The Next Best Picture Podcast

"The Supremes At Earl's All-You-Can-Eat" is one of the year's most wholesome films as it tells a story of friendship amongst a trio of women over several decades with fantastic performances from its ensemble cast, which includes Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Sanaa Lathan & Uzo Aduba. Kyanna Simone, Tati Gabrielle, and Abigail Achiri, who play the younger versions of these actresses' characters in the fil...

For Episode 407, Josh Parham, Cody Dericks, and I preview the 81st Venice International and Telluride Film Festivals before they start this week. We also react to the trailers for "The Piano Lesson," "The Room Next Door," "Exhibiting Forgiveness," "The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim" and "Y2K." We also go over the winners of last week's poll asking, "Which Films From The 2024 Toronto I...

For this week's main podcast review, Josh Parham, Nadia Dalimonte, Giovanni Lago, Will Mavity, and I are reviewing the feature directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz, "Blink Twice," starring Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Kyle MacLachlan, Haley Joel Osment, Geena Davis & Alia Shawkat. A bold, dark thriller set on a billionaire's tropical island, the film is fille...

"Strange Darling" had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2023 in Austin, Texas, where it received enthusiastic reviews for its non-linear narrative, performances from Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner, and actor-turned-cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi's gorgeous 35mm photography. Director/Writer JT Mollner, Ribisi, and Fitzgerald were all kind enough to spend some time with me talking about their...

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 2010 retrospective has come to an end. We say goodbye with that year's Oscar Best Picture winner, "The King's Speech," starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce & Timothy Spall. Directed by Tom...

"Baby Reindeer" became a cultural phenomenon seemingly overnight. With minimal early buzz before its release, the Netflix limited series exploded and became one of the most talked about and praised shows of 2024, earning eleven Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. For many who binge-watched it, Episode 4 marked a turning point that took the already dark show to even...

"House Of The Dragon" is one of television's most widely discussed and debated shows. Whether it's the storytelling, adaptation choices from George R.R. Martin's source material, or visual style, the HBO series always provides viewers with a lot to chew on, and Season 2 was no exception. Emmy-nominated cinematographer Catherine Goldschmidt, who we previously interviewed for Season 1, returned to t...

"Blue Eye Samurai" is one of the most acclaimed animated television shows in recent memory. It won every Annie Award it was nominated for last year and has been nominated for three Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Animated Program. It has already won Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for Character Design, Production Design, and Storyboarding. Showrunners, writers, and executive pro...

For Episode 406, Dan Bayer and I discuss the 62nd New York Film Festival's (NYFF) Spotlight & Currents Section lineups and the final additions to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) lineup. We also react to the trailers for "The Substance," "Amber Alert," and "Omni Loop," reveal the winners of last week's poll asking "Which Films Are You Most Looking Forward To From The NYFF62 Main Slat...

For this week's main podcast review, Ema Sasic, Josh Parham, Nadia Dalimonte, Dan Bayer, Will Mavity, and I are reviewing the latest film in the long-running "Alien" franchise, "Alien: Romulus" starring Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu. Known for his proclivity towards suspenseful filmmaking and brutal gore, director Fede Álvarez accentuates t...

"Sing Sing" premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was praised for its relevance to current social issues, powerful performances, and skilled direction. It's one of the most acclaimed films of 2024 and a strong Oscar contender. The film tells the important story of a group of inmates who find redemption through the art of creating theatrical stage shows in the Rehabili...

"Sugar" premiered on Apple TV+ earlier this spring, and it received strong reviews for its stylish filmmaking, major plot twist, and lead performance from Academy Award-nominee Colin Farrell. Nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour), cinematographer Richard Rutkowski was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work on the show and...

"Daughters" had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award: U.S. Documentary. It's a moving, beautiful, and impactful story that follows four young girls as they and their incarcerated fathers prepare for a special Daddy-Daughter Dance as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C., jail. Co-directors Natalie Rae and Angela Patton were kind...

"Skincare" is a thrilling movie that boasts a star-studded cast including Elizabeth Banks, Lewis Pullman, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Luis Gerardo Méndez & Nathan Fillion. The plot revolves around a celebrity aesthetician who starts a skincare line, only to face sabotage when a rival aesthetician opens a skincare boutique across from hers. Director and co-writer Austin Peters was kind enough to share...

"Sugarcane" had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Award for Directing for directors Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie. The documentary follows an investigation into the Canadian Indian residential school system, sparking a profound reckoning for survivors and their descendants. Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie were kind enough to lend us some...

"Dance First" is a biographical film about Irish playwright Samuel Beckett (played by Gabriel Byrne) and directed by James Marsh ("The Theory of Everything"). The film closed the 71st San Sebastián International Film Festival's official selection on September 30th, 2023, and is now getting a release in U.S. theaters. Marsh was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his work on the f...

For Episode 405, Dan Bayer, Tom O'Brien, and I talk about the 62nd New York Film Festival's (NYFF) Main Slate, what we think will be revealed for the anticipated Spotlight section, the recent additions to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) lineup, what last-minute films will be added next week, and what was announced at this year's D23 Expo. We also react to the trailers for "Saturday...

For this week's main podcast review, Josh Parham, Lauren LaMagna, Dan Bayer, and I are reviewing the critically acclaimed indie sensation of the year, Greg Kwedar's "Sing Sing" starring Colman Domingo, Clarence Maclin, Sean San José & Paul Raci. Since its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, the inspiring prison drama has captured audiences' hearts through its performanc...

"Cuckoo" had its world premiere at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its performances, sound, makeup work, and direction from Tilman Singer. Star Dan Stevens and Singer (who also wrote the film) were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their experience making the film, which you can listen to or watch below. Please be sure to...

Our 2010 retrospective continues with our penultimate review of Darren Aronofsky's psychological horror film "Black Swan" starring Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey & Winona Ryder. Acting as almost a companion piece with Aronofsky's previous film, "The Wrestler" (2008), the film examines the demands of perfection, the physical and emotional toll it takes on us, and the r...

"Good One" had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it received very positive reviews for India Donaldson's writing, direction, and the performances from Lily Collias, James Le Gros, and Danny McCarthy. Donaldson, making her feature directorial debut with this film, was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her feature directorial debut, which you can listen...

"War Game" had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it received solid reviews for orchestrating a simulation of a coup after a disputed election. Insurgents take capitals, questioning the President's military control. Countering disinformation is vital, highlighting bipartisan defense of democracy. With a sense of urgency in its storytelling and taut filmmaking, the documen...

"Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie" is based on the famous animated television series "SpongeBob SquarePants," and it combines CGI animation with live-action, starring the series' regular voice cast along with new characters. The plot follows Sandy and SpongeBob as they venture to Sandy's home state of Texas to save Bikini Bottom from the hands of an evil CEO. It is the first in a serie...

For Episode 404, Josh Parham & Dan Bayer, and I talk about what we believe will be announced this week for the 62nd New York Film Festival's (NYFF) Main Slate; we also discuss the recent BAFTA rule changes and other film festival news. We also react to the trailers for "Slingshot," Greedy People," and "Spellbound," reveal the winners of last week's poll asking "Which Films Are You Most Looking For...

For this week's main podcast review, Giovanni Lago, Sara Clements, Josh Parham, & Tom O'Brien are reviewing the latest film from M. Night Shyamalan, "Trap," starring Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills & Alison Pill. Shyamalan is one of the world's most polarizing yet fascinating filmmakers, and his latest is no different as it has divided audiences everywhere. Is it the...