The Next Best Picture Podcast

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Interview With "Song Sung Blue" & "The Chronology Of Water" Star Jim Belushi Dec 23, 2025

Show notes

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!

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Interviews With "Avatar: Fire And Ash" Composer, Sound Mixer & Visual Effects Team Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

"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!

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Interview With "Pillion" Star Harry Melling Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

"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!

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Episode 471 - The Oscar Shortlists, Remembering Rob Reiner, YouTube Gets The Oscars, "Disclosure Day," "Alpha," "Dreams" & "The Sheep Detectives" Trailers Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

For Episode 471, Nadia Dalimonte, Josh Parham, and Tom O'Brien join me for another packed episode of awards season news and developments. This week, we go over the Oscar Shortlists, the USC Scripter Award Nominations, and the major news of the Oscars moving away from ABC and over to YouTube, starting with the 101st ceremony. We also briefly touch upon the tragic passing of legendary filmmaker Rob Reiner. For this week's poll, for the release of Mona Fastvold's "The Testament Of Ann Lee," we're asking everyone: "Which Is Your Favorite Amanda Seyfried Performance?" We also reveal the winner of last week's poll, for the release of James Cameron's "Avatar: Fire And Ash," where we asked "Which Is Your Favorite James Cameron Film?" In addition, we share our reactions to the trailers for "Disclosure Day," "Alpha," "Dreams," "The Sheep Detectives," answer your fan-submitted questions, and more. Thank you all for listening, supporting, and subscribing. We really appreciate it and wish you all happy holidays this week with your family and loved ones! Enjoy!

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"Avatar: Fire And Ash" Dec 20, 2025

Show notes

For this week's main podcast review, Lauren LaMagna, Josh Parham, Giovanni Lago, Cody Dericks, and Brendan Hodges join me to discuss the latest film from Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron, "Avatar: Fire And Ash" starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Oona Chaplin, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Jack Chapmion & Britain Dalton. The third film in the multi-billion dollar grossing, global and beloved "Avatar" franchise, this epic, darker film acts as a direct sequel to "Avatar: The Way Of Water" and continues the story of the Sully family and the Na'vi as their conflict with Quaritch and the RDA continues on the alien planet of Pandora. What did we think of it? Please tune in as we discuss the story, performances, character arcs, and payoffs, the action, visual effects, the future of the franchise, its awards season chances, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy!

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Interview With "Avatar: Fire And Ash" Director James Cameron Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

"Avatar: Fire And Ash" is the third entry in the "Avatar" franchise from Academy Award-winning director James Cameron, that continues the story of Jake Sully, Neytiri and their children as they continue to face opposition from Quaritch and the RDA on Pandora. The film utilizes state of the art technology, visual effects and performance capture to bring the world and its characters to life in a way that has so far amassed over $5.2 billion worldwide, becoming a global phenomenon and further solidifying Cameron as the kind of not only Hollywood, but of the world. Cameron was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the third film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from 20th Century Studios. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Interview With "Cover-Up" Directors Laura Poitras & Mark Obenhaus Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

"Cover-Up" is an American documentary film produced and directed by Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus. It explores the investigative journalism career of Seymour Hersh, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who covered the U.S. Army torture scandals during the Vietnam War and the Iraq War. The film had its world premiere out of competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and later screened at the Telluride, Toronto, and New York Film Festivals, where it continued to receive praise, resulting in nominations for Best Documentary Feature at the Critics' Choice, PGA, and Cinema Eye Honors. Poitras and Obenhaus were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will be released in select theaters on December 19th before arriving on Netflix on December 26th. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Interview With "Is This Thing On?" Stars Will Arnett & Laura Dern Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

"Is This Thing On?" is a 2025 American comedy-drama film directed by Bradley Cooper, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Will Arnett and Mark Chappell, loosely inspired by the life of British comedian John Bishop. It stars Arnett and Laura Dern as a middle-aged married couple facing an impending divorce when Alex (Arnett) finds new purpose in the New York comedy scene, while his wife, Tess (Dern), confronts the sacrifices she made for their family. The film premiered as the Closing Night film at the 2025 New York Film Festival, receiving positive reviews for its writing and direction by Cooper and for performances by Dern and Arnett. The two lead stars were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will be released in theaters on December 19th from Searchlight Pictures. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Interview With "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere" Star Jeremy Allen White Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

"Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere" is an American biographical musical drama film starring Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen. Written and directed by Scott Cooper, and based on the 2023 book "Deliver Me from Nowhere" by Warren Zanes, as well as some elements from Springsteen's autobiography "Born to Run," it chronicles Springsteen's personal and professional struggles during the conception of his 1982 album "Nebraska." The film had its world premiere at the 52nd Telluride Film Festival, screened at the New York and AFI Film Festivals, and has received a Golden Globe nomination for White in the Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama category. White 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 will be available to watch digitally on December 23rd from 20th Century Studios and is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards in all eligible categories, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Sound. Thank you, and enjoy!

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A Behind The Scenes Look At "Wake Up Dead Man" Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

"Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery" had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received just as strong reviews as the first two entries in the franchise, "Knives Out" and "Glass Onion," with praise directed at Rian Johnson's direction, writing, and the performances of the cast. Johnson, along with members of the cast and crew, were all kind enough to spend some time speaking with Next Best Picture over the past few weeks, and you can listen to those conversations below. First, we have my interview with Rian Johnson and Josh O'Connor, followed by Dan Bayer's interview with Johnson and Benoit Blanc himself, Daniel Craig. Then we have Cody Dericks's interview with Academy Award-nominee and on-screen legend Glenn Close, followed by my chat with Mila Kunis and Cailee Spaeny, then Brendan Hodges's discussion with cinematographer Steve Yedlin, and finally my interview with composer Nathan Johnson. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Netflix, and is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards in all eligible categories. Thank you, and enjoy!

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