The Next Best Picture Podcast

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Interview With "Suzume" Director/Writer Makoto Shinkai Dec 15, 2023

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One of the most acclaimed animated films of 2023, "Suzume" is the latest film from master Japanese animator, filmmaker, author, and manga artist Makoto Shinkai. On one of his journeys to Los Angeles, he was kind enough to sit down with us and discuss his newest film, which tells the story of a 17-year-old girl who teams up with a stranger to prevent a series of disasters across Japan by sealing supernatural portals. Inspired by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, the director of "Your Name" and "Weathering With You" has given us another excellent addition to his filmography, recently nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film. Please check out the film, which is available to stream on Crunchyroll and is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards in all eligible categories, including Best Animated Feature. Thank you for listening. Enjoy!

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Interview With "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" Director/Writer Jeff Rowe Dec 15, 2023

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"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" released over the summer to some of the best reviews the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" franchise had ever received. Since its theatrical release, it's already had a well-received life on Paramount+, and the 4K UHD Blu Ray just released this week. Director and writer Jeff Rowe was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about the film's unique animation style, working with Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross on the film's score, the importance of casting actual teenagers as the titular turtles, and more. Please be sure to check out the film, which is up for your consideration in all eligible categories at this year's Academy Awards, including Best Animated Feature. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Interview With "Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget" Director Sam Fell Dec 15, 2023

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"Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget" had its world premiere at the 2023 London Film Festival, where it received strong reviews for its stop-motion animation, comedy, and warm heart. Releasing twenty-three years after the original Aardman animated film came out and received critical acclaim, the film had a tough hill to climb. Director Sam Fell was kind enough to talk with us and take us through the process of making the sequel to such a beloved film. Please check out the film, which is now available to stream on Netflix and is up for your consideration in all eligible categories, including Best Animated Feature Film at this year's Academy Awards. Thank you, and enjoy!

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"The Color Purple" (1985) Dec 15, 2023

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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 month's first throwback podcast review, I am joined by Josh Parham and guest Kathia Woods to discuss Steven Spielberg's 1985 adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer prize-winning novel "The Color Purple" starring Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Adolph Caesar, Margaret Avery & Rae Dawn Chong. As we prepare for the release of Blitz Bazawule's musical adaptation of the novel, we go back and look at Spielberg's first dive into prestige drama storytelling. Tune in as we discuss the performances, the direction, the music, and how well its themes still hold up today, along with its infamous awards season run where it was nominated for eleven Academy Awards but failed to win a single one (with the Academy even omitting Spielberg from the Best Director category). We hope you enjoy this SPOILER-FILLED throwback review. Thank you!

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Interviews With "Flora And Son" Stars Eve Hewson & Joseph Gordon-Levitt Dec 13, 2023

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"Flora And Son" had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it continued director John Carney's stellar streak of receiving critical acclaim for his heartwarming, music-based films. Stars Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were kind enough to spend a few minutes each talking about their experience working on the film, which is now available to stream on Apple TV+. Please check out both interviews below and be sure to check out the film, which is up for your consideration in all eligible categories at this year's Academy Awards, including Best Original Song for "High Life." Thank you, and enjoy!

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Interview With "The Promised Land" Director/Writer Nikolaj Arcel & Star Mads Mikkelsen Dec 13, 2023

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"The Promised Land" (or "Bastarden" in Denmark) had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Lion and received just as strong reviews as director Nikolaj Arcel and star Mads Mikkelsen's previous collaboration on the Oscar-nominated 2012 film "A Royal Affair." The film has now won Best Actor for Mads Mikkelsen at the European Film Awards and two other prizes for its cinematography and costume design. It's being released in the U.S. by Magnolia Pictures and is the Danish entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards. Nikolaj and Mads were kind enough to spend some time talking with us about the film during the AFI Film Festival, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film which is up for your consideration in all eligible categories for this year's Academy Awards. Thank you, and enjoy!

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"The Boy And The Heron" Dec 12, 2023

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For this week's second podcast review, I am joined by Brendan Hodges & Giovanni Lago. Today, we are reviewing the newest film from iconic director Hayao Miyazaki, "The Boy And The Heron," starring Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura, Shōhei Hino, Ko Shibasaki, Takuya Kimura and on the English dub, Luca Padovan, Robert Pattinson, Karen Fukuhara, Gemma Chan, Christian Bale, Mark Hamill, Florence Pugh, Willem Dafoe & Dave Bautista. In what could be the all-time great master director's final film, please tune in as we discuss its themes around death, legacy, grief, hope in the face of devastating collapse, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. In our reflective discussion, we also review the voice performances, animation, beautiful score from Joe Hisaishi, and more. Thank you. We hope you enjoy it!

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Interview With "Tótem" Director/Writer Lila Avilés Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

"Tótem" had its world premiere at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it received strong reviews but mostly flew under the radar all year until it was selected as Mexico's entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards. Now, it has become the little movie that could this awards season, scoring Gotham and Independent Spirit Award nominations. Director/Writer Lila Avilés ("The Chambermaid") was kind enough to speak with us about the film, her work on it, and what it has meant to her for it to come this far, with possibly further to go. The film will be released in theaters on January 26th and is receiving a qualifying release for 2023 in limited release. Please be sure to check out the film and take a listen below. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Interview With "The Boy And The Heron" Composer Joe Hisaishi Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

"The Boy And The Heron" had its North American premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was 2nd runner-up to the People's Choice Award. The new Hayao Miyazaki film has garnered strong reviews, winning Best Animated Feature from the New York and Los Angeles Film Critics and has now been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score for Miyazaki's close collaborator Joe Hisaishi. The world-renowned Japanese composer has scored all but one of Miyazaki's films, and his latest is receiving considerable praise. Hisaishi was kind enough to spend a few minutes talking with us about his work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, now playing in theaters from GKIDS, which is up for your consideration in all eligible categories at this year's Academy Awards. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Episode 372 - Spirit Award Nominations, Golden Globe Nomination Predictions, The 2024 Sundance Film Festival Lineup, "I.S.S." & "Good Grief" Trailers Dec 10, 2023

Show notes

For Episode 372, I am joined by Josh Parham & Dan Bayer. This week, we have much to review as we discuss the Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations, the NBR winners, and the AFI's Top 10 Films of 2023. We provide our predictions for what will be nominated for the Golden Globe & Critics Choice Awards this week and what will win LAFCA (while it was being announced). We also give our reactions to the trailers for "I.S.S." and "Good Grief," share some thoughts on the 2024 Sundance Film Festival lineup, go over the polls, answer your fan-submitted questions, and more! Thank you all for your continued support. We hope you enjoy this episode!

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