Spider-Man: No Way Home 2021
Opened to $260 million in three and a half days, mid-pandemic surge and all. Sean calls it a confirmation of where moviegoing already was, not a turning point.
The Big Picture · Discussion · Review · Rankings · Interview
Spider-Man's Mega Box Office, Aaron Sorkin's 'Being the Ricardos,' and Best Picture Power Rankings
December 21, 2021/ 94 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Spider-Man's $260 million weekend, Aaron Sorkin's Being the Ricardos, Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley, an early Best Picture power ranking, a hark for The Northman, and Sean Baker on Red Rocket.
24 films across 6 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.
Spider-Man's $260 Million Weekendon the second-biggest opening in movie history
Being the Ricardos
Being the Ricardos 2021
Aaron Sorkin's third film as director, a week-in-the-life of the 1952 I Love Lucy production. Sean thinks it's quite bad and kind of liked it anyway; Amanda wants Sorkin to stop directing his own scripts. Both agree Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem are miscast as Lucy and Desi.
Nightmare Alley
Nightmare Alley 2021
Del Toro's first film since The Shape of Water, adapted from William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novel. Opened to under $3 million. Sean thinks the movie loses steam once Bradley Cooper's carny leaves the carnival for Cate Blanchett's femme fatale; Amanda never wanted to be there in the first place.
Best Picture Power RankingsSean's early power rankings for the 10 expected nominees, revealed worst-to-best on air
No. 1
The Power of the Dog 2021
No. 1: Sean's pick to win, in a year where nobody's fully seen anything yet.
No. 2
Belfast 2021
No. 2: does everything Oscar wants, but neither host knows a single other person who's seen it.
No. 3
West Side Story 2021
No. 3: struggling at the box office; Amanda thinks Spielberg's name still gets it watched once it's on Netflix.
No. 4
Licorice Pizza 2021
No. 4: Sean's now convinced Paul Thomas Anderson wins Best Original Screenplay for it.
No. 8
Being the Ricardos 2021
No. 8: Sorkin's pedigree keeps it in the race even with lukewarm reviews.
No. 9
Don't Look Up 2021
No. 9: hits Netflix in days; unclear whether the tone lands with a holiday audience.
No. 10
The Lost Daughter 2021
No. 10: barely seen yet, but Olivia Colman's in it, and you don't bet against Olivia Colman.
Stock Up: The NorthmanSean's hark for Robert Eggers' Viking epic
The Northman 2022
Eggers' Viking epic starring Alexander Skarsgård, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, and Björk. Sean is fully sold after a spear-catch in the trailer.
In conversation
Sean Baker on
Red Rocket 2021
Baker's film about Mikey Saber, a washed-up porn actor drifting back into his Texas City hometown, played by Simon Rex. Sean's No. 8 film of the year. Born out of a shelved COVID-era project and years-old research into the adult-film archetype known as a 'suitcase pimp.'
Sean Baker on
The Florida Project 2017
Baker's previous film, the one that got Willem Dafoe's agency to send his name over for Red Rocket.
Sean Baker on
Tangerine 2015
Shot on iPhones. The film Dafoe actually knew Baker's work from before signing on.
Sean Baker on
Starlet 2012
The research trip for this film, into the adult-film world, is where the 'suitcase pimp' archetype behind Red Rocket first surfaced.
Sean Baker on
Take Out 2004
Baker's second feature, about an undocumented immigrant: the start of his running interest in the underground economy.
Sean Baker on
Jockey 2021
The last great thing Baker's seen in theaters; reminded him of the passion in his own early films.
Sean Baker on
The Debut 1977
One of three films by Dutch director Nouchka van Brakel that Baker's been working through on Blu-ray.
Also mentioned raised along the way
In passing (Spider-Man box office) Star Wars: The Force AwakensDaddy's HomeSistersThe RevenantAvengers: EndgameThe Last Duel
Del Toro's back catalog Pan's LabyrinthThe Devil's BackboneCronosPacific RimBlade IIThe Shape of Water
Sorkin's other films The Trial of the Chicago 7Molly's Game
Also in the Best Picture conversation Tick, Tick... Boom!The Tragedy of Macbeth
More Best Picture chatter RomaMad Max: Fury RoadPhantom ThreadFree GuyThe French Dispatch
Eggers' filmography The WitchThe Lighthouse
Elsewhere in passing Conan the BarbarianPassingKimiMorning GloryThe Sugarland Express2001: A Space Odyssey
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV I Love LucyThe West WingStudio 60 on the Sunset StripThe NewsroomTrue BloodBig Little LiesThe Little Drummer GirlSuccession
Ads The Dave Chang ShowNetflix FIFA World Cup Launch EditionBoar's Head