The Next Best Picture Podcast

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL REVIEW. Please check out the full podcast review on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture Our 2009 retrospective is continuing with one of the best films of the year, one which greatly benefitted from the Academy expanding the Best Picture field to ten nominees: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's "A Serious Man," starring...

"Sacramento" had its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, receiving strong reviews for its acting, writing, and direction from Michael Angarano. The independent film is very personal for the television and film actor as it also stars his wife, Maya Erksine, and tells a story about two friends who take an impromptu road trip from Los Angeles to Sacramento, something that really happened bet...

"One To One: John & Yoko" had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and went on to screen at the Telluride and Sundance Film Festivals, receiving strong reviews for its audio mastering of the concert footage and recording tapes featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Co-directed by Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards, the follows the couple of years Lennon and Ono spent in their Greenwich Vi...

"The Amateur" is a new American vigilante action spy thriller film directed by James Hawes ("One Life" & "Slow Horses") and written by Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli, based on the 1981 novel of the same name by Robert Littell which was previously adapted into a Canadian film that same year. It stars Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Michael Stuhlbarg, Holt McCallany, Julian...

"Psycho Therapy: The Shallow Tale Of A Writer Who Decided To Write About A Serial Killer" had its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, where it received positive reviews for its twisted, darkly comedic story and performances from Steve Buscemi, John Magaro and Britt Lower. Director and writer Tolga Karaçelik was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his work on the film, wh...

For Episode 436, I am joined by Daniel Howat and Katie Johnson to discuss what we think will be announced this week for the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and recap what was announced at CinemaCon this week. We also reveal the winner of last week's poll, asking, "Which Is Your Favorite Film From Q1 2025?" and pose this week's poll question for the release of "Warfare" asking, "Which Is Your Favorite Pr...

For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson, Giovanni Lago, and I are reviewing and discussing "A Minecraft Movie" starring Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers & Sebastian Hansen. Adapted from the immensely popular 2011 video game Minecraft by Mojang Studios, the film is directed by Academy Award-nominee Jared Hess and celebrates the power of creativity. What did we think o...

"The Friend" had its world premiere at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its performances from Naomi Watts, Bill Murray, and the Great Dane Bing, and the writing and direction from filmmakers Scott McGehee & David Siegel that made audiences laugh and cry. Based on the 2018 novel by Sigrid Nunez, the film tells the story of a New York City writer who reluctant...

"Freaky Tales" had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its homage to 80's genre films and Oakland, California, with a game cast who were all tuned in to filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's distinct vision for the anthology film. Starring Pedro Pascal, Jay Ellis, Normani Kordei Hamilton, Dominque Thorne, Ben Mendelsohn, Ji-young Yoo, Jack...

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL EPISODE. Please check out the full podcast episode on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture After making its return in the last episode discussing the Emmy contenders that received Critics Choice, Golden Globe, and SAG nominations, the Next Best Series Podcast is back to discuss the hit new shows contending for Emm...

"Gazer" had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its homage to film-noir, guerrilla-style independent filmmaking, and lead performance from Ariella Mastroianni. Director/Writer/Producer/Editor Ryan J. Sloan (making his feature directorial debut with this film) and Mastroianni, who also co-wrote and produced alongside Sloan were both kind enoug...

"Hell Of A Summer" had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Festival in the Midnight Madness section, where it received positive reviews for its homage to slasher films, the mixture of comedy and horror, and performances from its young cast of up and coming actors. Directors, writers, producers, stars, and friends Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk, along with star Fred Hechinger, were a...

"Eric LaRue" had its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, where it received positive reviews for its performances and direction from Academy Award-nominated actor Michael Shannon (making his feature directorial debut) as he brought Brett Neveu's play of the same name to the screen. Shannon was kind enough to spend some time speaking with me about his work on the film, while Dan Bayer spoke...

"Julie Keeps Quiet" had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Critics' Week section, where it won the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution and SACD Award. Leonardo Van Dijl (in his directorial debut), along with his co-writer Ruth Becquart, tells a quiet story of abuse in the world of tennis. It received positive reviews and was chosen as the Belgian entry for the Best Intern...

For Episode 435, I am joined by Josh Parham and Katie Johnson to discuss our favorite movies from Q1 of 2025. We also talk about other various pieces of news this week within the film industry, reveal the winner of last week's poll, asking, "Which Is Your Favorite Movie To Feature A Unicorn?" and pose this week's poll question asking, "Which Is Your Favorite Film From Q1 2025?" We also react to th...

For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson, Joselyn Safadi, and I are reviewing and discussing the feature directorial debut of Alex Scharfman, "Death Of A Unicorn," starring Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni, Richard E. Grant & Anthony Carrigan. The film takes a highly unique concept and attempts to blend comedy with creature thrills and a heartfelt drama between a father a...

"Audrey's Children" had its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Festival, where it received positive reviews for its depiction of healthcare pioneer and Ronald McDonald House Charities co-founder Dr. Audrey Evans (played by Natalie Dormer), who served as Chief of Pediatric Oncology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Director Ami Canaan Mann was kind enough to spend some time speaking with...

"The Penguin Lessons" had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where it received positive reviews for its heartwarming true story adapted from Tom Michell's 2016 memoir and Steve Coogan's charming performance. Director Peter Cattaneo and Coogan were both kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their work on the film, which you can listen to below...

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL REVIEW. Please check out the full podcast review on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture Our 2009 retrospective continues with one of the most controversial Best Picture nominees in recent memory. A film that was immensely successful upon its theatrical release but has lowered in estimation over the years. We're t...

"Death Of A Unicorn" had its world premiere at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its horror/comedy/fantasy premise from feature debut director Alex Scharfman and hilarious performances from Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni & Richard E. Grant. Poulter and Scharfman were kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their work on the film, wh...

"The Ballad Of Wallis Island" had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its heartwarming story written by its two leads, Tom Basden and Tim Key, lovable performances and music. Co-starring Academy Award-nominee Carey Mulligan, the independent UK film later screened at the SXSW Film Festival, which is where this interview took place. Director...

"The Assessment" had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where it received positive reviews for its sci-fi drama concept and performances from Elizabeth Olsen, Alicia Vikander & Himesh Patel. The film, set in a futuristic society destroyed by climate change, tells the story of a successful young couple who must face heavy scrutiny from a female assessor over...

For Episode 434, I am joined by Dan Bayer, Cody Dericks, Tom O'Brien, and Will Mavity to discuss the announcement of the date for the 98th Academy Awards with Conan O'Brien returning to host, the recent Warner Bros. release date changes, Tom Cruise receiving the BFI Fellowship Award, and more. We reveal the winner of last week's poll, asking, "Which 2025 Oscar Contender Are You Most Looking Forwar...

For this week's main podcast review, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, and I are joined by guest Megan Lachinski for the first time to review and discuss the latest Disney live-action remake, "Snow White," starring Rachel Zegler, Andrew Burnap, Gal Gadot, Ansu Kabia, Patrick Page, Andrew Barth Feldman, Tituss Burgess, Martin Klebba, Jason Kravits, George Salazar, Jeremy Swift & Andy Grotelueschen. Directed...

"Ash" had its world premiere at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for the performances from Eiza González and Aaron Paul, director Flying Lotus's score and use of sound and the gruesome creature effects. González, Paul, and Flying Lotus were all kind enough to spend some time speaking with us during SXSW about their work on the film, which you can listen to below. Ple...