The Next Best Picture Podcast

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Interview With "Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice" Filmmaker BenDavid Grabinski Mar 27, 2026

Show notes

"Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice" is an American science fiction action comedy film written and directed by BenDavid Grabinski and produced by Andrew Lazar and starring Vince Vaughn, James Marsden, Eiza González, Keith David, and Jimmy Tatro. It premiered at the 2026 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival, where it received positive reviews for its blending of different genres and dual performance from Vaughn. Grabinski 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 now available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Interview With "The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist" Co-Director Daniel Roher Mar 26, 2026

Show notes

"The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist" is a 2026 American documentary film directed by Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell. It is produced by the Academy Award-winning teams behind "Everything Everywhere All at Once" (Daniel Kwan and Jonathan Wang) and "Navalny" (Shane Boris and Diane Becker). The film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and received positive reviews for the questions it asked (and answered) about the threat or uses for good in the world about AI, Roher's personal journey of becoming a father while developing the documentary, its editing, and handcrafted animation and artwork made by humans. Roher was kind enough to be our first fully produced in-studio interview and spent a good forty minutes 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 opening in theaters on March 27th from Focus Features. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Interview With "Yes!" Filmmaker Nadav Lapid Mar 25, 2026

Show notes

"Yes!" is a drama film written and directed by Nadav Lapid. It stars Ariel Bronz, Efrat Dor, Naama Preis, Aleksei Serebryakov, and Sharon Alexander. The film had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its audacious filmmaking, biting satire, and political commentary. Lapid 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 opening in New York theaters on March 27th from Kino Lorber. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Interview With "Pretty Lethal" Director Vicky Jewson Mar 25, 2026

Show notes

"Pretty Lethal" is an action thriller film directed by Vicky Jewson and written by Kate Freund. It follows a dysfunctional ballet troupe that is forced to take shelter when their bus breaks down en route to a prestigious competition and must use their training to fight back when a gang of armed men targets them. It premiered at the 2026 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival and stars Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, Maddie Ziegler, and Uma Thurman. Jewson was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Thank you, and enjoy!

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"Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come" Mar 24, 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

For this week's second podcast review, Lauren LaMagna, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, and Larry Fried join me to discuss "Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come" starring Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, David Cronenberg, and Elijah Wood. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and written by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy, the film serves as a direct sequel to "Ready or Not" (2019), with Grace trying to protect her estranged sister while being hunted by several elite families in a high-stakes ritual to claim a seat of ultimate power. The film premiered at the 2026 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival, where it received generally positive reviews. What did we think of it, though? Please tune in as we discuss the story, performances, humor, the large amounts of blood and other gory bits from the film's more shocking moments, the future of the franchise, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy!

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Interview With "Late Shift" Filmmaker Petra Volpe Mar 23, 2026

Show notes

"Late Shift" is a drama film written and directed by Petra Volpe, inspired by the book "Unser Beruf ist nicht das Problem: Es sind die Umstände" by Madeline Calvelage. Starring Leonie Benesch, the film centers on a young nurse, Floria, who works with unwavering dedication in an understaffed hospital ward, but on this day, her shift becomes a nerve-racking race against time. The film had its world premiere in the Berlinale Special Gala section of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival last year. It received positive reviews and was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, making the December shortlist. Volpe was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in New York at The Quad Cinema and Los Angeles at the Laemmle Royal, and will be followed by a nationwide rollout from Music Box Films. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Episode 484 - Goodbye 2025 Awards Season, Hello 2026, SXSW Recap, “Dune: Part Three," "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" & "Wild Horse Nine" Trailers Mar 23, 2026

Show notes

For Episode 484, I am joined by Katie Johnson, Dan Bayer, Lauren LaMagna, Amy Kim, and Will Mavity as we say goodbye to the 2025 film awards season and look ahead to what's to come in 2026. Part of that is recapping the best films that played at this year's SXSW, and part is asking this week's poll question: "Which 2026 Awards Season Contenders Are You Most Looking Forward To?" We also reveal the winner of last week's poll asking "Which Was Your Favorite Oscar Win From The 98th Academy Awards?," share our reactions to the trailers for "Dune: Part Three," "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," "Wild Horse Nine," "Outcome" (Seriously, what was going on with trailers this week?), answer your fan-submitted questions and more! Thank you all for listening, subscribing, and supporting us. We hope you enjoy!

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"Project Hail Mary" Mar 21, 2026

Show notes

For this week's main podcast review, Sara Clements, Josh Parham, Cody Dericks, Brendan Hodges, and Tom O'Brien join me to discuss the latest film from Phil Lord and Chris Miller, "Project Hail Mary" starring Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, Lionel Boyce, Ken Leung, and Milana Vayntrub. Written by Drew Goddard, based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Andy Weir, the epic sci-fi/comedy film already has a built-in fan base and is a crowdpleaser designed to enthrall, entertain, and emotionally move newcomers. Whether you see it on IMAX or the big screen, there's no denying it's the film event of Q1 2026. What did we think of it, though? Please tune in as we discuss the story, Ryan Gosling's performance, the direction from Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the crafts, its awards potential, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy!

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Interview With "Lumière, Le Cinéma!" Filmmaker Thierry Frémaux Mar 20, 2026

Show notes

"Lumière, Le Cinéma!" (or "Lumière! The Adventure Continues") is a documentary film directed by Thierry Frémaux, director of the Institute Lumière, of the Lumière Film Festival, and of the Cannes Film Festival. Frémaux serves as a curator and guide through a collection of over 100 short films by Auguste and Louis Lumière and their collaborators, showcasing both well-known and rarely seen works. The film explores the origins of cinema and how the Lumière brothers pioneered filmmaking techniques such as framing, staging, and early narrative storytelling. This curated presentation offers both a historical account of the birth of film and a meditation on cinema's ability to capture reality and imagination. The film highlights the enduring legacy of the Lumières and their foundational impact on the art form. Frémaux 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 now playing at MOMA in New York City from Janus Films. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Interview With "Dead Lover" Filmmaker & Star Grace Glowicki Mar 20, 2026

Show notes

"Dead Lover" is a 2025 Canadian comedy film directed, co-written, produced by, and starring Grace Glowicki, co-writer Ben Petrie, Leah Doz, and Lowen Morrow. Inspired by Mary Shelley's 1818 novel "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus," it follows a woman's attempt to resurrect her deceased lover. The film debuted at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in the Midnight category, where it received positive reviews for Glowicki's direction, performance, writing, as well as the makeup, production design, sound, and lighting. Glowicki was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Cartuna and Dweck Productions. Thank you, and enjoy!

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