Spiral: From the Book of Saw 2021
Opened on 2,800 screens and did solid business, a sign theaters were actually filling back up.
The Big Picture · Discussion · Interview · Top Five
Top Five Movie Twists and Bill Simmons on ‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’
May 18, 2021/ 85 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Bill Simmons joins to talk Angelina Jolie's smokejumper thriller, then Sean and Amanda pick apart The Woman in the Window before counting down their favorite movie twists ever.
16 films across 5 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.
New in theatersthe quick rundown
Wrath of Man 2021
The most recent Guy Ritchie movie, out the weekend before.
A Quiet Place Part II 2021
On deck: Sean's first trip back to a theater in a long time.
Cruella 2021
A two-hour-plus Cruella de Vil origin story with Emma Stone and Emma Thompson that neither host can quite explain why it exists.
Those Who Wish Me Deadwith Bill Simmons
Bill Simmons on
Those Who Wish Me Dead 2021
Angelina Jolie smokejumper thriller from Taylor Sheridan, with Jon Bernthal, Nicholas Hoult, and Aidan Gillen as a very game Littlefinger. Plot holes and all, all three of them liked it, mostly for Gillen and Bernthal, despite Jolie, whose fame Bill argues has made her impossible to disappear into a part like this.
The Woman in the Window
The Woman in the Window 2021
Joe Wright directs Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, and Julianne Moore from a Tracy Letts script, adapting Dan Mallory's (writing as A.J. Finn) bestseller. Both hosts call it the worst of Wright's recent run: a Rear Window knockoff that leans on old noir clips to fill space its own story can't.
Amanda's top five movie twistsbest to worst
No. 2
Planet of the Apes 1968
No. 2: she knew the Statue of Liberty ending years before seeing it, from the Simpsons parody, and the movie still landed.
No. 5
Arrival 2016
No. 5: the one twist on either list that got her, in her words, instead of a gasp.
Sean's top five movie twistsbest to worst
Also mentioned raised along the way
Angelina Jolie retrospective MaleficentBy the SeaMaleficent: Mistress of EvilGiaPlaying by HeartGirl, InterruptedAlexanderMr. & Mrs. SmithThe Good ShepherdBeowulfSaltThe TouristBasic InstinctUnder the SkinMarriage StoryOnce Upon a Time in HollywoodNomadlandLost in Translation
Taylor Sheridan and disaster-movie comparisons Hell or High WaterSicarioWind RiverCliffhangerShoot to KillThe GuardianOnly the BraveBackdraftThe Towering InfernoFor Love of the Game
Bernthal and Hoult sightings Ford v FerrariThe Many Saints of NewarkKing RichardAbout a BoyMad Max: Fury RoadThe Favourite
Other asides AquamanThe MarksmanShooterSamaritanCreedBridge of SpiesForce Majeure
Amy Adams filmography JunebugThe FighterThe MasterHerAmerican HustleBig EyesNocturnal AnimalsJustice LeagueZack Snyder's Justice LeagueViceHillbilly ElegyDear Evan HansenEnchantedDisenchantedThe Perks of Being a WallflowerWonderIn the HeightsWest Side Story
Woman in the Window comparisons Rear WindowThe Girl on the TrainThe Talented Mr. Ripley
Twist honorable mentions ChinatownFriday the 13thThe MistOldboyPresumed InnocentNo Way OutPsychoThe Usual SuspectsHalloween
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV The WireThe Walking DeadYellowstoneMare of EasttownSharp ObjectsThe GreatGame of ThronesIt's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Promos The Ringer Music Show
Ads Boar's Head