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The Best Movies at Telluride and Venice, and the 10 Most Anticipated Fall Films

The Big Picture

September 3, 2025 · 2:23:18 · ▶ Listen on Spotify

Hosts: Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · With Alex Russell

Chapters

Recapping Telluride and Venice 2025▶ 0:56
Festival wrap-up: final thoughts from Venice▶ 1:43:12

Lists in this episode

Amanda's Venice Film Festival favorites, ranked

Ranked list · Amanda Dobbins · ▶ 14:47

  1. 5Megadoc▶ 14:47
  2. 4Bugonia (2025)▶ 18:23
  3. 3The Testament of Ann Lee (2025)▶ 20:16
  4. 2No Other Choice (2025)▶ 23:11
  5. 1House of Dynamite (2025)▶ 24:10
  6. ·Jay Kelly (2025) · honorable mention▶ 26:55
  7. ·Marc by Sofia · honorable mention▶ 31:07

Sean's Telluride Film Festival favorites, ranked

Ranked list · Sean Fennessey · ▶ 48:27

  1. 5It Was Just an Accident (2025)▶ 48:27
  2. 4Bugonia (2025)▶ 49:47
  3. 3Hamnet (2025)▶ 50:14
  4. 2The Secret Agent (2025)▶ 53:25
  5. ·Sentimental Value (2025)▶ 54:49

All the movies we've mentioned (Best Picture contenders pool)

Unranked list · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · ▶ 1:32:30

  1. ·Sinners (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:30
  2. ·Hamnet (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:33:07
  3. ·Sentimental Value (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:31
  4. ·House of Dynamite (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:31
  5. ·Jay Kelly (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:30
  6. ·Marty Supreme (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:33
  7. ·One Battle After Another (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:34
  8. ·Bugonia (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:30
  9. ·No Other Choice (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:35
  10. ·It Was Just an Accident (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:36
  11. ·Wicked for Good (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:39
  12. ·Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:40
  13. ·Rental Family (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:41
  14. ·Train Dreams (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:39
  15. ·Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:32:42

Our Best Picture Top 10

Ranked list · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · ▶ 1:41:32

  1. 10Jay Kelly (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:41:32
  2. 9Wicked for Good (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:41:34
  3. 8Sinners (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:41:35
  4. 7One Battle After Another (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:41:36
  5. 6It Was Just an Accident (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:41:38
  6. 5No Other Choice (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:41:40
  7. 4Marty Supreme (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:41:41
  8. 3House of Dynamite (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:41:43
  9. 2Hamnet (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:41:44
  10. 1Sentimental Value (2025) · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:41:46

Movies Referenced (58)

Sentimental Value (2025)

14 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 45:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Frankenstein (2025)

12 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:05:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sinners (2025)

12 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:19:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jay Kelly (2025)

11 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 28:58IMDb ↗Lb ↗

No Other Choice (2025)

11 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 23:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Avatar (2009)

10 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 1:26:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

It Was Just an Accident (2025)

9 mentions · Sean Fennessey▶ 45:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Marty Supreme (2025)

8 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:16:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Hunt (2012)

8 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey▶ 32:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Hamnet (2025)

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 44:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

One Battle After Another (2025)

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:18:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Wicked (2024)

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins▶ 1:26:09IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (23)

Yorgos Lanthimos

10 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Dogtooth▶ 13:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ezra Edelman

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for O.J.: Made in America▶ 45:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗

George Clooney

5 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Ides of March, Good Night, and Good Luck., Michael Clayton▶ 5:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Josh Safdie

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Uncut Gems, Good Time, Marty Supreme▶ 1:01:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mike Figgis

5 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey · Known for Leaving Las Vegas▶ 14:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Francis Ford Coppola

4 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II▶ 14:51IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jafar Panahi

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for It Was Just an Accident▶ 48:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Joachim Trier

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Worst Person in the World, Sentimental Value▶ 54:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sofia Coppola

3 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for The Godfather Part III, The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation▶ 5:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Spike Lee

3 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, She's Gotta Have It▶ 2:23:31IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Edward Berger

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for All Quiet on the Western Front, Conclave▶ 1:10:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

John Colorado

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Hancock▶ 1:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (71)

Adam Sandler

8 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Big Daddy, Little Nicky▶ 5:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Oscar Isaac

7 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Ex Machina, Inside Llewyn Davis, A Most Violent Year▶ 5:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Emma Stone

6 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey · Known for La La Land, Easy A, The Help▶ 5:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Alex Russell

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Johnny Mnemonic, Videodrome, The Long Kiss Goodnight▶ 1:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Frank Ocean

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Alex Russell · Known for Safe House, Southpaw, The Great Gatsby▶ 1:22:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jesse Plemons

5 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for Bugonia, Game Night, The Irishman▶ 5:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Laura Dern

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Jurassic Park, Wild, Marriage Story▶ 5:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Colin Farrell

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for The Lobster, In Bruges, S.W.A.T.▶ 42:34IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Dwayne Johnson

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Black Adam▶ 5:59IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jacob Elordi

4 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for Frankenstein, Saltburn, Priscilla▶ 5:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jude Law

4 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Grand Budapest Hotel▶ 5:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Julia Roberts

4 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for Pretty Woman, My Best Friend's Wedding▶ 5:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (12)

Bruce Springsteen

13 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Blinded by the Light, The Wrestler, Philadelphia▶ 42:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Noah Baumbach

8 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins · Known for The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story▶ 5:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Park Chan-wook

8 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Handmaiden, Oldboy, No Other Choice▶ 13:30IMDb ↗Lb ↗

William Shakespeare

3 mentions · Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey · Known for The Tragedy of Macbeth▶ 50:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Aaron Sorkin

1 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for A Few Good Men, The Trial of the Chicago 7▶ 1:12:07IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James L. Brooks

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Broadcast News, As Good as It Gets, Terms of Endearment▶ 1:42:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Maggie O'Farrell

1 mentions · Amanda Dobbins · Known for Hamnet▶ 50:35IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Malcolm X

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Malcolm X, V for Vendetta▶ 45:25IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Mary Shelley

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Young Frankenstein, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein▶ 1:05:50IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ronald Bronstein

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Uncut Gems, Good Time, Marty Supreme▶ 1:01:15IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ryan Coogler

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Black Panther, Creed▶ 0:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Will Tracy

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Bugonia, The Menu▶ 19:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (1)

Pat Scola

1 mentions · Alex Russell · Known for Sing Sing, Pig, A Quiet Place: Day One▶ 1:47:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗