The Big Picture

The New York City Movie Draft, With Griffin Newman and David Sims!

October 7, 2025

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  • The live event for The Big Picture episode "The New York City Movie Draft, With Griffin Newman and David Sims!" began with an extensive, difficult trivia segment sponsored by the Criterion Collection, testing the audience's knowledge of New York-centric films and filmmakers. 
  • The hosts and guests—Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins, Chris Ryan, Griffin Newman, and David Sims—shared personal connections to New York City, noting that the city's cinematic portrayal heavily influenced their decision to live there. 
  • The draft commenced with the first picks being made from the categories of Blockbuster and Subway, with Chris Ryan taking *Die Hard with a Vengeance* (Blockbuster) and Amanda Dobbins taking *Francis Ha* (Subway). 
  • David Sims won the New York City movie draft for "The Big Picture" episode "The New York City Movie Draft, With Griffin Newman and David Sims!", placing ahead of Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessey, Griffin Newman, and Chris Ryan. 
  • The draft featured passionate defenses for diverse New York films, including *Taxi Driver* (Drama), *The Royal Tenenbaums* (Comedy), *The Taking of Pelham 123* (Subway), *Uncut Gems* (Action Horror Thriller), *The Warriors* (Action Horror Thriller), *Working Girl* (Comedy), *After Hours* (Comedy), *All That Jazz* (Oscar Winner), *The Thomas Crown Affair* (1999) (Action Horror Thriller), *Sully* (Drama), *The Wolf of Wall Street* (Comedy), *American Psycho* (Action Horror Thriller), *The Godfather Part II* (Oscar Winner), and *Dress to Kill* (Subway). 
  • The discussion highlighted the subjective nature of defining a 'New York movie,' touching upon films that capture the city's anxiety (*Uncut Gems*), its specific neighborhood vibes (*The Royal Tenenbaums*), and even those shot elsewhere but deeply rooted in the city's mythology (*Eyes Wide Shut*). 

Segments

Podcast Introduction and Setup
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(00:00:09)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode of The Big Picture is a live New York City movie draft featuring guests Griffin Newman and David Sims from Blank Check.
  • Summary: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins introduced the live event, confirming the topic is a draft of New York City movies. Sponsors, including LinkedIn Ads, and the venue, 92nd Street Y, were acknowledged. The segment concluded with the hosts setting up the trivia portion of the show.
Sponsor Read and Trivia Launch
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(00:01:08)
  • Key Takeaway: LinkedIn Ads offered a $250 credit for a first $250 campaign, and the Criterion Collection sponsored the upcoming hard trivia contest.
  • Summary: The segment included a detailed advertisement for LinkedIn Ads, emphasizing B2B return on ad spend and a promotional credit offer. Following this, the hosts introduced the trivia, noting that prizes would be Criterion Collection merchandise and emphasizing the difficulty of the self-written questions. Rules for audience participation, including raising hands and waiting for the microphone, were established.
Trivia Round 1: Best Picture Winners
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(00:03:52)
  • Key Takeaway: The first trivia question asked for five Best Picture winners set in New York City, with the correct answers including Kramer vs. Kramer, Annie Hall, and The Godfather.
  • Summary: A contestant correctly named five Best Picture winners set in NYC, though the hosts debated the inclusion of The Godfather Part II. The second question concerned an NYU Film School contemporary of Spike Lee who won Best Director twice, correctly identified as Ang Lee. The third question involved a recent Oscar winner whose second and third features are in the Criterion Collection, identified as Sean Baker (The Prince of Broadway and Takeout).
Trivia Round 2: Specific NYC Movie Details
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(00:06:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Specific location details from The Devil Wears Prada and The French Connection were tested in subsequent trivia questions.
  • Summary: The trivia moved to specific movie details, asking where Andy Sachs picked up an early galley in The Devil Wears Prada, which was the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel. The next question required naming ten of the thirteen Martin Scorsese films primarily set in New York, with the audience successfully listing several, including Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, and Raging Bull.
Trivia Round 3: Later Questions and Guest Introductions
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(00:10:47)
  • Key Takeaway: Later trivia questions covered The Day Trippers director’s next film and the location of a key scene in When Harry Met Sally.
  • Summary: The trivia continued with a question about director Greg Mottola’s film following The Day Trippers (Superbad), and the film concluding atop the Statue of Liberty (Saboteur). The question about When Harry Met Sally required naming the food Sally ate after her fake orgasm at Katz’s Deli (Coleslaw), and the Tenenbaum family home address (111 Archer Avenue) was also requested. Following the final trivia question referencing Tron and Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, the guests were formally introduced.
Guest Introductions and NYC Significance
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(00:14:49)
  • Key Takeaway: The five podcasters present—Sean, Amanda, Chris, Griffin, and David—all shared deep, formative connections to New York City, either through growing up there or moving there post-college.
  • Summary: Griffin Newman and David Sims of Blank Check joined the stage, bringing the total number of movie podcasters to five. The hosts discussed how New York City occupied a huge part of their imaginations, often due to the very movies they were about to draft. Griffin and David noted that while the city’s cinematic depiction is often ecstatic, even the gritty films present a stylized version of reality.
Draft Categories and Order Set
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(00:20:54)
  • Key Takeaway: The draft featured eight categories, including Drama, Comedy, Action, Horror, Thriller, Oscar Winner, Blockbuster, and Subway, with the draft order determined live.
  • Summary: The eight draft categories were announced, including the specific definition for the ‘Subway’ category: any movie featuring a pivotal scene on a subway or in a station. After a brief, humorous tangent about Gotham City’s eligibility, the draft order was set: Chris Ryan (1st), Amanda Dobbins (2nd), Griffin Newman (3rd), Sean Fennessey (4th), and Elizabeth Fierman (5th).
First Round Draft Picks
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(00:26:52)
  • Key Takeaway: The first round saw surprising picks, with Chris Ryan selecting Die Hard with a Vengeance for Blockbuster, and Amanda Dobbins selecting Francis Ha for Subway.
  • Summary: Chris Ryan opened the draft by selecting Die Hard with a Vengeance for the Blockbuster category, citing its incredible use of the city as a canvas. Amanda Dobbins followed by choosing Francis Ha for Subway, calling it a masterpiece that perfectly captures both the magical and flailing aspects of New York life. Griffin Newman then selected Dog Day Afternoon for Oscar Winner, calling it the ultimate New York City as a character movie.
Travis Bickel’s Isolation
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(00:54:24)
  • Key Takeaway: Travis Bickel in Taxi Driver represents extreme isolation contrasted against the constant accessibility and surrounding nature of New York City.
  • Summary: The speaker selected Taxi Driver in the Drama category, noting its accurate depiction of New York’s look, sound, and feel. The film effectively showcases the profound loneliness of Travis Bickel despite being constantly surrounded by people. This isolation is highlighted as a key difference when comparing the New York experience to Los Angeles.
The Royal Tenenbaums Pick
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(00:56:13)
  • Key Takeaway: David Sims selected The Royal Tenenbaums for Comedy due to its romantic, shabby New York vibe and evocative music, despite Wes Anderson having moved away from NYC filmmaking.
  • Summary: The film is characterized as a wonderful, shabby New York movie capturing a specific neighborhood vibe, possibly feeling like the early 1980s. Its music is noted as being highly evocative of the city, romanticizing the types of unique individuals who succeed there. The selection was noted as appropriate for someone who was 14 when the film was impactful.
Pelham 123 Selection Rationale
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(00:58:10)
  • Key Takeaway: David Sims chose the original The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974) as his favorite movie, valuing its depiction of New York bureaucracy reacting to a crisis over the remake’s technical accuracy.
  • Summary: The original 1974 film was selected over the remake, despite the remake having technically accurate subway switching explanations. The original captures the energy of New York’s various agencies (Mayor, MTA, police) reacting with exasperation to a crisis. The film’s dialogue reflects the 1974 reality where the city government claimed to have no money for the ransom.
Uncut Gems and Genre Flexibility
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(01:00:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Uncut Gems is considered a modern New York artifact that embodies contemporary anxiety and crime thriller elements, making it eligible across multiple draft categories.
  • Summary: The film was selected in Action Horror Thriller, but the speakers noted its eligibility in Drama and Comedy as well due to its portrayal of a jeweler’s desperate search for a way out. It is praised for its thrilling nature and authentic on-location New York filmmaking, utilizing real New York City residents in supporting roles. The Safdie brothers’ work is seen as capturing modern New York anxiety.
Draft Strategy and The Warriors
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(01:03:48)
  • Key Takeaway: Griffin Newman selected The Warriors in Action Horror Thriller, noting its status as a funhouse mirror depiction of New York and its realistic use of the city’s geographic layout.
  • Summary: The selection of The Warriors was strategic, as Griffin Newman felt confident the other participants would not choose it, despite its strong subway elements. The film is lauded for using the city’s grid, boroughs, and public transit paths without geographic cheats, forcing characters to experience long transit times like the ride to Coney Island.
Working Girl in Comedy
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(01:05:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Amanda Dobbins selected Working Girl for Comedy, citing it as her favorite Mike Nichols film about yuppie women trying to succeed in late 1980s Manhattan.
  • Summary: The film begins with a woman arriving in Manhattan, symbolizing the ambition of yuppie women in the late 1980s. Mike Nichols, considered a consummate New Yorker, directed the movie. The segment also included a brief debate over whether Harrison Ford was at his hottest on screen in this film compared to Witness.
After Hours Comedy Pick
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(01:07:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Chris Ryan chose After Hours for Comedy because its central conceit—a night of escalating, inescapable social mishaps—perfectly captures the chaotic, snowballing nightmare of being lost in New York City.
  • Summary: The pick was inspired by a real-life late-night scheduling issue experienced by producer Jack Sanders. The film perfectly encapsulates the nightmare of being stranded without money and having escalating, surreal encounters. A key scene involves Griffin Dunn being 25 cents short for a subway token at midnight, highlighting the city’s unforgiving nature.
Griffin’s Sully Drama Pick
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(01:11:59)
  • Key Takeaway: Griffin Newman selected Sully in Drama, arguing it is a crucial New York moment film about professionalism and the city’s efficient response to crisis, despite its box office struggles.
  • Summary: The film is framed as being about a man who simply does his job, refusing to land in New Jersey (Teterboro) and instead executing a forced water landing on the Hudson River. The final 25 minutes, depicting the FAA hearing, show the city’s systems working correctly, with officials ultimately acknowledging Sully’s rightness. The movie spans the five days Sully was stuck in New York City.
David’s Final Picks and Wolf of Wall Street
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(01:16:57)
  • Key Takeaway: David Sims selected The Wolf of Wall Street for Comedy, acknowledging its status as a Scorsese masterpiece about embracing greed and excess as the path to winning in America.
  • Summary: The selection was made despite the film’s themes contrasting with the more earnest New York films drafted earlier. The film was noted as being hilarious both intentionally and accidentally. A pivotal, wordless scene featuring Kyle Chandler on the subway after arresting Jordan Belfort qualified it for the Subway category as well.
Griffin’s Final Picks
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(01:19:38)
  • Key Takeaway: Griffin Newman selected American Psycho for Action Horror Thriller, viewing it as the quintessential 1980s New York movie capturing the era’s materialistic, high-grindset mindset.
  • Summary: The film was chosen over John Wick as a better representation of the New York ‘frame of mind.’ It portrays the superficiality of the 1980s financial elite, where the protagonist maintains a normal facade despite horrific secrets. Griffin noted that the modern equivalent of Patrick Bateman might be running a podcast network.
David’s Oscar Winner and Subway Finale
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(01:22:46)
  • Key Takeaway: David Sims secured his win by selecting The Godfather Part II for Oscar Winner, emphasizing the importance of the Ellis Island sequence in defining the New York immigrant experience.
  • Summary: The final pick for Oscar Winner was The Godfather Part II, specifically citing the shot of the young Vito Corleone at Ellis Island as the most important part of the New York picture. Griffin Newman finalized the Subway category by selecting Dress to Kill, highlighting its harrowing scene of a killer approaching Nancy Allen on the subway. The final results showed David Sims as the winner of the draft.