The Next Best Picture 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, Jon M. Chu's direction, the cinematography, the musical numbers, the powerful performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, 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

"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-week qualifying release on November 21st in New York from GKIDS. 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

"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 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 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.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

"Cutting Through Rocks" is a documentary film directed by Mohammadreza Eyni and Sara Khaki in their feature debut. It follows the story of the first Iranian woman elected as a councilwoman in a rural, poor village. The film had its world premiere in the World Documentary Competition section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews and won the Grand Jury Prize – World Documentary Competition. Mohammadreza Eyni and Sara Khaki 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 will be released in New York at Film Forum on November 21st. 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

"Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk" is a documentary film directed by Sepideh Farsi, depicting life in Gaza during the ongoing Israeli military campaign, captured through Farsi's video calls with a young Palestinian photojournalist living there named Fatima Hassouna. The documentary had its world premiere at the ACID parallel section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. A day after the filmmakers found out the film had been selected for the festival, Hassouna was killed in an Israeli airstrike alongside nine members of her family on April 16th. The film is dedicated to her memory and has garnered positive reviews, including Gotham and Cinema Eye Honors nominations for Best Documentary Feature. Farsi 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 now playing in limited release from Kino Lorber. 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 For this week's second podcast review, Giovanni Lago, Alyssa Christian, and Tom O'Brien join me to review and discuss the latest film from James Vanderbilt, "Nuremberg," starring Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Leo Woodall, John Slattery, Mark O'Brien, Colin Hanks, Wrenn Schmidt, Lydia Peckham, Richard E. Grant, and Michael Shannon. It is based on the 2013 book "The Nazi and the Psychiatrist" by Jack El-Hai and tells the story of U.S. Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, who seeks to carry out an assignment to investigate the personalities and monitor the mental status of Hermann Göring and other high-ranking Nazis in preparation for and during the Nuremberg trials. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to a strong response from those who saw it, but what did we think of it? Please tune in as we discuss the performances, writing, themes, 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/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

"Rental Family" is a comedy-drama film directed by Hikari, who co-wrote the script with Stephen Blahut, starring Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Mahina Gorman, and Akira Emoto. The film premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its direction, writing, and heartwarming performances. Hikari and Emoto were both kind enough to spend a few minutes speaking with Ema Sasic and Giovanni Lago, respectively, about their work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is scheduled to be released in the United States by Searchlight Pictures on November 21st. 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 466, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, and I are here to discuss the awards prospects for the final films that need to screen and release before the end of the year to qualify for the 98th Academy Awards. We leave no stone unturned as we discuss the reactions and expectations for "Hamnet," "Marty Supreme," "Avatar: Fire And Ash," "Wicked: For Good," "No Other Choice," "The Testament Of Ann Lee," "Jay Kelly," "The Secret Agent," and more! For this week's poll, for the release of "Rental Family," we ask, "Which Is Your Favorite Film Starring Brendan Fraser?" and we reveal the winner of last week's poll, where we asked our most famous question, "Which Film Do You Think Is Going To Be The Next Best Picture Oscar Winner?" We also share our reactions to the trailers for "Wuthering Heights," "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die," "Goodbye June," "Cold Storage," answer your fan-submitted questions, and more! Thank you all for listening, supporting, subscribing, and voting. 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 join me to discuss the latest film from Edgar Wright, "The Running Man," starring Glen Powell, William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Daniel Ezra, Jayme Lawson, Sean Hayes, Colman Domingo, and Josh Brolin. It is the second adaptation of the 1982 novel by Stephen King, following the 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, with Wright's 2025 version adhering closer to the novel and its themes. What did we think of it, though? Please tune in as we discuss the adaptation, Powell's lead performance, Wright's action direction, 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