The Next Best Picture Podcast

"The Plague" is a psychological drama-thriller film written and directed by Charlie Polinger in his directorial debut, starring Everett Blunck, Kayo Martin, Kenny Rasmussen, and Joel Edgerton, who is also a producer. The film follows a socially anxious 12-year-old boy who is pulled into a cruel tradition at an all-boys water polo camp. The film had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its direction, writing, and performances from its young stars, receiving three Film Independent Spirit Award nominations for Best Feature, Best Lead Performance (Everett Blunck), and Best Breakthrough Performance (Kayo Martin). Poling, Blunck, and Martin were all kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, now playing in New York and Los Angeles and expanding nationwide on January 2nd, from Independent Film Company. 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, Ema Sasic, Josh Parham, and Dan Bayer join me to discuss the latest film from Academy Award-nominee Bradley Cooper, "Is This Thing On?" starring Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Andra Day, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes, Christine Ebersole, Ciarán Hinds, and Cooper. Loosely inspired by the life of British comedian John Bishop, the film had its world premiere as the closing-night film at the New York Film Festival, receiving positive reviews for Cooper's restrained direction, the writing alongside co-writers Arnett and Mark Chappell, and the performances from Arnett and Dern. What did we think of it? Please tune in as we discuss these elements: the cinematography by Matthew Libatique, the stand-up comedy, Cooper's career trajectory as a director, 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

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/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

"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 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

"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 from Picturehouse and Warner Bros. Pictures UK and will be released in the US by A24 on February 6th, 2026. 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