Dune 2021
Reports out of a Deadline Q&A suggest it might dodge Warner Bros.' day-and-date HBO Max plan, likely thanks to a contract dispute with Legendary.
The Big Picture · Discussion · Review · Hall of Fame · Interview
The George Clooney Hall of Fame. Plus: Carey Mulligan and Emerald Fennell!
December 23, 2020/ 113 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Ten movies to enshrine George Clooney, then Carey Mulligan and Emerald Fennell on Promising Young Woman.
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.
Will Dune skip HBO Max?breaking news
The Midnight Sky
The Midnight Sky 2020
Clooney directs and stars as a scientist crossing the Arctic to warn a returning spaceship crew of a global catastrophe. The hosts call it well-intentioned but draggy, and read it as Clooney working through fatherhood.
The George Clooney Hall of Fame
Batman & Robin 1997
A genuine bomb Clooney is still embarrassed by, but the hosts argue it's the most important movie of his career: its failure is what scared studios into Sam Raimi, Bryan Singer, and eventually Christopher Nolan.
Out of Sight 1998
The essence-of-Clooney pick, and the start of the Soderbergh partnership that redirected his whole career.
Three Kings 1999
Notoriously tense shoot with David O. Russell; nearly got traded out for The Perfect Storm before making the final cut.
The Perfect Storm 2000
The blockbuster that proved Clooney could carry a mainstream hit after Batman & Robin.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000
Where the wide-eyed, goofball Coen brothers version of Clooney shows up.
Ocean's Eleven 2001
No debate here.
Good Night, and Good Luck. 2005
His most personal film as a director, an homage to his newsman father, with Clooney scaled back as Fred Friendly.
Michael Clayton 2007
The hosts' pick for his best performance, though he lost the Oscar to Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood.
Fantastic Mr. Fox 2009
The curveball pick, in for a voice performance that leans on the sheer sound of him.
The Descendants 2011
The last great Clooney leading performance before the pivot toward directing and producing.
In conversation
Carey Mulligan and Emerald Fennell on
Promising Young Woman 2020
Fennell's directorial debut, starring Mulligan as a woman avenging a friend. They discuss the tone (a deliberately candy-colored mood board), the comedic cast, and Mulligan's executive producer credit.
Also mentioned raised along the way
Considered for the Hall of Fame From Dusk Till DawnOne Fine DayThe PeacemakerThe Thin Red LineConfessions of a Dangerous MindSolarisWelcome to CollinwoodIntolerable CrueltyOcean's TwelveSyrianaThe Good GermanOcean's ThirteenLeatherheadsBurn After ReadingThe Men Who Stare at GoatsUp in the AirThe AmericanThe Ides of MarchGravityThe Monuments MenTomorrowlandHail, Caesar!Money MonsterSuburbicon
Recommended by Mulligan and Fennell MinariZolaPalm SpringsNight of the Hunter
In passing Return of the Killer TomatoesRed SurfGrizzly II: RevengeDeep ImpactArgoSave the Last DanceMa Rainey's Black Bottom
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV ERFacts of LifeGrowing PainsFriendsCatch-22Killing EveThe CrownHey DuggieThe Last Dance
Games FIFA World Cup Launch Edition
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