Drama
Mikey and Nicky 1976
Elaine May's two-hander, Cassavetes and Falk as anxious not-quite-gangsters. 'The movie that explained men to me.'
The Big Picture · Draft
The 1976 Movie Draft
May 18, 2026/ 132 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins · Chris Ryan · Tracy Letts
A four-person snake draft of 1976 movies, with playwright and actor Tracy Letts joining Sean, Amanda, and Chris. Each drafter fills a six-slot roster: Drama, Comedy/Horror/Sci-Fi, Thriller or Action, Blockbuster (over $20M box office), Oscar Nominee, and Wild Card. Producer Jack Sanders set the order (Amanda, Chris, Sean, Letts), snaking back each round. Every pick below is confirmed by the hosts' end-of-episode recap.
24 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 teams drafting 1976 movies
Amanda Dobbins
Comedy/Horror/Sci-Fi
Cousin Cousine 1975
A French romantic comedy she calls 'a French Four Weddings and a Funeral.' A discovery she was completely delighted by, with three Oscar nominations.
Thriller or Action
All the President's Men 1976
First overall pick and her favorite film of the year. She took it here to deny it to everyone else, since it fit five of the six categories.
Blockbuster
A Star Is Born 1976
The Streisand version, defended against the group's snobbery. Second-highest earner of the year. 'Barbra Streisand is important.'
Oscar Nominee
Marathon Man 1976
'Roy Scheider in Paris.' Olivier's Nazi-dentist thriller, and a Supporting Actor nomination for Olivier.
Wild Card
Daguerréotypes 1975
Agnès Varda's documentary about the shopkeepers on her Paris street. A discovery, streaming on Criterion.
Chris Ryan
Drama
Kings of the Road 1976
Wim Wenders' near-three-hour road movie, shot by Robby Müller. 'A blueprint for Linklater, for Jarmusch.' The last of the pure German Wenders films.
Comedy/Horror/Sci-Fi
The Town That Dreaded Sundown 1976
Charles B. Pierce's slasher about a phantom terrorizing Texarkana. Scary in spite of a very stupid B-plot; Chris sees Zodiac in it.
Thriller or Action
The Outlaw Josey Wales 1976
One of the great Eastwood films. He praised the cinematography, the Chief Dan George chemistry, and Eastwood finding his own voice.
Blockbuster
The Omen 1976
The studio's Exorcist knockoff, Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. 'I like to laugh with this movie more than I'm afraid of it.' Great score.
Oscar Nominee
Taxi Driver 1976
Second overall pick. 'One of my favorite movies ever made,' a portrait of loneliness and a great New York film.
Wild Card
Logan's Run 1976
'A real head fuck of a movie.' Michael York in a society that culls people at 30. More influential than beloved.
Sean Fennessey
Drama
Network 1976
Third overall pick. 'The movie that made me feel like a grown-up.' Chayefsky's prescient, secretly funny satire, with Duvall, Dunaway, Finch, and Beatty.
Comedy/Horror/Sci-Fi
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson 1976
Altman and Paul Newman, drafted as a comedy. An embittered satire of the American myth, with Joel Grey a standout.
Thriller or Action
Assault on Precinct 13 1976
John Carpenter's second feature, a Rio Bravo-inspired siege movie. The arrival of a major genre filmmaker.
Blockbuster
The Bad News Bears 1976
'The best comedy of this year and the last truly great blockbuster.' Ritchie and Matthau, a top-five sports movie for Sean.
Oscar Nominee
Harlan County, USA 1976
Barbara Kopple's documentary on the Kentucky coal-miners' strike. 'Maybe the greatest American documentary ever made.' It won Best Documentary.
Wild Card
Welcome to L.A. 1976
Alan Rudolph's first film and the first release from Altman's Lions Gate. An acidic portrait of a vapid LA, Keith Carradine and Sissy Spacek.
Tracy Letts
Drama
Lifeguard 1976
A Sam Elliott vehicle that Letts and his wife were knocked out by. A light film that gets deeper the further in you go.
Comedy/Horror/Sci-Fi
Carrie 1976
De Palma. The others were bummed he got it. He argued Spacek and Piper Laurie deserved Oscars, and that it's 'the best movie about high school ever made.'
Thriller or Action
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie 1976
Cassavetes, a category reach. He saw it in Dallas with a Cassavetes Q&A, and loves Mr. Sophistication and Ben Gazzara.
Blockbuster
Rocky 1976
Saw it in theaters in '76, and revisited it for his own film, I Play Rocky. Thinks they should have stopped the franchise after the first.
Oscar Nominee
Seven Beauties 1975
Lina Wertmüller, with a Best Actor nomination for Giancarlo Giannini. 'The movie you kids should see.' Great, funny, and horrifying.
Wild Card
The Man Who Fell to Earth 1976
Nic Roeg and David Bowie. A third viewing 'knocked my socks off.' He praised the StudioCanal 4K steelbook.
On the board, undrafted honorable mentions
The ShootistKing KongSilver StreakCar WashThe EnforcerThe Missouri BreaksRobin and MarianObsessionThe FrontSilent MovieFamily PlotMurder by DeathThe Seven-Per-Cent SolutionThe Pink Panther Strikes AgainMr. KleinThe Tenant1900
Also mentioned raised along the way
In the conversation JawsStar WarsApocalypse NowOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestBarry LyndonThe Stepford WivesThree Days of the CondorGrey GardensNashvilleThe PassengerParis, TexasUnforgivenIn the Line of Fire
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV Dark ShadowsThe Night StalkerSuccessionThe PitSaturday Night Live
Ads TremfyaNOS EnergyCarvanaFIFA World Cup Launch EditionSonic