The Next Best Picture Podcast

Following our 505th episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we're back with a new episode of Mailbag Monday. Lauren LaMagna, Dan Bayer, Larry Fried & Tom O’Brien join me in this new series dedicated entirely to answering your fan-submitted questions from the NBP Film Community. Covering everything from the latest movie news, awards season, and Oscar predictions to filmmaking, industry trends, and whatever else is on your mind, Mailbag Monday allows us to engage more directly with all of you every week. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this episode, whether on our X account or on our Discord (Patreon members get a private link to chat with other members of NBP and me). If you'd like to be featured on a future edition of Mailbag Monday, be sure to leave your questions in the comments or submit them through our social media channels every Sunday morning when prompted on our X account. We hope you'll join us every Monday as we continue the conversation beyond our weekly Sunday podcast. Thank you, as always, for listening, subscribing, and supporting Next Best Picture, and helping us build such an incredible film community. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/c0xMRxwgfo4 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Episode 505 of the Next Best Picture Podcast, I am joined by Lauren LaMagna, Dan Bayer, Larry Fried & Tom O'Brien. This week, we're discussing the Spotlight section of the 64th New York Film Festival (NYFF), the final additions to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) lineup, and the overall schedule. For this week's NBP poll question, we're asking everyone, Which World Premieres Are You Most Looking Forward To From The 2026 Toronto International Film Festival? And we reveal the winner of last week's NBP poll, where we asked everyone, "Which Films Are You Most Looking Forward To From The NYFF64 Main Slate?" We also share our reactions to the trailers for "Paper Tiger," "Verity," "Gentle Monster," and "Josephine." We are still answering your fan-submitted questions, but our answers will now be released separately the day after, in a new show called Mailbag Monday! So stay tuned for that and many other updates from Next Best Picture as this year's awards season continues. Thank you all for listening, subscribing, and supporting us. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/pZy57GDAN9Q 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"DTF St. Louis" is an American dark comedy television miniseries created by Steven Conrad for HBO that follows a love triangle among three adults played by Jason Bateman, Linda Cardellini, and David Harbour, as they experience middle-aged malaise that leads to one of them dying. The limited series premiered earlier this year to great acclaim and has received 13 nominations at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, including for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, as well as acting nominations for Bateman, Cardellini, Harbour, Richard Jenkins, and Joy Sunday. Harbour was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the show, among other topics including the differences between working in film and television, his work on "Stranger Things" and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which new filmmakers he wants to work with, who he wants to re-team with, what he has coming out next, and more, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the show, which is available to watch in full on HBO Max and is up for consideration for this year's Emmy Awards in all eligible categories, including Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited or Anthology Series for David Harbour. Thank you, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/QHTZHoXoBpg 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson, Josh Parham, Nadia Dalimonte, Cody Dericks, and Daniel Howat join me to review and discuss the latest film from David Robert Mitchell, "The End of Oak Street," starring Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella & Christian Convery. Bringing audiences an original sci-fi dinosaur film that harkens back to the Amblin Entertainment films of old, David Robert Mitchell certainly knows how to keep audiences on their toes, as this is only his third feature film following "It Follows" and "Under the Silver Lake," and it's vastly different than those other two films. What did we think of it though? Please tune in, either on video or audio only, as we discuss the story, its performances, action, humor, visual effects, its awards season chances, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/-W6fYeZabHs 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Next Best Series Podcast is back as Amy Kim, Giovanni Lago, and Megan Lachinski join me to discuss the latest series we've been watching on television, but more importantly, for this free episode we're advocating for who we believe should win an Emmy at the 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards (including some from the Creative Arts Emmy Awards). Final-round voting begins on August 17th and runs until August 26th, so now is the time to get loud about your favorites you want to see the Television Academy voters reward. Are we pushing for "Hacks," or "Widow's Bay," "The Pitt," or "Pluribus," or maybe something else entirely? Will it matter how well "DTF St. Louis" does if no one can see it on the main broadcast? Please tune in to find out. We'll return with a final winner predictions episode once voting closes! Until then, thank you, as always, for listening. We hope you enjoy this free full-length episode! https://youtu.be/P5LGYr_8iiM 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The Rivals Of Amziah King" is an American neo-Western crime thriller film written and directed by Andrew Patterson ("The Vast Of Night") and produced by Black Bear Pictures and Heyday Films. It stars Angelina LookingGlass as Kateri, whose life takes a tragic turn as she loses her mother and leaves foster care. Reuniting with her former foster parent, Amziah (Matthew McConaughey), changes everything: he becomes her mentor and reveals hidden skills when a devastating situation arises. Kateri relies on her newfound strength to seek justice. The film also stars Scott Shepherd, Rob Morgan, Tony Revolori, and Kurt Russell. It had its world premiere at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival and received rave reviews for its story, music, performances, direction, and editing. Patterson was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Black Bear Pictures. Thank you, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/e-7xArbZRc4 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 2008 retrospective is coming to an end this month, and our second-to-last podcast review is for David Fincher's epic romantic fantasy drama, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas, Mahershala Ali, Jared Harris & Tilda Swinton. A more sentimental and whimsical film for Fincher than what we're usually used to seeing from him (mostly in part due to Eric Roth's adaptation of the 1922 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald) it's another wonderful collaboration between Pitt and Fincher (Who we will see reunite later this year in the "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" standalone sequel, "The Adventures of Cliff Booth") on love, destiny, death and finding an appreciation for life in the brief time we have here. Featuring state-of-the-art visual effects for its time and other dazzling technical elements, the film led the 81st Academy Awards with 13 nominations, winning three for its crafts. How do they hold up? What did we think of the story? Please tune in as Ema Sasic, Josh Parham, Lauren LaMagna, and I talk about the film's screenplay, the performances, the craftsmanship, its awards season run, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Please check out our past reviews for "Frost/Nixon," "Doubt," "Changeling," "Revolutionary Road," "WALL-E, "Milk," "The Dark Knight," and "The Reader." We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy our review! https://youtu.be/sj_JcZkXdaQ 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The Wrong Girls" is an upcoming American stoner comedy film written and directed by Dylan Meyer in her directorial debut. It stars Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat as two codependent best friends living paycheck to paycheck and bong rip to bong rip get caught in a case of mistaken identity that throws their lives into chaos. The film also stars LaKeith Stanfield, Tony Hale, Zack Fox, Seth Rogen, Kumail Nanjiani, Kate McKinnon, and Geena Davis. Meyer was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open in theaters on August 14th from NEON. Thank you, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/NF7FtGWoNPU 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Late Fame" is an American drama film directed by Kent Jones, written by Samy Burch, and based on the posthumously published novella by Arthur Schnitzler. It stars Willem Dafoe as a legendary New York poet who rediscovers his artistic passion after befriending an eccentric group of young creatives played by Greta Lee and Edmund Donovan. The film had its world premiere in the Orizzonti section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for Jones's direction, Burch's script, and the performances. Jones was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in New York at the Film Forum and Film at Lincoln Center, and opens in Los Angeles on August 14th at the Laemmle Royal, with additional cities to follow from Magnolia Pictures. Thank you, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/o-W9SeWsyHQ 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following our 504th episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we're back with a new episode of Mailbag Monday. Katie Johnson, Josh Parham, and Giovanni Lago join me in this new series dedicated entirely to answering your fan-submitted questions from the NBP Film Community. Covering everything from the latest movie news, awards season, and Oscar predictions to filmmaking, industry trends, and whatever else is on your mind, Mailbag Monday allows us to engage more directly with all of you every week. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this episode, whether on our X account or on our Discord (Patreon members get a private link to chat with other members of NBP and me). If you'd like to be featured on a future edition of Mailbag Monday, be sure to leave your questions in the comments or submit them through our social media channels every Sunday morning when prompted on our X account. We hope you'll join us every Monday as we continue the conversation beyond our weekly Sunday podcast. Thank you, as always, for listening, subscribing, and supporting Next Best Picture, and helping us build such an incredible film community. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/LhY5Kvau-Fw 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Episode 504 of the Next Best Picture Podcast, I am joined by Katie Johnson, Josh Parham, and Giovanni Lago. For this week's main topic, we're discussing the 64th New York Film Festival (NYFF) Main Slate, including the Spotlight Gala announcement for the world premiere of "Godzilla Minus Zero," and what we think will be announced for the Spotlight section this week. We also discuss the recent additions to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) lineup including the Centerpiece and Midnight Madness sections and what we think will be the final additions this week when the schedule gets announced. For this week's NBP poll question, we're asking everyone, "Which Films Are You Most Looking Forward To From The NYFF64 Main Slate?" and we reveal the winner of last week's NBP poll, for the release of "The Odyssey" and "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," where we asked everyone, "Which Is Your Favorite Tom Holland Performance?" We also share our reactions to the trailers for "Primetime," "Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother," "The Only Living Pick Pocket In New York" and "Violent Night 2." We are still answering your fan-submitted questions, but our answers will now be released separately the day after, in a new show called Mailbag Monday! So stay tuned for that and many other updates from Next Best Picture as this year's awards season continues. Thank you all for listening, subscribing, and supporting us. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/kxtzKCJ8LUY 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's main podcast review, Ema Sasic, Dan Bayer, Megan Lachinski, and Will Mavity join me to review and discuss the sex purge romantic comedy film "One Night Only," starring Monica Barbaro, Callum Turner, Maya Hawke, Julia Fox, King Princess, Ziwe, Ben Marshall, Ella Loudon, Molly Ringwald & Levar Burton. The film follows two attractive single people on the one night of the year when premarital sex is no longer outlawed, but does it invite more questions with its central premise than escapist fun? What did we think of it? Please tune in either on video or audio only as we discuss the film's story, its performances, humor, politics (or lack thereof), its awards season chances, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/trP5jUti87Q 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The Last House" is a 2026 American science fiction thriller film directed by Louis Leterrier and written by Matthew Robinson. It stars Greta Lee and Wagner Moura as the heads of the Delgado family who are inexplicably sealed inside their home by an invisible force during a torrential, never-ending downpour. As the days stretch into years, they struggle to survive on dwindling resources while adapting to their confinement. Leterrier was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Netflix. Thank you, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/Od7mvC2HS0k 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 "Hadestown: The Musical" is a 2026 musical film presenting a live stage recording of the Tony Award-winning musical of the same name. It tells two versions of the ancient Greek myths, Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone, to explore enduring and contemporary themes such as poverty. Brett Sullivan directed the film, which features five principal cast members of the original Broadway production: Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada, and Patrick Page. Recorded at the Lyric Theatre, London, the remainder of the cast are performers in the West End production. Bleecker Street division Crosswalk launched a limited release for North American cinemas after the film premiered at the Tribeca Festival to rave reviews. What did we think of it? Please tune in as Cody Dericks, Lauren LaMagna, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, and Tom O'Brien talk about the pro-shot version compared to the stage version and other pro-shot films such as "Hamilton," their favorite musical numbers, the performances, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy our review! https://youtu.be/VXWbrMKn51E 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” is a 2026 horror comedy film written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, following the success of their previous film, “I Saw the TV Glow.” Starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson, the film combines a mind-bending structure and meta storytelling with Schoenbrun’s signature exploration of pop culture and identity. However, unlike nearly everything the filmmaker has made before, this is as much a comedy as it is a strange, sexual, and visually stunning horror film. It had its world premiere at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it received rave reviews. Before its theatrical release, Schoenbrun spoke with me, while Einbinder and Anderson joined Cody Dericks to discuss their experiences making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will be released in theaters by MUBI on August 7th. Thank you, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/A4uk9HRMhRA https://youtu.be/Zz7FNVQlS20 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 The Next Best Series Podcast is back as Amy Kim, Giovanni Lago, Megan Lachinski, and Alyssa Christian join me to discuss the latest in television, such as the new Hulu series "Furious," the latest episodes of "House Of The Dragon," the new season of "Ted Lasso," and more. We also discuss the Television Academy's recent decision to move several key categories off the main telecast and over to the Creative Arts Emmys, and how this severely hurts one of our favorite shows of the year, "DTF St. Louis." We also go over which Emmy races we feel are starting to shift in momentum as final voting approaches on August 17th. As always, thank you for listening. We hope you enjoy this preview episode. https://youtu.be/0cNM06ouzkc 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"One Night Only" is a 2026 American romantic comedy film starring Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner, directed and produced by Will Gluck, based on a script by Travis Braun. It tells the fictional story of two New Yorkers who search for love on the one night of the year when sex is legal. Screenwriter Travis Braun was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will be released in theaters on August 7th from Universal Pictures. Thank you, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/ba-0rVLwU1g 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Cookie Queens" is a 2026 documentary film that follows four young women striving to become their own "Cookie Queen" and top sellers of Girl Scout Cookies, exploring the joys, pains, and pressures of the Girl Scout Cookie season. The film had its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex serve as executive producers under their Archewell Productions banner. Director and producer Alysa Nahmias was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open in theaters on August 7th from Roadside Attractions. Thank you, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/ysnoy4NuszQ 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The Samurai And The Prisoner" is a 2026 Japanese historical drama mystery film written and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa and based on the novel of the same name by Honobu Yonezawa. It stars Masahiro Motoki, Masaki Suda, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Munetaka Aoki, and Ryota Miyadate. Set in 16th-century Japan, the film follows Lord Murashige Araki (Motoki), who, besieged in his castle, confronts mysterious crimes and allies with imprisoned strategist Kanbei Kuroda (Suda) to uncover the truth. The film had its world premiere in the Cannes Premiere section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its overall design reminiscent of classic samurai films, detective narrative, and performances. Kurosawa was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in NY and LA select theaters and will expand nationwide later from Janus Films. Thank you, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/svpf8EEw9Nk 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following our 503rd episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we're back with a new episode of Mailbag Monday. Josh Parham and Dan Bayer join me in this new series dedicated entirely to answering your fan-submitted questions from the NBP Film Community. Covering everything from the latest movie news, awards season, and Oscar predictions to filmmaking, industry trends, and whatever else is on your mind, Mailbag Monday allows us to engage more directly with all of you every week. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this episode, whether on our X account or on our Discord (Patreon members get a private link to chat with other members of NBP and me). If you'd like to be featured on a future edition of Mailbag Monday, be sure to leave your questions in the comments or submit them through our social media channels every Sunday morning when prompted on our X account. We hope you'll join us every Monday as we continue the conversation beyond our weekly Sunday podcast. Thank you, as always, for listening, subscribing, and supporting Next Best Picture, and helping us build such an incredible film community. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/BvleaMratq0 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Episode 503 of the Next Best Picture Podcast, I am joined by Josh Parham, and Dan Bayer. For this week's main topic, we're discussing the NYFF Centerpiece film (the world premiere of Tony Gilroy's "Behemoth!") and giving our predictions for what we believe will be announced this week for the Main Slate. We also discuss the recent resurgence of the box office in 2026 that has continued through the summer with the performance of "The Odyssey" and "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." For this week's NBP poll question, with the release of these two films, we're asking everyone, "Which Is Your Favorite Tom Holland Performance?" and we reveal the winner of last week's NBP poll, for announcement of the 2026 Venice Film Festival lineup, where we asked everyone, "Which Films Are You Most Looking Forward To From The 2026 Venice Film Festival?" We also share our reactions to the trailers for "The Thomas Crown Affair," "Children Of Blood And Bone," "Ramayana," and "Wicker." We are still answering your fan-submitted questions, but our answers will now be released separately the day after, in a new show called Mailbag Monday! So stay tuned for that and many other updates from Next Best Picture as this year's awards season continues. Thank you all for listening, subscribing, and supporting us. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/boXnDdbgDSI 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson and Josh Parham join me to review and discuss the latest MCU Tom Holland Spider-Man film, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," starring Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Florence Pugh, Tramell Tillman, Marisa Tomei, and Mark Ruffalo. Taking over from Jon Watts director Destin Daniel Cretton steps into the director's chair and brings the larger than life spectacle of the MCU back down to the ground a little bit as the reset button is hit following the events of 2021's "No Way Home," where those who knew Peter Parker cannot remember him any longer, thus forcing our favorite web-slinger into isolation and depression, which leads to some unexpected changes in his DNA while a new mysterious foe emerges that will have ramifications across the entire MCU. Also, Bruce Banner (aka. Hulk), Frank Castle (aka. Punisher), and Yelena Belova (aka. Black Widow) show up! What did we think of it? Please tune in either on video or audio only as we discuss the film's story, its performances, action, humor, visual effects, its awards season chances, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/8bNjYYRK3Vg 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 We recently reviewed Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight," a film that many feel should've been part of the Best Picture lineup in 2008. So, it only makes sense that, as Nolan is once again getting his revenge with another new film in theaters, we revisit the film that was widely seen as the one that took his masterpiece out of the lineup, and that's "The Reader," starring Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Lena Olin & Bruno Ganz. Directed by Stephen Daldry and written by David Hare based on the novel "Der Vorleser" by Bernhard Schlink, this Holocaust drama has become the poster child for the term "Oscar bait" in the years since its release (and was widely seen as such then) as it saw Winslet in another awards magnet performance that the Academy finally decided to give her an Oscar for, produced and pushed by Harvey Weinstein at the height of his powers, the film has not aged well to say the least, certainly compared to the other films it beat out that Oscar season for major nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Adapted Screenplay. What did we think of it? Please tune in as Nadia Dalimonte, Dan Bayer, Amy Kim, Will Mavity, and I talk about the film's screenplay, Winslet's performance, Daldry's direction, the score, the cinematography, its awards season run, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Please check out our past reviews for "Frost/Nixon," "Doubt," "Changeling," "Revolutionary Road," "WALL-E, "Milk," and "The Dark Knight." We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy our review! https://youtu.be/mZmWKG8JSFg 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a hiatus of over a decade, legendary indie filmmaker Gregg Araki is back in movie theaters with his latest piece of visual provocation, “I Want Your Sex.” The film made a splash at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, thanks to Araki’s trademark eye-tickling visuals and equally trademark envelope-pushing substance. Here, Gen Z is the target of Araki’s aim, with his film (and specifically Olivia Wilde’s sensational character, the avant-garde sex-obsessed artist Erika Tracy) skewering the prudishness of the latest batch of young adults. But as always with Araki, answers don’t come easy and messages aren’t neat and tidy. One of the masters of queer indie filmmaking, Araki was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his latest film, which you can listen to below. In our conversation, he touched on what he thinks of Gen Z’s tendency toward sex negativity, how a film centering around a male-female pairing can still touch on queer themes, and what it was like to debut his film at the final Sundance Film Festival hosted in Park City, Utah. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open in theaters on July 31st from Magnolia Pictures. Thank you, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/z3kWcH5mqhM 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following our 502nd episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we're back with a new episode of Mailbag Monday. Katie Johnson, Nadia Dalimonte, and Tom O’Brien join me in this new series dedicated entirely to answering your fan-submitted questions from the NBP Film Community. Covering everything from the latest movie news, awards season, and Oscar predictions to filmmaking, industry trends, and whatever else is on your mind, Mailbag Monday allows us to engage more directly with all of you every week. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this episode, whether on our X account or on our Discord (Patreon members get a private link to chat with other members of NBP and me). If you'd like to be featured on a future edition of Mailbag Monday, be sure to leave your questions in the comments or submit them through our social media channels every Sunday morning when prompted on our X account. We hope you'll join us every Monday as we continue the conversation beyond our weekly Sunday podcast. Thank you, as always, for listening, subscribing, and supporting Next Best Picture, and helping us build such an incredible film community. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/oQDMOnZ11-A 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Episode 502 of the Next Best Picture Podcast, I am joined by Katie Johnson, Nadia Dalimonte, Lauren LaMagna, and Tom O'Brien. For this week's main topic, we're going over the official full lineup from the Venice Film Festival, the Special Presentations and Galas announcement from TIFF, and the NYFF Closing Night Film. For this week's NBP poll question, tying into the Venice lineup, we're asking everyone, "Which Films Are You Most Looking Forward To From The 2026 Venice Film Festival?" and we reveal the winner of last week's NBP poll, for the release of "The Odyssey," where we asked everyone, "Which Is Your Favorite Matt Damon Performance?" We also share our reactions to the trailers for "Avengers: Doomsday," "Other Mommy," "Clayface," "It Ends," "Misty Green," "Matchbox: The Movie," and "Ebenezor." We are still answering your fan-submitted questions, but our answers will now be released separately the day after, in a new show called Mailbag Monday! So stay tuned for that and many other updates from Next Best Picture as this year's awards season continues. Thank you all for listening, subscribing, and supporting us. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/NPmeyxQEhCs 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's main podcast review, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, Giovanni Lago, and Larry Fried join me to review and discuss the first feature film from Nicolas Winding Refn in a decade, "Her Private Hell," starring Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Havana Rose Liu, Kristine Froseth, Shioli Kutsuna, Aoi Yamada, Dougray Scott, Diego Calva, and Hidetoshi Nishijima. Premiering out of competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, the film caused more walkouts than any other film at the festival and has gained quite a divisive reaction from critics and audiences. What did we think of it? Please tune in either on video or audio only as we debate the merits of its convoluted story, its strange performances, the neon-lit cinematography, Pino Donaggio's gorgeous score, its awards season chances, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/ILY8KuEJ_5Y 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Her Private Hell" is a 2026 science fiction horror thriller film produced and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, from a story he wrote and a screenplay he co-wrote with Esti Giordani. It stars Sophie Thatcher as a troubled young woman who searches for her father as a mysterious mist engulfs a futuristic metropolis, unleashing a deadly and elusive entity. Her quest collides with an American G.I. (Charles Melton) who's on a harrowing odyssey to rescue his daughter from hell. The film also stars Havana Rose Liu, Kristine Froseth, Shioli Kutsuna, Aoi Yamada, Dougray Scott, Diego Calva, and Hidetoshi Nishijima. It had its world premiere out of competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it received mixed reviews, but its visuals, performances, and the score by legendary Italian composer Pino Donaggio were praised. Thatcher, Melton and Winding Refn were all 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 will be released in theaters by NEON on July 24th. Thank you, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/r4ENIJpyPLo https://youtu.be/-52ywXkEti0 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios, and Pascal Pictures, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is intended to be the 38th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the fourth film in the MCU Spider-Man film series. The film is being directed by Destin Daniel Cretton ("Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings"), written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man alongside Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, and Mark Ruffalo. After hitting the reset button on Peter Parker's life following the events of "No Way Home," the film is meant to mark the start of a brand-new trilogy with a different direction, tone, and stage of evolution for Peter Parker and the MCU as a whole. Destin Daniel Cretton was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us following some preview footage about the highly anticipated film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open in theaters on July 31st as part of Phase Six of the MCU. Thank you, and enjoy! https://youtu.be/gdtMK9BZNCM 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following our 501st episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we're back with a new episode of Mailbag Monday. Will Mavity and Sara Clements join me in this new series dedicated entirely to answering your fan-submitted questions from the NBP Film Community. Covering everything from the latest movie news, awards season, and Oscar predictions to filmmaking, industry trends, and whatever else is on your mind, Mailbag Monday allows us to engage more directly with all of you every week. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this episode, whether it was on our X account or our Discord for our Patreon members. If you'd like to be featured on a future edition of Mailbag Monday, be sure to leave your questions in the comments or submit them through our social media channels every Sunday morning when prompted on our X account. We hope you'll join us every Monday as we continue the conversation beyond our weekly Sunday podcast. Thank you, as always, for listening, subscribing, and supporting Next Best Picture, and helping us build such an incredible film community. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/ddxW4zv5J4w 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Episode 501 of the Next Best Picture Podcast, I am joined by Sara Clements and Will Mavity. For this week's main topic, we're going over the recent announcements from Venice, TIFF, and NYFF for the upcoming fall film festivals, and we're going into more detail about which films we think will be announced for the Venice Film Festival later this week on July 23rd. For this week's NBP poll question, we're asking everyone for the release of "The Odyssey," "Which Is Your Favorite Matt Damon Performance?," and we reveal the winner of last week's NBP poll, also tied to "The Odyssey," where we asked everyone, "Which Is Your Favorite Christopher Nolan Film?" We also share our reactions to the trailers for "Digger," "Behemoth!" "The Uprising," "I Play Rocky," and "The Incomer." We are still answering your fan-submitted questions, but our answers will now be released separately the day after, in a new show called Mailbag Monday! So stay tuned for that and many other new updates from Next Best Picture as this year's awards season continues. Thank you all for listening, subscribing, and supporting us. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/ddxW4zv5J4w 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's main podcast review, Lauren LaMagna, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, Giovanni Lago and Brendan Hodges join me for the first time on video to review and discuss the latest cinematic event from Christopher Nolan, "The Odyssey" starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Samantha Morton, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, John Leguizamo, Bill Irwin, Himesh Patel, Corey Hawkins, Mia Goth, Logan Marshall-Green, Travis Scott, Eliott Page & James Remar. An adaptation and production that represents everything as big as movies can get in 2026, Nolan's telling of Homer's epic poem has generated a ton of conversation for its new IMAX technology, its breathtaking practical set pieces, seemingly controversial casting decisions, its symbolism, themes, and other adaptation choices, the performances from its massive A-list Hollywood cast, and the score by Ludwig Göransson. Zeus welcomes you all. It's an epic-sized review for an epic-sized film, and we ask you to please come on the journey with us as we discuss these topics, its chances at awards season, 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/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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Logan Marshall-Green is a very respected actor who has been working for over twenty years in some of your favorite movies and television shows including "The O.C.," "Devil," "24," "Prometheus," "The Invitation," "Quarry," "Upgrade," "When They See Us," "Carry-On," "Marshals" and now, Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey." Marshall-Green was gracious enough to lend us an hour of his time as he came into the studio and spoke with us about these projects, his theater upbringing, working with Tom Holland on "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and now on "The Odyssey," his thoughts on A.I., whether or not he will direct again after his 2019 directorial debut "Adopt a Highway," what kind of an actor he wants to be known as, if the countless comparisons to Tom Hardy bother him, and more, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out "The Odyssey," which is now playing in theaters from Universal Pictures. 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 With the release of Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" arriving in theaters, our 2008 retrospective revisits his comic book action film that not only re-defined the genre, but changed the whole industry up until the Oscar nominations where it forced the Academy to expand the Best Picture lineup for the first time in decades, "The Dark Knight," starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman. Co-written with his brother Jonathan Nolan, the world had never seen a comic book film quite like Christopher Nolan's crime epic. Marked by the untimely passing of Heath Ledger before its release, the film had a tremendous amount of hype surrounding it during the summer of 2008 and continues to be talked about till this day for Ledger's iconic, Academy Award-winning performance, Nolan's grounded realism borrowing from other crime classics such as "Heat," the film's politics and how it directly commented on the Patriot Act, its themes of escalation, chaos, vigilantism and more! How does it hold up nearly 20 years later? Please tune in as Alyssa Christian, Josh Parham, Amy Kim, Brendan Hodges, and I talk about the film's screenplay, Nolan's direction, the performances, the action sequences, the film's historic awards season run, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Please check out our past reviews for "Frost/Nixon," "Doubt," "Changeling," "Revolutionary Road," "WALL-E, and "Milk." We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy our review! 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following our historic 500th episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we're excited to launch the very first edition of our new weekly companion show, Mailbag Monday! Josh Parham, Megan Lachinski, Will Mavity, Amy Kim, and Tom O'Brien join me in this new series is dedicated entirely to answering your fan-submitted questions from the NBP Film Community. Covering everything from the latest movie news, awards season, and Oscar predictions to filmmaking, industry trends, and whatever else is on your mind, Mailbag Monday gives us the opportunity to engage more directly with all of you every week. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this inaugural episode, and if you'd like to be featured on a future edition of Mailbag Monday, be sure to leave your questions in the comments or submit them through our social media channels every Sunday morning when prompted on our X account. We hope you'll join us every Monday as we continue the conversation beyond our weekly Sunday podcast. Thank you, as always, for listening, subscribing, and supporting Next Best Picture, and helping us build such an incredible film community. 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Next Best Picture's historic 500th episode, I am joined for the first time ever on video by Josh Parham, Megan Lachinski, Will Mavity, Amy Kim, and Tom O'Brien. It's a new era for NBP, and the show you've loved in audio form for the last nearly ten years is continuing to evolve as well. For this week's main topic, we're giving you our predictions for which film festivals we feel upcoming Oscar contenders will premiere at. For this week's NBP poll question, we're asking everyone for the highly anticipated release of Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," "Which Is Your Favorite Christopher Nolan Film?" and we reveal the winner of last week's NBP poll tied to our first Oscar nomination predictions (now powered by Award Expert) where we asked everyone for the first time this year, "Which Film Do You Think Will Be The Next Best Picture Oscar Winner?" We also share our reactions to the trailers for "Dune: Part Three," "Hope," and "The Wrong Girls." We are still answering your fan-submitted questions, but our answers will now be released separately the day after, in a new show called Mailbag Monday! So stay tuned for that and many other new updates from Next Best Picture. We're excited for what is coming next, and we hope you all are too. Thank you all for listening, subscribing, and supporting us for 500 episodes. Here's to another 500 more and enjoy! https://youtu.be/Qw37GJvD0Co 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson, Daniel Howat, Ema Sasic, and Tom O'Brien join me to review and discuss the Disney live-action remake of 2016's "Moana" also titled "Moana" starring Dwayne Johnson, Rena Owen, John Tui, Frankie Adams, Jemaine Clement, and Catherine Laga'aia. Arriving only two years after "Moana 2," this is another cash-grab by Disney to capitalize on the popularity of one of their most recent properties, propelled mainly by its leading star. We all know it. We all see it. But is that enough to detract from what many of us considered to be a pretty great film ten years ago, only now we're seeing it, beat for beat, in live-action? With "Hamilton" director Thomas Kail behind the camera, original song creator Lin-Manuel Miranda producing, and Johnson and Clement returning, this should be another hit for the Mouse House, right? Please tune in as we discuss the transition from animation to live-action, the story, performances, songs, visuals, 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/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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 The Next Best Series Podcast returns as Ema Sasic, Nadia Dalimonte, and Amy Kim join me to discuss our reactions to the 2026 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Recorded later that evening (after our morning live reactions were recorded), we watched as "Hacks" made history, "The Pitt" led, "Beef" continued to dominate, but "Widow's Bay," "Pluribus," and "DTF St. Louis" are right on their heels, looking to upset. What were the big surprises and misses? And how do we feel about the races at this stage? Please tune in as we go over the key races for this year's nominations. It's a long couple of weeks until September 14th, when the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will be held, but we'll be with you every step of the way! As always, thank you for listening. We hope you enjoy this reaction episode. 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Night Nurse" is a 2026 American erotic thriller film written, produced, and directed by Georgia Bernstein, starring Cemre Paksoy, Bruce McKenzie, Eleonore Hendricks, Colleen Rose Trundy, and Mimi Rogers. It follows a starry-eyed nurse who becomes entangled with a mysterious patient when a series of perverse scam calls unsettles an idyllic retirement community. The film had its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews. Bernstein was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open in select theaters in NY and LA from Independent Film Company on July 10th. 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Episode 499, I am joined by Cody Dericks, Dan Bayer, Giovanni Lago, and Ben Langford to bring you our first Oscar nomination predictions for the 2026-2027 awards season (for the first time, powered by Award Expert). For this week's poll question, we're asking everyone for the first time this season: "Which Film Do You Think Will Be The Next Best Picture Oscar Winner?" and we reveal the winner of last week's poll tied to the topic of last week's show, "Which Films Are You Most Looking Forward To From The Rest Of 2026?" We also share our reactions to lots of trailers for "Werwulf," "Her Private Hell," "Union County," answer your fan-submitted questions, and more! Thank you all for listening, subscribing, and supporting us. 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson, Josh Parham, and Dan Bayer join me to review and discuss the newest film from Olivia Wilde, "The Invite," starring Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton. The independent film premiered at the Eccles Theater as part of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews from critics for Wilde's direction, the screenplay by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, and the performances of the four actors, and was later picked up by A24. A chamber-piece comedy-drama driven by its characters and the relationships at its center, it is a layered film with plenty to talk about. So please tune in as we discuss the humor, the story's themes, the dynamic direction from Wilde, who we think is the MVP of the outstanding cast, its awards season chances, 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/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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Minions & Monsters" is a 2026 American animated comedy film directed by Pierre Coffin and written by Coffin and Brian Lynch. Produced by Illumination, it is the third installment in the "Minions" prequel series and the seventh installment overall in the "Despicable Me" franchise. The film stars Coffin as the Minions, alongside Trey Parker, Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, and Phil LaMarr. Taking place in 1927, 41 years before the events of "Minions" (2015), the film follows the Minions as they aim to make a monster movie of their own in Old Hollywood. The film has received positive reviews, with many deeming it the best in the franchise since the first "Despicable Me." Coffin was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Universal Pictures. 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 The Next Best Series Podcast returns as Alyssa Christian, Giovanni Lago, Nadia Dalimonte, and Amy Kim join me to discuss the latest series, shows, and awards season updates for all things television! On this latest episode, we discuss what we feel is going to be nominated for the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards. Nominations will be announced next week, and we have many categories to discuss and decisions to make. We also touch on the latest episodes of "House Of The Dragon" and "Widow's Bay," the series finale of "The Bear," and Emmy contenders such as "The Beast In Me," "The Testaments," "DTF St. Louis," and more! Please tune in as we go through who we believe will be nominated on July 8th. Thank you for your continued support. We hope you enjoy this episode and all the others still to come this Emmy Awards season. We'll be back next week following the nominations announcement! 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Episode 498, I am joined by Lauren LaMagna, Josh Parham, and Amy Kim to bring you our most anticipated films for the rest of 2026 as we say goodbye to the first half of the year. For this week's poll question, we're asking everyone that very question: "Which Films Are You Most Looking Forward To From The Rest Of 2026?" and we reveal the winner of last week's poll tied to the topic of last week's show, "Which Is Your Favorite Film From 2026 So Far?" We also share our reactions to lots of trailers for "Sense And Sensibility," "The Debut," "Practical Magic 2," "Klara And The Sun," "The Samurai And The Prisoner," "The Weight," "Late Fame," "Sheep In The Box," answer your fan-submitted questions, and more! Thank you all for listening, subscribing, and supporting us. Have a safe and Happy Fourth of July weekend and we'll see you all next week to reveal our first Oscar predictions of the year! 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson, Giovanni Lago, Amy Kim, and Larry Fried join me to review and discuss "Supergirl" starring Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, David Corenswet & Jason Momoa. Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, it is the second film in the DC Universe (DCU) following Jame Gunn's "Superman" last year. How does this film compare and continue under producers Peter Safran and James Gunn's vision for DC Studios? Please tune in as we discuss the story, visuals, design, action, humor, Milly Alcock's performance, Krypto, Jason Momoa's Lobo, its awards season chances, 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/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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Romería" is a 2025 drama film written and directed by Carla Simón. It stars Llúcia Garcia as Marina, a young woman seeking the truth about her deceased biological father. The plot consists of a fictionalized account of Simón's own experiences. The film premiered at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme D'Or and received positive reviews from critics for its direction, lead performance from Llúcia Garcia, editing, and cinematography. Simón was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her 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 New York and will open in Los Angeles on July 1st with a nationwide expansion to follow from Janus 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 support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month at https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 With Pride Month coming to an end, we figured there was no better time in our 2008 retrospective to revisit Gus Van Sant's "Milk," starring Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, and James Franco. Written by Dustin Lance Black and heavily influenced by the Oscar-winning 1984 documentary "The Times of Harvey Milk," the film, which was released after the passage of Proposition 8 in California, was met with a strong sense of urgency and deep passion at the time for its political relevance as well as its filmmaking. It went on to win Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars and a second Best Actor win for Sean Penn, who garnered some of the best reviews of his career. Nearly 20 years later, how does the film hold up? Please tune in as Sara Clements, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, Aaron Isenstein, and I talk about the film's screenplay, Gus Van Sant's direction, the performances, the editing, the film's awards season run, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Please check out our past reviews for "Frost/Nixon," "Doubt," "Changeling," "Revolutionary Road," and "WALL-E." We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy our review! 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The Invite" is a 2026 American comedy film directed by Olivia Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones. It is an English-language remake of the Spanish film "The People Upstairs" by Cesc Gay. It stars Wilde alongside Seth Rogen as a deteriorating couple who invite their enigmatic neighbors, played by Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, to a dinner party that spirals into unexpected places. The film premiered at the Eccles Theater as a part of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and received positive reviews from critics for its direction, screenplay, and performances. Wilde was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is scheduled for a limited theatrical release in the United States on June 26th from A24, followed by a nationwide expansion on July 10th. 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Very Important People" is an American improvisational comedy talk show that premiered on Dropout in December 2023, hosted by Vic Michaelis as a fictionalized version of themself. A reboot of the 2010 CollegeHumor series "Hello, My Name Is...," episodes feature comedians who, after being unwittingly transformed via extensive makeup and costuming, have to devise characters from first impressions for an interview with Michaelis' host persona. The show's third season aired from December 2025 to June 2026. Michaelis was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experience making the talk show, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the show, which is up for your consideration for this year's Emmy Awards and is now available to stream on Dropout. 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Skyscraper Live" is a Netflix special in which American climber Alex Honnold ("Free Solo") scaled the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan without ropes. The ascent was broadcast live on January 25th, 2026. It was hosted by sports broadcaster Elle Duncan, along with professional wrestler Seth Rollins, climber Emily Harrington, climbing broadcaster Pete Woods, and YouTuber Mark Rober. The stunt has been called one of the highest free solo climbs of an urban structure in the world. Honnold was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience climbing the skyscraper, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the special, which is up for your consideration for this year's Emmy Awards and is now available to stream on Netflix. 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.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices