The Next Best Picture Podcast

Latest Episodes:

"Star Wars: The Mandalorian And Grogu" May 24, 2026

Show notes

For this week's main podcast review, Ema Sasic, Josh Parham, and Giovanni Lago review and discuss "The Mandalorian And Grogu," starring Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, Jonny Coyne, Martin Scorsese, and Sigourney Weaver. Written and directed by Jon Favreau, and co-written by Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor,, the film is part of the "Star Wars" franchise and a continuation of the Disney+ television series "The Mandalorian" (2019–2023). In the film, set after the fall of the Galactic Empire, Djarin and his apprentice Grogu are enlisted by the New Republic to rescue Rotta the Hutt (White) in exchange for information on a target. This is the first time a "Star Wars" film has been in theaters since "The Rise Of Skywalker." What did the team think of it? Please tune in as they discuss the story, the craftsmanship, including Ludwig Göransson's score, the future of the franchise, and more in this SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy!

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"Changeling" May 22, 2026

Show notes

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

Our 2008 retrospective continues with Clint Eastwood's "Changeling," starring Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan, Colm Feore, Michael Kelly, Jason Butler Harner, Gattlin Griffith & Eddie Alderson. Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008, the film was based on actual events, specifically the 1928 Wineville Chicken Coop murders in Mira Loma, California, and was written by J. Michael Straczynski. The film received positive reviews, and Angelina Jolie was nominated for Best Actress for her performance, along with two other craft nominations for the cinematography and art direction. What do we think of it all these years later? Tune in as Sara Clements, Dan Bayer, Alyssa Christian, and I talk about the Eastwood's direction, Jolie's performance, the cinematography, the score, its awards season run, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Please check out our past review for “Frost/Nixon” and "Doubt." We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy our review!

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Interview With "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette" Star Paul Anthony Kelly May 19, 2026

Show notes

"Love Story" is an American biographical romantic-drama anthology television series created by Connor Hines and executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, D.V. DeVincentis, Kim Rosenstock, and Hines. The fifth installment in the "American Story" media franchise, it aired on FX and FX on Hulu in February-March earlier this year. The series, subtitled "John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette," charts the whirlwind courtship and marriage of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. It received positive reviews for its performances from Paul Anthony Kelly and Sarah Pidgeon as John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, respectively. Paul Anthony Kelly was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the series, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the show, which is now available to stream on Hulu. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Episode 492 - The 2026 Cannes Film Festival (So Far), "All Of A Sudden," "Paper Tiger," "Club Kid," "Fatherland," "The Beloved" & "Sheep In The Box" May 17, 2026

Show notes

Bonjour NBP Film Community! For Episode 492, I am joined by Cody Dericks and Nadia Dalimonte from our Airbnb in Cannes for the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. This is not a typical episode of the NBP Podcast, as we're doing away with questions from the fans, the polls (although, last week's poll asking "Which Films From The 2026 Cannes Film Festival Are You Most Looking Forward To?" is still live) and any reactions to trailers this week’s in favor of discussing the films we've been watching at the world's most prestigious film festival including, "All Of A Sudden," "Butterfly Jam," "Club Kid," "Colony," "Fatherland," "Gentle Monster," "Nagi Notes," "Paper Tiger," "Parallel Tales," "Sheep in the Box," "Tangles," "Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma," The Beloved," "The Electric Kiss," and more! We will be back next week with a more traditional episode for you all to listen to as we provide our recap for the second week of the festival! Thank you all for listening, subscribing, and supporting us. Until we meet again, au revoir!

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"Obsession" May 16, 2026

Show notes

For this week's main podcast review, Josh Parham, Giovanni Lago, Larry Fried, and Ben Langford join me to review and discuss Curry Barker's "Obsession" starring Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, and Andy Richter. The story follows a young hopeless romantic who breaks the mysterious "One Wish Willow" to win his crush's heart. However, he soon discovers that some desires come at a dark and sinister price. The film had its world premiere in the Midnight Madness section of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for Barker's script and direction, as well as Navarrette's unhinged performance. What did we think of it? Please tune in as we discuss all of these points and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy!

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Interviews With The "The Wizard Of The Kremlin" Star Paul Dano & Filmmaker Olivier Assayas May 16, 2026

Show notes

"The Wizard Of The Kremlin" is a 2025 English-language French political satire film directed by Olivier Assayas, who co-wrote the screenplay with Emmanuel Carrère. It is based on the 2022 novel by Giuliano da Empoli. It follows the fictional government official Vadim Baranov (Paul Dano) during the final years of the Soviet Union and the turbulent early years of the Russian Federation, as a young Vladimir Putin (Jude Law) rises to power. It also stars Alicia Vikander, Will Keen, Tom Sturridge, and Jeffrey Wright. Dano and Assayas were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Vertical Entertainment. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Interviews With The "LifeHack" Cast & Director May 14, 2026

Show notes

"LifeHack" is a 2025 British screenlife action thriller film directed by Ronan Corrigan, starring Georgie Farmer, Yasmin Finney, Roman Hayeck-Green, James Scholz, Jessica Reynolds, and Charlie Creed-Miles. It follows a group of friends who hack for fun, pranking online scammers. Seeking a bigger thrill, they target billionaire Don Heard through his daughter Lindsey's social media, stealing his cryptocurrency. It premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2025 and received positive reviews for its direction of screenlife, writing, editing, and performances. Farmer, Finney, Hayeck-Green, Reynolds, and Corrigan were all kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will be released in theaters on May 15th. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Interview With "Obsession" Stars Inde Navarrette, Michael Johnston & Filmmaker Curry Barker May 13, 2026

Show notes

"Obsession" is a 2025 American supernatural horror film written, directed, and edited by Curry Barker. The film follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a music store employee who buys a supernatural toy and wishes for his childhood friend, Nikki (Inde Navarrette), to fall in love with him. The film premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival as part of its Midnight Madness section, where it received positive reviews from critics. Navarrette, Johnston, and Barker were all kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will be released in theaters on May 15th from Focus Features. Thank you, and enjoy!

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The Next Best Series Podcast: Episode 59 - Gotham TV Award Nominations & The Major Emmy Award Contenders May 12, 2026

Show notes

THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL EPISODE. Please check out the full podcast episode on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture

The Next Best Series Podcast is back as Alyssa Christian, Daniel Howat, and Megan Lachinski join me to discuss the latest series, shows, and awards season updates for all things television! On this new episode, we discuss the 2026 Gotham TV Award nominations and which of those nominees are in serious contention for Emmy award nominations. We also make sure to touch upon "Widow's Bay," "The Pitt," "Beef," "DTF St. Louis," "Half Man," "Bait," "Your Friends And Neighbors," and more! Please tune in as we go through our current Emmy predictions as of today, as we continue to catch up on the shows we believe will be in contention for this year's Emmys! Thank you for your continued support. We hope you enjoy this episode and all the others still to come this Emmy Awards season.

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Interviews With "Is God Is" Stars Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Erika Alexander & Vivica A. Fox May 11, 2026

Show notes

"Is God Is" is an upcoming American thriller film written and directed by Aleshea Harris in her feature directorial debut, and starring Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Janelle Monáe, Erika Alexander, Vivica A. Fox, and Sterling K. Brown. It is based on Harris's 2018 play of the same name. Young, Johnson, Alexander, and Fox were all kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will be released in theaters from Amazon MGM Studios on May 15th. Thank you, and enjoy!

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