The Big Picture · Review · Top Five
April 14, 2022/ 84 min/ Sean Fennessey · Adam Nayman · Joanna Robinson
The Daniels' multiverse maximalist gets the two-viewing treatment, then Sean, Adam, and Joanna each count down five movies that had no business getting greenlit.
16 films across 4 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.
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’the Daniels' multiverse movie
Adam likens its overextension to the Coens' Hudsucker Proxy: talented guys doing everything at once. Joanna reads it the other way, a big loud movie anchored by a human story. Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan's comeback, Stephanie Hsu, Jamie Lee Curtis, James Hong. The trio circles nihilism, the everything bagel, and whether a movie can be sentimental and sincere at the same time.
Adam Nayman's Fivemost audacious movies
No. 1 - John Boorman's insane follie: a flying stone head, Sean Connery in red briefs, a culture founded on a misreading of The Wizard of Oz. Ben Wheatley's favorite film.
No. 2 - Alex Cox's deadpan LA sci-fi. 'Let's get sushi and not pay.' A Chris Ryan favorite.
No. 3 - Adam prizes how minimalist Spike Jonze keeps it: camera in the middle distance, letting the crazy idea sit as the most reasonable thing possible.
No. 4 - Neveldine/Taylor's B-movie carnage as video game; the apotheosis of Jason Statham. The sequel is too much of a good thing.
No. 5 - Joseph Kahn's horror-satire mashup, self-financed for $10 million to make a movie nobody was going to like.
Joanna Robinson's Fivemost audacious movies
No. 1 - Terry Gilliam's analog-clutter dystopia; the basic-but-canonical pick she felt someone had to make.
No. 2 - Boots Riley's anti-capitalist swing, anchored by Lakeith Stanfield; maybe the wrong side of messy, but she loves the feeling that anything could happen.
No. 3 - Michel Gondry's loose, out-of-control follow-up to Eternal Sunshine, forgiven its frustrating protagonist thanks to Gael García Bernal. Bumped up from her No. 2.
No. 4 - W.D. Richter's sci-fi vibe machine, a Pauline Kael favorite she used to beat up on Star Wars.
No. 5 - Stephen Chow's 'Looney Tune cinema'; the most confident, polished film in his run. Bumped Tarsem's The Fall.
Sean Fennessey's Fivemost audacious movies
No. 1 - the boring-but-necessary pick; foretold the whole CGI industry with almost none of it, and half of its genius was lucky accidents. Overtly referenced in Everything Everywhere.
No. 2 - Jacques Tati spent $3.5 million of his own money to build Tativille; a beautiful, intoxicating capitalist critique.
No. 3 - the 'heart' to Adam's 'head' (Malkovich) and Joanna's 'head and heart' (Science of Sleep); a movie he calls near-perfect.
No. 4 - Alex Garland taking an already-weird novel and making it weirder; the last 25 minutes made Sean wonder how they let him do it.
No. 5 - Aronofsky knowingly fucking with everyone, biblical allegory with Jennifer Lawrence; one of only ~14 F CinemaScores ever.
Also mentioned raised along the way
In the ‘Everything Everywhere’ conversation The Hudsucker ProxyRaising ArizonaSwiss Army ManDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessCrazy Rich AsiansThe Big LebowskiMagnoliaTurning RedBack to the FutureReady Player OneSpace Jam21 BridgesCherryThe GooniesIndiana Jones and the Temple of DoomThe ShiningSupercop
In the audacious-movies talk The Remains of the DayBodiedScott Pilgrim vs. the WorldThe FallShaolin SoccerMermaidNoahThe FountainTime BanditsTronLate for DinnerHome for the HolidaysInvasion of the Body SnatchersStar WarsBig Trouble in Little ChinaStealthBe Kind RewindBlindspottingBamboozledDeliverancePoint BlankExorcist II: The HereticHigh-RiseThe Wizard of OzThe Man Who Killed Don QuixoteLost in La ManchaWALL·EFight ClubThey LiveThe Brother from Another PlanetCrank: High VoltageMenThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV GleeBetter Call SaulAtlantaStation ElevenKidding
Music videos Turn Down for What
Video games Grand Theft Auto
Ads FIFA World Cup Launch Edition (Netflix)Boar's HeadWhite ClawThe Dave Chang Show