Episode 398 - Best Of 2024 So Far, TIFF World Premieres, "Smile 2" & "A Real Pain" Trailers

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[00:01:26] Mit der Uber App. Uber vermittelfahrten und ist kein Beförderer. And the Oscar goes to... Thank you so much! This might be the one time I'm speaking. This is not a joke. Moonlight is one best picture. Could you double check the envelope?

[00:01:39] And I can't deny the fact that you like me. Thank you life, thank you love. You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell and that's really embarrassing but thank you. This is nuts. It's a top. I'm the king of the world!

[00:01:53] And the Oscar goes to... And the Oscar goes to... Gentlemen, my only object of fear here is to try and get at you. I just like your watch like this. Just looking at you kid. Frankly my dear... Passing you a stick. I could have been somebody.

[00:02:10] They can only kill me with a golden bull. What have I done? Call me Mr Tibbs. I'm gonna make him an offer again. A census taker once tried to test me. Are you not entertained? I ate his liver. Are you not entertained? It's unbearable. For Frodo.

[00:02:24] And a nice kid. Don't laugh! Can't stop what's coming. This ain't reality TV! I will not fall into despair. You hate bloggers. You mock Twitter. It's time, Robbie. It's fast. Welcome to the Next Best Picture Podcast. And my eyes see Oppenheimer.

[00:02:43] Hello everyone and welcome to the Next Best Picture Podcast episode 398. I am your host, the owner, editor-in-chief of NextBestPicture.com, Matt Neglia. The time of recording is 10.33am on June 23rd, 2024. Here to join me for this week's episode, I have Sarah Clements. Hello, hello. Alyssa Christian. Hello everyone.

[00:03:08] Nadia Dalamante. Hello everyone. And Giovanni Lago. Hello. So the Tribeca Festival is behind us. We now have a break from festivals through the summer. But all the films for the first half of 2024 have screened.

[00:03:27] Maybe not for everyone here on this podcast today and definitely not for the public at large. But for those of us who do get to see stuff a little early, we have seen pretty much all the releases now for the remainder of the first half of the year.

[00:03:41] So on this week's episode, we are going to discuss those films that got streaming and theatrical releases, not film festival. Keep in mind, some of those films still have to officially come out later on this year.

[00:03:52] But for those movies that came out in the first half of the year, we're going to rattle off some of our favorites. We're also going to talk about the announcement for the Toronto International Film Festival. We got six world premieres announced for the 2024 lineup.

[00:04:06] And we're going to talk about the trailers for The Front Room, Smile 2, A Real Pain. We're going to go over the polls. We're going to answer fan questions. Going to be a great episode here, everyone.

[00:04:15] So strap yourselves in and let's kick it off first with what everyone has been watching this past week, starting with Sarah Clements. I watched The Bike Riders. Check out our review that we posted yesterday. And I also watched Prometheus last night. Like for the first time?

[00:04:34] Yeah, for the first time. Oh my. Awesome. Wow. Yeah, I'm really preparing for the new installment in the new Alien installment in August. I'm pumped. But yeah, um, yeah, I really liked it.

[00:04:48] At first I was kind of like, what does this have to do with everything in the Alien franchise? And then you get to the end and I'm like, oh, that's fucked up. But yeah, I liked it. Michael Fassbender is so great in That In Covenant.

[00:05:01] It's kind of ridiculous how much better he is than literally everybody else that's cast. And those movies are still really gorgeous. Some of the visual effects work, especially in Prometheus is jaw dropping. Yes. Yeah, I too am very, very excited to watch Romulus.

[00:05:16] I don't know when I'm watching it, but I cannot wait. I think Fede Alvarez in particular is like one of the best horror directors we have working today. So oh, and Kaylee Spainy as well, like just a star on the rise still climbing with Priscilla and Civil War.

[00:05:30] And now this it's like she's she just seems unstoppable right now in terms of her career trajectory. So, yeah, I'm pretty pumped too. Can't wait. Anything else? No, that's everything. All right. Nice and quick and easy. Let's move over next to Nadia.

[00:05:47] I caught up with a couple of new releases. I saw Erica Tremblay's narrative feature debut Fancy Dance, which was a Sundance premiere last year and found its home this year with Apple TV. It's coming out on the platform next Friday. But in the meantime, it's in select theater.

[00:06:08] So if Fancy Dance is playing near you, I highly recommend seeking this film out. I think it's a very confident debut from Tremblay. It feels like such a special work of art. The storytelling is really personal and distinctive, and it builds to this really unforgettable, very powerful climax.

[00:06:34] And I was just enamored and in awe of it, mainly also through the performances. Really, really stellar work from Lily Gladstone and Isabel DeRoy Olsen, who play an aunt and a niece on a journey of finding their missing family member. And it's a very, very powerful movie.

[00:06:55] It's easily one of the best this year. Yeah, I too got a chance to see that this past week after my God, this film felt like it was eluding me so much. Seeing as how it wasn't this year's Sundance, like you said, Nadia, it was last year's Sundance.

[00:07:09] And it was the one movie from that year's Sundance that I regretted not seeing. But yeah, I gotta tell you, like, I agree. I was so moved by this movie. I thought the ending especially was so powerful.

[00:07:22] And Lily Gladstone is just one of the most incredible actresses I think we have working today. I think the depth that she's able to capture in her characters is so unique and so highly nuanced.

[00:07:39] And she comes across just so natural in pretty much I mean, like literally everything I've ever seen her in whether it's Certain Women or obviously last year of Kill Was It a Flower Moon or the Hulu series Under the Bridge. She just she never turns into bad performance.

[00:07:55] So if you like her work and want to see more of it, yeah, absolutely highly recommend Fancy Dance. Yeah. And speaking of Certain Women 2, I mean that there's a scene in that movie that I will never forget. And I keep coming back to it. It's so good.

[00:08:11] I also saw totally on a whim the documentary Remembering Gene Wilder on Netflix. And I've always been a big fan of Gene Wilder, particularly Young Frankenstein and his work as Willy Wonka. So when I saw that pop up, I thought, OK, let me give this a shot.

[00:08:33] And it was it was a pretty neat little tribute. It was sort of told mainly told through his words and also goes through a lot of the experiences that he had on various sets of his movies.

[00:08:48] And it I think it's really special, particularly for Gene Wilder fans to kind of tune in and get a little bit more insight into what those sets were like and what it was like for him to explore different roles. So that was a neat little standout.

[00:09:10] And also this movie called Just the Two of Us. By Valerie Donzelli. Yeah, I saw this a can last year. Yeah, yeah. It's been a while and it just got a limited theatrical release in the US earlier this month.

[00:09:26] And I was quite compelled by it for the most part. It's a very immersive thriller about this whirlwind, very brief encounter that becomes quite disturbing and abusive as the movie goes on.

[00:09:43] And what really stands out about that story is how it's it's kind of laser focused on the protagonist Blanche's perspective and her her agency and how she witnesses and navigates this relationship day by day.

[00:10:01] So the movie really plays out from her point of view and all the subtleties that come with with kind of grasping and coming to terms with what is happening to her.

[00:10:11] So it's got a lot of emotional resonance that really comes through the character work and the performances, which give it a pretty strong, strong foundation. Yeah, Sarah, you in particular, I think you would really, really like this movie a lot.

[00:10:27] If you have a chance to see it, I highly recommend it, especially because it stars your girl. Yeah, I was gonna be like, I know why you're saying that. I mean, she too is another one where every role I see her in. She's just spellbounding.

[00:10:45] I mean, dear God. Yeah, yeah, she's fantastic in this. All right, Alyssa, on to you. Yeah, so it was a little light for me, but I did get to see a couple of things. So I caught up with M.I.O.K., which is now on Max.

[00:11:03] I know technically it came out two years ago, but I finally got to see it now that it was on streaming. And yeah, I enjoyed it overall. Dakota Johnson continues to be reliably great. I really enjoyed seeing her play this kind of character.

[00:11:17] I also liked that the focus was really on the friendship between the two main characters. I found it to be pretty engaging in their chemistry. The scenes between the two of them were really interesting. And obviously the side characters are written as well.

[00:11:30] The runtime is short, so there's not really a lot of time for that. I did want to shout out that one scene that Tig Notaro pops up in had me howling with laughter. That was just so hilarious and out of nowhere. So it was really fun.

[00:11:44] And also I rewatched the first Inside Out in anticipation for Inside Out 2, which I still haven't been able to see because I have very little free time. But yeah, the first one still really hits me. And even though I knew that certain moments were coming up,

[00:12:00] I still sobbed because that's just how great that movie is. So I'm excited to see the sequel. And then last night I decided to start going through my Criterion collection and watch some of the ones I haven't gotten to yet. I've really been adding to it.

[00:12:18] And so the most recent one I added to my collection is Anatomy of a Fall. It's still fantastic, and I love that I still don't know if she did it or not. And the ambiguity really hooks me a lot.

[00:12:32] And I still also think that Milo Machado-Granner should have been nominated because he is fantastic. Hear, hear. Absolutely agreed on that. Great movie. Great screenplay win. I think we're going to look back so fondly on that movie in years to come as like,

[00:12:48] one of the best screenplay wins in like recent memory. And I just think that movie's going to have a very long shelf life, you know? It really does. It's just amazing. It's what, two and a half hours long, but you really don't feel it.

[00:13:00] I mean, I remember watching in theater and I was not looking at my watch waiting for it to be over. So it's just amazing accomplishments. And also too, for Am I Okay, I want to just give a quick shout out.

[00:13:11] As much as I love Dakota Johnson in that movie, Sonoya Mizuno, who plays her friend in the film, I think is like so charismatic and so like just eye catching with what she's doing in that film for her comedic timing, the sympathy that she brings to that character.

[00:13:26] And I'm also shouting her out because she's in HBO's House of the Dragon. So there is that. Well yeah, she does pop up in that. I've seen her in a couple of other things too. But yeah, I really liked her presence in Am I Okay?

[00:13:37] And her scenes with Dakota Johnson were really great. Really stellar choices too, you know, from working with Alex Garland to Crazy Rich Asians, Short Comings, Civil War actually earlier this year too, once again, another Garland collaboration.

[00:13:54] So yeah, no, good career where people should pay attention to her work. Yeah, for sure. I'm excited to see what she does next. All right, Giovanni Lago, on to you. Very busy week, just rapid in terms of Paul Schrader updates.

[00:14:10] I watched Hardcore and Light Sleeper for the first time. Two very different films, Hardcore, just all-time George C. Scott performance. It starts off very soft, intimate, you know, got that Midwestern appeal. And then as soon as he moves to California to try to get his daughter back,

[00:14:30] you know, the film starts turning into a more traditional Schrader flick that we know and love in terms of the aesthetic and the simmering, rageful gore that we all love to see. I thought it was fantastic.

[00:14:43] Light Sleeper too, wasn't surprised with how great I was going to love it. I was more shocked with how sentimental it was. I don't think we usually associate sentimentality with Paul Schrader.

[00:14:56] I think the only film in recent memory of his that I think was on that register was Master Gardener, which I really enjoyed. So kind of seeing the seeds for that in Light Sleeper and Willem Dafoe is great. And Susan Sarandon's amazing, awesome film.

[00:15:11] For a not-awesome film, unfortunately, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. I saw Horizon and American Saga Chapter One, and I was just so let down by this. It kind of ruined my week, maybe my year. It's not looking great for us.

[00:15:31] That being said, Kevin, I will still be there opening night for every other chapter of this saga. Just absolute movie star shit he's doing. It is just very disjointed. Every character is so uninteresting, as compelling as a napkin, honestly. It doesn't look that great either.

[00:15:51] I know I kind of fought back against you, Matt, on the like, looks like a TV show. I was like, yeah, sure. I mean, there's shots that just look gorgeous when you have the landscapes of whether it was Montana or Wyoming or these different regions.

[00:16:04] But then other times it's just like, what are we doing here, Kevin? Can you at least give me this? Can you please, please, please, please level with me and tell me that you dug the score by John Debney? Yeah, the score's good. OK, thank you.

[00:16:24] Especially towards the ending, which is most infuriating thing to me. But like the score is just raging on and I'm like, OK, yeah, it's a pretty good score. I just it's this mixture of nostalgia and the feelings of wanting what we've had in these Western epics.

[00:16:43] And also the association we have to Costner as a screen presence that kind of makes you dilute in retrospect. His filmography as a director isn't entirely that great. And, you know, I just wanted to let it slide. And I see what he's doing.

[00:16:58] Like, I totally understand what he's trying to do. And it just doesn't work. It's probably the biggest TV pilot ever seen. I hate when people are like, well, it should have been a limited series. I was like, well, it's not because the director wanted to make a film.

[00:17:14] I'm just I'm going to say more of my thoughts for the podcast review, because that I think it's also fascinating how Costner as a presence behind the scenes and that story molds into how you experience the film itself.

[00:17:27] And I think they're very inseparable, which also causes me to like give some more kindness to the film that I really should. It's so funny because I did not think the way that you were so excited for this movie and I was the one that was skeptical.

[00:17:43] I did not think that I would come out of this liking it more than you.

[00:17:46] But I still have a lot of reservations about it because and I want to be very clear about this in case if people haven't been paying attention since we saw it, it can because we've said this a couple of times now.

[00:17:57] But this is not a complete film with a beginning, middle and end. It doesn't end. It literally just it just stop. But yes, it basically is act one to what is going to be a larger story. So it's all character introduction. It is all set up.

[00:18:15] And I think that people need to wait to see the other chapters before they can fully formulate an opinion on the whole, because I do think that that is the way this is supposed to be judged. Yeah, it's not individual pieces.

[00:18:32] Certain pieces were probably going to like more than others. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And in that regard, it's a very unique experience for the theatrical setting. Oh, yeah. I admired the balls on Costner for attempting this.

[00:19:17] It may not work to everyone's liking, but I on a personal level, I'm reserving judgment until I see all the parts. I did write when I was in the box.

[00:19:27] I was like, you know, maybe in retrospective, like after I've seen the whole thing, my opinion to go back. But as of now, I'm just like when certain storylines start getting into it, especially the Costner one, it picks up.

[00:19:40] But then he just under sweeps his own momentum by shifting to a whole other group of characters that are either not interesting or just it feels so long since we've seen what they've last been up to that.

[00:19:52] The momentum and the energy and the pacing itself just just crumbles at time. And it's three hours. So like all these are going to be three hours long. So and there's going to be four of them.

[00:20:01] So well, I like to think of it like, you know, watching an episode of television where you only spend a certain amount of minutes with like each section of characters and you hop around. Right.

[00:20:13] And, you know, I think of like the earliest seasons of Game of Thrones in this regard where people will be like, I want something to happen enough with the chess piece board setting, like, like, like, I want some action or something, you know, and you had to wait until like episode eight or nine for like big shit to happen, you know.

[00:20:28] And there would be certain weeks that would go by where people were like, oh, my God, this was just like a slow moving episode where not much really happened.

[00:20:37] And I think when you talk about the momentum, Gio, I really think that that is the same feeling that one gets when they watch Horizon where maybe the exciting stuff that we want to see happen for all we know may not happen until chapter three. It's like, yeah.

[00:20:52] And that's what I'm saying. Like, this is such a hard thing, I think, to wrap our minds around as viewers, because quite frankly, we've never seen this translation from what really should have been. I agree with you.

[00:21:05] It really should have been television based brought to the big screen in chunks like this. It's a very odd experience, but one that I like I said, I admire it. Yeah, I'm very curious as to where it goes. And then other stuff I saw.

[00:21:22] I just want to preference this. Please don't hate me, everyone. I think animation is cool. I saw inside to inside out to yesterday. I thought it was terrible.

[00:21:31] The more I think about that movie, the more I despise inside out to I was baffled by how uninspired it was.

[00:21:41] How at least with light year and that conventionality, at least I know when I watched that movie, it's like, OK, they're clearly just cashing a check on something familiar and they're going to expect it to work. And mixed results for that.

[00:21:55] I thought that movie wasn't great, but at least inside out to it just postures so much as like, oh, this is the Pixar, you know, and love and just fails at trying to trigger these emotional reactions that you expect out of these films.

[00:22:10] And it just felt so unauthentic to me. And I thought the animation was solid. Like, I mean, it felt like just more of the same. The story I just did not vibe with like the new additions. My hawk is great. I owe it to Barry.

[00:22:26] Perfect needed more of her like no notes on that. I just was just genuinely baffled. Like I left the movie and I was like, this is fine, you know? And then the more I think about it, I'm just like this incredibly simplistic.

[00:22:40] I'm just questioning why it was made in the first place. I get the natural extension of like the new emotions as you get older, but it just all felt so derivative of the first one. I was just shocked. I don't know what's happening with Pixar.

[00:22:53] I felt like this is a situation where they're like, we're going to cash in on like an easy win. And from how the box office is looking, it's working.

[00:23:01] So I mean, I was going to say, Gio, you're saying you're baffled and confused that the answer is staring you right in the face. No, it's making a shit ton of money. I went at 1130 showing before work with a friend and there's plenty of families.

[00:23:13] But I didn't even hear the kids like laugh a bunch or react like that compared to like some of the other Pixar films or other animated features I've seen in recent memory. I'm just. But this is what they're going to do now.

[00:23:26] They are going to rely on IP and sequels, and they've publicly said that this is what they're doing because this is what's making them money.

[00:23:35] Yeah, it's you know, I'm not going to say I was the biggest like Luca or turning red fan, but at least those strive for something. And I respect that. And this I hear I was just shocked again. I am innocent. I love you. Keep it up. You're great.

[00:23:51] But yeah, no, very disappointed. I'm scared for what happens next for Pixar. But I mean, again, it's making money like gangbusters. So what do I know? I'm just someone who just watches it and then at work slow day.

[00:24:03] So I was like, I'm going to wash away inside out, too. And I watch some blind watches I've never seen before. I watched Catherine Bigelow's Near Dark for the first time, which is awesome. It's so cool. It's so sexy. It's so violent and propulsive.

[00:24:19] Bill Paxton watching him in that whole bar sequence is just you miss what a screen presence he's wise. I mean, we we need him so badly back. I wish I wish he wasn't leaving us so soon from this earth because, man, he was just one of a kind.

[00:24:37] And I also watched for the first time the Loveless. I was in the biker mindset because I also rewatched the bike riders this week. Still love it. The Loveless. It's all right. Well, I'm the photo always just one cool looking dude. All right.

[00:24:51] So I had a very exciting week. I already mentioned Fancy Dance. I rewatched the bike riders, which podcast review is up. Go and listen to our thoughts on that. I can talk about Maxine, which is a very entertaining time at the movies.

[00:25:06] If you love 80s stylized horror films blended with some neo-noir, it's got a retro cool vibe to it. Ty West, I think, just directs the hell out of it. And Mia Goff is adding more layers to the Maxine Minx character following her work in X and Pearl.

[00:25:25] And there's a thematic resonance that really ties all three of these films together, making it what will probably be for some people a perfect trilogy. I can't because the review embargo hasn't broken yet. I can't say like where this ranks for me amongst the other two.

[00:25:40] And I cannot say what my personal grade is or anything like that. Suffice to say, there are moments of practical gore that I think are going to delight horror movie fans. The commentary on Hollywood's soul sucking path towards success and stardom is really clever and well done.

[00:25:58] Kevin Bacon is playing this like sleazeball detective who is trailing Maxine. And he is having a blast in this movie with his idiosyncratic quirks and his accent work. I mean, it is so much fun. I had a blast watching it. Highly recommend it when it releases.

[00:26:21] And I saw A Quiet Place Day One, which is coming out this week. Very bleak. Very bleak for a summer blockbuster. Like tense too.

[00:26:33] I mean, if you've seen the other two Quiet Place movies, you'll know that these movies are tense because of the way they utilize sound and how the monsters basically hunt the humans. You know, it's bigger in scale and the action is well staged by Sarnoski.

[00:26:49] I particularly like that he places us right in the thick of it, usually alongside the characters as they are trying to navigate through all this chaos and confusion and destruction. Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, reliably good.

[00:27:05] But for me, the main takeaway was that I really felt like this was a retread with very little expansion beyond what we already know from the previous two films. Like it was cool and it definitely had its moments. The cat especially.

[00:27:21] I know everybody wants to know about the cat.

[00:27:24] But if you're expecting heading into this to learn more about the world that John Krasinski started with the first A Quiet Place and getting more information maybe on the creatures or anything like that, I don't think you're going to be satisfied.

[00:27:40] I think if you're going to for some thrills, you'll get what you want out of it through that. And like I said, Lupita Nyong'o. God, you can't go wrong. What an unbelievable actress. So that was my week.

[00:28:21] 18th century pirates, revolutionary booksellers in 20th century Paris, the special friendship between the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson and numerous others. Learn what you love and listen to the French History Podcast today. All right. Why don't we start off here with the big announcement for Toronto?

[00:28:47] Sarah, you and Gio are going to be going with me, Dan, to Toronto this year. So we got the announcement of six world premieres this week. So very exciting stuff. Expect more announcements over the next couple of days for sure.

[00:29:04] And then, of course, we'll hear about Venice and we'll be able to decipher what's probably going to go to Telluride and stuff. It's a really, really exciting time now as the fall film festivals start to take shape here.

[00:29:14] So the six films that were announced are Elton John, Never Too Late, Harbin, The Life of Chuck, Night Bitch, Res Ball and The Wild Robot. What did you all think of this announcement?

[00:29:32] I love how last week's pod, when I was like, yeah, The Wild Robot, whatever, and Toronto was like, OK, well, what if we announced this first? I told you I said I had a feeling that this was going to happen. I was like, fine, OK?

[00:29:47] Y'all underestimated The Wild Robot and Night Bitch, too. I talked to so many people over the last couple of months about this movie saying, guys, Mariel Heller has not missed. I have a feeling that this is going to be something for Amy Adams.

[00:30:00] And everyone was like, I don't know, Matt, it's kind of trashy. And the title, I don't know. And I was like, guys, Mariel Heller does not miss. I'm like Searchlight knows this. And well, here we have a fall film festival run. Now, does that mean that it's great?

[00:30:16] Because there are bad movies that have premiered at TIFF, right, Nadia? Oh, yeah. So I'm not saying it's indicative of quality necessarily.

[00:30:24] But at the same time, all I'm saying is if it does turn out to be good, I do think that there is a path here for Adams and for the film overall.

[00:30:34] Yeah, I remember talking maybe a couple months back when we were kind of feeling out what could premiere at TIFF and this title came up. So I'm happy that it's here.

[00:30:46] I think if it does turn out to be a good showcase for Amy Adams, this is a good place for her to start. There is that statistic that I had read about actors who receive the Tribute Award or there's a track record there in terms of Oscar play.

[00:31:05] So maybe this is finally Amy Adams' year. We don't know. But I also agree that Mariel Heller does not miss.

[00:31:15] So I'm really intrigued by how ever since I found out about the premise, I've always been just intrigued by how she was going to put this story on the screen. So I'm looking forward to it. That's for sure.

[00:31:29] So to your point about the actor award at TIFF, Joaquin Phoenix for Joker 2019 nominated and won. 2020, Anthony Hopkins for The Father nominated and won. 2021, Jessica Chastain for The Eyes of Tammy Faye nominated and won. And that same year, Benedict Cumberbatch for The Power of the Dog nominated.

[00:31:50] 2022, well, the cast of My Policeman. We'll disregard that part. But Brendan Fraser for his work on The Whale nominated and won. And then now for 2023, who was it that year? It was Colman Domingo nominated, not won, but nominated. And now Amy Adams announced.

[00:32:11] At the very least, the statistics say that she probably will be nominated. Yeah, we definitely have to seriously consider her at this point, I think. The Elton John Never Too Late documentary, Disney Plus doc, Night Bitch Searchlight, Res Ball, Netflix, Wild Robot, DreamWorks Animation.

[00:32:30] The Life of Chuck, directed by Mike Flanagan. That is a sales title and can be acquired out of the festival. I did not even know that this was coming. I had no idea that this project even existed. I think I heard something about it.

[00:32:46] I feel like it's got a plenty, obviously, you know, saying it's got plenty of the Mike Flanagan returning actors who he constantly uses as a project is an understatement because he's one of those filmmakers that it's like he has his guys, you know, and he just likes to do it.

[00:33:00] He's hanging out with his guys and you will see the same people, whether it's in Bly Manor or in his latest shows on Netflix or even what he's going to do an Amazon the future. So hearing this, but like Tom Hiddleston in him. OK, I'm in.

[00:33:14] Mark Hamill's also in it. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Jacob Tremblay, who just graduated from high school, by the way. Congratulations, Jacob. What? No way. Wow, time flies. But based on a short story or no, sorry, a novella by Stephen King.

[00:33:34] Yeah, very, very excited to see what that possibly could be. And going back again to the wild robot here, guys, if this is not number one in your early Oscar predictions for animated feature like I really don't know what to tell you at this point.

[00:33:49] I mean, it looks gorgeous. I'm really excited. And Res Ball, coming of age film about indigenous basketball produced by LeBron James. I'm sure that'll get a lot of eyeballs on it, especially considering, too. It's a Netflix title. So all around. Oh, yeah. And Harbin.

[00:34:06] All I need to know about this is that it's South Korea. Anytime South Korea has a film that's playing at an international film festival, I usually go out of my way to see it. But this is also directed by Wuminho, who previously did. What was it called again?

[00:34:24] The man standing next. I don't know if you guys saw that one in 2020, but that was one that I do remember seeing that year on screen or something because it was it was during the you know, during the pandemic. So.

[00:34:40] All right, let's move on over to our first trailer here, which is for a real pain. This movie had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It is going to be released by Searchlight on October 18th, 2024, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin.

[00:34:57] Eisenberg wrote and directed it. Let's take a look. We stay moving. We stay light. We stay agile. The conductor is going to come through taking tickets. We tell him we're going to the bathroom bathroom. He gets to the back of the tree.

[00:35:06] He's going to start heading towards the front looking for stragglers. Sorry, were the stragglers? Yeah. By the time he gets to the front, the train is going to meet in the station and we're home free. This is so fucking stupid. Tickets are probably like 12 bucks.

[00:35:14] It's the principle of things. You shouldn't have to pay for train tickets in Poland. This is our country. No, it's not. It was our country. They kicked us out because they thought we were cheap.

[00:35:21] I love that it's basically just a teaser because I don't really need to know anything else. I've heard great things out of Sundance, so I'm excited for it. Yeah. Did anybody else see this out of Sundance besides me? I did. I did. You did?

[00:35:34] Yeah. And I really liked how this trailer kind of just doesn't really tell you anything. And it's just kind of like the best funny snippets. That's like kind of my perfect trailer. Yeah, I like that. It also didn't reveal much as well.

[00:35:46] You know, you kind of get a hint at Eisenberg's visual style, which is very, you know, sorry. It's the first thing that kind of came to my mind. Very Woody Allen, you know, like kind of like Midnight in Paris almost.

[00:35:58] It's very simplistic in the way that it's shot, but it also does have, I think, a better degree of control over it compared to his last movie, which I really, really did not like. Oh, yes. When you finished Saving the World, I remember watching that.

[00:36:14] I was just like, this was insufferable. And then seeing the trailer for this, I'm like, this is eons already, like an improvement of Eisenberg, you know, talent behind the camera. I'm very excited. And the screenplay for this movie is really, really good.

[00:36:29] I would not be surprised to see Eisenberg possibly get nominated for his writing of this film. And Culkin is the real deal, I think, for a supporting actor nomination from it as well. Would you agree with that, Sarah? Oh, definitely. Yeah, he's incredible here.

[00:36:48] I definitely got that vibe from the trailer. And I also got a sort of Sorkin-esque vibe from the dialogue between the two of them, and I really dug that. It's really witty and fast. Yeah, it's got a degree of like cleverness to it.

[00:37:03] But also, too, it is also a very poignant and profound screenplay. It does follow these two cousins who are traveling through Poland, basically to honor their grandmother.

[00:37:17] And, you know, it takes them through their family history and, you know, thinking back on the Holocaust and also their current relationship today and what their lives have amounted to.

[00:37:32] I think especially if you guys liked Culkin's work on Succession, there's a real deep sadness that he is able to tap into with this character.

[00:37:44] Also, too, I know he's not going to get as much praise for it, but I think this is Eisenberg's best performance since The Social Network, personally speaking. Oh, that's intriguing. Yeah.

[00:37:57] Sarah, do you remember the scene in particular where he's at the restaurant at the head of the table? Oh, that scene is spectacular. Yes, yes.

[00:38:06] Yeah. That's when it occurred to me. I was like, oh my God, I don't remember the last time I've seen Eisenberg this good in something. And I was like, maybe The Social Network. Holy shit. You know? Yeah, I'm really excited for more people to see it, for sure.

[00:38:18] Do you think it will come back at TIFF or something? Because I think it will. Yeah, that's a possibility.

[00:38:25] It does feel like a TIFF title. I remember reading a lot of buzz on Kieran Culkin and this trailer seems to give him a little bit of a focus throughout it. And I thought he totally ran away with the final season of Successions as the best in show.

[00:38:41] So this looks like another pretty good role to showcase his talent. All right. And now what I want to do is I want to head on over to the polls for last week's poll.

[00:38:56] We asked everyone, which is your favorite anthology film to get us ready for the release of Kinds of Kindness? So when thinking back on anthology films, what is your favorite, Gio, starting with you? I think I mentioned last week or the last time we did it was Go.

[00:39:15] And because more so is most recent, I don't really watch that many anthology films. You know, I just think in the top of my head, it's like, oh, wait. But Doug Liman's Go, you know. Wow, that rhyme.

[00:39:28] He's just probably all my complaints I have with Liman, especially now in his career. I watched something like that that felt a bit more inspired and the energy in it was just out of this world. And everyone in that ensemble is fantastic and it's funny.

[00:39:43] And the way it's edited, too, I was just like, yes, this is I wish that guy was still with us now. Buster Scruggs, I also think, is an underrated anthology. I know it's not really the Coen Brothers film that everyone clamors for or is going to mention first.

[00:40:02] But I just found it delightful. All right, Sarah, what about you? If I'm being honest, I like cannot remember if I've ever seen an anthology film that's not like the French dispatch.

[00:40:15] And I didn't really like that one very much. So let me let me spew a couple here. Let me tell me if you've seen any of these heavy metal. I am Cuba night on Earth. Paris, I love you. Twilight Zone, the movie Creepshow Fantasia.

[00:40:33] Wild Tales. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy. I guess that all Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy. I reviewed that for us. Yes. Yeah, I really like that one. OK, OK. There we go. It's very early in the morning, you guys. I'm a Gucci. Yeah, I really like that one.

[00:40:52] I feel like it's very underseen. So, yeah, I remember when Drive My Car came out, everybody was like, yeah, we're all talking about this. How much Gucci film? But y'all should also check this one out. And I feel like nobody did.

[00:41:03] Yeah, I really have to rewatch that one so that Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy. There we go. Nadia, how about you? I haven't seen a lot of anthology movies, but I think this one counts. It's a movie called Tempopo.

[00:41:19] From 1985 and it's sort of it's directed by Juzo Itami and it's kind of like a Western in some ways, but it's a bunch of little vignettes kind of. Packed into one movie about food and how different cultures experience food, serve food, think about food.

[00:41:45] So that one stands out and it's it's sort of satirical. In its moments as well. Yeah, I think that that's one where it's like bordering on being anthology, but all allowed here wasn't it wasn't included in the poll for.

[00:42:00] But you know what? I did also include some others that were borderline, too. So listen, I'm only one person. I can't think of everything. But at the same time, I think that's a good call out. Tempopo is a really wonderful film.

[00:42:12] And Alyssa? Yeah, so I also haven't seen too many anthology films and I would agree. Buster Scruggs is really enjoyable. There are some pieces that are better than others, but I did enjoy that one.

[00:42:26] And yeah, also Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. I mean, how could I not mention Monty Python? They're awesome. Yeah, and I do remember watching Fantasia back in the day and just being really impressed with what they accomplished there visually.

[00:42:39] But yeah, I hope to check out more anthology films and looking forward to seeing Kinds of Kindness when it comes to my area. Fantasia is like the kind of film that I feel like you hate when you're a kid.

[00:42:50] But then when you become an adult and you become like well versed in arts and culture, Fantasia is amazing. Yeah, exactly. All right, let's see what the MVP film community did here with their ranking coming in at number 10 is... Twilight Zone, the movie. Anyone ever seen Twilight Zone?

[00:43:14] I haven't. When I was a kid, I have not seen that movie in like so long. Or you know, every time they reference Tower of Terror when I used to go to Disney. George Miller has a film that he directed in Twilight Zone, the movie. Just saying.

[00:43:31] We also, I'm trying to think who also had directed segments in that, I believe also. I think Steven Spielberg had one. Yeah, he had the second segment. And John Landis also had one as well. So yeah, still a classic, still beloved.

[00:43:50] A lot of people really like Twilight Zone. Number 9 is Creepshow. Another horror anthology. Horror anthologies are very popular, I've noticed. Number 8 is Rizuke Hamaguchi's Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy. Number 7 is Monty Python's The Meaning of Life. Oh, good it made it.

[00:44:14] Number 6, I will admit this was a bit controversial. Some people said it deserved to be here, other people said it should not be here. I included it because after doing some research and also thinking on it myself, I do think it counts.

[00:44:32] But you can all choose to disagree with me if you think so. Number 6 is Sin City. Yeah, I mean, I can see it. I'm not going to disagree, that movie rocks. It's so cool. Especially, I can't remember the character's name, but just the yellow dude in it.

[00:44:49] Because your eyes just get so attached to that saturated black and white look the whole film. And then when he pops up, it's almost like assaulting your eyes. Well, I remember when the Blu-ray format first came out, that was one of the most striking looking Blu-ray formats.

[00:45:05] I owned. And it also has one of my favorite commentary tracks ever of a live audience watching the movie. So you hear all the crowd cheering moments and the gasping and screaming over some of the more gory bits. It's so much fun. So cool.

[00:45:24] Yeah, I remember Elijah Wood actually being my main entry point into that movie because it had just come right after The Lord of the Rings. And I was obsessed with him at that point. And then I saw him in that and wow, that's different for him. Yep. Yep.

[00:45:40] Also, too, I remember that was my because I too saw it when I was like 14 years old or however old I was at the time. I'm almost positive that was my first introduction to Mickey Rourke. Oh, wow.

[00:45:54] His character Marv in that movie was such a standout to me that I was like, who is this guy? And then I discovered Mickey Rourke's career because of that movie. And then when the wrestler came around, I was like all in.

[00:46:06] I was like, yo, Mickey Rourke, come back. Let's go. He was razzed. Number five. Oh, yes. Number five, one of my all time favorite movies, a Japanese masterpiece, Quaden. If you guys have never seen this before, holy shit. I have not.

[00:46:30] It is another anthology horror movie, but it's Japanese 60s horror. Absolutely incredible. Like the visuals are stunning. The stories are amazing. It's three hours long. It's fantastic. Can't recommend it enough. Number four, also one of the most Jesus Christ.

[00:46:48] This is another movie I highly recommend to all of you if you've never seen this. Number four is Wild Tales. I've definitely heard good things about it. So, yeah. Number three is Fantasia. Number two is the French Dispatch. And number one is The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Oh.

[00:47:08] Because that's probably the most widely seen among them. Yeah. Good movie. Yeah. So, in this week's poll, we are asking everyone, which film is your favorite from 2024 so far? We've reached a halfway point of the year. Let's talk about some of our favorite films from 2024.

[00:47:29] I will kick us off first because let's just get the obvious out of the way. My number one is still Dune Part Two and I will be shocked if anything beats it throughout the rest of the year. But my God. Who's an arch-vibe? The memes, the theatrical experience.

[00:47:47] Jesus Christ, I re-watched it on 4K at home for the first time. I felt like I was completely transported yet again back to Arrakis. I think the storytelling in that movie is absolutely phenomenal. Like, it's by far the best thing I've seen this year for me personally.

[00:48:04] But I also will freely admit it's also very much my kind of movie. So, take that for what you will. But getting that out of the way, I would say my second favorite that's been theatrically released so far this year is Furiosa, a Mad Max saga.

[00:48:20] And the reason why I'm saying this up front is because y'all did this movie dirty by not going to see it in theaters. And the fact that we're not getting The Wasteland now probably because of it with Tom Hardy and George Miller reuniting hurts me.

[00:48:34] I don't know if Tom Hardy would ever do it though. He would have done it. He's been a bit more fun. I remember the whole contentiousness of it after he saw Fury Road. He was like, oh, okay, yeah, no, I get it. He apologized to him at Cannes.

[00:48:47] But they recently asked him about it. He's like, yeah, that's not happening. Well, I think he said that because of the way this film was received. It's a shame. You can't blame me for that, people. I saw that movie like three times.

[00:49:01] Well, Doom Part II is my number one as well. And I don't know if anything else will top it, but you never know. And actually my number two is Love Lies Bleeding. I only recently saw that in like the last couple of months and I adored it.

[00:49:14] So cool. Like as soon as they're just giving each other steroids at the beginning and it's like foreplay, I was like, oh, this is like the coolest thing ever. The two of them, amazing chemistry, really such a breakout role for Katie O'Brien.

[00:49:27] So I'm excited to see her be in more stuff. Yeah. You know, let's just throw in just we're talking about palpable onscreen relationships. My favorite film of the year still. Challengers. I mean, it's got everything you want. It's got thighs. It's got tennis. It's got Zendaya.

[00:49:47] It's got churros. It has everything, people. It's got cameras doing things cameras shouldn't do. And I love it. It's got annoying songs where people say, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That score is perfect. Literally every day I go to the gym, I listen to that score.

[00:50:02] So thank you, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross for ruining my Spotify rat. I take that back. That's not the most annoying bit about that score. The most annoying bit is the phone alarm sound. Oh, yeah. This is me off.

[00:50:18] I think it's also because that first version of the match point score that they play. It's so different from the final one and the groove and like the differences in the sound for the first one. It starts kicking in and then the phone happens.

[00:50:32] And I'm like, no, please stop. I want to say for the record, I do think the challenger score is pretty great, actually. Phenomenal. Oh, it is. Oh, absolutely. I mean, I had it stuck in my head immediately after watching it.

[00:50:44] Yeah, that's also my favorite movie of the year. Hey, yeah. Yeah. Luca Guadagnino has not missed. I know. I felt like I was sweating and putting in the work on the tennis court along with those characters. I mean, speaking of Josh O'Connor in that movie, Lucky Meta. Yes.

[00:51:04] One of my favorites as well. And I got to say, I first saw it last year at TIFF and I wasn't that big on it. Maybe I was just super tired. I don't know.

[00:51:17] But then I rewatched it a couple months back and I was just totally much more enamored with it the second time around. I think it's so dreamy. It's Josh O'Connor is just beautiful in it. His Italian is great.

[00:51:32] The buildup is so beautiful and it's a really, really neat exploration of this idea of somebody feeling like a relic of their own past. And I just I was just hypnotized by the whole thing.

[00:51:48] Watching that movie was like, wow, I wish I could also wear the same dirty suit and smoke cigs in Italy and just walk around everywhere like that. It's so good. Just so spiritual. And the buildup to the ending.

[00:52:04] That cut at the end is just I remember seeing that and I was just devastated. I think it's also one of the most gorgeous looking films. I, too, had a similar reaction. No, Nadia, where I saw it at Cannes and its world premiere.

[00:52:16] And I, too, was probably too tired to really love it. I admired it, but I watched it again and I thought the direction was so incredibly unique and well done.

[00:52:30] And what I confused for being like a little sporadic and kind of out there in terms of Rorwalker's choices really landed for me on this second viewing. And that ending, like we said, is so powerful and so well done. Yeah, I'm glad that got a shout out here.

[00:52:48] There's a couple of holdovers from 2023 that came out in the first half of the year. That was one of them. How to have sex was another. That was great. And then I would also say evil does not exist is another one that going back to Hamaguchi again.

[00:53:08] So good. Love that film. I just want to give a shout out to Babes. Funniest movie I think I've seen this year. Yeah, hilarious. Yeah. Pamela and and Lynn's film about, you know, the messy imperfections of motherhood, pregnancy and friendship.

[00:53:24] Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buto are hilarious, have amazing chemistry together. But yeah, I think that and Dune are pretty much the highest on my list right now.

[00:53:37] I highly recommend if you guys get a chance to see this, it's a harrowing movie, but it's some of the most powerful filmmaking you'll see this year. Agnieszka is a Holland's Green Border.

[00:53:47] That one I saw last year, it's just now being released, I think, in limited this weekend. Really, really, really good stuff. I mean, so, so powerful. I mean, yeah, I think you guys remember, too, like how much controversy it caused to upon its release.

[00:54:04] It's definitely something that like the Polish government does not want you to see because it's not kind at all regarding how they've handled the refugee crisis. But it's really, really well done. You know, speaking of films also that now could be more widely seen since on BOD.

[00:54:24] I saw the TV glow. Yes. Phenomenal film. Just also Justice Smith giving a performance like I not going to say I'm not the biggest Justice Smith fan, but I was genuinely shocked. Me too. What he was able to do. And it's utterly devastating.

[00:54:41] I've been totally blind for that movie. And I just was not expecting to leave the theater and just have the most visceral and upsetting reaction to that film. It's beautiful. It looks gorgeous. Everyone that film should be literally watched by everyone this year.

[00:54:57] That's like my number three film of the year. That was definitely one of the talks of the town at Sundance when we saw it. I remember the buzz before it came out was, oh, it's from the same filmmaker who did. We're all going to the World's Fair.

[00:55:10] It's a 24. And so, you know, my curiosity was there. But it far exceeded my expectations. I thought it was such a great leap from the last feature to this one. From a directorial standpoint, it had sounds and images that have not left my brain ever since.

[00:55:28] And Cody and I, I remember being on the bus the next morning and we just talked about it for like a half an hour, 40 minutes or so.

[00:55:36] And just going on and on and on about like how we thought that this was going to resonate with definitely a particular group of people.

[00:55:43] But also, I did not feel that this movie was excluding people either from being able to recognize its themes and also be incredibly stunned by it. You know, on this visceral level. I can't stress enough as far as just artistic statements this year.

[00:56:09] It's definitely not an easy watch. It's not something I would ever recommend like families to watch or anything like that. But to me, it's going to go down as like one of the definitive great movies of this year.

[00:56:20] And then the last one real quick I'm going to mention is Hitman because I mean, come on. All pie is good pie. Which is a lie. I'm sorry. That's just not true whatsoever. But when Glenn Powell says it, I believe it. I also wanted to shout out.

[00:56:35] I was really surprised how much I enjoyed Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. It was really fantastic in my opinion. Yeah, I guess. You know what? Yeah. Hell yeah, Alyssa. Thank you for bringing that up. You're welcome.

[00:56:49] I think that's one that people are not going to cite as one of their favorites probably that much from the first half of the year. But I agree.

[00:56:56] I thought it was this very solid start to a new trilogy or however many films they want to make now with these new characters. Very excited to see where the franchise goes after that one. Yeah, I mean, I really loved the new ape characters.

[00:57:08] I didn't like the human characters as much, but that's usually the case with these movies. So, yeah, I'm really excited to see where they go from here. You know, it's one of the more unique films I saw in the first half.

[00:57:19] If you guys have not seen this, this is also available on demand. I got hundreds of beavers. I need to see this so bad. Ah, it is out of this world. So committed to the bit of what it is attempting to do.

[00:57:37] This modern day black and white slapstick comedy that feels like it was ripped straight from like the 1930s. And the way that they are able to capture that style of filmmaking with today's modern tools and do it on such a low budget.

[00:57:54] I was just mesmerized by this movie. I want to once again stress, this is a movie that feels like a time capsule. Like it does not feel like it's from this era.

[00:58:06] And that might off-put some people, but I mean, you cannot help but be wowed by the commitment from these filmmakers to portray their vision the way that they did here. It's pretty remarkable.

[00:58:21] And I've been also following them on social media too about how they're trying to release it and get more eyeballs on it. And they're talking about like how they're going to get it on physical media and stuff. And it's just, it's DIY filmmaking like at its very finest.

[00:58:36] A couple of quick shout outs, quick ones here. I would like to quickly give a shout out to Ghost Light from IFC. Some of the most powerful acting I've seen in a movie this year.

[00:58:51] All about the healing power of theater and what that can do for the soul, especially in really distressing times. For obvious reasons, Kinds of Kindness is a standout.

[00:59:05] I mean, a New Yorker's land from those films so soon after Poor Things is just a gift, I think, for all of us. For better or for worse, depending on how you view the three separate stories, mind you.

[00:59:14] I did not love this movie, but this is a number one like La Chimera where I haven't had a chance to watch it again yet. But The Beast is one of the most ambitious movies I've seen this year.

[00:59:28] And I still cannot fully tell you exactly what it was about. But I know that I was fascinated by it from beginning to end and I definitely want to give it another go.

[00:59:40] I'm planning to watch that today for the first time. It's been on my list for a while. And I finally carved out time where it's like, I think I'm watching The Beast today. I'm very excited. Feel free to talk to me about that when you're done.

[00:59:50] Okay, I'll send you a text. It's definitely ambitious and I still feel like I'm wrapping my head around the imagery of that movie. I've got one as well. There's one, Sometimes I Think About Dying. I still have not seen this yet.

[01:00:08] I'm like waiting for it to become available to watch for free instead of paying to watch it. But I will get to this. I swear to God, I will get to this. It's a compelling little movie.

[01:00:20] It's J.Z. Ridley plays a woman who thinks about dying and she works at this mundane little office. It's interesting the way it captures what it feels like to stand in your own way and to be in your own way mentally, emotionally, socially.

[01:00:43] She's terrific in it too. It's a really great solo performance from her. Between this and Young Woman in the Sea, I definitely am giving D.Z. Ridley a bit more flowers this year, I think, than I have had an opportunity to do so.

[01:00:59] In previous years, given that she had the Star Wars output, but then she had other roles that were not really that memorable.

[01:01:08] I haven't seen Sometimes I Think About Dying yet, but my imagination is telling me that if it's anything like Charlie Kaufman style of storytelling, I'm pretty sure I'm going to love it. Is it?

[01:01:24] A little tiny bit. I think it's a little bit more. It's a little bit less out there than his work, but I can see some similarities to it. But it's a little bit more more tame, more restrained. I also really liked Monkey Man.

[01:01:40] Dev Patel's feature directorial debut is just as far as like, you know, blockbuster studio action films that we got this year. I thought that was quite a quite a fun ride.

[01:01:49] That was really entertaining. Very, very passionate to be. I'm really I really want to see Dev Patel direct more.

[01:01:57] All right. There are so many others that we did not mention here, whether it is The Devil's Bath or We Grown Now or Suncoast, The Breaking Ice, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World.

[01:02:13] You know, there's so many movies that came out in the first half of the year that we could spend quite a bit of time, obviously, on this podcast talking about them.

[01:02:23] But we don't have all the time in the world. We still have two more trailers to get through and your fan questions. But head on over to the polls page at NextBestPicture.com, cast a vote.

[01:02:33] You can choose up to 10 films and you can write in an answer, too. If we if you do not see your choice listed, tell us what is your favorite film from 2024 so far.

[01:02:46] All right. And now for our final two trailers here, let's take a look at The Front Room. This is directed by the Eggers brothers, not to be confused with Robert Eggers. He'll have a trailer that we will discuss next week.

[01:03:00] It's an A24 release starring Brandi, Katherine Hunter, going to be released on September 6th, 2024. Let's take a look at the trailer. Let's get some thoughts here. Your father's final request was he wants you to take your mother into your home.

[01:03:18] I'm willing to give you all the money I got. We can pay off the house with that money. Never hear me is telling me to run away. Welcome home, Solange. Oh, what's your name? And that's the nursery. It's my room now.

[01:03:37] As soon as Katherine Hunter shows up, you know, with her signature voice, I'm like, I'm in. She's awesome. Katherine Hunter, like as creepy old lady in an A24 horror film with dad voice. Why did we not think of this sooner? I know, right? It's so obvious.

[01:03:54] Uh, yeah, I was going to say, yeah, I was like, I hate to be that guy. Like, I love Katherine Hunter. I love Brandy. Um, this was not it for me. I think I can already get the vibe of the entire film just from this short little trailer.

[01:04:10] And it's very much, you know how people always make the joke. Well, it looks like an A24 film and blah, blah, blah. And I feel like this is one of those movies that has a lot of surface and nothing else besides. Like, it looks pretty.

[01:04:23] I can already get the vibe as soon as they start getting into what the theme of the film is going to be. I was like, oh, OK. I was almost like going to say like, so basically it's like if you took Monster In Law meets Get Out.

[01:04:37] Yeah, yeah, that's literally. I didn't put the A24 logo on it, but it's not like the A tier A24. It's like more like the B tier A24, you know? Yeah, who knows? Maybe it'll be like delightful little or flick. But I didn't really grab me from that trailer.

[01:04:57] I mean, Katherine Hunter definitely kept my interest throughout because her voice is just like otherworldly. But I agree. I too was kind of like let down when I saw like some of the jokes playing out and then they started to play around with the tone a bit more.

[01:05:11] And I was starting to wonder, is this like going for a bit of comedy? But then also there's the race element, too, which I'm also like, hmm. I don't know. Like, I just I don't know if I trust the Eggers brothers to pull this off.

[01:05:27] But at the same time, you know, listen, I mean, I'm going to see it regardless. So we'll we'll see. It is nice to see Brandy back on screen. I feel like I haven't seen her anything for a while. So that's good. She's busy selling albums, making music.

[01:05:42] That's fair. Yeah, but also, too, I mean, I agree with you. Like when was the last time that Brandy had like a substantial, like big role? Hmm. I really don't remember the last time I saw her.

[01:05:55] Like, I remember she was in I like one of the I know what you did last summer movies, but I feel like she's doing mostly television instead. These last couple of years, I don't think she's been in any films lately or she has.

[01:06:10] And I just haven't seen them. Yeah, like I was saying, it doesn't look like, you know, top tier a twenty four definitely looks more like one of their secondary titles. Its release date also suggests this is not a TIFF Midnight Madness movie.

[01:06:23] So, yeah, my expectations are pretty low for it overall. But I will say this. It's definitely got a very relatable theme in the sense of who here likes their mother in law. Mother in law.

[01:06:35] But by far the biggest trailer that we got this past week, the one that got the Internet pretty buzzing was for Smile 2. Smile was released two years ago, took everyone by surprise, had one of the best marketing campaigns for a movie I've seen in quite some time.

[01:06:52] And for me, on a personal level, I was really, really, really impressed by Smile. It was one of my favorite horror movies I had seen in recent memory, actually.

[01:07:04] Scared the ever living crap out of me, was horrifically violent and upsetting on a level that I hadn't quite felt since Hereditary, I would say. So seeing that they were going to make a sequel was inevitable.

[01:07:20] Seeing how it was portrayed through this trailer got me more excited than I think I was anticipating. Let's take a look and let's give some thoughts. Hello? No, no! Lewis? So we've got Naomi Scott, Rosemary DeWitt, Kyle Gallner, Lucas Gage, Raul Castillo, Dylan Galula.

[01:07:54] I mean like this cast is phenomenal for a horror movie of this, you know, like I think just goes to show you though that people really liked Smile and really wanted to be a part of what Parker Finn was going to do with the sequel here.

[01:08:07] Yeah, I mean this looks like it's going to be just as unnerving as the first one. So I'm excited. And I like the pop star element to it of her character. This and Trap are going to go together so well I think as double features this year.

[01:08:22] Yeah, that sounds like a good time. I'm just happy like Naomi Scott's getting work, you know, it feels like after you star in like a billion dollar remake of Aladdin for live action and it was just such a hit.

[01:08:37] A lot of that cast besides like Will Smith, I've not really seen pop up in a lot of big projects. Well, I think the problem was that she had Charlie's Angels come out after that and that didn't really exactly set the world on fire.

[01:08:49] Yeah, it's a bit rough but she's always a fun screen presence and like the haircut, digging it. Just I like how this one's a completely different thing instead of like an entirely direct sequel to the first one, especially how it ends.

[01:09:02] If you've seen the first smile and you see how it ends, you're like, oh, I don't know how they're going to keep that going. But just make it a completely different story. Seeing like the same again, is it a monster or virus or whatever?

[01:09:14] Like to a degree, it's completely different and it's not really a direct continuation of the first one. It's like its own thing in a way, just that same Kyle Garner does cross over from the previous movie. So we'll see how that plays into it.

[01:09:29] You know, that's one of the things that I'm not looking forward to about the sequel.

[01:09:33] It's one of the problems that I have a lot of times with these supernatural horror films that have rules like the Final Destination movie is that when you have a new film and a new cast, they have to learn what the audience already knows.

[01:09:46] And so it can be a little tedious in that we know this already. You know, like the characters might be hearing this information about what this thing is that they are having to face. But we know that and that can make for a very diluted sequel.

[01:10:03] So I'm really hoping that this has creative kills, effective jump scares, and it looks like it's retaining like the same style of filmmaking, which, you know, same writer, same director, Parker Finn. So that's to be expected.

[01:10:20] But at the same time, I liked what we got in the first film. So I'm looking forward to seeing more of that. Visually, it looks interesting as well. There's that shot of Naomi Scott being chased in the hallway. That was pretty, pretty neat with the camera upside down.

[01:10:35] Yeah. Yeah. There's also like the blood trail that's in the shape of a smile. I really enjoyed that scene in the trailer. Oh, my God. That shot of the car coming down the street before it cuts to black.

[01:10:46] Holy shit. I think that's going to be a brutal hit. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I'm ready for this movie to rip out my soul. Should be fun. Should be a good time. I'm excited. I really, really hope that this has a TIFF Midnight Madness world premiere.

[01:11:02] That would be really exciting. Might be too big for it, but still would be cool. All right. And now let's head on over to questions from the MVP film community. And see what they had to ask us for this week's show.

[01:11:42] Matthew St. Clair, since yesterday was Meryl Streep's 75th birthday, what is your favorite performance of hers that was not Oscar nominated? Ooh. Ooh. Death Becomes Her. Oh, damn. That's a good one. Okay. BB to it. Shit. Um. Oh, I feel like she's nominated for everything.

[01:12:29] Yeah. Something she wasn't nominated for. Yeah. God. I'm trying to think. I was going to say Death Becomes Her. Death Becomes Her. Well, thinking of some of her more recent work, I know she has a very small role in The New Little Women,

[01:12:45] but she does make the best of it. Sure. I agree with that. It's literally Meryl and the Warheads are just like catnip for one another. You know, like they're just so inseparable. Yeah. It's synonymous. Truly. You know what? I'll say it. Fuck it. Mamma Mia.

[01:13:02] Yeah. Sure. Why not? She's great in Mamma Mia. Oh, Defending Your Life. I love her in that. That's a really good one. S2 has movie reviews. Other than Ordinary People, what do you suggest us to watch to honor the late, great Donald Suverland? Clued.

[01:13:22] Yeah. Man, it was so sad to lose Donald Suverland this past week. What an all time great actor. I know that he's like in our world of awards, you know, well known for being one of the greats that never got nominated for a competitive Oscar.

[01:13:36] I'm so glad that he got that honorary in 2017. Yeah. His run in like the 70s is unbeatable. I mean, Giovanni, you just mentioned Clued. I mean, it goes well beyond just that. There's so much. Like, don't look now as a masterpiece. Yeah.

[01:13:59] That's one I would say too alongside Clued. Yeah. The invasion of the Body Snatchers remake. Yeah, there's that iconic moment where he's pointing at the end. Yep. Yeah, that's true. Been mean to death. I know he said not to include ordinary people,

[01:14:17] but I still can't understand how he was not nominated alongside, you know, Mary Tate. Oh, everybody. Everyone got nominated except for him. Yeah, I know. And he's great now. I knew that after such a run in the 70s, that by the time we got to 1980 with that film,

[01:14:33] like they would have been like, here you go. But just one of those things, you know, I'm mentioning films where he's not the major, like screen presence. But in terms of whenever he shows up, you just absolutely lock in. I mean, JFK is just lights out.

[01:14:50] And more recently, because I think, you know, in terms of more recent work, everyone always associates with Hunger Games, which I mean, I get it was massively popular. He really took over that character and that made that role very popular as President Snow.

[01:15:04] But I liked him for what little he did in Ad Astra, which is just all around a movie that I think the more the years fly by, I'm just like, this is just almost near perfect science fiction film. Like everyone in that ensemble is fantastic.

[01:15:17] I hate that the movie forgets about him. Yeah, because he is set to compelling onscreen presence that that's like my one complaint about Ad Astra. But a movie where he shows up, does his thing and bounces and he leaves a lasting impression. Backdraft.

[01:15:33] I would also mention people were talking about how great he was in Pride and Prejudice, the 2005 with Keira Knightley, just as so likable. And I'm so happy you brought that up. Yeah, that's a great role. Yeah, I was going to say that one as well.

[01:15:47] Also, how can we not mention MASH? Yeah. Oh, right. Yeah. I mean, Altman, Sutherland, like, come on. Yeah. Going to miss him. Honestly, yeah, we can go on and on. He was in so many great movies.

[01:16:04] Linda wants to know, do you think Apple will release Blitz this year? Yes. I spoke with Apple about this, actually, and I confirmed that it will indeed be coming out this year. So everyone don't panic. OK, I know it wasn't part of the Apple scissor reel

[01:16:20] and everybody freaked out. But Apple is still coming out this year. I am definitely very curious about that one. Ian Balakalak, what movies remind you of being on a nice summer vacation? Oh, Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Oh, yeah. This is a good disassociation movie.

[01:16:40] When you watch Call Me By Your Name, it's like hard not to get lost. They're just riding around on their bikes and they're just strolling through town, sipping on their little espresso, smoking cigarettes, reading books. I'm like, yeah, this is laying by the pool,

[01:16:51] just lounging in the summer heat. Love it. Yeah, that's the first film that came to my mind. Yeah, me too. I adore that movie and it is hard to watch now after what happened with you know who, but it's still enjoyable.

[01:17:06] Oh, a recent-ish movie, Fire Island is so fun. I liked Fire Island. Yeah, that was good. Very enjoyable. Jacob wants to know, with Twisters coming out soon, what is your favorite disaster movie from the 1990s until today? Oh. Can I save the original Independence Day?

[01:17:26] I think I can. I mean, yeah. Yeah, I mean, it's not like a natural disaster movie. It's definitely a fictional disaster movie, but God, I think Independence Day is just so goddamn entertaining. I mean, it's Roland Emmerich, you know,

[01:17:42] as a guy we kind of curse him for being a bad guy. But then he turns around and he mainly just does disaster-esque movies. I mean, that is probably cream of the crop in terms of his filmography. Oh, oh, I nearly forgot about this one.

[01:17:55] I think this is actually one of the best disaster movies in recent memory. Not a lot of people have seen this. I personally recommend this quite a bit. It's got great scores from critics. Greenland. Gerard Butler. Yes. I actually have not seen that one. I've seen it before.

[01:18:15] And the way, I think what makes that movie stand out is how grounded within reality it feels. And that makes it feel all the more horrific while you're watching it. Really, really well done. Can't recommend that one enough. Truly, I think everyone here should give that a watch

[01:18:32] at some point if you have a chance. Okay, so I have a nostalgic love for Armageddon, even though Neil deGrasse Tyson said it's so inaccurate. That's my guilty pleasure movie always. I love Armageddon. Yeah. I don't know, does Titanic count as a disaster movie?

[01:18:49] Yeah, I would say it was a disaster. Yes. Also a more recent one that's more of a, I guess, grounded low key in the way that it's filmed, but take shelter. Oh, good. That's a great one. It's like a psychological disaster movie, I guess. Yeah.

[01:19:10] Really, really good though. Oh, Jeff Nichols, man. Mm-hmm. Peter Rabbit's Awards Buzz. With the Nosferatu trailer hyping up movie theaters at the moment, do you guys think most trailers should go back to movie theaters exclusively for weeks before hitting online the way it used to be? Yes.

[01:19:32] I remember the days of the Cloverfield teaser trailer, and I want to be that excited again. Yes. 100%. That would be so cool. I saw the bike riders already, so I wanted to see it a second time when the news came out of the Nosferatu trailer.

[01:19:48] I was like, okay. And as soon as that Focus Features logo pops up, I was sitting next to some random person out loud, I literally said, and I was like, all right, time to lock in. I was like, time to lock in.

[01:20:00] And I was just giddy the whole time because I'm sure we'll talk about this more when the trailer comes out for everyone to see. And that feeling that elicits of, oh dude, did you see that trailer? Quote unquote being the first to see it,

[01:20:12] although it's going to come out online within a week. They never really hold it for that long. It's always a good little marketing bit. And I do agree. I think keeping something like that for everyone to see and a bit incentivizes people to go to a theater.

[01:20:27] I think it would also be cool if we don't announce it beforehand. If we went to see the bike riders, because I was already seeing it again, and I had no idea. And then that focus features logo popped up and then like an Osirot to trailer happen.

[01:20:40] I would have just been mind blown. You should do that more. I might. I mean, the trailer ended. I just literally was giddily laughing. I was like, fuck, yeah, I started clapping and I felt very awkward right away

[01:20:53] because I was the only one clapping when it was over. Now people always cheer at the Nicole Kidman AMC intro. For me, I was just like Robert Deggers, new Robert Eggers movie. I was like, let's go. I mean, I do like CinemaCon kind of builds

[01:21:06] its entire reputation on just showing trailers from movies that are coming out later in the year. And we get excited about it and we cover it and look at everything that's being reported out of there. So yeah, I definitely think that there is something to be said for,

[01:21:23] you know what, before you put a trailer online for everyone to just share, why not just put it in theaters and give people an incentive to go check it out? Now I know that the Internet's going to do what the Internet does and today's audiences

[01:21:37] are unforgiving when it comes to just whipping out their cell phones and recording video and posting it online. But I mean, I don't know, I've seen Focus's team be pretty swift. They were. Yeah, they were sealed to you six on that.

[01:21:54] I was like, oh, it's like you search Nosferatu and one second is there, the next like, yeah, this media file has been taken. I was like, wow, they were. They were on top of it. But yeah, I agree. We should go back to that.

[01:22:10] Ezra Kubero, which Cannes titles do you think will screen at TIFF this year? Oh, all right. The Substance Midnight Screening. Let's go. Yeah, I was going to say, so to get Nadia, Sarah and Gio excited. Yes, The Substance at midnight. I think that's a must.

[01:22:28] I've already told Mubi that they would be fools not to do it. I would also say, expect to probably see the Seed of the Secret Fig go. I think Flo might take a stop there. Onora, I expect will also go

[01:22:44] because I think Onora is going to be taken everywhere by Neon. Oh yeah, I mean, this kind of goes without saying it would be kind of weird if Pulse Raider did not bring O Canada to Toronto. And same thing too with David Cronenberg, obviously being from Canada.

[01:22:59] So I expect Shrouds to show up there. You know, given its release date now, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of the IMAX theater being reserved for a one night special screening of Megalopolis. Lord, please. Yes, I need it. Do you think that's possible, Nadia?

[01:23:23] I can see it. Yeah, like I'm not totally sold on it, but I can see it. And then the other one that I think is crowd pleasing enough that they should and probably will bring it everywhere. They should bring it to Telluride.

[01:23:40] They should bring it to New York. They should bring it to Toronto. Netflix's Amelia Perez, I think will probably go. So yeah, quite a good crossover, I would say with just those films alone. You know, maybe there's a world where The Apprentice resurfaces. That's another thing too.

[01:23:58] I think if they can get a reception maybe more positive than can anywhere, Toronto's probably the best place to bring that in hopes of securing distribution if the response is a little bit better. You know, I was going to bring up The Apprentice,

[01:24:13] but my thing is I feel that film screams NIF. Like that film just screams like, it's like an essentially New York film, you know, very much a takedown of someone a lot of New Yorkers do not like. I feel like that would play into more

[01:24:28] sensibilities here compared to Toronto. I don't disagree with you on that. I also think Telluride is a possibility for it because Ali Basi has brought Border and Holy Spider to Telluride before. So there are some options here, for sure. But yes, Substance at Midnight.

[01:24:48] Y'all, I don't care what's playing against it, I will happily go watch that movie again with you guys. I'm excited for that. I also think maybe All We Imagine is Light. Yes. Sorry, I did forget that one. That is also a possibility.

[01:25:03] That was one of the breakout titles that, yeah, I could see that going around too. Dan Allen wants to know which of the first half of the year A24 Neon films will translate most into any form of awards buzz for 2025? That's OK. So first half of the year,

[01:25:23] we mentioned a couple of titles before, Neon A24 releases. Do I think any of them will get any kind of awards buzz though? I mean, I could see like, I see the TV Globby, like the Indie Spirit, Gotham, like Dominate the Hatfield. Like, I don't think the Academy

[01:25:41] is touching a film like that, which, I mean, a shame because it's a novel. I completely agree. Yeah, I'm with you on that. I'm just trying to think of like their films that have been released to everyone or an awards picture.

[01:25:56] You know, it's been a lot of commercials though. I do think there's an outside chance that Civil War might get a sound nomination. I could see that. Yeah. The sound work in that film is outstanding. The real awards player though is coming out very soon for A24

[01:26:13] and that's Sing Sing. Yes. Yeah, 100 percent. That'll be out in July. I think that's going to be their big player throughout this entire season. And yeah, everything else I think will be lucky to make it into the conversation. But Sing Sing, I think is already in the conversation.

[01:26:33] And Neon. First half of the year Neon. You mentioned, oh God, well, Babes was brought up before but I don't think that's a screenplay nominee. Nah. Handling the Undead, no. Stress Positions, no. Neon's big thing is going to be a Nora.

[01:26:55] Yeah, you just put all your chips on that. I feel like a lot this year is going to be a lot of studios are going to be more select in terms of just not overextending their hand. I don't know, maybe it's because the year

[01:27:07] as like a whole is what we see so far feels slight, you know, due to what happened with Strikes and just not as many big names. So it makes sense that everyone's like, yeah, we're only going to really be like

[01:27:19] dialed into one movie this year, which is smart. I'm curious, what are some other recent films you want to see them release on disc? Hillary's with Flower Moon. Yes! Thank you. Like how the fuck is like not on physical like Apple, what's going on? This is every day.

[01:27:38] I was talking about someone recently. It's insane how that's a film that got double digit Oscar nominations, all those great reviews. And I still think is incredibly underappreciated. And that film is only going to as the years go on, just be like, oh, wow.

[01:27:51] I think it's an incredibly similar work in Scorsese's already masterful career and also Hitman. Like, come on, like I need a disc of Hitman and I need to watch it whenever I want. So now, please. I mean, we're getting one up in Canada. Well, I will.

[01:28:10] I will go to Canada. Very, very jealous of you for that. I will be shipping copies. Please send me 20 bucks for shipping. Thank you. People who traffic like horrible into the world. And then Sarah is just like, hey, I heard you wanted that copy of Hitman.

[01:28:27] Yeah, I just opened my coat and it's just this. I feel like every year I look at my favorite movies and I go to the list and I'm like, I don't own this on Blu-ray. I don't own this on Blu-ray. This only got a DVD release.

[01:28:45] Like what the hell is going on? You know, and that really upsets me that we are living in a time where so many movies are not getting physical media releases, or if they do, they're getting like a bare bones DVD release or a Blu-ray, but no 4K option.

[01:29:00] And it's like just so infuriating to me. Yeah, I definitely would love to have killers on Blu-ray. Also, Apple, if you're listening to us, you better not skimp out on special features, OK? Like load it up, OK? OK, Gio. I hope they're listening.

[01:29:22] Josie DeMarco with The Wild Robot premiering at TIFF, if it's well received by critics and audiences, do you think it could place in the top three similar to The Boy in the Heron did last year? I can't escape this movie. Yeah, sure. Why not?

[01:29:38] There's nothing to suggest that it can't. Why not? Also, I have mad beef with Inside Out 2 now after seeing it. So Wild Robot, maybe maybe you are our only hope, please. Ooh, Enterprising ERA. According to Verumers, Lionsgate is in conversation to acquire and release Magazine Dreams this year.

[01:30:01] Do you think this will actually happen if the film will ever be released? And do you think Jonathan Majors could get awards buzz still? No, no. I think that it's possible it gets released. I do think it's possible it does see

[01:30:19] the light of day. I do not think the industry will give majors accolades because, listen, it is what it is. But the overall perception that guy is not going to bounce back right away, I don't think at least. That's yeah. Like even in this industry,

[01:30:40] I mean, even for horrible people like I mean, even like a Mel Gibson, like it's not like an immediate turnaround. It does happen. Unfortunately, you know, sometimes it's a shame. That being said, I would be surprised if this movie got like a solid theatrical release.

[01:30:57] I always assumed this would be that one type of film that's just dumped into the streaming service and just, you know, just, hey, it's there. We're not really acknowledging it. If you want to watch it, you know, go ahead. Yeah. I mean, at the end of the day,

[01:31:13] he was sentenced. He was found guilty. I know that he did his quote unquote like time, you know, 52 weeks of domestic violence intervention and probation and all that. I don't know. I just can't. I can't see. I can't see the industry walking him back with open arms.

[01:31:37] But the Mel Gibson comparison you just made, Gio, is like is one that I can see where it's like he probably still will get work. Lower tier projects, maybe some direct to VOD releases, you know, international stuff. Maybe. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He was recently announced that he's

[01:31:55] working on something else next. So, yeah, he's getting work. But yeah, no awards buzz. No, no. Speaking of which, you guys saw Lionsgate picked up Megalopolis, too. Thank you for your service, Lionsgate. I'm saluting you. I you guys need someone for New York AMC Lincoln Square to ask

[01:32:16] Adam Driver questions. I'm right here. I can do it. It's literally one question. And it's people make it such a big deal about this. I saw this in action live. It's a guy comes on stage. He asks one question. Driver talks to the guy on stage

[01:32:33] and then the guy just walks off. And it's like the most bizarre, surreal thing I've ever experienced watching a movie. And I don't know how the hell they are going to replicate this for all of their show. And I work in a movie theater. I could do it.

[01:32:48] It is so weird because it doesn't happen again throughout the rest of the movie. It's like this one thing. And I was left like this is why this movie was so confounding to me because I was like, what's the thematic resonance? What is the meaning?

[01:33:00] What was the purpose behind this? And I still to this day don't have an answer for you. And I to me, sorry, I'm not a big fan of Megalopolis. And this is just one of the many reasons why. It is unique, though.

[01:33:12] I just love how Lionsgate is like, Kate, we will distribute it, but you're paying for your own marketing material. Seriously. Like, you know, I'm just happy I'm getting to see it at all. Like genuinely after, you know, it was already a risky project before people saw it.

[01:33:30] And then, you know, the reaction that came out of Cannes and at that point for me, I'm just like, am I going to get to see it? Like, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. Like, even if I don't like it, I just want to be able to witness

[01:33:42] this. So I'm just happy a studio is like even though it sounds like they have very much details in that contract where it's like, look, we're not going to be responsible for all this. I'm just happy that the world is getting to see it.

[01:33:56] And by world, I mean America, because it seems like overseas already was like, yeah, no, we're going to see this. Don't worry. All right. And let's see what else we have here. We're getting to the end now. All right. Two more and then we're done here.

[01:34:10] Dropout Jacob wants to know what's one of your favorite movies from this year so far that you think has absolutely no Oscar potential? I saw the TV glow. Yeah, that's the first one that comes to mind. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry.

[01:34:30] Like that, that the Academy is not ready for a movie like that, but it's one of the best artistic statements I've seen this year by far. Drive away dolls. Another one. That was fun. I really liked Late Night with the Devil. Oh, yeah. Love lies bleeding.

[01:34:47] Probably not getting. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Also, sometimes I think about dying. Not going to get anything. All right. And now let's end things off here then with Isaiah Washington. He wants to know what is the greatest Oscar win that you've seen?

[01:35:05] OK, so it has to be a film that you've seen in the following categories. Documentary feature. So go through your Oscar winners for best documentary feature and tell me what is you think the greatest win in that category that you've seen. I hate to be that person who's

[01:35:26] like, I don't consistently watch documentaries as much as I should. I'm very like you will as a member of M.P.P. God, I know. And I do. I thank you guys for making me like pushing me and product me to watch more docs.

[01:35:40] I always lean towards things that interest me in my specific niches and just not in general. And then I always wait till whatever the noms are. And then I was like, OK, I watch those. So now it's like I really have to like dig through

[01:35:52] and think I'm like, OK, which one? I haven't seen nearly as many as I've wanted to either, but I'm looking at I rank all the ones I've seen on Letterboxd and I really did love Navalny. Also, Free Solo is up there for me. Man on Wire 2.

[01:36:08] Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's right. I was really stunned when I saw the Cove in 2009. Basically, it's part heist movie, activist documentary. The footage that they captured in it was just so shocking and so terrible that one that one standing out to me a lot.

[01:36:33] I'm going to be, you know, say something recent. Summer of Soul, I just think is a fantastic snapshot of like forgotten history and also just an immaculate concert film. And talk about a movie that, you know, we mentioned earlier that feels like summer and

[01:36:48] like you want to be there like Summer of Soul is a perfect example. Just like imagine being at that concert and just might be out with all those amazing artists. I was going to say, I also like to shout out March of the Penguins because it's so cute.

[01:37:01] All right. This might be a little tough because we're starting to get into greatest of all time territory here with some of these winners. Best international feature. Isaiah, why are you doing this to us? All right. When I think about like the greatest movies of all

[01:37:18] time, sometimes my brain doesn't really go to Oscar winners for international feature. So my brain immediately goes to something like, say, eight and a half comes out and I'm like, oh, one of the best films to mind. Fanny and Alexander, fuck, that's so good. All about my mother.

[01:37:42] Oh, yeah. Can I say Paris takes it? Also in Best Picture. Sure. I'd say a really cool movie I vibe with Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion. Oh, my God. Great film. Holy shit. Great film. That's a here. If you have not seen it, I'd like

[01:37:58] from the beginning. It's like, yeah, no, this just playing mind games and it is fascinating. Rashomon also. Oh yeah, all timer. Yep. I really liked Cinema Paradiso. Yeah. Oh, talk about one of the few movies that I've had the most like ugliest aggressive cries at the end.

[01:38:18] By the time that Ennio Morricone score is just. I get excited thinking about it. I'm going to change subject. All right. Animated feature. Less films to choose from with anime feature.

[01:38:31] So yeah, I'm going to the fact that the boy in the hair and one just this past year. That's was one of my favorite films last year. I like Miyazaki having two Oscars is great to me.

[01:38:43] Also, I like a spirit away all timer when I feel like if we did a poll from the MVP film community, I can't help but feel like spirit away would win. And I think there's something really, really special about Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse winning.

[01:39:02] Yeah, great one to I got to say Shrek Masterpiece. The first one ever. Yeah, I'm going to say, well, my top two Pixar's are Finding Nemo and Wally. So they'd be up there.

[01:39:16] Man, I I think while I used to be one of those people that would say the first half of Wally is a masterpiece. Second half still great. Not as great. Wally's just an all around great film, period. Top to bottom. That's top five picks up for me.

[01:39:31] All right. Best original score. Oh, OK. On a personal level, I have to say Howard Shore's work for Lord of the Rings. Yeah, I'm with you that I'm with you.

[01:39:46] But if I if I take the personal aspect out and I take a step back and I say, OK, what is the greatest win of all time? It's John Williams for Star Wars. Is there a more iconic score in cinema? I mean, there's not.

[01:40:03] Yeah, I think I have to agree with that. But just know my heart is with the Hobbits. Mine too. Also, I mean, Titanic is. Yeah, it's just classic. OK, and then the last one. What is your all time favorite win for cinematography? God damn it. What the hell?

[01:40:29] OK, my brain immediately goes to Lawrence of Arabia. My brain then next immediately goes to the third man. Black Narcissus is a great one. I agreed. Oh, from here to eternity. All timer for me. Days of Heaven's pretty good to love on the water. The front.

[01:40:52] I'm just like every winner is great. Like, yeah, I don't know what Boris Kaufman is. Just all timer cinematographer for me. And I have to shout out Apocalypse now. Some of the most striking imagery I've ever seen in a movie period and Blade Runner. All right.

[01:41:06] Well, that'll do it here for this week's episode. Thank you all for sending in your questions, as you always do on next week's show. We are going to talk about the movies that we are looking forward to from the second half of twenty twenty four.

[01:41:18] All this Christian tell everyone that's listening right now where to find you on the Internet. They can find me on Twitter and Letterboxd at Vegan Movie Snob. Sarah Clements, where can they find you? You can find me on Twitter at Mildred Spheres. Nadia Dalamonte.

[01:41:33] You can find me on Twitter at Nad Reviews and on Instagram at Nadia Reviews. Giovanni Lago. You can find me on Twitter at the Giovanni Lago on Letterboxd at Gio52. And you can find me at Next Best Picture.

[01:41:46] Thank you so much, everyone, for listening to Episode 398 of the Next Best Picture podcast. We are proud to be part of the Evergreen Podcast Network and you can subscribe to us anywhere where you subscribe to podcasts.

[01:41:56] Be sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know what you think of the show. We really appreciate your feedback and your support, which you can also lend on over at Patreon for one dollar minimum a month.

[01:42:06] You'll get some exclusive podcast content from us, including our 2010 retrospective, which is still continuing on through the summer. Thank you all so much for listening as always, and we will see you all next time.