The Next Best Picture Podcast

"It Ends" is a 2025 American road-horror thriller film written, directed, and edited by Alexander Ullom in his directorial debut. It stars Phinehas Yoon, Akira Jackson, Noah Toth, and Mitchell Cole. It follows a group of graduates who go on a late-night drive but accidentally turn onto a two-lane highway that appears to go on indefinitely. The film premiered at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival, where it received positive reviews but struggled to find a distributor. It was made available as a digital rental for a limited period in December 2025, via the Letterboxd Video Store. Due to its success on the platform, the film was later acquired by NEON. Ullom was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, its long road to getting released, and what he has coming up next in his just beginning, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from NEON. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/K4s7OJXFLJM

Check out more on NextBestPicture.com

Please subscribe on...

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
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Colony" (Korean: 군체) is a 2026 South Korean action horror film directed and written by Yeon Sang-ho, with Choi Gyu-seok as co-writer. It stars Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Shin-rok, Shin Hyun-been, and Go Soo. The film explores the harrowing struggle of isolated survivors trapped in a building, quarantined amidst an unknown outbreak, as they fight for survival against the unpredictably evolving infected. The film had its world premiere at the Midnight Screenings section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its action, makeup effects, and anxiety about the spread of technology. Yeon Sang-ho was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film when it opens in theaters on August 28th from Well-Go USA. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/keAE5LjejiM

Check out more on NextBestPicture.com

Please subscribe on...

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
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Coyote vs. Acme" is a 2026 American live-action animated legal comedy film directed by Dave Green, written by Samy Burch from a story by James Gunn, Jeremy Slater, and Burch, and based on Ian Frazier's 1990 New Yorker article of the same name. Starring Will Forte, Lana Condor, Tone Bell, Luis Guzmán, Martha Kelly, P.J. Byrne, Kenneth Choi, and John Cena, with Eric Bauza leading the voice cast, the film follows Wile E. Coyote as he enlists a billboard attorney to sue the Acme Corporation for repeatedly selling him defective products. After Warner Bros. Discovery initially shelved the completed film for a tax write-off in 2023, Ketchup Entertainment acquired it in 2025 following widespread public backlash. The film was finally screened (officially) at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25th, 2026, where it received positive reviews. Green was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experience making the film, including its unusual journey to the screen, which you can watch or listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film when it opens in theaters on August 28th from Ketchup Entertainment. Thank you, and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/Z-gidKMqdtE

Check out more on NextBestPicture.com

Please subscribe on...

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
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following our 506th episode of The Next Best Picture Podcast, we're back with a new episode of Mailbag Monday. Amy Kim and Dan Bayer join me in this new series dedicated entirely to answering your fan-submitted questions from the NBP Film Community. Covering everything from the latest movie news, awards season, and Oscar predictions to filmmaking, industry trends, and whatever else is on your mind, Mailbag Monday allows us to engage more directly with all of you every week. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for this episode, whether on our X account or on our Discord (Patreon members get a private link to chat with other members of NBP and me). If you'd like to be featured on a future edition of Mailbag Monday, be sure to leave your questions in the comments or submit them through our social media channels every Sunday morning when prompted on our X account. We hope you'll join us every Monday as we continue the conversation beyond our weekly Sunday podcast. Thank you, as always, for listening, subscribing, and supporting Next Best Picture, and helping us build such an incredible film community. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/LmHveHSkq0U

Check out more on NextBestPicture.com

Please subscribe on...

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
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Episode 506 of the Next Best Picture Podcast, I am joined by Amy Kim and Dan Bayer. This week, we're discussing what we believe will screen at the 53rd annual Telluride Film Festival, and we're announcing the nominations for the 2008 NBP Film Community Awards. For this week's NBP poll question, for the release of "Coyote vs. Acme," we're asking everyone, "Which Is Your Favorite Film That Combines Live Action And 2D Animation?" And we reveal the winner of last week's NBP poll, where we asked everyone, "Which World Premieres Are You Most Looking Forward To From The 2026 Toronto International Film Festival?" We also share our reactions to the trailers for "Club Kid," "Wildwood," "Whalefall," and "Without Blood." We are still answering your fan-submitted questions, but our answers will now be released separately the day after, in a new show called Mailbag Monday! So stay tuned for that and many other updates from Next Best Picture as this year's awards season continues. Thank you all for listening, subscribing, and supporting us. Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/OG0QKNQaXaQ

Check out more on NextBestPicture.com

Please subscribe on...

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
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices