The Big Picture · Roundtable
July 1, 2022/ 92 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
The mid-year check-in. Sean goes around the Ringer's staff one at a time and asks each for a single favorite movie of 2022 so far. Amanda cheats and picks two; so does Sean, at the end.
13 films across 1 segment.
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 picks one critic, one film (mostly)
Celine Sciamma's follow-up to Portrait of a Lady on Fire. A 72-minute story about a young girl who meets her mother as a child, in the woods. Amanda saw it in 2021 but counts it as a 2022 pick since that's when it played in the U.S.
Adrian Lyne's return, with Ben Affleck as a retired ship-drone developer who tends snails and Ana de Armas as his wife. Amanda calls the first 80 minutes highly enjoyable, if not exactly good.
The easiest pick of the day. Chris calls it a clinic in movie-star acting, with action set pieces among the best of the decade.
Adam Sandler as a Sixers scout who finds a streetball talent (Juancho Hernangomez) playing in Spain. Van calls it comfort cinema, low-concept and well-executed, with Anthony Edwards the standout as the villain.
The Daniels' multiversal story, led by Michelle Yeoh. Mallory calls it the rare multiverse tale that's actually interested in being infinite, built around a real family and immigrant story.
Robert Eggers' Viking revenge epic starring Alexander Skarsgard. Rob says the historical specificity is what makes an old story feel new, and that it rewards a second watch.
Mamoru Hosoda's anime, a Beauty and the Beast story set inside a virtual world. Charles says it's the rare film about the internet that feels as chaotic as actually being online.
David Cronenberg's return to body horror, with Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart. Adam calls it late-style Cronenberg, unhurried and very funny, and pairs it with Jackass Forever as a double bill about aging bodies.
Adam's bonus pick, mostly for Johnny Knoxville, whose performance he's been championing all year.
Matt Reeves' Batman. Joanna makes the case that it's best seen in a theater, pointing to the gap between how it played there versus at home on HBO Max.
Steven Soderbergh's streaming thriller, starring Zoe Kravitz as a tech worker who overhears a crime. Rob likes that it's 90 minutes and doesn't overplay its COVID-era setting.
Domee Shi's directorial debut for Pixar, about a 13-year-old who turns into a giant red panda when her emotions spike. Sean says it hit him hardest of anything all year and was underserved by going straight to Disney+.
S.S. Rajamouli's three-hour Tollywood epic starring N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan as fictionalized Indian revolutionaries. Sean calls it maximalist in every sense and recommends Rajamouli's Baahubali films too.
Also mentioned raised along the way
From Amanda's picks Portrait of a Lady on FireGone Girl
From the Top Gun conversation Top GunThor: Ragnarok
From the Hustle conversation Heaven Is a PlaygroundBlue ChipsMy GiantBoyz n the Hood
From the Everything Everywhere conversation Swiss Army Man
From The Northman conversation The WitchThe LighthouseValhalla Rising
From the Belle conversation MiraiPaprikaSpirited Away
From the Crimes of the Future conversation Dead RingerseXistenZA History of ViolenceEastern PromisesThe Card Counter
From the Batman conversation Dune
From the Kimi conversation KluteThe ConversationHigh Flying BirdRear WindowCaptain America: The Winter SoldierChip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
From Sean's closing picks LightyearBāhubali: The BeginningBāhubali 2: The Conclusion
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV WestworldVikingsDevsSeveranceStranger ThingsEuphoriaTrue BloodBig Little LiesWinning Time
Games FIFA World Cup Launch Edition
Ads FanDuelBoar's HeadNOS EnergyMeta Glasses