For Episode 426, Alyssa Christian, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, Cody Dericks, Daniel Howat & Giovanni Lago join me for one of our most anticipated episodes every year: Our final Oscar nominations predictions episode!! This year, we may have gone overboard as we dove deep, as we always do, into each category with as much detail, analysis, and curiosity as possible, trying to correctly predict what will be announced on the morning of January 23rd. It's a long one, our longest ever in fact, but we hope you enjoy it. We also reveal the winner of last week's poll, asking, "Which Fives Films Will Be Nominated For Best International Feature Film At The 97th Academy Awards?" and ask this week's poll question, "What Ten Films Will Be Nominated For Best Picture At The 97th Academy Awards?" We also directly and in-directly answer your fan-submitted questions and give our reactions to the trailer for "The Ballad Of Wallis Island," which will be having its world premiere at Sundance (Cody, myself, and Ema Sasic will be attending in person later this week) and more. Strap in folks and enjoy the long ride. As always, thank you so very much for listening, supporting, and subscribing. We'll see you again later this week when the Oscar nominations for the 97th Academy Awards are announced.Check out more on NextBestPicture.comPlease subscribe on...Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jTYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOwAnd 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, I am joined by Josh Parham, Cody Dericks & Giovanni Lago to review and discuss the latest film from Leigh Whannell, "Wolf Man" starring Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Sam Jaeger & Matilda Firth. A reboot of "The Wolf Man" (1941), Whannell is riding on the goodwill from "The Invisible Man" to give us another new re-imagining of a classic Universal Monsters film. What did we think of his approach to the material, the performances, practical makeup effects, and other craft elements? Please tune in as we discuss these topics, its awards season chances, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy!Check out more on NextBestPicture.comPlease subscribe on...Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jTYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOwAnd 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 Brutalist" and "The Room Next Door" had their world premieres at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival, where they received critical acclaim, with the former winning the festival's Best Director prize while the latter won the coveted Golden Lion. Both films have something in common, though; they each starred acclaimed character actor Alessandro Nivola. Revered for many years for his performances in film, television, and theater, the 52-year-old actor starred opposite Golden Globe winner Adrien Brody in Corbet's film as Attila, a Hungarian Jew who has assimilated into America and is helping Lazslo get settled in with his custom furniture business. In Almodovar's film, he plays a policeman who confronts Ingrid (played by Julianne Moore) about the apparent suicide of her friend Martha (played by Tilda Swinton). Nivola was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his work on both films, which you can listen to or watch below. Please be sure to check out "The Brutalist," which is now playing in theaters from A24 and will expand nationwide on January 24th, while "The Room Next Door" is now playing nationwide from Sony Pictures Classics. Both films are up for your consideration at this year's Academy Awards in all eligible categories. Thank you, and enjoy!Check out more on NextBestPicture.comPlease subscribe on...Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jTYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOwAnd 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

"I'm Still Here" had its world premiere at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival, where it received strong reviews for its true story about a mother (Fernanda Torres) and activist coping with the forced disappearance of her husband, the dissident politician Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello), during the military dictatorship in Brazil. Adapted from Marcelo Rubens Paiva's 2015 memoir of the same name, the script won the Best Screenplay award at Venice and has gone on to receive multiple nominations for Best International Feature Film (it is Brazil's official selection for the Oscar in this category at the 97th Academy Awards) and won Torres the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama. Director Walter Salles (who previously directed Torres's mother, Fernanda Montenegro, who also stars in this film, to an Oscar-nominated performance in "Central Station" in 1998), Torres and Mello were all kind enough to spend some time talking with Ema Sasic and me about their work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Sony Pictures Classics and is up for your consideration at this year's Academy Awards in all eligible categories, including Best International Feature, Best Actress (Torres), and Best Adapted Screenplay. Thank you, and enjoy!Check out more on NextBestPicture.comPlease subscribe on...Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jTYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOwAnd 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

"September 5" had its world premiere at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival in the Orizzonti Extra section, where it received positive reviews for its unique approach toward the Munich massacre of 1972 from the perspective of the ABC Sports crew and their coverage of the events. The film has gone on to receive nominations from the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Drama, the Producers Guild Of America as one of the ten best films of the year, the Critics Choice Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing, and the Film Independent Spirit Awards for Best Editing. Members of the cast and crew were kind enough to spend some time speaking with members of Next Best Picture over the past few weeks, which you can listen to below. First, we have Daniel Howat's interview with Director, Co-writer, and producer Tim Fehlbaum, then we have my interview with actor John Magaro, followed by Daniel Howat's interview with actress Leonie Benesch, and then we circle back to me for my interview with actor Ben Chaplin, and we end on Will Mavity's interview with the film's editor Hansjörg Weißbrich. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Paramount Pictures and is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards in all eligible categories. Thank you, and enjoy!Check out more on NextBestPicture.comPlease subscribe on...Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jTYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOwAnd 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 second podcast review, I am joined by Ema Sasic, Dan Bayer, Nadia Dalimonte & Sara Clements to review and discuss the latest film from Mike Leigh, "Hard Truths," starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber, Tuwaine Barrett, Ani Nelson, Sophia Brown & Jonathan Livingstone. The film had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received enthusiastic reviews for Marianne Jean-Baptiste's brilliant performance and Leigh's writing and direction. The film has won numerous prizes for both of them and has received several nominations as well. What did we think of the story, the performances, the balance of comedy and drama from Leigh, and the film's ambiguous ending? Please tune in as we discuss these topics, its awards season chances, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy!Check out more on NextBestPicture.comPlease subscribe on...Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jTYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOwAnd 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 Wild Robot" had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received enthusiastic reviews for its animation, story, heart, and music. An adaptation of Peter Brown's beloved, award-winning, #1 New York Times bestseller, the Dreamworks Animation film has gone on to gross over $300 million worldwide, won more Best Animated Feature prizes than any other film in 2024 and has earned multiple nominations from the Critics Choice, Golden Globes and BAFTA awards for Best Animated Feature, Best Original Score (composed by Kris Bowers) and Best Original Song ("Kiss The Sky" by Maren Morris). Bowers and Morris were kind enough to spend some time speaking with Daniel Howat and Will Mavity, respectively, about their work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Peacock and will be re-released in theaters this weekend from Universal Pictures. It is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards in all eligible categories, including Best Animated Feature, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song. Thank you, and enjoy!Check out more on NextBestPicture.comPlease subscribe on...Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jTYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOwAnd 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

"Unstoppable" had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its performances from Emmy Award-winner Jharrel Jerome and Jennifer Lopez. The film marks the feature directorial debut of Oscar-winning editor William Goldenberg as it tells the true story of Anthony Robles, an underdog mat wrestler who went on to defy the odds and become a NCAA Division I wrestling champion. Jerome and Goldenberg were both kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards in all eligible categories. Thank you, and enjoy!Check out more on NextBestPicture.comPlease subscribe on...Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jTYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOwAnd 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/NextBestPictureWith the release of "The Substance," director/writer Coralie Fargeat has become a household name in the filmmaking scene, so we thought it would be appropriate to revisit her first feature film, "Revenge," starring Matilda Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombe & Guillaume Bouchède. Taking the rape-revenge formula and injecting it with a dose of bloody adrenaline, the film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Midnight Madness section and has been thrilling audiences ever since. Please tune in as  Lauren LaMagna,  Brendan Hodges, and I discuss the direction, performances, craftsmanship, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for all your support, and enjoy!Check out more on NextBestPicture.comPlease subscribe on...Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jTYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOwAnd 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

"Inside Out 2" premiered earlier last summer to enormous success for Disney Pixar as the long-awaited animated sequel to 2015's "Inside Out" went on to gross over $1.699 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time in the process. The film has been nominated for the Critics Choice and Golden Globe for Best Animated Film and is shortlisted for Best Original Score at the 97th Academy Awards. Screenwriters Meg LeFauve, Dave Holstein, & Composer Andrea Datzman were all kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Disney+ and is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards in all eligible categories, including Best Animated Feature. Thank you, and enjoy!Check out more on NextBestPicture.comPlease subscribe on...Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jTYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOwAnd 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