What looked like easy #Emmy races to call on Monday got scrambled up with Tuesday's nominations. So I've isolated 8 particularly tricky races where 2 or even 3 possible nominees have a plausible shot at the Emmy, plus a few thoughts about whom I think is ahead at this very moment. See if you agree!
One of 2025's best docs, Albert Serra's AFTERNOONS OF SOLITUDE is an unflinching portrait of the world of bullfighting, focusing on the enormous skills & showmanship of star matador Andrés Roca Rey as well as the dignity of his bovine opponent. A tough sit but worth it. @filmlinc.bsky.social
Director Mahdi Fleifel's TO A LAND UNKNOWN, an empathetic look at the plight of a pair of Palestinian emigres in Athens seeking black market passports to realize their dream of a better life, hits with a powerful impact, led by two potent lead performances. #ToALandUnknown
Check out my #NBP review:
Last year, "RuPaul's Drag Race" had its Emmy tiara snatched by Alan Cumming's pesky "Traitors." Can the series lip-sync its way back to the crown? Or can any freshman competition show break into the Top 5? I've got the odds & state of the race for the Reality Competition Series Emmy right here!
Just when you're ready to give up on the MCU, we get a curveball like THUNDERBOLTS*, a romp that masks a serious depiction of mental illness. Listen in to this spoiler-filled episode as I join @nextbestpicture.bsky.social, @laurenlamango.bsky.social & @codymonster91.bsky.social to discuss it all!
The events of the drama WORDS OF WAR may have occurred 25 years ago, but the actions of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya to expose the tyranny of Vladimir Putin pack an extra punch today. The film may overly rely on familiar biopic tropes, but Maxine Peake's work as Anna shines. #WordsOfWar
From sequels for beloved theatricals (#BridgetJones, #AnotherSimpleFavor) to provocative original films (#Mountainhead, #RebelRidge), the Emmy race for Outstanding Television Movie is heating up. What to watch? I've got ten top contenders for you to consider. Check 'em out right here!
The 2025 Emmy race for Outstanding Drama Series may be the most chaotic in years with as many as 4 possible slots available for a new drama series. Which of 2025's freshman class will make the cut? I've got 10 likely hopefuls here, some of which may surprise you, along with their current Emmy odds.
In the Emmy race for Best Comedy Series, there are so many great shows that have returned this season - "Hacks," "The Bear" & "Only Murders" to name just a few - what chance does a freshman comedy have of breaking through for an Emmy nod? Plenty, if they're of the caliber of these 10 new comedies.
THE PENGUIN LESSONS is based on the true story of teacher Tom Michell (Steve Coogan) who works at an Argentinian private school in 1976. The vibe is very Dead Poets Society, but when a character is abducted by secret police in an otherwise fluffy teacher film, it's an uneasy narrative fit. GRADE: C+
Disney's SNOW WHITE boasts fine work by Rachel Zegler & solid new songs. But Gal Gadot is lousy as the Queen & the CGI dwarfs are downright creepy. It simply seems to exist as yet another cash grab for the studio, one that seems to be increasingly less lucrative for the Mouse House. Good. GRADE: C+
Michael Fassbender & Cate Blanchett play a pair of married spies trying to sniff out a traitor in their midst in Steven Soderbergh's crackerjack thriller BLACK BAG. At a taut 94 minutes, he doesn't waste a frame or one word of David Koepp's marvelously twisty script. 2025's best so far. GRADE: A-
Will it be "Adolescence?" "The Penguin?" Or maybe any one of the eight more series that are my Top 10 contenders for the Outstanding Limited Series Emmy. The race is heating up already, and I'll be offering the top candidates (and their odds) for all the big Emmy races here at Next Best Picture.
Please listen in to this week's #NBPpodcast as I join @nextbestpicture.bsky.social, @dancindan.bsky.social, @codymonster91.bsky.social & @mavericksmovies.bsky.social to discuss the return of Conan as Oscar host (yippee), a ceremony date even later than this year (ugh), the polls and YOUR questions!
Longtime listener, first-time guest! @ryanmcquade77.bsky.social and @MrJayLedbetter invite me into their lair to discuss Mike Nichols' final film, and we talk all about Hanks, Roberts, Hoffman and a whole lot more! We had a blast making this episode, and we hope you have as much fun listening.
A shy Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) is nicknamed NOVOCAINE due to a condition that keeps him from feeling physical pain. When new girlfriend Sherry is taken hostage in a bank heist, Nathan gives chase. The film's first act is a lovely romance, but soon the film turns very violent. It's a mix that works.
Left for dead by David Zaslav, #LooneyTunes lives! #TheDayTheEarthBlewUp is a beauty of a comedy that works both as an origin story about how Daffy Duck & Porky Pig became lifelong buds as well as a wicked satire of 1950s sci-fi epics, with more laughs per minute than any comedy in recent memory.
In EEPHUS, Carson Lund’s beauty of a comedy, two teams of guys of various ages and waistlines meet for 1 final game at their soon-to-be-demolished stadium. The writing is sharp, the ensemble is superb & the cinematography is appropriately autumnal. A great American indie. #Eephus @musicboxfilms.com
ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL expertly walks a fine line between dark comedy & tense drama as a brave Zambian woman exposes the history of molestation of the women in her family at the hands of her own newly-deceased uncle. A superb & brutal takedown of the complicity of silence. #OnBecomingAGuineaFowl
While we were sleeping, the Chinese animated adventure NE ZHA 2, a unique blend of classic Chinese mythology, dazzling high-flying visuals and fart jokes, became (unadjusted for inflation) the worldwide biggest-grossing animated film of all time. Are you curious? Then check out my review! #NeZha2
Bong is back baby, and #NBP's got him! Please listen in as I join @nextbestpicture.bsky.social, @jrparham.bsky.social, @TheGiovanniLago & @mavericksmovies.bsky.social for a SPOILER-FILLED deep dive into MICKEY 17. It's filled with creepers, megalomaniacs and lots of yummy sauces! It's a fun one!
Director Alex Parkinson has adapted his 2019 doc into fiction form with the true story of a diver (Finn Cole) trapped under water without potentially enough oxygen to survive. Is the new version worth holding your breath to see? @nextbestpicture.bsky.social, @saraclements.bsky.social & I tell all!
There's no turning back now. It's the NBP team's final Oscar predictions! On many of the big categories, we strongly agree, but there are a few where we're all over the place, which makes things fun. We're here to help you win your Oscar pool! (And we won't even take a cut!) Enjoy Sunday's Oscars!!
Where can you find the Best Picture nominees this weekend?
ANORA - Theaters
THE BRUTALIST - Theaters
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN - Theaters
CONCLAVE - Peacock
DUNE: PART TWO - Max, Netflix
EMILIA PÉREZ - Netflix
I'M STILL HERE - Theaters
NICKEL BOYS - MGM+
THE SUBSTANCE - MUBI
WICKED - Theaters
PADDINGTON IN PERU faces the unenviable task of following 2017's "Paddington 2," widely considered to be one of the best sequels in film history. Directed by Dougal Wilson, this latest chapter is admittedly a step down from the previous films directed by Paul King, but it's not without its charms.
Now that the SAG Awards are history, it's on to Oscar! And you won't find a more comprehensive look at the race than this week's #NBPpodcast! It's 4 hrs & 20 minutes of sheer Oscar prediction bliss as we analyze all 23 races, so pour yourself a cup of cocoa (or your favorite adult beverage) & enjoy!
How could a toy monkey do anything to hurt people? On this week's #NBPpodcast, let us count the many gory ways. Please listen in as I join @nextbestpicture.bsky.social, Sara Clements, Josh Parham & @dancindan.bsky.social as we take on THE MONKEY, Osgood Perkins' outrageous horror comedy. #TheMonkey
My FYC: I'M STILL HERE. Oscar voters, for International Feature please consider Walter Salles' gut punch of a film that weaves a powerful warning on right-wing authoritarianism (that’s all too relevant today) with an emotionally charged family drama. Check out our NBP team's FYCs here! #ImStillHere
Bong Joon-ho's PARASITE is one of my favorite films of all time and I’m thrilled that it’s back in theaters (in IMAX!) on the 5th anniversary of its Best Picture win. Travel back to August 2019 for my original 10/10 review and listen to our #NBPpodcast review which I think has aged pretty darn well!
What once seemed to be the longest of long shots may soon become a reality for #FernandaTorres and #ImStillHere if #SonyPicturesClassics can follow the same path they used to engineer Anthony Hopkins’ come-from-behind acting victory for “The Father.” I have a few thoughts…