The Father 2020
Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for it; he didn't attend, so Soderbergh's reordered show froze on a photo of him and ended. Amanda liked the film.
The Big Picture · Discussion
Best Actor Goes to Who??? The Winners, Losers, and WTFs of the Academy Awards.
April 26, 2021/ 68 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins recap the 93rd Academy Awards — Anthony Hopkins over Chadwick Boseman, Best Picture handed out before the acting awards, Soderbergh's freeze-frame ending — then take night-of listener questions.
43 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.
The 93rd Academy Awardswinners, losers, and the ending
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom 2020
Chadwick Boseman was the expected posthumous Best Actor winner; instead it took only costume design and makeup/hairstyling. The hosts wonder if voters just never watched it.
Nomadland 2020
Best Picture, plus Best Director for Chloe Zhao (only the second woman to win) and Best Actress for producer-star Frances McDormand, who howled like a wolf.
Minari 2020
Youn Yuh-jung won Best Supporting Actress and shot her shot at presenter Brad Pitt, whose Plan B produced the film.
Judas and the Black Messiah 2021
Daniel Kaluuya won Best Supporting Actor and gave a speech that thanked his parents for having sex; no clip of the performance aired, which set Sean off.
Another Round 2020
Thomas Vinterberg's Best International Feature win; his speech moved Amanda and her husband to tears — a rare billboard for the power of movies.
Promising Young Woman 2020
Emerald Fennell's Best Original Screenplay win, handed out early alongside adapted screenplay.
Mank 2020
Two Oscars, including Best Cinematography for Erik Messerschmidt — Sean's cinematography flyer that paid off. 'Mank has two Oscars, Citizen Kane has one.'
Sound of Metal 2019
A soft-upset win for Film Editing.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 2020
The only Best Picture nominee shut out entirely; Aaron Sorkin looked confused during trivia night.
My Octopus Teacher 2020
Best Documentary Feature. Amanda's grievance: the winners thanked everyone but never named the octopus, and it beat films she rated higher.
Time 2020
Documentary nominee Amanda called one of the year's best.
Collective 2019
Documentary nominee Amanda called one of the year's best.
Crip Camp 2020
Documentary nominee; 'a beautiful movie.'
The Mole Agent 2020
Documentary nominee; Amanda joked it should cross over with The Father.
Hillbilly Elegy 2020
Glenn Close's nomination; instead of an Oscar the show had her identify and perform 'Da Butt' during trivia night.
One Night in Miami 2020
Its song was the pick both hosts made for Best Original Song; it lost to 'Fight for You' from Judas and the Black Messiah in an upset.
The Life Ahead 2020
Diane Warren's nominated song, another expected Best Original Song contender that lost.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991
Steven Yeun's on-air testimonial about the movies that formed him — a deeply relatable moment.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982
Lee Isaac Chung's anecdote about standing the whole way through it as a kid.
Blade Runner 1982
Harrison Ford's presenting bit; Sean wanted more of these 'when we made this movie' callbacks.
Joker 2019
Made Joaquin Phoenix the reigning Best Actor, so he presented — looking, per Sean, unhappy to be there.
The Irishman 2019
The prior year's Netflix Best Picture shutout that Chicago 7 now echoes.
Citizen Kane 1941
The one-Oscar punchline to Mank's two.
West Side Story 1961
Rita Moreno presented and a clip from Spielberg's forthcoming remake aired; the 1961 film won 10 Oscars, a sweep the hosts think is now impossible.
Titanic 1997
Cited in the debate over whether a single film can still dominate every category.
Avatar 2009
Part of the generational-megablockbuster lineage Sean traces.
Avengers: Endgame 2019
'Two billion dollars' of humans watched it — the movie that absorbed the culture the way awards films no longer do.
Night-of listener questionsthe mailbag, run by Bobby Wagner
Extraction 2020
Sean's joke answer for Brad Pitt's favorite film of the year.
Spenser Confidential 2020
Another gag Brad Pitt 'favorite' — the title neither host could remember.
Happiest Season 2020
'He loves rom-coms' — more Brad Pitt bit.
Bad Boys for Life 2020
Part of the running Brad Pitt joke list.
Trolls World Tour 2020
'The most overrepresented movie on The Big Picture.'
Queen & Slim 2019
Cited as evidence Kaluuya is interesting even when the movie doesn't work; he's the pick for most future Oscars.
The Wife 2017
Glenn Close filmography riff — the one only Sean and Amanda saw.
The World According to Garp 1982
Floated as a topic between Kaluuya and Glenn Close.
Fatal Attraction 1987
Part of guessing Kaluuya's favorite Glenn Close performances.
The Natural 1984
Another Glenn Close title in the guessing game.
Albert Nobbs 2011
The Glenn Close joke Amanda talked herself out of, for Glenn's sake.
House of Gucci 2021
Sean's way-too-early 2022 Best Picture pick — Lady Gaga, Ridley Scott. Amanda passes.
Black Hawk Down 2001
Ridley Scott's last Best Director nomination, a 20-year gap by the time of House of Gucci.
Clifford the Big Red Dog 2021
Amanda's flip 2022 non-answer, alongside a nod to the next PTA film.
Mortal Kombat 2021
Teased as next week's 'cinematic masterpiece' to close the show.
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV The Falcon and the Winter SoldierWestworldAtlanta
Web series The Metal Draft
Ads The Ringerverse
Music Da ButtPurple Rain