The Next Best Picture Podcast

"Kpop Demon Hunters" is an American animated musical fantasy film co-written and directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, produced by Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix and animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks. Premiering on Netflix over the summer, it became the platform’s most-watched original film ever, with over 500 million views, and achieved historic box-office success during limited theatrical runs. The soundtrack broke records with four simultaneous top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned double platinum certification. Widely acclaimed, the film won major honors including Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the Critics' Choice and Golden Globe Awards, received Academy Award nominations in the same categories, and won a Grammy for the Oscar-nominated song, "Golden." Singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, and filmmakers Kang and Appelhans were all kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about their work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Netflix and is up for your consideration for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 98th Academy Awards. Thank you, and enjoy!

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"EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert" is a documentary film about Elvis Presley directed by Baz Luhrmann, acting as a follow-up to Luhrmann's 2022 biographical film "Elvis." The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it received extremely positive reviews from critics for its visual and audio restoration, and an electric look at one of the greatest entertainers of all time, fully in his element, on stage in front of an audience. Luhrmann was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which will be released exclusively in IMAX theaters by NEON beginning on February 20th, before being released theatrically to the general public one week later on February 27th. 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

For this week's second podcast review, Alyssa Christian, Dan Bayer, Giovanni Lago, and Brendan Hodges join me to discuss the latest feature film from renowned Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho, "The Secret Agent" starring Wagner Moura, Carlos Francisco, Tânia Maria, Robério Diógenes, Alice Carvalho, Gabriel Leone, Maria Fernanda Cândidom, Hermila Guedes, Isabél Zuaa, and Udo Kier. The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it received widespread acclaim and became the festival's most awarded film, winning the Best Actor award for Moura, the Best Director award for Mendonça Filho, the Art House Cinema Award, and the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film. At the 2025 Critics' Choice Awards, it won Best Foreign Language Film; at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, it became the first Brazilian film nominated for Best Motion Picture – Drama, winning Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (Wagner Moura) and Best Foreign Language Film. At the 98th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor for Moura, Best Casting, and Best International Feature Film. With all the awards and success, what did we think of it? Please tune in as we discuss the direction, themes, lead performance by Wagner Moura, the rest of the ensemble, its awards season run, how passionate Brazilian fans are, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening. Enjoy!

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"Zootopia 2" is an American animated buddy cop comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and the sequel to the Oscar-winning "Zootopia" (2016). Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard and written by Bush, the film stars Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Shakira, Idris Elba, Alan Tudyk, Nate Torrence, Don Lake, Bonnie Hunt, and Jenny Slate reprising their roles from the first film, with newcomers Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Patrick Warburton, Quinta Brunson, and Danny Trejo joining the cast. The film follows Judy Hopps (Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Bateman) as they pursue a pit viper named Gary De'Snake (Quan) across Zootopia and try to clear their names after being framed. The film received positive reviews from critics and has grossed $1.830 billion worldwide, becoming the second-highest-grossing animated film of all time, the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time, and the second-highest-grossing film of 2025. The film received nominations for Best Animated Feature at the Golden Globes, Critics' Choice Awards, BAFTAs, and the Academy Awards. It additionally received a nomination for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement at the Golden Globes. Goodwin was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about her work on the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Walt Disney Animation Studios and is up for your consideration for Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards. Thank you, and enjoy!

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

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"Scarlet" is a Japanese animated fantasy action film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda. Inspired by Shakespeare's tragedy "Hamlet," the film follows the eponymous princess, who can cross time and space on a quest for vengeance after her father is murdered. The film had its world premiere out of competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for its scope and scale, animation, and effects. It was nominated for three Annie Awards: Best Feature (Independent), Best Direction, and Best Writing. Hosoda was kind enough to spend some time speaking with us about his work on the film, his work being shown in IMAX, the unique animation techniques used in the making of this film, what he sees for the future of anime in the U.S. and worldwide, and more, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Sony Pictures Classics. Thank you, and enjoy!

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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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