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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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.
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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
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.
The Rewatchables
Apex Mountain: The moment a star peaks; where on the mountain a performance sits.
Who Won the Movie: The hosts name the person who came out of the film best off.
The Ebert review: Roger Ebert's original review and star rating read aloud. Ebert is cited, never on the show.
Casting what-ifs: Who was almost cast, or who should have been.
Most rewatchable scene: The scene each host would stop on while flipping channels.
Aged best / aged worst: What holds up and what does not.
Picking Nits: The little things in a film the hosts love that they don't think totally work: the nits.
Double feature: The film each host would pair it with; a programming pick.
Their claims
Showing 501–520 of 520 claims.
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”
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.”
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”
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.”
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.”
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”
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.”
fun, about
Mulan:
Amanda would drop the love interest entirely; she is the world's number one romantic comedy fan but hates when a liberated heroine still gets a wedding.
“Why do we need a love interest? Let's just let her”
fun, about
Aladdin (live action remake):
The live action Aladdin ends with Will Smith doing 'Friend Like Me' with a DJ remix over the credits; the hosts earlier joke about crying over Will Smith credit songs.
“At the end of Aladdin. He just does friend like me, but with DJ Collin.”
fun, about
Miracle on 34th Street:
The case turns on sacks of Santa mail the Post Office delivered, dumped on the judge's desk; if the government delivers it, Santa is real.
“they just bring in bag after bag of mail and just dump it on the judge's desk”
fun, about
Trolls World Tour:
Hosts joke the title is hard to pronounce, like the 'rural juror' bit from 30 Rock, just as it becomes the most important movie in cinema.
“It's like the it's like the rural juror from 30 Rock.”
fun, about
Mandalorian / HBO Max:
Confession of signing up for Disney Plus instantly for the Favreau show 'because I'm 11 years old', and the same for the Soderbergh movie on HBO Max.
“I want to see John Fabreau's TV show about bounty hunters because I'm 11 years old.”
fun, about
Sean Fennessey's Zoom:
He sits 20 feet from the laptop, projecting Zoom on his TV like a bond villain, and bolts out of frame to yell trivia answers.
“he sits 20 feet away from the computer and projects it on his screen like he's some sort of bond villain”
fun, about
Portrait of a Lady on Fire:
The hosts mock-crowned it best picture of 2020 on a prior episode and tell upset listeners 'We make the rules'; many listeners said they loved it because of that episode.
fun, about
Long Shot:
At South By Southwest, Boyz II Men showed up on screen and the room lost it; at the end of the film they came out and performed Motown Philly. Sean says it beat most movies of the year.
“boys men just showed up and perform Motown Philly. And, uh, it was it was better than probably any movie I saw last year.”
fun, about
Mission: Impossible – Fallout:
Real news anchors in fictional movies should stop; Wolf Blitzer's Fallout cameo is the sole exception because it's Ethan Hunt in disguise, and Pat Kiernan has the best agent in New York.
fun, about
Gemini Man:
The hosts walked out of Gemini Man and Sean lectured Amanda about the future of movies on level 3 of a parking structure at the Grove.
“while Sean just told me about the future of movies and I was like, I'd like to go home.”
fun, about
Little Women:
Amanda's closing argument for Greta Gerwig: she taps into the experience of being a woman and having thoughts, giving the feeling men describe having about their favorite schools of filmmaking. The table goes misty.
“holy shit, that's I didn't know you could do that, but also you were in my brain.”
fun, about
Star Wars (A New Hope):
Amanda was once asked to recite the plot of Star Wars and gave an intense analysis of the Luke and Leia sexual tension and the trash chute, yet never mentioned the Death Star.
“I gave the entire plot with like intense analysis of the sexual tension between Luke and Leia and then also Han Solo and the trash chute”
fun, about
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood:
Amanda's favorite scene is Brad Pitt on the roof, which she calls the lightning bottle moment for Brad Pitt season.
fun, about
The Last Waltz:
Amanda's college boyfriend forced her to watch it as the most important thing she'd ever see; she was bored.
“I mean, it's just the last waltz is a movie that my college boyfriend sat me down and made me watch and was like, this is the most important thing that you'll ever see.”
fun, about
Captain Marvel:
Amanda's biggest nitpick: Maria's daughter, six years old then, remembers Carol and explains her whole life through a scrapbook.
“That kids do not remember people from when they are 5 and 6 years old.”
fun, about
The Ringer:
Amanda wants a pop-up video for Avengers movies noting this actor is also that character; Sean says it might be a Ringer series.
“I need like your pop-up video, but for Avengers movies”
fun, about
Captain Marvel:
A running joke about the origin: some guys were mean to her, then she swallowed all of space and time after her boss crashed a plane.
“her boss crashed it and so she had to swallow all of space and time.”
fun, about
Captain Marvel:
Sean calls the film a perfectly good time with explosions and lasers, but the pressure of being first prevents calling it another adequate Marvel movie.
fun, about
Black Widow and Hulk (hypothetical):
Amanda pitches a Black Widow and Hulk love story, and the Seinfeld-style question of Superman and Lois Lane gets raised.
“Marvel should just do a Black Widow and Hulk movie and just make it a love story.”