By Danilo Castro 

There's nobody quite like Edgar Wright. As a technician and a visual storyteller, Wright has cultivated a style resulting in some of the most irreverent and clever comedies of the millennium. He may be second to Quentin Tarantino in terms of cataloging obscure film references, but unlike Tarantino, he invites the audience to laugh at them and share in their inherent silliness.

There's more to Wright than satire, however. He's proven himself to be a master documentarian and a filmmaker who's constantly looking to up the ante in terms of form and aesthetic. "Last Night in Soho" is Wright's latest and most uncharacteristic release. Given the buzz surrounding it, we decided to pull out our collections and determine which Wright films we love most and which ones we'd consider chucking at heads of nearby zombies.

Here is Next Best Picture's ranking of Edgar Wright's films, from worst to best.​..

By Danilo Castro 

Happy Halloween weekend from Next Best Picture!

The movie remake is a thankless undertaking. There are so many elements working against it, not only in terms of artistry but in the viewer's expectations, that it can often fall apart before it even has a chance to find its own identity. A special talent comes into play when mounting a successful remake, and while there haven't been many to speak of overall, there have been standout examples within the horror genre.

Horror remakes experienced a boom in the 1980s when filmmakers discovered a way to combine the premises of 1950s B-movies with the craft and sophistication these earlier movies weren't afforded. Suddenly a camp yarn about a scientist and a fly became a Kafkaesque tragedy, and a thriller about a snowbound alien became an allegory for disease. Since then, the horror genre has served as an oasis for artists who want to pinpoint a fresh thread within a familiar story. Let's take a look at the ten horror movie remakes we think are the best the genre has to offer.

By Danilo Castro 

Ridley Scott has had an idiosyncratic career, to say the least. In terms of work ethic and range, he's a throwback to the directors of classic Hollywood. Few people could muster the energy to release two massive dramas ("The Last Duel" and "House of Gucci") in one year, let alone do so at the age of 83. Of course, Scott is anything but old-fashioned when it comes to artistry. The director has repeatedly broken down genre barriers and shown what could be possible when one is unafraid to play with form and aesthetics. Film noir, science fiction, horror, and historical epics have all been filtered through Scott's exacting lens and been all the better for it.

Scott's prolific output has resulted in a fair share of duds ("1492: Conquest of Paradise" & "A Good Year" among them), but we wanted to focus on the instances in which he put it all together. So, with "The Last Duel" galloping into theaters, we decided to take our swords and carve out a list of the ten best Ridley Scott films. Admittedly, I have not seen "The Last Duel" yet, so this list of ten will not contain his latest effort.

By Cody Dericks 

​There's a chill in the air, the leaves are drifting from their wooden homes, and candy is on sale and prominently displayed at every grocery store. It's finally the seasonally appropriate time to watch the "Halloween" series. This is unquestionably my favorite scary movie franchise, and it's certainly been a roller coaster trying to keep up with it over the years. Even in a reboot and remake-heavy genre like horror, this series has chopped up and remixed its own mythology a frightening number of times. In honor of the release of "Halloween Kills," let's look at the many entries in this storied film series and see how they rank against each other.

By Cody Dericks 
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The James Bond film series revolves around traditions - the gun barrel opening, the fancy cars, the one-and-done leading actresses, the martinis, and, most notably, the theme songs. Listening to all of the Bond songs in order is a great way to chart the course of popular music over the last half-century. And while they reflect trends from the time of their release, Bond songs still maintain a specific, classic sound in one way or another that links them all together. Just in time for the latest 007 adventure, "No Time to Die," let's take a look at the astounding number of theme tunes this series has given us and see how they stack up against each other.

By Dan Bayer 
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With fewer big premieres than in the past and most "big" titles unavailable for press and industry to view digitally, the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival feels like the black sheep of the fall festival season. However, that doesn't mean that the lineup is void of interesting and eye-catching titles. As always, TIFF is pushing boundaries when it comes to diversity behind the camera, with over 50 feature films directed by women and even more from ethnic minorities. The lineup includes some holdovers from Cannes and some that will come to the festival from Venice or Telluride. But for this list, we're focusing on those titles that will be making their world premiere in Toronto, where I will be bringing you coverage from the ground. Come get excited with me!

By Zach Gilbert 

Although theaters are still struggling to recover from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, that hasn't stopped several high-profile releases from premiering this summer, from sequels in fan-favorite franchises ("F9," and "Black Widow") to heralded horror hits ("A Quiet Place Part II," and "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It") to fun family fare ("Cruella" and "Jungle Cruise") and everything in between. However, with so much attention on "the return of big-budget blockbusters," several smaller indies seem to have fallen through the cracks, unable to match the overwhelming attention these larger-scale titles generate. As the summer movie season comes to a close and we head into a bit of a "waiting period" before the next wave of franchise flicks arrive, there's no better time to revisit the critically acclaimed releases that don't have the advantage of the mighty marketing campaigns major studios can afford. Below, we've outlined ten films that fit that bill perfectly, representing an array of genres and shining a light on stories commonly swept aside.

By Cameron Lee 

​The fall festival season starts today with Venice, and with it comes many musical scores that will likely be nominated for the big awards come early next year. But there are plenty of film scores already out that deserve to be considered and will most likely be forgotten in favor of more heavyweight contenders coming out during peak awards season. Hopefully, this article will serve as a reminder to any voter or critic not to forget about these fantastic film scores as we go through awards season.

By Danilo Castro 

​Tom McCarthy is a filmmaker tough to pin down. He was a successful character actor on television, but never to the extent that he could land a starring gig. He landed an Oscar nomination for co-writing "Up" (2009) with Bob Peterson and Pete Docter, but the latter two dominated the awards coverage. He's cultivated a rich body of work as a writer/director, but he remains a largely unknown figure to casual audiences. There is no distinct auteur style, no boisterous persona, or even any controversies to rally behind/against. 

In truth, the only way to learn about Tom McCarthy is to watch his films. His career-long fascination with outsiders looking for acceptance taps into a universality that transcends race or background. He's a humanist filmmaker at heart, and given that his latest release, "Stillwater," is now in theaters, we thought it best to journey off the beaten path and rank all of his films from worst to best.

By Cody Dericks 
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M. Night Shyamalan is one of the few directors whose name is still recognizable by even the most casual of moviegoers. Unfortunately, that's owing as much to his bad movies as it is to his good ones. A robust early run of blockbuster thrillers quickly gave way to a distressingly awful period in his career before he bounced back in a way that is pretty much unheard of in an industry that is reluctant to give second chances. Still, I am such a fan of his early work that I always find myself sticking up for him, and I frankly can't wait to hear what everyone has to say about his newest movie - "Old." In honor of the film's release this weekend, I thought it would be fun to rank and explore all of the films he's directed. In terms of quality, he truly has one of the most varied filmographies I've ever seen.

By Cameron Lee 

2021 has become a banner year for music documentaries. From Edger Wright's love letter "The Sparks Brothers" to Questlove's "Summer of Soul," not to mention the upcoming "Velvet Underground" by Todd Haynes and Peter Jackson's recently extended "Let It Be" documentary series. So, in honor of this, I have put together a list of ten powerful music documentaries that will hopefully give context to some of the best artists of then and now.​

By Matt Neglia & Dan Bayer
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The 2021 Tribeca Film Festival ended a few days ago in New York and it was indeed a memorable if a bit of an odd experience. While the outdoor screenings all over the city were a pleasure (when Dan Bayer and I could attend), the virtual portal was where we did most of our viewing. The two of us took some time to compile our thoughts on the films we saw from the festival and have provided capsule reviews down below. Some of these films have already been released and some are still to come. Take a look as we look back on our experience with this year's film festival.

By Matt Neglia 

We're halfway through 2021. As such, it is time to reveal NBP's rankings of the best films of the year so far. But what do we see as the year 2021? Considering last year's Oscars had the eligibility window for qualifying films extended two extra months from January 1st - February 28th, there is an argument to be made that films released during that time such as "Judas And The Black Messiah" or "The Father" should qualify. Not so fast. Because we're an awards website, first and foremost, we're only counting films released March 1st - June 30th for our own internal team ranking of the best films of 2021 so far. I asked everyone on the team to provide their top 5 films released in that eligibility window, and we came up with the ranking shown down below based on how many times a film showed up on team members' lists and how high. We urge you to check out these films either in a theater or on streaming (whichever you're most comfortable with).

Without any further adieu, here are our top 20 films of 2021 so far...

By Danilo Castro 

​​"Fast & Furious" is one of Hollywood's greatest underdog stories. It's the little racecar that could, defying industry notions about diversity and longevity and cranking out some of the most ridiculously fun action films of the 21st century. What makes these films so much fun is their cartoonish set pieces and their willingness to laugh at themselves and evolve with the times by embracing spinoffs and new cast members.
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Vin Diesel is the franchise's Tom Cruise, an actor/producer who knows what the fans want and will give it to them, regardless of how ludicrous it may be. Driving off a cliff? Sure. Scaling a submarine? Ok. Launching into outer space? Why the hell not? The absurdity is balanced out by the anchoring theme of family, which extends to the franchise's stellar roster of actors (Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Jason Statham, just to name a few).

​​The franchise's latest installment, "F9," is now in theaters, and to commemorate its release, we decided to bust out the NOS and rank the "Fast & Furious" films from worst to best. The road might be dangerous, but we'll be good as long as we take it a quarter-mile at a time.

By Matt Neglia & Dan Bayer 
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Tomorrow marks the return of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York after the festival was forced to be canceled last year due to COVID-19. There will be both a combination of in-person and virtual screenings this year and Dan Bayer and I will be covering on behalf of Next Best Picture. 

Below you can find the list of the 20 films we are most looking forward to seeing at this year's festival.

By Danilo Castro 
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It's been said that marriage is a partnership. It is a bond between two people that requires complete trust in order to get through life's various setbacks. The same can be said for the relationship between the director and actor, which often has to contend with power plays, external changes, and differences of opinion. The effort these different partnerships demand is what makes it so damned impressive when people can do both.

There have been countless examples of spouses who have worked together as director and actor. They can sometimes result in disaster (Guy Ritchie and Madonna's "Swept Away" comes to mind), but these collaborations yield great results more often than not. "A Quiet Place Part II" is now in theaters, and since real-life couple John Krasinski (co-writer/director) and Emily Blunt (star) are the faces of the franchise, we felt it time to revisit the best director/actor partners who also happened to be married.

For clarity's sake, we will not be including directors and actors who were unmarried at the time of their collaboration(s). They must already be spouses, which leaves out notable pairs like James Cameron and Linda Hamilton ("The Terminator" & "T2: Judgement Day") or Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw ("Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom").

By Zach Gilbert 
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At the 93rd Academy Awards, "Nomadland's" Chloé Zhao made history when she won the Oscar for Best Director, as only the second woman - and the first woman of color - to achieve such a feat - eleven long years after Kathryn Bigelow trounced her competitors in the category for her work on 2009's "The Hurt Locker." While Zhao's win is absolutely worth celebrating, new questions now arise; will we have to wait over a decade for another female recipient of the Best Director Oscar? Thankfully, even though this year's race is chock-full of contenders from male auteurs (Paul Thomas Anderson's "Soggy Bottom," Wes Anderson's "The French Dispatch," Guillermo Del Toro's "Nightmare Alley," Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story," etc.), the ladies are ready to represent as well. Below, we outline ten female filmmakers who could follow in Chloé Zhao's footsteps this awards season to earn a Best Director nomination - and maybe even secure that statue, too.

By Hunter Friesen

Often considered the most prestigious film festival globally, the Cannes Film Festival is your one-stop shop for some of the greatest works in international cinema. For the first time since 1968, the festival was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's edition has the potential to be one of the best as dozens of projects from the world's greatest filmmakers jockey for the opportunity to be awarded the coveted first place Palme d'Or, which will be decided by a Spike Lee led jury.

Twenty films will be selected for the Official Competition, with several others being placed in one of the festival's many sidebar sections. And quite a few unlucky films will have to set their sights somewhere else. Cannes also has its place in the Oscar race. To use a sports analogy, it is the preseason to the fall festivals regular season. Films such as "Pulp Fiction," "The Tree of Life," "Amour" and "Parasite" started their Oscar path at the festival. 

In this article, I will detail the films that have the potential to premiere at the festival. They are sorted into three categories based on their likelihood, which stemming from a combination of factors that are explained in each summary.

The festival will announce the lineup for all sections on June 3rd. 

By Cody Dericks 
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It's not controversial to say that Amy Adams is one of the most respected film actresses working today. She's a household name who can command attention in small indies and huge blockbusters alike. Perhaps the most quantifiable evidence of her veneration is her impressive haul of Oscar nominations. Across the past 15 years, she's managed to scoop up a whopping six nominations. And she's also given plenty of acclaimed performances that didn't land a nomination, such as in "Arrival" and "Enchanted." She shows no sign of slowing down (As evidenced by her performance in this year's "The Woman In The Window" and the upcoming "Dear Evan Hansen"), and at only 46 years old, she'll have plenty of opportunities ahead to rack up even more nominations (and hopefully a win or two).

That being said, the curious thing about her six nominations is that, anecdotally, there is no clear consensus amongst Oscar watchers and film fans that she was "robbed" any time that she's lost. I wouldn't personally give her my vote for any of her nominations if I were an Oscar voter. Still, her six nominations represent a vast and varied career, so I thought it would be fun to look back upon and rank her nominations.

Spoiler alert: They're all excellent performances!

By Ryan C. Showers 
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Guys, 2020 was weird. The COVID-19 pandemic may have up-ended dozens of theatrical releases, altered the entertainment industry's fabric forever, and exposed both the normalization and power of streaming services. Through the ups and downs of this eventful year, there was breathing room in the market for smaller films to bubble up to the surface and have a real chance for the spotlight. Some may look back and regard this year as a weaker year for cinema. However, I dissent. Film and awards season kept me going in 2020, through the shutdowns, social distancing, and time spent at home. And I loved that smaller art films took center stage. Any year in cinema is what you make of it.

By Tom O'Brien 

​In my previous "Best of 2020" blog post, I looked back on films that I ranked number 11 through 20, movies that ranged from a time-loop comedy to an investigative documentary to a touching same-sex love story, each of which helped to raise the bar on the quality among 2020 films. Now let's turn to ten films that went above and beyond, providing moments for me that helped me to see films (or life, for that matter) in a slightly different way.

I now give you my top 10 of 2020...

By Tom O'Brien 

​When the expected big guns of the 2020 Oscar race ("Dune," "The French Dispatch," & "West Side Story," just to name a few) were hustled off to late 2021 so that they could have a splashy post-COVID run in theaters, these words began to appear from #FilmTwitter about the films that remained duking it out in the race for the 2020 Oscars: 

"...scraps..."
"...leftovers..."
"...the B-team..."

Well, honey, if the films of 2020 are the "B-team," I'll gladly take these "scraps" and "leftovers" any day of the week. In fact, there were so many standout films onscreen this year that I couldn't limit my list to simply ten titles, so I'd like to offer a "20 Best of 2020" with these first ten titles serving as more-than-worthy runners-up to the Top 10. And just look at the variety of subjects that these 20 films tackled: From a Korean-American family in Arkansas to life among American nomads on the road, and from stellar film adaptations of three celebrated plays to an unexpected thriller with an ending that no one saw coming. Perhaps most surprising of all, seven of these Top 20 films were made by first-time directors, an impressive number that bodes well for outstanding work from them in years to come. So let's get started...

By Dan Bayer 

2020, true to form, threw me for a real loop in terms of list-making. So many films that I saw feel like they weren't even released, two of my favorites of the year got pushed back well into 2021 (I'll miss you, "Nine Days" and "Shiva Baby"), some opened within the Oscar eligibility window but clearly weren't either 2020 or 2021 ("Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar"), and plenty of foreign films did their usual thing of being eligible for 2020 Oscars but not officially opening until after nominations were announced in the next year. With the mess of the extended Oscar eligibility window, it became increasingly difficult to determine which films belonged in which year. After many, many weeks of agonizing over it, I decided that it would be on mine if it were on Oscar's eligibility list for 2020. The films that weren't would have to wait until whenever they actually open. What made this even more difficult is that there were a lot of good movies this year! No matter what your eligibility window, there were plentiful moments of cinematic greatness in 2020. You just had to look farther afield than usual to find them. From the tiniest of micro-indies to the festival sensations, to the traditional big "Oscar Bait" films - and with much love to "Hamilton" and "Lovers Rock," especially in a year when the line between film and television grew even blurrier than usual - here are the ten that kept my soul fed throughout this crazy year.

By Cody Dericks 

Because of obvious circumstances in this weird, awful year, the most noteworthy movies of 2020 were mostly small, grounded stories that focused on humanity's shared experiences. Beyond the films I'm about to list, I have to give a special mention to "Hamilton" and Steve McQueen's "Education" and "Lovers Rock" which, even with the ever-blending definitions of television and film, I'm not including here even though they were some of the best pieces of filmed media I saw all year. Also, unlike the Academy with their expanded year, I'm only including films in my top 10 that actually came out in the calendar year of 2020. So, let's look back on some of the few bright spots of this blight of a year.

By Casey Lee Clark 

It's no secret that 2020 was a weird year, particularly in the world of film. However, I think it has allowed for more attention to be given to smaller films and a greater variety in terms of who is telling these stories. For one, I saw more films outside my comfort zone or even films that, in a different year, I probably would not have seen and ended up really enjoying them. I was also fortunate enough at the beginning of 2020 to be able to attend Sundance, where I saw several films that had an impact on my best-of list. It might seem a bit late to be making a top film of 2020 list, but I typically hold off on making mine until the end of January the following year anyways to devote that whole month to catch-up. There were a lot of films that I loved this year and it was nice to be able to see more as well as revisit and reevaluate the films I had seen throughout the year.

Narrowing it down to a top ten was quite difficult, so I have some honorable mentions that I would like to shout out: "And Then We Danced," "Crip Camp," "Da 5 Bloods," "First Cow," "Kajillionaire," "Let Them All Talk," "Mangrove," "Mank," "Soul" and "Sound of Metal."