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The Ringer

Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins review the movies you need to see. Plus: Top 5s, Movie Drafts, Oscars analysis, and more, featuring a rotating cast of Ringer colleagues like Chris Ryan, Van Lathan, and Bill Simmons.

The Big Picture

Sean and Amanda are joined by Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman to share their five favorite films from the year. But before diving in, they cover a handful of movie news items, including the updated rumors regarding the potential sale of Warner Bros. (1:25), the massive box office success of ‘Zootopia 2’ (5:44), and the speculation that Leonardo DiCaprio has been cast in Michael Mann’s ‘Heat 2’ (11:15). Then, they each share their top five favorite movies from 2025 (25:20).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Chris Ryan and Adam Nayman

Producer: Jack Sanders

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The Top Five Movies of 2025

Sean, Amanda, and Chris visit Pandora and join the Na’vi to watch James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ in anticipation of his upcoming sequel, ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash.’

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Chris Ryan

Producer: Jack Sanders

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The ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Watch-Along!

Sean and Amanda are joined by Tracy Letts to cover the monumental work of legendary actor Robert Redford. They celebrate the star’s illustrious career, share their personal relationship to his work, and build his Hall of Fame. 

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Tracy Letts

Producer: Jack Sanders

Research: Brantley Palmer

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The Robert Redford Hall of Fame

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Spike Lee’s ‘25th Hour,’ one of the most present tense films ever made. They discuss its fascinating legacy as a somewhat under-discussed masterpiece, explain why Lee’s stylistic choices are deeply moving, and identify the impressive fricative tension in all of the movie’s ideas.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Jack Sanders

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The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 3 - '25th Hour’

Sean and Amanda begin the show by discussing the imminent sale of Warner Brothers Discovery, consider the potential implications of a merger with one of Paramount, Comcast, or Netflix, and debate which scenario is the most likely outcome (1:22). Then, they cover the new Colleen Hoover adaptation ‘Regretting You’ starring Allison Williams and Dave Franco, which they found absolutely baffling (17:28). Next, they have an extensive conversation around Joachim Trier’s ‘Sentimental Value,’ starring Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgard, where they explore why some people are connecting to the film so strongly, while for others it doesn't seem to resonate (47:15). Finally, Trier joins the show to explain how much of himself is actually mapped onto Skarsgard’s character, how being a good listener and observant of the world around you translates to strong characterization, and the story of shooting in a house that was down the street he grew up on (1:33:54).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guest: Joachim Trier

Producer: Jack Sanders
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Best Picture Power Rankings and the Super-Sincerity of ‘Sentimental Value,’ With Joachim Trier! Plus: Regretting ‘Regretting You.’

Sean and Amanda are joined by Juliet Litman and return to the (not so) wonderful world of Oz to cover John M. Chu’s ‘Wicked: For Good,’ starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Before diving in, they react to new movie trailers for Charli XCX’s ‘The Moment’ (1:02) and ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ (10:54). Then, they discuss ‘Wicked: For Good,’ which they found deeply frustrating due to its bizarre story choices and one-dimensional characters (18:22). They hypothesize its potential box office, compare this year’s press tour to last year’s, and weigh its Academy Award chances (1:07:44). Next, Sean and Amanda briefly examine Clint Bentley’s ‘Train Dreams,’ starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, a deeply earnest and sincere portrayal of grief with some beautiful digital photography and an amazing collection of character actors (1:22:55). Finally, Bentley joins the show to discuss his new film and explains why he initially thought the original material was unadaptable, how he put a lot of intent behind capturing the logging scenes in the movie, and shares his feelings on the current state of independent film (1:34:28).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Clint Bentley and Juliet Litman

Producer: Jack Sanders

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‘Wicked: For Good’ Is No Good. But ‘Train Dreams’ Is.

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds,’ which made for one of the greatest movie-going experiences of the century. They talk through why this was the official Tarantino pick over ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ praise Christoph Waltz for his generational performance, and explore the film’s legacy at great length.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producers: Jack Sanders, Charlie Finan, John Richter, Kevin Cureghian, Victoria Valencia, and Ryan Todd

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The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 4 - 'Inglourious Basterds’

On today’s action-packed show, Sean and Amanda dive deep into the two newest films from one of their favorite filmmakers, Richard Linklater. Before diving in, they react to a handful of movie news headlines, including Tom Cruise’s honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards, the new teaser trailer for the live-action ‘Moana’ film, and Georgia Oakley’s upcoming remake of ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ starring Daisy Edgar-Jones (1:14). Then, they discuss ‘Nouvelle Vague’ (16:06) and ‘Blue Moon’ (28:11) and explain why they found the former to be an interesting exercise and the latter to be one of the best movies of 2025. Later, they break down what makes Ethan Hawke such a great actor and rank their five favorite performances of his career (46:07). Finally, Sean is joined by Hawke and Linklater to explain why 'Blue Moon' was the perfect project for a collaborative reunion, explore how they have evolved as filmmakers and performers over their illustrious careers, and discuss why they feel optimistic about the current state of moviegoing and the challenges both the industry and society face (56:29).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater

Producer: Jack Sanders
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The Top Five Ethan Hawke Movies and a Double Shot of Richard Linklater, With Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater!

Sean and Amanda are joined by Van Lathan to cover two new releases that they collectively had mixed feelings about. Before diving in, though, they theorize about why the fall movie slate has been such a huge disappointment both commercially and critically and what it represents for the industry at large going forward (0:34). Then, they break down Edgar Wright’s new action film, ‘The Running Man,’ starring Glen Powell, which they found deeply messy but also full of impressively staged action scenes (28:01). Next, they unpack the new magician legacy sequel ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don't,’ starring Jesse Eisenberg and Dave Franco. They explain their personal relationship with the original films and why Rosamund Pike was born to play an evil diamond heiress villain, and they hypothesize about what its potential box office chances are (59:23). Finally, Edgar Wright joins Sean to discuss the evolving landscape of studio filmmaking, how he constructs an elaborate action set piece, and the amazing story about how Powell was cast for the lead part (1:15:55).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Guests: Edgar Wright and Van Lathan

Producer: Jack Sanders
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The Juiceless Fall Movie Season, ‘The Running Man,’ and ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Greta Gerwig’s ‘Lady Bird,’ one of the greatest coming-of-age films ever made. They explain why this is the most defining millennial movie of all time, unpack its quintessential portrayal of a complicated mother-daughter dynamic, and sort through the difficult decision to choose this as the official Gerwig selection over ‘Little Women’ and ‘Frances Ha.’

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins

Producer: Jack Sanders

Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the Personal Price Plan®. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there®.
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The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 5 - 'Lady Bird’

Sean and Amanda instantly react to the Golden Globes nominations and what it portends for the Oscars (1:00). Then, they are (somehow) joined by Julia Roberts (28:00) and friend of the show Sam Esmail to discuss ‘Leave the World Behind,’ Esmail’s adaptation of the Rumaan Alam novel. Esmail sticks around for an in-depth conversation about adaptation, set design, costuming, casting, working for Netflix, what’s coming next, and everything in between (48:00).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Guests: Julia Roberts and Sam Esmail
Senior Producer: Bobby Wagner
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Julia Roberts (!) and Sam Esmail on ‘Leave the World Behind.’ Plus: Golden Globes Snubs, Surprises, and WTFs.

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