By Matt Neglia 

​Next Best Picture has partnered with Allied Global Marketing and Lionsgate to give away free passes to see "Angel Has Fallen" starring Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Jada Pinkett Smith and more in New York City on Monday, August 19th 2019 a few days before its actual release in theaters on August 23rd 2019.

​Click below for a chance to get passes while supplies last.

​By Cody Dericks 

​The new documentary “Honeyland” is a feat of narrative structure being captured in a non-narrative motion picture. For that reason alone it is worth seeing. But perhaps the true miracle of the movie is its ability to provide lessons that truly any audience member can learn from, an impressively universal achievement for such a specific story. That might seem unlikely coming from a documentary about a Macedonian beekeeper (who, according to the film, is the last female beekeeper in Europe), but once you see it, it’s impossible to not take away something of value. The film picked up three awards at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and is currently in a very limited release, but I would encourage anyone reading this to seek this extraordinary film out whenever it becomes available for home viewing. In honor of the film, I thought it would be enlightening to do a profile exploring some of the topics and lessons the film subtly imparts. So take a seat students, and let’s take a visit to Honeyland! Minor spoilers are ahead, but even knowing the plot beats of the film it is worth seeing for the joy of its structure and narrative pay-offs.

By Hannah Lorence 

With a combined runtime of nearly 210 hours, watching every single movie on the American Film Institute’s Top 100 list is a commitment. Each film on the list has its own merit in the cultural context in which it was created and contributes in some meaningful way to the conversations that were happening at that time, but as I watched each film, I had to ask myself: “If this film were removed from the list, would it really matter in the grand scheme of cinema history?”  

We don’t need multiple retellings of the horrors of the Vietnam war. Between "Apocalypse Now," "Platoon," "Taxi Driver" and "The Deer Hunter," is it really necessary to drive the point home that the war was awful? Why not make room on the list for women filmmakers or directors of color? There are so many diverse artists who make up this country’s history and have important stories to tell.

Even though not all of the movies justify their existence on the list, many made a big impression on me. Some of them are indelibly ingrained in my memory. They are absolutely worth your time, so even if you don’t want to tackle the whole list you can at least seek out these titles. Even if you’ve seen every film on this list there’s never a bad time to revisit a timeless classic!

Here are 10 movies from the AFI Top 100 list you should definitely watch…

By Matt Neglia 

For this year's Oscar off-season, we are taking a look back on the 2015 film year which was right before Next Best Picture launched. We asked the NBP Film Community to vote on 5 films nominated for Best Picture and 5 films nominated for Oscars other than Best Picture from that year to be reviewed on the podcast, exclusively for our Patreon subscribers. We already reviewed "Brooklyn," "Sicario," "Ex Machina," "Room," "Spotlight," "Inside Out," "The Revenant," "The Hateful Eight," and now we are looking at a film which "almost" won Best Picture, Adam McKay's career redefining "The Big Short."

Tackling the financial crisis of 2008 with an all-star cast which includes Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt, coupled with scathing humor and wit, McKay's urgent and messy film has polarized, entertained and educated audience. There's a lot to talk about with this one and here to help me do it I have Nicole Ackman and Dan Bayer.

This is a preview of the podcast, the full version of which is only available to those who subscribe to us on Patreon. For the small price of $1 a month, you can receive this review along with other exclusive podcast content, so be sure to subscribe here.
​
Thank you so much for listening. You can subscribe to the Next Best Picture Podcast on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, PlayerFM, Acast & Castbox or you can listen down below. Please take a moment to review us on Apple Podcasts here. ​

By Ryan C. Showers ​​​

Happy August, Next Best Picture readers. And it is a happy time because we have yet to enter phase one of award season this year. Before the festivals begin and the films that go on to become big dogs in the awards conversation are actually screened for critics and audiences, everything is speculation. We’re all speculating right now. While some find this process annoying, others find it invigorating. Anything can happen at this point. And despite however the individual facts and trends develop once we really get started, sometimes you can sense larger trends in the structure of the season based on the information available at this point. There’s one grim trend about which that we all deserve a forewarning.

By Cody Dericks 

For the majority of the past century, the 1939 film "Gone With the Wind" has frequently been cited as a masterpiece. It frequently tops lists of the greatest films of all time, it swept the Oscars the year of its release, and, adjusted for inflation, it is still the highest-grossing film of all time. By nearly every quantifiable standard, it is undeniably one of the most successful films in history. But as it nears its 80th anniversary, is "Gone With the Wind" still worthy of the unending praise it continues to receive?

By Matt Neglia 

A few days ago, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) announced a slew of films for their 2019 slate. Now, they added more films to their always impressive lineup.

Click below to see the new films added to this year's Toronto International Film Festival.

By Matt Neglia

For this week's second podcast review, I am joined by Josh Parham and together we review the popular children's horror book adaptation to the screen, "Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark." Executive produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by André Øvredal ("Trollhunter" & "The Autopsy Of Jane Doe"), the film embraces traditional scares, a creepy atmosphere and practical effects to create a horror movie for kids. What did we, as adults, think though? Tune in to find out.

Thank you so much for listening. You can subscribe to the Next Best Picture Podcast on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify,Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, PlayerFM, Acast & Castbox or you can listen down below. Please take a moment to review us on Apple Podcasts here. And if you're feeling generous and you enjoy what you hear and want more, please help to support us onPatreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

​By Matt Neglia 

Yesterday on Episode 155 of the podcast, we announced the winners of the 2015 NBP Film Awards, voted on by the staff of Next Best Picture. The full list of winners can be read below after the jump.

We still have two more podcasts to go for our 2015 retrospective series with "Carol" and "The Big Short" set to drop this month. Everyone has until Friday (August 16th) to vote on the 2015 NBP Film Community Awards. The winners for that will be announced before the end of the month.

​Click here to vote on the Community Awards if you haven't already and be sure to subscribe to our Patreon channel where we have been delivering the 2015 retrospective reviews. Thank you!

By Matt Neglia 

For Episode 155, Michael Schwartz, Casey Lee Clark, Josh Parham, Tom O'Brien & myself talk about the main slate announcement for NYFF, the Midnight and Platform additions to TIFF, the controversy surrounding "The Hunt," the announcement of a new Academy President, the trailer for "Honey Boy," the poll results, our picks for the 2015 NBP Film Awards and more!

Thank you so much for listening. You can subscribe to the Next Best Picture Podcast on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, PlayerFM, Acast & Castbox or you can listen down below. Please take a moment to review us on Apple Podcasts here. And if you're feeling generous and you enjoy what you hear and want more, please help to support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia

For this week's main podcast review, I am joined by Josh Parham & Tom O'Brien and together we review the crime period film from the Academy Award nominated screenwriter of "Straight Outta Compton" titled "The Kitchen," starring Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss. What did the NBP Team think of this film? Tune in to find out.

Thank you so much for listening. You can subscribe to the Next Best Picture Podcast on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, PlayerFM, Acast & Castbox or you can listen down below. Please take a moment to review us on Apple Podcasts here. And if you're feeling generous and you enjoy what you hear and want more, please help to support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Celia Schelekewey 

We all remember our first. Specifically, we all remember the first time we were scared witless by a movie or a book, forced to sleep with the lights on for days, or quickly pulling back the shower curtain to startle whoever must be hiding behind it. With this weekend’s release of “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” I think these memories are all the more omnipresent, as the original collections of short stories were responsible for introducing an entire generation to the horror genre. In celebration of firsts, I decided to ask my fellow Next Best Picture members what their first experiences with the horror genre was, and their responses are nothing short of delightful.

By Kt Schaefer ​​

The 1940s is justly considered one of the greatest decades for American cinema, some of the best directors, writers and actors to have lived were working during this time and even though the Hays Code was in effect, the clever ones found ways around its limitations to make their films. Billy Wilder is one of those great directors, a demanding and cantankerous man who makes the AFI’s Top 100 an astounding four times, with only Alfred Hitchcock tying him for most contributions. For “Double Indemnity”, based on a novella by James M. Cain, he teamed up with Raymond Chandler to write the script. Chandler was a newbie to screenwriting at this time but was also a popular pulp fiction novelist who also happened to be in the process of rewriting what a mystery story could be with his noir-style detective tales. It took several difficult months of writing and years of negotiation with the authorities of the MPPDA to produce a film that could be released to the general public. But the product of all those efforts gave the world a landmark story that has inspired generations of filmmakers and novelists.

By Matt Neglia 

For this week's third podcast review, Casey Lee Clark, myself and guest filmmaker Oniffe White dive into the movie which still stands as personally, my favorite film of 2019: "Luce." Starring a knockout ensemble which includes Kelvin Harrison Jr., Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer, Tim Roth and filled with more themes and thought-provoking questions than most movies, this riveting movie provided us with a thoughtful discussion for this week's review. Tune in below to find out what we thought.

Thank you so much for listening. You can subscribe to the Next Best Picture Podcast on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, PlayerFm, Acast & Castbox or you can listen down below. Please take a moment to review us on Apple Podcasts here. And if you're feeling generous and you enjoy what you hear and want more, please help to support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Bianca Garner ​

Long before the "Avengers" and the "Justice League" exploded onto our screens, there was another superhero squad who were brought together to fight crime and save the day. I suspect many of you reading this aren’t aware of the 1999 film “Mystery Men.” Of course, you are excused for not knowing who the ‘mystery men’ are, as the film flopped specularly at the Box Office, earning just $33 million worldwide against a $68 million budget. Since the film’s disastrous release, its director Kinka Usher hasn’t directed another feature film. In fact, it’s claimed that during production Usher declared "I'm going back to commercials when this is done. I've had enough. I'd much rather do my cool little one-minute shorts that I make than deal with all this nonsense."

By Matt Neglia 

​​The New York Film Festival have announced their Main Slate for NYFF57. Big names include Palm d'Or winner Bong Joon-Ho's "Parasite," Kelly Reichardt's new film "First Cow" and a few others. The festival takes place September 27th-October 13th. "The Irishman," "Marriage Story" and "Motherless Brooklyn" were previously announced as the Opening, Centerpiece and Closing Night films.

​Click below to see the rest of the lineup. 

By Matt Neglia 

For this week's second podcast review, Dan Bayer and I, along with guest Valerie Complex, take a look at one of the year's most brutal, polarizing and thought-provoking films, Jennifer Kent's follow-up to "The Babadook," titled "The Nightingale." The film stars newcomers Aisling Franciosi and Baykali Ganambarr, along with Sam Claflin in a role that's unlike anything he has ever done before. The movie has received a considerable amount of buzz for its sexual violence and brutality, but what did we all think? Tune in below to find out.

Thank you so much for listening. You can subscribe to the Next Best Picture Podcast on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, PlayerFm, Acast & Castbox or you can listen down below. Please take a moment to review us on Apple Podcasts here. And if you're feeling generous and you enjoy what you hear and want more, please help to support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Casey Lee Clark 

​I distinctly remember the first time I watched "Drop Dead Gorgeous:" in middle school on the E! Network, which perfectly sums up the vibe of this movie. I’m sure a lot of the jokes went over my head, but I couldn’t help but be drawn to these wacky characters in outlandish situations talking to the camera. Now here we are, with the film recently celebrating its 20th anniversary, I can finally tell you all about my love for this under-seen gem of a movie.

By Matt Neglia 

For Episode 154, Michael Schwartz, Nicole Ackman, Josh Parham, Lauren LaMagna,  & myself talk about the main selections made for this year's New York Film Festival, the trailers for "The Irishman," "The Lighthouse" & "1917." We also go over the poll results, answer your submitted questions and more!

Thank you so much for listening. You can subscribe to the Next Best Picture Podcast on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, PlayerFM, Acast & Castbox or you can listen down below. Please take a moment to review us on Apple Podcasts here. And if you're feeling generous and you enjoy what you hear and want more, please help to support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia 

For this week's main podcast review, I am joined by ​Cody Dericks and together we review the latest entry (spin-off?) in the "Fast and the Furious" franchise titled "Hobbs & Shaw," starring Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba and Vanessa Kirby. What did we think? Tune in below to find out. But stay tuned, for afterward we have a conversation with the film's costume designer Sarah Evelyn!

Thank you so much for listening. You can subscribe to the Next Best Picture Podcast on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, PlayerFM, Acast & Castbox or you can listen down below. Please take a moment to review us on Apple Podcasts here. And if you're feeling generous and you enjoy what you hear and want more, please help to support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.