Next Best Picture Podcast

"The Long Walk" is an American dystopian survival thriller film directed and produced by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by JT Mollner, based on the 1979 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The film stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill and has been awarded the Robert Altman Award for Best Ensemble at the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Screenwriter JT Mollner and casting director Rich Delia were kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to rent and own at home from Lionsgate. 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 -

"Resurrection" is a science fiction drama film written and directed by Bi Gan. It follows Miss Shu (Shu Qi) in a future where most of humanity has lost the capacity to dream, who discovers that one inhuman creature (Jackson Yee) is still able to experience them. She enters the monster's dreams, using her ability to perceive illusions to determine the truth in its visions of Chinese history. The film is structured into six chapters, each corresponding to one of the six senses recognized in Buddhist thought: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and mind. The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Prix Spécial. Bi Gan 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 December 12th from Janus Films. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts

"Come See Me In The Good Light" is a 2025 American documentary film directed by Ryan White, following poet/activist Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley as they navigate an examination of love and mortality after Gibson is diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. Singer-songwriters Sara Bareilles and Brandi Carlile serve as among the executive producers; they co-wrote a song for the documentary, "Salt Then Sour Then Sweet," with Gibson. The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews and won the Festival Favorite Award. Bareilles was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience working on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Apple TV+. 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.co

"Highest 2 Lowest" is an American crime thriller film directed by Spike Lee from a screenplay by Alan Fox. It is an English-language remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 Japanese film "High and Low," itself based on Ed McBain's 1959 novel "King's Ransom." The film stars Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, ASAP Rocky, John Douglas Thompson, Dean Winters, LaChanze, Princess Nokia, and Ice Spice (in her film debut). The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival out of competition, where it received positive reviews for its performances, music, and direction from Lee. Composer Howard Drossin and songwriter/performer Aiyana-Lee, who collaborated on the film's title track, were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences working on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Apple TV+. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on...

"Materialists" is an American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Celine Song, starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal. Set against the backdrop of New York City's luxury-driven dating culture, it follows a love triangle among a matchmaker, her ex-boyfriend, an aspiring actor, and a charming millionaire. Released over the summer by A24, it received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $108 million worldwide, becoming A24's third-highest-grossing film and Song's highest-grossing film. Japanese Breakfast vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter Michelle Zauner wrote the end-credits song "My Baby (Got Nothing At All)" for the film and was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience making the song, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to own or rent at home from A24. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - http

"The Secret Agent" is a historical political thriller film written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho that follows Armando (NYFCC Best Actor winner Wagner Moura), a former professor caught in the political turmoil of the final years of the Brazilian military dictatorship, attempting to flee persecution and resist an authoritarian, deceitful regime. The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it received widespread acclaim and was 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 83rd Golden Globe Awards, it became the first Brazilian film nominated for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (Moura), and it also received a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. It has been selected as Brazil's official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards. Kleber Mend

"No Other Choice" is a 2025 South Korean satirical black comedy thriller film co-written, produced, and directed by Park Chan-wook and based on "The Ax" by Donald Westlake. The film stars Lee Byung-hun as a desperate paper industry expert who decides to kill his competitors to secure the job he seeks and maintain his way of life. The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where it received universal critical acclaim for its writing, direction, editing and lead performance from Lee Byung-hun. At the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, it was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Lee Byung-hun). It was also selected as South Korea's entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards and the Golden Globes. Park Chan-wook and Lee Byung-hun were kind enough to spend some time talking with Giovanni Lago about their work and experiences

"The Chronology Of Water" is a biographical psychological drama film written for the screen, co-produced, and directed by Kristen Stewart in her feature film directorial debut, based on the 2011 book of the same name by Lidia Yuknavitch. It stars Imogen Poots as Yuknavitch, along with Thora Birch, Susannah Flood, Tom Sturridge, Kim Gordon, Michael Epp, Earl Cave, Esmé Creed-Miles, and Jim Belushi in supporting roles. The film had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews from critics. Stewart and Poots were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in NY and LA theaters and will expand nationwide on January 9th from The Forge. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-

For Episode 469, Josh Parham, Giovanni Lago, Daniel Howat, and Tom O'Brien join me for what is one of the biggest episodes of the year. We knew heading into this week we would have to discuss the Gotham, NYFCC, and NBR winners, the AFI Top 10 films of the year, the CCA and Spirit Award nominations, and briefly touch on the Golden Globe Award nominations before they're announced. But then the industry dropped a bombshell: Netflix will acquire Warner Bros., a power move that threatens to be a seismic shift across the industry, with many implications for the future. For this week's poll, we ask our famous question: "Which Film Do You Think is Going To Be The Next Best Picture Oscar Winner?" We also reveal the winner of last week's poll, for the release of "Jay Kelly," where we asked, "Which Is Your Favorite George Clooney Performance?" In addition, we share our reactions to the trailers for "Mother Mary," "Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come," "Scarlet," "Midwinter Break," answer your fan-submitted questions, and more.

For this week's main podcast review, Megan Lachinski, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, and Brendan Hodges join me to discuss the latest film from Academy Award-winner Chloé Zhao, "Hamnet," starring Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn, Jacobi Jupe, and Noah Jupe. The historical drama film co-written by Maggie O'Farrell, the author of the title novel this film is based on is a largely fictional story dramatizing the marriage between Anne Hathaway (Agnes Hathaway in the novel and film) and William Shakespeare, and the impact of the tragic death of their 11-year-old son Hamnet on their relationship, which inspired Shakespeare's iconic play "Hamlet." The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and has been drawing tears from audiences everywhere it plays, including the Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the People's Choice Award. What did we think of it, though? Please tune in as we discuss the story, performances, cinematography, score, whether it made us as emotional as

"Jay Kelly" had its world premiere at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival and later screened at the Telluride Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, and the AFI Film Festival. It received positive reviews for its casting and performances, particularly from George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, and Billy Crudup; the direction and writing by Noah Baumbach (co-written with Emily Mortimer); and the score by Nicholas Britell. Members of the cast and crew were kind enough to spend some time speaking with Next Best Picture over the past few weeks, and you can listen to those conversations below. First, we have my interviews with Clooney, Sandler, Dern, Crudup, Baumbach, Mortimer, and Britell. Then, we have Will Mavity's interview with the film's casting directors, Nina Gold and Doug Aibel. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Netflix, and is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards in all eligible categories. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more

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, Daniel Howat, and Will Mavity join me to review and discuss the latest film from Noah Baumbach, "Jay Kelly," starring George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Grace Edwards, Stacy Keach, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Wilson, Eve Hewson, Greta Gerwig, Alba Rohrwacher, Josh Hamilton, Lenny Henry, Emily Mortimer, Nicôle Lecky, Thaddea Graham & Isla Fisher. The Netflix film follows a friendship between a famous actor (Clooney) and his manager (Sandler) as they travel through Europe and reflect on their life choices, relationships, and legacies. It had its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and received positive reviews for its performances, writing, and direction from Baumbach. What did we think of it, though? Please tune in as w

"Fackham Hall" is a period parody comedy film set in 1930s England that crosses "Downton Abbey" with "Airplane!" and "Monty Python." It is directed by Jim O'Hanlon and written by comedian Jimmy Carr (in his screenwriting feature debut) with Patrick Carr and The Dawson Brothers. It stars Damian Lewis, Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Radcliffe, Katherine Waterston, Tom Felton, and Jimmy Carr. It follows loveable pick-pocket Eric Noone (Radcliffe) as he lands a job at a unique English manor house. He quickly rises through the ranks, and a forbidden romance with the lady of the house, Rose Davenport (McKenzie), blossoms. But when an unexpected murder occurs, Eric gets framed - leaving Rose and her family's future perilously uncertain. McKenzie, Radcliffe and O'Hanlon were all kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open in theaters on December 5th from Bleecker Street. Thank you, and enjoy! Ch

"La Grazia" is an Italian drama film written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. It stars Toni Servillo as the President of Italy, Mariano De Santis, a staunch Catholic and experienced jurist, who is conflicted about whether he should sign into law a bill legalizing euthanasia, and at the same time has to consider the pardon petitions of two individuals who murdered their partners. The film had its world premiere as the opening film of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where Servillo won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. Servillo was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his experience working on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is opening in theaters on December 5th from MUBI. 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 -

"Rosemead" is a drama film, directed by Eric Lin in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Marilyn Fu, based on a 2017 LA Times column by Frank Shyong. It stars Lucy Liu as an ailing woman who is stricken by the discovery of her teenage son’s violent obsessions and must go to great lengths to protect him, and possibly others, in this portrait of a Chinese American family. The film premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Festival to positive reviews, particularly for Liu, who received the best notices of her career. Liu was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about her experience working on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is releasing in theaters on December 5th from Vertical Entertainment. 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 -

For Episode 468, Cody Dericks, Nadia Dalimonte and Giovanni Lago join me for a packed week of awards season predictions as December looms around the corner and the precursors for the 98th Academy Awards officially begin. We predict the Gotham Awards, New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC), Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), and National Board of Review (NBR) winners, along with what we believe will place in the AFI Top 10 films of the year. We also attempt to predict the likely nominees for the Critics' Choice Awards (CCA) and the Film Independent Spirit Awards. For this week's poll, in celebration of the release of "Jay Kelly," we ask: "Which Is Your Favorite George Clooney Performance?" We also reveal the winner of last week's poll, in which we asked, "Which Films Will Be Oscar-Nominated For Best International Feature Film At The 98th Academy Awards?" In addition, we share our reactions to the trailers for "How To Make A Killing" and "Goat," answer your fan-submitted questions, and more. Thank you

For this week's main podcast review, Sara Clements, Cody Dericks, Alyssa Christian, Brendan Hodges & Joselyn Safadi join me to discuss the sequel to 2016's Oscar-winning animated film "Zootopia," titled "Zootopia 2," starring the voice talents of Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Shakira, Idris Elba, Patrick Warburton, Quinta Brunson, Danny Trejo, Alan Tudyk, Nate Torrence, Don Lake, Bonnie Hunt, and Jenny Slate. The story follows the returning officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, who are now "partners" and go undercover to pursue Zootopia's new and mysterious reptilian resident, Gary De'Snake. Nearly a decade after the first film, what did we think of this highly anticipated sequel? Please tune in as we discuss the story, voice acting, themes, animation, dozens of references and jokes for kids and adults, its awards season chances, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com

"The Thing With Feathers" is a British independent drama film starring Benedict Cumberbatch that is written and directed by Dylan Southern and adapted from the book "Grief Is the Thing with Feathers" by Max Porter. It had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where Cumberbatch's haunting performance as a grief-stricken father was praised. Cumberbatch was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his experience working on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in limited theatrical release from Briarcliff Entertainment. 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 support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month at https://www

"Eternity" had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival where it received positive reviews for its clever premise about a woman who must choose between two men with whom to spend eternity in the afterlife co-written and directed by David Freyne along with the trio of heartwarming an heartbreaking performances from Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, and hilarious supporting work from John Early, Olga Merediz and Academy Award-winner Da'Vine Joy Randolph. Freyne was kind enough to spend some time talking with Ema Sasic about his experience making the film, while I had the pleasure of speaking with Joy Randolph about her work on the film. Both interviews are available to 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.

"In Your Dreams" is an American animated adventure-comedy film directed by Alex Woo and co-directed by Erik Benson, from a script by Woo and Benson and a story by Woo, Benson, and Stanley Moore. It tells the story of Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and her little brother Elliot (Elias Janssen), who journey into the wildly absurd landscape of their own dreams to ask the Sandman to grant them the perfect family. Produced by Netflix Animation and Kuku Studios, it received generally positive reviews from critics. Director/co-writer Woo was kind enough to spend some time speaking 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 is now available to stream on Netflix and is up for your consideration for Best Animated Feature at the 98th 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