The Top Five Ethan Hawke Movies and a Double Shot of Richard Linklater, With Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater!
On todayās 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 Cruiseās honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards, the new teaser trailer for the live-action āMoanaā film, and Georgia Oakleyās upcoming remake of āSense and Sensibility,ā starring Daisy Edgar-Jones (1:14). Then, they discuss āNouvelle Vagueā (16:06) and āBlue Moonā (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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1:49:28
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1:49:28
The Juiceless Fall Movie Season, āThe Running Man,ā and āNow You See Me: Now You Donātā
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 Wrightās new action film, āThe Running Man,ā 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 āNow You See Me: Now You Don't,ā 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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2:07:30
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2:07:30
The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 5 - 'Lady Birdā
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 Gerwigās āLady Bird,ā 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 āLittle Womenā and āFrances Ha.ā
Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Producer: Jack Sanders
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1:02:44
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1:02:44
āPredator: Badlandsā and the 'Predator' Movie Rankings
Sean is joined by Chris Ryan to avenge their Yautja brethren on planet Genna and cover Dan Trachtenbergās āPredator: Badlands,ā starring Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi. Before diving in though, they briefly cover a handful of movie news headlines, including the reporting that Ryan Reynolds is remaking the 1970s crime film āThunderbolt and Lightfootā for Amazon MGM (2:35). Next, they unpack the new 'Predator' legacy sequel and make the case for why it wouldnāt work without Fanningās performance, explain why Trachtenberg has a clear eye for titillating action set piece filmmaking, and discuss its big box office success and wonder what it represents at large (7:39). Then, they rank every film in the 'Predator' franchise (43:38).
Host: Sean Fennessey
Guest: Chris Ryan
Producers: Jack Sanders and Bex Donnelly
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1:18:31
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1:18:31
Guillermo del Toroās āFrankensteinā and the Best Frankenstein Movies. Plus: Jennifer Lawrence Is Ablaze in āDie My Love.ā
Sean and Amanda are joined by Rob Mahoney to cover a pair of new releases, but before diving in, they react to two new movie trailers for āMichaelā and āThe Testament of Ann Leeā and the news that a āMiss Piggyā movie from Cole Escola, Jennifer Lawrence, and Emma Stone is in development (0:53). Then, they unpack Guillermo del Toroās āFrankenstein,ā starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi. They talk through the divisive reception to the film thus far, explain why the second half of the film is much stronger than the first, and hypothesize what its awards chances are (9:26). Finally, they cover Lynne Ramsayās new psychological thriller, āDie My Love,ā starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, which they all thoroughly enjoyed and view as Lawrenceās best performance of her career (57:53).
Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Guest: Rob Mahoney
Producer: Jack Sanders
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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.