The Next Best Picture Podcast

For Episode 488, I am joined by Aaron Isenstein, Daniel Howat, and Giovanni Lago as Howat recaps his experience at this year's CinemaCon and the films showcased. We also discuss the Cannes sidebar announcements, including Critics' Week, Acid, and Directors' Fortnight. For this week's poll question, we're asking everyone: "Which Upcoming Movies From CinemaCon 2026 Are You Most Excited To See?" and reveal the winner of last week's poll asking, "Which Films From The 2026 Cannes Film Festival Are You Most Looking Forward To?" We also share our reactions to the trailers for "Focker-In-Law," "The Dog Stars," "Street Fighter," and "Passenger," answer your fan-submitted questions, and more! Thank you all for listening, subscribing, and supporting us. We hope you enjoy!

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For this week's main podcast review, Katie Johnson, Josh Parham, and Cody Dericks join me to review and discuss "Lee Cronin's The Mummy," starring Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Verónica Falcón, and Natalie Grace. A reimagining of "The Mummy" franchise (Not THAT "Mummy" franchise starring Brendan Fraser), the film is produced by James Wan and Jason Blum and brings a much darker, more sinister edge to the franchise than has ever been seen before. It injects the same style and tone Cronin brought to the "Evil Dead" franchise, producing something gory, shocking, and punishingly brutal for both the characters and the audience. But what did we think of it? Please tune in as we discuss the story, the acting, sound work, makeup effects, and more in our SPOILER-FILLED review. Thank you for listening, and enjoy!

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"Wasteman" is a 2025 British prison film directed by Cal McMau from a screenplay by Hunter Andrews and Eoin Doran. The film stars David Jonsson and Tom Blyth as incarcerated cellmates who have to do what they need to do in order to survive the prison's brutal conditions. The film premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for McMau's intense and gritty direction and the powerful performances from Jonsson and Blyth. The two young actors 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 Sunrise Films. Thank you, and enjoy!

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"Erupcja" is a 2025 drama film directed and produced by Pete Ohs, from a screenplay by Ohs, Jeremy O. Harris, Charli XCX, Lena Góra, and Will Madden. It stars XCX, Góra, O. Harris, and Madden. It had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival in the Centerpiece section, and also played in New York at Film at Lincoln Center as part of the New Directors, New Films program. The film follows Nel (Góra), who lives in Warsaw, Poland, where she works at a flower shop. When her childhood friend Bethany (XCX) comes to visit with a new boyfriend (O. Harris), a volcano erupts. Ohs, O. Harris, and Góra were 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 1-2 Special. 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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"The Christophers" is a 2025 black comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Ed Solomon. It stars Sir Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel, Jessica Gunning, and James Corden. The film premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews from critics for Ed Solomon's screenplay and the performances of Sir Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel, mostly in a chamber piece under the direction of Soderbergh. McKellen and Cole were 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. 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

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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