Next Best Picture Podcast

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

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

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

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

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL REVIEW. Please check out the full podcast review on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture For this week's second podcast review, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, Daniel Howat, and Will Mavity join me to review and discuss the latest film from Noah Baumbach, "Jay Kelly," starring George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Grace Edwards, Stacy Keach, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Wilson, Eve Hewson, Greta Gerwig, Alba Rohrwacher, Josh Hamilton, Lenny Henry, Emily Mortimer, Nicôle Lecky, Thaddea Graham & Isla Fisher. The Netflix film follows a friendship between a famous actor (Clooney) and his manager (Sandler) as they travel through Europe and reflect on their life choices, relationships, and legacies. It had its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and received positive reviews for its performances, writing, and direction from Baumbach. What did we think of it, though? Please tune in as w

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

"La Grazia" is an Italian drama film written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. It stars Toni Servillo as the President of Italy, Mariano De Santis, a staunch Catholic and experienced jurist, who is conflicted about whether he should sign into law a bill legalizing euthanasia, and at the same time has to consider the pardon petitions of two individuals who murdered their partners. The film had its world premiere as the opening film of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where Servillo won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. Servillo was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his experience working on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is opening in theaters on December 5th from MUBI. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube -

"Rosemead" is a drama film, directed by Eric Lin in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Marilyn Fu, based on a 2017 LA Times column by Frank Shyong. It stars Lucy Liu as an ailing woman who is stricken by the discovery of her teenage son’s violent obsessions and must go to great lengths to protect him, and possibly others, in this portrait of a Chinese American family. The film premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Festival to positive reviews, particularly for Liu, who received the best notices of her career. Liu was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about her experience working on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is releasing in theaters on December 5th from Vertical Entertainment. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube -

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

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

"The Thing With Feathers" is a British independent drama film starring Benedict Cumberbatch that is written and directed by Dylan Southern and adapted from the book "Grief Is the Thing with Feathers" by Max Porter. It had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where Cumberbatch's haunting performance as a grief-stricken father was praised. Cumberbatch was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his experience working on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in limited theatrical release from Briarcliff Entertainment. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw And be sure to help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month at https://www

"Eternity" had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival where it received positive reviews for its clever premise about a woman who must choose between two men with whom to spend eternity in the afterlife co-written and directed by David Freyne along with the trio of heartwarming an heartbreaking performances from Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, Callum Turner, and hilarious supporting work from John Early, Olga Merediz and Academy Award-winner Da'Vine Joy Randolph. Freyne was kind enough to spend some time talking with Ema Sasic about his experience making the film, while I had the pleasure of speaking with Joy Randolph about her work on the film. Both interviews are available to listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from A24. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2 Spotify - https://open.

"In Your Dreams" is an American animated adventure-comedy film directed by Alex Woo and co-directed by Erik Benson, from a script by Woo and Benson and a story by Woo, Benson, and Stanley Moore. It tells the story of Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and her little brother Elliot (Elias Janssen), who journey into the wildly absurd landscape of their own dreams to ask the Sandman to grant them the perfect family. Produced by Netflix Animation and Kuku Studios, it received generally positive reviews from critics. Director/co-writer Woo was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Netflix and is up for your consideration for Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL REVIEW. Please check out the full podcast review on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture For this week's second podcast review, Josh Parham and Nadia Dalimonte join me to review and discuss the latest film from Hikari, "Rental Family," starring Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman, and Akira Emoto. The comedy-drama film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to a warm reception, with praise for Fraser's performance, and Hikari's direction and writing (co-written with Stephen Blahut). What did we think of this sentimental film? Was it too sweet or just the right amount to capture our hearts? Please tune in as we discuss the performances, writing, direction, its awards season prospects, 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

"All That's Left Of You" is a drama film produced, written, and directed by Cherien Dabis, who also stars alongside Saleh Bakri, Mohammad Bakri, Adam Bakri, Maria Zreik, Muhammad Abed Elrahman, Sanad Alkabareti, and Salah El Din. It follows a Palestinian family across three generations during the history of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The film had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and later screened at the Telluride Film Festival, receiving positive reviews for its storytelling and performances. It has been selected as the Jordanian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards. Filmmaker and star Dabis was kind enough to spend some time speaking 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 set to open January 9th in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, followed by a Nationwide rollout from Watermelon Pictures and Visibility Films. Thank you, and enjoy! Check out

For Episode 467, Lauren LaMagna, Dan Bayer, Tom O'Brien, and I are here to discuss the Academy's announcement of the eligible films for Best Animated, Documentary, and International Feature Film for the 98th Academy Awards, as well as other recent developments in the awards season race, including the awards status of "Wicked: For Good." For this week's poll, we ask, "Which Films Will Be Oscar-Nominated For Best International Feature Film At The 98th Academy Awards?" We also reveal the winner of last week's poll, for the release of "Rental Family," where we asked, "Which Is Your Favorite Film Starring Brendan Fraser?" We also share our reactions to the trailers for "The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping," "The Moment," "Hoppers," "The Chronology Of Water," "We Bury The Dead," answer your fan-submitted questions, and more! Thank you all for listening, supporting, and subscribing. Enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.com Please subscribe on... Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/

For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson, Josh Parham, Lauren LaMagna & Cody Dericks join me to discuss the sequel to last year's "Wicked," titled "Wicked: For Good," starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum. The film adapts the second act of the 2003 stage musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, which was loosely based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel, a reimagining of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and its 1939 film adaptation. Darker and more complex to bring to the big screen, Set in the Land of Oz before and during the events of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz," the film explores the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda as they embrace their new identities as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good, with more tie-ins to "The Wizard of Oz." Following the success of last year's film, what did we think of this emotional conclusion? Please tune in as we discuss the adaptation choices, J

"Kokuho" is a Japanese drama film directed by Lee Sang-il, written by Satoko Okudera, and based on a novel of the same name by Shuichi Yoshida, starring Ryo Yoshizawa, Ryusei Yokohama, Mitsuki Takahata, Shinobu Terajima, Min Tanaka, and Ken Watanabe. It tells the story of a young boy who devotes himself to the traditional theatre of kabuki under the tutelage of a famous actor, aspiring for the same level of greatness someday. The film had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim. It would go on to find commercial success in Japan, even increasing kabuki ticket sales. It has been selected as the Japanese entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards. Filmmaker Lee Sang-il and star Ryo Yoshizawa were kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is set for a limited one-wee

"Train Dreams" had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and later screened at the Toronto and AFI Film Festivals. It received positive reviews for its adaptation of the 2011 novella of the same name, Clint Bentley's direction, Joel Edgerton's leading performance, its cinematography, and its score by Bryce Dessner. Members of the cast and crew were kind enough to spend some time speaking with Next Best Picture over the past few weeks, and you can watch or listen to those conversations below. First, we have Daniel Howat's interview with Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones. Then, we have my interview with Director/Co-writer Clint Bentley, followed by Howat's interview with actors Kerry Condon and William H. Macy. Then we have Will Mavity's interview with the film's cinematographer, Adolpho Veloso. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Netflix and is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards in all eligible categories. Thank you, and enjoy! Check

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 third podcast review, Dan Bayer, Megan Lachinski, and Will Mavity join me to review and discuss the latest film from Clint Bentley, "Train Dreams," starring Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Clifton Collins Jr., Kerry Condon, and William H. Macy. Based on the 2011 novella of the same name by Denis Johnson, and co-written with fellow Academy Award-nominee Greg Kwedar, the duo are back following "Sing Sing" last year with another beloved independent film that has had passionate supporters ever since it premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival to universal acclaim. Please tune in as we discuss the themes, Joel Edgerton's leading performance, the cinematography, Bentley's direction, its awards season prospects, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy! Check out more on NextBestPicture.c