For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson, Josh Parham, Dan Bayer, and Giovanni Lago join me to discuss the latest in the "28 Days" franchise, "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple," starring Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman & Chi Lewis-Parry. Directed this time by Nia DaCosta with another screenplay in the franchise by Alex Garland (And Danny Boyle serving as a Producer), this is a direct sequel to last year's "28 Years Later,"continuing the stories of Spike and Dr. Ian Kelson in a post-apocalyptic world infected by the rage virus. There is a lot of gore and humanity to be found in this one, with plenty of shocks and surprises. But what did we think of it? Please tune in as we discuss the performances, writing, themes, direction, makeup effects, the needle drops, its awards season potential, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy!

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"28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" is a 2026 post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Nia DaCosta and written by Alex Garland. It was shot back-to-back with its predecessor, "28 Years Later," and is the fourth installment in the "28 Days Later" film series. The film stars Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, Alfie Williams, Erin Kellyman, and Chi Lewis-Parry. Much like "28 Years Later," the film has received acclaim from critics, with praise for Fiennes' and O'Connell's performances, Garland's writing, and DaCosta's direction, with some believing it to be superior to its predecessor. DaCosta and O'Connell were both kind enough to spend some time speaking 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 theaters from Sony Pictures. Thank you, and enjoy!

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"F1" (marketed as "F1: The Movie") is an American sports drama film starring Brad Pitt as Formula One (F1) racing driver Sonny Hayes, who returns after a 30-year absence to save his former teammate's underdog team, APXGP, from collapse. The film was directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer with a screenplay by Ehren Kruger, following their previous collaboration on "Top Gun: Maverick." The film received positive reviews from critics, became the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2025, and grossed $631.5 million worldwide against a $200–300 million budget. As of 2025, the film is also the highest-grossing auto racing film of all time, the highest-grossing film by Apple Studios, and the highest-grossing film of Pitt's career. The Next Best Picture team was lucky enough to spend some time speaking with various members of the production over the last couple of weeks, including editor Stephen Mirrione, the sound team, which consists of Supervising sound editors Al Nelson and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Re-recording mixers Gary Rizzo, and Juan Peralta, Production sound mixer Gareth John, and Visual Effects Supervisor Ryan Tudhope. You can listen to the interviews below, and be sure to check out the film, now available to stream on Apple TV and up for your consideration in all eligible categories for the 98th Academy Awards. Thank you and enjoy!

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"Sound Of Falling" is a German drama film co-written and directed by Mascha Schilinski. Starring Hanna Heckt, Lena Urzendowsky, Laeni Geiseler, Susanne Wuest, Luise Heyer, and Lea Drinda, it follows four generations of girls connected by a farm in the Altmark region of Germany. The film premiered in competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize. It has been selected as the German entry for Best International Feature Film at the upcoming 98th Academy Awards, making the Oscar shortlist for that category, as well as for Best Cinematography by Fabian Gamper. Mascha Schilinski was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from MUBI and is up for your consideration for the 98th Academy Awards in all eligible categories. Thank you, and enjoy!

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"Sirāt" is the new film from filmmaker Óliver Laxe, starring Sergi López as a father in search of his missing daughter, along with his son and a group of ravers in the deserts of southern Morocco. The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize. At the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, it was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Score. It was also selected as the Spanish submission for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, making the shortlist alongside Best Casting, Cinematography, Original Score, and Sound. Sound Designer Laia Casanovas and Composer Kangding Ray were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from NEON and is up for your consideration for the 98th Academy Awards in all eligible categories. Thank you, and enjoy!

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"The Ugly Stepsister" is a 2025 satirical black comedy, body horror film written and directed by Emilie Blichfeldt in her directorial debut. Drawing on the fairy tale "Cinderella," it retells a twisted tale of Elvira, who competes with her beautiful stepsister in a bloody battle for beauty. The film had its world premiere as the opening film of the Midnight section of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and has been shortlisted for Best Makeup & Hairstyling at the 98th Academy Awards. Hair & Makeup Designer Anne Catherine Sauerberg and Prosthetic Makeup Effects Designer Thomas Foldberg were both kind enough to spend some time talking with us about their work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to stream on Shudder from Independent Film Company. Thank you, and enjoy!

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"Wicked: For Good" is a musical fantasy sequel directed by Jon M. Chu that adapts the second act of the "Wicked" stage musical, itself inspired by Gregory Maguire's reimagining of "The Wizard of Oz." Starring returning cast members Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, and others, the film follows Elphaba and Glinda as they embrace their identities as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. Developed over a decade and split into two films to preserve the story's depth, production faced delays due to the pandemic and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Released by Universal Pictures in November 2025, the film grossed $523 million worldwide, earned awards recognition from the Critics' Choice Awards and the Golden Globes, and was named one of the top ten films of the year by both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute. Ever since its release, the Next Best Picture team has been conducting a series of interviews with many people involved in the making of the film, which we're proud to share with you below. First up, we have my interview with the film's director Jon M. Chu, followed Cody Dericks's interview with casting directors Tiffany Little Canfield & Bernard Telsey, then we have my intervew with the film's editor Myron Kerstein, followed by Cody's interview with makeup & hair designer Frances Hannon, then Dan Bayer's interview with sound mixer Simon Hayes, and then we end with Cody's interview with visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now available to rent or own digitally or on physical media from Universal Pictures, and is up for your consideration for this year's Academy Awards in all eligible categories. Thank you, and enjoy!

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"Song Sung Blue" is an American biographical musical drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Craig Brewer. It is based on the 2008 documentary film of the same name by Greg Kohs and stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson as Mike and Claire Sardina, who performed as the Neil Diamond tribute band Lightning & Thunder. The film had its world premiere at the AFI Film Festival, where it received positive reviews, especially for Kate Hudson's performance, with many calling it the best of her career. She has been nominated for the Golden Globe Award and the Actor Award for Best Lead Actress for her performance in the film. Hudson was kind enough to spend some time talking with us about her work and experience making the film, which you can listen to below. Please be sure to check out the film, which is now playing in theaters from Focus Features. Thank you, and enjoy!

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

Following the airing of the 3rd annual Golden Globe Awards on CBS, Daniel Howat, Ema Sasic & Dan Bayer hopped on the podcast to deliver their immediate reactions to the winners from the evening, celebrating the best in film and television for 2025. How did the wins and speeches help shape the Oscar race? What did they think of Nikki Glazer's return to hosting the ceremony? There's plenty to discuss as awards season continues and Oscar voting begins today, with the nominations announcement looming 10 days away. Please tune in as they discuss these points and more in this special, exclusive Patreon episode.

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For Episode 474, Katie Johnson, Cody Dericks, Megan Lachinski, and Tom O'Brien join me for this exciting episode to discuss the Critics' Choice Award winners, give our predictions for the Golden Globe Awards, and discuss the fallout of the Actor/PGA/DGA nominations and the BAFTA Longlists as we get closer to the Oscar nominations. For last week's poll, we asked "Which Film Are You Most Looking Forward To In 2026?" And for this week's poll, for the release of "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple," we ask, "Which Is Your Favorite Ralph Fiennes Performance?" We also give our reactions to the trailers for "The Death Of Robin Hood" and "Undertone," answer your fan-submitted questions, and more. Thank you all for listening, supporting, and subscribing. Enjoy as this year's awards season continues.

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