The Next Best Picture Podcast

"The Testament Of Ann Lee" had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews from critics, with Amanda Seyfried receiving acclaim for her performance (often described as "career-best" and earning nominations from the Golden Globe Award and the Critics' Choice Award for Best Actress. Directed and co-written by Mona Fastvold (with "The Brutalist" filmmaking and real-life partner, Brady Corbet), the historical musical drama follows the founder of the Shaker religious sect in the 18th century with a supporting cast that includes Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Stacy Martin, Tim Blake Nelson, and Christopher Abbott. Fastvold was kind enough to spend some time speaking with Next Best Picture Owner & Editor In Chief Matt Neglia, while Academy Award-winning composer Daniel Blumberg spoke with Dan Bayer, and Cody Dericks had the opportunity to speak with production designer Sam Bader, costume designer Gosia Karpiuk, and hair, makeup, and prosthetics designer Stephanie Pasicov. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Searchlight Pictures. Thank you, and enjoy!

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The first of Pixar's two films this year, "Hoppers," hits theaters on March 6th. This sci-fi, spy-thriller-influenced nature flick could be considered a major departure for the famed animation studio. While previous Pixar films are plentiful in humor, "Hoppers" is their first truly comedy-first film. Ahead of the film's release in just over a month, Pixar invited Next Best Picture to the studio to check out "Hoppers," along with an extensive look behind the scenes at how they brought this hilarious new adventure to life. We were lucky enough to get to spend some time speaking with Director Daniel Chong and Producer Nicole Grindle, Production Designer Bryan Imagire, Visual Effects Supervisor Beth Albright, and Character Art Director Anna Scott. We hope you enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at Pixar's newest film. Thank you and enjoy!

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For Episode 476, Ema Sasic, Nadia Dalimonte, Dan Bayer, Megan Lachinski, and Alyssa Christian join me to discuss the 2026 Oscar nominations for the 98th Academy Awards after they were unable to do so for our live reaction video to the nominations. It's been a few days since the initial announcement, and already we're looking at potential shifts in momentum, who got in vs. who was left off, and what will happen with BAFTA and WGA nominations this week? For last week's poll, for the Oscar nominations we asked, "Which Film Do You Think Will Be The Next Best Picture Oscar Winner?" And for this week's poll, with the announcement of the Oscar nominations, we're asking, "Which Oscar Nomination For The 98th Academy Awards Made You The Happiest?" We also give our reactions to the trailers for "Masters Of The Universe" and "Tuner," answer your fan-submitted questions, and more. Thank you all for listening, supporting, and subscribing. Daniel Howat, Cody Dericks, and I are still in Sundance and will be back next week with a recap of the festival as this year's awards season continues. Enjoy!

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For this week's main podcast review, Megan Lachinski, Josh Parham, and Dan Bayer join me to discuss the latest film from Mona Fasvold, "The Testament Of Ann Lee," starring Amanda Seyfried, Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Stacy Martin, Tim Blake Nelson & Christopher Abbott. Co-written with her partner in work and in life, Brady Corbet, and following up the monumental success of last year's "The Brutalist," the duo is back with another $10 million indie film, this time about the founding leader of the Shakers religious sect in the 18th century that, unfortunately, never quite caught on after its world premiere at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival, resulting in zero Oscar nominations. This recording was done before that announcement, and there's plenty to discuss besides the film's awards season run, including Amanda Seyfried's career-best performance, the jaw-dropping cinematography, production, and costume design, the ungodly score and songs by Daniel Blumberg (inspired by real-life Shaker hymns), Fastvold's singular direction, and more! Please tune in as we discuss these elements, the writing, and yes, our Oscar hopes for it before the Lord God tooketh away, in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy! Praise be!

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"Dead Man's Wire" is an American crime thriller film directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Austin Kolodney, about the 1977 hostage standoff involving Tony Kiritsis and Richard Hall. It stars Bill Skarsgård as Kiritsis, alongside an ensemble cast including Dacre Montgomery as Hall, Cary Elwes, Myha'la, Colman Domingo, and Al Pacino. The film premiered out of competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and received positive reviews for its performances, direction, and writing. Skarsgård, Montgomery, Elwes, Van Sant and Kolodney were all kind enough to spend some time speaking 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 Row K Entertainment. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw

And be sure to help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month at https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture and listen to this podcast ad-free
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