By Matt Neglia 

Academy Award-winner Javier Bardem had a tremendous 2021, starring in one of the biggest blockbusters of the year with "Dune," playing Desi Arnaz in Aaron Sorkin's "Being The Ricardos," which he recently received a SAG Nomination for Best Actor from his peers and playing the lead in the Spanish submission for Best International Feature Film, "The Good Boss." Javier was kind enough to spend some time with us discussing all three roles, including his musical work as entertainer, Desi Arnaz, the differences between Spanish and American productions, where things are at regarding his role as Stilgar in the upcoming "Dune: Part Two," and more! We hope you enjoy our conversation, which you can listen to down below.

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Will Mavity 
​
Pedro Almodóvar's "Parallel Mothers" had its world premiere at last year's Venice Film Festival, where it won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for the film's star, Academy Award-winner Penélope Cruz. She has since gone on to win other Best Actress prizes from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society Of Film Critics. This is Cruz's seventh film with Almodóvar, and it's clear there's an inherent trust in their working relationship. Cruz was kind enough to spend some moments talking with us about her work on the film, her relationship with Almodóvar, her thoughts on her character, Janice, and what she plans to do next. Be sure to take a listen down below and enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia & Will Mavity 

"The Harder They Fall" is a Black revisionist Western which has lit the world on fire and put Hollywood on notice with its all talented Black cast, genre-defying elements, and hip-hop-influenced soundtrack. Writer, director, and composer Jeymes Samuel was kind enough to chat with me about his inspiration for the project, how he chose to approach it compared to his music endeavors, and how his film is looking to reclaim the genre from Hollywood's long history of not giving Black voices their due. On top of that, Costume Designer Antoinette Messam spoke with Will Mavity about her work on the film, which seemed to blend the historic and the modern to present something vibrant and fresh for today's audience. We hope you enjoy it!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Daniel Howat 

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson's directorial debut, "Summer Of Soul," had its world premiere at last year's Sundance Film Festival, where it went on to win the Grand Jury and Audience prizes for Best Documentary. The accolades did not stop there. The film has garnered more wins than any other documentary film in the awards race this year, including a record-breaking six wins from the Critics Choice Awards, including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, and Best Editing for Joshua L. Pearson. Thompson and Pearson were both kind enough to take some time to talk with us about the film, working with the mammoth amount of footage they had from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, their reaction to the film's success, and more. Please take a listen down below and enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Dan Bayer & Will Mavity 

"In The Heights" may have come out earlier in the year and got knocked down due to its poor box office performance. Still, the film received positive reviews, eventually found an audience on HBO Max, and has recently given its star Anthony Ramos a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. We conducted several interviews about the film with its director Jon M. Chu (by Dan Bayer) & the sound team Lewis Goldstein and John Marquis (by Will Mavity). We hope you enjoy this look inside at what it took to bring the life and sounds of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony Award-winning show to the screen.

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia 

For Episode 278, we have a massive show for you! This week, I was joined by Nicole Ackman, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, Cody Dericks & NBP's newest member, Amy Smith. Because we'll be taking next week off due to Sundance, we left no stone unturned as we went into detail on numerous races for this year's Oscars post-Golden Globe winners, SAG nominations, and the announced BAFTA longlists. We also go over the polls, give our reactions to the trailers for "X," "Kimi," & "Against The Ice," answer your fan-submitted fan questions, and much more! We hope this three-hour-long episode will tide you over until we come back in two weeks! Enjoy!

​Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia 

For our main podcast review this week, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, Daniel Howat, Danilo Castro & guest Ryan C. Showers joined me to discuss "Scream," or "Scream 5," or "Scream 2022," whatever you want to call it, it's the fifth film in the beloved, popular horror franchise with a new cast which consists of Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, and a few others, plus the original turning trio of Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox & David Arquette. What did we think of the story? The twists? The kills? The rumor? The characters and how this franchise continues to evolve twenty-five years since the original film while staying close to its roots (otherwise known as a "requel")? We discuss all of these plot points and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review down below. Please take a listen and enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Will Mavity 
​
Anyone who has seen Joel Coen's adaptation of William Shakespeare's "The Tragedy of Macbeth" knows what a scrumptious feast it is for the eyes and ears. The film had its world premiere at last year's New York Film Festival, and now, audiences can stream it on AppleTV+ to take in its meticulous design and powerhouse performance, led by Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. Two previous Coen Brothers collaborators, composer Carter Burwell and production designer Stefan Decant were kind enough to spend time talking with us about their work on the film, their relationship with the Coens, especially Joel, their cinematic influences for this highly particular film, and more! Be sure to take a listen down below and enjoy this look into the making of one of the best films of 2021.

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia, Will Mavity & Daniel Howat 

Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" is a high artistic achievement not just for 2021 but in the annals of cinematic history. It was a massive undertaking to adapt Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel for the big-screen (and this is only the first half of the story), but it paid off with solid box office results, tons of awards season buzz, critical acclaim & the announcement from Warner Bros. that "Dune Part Two" has officially been greenlit. Shortly following the news of this announcement, I had the pleasure of speaking with Villeneuve about his latest film. At the same time, my colleagues Will Mavity and Daniel Howat conducted interviews with two of the film's awards season contenders, makeup designer Donald Mowat and visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert respectively. We hope you enjoy these three conversations taking you deeper into the world of "Dune," which is now available to rent and own at home on 4K UHD. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia 

For our second review this week, Josh Parham & Dan Bayer joined me to discuss the newest film from Academy Award-winner George Clooney. "The Tender Bar" is a sweet coming-of-age film now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, starring Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Lily Rabe, Christopher Lloyd, and newcomer Daniel Ranieri. Based on a memoir by JR Moehringer, the film is filled with familiar, grounded, and nostalgic conventions of storytelling meant to inspire and warm our hearts. What did we think of the performances? The direction from Clooney? We discuss all of these points and whether or not Ben Affleck will receive an Oscar nomination for acting in our review down below. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia 

For Episode 277, we decided to do things a little differently. I was joined by Lauren LaMagna, Josh Parham, ​Ema Sasic, Dan Bayer, Zach Gilbert & Will Mavity. Together, we decided to have a laid-back, fun party as The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced their winners live on social media while we recorded last night for the 79th annual Golden Globe Awards. As the show went on (and more alcohol was consumed), we reacted to the winners in real-time, gave our predictions for the SAG nominations & the BAFTA Longlists, discussed the state of the Oscar race and whether or not the Golden Globes mean anything this year. We have no new trailers to talk about this week, and I foolishly forgot to go over the polls during the recording (check out the results for last week's poll here), but we managed to answer some of your fan-submitted fan questions and more! We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did! Come, join the party!

​Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia 

For our main podcast review this week, Amy Smith & Dan Bayer joined me to discuss "The 355," starring Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong'o, Penélope Cruz, Diane Kruger, Bingbing Fan, Sebastian Stan & Édgar Ramírez. This is Simon Kinberg's second directed feature-length film after teaming with Jessica Chastain on "Dark Phoenix." Free of the "X-Men" franchise, is this the start of a new action franchise, or is this another dull, run of the mill, espionage action film we tend to see around this time of year? Tune in below to find out and enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia & Nicole Ackman 

"Tick, Tick...Boom!" had its world premiere at this year's AFI Film Festival and was shortly available to stream on Netflix afterward. It has since gone on to receive Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations for Best Picture and Best Actor for Andrew Garfield. We compiled a few interviews together, taking you deep into Lin-Manuel Miranda's feature directorial debut about the life of Jonathan Larson. First up is my interview with the film's star, Andrew Garfield, followed by Nicole Ackman's interview with the film's editors, Myron Kerstein & Andrew Weisblum, and then we end things with my interview with the film's screenwriter, Steven Levenson. We hope you enjoy each of these conversations about one of the year's best films.

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Daniel Howat 

Academy Award-winner Halle Berry's feature directorial debut "Bruised" debuted at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival and was later picked up by Netflix and re-surfaced a year later with a premiere at the 2021 AFI Film Festival. The film is now streaming on Netflix and has received a tremendous response for Berry's lead performance in the film. Demanding both physically and emotionally, Berry gives it her all, resulting in some of the best work of her career. She was kind enough to spend a few minutes talking with us about the role of Jackie Justice, her work on the film, and much more! We hope you'll give it a listen down below. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia 

For our second review this week, Lauren LaMagna, Ema Sasic, Zach Gilbert, Sara Clements & Casey Lee Clark join me to review the feature directorial debut from Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Lost Daughter" starring Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson & Ed Harris. An adaptation of the novel of the same name by Elena Ferrante, the film raises taboo topics which we don't see often discussed regarding motherhood. What did we think of these themes, the characters, the performances, writing and editing? We discuss all of these points and the film's Oscar potential, in our SPOILER-FILLED review down below. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia 

Happy New Year, everyone! For Episode 276, I am being joined by Josh Parham, ​Eve O'Dea & Will Mavity. This week, we're giving our predictions for the 79th annual Golden Globe Awards and discussing our most anticipated films of 2022. We have no new trailers to talk about this week, but we will still be going over the polls, answering your fan-submitted fan questions, and more! We hope you enjoy it!

​Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia 

Happy New Year! For our main podcast review this week, Eve O'Dea, Dan Bayer & Josh Parham joined me to discuss "The Tragedy Of Macbeth," starring Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Corey Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, Harry Melling, Kathryn Hunter, Moses Ingram & Alex Hassell. The first film to be directed by Joel Coen without involvement from his brother Ethan, the black-and-white film is an adaptation of the famous William Shakespeare play where classic and modern filmmaking techniques are merged to deliver something wholly unique. The film is currently playing in limited release and will be available to stream on Apple TV+ on January 14th. What did we think of the performances, the adaptation, the cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel, and the sound? We discuss all of these points and the film's awards prospects in our SPOILER-FILLED review, which you can listen to down below. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

​By Will Mavity 
​
Wes Anderson's "The French Dispatch" was meant to premiere at last year's Cannes Film Festival but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It finally premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival, then made its way to the Telluride and New York Film Festivals before coming to theaters, and is now available to watch at home on digital and Blu Ray. The film is a visual feast which isn't surprising considering cinematographer Robert Yeoman has been Anderson's secret weapon in his filmography going back to "Bottle Rocket" in 1996. Yeoman was previously nominated for an Oscar for his previous collaboration with Anderson on "The Grand Budapest Hotel," and their latest offering might even be better! Yeoman was kind enough to take time out of shooting their upcoming film "Asteroid City" to talk about his work on the film, working in black-and-white, his friendship with Anderson, and much more! We hope you enjoy this look into one of the most visually splendid-looking films of the year.

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Daniel Howat 

Disney Pixar's latest film "Luca" has been nominated for both a Critics Choice and a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature and is now listed as one of the films eligible for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. One of the reasons why the film has resonated with so many people is through Dan Romer's soaring, gentle and beautiful score. Dan was kind enough to spend some time talking with us at the beginning of the month (before the Academy unjustly left him off the shortlist for Best Original Score) about his work on the film, which you can listen to down below. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Will Mavity 

"Jockey" premiered nearly a year ago at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and gave character actor Clifton Collins Jr. a leading showcase role worthy of his talents. The directorial debut from Clint Bentley tells the story of an aging jockey who is aiming for one final shot at glory while balancing his personal life. The film is now playing in limited release and has been nominated for three Film Independent Spirit Awards, including Best First Feature and Best Actor for Collins Jr. Clifton was kind enough to sit down with us to talk about his work on the film (which he also shares credit as a producer) which you can listen to down below. Be sure to check out the film as it expands to your area and enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia 

For our second review this week, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer & Ema Sasic joined me to discuss the newest film from Academy Award-winner Adam McKay. "Don't Look Up" contains the largest ensemble of big Hollywood name actors this year, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Cate Blanchett & Meryl Streep. Currently streaming on Netflix, the film tells the satirical story of a comet on an impending collision course with earth and the scientists trying to warn humanity of their upcoming annihilation. What did we think of the performances, the writing, the comedy, the editing, and the score? We discuss all of these points, including the film's mixed reception and its Oscar potential, in our SPOILER-FILLED review down below. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Daniel Howat 

Costume Designer Mark Bridges has been working with director Paul Thomas Anderson since the beginning of his career with "Hard Eight" and on every single one of his films since earning an Oscar nomination for "Inherent Vice" and a win in 2017 for "Phantom Thread." Their latest collaboration was for "Licorice Pizza," which faithfully re-created the style and fashion of the San Fernando Valley in 1973. Mark was kind enough to spend time on the show again talking with us about his work, his friendship with Paul Thomas Anderson, and much more! Take a listen down below and be sure to check out the film now playing in wide release. Enjoy!

​Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia 

For Episode 275, I am being joined by Josh Parham, ​Dan Bayer & Tom O'Brien. This week, we are discussing the end of 2021, our favorite films, performances, scenes, etc. We also discuss the shortlists announced for the 94th Academy Awards, the current state of the industry as we head into uncertain times regarding the pandemic, go over the polls, give our reactions to the trailers for "Uncharted," "Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness," "The Northman," answer your fan-submitted fan questions, and much more! Stay safe, and thank you for all of your support this past year. We can't wait to see what 2022 brings! Enjoy!

​Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia 

Happy Holidays everyone! This week, Lauren LaMagna, Dan Bayer, Josh Parham & Daniel Howat joined our main podcast review to discuss "The Matrix Resurrections," starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas & Jada Pinkett Smith. The fourth installment in the "Matrix" franchise nearly twenty years since "Revolutions" ended, the story of Neo and Trinity continues, this time solely directed by Lana Wachowski. What did we think of the story, the themes, the return of these characters, the introduction of new ones, the re-casting of old characters, the visual effects, and action sequences? We discuss all of these points and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review, so if you haven't seen the movie yet, head over to the theater or fire up that HBO Max account and plug back into the Matrix with us. We hope you enjoy it!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.

By Matt Neglia 

"The Tender Bar" is the latest film by George Clooney, which tells the simple but inspiring story of  J.R. Moehringer (whose memoir the film is based on), who dealt with struggles related to his absent father and class. Production Designer Kalina Ivanov was responsible for not only crafting period sets during the pandemic but environments that would subliminally inform the audience about the characters, the journey J.R. was going on, and take us through multiple decades. She was kind enough to speak with me about her work on the film, which you can listen to down below. Be sure to check out the film, now playing in theaters and arriving on Prime Video on January 7th, 2022. Enjoy!

Thank you so much for listening. The Next Best Picture Podcast is proud to be a part of the Evergreen Podcasts Network. You can subscribe to us on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, GooglePlay, Tunein, Player FM, 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, you enjoy what you hear and want to hear more, please help support us on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you'll receive some exclusive podcast content.