The Press Box

The Ringer’s Sean Fennessey and Chris Ryan recap the best movies they saw at the SXSW Film Festival, including ‘Ready Player One,’ ‘A Quiet Place,’ ‘Eighth Grade,’ and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on 'Damage Control,' The Ringer’s Justin Charity and K. Austin Collins discuss critics’ confusing handling of Ava DuVernay’s ‘A Wrinkle In Time’ (1:17), why wishing for black artists to have opportunities to make mediocre work is flawed thinking (19:44), and the cultural-appropriation accusations against Bruno Mars (21:39). More from The Ringer: ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ Is a Noble Failure The ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ Exit Survey Subscribe to 'The Recappables' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker discuss the media spectacle surrounding Donald Trump's alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels (03:00), the controversy following New York Times columnist Farhad Manjoo's social media experiment (22:00), and how Michael Smith's departure from 'SportsCenter' reflects ESPN's programming problem (34:30).  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer Editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey chats with first time director Cory Finley about his film ‘Thoroughbreds’ and his transition from playwright to filmmaker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker break down the handling of the Academy Awards (01:45), what Hope Hicks's White House departure means for the press (22:45), and the FBI vs. the University of Arizona by way of ESPN and Mark Schlabach (35:30). Read Miles Surrey's "The Winners and Losers of the 2018 Academy Awards" here: https://t.co/FR1HeJsNqi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins rejoice at the end of awards season and discuss Sunday night’s Oscars (1:21). They also talk about Barbra Streisand cloning her dogs (17:23) and the four billboards outside Palm Springs in honor of Serena Williams (22:26). More from The Ringer: 2018 Oscars coverage Subscribe to 'Bachelor Party' Related Links: Barbra Streisand Explains: Why I Cloned My Dog (New York Times) Serena Williams' four billboards (Instagram) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey chats with filmmaker Francis Lawrence about making ‘Red Sparrow,’ his fourth film in a row starring Jennifer Lawrence; their working relationship forged through ‘The Hunger Games’ movie franchise; and his new creative venture with Apple TV. More on movies from the Ringer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on 'Damage Control,' The Ringer’s Justin Charity and K. Austin Collins discuss the strange media phenomena surrounding the Parkland activists (1:18), Donald Glover's identity crisis playing out in The New Yorker (12:06), and the outcry over Mo'Nique’s pay-equity campaign against Netflix (26:08). More From The Ringer: The Surprising, Very Public Evolution of Donald Glover Subscribe to 'The Recappables' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker talk about how the NRA became a media entity (03:00), the messy Winter Olympics coverage (17:45), and Amos Barshad's article about The Player's Tribune (34:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with The Ringer’s Amanda Dobbins and K. Austin Collins and New York Times critic Wesley Morris to discuss eerie similarities between ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ and the notorious 2006 Best Picture winner, ‘Crash’ (0:00). Then, Chris Ryan joins to discuss ‘Shape of Water’ and its status as the clear front-runner to win Best Picture (0:00). More on the Oscars from The Ringer: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiI3wRw9PbSYHic2RJiHo4UxfhVD2DYWb https://www.theringer.com/oscars Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey speaks with acclaimed writer and director Alex Garland about the making of the Natalie Portman sci-fi thriller ‘Annihilation’ and the tricky nature of adapting Jeff VanderMeer’s best-selling book. They also discuss Garland’s first film, ‘Ex Machina’; his time as a novelist and screenwriter of movies like ‘28 Days Later...’ and ‘Sunshine’; and a lot more. For more movie coverage, check out The Ringer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss Jennifer Aniston’s divorce from Justin Theroux (2:00), Amy Schumer saying yes to the wrong dress (15:31), what’s going on with Jennifer Lawrence’s career (19:51), and The Daily Mail’s weird new direction (23:00). More from The Ringer: ‘Irreplaceable You’ and the Strange, Sweet, and Crushing Literature of Terminal Cancer Essays Subscribe to 'The Big Picture' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker discuss how the media, and the survivors, shaped the coverage of last week’s high school shooting in Parkland, Florida (02:00); Laura Ingraham vs. LeBron James (24:00); and the furor over the New York Times op-ed page (35:30). Check out Justin Charity's article "Contrarian Conflagration: The Fire and Fury of the New York Times Op-ed Page" here: https://t.co/0zox44pIEG Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer Editor-in-Chief Sean Fennessey speaks with Academy Award-nominated documentarian Yance Ford about making Netflix’s ‘Strong Island,’ a personal film about the tragic murder of his brother, William, and the larger implications in the story about segregation, race, violence, and power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with ‘Wallace and Gromit’ creator and Academy Award–winning animation director Nick Park to discuss the time-consuming process of making stop-motion animation, his commitment to the form, and his new underdog cavemen comedy, ‘Early Man.’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Justin Charity and K. Austin Collins on the meme-ification of Kim Jong Un’s sister (1:18), the overheated response to the Obama family’s official portraits (8:22), The New York Times’ op-ed problem (13 :30), and—in anticipation of 'Black Panther'—the merits of the 'Blade' film franchise (22:04). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker break down the prank pulled on Boston Herald columnist Ron Borges (03:45), the 'Black Panther' backlash and reviewing movies in 2018 (23:30), and the rivalry between NBA insiders Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania (41:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey speaks with filmmaker Alex Ross Perry about his quick-and-cheap working style and his shift from art house movies like his latest, ‘Golden Exits,’ to his upcoming big-budget ‘Winnie the Pooh’ adaptation for Disney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey sits down with filmmaker Bryan Fogel to discuss his Academy Award–nominated documentary, ‘Icarus.’ Fogel explains how his journey into the world of blood doping and cycling was transformed into a larger story about the state-run Russian Olympic doping program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer’s Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins discuss Kylie Jenner’s birth announcement before Juliet gives her official Kardashian baby-name ranking (0:36). They also have an update on Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet’s exciting Oscars press tour (22:18) and discuss the latest in celebrity real estate, featuring Taylor Swift, Jemima Kirke, and Jennifer Aniston (27:41). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices