By Matt Neglia 

Our review this week on the podcast is the sequel to Denis Villeneuve's 2015 film "Sicario," however this time there is no Denis Villeneuve, no Roger Deakins, no Emily Blunt and no Johann Johannsson (RIP) but we have writer Taylor Sheridan and stars Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin for "Sicario: Day Of The Soldado." Is it any good? Does it live up to the first film? Danilo Castro joins me to discuss.

Thank you and please feel free to subscribe to the Next Best Picture Podcast on either ​SoundCloud, Tunein, GooglePlay, iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM & CastBox.

By Josh Williams 

​Sequels. Some of them we adore and some of them we hate. Whether they are crucial to carrying along a story that had more to unravel or is simply being made in order for the studio to rake in more money, sequels are everywhere. More often than not, sequels are made for that second reason. They are sequels which fans did not necessarily ask or even hope for but they got anyway and this is usually exciting. Sadly most of the sequels that arrive unannounced are quite bad. Speaking of sequels we didn't ask for, "Sicario: Day of the Soldado" arrives in theaters this weekend and if Matt's review if anything to go by, it not only was unnecessary but sadly joins the rank of the second category.

Without trying to leave things on a downer for the weekend, we at NBP decided to take a look at some sequels that people didn't ask for but actually turned out rather alright.

By Matt Neglia 

"Leave No Trace" is writer/director Debra Granik's first film since her Oscar nominated 2009 hit "Winter's Bone." The film made its debut at this year's Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim. It stars Ben Foster as a troubled father to his daughter Tom played by Thomasin McKenzie. They are living off of the land in isolated parts of Oregon and while her father can't seem to re-adjust back into society, Tom might just have a chance to do so.

I had the opportunity to talk with Thomasin McKenzie about her work on the film, what it was like working with Ben Foster, her background, her future and more.

Thank you and please feel free to subscribe on either ​SoundCloud, Tunein, GooglePlay, iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, CastBox or you can have a listen down below.

By Matt Neglia 

For our first podcast review on "Last Best Picture" we reviewed Milos Forman's Oscar winning film "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." We had another poll for June 2018 and the winner of that poll was another Best Picture/Best Director winner, David Lean's 1962 masterpiece "Lawrence Of Arabia." The next fan voted podcast for July's "Last Best Picture" review can be voted on here until the end of the month of June.

Joining me for this in-depth review into the film's themes, characters and Oscar success is Josh Parham and one of our Patreon members, Chris Coltrane. This is a preview of the podcast which is an exclusive to our Patreon members. For the small price of $1 a month, you can get the full episode and more exclusive podcast content, so be sure to subscribe here.

Thank you and please feel free to subscribe to the Next Best Picture Podcast on either ​SoundCloud, Tunein, GooglePlay, iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM & CastBox.

By Edward Douglas

​It’s hard to believe that a movie starring Jessica Chastain might be considered one of the “lower profile” movies of the month, but that seems to be the case with her new movie “Woman Walks Ahead,” which will be in select cities this Friday. 
 
Set in the late 19th Century, Chastain plays New York painter Catherine Weldon, a widow who travels to North Dakota to paint a portrait of Chief Sitting Bull (Michael Greyeyes), the now elderly leader of the Sioux nation, who is in the process of negotiating a new land treaty with the U.S. government. In order to get the full cooperation of the natives, the army has cut their food rations in half, and the starving Indians are eager to resolve this situation, particularly the aging chief. Recent Oscar winner Sam Rockwell plays Colonel Groves, a soldier at the nearby base who disapproves of Catherine’s mission, thinking she might get herself killed or worse.
 
Written by Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders”), the film is directed by Susanna White, who had a lot of experience directing television but also directed the sequel “Nanny McPhee Returns” and 2016’s political thriller “Our Kind of Traitor.” “Woman Walks Ahead” is very different from both those movies, being a subtler Western but one that fully uses the New Mexico landscapes to their fullest effect.
 
Quite a few parallels can be drawn between the film’s protagonist and her fight against the male-dominant American West of the 19thcentury with what’s going on in the country these days. Weldon’s attempt to help the natives helped her create a close bond with the subject of her portrait, with whom many thought she had more than a platonic relationship, although that’s kept vague in White’s film. (Obviously, this is very much a fictionalized account of the relationship between Weldon and Sitting Bull, since so little had been written about them, and they would be the only ones who knew what happened between them.)

“Woman Walks Ahead” premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year and then played Tribeca a few months back, but this interview is actually from the former, as we sat down with Ms. White the day after the film premiered.

By Will Mavity 

Steve Newburn is a make-up, special effects and all round true craftsman from the film industry who has worked on movies such as "Inception," "The Dark Knight Rises," "Suicide Squad" and more. His latest credit is Ari Aster's breakout horror hit "Hereditary" which has enjoyed a healthy box office run for such a low budget film and has received its fair share of critical acclaim as well. Some of that acclaim has been directed at Newburn and his work on the makeup and design of the miniatures in the film and for this interview we talk to him about how he came on board with the project, working with Ari Aster and all of the little details you might not have picked up on while initially watching "Hereditary."

Thank you and please feel free to subscribe on either ​SoundCloud, Tunein, GooglePlay, iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, CastBox or you can have a listen down below.

By Will Mavity 

​​This week, the Academy announced nearly 1,000 new additions to its membership, a record high. Among those new invitees were a number of composers, some of whom were already Oscar nominees (“Lion’s” Dustin O’Halloran) while others were not ("Steve Job's" Daniel Pemberton).

Any announcement that causes us to take another look at the many many nominees over the years in the Best Original Score category also forces us to remember that there are also tons of unnominated composers who have been providing us with excellent scores for years, and who have received no recognition from the Academy. Thomas Newman and John Williams have dozens of nominations each, but some of the greats don’t have a single one to their name. 

Here are some of the composers most in need of their first Oscar nomination.

By Daniel Howat

​In the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made a much needed push for greater diversity. The past two years have seen record number of invitees (683 in 2016, 774 in 2017), with a great deal of women and people of color making up those new classes. 2018 makes for a third record-breaking year, as the Academy invited a shocking 928 people to join their ranks. It’s certainly possible that this change in membership could affect the Academy Awards themselves.

By Matt Neglia 

For Episode 96, myself, Michael Schwartz & Josh Parham comment on the latest development in the so called "fan's" backlash towards "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," answer fan questions, play a few rounds of Oscars So Right, talk about the polls and the trailers for "Creed II" & "Welcome To Marwen."

Thank you and please feel free to subscribe on either ​SoundCloud, Tunein, GooglePlay, iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, CastBox or you can have a listen down below.

By Matt Neglia 

For this week's new theatrical release review, myself and Josh Williams discuss the latest film in the "Jurassic Park" franchise, "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" directed by J.A. Bayona and starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Thank you and please feel free to subscribe to the Next Best Picture Podcast on either ​SoundCloud, Tunein, GooglePlay, iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM & CastBox.

Hello Everyone! 

Yesterday, we released Episode 95 of the Next Best Picture Podcast. On that episode, we put a call out there for any and all voices looking to join the NBP Community. For those who did not hear the call, we are going to re-state it here.

We want different perspectives. We want different voices. We want more diversity. We currently have voices from women, men, black, white, and hispanic both in written and podcast form here at Next Best Picture. We want more.

We feel our best work comes when we all don't agree and we have to talk through our interpretations of the art form we all so truly love. We want your voice to contribute towards this discussion here at Next Best Picture. To do this, you can either message me on Twitter or shoot me an email.

Thank you to everyone who has made this community what it is in such a short span of time. As we approach Episode 100 of the podcast and our celebration of two years of existence, we want to continue to grow and provide a platform for new voices out there searching for an outlet to discuss all things film awards related.

We appreciate you. We want to hear from you.

Best.

Matt Neglia
Owner & Editor In Chief for NextBestPicture.com

By Matt Neglia 

For Episode 95, myself, Will Mavity & Josh Parham comment on Brie Larson's call for more diversity in film criticism, answer fan questions, talk about this week's poll pertaining to "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" and the trailers for "Dumbo" and "The Little Stranger."

Thank you and please feel free to subscribe on either ​SoundCloud, Tunein, GooglePlay, iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, CastBox or you can have a listen down below.

By Daniel Howat 

​After helming back-to-back Bond films “Skyfall” and “Spectre,” Sam Mendes has set his next project: World War I film “1917.” According to Variety, the spec package was purchased by Spielberg’s Amblin Partners. Other than the WWI setting, nothing else is known yet about the plot of the film.

​Click below to read more.

By Matt Neglia 

Our review this week on the podcast is writer/director Brad Bird's much anticipated followup to the 2004 Academy Award winning Pixar film "The Incredibles." 14 years later, we finally have "Incredibles 2" now playing in theaters and myself, Will Mavity and Danilo Castro are here with the spoiler filled review. The film stars Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner & Samuel L. Jackson.

Thank you and please feel free to subscribe to the Next Best Picture Podcast on either ​SoundCloud, Tunein, GooglePlay, iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM & CastBox.

By Danilo Castro 

​If we’re being completely honest, most animated sequels are pretty bad. The longer a franchise goes, the easier it becomes for animators and voice actors to phone it in, to the point where audiences struggle to remember why they became a fan in the first place. One needn’t look hard for examples; “Ice Age," “Despicable Me," and “The Land Before Time” have all fallen victim to this disheartening (And sadly, lucrative) practice.

But for every dozen or so stinkers, there is an animated sequel that gets it right. A film that not only honors the characters and story beats of the original, but builds on them, and challenges them in ways that were previously unexpected. “Incredibles 2” is the latest sequel to pull off this rare feat (Read our review here), so in honor of the superhero family’s return, we’ve decided to assemble the 5 best-animated sequels in history that immediately followed the original film (Sorry "Toy Story" 3).

By Matt Neglia 

When voting for "Next Best Adaptation" (Where we analyze a potential Best Adapted Screenplay contender's source material), you all chose 2004's "The Incredibles" as one of the winners of the poll. So, what better way to celebrate that film then to record a Throwback Review for it on the podcast and release it in anticipation for the sequel set to come out this weekend. Myself, Will Mavity and Nicole Ackman review Brad Bird's Academy Award winning film on the podcast for our Patreon subscribers.

This is a preview of the full podcast which for the small price of $1 a month, you can get the full episode through our Patreon page, so be sure to subscribe here.

Thank you and please feel free to subscribe to the Next Best Picture Podcast on either ​SoundCloud, Tunein, GooglePlay, iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM & CastBox.

By Michael Schwartz 

The 2018 Tony Awards were held this past Sunday and there were some expected winners with more than a few surprises. it was an entertaining and sometimes unusual night of television, celebrating that which we love about this industry. Myself, Nicole Ackman & Dan Bayer are back once again with another podcast special, this time recapping the show, the winners and our thoughts on the overall evening. We will not be taking a year off this time in between seasons and you can expect us to return again in 2018.

Special thank you to Nicole Ackman and Dan Bayer for their contributions this season We appreciate your feedback and please feel free to subscribe on either ​SoundCloud, Tunein, GooglePlay, iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, CastBox or you can have a listen down below.

By Daniel Howat 

​After a much publicized exit from the film, Bryan Singer will remain the credited director on “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Director Dexter Fletcher finished up the Freddie Mercury biopic, coming out this November, but his credit remains unknown.

​Keep reading for more info about Singer’s exit.

By Josh Williams ​

​A24 has skyrocketed into the public eye in the past few years. Producing some of the most acclaimed independent films to date it is clear that they show no sign of slowing down. They distribute a wide variety of films across a wide variety of genres and for the most part are rather successful. A24 has even seen some awards love over their years up to and including a Best Picture win for Barry Jenkins' "Moonlight."

A24 is clearly a studio that celebrates diversity, originality, and passion when it comes to cinema. One specific genre that A24 is seemingly becoming more and more known for is horror. They have been behind some of the most exciting horror films over the past few years such as, "The Witch," "It Comes At Night," "Green Room," and now, "Hereditary." So with "Hereditary" releasing this week, we here at Next Best Picture figured we would take a look at the horror films in which A24 has produced.

So with that said here is our ranking of all of A24's horror films!

By Matt Neglia 

For Episode 94, myself and Will Mavity are joined by a special guest as the three of us break down the unbelievable number of trailers we received in a single week which unofficially kicked off our hype for the 2018 awards season race.

Trailers covered in this episode include: "The Girl In The Spider's Web" (22:33),  "Bumblebee" (28:33), "Halloween" (35:39), "Bad Times At The El Royale" (42:54), "Serenity" (49:07), "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part" (55:28), "Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck It Ralph 2" (1:02:44), "Operation Finale" (1:10:03), "Suspiria" (1:15:04), "Widows" (1:20:10), "The Old Man And The Gun" (1:26:51), " A Star Is Born" (1:33:02), and "First Man" (1:45:20).

​Whew! That's a lot. We hope you're as excited as we are!

Thank you and please feel free to subscribe on either ​SoundCloud, Tunein, GooglePlay, iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, CastBox or you can have a listen down below.

By Matt Neglia 

For this week, myself and Josh Williams are joined by guest Kevin Brackett of ReelSpoilers. Together, the three of us talk about A24's acclaimed and horrifying film "Hereditary," starring Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro and Ann Dowd. We don't go into spoilers early on in our review but there is a spoiler section at around 43:37 and then following that, I was fortunate enough to get a few minutes to talk to the director/writer of the film, Ari Aster at around 1:07:41.

Thank you and please feel free to subscribe on either ​SoundCloud, Tunein, GooglePlay, iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, CastBox or you can have a listen down below.

By Daniel Howat 

​Hot off his brief Best Picture nomination (And genuine Best Director win), Damien Chazelle is back with another Ryan Gosling film. This time Gosling stars as Neil Armstrong in “First Man.”

People Magazine released the first official stills from the movie this week. Click below to get your first look at the hotly anticipated Oscar contender.

By Edward Douglas 

If you’ve seen either of filmmaker Brett Haley’s previous two films – 2015’s “I’ll See You In My Dreams” or 2017’s “The Hero” – then you already know that he has a knack for simple character pieces that have a way of hitting you right in the heartstrings.

His new film “Hearts Beat Loud” follows in a similar trajectory as “I’ll See You in a Dreams,” as it’s another film about two generations connecting through music. It also premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, this time in the prestigious Closing Night slot.

Haley’s film stars Nick Offerman as Frank Fisher, owner of a record store in Red Hook, Brooklyn, which he’s seriously thinking about closing after 17 years, but he finds a new lease on life when he starts writing songs with his daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons from the Sundance breakout film “Dope”). One thing leads to another and their band (called “We Are Not a Band”) ends up getting one of their songs featured on Spotify. Toni Collette ("Hereditary") plays Leslie, Frank’s landlady, who has some ideas to try to make the store profitable, as she and Offerman also start getting closer. The film also stars Ted Danson, Sasha Lane (“American Honey”), as well as Blythe Danner, who appeared in Haley’s earlier film “I’ll See You in My Dreams”

It’s a movie about the changing face of Brooklyn, the relationship between fathers and daughters and the early stages of romance, all driven by a series of the catchiest pop tunes written by Keegan Dewitt -- who has composed the music for all of Haley’s films. These songs are so catchy that the “Hearts Beat Loud” soundtrack could end up being commodity similar to the soundtracks for “Once” and “Sing Street” a couple years back.

Back at Sundance, we spoke with Haley, Offerman, and Clemons about the film. As these things go, our interview began with just Haley and Clemons, since she had to dash for a plane, then we were joined by Offerman shortly into the interview.

By Daniel Howat 

Jeff Sneider over at Collider reports that Warner Bros. has three actors atop their shortlist for a new "Willy Wonka" reboot. They’ve been toying with a new Wonka film for a few years now, and it seems like it’s finally coming together.

​Keep reading below for more info on the project.

By Michael Schwartz 

The Tony Awards are being held this Sunday. Myself, Nicole Ackman & Dan Bayer are back with the podcast special "Next Best Theatre" to give you our predictions for this Sunday's show in all categories. We will be back with another episode a few days after the show airs to give our reactions to the winners.

Special thank you to Nicole Ackman and Dan Bayer for their contributions on this and the other episodes to come. We appreciate your feedback and please feel free to subscribe on either ​SoundCloud, Tunein, GooglePlay, iTunes, Stitcher, Player FM, CastBox or you can have a listen down below.