The Next Best Picture Podcast

This week, Nicole Ackman, Josh Parham & Dan Bayer join me for our main podcast review of the newest Disney film, "Jungle Cruise" starring Dwayne Johnson & Emily Blunt. Based on the Disney theme park ride of the same name, the film is borrowing many elements from "Pirates Of The Caribbean," "The Mummy," "The African Queen," and many others to craft a new action-adventure franchise. Does it sink or...

Writer and director Edson Oda's "Nine Days" had its world premiere what feels like forever ago at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. After numerous release delays, the Independent Spirit Award nominee is now playing in theaters from Sony Pictures Classics and will be expanding to more theaters on August 6th. Edson was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about the origins of the film's uni...

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL REVIEW. Please check out the full review on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture Today is a big one. We're reviewing Alfonso Cuarón's technical masterpiece "Gravity," starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. A visual stunner upon its release, the film begged to be seen on the biggest screen possible (and in 3D)...

Screening a few weeks ago at the Tribeca Film Festival and opening this weekend from Vertical Entertainment, Sabrina Doyle's feature directorial debut "Lorelei" tells the story of a felon who reunited with his ex-girlfriend, who is now a single mother of three. What follows is a moving independent drama with surprises in its storytelling and two fantastic performances from Pablo Schreiber and Jena...

Alex Wolff is one of the most exciting young actors working today. Never attempting to repeat himself, he has two movies currently playing in theaters ("Pig" and "Old") with vastly different performances in each of them. At age 23, the New York-based actor and musician has already impressed us with performances in movies such as "Hereditary," "Patriot's Day," and "Bad Education." That trend is onl...

For episode 253, I am joined by Lauren LaMagna, Josh Parham & Tom O'Brien. This week, we're discussing the 2021 TIFF Gala and Special Presentations lineup, the NYFF Opening Night Film announcement for "The Tragedy of Macbeth," what might get announced for the Venice International Film Festival this week, and more! We also give our reactions to the trailers for "Dune," "Malignant," & "The Last Duel...

This week, Ema Sasic, Josh Parham & Danilo Castro join me for our main podcast review of the newest film from M. Night Shyamalan, "Old," starring Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Alex Wolff, Eliza Scanlen & Thomasin McKenzie. A filmmaker with his own highly unique sensibilities, M. Night Shyamalan has polarized critics and audiences for years, and his latest film is no exception. What did we thin...

Premiering earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and screening later at the Tribeca Film Festival, NEON's latest documentary "Ailey" has garnered overwhelmingly positive critical praise for its look at one of the most influential dancers of all time, Alvin Ailey. As a former dancer myself, it was very meaningful for me to watch a documentary tell Ailey's life story, and getting the chanc...

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL REVIEW. Please check out the full review on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture For our final 2013 retrospective podcast review for July, we are reviewing the Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature that year, "Frozen," starring Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff & Josh Gad. A cultural phenomenon upon its...

This week for our second review, Bianca Garner, Dan Bayer & Sara Clements are joining me to discuss the latest Netflix film, "Gunpowder Milkshake," starring Karen Gillan, Lena Headey, Carla Gugino, Chloe Coleman, Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett & Paul Giamatti. The film is a neon-lit, blood-soaked, electrifying adrenaline rush and has created lots of discussion surrounding the style, performances, w...

"Joe Bell" had its world premiere at last year's Toronto International Film Festival under the name "Good Joe Bell." It sat on the shelf for almost a year, underwent a re-edit, and is now finally coming to theaters this weekend from Roadside Attractions. Despite what people felt about the movie, many agreed that Reid Miller delivered a fantastic breakout performance. He was kind enough to take som...

For episode 252, I am joined by Ema Sasic, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer & Cody Dericks. Today, we're discussing the second week of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, including yesterday's award winners from the festival. We're fortunate to have Rafael Motamayor call in to tell us about his experience at the festival. We also give our reactions to the trailers for Cannes titles "Memoria," "Blue Bayou," & the...

This week, Josh Parham & Daniel Howat join me for our main podcast review of "Space Jam: A New Legacy ," starring LeBron James and Don Cheadle. Arriving in theaters and on HBO Max 25 years after the original "Space Jam," the film incorporates the Looney Tunes characters, Basketball superstar LeBron James, and other Warner Bros. owned intellectual properties in a way that has sparked a ton of criti...

"Pig" is receiving some of the best reviews of the year. Many have praised the film's surprising story, Nicolas Cage's performance, and the writing and direction from filmmaker Michael Sarnoski, who's making his feature-length directorial debut with this movie. Michael was kind enough to talk with us about where the idea for the film came from, working with Cage, the film's bold storytelling, and...

The 2021 Emmy Nominations were announced yesterday morning and as always, there were surprises and snubs to be found! There were historic nominations and nominations which made us scratch our heads. Michael Schwartz & Amanda Spears joined me yesterday evening to discuss our reactions to the nominations. We will be back next month to deliver our final winner predictions podcast for all of our liste...

For episode 251, I am joined by Bianca Garner, Josh Parham & Tom O'Brien. Today, we're discussing the first week of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. What have the reactions been out of the festival? have any Oscar contenders emerged? We are also lucky to have Cole Jaeger (Otherwise known as The Oscar Expert) call in to tell us his experience firsthand from the festival. We also give our reactions to...

This week, Nicole Ackman, Lauren LaMagna & Bianca Garner are joining me for our main podcast review of "Black Widow," starring Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour & Rachel Weisz. Now streaming on Disney+ with Premiere Access and playing in theaters, the long-anticipated standalone feature for Natasha Romanoff in the MCU is finally here! What did we think of the characters, the story,...

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL EPISODE. Please check out the full episode on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture The time has come for the Next Best Theatre team to explore the influential, groundbreaking rock musical “Spring Awakening.” We discuss both the original Broadway production and the Deaf West Theatre revival, along with its impact,...

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL REVIEW. Please check out the full review on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture Our 2013 retrospective continues through July with a film that received a ton of praise, including three Oscar wins at the time of its release. It has gone on to be re-evaluated since then for its problematic casting and handling of i...

"No Sudden Move" is the latest film from Steven Soderbergh (and is now streaming on HBO Max) that starts with a simple crime and evolves into something much bigger. Actress Amy Seimetz plays Mary Wertz, the wife of Matt Wertz (played by David Harbour), who ends up at the center of a babysitting job for three armed criminals. At the same time, her husband attempts to retrieve a document from his bo...

For our second review this week, Josh Parham & Will Mavity are joining me for "No Sudden Move," starring a vast ensemble that includes Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, David Harbour, Jon Hamm, Amy Seimetz, Brendan Fraser, Ray Liotta, and more! Directed by Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh the caper crime film is currently streaming on HBO Max. What did we think of the performances, the writing,...

"The Tomorrow War" represents a massive leap for director Chris McKay who made a name for himself working on the Lego Movies, most recently directing "The LEGO Batman Movie." Now, he's working with a large budget, a huge scale, movie star Chris Pratt and a story that involves time travel, alien creatures, and more! It's quite an undertaking for any director. After having the film delayed due to CO...

For our 250th episode on the Fourth of July, I am joined by Dan Bayer & Josh Parham. Today, we're discussing the recent announcements made by the Academy Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Association about their upcoming ceremonies. We also do our final preview for the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, give our reactions to the trailers for "The Many Saints Of Newar...

This week, Daniel Howat & Tom O'Brien are joining me for our main podcast review of "The Tomorrow War," starring Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J. K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin & Sam Richardson. Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, the original IP blends a mixture of ideas from other sci-fi action films and features some of the best creature design and action scenes we've seen in quite some time. How...

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL REVIEW. Please check out the full review on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture Our 2013 retrospective continues with an initially misunderstood but since its release, a reevaluated masterpiece from the Coen Brothers, "Inside Llewyn Davis" starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman & Ad...