The Next Best Picture Podcast

"Two Pianos" (or in French, "Deux pianos") is a 2025 French romantic drama film directed by Arnaud Desplechin, starring François Civil as a virtuoso French pianist who returns from Asia to experience an impossible love story in his hometown of Lyon. The cast also includes Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Charlotte Rampling, and Hippolyte Girardot. The film had its world premiere in the Gala Presentations section of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and received positive reviews. Desplechin was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about his work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Kino Lorber. Thank you, and enjoy!

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THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL REVIEW. Please check out the full podcast review on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture

Our 2008 retrospective continues with John Patrick Shanley's adaptation of his own Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-winning 2004 stage play "Doubt: A Parable" with "Doubt" starring Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis. With four Oscar-nominated performances driving the gripping drama, exploring themes such as doubt and uncertainty, certainty vs. suspicion, moral responsibility, power and institutional accountability, and tradition vs. change, the film has given Aaron Isenstein, Dan Bayer, Cody Dericks, Tom O'Brien, and me a lot to discuss. Tune in as we talk about the writing, direction, performances, cinematography from Roger Deakins, its awards season run, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Please check out our past review for "Frost/Nixon." We appreciate your support and hope you enjoy our review!

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"Hokum" is a supernatural horror film written and directed by Damian McCarthy, starring Adam Scott, Peter Coonan, David Wilmot, Florence Ordesh, Michael Patric, Will O'Connell, Brendan Conroy, and Austin Amelio. Scott plays an author who travels to a remote part of Ireland to spread the ashes of his deceased parents, unaware that his rented accommodation could be haunted. The film premiered at the 2026 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival and received positive reviews from critics for its haunting atmosphere, jump scares, integration of Irish folklore, and Scott's performance. Scott and McCarthy were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will open in theaters on May 1st from NEON. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7IMIzpYehTqeUa1d9EC4jT

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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
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THIS IS A PREVIEW PODCAST. NOT THE FULL REVIEW. Please check out the full podcast review on our Patreon Page by subscribing over at - https://www.patreon.com/NextBestPicture

For this week's second podcast review, Nadia Dalimonte, Dan Bayer, Sara Clements, Larry Fried, and Brendan Hodges join me to discuss David Lowery's newest film, "Mother Mary," starring Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, and FKA Twigs. A different kind of ghost story from Lowery, the dark psychological drama functions as a chamber piece high on metaphor and symbolism about creative collaboration and what it means to be an artist, with a haunting atmosphere and a banger of a pop soundtrack. It's certainly a vibe, but that vibe may not be for everyone. So, what did we think of it? Please tune in as we discuss the performances from Hathaway and Coel, Lowery's direction, his dense writing and its many interpretations, the craft of the film, if we feel it has any awards potential, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy!

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"Omaha" is a 2025 American drama film directed by Cole Webley (making his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Robert Machoian ("The Killing Of Two Lovers" and "The Integrity Of Joseph Chambers"). The film stars John Magaro as a father who takes his two children on a cross-country trip after a family tragedy. It had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival as an entry in the U.S. Dramatic Competition category, where it received positive reviews for Webley's direction and Magaro's lead performance. Webley and Machoian were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experiences making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in NY, will open in LA on May 1st, and expand nationwide on May 8th from Greenwich Entertainment. You can also check out our in-depth interview with John Magaro here. Thank you, and enjoy!

Check out more on NextBestPicture.com

Please subscribe on...

Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/negs-best-film-podcast/id1087678387?mt=2

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YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWA7KiotcWmHiYYy6wJqwOw

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