumped Boyz to third.
“I would have bumped boys in the hood back to 3”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:19:15 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): Reservoir Dogs → Quentin's career. Brian thinks it is Tarantino's 4th or 5th best film.
“I think it's his 4th or 5th best film.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:19:22 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
verdict (verdict): Inglourious Basterds → Pulp Fiction. One host puts Basterds first and Pulp Fiction second among Tarantino's films, behind both Reservoir Dogs.
“I feel like Bastards is number one, pretty clearly, and Pulp Pickers is number 2 pretty clearly.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:19:31 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
people (people): Natural Born Killers → Quentin Tarantino. Brian loves the Tarantino script of Natural Born Killers but hates the Stone film.
“which I hate the movie, but I love the script”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:20:26 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
contrast (contrast): Pulp Fiction → Reservoir Dogs. Pulp Fiction, not Reservoir Dogs, made Tarantino important to Brian.
“what made him so important to me, is pulp fiction”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:20:44 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
people (people): Steven Soderbergh → Brian Koppelman. Brian has worked with Soderbergh three times.
“Yeah, 3 times.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:21:25 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
career (career): Sex, Lies, and Videotape → Brian Koppelman. Seeing it sent Brian to independent movies and a new way of watching.
“That what sent me to independent movies.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:23:23 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
people (people): Sex, Lies, and Videotape → James Spader. Only Spader ever reached that level again.
“Only Spaders ever touched the level of performance again.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:24:42 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
theme (theme): Sex, Lies, and Videotape → Margin Call. Both depict a moment in time; Sex, Lies depicted its moment 30 years before.
“30 years before the moment in time.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:25:11 · Brian Koppelman (0.70 sure it was them)
career (career): Steven Soderbergh → Sex, Lies, and Videotape. Brian says Soderbergh's later obsessions and technical command are on display in the debut.
“He's studying these obsessions that are going to define him for the next long period of time”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:26:16 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
career (career): Steven Soderbergh → The Girlfriend Experience. Sean uses The Girlfriend Experience and the Ocean's movies to show Soderbergh's range.
“think of the girlfriend experience and think of the oceans movie”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:26:51 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)

Fun items (27)

fun, about Black Widow: Disney moves Black Widow to July 9 on Disney+ Premier Access (and in theaters) which a theater owner feels is a kneecap.
“I honestly feel kneecapped. Disney is our lifeblood.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:04:12 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Snyder Cut: The hosts recorded a 4-hour-5-minute Snyder Cut episode.
“Thanks for listening to all 4 hours and 5 minutes.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:14:53 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Stories Matter (Oscars theme): Amanda hates the Oscars theme 'stories matter' and compares it to a corporate PowerPoint.
“I just can't set through like a PowerPoint deck presentation of an Oscar show, which is what stories matter is.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:17:19 · Amanda Dobbins (0.75 sure it was them)
fun, about Errol Morris: Idea for the Oscars: hire people like Morris to make short documentaries, like the one with Donald Trump misreading Citizen Kane.
“he completely misreads Citizen Kane and misunderstands it”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:21:06 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about (Oscars telecast): Joke: a purple 'stories matter' sweatshirt with 'monetize me, daddy' on the back.
“It's a purple sweatshirt. and on the back it says, monetize me, daddy.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:22:26 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Quentin Tarantino: Reservoir Dogs is disqualified for Brian because Tarantino disowned his earlier first feature, never properly distributed.
“he's disowned it as a formal part of his filmography”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:40:29 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
fun, about Bound: Brian watched Bound at 29 and had to stand at the back of the theater white-knuckling the wall.
“I remember going to the back of the theater and just standing against the wall in the back of the theater”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:42:50 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
fun, about Away from Her: Brian: perfect but too sad to rewatch.
“It's just not, it's too sad to watch over and over again.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:43:24 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Being John Malkovich: Malkovich told Brian that Spike would say 'John Malkovich wouldn't do it that way' on set.
“he'd say, John Malkovich wouldn't do it that way.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:50:53 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
fun, about Being John Malkovich: Brian relishes using the word 'Malcatraz' legitimately.
“getting to use the expression Malcatraz in your life in a legitimate way”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:51:47 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Hard Eight (Sydney): Brian says the studio forced the title Hard Eight in exchange for letting Paul keep his cut; Brian insists on calling it Sydney.
“if we're going to do it for this list, we have to call it Sydney, right?”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:52:58 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
fun, about Hard Eight (Sydney): Brian watched the Hard Eight commentary many times; PTA limited Gwyneth Paltrow's and John C. Reilly's use of props like the cigarette.
“How he limited the amount of time she could go to the cigarette because he didn't want her using props”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:55:35 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
fun, about Philip Seymour Hoffman: Brian tried to get Hoffman into a movie on an airplane, but he did not want to do a gangster film.
“He wouldn't do it before he was super famous.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:56:20 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Hard Eight (Sydney): See the diner opening: the cigarette goes into the ashtray and the camera starts moving.
“the cigarette goes to the ashtray and the camera moves down and then we're moving.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 0:58:30 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Pi: Brian's pick for #4: made for nothing, in black and white, with friends, about stock-market algorithms and Kabbalah.
“he made it for nothing in black and white with his friends, and nobody famous.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:05:15 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
fun, about Pi: The most famous actor in Pi is Mark Margolis, from Scarface and Breaking Bad.
“Mark Margolis from who was also on Breaking Dead.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:05:43 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
fun, about The Virgin Suicides: Coppola made it while under fire as the person blamed for ruining a famous franchise.
“She was considered to be the person who ruined.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:08:24 · Brian Koppelman (0.75 sure it was them)
fun, about Margin Call: Brian knows almost every word; it was shot in about 11 days.
“It was shot in like 11 days.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:11:35 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
fun, about Margin Call: Revisit the boardroom scene where Jeremy Irons shows up, and the 'more lucrative' rocket-scientist answer.
“I just fire up the scene where Jeremy Iron shows up in the boardroom.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:12:20 · Sean Fennessey (0.65 sure it was them)
fun, about Boyz n the Hood: See Fishburne playing with ball bearings while waiting for night to fall.
“When, He is playing with those uh, gold balls in his hand.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:15:40 · Brian Koppelman (0.80 sure it was them)
fun, about Boyz n the Hood: Ice Cube blew his audition and John Singleton, 24, told him to go home, study and return.
“Go the fuck home, and you imagine saying to the ice cube, go the fuck home, and study.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:16:58 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
fun, about John Singleton: Brian and Levine were slated to work with Singleton; he was due to meet them the week he died.
“And he was supposed to fly into New York to meet with Dave and me the week that he died.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:17:14 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
fun, about Reservoir Dogs: Sean says he would not be doing the podcast or anything at The Ringer without Reservoir Dogs.
“I probably would certainly not be doing it.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:17:53 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
fun, about Pulp Fiction: Brian saw it opening night in 1994 and promised himself he would become a filmmaker.
“that's probably when I made the promise to myself that I would find a way to become a filmmaker.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:19:49 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
fun, about Natural Born Killers: Brian read Tarantino's script first and prefers it.
“I had read Quentin's Natural More killer script first.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:20:23 · Brian Koppelman (0.85 sure it was them)
fun, about Sex, Lies, and Videotape: Brian saw the first post-Sundance New York screening at the Ziegfeld with no idea what to expect.
“So this was the 1st screening after Sundance in New York once it was a thing.”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:22:35 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)
fun, about Steven Soderbergh: Brian recommends Soderbergh's book, which pairs the screenplay with his journal.
“the book has the screenplay in his journal”
The Big Picture · Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster · 1:23:52 · Brian Koppelman (0.90 sure it was them)

Who's talking

Sean Fennessey (host): Loves tightly engineered, kinetic filmmaking and sharp dialogue (Reservoir Dogs reorganized his brain chemistry) and filmmakers who arrive fully formed. Respects Soderbergh and Aronofsky. Quick to see craft lineage between directors and enthusiastic about unfussy, carefully built genre.
Amanda Dobbins (host): Loves Soderbergh almost inappropriately, and Minari-style personal warmth. Allergic to corporate storytelling talk like 'stories matter' and wants the Oscars weird. Wants the Oscars to try pre-produced films and montages.
Brian Koppelman (guest): Obsessed with filmmaking as an act and with first films that announce a master; loves tension (Bound), dialogue, perfect-album movies, and the Mamet-Oliver Stone lineage. Likes genre twists over straight genre and champions overlooked directors like J.C. Chandor. Can't connect with Sexy Beast.

The show's recurring bits

Drafts: Hosts and guests draft films in rounds; every pick is a recommendation with an argument.
Hall of Fame: A star's or director's best, ranked and argued.
Countdowns: Ranked lists, top five or top ten.

Names the transcriber got wrong

Sean Fantasy → Sean Fennessey
Amanda Dobins → Amanda Dobbins
Brian Kopelman / Brian compliment → Brian Koppelman
Soderberg / Stephen → Steven Soderbergh
Spike Jones → Spike Jonze
Sarah Polly / Sarpology → Sarah Polley
Mammoth → David Mamet
Demi → Jonathan Demme
Silence and the Lambs → The Silence of the Lambs
Jonathan Glaser → Jonathan Glazer
Denise Villeneuve → Denis Villeneuve
Aronovsky → Aronofsky
Ben Shankman / Sheckman → Ben Shenkman
Filistino Hoffman / Seymerhoff → Philip Seymour Hoffman
JC Shander → J.C. Chandor
Jeremy Iron → Jeremy Irons
Zach Kinto → Zachary Quinto
Larry Fishman → Laurence Fishburne
Ryan Johnson → Rian Johnson
Jeffrey Jennedy → Jeffrey Eugenides
Synectake → Synecdoche
Zig field → Ziegfeld
Boys in the Hood → Boyz n the Hood
heart 8 → Hard Eight
Mads Michelson → Mads Mikkelsen
Winterberg → Vinterberg
Chloe Jao → Chloe Zhao
Alison Anders → Allison Anders
Cones → Coens
Bastards → Basterds
Annie McDowell → Andie MacDowell
John Sales → John Sayles
Malcolmich → Malkovich
Fishman → Fishburne
sent me back to the gym drummer → garbled, unclear

The Big Picture: Top Five Gen X Director Debuts, the Fate of ‘Black Widow,’ and a Potential Oscars Disaster

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

Added from the extractor's memory, not said

Films that came up

passing (28)

subject (10)

compared (22)

anecdote (7)

dismissed (11)

recommended (1)

Claims (83)

Fun items (27)

Who's talking

The show's recurring bits

Names the transcriber got wrong