Irresistible 2020
Jon Stewart's small-town political satire, starring Steve Carell and Rose Byrne. Both hosts call it toothless — a movie about the 2016 election made with 2006 thinking.
The Big Picture · Discussion · Hall of Fame · Top Five
So … ‘Tenet’? Plus: Top Five Movies About Making Movies
June 30, 2020/ 80 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Tenet slides its release date again, three straight-to-VOD weekend releases underwhelm, a send-off for Joel Schumacher, and the hosts finally deliver their dueling top-five lists of movies about making movies.
30 films across 5 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.
Three new releases, none of them greatIrresistible, Eurovision Song Contest, My Spy
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga 2020
Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams on Netflix. Amanda: fine, just not her thing if you don't already care about Eurovision.
My Spy 2020
Dave Bautista's action-comedy, bumped from a theatrical STX release to Amazon Prime.
Doctor Sleep's HBO Max director's cutthe three-hour version
Doctor Sleep 2019
Sean is partway through the extended cut and finds it better than the theatrical release — and thinks Rebecca Ferguson's Rose the Hat deserved a movie of her own.
Remembering Joel Schumacher1939–2020
Sleeper 1973
Schumacher designed the handmade-looking science-fiction costumes early in his career, before he directed.
The Last of Sheila 1973
Schumacher as costume designer.
Play It As It Lays 1972
The Joan Didion adaptation; Schumacher on costumes.
The Wiz 1978
Schumacher wrote the screenplay; Sidney Lumet directed.
Car Wash 1976
Schumacher-written ensemble comedy.
Sparkle 1976
Schumacher-written; about an aspiring singer.
St. Elmo's Fire 1985
Brat Pack touchstone, part of the run Amanda grew up on.
The Lost Boys 1987
Late-80s touchpoint Amanda credits Gilbert Cruz with introducing her to.
Flatliners 1990
The third of the Brat Pack-era trio, alongside St. Elmo's Fire and The Lost Boys.
Falling Down 1993
Michael Douglas as a man unraveling through Los Angeles — tone-deaf and compelling in equal measure, per Sean.
The Client 1994
One of Sean's two favorite John Grisham adaptations Schumacher directed.
A Time to Kill 1996
The other favorite Grisham adaptation.
Batman & Robin 1997
The reputation-definer. Amanda, 12 when it came out, calls it maybe the first superhero movie she ever saw.
Tigerland 2000
Part of Schumacher's run of glamorous, dark-and-dingy dramas.
Phone Booth 2002
Another entry in that same run.
Veronica Guerin 2003
Same run, always with movie stars.
Sean's top five movies about making moviesbest to worst
No. 1
Boogie Nights 1997
No. 1 — Paul Thomas Anderson's second feature, seen through Dirk Diggler's rise. Sean saw it at 15 and calls it one for the ages.
No. 2
The Player 1992
No. 2 — Robert Altman's comeback, scripted by Michael Tolkin, seen through a villainized studio executive. Sean and Amanda picked it independently.
No. 3
Barton Fink 1991
No. 3 — the Coens' tale of a playwright sent to write a wrestling picture in Hollywood, and losing his mind in the process.
No. 4
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 1988
No. 4 — Robert Zemeckis's cartoon-and-live-action hybrid. Sean pushes back hard on the idea it hasn't aged well.
No. 5
The Bad and the Beautiful 1952
No. 5 — Vincente Minnelli's ruthless portrait of a producer, played by Kirk Douglas. Sean says it was invoked a lot when Harvey Weinstein's history came out.
Amanda's top five movies about making moviesbest to worst
No. 1
Singin' in the Rain 1952
No. 1 — Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen's musical about Hollywood's transition from silent films to talkies. Amanda's portal into old Hollywood as a teenager.
No. 2
The Player 1992
No. 2 — Amanda's independent pick of the same film Sean chose at the same spot.
No. 3
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2019
No. 3 — Quentin Tarantino's most sentimental film, per Amanda, about the almost-famous getting a second chance.
No. 4
Adaptation 2002
No. 4 — Spike Jonze directing Charlie Kaufman's screenplay about adapting Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief. Amanda calls it near-impossible for anyone but Kaufman to pull off.
No. 5
Notting Hill 1999
No. 5 — Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, written by Richard Curtis. Amanda's pick for how it captures 90s movie stardom, nudity clauses and all.
Also mentioned raised along the way
In passing TenetMulanThe King of Staten IslandCluelessBatmanThe FirmBack to the Future
Ruled out by the show's own ground rules Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's ApocalypseBurden of DreamsLost in La ManchaChaplin
European arthouse Sean considered instead ContemptDay for Night8½
Recent examples of the genre Dolemite Is My NamePain and Glory
Runners-up left off the lists SomewhereHail, Caesar!All About EveReal LifeState and MainThe Aviator
Teased for the upcoming 2020-so-far episode Trolls World TourScoob!DolittleBirds of PreyNatalie Wood: What Remains Behind
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
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