Join Mike Cheslik, director, writer, and editor of the indie gem "Hundreds of Beavers," as he discusses his creative journey. He shares insights into the four-year development process, the joy of blending classic slapstick with modern comedy, and the critical role of sound design in humor. Mike reflects on unique marketing strategies and the film's grassroots rise to awards conversation. He also hints at future projects while emphasizing the importance of audience engagement in shaping cinematic success. Tune in for an entertaining exploration!

"The Outrun" had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it received high praise for Saoirse Ronan's performance as a young woman recently out of rehab for alcoholism who returns home to the Orkney Islands in Scotland. Directed by Nora Fingscheidt from a screenplay she co-wrote with Amy Liptrot, the independent film has received significant attention for Ronan's emotionally raw performance, which has already garnered her nominations from the Gotham and British Independent Film Awards for Best Lead Performance. Ronan was kind enough to spend a few minutes speaking with us about her work as a star and producer on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film from Sony Pictures Classics, which is up for your consideration in all eligible categories at the 97th Academy Awards, including Best Actress. 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

"Bob Marley: One Love" was released earlier this year and received strong notices for the performances of Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch as Bob and Rita Marley, respectively. The film went on to gross over $180 million and has been a big hit on Paramount+, where it is currently streaming. Ben-Adir and Lynch were kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their performances in the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is up for your consideration in all eligible categories at the 97th Academy Awards, including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress. 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 upcoming release of "September 5," in theaters on December 13th from Paramount Pictures, Josh Parham, Brendan Hodges, and I went back to 2005 to review and discuss Steven Spielberg's "Munich" starring Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciarán Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler & Geoffrey Rush. Tony Kushner and Eric Roth adapted the 1984 book "Vengeance" by George Jonas, which is an account of a series of Mossad assassinations following the Munich massacre, and it was heavily controversial upon its release. Have the years been kinder to it since its release? Tune in as we discuss the writing, direction, performances, set pieces, themes, political commentary, its awards season run, 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

"The Seed Of The Sacred Fig" had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where many members of the cast could not attend the premiere, and the film's director/writer, Mohammad Rasoulof, had to flee persecution in his home country of Iran in order to attend and make sure the rest of the world could see the film. It won various awards, including the Special Award (Prix Spécial), FIPRESCI Prize, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, François Chalais Prize, Prix des Cinémas Art et Essai, and competed for Palme d'Or. During the New York Film Festival, one of many festivals the film screened at this fall, Rasoulof was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in select theaters in New York and Los Angeles from NEON and is up for your consideration in all eligible categories at the 97th Academy Awards, including Best International Feature Film (Germany's official selection), Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original 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

For this week's third podcast review, I am joined by Sara Clements, Josh Parham & Dan Bayer to review and discuss "The Piano Lesson," starring John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith & Corey Hawkins. Directed by Malcolm Washington, the Netflix film is the latest adaptation of world-renowned playwright August Wilson's work from the stage to the screen. What did we think of it? Tune in as we discuss the performances, themes, direction, 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

"Moana 2," the anticipated sequel to the 2016 Oscar-nominated Disney animated film "Moana," was originally meant to debut on Disney+. Instead, it's being released in theaters this week and was re-worked to play on the big screen. Co-Director and Co-Writer Dana Ledoux Miller was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work on the film, its production journey to get to this point, her love of the characters, working with new songwriters and more for her feature directorial debut. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Walt Disney Animation Studios and is up for your consideration in all eligible categories at the 97th Academy Awards, including Best Animated Feature 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

For this week's second podcast review, I am joined by Sara Clements, Giovanni Lago & Brendan Hodges to review and discuss the latest film from Academy Award-nominated director Ridley Scott, "Gladiator II," starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Quinn & Fred Hechinger. A highly-anticipated sequel to his Oscar Best Picture-winning 2000 film "Gladiator," Scott has transported audiences back to Ancient Rome once again, but what did we think of it? Tune in as we discuss the direction, writing, performances, action, nostalgia-baiting, 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

"Spellbound" is a new American animated musical film directed by Vicky Jenson with music composed by the multi-Academy Award-winning Alan Menken, who also wrote the songs with longtime collaborator and lyricist Glenn Slater. The two of them were kind enough to spend a few minutes 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 Netflix and is up for your consideration in all eligible categories at the 97th Academy Awards, including Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score. 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

"Gladiator II" finds director Ridley Scott crafting a sequel to his Oscar Best Picture-winning film "Gladiator" 24 years later. Many of his frequent collaborators came on board to help him bring the time of Ancient Rome back on the big screen again, and we at Next Best Picture were lucky enough to interview a few of them. First is my interview with actor Fred Hechinger, who plays Emperor Caracalla, followed by Giovanni Lago's interviews with Costume Designer Janty Yates and Production Designer Arthur Max, and we end with my interview with Visual Effects Supervisor Mark Bakowski. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Paramount Pictures and is up for your consideration in all eligible categories at this year's Academy Awards. 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