The Big Picture · Review
July 21, 2023/ 102 min/ Sean Fennessy · Amanda Dobbins
Sean and Amanda give their first, spoiler-free reactions to the two movies opening the same day, plus advice on running the double bill and box-office bets.
2 films across 2 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
Oppenheimerspoiler-free first reactions
Christopher Nolan's adaptation of the Pulitzer-winning biography 'American Prometheus,' shot on 70mm IMAX with Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer. Sean calls it his favorite Nolan and the closest anyone has come to Oliver Stone's 'JFK,' citing the shifting stocks, aspect ratios, and cross-cutting. Amanda was mesmerized by the first two hours and openly bored by the procedural third; both flag Nolan's familiar problem writing the women. Cillian Murphy is their MVP.
Barbiespoiler-free first reactions
Greta Gerwig's studio swing, written with Noah Baumbach, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Amanda loved it without distance and calls it an instant touchstone; Sean liked it but docked the Mattel-boardroom middle stretch, which makes the whole thing feel corporate. Both rate the first 40 minutes of Barbie Land as the standout and think Margot Robbie deserves an Oscar nomination.
Also mentioned raised along the way
Oppenheimer touchstones JFKBeing the RicardosFat Man and Little BoyThe Imitation Game
The rest of the Nolan filmography MementoThe Dark KnightInceptionInterstellarDunkirkTenet
Barbie's lineage Lady BirdLittle WomenFrances HaThe Truman ShowThe MatrixThe Wizard of OzPee-wee's Big AdventureToy StoryThe Lego MovieHeaven Can WaitThe Hudsucker Proxy
Also in the mix AirBabylonThe Wolf of Wall StreetNopeBeau Is AfraidThe Devil Wears PradaOcean's ElevenAmanda
The summer box office Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part OneSound of FreedomTransformers: Rise of the BeastsTransformers: Dark of the Moon
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV The Bear
Games FIFA World Cup Launch Edition
Podcasts The WatchThe Rewatchables60 Songs That Explain the 90s
Ads NOS EnergyNetflixCarvanaBoar's HeadFanDuel