Bobby Wagner

6 sketches, 1 claims, and 8 fun items attributed to them. What was said about them.

Personality, episode by episode

Showing 1–6 of 6 sketches.

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

Loves restrained, steady, ominous filmmaking; he waited for a Scorsese rock-and-roll moment the first time and realized on second view that the mundanity of evil is the point. Admires the Robbie Robertson score's rhythm and silence, and the tableau staging of Molly's train walk.

Stances

  • It's an absolute stone-cold masterpiece on second view
  • Evil here is disorganized crime vs organized-crime Scorsese
  • Wants to see it a third time

Humor: Deadpan, self-aware about being put on the spot with 'was it too long'.

In their words

  • “I thought it was an absolute stone cold masterpiece.” (1:20:07)
  • “I'm really excited to watch it a 3rd time.” (1:22:19)
  • “I'll probably see this movie 10 times before I die.” (1:22:31)

The Big Picture: The Great ‘Avatar’ Debate with Blank Check’s Griffin Newman and David Sims (guest)

Bobby is the Big Picture's producer, sitting in the room. He was an Avatar hater for about a decade, having first seen it at 13 and rejecting the hype, then loved a first rewatch at home on a 55-inch TV. He compares it to Dune and plays video games for hours a day.

Stances

  • Avatar works as a movie once the discourse is stripped away
  • Dune looks good on a TV in a way Avatar does not

Humor: Dry; gets a line in about being an avatar hater.

In their words

  • “And I've been an avatar hater for the better part of the last 10 decade or the last decade.” (0:44:15)
  • “I thought it was great.” (0:44:27)

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

Producer who reads the mailbag. He is a Mets fan, openly unattached to the classics (saw Casablanca once in college), and prefers watching Lindor press conferences in bed. He is a good sport about being hazed.

Stances

  • Classic films are not important to him personally
  • Mets fandom outranks everything

Humor: Dry deflection and Mets trade bragging.

In their words

  • “Last week I was completing the Francisco Lindor trade, so you're welcome.” (0:40:04)
  • “I think I watched it once in college, but it's not important to me.” (0:51:29)

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

Bobby Wagner, the producer reading listener questions, is in his twenties and finds studio comedies' laugh-track tone too corny for his generation, though he loved growing up on them. He leans on his baseball-fan lens, wants habit-forming cheap theater going, and admits he knows nothing about British royalty or The Crown.

Stances

  • Movie Pass-style habit building could have saved theaters
  • His generation finds corny studio comedies hard to watch
  • Is a baseball person who sees Sean and Amanda's career questions through that lens

Humor: Deadpan interjections and a running joke that he's the SF Shills United account.

In their words

  • “my generation hates corniness a lot more than I feel like most generations before me did.” (1:19:54)
  • “Yeah, it is me.” (0:26:19)
  • “I don't know anything about the crown” (1:03:25)

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

Producer who reads listener mail and passes on Trolls World Tour at 19.99. Open to pop music and likes triggering the show's running sound clips.

Stances

  • Reads the Academy's statement and organizes the questions
  • Would not pay full price for Trolls World Tour

Humor: Deadpan and self-effacing, nudging the hosts with practical questions.

In their words

  • “I'm going to pass on that 1999 and spend it elsewhere.” (1:13:02)

Their shows' recurring bits

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

The Big Picture

Their claims

Showing 1–1 of 1 claim.

  1. industry (awards snub / rule change): Portrait of a Lady on Fire → Les Misérables. France submitted Les Miserables over Portrait, spawning the new international-feature rule.
    “we will call the portrait of a lady on fire rule, which clearly indicated that there was some discontent with Les Miserables taking the space for France in that category”
    The Big Picture · Emergency Mailbag: The Oscars Are Streaming and Hollywood Is Fighting Over Trolls | The Big Picture · 0:30:16 · Bobby Wagner (0.60 sure it was them)

Their fun items

Showing 1–8 of 8 fun items.

  1. fun, about Babylon: Oscar trivia: the film got three nominations, for costume design, original score and production design, and none for acting.
    “For best costume design, best original score and best production design.”
    The Big Picture · The ‘Babylon’ Watch-Along · 2:35:50 · Bobby Wagner (0.40 sure it was them)
  2. fun, about Babylon: The producer's wrap-up metaphor: watching Babylon is like eating a whole box of Mike and Ikes, thrilling, then sickening, then you finish because you came this far.
    “Um, I did down an entire box of Micanikes, and I felt like that was a nice metaphor for this movie.”
    The Big Picture · The ‘Babylon’ Watch-Along · 3:00:38 · Bobby Wagner (0.70 sure it was them)
  3. fun, about Bobby Wagner: His first words on the episode are forced to be about length; he says it's a masterpiece, and the movie's whole point is the mundanity of evil, not Scorsese rock-and-roll.
    “I was waiting for the moment where it became Martin Scorsese rock and roll.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 1:20:30 · Bobby Wagner (0.80 sure it was them)
  4. fun, about Killers of the Flower Moon: Bobby's take: Scorsese's three organized-crime films meet disorganized crime where victims are so marginalized nobody bothers looking, 'can you find the wolves in this picture'.
    “It's really actually very easy to find the wolves in this picture.”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 1:22:11 · Bobby Wagner (0.70 sure it was them)
  5. fun, about Killers of the Flower Moon: Molly's walk to the Washington train, with white townspeople staring through her and smoke clearing, called the scene Bobby sees when he closes his eyes.
    “I thought that that scene was so expertly crafted with the way that the smoke comes in and then it clears”
    The Big Picture · ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is Astounding · 1:23:15 · Bobby Wagner (0.70 sure it was them)
  6. fun, about Casablanca: Producer Bobby admits he saw it once in college and it is not important to him; the hosts hold a gentle on-air intervention.
    “I think I watched it once in college, but it's not important to me.”
    The Big Picture · Thirteen Awards Movies to Watch Out for, Oscar Do-Overs, and More From the Mailbag · 0:51:29 · Bobby Wagner (0.85 sure it was them)
  7. fun, about Bobby Wagner: Bobby says he'd be Sean in a Freaky Friday; he knows nothing about British royalty and The Crown.
    “I don't know anything about the crown or even like literally British royalty.”
    The Big Picture · 300th Episode Ask-Us-Anything Mailbag Spectacular · 1:03:25 · Bobby Wagner (0.90 sure it was them)
  8. fun, about Academy rule changes: Academy waives the LA theatrical-run requirement; sound categories merge; scores need 60% original music, 80% for sequels; all members vote on preliminary international round.
    “In the musical original score category for a score to be eligible, it must comprise a minimum of 60% original music.”
    The Big Picture · Emergency Mailbag: The Oscars Are Streaming and Hollywood Is Fighting Over Trolls | The Big Picture · 0:29:52 · Bobby Wagner (0.70 sure it was them)