The Big Picture · Discussion · Review
January 30, 2026/ 116 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Two late-January genre movies — the AI courtroom thriller 'Mercy' and Sam Raimi's survival satire 'Send Help' — bookend a countdown of the stars Hollywood keeps wasting.
13 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.
In the newsA Sundance sale, the Beatles biopics, and BAFTA takeaways
A24 paid $10M+ at Sundance for Olivia Wilde's adaptation of a Spanish film — Seth Rogen and Wilde as a couple invited to a swingers party by Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz. Part of Wilde's post-'Don't Worry Darling' rebuild, alongside Gregg Araki's 'I Want Your Sex' and Tony Gilroy's 'Behemoth.'
'Mercy'Chris Pratt, an AI judge, and 90 minutes on a countdown clock
Timur Bekmambetov's screen-thriller for Amazon MGM: a detective (Chris Pratt) strapped to a chair has 90 real-time minutes to prove to an AI judge (Rebecca Ferguson) that he didn't kill his wife. The hosts read it as propaganda that launders both AI and the surveillance state — Ring footage clears him — and note it cost a reported $60M but looks shot on a phone. Number one at the box office its opening weekend.
'Send Help'Sam Raimi strands Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien on an island
One of the rare original films from Raimi, reteaming Bill Pope, Bob Murawski, and Danny Elfman. Rachel McAdams's mistreated employee and Dylan O'Brien's sexist boss survive a plane crash onto a deserted island, and the power flips. Sean loves it as classic mean-spirited Raimi (see 'A Simple Plan,' 'Drag Me to Hell') that refuses to make either character likable; both praise McAdams for playing unhinged and ugly. She loves Survivor; it pays off.
The 10 Most Misused Stars in HollywoodSean and Amanda alternate picks, with Rachel McAdams as the muse — one anchor film per star
Lakeith Stanfield. Oscar-nominated here, great in 'Get Out' and 'Atlanta,' the lead of 'Sorry to Bother You' — and still not a movie star. Keeps landing second lead ('Roofman,' 'Die My Love'); the hosts want someone to build a film around him.
James McAvoy. Circa 2007-08 he 'had it all.' Since then, Professor X and a swole M. Night Shyamalan run ('Speak No Evil'), but no franchise or series built around him. Also directed a film ('California Schemin'') that went nowhere.
Angelina Jolie. A $110M-budget phenomenon that grossed roughly $300M and is now half-forgotten. One of the most striking, capable stars alive who — 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' and 'Girl, Interrupted' aside — made almost no great films. Recent output is 'Maria,' 'Maleficent,' 'Eternals.'
Dev Patel. He directed himself in it because, he said, nobody would cast him as an action star — and since 'Slumdog Millionaire' and 'Lion,' nobody has handed him a big, good mainstream vehicle. The hosts find him consistently winning and a convincing action lead.
Bradley Cooper. 'A call coming from inside the house.' A great star and director now doing cameos and self-directed passion projects ('Maestro,' 'Is This Thing On?'); 'The Mule' in 2018 was his last plain movie-star part.
Julia Roberts. Still nuclear-level famous and underused. Good in Luca Guadagnino's film even though the hosts think its script doesn't work; still working with Sam Esmail. They want a Wes or Paul Thomas Anderson to channel her.
Amy Adams. Six-time nominee whose last decade is a run of misfires ('Hillbilly Elegy,' 'Dear Evan Hansen,' 'The Woman in the Window'). The hosts split on whether it's her choices or the town; a comeback may come via Cornel Mundruczo's 'At the Sea.'
Regina Hall. PTA found a quiet, solemn register under the comic charisma — power and stillness Hollywood never taps. Great in 'Girls Trip,' but the performance faded in awards season. Next: a Nicholas Stoller comedy, 'Judgment Day.'
Kirsten Dunst. Terrific as the war photojournalist, yet keeps landing girlfriend/supporting roles ('Roofman'). '25 for 25' honoree for 'Melancholia' and 'Marie Antoinette'; the pick is to let her lead again. A Sofia Coppola reunion is rumored.
Chris Pine. A great Captain Kirk with a scattered post-2020 run ('Poolman,' 'Wish'). Two 2026 indies with women directors ahead — Rachel Lambert's 'Carousel' and the Zellner brothers' 'Alpha Gang' — plus a Gen-Z-formative back catalog ('The Princess Diaries 2,' 'Just My Luck').
Also mentioned raised along the way
The BAFTA race SinnersGandhiParallel MothersField of DreamsThe Ballad of Wallis IslandI SwearOppenheimer
Olivia Wilde's rebuild Don't Worry DarlingBooksmartI Want Your SexLittle Miss SunshineEternalsMy PolicemanThe Snowman
Screen movies, done better Minority ReportSearchingUnfriendedHostMissingMoneyballBack to the Future Part IIBilly Madison
Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson Guardians of the GalaxyJurassic WorldThe Super Mario Bros. MovieThe Garfield MovieA House of Dynamite
Sam Raimi's mean streak The Evil DeadSpider-ManA Simple PlanDrag Me to HellDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
The 'Send Help' lineage Cast AwayTriangle of SadnessSwimming with SharksWorking GirlA Perfect GetawayDecision to Leave
Rachel McAdams Mean GirlsThe NotebookMidnight in ParisAbout TimeThe VowWedding CrashersGame NightSpotlightSherlock HolmesRed EyeAre You There God? It's Me, Margaret
Lakeith Stanfield Get OutThe Harder They FallThe Book of ClarenceHaunted MansionSorry to Bother YouRoofmanDie My LoveThe Photograph
James McAvoy Speak No Evil
Angelina Jolie WantedMariaMaleficent: Mistress of EvilThe One and Only IvanThose Who Wish Me DeadMr. & Mrs. SmithHackersGirl, InterruptedGiaLara Croft: Tomb RaiderTaking LivesSky Captain and the World of TomorrowAlexanderFoxfire
Dev Patel Slumdog MillionaireChappieThe Best Exotic Marigold HotelThe Last AirbenderLionHotel MumbaiThe Personal History of David CopperfieldThe Green KnightThe Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Bradley Cooper Is This Thing On?Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among ThievesThe HangoverAmerican SniperSupermanNightmare AlleyMaestroThe MuleBurntAlohaJoyLimitless
Amy Adams NightbitchDisenchantedDear Evan HansenThe Woman in the WindowZack Snyder's Justice LeagueHillbilly ElegyViceClara and the Sun
Regina Hall Girls TripScary MovieMoney Monster
Kirsten Dunst The Power of the DogBring It OnMelancholiaMarie AntoinetteThe Virgin SuicidesThe Beguiled
Chris Pine Wonder Woman 1984Wonder WomanThe ContractorAll the Old KnivesPoolmanWishThe Kidnapping of ArabellaThe Princess Diaries 2: Royal EngagementJust My LuckJack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
The rest of a generation The Woman in Cabin 10Boston StranglerMisbehaviourGirlfightDreamgirlsThe Devil Wears Prada500 Days of SummerEasy VirtueOnce Upon a Time in HollywoodPanic RoomKnocked UpForgetting Sarah MarshallSuperbadEasy AThe TownMatch PointScoopF1
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV Parks and RecreationThe Terminal ListSiloThe StudioAtlantaTrue DetectiveBlack DovesVeronica MarsNew GirlTed LassoSurvivorAmerican IdolThe White LotusMel Brooks: HBO documentary
Ads Wells Fargo Autograph JourneyAmazon PrimeTremfayaNespressoMint MobilePoise