Next Best Picture Podcast

"Butcher's Stain" is a live-action short film, directed, written by, and starring Meyer Levinson-Blount, co-starring Omar Sameer and Rona Toledano. The film follows Samir, an Arab Israeli working in a supermarket in Tel Aviv, who is accused of tearing down hostage posters in the break room. He sets out to prove his innocence to keep this job that he desperately needs. Since its release, it has been nominated for the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards. Meyer Levinson-Blount was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his experience and work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.youtube.

"Two People Exchanging Saliva" is a French-language short drama film written and directed by Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh. A United States-France co-production, it stars Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Luàna Bajrami, Aurélie Boquien, and Vicky Krieps. It premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival, where it received very positive reviews. It has been nominated for the Best Live Action Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards. Musteata and Singh were both kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their experience and work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to watch on YouTube via. The New Yorker, and is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.you

"The Devil Is Busy" is an American documentary short film, directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Christalyn Hampton, which follows an Atlanta abortion clinic besieged by protesters. Following its world premiere at Doc NYC, producer HBO Documentary Films released the film for streaming, and it has since been nominated for the Best Documentary Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards. Gandbhir and Hampton were both kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their experience and work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on HBO Max and is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw And be sure to help s

For Episode 480, Nadia Dalimonte, Dan Bayer, Amy Kim, and Will Mavity join me for our annual real-time reactions to the EE BAFTA winners as they're announced online hours before the actual broadcast airs. While we wait for the winners, we go over the Film Independent Spirit Award winners, and give our predictions for what we think will win at the Producers Guild of America (PGA), American Cinema Editors (ACE), Art Directors Guild (ADG), and Visual Effects Society (VES) awards this week. We also reveal your winners for the 2025 NBP Film Community Awards and our own nominations for the 2025 NBP Film Awards. For last week's poll, we asked everyone, "Which Is Your Favorite Film Nominated For An Oscar This Year?" and now for this week's poll, we're asking, "Which Was Your Favorite Oscar-Nominated Acting Performance Of 2025?" We also give our reactions to the trailers for "Toy Story 5," "Lee Cronin's The Mummy," "Normal," "Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man," "Pressure," "Is God Is," "Over Your Dead Body," answer you

For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson, Megan Lachinski, and Ben Langford join me to discuss the latest film from John Patton Ford, "How To Make A Killing," starring Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley, Jessica Henwick, Bill Camp, Zach Woods, Topher Grace & Ed Harris. Loosely inspired by the 1949 British film "Kind Hearts and Coronets" by Robert Hamer and John Dighton, the film tells the fictional story of Becket Redfellow, disowned at birth by his wealthy family, who will stop at nothing (not even murder) to reclaim his inheritance from his many relatives who stand in his way. What did we think of it? Tune in as we discuss the story, its narrative structure, themes, Glen Powell's on-screen magnetism and voice-over narration, the supporting performances from the eclectic cast, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id10876783

"How To Make A Killing" is a black comedy thriller film written and directed by John Patton Ford. Following his Sundance directorial debut feature film "Emily The Criminal," Ford gathered the talents of Glen Powell, Margaret Qualley, Jessica Henwick, Bill Camp, Zach Woods, Topher Grace, and Ed Harris to bring his loosely inspired contemporary version of the 1949 British film "Kind Hearts and Coronets" to the big screen. It wasn't always the easiest process (when is making a movie ever easy?), and Ford was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his experience and work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from A24. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmH

"Kpop Demon Hunters" is an American animated musical fantasy film co-written and directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, produced by Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix and animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks. Premiering on Netflix over the summer, it became the platform’s most-watched original film ever, with over 500 million views, and achieved historic box-office success during limited theatrical runs. The soundtrack broke records with four simultaneous top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned double platinum certification. Widely acclaimed, the film won major honors including Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the Critics' Choice and Golden Globe Awards, received Academy Award nominations in the same categories, and won a Grammy for the Oscar-nominated song, "Golden." Singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, and filmmakers Kang and Appelhans were all kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check ou

"EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert" is a documentary film about Elvis Presley directed by Baz Luhrmann, acting as a follow-up to Luhrmann's 2022 biographical film "Elvis." The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it received extremely positive reviews from critics for its visual and audio restoration, and an electric look at one of the greatest entertainers of all time, fully in his element, on stage in front of an audience. Luhrmann was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will be released exclusively in IMAX theaters by NEON beginning on February 20th, before being released theatrically to the general public one week later on February 27th. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIz

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 For this week's second podcast review, Alyssa Christian, Dan Bayer, Giovanni Lago, and Brendan Hodges join me to discuss the latest feature film from renowned Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho, "The Secret Agent" starring Wagner Moura, Carlos Francisco, Tânia Maria, Robério Diógenes, Alice Carvalho, Gabriel Leone, Maria Fernanda Cândidom, Hermila Guedes, Isabél Zuaa, and Udo Kier. The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it received widespread acclaim and became the festival's most awarded film, winning the Best Actor award for Moura, the Best Director award for Mendonça Filho, the Art House Cinema Award, and the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film. At the 2025 Critics' Choice Awards, it won Best Foreign Language Film; at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, it became the first Brazilian

"Zootopia 2" is an American animated buddy cop comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and the sequel to the Oscar-winning "Zootopia" (2016). Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard and written by Bush, the film stars Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Shakira, Idris Elba, Alan Tudyk, Nate Torrence, Don Lake, Bonnie Hunt, and Jenny Slate reprising their roles from the first film, with newcomers Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Patrick Warburton, Quinta Brunson, and Danny Trejo joining the cast. The film follows Judy Hopps (Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Bateman) as they pursue a pit viper named Gary De'Snake (Quan) across Zootopia and try to clear their names after being framed. The film received positive reviews from critics and has grossed $1.830 billion worldwide, becoming the second-highest-grossing animated film of all time, the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time, and the second-highest-grossing film of 2025. The film received nominations for Best Animated Feature

"Scarlet" is a Japanese animated fantasy action film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda. Inspired by Shakespeare's tragedy "Hamlet," the film follows the eponymous princess, who can cross time and space on a quest for vengeance after her father is murdered. The film had its world premiere out of competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its scope and scale, animation, and effects. It was nominated for three Annie Awards: Best Feature (Independent), Best Direction, and Best Writing. Hosoda was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his work on the film, his work being shown in IMAX, the unique animation techniques used in the making of this film, what he sees for the future of anime in the U.S. and worldwide, and more, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Sony Pictures Classics. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on...

For Episode 479, Dan Bayer and Giovanni Lago join me to discuss the 2026 CDG and MUAHS guild winners this week, and give our predictions for the BAFTA and Film Independent Spirit Award winners. We also reveal your nominations for the 2025 NBP Film Community Awards. For last week's poll, we asked everyone, "Which Was The Best Film From 2025 To Not Receive A Single Oscar Nomination?" and now for this week's poll, we're asking, "Which Is Your Favorite Film Nominated For An Oscar This Year?" We also give our reactions to the trailers for "Omaha" and "Rose Of Nevada," answer your fan-submitted questions, and more. Thank you all for listening, supporting, and subscribing. Enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw And be sure to help support us on Patre

For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson, Josh Parham, Cody Dericks, Giovanni Lago, and Daniel Howat join me to discuss the latest film from Emerald Fennell, "Wuthering Heights," starring Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver, Martin Clunes, and Ewan Mitchell. Adapted from Emily Brontë's 1847 novel, the film is a highly subjective reinterpretation by Fennell and has garnered a wide range of opinions and generated a ton of discourse surrounding the casting and book changes/omissions. What did we think of it? Please tune in as we discuss Fennell's direction, writing, the costumes, production design, cinematography, score, songs by Charli xcx, the performances and chemistry from Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, its awards season chances, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening. Come undone with us and enjoy (or let it drive you mad). Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podc

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 For this week's second podcast review, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, Lauren LaMagna, Aaron Isenstein, and Tom O'Brien join me to discuss the debut feature film from Harry Lighton, "Pillion" starring Alexander Skarsgård, Harry Melling, Douglas Hodge, Lesley Sharp, Jake Shears, and Anthony Welsh. The film follows Colin (Harry Melling), a timid gay man, as he starts a BDSM relationship with Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), an enigmatic biker who likes to be the dominant one in the relationship. The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, where it received widespread praise from critics, and several award nominations and wins throughout the 2025 awards season. What did we think of it, though? Please tune in as we discuss the writing, performances, depiction of the BDSM world, the ending, its award

"Train Dreams" has gone on to become the most celebrated film from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, with praise going to Bentley's direction, Edgerton's performance, and the cinematography. Among its accolades, the film was named as one of the top ten films of 2025 by both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute. For his performance, Edgerton was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. It received four nominations at the 98th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song, and Best Cinematography. Brazilian cinematographer Adolpho Veloso has won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Cinematography and has been nominated for the ASC, BAFTA, Spirit Award, and Oscar for Best Cinematography, becoming the first Brazilian to achieve the latter. Veloso was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his work on the film, the experience of awards season, his Brazilian roots, and more, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, whic

"Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" is a science fiction action-adventure comedy film directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Matthew Robinson. The film stars Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, Asim Chaudhry, Tom Taylor, and Juno Temple. It tells the story of a man from the future who travels to the past and recruits the patrons of a Los Angeles diner he arrives in to help combat a rogue artificial intelligence. The film premiered at the 2025 Fantastic Fest, where it received positive reviews for its premise, performances, and Verbinski's direction on a smaller budget than what we're used to seeing from him. Verbinski, Rockwell, Lu Richardson, Peña, and Beetz were all kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open in theaters on February 13th from Briarcliff Entertainment. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscri

"Crime 101" is a crime thriller film written and directed by Bart Layton. It is based on the 2020 novella of the same name by Don Winslow. The film stars Chris Hemsworth as jewel thief Mike Davis, whose heists along the 101 freeway have left the police baffled. When Mike sets his sights on the ultimate score, his plans intersect with those of insurance broker Sharon Colvin, played by Halle Berry. Detective Lou Lubesnick, played by Mark Ruffalo, believes he has cracked Mike's pattern and is determined to bring him down before the next job. The film also stars Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Nick Nolte. Layton was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open in theaters on February 13th from Amazon MGM Studios. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.c

"Cold Storage" is an action-horror-comedy film directed by Jonny Campbell, from a screenplay by David Koepp, based on Koepp's 2019 novel of the same name. The film stars Georgina Campbell, Joe Keery, Sosie Bacon, Vanessa Redgrave, Lesley Manville, and Liam Neeson. It follows a group of characters as they attempt to contain a parasitic fungus that leaks from an abandoned military base. Georgina Campbell, Joe Keery, and Liam Neeson were all kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open in theaters on February 13th from Samuel Goldwyn Films. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw And be sure to help

"Mr. Nobody Against Putin" is a documentary film directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin. It follows Talankin in his job at a school in Karabash, a poor mining town near the Ural Mountains. While recording his students, Talankin also documents the Putin administration's movements to control public perception during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. The film had its world premiere at the World Cinema Documentary section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award. It was selected as the Danish entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not shortlisted for a nomination. However, it was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature Film category. Borenstein and Talankin were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in select theaters from Kino Lorber. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on Nex

"Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie" is a Canadian time-travel mockumentary-adventure film directed by Matt Johnson ("BlackBerry") and written by Johnson and Jay McCarrol. The film stars Johnson and McCarrol as fictionalised versions of themselves in a band called "Nirvanna the Band" as they attempt to book a gig at the Rivoli, a bar and restaurant in Toronto, even though they have never actually written or recorded a single song, nor taken any steps to contact the Rivoli's management about booking a show. A new plan to play the Rivoli goes wrong, sending Matt, Jay, and their friend/cameraman Jared back in time to 2008, leaving them stranded unless they can find a way back to the future. The film is based on Johnson and McCarrol's 2007–2009 web series "Nirvana the Band the Show," as well as its 2017–2018 sequel television series "Nirvanna the Band the Show." The film had its world premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest film festival, where it received positive reviews for its premise, humor, performances,