The Next Best Picture Podcast

For Episode 510 of the Next Best Picture Podcast, I am joined by Ema Sasic, Giovanni Lago, Nadia Dalimonte, Sara Clements, and Tom O'Brien. This week, we're discussing the continuation of the New York Film Festival (NYFF), including the world premieres of "Behemoth!" and "A Statement," as well as high-profile screenings for "You Can See Everything," "All Of A Sudden," "Club Kid," "Tender Loving Care," and more! For this week's NBP poll question, for the merger of Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures into Skydance, we're asking everyone, "Which Is Your Favorite Warner Bros. Best Picture Nominee?" And we reveal the winner of...

For this week's main podcast review, Megan Lachinski, Josh Parham, Cody Dericks, and Tom O'Brien join me to review and discuss the latest film from four-time Academy Award winner Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Digger," starring Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg & Jesse Plemons. The final film released by Warner Bros. after 103 years as an independent studio, Iñárritu's latest may also be his and the studio's most timely, given where we are heading as a society, and it certainly isn't short on bold storytelling from a filmmaker unafraid to take risks. That risk comes with...

"Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother" is a 2026 American action thriller film written and directed by Bassam Tariq, starring Mahershala Ali, John Cho, Giancarlo Esposito, Abubakr Ali, Tramell Tillman, Tiffany Boone, and Laith Nakli. The film follows a devoutly religious widower and hitman (Ali) who embarks on a desperate journey across Houston to protect his children, confronting the forces closing in around him and the beliefs threatening to unravel within. The film had its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, where critics widely praised Tariq's writing and directing and Ali's performance. Tariq was kind enough to spend...

"Atonement" is a 2026 American drama film, written, produced, and directed by Reed Van Dyk in his directorial debut, based on the 2012 New Yorker article "Atonement" by Dexter Filkins. It stars Boyd Holbrook as a U.S. Marine who accidentally kills three members of a family during a firefight in Baghdad, Iraq. Haunted by memories of war and racked with guilt, he tries to reconcile with the family matriarch, played by Hiam Abbass, years later, with help from English journalist Michael Reid (Kenneth Branagh). The film had its world premiere at the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival...

"Beware Boiúna" is a 2026 monster horror film directed by Mike P. Nelson and written by Alan B. McElroy, based on a story by McElroy and Tony Giglio. The film stars Kiana Madeira, Jessica Rothe, and Logan Marshall-Green. It follows a medical mission deep in the Amazon rainforest that encounters a colossal mythical serpent. Nelson, Madeira, and Rothe were all kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences 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 O...

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 main podcast review, Ema Sasic, Dan Bayer, Megan Lachinski, Larry Fried, and Lauren LaMagna join me to review and discuss the narrative feature debut from director Lance Oppenheim, "Primetime," starring Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, Skyler Gisondo & Phoebe Bridgers. Based on the 2007 Esquire article "Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die" by Luke Dittrich, the film follows the production of the reality telev...

Following our 509th episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we're back with a new episode of Mailbag Monday. Katie Johnson, Josh Parham, and Lauren LaMagna 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 Discor...

For Episode 509 of the Next Best Picture Podcast, I am joined by Katie Johnson, Josh Parham, Lauren LaMagna, and Cody Dericks. This week, we're discussing the start of the New York Film Festival (NYFF), including the North American Premiere of the Opening Night Film "Paper Tiger," the world premiere of the Spotlight Gala, "Godzilla Minus Zero," and more! For this week's NBP poll question, for the release of "Digger," we're asking everyone, "Which is Your Favorite Alejandro González Iñárritu Film?" And we reveal the winner of last week's NBP poll, where we asked everyone, "Which Films Are You Most Look...

For this week's main podcast review, Josh Parham joins me to review and discuss the latest film from "Puss In Boots: The Last Wish" Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, "Forgotten Island," starring H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, Kevin McCann, and Lea Salonga. Steeped within Philippine mythology and bursting with creativity for its animation, this highly unique and original animated film is unfortunately struggling at the box-office but has received acclaim for its story, performances, visual style, and music. Did we feel the same...

"Primetime" is a 2026 American psychological crime thriller film directed by Lance Oppenheim in his narrative feature film debut. Based on the 2007 Esquire article "Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die," the film follows the production of the reality television series "To Catch a Predator." Robert Pattinson stars as series host Chris Hansen and also serves as a producer with Merritt Wever (Andie Bender, Hansen's producer at Dateline NBC, a fictional composite of producers on the show who prioritizes its ratings above all else), Skyler Gisondo (Dan Plumb, a young aspiring actor hired for the show's sting operations), and Phoebe B...

"Unabomber" is an upcoming American crime drama film directed by Janus Metz Pedersen and written by Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves. It stars Russell Crowe, Jacob Tremblay, Annabelle Wallis, and Shailene Woodley. The film centers on Ted Kaczynski (Tremblay), also known as the Unabomber, a domestic terrorist who terrorized the United States for nearly 20 years. It alternates between two timelines: Kaczynski's time attending Harvard University and his prolonged manhunt decades later. Director Janus Metz Pedersen was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen...

"The Incomer" is a 2026 British comedy film written and directed by Louis Paxton and starring Domhnall Gleeson, Gayle Rankin, Grant O'Rourke, Emun Elliott, Michelle Gomez, and John Hannah. On a remote Scottish island, siblings Isla (Rankin) and Sandy (O'Rourke) have lived alone for 30 years since their parents disappeared, surviving by hunting seabirds, speaking to mythical creatures, and defending their home from dreaded "incomers." Their world is upended when Daniel (Gleeson), an awkward land recovery coordinator, arrives to relocate them to the mainland on orders from his intimidating boss Roz (Gomez). Isla is also haunted by visions of a Finman...

Netflix invited Next Best Picture to their headquarters a few weeks ago for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at “⁠Ray Gunn⁠” ahead of its release. During our visit, we spent time with the filmmakers behind the highly anticipated film from multi-Academy Award-winning filmmaker Brad Bird. Joining us for these interviews are director Brad Bird, composer Michael Giacchino, art director Wendell Luebe, animation director Jason Ryan, and visual effects supervisor Adel Abada. Please be sure to check out the film, which will have its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 10th and will be released on Netflix on Decem...

"Charlie Harper" is a 2025 American romance film directed by Mac Eldridge and Tom Dean, and written by Dean. It stars Emilia Jones as Harper, a young woman, and Nick Robinson as Charlie, a young man, who, after meeting, leave their lives behind and try to build a life together in a new city. As Harper builds a career as a chef and Charlie struggles to get on track, their relationship faces growing challenges. The film premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 4th, 2025, and received positive reviews for its romantic story and chemistry between its two stars...

Following our 508th episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we're back with a new episode of Mailbag Monday. Amy Kim & 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 p...

For Episode 508 of the Next Best Picture Podcast, I am joined by Amy Kim & Dan Bayer. We are back from the Venice/Telluride/TIFF film festivals, and we have a lot to unpack regarding the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), from the films we saw there to the recently announced award winners. We also deliver a preview of the New York Film Festival (NYFF), which has had press screenings over the past couple of days but officially kicks off this week with the North American premiere of "Paper Tiger." For this week's NBP poll question, we're asking everyone, "Which Films...

For this week's main podcast review, Larry Fried hosts, as I couldn't make it for this review, and he's joined by Josh Parham, Brendan Hodges, and Will Mavity to review and discuss the latest film from Zach Cregger, "Resident Evil," starring Austin Abrams, Zach Cherry, Kali Reis, and Paul Walter Hauser. Based on Capcom's "Resident Evil" video game franchise, this reboot of the Resident Evil film series follows Bryan (Abrams), a young medical courier who must fight through an outbreak of infected monsters in Raccoon City. What did we think of it? Please tune in, video or audio only...

"The Weight" is a 2026 historical drama film directed by Padraic McKinley. It stars Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, Lucas Lynggaad Tonnesen, George Burgess, Cameron Brady, Avy Berry, Alec Newman, and Sam Hazeldine. The film tells the story of Samuel Murphy (Hawke), who, in Oregon in 1933, is torn from his daughter and sent to a brutal work camp. Warden Clancy (Crowe) tempts him with early release if he smuggles gold through the deadly wilderness, but betrayal festers within the crew, and Murphy questions how far he'll go to see his child again. The film had...

"American Doctor" is a 2026 documentary film directed by Poh Si Teng. The film follows three American physicians of diverse backgrounds who travel to Gaza to provide medical aid during the genocide. It premiered in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews. Si Teng 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 is now playing in theaters from Watermelon Pictures. Thank you, and enjoy!

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 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held last night! Daniel Howat, Amy Kim, and Alyssa Christian recorded their reactions to the winners while other NBP members and I were at the Toronto International Film Festival. What did we think of the winners, the show's presentation, and Mariska Hargitay's hosting? Please tune in to find out as we discuss these points, the speeches, shocking wins...

For this week's main podcast review, Dan Bayer, Cody Dericks, and Brendan Hodges joined me before I left for Telluride/TIFF to review and discuss the latest film from South Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin, "Hope," starring Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender. The film premiered in competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its suspenseful first hour, adrenaline-pumping action sequences, and ensemble performances. It was, however, heavily criticized for its visual effects and intentional sequel baiting, a rarity at the Cannes Film Festival. What did we t...

"Hope" is a 2026 South Korean epic science fiction action thriller film written, directed, and co-produced by Na Hong-jin ("The Wailing"). Featuring an ensemble cast that includes Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender, the film centers on a village police chief and his rookie deputy who must defend his local community from a mysterious creature after wildfires sever all communications, while a local hunting party finds itself being hunted deep in the mountains. The film premiered in the main competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme...

"The Uprising" (briefly marketed in the U.S. as "The Uprising: The Rise of Robin Hood") is an action period drama film written, produced, and directed by Paul Greengrass. It stars Andrew Garfield, Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane, Tom Hollander, Cosmo Jarvis, Thomasin McKenzie, Jonny Lee Miller, Woody Norman and Katherine Waterston. It dramatizes the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in England. Academy Award-nominated star Andrew Garfield 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...

The 2026 Telluride Film Festival has concluded. Unfortunately, Will Mavity had to leave early, and J Don Birnam wasn't staying with us again this year, so it was just Daniel Howat and me as we take you through all of the movies we saw over the Labor Day weekend. From world premieres such as "The Debut," "Elsinore," "Tender Loving Care," and "The Liberation," to the secret screening of "You Can See Everything," to Sundance and Cannes favorites such as "Fjord," "La Bola Negra," "Club Kid," "Once Upon A Time In Harlem," to Venice crossovers such as "Wild Horse Nine," "Ink," and "Bu...

For this week's main podcast review, Giovanni Lago joined me before I left for Telluride/TIFF to review and discuss the latest film from Elegance Bratton, "By Any Means," starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Wahlberg, Nicole Beharie, Josh Lucas, David Strathairn, and Giancarlo Esposito. Following up his feature narrative debut, "The Inspection," Bratton finds himself working within the major Hollywood studio system to tell a true story about a young Black FBI agent who teams up with notorious New York City mafia hitman, Greg Scarpa, to investigate the murders of civil rights leaders in Mississippi in 1966. What did we th...

"By Any Means" is an American historical crime thriller film directed by Elegance Bratton and written by Sascha Penn. The film stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as a young Black FBI agent who teams up with notorious New York City mafia hitman Greg Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg) to investigate the murders of civil rights leaders in Mississippi in 1966. The film also stars Nicole Beharie, Josh Lucas, LisaGay Hamilton, LaChanze, Ethan Embry, David Strathairn, and Giancarlo Esposito. Bratton was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen...

"Onslaught" is an American action horror film directed by Adam Wingard and written by Simon Barrett, starring Adria Arjona, Dan Stevens, Eric Wareheim, Reginald VelJohnson, Michael Biehn, Alex Pereira, Drew Starkey, and Rebecca Hall. The film follows an army sniper as she struggles to protect her young daughter from an army of genetically engineered super soldiers who escaped from a secret military facility. Wingard 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...

The Next Best Series Podcast is back with Episode 65 as we discuss the latest television shows and, more importantly, for this free episode, we reveal our final winner predictions for the 78th Annual Emmy Primetime Awards on Monday, September 14th (with a few Creative Arts Emmy predictions thrown in there too). The Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be held this weekend, and we recorded this conversation a few days ago, when voting had just begun. We hope you enjoy listening to us debate over who we think will win in the writing, directing, acting, and series categories. Joining me for t...

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 has officially come to an end with our final podcast review for Danny Boyle's Oscar-winning film for Best Picture, "Slumdog Millionaire," starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor, and Irrfan Khan. Loosely based on the novel Q & A (2005) by Indian author Vikas Swarup, the independent Searchlight film was a sensation in 2008 as it built up momentum through the fall film...

Following our 507th episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we're back with a new episode of Mailbag Monday. Nadia Dalimonte, Cody Dericks, Daniel Howat, 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. Additionally, for this episode, we are also revealing the NBP Film Community Award Winners (and our own in...

For Episode 507 of the Next Best Picture Podcast, I am joined by Nadia Dalimonte, Cody Dericks, Daniel Howat, Larry Fried & Tom O'Brien. This week is a special one, for effective September 1st, NBP will be celebrating its 10th anniversary, and how fitting such a milestone episode falls right before our team heads off to Venice, Telluride, TIFF, and NYFF to deliver the best coverage we can for this upcoming awards season. This week, we're discussing the films premiering at the Venice International Film Festival and what we're specifically looking forward to from that festival. For this week's NBP poll question, a...

For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson and Giovanni Lago join me to review and discuss the latest film from legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott, "The Dog Stars," starring Jacob Elordi, Josh Brolin, Margaret Qualley, Guy Pearce, Allison Janney, and Benedict Wong. The film follows the survivors of a global flu pandemic as they adjust to the new world around them in the wake of this disaster. Ridley Scott may be a masterful technician with an iconic resume of many classic films, but how is his latest? Please tune in, either on video or audio only, as we discuss th...

"Hanging By A Wire" is a 2026 thriller documentary by Mohammed Ali Naqvi. It tells the incredible and harrowing true story of eight people, including six students, in Battagram, Pakistan, who became trapped 900 ft above a valley when their cable car malfunctioned in the mountains in 2023. As time continued to run out before the final cable failed, rescue teams worked against the clock to save the stranded passengers. The film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its blockbuster style of storytelling and editing. Ali Naqvi was kind enough to spend some time talking with...

"It Ends" is a 2025 American road-horror thriller film written, directed, and edited by Alexander Ullom in his directorial debut. It stars Phinehas Yoon, Akira Jackson, Noah Toth, and Mitchell Cole. It follows a group of graduates who go on a late-night drive but accidentally turn onto a two-lane highway that appears to go on indefinitely. The film premiered at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival, where it received positive reviews but struggled to find a distributor. It was made available as a digital rental for a limited period in December 2025, via the Letterboxd Video Store. Due to its...

"Colony" (Korean: 군체) is a 2026 South Korean action horror film directed and written by Yeon Sang-ho, with Choi Gyu-seok as co-writer. It stars Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Shin-rok, Shin Hyun-been, and Go Soo. The film explores the harrowing struggle of isolated survivors trapped in a building, quarantined amidst an unknown outbreak, as they fight for survival against the unpredictably evolving infected. The film had its world premiere at the Midnight Screenings section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its action, makeup effects, and anxiety about the spread of technology. Yeon Sang-ho was kind...

"Coyote vs. Acme" is a 2026 American live-action animated legal comedy film directed by Dave Green, written by Samy Burch from a story by James Gunn, Jeremy Slater, and Burch, and based on Ian Frazier's 1990 New Yorker article of the same name. Starring Will Forte, Lana Condor, Tone Bell, Luis Guzmán, Martha Kelly, P.J. Byrne, Kenneth Choi, and John Cena, with Eric Bauza leading the voice cast, the film follows Wile E. Coyote as he enlists a billboard attorney to sue the Acme Corporation for repeatedly selling him defective products. After Warner Bros. Discovery initially shelved the completed f...

Following our 506th episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we're back with a new episode of Mailbag Monday. Amy Kim 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...

For Episode 506 of the Next Best Picture Podcast, I am joined by Amy Kim and Dan Bayer. This week, we're discussing what we believe will screen at the 53rd annual Telluride Film Festival, and we're announcing the nominations for the 2008 NBP Film Community Awards. For this week's NBP poll question, for the release of "Coyote vs. Acme," we're asking everyone, "Which Is Your Favorite Film That Combines Live Action And 2D Animation?" And we reveal the winner of last week's NBP poll, where we asked everyone, "Which World Premieres Are You Most Looking Forward To From The 2026 Toronto International Film Festi...

For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson and Sara Clements join me to review and discuss the latest film from Matt Johnson, "Tony," starring Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones, Dagmara Domińczyk, Rich Sommer, Stavros Halkias, Leo Woodall, and Antonio Banderas. Telling the early years of Anthony Bourdain before he became the world-renowned celebrity chef, author, and person that we all know and loved, Matt Johnson scales back his usual bag of tricks to tell a stripped-down, raw, and casually cool hangout vibes movie about how Bourdain got himself into the world of cooking. What did we think of it? P...

"A Child of My Own" is a 2026 Mexican hybrid documentary film directed by two-time Academy Award nominee Maite Alberdi ("The Mole Agent" and "The Eternal Memory") and written by Julián Loyola and Esteban Student. It follows Alejandra, a newly married woman who wants to become a mother and, under pressure, fakes a pregnancy. It had its world premiere at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival in the Berlinale Special section, where it received positive reviews. Alberdi was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience making the film, which you can watch o...