Tenet 2020
Screened in Toronto ahead of the crew's live draft.
The Big Picture · Discussion · Draft
The Epic Movie Draft
July 14, 2026/ 112 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins · Chris Ryan
In honor of The Odyssey, Sean, Amanda, and Chris Ryan draft epic movies across seven categories. First, a movie-news roundup: the live-action Moana's flop, a Sam Neill tribute, and the Dune: Part Three trailer.
26 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.
The newsbefore the draft
Moana 2026
The live-action remake of the 2016 animated film. A $43M domestic opening and a reported ~$125M loss; the Rock reprising Maui.
Digger
Alejandro González Iñárritu's Tom Cruise satire about an oilman in the cabinet, with Riz Ahmed and Sandra Hüller; the trailer just dropped, and Sean was cool on the comedy.
Disclosure Day
Already past $100M, so Sean feels no obligation to see it.
Dune: Part Three
The Dune Messiah adaptation; the trailer premiered in Toronto after their Tenet screening.
The picks drafting epic movies
Chris Ryan
Movies over three hours
Lawrence of Arabia 1962
David Lean; the No. 1 seed. Aqaba, the desert vistas, and the intimate scenes he's grown to love with age.
Romantic or war epic
The Last of the Mohicans 1992
Michael Mann's James Fenimore Cooper adaptation; the Day-Lewis/Stowe romance under Wes Studi's Magua.
Biopic epic
Malcolm X 1992
Spike Lee; Denzel taking a life cradle-to-grave without it ever feeling like Wikipedia.
Odyssey-inspired epic
The Searchers 1956
John Ford; Ethan's costly journey out and back, back in the news via One Battle After Another.
Epic Best Picture winner
The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957
The second Lean of the draft; Holden, Guinness, and Hawkins building a bridge they shouldn't.
Biblical epic
Kingdom of Heaven 2005
Ridley Scott's director's cut, which had a one-theater LA roadshow. Ruled eligible over Amanda's protest.
Wildcard
Carlos 2010
Olivier Assayas; Edgar Ramírez as the Jackal, a film/miniseries hybrid with a post-punk soundtrack.
Sean Fennessey
Biblical epic
The Last Temptation of Christ 1988
Scorsese; the outer-borough Jesus and Judas accents Nolan name-checked.
Epic Best Picture winner
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003
The rare fantasy that fits the bill. Third-best of the trilogy, he says, but still.
Odyssey-inspired epic
O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000
The Coens' literal Odyssey; the pick he'd long overlooked, his Darjeeling for the brothers.
Romantic or war epic
The Deer Hunter 1978
Cimino; a war epic defined by everything around the battlefield.
Wildcard
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair 2011
Tarantino's two films spliced into one; an Odyssey-coded trip to retrieve a daughter.
Amanda Dobbins
Odyssey-inspired epic
The Wizard of Oz 1939
A girl getting home; a Campbellian hero's journey, and her favorite movie.
Epic Best Picture winner
The Godfather Part II 1974
Multi-generational, time-jumping; she takes it over Part I for the Sicily flashbacks.
Romantic or war epic
The English Patient 1996
Anthony Minghella; the one Seinfeld's Elaine hated and Amanda loves.
On the board, undrafted honorable mentions
Gone with the WindThe GodfatherGandhiOut of AfricaThe Last EmperorDances with WolvesTitanicGladiatorBraveheartThe Sound of MusicOppenheimerOne Battle After AnotherA Man for All SeasonsThe Ten CommandmentsThe RobeThe Gospel According to St. MatthewThe Passion of the ChristKing of KingsThe Greatest Story Ever ToldNoahQuo VadisBarabbasSamson and DelilahDavid and BathshebaSpartacusSaving Private RyanAll Quiet on the Western FrontCrouching Tiger, Hidden DragonPlatoonOnce Upon a Time in ChinaDoctor ZhivagoThe Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonDunkirkThe Longest DayA Bridge Too FarHow the West Was WonOnce Upon a Time in the WestWyatt EarpGeronimo: An American LegendThe Great EscapeLincolnThe AviatorAliGoodfellasThe Wolf of Wall StreetCatch Me If You CanThe RevenantSchindler's ListThe Right StuffPrince of the City1900RRRKillers of the Flower MoonAn American in ParisFunny GirlSingin' in the RainThe Best Years of Our LivesWickedAndrei RublevOnce Upon a Time in AmericaHamletHenry VDjango UnchainedOnce Upon a Time in HollywoodDuneDune: Part Two
Also mentioned raised along the way
Sam Neill, remembered Jurassic ParkThe Hunt for Red OctoberIn the Mouth of MadnessThe PianoEvent HorizonDead CalmMy Brilliant CareerSleeping DogsPossessionHunt for the WilderpeopleThe Final Conflict
The Rock's run since 2016 The Fate of the FuriousBaywatchJumanji: Welcome to the JungleRampageSkyscraperFast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & ShawJumanji: The Next LevelJungle CruiseRed NoticeDC League of Super-PetsBlack AdamFast XRed OneMoana 2The Smashing MachineSan Andreas
Disney live-action remakes Lilo & StitchTangledFrozenBambiPocahontasHerculesTarzanThe Emperor's New Groove
Criterion Channel · Odyssey program The Darjeeling LimitedSullivan's TravelsWalkaboutThe Straight StoryAfter Hours
In passing The Royal TenenbaumsAsteroid CityShogun AssassinThe Driller KillerHeaven's GateDesperate HoursThe Pope of Greenwich VillageThe Ballad of Buster ScruggsHail, Caesar!The Tragedy of MacbethBirdmanDeadpool & WolverineThe Wizard of the KremlinMichaelIn the GreyMinionsMoneyballChariots of Fire
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV Amadeus (series)Band of BrothersGame of Thrones
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