Amanda Dobbins

41 sketches, 520 claims, and 275 fun items attributed to them. What was said about them.

Personality, episode by episode

Showing 21–40 of 41 sketches.

The Big Picture: ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding (host)

Drawn to movie stars who own the frame (Lily Gladstone) and to character-driven emotional storytelling; wants more of Molly. Skeptical of The Wolf of Wall Street-style glorification and of pop morality; devoted to Silence and the Scorsese catalog, and passionately anti-Oppenheimer in this episode.

Stances

  • Does not think it is a minor masterpiece; it is an epic
  • Rejects Oppenheimer as comparable to Killers
  • Skeptical of the Wolf of Wall Street-type male voiceover until Molly's narration
  • Thinks it is overwhelming on first viewing and needs a second

Humor: Rambling digressions, self-deprecating about being off the rails, and a vendetta against Oppenheimer.

In their words

  • “I'm a supremely stupid movie viewer.” (0:15:53)
  • “Oppenheimer does not deserve to be in the same sentence as what killers the flower moon does.” (1:36:00)
  • “I held it together for 18 years and we're still paying it off.” (1:42:46)

The Big Picture: The Top Five Movies of 2022 (host)

Loves personal, formal films about women and families (The Eternal Daughter, Happening, The Fabelmans) and controlled star turns (Tar), plus big communal blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick. Not a horror enthusiast; less moved by Aftersun because she watches as a child of parents. A sucker for Joanna Hogg and for romantic comedies and Howard Hawks.

Stances

  • She watches movies as a daughter
  • 2022 was a top-heavy year and then pretty thin; her kid affected her movie-going
  • Tar is a Rorschach test and not too long
  • Andrew Dominik owes penance for Blonde

Humor: Deadpan and teasing; needles Sean and Chris about mid-ness and refuses to watch Speak No Evil.

In their words

  • “I did have a child in February, and let me tell you, that just took me down for the count for a while” (0:21:30)
  • “I'm just into the Joanna Hogg project.” (0:37:14)
  • “I realize I still watch movies as a daughter primarily” (0:36:53)

The Big Picture: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Is Here! (host)

A non-comics, non-MCU-fan viewer who consumes these as movies. She liked the original Black Panther, loves the Ruth Carter costumes and Wakanda production design, and was moved by the opening and ending. She can't stand overstaffed plots and weak CGI set pieces, and says her brain shuts off with comic book lore.

Stances

  • Wakanda Forever was overstaffed and disappointing
  • Marvel may no longer be making movies for the Amandas
  • Ruth Carter should win another Oscar
  • Chief Nolan hater

Humor: Deadpan and self-deprecating, plays the lore-skeptic to Van and Sean's comic fandom.

In their words

  • “I'm the Chief Nolan hater.” (0:22:12)
  • “And I just, it was just overstaffed, man.” (0:14:20)
  • “I think Ruth Carter should win another Oscar, even though I didn't really like this movie.” (0:53:03)

The Big Picture: ‘Elvis,’ ‘Walk Hard’ and Top Five Music Biopics (host)

A pop-culture generalist and self-described child of MTV who loves a bewitching performance and a love story, and has a real soft spot for the music biopic. She can't stand sloppy storytelling and rushed pacing, and is a sucker for Walk the Line, Amadeus and the Beach Boys.

Stances

  • Elvis is a mess in storytelling decisions
  • Music biopics are a stupid genre that sometimes works anyway
  • Good parody needs a sincere object, so Walk the Line deserves number one
  • Performance-driven biopics can overcome ordinary filmmaking

Humor: Wry and self-deprecating, with a talent for quick riffs on cultural trivia.

In their words

  • “I just decided to put walk the line at number one because you know what?” (1:03:56)
  • “it's a stupid genre that sometimes works anyway.” (0:38:14)
  • “I really am, I guess I'm just a child of MTV” (0:49:09)

The Big Picture: The Tom Cruise Hall of Fame (host)

Responds to Cruise charisma, underdog arcs and navy uniforms; loves A Few Good Men best. Skeptical of Edge of Tomorrow-type indulgence and Cocktail. Suckers for the Nicholson showdown.

Stances

  • A Few Good Men is her favorite Cruise performance
  • Cruise doesn't challenge himself like he used to
  • Born over Rain Man

Humor: Dry deadpan, quick on the political and pop-culture asides.

In their words

  • “I really do feel that Tom Cruise looks very handsome in navy uniforms.” (0:37:17)

The Big Picture: ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and Our Top Five Feel-Good Movies (host)

Likes screwball energy, Dave, That Thing You Do!, Frances Ha, and Singin' in the Rain; laughs at Muncher; a theater fan; mostly dislikes cynical or product-driven nostalgia but is less worked up about nostalgia than Sean. Not a fan of Broadway-theater-kid musicals like Tick, Tick... Boom!

Stances

  • Afterlife is a movie for seven-year-olds
  • Tick, Tick... Boom! is not for her
  • Feel-good picks that make her smile involuntarily

Humor: Deadpan, self-aware gripes and teasing her co-host.

In their words

  • “I thought it was a fine movie for 7 year olds.” (0:03:19)
  • “I laughed.” (0:11:31)
  • “I judge these movies by like, do I just involuntarily smile at the screen.” (0:54:19)

The Big Picture: ‘Fast 9’ and the ‘Fast & Furious’ Rankings (host)

Loves Fast Five above all and the grandiose silliness, winking meta jokes and the gang-assembling scenes. Not a Vin Diesel fan and tired of believability limits.

Stances

  • Fast Five is number one
  • Furious 7 is third
  • Villains do not matter

Humor: Deadpan sincerity about absurd plot logic, such as praising the safe-dragging as problem solving.

In their words

  • “Fast five, a transcendent movie experience.” (0:02:47)
  • “It's incredible problem solving.” (1:01:54)

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

Stances

  • Not against Black Widow but not vociferously for it
  • Prefers watching at home to theaters for MCU
  • Wants the Oscars to make the best of a drab season
  • Supports Soderbergh's weird Oscars

Humor: Deadpan exasperation, as when she says she wants to jump out a window at the word 'stories'.

In their words

  • “My affection and devotion to Stephen Soderberg is well documented and like possibly bordering on inappropriate, but that's okay.” (0:17:07)
  • “I just was thinking about how I could, like, jump out this window.” (0:21:43)
  • “I'm just trying to bring a little positivity to the world, Sean.” (0:27:21)

The Big Picture: Thirteen Awards Movies to Watch Out for, Oscar Do-Overs, and More From the Mailbag (host)

Loves old Hollywood glamour and comfort (Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Singing in the Rain), screwball comedy and Nora Ephron, and Sense and Sensibility. She leans toward joy, escapism and fast dialogue, and also likes a good Oscar-race pundit take. She does not enjoy her husband's golf lectures and is skeptical of award-season over-narratives.

Stances

  • Classic movies should be pleasurable, not homework
  • Streaming is not the problem for the Oscars, pandemic viewing is
  • Her do-overs favor movies she actually loves over canonical choices
  • It's not for me is a legitimate school of taste

Humor: Warm, self-deprecating domestic storytelling, including relentless public slander of her husband Zach.

In their words

  • “I'm a huge believer of the, it's not for me, school, uh, as you well know, because like, personal taste is personal taste.” (0:22:50)
  • “It's just like, oh, imagine if we could all be like that, wouldn't that be fun?” (0:57:15)
  • “Justice for working, girl.” (0:43:24)

The Big Picture: Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ (host)

A West Wing devotee who loves Sorkin's idealism and memorized dialogue, with American President, Moneyball, Social Network and the West Wing as pillars. Cynical about institutions yet a sucker for hopeful, earnest characters; likes Sorkin's craft and grudgingly accepts his politics.

Stances

  • Sorkin's optimism is unrealistic but she is a sucker for it
  • Chicago 7 is a good Sorkin film that feels small and whose timeliness does not work in its favor
  • Rank Sorkin by Sorkiness, not general greatness
  • Start the West Wing at season two

Humor: Self-aware superfan comedy, joking that she and Sean are podcasters talking quickly like Sorkin characters.

In their words

  • “Been waiting my whole life for this.” (0:02:33)
  • “I have the 1st 4 seasons memorized” (0:04:24)
  • “I felt the smallness.” (1:40:33)

The Big Picture: 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular (host)

Amanda loves movies as shared events and the narratives around them (the Oscar campaign, Good Will Hunting), wants big communal Bond and Top Gun-style theater experiences, and gravitates to character and female-director what-ifs (Kusama on Tully, Meyers on Gone Girl). She likes boundaries, dislikes influencer content and Emily in Paris (kind of), and wants more women in film criticism.

Stances

  • Theater experiences should be boutique events
  • Movie Pass was unsustainable but a missed habit-building window
  • Does not love bad movies; failure wastes her time
  • Wants a female director for Tully
  • Wants more women on Letterboxd

Humor: Anxious-organized deadpan; roasts Sean's systems and her husband Zach's takes with affection.

In their words

  • “I a person who likes boundaries, as we've discussed.” (0:21:09)
  • “an all-female heist movie, sign me up.” (0:37:18)
  • “My my pick is Army Hammer.” (1:31:10)
  • “I would love to find more women on Letterbox” (1:39:01)

The Big Picture: Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation (host)

Loves Elton John, romantic comedies, and heroines who just live up to their own potential. Cannot stand chosen-one magic or Disney franchise bait. Sucker for Emma Stone and Disney songs that are real pop songs.

Stances

  • Probably would remove the magic
  • Skeptical of the Disney remake machine
  • Prefers dropping the love interest
  • Dislikes the original Mulan's songs

Humor: Deadpan and contrarian, happy to say the heretical thing ('average ass ballad').

In their words

  • “this is just like an average ass ballad about finding yourself. Okay, whatever. It's not Elton John.” (0:49:22)
  • “I just saw it as another franchise.” (0:37:03)

The Big Picture: Objection! Top 10 Courtroom Dramas | The Big Picture (host)

Raised on Grisham and Tom Cruise; loves Agatha Christie formulas, rewatchable crowd-pleasers, and movies where a woman gets a role. Skeptical of the over-the-top nuance of Stone's JFK. Fond of fantasy and comedy courtroom picks.

Stances

  • Courtroom dramas are her sports movies
  • Wants an opponent as formidable as Nicholson yelling you're so right
  • Wolf Hall repudiates A Man for All Seasons

Humor: Self-deprecating confessions (preschool lawyer, PSATs, LSAT) and dry asides.

In their words

  • “courtroom dramas are essentially my sports movies” (0:10:00)
  • “I am a lawyer” (0:08:28)

The Big Picture: Emergency Mailbag: The Oscars Are Streaming and Hollywood Is Fighting Over Trolls | The Big Picture (host)

Enjoys Judd Apatow, Soderbergh and star-driven spectacle like Tom Cruise stunts; wary of tentpole-only futures and mourns smaller films losing a platform. She is a sucker for drama and pettiness in the business, and for Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

Stances

  • Wants a best first feature or best breakthrough category
  • Skeptical of the viral demand for a stunt category
  • Expects a traditional Oscars year of movies about movies

Humor: Dry and teasing, sending up Sean's Zoom habits and exaggerating pandemic cabin fever.

In their words

  • “Okay, listen, I agree with the CGI stuff. I just want to watch Tom Cruise jump out of things.” (0:51:45)
  • “It's the Incredible Hulk and Iron Man, you fools.” (1:05:03)

The Big Picture: Our Alternative Academy Awards | The Oscars Show (host)

Moved by Greta Gerwig and Little Women, loves a movie-star performance and Brad Pitt, and Archie Yates and Julia Butters. Can't stand fussiness and filmmaking that anticipates the discourse (Midsommar, The Lighthouse). A sucker for a good ending and ensemble comedy; wants to see a movie about Olivia Wilde's FBI agent.

Stances

  • Wants Laura Dern to get the It's Time Oscar
  • Spider-Man's tag is a teaser, not an ending
  • Picks Greta Gerwig for best director
  • Skeptical of the A24 Reddit crowd

Humor: Dry deflation of Sean's big-theory moments and bits like 'A24 merch, bro'.

In their words

  • “You know that I just can't stand anything where the work is showing and where the people are infatuated with the work as opposed to the result.” (0:54:47)
  • “I didn't know you could do that, but also you were in my brain.” (1:29:04)
  • “Brad Pitt's having his therapy on the screen and someone filmed it and let me watch it.” (1:13:29)

The Big Picture: The Snubs and Surprises of the 92nd Academy Award Nominations | The Oscars Show (host)

Devoted to Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix as a campaign personality, Bridget Jones, and Little Women. Dislikes Joker. Anti-democratic on lists, avoids animated movies.

Stances

  • Joker is intellectually bankrupt
  • Anti-democracy on list-making
  • Baffled by Renee Zellweger frontrunner

Humor: Dry, self-deprecating, deadpan comebacks at Sean.

In their words

  • “I am anti-democracy.” (0:38:10)
  • “Bridget Jones diary, hugely important to me.” (0:48:05)

The Big Picture: The Future of ‘Star Wars,’ Marvel, Pixar, and Disney’s Movie Monopoly. Plus: Our Summer Movie Awards and Paul Downs Colaizzo on ‘Brittany Runs a Marathon’ | The Big Picture (host)

Responds to mood, discovery and raw performance, such as The Souvenir and Maya Erskine in Plus One. Is skeptical of franchise lore and anything about space aliens, and likes things she cares about, such as Spider-Man. Can't stand movies that raise hot-button issues without developing them (Luce) and is a sucker for Brad Pitt.

Stances

  • Disney's monopoly is a confirmation, not a surprise
  • Luce failed to provoke her
  • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a tier of one
  • Brad Pitt is a presence-based form of acting

Humor: Self-deprecating and quick, with comic storytelling that undercuts her own taste, such as the Star Wars plot story.

In their words

  • “I'm not a parent, so I don't need like the parenting newsletter from the New York Times in film form” (0:42:55)
  • “I have Brad Pitt on the roof.” (0:30:32)

The Big Picture: The Oscars Schedule Changes, and Andrew Garfield On ‘Under the Silver Lake’ | Interview (host)

Loves costume dramas (Downton), crowd-pleasers, and Greta Gerwig; likes things with a clear tone. Bored by The Last Waltz and unimpressed by Hooper. Can be sentimental (sad if Captain America dies) while resisting franchise lore.

Stances

  • Les Mis is much better than Cats
  • Homecoming is long, not boring
  • Amazon vs Netflix release execution explains Guava Island's smaller footprint

Humor: Dry and blunt, with quick undercutting asides.

In their words

  • “Les Mis is a much better musical than cats.” (0:20:24)
  • “I was so bored.” (0:05:46)
  • “I also love a costume drama” (0:21:57)

The Big Picture: ‘Captain Marvel’ Is a ’90s Nostalgia Play. Did It Work? | Exit Survey (host)

Loves Wonder Woman and its emotional impact, and responds to women on screen. Not a comics or sci-fi person and not an origin-story fan. Sucker for celebrity and a 90s song, and for Annette Bening.

Stances

  • Captain Marvel is not Wonder Woman
  • Female superhero movies carry an unfair burden
  • The film's female empowerment feels reactive and half-baked
  • A female superhero movie can also have a love story

Humor: Self-deprecating about not knowing comics, with blunt nitpicks.

In their words

  • “my immediate reaction was this is not Wonder Woman.” (0:01:18)
  • “Catch me out here crying about it.” (0:56:50)
  • “It should be like if Nora Efron wrote a Marvel movie.” (1:04:07)

The Big Picture: Oscars 2019: Instant Reactions to ‘Green Book’ and the Two Warring Academies | The Oscars Show (Ep. 131) (host)

Loves celebrity and public image, Olivia Colman's warmth, and Lady Gaga. Sentimental and more forgiving of Bohemian Rhapsody as a ratings play. Sees the Oscars as a fight between old and new Hollywood.

Stances

  • The Academy is split between two academies
  • Netflix resistance explains part of the Roma loss
  • Song performances do not belong at the Oscars

Humor: Dry and conspiratorial, fond of absurd comparisons.

In their words

  • “as a person who loves celebrity and movie stars” (0:33:29)
  • “I used to work as a cleaner and I loved that job.” (0:18:48)

Their shows' recurring bits

Running bits, not opinions; a critic read aloud is cited, not present.

The Big Picture

The Rewatchables

Their claims

Showing 501–520 of 520 claims.

  1. craft (craft): Ludwig Goransson → Hans Zimmer. His Black Panther score carries a Hans Zimmer-style propulsive action feel.
    “plus that sort of like sweeping Alan Sylvestri, Hans Zimmer, kind of propulsive feeling that you need in an action movie”
    The Big Picture · Oscars 2019: Instant Reactions to ‘Green Book’ and the Two Warring Academies | The Oscars Show (Ep. 131) · 0:54:52 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. contrast (contrast): Green Book → BlacKkKlansman. The back-to-back Green Book original screenplay and Spike adapted screenplay wins showed the old/new academy dichotomy.
    “It showed it did show really that dichotomy we were talking about earlier in the show.”
    The Big Picture · Oscars 2019: Instant Reactions to ‘Green Book’ and the Two Warring Academies | The Oscars Show (Ep. 131) · 1:01:56 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  3. what-if (what-if): Sam Elliott → Can You Ever Forgive Me?. Too bad for Sam Elliott and Richard E. Grant, who may have lost a final chance to win.
    “it's too bad for Sam Elliott and Richard E. Grant in particular”
    The Big Picture · Oscars 2019: Instant Reactions to ‘Green Book’ and the Two Warring Academies | The Oscars Show (Ep. 131) · 1:03:30 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  4. contrast (contrast): Vice → Nixon. Vice might be forgotten like Oliver Stone's twin portraits Nixon and W.
    “I don't think anybody really talks about Oliver Stone's kind of twin portraits.”
    The Big Picture · Oscars 2019: Instant Reactions to ‘Green Book’ and the Two Warring Academies | The Oscars Show (Ep. 131) · 1:10:47 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  5. contrast (contrast): The Favourite → The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The Favourite is in keeping with The Lobster but different from The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
    “It is in keeping with the lobster, but it's like way different than a killing of a sacred deer.”
    The Big Picture · Oscars 2019: Instant Reactions to ‘Green Book’ and the Two Warring Academies | The Oscars Show (Ep. 131) · 1:13:26 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  6. contrast (contrast): Green Book → Three Billboards. The Green Book win is this year's Three Billboards: a flawed, problematic movie critics must tangle with for months.
    “I just didn't want another movie that, from a purely professional editorial perspective, you and I were just going to have to tangle with for 2 months”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:11:36 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  7. people (people): Bohemian Rhapsody → Bryan Singer. The film's winner status ignores that Singer, now a pariah, shot about 60% of it.
    “There's no mention of Brian Singer, during this telecast, he filmed approximately 60% of this film.”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:13:48 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  8. industry (industry): Bohemian Rhapsody → Graham King. Producer Graham King fought for years, got a real budget, a big director and the right star, a good story for the studio system.
    “he got it done at a studio with a real budget and they did it big.”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:15:33 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  9. industry (industry): Bohemian Rhapsody → First Man. Bohemian Rhapsody on the PGA list comes at the expense of films like First Man, which is gone.
    “Like 1st man is gone.”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:16:00 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  10. industry (industry): Beasts of the Southern Wild → If Beale Street Could Talk. The Academy sometimes goes where the PGA does not, as with Beasts of the Southern Wild, so Beale Street could still make it.
    “sometimes you have Bisa of the Southern Wild, which is like not on the PJs radar.”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:16:45 · Amanda Dobbins (0.45 sure it was them)
  11. unmapped (fun): Bohemian Rhapsody → Brian May. Queen's presence dominated the room, including May behind Malek.
    “And silver maneed Brian May sitting behind Ramy Molik.”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:24:59 · Amanda Dobbins (0.45 sure it was them)
  12. career (career): A Star Is Born → Bradley Cooper. Actors, the largest Academy voting bloc, love the film and what Cooper becoming a director means for their futures.
    “actors are far and away the largest subcategory of voters.”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:27:01 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  13. people (people): A Star Is Born → Lady Gaga. The Star Is Born campaign looks shaky after neither Gaga nor Cooper won and Mark Ronson accepted the song award.
    “for neither Gaga nor Cooper to win actor, and of course not to win best drama”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:28:21 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  14. theme (theme): A Star Is Born → Green Book. All three films share a polished, studio, historically Hollywood approach; Star has more grit and anxiety.
    “There's something like very polished and studio and historically Hollywood in the approach of all 3 of those movies.”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:30:40 · Amanda Dobbins (0.45 sure it was them)
  15. verdict (verdict): Olivia Colman → Glenn Close. Colman's loose speech made her seem the winner, then Close's speech made Close the winner.
    “I watched that speech and I was like, oh, great, okay, Olivia Coleman's going to win.”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:34:22 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  16. verdict (verdict): Vice → Christian Bale. Vice went one for six, and the performance is the one thing everyone likes.
    “Out of 6 nominations, I believe, the most of any film tonight.”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:39:20 · Amanda Dobbins (0.45 sure it was them)
  17. what-if (what-if): Vice → Amy Adams. If Bale and Adams had won, Vice would have gained renewed momentum.
    “if Amy Adams and Christian Bale won, that it would kind of, again, have some renewed momentum”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:39:41 · Amanda Dobbins (0.45 sure it was them)
  18. programming (programming): The Kominsky Method → The Americans. The TV winners were Kominsky, The Americans and Versace; the Globes were early on streaming shows like Atlanta.
    “the shows were Kaminsky Method, American, and Assassination of Dionni Versace.”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:42:59 · Amanda Dobbins (0.45 sure it was them)
  19. programming (programming): Kevin Hart → The Upside. Hart was promoting The Upside when he appeared on Ellen about the Oscars hosting gig.
    “Kevin Hart, who is promoting his new movie, The Upside, started to do press.”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:46:18 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  20. verdict (verdict): Roma → A Star Is Born. Globes moving away from critics' picks is a problem for Roma as well as Star.
    “then I think that's a problem for Roma as well as Star is born.”
    The Big Picture · Instant Reactions to a Truly Ludicrous Golden Globes | The Oscars Show (Ep. 115) · 0:56:14 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)

Their fun items

Showing 101–200 of 275 fun items.

  1. fun, about Poor Things (ending): Abbott's character gets a goat brain and ends up on all fours chewing shrubbery; the household includes a pug that is also a chicken.
    “Christopher Abbott on all fours, uh, chewing the shrubbery, like the, like the goat that he is.”
    The Big Picture · Best Picture Power Rankings and a ‘Poor Things’ Deep Dive. Plus: Julianne Moore and Todd Haynes! · 1:08:43 · Amanda Dobbins (0.45 sure it was them)
  2. fun, about Oscar nominations (Amanda): Amanda asked her OB to delay her induction a day so she could host the Oscar-nominations pod; the baby arrived the next afternoon.
    “And I said, well, because the Oscar nominations are being announced on Tuesday morning, and if he's not here, at, you know, at least I'd like to do my job.”
    The Big Picture · Best Picture Power Rankings and a ‘Poor Things’ Deep Dive. Plus: Julianne Moore and Todd Haynes! · 1:37:25 · Amanda Dobbins (0.75 sure it was them)
  3. fun, about Oppenheimer / Golden Globes: Joe Koy's line about Oppenheimer length is dismissed; the real joke would be Rami Malek and the clipboard.
    “the real joke was in like what the hell was Ramy Molik doing with the clipboard.”
    The Big Picture · Best Picture Power Rankings and a ‘Poor Things’ Deep Dive. Plus: Julianne Moore and Todd Haynes! · 1:46:36 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  4. fun, about Heat: On the Reheat they went through the 1995 Oscar nominees; best actress doesn't really apply in Heat.
    “well, best actress doesn't really apply in heat.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ferrari’ and Top Five Michael Mann Movies · 0:40:23 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  5. fun, about The Insider: Amanda would have had it higher except for her deep love of cigarettes; Mann brought down cigarettes.
    “for my deep love of cigarettes.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ferrari’ and Top Five Michael Mann Movies · 0:56:55 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  6. fun, about Miami Vice: The go-fast boat scene: Colin Farrell takes Gong Li to Havana for mojitos.
    “he drives around a go fast boat to Havana.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ferrari’ and Top Five Michael Mann Movies · 0:58:55 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  7. fun, about Heat: Heat hosts joke: Chris should take shrooms before the foreheat pod or work for a triad.
    “maybe take shrooms before the pod.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ferrari’ and Top Five Michael Mann Movies · 1:00:29 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  8. fun, about Heat: Amanda rewatched Heat for work; her husband sat down and watched the whole movie, so Mann brings her closer to people she loves.
    “once again, I think Michael Mann, for bringing me closer to the people I love.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ferrari’ and Top Five Michael Mann Movies · 1:01:23 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  9. fun, about The Killer: Hotel trick to look for: he balances a glass on the door handle with the room-service tray underneath so a jiggled handle smashes it, then sleeps in a chair for three and a half hours.
    “if anybody jiggles the handle, the glass will smash and make a noise and wake him up”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 0:29:42 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  10. fun, about The Killer: He expects six to seven minutes to interrogate Parnell and the man dies almost instantly; the hosts take it as proof the killer is bad at his job.
    “he kills Charles Parnell and thinks that he's going to have 6 to 7 minutes to interrogate him and he dies almost instantaneously.”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 0:34:03 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  11. fun, about The Killer: The Miami fight in the dark: grabbing for a weapon in the kitchen, he finds a cheese grater, a huge laugh, then uses it as a noise distraction. Also he miscalculates the dose of a dog-drugging treat for the pit bull.
    “and comes up with a cheese grater and you're like, ooh, a cheese grater.”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 0:38:41 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  12. fun, about The Killer: Tilda Swinton scene in Beacon, NY: she eats solo at the bar, orders a whiskey flight tasting menu and asks for her own bottle, and the hosts debate whether she is the life he could have had.
    “when Tilda Swinton's doing a tasting menu with a whiskey flight.”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 0:40:08 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  13. fun, about The Killer: Shot out of a cannon: on Netflix there is no box-office report, Fincher hasn't had a traditional theatrical release since Gone Girl, and Adam saw it at Alamo and Toronto theaters.
    “He hasn't released a movie to the public since Gone Girl in the traditional theatrical style.”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 0:50:51 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  14. fun, about David Fincher: At the Academy Museum Q&A, an audience member asked how to make iconic movies in the age of TikTok. Fincher sighed and said he never thinks 'how can I make this more iconic' when setting up a shot.
    “when I set up a shot, I don't think, dude, how can I make this more iconic?”
    The Big Picture · ‘The Killer’ Is Cold-Blooded Genius. And Something More · 1:16:18 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  15. fun, about Killers of the Flower Moon: They saw it twice, the second time together at 2:30 p.m. at a local AMC the day before recording; Sean calls it a masterpiece but jokes he needed seven hours to get there.
    “I don't know whether the joke is on the movie or me that I had to see it twice to get to that, um, point”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 0:02:29 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  16. fun, about Killers of the Flower Moon: Early rewrite lore: DiCaprio was to play FBI investigator Tom White in the procedural version, then pushed Scorsese to rewrite and took Ernest instead.
    “Leo was originally slated to play FBI investigator Tom White in the more procedural version of the film, and he went to Scorsese and said, I think there's something missing here”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 0:26:09 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  17. fun, about Killers of the Flower Moon: Owl motif: Molly's mother sees an owl before dying; the second viewing, a bathroom break caused Amanda to miss the first owl on the windowsill.
    “I realized about 30 minutes later that I had missed that 1st image of the owl landing on the windowsill”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 0:43:59 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  18. fun, about Christopher Cote: Osage language consultant's widely quoted reaction: he wished it had been from Molly's perspective and says conspiring to murder a family is not love; the hosts treat it as a valid challenge.
    “when someone conspires to murder your entire family, that's not love.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 0:45:43 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  19. fun, about Lily Gladstone: She was offered Molly in the original script version; per Allison Willmore's New York profile she calls the attention of 'the masters' to Native stories a double-edged sword.
    “You want to have more natives writing native stories. You also want the masters to pay attention to what's going on.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 0:52:03 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  20. fun, about Martin Scorsese: Quip: his relationship to love is complicated, but his relationship to TikTok, and to his daughter, seems to be thriving.
    “His relationship to TikTok seems to be thriving.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 1:07:04 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  21. fun, about Robert De Niro: William Hale opens a ballet studio and poses with ballerinas, played for laughs; the film treats him as simply Satan.
    “He opens like a dance studio, the William Hale, like a ballet studio, and like is posing outside with all the ballerinas”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 1:09:55 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  22. fun, about The Simpsons: Amanda's masonry knowledge extends only to the Stonecutters episode, which she calls one of the greatest half-hours in TV history.
    “the Stonecutters episode of The Simpsons is one of the greatest half hours in television and history”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 1:15:09 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  23. fun, about Killers of the Flower Moon: Sean worries about watching it in installments on Apple TV+; the movie is meant to overwhelm and is not episodic.
    “It's not episodic. Yeah. It builds. Correct. And it is meant to completely pulverize you over 3.5 hours.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 1:17:51 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  24. fun, about Oppenheimer: Running bit: Amanda rages against Oppenheimer, with Sean needling her; Amanda says Nolan thinks great men existed and Scorsese isn't sure any did.
    “Martin Scorsese's like, I'm honestly not sure. in retrospect.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 1:36:43 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  25. fun, about Lily Gladstone: Worry that her Oscar clip reel lacks the usual screaming scene because her performance is quiet.
    “there's no one screaming at the top of their lungs, which is your favorite part of every single Academy Award.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 1:41:56 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  26. fun, about Decision to Leave: Amanda still thinks weekly about the sushi takeout shot.
    “that shot, that sushi takeout. I just, I think about that once a week.”
    The Big Picture · The Top Five Movies of 2022 · 0:47:12 · Amanda Dobbins (0.85 sure it was them)
  27. fun, about Speak No Evil: A Danish couple visits a Dutch couple in the Netherlands. Chris calls it a what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-you movie and a gut test for horror fans; Amanda says friends who took Sean's recommendation confronted her about it.
    “This is the what the fuck is wrong with you, movie?”
    The Big Picture · The Top Five Movies of 2022 · 0:49:49 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  28. fun, about Happening: Amanda tried not to pick it because of another year of abortion dramas in her top five, noting the timing alongside the overturning of Roe v. Wade; she calls it a week-by-week thriller.
    “another year, another abortion drama in my top 5 list”
    The Big Picture · The Top Five Movies of 2022 · 0:50:48 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  29. fun, about Top Gun: Maverick: Jennifer Connelly acts like she has been at the bar the whole time; the hosts joke that her Porsche is safe parked on the street in Miramar as an admiral's daughter.
    “And the idea that she just acts like she's been there the whole time is the funniest thing.”
    The Big Picture · The Top Five Movies of 2022 · 1:28:09 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  30. fun, about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Before the screening Sean tells Amanda the IMAX holding poster shows Namor and promises she will learn a lot about him.
    “Sean was just like, cool, okay, you're going to learn a lot about Neymar.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Is Here! · 0:12:39 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  31. fun, about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Amanda says she was out when the whales floated in and Namor talked to the animals.
    “I think when the whales started floating through to do whatever the whales did is when I was like, oh, all right, okay.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Is Here! · 0:16:40 · Amanda Dobbins (0.80 sure it was them)
  32. fun, about Working Girl: After Van gives his top five, a host complains Working Girl is missing and calls it an all-time spiritual favorite for both hosts, then riffs on Alec Baldwin popping in and out.
    “It's been, we've talked about this before.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Is Here! · 1:09:35 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  33. fun, about Elvis: Amanda zoned out and missed that Elvis's mother died, and only realized the fancy house was Graceland when the film moved on; the pacing is endless yet frenetic.
    “Like, quite literally, I missed that Graceland was purchased as Graceland, you know, like 2 hours in the movie.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Elvis,’ ‘Walk Hard’ and Top Five Music Biopics · 0:05:43 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  34. fun, about Elvis: Sean and Amanda attended the same screening unknowingly; Amanda left with alacrity.
    “We were at the same screening. We didn't know this and I did watch you just leaving with like alacrity, even for you.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Elvis,’ ‘Walk Hard’ and Top Five Music Biopics · 0:24:08 · Amanda Dobbins (0.75 sure it was them)
  35. fun, about Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story: Amanda saw it on a Netflix mailer on a couch with a group of young people, which she thinks is how this whole generation of films should be experienced.
    “which is how I think all this this entire generation of movies should like truly be experienced.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Elvis,’ ‘Walk Hard’ and Top Five Music Biopics · 0:31:43 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  36. fun, about Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story: The film's jokes annotate themselves: characters introduce themselves and each scene has a thesis statement, which the film dares you to call out.
    “daring you to call it, call bullshit on this trope of just people saying who they are at all times, which I think is priceless.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Elvis,’ ‘Walk Hard’ and Top Five Music Biopics · 0:35:37 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  37. fun, about 24 Hour Party People: The real Howard Devoto, as an extra in the frame, turns to camera during a scene of Devoto sleeping with Tony Wilson's wife to say he doesn't remember it happening.
    “there's an extra in the frame who turns to camera and says, I definitely don't remember this happening and the person who does that is the real life Howard DeVoto.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Elvis,’ ‘Walk Hard’ and Top Five Music Biopics · 0:52:28 · Amanda Dobbins (0.80 sure it was them)
  38. fun, about Walk the Line: Amanda was embarrassed about picking Walk the Line at number one but took a 'Tony Hawk 720' route to going with her heart; she notes Reese Witherspoon is lit like a Greek goddess.
    “Also, she's lit like a Greek goddess. It's extraordinary how beautiful she looks in this movie.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Elvis,’ ‘Walk Hard’ and Top Five Music Biopics · 1:05:02 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  39. fun, about A Few Good Men: Amanda notes a tiny scene of timing where Kaffee says sit down to people already sitting and pauses for a second before moving on, without Sorkin-ing it.
    “He doesn't oversell it.”
    The Big Picture · The Tom Cruise Hall of Fame · 0:43:33 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  40. fun, about Tom Cruise: Cruise's Hall of Fame bylaws: the 2005 year (couch jump, Brooke Shields, Scientology videos) coincided with a career nadir and the shift to Ethan Hunt as a safe harbor.
    “Ethan Hunt just does everything for everyone all of the time and has no faults and is always on the right side.”
    The Big Picture · The Tom Cruise Hall of Fame · 0:46:39 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  41. fun, about Tom Cruise: Cruise appeared on 106 & Park and did the young jock dance during the Night and Day promo tour.
    “Was this when he appeared on 106 in Park and did the young jock dance?”
    The Big Picture · The Tom Cruise Hall of Fame · 1:21:22 · Amanda Dobbins (0.30 sure it was them)
  42. fun, about Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One: Hayley Atwell on Wikipedia says she did not know who her character was, as they wrote the movie as they went.
    “I do not know who my character is nor what she is doing.”
    The Big Picture · The Tom Cruise Hall of Fame · 1:23:55 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  43. fun, about Tom Cruise: The Cruise cake: a white chocolate coconut bundt from Stone's Bakery in the Valley that Cruise sends every Christmas to famous friends; the hosts eat it on air and put it in the Hall of Fame.
    “Tom Cruise sends it to all of the famous people in his life every year.”
    The Big Picture · The Tom Cruise Hall of Fame · 1:41:37 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  44. fun, about Ghostbusters: Afterlife: Stay Puft marshmallow men are shown across a Walmart product placement scene with Paul Rudd.
    “there is just a lot of time spent of Paul Rudd showing you the various deals available at Walmart”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and Our Top Five Feel-Good Movies · 0:06:42 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  45. fun, about Ghostbusters: Afterlife: Muncher the blue blob humping a fire hydrant is the one moment of joy; speaker was the only one laughing in the theater.
    “So when like muncher, the blue blob shows up and is humping a fire hydrant.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and Our Top Five Feel-Good Movies · 0:11:25 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  46. fun, about Ghostbusters: Afterlife: The Ghostbusters theme only plays in the end credits.
    “Why did I have to wait until the end credits for the Ghostbusters theme song?”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and Our Top Five Feel-Good Movies · 0:11:59 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  47. fun, about Ghostbusters: Afterlife: Muncher is a photocopy of Slimer, but with glue.
    “it was just a basically also a photocopy of Slimer, but with glue.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and Our Top Five Feel-Good Movies · 0:12:20 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  48. fun, about Tick, Tick... Boom!: Broadway cameo roll call: Andre De Shields, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, Phylicia Rashad, Bernadette Peters, Judith Light.
    “all these people who have all of this experience on Broadway, crop up in this movie”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and Our Top Five Feel-Good Movies · 0:28:08 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  49. fun, about Dave: Speaker laughs at Kevin Kline at the auto factory: the fish this big joke from age 8; Sean has it on Blu-ray.
    “I once had a fish this big with like the giant arms also going this big”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and Our Top Five Feel-Good Movies · 0:38:49 · Amanda Dobbins (0.55 sure it was them)
  50. fun, about Big: Speaker's mall memory of FAO Schwartz giant piano, referencing the movie's piano scene.
    “There was like a FAO Schwartz at the mall.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and Our Top Five Feel-Good Movies · 0:42:13 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  51. fun, about That Thing You Do!: Speaker has seen it at least 75 times, has the soundtrack, and calls it the greatest pop song written for a movie.
    “I've seen this one, at least 75 times, had the soundtrack.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and Our Top Five Feel-Good Movies · 0:43:32 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  52. fun, about Bringing Up Baby: Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn screaming at each other in impeccable costumes while a real leopard runs around.
    “Carrie Grant and Catherine Hepburn like kindly screaming at each other in impeccable costumes while a real leopard just runs around for no reason.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and Our Top Five Feel-Good Movies · 0:48:14 · Amanda Dobbins (0.55 sure it was them)
  53. fun, about Frances Ha: Speaker was the same age as Frances in New York; the movie made by two people falling in love.
    “this is a movie made by 2 people who were very clearly falling in love as it was being made”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and Our Top Five Feel-Good Movies · 0:52:00 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  54. fun, about Singin' in the Rain: Speaker saved it for the night before surgery as medicine.
    “I had surgery last year.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘Tick, Tick ... Boom!,' and Our Top Five Feel-Good Movies · 0:54:35 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  55. fun, about Fast Five: Amanda came to the series with Fast Five and it was her first Fast film, a baptism by fire.
    “I was taken by friends to see Fast 5 in a theater.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Fast 9’ and the ‘Fast & Furious’ Rankings · 0:06:31 · Amanda Dobbins (0.85 sure it was them)
  56. fun, about The Fast and the Furious: The Fast Wikipedia pages lose their car descriptions by Fast 6.
    “it's really it's about a submarine at this point.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Fast 9’ and the ‘Fast & Furious’ Rankings · 0:07:43 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  57. fun, about Fast Five: Onion video: interview with a child as Fast 5's screenwriter.
    “the interview was with a small child”
    The Big Picture · ‘Fast 9’ and the ‘Fast & Furious’ Rankings · 0:14:29 · Amanda Dobbins (0.85 sure it was them)
  58. fun, about Hobbs & Shaw: Helicopter scene effects were called garbage.
    “the effects were so garbage”
    The Big Picture · ‘Fast 9’ and the ‘Fast & Furious’ Rankings · 0:33:38 · Amanda Dobbins (0.55 sure it was them)
  59. fun, about Fast Five: Amanda's evergreen: the Rio safe drag, which she yells about again at the close.
    “So they just hitched their cars to it and took the safe with them.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Fast 9’ and the ‘Fast & Furious’ Rankings · 1:01:50 · Amanda Dobbins (0.85 sure it was them)
  60. 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)
  61. fun, about Tiger: Amanda's husband Zach, a golf maniac, whoops quietly at every golf shot as they watch, like a gallery of one.
    “every time a golf shot would be showed, Zach would just be like, whoa.”
    The Big Picture · Thirteen Awards Movies to Watch Out for, Oscar Do-Overs, and More From the Mailbag · 0:05:32 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  62. fun, about Tiger: The end of part one cuts to a famous woman sidling up to the camera, called great filmmaking; one director says the moment is a Sopranos homage scored with the song Evidently Chickentown.
    “Because of a very famous woman, just sidling up to the camera.”
    The Big Picture · Thirteen Awards Movies to Watch Out for, Oscar Do-Overs, and More From the Mailbag · 0:07:01 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  63. fun, about Tiger: Amanda points out that the documentary shows a magazine photo shoot taken five days after the birth of his first child, which cannot have been accidental, and that a viewer has to look for the clue.
    “there is no way that a posed photo shoot is taken 5 days after the birth of a child without the participation and not just the participation, but the planning of the people involved.”
    The Big Picture · Thirteen Awards Movies to Watch Out for, Oscar Do-Overs, and More From the Mailbag · 0:14:59 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  64. fun, about Malcolm & Marie: A joke: Malcolm & Marie compared to 1917, until it turns out Malcolm & Marie is about World War One.
    “Malcolm and Marie is about World War one, which was a twist when I when I got to look at it.”
    The Big Picture · Thirteen Awards Movies to Watch Out for, Oscar Do-Overs, and More From the Mailbag · 0:32:11 · Amanda Dobbins (0.40 sure it was them)
  65. fun, about Malcolm & Marie: A famous meme: Sean says the Malcolm and Marie meme sums up the podcast, with one person saying something unforgivable and the other punching a wall.
    “It's just like you saying something unforgivable and me punching a wall.”
    The Big Picture · Thirteen Awards Movies to Watch Out for, Oscar Do-Overs, and More From the Mailbag · 0:38:40 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  66. fun, about Working Girl: Amanda's easy-listening Oscar do-over is Working Girl over Rain Man, and she rallies Justice for Working Girl.
    “I'm going for easy listening over here and I would have picked working girl over Red Man.”
    The Big Picture · Thirteen Awards Movies to Watch Out for, Oscar Do-Overs, and More From the Mailbag · 0:43:18 · Amanda Dobbins (0.80 sure it was them)
  67. fun, about The Godfather Part II: Sean says giving Pacino the 1975 Oscar might have changed the pattern of waiting twenty years too late to reward great actors, and wonders if Chris would still be yelling Pacino impressions.
    “Would Chris would Chris still be yelling Al Pacino impressions on every single podcast?”
    The Big Picture · Thirteen Awards Movies to Watch Out for, Oscar Do-Overs, and More From the Mailbag · 0:44:34 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  68. fun, about A Star Is Born: Dave Chappelle suddenly turns up in the film while Bradley Cooper hides in a bush for half the scene.
    “Bradley Cooper's like in a bush for half the seat anyway.”
    The Big Picture · Thirteen Awards Movies to Watch Out for, Oscar Do-Overs, and More From the Mailbag · 0:47:40 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  69. fun, about The Imitation Game: The only complete film Amanda has watched with her husband's parents, who do not watch movies; the mother asked at the end if they could do something else.
    “I've watched one complete movie with Zach's parents.”
    The Big Picture · Thirteen Awards Movies to Watch Out for, Oscar Do-Overs, and More From the Mailbag · 1:06:33 · Amanda Dobbins (0.80 sure it was them)
  70. fun, about Reds: Amanda and her husband never finished Reds, and Sean spoils it.
    “I've never seen the end of Reds.”
    The Big Picture · Thirteen Awards Movies to Watch Out for, Oscar Do-Overs, and More From the Mailbag · 1:07:15 · Amanda Dobbins (0.80 sure it was them)
  71. fun, about Michael Clayton: Amanda's husband Zach refuses to rewatch it with her, and instead reenacts it, yelling I am Shiva, the god of death about fourteen times.
    “he did yell, I am Shiva, the god of death like 14 times.”
    The Big Picture · Thirteen Awards Movies to Watch Out for, Oscar Do-Overs, and More From the Mailbag · 1:07:33 · Amanda Dobbins (0.85 sure it was them)
  72. fun, about Pretty Woman: Amanda's husband claims her favorite movie is Pretty Woman, which she says is not even in her top 50 rom-coms.
    “I was like, what have I ever talked to you about Pretty Woman in my entire life?”
    The Big Picture · Thirteen Awards Movies to Watch Out for, Oscar Do-Overs, and More From the Mailbag · 1:08:13 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  73. fun, about The West Wing: Amanda has the first four seasons memorized and would have won a charity trivia night.
    “I have the 1st 4 seasons memorized”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 0:04:24 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  74. fun, about Aaron Sorkin: Gilbert and Sullivan references recur in every major speech, usually HMS Pinafore.
    “My guy just loves Gilbert and Sullivan and at every single major speech at some point someone will give Gilbert and Sullivan reference.”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 0:13:44 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  75. fun, about Molly's Game: The Kevin Costner father-daughter scene has no reason to be in the movie and is the best part.
    “there is absolutely no reason for that scene to be in the movie or the father-daughter thing to be in the movie.”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 0:17:45 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  76. fun, about The Trial of the Chicago 7: Sorkin's father-of-daughters tic reaches even Chicago 7, where a minor character has two daughters.
    “character has 2 daughters who takes walking on the park.”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 0:18:45 · Amanda Dobbins (0.55 sure it was them)
  77. fun, about The American President: The president really should not date a lobbyist.
    “The president shouldn't date a lobbyist.”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 0:35:28 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  78. fun, about The American President: Amanda showed the VHS to a Republican friend's dad at a sleepover: too liberal for him.
    “I just remember him saying, he's too liberal for me.”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 0:36:24 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  79. fun, about Moneyball: The hosts joke about a Moneyball-every-week spinoff podcast and not being invited on The Rewatchables.
    “Just talk about moneyball every week.”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 0:53:15 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  80. fun, about Michael Fassbender: Fassbender's Wikipedia page now says actor and race car driver.
    “Michael Fassbender is just his Wikipedia page now as his actor and race car driver.”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 0:57:35 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  81. fun, about Steve Jobs: The iPod is invented on top of a parking roof.
    “Can't believe we didn't talk about how he just invents the iPod on top of a parking roof?”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 1:01:08 · Amanda Dobbins (0.55 sure it was them)
  82. fun, about Sports Night: Sports Night and the West Wing were being written simultaneously, so plots overlap.
    “I believe that Aaron Sorkin is writing the 2nd season of Sports Night and the 1st season of West Wing”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 1:11:27 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  83. fun, about A Few Good Men: Kids in Atlanta quoted 'you can't handle the truth' as an elementary school joke.
    “I remember like you can't handle the truth being like an elementary school joke”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 1:23:22 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  84. fun, about The West Wing: Start with season two; a Netflix mini hub of Sorkin work mirrors Scorsese and Baumbach.
    “I would recommend that you start with season two.”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 1:28:30 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  85. fun, about The Trial of the Chicago 7: Tom Hayden reads the names of the war dead at sentencing; the film ends there.
    “chooses to read the names of every single American's older who has died in Vietnam”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 1:39:19 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  86. fun, about Michael Keaton: Keaton plays Ramsey Clark; Amanda cheered when he appeared.
    “I just want to see Michael Keaton walk in and just like explain to people how it is.”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 1:49:48 · Amanda Dobbins (0.55 sure it was them)
  87. fun, about Jeremy Strong: Strong's Jerry Rubin line is a new catchphrase: you've asked that question in a form of a lie.
    “you've asked that question in a form of a lie”
    The Big Picture · Aaron Sorkin Top 5s and ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ · 1:51:07 · Amanda Dobbins (0.55 sure it was them)
  88. fun, about Good Will Hunting: Amanda videotaped the Oprah episode where Damon and Affleck talked about the Minnie Driver breakup.
    “I videotaped the Oprah episode that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were on”
    The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 0:08:45 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  89. fun, about Joker: Opening-day Joker had four people in the theater and a dog in a stroller; Bobby riffs on a 'Joker dog' sequel.
    “there was a dog in a stroller, not counting as a person”
    The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 0:20:28 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  90. fun, about The Secret History: A Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne script and a Gwyneth Paltrow circa-2000 attachment: Amanda wants it made.
    “Gwyneth Patra and the secret history, like Circa 2000 is just, I can't believe that didn't happen.”
    The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 0:42:31 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  91. fun, about Avengers: Endgame: The Cap-and-hammer moment: a crowd cheered; Amanda turned to Chris Ryan to ask why.
    “I also remember seeing the hammer thing and then turning to Chris and being like, why are they cheering?”
    The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 0:56:51 · Amanda Dobbins (0.85 sure it was them)
  92. fun, about Mother: Mother! got a fresh round of debate when David Sims called it a masterpiece; Amanda: 'I already did this podcast'.
    “I already did this podcast.”
    The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 1:11:46 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  93. fun, about Creed: Amanda's husband Zach saw Creed early, said it wasn't fun, and would not see it again; she cried alone at the 34th Street theater.
    “It was just crying by myself, moved by the power of cinema because Zach wouldn't go with me”
    The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 1:16:26 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  94. fun, about Paul Newman: Paul Newman has great hair; Amanda ties it to the earlier John Mayer Japanese teak bit.
    “Do you think he discovered Japanese teak before John Mayer or? I tell you what, Paul Newman had great hair.”
    The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 1:27:39 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  95. fun, about Armie Hammer: Amanda's 'tantalizing but unrealized' actor is Armie Hammer; Sean's is Jessica Chastain.
    “My my pick is Army Hammer.”
    The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 1:31:10 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  96. fun, about Chadwick Boseman: Amanda recalls the 2018 video of Ron Clark Academy students dancing with joy before seeing Black Panther, as a reminder of what the film meant to young Black kids.
    “a group of students at the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta who are just about to see Black Panther and are just so excited and dancing”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:06:57 · Amanda Dobbins (0.85 sure it was them)
  97. fun, about Hamlet: Amanda recalls the Lion King remake episode where Sean said Hamlet was bad and then went to the bathroom and undermined his own point.
    “at one point you tried to say that Hamlet was bad and at another point, I just like had a breakdown”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:24:44 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  98. fun, about Mulan: Amanda was so lost on the witch's shapeshifting that when her husband walked in she couldn't tell which bird was the witch.
    “Also, my husband came in at some point and started watching and so I had like every time the bird showed up on the screen. I was like, that's the witch.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:37:54 · Amanda Dobbins (0.85 sure it was them)
  99. fun, about Mulan: Amanda skips the music debate by calling the Reflection ballad 'an average ass ballad about finding yourself' after eight emails about Christina Aguilera's cover.
    “this is just like an average ass ballad about finding yourself. Okay, whatever. It's not Elton John.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:49:22 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  100. fun, about The Lion King: Amanda notes 'SEX' famously flashes across the screen in the original Lion King, and jokes about the love song playing while lions frolic.
    “I just X literally flashes across the screen in the original Lion King.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:07:51 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)