The Master 2012
The Paul Thomas Anderson runner-up to There Will Be Blood.
The Big Picture · Discussion · Rankings
The 25 for ’25 Selection Show Special
January 2, 2026/ 122 min/ Sean Fennessy · Amanda Dobbins
A planning meeting turned into a podcast: Sean and Amanda argue their way to a ranked list of the 25 best movies of the last 25 years, recorded in March 2025 before the list went public. One film per director, US releases from January 2000 on.
112 films across 2 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.
Building the long listthe contenders, the alternates, the hard cuts
No Country for Old Men 2007
On Sean's list; 'not a very Coen-y movie,' he says, so it lost the Coen slot.
A Serious Man 2009
Amanda's preferred Coen, alongside Inside Llewyn Davis.
Zodiac 2007
Sean's favorite Fincher; 'the hardest cut on the whole list' under the one-per-director rule.
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood 2019
Sean's Tarantino alternative to Inglourious Basterds, an asterisk he agonized over.
Moonlight 2016
A hard cut; 'couldn't find a place for it' in the 25.
Little Women 2019
The Gerwig alternative to Lady Bird: 'one of the most under-celebrated movies of the last 10 years.'
Nope 2022
Amanda floated it as the Peele pick; Sean stayed with Get Out.
Lost in Translation 2003
The 'should-be' Coppola pick they both wrote down before landing on Marie Antoinette.
Frances Ha 2012
'A no-brainer,' cut because Lady Bird already covered the Gerwig/Baumbach axis.
Marriage Story 2019
The other Baumbach in play.
The Squid and the Whale 2005
Sean's most personal Baumbach.
Greenberg 2010
Briefly agreed as the Baumbach before Frances Ha, then dropped.
The Departed 2006
Scorsese's most-seen of the century, but not their pick.
Silence 2016
'Will have its time on this show.'
The Irishman 2019
Memories of Murder 2003
No. 2 on their Bong Joon-ho ranking; 'the cool move.'
The Intern 2015
The Nancy Meyers also-ran to Something's Gotta Give.
Oldboy 2003
The other Park Chan-wook; Sean keeps threatening to swap it in for The Handmaiden.
Boyhood 2014
The Linklater Amanda would have nudged Sean toward.
Everybody Wants Some!! 2016
Sean's Linklater: 'the most fun movie.'
Y Tu Mamá También 2001
The Cuarón pick on the list until Children of Men took the slot at the end.
Roma 2018
'Completely shredded' Sean in 2018; unrevisited since.
Gravity 2013
'A very stand-in script.'
The Act of Killing 2012
Amanda's documentary pick, made on date night in Palm Springs.
The Fog of War 2003
Errol Morris; Sean's 'red circle' among the docs, though no doc made the final 25.
O.J.: Made in America 2016
Won the Documentary Feature Oscar, so eligible; Sean is thanked in the credits.
Stories We Tell 2012
Amy 2015
Superbad 2007
The comedy pick before they pivoted to Anchorman; a hard cut.
Step Brothers 2008
'The cool pick' vs. Anchorman's 'true pick.'
Whiplash 2014
A hard cut; 'my most vulnerable rewatchables.'
La La Land 2016
First Man 2018
'The real cool-guy' Chazelle pick.
Babylon 2022
Tár 2022
A day from a Cate Blanchett Hall of Fame taping; wanted it high, couldn't fit it.
The Dark Knight 2008
On the shortlist at No. 21 for most of the meeting, cut late for The Tree of Life: 'the Tree of Life is better than the Dark Knight.'
Top Gun: Maverick 2022
'Teetering on the edge'; Sean's blockbuster of the decade, cut for saminess.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000
The Ang Lee candidate; couldn't find a spot on the cut-down list.
Brokeback Mountain 2005
Amanda flags early it won't make it; a real shame to Sean.
Inside Man 2006
Sean's Spike Lee runner-up to 25th Hour: 'and it gets you Denzel.'
The Lost City of Z 2016
Sean's James Gray pick; no Gray on the list.
The Devil Wears Prada 2006
An Amanda-on-cocktails pick; 'hugely important to me.'
Margaret 2011
The Lonergan hard cut; Sean lost his out-of-print Blu-ray to a former friend.
You Can Count on Me 2000
Hereditary 2018
One of Amanda's picks under 'are we being too cute?'
Uncut Gems 2019
The Safdie contender that fell out of the top 25.
Midnight in Paris 2011
'Riddled with controversy'; an episode would be a pain.
Amour 2012
One of three Haneke films Sean wrote down.
The New World 2005
'The Malick heads love that one.'
Shaun of the Dead 2004
'Very big-picture movies': self-aware without sacrificing craft.
Yi Yi 2000
Edward Yang, called one of the defining names of the century.
Pan's Labyrinth 2006
Del Toro's most celebrated, per Sean.
Sully 2016
The Eastwood both would pick: 'I like Sully a lot.'
Meek's Cutoff 2010
Sean's Kelly Reichardt, over Wendy and Lucy.
Hell or High Water 2016
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 2007
'Directed by your fave, Andrew Dominik.'
Hunger 2008
Sean's Steve McQueen over 12 Years a Slave.
Sicario 2015
Sean's Villeneuve pick; Amanda leaned Arrival.
Arrival 2016
A hard cut; no Villeneuve made the list.
The Lobster 2015
Their shared Lanthimos.
The Favourite 2018
Portrait of a Lady on Fire 2019
'Now like the Sight & Sound' consensus pick.
The Raid 2011
'Much like Oldboy, incredibly influential.'
John Wick 2014
Sean's pick over John Wick 4.
Shoplifters 2018
Burning 2018
Sean's No. 2 of its year.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001
'Didn't make the long list, but that is cool.'
A Separation 2011
WALL·E 2008
Sean's Pixar pick; no Pixar made the list.
Ratatouille 2007
It's Such a Beautiful Day 2012
Don Hertzfeldt; 'big one for me.'
Call Me by Your Name 2017
Sean's Guadagnino; Amanda answered with A Bigger Splash.
A Bigger Splash 2015
Almost Famous 2000
Cut to make room for There Will Be Blood: 'sorry to Cameron Crowe.'
A.I. Artificial Intelligence 2001
One of the missing Spielbergs.
Minority Report 2002
'Too much Cruise, too much action, too samey.'
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004
'What Severance is doing is so deeply riffing on' it.
Birth 2004
Their Jonathan Glazer, if there were one.
The Hurt Locker 2008
No Kathryn Bigelow on the list.
The Fabelmans 2022
'A case for it,' but not this list's conceit.
Certified Copy 2010
'Really important and good'; a Kiarostami they'd love to take apart.
Donnie Darko 2001
Hero 2002
Zhang Yimou.
The 25 for ’25 shortlistwhere it stood at the end of the meeting, No. 1 first
No. 4
Inglourious Basterds 2009
No. 4: Sean's Tarantino, with a 'big fucking asterisk' for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
No. 9
Mad Max: Fury Road 2015
No. 9: 'the best action movie ever made,' per Soderbergh, per the show.
No. 11
The Wolf of Wall Street 2013
No. 11: the Scorsese, over The Departed, Silence, and The Irishman.
No. 12
The Royal Tenenbaums 2001
No. 12: the Wes Anderson, locked in further after Gene Hackman's death.
No. 16
The Tree of Life 2011
No. 16, swapped in for The Dark Knight late: 'the Tree of Life is better.'
No. 17
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy 2004
No. 17: the Will Ferrell pick over Superbad and Step Brothers.
No. 21
Mission: Impossible - Fallout 2018
No. 21: one of three action movies and three sequels here.
No. 22
Something's Gotta Give 2003
No. 22: the lone Nancy Meyers, over The Intern and It's Complicated.
No. 23
Children of Men 2006
No. 23: added at the buzzer once The Dark Knight was cut; Cuarón's slot.
No. 25
Michael Clayton 2007
No. 25, a deliberate low opener: 'grab people up top and make them a little mad.'
Also mentioned raised along the way
Other director options weighed in passing Phantom ThreadInherent VicePunch-Drunk LoveThe Man Who Wasn't ThereOppenheimerInterstellarInceptionThe PrestigeDunkirkBarbieKill Bill: Vol. 1Kill Bill: Vol. 2Django UnchainedKillers of the Flower MoonMickey 17It's ComplicatedHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban2046The Grand Budapest HotelMoonrise KingdomAsteroid CityIsle of DogsFantastic Mr. FoxDancer in the DarkDogvilleManderlayAntichristNymphomaniacThe House That Jack BuiltHulkTaking WoodstockRide with the DevilBlacKkKlansmanBamboozledHighest 2 LowestInland EmpireThe ImmigrantTwo LoversEdge of TomorrowGood TimeTalk to HerVolverThe Piano TeacherCachéThe White RibbonFunny GamesThe Shape of WaterThe MuleRichard JewellMillion Dollar BabyWendy and Lucy12 Years a SlaveWidowsA ProphetJohn Wick: Chapter 4Bad Boys IIAmbulancePhoenixThe Zone of InterestSexy BeastA Star Is BornBridesmaidsZero Dark ThirtyIdaCold WarZamaMoulin Rouge!Honey Don'tFast FiveOcean's ElevenLove & BasketballThe Other Guys
Cited as 'on every other list' Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past LivesFish TankDrive My CarA Touch of SinHoly MotorsBeau Travail
Ben Affleck's filmography, per Sean The Greatest Love Story Never ToldThe TownArgoChasing AmyMallratsPhantoms
Programmed at past screenings Gone Girl
Mentioned but pre-2000 (ineligible) Sense and SensibilityRushmoreKicking and ScreamingPulp FictionOut of SightThe LimeyPrincess MononokeMy Neighbor TotoroPorco Rosso
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV The Last DanceTwin Peaks: The ReturnGet BackSeveranceThe Little Drummer Girl
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