Ben Talks Film

From Apple comes The Lost Bus, a 2025 American survival drama film directed by Paul Greengrass, who co-wrote the screenplay with Brad Ingelsby. It is based on a section of the non-fiction 2021 book Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson about a rescue during the 2018 Camp Fire. It stars Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera, Yul Vazquez and Ashlie Atkinson.

With the fall movie season arriving it is time to talk the best actor Oscar race for 2026, which at this moment is wide open and it is anyone's for the taking. There are no clear frontrunners, so who will get nominated is the question on everyone's mind, especially with Leonardo DiCaprio and Dwayne the Rock Johnson's performances having just debuted for audiences to see!Will this be the year that Timothee Chalamet finally wins his best actor for his performance in Marty Supreme? Is Leonardo DiCaprio the frontrunner for his performance in One Battle After Another? Why are audiences divided on The Rock's performance in The Smashing Machine? Will Daniel Day Lewis' return to acting be well received? And can Jeremy Allen White make the jump from tv actor to movie star with Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere? Find out the questions to all of the questions and more!

​ @WarnerBros  capped off an amazing 2025 by releasing what may be the best movie of 2025 and now the frontrunner to win Best Picture at the Oscars in One Battle After Another! Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another tells the story of a washed up American revolutionary who is brought back into the battle when a military man threatens his daughter's life. One Battle After Another is the 10th film from director, Paul Thomas Anderson and is based off the book Vineland by Thomas Pynchon and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti. One Battle After Another released in theaters on September 26, 2025.#onebattleafteranother #onebattleafteranotherreview #onebattleafteranotherpaulthomasanderson #paulthomasanderson #onebattleafteranothermovie #leonardodicaprio #WB #oscars

From  @A24  comes Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's first serious film in well over a decade... The Smashing Machine! Directed by Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems, Good Times) The Smashing Machine tells the story of Mark Kerr, one of the first UFC fighters, who is struggling to overcome an addiction to opioids, as well as navigate his turbulent relationship. The Smashing Machine is based on a true story and stars Dwayne The Rock Johnson and Emily Blunt, both of who are campaigning for Oscar nominations. The Smashing Machine had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and will be premiering in theaters on October 3!

From  @LionsgateMovies  comes The Long Walk directed by Francis Lawrence. Starring Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson The Long Walk follows a group of men in a dystopian American who are drafted to participate in a totalitarian military event where they must walk at a speed of 3 miles an hour or else face execution, until there is only one left standing. The Long Walk is based on a Stephen King novel and debuts to theaters across America on Friday, September 12, 2025.

From A24 and Apple comes Spike Lee's newest movie and 5th collaboration with Denzel Washington: Highest 2 Lowest which is a remake/reimagining of Kurosawa's masterpiece High and Low. Highest 2 Lowest follows Paul King, a music mogul about to make the biggest deal of his career, only to find out his son has been kidnapped, or so he thinks. Highest 2 Lowest stars Denzel Washington, ASAP Rocky, and Jeffrey Wright and is directed by the Great Spike Lee and is set in New York City and as of September 5 is available to stream on Apple TV.#SpikeLee #highest2lowest #asaprocky #newyorkcity #Brooklyn #moviereview #a24 #denzelwashington

Today: full podcast festival breakdown. I start with the biggest premieres at Venice and Telluride — winners, surprises, and which films actually left me excited. Then I roll into my Oscar power rankings (who’s rising, who’s slipping), followed by my 25 most anticipated films for the next 12 months — the ones I’m betting will matter.After that I do a short Physical Media Corner where I show recent blu-ray pickups (including some great A24 releases and collectors editions including Midsommar). Finally, I close with a 50th anniversary review of JAWS - a superb movie!

From Columbia Studios and Sony Pictures comes Darren Aronofsky's latest film Caught Stealing starring Austin Butler... and unlike most of Aronofsky's other films, I did not hate this movie. Caught Stealing follows a former baseball player finds himself immersed in the criminal underworld of 1990s Giuliani's New York. Caught Stealing is based off the book of the same name written by Charlie Huston. Caught Stealing comes out to theaters on August 29, 2025 and stars a large ensemble casting including Austin Butler, Zoe Kravitz, Dr. Who's Matt Smith, Regina King, Bad Bunny, and Liev Schreiber.

In honor of the release of  ⁨@A24⁩  Highest 2 Lowest, it is time to talk about the 10 best Spike Lee Joints! So join film critic, Ben Friedman, as we explore the films of Spike Lee: From Do the Right Thing to Highest 2 Lowest and everything in between.

The 2026 Oscars rapidly approach! With the Venice Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and Telluride Film Festival all around the corner ititss time to blindly preview the films in contention for the 98th Academy Awards! Who will win best picture? What @A24 sports film will be up for Oscar consideration? Will Adam Sandler win an Oscar for  @Netflix  Jay Kelly? Should Spike Lee be nominated for his film Highest 2 Lowest? Why is The Life of Chuck failing at Oscar success? Which film festival will have the most important films? And can Avatar Fire and Ash repeat previous success? Find out the questions and many more in today's episode of Oscars 2026 Predictions, brought to you by film critic Ben Friedman.Email Me: [email protected] Follow Me on Social Media: Instagram, TikTok -  @BenTalksFilm  Subscribe to my Podcast Channel: Ben Talks FilmTimecodes00:00 Oscars 2026 Preview03:20 The History of Sound ( @mubi  )04:30 The Life of Chuck ( @neonrated  )06:00 A Big Beautiful Journey ( @Sony  )06:55 Nuremberg ( @Sony )09:00 Brazil's International Feature: The Secret Agent ( @neonrated  )10:30 Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest Deserves More Attention ( @A24  and  @Apple  )11:40 Marty Supreme  @A24  )12:00 The Smashing Machine is The Rock's Oscar Play ( @A24  )15:30 Nouvelle Vague ( @Netflix  )16:30 After the Hunt ( @AmazonMGMStudios  )18:00 Father Mother Sister Brother ( @mubi  )18:30 Wicked for Good ( @UniversalPictures  )19:30 F1 ( @Apple  )20:00 Brendan Fraser's Rental Family looks great  @searchlightpictures  )21:25 Springsteen Deliver Me From Nowhere ( @20thCenturyStudios  )22:45 Ella McCay ( @Disney  )24:00 The Lost Bus ( @Apple  )25:30 A House of Dynamite ( @Netflix  )26:30 Avatar Fire and Ash ( @Disney  )27:30 Is This Thing On? ( @searchlightpictures  )28:20 Frankenstein ( @Netflix  )29:30 Hamnet ( @FocusFeatures  )30:30 Bugonia ( @FocusFeatures  )32:00 One Battle After Another ( @WarnerBros  )33:00 Jay Kelly ( @Netflix  )33:30 Sentimental Value ( @neonrated  )34:30 Sinners is the Oscar frontrunner ( @WarnerBros  )#oscars #academyawards #oscars2026 #emmastone #predictions #venicefilmfestival #sinners #adamsandler #oscarpredictions