Next Best Picture Podcast

Jim Belushi is an American actor and comedian who has been working in show business since the late 1970's, with many acclaimed roles and projects, and this year may be his proudest yet, as he landed supporting roles in Craig Brewer's "Song Sung Blue" and Kristen Stewart's "The Chronology Of Water." Both films have been seen by festival audiences, with Stewart's film now playing in limited release from The Forge, and Brewer's film set to release on Christmas Day from Focus Features. Belushi is feeling lucky and proud to be a part of two outstanding projects that showcase his range for drama and comedy. Belushi was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making both films, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the films, which are both up for your consideration for this year's awards season in all eligible categories. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/p

"Avatar: Fire And Ash" is, like the previous two, an incredible technical accomplishment from the sound, visuals, and score; the amazingly talented men and women behind the scenes have once again transported audiences back to Pandora through James Cameron's epic vision. The Next Best Picture team was lucky enough to spend time with a few key people in charge of bringing that vision to life. First up, we have Brendan Hodges's interview with composer Simon Franglen, then we have my interview with production sound mixer Julian Howarth, and then we circle back to Brendan one more time for his discussion with the visual effects team, including EP/Visual Effects Supervisor Richard Baneham, Visual Effects Supervisor Eric Saindon, and Animation Supervisor Dan Barrett. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from 20th Century Studios and is up for your consideration at the 98th Academy Awards in all eligible categories. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Pl

"Pillion" is a romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Harry Lighton, based on the 2020 novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones. The film stars Harry Melling as a timid gay man and Alexander Skarsgård as an enigmatic biker who starts a BDSM relationship. The film had its premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the section's Best Screenplay prize and the Palm Dog for Mutt Moment, alongside nominations for the Caméra d'Or and the Queer Palm. The film received further critical acclaim after screening at the Telluride and New York Film Festivals, receiving several nominations and awards, including two British Independent Film Award wins for Best British Independent Film and Best Debut Screenwriter, and a Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Melling was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is playing in the UK

For Episode 471, Nadia Dalimonte, Josh Parham, and Tom O'Brien join me for another packed episode of awards season news and developments. This week, we go over the Oscar Shortlists, the USC Scripter Award Nominations, and the major news of the Oscars moving away from ABC and over to YouTube, starting with the 101st ceremony. We also briefly touch upon the tragic passing of legendary filmmaker Rob Reiner. For this week's poll, for the release of Mona Fastvold's "The Testament Of Ann Lee," we're asking everyone: "Which Is Your Favorite Amanda Seyfried Performance?" We also reveal the winner of last week's poll, for the release of James Cameron's "Avatar: Fire And Ash," where we asked "Which Is Your Favorite James Cameron Film?" In addition, we share our reactions to the trailers for "Disclosure Day," "Alpha," "Dreams," "The Sheep Detectives," answer your fan-submitted questions, and more. Thank you all for listening, supporting, and subscribing. We really appreciate it and wish you all happy holidays this week

For this week's main podcast review, Lauren LaMagna, Josh Parham, Giovanni Lago, Cody Dericks, and Brendan Hodges join me to discuss the latest film from Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron, "Avatar: Fire And Ash" starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Oona Chaplin, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Jack Chapmion & Britain Dalton. The third film in the multi-billion dollar grossing, global and beloved "Avatar" franchise, this epic, darker film acts as a direct sequel to "Avatar: The Way Of Water" and continues the story of the Sully family and the Na'vi as their conflict with Quaritch and the RDA continues on the alien planet of Pandora. What did we think of it? Please tune in as we discuss the story, performances, character arcs, and payoffs, the action, visual effects, the future of the franchise, 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 - ht

"Avatar: Fire And Ash" is the third entry in the "Avatar" franchise from Academy Award-winning director James Cameron, that continues the story of Jake Sully, Neytiri and their children as they continue to face opposition from Quaritch and the RDA on Pandora. The film utilizes state of the art technology, visual effects and performance capture to bring the world and its characters to life in a way that has so far amassed over $5.2 billion worldwide, becoming a global phenomenon and further solidifying Cameron as the kind of not only Hollywood, but of the world. Cameron was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the third film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from 20th Century Studios. 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.spo

"Cover-Up" is an American documentary film produced and directed by Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus. It explores the investigative journalism career of Seymour Hersh, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who covered the U.S. Army torture scandals during the Vietnam War and the Iraq War. The film had its world premiere out of competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and later screened at the Telluride, Toronto, and New York Film Festivals, where it continued to receive praise, resulting in nominations for Best Documentary Feature at the Critics' Choice, PGA, and Cinema Eye Honors. Poitras and Obenhaus were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will be released in select theaters on December 19th before arriving on Netflix on December 26th. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itu

"Is This Thing On?" is a 2025 American comedy-drama film directed by Bradley Cooper, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Will Arnett and Mark Chappell, loosely inspired by the life of British comedian John Bishop. It stars Arnett and Laura Dern as a middle-aged married couple facing an impending divorce when Alex (Arnett) finds new purpose in the New York comedy scene, while his wife, Tess (Dern), confronts the sacrifices she made for their family. The film premiered as the Closing Night film at the 2025 New York Film Festival, receiving positive reviews for its writing and direction by Cooper and for performances by Dern and Arnett. The two lead stars were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will be released in theaters on December 19th from Searchlight Pictures. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - h

"Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere" is an American biographical musical drama film starring Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen. Written and directed by Scott Cooper, and based on the 2023 book "Deliver Me from Nowhere" by Warren Zanes, as well as some elements from Springsteen's autobiography "Born to Run," it chronicles Springsteen's personal and professional struggles during the conception of his 1982 album "Nebraska." The film had its world premiere at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival, screened at the New York and AFI Film Festivals, and has received a Golden Globe nomination for White in the Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama category. White was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will be available to watch digitally on December 23rd from 20th Century Studios and is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards in all eligible categories, including Bes

"Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery" had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received just as strong reviews as the first two entries in the franchise, "Knives Out" and "Glass Onion," with praise directed at Rian Johnson's direction, writing, and the performances of the cast. Johnson, along with members of the cast and crew, were all kind enough to spend some time speaking with Next Best Picture over the past few weeks, and you can listen to those conversations below. First, we have my interview with Rian Johnson and Josh O'Connor, followed by Dan Bayer's interview with Johnson and Benoit Blanc himself, Daniel Craig. Then we have Cody Dericks's interview with Academy Award-nominee and on-screen legend Glenn Close, followed by my chat with Mila Kunis and Cailee Spaeny, then Brendan Hodges's discussion with cinematographer Steve Yedlin, and finally my interview with composer Nathan Johnson. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Net

For Episode 470, Nadia Dalimonte, Giovanni Lago, Lauren LaMagna, and Megan Lachinski join me for another packed episode of awards season news and madness. This week, we go over the Golden Globe Award nominations, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) winners, and the Costume Designer Guild (CDG) nominations. We also briefly look over the 2026 Sundance Film Festival lineup announcement and predict what may happen this week with the Oscar shortlists. For this week's poll, for the release of James Cameron's "Avatar: Fire And Ash", we're asking everyone: "Which Is Your Favorite James Cameron Film?" We also reveal the winner of last week's poll, where we sought a temperature check on the Best Picture Oscar race by asking, "Which Film Do You Think is Going To Be The Next Best Picture Oscar Winner?" In addition, we share our reactions to the trailers for "The Drama" and "Supergirl," answer your fan-submitted questions, and more. Thank you all for listening, supporting, and subscribing, especially for epis

For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson, Dan Bayer, Daniel Howat, and Brendan Hodges join me to discuss the latest film from Academy Award-nominee Rian Johnson in the "Knives Out" franchise "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery," starring Daniel Craig, Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church. The second film to premiere on Netflix following "Glass Onion" and the third in the franchise overall, this latest murder-mystery sees Craig's Benoit Blanc return in a case that will take him to religious highs and devilish lows, with another electric cast of characters and plenty of twists and turns. What did we think of it? Please tune in as we discuss the story, performances, characters, cinematography, the blending of spiritual drama, mystery thriller, and playful humor, the future of the franchise, its awards season chances, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, a

"Dust Bunny" is an American horror-thriller film written and directed by Bryan Fuller in his feature directorial debut, starring Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan, Sheila Atim, David Dastmalchian, and Sigourney Weaver. It tells the story of an eight-year-old girl who asks her hitman neighbor to kill the monster under her bed. The film premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and received positive reviews for Mads Mikkelsen and Sophie Sloan's chemistry, Fuller's imaginative direction, and its blending of genres to create a fantastical horror film for kids. Fuller was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - htt

"Goodbye June" is a 2025 Christmas family drama film directed by Kate Winslet in her directorial debut, from a screenplay written by her son Joe Anders. It stars an ensemble cast that includes Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall, Helen Mirren, and Winslet herself. The film is set during Christmas, when the characters gather around their dying mother and confront themes of grief, reconciliation, and love. Winslet 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 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 fo

"The Tale Of Silyan" is a Macedonian documentary film produced, written and directed by Tamara Kotevska. It follows Macedonian farmer Nikola Conev and his family against the backdrop of the country's economic instability. While Conev forms a bond with an injured white stork, his daughter and wife move to Germany in search of a better life. The film had its world premiere out of competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and has been selected as the Macedonian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards. Director Tamara Kotevska and cinematographer Jean Dakar were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing at the IFC Center in New York from National Geographic Documentary Films. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcas

"The Long Walk" is an American dystopian survival thriller film directed and produced by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by JT Mollner, based on the 1979 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The film stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill and has been awarded the Robert Altman Award for Best Ensemble at the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards. Screenwriter JT Mollner and casting director Rich Delia were kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to rent and own at home from Lionsgate. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube -

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

"Come See Me In The Good Light" is a 2025 American documentary film directed by Ryan White, following poet/activist Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley as they navigate an examination of love and mortality after Gibson is diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. Singer-songwriters Sara Bareilles and Brandi Carlile serve as among the executive producers; they co-wrote a song for the documentary, "Salt Then Sour Then Sweet," with Gibson. The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews and won the Festival Favorite Award. Bareilles was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience working on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Apple TV+. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.co

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

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