The Next Best Picture Podcast

Latest Episodes:

"The Social Reckoning" Oct 10, 2026

Show notes

For this week's main podcast review, Ema Sasic and Dan Bayer join me to review and discuss the latest film from Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Reckoning," starring Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Wunmi Mosaku, Betty Gilpin, Billy Magnussen, Bill Burr, and Jeremy Strong. A companion piece to 2010's "The Social Network," where that film was about the rise of Facebook, this film is about the Facebook we use today and how it got us to where we are now, dramatizing, the 2021 Facebook leak by whistleblower Frances Haugen and investigative reporter Jeff Horwitz. What did we think of it? Please tune in, either on video or audio only, as we discuss the story, Sorkin's writing and direction, the performances, the stylistic differences from David Fincher's acclaimed film, its Oscar prospects, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/ITOKBOOqWd0

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Interview With "Love Of Your Life" Director Rachel Morrison Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

"Love Of Your Life" is an American romantic drama directed by Rachel Morrison ("The Fire Inside"), written by Julia Cox. It stars Margaret Qualley as Maya, whose chance encounter with Charlie (Gabriel Basso) sets in motion a sweeping romance and a future beyond anything she's ever imagined. When that future is suddenly upended, she's sent hurtling toward an unexpected new life -- one that forces her to reckon with who she is, what she wants, and how to love again. The film also stars Aaron Pierre, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Catherine Keener. It had its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for Qualley's performance and Morrison's direction. Morrison was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Amazon MGM Studios and will be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video on October 14th. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/pQFL44Pll-4

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Interview With "California Schemin'" Director James McAvoy Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

"California Schemin'" (stylized as "California $chemin'") is a 2025 biographical musical film directed by James McAvoy in his directorial debut. The film stars Samuel Bottomley and Séamus McLean Ross as the Scottish faux-American rap pairing Silibil N' Brains, Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, and is based on Bain's 2010 memoir "California Schemin': How Two Lads from Scotland Conned the Music Industry." It tells the true story of the Dundee rap duo who, for three years, pretended to be American to be taken seriously by the record industry. The film premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for McAvoy's direction and the performances. McAvoy was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open in theaters on October 9th from Magenta Light Studios. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/us5daUf5R80

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Interview With "My Undesirable Friends: Part II - Exile" Filmmaker Julia Loktev Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

"My Undesirable Friends: Part II - Exile" is a 2026 American documentary film produced and directed by Julia Loktev. A sequel to the 2024 film "My Undesirable Friends: Part I - Last Air in Moscow," it follows several independent Russian journalists as they flee the country into exile, following Vladimir Putin government's repression of free speech. The film had its world premiere out of competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews. Loktev was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open in New York at Film Forum on October 9th from MUBI. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/OxvEEqzo2ug

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Interviews With "East Of Eden" Star Hoon Lee & Director Garth Davis Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

"East of Eden" is a 2026 American historical drama limited television series created by Zoe Kazan and starring Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames. It is adapted from John Steinbeck's 1952 novel of the same name and premiered on Netflix on October 1st to positive reviews for its adaptation, direction by Davis (episodes 1-4) and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (episodes 5-7), and performances from Pugh and Hoon Lee as Lee, Adam Trask's (Christopher Abbott) servant. Davis and Lee were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences making the series, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the series, which is now available to stream on Netflix. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/jww4-fhY8wk

https://youtu.be/XT2KjH8Ibmc

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Episode 510 - Mailbag Monday Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

Following our 510th episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we're back with a new episode of Mailbag Monday. Ema Sasic, Nadia Dalimonte, Sara Clements, and Tom O’Brien join me in this new series dedicated entirely to answering your fan-submitted questions from the NBP Film Community. Covering everything from the latest movie news, awards season, and Oscar predictions to filmmaking, industry trends, and whatever else is on your mind, Mailbag Monday allows us to engage more directly with all of you every week. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this episode, whether on our X account or on our Discord (Patreon members get a private link to chat with other members of NBP and me). If you'd like to be featured on a future edition of Mailbag Monday, be sure to leave your questions in the comments or submit them through our social media channels every Sunday morning when prompted on our X account. We hope you'll join us every Monday as we continue the conversation beyond our weekly Sunday podcast. Thank you, as always, for listening, subscribing, and supporting Next Best Picture, and helping us build such an incredible film community. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/S4nNwGoOHTw

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Episode 510 - NYFF64 Continues, Farewell Warner Bros., "Elsinore," "La Bola Negra," "Rose" & "Clarissa" Trailers Oct 04, 2026

Show notes

For Episode 510 of the Next Best Picture Podcast, I am joined by Ema Sasic, Giovanni Lago, Nadia Dalimonte, Sara Clements, and Tom O'Brien. This week, we're discussing the continuation of the New York Film Festival (NYFF), including the world premieres of "Behemoth!" and "A Statement," as well as high-profile screenings for "You Can See Everything," "All Of A Sudden," "Club Kid," "Tender Loving Care," and more! For this week's NBP poll question, for the merger of Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures into Skydance, we're asking everyone, "Which Is Your Favorite Warner Bros. Best Picture Nominee?" And we reveal the winner of last week's NBP poll, where we asked everyone for the release of "Digger," "Which is Your Favorite Alejandro González Iñárritu Film?" We also share our reactions to the trailers for "Elsinore," "La Bola Negra," "Rose," and "Clarissa." We are still answering your fan-submitted questions, but we'll now release our answers separately the next day in a new show called Mailbag Monday. So stay tuned for that and many other updates from Next Best Picture as this year's awards season continues. Thank you all for listening, subscribing, and supporting us. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/dfGJi4fTGZE

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"Digger" Oct 03, 2026

Show notes

For this week's main podcast review, Megan Lachinski, Josh Parham, Cody Dericks, and Tom O'Brien join me to review and discuss the latest film from four-time Academy Award winner Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Digger," starring Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg & Jesse Plemons. The final film released by Warner Bros. after 103 years as an independent studio, Iñárritu's latest may also be his and the studio's most timely, given where we are heading as a society, and it certainly isn't short on bold storytelling from a filmmaker unafraid to take risks. That risk comes with split opinions, as this environmental comedy has divided audiences and critics, with recent marketing asking everyone to decide for themselves whether this is a misfire from Iñárritu or a banger that will stand the test of time. Where do we fall on it? Please tune in, either on video or audio only, as we discuss the story, its shocking twist, the performances, most notably from Tom Cruise, Iñárritu's direction, the craft of the cinematography by three-time Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki, the creative production design, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. What's the truth? You decide. Thank you for listening, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/Q9MvLv67l-Y

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Interview With "Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother" Filmmaker Bassam Tariq Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

"Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother" is a 2026 American action thriller film written and directed by Bassam Tariq, starring Mahershala Ali, John Cho, Giancarlo Esposito, Abubakr Ali, Tramell Tillman, Tiffany Boone, and Laith Nakli. The film follows a devoutly religious widower and hitman (Ali) who embarks on a desperate journey across Houston to protect his children, confronting the forces closing in around him and the beliefs threatening to unravel within. The film had its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, where critics widely praised Tariq's writing and directing and Ali's performance. Tariq was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in limited release and will expand to more theaters on October 9th from Amazon MGM Studios. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/idkFAPSDLyw

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Interview With "Atonement" Stars Hiam Abbass, Boyd Holbrook & Filmmaker Reed Van Dyk Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

"Atonement" is a 2026 American drama film, written, produced, and directed by Reed Van Dyk in his directorial debut, based on the 2012 New Yorker article "Atonement" by Dexter Filkins. It stars Boyd Holbrook as a U.S. Marine who accidentally kills three members of a family during a firefight in Baghdad, Iraq. Haunted by memories of war and racked with guilt, he tries to reconcile with the family matriarch, played by Hiam Abbass, years later, with help from English journalist Michael Reid (Kenneth Branagh). The film had its world premiere at the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Caméra d'Or and received positive reviews for its writing and performances. Van Dyk, Abbass, and Holbrook were all kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will be released in theaters on October 2nd by Kino Lorber. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/HTjqRoO_jW0

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